iPopCulture.NET

Jack Bauer’s series of bad days is finally over (at least on the TV screen) as Monday night brought us the series finale of 24. In honor of the series, here are Signs You’re Too Addicted to 24:

- You named your first child Tony, but then kicked him out of the house after he turned on Jack

- Despite believing he was a good guy, you hoped Tony would die in Season 1…because of his Cubs mug

- You refuse to acknowledge Obama as the first black president because David Palmer was first

- You know the scene in which the camera guy becomes visible in Season 1

- You still think Victor Drazen is alive

- You believe The Unit was a prequel to 24

- When you hear the word Cougar, you instantly think of Kim Bauer…and the actual cougar that tried to eat her

- You brag that Daniel Dae Kim had to be killed on 24 before he could die on Lost

- You sat in silence for days when you found out Teri Bauer was actually dead

- You found Chloe to be really annoying, then kind of attractive, but then back to really annoying

- When your neighbors ask if you stole their mail, you tell them you want full immunity before you’ll talk

- You think it’s actually possible to travel across Los Angeles during rush hour in 10 minutes

- You were confident Aaron Pierce would show up in the season finale, and kind of letdown when he didn’t

- You were bothered to see Reiko Aylesworth on Lost and shouted, “We had her first!”

- When someone asks you how your day went, you preface your answer by saying “The following events took place between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM.”

- You believe Nina took down the Pinta and Santa Maria

- You shot a coworker in the knee to find out who ate your yogurt

- You’re still confused how the gay computer analyst became the evil villain on Heroes

- Shock value is no longer in your vocabulary

- You remember Kyle Singer and how his involvement in Season 3 had absolutely NOTHING to do with the show

- You avoid commitment out of fear that every girl you date will end up being a terrorist

- You stopped taking the show seriously when Freddie Prinze Jr. showed up because no one who starts in She’s All That could ever work for CTU

- You got spit on every time Edgar spoke

- You actually know how to pronounce “Rajskub”

- You realized that Jack killed Curtis on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

- You still want to know what happened to Behrooz

- You hate Russia

- You have the CTU ringtone and always answer a call by saying your last name instead of “hello”

- You view torture as a recreational activity

- You find no need to argue if Jack Bauer could defeat Chuck Norris because Bauer already put Chuck in a sleeper hold before you could finish reading this statement

- You blame Silver Spoons for messing up Season 6

- After getting pulled over for speeding, you told the cop “Get me a direct line to the President!”

- You’ve actually uttered the phrase, “Jack Bauer could find Osama bin Laden”

- You saw The Sentinel…and liked it

- You’ve actually considered chopping off your boss’s finger…just in case the locks in the building get replaced with fingerprint entry

- You try to go 24 straight hours without sleeping, eating, or using the bathroom

- You agree with Arizona’s immigration law because every terrorist on 24 is either middle eastern or Russian

- You have a strong desire to only drive Fords and use Sprint phones

- You bought the 24 game for Playstation 2 just to find out what happens between Seasons 2 and 3

Lost finally has ended. After many years of wondering, fans of the show finally have all of their questions answered…or not. Anyway, it didn’t take long for Lost addicts to come out and eagerly defend or blast the finale. Some of these people seemed crazier than the folks on the island. In honor of those people, Jeremy Crittenden and I have put together a list: Signs You’re Too Addicted to Lost:

(Warning: Spoilers present)

- You change your phone number to (481) 516-2342

- When you see actors from Lost five years from now movies, you still call them by their Lost names

- You call Child Services to make sure Ji Yeon is taken care of

- You actually know who Ji Yeon is

- You cried harder during the final scene than at your grandmother’s funeral

- You’re not at work today because you’re too depressed to leave the house

- You claim to actually understand the show

- You look like Hurley, unintentionally, but now you embrace it

- You ask all Koreans if they know Sun and Jin

- Your ringtone is “You All Everybody”

- When you hear a train you hide in fear it’s the Smoke Monster

- One of your theories involved Richard having a long lost son, Adam Lambert

- You pray for a spin-off comedy about Hurley and Ben’s wacky adventures as Island caretakers but you’d even settle for a show about Nikki and Paulo

- You were actually disappointed when Michael shot Ana Lucia

- You started watching Fringe in hopes that J.J. Abrams would do a time warp crossover

- You replicated the four-toed statue in your backyard out of chicken wire and paper mache

- You won’t shut up about Walt [Guilty!]

