static paper - winter 2012

8/3/2019 Static Paper - Winter 2012

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/static-paper-winter-2012 1/48



PUBLISHER

Connection Communications

DIRECTOR

Brian Nixon

EDITORIAL

Bekah Hanson | Editorial Director

[email protected]

Joan Polito | Associate Editor

Nancy Reimann | Associate Editor

Jerry Rood | Associate Editor

Yo Snyder | Associate Editor

CONTRIBUTORS

Ray Del Toro |Matt Gentry | Will Hall

eigha Harvey | Nate Heitzig | Skip Heitzig

Jesse Lusko| Dominic Sedillo

AJ Villegas

DESIGN

Khanh Dang | Design Director

Brandon Lopez | Jr. Designer

ADVERTISING

Darren Arnold | Sales Director

[email protected] Cook | Account Executive

[email protected]

Nate Stokes | Account Executive

[email protected]

DISTRIBUTION

f you are a retailer and would like to carry

Static Paper , please contact:

Joan Polito

[email protected]

505.344.0880

4001 Osuna Road NE

Albuquerque, NM 87109

1.800.922.1888

Issue #3 December 2011-February 2012

first words

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… Static Paper ? How many times have I told

you guys you need to use rocks to weigh those things down on windy days (which we have

in abundance here in New Mexico). In any event, we’re pretty happy about this edition of

Static . You might even say that it’s heroic.

We don’t have an abundance of windy days. Haven’t you ever been to my hometown?

Chicago is the Windy City. Windy with pizza and hot dogs. We don’t put ketchup on our

hot dogs—we use celery salt, instead. Can you believe this is our third Static Paper ? Yeah,

I know. It’s a tremendous success because of the brilliant writing. No, really…you’re wel-

come.

Well, give credit where credit is due, I always say. So a nice round of applause for Beckah.

And after you’ve warmed your hands a bit, let’s talk about Santa Claus and his connection

to the Justice League. What’s that, you say? Santa isn’t a member of the Justice League?

Well, perhaps, but why is that? Have you ever wondered about that, or is that just me?

Umm, Yo? You spelled my name wrong. It’s Bekah…short for Rebekah. Like in the Bible? I

don’t see you walking around spelling Jakob and Esaw. About Santa, it’s just you. But I’m

looking forward to seeing how you plan on tying him into an article about superheroes. I

suppose if anyone can pull it off, it would be you. Aren’t we also talking to Hawk Nelson?

“‘They say that we’re insane/We say that we’ve been changed/By the power of/Crazy

Love!’’ Sorry…got a little carried away there. It is my phone’s ring tone.

Spelling’s never been my strong suite(sp?), so don’t take it personally. And yeah, we talked

with Jason from Hawk Nelson about a lot of things: their future, Christmas, and hockey—

so much about hockey. Just a warning for all you NFL fans, apparently football’s not a

real sport. Personally, I think I’m most excited about talking with the producer of The Lion

King —how cool is that?

That was pretty cool. And I got to talk to an amazing lady nicknamed Oma , who told us a

whole lot about our soldiers overseas and how they’re feeling during the Christmas season.

Seriously people, come on. You can sing country songs and post a picture on Facebook, but

our soldiers think we’ve forgotten about them. We need to do more. Anyways, I’m excited

for Christmas. We should have a reader contest and see the most creative origami made

from a recycled Static Paper sometime. I’d also like to speak ‘‘Dinosaur’’ one day. I’m going

to try to find a book on Amazon about speaking ‘‘Dinosaur.” I’ll be back later…

…Umm, yeah, ok. Well, there are some amazing things in this issue, including a major

revelation from me (about why I like Batman). So you have confessions, interviews, music

reviews, Christmas, superheroes, Santa Claus…you pretty much have everything you could

ever want…except for a hot cocoa dispenser. I wonder how we could incorporate that into

the paper? I would read a paper that also dispensed hot cocoa…I’m going to look into that

while you look inside Static Paper for all the goodies we have in store for you.

YO:

YO:

YO:

YO:

Bekah:

Bekah:

Bekah:

mailto:[email protected]











4 || STATIC PAPER

the craft

DIY: DECOUPAGECOASTERShKhanh Dang

This is a super-duper fun way to add a little zing to otherwise boring household items. These cute coasters make perhousewarming gifts—but you can give them for any occasion! The best part about this project is it’s so inexpensive t

WHAT YOU NEED:- 6 ceramic tiles (I got the cheapest ones from Lowe’s. I thinkthey were 20 cents each, or you can find scraps at thrift stores)- Felt- Paper (anything from scrapbook paper to wrapping paper to theStatic Paper, but the thicker the better!)- Mod Podge (it’s a glue that dries clear)- Sponge Brush- X-Acto (utility) knife- Water Sealant (optional)

DIRECTIONS:1. Place the tile face down. With the X-Acto knifeyour paper around the outside of the tile. After yodone, it should be the perfect size to fit on top of ttile. (If not, use scissors to correct it.) Now, if you wa border, you can cut the square smaller; it’s up toI like to make some with borders and some witho

depending on the tiles I have.2. On top of the tile, put a layer of Mod Podge andthe paper on top. Let that dry for about ten minutso; if you get impatient, you could end up with buunderneath your paper. Make sure you wait befoing to the next step.3. Next, put a layer of Mod Podge over the paper.need to repeat this step ten times. Remember toglue dry before putting a new layer on.4. You can also use a water-repellent spray so yodon’t have to put on as many layers of Mod Podgeyou do that, you only need to put a couple layers Mod Podge and then spray the water repellent.

5. After the top is dry, it’s time to put the felt on tbottom. Put the tile on top of the felt and, with thActo knife, cut around the tile. My felt already hadhesive on the bottom, but if yours doesn’t, you catacky glue or a glue gun to put the felt on the bottthe tile.6. Enjoy and admire—you’re all done!

For zillions more craft and DIY ideas, visit pintere

http://pinterest.com/

http://pinterest.com/



sprinkles



the edge



MYSTATICRADIO.COM || 7

Is Santa Claus a superhero? Our first reaction to that question is, ’’No, of course not.” I mean, he doesn’t wear a cape,

and he certainly doesn’t wear spandex (thankfully). That’s true. But what about some of the other classic tropes of

superheroes? He has his own secret lair up there at the North Pole (probably next door to Superman’s Fortress of Soli-

tude). He apparently has some sort of telepathic power like Charles Xavier of the X-Men; you know, with all that knowing

who’s been bad or good and seeing you when you’re sleeping and awake stuff. He can apparently teleport like Night-

crawler (how else would the big guy fit down some of those chimneys, to say nothing of homes, without one). Some say

he has a nifty array of gadgets like Batman. And he certainly has his own version of the Batmobile, or Batsleigh. And I’m

thinking he’d have to be pretty strong, like Superman, to carry that huge bag of toys around with him all night. I could go

on and on, but I think you get my point: Santa certainly has a lot of similarities with other superheroes—so why don’t

we think of him as one? And why are superheroes such a big deal anyway?

Superheroes have been around for a long time. You can trace their origins all the way back to Greek mythology.

However, I think the kind of superheroes most of us are familiar with really got started back in 1938, when Action Com-

ics introduced the world to Superman. Things got rolling pretty quickly after that: Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain

America, Iron Man, and others were introduced in the following decades. However, the characters didn’t really become

ingrained into our pop culture consciousness until (and again, this is up for debate) 1978, when the debut of Superman:

The Movie made people believe a man could fly. In 1989, Tim Burton’s Batman turned superhero films into certifiable

summer blockbusters, and Bryan Singer’s X-Men in 2000 showed these films could be serious and complex. 2008’s The

Dark Knight proved that superheroes could be in extraordinary movies—true gems of the film industry—and things

have only accelerated from there. This past year alone we’ve had four superhero-based films, grossing over $600 million

altogether. So from the page to the screen, superheroes have been popular for a long time. The movie versions pushed

them to the forefront of awareness more than once and, as the box office shows, people love them. But why? (And how

does Santa fit into all of this?)

There are plenty of writings on the psychology of superheroes and why they resonate with us; I’m not going to get

into any of that. Instead, let me just share a story by way of example. On the wall of my cubicle is a picture of Batman. It

was drawn by my incredibly talented brother and it depicts Batman slouched on a stone chair deep within the bat-cave.

He is obviously worn out, tired, and discouraged. The never-ending battle he wages against darkness and evil has taken

its toll. He wonders if it’s worth it, if it makes a difference, why he even bothers to put everything on the line without ever

seeing any definitive results. It’s Batman at his lowest, darkest point—and I find it inspiring. Why? Because I’ve had days

like that. I have had days when I’ve wondered whether this whole Christian thing is worth it, when I’ve wondered why I

bother living so differently when it seems to make so little difference. Why bother trying to follow Christ when it seems

so many others gain far more by going their own way? Why put up with the resistance, the persecution, the belittlement,

hostility, or even indifference to all I represent as a Christian? Those are the moments when I’m there, slouched in that

chair, deep in a cave, wondering if it’s all worth it and why I even bother.

Then a verse comes to me. John 6:66-68: ‘‘From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer fol-

lowed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve [and in those dark times, me]. Simon Peter

http://www.mystaticradio.com/




answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words

of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of

God’” (NIV). That’s when a shaft of light, like the one that beams

down on Batman in the picture on my wall, shoots through the

darkness. I do this “‘Christian thing” because there is no other

‘‘thing.” I’ve looked; there are no other sources for the answers

I need. There is nowhere else where I can find truth. Batman

carries on because there is no one else who can do the things

he does—and for the memory of his parents. I carry on becausethere is no one else I can turn to for the keys of eternal life other

than Jesus Christ—and for the love of my heavenly Father who

sacrificed all to save me. You see, heroes like Batman inspire us.

They can even serve as a sort of pop-culture parable as, wheth-

er we realize it or not, they point to and illustrate biblical truths.

And that’s one reason we’re drawn to superheroes.

Another reason we’re drawn to superheroes is because we

live in a world that knows it needs them. Our world is full of

trouble. A look at the headlines reveals financial crises, wars

and skirmishes, and some incredibly dark things done by peo-

ple for all kinds of crazy reasons. It’s chaotic. It’s scary. It’s the

type of situation where someone might shout out, ‘‘This looks

like a job for…”—but people aren’t quite sure how to fill in thatlast part. Is it a job for politicians? No matter how we vote,

things don’t seem to improve. Is it a job for sports role mod-

els or music moguls? More often than not they end up taking a

turn for the worse, or turn out disappointing us as they disgrace

themselves. It’s hard to find real-world heroes, so people turn

to fantasy. Hence the continuous growth in the popularity of

superhero films, video games, comic books, action figures, etc.

