January 12, 2012
Ever since I started buying comic books digitally, I’ve been going through a lot of iTunes credit. So I’m always on the lookout for discounted iTunes cards. There’s this site I check out that keeps a record of who is selling these cards at the cheapest rate. When I’m running low on credit, I pull up the site, find out who’s got the best discount, then go shopping. But even though I’ve seen the price on the website, even though I’ve checked out the stores catalogue, I’m always a bit apprehensive when I walk up to the counter. What if I got it wrong? What if they’re not really on sale? Will I look like an idiot when I ask for the discount and there isn’t one? Although I’ve been promised the discount, I’m never sure I’m going to get it until I hand over my money.
God has promised me, through his Word, that the death of Jesus has paid for my sin and that if I believe in Jesus, I’m going to heaven. But how can I be sure? How do I know that Jesus really has deal with my sin? How can I know that God actually will follow through on his promise and let me into heaven?
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
January 5, 2012
A number of years ago, there was a show called John Safran’s Music Jamboree. Each week, John Safran would take his signature sense of humour and journalism and look at the world of music culture. In one of the episodes, Safran looked at one the most exclusive night clubs in Melbourne and wondered what it would take to get nine 18 an 19 year old males through the door. Watching from a surveillance van across the road, the first attempt was a miserable failure. The bouncer didn’t even open the door before telling them to be on their way.
But Safran had a plan. The next night he called the club up and told them to expect a big name band from the US to rock up. That they should be prepared for them and put their name on the list. How would these young men manage to convince the club that they were famous enough to let in? They would dress up like Slipknot, a 9 piece metal band, well known for wearing overalls and masks. And it worked. Not only did they get in, but they got given a private room and gave out autographs to fans.
Now I know I’m not good enough to get into heaven on my own. But what, if like these young men, I could get my name on the guest list? What if there was a name that could get me into heaven? A name that would guarantee me entry? Well there is such a name. And that name is Jesus.
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Leave a Comment » | Misc Bible | Tagged: God, Heaven, Hell, Jesus, John, John Safran, John Safran's Music Jamboree, Nightclub, Slipknot | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
January 4, 2012
We Bought A Zoo
Rated PG
Starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson
Directed by Cameron Crowe
You know the biggest crime this movie commits? There are meerkats in this movie for a grand total of 5 seconds. How dare they? If you’re going to put meerkats in a movie, you better put them in at least every second scene. I don’t care about the lions and tigers and bears (oh my)(yes, I couldn’t resist. Nothing to see here). If you’re going to tempt with meerkats, you better deliver.
And that’s my biggest problem with this movie. That’s the worst criticism I could think of for We Bought A Zoo. And that’s because I really enjoyed it.
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Leave a Comment » | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 1 Corinthians, Cameron Crowe, Death, Matt Damon, Meerkats, Movie Review, Patrick Fugit, Scarlett Johansson, We Bought A Zoo | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
January 3, 2012
Did you see any good movies in 2011? This past year must have been a good year for movies. How can I tell? Because at the end of 2010 I only managed to name my top 5 movies of the year. This was not a stylistic choice, but one of necessity. Because I couldn’t come up with ten. I saw a few more movies in 2011 compared to 2010 (19 compared to 15) but I must have seen more that I enjoyed because here’s my Top 10! Disclaimer: I obviously didn’t see everything. There are some movies out there that I have a feeling would have made this list, but I missed them. Let me know in the comments what you think should have made the list.
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15 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Attack The Block, Captain America, Film, First Class, Fright Night, Ghost Protocol, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Mission Impossible, Moneyball, Movie Review, Movies, Red State, Super 8, Thor, X-Men | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
January 1, 2012
New Year’s Day is a perfect time for a fresh start. It’s one of the less busy times of the year as everyone recovers from Christmas. Many people are on holidays and have time to reflect and to think about things. To make New Year’s resolutions.
What’s your New Year’s resolution going to be? I know I really should hit the gym more regularly in 2012. Though the temptation to hit the chocolate is a strong one (here’s a hint: if you’re on a diet, stay away from the bottom drawer in my office). Should I resolve to spend more time catching up with old friends, read more books, climb Mount Everest. I don’t think that last one is a realistic goal for this year. Maybe next year.
So what are you going to do in 2012?
