How Ricky Gervais Became an Atheist

There was an interesting article in Best Life Magazine written by Ricky Gervais the creator of the wildly successful comedy, The Office, about how he became an atheist. Here is an excerpt:

(8 year old Ricky is drawing a picture of Jesus when his older brother walks into the room...)

...there I was, happily drawing my hero when my big brother Bob asked, “Why do you believe in God?” Just a simple question. But my mum panicked. “Bob,” she said, in a tone that I knew meant “shut up.” Why was that a bad thing to ask? If there was a God and my faith was strong, it didn’t matter what people said.

Oh…hang on. There is no God. He knows it, and she knows it deep down. It was as simple as that. I started thinking about it and asking more questions, and within an hour, I was an atheist.

This story has come to mind quite a bit since I read it several months ago and I have used it several times to make a point in conversations. My point that I make is this - Making people feel bad for asking questions about their faith is destructive. There is this underlying fear in some people that Christianity really isn't true, that if they look at it too closely, it will fall apart. If it is true, then it is durable as well and will stand up to our questioning. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it best when he said, "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening."

If it really is true then we shouldn't be afraid of questions. That fear is far more destructive than any question.

Confidence Without Competence

Awesome quote from Mark Goulston's blog on Confidence and competence.

Confidence without competence is arrogance.
And you won’t fool anyone with an ounce of discernment.
Competence is the ability (skills) and capacity (resources)
to produce a positive measurable result
based upon many instances (vs. being a one trick pony)
of having done it.

Cletus Take the Reel

Tim Sanders on Storytelling

I have been a Tim Sander's fan since I saw him at the 2004 Leadership Summit. Check out Tim Sander's blog if you aren't already.

In this short video, Sanders breaks down the importance of stories and storytelling. Which story is most powerful - yours or ours?



Do you have stories that you always use when you are talking about grace or discipleship?

3 and a half minutes well spent.

Extreme Coaster VIDEO

I've posted about this before, but I hadn't seen this video yet. This makes me want to buy it even more.



I just wish there was an adult version.

Write your own Freakonomics

I am a sucker for books like Blink, The Tipping Point, and Freakonomics. If you are too, you should check out this hilarious article from Wired magazine on how to write your own "Big Idea book."

First, pick a random object to serve as a cryptic representation of your Big Idea (like this peanut for example), then follow the three steps in the article.

Look for my book A Community of Multitudes - The New Radical Force of Humanity coming soon thanks to Wired's "Big Idea Book Generator!"

The name is intriguing enough to make me want to buy it.

Judgment Call

Is it ever okay to judge someone? Is confronting someone being judgmental? Andy Stanley is going through an amazing 4-week sermon series right now at North Point Community Church about being judgmental. Go here and watch or listen to the messages. The series is called "Judgment Call" and it is really good!