Jon Acuff's Blog, page 131

Talking about hell.

Be honest. At the start of the year, was there anyone who said out loud, "You know what's going to have a huge 2011? Hell."

Probably not. But at this point, there's no denying it. I can no longer ignore the cultural shift in conversation that's been underfoot for months. (That's my usual approach. Allow every other blog on the planet to talk about a subject. Wait until it's gone cold and people are tired about hearing about it, then blog about it like it's brand new. I'll be talking about Spotify in about a year.)

But this topic isn't cooling off. (Zinger!)

Hell has had a hot year! (Zinger 2!)

Rapper Nelly tried to warn us all those years ago about the rising temperature and the appropriate response we should all take. (Zinger 3!)

Hell is the real Inconvenient Truth! (Zinger 4 plus a nod to a second controversial subject, that's a controversy sandwich!)

Alright, there. I'm done. I'm zingered out.

But the topic isn't. In fact, both hell and heaven were top of mind for a lot of people this year.

Right now, the book Heaven is for Real about a little boy who died and went to heaven is number 6 on the Amazon best-sellers list. It's been in the top 100 for 237 days in a row. It's sold millions and millions of copies.

There's also another New York Times Best-seller called The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.

There's a book called 90 Minutes in Heaven that's in the top 200 on Amazon right now. And someone recently gave me a copy of 23 Minutes In Hell. Francis Chan's book Erasing Hell is a New York Times Best-seller right now.

There was this other small book that you might have heard of too. It made a minor splash in some Christian circles online. There was perhaps even a video trailer that caused a ripple or two. I believe it was called Love Wins.

And, last but not least, there's the movie Heaven is a Playground. Maybe you've seen it? It stars Bo Kimble, Hakeem Olajuwon and DB Sweeney, who you might remember from The Cutting Edge, easily one of my top 10 favorite figure skating movies. I'm not really sure how this movie ties in to the whole discussion, but I'm pretty sure Hakeem dunks on DB Sweeney at some point, so that's pretty enjoyable.

All in all, it's been a busy year for both heaven and hell, and we're only in August. What do I think about our focus on this topic this year?

1. Dang you Donald Miller.

I wish I had written what Donald Miller wrote on his blog about "Love Wins." Once he posted that, I knew I would never be able to top it and retired the subject from my head.

2. Could I write a sequel or a spin off?

That's how I felt about The Shack too. Could I write a version called "The Shed" or "The Lean To" that might sell? Maybe I could do a book titled 22 Minutes in Hell: Why I Didn't Need One Minute More, like the guy in Something About Mary who was going to release "7 minute abs" instead of "8 minute abs."

3. Am I the worst human ever?

Did I really just suggest a spin off called "The Shed?" Unbelievable.

4. I'm not blogging in-depth until I've read them.

I used to tell people that I "lived" in Costa Rica until my wife pointed out that visiting for 3 weeks didn't really count as "living" there. I tend to exaggerate or "lie" as it were sometimes. Same with books. I'll offer you an in-depth opinion even when I haven't read the book. So until I do, Love Wins, Erasing Hell, Heaven is for Real, aren't something I can really speak on.

My fifth thought was the Nelly joke. But to be honest with you, I think that one an awful lot. When I was in Dallas three weeks ago and it was 1 billion degrees, every time someone would say "It's getting hot," in my head I would think, "in here, so take off all your clothes." That's not good, right? I didn't think so. Dang you Nelly and your infectious hooks.

Question:

Have you read any of the books about heaven and hell mentioned in this post? (Feel free to Jesus Juke and say, "Yeah, the Bible.")

3 perfectly easy ways to wreck your marriage with social media.

"Me, you and your iPhone doesn't 'equal spending time together.'" My wife has said this to me a few times. Maybe your spouse has said something similar.

I tend to keep what I write on Stuff Christians Like and JonAcuff.com in separate buckets because the writing has different goals. But occasionally I'll call out something from my other blog I think you might dig. Recently I wrote a post called "3 perfectly easy ways to wreck your marriage with social media."

