"Oh My God"

"Oh My God" is a phrase I am convinced everyone will use at least once (most like more) in their life. It has really become a phrase we hear so often that we don't even think twice.
The following song lyrics rally got me thinking about how I have (rightly or wrongly) used the phrase. I'm sure i use it too often casually, and not often enough in wonder/awe. Everyone says it, but why?

"Oh My God" - Jars of Clay

Oh my God, look around this place
Your fingers reach around the bone
You set the break and set the tone
Flights of grace, and future falls
In present pain all fools say:
"Oh my God"

Oh my God, Why are we so afraid?
We make it worse when we don't bleed
There is no cure for our disease
Turn a phrase, and rise again
Or fake your death and only tell your closest friend
Oh my God

Oh my God, can I complain?
You take away my firm belief
and graft my soul upon your grief
Weddings, boats and alibis
All drift away, and a mother cries

Liars and fools; sons and failures
Thieves will always say

Lost and found; ailing wanderers
Healers always say

Whores and angels; men with problems
Leavers always say

Broken hearted; separated
Orphans always say

War creators; racial haters
Preachers always say

Distant fathers; fallen warriors
Givers always say

Pilgrim saints; lonely widows
Users always say

Fearful mothers; watchful doubters
Saviors always say

Sometimes I cannot forgive
And these days, mercy cuts so deep
If the world was how it should be
maybe I could get some sleep

While I lay, I dream we're better
Scales were gone and faces light
When we wake, we hate our brother
We still move to hurt each other

Sometimes I can close my eyes
And all the fear that keeps me silent
falls below my heavy breathing
What makes me so badly bent?

We all have a chance to murder
We all feel the need for wonder
We still want to be reminded
that the pain is worth thethunder

Sometimes when I lose my grip,
I wonder what to make of heaven
All the times I thought to reach up
All the times I had to give

Babies underneath their beds
Hospitals that cannot treat
all the wounds that money causes
All the comforts of cathedrals

All the cries of thirsty children
this is our inheritance
All the rage of watching mothers
this is our greatest offense

Oh my God
Oh my God
Oh my God

from the album: "Good Monsters"

Dick Staub on 24 and Jack Bauer

I don't read many Christian sites that talk about culture but one that I do read is www.dickstaub.com He is a Christian in the best sense of the word and he understands how we should interact with culture (learning, redeeming and creating - see our view on culture)
He recently had an interesting post on everyone's favorite real time TV show - 24. Check out his thoughts below and check out his site.


From www.dickstaub.com:

The Culturally Savvy Christian (CSC) knows the difference between fact and fiction….

Its good to remember this as the new season of 24 begins…

Fox's 24 has come to dominate the lives of millions of devoted fans…

Though it is fictional--it is taken as seriously as reality….

Wikipedia's online dictionary entry for Jack Bauer beings as follows:

Jack Bauer is NOT a fictional character
and the main protagonist in the American television series 24.

The entry goes on to describe Bauer as a flawed hero & master interrogator,
A patriot, who puts his country ahead of himself and family
And who, as a conflicted man,
will stop at nothing, including torture,
To protect his nation's interests…

• Go online and you will find nearly 3 million web entries for jack bauer…

• One site tracks his "kill count" another reports that Jack Bauer has been to Mars. Thats why there's no life on Mars.

• Numerous sites track the proverbs of Jack Bauer…like this one
"If you shoot a man's wife in the knee and he still doesn't give you the information, he's bad."

Or…. Sun Tzu once wrote, "If your enemy is weaker, conquer him. If he is stronger, join him. If he is Jack Bauer, you're dead."

• Jack Bauer is listed on my space with the slogan "I've killed more people than Katrina" and a soundtrack for "Jack is Back."

• One site explores jack's childhood reporting Jack was not born he was unleashed…and…when jack was a child he made his MOTHER eat his vegetables!

• One site refers to a national survey in which 37% of Americans believe Jack Bauer IS REAL!

• There are websites arguing Jack is a republican and others proving he is a democrat…

• Jack's religious significance is explored--

• One blog reveals that in a coming season Jack ends up joining a Quaker church and won't fight anymore so that season will be all about him making barns and growing corn.

• Emergent church pastor Mark Driscoll blogs this--At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to offer the suggestion that perhaps 24 is incredibly popular because Jack Bauer is a lot like Jesus, as the following correlations indicate:

* Jack and Jesus are both dudes who worked in construction.
* Jack and Jesus have disciples and Jack's disciples have names like Chloe, Michelle, Bill, and Tony.
* Jack and Jesus do not lie and can be trusted to accomplish whatever they promise.
* Jack and Jesus both oppose evil and seek to bring forth a glorious shalom world, free of tyranny and evildoers.
* Jack and Jesus were both betrayed by a close friend who ended up dying as a result of his sin.
* Jack and Jesus are both saviors willing to lay down their life for those they love.
* Jack and Jesus were both resurrected from death; Jack was essentially put to death to fool the Chinese government and then resuscitated.

The CSC knows the difference between fact and fiction….

In a day when terrorism poses a real threat---it is a comforting diversion to watch Jack Bauer stop terrorists in their tracks…

In a day marked by fear…its not a bad thing for people to go online and swap jokes about Jack Bauer…

But at the end of the day
Even though a Google search of jack Bauer will get more listings
than you and I & everybody who reads dickstaub.combined,
When it comes to solving problems in our families, neighborhoods, churches, community and world…Jack Bauer can’t do a thing…because he isn't real…

He may be a TV hero…
But the world needs everyday heroes…
And that's a job that's left to you and me
And we're up to the task… Because JESUS IS real…alive and lives within us.
AND because we're Culturally Savvy Christians
And the CSC knows the difference between fact and fiction….

Yours for the pursuit of God in the company of friends, Dick Staub.