Grand Central Station Frozen in Time

I think this is one of the coolest things I have seen. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if I saw this happen in person. If it were a group of 10 people it wouldn't have been a big deal, but to see 200 people across this huge venue, I'm not sure if I would have freaked out or not. This took place back in 2006.

Over 200 Improv Everywhere Agents froze in place at the exact same second for five minutes in the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. Over 500,000 people rush through Grand Central every day, but today, things slowed down just a bit as commuters and tourists alike stopped to notice what was happening around them.

Does Satan encourage atheism?

So, after reading some last night a question occurred to me. Does Satan encourage atheism - the doctrine or belief that there is no God?

I understand that Satan would not want you to believe in God, but if you do not believe in God, then likewise wouldn't you also have to put aside any belief in Satan? Some people may argue that Satan would leverage atheism to keep you from following God, but what if that's not really even Satan's motivation? Does he just want to keep us from God, or does he want to be like God and have us follow after him instead? In that case, wouldn't atheism work against him? If the devil just gets his kick out of seeing you not believe, then atheism could certainly help him accomplish what he wants, but then what is in it for Satan?

So, your thoughts...

Doubt vs Faith

I began a book yesterday by Timothy Keller entitled The Reason for God. It is a book that a new friend sent to me. So far I am enjoying it a lot but I will review it more in depth when I complete it. Still, I may make several posts in the meantime on a few things it caused me to think about. The first of which is the question that relates to having doubt and faith.

Keller pointed out how both of these characteristics are learned. To have faith in something or someone is a learned response, just as it is with learning to doubt. So, if they are learned and we all experience each of them let me ask a few tough questions that have me thinking (Since I am thinking, I figured someone out there might want to to think a little too).

In terms of your relationship with God which do you feel like you experience more, doubt or faith? How do you use one to counteract the other? Can you? How did you learn each of those responses in the first place?

Are you a Dave Ramsey fan?

If you are wondering about how big of a Dave Ramsey fan you are, you may want to read through this pretty extensive list to find out.

I have to say some of these are pretty good. So, you might be a Dave Ramsey fan if...(find out).

Velvet Elvis

Recently I have heard a lot of people talking about Velvet Elvis written by Rob Bell. I have actually heard a lot of mixed reviews. Some love it and others didn't really care for it at all. Since so many people have talked about it, I decided to take a look under the hood.

I wasn't impressed. Still, it was worth my money because I got several good thoughts out of it. The only thing about the book is that I never felt like I was following a pattern. I got a few good nuggets here or there but I just kind of wondered where the author was trying to take me. I'll admit, it could have just been me. I was reading through a lot of it while being distracted by my one year old.

I don't think this book will challenge any seasoned Christian with thinking, but I can see how this book would be a nice little read for those in the beginning of their faith. I do appreciate Bell's aptitude for research. He does manage to reflect on some historical facts that pertain to the setting of several Bible passages, that many ministers or authors would have chosen to ignore (ex. Jesus's garment and Jewish education for children)

Have you read it? Thoughts?