Slight Problem With The Millionaire Plan

Some months ago while researching web companies and systems for making money online, I paid for the services of one company to help me make my Internet millions. Their system seemed solid, with established tools and services to support it, and I was optimistic about making it work. There was just one glitch.

In order to get people to buy the system through me and therefore earn affiliate loot from having them sign up on my video recommendation, I was instructed to lie about how successful I already was from using the system.

The owner of the company, in a conference call, actually addressed people's concerns about this with a verbal shrug, saying, "Hey, if you have a problem with that, you need to get over it." (Graphic from Lies.com.)

Lying to sell something is a time-honored tradition in get-rich-quick schemes, and if I had any illusions about what I was doing prior to that discussion, they were all completely destroyed after his remark. P.T. Barnum said that there's a sucker born every minute, but online the suckers can be hooked and netted in seconds. I count myself among them, unfortunately.

Maybe some people do lie and make the millions as a result, but I doubt it. Possibly they make a few thousand a month on unsuspecting "fish," but mostly I think they do what I do and lose heart in deceiving people after they find out how it feels to lie for wealth. I hope so, anyway.

Now I have to wonder every time I look at an ad for making money online -- and Paypal screen shots of thousands of dollars -- whether every bit of it is fake. Most of them, I suspect are shams and scams. I'm reminded of a salesperson I knew who used to preface his statements with the words, "I'm as honest as they come -- you know I'd never lie," right before telling a whopper.

Many people may not see the harm in such lures, but I think my reputation is worth more than a few thousand dollars a month. Heck, I believe it's priceless, and therefore worth protecting. Not to mention, protecting my conscience and my soul.

As Jesus said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" And also, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

True words.

The Last Lecture As A Reminder of Blessings

It's hard to avoid sinking into negative thinking when you have a day like the one I had recently. Not only did my dog get attacked by another dog while I was walking him -- and his ear was bitten -- but I had a horrendous drive home on the Long Island Expressway from Queens during rush hour in which a motorist cut me off with inches to spare. Later that day, my husband's back pain was determined by his doctor to be an infection of a bone in his spine. It's the latest of many health setbacks since he was diagnosed with systemic Lupus.

The negative thoughts evaporated, however, when I watched a program on Randy Pausch, the upbeat professor who had everything to live for, but who died of pancreatic cancer last week at the age of 47.

Pausch was the first real YouTube star, with 5 million viewers and counting, of the video of his "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon. He managed to bring the important aspects of life into focus in that lecture, and many of them were the tenets of Christianity in its basic form. Love and respect your parents. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be honest. Love life (and therefore God) because it is a great gift.

It's strange that people found his lecture so revolutionary. Or maybe it was just compelling because of the enthusiasm that he showed for everything, in spite of his dire prognosis. I think it really came down to being like Jesus -- he exuded a love for his fellow humans that was easy to feel in return.

I watched the lecture on YouTube, but did not pick up the book. Although I'm glad to have seen it and that it inspired so many people, I wish that more of them would look for answers from one of the greatest books of wisdom there is -- the Bible.

Jesus told us to be thankful for God, our lives, even small things like food; to forgive each other and not to hold grudges, to ask God to keep us from doing bad things we're tempted to do, and help us to avoid evil. The Lord's Prayer, or as Catholics call it, the "Our Father," has many of the ideas in Pausch's speech. If Jesus had been around to deliver it on YouTube with the passion that made crowds follow him around in ancient Israel, you can bet that it would have dwarfed Randy Pausch's audience.

Story of Survival That Stays With You

I never had a bookseller warn me about a book before I bought it, but when I brought The Road by Cormac McCarthy to the check-out line at Borders, the woman at the cash register said that if I were squeamish about cannibalism, I may want to think twice about buying it. With a gold label announcing that it was a "Winner of the Pulitzer Prize" on the front, and having read some of the reviews, I decided that anything gruesome in the book should be balanced by its literary value, and therefore worth the temporary mental anguish.

