Quadrivium

Ready or not…

2006-05-12T22:47:00.000-06:00

…I’ve decided to ditch blogger. But no worries. I’ve found a new home here. Stop by—you’ll at least get a cursory explanation as to where I’ve been for the last two weeks.

Quadrivium’s new home:
http://quadrivium.wordpress.com

Anticipating "Superman Returns"

2006-04-26T14:41:00.000-06:00

“They are a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason, above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son.” —Superman: The Movie (1978)

Around the lunch table in grade school as we named our favorite superheroes, I remember naming Superman, and drawing a few stares. I did not then, or now, hold any inhibitions about this—I had the costume for Halloween, watched the movies constantly, and went through four action figures before my mom finally had enough and quit buying them for me.

With June 30th approaching and Superman perched on the doorstep of pop culture once more, my geeky cranium has found it fit to ponder some cultural relevancy issues regarding the Man of Steel.

I know that during my middle school years, choosing Superman as one’s favorite anything seemed decidedly uncool. Spider-Man and the X-Men drew the biggest readership then, and as a young teen, I easily gravitated toward those stories about individuals struggling to find their place in a fearful and threatening world. Superman, meanwhile, endured laborious TV efforts before scoring a modest hit on ABC, which probably did more to contribute to his cultural obscurity than help it (thus was the consensus at the lunch table, that is). However, he still retained his iconic status as America’s superhero.

Around 2001, some interesting things began to take place. In the wake of 9/11, the perception of hero encountered a slight shift, and heroes became ordinary men in dirty coats emblazoned not with an S, but FDNY. Also, the WB released “Smallville” that fall, a take on Superman’s younger years which began to exploit the fallibilities of fitting in and finding one’s place. Incidentally, the first real post 9/11 blockbuster was “Spider-Man,” which explored similar themes to the tune of a $90 million opening. I remember an article then that, in other words, claimed that the webslinger had replaced the Man of Steel as the portrait of heroic Americana.

Now, five years later, Supes sits on the most anticipated film of the summer. Director Bryan Singer, I think, has wisely crafted a storyline that closely resembles Superman’s relevant standing in the eyes of our culture. After a prolonged absence, he returns to a world that has learned to live without him.

I am curious as to how audiences will respond to his return. We commonly find “super” heroes difficult to relate to as they light a much narrower path and follow a higher calling. Such a sentiment is even echoed in “Spider-Man”—with great power comes great responsibility, and so forth. And if we were to listen to the chatter going on at the lunch table these days, we’d likely find those words dipped in various flavors of sarcasm.

Subjecting a thing to humor helps us deal with its implications, especially when we feel we cannot measure up or walk the same path. Thus, the implication of grace takes on even greater importance, knowing that there is one who has walked the path, and that through Him, so can we.

Harry Potter and the School Library

2006-04-23T21:41:00.000-06:00

A small battle, merely another iteration of one long-fought war, wages in Georgia over the banning of a certain boy wizard from the school library whose books, it is claimed, encourage others to pursue witchcraft.

Harry Potter has a new foe -- a Gwinnett County parent who wants the popular boy wizard books banned from Gwinnett County school libraries.

On Thursday afternoon, parents and students spoke at a hearing that will ultimately decide whether the books will stay or go.

People who love the books say they are happy that kids are reading the books as much as they are. They say that the books are ultimately about good versus evil. But opponents say that the books with their magic wands and spells are all about evil.

“I’m a true example of how Harry Potter books can open your life to witchcraft,” said Jordan Susch.

Susch says she read the first Harry Potter novel when she was in the fourth grade. Two years later, she says, she and her friends were practicing witchcraft.

“We wanted to know if spells, potions and curses worked. By the seventh grade, I was so depressed, I set a date to kill myself,” Susch said.

Susch has joined Laura Mallory’s fight to get the novels removed from the Gwinnett County Schools’ shelves.