These are things I've struggled with in my own marriage and seen friends wrestle with on the way to divorce.

Click here to read the post.

 

Things I shouldn't know exist.

The other day I was on the verge of sending out a tweet when I hit pause. Not literally pause. I don't have the iPhone 5 beta version that they gave out to a select group of bloggers/breakdancers/Newsies aficionados that is equipped with the new pause button every one is hyped about. I hit pause in my head.

What did the tweet I was concerned about say?

"Louis CK is having Dane Cook on his show Louie this week? Wow. Well played FX!"

No big deal, right? Wrong.

I'm pretty sure that as a Christian I shouldn't even know Louis CK exists. Or Dane Cook. Or the FX network for that matter. I was 0 for 3 in that tweet on things I shouldn't know exist. Or TISKE, as in "TISKE, TISKE, look what you're doing!"

What's a TISKE?

Those are the pop culture curiosities (music, movies, TV shows, people, etc.) that are so clearly "of" the world that you can't even pretend that you must engage with them so as to appear "in" the world.

I'm not talking about Harry Potter.

Or the TBS edited version of Sex & the City.

Or even the song "Baby, Baby" by Amy Grant which has her dancing with a guy in the video (Breaking the 11th commandment or "Footloose commandment" about dancing.)

I'm talking about those things that are so far out there that not only should you not be participating in them, you shouldn't even be aware they exist.

"The girl with the dragon tattoo? Is that a friend of yours who you go to church with? Somebody in the single's department, I'm assuming? Ohhh. It's a book? You don't say. I haven't read that. Actually, I've never heard of it. I didn't even know that existed."

In case you're finding this puzzling, allow me to give you a few other examples of things you're not even supposed to know exist.

1. The Show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

2. The music of GirlTalk

3. Tosh.0

4. 92% of the shows on the E channel.

5. Lil' Wayne's entire catalog

6. The other two books written by Stieg Larsson.

7. Gawker, Perez Hilton and 42% of the Onion.

Never heard of any of those things? Great. You're doing pretty good. Currently enjoying all 7 of them? Oh boy.

But here are the two problems I see with us Christians having a secret list of things we enjoy but pretend we don't even know exist.

1. You end up being two different people.

There's the person you really are and then the person you pretend to be around other Christians. Nothing good ever comes from dividing yourself into two different people. Me finding Louis CK secretly brilliant and then not wanting to tweet about him is a classic example of creating an "offline me" and an "online me." That is some nonsense right there.

2. Things get fuzzy.

At what point do we honestly discuss this stuff and challenge each other about the pop culture we're all digesting? I'm talking no Jesus Jukes, no attacks, no constantly quoting the verse where Paul says everything is permissible, no lying about things you secretly enjoy but don't tell anyone about. Nothing changes if we keep hiding. Nobody grows. Nobody really gets to be in community if we keep faking it.

Those are my two concerns. And by "community," I mean the word we Christians love, not the television show on NBC starring Joel McHale. That one is on the border. Parks & Recreation? Ron Swanson's crazy ex-wife? I'm not sure what you're talking about. Are you saying you like to go to the park and are friends with the heir to the Swanson frozen food empire and his ex-wife?

Question:

What's one way we can be more honest as Christians?

It's Shameless Saturday!

What's your blog?

What's your cause? What's your band? What's your book?

What's the link you want people to see more than anything else?

I hereby declare this "Shameless Saturday."

Post a link to whatever it is you're all about with no shame or apologizing or feeling like you're making a comment on a post you really don't care about but are instead secretly trying to pimp your own blog. (I've done that myself many times. The best way to do it is to say, "That's an interesting post. It reminds me of something I wrote recently on my blog …." Sometimes when people do that, it's actually a good link to something they wrote that is similar to what was written on another post. But when I was trying to build my blog, that was something I always tried to do.)