The Road is one of those novels that sticks with you long after you've read it because it evokes such strong emotions. A post-apocalyptic story of a father and a son's struggle to survive as they navigate a road south to find warmth in the winter, it is a story of every parent's worst nightmare and yet a story of love. The story's flat tone belies its depth of feeling as the main character fights daily to find food and shelter in a world that's been destroyed by a cataclysmic event.

Interwoven in the boy's questions and natural desire to help others is the idea that good exists in the midst of great evil. His father isn't sure that God exists, but the child who knows nothing other than the world of ashes has an intrinsic belief in God. His questions bring to mind Jesus's parable in the book of Matthew about how you must become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven -- innocent and kind and believing, in spite of everything.

Yes, the book made me cringe several times, but I think the story's touching elements make it well worth the read. A film based on the book is set for release in November.

Eleanor Rigby's Not The Only Lonely One

This week, a man in St. Louis set his truck on fire in front of his house and called the fire department. When the firefighters arrived, he began shooting them from his house. One fireman died and two policemen were shot. The man then set his house on fire and died in the blaze. The news reports said that no one in the neighborhood knew him.

Earlier this month, a high fashion model jumped from her New York apartment and fell nine stories to her death in an apparent suicide. Only 20, Ruslana Korshunova had moved from Kazakhstan to work in the United States. In the news reports, no one seemed to know her well.

Every day the news is filled with people who commit acts of desperation. Almost always, the neighbors do not know them. It doesn't take a degree in psychology to figure out that loneliness and the accompanying alienation are a major problems in our automated, mobile society.

At a vestry workshop last weekend given by a representative of the Episcopal Church Foundation, our workshop leader, Andi, mentioned a 2006 Duke University and University of Arizona study that found that 25% of Americans said they didn't have a close friend or a confidante -- double the number of a study in 1985. A USA Today story on the study quoted an University of Arizona researcher who said loneliness tended to be a long-term emotion, and that people who are lonely also tend to be chronically depressed and anxious, calling the symptons the "holy trinity" of loneliness.

Christians are called by Jesus to love their neighbors as themselves -- so knowing them is a basic prerequisite for loving them, making it an obligation to be open and welcoming to those who you meet at home, work or in life in general. I know that I've always tried to be a good neighbor, but the response has not always been encouraging. Responses from neighbors over the years as I've relocated to new houses and apartments have ranged from sincere welcomes with a homemade apple pie brought over to disappointment that we weren't moving when a snooty neighbor inquired as to whether the house had sold yet. (That's a neighbor I won't miss.) I do my best to make new neighbors welcome, because I've been on the other side of the fence.

Sometimes its not so obvious as to who is lonely. A study in 2005 by reserchers at the University of Mighigan, Ann Arbor, reported about the issue in depth, and found that some people who report having a lot of friends are actually lonely. They reported that it's the quality of the relationships that matter most.

People who are chronically lonely tend to have serious health problems, according to several studies. One of the most recent, published in a collaboration between UCLA and the University of Chicago, found that they include:

-- The development of a genetic marker of loneliness after several years of the condition;

--An increase in inflammation;

--An increase in the risk of heart disease, viral infections and cancer;

--An increase in high blood pressure;

--Greater likelihood of the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The elderly are most susceptible to loneliness, according to the study, because of the loss of a partner, friends and other major life changes. Ironically, another study found that the use of computers for social networking has alleviated loneliness for older people polled in Australia, while doing the opposite for younger people.

One question that I wish researchers had asked people was whether they had any kind of religious beliefs, and whether they practiced their religion. As someone who has suffered from loneliness and depression at various times in my life, I found that the only lasting cure was prayer and becoming part of a church family. When you have a relationship with God in which you talk on a daily basis, you are never alone. And when you have others in your life who share the love of God, you know that with their support you can overcome anything.

Christian The Lion Goes Viral In Media

The home video is almost 40 years old, but by pairing it with a Whitney Houston song and putting text on it that explains the scenario, a YouTube post has turned into a viral sensation that has shown up on several U.S. TV shows this week.

