Jon Acuff's Blog, page 161

Win an iPad and the SCL Christmas Party.

There are only 2 days left in the 12 Days of Fantasticalness. (We'll announce all the winners next week.)

Today, the fantasticalness is an Apple iPad. [image error]

In support of all the folks who order my new book, "Gazelles, Baby Steps and 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt," we're giving away a free 16G WiFi iPad. Click here to get your copy of the book for only $10. If you already bought the book, you will be automatically entered.

And then tomorrow, from 12-4PM we're having a book signing in Franklin, TN. At 12:45 we're giving away $500 to someone. (You have to be there to win the money.)

We'll have free coffee, free cookies and free mirth. Always, free mirth. And then Dave Ramsey will do his show live from the lobby!

Here is the address for the party:

1749 Mallory Lane, Brentwood, TN 37027

Let me know if you're coming!

Here are the rules and legal language and what not. (No purchase necessary for the iPad contest)

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"Lil' Wayning" God in Christmas Songs.

The other day, my wife and I were walking around the mall. One of the stores had a big display for jeggings. What are those? Well, imagine if a pair of jeans and a pair of leggings got married, listened to a lot of 80s band "Color Me Badd" and then had a baby. That baby would be named "Jeggings."

I told my wife, "Oh jeez, jeggings. Please don't ever get those."

She looked at me, and immediately said, "Jeggings? I'm wearing those right now."

Foot in mouth.

That is something I do pretty regularly, so my wife is used to it. But I stand by my assessment that jeggings are a little ridiculous. I feel like they should be sold at the "Chess King," a store that used to specialize in Z-Cavariccis. (It's 80s reference day, apparently.)

I don't hate jeggings, I'm actually a pretty ardent fan of the ridiculous and I recently discovered something else I think is kind of silly. While listening to some Christmas music, I heard what I call a "God Cameo." Like lil' Wayne sitting in on a song for a verse, suddenly in the middle of a Christmas song, God popped in.

Was it a song about the reason for the season? Was it a song about keeping Christ in Christmas? Not exactly. The song was "Here comes Santa Claus."

In the middle of the song, it says, "Santa Claus knows we're all God's children." OK, makes sense. I'm led to believe that Santa Claus knows a lot about a lot of things. What with the quantum physics in involved with flying reindeer and all. And they say funny things in Christmas songs from back in the day all the time. "Baby it's cold outside," says maybe I'll have "just one more cigarette." Can you imagine a modern song saying, "I think I'll smoke a lucky strike, unfiltered, please…" I get it, songs say funny things once in a while.

Maybe one God cameo in a song about Santa isn't weird. But then there's another one. The song ends by saying, "Peace on earth will come to all, if we just follow the light, so lets give thanks to the Lord above, that Santa Claus comes tonight."

That's like a mashup of Santa and God done by musician Girl Talk. I feel like God and Santa Claus should be on an album cover, back to back like Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney on the song "Say, Say, Say." It's like a gospel sandwich with Santa Claus bread.

But maybe that's a good thing, maybe I should support more "God Cameos" in Christmas music. I love that he gets shout outs. Maybe I should write my own. Here are a few:

1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, was blessed with the spiritual gift of brightness, all of the other reindeers wouldn't let him join their life group."

2. Winter Wonderland

"Later on, we'll go shovel, some old lady's driveway. She'll be so happy and she'll trust us, in a winter wonderland, as we all do some missional social justice."

3. Last Christmas – By Wham!

"Last Christmas, I 'loved on' my friends, I told them most importantly that God was all that. I wrapped up their presents, the book 'Radical' by author David Platt."

Wow, I might have missed my calling, those are some fresh lyrics!

What Christmas song would you like to see get a God cameo? And what's your guilty pleasure Christmas song? Your 'Christmas shoes,' if you will, a song you listen to alone but never if someone else is in the car?

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The soft X.

I cried in the Chicago Airport.

And these were not tough guy, lumberjack, I just punched a mountain lion in the face with my bare fist kind of tears. These were sad and tired and give up tears.

I was flying home from a conference in Chicago. I had been the closing keynote speaker and it had gone really well. That's not what I was crying about though. I was crying because of what I knew would happen when I landed.

I knew I would take the train to my car, grab work clothes, change in the handicapped stall and then disappear into a sea of cubicles. I didn't hate my job, not at all, it just wasn't what I felt called to do. The Stuff Christians Book wasn't out yet, but the site was doing well. I had this completely different life starting to develop and it was hard to go back to work and act like Chicago had all been just a dream.