Please, use the comments this weekend to let us know about your blog or your cause or your band or your whatever. The internets are so big that it's hard to find everything cool. (I try to do Shameless Saturday once a season, so please consider this the summer 2011 edition.)

Tell us what's up in the comments with a link.

The Christian College's Jennifer Aniston

(It's guest post Friday! Here's one from Sara Kelm from Portland, Oregon.  For more great content from Sara, check out her blog.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here's how.)

The Christian College's Jennifer Aniston – By Sara Kelm

In the late 90s, Jennifer Aniston was the ultimate popular girl. Women all over this country reverted to high school and copied her style (see: chunky layered haircut) and followed her love life, both onscreen and off. Even as she started making dubious starring role decisions (I'm talking about you, The Bounty Hunter) and got dumped by her Sexiest Man Alive husband, Aniston still sparkled like it was 1999. And even now, past age 40, Aniston is one of the popular kids.

You get any group of living human beings together and a few always rise to the top and create the popular elite. When I move into a retirement home in 50 years, I fully expect that there will be a hierarchy: the folks with the motorized scooters on the top and the jello-eaters on the bottom. Maybe there I'll finally come out on top (granted that I can hold off the dementia).

I definitely wasn't popular in high school and didn't think that would change in college. I went to a Christian university located in the Pacific Northwest, the land of coffee, rainclouds, and more coffee. The culture breeds an interesting type of popular girl who looks nothing like the stereotype found in movies (for research on the stereotypical popular girl, please watch Mean Girls and/or any Disney Channel Original Movie). But one thing is the same: she's the girl everyone loves. Other girls are dying to go on a nature hike with her, and the guys would love to have an intense theological discussion with her and then make out (or just the latter, but only if they had to chose one).

So, how to identify your Christian college's popular girl (CCPG)? Well, if she's anything like my college's, here's the checklist:

HAIR

The CCPG has long hair that 1) she cuts herself, 2) she lets air dry during early morning quiet times in the woods, and 3) was probably dreadlocks at some point.

CLOTHING

Her clothes look like they're from Urban Outfitters, but you know in your heart that grandpa sweater is from the "per pound" bin at the local thrift store. Because an actual grandpa wore it, the sweater is about 117 times cooler. On her feet, she'll sport Chacos or Toms, depending on the time of year and event (i.e., Chacos = hiking, Toms = special occasions).

FITNESS/HEALTH

The CCPG does not "work out." Still, she will be extremely fit because she rides her bicycle everywhere. Her bicycle is vintage, and she got it from a thrift store, Craigslist, or her grandma's garage for less than $30. It probably has a woven basket, constantly filled with fresh produce that she bought from the farmer's market. It's organic and local, you know. She's also vegetarian, but not vegan because that's just ridiculous (okay, that last comment may have been my personal bias coming through). Her vice is good coffee, but she only buys fair-trade or organic beans.

UPBRINGING

She is not a pastor's kid, because pastor's kids are a dime-a-dozen at a Christian college, and thus, boring. The CCPG grew up on the mission field, probably overseas, though Latin America or ministering to migrant workers in the Southern U. S. counts (Canadian missions do not). During summers, the CCPG volunteers at the nearest refugee camp. She blogs about it, highlighting amazing stories that you read while on your 15-minute break from your summer job at Target.

MAJOR/EXTRACURRICULARS

She majors in either Social Work or Philosophy, with an Art minor. The CCPG is incredibly artistic, probably in mixed media (due to its eclectic nature) or pottery (because it's just awesome). She's also musical, and plays either the bongos or the acoustic guitar in the campus worship band. Bonus points if she's also in an indie rock band with spiritual leanings.

MUSIC

The CCPG listens to indie rock or folk bands that are not overtly "Christian" but have lyrics with spiritual undertones (see the Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, Arcade Fire). Also on her iPod (or off-brand mp3 player): bands that no one has ever heard of and Nickel Creek.