Deep down we like heroes. We like to be inspired by them. We

like knowing someone is there to watch over and protect us—

and that’s where it all ties together. Those desires we have are

for something very real and available to us all, just not in the

tights/cape form.

While superheroes have thrived on the movie screen, they’vebeen slowly dying on the printed page. Comics aren’t nearly as

big as they once were; even the big summer blockbusters have

struggled to draw in new readers. This sparked a debate on how

to make the heroes more relatable. DC Comics went so far as to

revamp their entire lineup. In an unprecedented move, they re-

booted the entire DC Comics Universe. Every issue started fresh

with a new #1, which, for Action Comics and Detective Comics,

was the first time that happened. Many characters were given

new looks. Some received slightly altered origin stories. Most

all of them were drawn as younger, hipper, and more inexpe-

rienced, to help create more interesting storylines and drama

Some longstanding relationships were dissolved (no more Loi

and Clark because marriage is too unrelatable—not relevant in

today’s culture), and more casual relationships were introduced

Just about every character has hooked-up at least once by this

point; it’s like James Bond is writing the stories. It was a bold

move on DC’s part, and thus far it has done what it was designed to do: generate sales. But I don’t think it will last.

Despite what some say, we don’t enjoy superheroes be

cause they’re so similar to us. We enjoy them for the very fac

that they’re different. True, it’s interesting when they encounte

similar problems to our real-world ones, but those are interest

ing because of the fact that they’re different; they can handle

problems in ways we could never dream of. People are drawn to

superheroes because they see in them the traits they can’t find

elsewhere. The qualities of nobility, dignity, integrity, and cour

age are lacking in our everyday world. We see the superheroe

fearlessly face the things that we’re afraid of. They overcome

the things we think we never could. They give us a sense o

security and comfort: maybe—just maybe—somebody caresenough to look out for us and put our interests above their own

When we make superheroes more like us—conflicted, unsure

fearful, flawed—we remove the very qualities that draw us to

them and inspire us. DC’s grand experiment has grabbed a lo

of attention; but as superheroes are made more relatable (i.e.

more like you and me), I think they’ll generate less interest

What resonates about superheroes is their sense of otherness

Because quite frankly, we feel that’s something missing in real

ity.

The fact is our world wants a superhero. We see mov

ies about them because they’re fun, and for a few brief hours

we can pretend there’s someone powerful out there ready to

swoop in and save the day. Well, that’s more accurate than werealize. There is truth in those stories and adventures; perhaps

it’s that kernel of truth that draws us to them in the first place

Believe it or not, all those superheroes are actually based on

a true story. Jesus Christ is the archetype, model, preeminen

hero upon which all others (consciously or not) are based. While

some may not recognize Him as a superhero, they’ve all been

following in His footsteps. Jesus was an alien among humans

God among the people, the extraordinary amongst the ordinary

8 || STATIC PAPER

S a n t a c e r t a i n l y h a s a l o t

o f s i m i l a r i t i e s w i t h o t h e r

s u p e r h e r o e s — s o w h y d o n’ t w e

t h i n k o f h i m a s o n e ? (

(



He came not just to share nice words and moral teachings on

how to have a better life—but to engage death and evil in the

epic battle. The skirmishes began with the healings and thecasting out of demons. The battles were waged among the be-

liefs of the people. Was Jesus just a man, or could He possibly

be what He claimed—God in the flesh? (See John 10:33.) For a

moment it seemed as though He lost; He sacrificed all—even

His very life—upon the cross. Yet ultimately victory was His,

as death could not contain Him and evil could not hold Him as

He rose from the grave triumphant. Ascending into heaven,

He then empowered others to go and do similar works, to help

those in need, to proclaim grace and forgiveness—in short, to

help save the world. It’s a story that’s been repeated in various

forms by just about every superhero since Superman. The very

fact we’re drawn to such stories demonstrates our desire for

the seed of truth planted within them. People love superheroesbecause they need a hero of their own. Jesus Christ is that hero;

He always has been.

But wait a minute! You’re thinking. What does any of this

have to do with Santa? I’ve been reading this whole stupid arti-

cle to figure out what Santa has to do with superheroes! Yeah…

well…see…that…um…well, that was just a ploy to get you to

keep reading. Heh, worked pretty well, didn’t it? But in all seri-

ousness, how could anyone ever truly relate Santa to the super-

hero phenomena? I mean the guy is just too jolly, and he’s not

exactly tough looking—that belly jiggling like a bowl full of jelly

thing: Could you ever imagine that being said of Superman or

Wolverine? He pretty much just flies around giving people pres-

ents, which isn’t a bad thing because I really like presents. And

in its own way, that’s kind of inspiring as well. How many of us

would be willing to make a career out of giving to others? That’s

it; that’s all we’d do. Every waking minute devoted to finding

out what would make others happy and help them and deliver

on those desires. Could you do that? And even if Santa isn’t real

(sorry kids, I forgot the spoiler alert), neither are any of the other

heroes discussed in this article. But their influence on people is

certainly real enough. They inspire, bring us joy, encourage, and

entertain. Santa’s kind, generous nature is also real enough,

embodied in all who are willing to give as much as we can tobless others—not just during Christmas, but throughout the

entire year. So there you go, there’s the little tie-in to good ol’

Saint Nick and how he relates to superheroes. They may not be

real, but their effect on us certainly is.

Then again, Santa is also a reminder that not every hero is

cut from the same cloth (pun intended). Sure, we typically think

of someone in flashy tights and a cape with incredible powers to

do bombastic things, but that’s not the only type of hero around.

Santa Claus looks different from the traditional superhero, but

he also has a recognizable outfit and does a lot of good, bring-

ing good cheer and joy, blessings, and generosity. I’m certain

that 2000 years ago, the last place anyone would have looked

for a hero was in a manger. In the Roman legions, maybe. Orin a palace somewhere. Maybe even in the gladiatorial arena.

But a lowly manger? Come on. How is that heroic? And yet the

little baby in the manger became the embodiment of heroism.

He is the template for all the colorful heroes in capes that came

later, and the really crazy and amazing part is: He is real. All the

amazing things He did? Real. Casting out demons, healing the

sick, raising the dead, forgiving sins, making the lame walk and

the blind see? All real. Dying on a cross to pay the price for our

sins? Very real. Rising from His own grave, forever conquering

death? I’m so glad that’s real. And even though these acts are all

well-documented, Jesus is sometimes treated as just another

superhero; a fictional character to inspire real-world heroics.

I wonder why we’re so content with the fiction instead of the

reality. Our hearts and souls resonate when we hear super-

hero stories, and there Jesus stands waiting to have us invite

Him into our lives as our own, very real, very powerful Hero. But

some of us would rather just go to the movies. We’d rather hear

stories about Santa Claus this time of year. We’d rather have

the fake superheroes than the real Savior—and that’s pathetic.


((

T h o s e a r e t h e m o m e n t s w h e n I ’ m

t h e r e , s l o u c h e d i n t h a t c h a i r , d e e p i n

a c a v e , w o n d e r i n g i f i t ’ s a l l w o r t h i t a n d w h y I e v e n b o t h e r .





10 || STATIC PAPER

the jocks

GROWING UP ON

THE STREETS

hMatt Gentry

For me, growing up on the streets of Tucson was not an easy

life, especially in a skateboard gang. Everyone knows that gang-life

is not what it’s cracked up to be. We were the only gang of its kind

in the country. Most likely, you won’t believe me when I tell you that

these were tumultuous times. I mean, before I could even go outside

and terrorize our neighborhood there were things (chores) that I had

to do.

1) Practice classical piano for two hours. And if my grandma was

home, I would usually end up practicing for three hours.

2) Make sure my clothes were ready for the next school day. This

included ironing my 501s and my Izod button-up polo, and making

sure I had no leaks in my pocket protector.

3) Organize my stamp collection. This was a continuous struggle

for me, due to the fact that I love the taste of stamp glue.

These were just a few of the things I was responsible for before I

could go outside and play…I mean, run with the sidewalk gang. I re-

member people pointing and laughing with fear as we rode by in ourstreetwear—complete with cowboy hats, boots, and bell-bottom

jeans—terrorizing infants and the elderly. I knew they were afraid

of my skateboard gang. They had no idea what to think of us. But I

knew. I knew exactly what to think…unfortunately, I can’t remember

what it was.

Seriously though, we all have responsibilities in life—and a ton

of distractions. My encouragement to you is to evaluate your re-

sponsibilities, prioritize them, and see how God blesses you.





the dream

MY MASQUERADE

MASKhLeigha Harvey

You know. The awesome Christian rock band from Canada?

My favorite band? Yes, that’s right, I said it: Thousand Foot

Krutch is my favorite band! I’m what you would call a hard-

core fan, and there is not much that happens in TFK world

that I don’t know about. So you can imagine my surprise and

absolute delight when I discovered, scrolling through theirFacebook page, that I was in the album artwork for the new

Welcome to the Masquerade Fan Edition.

How did this happen? A while back the band had a promo-

tion for fans to send in pictures of them wearing the Welcome

to the Masquerade mask. And if your picture was chosen, it

would be used in the album artwork and they would send you

an email to let you know. I sent in a picture of me wearing the

mask that I got from them the last time they came through Al-

buquerque. (It’s actually the mask I used for the Masquerade

Prom, but I added a few embellishments to it: some feathers

and jewels and stuff.) So I sent it in and never heard back; I as-

sumed it didn’t get picked for the project. Ergo, my extreme sur-

prise when I glanced over a picture of the album artwork postedon their page and see—me!

This has only served to permanently lock TFK into place

as my favorite band. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity

to meet them, watch shows from onstage and backstage, and

even to announce them—but this one takes the cake. It just

goes to show, you never know what’s going to happen in life.

(Now if I could just find a copy of Oddball’s album Shutterbug ,

my life would be complete.)

The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created

by the Mayans around 2000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage

was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD. The beverage

became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico

in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since

then. Until the 19th century, hot chocolate was even used me-

dicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases.

In the United States, the drink is popular in instant form, made

with hot water or milk from a packet containing mostly cocoa

powder, sugar, and dry milk. This is the thinner of the two main

variations. It is very sweet and may be topped with marshmal-lows, whipped cream, or a piece of solid chocolate. Hot choco-

late was first brought to North America as early as the 17th

century by the Dutch, but the first time colonists began selling

hot chocolate was around 1755. Traditionally, hot chocolate has

been associated with cold weather, winter, and dessert in the

United States, and is now rarely drunk with meals.

