Crunch Time

I was listening to Christian radio the other day. I don't do this often, but I guess I was in one of those moods where I just wanted something that was going to be safe, uplifting, and encouraging- which is a motto of theirs. But that's another post for another day. The program I was listening to was making a big deal of a potential Super Bowl commercial in which the priests of a Catholic Church serve Doritos and Pepsi in an effort to increase church attendance.

Here is a link to a page with the video.

The program wasn't even Catholic. The thing that I really found interesting was that their concern was how the church was being portrayed to the world through this commercial, not the defilement of the sacrament of communion. Then they called for Christians everywhere to boycott Doritos and Pepsi in response. What do you think? Is this an appropriate response? Let's keep in mind that the video 1. Was not made by Doritos but by a consumer for a contest and 2. It did not make the finalist list and will not be aired during the Super Bowl.

Tolkien: A Practical Joke

So I am a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien - author of The Lord of The Rings Trilogy and wider Middle Earth mythology. I appreciate this man's mastery of the English language and have become a better student and thinker because of his work. But, he was NOT ALWAYS using his love of language for academic pursuits! I thought I would share a joke that Tolkien came up with as a student at Oxford around 1913. 

One day a friend of Tolkien's purchased a pair of silk gloves for his lady. He was foolish enough to send the gloves along with the following love letter with his friends (Tolkien and the gang). They switched the gloves with a pair of ladies underwear along the way. Imagine her surprise when receiving the "gift" with THIS letter...

 
Dear Velma:

This little token is to remind you that I haven't forgotten your birthday. I didn't choose it because I thought you needed them, or because you haven't been in the habit of wearing them, or because we go out evenings. Had it not been for my sister I would have gotten long ones but she says they are wearing the short ones-with one button. They are a very delicate color, I know, but the lady clerk showed me a pair she had worn for three weeks, and they were scarcely soiled at all. How I wish I might put them on you for the first time! No doubt many other gentlemen's hands will touch them before I get a chance to see you again, but I hope you will think of me every time you put them on. I had the lady clerk try them on and they looked very neat on her. I did not know the exact size, but I should be capable of judging nearer than anyone else. When you put them on for the first time put a little powder in them and they will slip on easier. When you remove them blow in them before laying them away as they will naturally be a little damp from wearing. Hoping that you will accept them in the same spirit in which they are given and that you will wear them to the dance Friday night, I remain

Lovingly yours:-
John

P.S. Note the number of times I will kiss the back of them in the coming year!

For the Love of Life

It's really difficult to come up with the perfect first blog post. It sets the tone for the rest of the blog, right? I don't want it to be too silly, but it can't be entirely serious. I want it to be worth reading, but not too much to wade through. So far i've decided against posting a spoof of an article i just read titled "Why People Homeschool" and a juxtaposition of the favorite Christian worship songs "Dance in the River" and "A Mighty Fortress is our God." What's that you say? You wanted to see the homeschooling post? Well, maybe it will make an appearance if Luke , my blogging counterpart, allows it. Don't tell him, but i recently looked under the tarps in his garage that were hiding several boxes labeled "homeschooling supplies." We'll see how it goes.
My wife and i had an interesting exchange yesterday that inspires the rest of this entry. To make a long story short, i had a long week and was just looking forward to something that looked like a day off. On top of it, my pastor's sermon included the phrase "you should be depressed!" I was. And then my wife "volunteered" me to fix someone's car during the Packer game. Yes, the Packer game! To use "Christian-ese," my heart was not in the right place. For those of you who don't know what i am talking about, you know your heart is not in the right place when your wife starts using bible verses against you. Actually, i started it. I told her that i just really wanted to enjoy life right now, and fixing a car was not on my list of life-enjoying experiences at the moment. I implied this idea from Psalm 34 and 1 Peter 3:10. But my wife trumped me by using John 12:25, where Jesus says "whoever loves his life will lose it." 

 "Dueling verses" episodes usually end in a standstill for us, but this time i decided to go with Jesus and my wife, who seem to always end up on the same team. And i still got to watch the game. But there is still this lingering question, what exactly did Jesus mean? I usually tend to enjoy life. I mean, that's kind of why we're doing this blog, after all, for enjoyment and edification. It would seem that God would want us to love life according to 1 Peter 3:10, but what's the basis for Jesus' comment? I have a few thoughts, but i really want to hear yours first...

Welcome to Flannel Pilgrims!!!

So what do you do when you don't have time to write books, and Facebook status updates just simply will not allow for enough social expression? You Blog. You enlist the help of your articulate friends (so that Blog quality doesn't flat-line) and you Blog your heart out until one day someone says "Hey, are you Luke Olson?". I'll be like, "Yeah." And they'll say "Dude, I saw your name on Andy Lickel's Blog - Flannel Pilgrims! Isn't he awesome?" And I will have arrived...

"What is this Blog about?" you ask. The Flannel Pilgrims are a a group of Christians who want to provide Social Commentary, Ministry Theory, Christian Culture Critique, and Critique of the Christian Culture Critics - all in a spirit which strikes a balance between satire and seriousness. We want you to laugh. We don't even mind if you laugh AT us! (We will probably be laughing at you - AND at ourselves). No topic is really off-limits to us - and we hope that a wide audience will find us amusing if not helpful!

So without further adieu - Welcome to the Flannel Pilgrims Blog. We hope you enjoy reading our posts as much as we enjoy deleting yours! ;)