Churches, Easter, and Marketing

Jesus, Mii, and Wii
If you are in San Fransisco on Sunday and happen to have your Nintendo Wii remote, the Mission Bay Community Church will download a Jesus Mii character to your remote. That way you can play the Wii with Jesus.


Which Jesus said it?
Or if you are in Nashville and want to stop by the Emmaus Church they will be having a Resurection Celebration. Only, I'm not sure if it will be related to Jesus the Messiah or Jesus the Hispanic who happened to have a Lazarus experience. It's confusing because would Jesus really say this?




PLEASE...Share your thoughts!

Big night in Nashville

Last night in Nashville, there was just too much going on to follow. Some of the outcomes were good and some were not. Here are the things that were fighting for my attention.

#1: I'm a Lipscomb fan in the Atlantic Sun, but WAY TO GO BELMONT! I couldn't believe they lost in the final seconds to Duke, 70-71. It was great to hear the crowd cheering on the Nashville underdog. What a game! My wife even got excited about watching it - she did attend a semester at Belmont.

#2: I had to run back an forth between TVs to catch the latest episode of Lost while watching the final minutes of the Duke/Belmont game. The show frustrates me as usual, and I am ready for the resolution. This show has been strung out for way too long. The basketball game got most of my attention though.

#3: Predators....tough night! I wanted to see our boys make it to the playoffs, but I guess the Red Wings were too much to handle last night as they lost 6-3. It was a "must win" for the Preds if they wanted to extend the season. Maybe next year...or maybe not? Who knows? If they didn't have to deal with all of the negotiations of being sold this past year, I'm convinced they would be in the playoffs for sure. The distraction could not have helped.

#4: The US Mens Soccer Team solidified their bid to the Summer Olympics in Beijing last night in Nashville. They won over the Canadians 3-0. Sunday, I am planning to enjoy Easter by watching the championship game of the qualifying between the US and Honduras at LP field. This will be the first time I watch them live. I love this game!

The most wonderful day of the year

March Madness has arrived, making it the most wonderful day of the year! As kids it was Christmas, your birthday, and maybe a trip to an amusement park. However, as we get older we realize the more important things, like Cinderellas, last second shots, and bracket challenges.

This has been a great basketball season so far. Growing up in North Carolina, I'll be rooting for UNC. It's always nice to have your favorite team ranked at No. 1. Some would question my loyalty to the Heels, since I will also be pulling for Duke in the tourney. In one of my brackets I decided to go all ACC in the finals. I think Clemson has a good shot, but Miami is just wishful thinking.

Hold on - let's move to Tennessee since that is where I've moved to 13 years ago. With five teams from the state (Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Memphis, Belmont, and Austin Peay) it has add to the excitement of this basketball season. I'll be pulling for Vandy since it is the local favorite and I like Belmont when they aren't playing my alma mater, Lipscomb. The only downside....Belmont has Duke in round one.

Well, three years ago I didn't pick UNC to win it all because they were my team. They ended up winning it and I lost my bracket challenge. I have reservations of picking them this year, but why not? Go Tarheels!

Who's your pick to win it all?

A number not forgotton - 728b

Hymnals in churches are no longer in their prime. The day of a worship leader announcing a number, pausing for everyone to turn the pages, and then singing together has begun to fade. All the responsibility rests on one person who must make sure the next slide is projected on the screen at the exact right moment. I'm not sure how familiar my son will be with a hymnal as he grows up but I certainly was familiar with the one we used in our congregation.

The most popular hymnal used in my tradition was Songs of the Church. It contained a list of 10 commandments on how to be treated. Things like "Thou shall not use me to spank children" and "Thou shall return me to my proper place when not in use".

But what people will remember most is the hymn number 728b. There was no 728a or 729, just 728b and people wondered why. Sometimes it was referred to as the national anthem of the churches of Christ. The title was "Our God, He is Alive" by A.W. Dicus. It was a peppy song where every church had their favorite way of singing the chorus; fast or slow. Nonetheless, it was a song that brought unity to people in the CofC tradition.

Anyway, my intramural team in college all chose weird numbers for our jersey's like 3.14, 1², and 728b. That number has played a significant role in the life of many. In fact 728b.com is "coming soon", although I don't know who is bringing it or what it will be. I can only guess they too were impacted by the song. There's also a cool band that has embraced the number - they're called 728b. You can also buy some church of Christ items in the 728b store at Cafe Press.

So if you want to know how old school church of Christ a person is, ask them if they know about 728b.

My new favorite TV geeks

First there was Screech from Saved By the Bell, but now keeping with the entourage trend there is a new group of geeks on TV that we love. The CBS show The Big Bang Theory has made the list of shows I watch regularly now. It's about four socially challenged geeks who live across the hall of a beautiful girl. Sheldon's character, played by Jim Parson's is my favorite. You'll also recognize Johnny Galecki from Rosanne and Kaley Cuoco from 8 Simple Rules.

Below is a YouTube clip taken from last night's episode. During the show, reference was made to this clip on youtube and the poster was also mentioned a few times. I think it is neat when a show tries to blend into reality. This is like NBC's The Office making Dwight's Shrute Farm a hot spot on one of the travel Web sites.

Anyway, I hope you watch the show and enjoy it. I hope it stays around awhile.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

I've participated in the "wearing of the green" today so I wouldn't be deserving of a pinch. Hopefully you're having a happy Saint Patrick's Day.

Here are some of my favorite things related to the Irish theme.


1. My wife and I enjoy a local Irish pub in Franklin, called McCreary's. I like the fish & chips. I doubt we go today, but perhaps you'll enjoy it sometime. It's located on main street in downtown Franklin.

2. I like green. With a name like Forrest I should huh? So what if the name is English and not Irish - it's not like they don't get along with each other.

3. Far and Away - I know Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are no more an item, but I remember watching this movie in Mrs. Ramsey's theater class in 11^th grade to learn about Irish accents. That was the best class ever.

4. Irish Songs - Why can't Americans sit around and sing fun ditties together? Spare us the karaoke and let's all sound horrible together.

5. Lucky Charms - It's still one of my favorite cereals. My best memory is when they added the purple horseshoe.

What's your favorites?