If you haven't already seen it, here's a link to the original video version that has had more than 3.3 million hits: Christian the Lion.

I saw the music video version of Christian the lion on Monday morning while I was working out on the crosstrainer in the gym, scanning the bank of four flatscreen TVs in front of me. It was introduced by Barbara Walters on The View. Christian the lion showed up again this morning on the Today Show. The video depicts two British men romping with a lion cub in an open grassy area near a church as the song "I Will Always Love You" plays. Text superimposed on the video describes how the men had adopted the lion as a cub, but when it got too big to keep in their flat any longer, they brought it to Africa, and freed it. A year later, they wanted to see the lion again, but were told it was the head of a pride of lions and no longer interacted with humans.

As the lion approached them, it seemed possible it could attack, but of course it didn't. The way the lion jumped up and hugged them with its legs and paws and nuzzled them with its head reminded me of how my golden retriever Lucky puts his head on my shoulder when I'm sitting near him, and how he leaps for joy in seeing me if I've been out for a while. It's pure unadulterated love.

The joyous homecoming between the men and the lion turned me into a blubbering idiot right there in the gym. Fortunately, I had a towel to wipe away the sweat and tears and got control of myself. Unfortunately, when I stopped in the IGA after my workout to pick up some hamburger buns and took off my sunglasses, a man standing behind me in line stared. I didn't realize until I got home that I looked like Alice Cooper because my mascara had run.

I find it a wonderful coincidence that the men had named the lion Christian, because it evokes the story of Daniel and how when he was put in the den with hungry lions, God sent angels to protect him and keep the lions from harming him. Not only did this lion not harm them, he showed his love for them in every way he knew how. His mate, who presumably was not raised by humans, even accepted their attentions.

The end of the video reminds people to get in touch with loved ones they haven't seen in a long time. I would remind people to remember that God loves you, and whenever you show love to any of his creations -- humans, animals or even plants -- you honor God.

The Brutal World View Of The Top 2 Films

See this!^ Not these below!!

The two summer blockbusters have been merely a "bust" for me in terms of delivering the emotional catharsis one expects from a hyped-up Hollywood film.

In short, both superhero films were the pits -- pits of despair, that is.

I hated Hancock for a myriad of reasons. My main interest in seeing the film was to get a few laughs from Will Smith, who has delivered in the past. This film barely warranted one laugh. He plays a miserable character who grudgingly evolves in the course of the film, which features a convoluted plot involving a murky mythology. The Dark Knight was hugely disappointing, if not downright depressing. The film's constant orgy of violence made me look at my watch, wondering if it was ever going to end. The last half hour of the film was totally gratuitous and led to a finale that I loathed for its anti-hero climax. Unlike their predecessors, these films are in no way meant for children.

If the top two films reflect the mental state of the country, then we are in for bleak times ahead.

One of the best Christian perspective websites on film, Hollywood Jesus, had plenty to say about The Dark Knight. Half a dozen essays on the site analyze the film, its meaning, its message and its moral morass. I won't rehash them here, but I will say that they illuminate the crux of the problem of relativism in society and how it is bringing us all down.

The only action film I've seen in theaters recently that I would recommend is Get Smart. It's funny and clever with sparkling dialogue and the denouement that I'd hoped to see in the supposed "hero" films this summer. Aside from that, the Sex and the City film was another one I enjoyed, and its theme of love made it almost sunny in comparison to the rest of the fare out there.

I'm reminded of a line from one of my favorite films of all time in describing the state of American cinema in the summer of 2008 as Bill Murray's despondent character in Groundhog Day has reached his nadir in reliving the same day over and over again. He forecasts, "It's going to be dark, it's going to be cold, and it's going to last you the rest of your life."

There's nothing like a drug-overdosed actor to boost ticket sales, but I hope something positive comes in the next Batman sequel, which you can bet will debut in another year or so. At the very least, super hero fans are owed a film that values truth over deception and the triumph of good over evil.

