Online since the 90's, GodWords is where I put all of the stuff I find interesting. You might find it interesting, too. If you do, subscribe to the GodWords RSS Feed to keep up with what's new.

America has a lot of problems. I don't know anyone who would say otherwise...and honesty about America's problems is a requirement for solving them.

One of the main problems that I have with politically liberal Americans is that, in an effort to speak honestly about America's problems, many of them speak dishonestly about what America has done right.

This video contrasts the comments of Michelle Obama, who wants to be America's First Lady, with comments from conservative Americans in Tennessee. It's a reminder that, despite the problems, America is still a wonderful place filled with hope and opportunity.

I'm not proud to be an American because you can only take personal pride in things you have accomplished. I'm not proud of my height or of my intelligence or of the number of toes on my feet, since I had nothing to do with achieving them. I am proud, however, of those who created America to be the kind of country that has inspired and empowered millions of people for hundreds of years.

It's definitely a movie summer. My wife and I don't go to too many movies, as it's tough to justify the $30 hit...$9.50 per ticket + a tasty treat = ten times more money spent than necessary. We're not usually in a hurry to see a lot of movies, so we wait until they get to the cheap theater...or we see them on DVD, or we just don't see them at all.

This summer will be very different. The main reason we see first-run movies on the big screen is that they demand it. Movies like Iron Man just can't be experienced on a mid-sized TV like they can at the cineplex.

Here's a list of just a few of the movies we're planning to spring for this summer...which are you looking forward to?

• Iron Man (yes, I'm planning to see it again)
• Speed Racer (a childhood favorite)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Kung Fu Panda
• The Incredible Hulk
• Get Smart (another childhood fave)
• Wall E
• Hancock (I'll see Will Smith anytime)
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• The Dark Knight
• The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor

How's that for starters? We might take the boy to see Ben 10, we might add a movie or three. We might actually miss one or two of the above...but, for the first time in our lives, we're actually budgeting for movies. I can't wait.

Which movies are you going to see?

I love superhero movies. I love even the mediocre ones...but this one doesn't look like it will be mediocre. The last Hulk movie was mediocre, and this Hulk movie is supposed to magically erase the memory of The Hulk That Should Have Been.

After seeing the knockout punch that is Iron Man, I'm very excited about The Incredible Hulk. Ed Norton is a very good actor, and Marvel seems committed to making good movies...now that they're making them themselves. Check out the newest Hulk trailer:

Wow. I knew that this technology had some promise after reading a Popular Mechanics article about 20 years ago, but had completely forgotten it. Here it is: a car that runs on air.

No combustion means zero emissions. Imagine a car that runs on compressed air, that has no emissions, that can be refueled in three minutes. Imagine going (at the moment) 200 miles on a tank of air, and traveling at up to 60 miles per hour. The only by-product appears to be air. At around $15,000, this is one car that would cost very little to maintain.

GodWords reader Miranda asked "if god already knows what we want, why pray?". That's a very good question, and one that lots of people have asked. I'm not sure that anyone has a complete answer...but let me point out a couple of things that might help us think about it further:

1. God knows how you'll pray before you start...so prayer isn't giving God new information.
2. God may say "no" to whatever you pray...so prayer isn't convincing God to do whatever you ask.
3. God can do what needs to be done without our input...so prayer isn't helping God make difficult decisions.

Seems like a good argument that we don't need to pray, doesn't it? Of course, that's only half of the story. When we check what the Bible says about prayer, we see something different: God wants us to pray, and it's assumed that we actually will. Jesus, who is God become human, prayed to the Father. Despite the fact that God knows everything, we're given lots of instructions about prayer...so it's obvious that we're supposed to pray:

God wants us to ask for help.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. - James 1:5

God wants us to pray for others.
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. - Matthew 5:44

We don't have to know everything about prayer.
We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. - Romans 8:26

I'm sure I could find a half-dozen more verses for each, and there's more to prayer than just those three things...but it's a start. Christianity is a living relationship with God, and prayer is our primary method of communicating with Him. No relationship can grow without intimacy, and prayer is our way of opening up to God. I don't know how much or how often you pray, but let me encourage you to be honest with God. Since He already knows what you're thinking, you should be comfortable talking with Him about your fears, needs, and doubts - even doubts about Him. He won't be surprised.

Kutless will be releasing their new album, To Know That You're Alive, on June 24, 2008. To get some buzz going, Kutless and BEC Recordings are giving away the first cut. It's called The Feeling, and I like it.



If you're not familiar with Kutless, now's a good time to start. This is a good song...a crunchy rock anthem that would fit nicely behind the credits of an action movie. As usual, you'll need to surrender your email address to get the free song.

