Chris Elrod

Less We Get Too Smug

In the last 24 hours...

• Over 40,000 children worldwide died of hunger
• 845 million people worldwide went to bed hungry
• Over 3 billion people on Earth lived on less than $2
• Almost 6,000 people worldwide died from AIDS
• Over 32,000 children in Africa became orphans
• Almost 1 billion people worldwide couldn't read a book or write their name

It's fairly easy to point the finger at Hollywood...it's a little more difficult to point the finger at us...followers of Christ. Consider the statistics above...now...how many of us Christian leaders, pastors, bloggers and laypeople....

• Spent $5 this week on a cup of coffee?
• Helped our church raise millions to build another "much needed" building?
• Blew over $100 this week on Christmas gifts?
• Filled up the tank of our gas guzzling SUV?
• Spent a butt-load of cash on multi-media products for worship?
• Are taking the youth group skiing?
• Bought a video game console for our children?
• Broke the bank to market our church?
• Left uneaten food on our plate at a buffet?
• Spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on a staff retreat?
• Downloaded a cool ringtone to our cell phone?
• Paid a bunch of money to go to conference?
• Didn't spend a dime of missions or relief ministry?
• Patted ourselves on the back for being doctrinally sound, while totally ignoring Matthew 25:34-40?

PLEASE NOTE:  ChrisElrod.com has made the move to WordPress. For the RSS feed and subscriptions, please click here.  To see the new blog, please go here.

Oh Look, More Hollywood Crap!!!

In the last 24 hours...

• Over 40,000 children worldwide died of hunger
• 845 million people worldwide went to bed hungry
• Over 3 billion people on Earth lived on less than $2
• Almost 6,000 people worldwide died from AIDS
• Over 32,000 children in Africa became orphans
• Almost 1 billion people worldwide couldn't read a book or write their name

What are the fine and caring Hollywood actors and actresses doing?  They are making cute little videos in support of the writer's strike that is affecting Hollywood. A first year writer on a sitcom makes between $60,000 and $100,000 a year...almost below the poverty line. I can certainly see why this worthy cause deserves such charitable attention from Hollywood. Without writers...there are no scripts. Without scripts there are no television shows or movies. Without television shows and movies...actors and actresses may have to live on less than $2 a day. Hmmmmm....

 

PLEASE NOTE:  ChrisElrod.com has made the move to WordPress. For the RSS feed and subscriptions, please click here.  To see the new blog, please go here.

The Truth About Outreach Magazine

Several friends have emailed me about my "letter" to Outreach Magazine that appears in the "Readers Write" section of the March/April 2007 issue.  It is entitled "Where Are The Little Guys" and...through their "creative editing"....Outreach Magazine butchered my original blog post from which they stole the "letter" from. 

Let me set the record straight....I NEVER WROTE A LETTER TO OUTREACH MAGAZINE!!!

On January 8, 2007 I posted a blog entry entitled "Outreach's List Of Crap-O-La" in which I took Outreach Magazine to task for their list of America's Most Innovative Churches.  Soon after my blog post came out somebody over at Squidoo picked up on it and other bloggers began to link to it.  Over a week's time I was generating thousands of hits to the post...not to mention countless emails.

At the end of January I was contacted through email by Outreach Magazine.  They expressed their feelings about my blog post (not too good, as you could imagine), but felt that "their readers needed to hear what I had to say".  They offered for me to write a letter to their editor, which would be printed in the "Readers Write" section of the magazine.  I turned down the offer.  I felt that everything I needed to say about the subject was in my original blog post.  To write a more toned down version for publication would be a waste of time and...dishonest.  I did offer for Outreach Magazine to reprint my original post...as is...without any editing...as an article...not a letter to the editor thing.  I made sure that I spelled out in my email that the reprint of my blog post had to be "as is without any editing".

This brings us to today...with the current Outreach Magazine having a "letter" printed in it from Chris Elrod.  After receiving emails from people letting me know it was in there (I'm not a subscriber anymore) I stopped by the church my mother is on staff at (she's a subscriber) so I could read what I "wrote".  Let me just say...it's edited...it's not the original post...it's butchered...it sucks!!!  It is not my thoughts or my writing.  It is Outreach Magazine's edited take on what they wanted their readers to see...or not see.

I am completely disturbed...and disappointed by all of this...for several reasons:

1) Outreach Marketing was never granted permission to print the edited version they did.

2) Outreach Marketing showed a complete lack of integrity in editing out what they did from my original post.

3) Most importantly, Outreach Marketing violated copyright laws by reprinting my blog post in violation of what I had given them permission for.

4) The editors of Outreach Magazine totally misrepresented themselves is what they said they wanted their readers to see and what they wanted to do with my thoughts.

