Facebook Knows Too Much:

As I was creeping around the halls of Facebook my gaze was caught by an advertisement on the right.  I thought to myself, "What data mining has lead Zuckerberg and Co. to think I need this?"  I read over the copy in the ad and thought it must be a gag, maybe a Cracked spoof?  Nope, this is the real deal.  For some reason Facebook thinks I need this in my life.  Luckily, if I did need the services of this company I'd know that they are in their 60th year of service.  Maybe you could use their help?

Ten years ago this was how they thought best to promote the accomplishment, golden anniversary, ha, irony.

Click here to begin the journey towards recovery.

The Most Viewed Youtube Video In Great Britain:

Maybe you remember this video?  Maybe you remember this spoof of that video?  Well, let's go for the trifecta.  Maybe you've already seen this spoof of the royal wedding?  It's an ad for a cell phone company.  I've only watched it once and can't remember which company(does that say something about the ad?)  Either way I thought you'd like to check it out.  

I'm going to have a little personal rant time after the video.  Enjoy!
(Oops!  As soon as I posted this I saw the name of the video.  It's T-Mobile....)

So, the idea of this being a fairytale wedding is really bugging me.  It always comes back to him being royalty and her having no royal blood at all.  But, this fairytale pretty much starts and ends there.  It rifles pretty quickly into banality once you start actually looking at it.  How did they start dating, she seduced him with a see-through dress.  Congratulations, you discovered he had a weakness for pretty girls in their underwear.  Then they date for a bit and move in with each other.  

That's not a fairytale!  That's a "reality"tale, and little girls all over England and the world are going to follow this and dream of finding their Prince Charming, but I feel like this one's shining armor has lost a bit of sparkle.  Isn't there something to be said of the chaste pure gentleman who falls in love with the woman because of some intrinsic qualities, and not just that her boobies looked nice in a see-through dress?  Mind you, I'm not saying that he shouldn't have thought she was beautiful, just that beauty is fleeting and there should be a deeper spark for a relationship.

Little girls!  Aim higher!  Noble blood doesn't make him a gentleman!  Being born with wealth and purpose doesn't mean he has noble intentions, even if the end result is positive.  Save yourselves for a man who points your heart toward the King of Kings and not just another prince of this world.

The Importance of Engaging a Listener:

(For a very brief review of the book I'm quoting from and a link to buy it on Amazon take the jump.)

I've started reading a ton of stuff on filmmaking.  I want to write a script.  I want to make something.  In all this down time I've felt that itch to create that I never can act on by myself.  So, instead, I read about how to do it.  While I was reading I came across this quote.

Stories are seduction. They desire, and require, the audience's attention. A branch of literary theory has said that stories literally don't exist until they are received, enacted, and embodied by an audience. Stories need to hook an audience and weave them into their very existence in order to even exist.

 I've seen a ton of parallels between faith and film making in looking at through this book.  This one just really jumped out at me.  I was particularly caught by "Stories need to hook an audience and weave them into their very existence in order to even exist."  Is that true of the Gospel, the greatest story ever told?  I think the answer is, yes.

The Gospel doesn't live in someone unless it really has woven itself into the very existence of the hearer.  It's not a simple hearing of the Word.

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”  Romans 10:14-15

 You have to BELIEVE in Him.  Hearing is good but without that deep hooking and weaving the story may very well not exist in your heart.

Worse yet, if the Good News isn't woven into your very existence then you might be writing your own version of the story.  A version that has you recasting the starring role of Messiah.