Research has shown that the consumption of hot chocolate

can be positive to one’s health. A study conducted by Cornell

University has shown that hot chocolate contains more anti-

oxidants than wine and tea, thereby reducing the risk of heart

disease.

One serving of hot chocolate contains 192 calories, 6 grams of

fat, 9 grams of protein, and 24 grams of sugar.

Get Awesome Hot Chocolate

Recipes from The Food Network

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolatehttp://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-health-statistics-for-hot-chocolate

OK, SO EVERYONE KNOWS WHO

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH IS, RIGHT?

did youknow?

HOT CHOCOLATE


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate

http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-health-statistics-for-hot-chocolate



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate




testify

FROM OURREADERS

1984-I was born less than two pounds with cerebral palsy,

and had a shunt put in my head at birth. I was in the Denver

Children’s Hospital for three months in intensive care. I had

breathing tubes and couldn’t breathe. The doctors had me mon-

itored and noticed that I started breathing on my own without

the tubes after a few months. I thank my heavenly Father for

giving me this life. —Himhaer

My name is Carissa, and the Lord has set me free from the

sinful practice of masturbation. This is the testimony of God’s

grace in my life. I am currently a senior at Western New Mexico

University and have been a Christian for many years. I first feltGod drawing me to Himself in middle school. After I accepted

Him as my Savior, He gradually started the process of purifying

me. The first sin He revealed to me was my practice of mas-

turbation. This is such an ugly word and practice that I am so

ashamed of. I was in bondage, in chains to this sinful practice,

yet slowly He brought me away from that and I am so grateful.

I literally was a slave to this sin and lived constantly in a state

of guilt. I never realized what a terrible practice it was in my life

until I was set free by Christ. Christ is continually working within

me and cleansing me of impurities. Although He freed me from

my bondage, I refused to expose my sinful nature and proclaim

His glory in healing me, and as a result have lived in the bond-

age of shame ever since. The Lord is now opening my eyes to

this shame and fear that has been present far too long in my

life. He is showing me I need to put down my pride, shame, and

fear and tell of the wonderful things He has done in my life. He

has freed me, and there is no shame in being freed. I am trying

to live out 2 Corinthians 5:15, which says, ‘‘And He died for all,

that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for

Him who died for them and was raised again” (NIV). It takes melong periods of time to see my sin and He so patiently points it

out to me. I am sharing my story that His name may be glorified,

and also that others may know they are not alone in struggling

with masturbation. This is a sinful world, but God has a glorious

plan and can heal any wound or hurt and turn bad situations

into something beautiful. I am a very slow work in progress, but

I believe that He will finish the good work He has started within

me. All glory and praise be to Him. —Carissa






14 || STATIC PAPER

flashback

TAKING IT BACK TO 1978hBekah Hanson

Serial killer Ted Bundy was captured in Pen-

sacola, Florida. Al Unser won his third Indy 500 race.

On June 19, the Garfield comic strip made its debut.

Who was born in ’78? Ashton Kutcher, Brian Urlacher, Kobe Bry-

ant, and Katie Holmes. Who died? Joe Dougherty (he did the

original voice of Porky Pig), Keith Moon (drummer for The Who),and Norman Rockwell.

A gallon of gas cost 63¢ and a dozen eggs cost 48¢.

Oh, sad year! After nearly 30 years, Volkswagen stops pro-

duction of the Beetle after having manufactured 20 mill ion cars.

No: The new ones don’t compare. I don’t care if they have a pret-

ty little flower vase glued to their dashboards.

Space Invaders launched a craze for video games. Movies!

Grease. Saturday Night Fever. Close Encounters of the Third

Kind. And on television, people were watching Three’s Compa-

ny, The Love Boat, CHiPs, and The Muppet Show.

Two of the biggest hit singles were ”Stayin’ Alive” and

”Y.M.C.A.” In 1978, there was a brief craze for transparent plas-

tic trousers worn with leotards underneath. (This maniacalcraze is something I had a deep conversation with my oh-so-

young-friend Michelle Bransford about. She seemed dying to

see a picture, while I felt a sudden need to be sick.) Celebrities

of the 1970s also appeared regularly wearing leotards, including

Joni Mitchell, Cher, and even Rod Stewart.

Now put down your iPod for a second and listen up: In 1978,

Sony introduced the Walkman—the first portable stereo. Do

any of you have one lying around the house? Let’s bring the

Besides the fact that this is the year my younger sister was born (she went home to Jesus in 2009), 1978

was a pretty epic year. Why? Did you just ask why? The Cowboys won the Super Bowl. They beat the

Broncos. And the Yankees won the World Series. Yep—that’s enough for me.

Walkman back. C’mon, let’s have a Walkman Resurgence, a

Bring Back the Walkman fan page on Facebook. We can do this.

100,000 likes by January. Oh, yeah. We’ve totally got this.

Anyway, what’s the point of the Flashback section in Static

Paper? Doesn’t it feel close to yesterday that you couldn’t wait

to turn 16 and drive a car? That’s the point. You’ve heard it somany times that we don’t even think about it anymore: Time

flies. Like, fast. We don’t know when our time is up. We don’t

know when our friends or family members times are up. Are

they saved? Are we?

‘‘Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of

salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV).

If you have not already received Jesus Christ as your Lord and

personal Savior—do it now. Please don’t wait. With a sincere

and repentant heart, pray:”Father, I know I am a sinner. I repent of my sin, and turn away

from it. I turn to Jesus. I believe that Jesus died on the cross

and rose again, saving all who believe in Him. Fill me with Your

Spirit and come into my life. Transform me. Make me into a

new creation. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please contact Calvary of

Albuquerque: 505.344.0880

There are people waiting to hear from you!



the heart

16 || STATIC PAPER



It’s 6 am as my iPhone alarm goes off. I hit the snooze button in

hopes it will temporarily stop time but, inevitably, nine minutes

later it sounds again. This time I hit the OK button—and so be-

gins my morning ritual. When it comes to my mornings, there

are two apps for it. First, the Bible app for some daily devotion

time and then the Twitter app to see what’s been happening inthe 6-7 hours that we were separated. I sort through the mass

of tweets, from news to inspirational. As I come across one, I

laugh loud enough for my wife to ask, ”What‘s so funny?” It’s a

tweet from Jon Acuff, author of the hilarious book Stuff Chris-

tians Like. The tweet reads: ‘‘Missionary Dating: when God calls

you to convert sexy singles in your area.”

As funny as that is, the idea of missionary dating is some-

thing that has come up a lot lately. As a pastor, I have heard it

from students as young as 6th grade, all the way up to some

of my twenty-something friends. If you haven’t ever heard the

words missionary and dating used together before—well, get

used to it. You’re sure to hear it from a friend, your child, or may-

be you’ve even contemplated doing it yourself. Simply put, mis-sionary dating is dating an unbeliever, hoping that eventually

you’ll win them over to Christ. The idea seems harmless at first.

Date an unbeliever, spend most of your time talking to them

about Jesus, and hey—if it doesn’t work, cut off the relation-

ship. If only it was that easy.

There are two problems. First and foremost, it is disobedi-

ent to the Word of God. Second Corinthians 6 says, ‘‘Don’t team

up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be

a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?”

(2 Corinthians 6:14 NLT). A Christian should always date with

marriage in mind; therefore, unbelievers shouldn’t even make

the cut. Second, it’s never easy to just break it off if the person

doesn’t come to faith. Unfortunately, the first thing that caught

your attention to the unbeliever wasn’t their soul being in dan-

ger of judgment. Usually, it boils down to physical attraction or

a common interest in music, fashion, or some other thing you

find of equal importance with an unbeliever—like how you both

want to save the whales. Breaking it off doesn’t come easy be-

cause you’ve become emotionally involved, and you’re likely to

stay with this person even if they don’t come to faith. You’relikely to think that a deeper commitment will help them come

to the conclusion that Jesus is Lord.

Why do you think there are so many unequally yoked mar-

riages and ministries that exist today? Yes, some unbelieving

couples marry and one of them gets saved and they should

stay married. But most are because a believer compromised

both their values and the Word of God on some superficial at-

traction—and attraction isn’t enough to sustain a relationship.

Then they think, Well maybe marriage will bring a deeper con-

nection. When that doesn’t work, perhaps a baby will solve it;

and so the cycle continues. Maybe you’re thinking, But what if I

know this is the one for me?

Check four things: 1) Could anything that is against God’sWord be right for you? 2) If you are honestly concerned about

this person’s eternal destiny, then ask a friend of the same sex

as that person to witness to them. That way you keep yourself

from temptation and still give them the truth. 3) Pray for the

person. A believer should be more concerned about making dis-

ciples than matchmaking. Pray that they would come to faith.

Then, and only then, could a relationship be a possibility. 4) If the

person doesn’t come to faith, continue to pray for them—but

don’t be discouraged. Obedience to God’s will is always greater

than our desires and brings about great blessings. Know that

this means God has a better person out there for you: a person

who you can build a true relationship with that will stand the

test of time.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MISSIONARY DATING?

IS IT OK TO DATE SOMEONE IF YOU THINK IT WILL

EVENTUALLY HELP THEM BECOME A CHRISTIAN?






the sound

So Hawk Nelson has a new Christmas EP, and they called

it—are you ready for this?—Christmas EP . Now you may be

wondering why a band as talented and creative as Hawk Nel-

son produced a title that’s fairly obvious, and really isn’t all that

creative. Well, when we talked to Jason Dunn, lead singer for the

group, he said there was a very good reason for it. ‘‘I submitted

five or six ideas, but none of them got picked. So basically, it was

just out of sheer frustration: Fine, let’s just call it Christmas.

And that is the honest to God truth. I was just frustrated, so I

said I’ll show you; Christmas , how’s that? My first option wasOn the First Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me a Hawk

Nelson Christmas EP. It was too big; there was too much font to

fit on the cover. But I figured, everything’s digital now anyway,

so come on.”

Well, aside from the struggle to come up with a proper

name for it, the fact is Hawk Nelson has already done a Christ-

mas EP. It was back in 2006, it was called Gloria, and it con-

tained all of four songs. So why do another Christmas EP only

five years later? As Jason pointed out, it wasn’t quite as random

as you might think. ‘‘We wrapped up our five record deal wit

Tooth & Nail, and so we got through all five records and we wer

like, whoa, now what do we do? Well, let’s just start small an

do a Christmas EP and see what happens. Christmas is…we

it’s definitely my favorite time of year. I’m assuming it’s prett

much everyone’s favorite time of year because it’s just gloriou

Let’s be honest here, I love gifts. So we thought we’d give a gi

and record a record for everybody.”