“I want to protect my kids, children and others from evil,” Mallory said. “Not fill their minds with it.”

It’s easy to look at this from one side and declare with absolute conviction that the novels written by J.K. Rowling are subversive, immoral, and ultimately evil.

Equally easy is to peer across from the opposite side and declare ad infinitum that the novels offer striking examples of courage, honor and virtue in the face of immorality and evil.

Or, we could look at this and shrink stubbornly into callous pretension by asking, “what sixth grader doesn’t have some kind of imbalance at that age anyway?”

The facts are these: Mallory is religious, and has read only portions of the books. We do not know what portions from what books, just that she considers some of what she read to be “demonic.” Susch, of whom we know almost nothing, became curious about casting spells after reading the first novel; two years later, she was involved in witchcraft, later felt depressed, and had suicidal thoughts. What we do not know is what occurred between her reading the book and feeling suicidal, what other materials she may have read, or other individuals she may have interacted with in that time.

Adolescence is a curious time of physical and emotional upheaval—kids become curious about who they are in relation to the world in which they live, and seek for ways to engage that world. Reading, therefore, requires a certain amount of responsibility, especially when the reader is young and in school, when parental involvement is crucial. Books inevitably influence young readers, sometimes subversively, sometimes virtuously. This calls for caution, and a healthy sense of accountability—again, something tempered by a responsible and present adult.

The religious fervor surrounding this particular incident, I believe, is spurned more from the ignorant outcries of protest that have come before more than it does an honest discerning evaluation of the material at hand. It gains attention because of its ignorance, and the publicity is ultimately hurtful for those of us called to engage the world. We do not discard a rose because of its thorns, nor do we simply pluck them away in favor of preserving the rose’s beauty. The thorns are part of the rose, just as humanity always struggles with aspects of its fallen nature, Christian or no. Were we to ban every book that gave some offense, our children would soon find themselves with nothing to read.

I admire that this woman wants to protect her children. And she’s right; there are probably better books for them to read. I’m not a kid lit critic and I’m unfamiliar with the genre. Critical and discerning readers find much in the Harry Potter novels to celebrate, and much in which to question. As the books progress, their intended audience grows up and matures as their subject matter grows increasingly complex. The conflict within takes many forms, and often, the books employ a curious balance between the conflict of good and evil, and conflict involving those abysmal gray areas which never sit well on a platter of absolutes. I have found that these aspects of the stories lend a kind of credibility to the narrative. Kids get into fights, they lie and they cheat. That they engage in this behavior doesn’t make it right. And when someone writes about kids and the conflicts they face, the least the author could do is give acknowledgement to this facet of growing up.

But witchcraft, itself a scourge and a forbidden practice in biblical text, strikes a mighty cord in this debate. What about…communication with the dead? Divination, perhaps? These too are forbidden in scripture. Still, J.R.R. Tolkien writes the character of Aragorn as obtaining the services of the army of the dead in The Lord of the Rings. C.S. Lewis writes of Lucy Pevensie as practicing divination in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And, perhaps most shockingly of all, each of these actions leads to victorious and virtuous ends. Yet no one tries to remove these tomes from the shelves of school libraries. (Maybe sometimes, someone tries, but they’re not making the evening news.)

I suppose, in some roundabout way, I’m trying to say that, if parents are concerned about what children are reading, then parents ought to read what their children are reading, ask them questions, and engage. Involve others in the discussion as well. Maybe school libraries could set age limits on certain books if necessary—that’s what they did in my school. There are better ways to communicate concern, ways that won’t call into question a person’s integrity, or the integrity of other religious people.

H/T: Sword of Gryffindor for the First Coast News link.

What I took away from Easter this year

2006-04-18T14:13:00.000-06:00

I sat in church on Easter Sunday deeply hungry for some kind of new experience. I know, that sounds a little vague, so I’ll try and elaborate over the next few paragraphs or so. In order to provide some context, it’s important to describe my state of mind last Sunday as I sat in the pew.

