by Will Johnston at 10:48 PM on November 27th, 2008 in Personal - 2 Comments
We finished cleaning up from Thanksgiving dinner about an hour ago. It was a great time. This is our third year hosting. A lot of people move to DC for work, so there are tons of folks (like us) who don’t have family around. It’s good to be able to share it with both new and old friends. This year we had Henry Tran; Brad, Glenda, Macy, and Mia McMath; Jeff Johnson; Dave Hickox; Scott Myers; and (obviously) Rachel and I. Yes, 10 is a lot for our ~600 square foot apartment.
I have two awards to give out this year. The longevity award goes to Henry Tran. This is his third consecutive Thanksgiving with us, and we’re glad he keeps coming.
The second award is for cutest Thanksgiving dinner guests ever, and it goes to Macy and Mia McMath.
Here’s a quick after dinner video (I’ll warn you, it’s pretty dull).
Yes, at the end, I do say, “I have Legos.” The mom of the cute dinner guests was wondering if we had anything the girls could sort or stack or whatever. I still have my childhood Legos, and while it’s been a while, I do still pull them out every now and again.
My friends Chris and Lora Jarrell had a baby just under a month ago (30 days to be exact), and today they started a Twitter account for him. He’s @TorinJarrell. It’s locked, as well it should be, seeing as he’s not yet a month old, but I wonder if this doesn’t make him the youngest Twitterer ever.
Perhaps more interesting are the sociological and developmental ramifications. Whereas I started using Twitter as an adult, Torin will never know life without Twitter. I assume that when he’s old enough, whatever age that may be, Chris and Lora will turn his account over to him. This also means that depending on how long Twitter keeps their records, Torin could very well have a chronicle of his life story from infancy. That could be a very cool thing.
However, the embed code that YouTube provides doesn’t actually account for the fact that your video is widescreen. In other words, unless you change the height of the player that you embed in your website/blog, you will still get the black bars at the top and bottom of your video.
To fix this, you will need to change the height of your video in both the embed and object tags. While the dimensions of your video may vary, I’ve found that a 260 pixel height is the magic number for a standard widescreen video.
You can also embed higher quality videos by adding either “&fmt=18″ (for good quality) or “&fmt=22″ (for HD quality) to the end of the URL.
Of course, when you embed the higher quality videos, you can make the player you embed larger without artifacting. Be warned, however, that the HD quality videos don’t necessarily download very quickly. Your viewers may get frustrated while waiting for YouTube to buffer the video.
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You may have noticed a link reading “Try the New YouTube Player Beta!” under videos on YouTube. The new player is pretty sharp looking. Moreover, it has a sweet widescreen version. Unfortunately, YouTube provides no instructions on embedding the new player on your blog/website. I searched Google and didn’t find any instructions anywhere, so after I figured it out, I thought I should share with the world.
To embed a regular 4:3 video, use the following code. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/swf/watch.swf?video_id=YOUR-VIDEO-ID-HERE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/swf/watch.swf?video_id=YOUR-VIDEO-ID-HERE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
There is one caveat when using the new player: the videos start automatically whether you want them to or not. I’m sure this is something YouTube will deal with once the player comes out of beta, but for now, we’re stuck with it how it is. At least, I think so. I couldn’t find any way to stop it, although I didn’t try using the API. If you know how to stop it from auto-playing, let me know in the comments.
To embed a widescreen video you must add &vq=2&fmt_map=6/720000/7/0/0 to the end of the URL (shown in the following code box). However, there is an additional caveat when using the widescreen player. Most videos, even widescreen videos, will not work with it. If you get a message saying, “This video is no longer available,” and you’re sure you copied the code correctly, it means that the video will not work with the widescreen player. If you’re having trouble, you can test your code with the video id X13o3efXTmk , which is the video I have embedded below. If it still doesn’t work, your code may be slightly off. Unfortunately, it’s very finicky and breaks at the drop of a hat.
I can’t promise this is repeatable, but I did upload one video that worked with the widescreen player. It had a 1.8:1 ratio (864×480) letterboxed into a 640×480 Quicktime video. I’m sure other ratios/sizes would work as well. The video below has an even wider radio, but 1.8:1 and 640×480 worked for me.