5) Through their editing I was misrepresented to the readers of Outreach Magazine.  What appears in the "letter" is only about 25% of what I actually wrote.

So the question becomes...what I am going to do about it?  The answer is...what I just did...blog about it.

Now you know the truth about my "letter" in Outreach Magazine.

Bye, Bye Larry Bud

It is being reported on CNN.com that Calvert DeForest, the actor that played Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's show for years, passed away on Monday.  He was a comic genius that displayed the craft well with the way he played up on his poor timing and uncomfortable nature in front of the camera.  I would always watch Letterman just see if Larry "Bud" was going to make an appearance.  As a former comedian, it takes a lot to really make me laugh.  Calvert was one of those rare guys that kept me in stitches!  Bye, bye Larry "Bud"...you will be missed.

Another Question That Plagues Me

If you could start a movement...a revolution...would you settle for just starting a church???

Politics Goes Viral

Political ads have finally gone viral.  Barack Obama's peolple are denying any involvement, but this video posted on YouTube is incredible.  Spoofing the original Apple "1984" video, someone spent quite a bit of time making it.  So far, no one has claimed "ownership" of the video, even though it's received tens of thousands of hits.

It's a new day in advertising...viral marketing is the future!!!

He's Earned The Right To Speak

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, General Peter Pace has created quite a firestorm of controversy with a quote he gave to the Chicago Tribune about gays serving openly in the military.  As you can imagine the homosexual community is about ready to riot.  They are asking for an apology and a bunch of other crap.

He owes them nothing!!!

This man is a combat veteran who led a rifle team in Vietnam, cleaned up the political mess we left behind in Somalia and oversaw thousands of troops as they provided the blanket of freedom under which we sleep each night.  That freedom also includes the freedom of speech.

Unlike the idiots calling for General Pace to apologize...he actually picked up a weapon...went into harm's way...served his country...and earned the right to say any damn thing he wants to!!!

A Couple Of Links

For years I have heard...and been a party to...people yelling "Freebird" at bands with lame music.  I don't care if it's the headliner at the House Of Blues or Compass Point's praise band...they are going to hear "Freebird" shouted loudly if the musical selection sucks!!!  Now I've "discovered" an article written by The Wall Street Journal...yes, THAT Wall Street Journal...about the phenomenon. 

Also, leave it to a Southern Baptist to say something stupid about a presidential candidate.  Most of America wants a president that can deal with North Korea...not divvy out marriage advice.  Most serious voters stopped giving a crap about a president's sex life when Marilyn Monroe seductively sang "Happy Birthday" to JFK.  Besides, the idea that a politician can actually live a Christ-like life is as believable as Santa Clause, unicorns and Britney Spears' singing ability.

Note To Dr. Page and Dr. Stetzer:  Things had better change...FAST!!!  It doesn't take a stopwatch to measure how quick dinosaurs die...you just have to read one day's edition of the Baptist Press to figure it out.

Sidelined By Cat Meat

I have an ongoing love hate relationship with Chinese food...yesterday I was loving it...today I hate it...food poisoning is not our friend.  I took one of my young leaders to a new Chinese buffet for an early dinner last night.  The buffet was new, but apparently not the meat in the fried rice.  I think the Garfield rumors are true!  Last night...after our "pub club" Bible study at Molly's...I got so sick.  I think I created a new type of triathlon sports event...run, jump and heave.  I had to stop twice on the way home to "let the cat out"!!!  His name was "Ralph".  To say that last night was rough is an understatement.  The main jolt has passed, but the aftershocks continue.   I'd like to close this post by saying that indoor plumbing was truly the greatest invention of mankind. Excuse me, I gotta go!!!  Here kitty, kitty, kitty...

Rap Music

As a lover of music, I have always appreciated rap music as an art form.  I've been blown away at times by the social and cultural commentary but such rap artists as Public Enemy, Arrested Development and Missy Elliot.  Some of my favorite college memories are of dancing at Sigma Nu parties to Run DMC (can you rock it like this...well I can rock it like that...can you rock it like this...boyeeee).

However, in the last year or so rap...on normal radio...has become nothing but violence, filth and explicit sex.  I struggled with what I saw it doing to the kids I substitute teach in middle and high school.  I don't want to ever appear as an "old fart" that is out of touch with what people listen to today...but I was really disturbed by the negative lyrical images being portrayed by the majority of rap musicians today.  In my humble opinion it has almost become a cartoon-like ego stroke for a bunch of would-be gang member posers.  In essence, rap music...at large...has really come past it's point of relevance in today's society.

Apparently, I'm not the only one that thinks this.  CNN.com has an excellent article this morning about the reasons that rap music has begun a free fall in sales...a 21% decline in the last year alone.  That is huge!!!

Anyone working with student ministry or a younger population in their church should take a moment and check it out.