Faith

The Death Of Rock Band

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

76181_166540390043728_7807469_n“I’ve got next on Rock Band!”

When I first stepped onto the job as youth pastor at The Hill Baptist Church five years ago, this was the call I heard every time a student would arrive at church.

Literally every Sunday and Wednesday before and after church we would spend at least an hour playing “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “Alive” (or at least pretending like we were playing them). We themed 2 Lock-Ins after our Rock Band and Guitar Hero addiction.

I even spent one Saturday afternoon with two students playing through the ultimate setlist of every song on Rock Band 2 in one sitting. We played through half of the setlist before I accidentally tripped over the power cord to the Xbox 360. So we turned the machine back on, started from the beginning, and played through it all again.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero were obsessions for this group of students and for so many teenagers across the world. Which is kind of crazy, considering how nonexistent Rock Band and Guitar Hero are just a few years later. Continue reading →

The Hidden Wonders Of Waiting

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

slide.001_2_2_2The dream of my childhood is alive on Netflix.

When I was a kid I used to fantasize about watching any television show you wanted whenever you wanted. In my head I dreamed of a network called “The Channel” – an on demand wonderland where viewers weren’t subject to schedules or programmers, able to watch any episode at any time.

I wasn’t the only one dreaming back then. The technology I once only imagined is now available not only through Netflix but Hulu, Youtube, Amazon, On Demand, and countless other streaming services.

The archives of television (and film and music) history are at your command. If you want to watch that episode of “Sanford and Son” where Fred thinks B.B. King is trying to kill him, you could right this second.

Take a moment to be in awe of this. Less than a decade ago if you missed your favorite tv show the night it aired (and you forgot to set your VCR) then you simply missed it. Continue reading →

What Do You Doubt?

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. – Khalil Gibran, poet

What do you doubt about God? If you have any faith in God, you surely wrestle with doubt as well.

In a world where innocent Marathon runners and spectators become terrorist victims one day and innocent plant workers become victims of an explosion the next, doubt creeps in about a loving God.

What kind of God does this to His people? What hope is there in this world? What do we have to cling to?

The doubt in our heart is nothing new. The stains of doubt are never fully washed from our cup no matter how powerful our faith is. For as long as people have had faith they have wrestled against doubt.

482376_858133227665_1363584939_nTake Thomas for instance – the doubting disciple. For the past few weeks I’ve been rehearsing for a play called “Eight Days After”. The play is an exploration into the mysterious appearances of Jesus after His resurrection and how they affected the people He once knew. Continue reading →

You’re Right To Fight

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

hoganandreWhat if Hulk Hogan never fought Andre The Giant?

What if instead The Hulkster was just handed a championship?

What if instead of bodyslamming the behemoth, Hulk Hogan just traveled the world talking about what a great athlete he was?

If Hulk Hogan was just a great speaker and never engaged in any battles, he would not have been my hero growing up.

Unlike so many people in the real world (and so many of today’s WWE stars), Hulk Hogan didn’t just talk about being the best wrestler in the world. He went into battle every night in arenas across the country to back up the words he said.

Hulk Hogan faced down conflict when it came after him – even in the form of a giant. Continue reading →

Childlike

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

beck-bennettKids say the darndest things.

By now you’ve probably seen the series of AT&T commercials featuring a droll corporate everyman interviewing a series of elementary school children. The man in the suit asks kids questions like “What’s better – doing two things at once or just one?” He typically receives the answer you’d expect from a 6-year-old.

These commercials are the greatest thing ever:

(Click here if you can’t see the Youtube video above.)

All of this is to promote how even little kids are smart enough to realize AT&T’s products are superior to other phone companies. The commercials may not be super effective in mobilizing you toward AT&T, but they do illustrate just how insightful kids are. They also provide a great lesson to us about wonder. Continue reading →