The band we all know as Hawk Nelson first came on thscene in 2003 with Saturday Rock Action. They didn’t real

start gaining notoriety until the following year with the releas

of Letters to the President. As a group, they’ve been togethe

for just about ten years, and with their time with Tooth & Na

coming to an end, and the future still yet to be determine

the band has a chance to reflect on how things have change

over the past decade or so. ‘‘I guess from my point view,” Jaso

mused, ‘‘There’s obviously a lot of change in the industry which

HAWKNELSON

18 || STATIC PAPER



think scares a lot of artists. But I’m actually excited. I consider it

growing pains. You and I both grew up in a world where a band

comes out with a CD and you buy the CD. And now you can just

go and download it with a click of a button—for free or not free.

I opt to pay for every record I’ve ever bought. At least for every

record I’ve ever owned, I’ve paid full price for it, because I feel

that’s what everyone should do—but, to each their own. A lot

of guys get frustrated by it because the majority of us, ourselves

included, make the majority of our money by touring because

record sales were down the last few years. And, the majority of

our record sales were being absorbed by the label itself. I’m not

complaining because that’s the deal we signed up for when we

were kids. But, I think there’s constantly new ways for bands to

reinvent themselves, and that can be scary. I find this to be an

exciting time, because you get to find new ways. Social media is

so big right now, so without touring you can get thousands of

new fans just by communicating with them online. It just takes

a little extra work. I think, like I said, that scares artists, but I getexcited because if you can 10,000 fans without having to tour…

right on, you know what I mean?”

Now as much as the guys from Hawk Nelson love their

fans and love making new music—and love Christmas, for that

matter—there’s one thing that they probably love even more:

hockey. If you can talk hockey with these guys, you’re friends

for life. We can’t talk hockey, but we tried—we wanted to know

what their thoughts were on hockey compared to NFL football.

Boy, we didn’t quite know what we were getting into when we

brought that up. ‘‘People need to realize what a real sport is. So,

my rule of thumb is, if you can’t produce snow, you can’t produce

a hockey team.” (Which obviously rules out Albuquerque, ‘cause

we don’t get a whole lot of snow.) ‘‘Atlanta has proven that t imeand time again; I’m very thankful for when the Pegs got a team

again, and I’m glad the Jets are back [he’s referring of course to

Winnipeg and the return of their team] and…for a lot of people

right now, this is probably going over their heads. Hockey is the

greatest sport in the world and I love it and I’m very thankful

that I’ve grown up in a culture [in Canada] where hockey took

precedence. A couple of guys in the band love football, and I’ve

tried to get into it, honestly I’ve tried to get into it, but it’s just…

there are too many whistles for me. You shouldn’t be able to

take time-outs in the middle of a game. At least not three or

whatever it is they get…six, there are six time-outs, three in a

half. Ridiculous.”

As for what’s yet to come for Hawk Nelson, despite being

in label-limbo at the moment, it looks like 2012 is shaping up

to be another busy year for the band. ‘‘I know for a fact that

we’re going out with Mercy Me again in the spring on theirRock and Worship Road Show Spring Edition, so we’re pretty

excited about that. And we’re also going on the Revolve Tour

again—the teen girls meet-up thing. That’s always exciting for

us because it makes us look like we’re massive for a weekend,

so that’s always a lot of fun.” When it comes to what fans can

keep in prayer for the band, Jason said that’s pretty simple:

‘‘We have a lot of decision-making coming up in the next few

months. Just make sure you keep us in your prayers because

these are some pretty big decisions, unlike what we’ve made in

a long, long time. So just for wisdom, I guess, and guidance for

the decision-making process.” While some part of their future

remains uncertain, we think there’s one thing we can always

count one: No matter where they end up or what they do (and

this includes Christmas EPs), Hawk Nelson will remain true to

who they are—and they’re going to have a

whole lot of fun doing it.

Psst: For more info on Hawk Nelson’s

Christmas EP , check out Leigha’s review in

Soundcheck (p.22).

Visit Hawk Nelson’s Myspace page for videos to listen to their CD.

MY FIRST OPTION WASON THE FIRST DAY OFCHRISTMAS MY TRUE

LOVE GAVE TO ME A HAWKNELSON CHRISTMAS EP.






underground

BLOOD &WATERhWill Hall

It’s not every day that a great indie band falls in your lap, but

that’s exactly what happened with a group called Blood & Water

(aka B & W). They brought themselves to our attention through

an unexpected visit to Static Radio in early 2011. ”Hey we heard

about your radio station and thought we’d drop off our CD while

passing through town,” said Brad, the lead guitar player. Blood &

Water spent a good part of this year touring and promoting their

newest album In Character . Their music has a solid punk/pop feel

with a unique ska flare underneath. The first thing I remember

thinking about the album was that none of the songs sound the

same, which is a common problem for bands today.

Blood & Water took shape in late 2006 when the band re-

leased their first EP. After a few years of local shows, the band

released their first full-length album independently. New release

in hand, Blood & Water started touring regionally, opening up for

acts such as The Classic Crime, No Use for a Name, Hawk Nelson,

The Wedding, and many more.

Blood & Water is one of the most active, go-getting bands

that have crossed our path in a while. They partner with a small,

self-started label called Eden Records, along with a couple oth-

er mid-level independent groups. Based out of the Bay Area in

California, B & W has taken on a few member changes over the

summer, but the artistic force of what is B & W’s music remains

constant through the steadfastness of brother singer/songwrit-

ers Brad and Matt Hagmann. The newest lineup of Blood & Water

is: Brad Hagmann (vocals/guitar), Matt Hagmann (vocals/guitar),

Chris Isaacs (guitar/back-up vocals), Jon McMaster (bass), Will

Hall—yes, that’s me—(drums).

Together the five-member band plans to record a new EP this

winter, which will be available in spring 2012. A new song is avail-

able now to check out on Indie Vision Music’s new compilation,

Punk Never Dies.

20 || STATIC PAPER




soundcheck

KUTLESS THIS IS CHRISTMAShLeigha Harvey

It seems like everyone is releasing a Christmas album this

season, and Kutless is adding to the sounds of the season with

their first Christmas EP: This Is Christmas . This record definitely

heads more toward the traditional side of Christmas, which is

fine: Who doesn’t love a classic? But the first problem is we’ve

already heard half of these songs from Kutless. ‘‘It Came uponthe Midnight Clear” was the first Christmas song that the band

ever released—and that was five years ago. Since then, they

released two more Christmas singles: ‘‘Mary Did You Know?”

and ‘‘This Is Christmas.” The newer half of the album includes

an original song titled ‘‘Beautiful,” a new version of Amy Grant’s

‘‘Breath of Heaven,” and the timeless classic ‘‘O Holy Night.”

Two of the three songs Kutless recycled for the project are

good, solid, fairly traditional takes on the familiar songs. ‘‘Mary

Did You Know?” and ‘‘It Came upon the Midnight Clear” are easily

among the more memorable songs on the album. Unfortunate-

ly, the reason many of us remember them so well is because

we’ve heard them over and over again. They have acquired the

recognition that is given to Christmas ornaments you’ve hadfor so many years. When you dig them out of the box, you have

the ‘‘Oh, I remember these” moment—then you walk over to the

tree and hang them toward the back to make room for the new-

er, shinier ones. The third song of the group, ‘‘This Is Christmas”

(aka the title track), was a good choice for the job. The song

holds the best points of the album. It’s the most contemporary

of the six songs and is the only one that is uniquely Kutless.

Not only because it’s an original, but also because, if you were to

take everything Kutless and cross it with Christmas, this song

would be the result. Just like ‘‘White Christmas” is Bing Crosby’s

song, ‘‘This Is Christmas’’ is the only Christmas song that stands

out as distinctly Kutless—although it probably won’t ever make

it to ‘‘White Christmas” status.

Sadly, the second group of three doesn’t contribute much inthe way of improvement. Their version of the beloved carol ‘‘O

Holy Night” is a good, slightly more upbeat rendition that feels

a little middle-of-the-road. It’s not bad, but it’s not really any-

thing to write home about. To be fair, songs like ‘‘O Holy Night”

are challenging to do because people know them so well, and

classics are classics for a reason. It’s nearly impossible to top

the original versions, especially if they are steeped in tradition

and have stood the test of time. So if you’re looking for a nice

version of the song with a little more guitar and drums than

normal, this is the one for you. The second major problem with

the album is one regrettable song choice: ‘‘Breath of Heaven.”

First, it was originally done by Amy Grant, who not only wrote

it, but sings it beautifully. Second, part of why Grant sings itso well is because she’s…well…a girl—and ‘‘Breath of Heaven”

is Mary’s song. Mary. A Girl. Singing. See the problem? Hearing

a guy singing a song from the viewpoint of

Mary just doesn’t work. In fact, it’s just plain

weird.

As Christmas albums go, this one won’t

be making many waves, but it’s a decent

effort.

HEARING A GUY SINGING A SONG FROM THE VIEWPOINT OFMARY JUST DOESN’T WORK. IN FACT, IT’S JUST PLAIN WEIRD.


Visit Kutless’s Myspace page for videos to listen to their CD.





soundcheck

The boys in Hawk Nelson are up to no good this holiday season; They’ve given us new

songs just for fun as their reason.

OK…Don’t worry—that’s as far as I’m going with my rhyme, but you get the point.

It’s Christmas time and Hawk Nelson is back with a new Christmas album called Christ-

mas EP. The overall theme is fun: fun songs, fun sound, fun season, fun name, fun

guys—fun!

First off, Hawk Nelson plus Christmas equals pretty much what you would expect: a

lively EP full of Christmas cheer. This is what you’d find the elves listening to as they get

ready for the big night. Personally, it’s what I’m going to have playing while I clean and

decorate my house for Christmas. The songs are so peppy that I may find myself doing

a jig around the tree. Be warned: The songs on this record carry a potent infectious doseof the Christmas spirit, so powerful that even the Grinch would crack a grin.

Recently, I got to sit in on an interview with lead singer Jason Dunn about the re-

cord. Most of the songs they chose aren’t the usual suspects, and the reason for that

came up in the interview. According to Jason, ‘‘One of my pet peeves is when bands do

Christmas EPs or Christmas records, they always ruin the songs. If you’re going to make

a Christmas record, keep it traditional. We didn’t want to ruin any of them, so we did a

lot of the simple ones that are public domain, but aren’t too popular. Like the ‘Wassail’

song or ‘Up on the Housetop’…You can still make it upbeat and fun without ruining

them.” The decision to do songs that are not as well-known paid off for the guys.