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Leave a Comment » | Misc Bible | Tagged: 1 Corinthians, 2012, New Year, New Year's Resolution, Paul | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 29, 2011
When I was a younger man, I used to go nightclubbing with my mates. And because my house was the closest to the club we liked to go to, everyone would meet at my place. Once all the boys were gathered, we’d do “The Check”. “The Check” involved making sure everyone was dressed properly. Because the club had a dress code. And if you didn’t meet the dress code, they wouldn’t let you in. You had to be wearing proper shoes (sneakers didn’t count) and you needed to wear a button up shirt. If anybody didn’t have one of these, they would raid my wardrobe. Once everyone was sorted, we’d head to the club. We didn’t want to risk showing up to the club without “The Check” because if we didn’t meet the requirements for entry, then they wouldn’t let us in.
If proper shoes and a button up shirt were the entry requirements for the club, what are the entry requirements for heaven? I don’t want to rock up to the gates of heaven, only to find out I missed something and get knocked back.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 24, 2011
There’s been some controversy over in England this week over a song written and performed by Tim Minchin. Recorded for the Jonathan Ross Christmas show, the song was pulled at the last minute for fear it may offend. Because the song was making fun of Jesus. The head of ITV got nervous that Christians would respond poorly and axed the song. You know what? I’m a card carrying Jesus lover. I’m a committed Christian and a minister in his church. And I found this song hilarious.
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2 Comments | Misc. Culture | Tagged: Christmas, Incarnation, Jesus, Jonathan Ross, Tim Minchin, Woody Allen Jesus | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 23, 2011
When the first issue of Wolverine and The X-Men was released, I wasn’t going to pick it up. It’s been a long time since the regular X-Men titles grabbed my attention. But when I saw the cover to Wolverine and The X-Men #1, I knew I had to give it a shot. This is the X-Men comic that takes my three favourite X titles of all time – Morrison’s New X-Men, Milligan/Allred’s X-Force, and Lobdell/Bachalo’s Generation X – mooshes them together and then let’s things get freaky from there. It shouldn’t work. But it does. And so far it’s my favourite X title in a very long time.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 22, 2011
When I take my wife out to dinner, it usually begins with us trying to work out which restaurant to go to. I’ll start by asking her where she wants to go. She’ll say she doesn’t know. And then I’ll say I don’t know. Then she’ll ask me to give her some options to choose from. And then we’ll narrow it down to one choice. And then, knowing my luck, the place will be shut and we have to go through the whole process again.
It’s good to know your options before you settle on a decision. Especially when the decision is where you are going to spend eternity. I want to go to heaven, but before I get my heart set on it, I really should investigate the alternatives.
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1 Comment | Misc Bible | Tagged: Christian, Heaven, Hell, John, John 3:36, Limbo, Purgatory | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 20, 2011
Sixty Six Books is a project that’s well worth checking out. The aim is to write a short commentary on every book of the Bible that is readable and accessible to teens. As a youth minister, I can’t support this enough! Which is why I contributed an entry on the book of Jude. You can check out what I wrote here.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 20, 2011
Where have the last four weeks of my life gone? I’m sure I’ve done stuff in that time. I’m sure I’ve gone to work, eaten food, spent time with friends. But it’s all been a blur. And I know why it feels that way. I can sum it up in now word. Skyrim. The latest game in the sword and sorcery series The Elder Scrolls. A massive game world where you get to fight dragons. Curse you Skyrim! You have consumed my life. And I’ve loved every minute of it.
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1 Comment | Game Reviews | Tagged: 1 Peter, Computer Game, Elder Scrolls, Game Review, RPG, Saviour, Skyrim | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 19, 2011
A lot of books out is week jostling for top position. Most of which would easily be my number 1 in any other week. Superboy, Locke & Key, Batwoman, Demon Knights. All brilliant books. But my favourite book this week is the first issue of a mini series which introduces a new character in a classic role. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I hit the download button, but The Ray #1 grabbed me by the wrist and dared me not to love it. And I couldn’t resist.
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Leave a Comment » | Comic Reviews | Tagged: Comics, DC Comics, Gray, Palmiotti, The Ray | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 15, 2011
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold.
And she’s buying the stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed, with a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying the stairway to heaven.
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin is one of those really well known songs that I just don’t understand. Great piece of music, but e lyrics are a complete mystery to me. There’s someone in there about “a bustle in your hedgerow”. I mean really, what’s that supposed to mean? I don’t have a clue here. But I am intrigued by this idea of a stairway to heaven. That somewhere there’s this massive staircase you can walk up, up through the clouds, until you get to the top and there’s this whopping big sign that says “Welcome To Heaven!” I really doubt that a stairway like is exists but it’s a fascinating idea.
Because I have a lot of questions about heaven. How do I get to heaven? If there’s no stairway, is there an elevator? What will heaven look like? Will it be all clouds with guys in funny dresses and wings? What will I look like in heaven? Will I look like myself or do I get to join the funky halo club? But the biggest question for me, the question that takes precedence over all the other questions is: Am I going to heaven?
