Jesus

Let’s Get Weird

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

Would you believe me if I told you “Weird Al” Yankovic could teach all of us a thing or two about how to love others?

Yeah. “Weird Al”. The legendary Jewish song parodist. The guy who brought us “Fat”, “Amish Paradise” and “White and Nerdy”.

The guy whose latest album Mandatory Fun boasts parodies like the fantastic “Word Crimes”, a play on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”:

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

If you think Robin Thicke is upset about being made fun of by “Weird Al”, you’d be wrong.  Continue reading →

Are You Called To Be Controversial?

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Did you hear the one about the actors who ignited an international incident with their movie trailer?

No kidding – the teaser for the new Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy “The Interview” sparked a firestorm of controversy after it premiered last week. The movie is about a pair of talk show hosts hired by the CIA to go undercover and kill North Korean leader kill Kim Jong-un.

Needless to see, the Korean leader didn’t see the movie as a laughing matter, labeling it an “act of terror and an act of war”.

It’s hard to say how serious Kim Jong-un’s threats are. But there’s no question “The Interview” trailer got people talking.

I wonder why Rogen and Franco decided to make such a controversial movie. Certainly a comedy doesn’t need to invoke terroristic actions to be funny. Why bother? Continue reading →

Choosing The Heroic Path

/ Alex Doriot / 9 Comments

When you’re in Su00f70f35408dac58d4698286fe5f2719nday School you’re taught about Jesus being fully God and fully man.

But have you ever been thought about Jesus being fully man?

 Jesus was not just a human, but our model for masculine behavior as well.

With a world rejecting the importance of gender more and more everyday, I can’t think of a better time for a book embracing the manhood of Jesus and the masculine heart in general.

In The Heroic Path, author John Sowers does just this, charting his quest to find out what it means to be a man in a brutally honest and relatable fashion.

It’s not too manly of me to admit that I teared up often while reading the book. The stories of John’s struggles to be a man’s man and failing hard along the way are so relatable – so many things I have struggled with over the years.

In fact, I would bet there are more men like author John Sowers out there that can’t seem to maneuver a lawnmower than there are brawny lumberjack men nowadays.

Sowers has a lot of experience searching for masculinity. He details a life story of feeling outmanned by his peers at every turn from high school to adulthood. Continue reading →

Nothing Like It

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2014-05-04 at 6.39.47 PMWhen you type something (anything) into Google, you realize how small the world is.

Literally. There is no search you can come up with that someone else hasn’t already searched for.

Makes it seem like there truly are no original thoughts left in the world.

No matter how crazy a thought or an idea is, there is already a similar thought or idea out there.

This makes the notion of Jesus all the more incredible. Continue reading →

Why Sequels Suck

/ Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

terminator-2-1991-28-gTerminator 2: Judgment Day is the best sequel of all time.

You may argue otherwise. But you would be wrong.

The first Terminator movie is a decent 80s action flick. It’s more focused on Sarah Connor, Kyle Reese, and their struggle to protect her unborn (and unconceived) son than it is the Terminator trying to kill her, played in an almost comically wooden fashion by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In fact, the famous “I’ll be back” line from the film is just a throwaway line the Terminator offers as he assesses how to break down a doorway to get to Sarah Connor. (Also, dig that rad 80s synthesizer score!) Continue reading →

Is It Wrong To Ignore The “Son Of God”?

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Is it wrong that I have no interest in watching “Son Of God”?

The new movie from producer Mark Burnett made over $26 million this weekend playing to faith-based crowds preparing for the Easter season. I was not one of them.

“Son Of God” is basically all of the scenes involving Jesus from 2013’s miniseries “The Bible” compiled into one feature length film. Part of me is just not interested in paying $10 to see rehashed material on the big screen.

Really though, I just don’t see anything for me when I watch the previews for “Son Of God”.

I’ve seen the story of Jesus told this way already. There doesn’t appear to be anything surprising or insightful in it. There are no risks being taken.

Now, I’m basing all this off the trailer and reviews for the film. I could be way off here. Continue reading →

The Trouble With Treasuring Trophies

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IMG00358-20120422-1321With The Oscars coming up this Sunday night, everybody’s getting all worked up about who’s going to take home the big gold statues this year.

Pfft. Big deal. I mean, I don’t want to brag, but I have a pretty good supply of trophies I won during my childhood.

I wasn’t a particularly stellar athlete – I just grew up in a generation where everybody got a trophy at the end of every season, regardless of wins and losses.

Some people complain about how our culture gives trophies to kids just for participating. I think it can be a good thing.
A trophy is more than a reward; it stands out as a memory of a journey. The problem is when the pursuit of a trophy becomes your only obsession. Continue reading →

The Shortcut To Popularity

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tumblr_li2ojiqJD51qgj47lI cannot stress to you enough the impact Zack Morris had on my life.

Every day before and after elementary school I watched reruns of “Saved By The Bell”. Sure, the show was funny. But really I was studying Zack Morris.

Zack Morris was the epitome of cool. The slicked back bleached blonde hair. The giant cell phone. The swagger.

(Also he could stop time. That was kind of weird. But totally awesome.) Continue reading →

Snow Day Blues

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IMG_1927Every Snow Day must end.

As kids (and sometimes as adults) we pray each winter for the conditions to be just right for a glorious interruption of our daily routine, even if only for a day.

Of course, if the wintry flakes of wonder could fall on the right day, that would be even better. The day of the big test, or the big presentation, or whatever day you may be dreading.

Then, every few years (if you’re lucky), the special day comes. The weather reports turn out right.  You wake up to the sight of snow on the ground and iced over roads and the best news anyone could ever get: school and work are cancelled.

But a Snow Day is not the solution to your problem. Continue reading →