- You call every female convict “Freckles”

- You find Hurley attractive

- You became a commercial airline pilot just so you could freak people out saying, “This is Captain Frank Lapidus speaking, welcome to Oceanic Flight 815″

- You felt robbed when you found out Daniel Dae Kim could actually speak English all along

- Before putting away your groceries, you paste Dharma labels over all the can goods

- You have no idea Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert) was in The Dark Knight

- You haven’t cried this much since Zack and Kelly’s wedding

- When a promotion comes up and your boss tells you you’re a “candidate” you kill the competition and mark their names off your office wall

- You sleep in a khaki jumpsuit in between Vulcan sheets

- You started a Sawyer’s Book Club in you neighborhood

- You actually waste half a day sitting on Facebook creating a list about Lost addiction

- You can’t wait to re-enact the finale with your cats

- You develop an attraction for all escaped convicts guilty of murder

- You called your airport to see when Lapidus’ plane was arriving

- You accuse William Shakespeare of thievary for using the name Juilet

- You try to summon the Smoke Monster when someone speaks badly of the finale

- Every time you see a Virgin Mary statue you smash it thinking there may be heroin inside

- You call your friends Boss, Doc, Chief, Mr. Miyagi, Lardo, Staypuff, Deep Dish, Jungle Boy, French Chick, Sweetcheeks, Puddin’, Shortcake, the Hero, Cowboy, Mr. Clean, Moonbeam, Freckles, Jumbo Tron, and Chachi

- Instead of a Bible, you carry a large stick engraved with Scripture to church

- You’re convinced the Man in Black also won the 1st season of Survivor

- You still sport a jheri curl hairdo with mutton chops just in case time travel does exist

- You think the Lord of the Rings trilogy is just Charlie’s flashback

- You tattooed Not Penny’s Boat on your hand

- Every time you and your roommates have an argument you boldly remind them “If we can’t live together, then we’re going to die alone”

The following is an excerpt from Shannon Primicerio’s article “Bold Is Beautiful: Learning to Stand Out in a Fit-In World” from the Fall 2010 editions of Horizon and Direction magazines:

Choosing Your Celebrity Friends Wisely

I used to believe that what I watched wasn’t a big deal, but most of us could probably quote more movie lines than Bible verses, a talent that doesn’t exactly come in handy in the middle of temptation.

When I was in college my friends and I were into a popular sitcom. Every week we piled into one dorm room just in time to watch the unfolding events in the lives of our favorite characters. From the very beginning my friend Jen was opposed to the show. She thought the characters led immoral lives. Many times she chose to sit out in the hall and do homework while we used her roommate’s TV.

Over time, Jen lost her willpower and began watching the show with us. When some of the storylines got old to the rest of us, Jen found them fascinating because they were new to her. She was hooked. About a year later she started making poor choices. It was like she became a different person.

Our friend Jill decided to talk to her about the drastic change. Immediately Jen was defensive. “Wait a second,” she said. “For years you watched the characters on our show do things like this and you didn’t have a problem with it. So, don’t tell me you have a problem when I do it.”

Although Jen’s actions weren’t justified, she had a point. Inviting similar behaviors into our dorm rooms each week (via our favorite show) was hypocritical. If we wouldn’t live like those characters, we shouldn’t have been willing to watch them make poor choices week after week.

First Corinthians 15:33 tells us evil company corrupts good habits. That’s just as true with the company we keep through our television sets and movie screens. Choose the TV shows and movies you watch the same way you choose your friends—wisely and with godly discernment. They really do matter more than you think.

Check out the rest of the article in the Fall 2010 editions of Horizon and Direction magazines.

On Monday’s Brink Podcast (which you can listen to by clicking HERE), we discussed the following question: Is it necessary for a Christian to be a committed member of a local church?

Many Christians today (especially twentysomethings) attend several different churches at the same time (i.e. Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, etc.). Is this a good thing? Is it a bad thing?

Also, church membership doesn’t seem to be as important as it used to be. Is church membership overrated today?