The clock struck 10:30, the lights dimmed, and the choir began a rousing rendition of a song I cannot even remember now. We sang our songs, said our prayers, heard the sermon and left the building.

Why, I wondered, do I feel like I’ve seen this movie?

This is not to say the experience wasn’t beneficial or meaningful. Pastor’s sermon dealt a little with the evidence of Christ, and with the work of the cross and the resurrection. Appropriate, accessible—everything an Easter service should be. So what’s the problem?

I think part of it is leftover disappointment from our inability to produce the Easter play I’d written. I’m not overly upset that we could not do it—we simply did not have the volunteers. However, I was really looking forward to this play. Just seeing it. Having the satisfaction of watching it and knowing, hey, I wrote that. So, yeah, maybe some of it is a little vain. (We do it for Christ’s glory and not our own, after all.)

The other part of it was simply the hunger for something new. And, for Easter Sunday, I enjoyed (endured?) the requisite paradigm of: choir special—songs—prayer—more songs—sermon.

What would it hurt, I wonder, if we shook that order up just a little, like say…sermon—prayer—songs—prayer—choir special—go home? The answer is: absolutely nothing.

However, I am convinced that, should my church ever try this or something similar, my pastor would find himself inundated with an unbearable deluge of silly complaints. We can’t do it that way, pastor; it’s just not how it’s done.

Yeah, I know, change is difficult. Have patience. Pray. You know the one word I never hear? DO.

Meanwhile, the rate of Christian divorce continues to match that of the secular realm. In the Nazarene church, insofar as ministry in the continental United States is concerned, membership grows not from new converts, but from membership transfers. Tell me there’s nothing wrong with this picture.

So what are you going to do, Trav? I don’t have an answer yet. But I’m working on it. I’m not sure if this is one of those passions God gives to influence change or what have you. I’m just sick and tired of hearing so many speeches about the need for evangelism, how evangelism flows from a life that earnestly seeks God, and never—never—given an example of what this is supposed to look like.

Ozonated

2006-04-12T16:15:00.000-06:00

I was sitting at my desk today, zoned out from writing, and vaguely scanning through the short testimonial printed on the side of my Sam’s Choice water bottle, when I noticed the following:

“Our Purified Drinking Water has been triple filtered and ozonated to offer you the consistent quality of the freshest, sodium free water.”

If you’re anything like me, the word “ozonated” jumps out at you rather horrifyingly. I know my MS Word grammar editor doesn’t like it. Neither does my little copy of Webster's. I take it to be of some association with the ozone, but fail to understand how something might come to be ozonated, or why it’s beneficial.

So, I naturally googled the word. (Quick aside, my MS Word grammar editor doesn’t particularly favor the word “googled” either.) Believe it or not, I actually scored 135,000 results, the top of which led me here, and provided the following statement.

Ozone is a form of oxygen—an unstable form. Stable oxygen that we breathe in very day is O2. Ozone is O3 so there is an extra electron looking to pair itself. This instability is what makes ozone a universal cleanser. Lightning creates ozone and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in our atmosphere and in our waters to help cleanse our planet. O3 breaks down in water to H2O and O2.

Ozone is widely used in Europe for purifying drinking water and swimming pools. Ozone is also used to purify bottled waters. Ozone is used extensively in medicine in Germany and Cuba by either infusing it or injecting it directly into the blood stream. In medical applications: "It is the aim of ozone-oxygen therapy to stimulate or reactivate oxygen metabolism, without damage to the protecting oxidative enzymes…"

Not that I intend any of this to change the world, or even to deepen your understanding of the meaning of life (ahem—42). I just needed a break. Returning to real life now...

Interesting...

2006-04-04T13:46:00.000-06:00

An email I received today states that, for the first and only time in the history of all humanity, this Wednesday at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00am, the time and date will read:

01:02:03 04/05/06

Unless, of course, you don’t read time like the military—in that case, you can potentially experience this event twice.

