Moments with Dallas - Comic Cover Contest

https://youtu.be/KbNQfeILSN8

Titles

So I had an interesting experience this morning, I thought I’d share it and some thoughts from it. This morning I got a phone call from a lady in my church.  She was apologizing for something that I didn’t really mind at all. Yesterday morning a in the hallway she looked at me with a big smile and said “Hey Big D!” I smiled and said hi and went on. After that point something bothered her… she felt she had offended me.

What bothered her? She didn’t call me Pastor. I assured her that it was no big deal and that I appreciated her heart in the matter. I hate that something so silly had bothered her so much but I understood it.

For me it really wasn’t a big deal. I’ve never really thought much about titles. Truth be told, it is still strange for me to hear people refer to me as Pastor Dallas. This is in part due to my training with my mentor. The idea of titles was just never a big thing. If you had a relationship with someone and they allowed you into their lives that’s all that mattered.  If there’s a job that needs to be done and you were able to do it, then you took care of it, no matter what your title was or is. That’s how I was taught.

That said I do understand that titles are important. They have a place and reason in our society. I know for starters they signify authority. If I walk up to three guys looking for help with a broken leg and one says “Hi, I’m Professor John,” another says “Hi, I’m Officer Jack,” and the third says, “Hi, I’m Dr. Jeremy,” I’m going to end up asking the doctor for help.  Why? I’m going to talk to him because his title tells me he is an authority in medical matters.

There have been many times where I’ve walked into a situation and I’ve had to be “Pastor Dallas.” People needed me to be more than just the laid back geeky guy that I am. They needed to be a minister of the Gospel. They needed me to be someone to bring the presence of God and show them the heart of the Father.

Let’s not forget that we should respect people’s authority. No matter what the position or our opinions about that position. You may not like a pastor, teacher, doctor, mayor, or president; but the fact of the matter is the title they have carries authority. So our honoring of their title is honoring of the authority they carry. Yes even if carry it poorly.

I had talked about this on my Periscope earlier today. One person brought up an interesting point. While I personally don’t care about titles; there are those who purposefully don’t use a person’s title out of blatant disrespect.  In other words, if they don’t like that person for whatever reason, instead of referring to that person as Doctor, Pastor, Professor, President; they simply call them by their name or sometimes… some kind of inappropriate, and colorful, name.  Don’t’ get me wrong, I understand it’s hard to be honoring to people we don’t care for, but how can we create a culture of honor if we don’t do it ourselves?

Another interesting thought is that some people get way too wrapped up in their title. They almost let it go to their head and hold it over others. They are so wrapped up in their title that they lose their actual identity. We are all fellow members of the human race; as such we should respect each other. Yes your title brings authority, but it doesn’t mean you should look down on people. Your title is a gift and if you don’t respect that title then how can you expect others?

I guess in the end our use of titles and our respect of them boils down to the heart behind the situation. If your use or no use of a title is done out of a good heart, then fantastic! Honor comes from that heart. At the same time dishonor comes from a broken heart. If we do not honor the titles people carry then we do harm that person, their title, and our society.

So what are your thoughts about titles? Do you carry title? Does it bother you when people don’t refer to you by that title? Do you have a hard time using people’s titles? Comment and let me know!

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Is Monster Energy Evil?

So recently there has been a pop up of videos and posts on Facebook where people are claiming that the claw marks on the Monster energy drink cans stand for 666. These posts are generally followed up with a fear statement calling for an end the company and triumphant cry of defiance towards the devil’s trickery. But are these claims accurate?

Dealing with the specific claw marks looking like vav…. I really don’t think it looks exactly like it. If anything I think nun looks closer (there are two versions of nun… not sure what the difference is in their meaning). Plus traditional numerology is not about replacement but addition so 666 would be 18. Then getting into even more semantics, the Greek used in Revelation is hexakósioi hexēkonta héx which is Six hundred and sixty six. Which in Hebrew would be (if… and big if here… I’m understanding this right) Tav Resh Samech Vav which looks very much not like the monster logo.

So where did the logo come from if it’s not some even satanic message designed to pollute and subvert society…. Sorry I’m being way to sarcastic here.  Monster energy drinks were created by Hansen Beverage Co back in 2000. They saw the success of Red bull and wanted to get into the energy drink game. They had two problems; their name was strongly associated with health products that young people (main consumers of energy drinks) would want nothing to do with. The second problem being that they needed a gimmick to corner the market.

The idea was to sell their product in cans twice the size of Red Bull’s 8oz cans, but for the same cost.  Now that stage 1 was completed how do they overcome their marketing issues? To solve this problem they contacted Mclean Design. It was Mclean Designs that came up with the monster concept.

They actually started out with several ideas such as “Hammerhead”, ‘Fatboy,” and “wild Hare.” After some market research they narrowed it down to “Fatboy,” ( because the cans were bigger) “Deuce” (because it was twice the amount of substance), and then “Monster.” They chose monster because Monster represented the fact that it was a bigger can (A  Monster Can), it gave “maniacal energy”, and monster had a sense of being different/ bit of a renegade which was their target audience.