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Korn Guitarist's Scary Good Insights

As a non-fan of the hard rock band Korn, I wasn't overly interested in picking up the autobiography of lead guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, called Save Me From Myself. Since it was one of the top selling Christian-oriented books of the past year, however, I thought I would give it a try in paperback.

It hooked me from the first page.

Welch's simple writing and brutally honest portrayal of his inner life through years as a rock star is riveting. His description of his methamphetamine addiction and constant wish to die adds a harrowing element that drives home the amazing metamorphosis he eventually undergoes.

It is love for his 5-year-old daughter who he's raising as a single parent (his wife was a deep-end drug addict) that drives him to attempt to end his habit, but he is unable to do so on his own. When he turns to God, he finally finds the strength to throw away his drugs and stay off of them. He also gives up his career with the band at its peak because he felt led to do so by God. His brave act earned him scorn and ridicule by other bandmates and in the industry, but his resolve held firm.

The book has obviously spoken to fans and other young people who identify with Welch, who tried to fill the void of his spiritual emptiness with drugs and alcohol, but learned that they were the way to death, while God is the way to life. He describes a transformation that many Christians will recognize, one that is not always smooth and has some moments of doubt, but which continues as faith becomes stronger.

In the past year, Welch has been working on a record that is slated to be released in September which he hopes will reach his fans with the same hard-driving sound -- only the lyrics are about the quest for God and peace. I probably won't be buying the album, but I definitely recommend the book.

Road Trip Yields Spiritual Benefits

Last Friday I took a long-planned road trip to Cape Cod with three girlfriends -- our second road trip in as many years. We'd looked forward to the camaraderie and change of scenery from Long Island where we live, but the trip was more than that to us.

All of these women have a spiritual nature, and their appreciation of everything around us just reinforces my own. Here are a few mental snapshots of the trip:

• Roxanne, Maggie and I walked the beach picking up small stones and watching the beach terns flying around, while Susan read a book and held our beach spot. We then settled in beach chairs in a circle, and Maggie placed large stones around us to create a circle of tranquility. We played Scrabble in our magic circle, stopping to watch a large black seal swim in the ocean near the shore.
• We biked on Nantucket and had to slow down to let a flock of wild turkeys pass in front of us.
• We slowed down on the roads at night to let foxes and a coyote pass in front of us.
• We looked at artistic photographs in a pottery/photography studio of the Aurora Borealis on a Cape Cod beach, as well as rainbows and lightning strikes.
• We looked at incredible handmade crafts by true artisans in many shops, who were only too happy to answer any of our questions at length.
  
• We were grateful for the many polite actions and kindnesses extended to us by the New Englanders who stopped to let us pass across the street, or waved our car to go ahead, or offered to help us with directions.
  

It was a relaxing trip, but also one that made me thankful to have such good friends who share my love of nature and of the goodness of our God-given lives.

The Electronic Tent Revival Of God.TV

Last night I happened to be up late and watched an ABC Nightline newscast featuring evangelist Todd Bentley, a Canadian who is leading a giant tent revival in Lakeland, Florida, which is drawing thousands of people from around the world who are seeking to be healed.

The upshot of the Nightline Show was that although people are praising Bentley's healing powers through God, the TV journalist couldn't find a single proven, documented healing that named known doctors and provided clear evidence. What they found was an unshakeable faith in his ministry from the desperate people who came to see him.

Shows like that elicit mixed emotions from me. Initially, they repulse me, because I feel that the broadcasters are really aiming to show how vulnerable and ignorant Christians can be. (Check out this USA Today piece as an example.) Granted, they did interview a local minister who came to the show who spoke against it, as well as a disabled woman in a wheelchair who didn't buy into Bentley. She accused him of whipping up false hopes of being cured of degenerative diseases like hers. The main focus of the broadcast, however, were the people who saw Bentley online and wanted to be in his presence.