FOR FUN

Every week on Friday night, the CCPG serves the homeless under a bridge in the roughest part of town and always invites you to come, making you feel like an awful person because you have tickets to that one thing. She doesn't judge you, though. Also in her free time, she is a vital part of the campus ultimate Frisbee team.

LOVE INTERESTS

She's not focused on finding a husband, but she unwittingly leads along half of her guy friends (because she gets along with guys so well). These men are bearded, wear thick black-rimmed glasses and flannel, and drink yerba mate tea in literature or philosophy class. They are all in love with her ability to create intense theological discussions over ice cream, but the guy the CCPG actually falls for decides he has been called to celibacy and becomes a monk. Can't blame the poor girl, though – the man has a nice beard.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

The CCPG is not on Facebook. But you know if she did, she'd instantly have friend requests from every student on campus and 80% of the faculty and staff. Also, she seems to know the first name of everyone on campus from the freshmen to the lunch ladies. She mostly hangs out with people just like her (people who choose not to wear shoes, even in the winter), but somehow, you feel like she'd be your friend too.

Here's the thing with this CCPG, this Christian college Jennifer Aniston: she really is that likeable. She really is that great. And when the entire hall of boys that you have been hanging out with for two years falls in love with her, you are annoyed but cannot blame them, which is more infuriating than anything else. You take consolation in the fact that she's going to fall for the future priest anyway.

After graduation, my college's Jennifer Aniston went to a Catholic worker house in the inner city where she feeds the poor, loves the sick, and makes absolutely zero money. She's inspiring and God-driven, much more so than the real Jennifer Aniston will ever be. I admire her. Also, I'm willing to bet money that when I see her at our 10-year reunion, she'll have the best dreadlocks I've ever seen.

Question:

Did you ever meet a Christian College Popular Girl?

(For more awesome stuff from Sara, check out her blog, sara-has-something-to-say… )

Believing the phrase "Just saying" is some magical get out of being a jerk card.

I'm not sure where this phrase started. Although I have three friends who all individually swear they were the ones who created the hybrid word "chillaxing," no one has claimed this phrase to the best of my knowledge.

Yet there it is, popping up like Canadian Geese on golf courses. (Is there a more pretentious bird on the planet, by the way?) You can't go on Facebook without seeing it. You can't go on Twitter without it dancing across the screen. Friend after friend is using it. It's practically social media punctuation at this point.

Just saying.

If you've never experienced it before, where do you live so that I can move there and experience this "Just saying-less utopia" you've discovered? I bet it's in Colorado, seems like a lot of good stuff is in Colorado these days. But here's how it works if you've never seen it wielded at the hand of a Christian:

One part snark + One part bitterness + Just saying = Complete forgiveness for whatever you've just said.

But here's why I don't like it. Here's why I've thrown my social media weight in with the People Against Just Saying Coalition (PAJSC), a group I just invented. (It's pronounced "Paj" like "Cas" from the first part of cashmere. The S and the C are silent.)

Reasons I'm against "Just saying"

1. You're not fooling anyone.

Adding a smiley emoticon at the end of a bitter sentence doesn't remove the bitterness. Neither does "Just saying." You can't Mary Poppins your way out of this with a spoonful of sugar.

2. At no point in the Bible is the phrase referenced.

I'm almost positive when we're told to love our neighbors there's not a follow-up verse that says, "Unless you've got some barb you want to throw and are able to tie it all perfectly with a 'just saying.'"

3. It sounds like something the Pharisees would say.

Speaking of the Bible, can't you see the Pharisees saying this phrase nonstop? "Jesus, you healed someone on the Sabbath, which is against ancient law. Just saying."

4. It's cowardly.

I've used this phrase before, and the reason I did was because I was being a wuss. I had something I wanted to say but still wanted to hold on to my thin veneer of holiness, so I said something mean and then ended the thought with "just saying." Or, maybe you have something legitimate that needs to be said to someone in an email. Maybe it's a tough bit of love or critique that you're afraid to give them. Instead of coming right out and saying it, you couch it in sarcasm and try to soften it with "Just saying." Don't. Let's not be cowards.