What are your thoughts? Is it necessary for a Christian to be a committed member of a local church?

I would love to get feedback from pastors, youth pastors, teachers, young adults, teenagers, etc.

There’s a dilemma between today’s generation of Christians and the church.

We like being involved in fun activities in the church. We like leading activities in the church. We like being on stage in the church. We like being noticed in the church. We like being told we’re doing a good job in the church. We like talking about the need for relevancy in the church. We like speaking in the church. We like preaching in the church. We like leading music in the church. We like teaching in the church.

However…sometimes we don’t like being the Church.

We like things that benefit us. If a church program, ministry, or event entertains us, motivates us, or benefits us, we’re all for it. If it gives us a chance to hang out with our friends, add to our egos, or do what we want to do, it sounds great.

However, when we’re asked to actually be the Church, many in our culture want no part. Being the Church isn’t about entertainment, fame, or power. It’s about glorifying God and serving others. Unfortunately, we so often miss the point. Instead, we gripe about the church’s budget, without ever opening our wallets to tithe or give generously to the church or others. We complain that we’re not “being fed,” yet we neglect to focus on our spiritual life outside of the church walls, forgetting that only babies are spoon-fed. We compartmentalize our faith, acting like we’re a dedicated Christian on Sundays when it makes us look good, yet living completely different on the other 6 days of the week. We constantly talk about the ministries we would like to start at the church, yet we refuse to help out with other ministries because we’re always too busy with our own stuff.

We like what the church provides for us; yet many times we don’t like being the Church.

Do you have a definition of modesty? Not like a dictionary definition, but do you have your own definition? A few years ago I heard a speaker talking about the issue of modesty. He said the sad thing is that many girls have the following definition of immodesty: “Anyone who is dressing more immodest than I am.” In other words, many girls have falsely convinced themselves that they are the epitome of modesty, but anyone who dresses less modest crosses the line into immodesty. What’s so sad about this is that many girls have convinced themselves they dress modest when they truly do not.

As a twentysomething male, the issue of modesty is very important to me. As I engage in a daily battle to control my thoughts, I appreciate those girls who make the effort to keep from being a stumbling block. Sadly, from Wal Mart to McDonalds and even to church, I see many girls who have ignored the call to modesty. And yet I wonder how many of them think they are dressing in a modest fashion.

I’ve heard some argue “Well, if a guy can’t control his thoughts, that’s his problem.” That answer is 100% correct and 100% selfish. If I sin, it is my sin and I am responsible. However, if you refuse to help the opposite sex  in this battle and decide to be a stumbling block, you are basically saying “The attention my body gets is more important than your spiritual walk.”

So let me ask all of the females out there…do you have a definition of modesty? Not a dictionary definition, but do you have a practical definition of modesty that you abide by? Also, if you see a friend wearing something that is immodest, do you mention it to her and/or even ask her to change her clothing?

I’ll be honest. When I read most devotions from single people about how they’ve struggled to find contentment being single and yet finally found their contentment in God, I’m a little skeptical. No, I’m not skeptical that God brings contentment, and no I’m not questioning their faith. But when I read many of those thoughts on contentment, what I read is anything but contentment. By the end of the reading, the question in my mind is typically “Are you trying to convince me you’re content with being single, or are you trying to convince yourself? Cause neither is happening!”

In some ways I consider myself an expert at being single. I’ve been this way for about 25 years. That’s enough time to get a few Ph.D’s. However, in no way am I an expert at telling people how to survive the single life or find contentment in life. But along the way, I’ve picked up a few pointers from observations, mistakes, successes,  talking with married people, and talking with single people that seem to help. Here’s a few of those ideas:

1. Do NOT try to find your contentment in the opposite sex. This one is obvious, right? We’ve heard this since high school and we know this in our minds, right? Yes and no. We can recite this “law of dating,” but very few people live it out. I’m amazed everyday at how many twentysomethings are so dependent on dating relationships with the opposite sex. When we become single, it’s like someone kidnapped us and dropped us out of a plane right in the middle of Ethiopia. Everything is foreign, we don’t know how to react, we don’t know how to cope, nothing seems to make sense anymore, and we do everything we can to find some form of familiarity. If you’re dating and you seek to find all your contentment in your relationship, you’re going to be disappointed whether you’re single or maybe even in a relationship. I’m willing to be the same is true for marriage. So you’re single…okay. Does this diminish your self-worth or value? It shouldn’t. Unfortunately in today’s culture, that’s exactly what happens.

