IWJO

I never got into the WWJD kick. I never owned a bracelet, or a t-shirt, or a hat, or a belt, or the trendy boxers that sported the "WWJD" fad phrase. I overanalyzed the whole fad, (that's what they train us to do in seminary), so I never got around to buying a bracelet. I wasn't really comfortable asking myself "What would Jesus do?" in a questionable situation.

There was the time I forgot to order the pizza for our huge youth lockin. The teenagers were there, the volunteers were there, the drinks were there, but we were starving... no pizza. I didn't have a bracelet on, and it's probably a good thing because I probably would have gone in search of a kid with 5 pizza rolls and a few breadsticks hoping to multiply them. That could have been disastrous. Instead, I just ordered the pizza.

Then there was the time when the Coke machine ran out at the church. If I had donned a bracelet that morning, I probably would have told people to go to the water fountain to get their Dr. Pepper fix. After all, Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding... maybe I should try to turn the drinking fountain into a Dr. Pepper fountain.

Jesus was God on earth. He did everything to the end of dying for the sins of world. Maybe WWJD is not the most logical question I can ask myself in every situation. Yes, I understand the spirit behind the bracelets, and think it's admirable to ask ourselves what Jesus would think about our actions, specifically in moral questions, but I couldn't quite be so pious to wear a bracelet around advertising to the world that I planned to do the things Jesus did throughout the day.

But here's a fad I could get in to. I'm crossing my fingers like crazy that someone gets me a IWJO (I Watch Joel Osteen) pin for my birthday. It's this year's hot item, and I want to catch the fad before it gets rocking so I'm in on the ground level.

I'm not such a big fan of Joel Osteen, honestly. He doesn't believe in the Trinity, and prefers not to talk about sin, or judgment, or anything that might be considered a "negative." But he's got such a great smile, and a southern drawl that has the ability to draw you in. He's captivating. And his church service is good entertainment.

Season 5 of the TV show 24 comes out this Sunday, and I can't wait for that. Kari and I love to watch 24. It's full of suspense, action, drama, and betrayal. We can't get enough. But hey, Osteen's show is like that too. Joel's pretty subdued, but his wife is fiery. When she starts talking, I'm on the edge of my seat. Heck, she took on a flight attendant not long ago because the flight attendant hadn't cleaned out her seat properly. The FBI got involved and the Osteens were invited to take another flight. Days of Our Lives has nothing on this...

IWJO is the fad of the year, and I'm jumping in early. You should too. These pins will be harder to get than an Oral Roberts prayer hankie. Don't say I didn't warn you.