Some of the songs they reacquaint us with are “‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” ‘‘I

Saw Three Ships,” ‘‘The Wassail Song,” and ‘‘Up on the Housetop.” Their version of ‘‘Joy

to the World” is one of the more attention-grabbing songs on the album. It features

Jason talking to himself while singing—oddly funny. The band also does a lovely rendi-tion of the classic ‘‘Silent Night,” that wraps up the album perfectly. In my book though,

the real gem is the song ‘‘The Holly and the Ivy” that brings to mind happy Christmas

memories. It sounds like a roaring fire, crisp clean snow, and stately evergreens.

The EP does have a few weak spots; the overall sound is very similar to the record

Relient K put out a few years back, and some of the songs are very short in length.

Start to finish, the run time is only about 14 minutes, which left me feeling a little sad

because it ended so quickly. But those things aside, this is a well-done bit of Christmas

cheer that will definitely make you smile.

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the movement

24 || STATIC PAPER



9-11. Never forget, right? Well, it seems

our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are feel-

ing forgotten—especially during the holidays.

We might wear a metal band with a soldier’s

name on it. Or tie a yellow ribbon around a

tree. Maybe we thank them if we see them

out in public. But what else can we do to make

sure our soldiers know we haven’t forgotten

them?

According to their website, Blue Star

Mothers is an organization ‘‘open to mothers

who have sons or daughters serving in themilitary whether deployed or not, and to dads,

other family members, and friends…a support

and service group joining together to share

our concerns, worries, our pride, and our devo-

tion for our loved ones serving in all branches

of the Armed Forces of the United States.” 1

Hiltrud Ridenour, affectionately known as

Oma , the German word for grandmother, is

the president of the Rio Grande Valley chap-

ter of Blue Star Mothers of America. ‘‘We have

a lot of mothers that have children deployed

and so we comfort each other, because we all

know where we’re coming from—our fearsand our anxieties, our hope that they all re-

turn home safe. We support our Wounded

Warriors throughout the world—especially in

the hospitals—and we send packages to Iraq

and Afghanistan to the field hospitals with

quilts and comfort items. We support the

families when they get notified that their child

was hurt. We help the families financially and

‘‘And you will hear of wars andrumors of wars. See that you are notalarmed, for this must take place,but the end is not yet. For nation willrise against nation, and kingdomagainst kingdom, and there will befamines and earthquakes in variousplaces” (Matthew 24:6-7 ESV).

with information. We support our local VA

[Veteran’s Administration] hospitals with do-

nations. Every dollar that we get goes 100% to

our troops. We ship between 200-600 boxes

to our soldiers. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit or-

ganization, so everything works through do-

nations and fundraisers.”

What’s in the boxes that go to our troops

in Iraq and Afghanistan?

“‘Protein items: jerky, Slim Jims, all kinds

of nuts. The guys like Ramen noodles and Vi-

enna sausages. In the winter, we send choco-lates and candies. And—of course—Girl Scout

cookies. We do five box-packings a year: Val-

entine’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Hal-

loween, and Christmas. Our troops in Afghan-

istan are so isolated. Sometimes it takes six

weeks before they get a box because every-

thing has to be flown in by helicopter. Really,

they’re so grateful for anything they get from

anybody back home—just so they’re not for-

gotten. Of course, we send green chile. That’s

always a staple: red and green chile and salsa.

We have some longtime supporters of our or-

ganization: 505 Chile, Monroe’s, Jr’s Jerky. Wesend little powders of hot chocolate, cider, and

tea. Sometimes Starbucks does a fundraiser

for us—the guys really like their coffee. We

collect letters and cards from children from

schools, and our troops really love that. We let

our troops know we pray for them. We remind

them to keep God close to them.”






As of October 2011, 6167 brave Americans

have died in Operation New Dawn and Opera-

tion Enduring Freedom.2

What are some of the hardest things our

troops face being deployed so far away from

their families?

‘‘Our troops are really worried about not

being remembered back home. This is very

important—that they know they are remem-

bered and they know we are here for them.

We’ll go to the airport to welcome our troops

home and that’s a very special thing. We hadfive really special welcomes this past year: our

Medal of Honor recipient and four severely

wounded warriors. Those families are truly

grateful—it’s amazing. New Mexico has a

very high ratio of soldiers deployed and in the

service. So this is a good way for us to also let

the moms know we’re an organization—we’re

here for them.”

How did you first become aware of Blue

Star Mothers?

‘‘I’m actually a Blue Star grandmother,

because I’m the legal guardian of my boys.

My youngest grandson was deployed in Iraqand I was sitting in front of the television

literally day and night, gleaning news. I was

very afraid; I decided I need to do something.

I couldn’t just sit in front of the TV—I would

have a nervous breakdown. There was a com-

mercial talking about Blue Star Mothers and a

phone number. I called and checked into it—

that was almost eight years ago and the rest

is history. I have never stopped doing for our

troops.”

Our troops—our soldiers—are real peo-

ple, not a billboard with a few faces on the

interstate.‘‘I had three [boys]. I lost a boy in Iraq in

2007. So I am a Blue and a Gold Star grand-

mother. This will be my youngest’s third de-

ployment. He’s going to Afghanistan with the

Army for 12 months. That’s a long time to be

gone from your family. He’s married and they

just had their second child. His little Corbin is

only 14 months old. Chloe was just born two

weeks ago and Robby has to go to Afghani-

stan. He has his orders: He disarms the road-

side bombs. He’s in a very specialized unit and

this is his third deployment. He’s been in the

Army for eight years now. The boy I lost was

in Iraq two months and was killed by a sniper.

His name is Joel—he was due to come home

for the birth of his little boy. Five days before

he was born, my Joel got killed. And Timmy is

in the Air Guard. He’s studying to be a doctor

and then he’ll go into the Air Force.”

AGES 18-21 -- 28.2% OF THE DEATHSAGES 22-24 -- 23.7% OF THE DEATHS3

A high percentage of returning soldiers

have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tell us a little bit about it.

‘‘Ninety-two percent of our troops that

come home from the wars have PTSD. My

Robby has it; he deals with it by going into

more and more dangerous situations in the

military. He does not believe in PTSD, but he

has nightmares and he cannot stand to be

around certain smells. Oddly enough, burn-

ing leaves can really set him off. He doesn’t

have psychotic episodes; he just has to leave.When he goes into a restaurant, he always

makes sure he sits with his back to the wall.

He protects himself—and it’s all done un-

consciously. We also have some very severe

PTSD veterans. They have to be hospitalized

and on medication. Then they get a little bit

better and they leave the programs and they

start medicating themselves. Then they get in

trouble. They become homeless. They have a

hard time finding jobs because of PTSD. Our

troops today go on multiple deployments.

They cannot adjust from the war stress, then

go back home to their families. If they’re lucky,they’re home a year—then they get deployed

again.”

Since September 2011, 32,200 soldiers

have been wounded.4

What can we do to help? How can we let

the soldiers know that we remember them

back home?

‘‘Tell your children our soldiers are heroes.1rgvnmbsm.org2defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf3usmilitary.about.com/od/terrorism/a/iraqdeath1004icasualties.org/Iraq/USCasualtiesByState.aspx5usmilitary.about.com/od/terrorism/a/iraqdeath100

Have them draw pictures and send

us. We will get them where they nee

Our budget for shipping is $35,000 a

we definitely take money. Our troops

need socks. We collect white T-sh

white boxer shorts. Plan to show u

Welcome Home events. If you call ou

number or email us, I will put you on o

ing list.

‘‘We’ve been in Afghanistan ten y

in Iraq for nine. That’s too long. We h

78 New Mexicans. The average age ofdiers in combat is in the 20s. My Ro

17; he went into the Army and becam

bat soldier. Joel was 18 and Timmy wa

these are teenagers that go to war. F

of them, like my boys, 9/11 was thei

point. They came home from school

me they were angry because they w

young to be in the service. And for

them, that incident in New York cha

many of our young men and wome

because they wanted to…’’

She stopped and started over:

‘‘I’m not saying what they said theed to do. That was their turning poin

definitely wanted to be soldiers.”

What is the real cost of war? On

day in September 2001, 2792 people l

lives when the twin towers fell in New

The price of war is measured in the los

man lives.5

‘‘For everything there is a seaso

time for every matter under heaven

to love, and a time to hate; a time for w

a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8 E

For more information or to make a do

contact Blue Star Mothers of America

Grande Valley Chapter 2 at 2912 2nd

NW, PO Box 9176, Albuquerque, NM, 8

9176, call 505.345.6724, or email

rgvnmbsm.org.

the movement e We let our troops know we prafor them. We remind them t

keep God close to them

26 || STATIC PAPER

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http://usmilitary.about.com/od/terrorism/a/iraqdeath1000.htm


http://icasualties.org/iraq/uscasualtiesbystate.aspx













the thought

LANDMINES ANDLITURGYhJesse Lusko

Since 1975, it’s estimated that there have been over one

million unintentional deaths caused by landmines. Hidden

along roads and in fields to wage war against an enemy, these

explosives instead often wreak havoc on innocent bystand-

ers—blowing off the legs of a child playing, a man headed to

work, or allies in a different platoon.

Thomas Manton said, ‘‘Division in the church breeds athe-

ism in the world,” and the same can be true of any disobedi-

ence. When we war against God in sin and selfishness, divide

from one another over trivial issues, or wrong unbelievers while

professing Christ, we are maiming and butchering the reputa-

tion of the truth.

As we grow religious and rebellious, we not only compro-

mise our relationship with God but also our relationship with

others. When we’re tempted to look at porn, slack off at our

job, or act judgmentally and harshly, it’s not just our walk with

God that’s on the line: We may be blowing the legs off someone

else’s. It’s not just about that momentary pleasure or petty ar-

gument; it’s the jeopardy of our whole profession. How pointed

were the words of Nathan when he said to David at the revela-

tion of his secret sins, ‘‘You have given great occasion to the

enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14 NKJV).

We want to further God’s glory in the world—not detract

from it. It’s time for us to raise the standard and stop warring

against the Lord. See that the stakes are high and rise to the

occasion. When you do fail, repent quickly and make restitution,

and rely on the Spirit so that you walk uprightly.