2. Focus on holiness now, and not later. We often look to the future and think about the type of boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, father/mother we want to be. However, have you ever considered that your holiness as a single adult now could affect the type of spouse/parent you become later? We should begin preparing for marriage and parenthood now by focusing on being the person God wants us to be. When you get married, the temptations and sins you struggle with aren’t going to disappear. I’m willing to bet some of your temptations will even be magnified. Guys, work on sexual purity now. Fight through the struggle to control your thought life. Ladies, be mindful of gossip. (Sidenote: When girls gossip and talk about people behind their back, it’s a huge turnoff to guys) Work on being holy now. It will affect who you are later.

3. Bring chivalry back from the dead. Guys, open doors for ladies. Be polite around them. Say “please” and “thank you.” Mind your manners. Compliment them. Ladies, encourage us. Notice when we’re trying. Simple things go a long way.

4. Have more on your mind than just the opposite sex. When we attend a social event, even at a church, it’s usually pretty obvious who is trying to find a boyfriend/girlfriend and who is actually there for the right reasons. Girls are pretty good at picking out the overflirtacious guy who is looking for a girl…any girl. Likewise, guys can see through the charades and find the girls who are interested in one thing and one thing only: marriage! And usually…that makes us run! So whether it’s church, a get-together at someone’s house, or any type of activity, have more on your mind and mouth than the opposite sex.

5. Enjoy the single life. Sure being married has its benefits, but so does being single. As a single twentysomething, you have so many freedoms at your disposal. Enjoy life. Hang out with friends. Make a difference in the community. Start a new hobby. Go on a road trip. What the TV shows you want to watch. Invite people over.

By now I’m sure almost everyone has heard about the flooding taking place in Nashville. However, due to the Times Square bomb plot and the oil spill, the news of the flood has taken second page. To say that things in Nashville are absolutely devastating is not an exaggeration. Thousands of people have lost their homes, businesses have been destroyed, nearly 30 people have been killed, churches are damaged, schools are near destruction, downtown Nashville is underwater, people are unaccounted for, the city is running out of clean drinking water, shelters are at capacity, and tens of thousands of people are without power at least until Friday. We can’t even start the cleanup efforts yet because the waters have not completely receded. We desperately need your help!

If you would like to help in some way, here are a few of the ways you can help:

1. Text REDCROSS to 90999. This will make a $10 donation to the Nashville Red Cross. You can also donate money at www.nashvilleredcross.org

2. Donate your time or money to Hands on Nashville. You can visit their website at www.hon.org. If you are looking for a place to work and help out, they can find a place for you, even if it’s just for 1 hour or even 1 week. From physical labor to mental health, we need everything right now.

3. If you live in the Nashville area, please conserve water. Some places do not have water, and reports are that some places have discolored water. Please do not wash your car, wash your dishes, or water your lawn right now. When taking a shower, try to make it quick. Do your best to consume half of the water you usually would.

4. If you attend a church in Nashville, tithe your income and then some. Let’s be honest, if everyone in the church tithed, we could fix all of our churches quickly. But that’s just not the case anywhere. Studies show a minority of people in the church actually tithe. If you don’t tithe, please think about starting right now. Tithe to the church, and then give above and beyond that. We’re a very rich nation. Compared to other countries, we have it very good. However, when we refuse to give our money to the church, the needy, or other needful organizations or countries, we’re basically saying our luxuries are more important than someone else’s needs. Give generously right now.

5. Donate food, clothing, bottled water, etc. Contact an organization like the Red Cross or Hands on Nashville and see if there is a specific need you can meet. Many people have lost everything in the flood. They need clothes to wear and food to eat. It won’t be long before organizations run out of these supplies.

6. Pray. Our city needs it.

If anyone else knows of ways to help, please post them on here.

The picture above is of downtown Nashville. The picture below is I-24 at Bell Road–the exit for my apartment.