This was long before the opportunity at Dave Ramsey. This was a doldrums period where I was just writing and writing and writing, but things weren't happening the way I thought they would.

I sat in meetings about TPS reports and budgets and would get frustrated with God, wondering if he even saw me. Wasn't he the one who put this burning in my heart? Wasn't it his call that I was answering? This wasn't how life was supposed to go.

Have you ever felt that way?

Has there ever been a situation where you had an expectation that you felt like God simply wasn't meeting? I think most of us have experienced that.

Right now, someone reading this blog is mourning a marriage that fell apart. You wanted to be the first in your family to have a grandkid for your parents, not the first to get divorced.

Right now, someone is in a gray cubicle and the degree they got, the passion they followed in college is a million miles away from how they spend 40+ hours every week.

Right now, there's someone struggling with an issue that refuses to release it's talons even though you're occasionally able to shake it for a few "good weeks."

Right now, someone had to send out wedding cancellation notes, because it's off.

Right now, there's a man who feels a lot less than a man because he doesn't have a job and can't provide for his family.

Right now there are a million different versions of "Don't you see me God?" happening. And so we doubt and get angry and lonely. But we are not the only ones with expectations that go astray.

In Genesis 48, the same thing happens to Joseph, of the double rainbow coat fame. He has brought his two sons to his father Israel for his blessing. We don't understand this culturally because we don't really do this anymore, but this was a critical, massive thing that was about to take place. Manasseh was about to receive Israel's blessing. That was what should happen. That was what Joseph expected.

Joseph the faithful. Joseph the former slave, former convict, former saved all of Egypt from death and destruction. Joseph had a great track record at this point. He was a deeply wise man of God. He knew what was about to happen. By lineage, by tradition, by faith, Manasseh was about to get blessed by Israel.

Only he doesn't.

It doesn't happen that way. Instead of doing what he should have done, Israel crosses his arms and forms an X, placing his hands on the heads of the wrong children. He blesses Ephraim, the wrong son in Joseph's mind.

And in 48:17 we see what happens: When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

Joseph has lived his entire life with one belief about how a blessing is passed down. This is his, "I got my Master's Degree in teaching, I should get a teaching job" moment. This is his, "People get married after college, that's what they do," moment. This is what he's always been ready for and it goes the exact opposite way.

So Joseph, like me or you trying to fix a mistake, says, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."

And how does Israel respond? Does he say, "Oh, I am failing of sight and made a mistake?" Does he reply, "Thank you for correcting this situation?"

No.

He says simply, "I know, my son, I know."

And that is an incredibly tender thing to say as someone's expectations crumble.

And I think it's something God still says to us, even today.

"I know, my son, I know. I know, my daughter, I know. That thing you wanted is not going to happen. Not the way you've always dreamed. I know this hurts. I know this stings. I know you feel like I am distant or not aware of where you are and who hurt you and what you think life was supposed to be like. I know in moments like this you doubt that I can count the hairs on your head or have your best in mind. But please, I am not done. I have barely started to reveal your life to you. I am the God who satisfies your desires with good things. That is me! And when it comes to your hopes and your fears and your dreams, I know, my son, I know."

I think of this moment as the "soft x."

I think of the tenderness of Israel with his arms outstretched and crossed. I think of our desires and our dreams and the times they don't work. And above all, I think of a God who wants to tell you he hears you, he loves, he knows you. He is not disconnected or disinterested in who you are and who you want to be. Today, he says,

"I know, my son, I know."

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Can I help you with your blog? Last day!

In the last few days, I've had a few hundred people take me up on my offer to help them with their blogs. I'm looking forward to talking to or emailing with everyone about ways to expand their blogs. (What role does "rhythm" play in blogging, how do you generate new ideas, how do you start conversations, etc.)

Today's the last day you can get in on that. Here's how:

1. Buy a copy of my new book for $10. Click here to order it.

2. Email me your URL.

3. Connect with me about your blog.

It's that simple and as we wind down our "12 Days of Fantasticalness," hopefully you will have a chance to take part. (We'll do something like this for international folks when the book is on Amazon!)

Thanks for making these last two weeks so fun.

Here are the rules and legal language and what not.

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The Stuff Christians Like Christmas Party!

This is going to be a crazy week. As such, here is what is happening in numerical fashion for clarity:

1. The new book I wrote released today. If you buy it within the next 48 hours and email me your URL, I will help you expand and grow your blog. Click here to order.

2. I'll be on the radio with Dave Ramsey today. Everyday, 4.5 million people listen. That is slightly more than I am used to. We will be live at 3:34ET. Click here to find a station.