Maybe you are done with the church altogether. You hear

about the Crusades, the Salem witch trials, the priests molest-

ing children, the televangelists robbing people blind, and all

the divisions and sects. It can seem as if the message of God

was responsible for more harm than good. Perhaps you your-

self have been injured by alleged ‘‘Christians.” If so, on behalf

of Christ I extend my deepest sorrow and apologies. But the

things you hate most about the so-called ‘‘Christian” church are

things that Jesus hates as well. He suffered, gave His life, was

raised, and will soon return to destroy these very things.

In the meantime, Scripture predicted that infiltration and

defamation would be a key part of Satan’s strategy. Second Pe-

ter says, ‘‘Many will follow their destructive ways, and because

of these false teachers the way of truth will be slandered”

(2 Peter 2:2 NET).

This hypocrisy is inexcusable. Someone disobeying Jesus

and wounding you should give you even greater cause to obey

Him. Don’t let somebody following Him poorly stop you from

following Him well. To reject Christ on account of rebellious

Christians is to side with them.

Put an end to your own war with Jesus. Trust that He will

judge the false and faltering Christians for the shrapnel they

scatter, and be restored by authentic faith.

THE THINGS YOU HATE MOST ABOUT THE SO-CALLED“CHRISTIAN” CHURCH ARE THINGS THAT JESUS

HATES AS WELL.






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pause

LIFEBOATShRay Del Toro

A decade ago on the morning of September 11, few were

prepared for the events that the day would bring. Most of us

watched the World Trade Center towers fall; but some were

close enough to not only see, but also feel and experience the

tragedy firsthand.

The island of Manhattan became a truly isolated island—

bridges, tunnels, and trains (all ways of escape) were shut down

or closed off. Hundreds of thousands of people: trapped. The

US Coast Guard began efforts to evacuate by sea, but with lim-

ited resources and manpower, they called out over the radioto all available boats, requesting assistance. Boats from every

direction converged on the harbor. Yachts, ferryboats, fishing

boats, tug boats, and work barges were instantly reassigned as

lifeboats. Efforts from the everyday fisherman to the captain

of the private multimillion-dollar yacht yielded unimaginable

results: half a million hurt, confused, lost, and debris-covered

people were transported to safety in less than nine hours. It

was the largest and most successful water evacuation recorded

in history.

Two thousand years ago, 11 men stood atop a mountain:

fishermen, an activist, a few tradesmen, and a tax collector were

all reassigned. Like the boats that responded to the call, they

all had different backgrounds, families, duties, and pay grades. They were reassigned by their master, Savior, and friend—Jesus

Christ.

He said to them: ‘‘Go and make disciples of all nations, bap-

tizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have com-

manded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end

of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV).

They were reassigned not as saviors (not as a means of life),

but as transporters, as lifeboats. Their mission: Bring people to

Jesus.

There are lost, hurting, wounded people who need transport

to the cross of Jesus. They are the people we encounter every

day. They are the people that make our coffee, serve us din-

ner, drive our buses, and file our taxes. They are the people next

door, in the adjacent cubicle, and on the other end of the phone

line. Some wear uniforms, some wear suits, some don’t have

homes—but every last one of them is in need of Jesus. They

are in need of transport, through the power of the Holy Spirit, tothe feet of the God who made them, who loves them, and who

offers them life.

The evacuees on September 11 ran to the boats; some even

swam to the boats. Those boats were welcoming large crowds

of people, offering them help and a ride to safety.

I often wonder if people see us that way. We have all been

reassigned, commissioned by Christ to bring others to the sav-

ing knowledge of the gospel. Does the world see us as inviting?

Do the people we encounter daily know that we are lifeboats?

Are we offering transport to the cross? No one had to convince

the evacuees of Manhattan that the boats wanted them—they

were climbing and scrambling to get on board.

It’s easy to the let our work, school, and life agendas get inthe way of our reassignment. Christians need to welcome with

open arms the people who are looking for true safety in Jesus.

Bring people to sure ground, bring people to Jesus: only He

can save.

Lifeboats aren’t safety—they can only transport people to

safety. Make the people you encounter aware of the truth of

Jesus. Show them the cross and the simple truth of the gospel:

the only power to truly save.






the beat

Sooner or later we’ll all face something—

a tragedy, a crisis, the unthinkable—that will

challenge everything we believe. It will put our

reality to the test and stretch all that we pro-

claim to rely on. It’s never easy; and for the

younger generation, it’s especially challeng-

ing. After all, they haven’t had as much timefor their beliefs to set in, to weather other

storms, to put down deep roots. Add in that

feeling of invulnerability, that life will go on as

it always has (because that’s just the way it

feels when you’re young), and the challenge

of an unexpected tragedy is an even greater

test than for someone with a few more years

under their belt and a little more experience.

The sad thing is, in our culture, the younger

generation is facing this on a more regular

basis. As they engage in riskier behavior as a

norm, they face tougher questions on a regu-

lar basis—and often it falls to youth pastorsto provide answers.

‘‘It’s not so much a logical problem, but

an emotional one,” say Greg Schneeberger,

youth pastor at Desert Springs Church, who

was gracious enough to sit down with Static

Paper. ‘‘Many students are trying to reconcile

God’s goodness with their pain.” That’s not

easy for anyone, but it can be especially hard

at a younger age when emotions are felt far

more acutely. The question is how to respond

when the inevitable ‘‘why” questions emerge:

Why did God allow this? Why wasn’t He there

to stop this? Why didn’t He help? ‘‘First, we tryand take these questions seriously; listening,

loving, and responding with mercy. We want

students to know that their God is big enough

to handle their questions, doubts, and strug-

gles. Second, we must point students to the

reality of the cross, where Christ suffered the

greatest evil/unfairness for our sake. It helps

for kids to have an overarching worldview of

creation-fall-redemption-consummation.

They need to see that there is a biblical nar-

rative in which sin enters the world because

man wants to be God. It is this same nature

of sin, our desire for autonomy (to be our own

law), that perpetuates the ill effects of evil. In

God’s Word, students can see who they are. They can see that all men deserve death. It is

the just price of our willful sin. However, God

has come to rescue man in Jesus, and to deal

with evil. If there is no God, evil is just a word

we use for bags of atoms banging around. If

there is a God, and He is revealed in Christ,

then all evil/sin/hurt/pain/brokenness are

ultimately dealt with in the justice and love of

the cross.”

It might seem like such issues are too

much for today’s youth. After all, they live in

a fast-paced, shallow culture. Will they really

care to investigate the deeper truths of the

world they live in? Some may be surprised just

how hungry today’s youth are for real, honest,

in-depth answers on tough questions like theproblem of evil. How important is it to help

them grapple with such thoughts? Well, as

Greg points out, ‘‘It is very important, both in

theory and practice. In theory, the philosophi-

cal problem of evil will confront them at many

turns. It is a favorite of atheist apologists.

This is because it really is a problem that so

many people face so much suffering. It is im-

portant in practice because God has

that we will suffer. In 2 Timothy, P

his young protégé that ‘all who desir

a godly life in Christ Jesus will be pers

Young Christians, especially the com

middle-class types, need to know tha

ing is coming. The biblical worldview a beautiful and merciful answer to th

lem. The answer is that while we w

sinners, Christ died for us. God is a ri

judge. He cannot be mocked by our

sin; yet in His amazing grace, He o

evil, sin, and death. In this way, as

says, He is both ‘the just and the j

Any reasonable notion of justice pres

that a judge will make things right.

we see how God not only deals with e

but graciously adopts those who do

serve His love. For our students, the

sis—the alpha and the omega of ourand preaching—must always be the

work of Jesus the Messiah. He has

declare with finality that God is faithf

when we struggle and doubt as a w

bride, God is faithful to His promise

Jesus. He is making all things new,

the wicked, and providing hope in ha

through Christ. That is good news fo

people throughout their lives.”

Yes, troubles will come; and espec

younger age, tragedy and crisis can, a

seem almost insurmountable. How

can help. First, by being there in theirneed, and second, by not assuming th

interested in learning about a biblica

view and how it applies to the deep a

painful issues of life. We need to und

that they want to know, they need to

if only someone will take the time

enough to engage with them and talk

MANY STUDENTS ARE TRYING TO RECONCILEGOD’S GOODNESS WITH THEIR PAIN.

YOUNG CHRISTIANS,

ESPECIALLY THECOMFORTABLE MIDDLE-CLASS

TYPES, NEED TO KNOW THAT

SUFFERING IS COMING.

30 || STATIC PAPER



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book report

A NOT-SO-SILENT NIGHT hBekah Hanson

When I walked into Parchments

bookstore, I was looking for a

book about Christmas—but writ-

ten from a unique perspective.

Not the everyday, happy-go-

lucky, singing angels, jingle bells

story. My friend Melissa found

one that seemed to have the

ideal title: A Not-So-Silent Night:

The Unheard Story of Christmas

and Why It Matters. Written by

Verlyn D. Verbrugge, the short,

98-page book examines the dark

side of Christmas. While it isn’t a

new release, it’s definitely a fresh focus on December 25.

Although most of us look to Christmas as a time of peace,

Verbrugge examines Christmas differently. The first Christmas

was, he says, the beginning of war. Many of us are familiar with

this Scripture: ‘‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cos-

mic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual

forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV). So

in the celestial realm, Christmas was the beginning of war.

Quoting 1 John 3:8, ‘‘The reason the Son of God appeared was

to destroy the works of the devil,’’ Verbrugge points out that

‘‘the moment Jesus was born, the devil set in motion an orches-

trated plan to destroy Jesus.” Besides inspiring King Herod to

murder all male infants two years of age and under, he lists six

more attempts on Jesus’ life during His ministry on earth. While

I question some of the listed six—in particular, that Satan was

at work during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, attempting to

drown Jesus—his is a fairly plausible account.

Verbrugge first reveals that although babies are born to

live, ‘‘Jesus Christ, the babe of Bethlehem, was born in order to

die!” We can’t argue with this. Christ’s purpose for His entrance

into the world was to die on the cross in order to save us from

our sins: ‘‘The Christmas child was born to die—born to give

His life for the world.” A running theme throughout the book is

the shadow of the cross against the crèche. Verbrugge also cri-

tiques the idea behind the traditional Christmas song ‘‘O Little

Town of Bethlehem” (which happens to be one of my favorites).

He cites the historical facts about Bethlehem during the time

of Jesus’ birth: its immorality, violence, idolatry, and opportun-

ism—none of which make for a very merry sing-a-long.

