I had just put my son to bed when I saw the news: The top story in Facebook news was about the McDonald’s just 3.9 miles from my garage door.
Thanks to Amy Baseltaking a picture of the nativity scene painted on the front window of the McDonald’s here in Spring Hill, Tennessee (located at 5431 Main Street, right off the main road that runs through the town), the story has gone viral.
I love to dive into the psychology of a viral news story like this…
For example, why is this suddenly such a popular story?
After all, I have to assume that even non-religious people who celebrate Christmas are at least aware that the official reason Christmas is celebrated is because Christians recognize the birth of Jesus; who lived and died to bring those who believe in Him eternal life and forgiveness of their sins.
I believe the reason people are fascinated by a McDonald’s with the nativity scene painted on the front window is because it’s refreshing to those of us who believe in the Biblical meaning of Christmas.
After all, we’re not talking about a mom-and-pop burger joint here. This is McDonald’s. This is America’s most popular burger restaurant that is allowing their franchisees to host such an explicitly religious scene on their restaurant.
In such a politically correct version of America we now live in, it’s actually amazing to see “His Name is Jesus” painted on the front of a restaurant chain’s window.
It’s actually kind of… rebellious.
Seriously, it’s like we’re getting away with something here.
I wonder where this story will go from here? Will the corporate McDonald’s office put an end to this? Or will they (wisely) embrace this movement and take advantage of the attention that such an overtly Christian statement is bringing them?
Please check out my video that I just shot about an hour before I published this story. You’ll be able to see exactly what everyone is talking about…
All photos and video footage by Nick Shell of Family Friendly Daddy Blog.
In the new book The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden! by Kevin DeYoung, and illustrated by Don Clark, the historic story of Christianity is brought to live in an overview “storytelling” format, beginning with Adam and Eve, and ultimately ending with the role of the modern day church.
I can honestly say I’ve never read a children’s Bible storybook anything like this before. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like a children’s minister explains how the stories of the Old Testament characters of the Bible are related to Jesus coming to Earth for the salvation of His people.
But the whole time, there’s this festive, Hebrew-ish artistic backdrop. The illustrations are simply amazing and unique.
Being exposed to this book actually reminded me of just how Jewish the Christian faith is; considering that 2/3’s, not half, of the Holy Bible is the Old Testament; the other half obviously being the New Testament.
This book explains how the Christian faith was ultimately born from the Jewish faith. It helps bridge the Old and New Testaments in a way children can begin to understand.
The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden! is intended for children ages 5 to 11.
I recognize that with my son being 4 years, 9 months old, the content of the book is a little above his comprehension level; though he is definitely intrigued by the mystery of it.
However, I definitely look forward to my son growing into this book.
*Congrats to Matt Wright, the winner of my giveaway of Family Friendly Daddy Blog, who will have a hard cover copy of The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden! sent to hishouse.
Did I just win The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden!?
OFFICIAL HASHTAGS: #BIGGESTSTORY and #FLYBY
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”
Last Sunday morning, while on family vacation in Sacramento, I decided to get up “early” and go to the little old Presbyterian church there in my mother-in-law’s neighborhood.
For the 8 years I’ve been coming here each summer, I was always curious about that place. So I showed up in shorts, loafers, and a checkered button down shirt.
I appreciate how I can just arrive at a church filled with strangers, yet we all have an understanding of what we have in common; even though they’ve never seen me before.
Something I’ve gained a better understanding of over the years is that my current place in life typically illustrates the words of the Bible and the pastor’s sermon.
While he spoke about Jesus’s parable of the Prodigal Son, the main theme I took away was this:
We are all sinners in need of God’s grace. We are not good enough on our own.
This is actually a boldly countercultural statement. I’ve learned that most people who are not Christians will typically and quickly summarize why they don’t need to believe in Jesus as the Son of God:
“I’m a pretty good person. I’m not an ax murderer or anything.”
But Christianity teaches the opposite:
I am not a pretty good person. My pride and selfish thoughts alone are enough to keep me from being a “good person”, as they serve as evidence I was born with a sinful nature. Therefore, I need God’s salvation from myself, if nothing else; because my nature creates spiritual distance between God and myself.
But “the church of mainstream secular America”, by default, believes that if you’re a “pretty good person” then you don’t really need God.
So for a person to quickly and openly admit they’re not a “pretty good person,” it’s definitely countercultural.
The irony is that a stereotype of Christians is that they are “holier than though”; in other words, self-righteous and judgmental.
For the record, let me be clear. I am completely aware that I am not perfect. I am corrupted.
How can I judge anyone else when I am too distracted with the plank in my own eye?
I am not better than anyone; and if I ever think I am, then I am living in open rebellion against everything Jesus taught His followers.
Christianity is definitely offensive, though. If for no other reason, because it casts all of us in the same boat:
None of us are “pretty good people”. It’s only by setting aside our prideful thoughts of “I’m a pretty good person” that we can begin to learn what Jesus came to teach us.