3. On Friday, we'll have a Stuff Christians Like Christmas party. From 12-1 we'll have free cookies, coffee, Mariah Carey Christmas music, a book signing and at 12:45 a $500 giveaway. Someone who comes to hang out will walk away with $500. Everyone is invited. Here is the address: 1749 Mallory Lane Brentwood, TN 37027

4. Below is one of the many illustrations from my new book, "Gazelles, Baby Steps and 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt."

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Blaming God when you lose a sports game.

How do I decide which things to write about on Stuff Christians Like?

Sometimes someone tries to go "interdigit" on me during the "please hold hands" time at church and awkwardly weave their fingers between mine like we're roller skating. So I write about that.

Sometimes the hip worship leader wears a scarf with a short sleeve shirt, which is body temperature confusion. So I write about that.

Sometimes I tell someone I will pray for them and then I completely forget to, effectively turning, "I'll pray for you," into the Christian version of "I'll call you." So I write about that.

Mostly, I just keep my eyes open and respond to what's happening in the world. Such is the case with the NFL player who recently dropped a winning touchdown and proceeded to blame God on Twitter.

After dropping a catch he should have made that would have won the game, Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson tweeted this:

I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO…

Reading that, I was struck with a number of thoughts:

1. We are living in a golden age of tweets right now. Can you imagine all the goodness we missed years ago when athletes and celebrities couldn't publically proclaim things they instantly regret? If you're in Public Relations, you cry every time your client gets on Twitter, tweets something horrible and then has to say the ever popular lie, "Oh, someone hacked my Twitter account. I didn't say that."

2. If the question is, "Does God hate the Buffalo Bills?" the answer is pretty obvious. Yes, yes he does. They lost four Super Bowls in a row. That's consecutive. For four straight years they went to the Super Bowl and then lost. Often in close, painful ways. I think it's fair to say that God is not a fan of the Bills.

3. I thought it was refreshing to see a player talk about God even when he lost. Everyone gives God a shout out when they win the game. People who haven't been to a church or prayed in years will throw a finger to the sky in honor of the man upstairs, but for once someone brought up God after the game. Granted, I wish instead he said, "God is in control. Win or lose, it's his game and his world, so he gets to do what he wants to do."

4. I blame the snow. It starts snowing in Buffalo the day after July 4th and stops in May. Snow makes people mean. Snow makes people say crazy things. You think it's going to be all fluffy and soft and Norman Rockwell hot cocoa-y, but it's not. The first day is like Thomas Kinkade, but the next day the snow freezes into a rock solid snow bank that becomes incrusted with sand and salt and sadness. My Georgian wife got frustrated in Massachusetts and eventually said, "Somebody is moving back to Georgia. I hope it's both of us." That was the snow talking.

What do you think about sports and God? Josh Hamilton gave God some awesome praise when they won, do you think we'll start seeing more people mention God when they lose? Do you think we'll see more God shout outs from athletes on Twitter?

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Can I help you with your blog?

I was really surprised by the reaction to the offer I made on Saturday to help people with their blogs. But that was for only three winners. What if I did that for everyone?

What if I helped everyone who purchased "Gazelles, Baby Steps and 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt," by the end of Wednesday, December 1 with their blog? Clearly I can't guest post for everyone, but could I call people or write people and give them the tips that helped build Stuff Christians Like to a blog that 2 million people have read in the last 2 and a half years?

That's more fun than giving away a nano or something else. I had a blast last week talking and emailing with folks. So that's what I'm going to do.

If you order my new book, which costs $10, by end of day Wednesday, December 1, I will help you with your blog. I will call you or email you tips after I analyze what you've got going on.

You in? For the next three days, that is what the Days of Fantasticalness is going to be all about.

Simply order the book and then email me your blog URL. Over the next month I will hook everyone up. If you ordered last Saturday, I will include you in this as well. (And we'll do some fun stuff for international readers when the book comes out on Amazon.)

Click here to order the book.

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1 Yard Pop Culture Fumbles.

Last night, we went to a toy store to buy some marbles. I think our family is going through an "old-timey" phase. Who plays with marbles? A marble app on the iPhone? That makes sense. But real marbles? I think we are about 10 minutes away from churning our own butter and chasing a hoop down the street with a stick.

During the marble excursion, I noticed that the store we were in was playing music over the loudspeakers. Christmas music? No. Holiday themed favorites? Not exactly. They were playing Lady Gaga songs sung by little kids. While shopping, I was serenaded with a 5 year old's intepretation of the song, "Paparazzi."