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
December 11, 2011
As we gear up for Christmas at St Luke’s, we looked at how Isaiah 7 directs us to the birth of Jesus.
Preached at St Luke’s Liverpool on Sunday 11/12/2011.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 13, 2011
Sermon preached at St Luke’s Liverpool on Sunday 13/11/2011 as part of our “You Asked For It” series, where congregation members suggested the sermon topics.
“Why Bother Being Holy?” If we are saved by grace, what’s the point of doing good things?
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Leave a Comment » | Sermons | Tagged: God, Holy, Podcast, Podcasting, Sermon, St Luke's Liverpool, You Asked For It | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 9, 2011
Moneyball
Rated M
Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
A movie about sport is always going to be a tough sell for me. While I love strapping on the boots and running onto the field, sitting down to watch a game of rugby really isn’t my thing. I’m not much of a spectator. A sport movie about Baseball, a sport I really only know about from watching American movies and TV? You’re really going to struggle to get my attention. On top of that, make the movie about Baseball statistics? I mean really? A movie about baseball and math and you expect me to want to sit down in a cinema for two hours and watch? The only way a movie like that could be watchable was if it had a great cast and an entertaining script.
Fortunately for Moneyball, it has all of the above and more.
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 2 Thessalonians, Baseball, Brad Pitt, Gospel, Jonah Hill, Moneyball, Movie Review, Philip Seymour Hoffman | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 7, 2011
A few years ago, I stopped by monthly comics. There were a number of reasons for this. I was finding it difficult to store all those individual issues and preferred to have the collected editions that sat nicely on my bookshelf. I no longer worked in the city, so regularly getting to a comic shop to pick up my order was increasingly difficult. And frankly, most monthly comics were just losing my interest. I still loved comics, but the collections were where it was at for me.
That was until three months ago. DC Comics, in a bold move, relaunched their entire comic line, sending everything back to #1. And on top of that, they began to release all of their titles digitally through the Comixology app the same day the print versions hit the store. And now I’ve got the comic bug again. First thing I do on a Thursday morning is to fire up the iPad and see what comics have been released. And the fact that I can get them cheaper digitally than I can in print is a big bonus. Since DC got the ball rolling, more and more books are released on the same day digitally as they are in stores.
To give you an idea of what comics are grabbing my attention, check out my favourite book of this week – OMAC #3.
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Leave a Comment » | Comic Reviews | Tagged: Ambient Tech, Comixology, Dan Didio, DC Comics, Keith Giffen, OMAC, Scott Koblish | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 7, 2011
I bought myself an iPad. I could try to pretend that I bought it for ministry use or to increase my productivity. But the real reason I bought the iPad was to read comic books. DC Comics announced that they were releasing all their comics digitally on the day they came out in stores. The digital price of comics is cheaper than what I can get them for in the store and I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to store them. And so far I’m loving reading my comics on the thing.
One of the first questions people asked me when they heard I had an iPad was if I was going to preach from it. That seems to be what all the cool preachers are doing these days. So I gave it a shot. And I liked it. I thought it might be helpful to talk through my experience and how I went about preparing.
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13 Comments | Ministry | Tagged: Apple, iPad, Preaching, Sermon, Technology | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 6, 2011
Sermon preached at St Luke’s Liverpool on Sunday 6/11/2011 as part of our “You Asked For It” series, where congregation members suggested the sermon topics.
“Born This Way” looking at the Christian view of homosexuality.
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Leave a Comment » | Sermons | Tagged: Homosexuality, Podcast, Podcasting, Sermon, St Luke's Liverpool | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 30, 2011
Sermon preached at St Luke’s Liverpool on Sunday 30/10/2011 as part of our “You Asked For It” series, where congregation members suggested the sermon topics.
“Am I Going To Heaven?”
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Leave a Comment » | Sermons | Tagged: Assurance, Heaven, Hell, Podcast, Podcasting, Sermon, St Luke's Liverpool, You Asked For It | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
Ever since I started buying comic books digitally, I’ve been going through a lot of iTunes credit. So I’m always on the lookout for discounted iTunes cards. There’s this site I check out that keeps a record of who is selling these cards at the cheapest rate. When I’m running low on credit, I pull up the site, find out who’s got the best discount, then go shopping. But even though I’ve seen the price on the website, even though I’ve checked out the stores catalogue, I’m always a bit apprehensive when I walk up to the counter. What if I got it wrong? What if they’re not really on sale? Will I look like an idiot when I ask for the discount and there isn’t one? Although I’ve been promised the discount, I’m never sure I’m going to get it until I hand over my money.