By far, my favorite part of the book was the close look at

the humiliation, rejection, and sorrow of Mary, as the unwed,

pregnant mother of Jesus Christ. Living with Joseph before she

was married was unheard of in that time. But where else could

she have gone? Verbrugge concludes that Mary was kicked out

of her home for disgracing her family: ‘‘During her pregnancy,

only two people believed her story: Elizabeth and Joseph.” How

lonely! Finally, he touches on something probably quite famil-

iar to us: the humiliation of Jesus’ birth. ‘‘He was born in one of

the most dark and dismal settings humanly imaginable….God

reveals his Son’s birth to shepherds, members of a despised

and lowly profession…He [went] from being clothed with light

and majesty to being surrounded by darkness, dirt, and defeca-

tion, ‘wrapped in cloths.’”

For a short, little book, A Not-So-Silent Night packs a pow-

erful punch—in the face of our holly, jolly Christmas notions.

And Verbrugge sums it up with some practical applications for

both pastors and congregations: ‘‘A ‘good Christmas’ is not de-

fined by whether sales this year have surpassed last year, but

by how well we have entered into the spirit of how the Bible

describes those events that happened in the Holy Land more

than 2,000 years ago.”

My verdict? Read the book. You’ll be given a fresh perspec-

tive this Christmas. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

GRADE: B+

Verlyn D. Verbrugge, A Not-So-Silent Night: The Unheard

Story of Christmas and Why It Matters (Grand Rapids: Kregel

Publications, 2009).






http://www.squarerootsalon.com/




the source

SERVING WITHOUT SEEINGhSkip Heitzig

As a teenager, author Elie Wiesel survived being in a Nazi

concentration camp. Among the horrors he witnessed was

the hanging of a child who had ’’the face of a sad angel.” As he

watched the execution, he heard someone behind him moan,

‘‘Where is God?”

That’s a question many people ask today as they see the

terrible things happening in the world…the wars, the famine,

the moral decay, the political and economic upheaval across the

globe.

All of us on this earth eventually come to some point of spir-

itual crisis. For some, it’s an intellectual roadblock like, How can

a God of love exist while evil exists? Other people wrestle with

a point of doctrine or different belief systems. And still othersstruggle with feeling that God is unfair, or silent, or absent.

Job chapter 23 is a special passage for me. It contains truths

that have forged a confident joy within me—even in the midst

of suffering. Job learned some important things about God.

First, God is not always apparent. Job complained, ‘‘Oh, that

I knew where I might find Him…I go forward, but He is not there,

and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He works on the

left hand, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the right hand,

I cannot see Him” (Job 23:3, 8-9 NKJV).

We all have difficulties in having a personal relationship

with a God we never see. God’s chosen people, the children of

Israel, left Him to worship the idols of the unbelieving nations

around them because (in part) they wanted something they

could touch, see, and display. Moses, though he had heard God’s

voice and seen God’s work, said, ‘‘Please, show me Your glory”

(Exodus 33:18 NKJV). The prophet Isaiah said, ‘‘Truly, you are a

God, who hide Yourself” (Isaiah 45:15 NKJV). We want to see.

But the Bible calls us to serve Him without seeing Him.

Second, God is always aware. In Job 23:10, Job concludes,

‘‘But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I

shall come forth as gold.” That’s the most important thing: notthat we know where He is, but that He knows where we are.

‘‘For the LORD knows the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1:6 NKJV),

and, ‘‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the L ORD” (Psalm

37:23 NKJV).

Job’s statement is a metaphor of being in a goldsmith’s fur-

nace. It’s a mature view of God. What is hidden from us is cer-

tainly not hidden from God. And if you allow it, this truth can

revolutionize your times of suffering and pain—and calm your

THE UNBELIEVER SEES NO GRAND DESIGN FOR

HIMSELF OR THE UNIVERSE; HE SEES PAIN AS

ABSOLUTELY PURPOSELESS, USELESS, AND TO BE

AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS.






nerves.

Third, God is always at work. ‘‘When he has tested me I shall come forth

as gold.” God works around you, and in you. He uses every experience to ac-

complish something in us. This is the great dividing line between the believer

and the unbeliever. The follower of Christ believes in the grand design of God.

The unbeliever sees no grand design for himself or the universe; he sees pain

as absolutely purposeless, useless, and to be avoided at all costs.

But Job knew he was in the furnace of the divine goldsmith, not to pay off

some sin, or to adjust some karma, but to test him and purify him. A gold-

smith heats up gold to liquefy it so he can skim off the dross and purify it. Themaster goldsmith works in His people until they come out pure, because faith

is far more precious to God than mere gold (see 1 Peter 1:6-7 NKJV).

God’s eye is on you—and His hand is on the thermostat. You’re always

under His careful supervision! So your attitude in suffering is all important;

it will make or break you.

You should pursue God’s will. Job 23:11 says, ‘‘I have kept His way and

have not turned aside” (NKJV). Job persevered, saying in effect, ‘‘No matter

what, I’m going to follow His will for my life. God’s will is all-important.” And

you should have a passion for God’s Word. Verse 12 continues, ‘‘I have not

departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of

His mouth more than my necessary food”.

Some people go into the fire and get singed; they resist God’s will and

they come out bitter. But others go through the fire and come out better,more mature. The difference is the attitude toward the will of God and the

Word of God. If you’re nourished by the Word of God and submitted to the will

of God, when you go through the furnace, it’s going to hurt—but you’ll come

out better.

Remember: Invisible doesn’t mean unavailable. God knows. He is using

your situation, and it’s temporary. You will hear from Him. He will manifest

Himself at some point. Hold on, follow Him, be nourished by His Word, and

watch what great things will result!

the source e

THE FOLLOWER OFCHRIST BELIEVES IN THE GRAND DESIGN

OF GOD.

TOP 5 Must-Read Books TWinter

s

The Hunger Gameby Suzanne Collins

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Water for Elephby Sara Gruen

The Giverby Lois Lowry

My Sister’s Keepby Jodi Picoult

36 || STATIC PAPER



the talk

LION KINGIN 3D

Who would’ve thought 17 years after its initial release, a hand-

drawn, animated movie about some lions, converted to 3Dand re-released in theaters, would once again reign as the box

office champion? No one. And yet, The Lion King did incredibly

well under those circumstances—better than anyone imag-

ined. We had a chance to talk with Don Hahn, one of the pro-

ducers of the film, to see what he thought about it and what

the new Blu-Ray edition has in store for fans.

STATIC PAPER: In your wildest dreams, did you ever think this

17-year-old movie would gross over 61 million dollars in ten

days on its re-release?

DON: No. You gotta be kidding. Who in Hollywood gets a

chance to even re-release their movie, much less have it beappreciated and welcomed as much as the audience has with

The Lion King ? It’s unbelievable.

STATIC PAPER: What was the process like to convert it to 3D?

Was it challenging?

DON: It hadn’t been done before, and I think part of it is trying

to find the right people. We had an amazing stereographer in

Robert Newman who helped us with the process, and part of

it was bringing together the original filmmakers. We broughtin Robert Minkoff and Roger Allers, and some of the colorists

and art directors that worked on the film, so we could put our

heads together and come up with the best, most comfortable

solution for the audience. Part of that solution was taking flat

drawings done with a pencil and paper and actually creating a

geometry out of them so you can sense that those characters

have a dimension to them and are living and breathing on the

screen. We also worked on the soundtrack to make it feel like

you’re sitting in the middle of the orchestra, and really give

that ultimate, immersive experience of watching a 3D film.

STATIC PAPER: How much work went into the Blu-Ray special

features, and how fun was it to go back and listen to thoseold recordings and then say, ‘‘Hey, let’s do some drawings for

those”?

DON: It was a crazy amount of work, but so much fun. Some-

body came up with the idea, I think it was David Justin—one

of the producers in our home entertainment area—and it was

nuts at first, but I thought, You know, we’ve never done it be-

fore. Our editor went through two years worth of

IT’S NOT PARTICULARLY EASY, DISNEY HAS NO ADVANTAGEWHEN IT COMES TO CREATIVE IDEAS; IT’S ALL

HARD-FOUGHT TERRITORY.






recording sessions with some of the funniest people on earth,

like Rowan Atkinson and Nathan Lane. And even Jeremy Irons

and James Earl Jones had some really silly, stupid outtakes.And we pulled those together and I called up all the original

animators and said, ‘‘Would you come in and animate Mufasa

again?” And, ‘‘Would come in and animate Scar again?” So it

was like the ultimate family reunion and everybody said yes.

So, the bloopers on the Blu-Ray are just hilarious and look

exactly like they came out of the movie, and hopefully people

really appreciate that.

STATIC PAPER: What other little surprises have you included

for the fans on the Blu-Ray special features?

DON: We tried to put in the behind-the-scenes making of the

film, so there’s a terrific feature about the backstory of it, how

the movie turned into a great stage play with Julie Taymor, andthe history of the project. And then I did something unusual: I

did a memoir film. I had so much behind-the-scenes footage

of when we were making of the film that I just shot for myself.

I ended up cutting together this 20-minute little scrapbook

documentary to be able to show people what it felt like in the

trenches while we were making the film. I think it’s a great

insight into the creative process of making an animated film:

It’s not particularly easy, Disney has no advantage when it

comes to creative ideas; it’s all hard-fought territory. I think

that documentary is a little gem on the Blu-Ray disc.

STATIC PAPER: Now that Lion King , being converted to 3D and

re-released, did really, really well, are there any thoughts abou

doing some other films like that, for instance Beauty and the

Beast?

DON: I think this release surprised us all. It caught Hollywood

off-guard because of its success. We’ve already converted

Beauty and the Beast, we did it last year; we actually did it

before Lion King. It’s exquisite and available for theatrical re-release, and it’s coming out very shortly on Blu-Ray as well.

These movies, particularly more recent ones that were cre-

ated digitally, have a wonderful opportunity to transform into

3D experiences that the audiences can enjoy again. There are

no specific plans for theatrical re-releases, but this Lion King

re-release has turned a lot of heads. I wouldn’t be surprised if

you’ll be seeing other films like this in the future.

STATIC PAPER: What was your favorite memory of the time

you spent making this film?

DON: One was late at night over at Hans Zimmer’s studio

when heard ‘‘Circle of Life” for the first time. We had Elton’sdemo—and Elton is such a genius when it comes to melody—

but we knew we had to turn it into something that felt like

it came out Africa. Hans invited over his friend Lebo M, who

was the guy that does that ‘‘rrrrhhhaaa nnnnghennnaaa ,” the

cry at the beginning of the movie. Lebo was actually parking

cars at the time in Los Angeles; he was a valet parking service.