<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/swf/watch.swf?video_id=YOUR-VIDEO-ID-HERE&vq=2&fmt_map=6/720000/7/0/0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/swf/watch.swf?video_id=YOUR-VIDEO-ID-HERE&vq=2&fmt_map=6/720000/7/0/0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> Read the rest of this entry »
by Will Johnston at 3:16 PM on November 24th, 2008 in Religious - Comment
A few weeks ago I was doing a study on the book of 1 John, so I thought I would share my notes here. I’m not trying to lay this out as any sort of definitive interpretation. You may even want to double check the background information I provided, as I wrote down some of it from memory and performed only limited research. Again, these are my thoughts, not a well researched paper or commentary, so don’t overestimate their value.
Outline:
1:1-4 – These things that we know about Christ, we share with you.
1:5-7
God is light
Jesus cleanses our sin.
1:8-10 – We are sinners
2:1-2
Jesus cleanses our sins.
Jesus is our advocate before the father.
2:3-6 – We know that we have a relationship with God if we follow His commands.
2:7-11
The Light, Jesus, is in those who love their “brothers.”
Those who do not love their brothers are in darkness.
2:12-14 – ?
2:15-17 – Do not love the world.
2:18-23 – The antichrist is anyone who denies the truth of Jesus Christ.
2:24-28 – If you continue to believe, the anointing will abide in you and you in God.
Question: Is the anointing the same thing as the Holy Spirit? It seems like it.
2:29-3:12 – The righteous are born of God. Sinners are born of the devil.
3:1-3 – Children of God
3:4-9 – Children of the Devil
3:10-12 – The differences between the two are righteousness and love.
3:13-21 – Love is laying down your life and money for others.
3:22-24 – If we do these things, God will abide in us and we in Him.
4:1-6 – Test the spirits. If they confess Jesus as Christ, then they come from God.
4:7-5:3
God is love.
Jesus is savior, sent out of love.
What love is.
5:4-5:12 – Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God have overcome the world.
5:13-15 – When we ask for things according to God’s will, he hears us and grants our requests.
5:16-19 – Explanation of sin.
5:20 – The Son of God has come.
Characters (by order of appearance):
Narrarator/Author (3rd Person Plural – 1:1)
God the Son (”Word of Life” – Jesus – 1:1)
God the Father (1:3)
Audience (”My little children” – 2:1)
Little children (2:12)
Fathers (2:13)
Young men (2:13)
“Brother” (2:9)
Antichrist (2:18)
God the Spirit (Holy Spirit – 2:27/3:24)
The Devil (3:8)
Children of the Devil (3:10)
Spirits (4:1)
Spirit of the antichrist (4:3)
Spirit of truth
Spirit of error
Narrarator/Author (1st Person Singular – 5:13)
Idols (5:21)
Topics/Theme:
It seems that the overarching theme of the book is God’s love and the love that we should show others in response. More particular topics include:
Jesus is our redeemer because of God’s love.
God is love.
Sin has no place in the lives of God’s children.
To have a relationship with Jesus is to love our “brothers.”
Abiding in God and God abiding in us.
Context:
The book was likely written by the Apostle John near the end of his life, although some argue that it was one of his disciples. If it was written by John the Apostle, it was probably either while he was living in Ephesus or during his exile on the Isle of Patmos. The book dates to the late first (or possibly early second) century AD.
During this time period the Jews were scattered throughout the Roman empire, and Jerusalem had been destroyed in AD 70. Followers of Jesus had been under great persecution during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. The letter was most likely written during the reign of Emperor Domitian, whose reign was marked in the beginning by competence and in the end by madness. The Imperial attitude towards followers of Jesus at this time is difficult to discern, but it seems that at the end of Domitian’s reign that he likely engaged in some type of persecution of the members of the Way.
While the exact recipients of the letter are unknown, John was the leader of the Church at Ephesus, and this letter may have been sent to the churches in Asia Minor, where Ephesus is located. However, based on the way the letter is written, it seems that it was intended for people who were already a part of the Way. For example, in 2:1 John says “…we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ….” The implication is that the people reading the letter already have a relationship with Jesus.
Ephesus itself was a cosmopolitan port city of 225,000 residents and was the Roman seat of power in Asia Minor. It was also a center of paganism, as the Temple of Artemis was located there. Ephesus boasted well paved and well lit streets as well as the typical public buildings: a museum/scientific center, a medical school, a library, and a 56,000 seat theater.