I can't stand that kind of thing. I get that it's cute that kids are singing songs that aren't really meant for kids, but the window of childhood is already so narrow. Why do we have to slam it shut even faster by teaching our kids Katy Perry? As I've said before, you can fast forward a kid's childhood, but you can't really rewind it.

Pop culture is funny like that. There are so many tricky ways it influences us, so many weird ways we bump into it and one of them is what I call the "1 yard pop culture fumble."

What's that? Simple, the 1 yard pop culture fumble is when you're about to share an Internet link with a friend or a funny video or maybe even make a movie recommendation when the item in hand fumbles at the 1 yard line. Right before you send it, you realize there's something horrible at the end that no Christian should ever tell another Christian about. It's so bad you can't even throw out a "Christian disclaimer."

Case in point, the other day I saw a really funny video about the iPhone game "Angry Birds." Someone had arranged a peace treaty between the pigs and the birds, the two warring parties of this popular game. And it was really funny, for about 30 seconds. Then the birds started dropping the f bomb all over the place and it fumbled like a football player who is about to score a touchdown.

How does this happen? Here are the most common 1 yard pop culture fumbles:

1. Random nudity

For years, I've enjoyed watching the Christmas movie, "Love Actually" on the USA channel. So one year my wife got me the DVD. We threw it in and whoa, nudity. All of it was removed on the television version but the DVD was jam packed with naked. That's a pretty obvious fumble. You're in love with something and are about to recommend it until for no reason there's a naked parade at the end of the movie.

2. Sweary McCusserton

You love that clip. It's brilliant. It's the funniest online video you've seen in months. This is a homerun. You can't wait to tweet it and post it on your blog! People are going to love it. Except here comes Sweary McCusserton, a character whose only role is to swear, a lot. Right as you get ready to send it out there are words you've never heard before strung together like the scene in "Christmas Story" where the little kid beats up the bully.

3. Jesus Hatin'

This happens on the Onion pretty regularly. They write a hilarious article like, "Cockroach King Concerned Over Recent Rise of Bedbugs," and you think, "that's funny. I could see people laughing at that. I think I'll tweet it." But then the article next to it is titled, "NFL Star Thanks Jesus After Successful Double Homicide." Aww man! That whole article is going to be about hatin' on Jesus. I can't link that.

4. Political Grenade

I don't write about politics that often because it's not what I'm good at. It's not something I feel skilled at and there are so many other great blogs that do that topic justice already. But it's also one of those topics that gets people crazy instantly. I once had a guest post on SCL that was about being liberal. It was a great guest post and it was post #819 on this site. Someone tweeted me after it was posted and said, "Remember when Stuff Christians Like was funny instead of being all political?" There are had been 818 non political posts. There was 1 political post. If you're going to send out a link to an article, beware the fallout from politically flavored fights.

Maybe this has never happens to you. Maybe the 1 yard pop culture fumble is only something I suffer from. But I wish it didn't happen and not because people Jesus Juke me when it does. I wish my filter was not built to find reasons not to send something, but instead designed to find reasons to send something. I wish that I was more focused on finding things that were going to encourage and challenge, instead of counting the things Sweary McCusserton says. You have to call into question the pop culture stuff I'm digesting at the very least.

But maybe this has happened to you too. Have you ever experienced a 1 yard pop culture fumble?

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Day 7 of the 12 Days of Fantasticalness.

I usually don't post on Sunday, but you can't stop the 12 Days of Fantasticalness. Today is day 7. What's on the line?

A Dave Ramsey Shopping Spree.

One lucky person who pre-orders my new book, "Gazelles, Baby Steps and 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt," will win a $200 shopping spree on DaveRamsey.com.

You'll get $200 you can use on books, DVDs, board games and the dozens of other options we have. You can probably clear your entire Christmas list in one visit.

Pre-order my new book today for your chance to win a $200 shopping spree on DaveRamsey.com

Click here to order!

Here are the rules.

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What's the best Christmas song of all time? A short Saturday question.

You know what I'm going with. If you've read this site for more than 10 minutes, you know exactly what song I am going to say is the greatest Christmas song of all time. Here's my vote:

"All I want for Christmas is you," by Mariah Carey.

That is my favorite song. But I also like some George Winston and Harry Connick Jr. I'll even bust out some fancy choirs in robes music every now and then. (I don't know an official name for this type of music, maybe "choral music." I prefer to call it "robe music," because the people who sing it tend to be wearing robes.)

How about you, what do you think is the best Christmas song of all time?

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