In the beginning they had several different types of cans. One was black with a lizard looking creature on it. Another was black with same creature just placed differently. They also had a couple of cans with a silhouetted monster that kind of looks like Batman. Then finally the icon green slashes that make a stylized M.

In the end the design firm and Hansen went with the M because it’s simplicity and bold look. Plus it went over best with focus groups. So nothing demonic with their logo… just want people liked.

Recently a video has been circulating with a woman attempting to explain the conspiracy. In a very haughty way (you can tell she’s had people explain to she is mistaken and she resents the claim) explaining some other things. In her explanation of the M she points out that the claw marks re no connected and that’s why she believes it to be Hebrew.  However if we look at real claw marks in the wild they are not connected. Again this is where a design artist is trying to stylize an M to make it look like a claw mark.

The lady continues to claim that the O with a strike through is a cross. It really isn’t… it looks more like the greek phi.  Which is sometimes used as a symbol of manhood, bringing more suggestion that this will drink is tough and not meant for the faint of heart. She attempts to make a connection to the phrase “release the beast.” However, if she’s a minister she’s forgotten the first rule of exegesis….  When studying something you must remember the culture.

Things in different cultures mean different things to others. Great example that came from my Bible classes I took at SAGU. We have the  verse that says “behold I stand at the door and knock.” This is a great verse that people use often to encourage and motivate others to allow Jesus to take part in their life.

Well  did you know that there is a tribe that according to cultural reasons, that is not encouraging? When they hear that Jesus is a the door and knocking they think that means He is a thief or worse! Why? Because in their culture you don’t knock on someone’s door. You stand at the edge of the property and clap and shout to them to get their attention. The only people who knock in their society are thieves. Thieves will come up and knock to see if anyone is stirring in the house. If not then they will sneak in unnoticed.

So missionaries who visit this tribe will say ‘behold I stand at your gate and clap” so that the people will understand. They took time to understand language of the culture. We have to remember that Monster Energy was targeting a specific culture. Young people who were into Xgames, (skaters, bmx, snowboarding, etc.) A common phrasing, for that generation and specifically that group of people, when someone was amazing at something, was “wow he’s a beast!” Had nothing to do with the enemy but rather description of the energy and ability of the person.  So her drawing on that reference was way off base too.

At the end of the video she very arrogantly suggests that you can’t deny that the O is a cross… but we can… and she claims that when you turn the drink upside down that you are making it into an upside down cross. She then says “bottoms up.. ::turns can upside down like she’s drinking:: and the devil laughs.” Seriously she’s really stretching on that one. That would mean that anyone who used a sword back in the day is doing the devil’s work. Does this make some putters that people use to golf with demonic?  Should we no longer drink SpriTe when we have a stomach ache?

This whole craze about monster I feel really was started from a place of pure intentions. More than like started with someone who heard the stories about kids who had KNOWN HEART CONDITIONS drinking 4 of these things in an hour and then sadly dying. Then as they started to look more at monster saw things that were not there. As a minister, I want to encourage everyone to be careful about jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to certain things. A few reasons

1. You are giving the enemy, Satan, more credit than he is due. We attribute so many things to him that have nothing to do with him. People who jump at every corner claiming there’s a demon are giving him more glory and more praise then our Lord. The more we jump at things the more fear we breathe into the world and that just gives the enemy more ground.
   
2. It’s like the boy who cried wolf story. They more shout Satan the less likely the world will respond when it really is Satan.
   
3. The world already has a bad taste in our mouth for well meaning misguided Christians on a witch hunt.  Salem Witch Trials are a black stain in the history of the church. One that was pushed and motivated by fear.  

Is Monster Energy secular? Is it demonic no. I can think of far worse companies that you shouldn't be shopping with but you probably won’t because of one reason or another. 

So please friends. Stop crying wolf. From everything I've researched… it’s just a drink. Honestly. The only reasons you shouldn't drink it is if you don’t like the taste, you realize you probably shouldn't be drinking carbonated drinks, you are sensitive to caffeine, or you have a heart condition. It won’t kill you unless you are reckless and drink 5 in an hour and you have a heart condition. It won’t send you to hell unless  a can falls on your head and cracks your skull and you so happen to not be a follower of Jesus the Christ.

Love you all, hope this helps to clear some things up. Blessings!

Lone Star State Mixtape

Lone Star State Mixtape by Djroam The Giant Samurai Panda on Mixcloud

Mix that I did in honor of all my friends in Texas. I do not own any of the music. All songs are owned by the artist as far as i know. As always I welcome constructive criticism to help me become a better DJ.