Scholars believe that the book was written as an argument against Gnosticism (a heresy that held that the physical world is bad, the spiritual world is good, and knowledge is what is needed to reach Heaven). While it is often called an epistle, some would argue that it is actually more of a sermon as it has no greetings or salutations.
I owe a debt to the Lutheran NIV Study Bible, Bruce Metzger’s “The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content,” Wikipedia, and Will Durant’s “Caesar and Christ” for much of this information.
Tone:
The tone of the book seems to be a cross between pedagogical and admonitory. John is reminding people of what they already know.
by Will Johnston at 3:36 PM on November 21st, 2008 in Personal - Comment
When I left for lunch, Capitol Hill seemed to be bustling with activity. Afterwards, I went to CVS, where the cashier would hardly speak to me. As I walked out into the overcast day and rode home, it seemed that the streets were almost empty, and the cold wind did little to break the feeling of gray.
by Will Johnston at 4:42 PM on November 20th, 2008 in Religious - Comment
Last Thursday we held an event called Connect at National Community Church. Our goal was to bring small group ministry point leaders (i.e. small groups pastors/directors/chief volunteers) together to share best practices and just to get to know each other.
This week, we’ve started a Google Group to continue the conversation. We want to create a community for community creators and provide a forum to share best practices, provide advice on curriculum, etc. We’ll also be using this to announce future Small Groups related events at NCC. If you’re interested in joining, leave a comment, and I can sign you up or provide some more info.
A few days ago I mentioned that NCC was doing a sermon on politics this past weekend. I wanted to post the video for those of you who didn’t get a chance to see it. Pastor Mark handled the topic very well, and while I may have different opinions on a few issues, it was an excellent message and one that is obviously timely.
Since we’re on the subject, I should make the disclaimer that the political views I express here in my blog are not in any way the political views of National Community Church, which doesn’t have any political views. Also, I don’t believe that my political views are normative for followers of Jesus. As the Sojourners have said, “God is not a Republican. Or a Democrat.” In other words, my politics are my politics, not the Church’s politics, not NCC’s politics, not Christian politics, just mine. My faith may inform my politics (although it’s more complicated than that), but other followers of Jesus would say the same thing and come to radically different conclusions (more on that another day).
I figured it’s safer to share this via video because you can’t stone me.
I want to make highly charged statements that will cause divisions and ultimately split our church. Okay, that’s exactly what I don’t want to do.
One of the things that struck me early on is that a lot of the churches in DC want to tell their members how to vote and what to think on matters of domestic and foreign policy. I have opinions, but I don’t think that is our job as a church. All of this stuff is important, but I think that our job as a church is to make disciples. We certainly want to teach things that affect all aspects of our lives, including politics. We need to think critically, biblically and tactically about every issue. I think we need to have more Christians called to culture shaping positions like politics, but all to often our politics are obstacles that keep some people from getting to the cross. Jesus didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom but a spiritual kingdom that would transcend every earthly kingdom. When people wanted to make Jesus an earthly king, he resisted them. Why? Because he was setting up a transcendent kingdom.
Here’s what I want to do this weekend. I want to share some biblical principles that should shape our politics. I know some of you are disappointed.
Point 1 – Blood is thicker than water.
Family comes first. Your friends will come and go, but family is forever.
Here’s the bottom line. Were an incredibly diverse congregation. We have people who have been inspired to work on the McCain campaign and the Obama campaign. So essentially, we cancel each other out (j/k).
Galatians 3:26-29 – …you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If Paul had been writing in the 21st century, he probably would have included Republican and Democrat.
Those divisions disappear in Christ Jesus, we’re all one in Christ. What Paul is saying is that our allegiance to Christ comes first, the family of God second, and politics or whatever else third.
The blood that runs through God’s family is thicker than water.
I remember that one NCCer who was looking for a job on the Hill years ago was in a small group that fasted and prayed for him to find a job, but the thing that was most impressive was that there were people in his small group from both sides of the aisle.
We’re to take our obligation to love each other more seriously than our allegiance to either political party
Point 2
Philippians 3:20-21 – We are citizens of Heaven.
Yes, we’re citizens of the U.S. And I’m proud to be an American.
I don’t think you can look at the history of our nation and not see that we’ve done some things wrong as well as some things right, and I believe that we are a blessed nation.