My hope is that you'll join the PAJSC and turn in the phrase "Just saying" at the convenient drop-off locations we've set up across the country. Plus, membership comes with a really soft hoodie. The kind that feels like you've owned it for 14 years and used to wear it to Kanakuk Kamps when you were a kid. So that's something.

But if you don't, if you want to keep using the phrase "Just saying," go right ahead. That's between you and God and baby Jesus. Just saying.

Question:

Have you ever seen someone use the phrase "Just saying" online?

Taking God seriously.

I've noticed something weird that sometimes happens on Stuff Christians Like. When I write about the goodness of God, some of the comments are quick to point out just the opposite. I'm not sure if it's an over reaction to prosperity ministry or just our struggle to believe in a loving God, but there's times when we Christians can't say fast enough how difficult a life with Christ is. We react to words of his love for us with as many verses about the challenge of faith that we can find. It's a strange way to react to grace and probably stems from the fact that it's too good to be true.

Grace can't be this easy. Grace can't be this available. Grace can't be this accessible.

We shouldn't get a party when we've blown it. And, yet we do, and sometimes when people discuss that, we get uncomfortable.

Those conversations, those moments, always remind me of this post, which is why I thought it might be good to talk about God and Bob Schneider again.

Bob Schneider is one of my favorite musicians on the planet. He is a songwriter of catastrophic talent and his lyrics are beautiful and challenging. He once wrote a song about God. It explored some really interesting concepts about who God is in some ways that could easily be taken as offensive. So, Bob was forced to change the lyrics and in a brilliant stroke of sarcasm explained the whole situation this way:

"We had to change one word in the song. Basically because I was just afraid we were going to offend a lot of people. Basically I'm all about the money when it comes to making records. It's cash first. It's give me the money and you know forget art, as it were, forget the original artistic integrity of the song. Just make sure that I can appeal to as many people as humanly possible so that I can make the most amount of money so that I can have the biggest, fanciest steaks and most comfortable socks to wear on my feet. So, anyways, we changed one of the words."

One of the reasons Bob had push back was that some people understandably felt the song made light of the Lord. It did not respect the seriousness of God. And I was reminded of the Bob/God incident recently by a comment someone left on this site. It was a good comment, well written and it felt very honest, but one of the lines stuck out to me:

"Children's programs that substitute for regular services do your kids the disservice of not inculcating the seriousness of God."

I confess, I had to look up "inculcating" because I'm not so smart and it means "to teach." That sentence is only one line of a much longer comment and the next line starts out with "God is joyful," so it's not that the author sees God as a monster of seriousness. But I was paused on this line because it forced me to wrestle with a question:

"Do people have a harder time seeing God as a serious entity or seeing God as a joyful, loving entity?"

I know the answer in my own life. I have never, ever struggled to see God as a serious individual. I have never doubted that when you enter His court, there are serious issues on the table and serious discussions and serious missions. In addition to writing about how I have often "painted God mad," I would say that for more than 30 years on this planet, I have been awash in the seriousness of God.

But love has been so much harder. Seeing God as someone that laughs with me and kids with me and rolls down hills of grass with me on lazy Tuesdays in June has been such a bigger challenge. Seeing Him as someone that cares about the little things that no one else notices or as someone that collects my tears in a jar, as Psalms says, has been difficult. Believing that it gives Him joy to see me writing or playing Frisbee or a million other things has been hard.

Things are changing though. In the last few years, He has been showing me that He is more flowers than thistles, more laughter than wrath, more open hand than closed fist. Is He serious? Without a doubt. Do I still feel like it's a big deal to come into His court? Certainly, only now I think it's OK to arrive there by water slide.

I'd like to close this post with a small opportunity.

I thought it might be cool to share something today. I'd love to just open up the idea of expressing who God is. To confess or laugh or shout or share or whatever you feel like doing.

I'll go first with three of my own "God is" statements:

God is serious, serious about loving me in any way possible.