Check out the guys on this mixtape by following these links
www.nategmusic.com
http://tjdup.bandcamp.com
http://mrtrinity.bandcamp.com
www.curvinemusic.com

This also has shoutouts to Southwestner Assemblies of God Univeristy, Christ for the Nations Institute, DJ Vow (www.djvow.com), and Eli Mendoza

Lunch Time Mix Episode 1

So i challenged myself last minute today. the challenge? Go home, eat lunch, throw together a quick mix, and be back at work in time. So bit rough but it was fun trying to do it :)
Tracks:
Ammunition by Curvine
For Us by God's Servant
Shout by D-Boy
Te Amo by Israel and New Breed

Lunch Time Mix ep 1 by Djroam The Giant Samurai Panda on Mixcloud

Worth It All

Happy Easter everyone! Hope everyone had a great and relaxing day. This past weekend was a whirlwind for me! I had the great opportunity of taking a group of teenagers down to Pineville, LA for the Louisiana Youth Convention/Fine Arts competition.

Over the years I’ve talked to several different parents who have expressed gratitude for the Student Pastors and Leaders who take on these types of events. I know to some the notion of being surrounded by a thousand wild and crazy teenagers can be daunting. Not to mention there are a lot of things that take place on these events that can really work you over physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I feel that self examination is an important part in not only ministry and job success, but also in our walk with Christ. We must examine ourselves and allow God to speak to us about what’s going on in our lives. So with that thought I began to think upon this past weekend. Sure there were issues with the trip. One of my leaders is an incredibly hard working man that bends over backwards to make sure things are done. Sadly his job called in, him stupid early and last minute, the morning we were leaving to do some last minute paper work. This sadly put us a bit behind schedule on the front end.

The guy working at the hotel was brand new to the job and it took him nearly 20 minutes to get us checked into the hotel. I’m new to the LYM (Louisiana Youth Ministries) Convention process & Fine Arts so I didn’t really know what I was doing and because it’s a MASSIVE event in LYM there are hiccups in the check-in process which lead to some frustrations here and there.

Again I’m the type that if you tell me something takes place at a time, then it needs to start on that time. Then again like I said this is one of the biggest events in LYM; so like with ever major event there are a lot of moving parts. While the LYM team did a FANTASTIC job handling things there were some things here in there that they simply could not foresee happening. The combination of those things can lead to some frustrations when leading a pack of teenagers.

Let us not forget that we are dealing with teenagers! Every youth ministry has those students who want to push you to the very edge when it comes to rules that have been put in place. You have the students who talk back and question your decisions. You have the students who follow dominate personalities even if those personalities have some negative influence in the group. You have the old hat students who feel like they know everything and don’t need your guidance or the things being given out in services. You have the ones who feel they are far more mature for their age but don’t realize they still have lots of growing to do.

Then you have the other students who aren’t even in your youth group that you have to deal with. Those who you catch being disrespectful towards each other and to adults. This of course causes you to have that internal conflict of, “I’m not their youth pastor… but if they were my kid they would had been ruptured up out of that seat in a heartbeat and find themselves in the van having a come to Jesus meeting.” While you are having this internal dialog you are looking around for that student’s Youth Pastor in hopes of dropping a dime on the still maturing child.

Not going to lie, there have been times where the combinations of many of those things have caused me to question my effectiveness as a student pastor. There have been moments when the Holy Ghost was moving in such a powerful way that I felt the Triune God would manifest physically right there in front of everyone; and I look at some of my students who I’ve been through the trenches with and what do I see

Nothing....

Us as leaders began to ask ourselves a litany of “What if” questions. What if I had planned this better? What if I had preached on this more? What if I had spent more time with this person more? What if I had done this or that? The list plays through our minds in a loop. Of course in those moments we have to plant our feet and push forward. Just have to do the best we can with the best that we have. Knowing this though, is not always the most comforting of things.

But then I look at some other things involved. This weekend I saw a young man deliver a sermon with an authority that he had not operated in before. I had a young lady that was so nervous she was literally shaking, yet when it was her turn to step up to deliver a special portion of her heart in a passionate poetic form… it was like the world stopped and she spoke with a confidence and passion that caused ever heart beat in that room to move with compassion and reflection. I had two fantastically artistic students, for the first time, put piece of art that they worked hard to create, out for people to see and be judged.

I had the opportunity to build relationships with young students who need to know that they have a Student Pastor who will be there for them no matter what happens. I had the opportunity to encourage and speak life into students who are still discovering who they are and what they are meant to be. I had the chance to get to know two fantastic parents who are doing their best to raise their children in a Godly environment and speak life into others at the same time. I had the opportunity to find out the heart beat and desires for the future that some of my students had. I had the opportunity to take a few students with me to not only feed a homeless man, but to pray with him and share the love of Christ. (At THP we call that; “I Go”)

During this trip the Lord had spoken to me about some exciting things that I need to speak into students at my church. During this trip I had the opportunity to confront new challenges and grow out of them. During this trip I had the opportunity to do what I love to do most; love on students.

So what does all this add up to mean? Well it means that when people say “Man am I glad you’re doing this,” I can proudly respond, “So am I!” I can respond that way because I have to say, even though there were challenges; the opportunities to see not just the sparks, but they fiery hot flames of greatness burning bright in my students was well worth it all. The chance to build relationships and let my students know that they are without a shadow of doubt, loved was more than worth it.