So he comes in and Hans plays us this song, Lebo does that

amazing cry and these kinds of African chants underneath it

and we’re sitting there eating Chinese food and we go, ‘‘Wow,

this is a bigger movie than we thought it was. This is no longer

a cartoon about a lion cub that gets framed for murder; this

actually can have some epic quality to it.” We had a lot of work

left to go, but it was one of those nights where you start to seethe crack in the door and see where this movie could go.

the talk e

THIS IS NO LONGER A CARTOON

ABOUT A LION CUB THAT GETSFRAMED FOR MURDER; THISACTUALLY CAN HAVE SOMEEPIC QUALITY TO IT.

CHECK OUT THESEAWESOME 3D

MOVIES Captain America in 3Dcaptainamerica.marvel.com

Watch the trailer for theLion King 3D

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

disney.go.com/pirates

Tron in 3Ddisney.go.com/tron

Avatar

avatarmovie.com

s

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the good news

WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVEhYo Snyder

‘‘The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things

revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may

follow all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV).

In the new game Batman: Arkham City , one of the many di-

versions you can indulge in during the course of the game is solv-

ing ‘‘Riddler Challenges.” There are little trophies hidden all over

the city, and it’s up to you to solve the various puzzles to figure

out how to get to them. However, sometimes you won’t haveall the equipment you need to do that, so you’ll have to come

back later. Other times, the solution may not be all that obvi-

ous, and it will take some work and brain power to figure it out.

You know, there are times where God can feel like an enigma;

like a puzzle that needs solving. Unfortunately, some people get

so upset with the fact that they can’t understand everything about

God that they give up trying to understand anything about Him.

Truth is, there are some things we aren’t ready to understand yet,

but given time and a chance to grow, mature, and better equip

ourselves as Christians, we can come back ready to learn them.

There are also things we’ll never understand; but tha

doesn’t mean we should just give up altogether. God has re-

vealed plenty to us already; in fact, He’s revealed everything

we need to find the solution to forgiveness and eternal life.

God may ultimately be an unsolvable puzzle, but the good

news is there’s plenty about Him we can learn and understandto help us through a life filled with challenges—and you don’t

even have to be the World’s Greatest Detective to discover

those things God has revealed.

HE’S REVEALED EVERYTHING WE NEED TO FIND THESOLUTION TO FORGIVENESS AND ETERNAL LIFE.

40 || STATIC PAPER



the static stri

hDominic Se



renovate

AWAY IN AMANGER? hNate Heitzig

Who is the real Jesus? Without question, He is hands-down

the most fascinating person in the history of humanity. What isit about the man Jesus that so fascinates and mystifies people?

He is undeniably the most extraordinary, influential individual

to ever stride the stage of human history.

More books have been written about Jesus than any other

figure. More music has been composed, more pictures painted,

more drama written about Him than any other person who has

ever lived. As a matter of fact, we even divide human time and

mark our history in years either before or after the birth of Jesus

Christ.

But who is the real Jesus? Is He some distant figure in

stained glass that cannot be touched or known? Is He a radi-

cal revolutionary who came to change the world? Is He one of

many gurus or ‘‘sons of God” to come and leave us an exampleto follow?

Some of us would like to have Him conform to our own

comfort zone. Usually around Easter and Christmastime we see

articles in the news magazines asking questions about Jesus.

Many people are comfortable only with the little baby Jesus in

the manger. Just like the famous Christmas carol states: ‘‘Away

in the manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down

His sweet head….” We like Him as ‘‘the little Lord Jesus” who’s

‘‘away in a manger.” He just lies there: He makes no demands,

nor does He speak any words. He cries like any other baby—

and that’s the way we like it.

In the movie Talladega Nights there’s a scene when Ricky

says, ‘‘I like the Christmas Jesus best and I’m saying grace.When you say grace you can say it to grownup Jesus, or teenage

Jesus, or bearded Jesus, or whoever you want. But I like the baby

version best: Do you hear me?” For many, that’s just about right.

One man got carried away with this concept when the plas-

tic Jesus from his front yard nativity scene was stolen. He made

a public plea: ‘‘Do you know where my Jesus is? Please return

Him to me.” This man was looking for Jesus. Except his ‘‘Jesus”

was plastic, with a little ten-watt bulb inside that lit up when he

plugged it in. Sadly, this man was looking for the wrong Jesus.

But many are looking for the real one.We would all like to see Jesus. In fact, the world is looking

for Him. If you type ‘‘Jesus’’ into Google, you’ll get 228 million

results ranging from how to know Jesus, a game where you can

dress and undress Jesus, and even a website where you can

date and take a bath with a self-proclaimed Jesus.

In reality, the Jesus that we claim to serve no longer lives

in a manger: He is not helpless, He does not need us, and He is

certainly not safe. What I mean by that is we cannot expect or

desire to come into the presence of Jesus and not be changed.

As a matter of fact, His desire is that we would all be changed,

and that we would honor Him as holy.

Today, there are many so called ‘‘seeker-sensitive” churches

where the Bible will not be preached from the pulpit or broughtinto the pews. The message may allude to Scripture in passing,

but there is more emphasis placed on music and entertainment

designed to appeal to the ‘‘seeker”—to make them feel good.

It’s more like self-help. There is no trace of Scripture; it’s all

about having a better tomorrow. I call this the ‘‘Joel Syndrome,”

and a lot of people who suffer from the ‘‘Joel Syndrome” under-

estimate the raw power of the gospel. No making you a better

you, no better tomorrow. The gospel is all about having a bet-

ter day today by giving your life to Jesus Christ and letting Him

cover your sins. That is the power of the gospel. Romans 10:13

says, ‘‘Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

That’s the reason He came. Not to make you ‘‘feel good.’’ Not to

‘‘make a better you.” Not to ‘‘give you a better tomorrow.” The true Jesus Christ is not the marketed, apathetic, some-

what benign Jesus the media and many churches try to force

on us. And the way to God is not through entertainment or

some program in the church. God has already chosen the way

in which to bring salvation, and it’s not entertainment, movies,

songs, or dramas. It’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. He’s the Savior

of the world. And He can be yours, too!






http://thenmbi.com/

http://abqchiropractors.com/



the guide

WHY BATMAN ISMY HEROhYo Snyder

Typically, video games based on superheroes aren’t very

good. It seems like they’d be a natural fit for a video game,

but apparently it’s very difficult to create one that captures

the essence of what makes a superhero so popular, while at

the same time making a game that’s engaging, challenging,

and fun (see Superman 64 for an example of what not to do).

Rocksteady’s amazing game Batman: Arkham Asylum showed

that it was possible to make a video game starring a super-

hero make you feel like you were that hero, and it was also a

lot of fun. They improved on that even more with the recentlyreleased Batman: Arkham City , which is not only a great super-

hero game, but a great video game period (read our full review

of it at the guide: gameandmovieguide.com). I couldn’t be hap-

pier about that because Batman is my hero. Whenever I was

asked, ’’Who’s your favorite hero?” in Sunday School, I said,

‘‘Batman”—despite the fact that (gasp) he’s not in the Bible.

I think we all need a hero. We need someone to inspire us, to

give us something to live up to. Now, when I say that Batman is

the hero who does that for me, I don’t mean that he inspires me

to deal out vigilante justice with my fists, or to wear a cool look-

ing cape and cowl (although, admittedly, I do like to wear a cape

from time to time). No, it’s the other aspects of his character

that I find inspiring, especially as a Christian. First, his life wastransformed by death; a fact that Bruce has never forgotten. He

carries the pain of his parent’s death—the way they were tragi-

cally taken in a random mugging—with him every time he puts

on the cape and cowl. It’s what motivates him and drives him.

Likewise, my life was transformed by death; and it’s something

I should never forget. When Jesus died on the cross, it changed

my life forever. Yet I admit that I’m prone to forgetting that, or

taking it too lightly, or taking it for granted. I would do well, like

Batman does, to always remember the weight of Christ’s death

and how it changed my life. It should be the driving force behind

everything I do.

The other aspect of Batman’s character that I’ve always

found inspiring is his single-minded determination. The nightof his parent’s death, Bruce swore to make sure that such a

crime would never happen again. A foolhardy oath, perhaps, but

one he’s never faltered from. Everything Bruce has done his en-

tire life—all the work, all the training, all the studying, all the

technology—it’s all been focused on that one pursuit; to fulfill

that one purpose. I need that same dedication in my life. As a

Christian, I’m prone to getting distracted, getting off-track, and

at times just going with the flow. I need the same fire, pas-

sion, and dedication as Batman. Just imagine what we could

accomplish as Christians if we were as dedicated, passionate,

and single-mindedly determined as the Dark Knight. It would

be said again of Christ’s followers that they’re turning the world

upside down (see Acts 17:5-7 NKJV).Batman: Arkham City is the greatest superhero game of all

time because it lets me feel what it’s like to be Batman. Bat-

man is my hero, the one who inspires me most because he re-

minds me that to be a successful Christian, one who’s changing

the world, I need to be determined, dedicated, disciplined, well-

trained, passionate, and never apathetic. When I keep my eyes

fixed on the cross and on my Savior Jesus Christ, I can do just

that—and I don’t have to wear a cape...unless I want to.

JUST IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISHAS CHRISTIANS IF WE WERE AS DEDICATED,

PASSIONATE, AND SINGLE-MINDEDLYDETERMINED AS THE DARK KNIGHT.






46 || STATIC PAPER

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paper. If you have questions or comments, please contact the advertisers directly.

FIRST WORDS THE CRAFT:

DIY DECOUPAGE COASTERS

SPRINKLES THE EDGE:

SANTA HERO

THE JOCKS:GROWING UP ON THE STREETS

THE DREAM:MY MASQUERADE MASK

TESTIFY:FROM OUR READERS

FLASHBACK: TAKING IT BACK TO 1978

THE HEART:MISSIONARY DATING

THE SOUND:HAWK NELSON

UNDERGROUNDBLOOD & WATER

SOUNDCHECK: KUTLESS & HAWK NELSON

THE MOVEMENTBLUE STAR MOMS

THE THOUGHT:LANDMINES AND LITURGY

PAUSE:LIFE BOATS

THE BEAT:WHERE’S GOD?

BOOK REPORT: A NOT-SO-SILENT NIGHT

THE SOURCE:SERVING WITHOUT SEEING

THE TALK:LION KING 3D MOVIE

THE GOOD NEWSWORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE

THE STATIC STRIRENOVATE:AWAY IN A MANGER

THE GUIDE:WHY BATMAN IS MY HERO

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static paper - winter 2012

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