God's love is ridiculous to me.

God is big enough for my anger, small enough for my whispers and strong enough for my worries.

So what do you think?

Finish this statement as many times as you want:

God is ________

The man hat.

Recently, a friend surprised me with a problem she was having at church. I'd never thought about this particular issue. I'd never once even noticed it. But here's how our conversation went:

My friend:

I really don't like all these "man hats" at church.

Me:

Man hats? What are you talking about?

My friend:

There's a lot of guys wearing "man hats" these days. Like those two guys over there. They kind of look like something out of Oliver, kind of a "Hello Guvnor" meets Urban Outfitters. Those bother me.

Me:

Cause you hate Oliver?

My friend:

No, because it feels disrespectful to me.

Me:

What? Ladies wear hats to church all the time.

My friend:

No they don't. They only wear them on Easter Sunday. But there's all these guys wearing Che Guevara revolutionary style hats and those little bowlers that you think will look good on you when you're at the store by yourself but should really only be worn by Justin Timberlake. And the winter beanie in July in Nashville makes no sense. Throw on some woolen mittens while you're at it.

Me:

Agreed. Some of those look silly, but how is a man hat disrespectful to church?

My friend:

Back in the day, when we cared about manners, it was considered disrespectful for a guy to even wear a hat indoors. Anywhere. In your house. In the airport, you didn't wear your hat indoors. I get that times have changed, but even at baseball games you take off your hat for the National Anthem as a sign of respect. So why don't guys take them off at church?

Me:

Do you want me to Jesus Juke you?

My friend:

No.

Me:

I'm going to take that as a "yes." I really wish you would focus on the joy of seeing people attend church, not worry about whether or not they're wearing hats.

My friend:

Maybe you're right. Am I becoming an old lady? Is that what happens? It's not your eyesight that goes first or your hearing, it's your ability to overlook a hat at church. Am I going to start using the word "whippersnapper" soon? Am I getting enough fiber in my diet, or will I need to start supplementing my day with Metamucil or maybe an Ensure drink? Please don't write about this conversation on Stuff Christians Like.

Me:

I won't. I promise.

Man hats. Who knew they were such a cause of distraction? And my friend did say I could write about this conversation. And that "friend" may or may not have been my wife. And that whole chat might have just been her way to keep my growing fascination with hats at bay. She doesn't hate your hat, but she's just afraid I'll go to New York sometime to do some media, shop at H&M without her, and return home with some sort of urban top hat. I'll look like Mr. Peanut in skinny jeans, and no wife wants that.

 

Question:

Have you ever seen a man hat at church?

 

 

 

Maintaining your faith while playing Words with Friends.

I didn't realize husbands were supposed to do this.

This was not part of my vows. This has never been mentioned in any marriage book I've read or counseling session I've sat in. And yet, two days ago, my wife let me know I was dropping the ball in our marriage. How?

Well, here's what she said:

"For the last seven days, it's been your turn on Words with Friends and you haven't played a move with me."

Ahh, the digital duties of a modern spouse with a smart phone.

If you've never played Words with Friends, it's an app on the iPhone and the Droid that is sort of like the board game Scrabble. And by "sort of," I mean "exactly." I have no idea how it's not a trademark infringement. It would be like taking the game "Connect Four," tweaking the colors and then releasing your own version named, "Connect more than three but less than five."

My wife loves playing it. She regularly has 6 or 7 different games going with 6 or 7 different people. And she's not alone. Millions and millions of people have downloaded the app. Most of my friends play it. Me?

Despite my love of words, I'm not a huge fan. I thought that didn't really matter, I assumed it was just a personal preference thing, until my wife said "When you're in a covenant relationship you're supposed to play Words with Friends with each other."

Those weren't her exact words, but in our silly conversation about that, I realized that most of us weren't aware of how to maintain your Christian faith while playing Words with Friends. Fortunately, I have a blog dedicated to the exploration of these tough challenges most theologians shy away from. So, without further adieu, I present to you:

The 5 commandments of Words with Friends

1. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor's words.