I know some of you are looking for clues as to who I’m voting for, and this might seem like a clue, but it might just be a jedi mind trick. Caring for the poor, homeless, sick, etc. is not a political agenda, it is a Godly platform. The government has gotten involved because the Church has dropped the ball. The church in too many instances has abdicated its responsibility.
Donald Miller’s church started something called the Advent Conspiracy. It’s an organization that promotes less materialism at Christmas and instead to help others with the money you would have spent on yourself.
BTW, Donald has publically endorsed Obama, and I didn’t know that when we met. When I say that, some of you like him more, and some of you like him less. We didn’t even talk about politics, but I got e-mails from people who were angry. There’s an issue on which I disagree with Donald. Some people would even call it a litmus issue. I may disagree with him, but I can’t disagree with the fact that he biked across the U.S. to raise $250k for (kids with cancer?).
We need to be the blessing. We need to be going into our schools and ask how we can be a blessing. We need to be volunteering our time and serving our communities.
Let me put a dream on the radar. We held an event called the “Convoy of Hope” a few weeks ago. It was amazing, we distributed groceries, had a job fair, etc. But we realized it was just a means to an end. I believe that in the next year we will have a ministry center where we can care for the physical and spiritual needs of the community. Call it a Dream Center.
I believe politics is a noble calling. We need people in culture-shaping position. I believe God places people in strategic places. Joseph in Egypt.
John 6:14-15 – After people saw the miraculous sign Jesus had done, the people wanted to make him King by force, so Jesus withdrew.
People wanted to elect Jesus, Jesus for president, but political policies are not ultimate solutions. The Lord’s Prayer, the will of God being done
Point 3 – Don’t pass judgment on disputable matters.
This is incredibly important when it comes to politics. Therea re issues in the Bible that are Black and white, and when you turn something that is black and white into grey, that is called relativeism, and that is wrong. I believe we need to stand our ground on political issues that are black and white, but when we take issues that are grey and make them black and white, that is called legalism. Both are incredibly destructive.
Romans 14:1 – Don’t pass judgment on disputable matters.
There are some doctrines that are fundamental.
But there are other issues, the rapture, eternal security, whether or not to sing the 3rd verse of a hymn that we have always debated.
Rupertus Meldenius – “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”
I know there are one or two issues that some people are the only important issues, and there are one or two that I weigh more heavily than others.
Not everyone is going to be passionate about the same things that I am passionate about. Sometimes we think that if everyone doesn’t care about the things we care about then their lukewarm Christians. We need people who care deeply about health care, about life, about the environment.
We need our differences, and when it comes to disputable matters or matters of conscience, we need some latitude.
Point 4 – If you don’t vote, don’t complain.
The Israelites were always complaining and grumbling. I think we need to stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.
You know what, if you do vote and your person doesn’t get elected, then don’t spend the next four years complaining.
Here’s what’s going to happen this week. We’re going to go to the polls, and unless there are lots of hanging chads, we’ll know who wins. If your candidate wins do a little dance. If your candidate wins, maybe it’s time to enact Matthew 5:44 – But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Maybe if we started praying, it would change the political tone in our country.
You know what, when I’m gossiping about someone, I can’t look them in the eye, but when I’m praying for someone, I can.
Point 5 – Respect those in authority
Romans 13:1, 7
I know what some of you are saying, “Paul didn’t live in 21st century America.” No, he lived in Rome, which was worse.
It’s fine to joke, and I know some of us have trouble showing respect to certain candidates/officeholders, but we need to show some level of respect for their office.
I know it’s not always easy, but if you have the courage to follow the example Jesus set, I think you can make the same difference Jesus did.
Jim Collins, who wrote Good to Great, talks about Level 5 Leaders. He said what makes someone a Level 5 Leader is humility, which may be surprising. When we lead in a humble spirit, when we engage in a humble spirit, ultimately, it’s change we can believe in.
Alleviating suffering and caring for the poor is not a political agenda; it’s a God agenda. God is bigger than a good president or a bad president. The church ought to be an example of unity for Capitol Hill. Proverbs (?): true wisdom has two sides.
Final thought:
When the election is over, it will be 4 years until the next one. How about the church helps solve problems in the interim.
Shane Claiborne: What’s more important than how we vote on Nov. 4 is how we live on Nov 3 & 5.