Expect this to make an appearance on this week’s episode of “Lost.”

Language in Film

2006-03-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Any writer will tell you that, while actions determine a character’s character, their language has to fit the part as well. Apparently, this rule does not apply to filmmakers intent on winning a “more profitable” rating from the MPAA.

From Fox News:

I was just at the movie "Failure to Launch" and about midway through it I realized that they were using cuss words on purpose. The script dropped the "F-word" where it simply didn't fit into the context and it was so obvious that it just made you stop and take notice that it didn't work. I recall watching other movies that also would have been much better if they hadn't used swearing in it. A producer friend of mine says they deliberately put in certain things specifically to get a PG-13 rating instead of PG, which they think could hurt the movie's profitability.

For a medium that’s supposed to give the illusion of reality, its puppet masters certainly feel they have more at stake than the integrity of the illusion. What with their waning profit margin, I won’t argue the point.

There was a time, not too long ago, that I felt Hollywood’s slump was due to the quality of the movies. I’m more inclined now (thanks to posts like this one) to believe that, with the current rise in the quality of home video experiences, people are just more apt to stay home.

Therefore, in order for Hollywood to start making its money back, they need to start selling a better theater experience. Some filmmakers are already hip to this fact. It would seem, then, that the careful placement of the F-bomb to ensure a PG-13 rating does, at the end of the day, absolutely nothing. Except irritate me, that is.

Will I see "United 93" ?

2006-03-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

The folks over at Libertas, in commenting on UNITED 93, ask the question: does anybody want to see this movie?

I’ll admit I’m curious to the point of wanting to bite. However, given the inevitable unhappy ending, this movie is already a solid candidate for the watch-while-wife-is-away list.

A little more than a year ago, The New York Times had pondered how to make a 9/11 film, and the answer was, “very carefully.” Five years removed from the actual incident does not imply a great amount of care to me. With the various sensitivities surrounding the events of that day, I’m unsure of whether it’s even possible to tell this story well. And, given the politicized nature of more than a few recent films, I am reluctant to believe that UNITED 93 won’t be riding the same current.

However, I have been wrong before.

The trailer is little more than a teaser, which is odd, considering that the film premieres next month. We see the blip of a radar screen and hear several haunting voiceovers which I assume is either dialog from the film, or recorded transcripts from some of the passengers’ phone calls, air traffic controllers, etc. And then the tagline: “40 ordinary people sat down as strangers…and stood up as one.” It certainly looks like a genuine tribute film.

My sincerest hopes are that the makers of this film can do justice to the sacrifice made by these brave individuals, and refrain from any political posturing. We already get enough of that on the evening news, and this story deserves an honorable telling.

The Complete Curse of Throttling

2006-03-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a process known as “throttling,” I’ve watched FLIGHTPLAN languish in my Netflix queue since its DVD release on January 24th. You see, until two weeks ago, we were a 3-at-a-time family. And we watched a lot of movies. Therefore, we’re automatically relegated to the back of the waiting list for the more popular titles.

We’ve since downgraded to 1-at-a-time for financial reasons. My in-laws (also Netflix subscribers) have seen the film. So have half my co-workers. So have I, for that matter. But my wife has not, hence its placement in the queue.

Now, at long last, Netflix tells me that the movie was shipped today. There’s only one problem. We’re going to see ICE AGE 2 on Friday, and I’ve never seen the first one. It was actually sitting right under FLIGHTPLAN in the queue, neatly marked as available, just waiting to be mailed. Now, I’ll be walking into a sequel without ever having seen the original. But at least my wife has!

If you listen carefully, that sound you hear like thunder is the sound of heaven’s unbounded laughter at my carefully laid plans.

Star Trek is near death

2006-03-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

And the fans are starting to warm up to the fact.