The official Kutless website
Get the FREE song

After taking about a month off, I finally spent a few minutes with the official GodWords website traffic statistics package. Because I'm a web designer with a background in search, I make sure that the codebase for GodWords is well-done.

Because of my good code, search engines love me. It's not at all surprising to find that I'm in the top 10 search results for phrases like what does Jesus mean or do you have to be baptized to go to heaven. I was a bit surprised to find that someone found me by searching for the phrase iron man theology.

I suppose someone must have been wondering whether there are theological implications in the new Iron Man movie. That happens a lot. Maybe you can help me think about it: do you think these people (at least 3 this month) are looking for creative ways to share the gospel? Is it possible that non-Christians are searching for more meaning in their lives?

What do you think?

After a much-needed vacation in Seattle to visit my family, I'm back at home now. I'd planned to work while I was there, but my working vacation somehow lost the 'working' part. I had fun with the fam, and spent yesterday catching up on a lot of email.

I'm still a bit behind schedule on my work, so posting might not be at its usual breakneck pace...but I'll do my best to keep you informed.

Sorry for the slowdown in posting. I'm visiting family in Seattle, and having a good time. I'm staying up way too late, eating badly, and not working very much. I'm not sure I'm going to get around to posting anything this week, unless something significant strikes me just right.

Drop me a line and let me know how much you miss me...maybe I'll set aside some special time to post just for you!

Some are shocked at the utter depravity that can lurk in the minds and hearts of seemingly-normal people. I have to admit that I'm rarely surprised to see how much evil one can do.

Today's shocking Yahoo News story is about a man in Austria who confessed to holding his adult daughter captive for 24 years. The man, now 73, built a soundproofed vault in his home where he kept her captive. Not only did he hold her against her will under the nose of his unsuspecting wife, he also fathered at least seven children by his captive daughter.

Who knows that evil lurks in the hearts of men? Well, the Shadow knows...and so does anyone who believes the Bible. A number of religions take a positivistic view of humanity, suggesting that we're all good at the core. The Bible does not. It describes a race of people who are a combination of goodness and evil, capable of amazing love and inescapable depravity.

I've had numerous discussions with atheists on the matter of good and evil over the years. Honestly, all but a few of them seemed to be in severe denial over this question: why do you believe in right and wrong if you don't believe in God?.

Many atheists, in fact, complain quite loudly about Christians who believe that one can't have 'morals' without religion. They say that they can, but I strongly disagree. I'd love to hear from the atheists who visit, as long as they provide some sort of rational argument to counter this:

1. If universal right and wrong exist, how can we know them?
2. If there is no universal right and wrong, then any moral judgments boil down to personal opinion.

The typical atheist argument for morality goes like this: if it's good for society, it's morally good...if it's bad for society, it's morally bad. The problem with that argument is that one can debate what's "good" and "bad" for society. With no standard by which everyone can judge good and bad for society, you're left with only personal opinions.

An alternative argument says that whatever society deems as good is morally good...but that's just personal opinion writ large. When one thinks of slavery in early American history, both arguments obviously fail. A minority of individuals stood up to the majority and pointed out an obvious evil, and they swayed society to make the changes necessary to eliminate the situation. If "good" is whatever society deems it to be, then abolitionists perpetrated an evil act by fighting slavery.

I have no doubt that 99% of atheists would find the actions of that particular Austrian man to be reprehensible. My question is "on what basis do you consider his actions to be wrong?". I have no problem saying that he did evil because I believe that moral rights and wrongs are objectively known...but for those who don't believe in absolute truth, accusations of evil ring hollow.

Congratulations to all who were nominated and chosen! Most Christian artists do what they do with no regard for awards other than God's "well done, good and faithful servant". In my opinion, those who live that way deserve all of the awards.

Take a little time to browse through the winners. If you're unfamiliar with some of them, now's a good time to get to know their music.

Read more about the Dove Awards, if you're so inclined.

Song of the Year

"East to West"; Mark Hall, Bernie Herms; My Refuge Music (BMI), Club Zoo Music (BMI), SWECS Music (BMI), Word Music LLC (ASCAP), Banahana Tunes (ASCAP)

Songwriter of the Year

Cindy Morgan

Male Vocalist of the Year

Chris Tomlin

Female Vocalist of the Year

Natalie Grant

Artist of the Year

tobyMac

Group of the Year

Casting Crowns

Producer of the Year

Ian Eskelin

New Artist of the Year

Brandon Heath

Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year

"Everything Glorious"; Remedy; David Crowder Band Sparrow Records, sixstepsrecords

Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year

"Name Droppin'"; Bone-Appetit Servin" Up Tha Hits; T-Bone; Rene F. Sotomayor, Teak Underdue, Dee Underdue; Flicker Records

Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year

"By His Wounds"; Glory Revealed; Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Hall, Brian Littrell, Mac Powell; Davis Nasser; Reunion Records

Rock Recorded Song of the Year

"Comatose"; Comatose; Skillet; John L. Cooper, Brian Howes; Ardent Records, Atlantic, Lava, SRE Recordings

Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year

"Get Away, Jordan"; Get Away, Jordan; Ernie Haase & Signature Sound; Traditional; Gaither Music Group

Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year

"East To West"; The Altar and the Door; Casting Crowns; Mark Hall, Bernie Herms; Beach Street Records, Reunion Records

Country Recorded Song of the Year

"How You Live (Turn Up The Music)"; How You Live; Point Of Grace; Cindy Morgan; Word Records

Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year

"He's In Control"; Austins Bridge; Austins Bridge; Justin Rivers, Mike Kofahl, John Ramsey; Daywind Records

Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year

"Ready For A Miracle"; Evan Almighty Soundtrack; LeAnn Rimes; Bunny Hull, Art Reynolds; Curb Records

Urban Recorded Song of the Year

"Listen"; T57; Trin-I-Tee 5:7; Chanelle Haynes, Adrian Anderson, Walter W. Millsap III, Angel Helaire, Candice Nelson, Lamar Van-Sciver, Charles Griffin III, Ryan Farish, Frank Greenfield, Tony Jones; Music World Entertainment

Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year

Group 1 Crew; Group 1 Crew; Christopher Stevens, Andy Anderson; Fervent Records Redemption; Grits; Mario "Rio" Moore, Grits; Gotee Records

Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year

"Say So"; A Deeper Level; Israel & New Breed; Michael Gungor, Israel Houghton; Integrity Music

Rock Album of the Year

Scars Remain; Disciple; Travis Wyrick; SRE Recordings

Worship Song of the Year

"How Great Is Our God"; Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash; worshiptogether.com Songs, sixsteps Music, Alletrop Music

Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year

The Altar and the Door; Casting Crowns; Mark A. Miller; Beachstreet Records, Reunion Records

Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year

Portable Sounds; tobyMac; Toby McKeehan, Christopher Stevens, David Wyatt; Forefront Records

Inspirational Album of the Year

I Love To Tell The Story, A Hymns Collection; Mark Lowry; Paul Johnson; Gaither Music Group

Worship Album of the Year

Remedy; David Crowder Band

Urban Album of the Year

T57; Trin-I-Tee 5:7; The Bama Boyz, Matthew Knowles, Solange Knowles,Walter W. Millsap III, DJ Static; Music World Entertainment

Bluegrass Album of the Year

Salt of the Earth; Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Skaggs Family Records

Country Album of the Year

Big Sky; The Isaacs; Mark Bright; Gaither Music Group

Traditional Gospel Album of the Year

Past and Present; Lillie Knauls; Wayne Haun, Lillie Knauls; Vine Records

Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year

A Deeper Level; Israel & New Breed; Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey; Integrity Music

Youth/Children's Musical of the Year

"Praise Rocks"; Brentwood Kids Club Music

Children's Music Album of the Year

VeggieTales Christian Hit Music; VeggieTales; Christopher Davis; Big Idea Records

Christmas Album of the Year

It's a Wonderful Christmas; Michael W. Smith; David Hamilton, Michael W. Smith; Reunion Records

Long Form Music Video of the Year

Live From Hawaii; Audio Adrenaline; Mark McCallie; Audio Adrenaline; Audio Adrenaline; Forefront Records

Short Form Music Video of the Year

"Boomin'"; tobyMac; Scott Speer; Jason Peterson; Symbolic Entertainment; Forefront Records

Recorded Music Packaging of the Year

Remedy (David Crowder Band); Gary Dorsey; Gary Dorsey; Gary Dorsey, Kaysie Dorsey; Sparrow Records, sixstepsrecords

I'm a sucker for a comic book movie. Actually I'm a sucker for almost any superhero movie at all...I even liked the old Greatest American Hero show when I was young. I'm looking forward to seeing Iron Man as soon as possible.

Of all the comics I used to read (sporadically), Iron Man is probably the most 'grown up'. The main character, Tony Stark, is alternately a total ass and a super hero. He suffers from depression, has a drinking problem, has bad taste in women, and loves to blow things up. He was three-dimensional when other heroes were squeaky clean.

The more I see of the movie, the more excited I get about finally sitting down to see it. Enjoy the trailer!

I really appreciate the straight-forward simplicity of the folks at CommonCraft. They create videos that explain things like podcasting in terms that anybody can understand. Enjoy!

In stunning news sure to scoop my cinemaphile friend Andy the Wordslinger, Guillermo del Toro will be directing J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

For more information about the movie, check out their blog, which has a few fan pictures up but no official movie pics.