The other reaction that I have to such reports is relief that they are at least covering religious life in some form, since they usually only do stories about cults, suicide bombers or polygamy. While Bentley's "healing" may be more spiritual than physical, he may open the door to God for some people who are looking for someone they can relate to and who talks and thinks the way they do. Bentley is no angel, and Nightline made sure to dig up details about his illicit youth of doing drugs and stealing cars. Bentley admitted his past crimes and said that he talks about them as part of his ministry, and how God turned his life around. Frankly, I find Bentley's form of healing -- yelling BAM! as he whacks people on the head and lets helpers catch them as they fall -- a tremendous turn-off. Maybe it's because I can't imagine Jesus doing an imitation of gourmet chef Emeril Lagasse as he heals a blind woman.

However, what was most interesting to me was the reason for Bentley's massive popularity -- God.TV. I had never heard of it until the report, so I decided to check it out for myself today. Lo and behold, I pulled up an online program of revivals and preaching from around the world. It had originated in the United Kingdom, so the range of speakers is broader than it might be in America. The quality of the broadcasts are impressive, too.

Tailored for evangelical speakers who promote Christianity with a passion, it is a new stage for ministers to reach audiences of millions. Though it's not my preferred way to worship, if the medium is the message, the people who watch lots of TV might find it an appealing path to the Word.

Nice Try, Bad Execution in 'The Shack'

The novel The Shack caught my attention when it suddenly popped onto The New York Times bestseller list for paperback fiction -- hitting number one in June. However, there are a lot of reasons a book may make the list, and often they have nothing to do with quality.

For instance, books with serial characters, past bestselling authors and books that are controversial or hit a nerve with the public for some reason often make the list, at least for a short time. Famous authors or dead authors (witness Tim Russert) also help sales. Then there is the worst kind of bestseller. The bulk sales bestseller.

The first example of that kind of sale that I learned about was for the book A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive. The autobiography was bought in bulk by the author who then promoted it constantly at bookstore signings and speaking engagements until it finally made a enough sales to hit the NYT list. Then its success bred more success as he gave interviews nationwide describing his childhood abuse. After awhile, some discrepancies showed up in his story, his bulk sales methods were exposed, and sales began to decline.

The latest book to make traction on bulk sales is The Shack. It was on the top of Christian bestseller lists prior to The New York Times, and the audience appears to be predominantly Christian. A recent Times article mentioned that the author has promoted the book in a similar way to the "It" book, but is encouraging Christian groups to buy it in bulk to resell it, as well as encouraging those who are moved by the message to buy it as "gifts" to friends or family who they want to revive spiritually.

There's nothing wrong with doing that, but I have to say that the novel leaves a great deal to be desired as a piece of literature. On its own, I doubt that it ever would have made the list.

Without giving too much away, the story is about a man whose daughter is kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer, and who develops a rift with God because of his anger over what happened. He gets a message in his mailbox from "Papa," his wife's code name for God, to meet him in the shack where the murderer left his daughter's bloody dress.

I liked parts of the book plotwise, and as a committed Christian, I had no problem with much of the message. The worst thing about the book is that about three-quarters of the way through it becomes bogged down and becomes a polemic against traditional Christianity. The characters promote the kind of watered down, anything-goes spiritual thinking that was warned about in The Last Christian Generation. Or as my conservative Christian friends like to call it, "New Age" thinking. I'm no fundamentalist, but I think you have to draw the line somewhere, otherwise we're all Humanists or Unitarians, and Christianity is dead.

In addition, many have pointed out in blogs that there is an underlying whiff of oh, could it be, I don't know, maybe heresy!? in the book, which uses names for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that come out of other religious traditions. Dozens of Christian commentators have both lauded and derided the novel.

Controversy may also fuel sales of the book, so I wouldn't be surprised if it stays at the top of the list for a long time. Nothing makes a book sell better than being "banned" somewhere, even if it's only on blogs or from a minister's pulpit.

A Time To Dance

On this holiday eve of the Fourth of July, I'm looking forward to spending time with friends and celebrating our freedom. This link was sent to me by a friend and I wanted to share it. Click here to play it.