In the span of four decades, five television incarnations and countless motion pictures, the 23rd-century crew of the Starship Enterprise and the brave utopians of the United Federation of Planets have boldly gone where no one has gone before.

But now, with the franchise seemingly gone and no new Star Trek film or show in sight, the world’s most infamously obsessive fans have been forced to go where no Trekkie has gone before: off Trek.

“Trekdom has scaled back to its very core,” said Gabriel C. Koerner, an Emmy-nominated visual-effects artist and a man generally known as the Star Trek “superfan.”

But the time without Trek may, ironically, be the best thing to happen to the franchise, according to some.

[Full story]

Rumors of a new film do keep popping up, however, and I seriously doubt Paramount’s ability to keep its hands away.

Please don’t misunderstand, you’re reading the words of someone who was, at one time, a fully devoted Trekker. The simple fact is that by the time “Nemesis” premiered, I was already overwhelmed with the feeling that I had already seen this movie.

Among some of Star Trek’s more enduring qualities was its ability to tackle issues like race, religion and intolerance during a time of great social upheaval. The show has since lost its monopoly on issue-driven television, and Gene Roddenberry’s original vision has already been picked up by others. So the dream is alive and well. Let the franchise take a long needed break, and maybe, one day about thirty years from now, another talented group of writers will reinvent the series ala “Battlestar Galactica.” Then we can all find something else to gripe about. Until then, let’s all do our best to return to earth and get over it.

Charges Dropped

2006-03-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

It appears, for the time being at least, that all apostasy charges filed against Christian convert Abdul Rahman are summarily dismissed.

I got to hear this man’s testimony last week on one of the morning news shows. He seems totally articulate and genuine, and I envy the power of his conviction. So I’m a little surprised at some of the assertions made against his mental stability.

I’ve searched all morning and I cannot find a link to an article I read in the paper today elaborating on those claims. So until I can pull the reference later this afternoon, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

It seems that he mutters to himself, and claims to be speaking with God.

I’m doing my very best to avoid the cheap sarcasm lurking around my desk. At any rate, Rahman is expected to be released some time soon. Prosecutorial efforts remain strong, however.

The grace and peace of Christ go with you, Abdul Rahman. We are praying for you.

A word on Stephen King

2006-03-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with this guy’s work. I’ve read several of his books—not enough to prove genuine fanaticism, but enough to consider myself a Constant Reader. I think reading Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption in a single sitting last night earns me that much at least.

I’ve received a fair share of frowns from people when I say that I like Stephen King. That’s probably because all they remember is the ghosts and the claws, and it’s usually evident that they’ve avoided him like they do the articles of devil worship. They don’t know that a few of his stories have nothing to do with horror at all.

There are a few of his books that I’ve started and had to put down. Call me a wimp, call me oversensitive, whatever—I know what I like and I know what I can take. 400 pages into The Stand, and things just got too dark for me.

However, I’ve found some of his other works incredibly enjoyable. Some even strikingly poignant. The Long Walk, for instance, though intensely brutal in a few spots, accurately captures the evils of adolescence throughout its narrative.

Plus, there’s a quality to his writing that very few authors reach. It’s almost lyrical. During the two years I spent as an English major—before things drastically shifted gears to Bible and theology—my literature profs made a great fuss over the difference between literature fiction and genre fiction. Personally, I don’t see why you can’t blend the two, but such topics among some scholars are considered almost carnal. I understand the challenge, and if anyone has ever achieved any modest success in doing so, it’d be Stephen King.

That’s why I read him. As an aspiring author, I feel if I am to write well then I should read writers who write well. This they also taught me in school. I’m a fan of good literature as well (though, admittedly, I still haven’t wrangled my way through all of Thoreau's Walden yet), and that blend I mentioned is something I’d like to strike with my own writing.

The Non Sequitur of Open Marriage

2006-03-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ideas concerning marriage are almost as variegated as a bag of M&Ms. Of particular interest in this morning’s Lifestyle section of MSN.com is the concept of an open marriage, also referenced in another article as “The New Monogamy.”