Just like in Scrabble, each time you play a turn, you get a collection of letters you can use to spell a word. Don't covet your neighbor's letters if they get the much-desired "blank letter" which can be used as any letter. Don't out act in envy if you find yourself without a single vowel.

2. Thou shalt not cheat.

There are four different apps that you can use to cheat on Words with Friends. One of them is called "Cheat with Words." You tell the apps what letters you have and the apps will tell you every possible word you can form. When someone used the word "Horjemr" in a game against my wife, it was clear they were cheating. No one on the planet regularly uses the word "Horjemr." Except maybe "Horjemr Smith" who only uses it to say, "I sure hate my parents for naming me Horjemr."

3. Thou shalt not strike a person who always adds "S" to your words.

The "S guy" is the worst person to play in Words with Friends. This vocabulary villain waits until you spell a brilliant word and then lazily tacks on an S to the end of it, soaking up all the points with none of the work. Scoundrel! But before you lash out, keep in mind, this is a completely fair move. Dastardly perhaps, but it's not cheating.

4. Thou shalt heed the call of "Your Move" quickly.

Your iPhone buzzed. Your Droid beeped. Your smartphone essentially said, "Hey, it's your move on Words with Friends." Do not tarry friend. Do not delay. Make your move quickly. Play your word with great haste.

5. Thou shalt not be a sore loser.

You lost. In one fell swoop your opponent got a triple letter score with a Z and tore your word kingdom asunder. Do not slander or gossip. Do not throw barbs or have a mouth of poison like the wicked. In other words, don't use the chat feature of Words with Friends to talk trash.

Immediately after writing this post, I finally played my wife back in Words with Friends. It felt like we were "doing life together." It felt like our "season" of silence was over. It felt like I played the word "Tip" for 12 points and was now beating my bride 19-12 in Words with Friends.

Questions:

Do you play Words with Friends?

What commandment would you add to this list?

What app do you use the most?

My 5 year old isn't ready for a machete.

One night, after we finished reading stories to our kids, I leaned down and started to pray with my five year old McRae. She quickly put her tiny hand over my mouth and said "Mom already prayed for me."

I'm pretty sure right before that moment I was congratulating myself on raising such amazing, Godly kids. I only have two speeds, believing I am the best parent in the world, or the worst. Those are my two go to modes. You might be different.

But one of the things my wife and I are constantly talking about is how do we get our kids involved in some of the big, amazing projects that are going on around the world. We've talked about talking them on a trip overseas with us, but most of the organizations we've talked to have said 5 and 7 is too young right now. So eliminating the option of giving my 5 year old a mission trip machete and trekking her through the jungle to a remote village, how do we find ways to give them chances to serve and learn and be inspired by giving?

That's the question that encouraged me to partner with Rice Bowls. They've got a program right now to "redefine the happy meal." As a dad who has bought a bajillion happy meals, that was curious to me. So I dug a little. Their mission is pretty simple:

1. Fuel awesomeness in kids.

2. Partner with great orphanage directors to make sure food is provided and vicious cycles are broken.

They love seeing kids help kids. Which is exactly what the Acuff family is going to do. We're taking the 10 bowl challenge. What's that?

1. You order 10 free Rice Bowls.

2. You give them to a few friends.

3. You fill them up with change.

4. You send the change back in to feed orphans around the world.

I ordered them and soon a big box of bowls will be arriving at our house. I think my kids are going to love it. It's going to start a ton of conversations for our family, shine some big light on the joy of giving and help kids in Haiti, Rwanda, India and all around the world.

I hope you'll give the 10 bowl challenge a try, but I have to warn you, the Acuff family is pretty competitive. So don't go into this thing thinking you'll beat us. Number 1, it's not a competition. Number 2, you won't beat us.

Click here to learn more about Rice Bowls.

Question:

How do you as a parent get your kids involved in giving right now?