The video says everything there is to say about love and the joy of life without any overt message. It was done by a guy named Matt whose internet "dance" took off all over the world. He later invited other people to join him.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal,
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance..." Ecclesiastes, 3:1-4

Skip This Movie & Think On This Instead

My husband picked the movie "Wanted" as our weekly out-of-the-house entertainment last week mainly because Angelina Jolie was one of the main actors in it. Who could blame him? She is easy on the eyes and her films tend to have a lot of action sequences and stunts -- pure guy candy. She's also has been in such moving films as A Mighty Heart, playing the wife of the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl.

So why was this film so bad?

First of all, the plot -- or lack thereof -- made it next to impossible to suspend disbelief. The story is about a group of assassins who are directed by a giant loom of fate in a special room to kill people according to the names embedded in fabric in a zeros and ones code configuration. The main character is a guy whose father was killed by a rogue assassin, and who, like his father, has the ability to dodge bullets and fire bullets in such a way that they curve. Now if that isn't fantastical enough, they all work in a weaving factory where they train to do their killing using pigs as targets, beating up the trainee to toughen him up and then letting him bathe in a healing wax jacuzzi to get all better.

Granted, the action sequences keep the story moving along, but the buckets of blood and the stop action/slow motion trajectory of bullets through people's brains are a bit much to take. I write this as a huge fan of The Matrix trilogy, which I found not only to be plausible in an action film kind of way, but to have a plot that combined faith and physics and philosophy in such a way that it can be watched over and over and again with continued appreciation. There also wasn't much blood, just a lot of bullets.

After the film, I needed the psychic version of mouthwash to clear my head of all of the gore. I even had bad dreams that night. There's a reason for this. As Philippians 4:8 explains: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Or you will think of bad things -- and there goes your peace.

The solution for me was to watch Thou Shalt Laugh, a collection of comedy routines by Christian comics. It is hysterically funny, even if you aren't a Christian. I highly recommend it.

Why There Are Only Four Gospels From 12 Apostles

It always seemed odd to me that only four gospels explaining the life of Christ are in the Bible.

Only Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as far as we know, either wrote or told their stories to scribes or oral historians, and either the writings were copied for the benefit of early Christians or the oral history was passed down from storyteller to storyteller until it was finally written down. Paul, the disciple formerly known as Saul, did not know Jesus personally, but his letters to various groups of believers were documented and included in the New Testament, as well.

So what happened to the stories of Peter, James (son of Zebedee), James (son of Alphaeus), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddeus and Judas? Why is Mark's writing considered an authentic gospel when he was not one of the original Apostles, but rather, a friend of Peter's and later an evangelist? Didn't the rest of them have anything to add? (Photo of Christ and Disciples statue in Prague.)

Last fall, Christian History magazine addressed just that topic with an issue on the Gnostic writings and gospels that have been identified as Gnostic ones, because they are included in other such writings, such as the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Thomas and the controversial Gospel of Judas.

Not to recap too much here, the article explained that only four gospels were included because they're the oldest and the most authentic -- and church authorities agreed on them. Many of the other "gospels" were thought to have been named after the original followers of Jesus to give them authenticity, though they were published much later, in the second century. Some of those gospels (such as that of Thomas) are the subject of debate, however, for possibly having been in existence much earlier.

Anyhow, Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons (France) named in 177, not only wrote along those lines and pointed out the falsity of the Gnostic writings, but had an explanation that sounds a bit wacky today and works against his argument.

"The Gospels could not possibly be either more or less in number than they are. Since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the Church is spread over all the earth and the pillar and foundation of the Church is the gospel, and the Spirit of life, it fittingly has four pillars, everywhere breathing out incorruption and revivifying me."

This is also stated in the scholarly explanation included in The Nag Hammadi scriptures, which I wrote about last month. Four winds do not an explanation make, in my opinion.

Some of these tossed-out gospels do have intriguing aspects to them. Thanks to the fact that they were found outside of the church, we now have access to them, and they aren't locked up in some Vatican archive (although many are incomplete.) Personally, I think the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Thomas have some interesting ideas and jibe with other New Testament writings, so although they'll never make it into the canon, they're worth a second look.