I wanted to document this day for you because I believe it’s important to document your spiritual journey.
This morning on the 5 minute drive to your preschool, you cautiously asked me, “Daddy, one day, will all the people and all the animals be dead?”
I definitely wasn’t expecting such a deep question from you so early in the morning.
The fact that you even asked me that question shows me that you are processing your understanding of what death really means.
I’ve been curious for a while regarding at what point I would have a conversation like that with you.
It appears your understanding of death is based on what you see on Power Rangers and Disney movies, since someone (usually a parent) dies on nearly every animated Disney movie I’ve ever seen.
I answered your question as simply yet as accurately as I knew how:
“Yes, that’s true. One day, all the people and the animals will be dead. But for those of us people who believe in God and in Jesus, His Son, and if we help other people, then we will live in Heaven together.”
It somehow seems out of place to summarize our religious beliefs into such a small amount of words, but you are already familiar with this from what you hear at home and at church. But you seemed to be satisfied to my simple answer for your difficult question.
For the next few minutes until we got to your school, you were silent as you stared at the window.
As I helped you out of your car seat, I saw you seemed disheartened, so I asked you if were okay.
You put your head down and began crying softly.
I assured you whatever what it was, that we could talk about it; assuming you were sad because, in your words, one day we will all be dead, including the animals.
You looked up to answer me, “I just want Pandy!”
We had discovered last night that you had left one of your favorite stuffed animals, Pandy, at school.
Once we found Pandy inside your classroom this morning, you were no longer sad.
I would have to say that one of the most influential, relevant, and touching songs I have ever known is Hillsong United’s “Oceans” from their 2013 Zion album.
So when I was asked if I would like to receive an advance copy of the Australian worship group’s newest album, Empires, to review, it was an easy decision for me.
Empires, (which was released today on May 26, 2015), has been playing in my car for more than a solid week now. My process of reviewing it has been to refrain from paying attention to which individual track I was listening to; instead, only investigating the song after it really stood out to me as the album played as a whole.
I love this album.
It’s the kind of album that just flows in a cerebral experience, like ColdPlay’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends; as if there were not 12 individual songs, but instead a never-ending trip to a different, higher place. I would almost refer to it as an out of body experience.
Though I absolutely am obsessed with the the entire album, my favorite songs from Empires are the 6th and 7th tracks: “When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah)”, a seemingly romantic song (which it is not, actually) that reminds me of the 1970’s Peter Gabriel era of the progressive rock group Genesis; and “Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)”, a track which might actually deem too honest and real for some members of an American audience.
Here’s an excerpt from the “When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah)”:
Love laid its breath against my chest
My skin was thick but You breathed down all my walls
Love like the fire steals the cold
The ice wore thin as Your light tore through my door
You have my heart
As for “Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)”, I predict the honesty of the raw lyrics will distract some listeners from hearing the true meaning:
Even when the fight seems lost I’ll praise You
Even when it hurts like hell I’ll praise You
Even when it makes no sense to sing
Louder then I’ll sing Your praise
Here in America, we think nothing of the word “bloody” as an adjective, as we reference what we think as a thoughtless British adjective. However, I hear it serves as profanity in England.
I think it’s a similar case with the American use of “hell.” Unless someone is literally referring to hell in a Biblical manner, many Americans deem it as profanity; though that doesn’t quite seem the case overseas.
Either way, it’s safe to say that “hurts like hell” isn’t something I’d let my 4 and a half year-old go around saying. After all, with this being Family Friendly Daddy Blog, part of what I do is screen for potential offensive content.
However, the Bible itself isn’t rated G or even PG; and neither is real life. And this album isn’t targeted for children. It’s for people who are seeking God, from a place of humility, desperation, and honesty.
Despite it being a “worship album,” it’s not “churchy”. It’s real.
So if you’re able to get past the culture shock of that phrase and try to understand the possible place in life that the songwriter Joel Houston was referring to, it can be a deep and meaningful way to illustrate from what depths of despair (hell) we can “choose joy” by deciding to praise God in the most unthinkable times.
I think that “Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)” may even contain the ability to unintentionally expose how easy it is to praise God in a church setting but not when you or someone who know is actually going through “hell on Earth”.
From divorce, to loss of a steady job, to experiencing a miscarriage, these are times when it’s not so practical to want to praise God.
As the song says, “when it hurts like hell… when it makes no sense, I’ll praise You.”
And that goes back to the track before it, “When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah)”: “You have my heart.”
If Christ truly has our hearts, we will grasp on to straws to keep our faith in Him, if that’s what it takes; not just in the midst of a worship service at church… but when life is too real, when it seems the furthest from Heaven… “when it hurts like hell.”
That’s why this album is personally challenging for me. Beyond its well-produced, well-polished “spa rock” sound, it’s definitely the most brutally honest worship album I’ve ever been exposed to.
Thanks for reading my review today. I hope you found it helpful.
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”
Family Friendly Daddy Blog 