When VBS and Grad School Collide

[The last time I checked, summers weren’t supposed to be busy, but this one is. So far I’ve traveled to three different states, seen three of the five great lakes, taken a self-guided walking tour of downtown Chicago, and avoided getting a sunburn at my two beach days thus far. And we’re only half-way through!]

So what happens when you put ninety kids, sixty adults, and 1750 water balloons together? VBS. Water balloons are standard fare for VBS. It’s like a rite of passage.

Yep, this week is VBS—International Spy Academy! Even though I’m running it (i.e. I’m the director), it mostly feels like it’s running me. But that’s okay. It’s happening and we haven’t lost anybody to heatstroke yet.

And, naturally, this week is just getting into the thick of my online class, so I’ve been a bit busy (hence the blog hiatus—sorry!). But interestingly enough, the material of my online class is coordinating quiet nicely with that of VBS. The class is on pop-culture, and we’re talking about advertising and television. And at International Spy Academy, we’re training agents for the One True God! Those might not sound similar at all, but hang with me.

Lies! All lies!

Pop culture, via television, movies, magazines, commercials, and marketing send us messages—some subtly and some not so subtly—of all kinds, and every one of them says something about God, who He is or is not. We’re on a steady diet of false gods, whether it be money, stuff, beauty, self-image, popularity, fame…fill in the blank. See what I mean by subtle? We don’t even see them coming, but we’re pulled in many different directions.

So what’s the remedy? Know the real thing.

Counterfeit money experts don’t find all the types of counterfeit money. They only study the real thing. They know every last line, watermark, and letter that is on real money, so when they see counterfeit, they know immediately that it’s fake.

There are a LOT of counterfeit gods today. We must know and study the One True God so we can spot the fakes.

Don’t be fooled. Know God. He is the Real Deal.