The thinking is that agreed-upon "cheating" will ward off the urge to stray further. In this view, as long as each spouse "sluts around" (their words, not ours) within the boundaries deemed acceptable by both parties (rules range from just kissing to engaging in full-blown orgies), they aren't actually cheating. Sure, it sounds pretty crazy. But let's just go with it for now, keeping in mind how unnatural forsaking all others can feel to some in committed relationships. (emphasis mine)

It would seem to follow that if forsaking all others is perceived in any way as unnatural, then by definition you are not in a committed relationship. So, yes, that does sound pretty crazy.

The “Love Council” then weighs in, offering further insights on the matter. What is interesting to note is that, in spite of the magnificent effort made in a couple of these statements to not color this as right or wrong, the inner struggle of implied moral correctness cannot help but make an appearance.

From Cathi Hanauer:

We already know that monogamous marriage is far from a raging success in this country. In my opinion, if some couples want to try veering slightly from the contract by creating their own rules, more power to them. I commend their courage in thinking deeply about marriage and its shortcomings, and for having the creativity and guts to adjust it to fit their mutual needs.

The catch, of course, is that this undermines one of the major reasons people marry -- for security. And though security doesn't do much for passion, it's also a huge reason people stay together "till death do us part." Part of committing to someone else is knowing that person will be there for you through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, and if your "thin" or "sick" happens to come when your partner is out "slutting around" with someone else -- or vice-versa -- I would think it would be very hard not to feel hurt or betrayed. I've actually suggested open marriage to Dan more than once, though I have to admit I'm always a teensy bit relieved when he says no freakin' way.

I wonder why she feels relieved. Seriously. If this is a viable option to marriage, especially if the main reason you’ve entered into this commitment is for security, and you truly feel this will contribute to the relationship’s stick-to-it-ivness, then why don’t people embrace this with arms wide open? Congratulations to Dan for his appropriate response.

Thankfully, the majority of the love council seems to agree that open marriage is a bad idea. The absolute truest statement comes from Dr. Sarah Stedman. “Monogamy is a choice,” she writes. I’m a big fan of choices, they define who we are. After all, one must choose to love before he or she can really fall in love. In the end, that makes all the difference.

Quiet Time

2006-03-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

I read an article a little more than a year ago—I might even have linked to it at some point—about a reporter who claimed that listening to her walkman on her morning runs actually inhibited creative thought.

For a while now I’ve driven to work in the morning listening to talk radio of some variety, but this morning I tried something different. I was determined to spend the first fifteen minutes behind the wheel without the radio on. And it was almost unbearable. A vast array of voices, forgotten tunes, even the theme to I Dream of Jeannie (how sick is that?) collided inside my head for the first five minutes or so.

After about ten minutes, however, my imagination finally kicked into gear. As I sat the stoplight before an overpass, I could see workers entering through concealed doors that led them to secret underground chambers. I thought of a boy sent to deliver a parcel to the governor of El Shor, wherever that is.

I know I’m not looking at anything too terribly original, but it was nice to see those images come to life, even if they only lasted a moment. Quiet time isn’t easy. Like running, it takes a while before you can really feel the rhythm. Usually, at least in church circles, we associate quiet time with prayer. Writers also know the value of quiet time; it’s restorative and even inspirational powers.

Perhaps even this is a form of prayer as well.

At a glance: End of the Spear

2006-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve sat down probably three or four times today to try and collect my thoughts on END OF THE SPEAR. I was treated to an early showing yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. Actually writing about why I enjoyed it is another matter.

I’ve assembled a great assortment of quips and analysis and even managed to summarize the film’s first half hour in a simple paragraph. But taking all of this and forming one cohesive post feels more difficult than coming up a metaphor without resorting to awful clichés like “pulling teeth” and what have you.

On the short end of things, I liked the film—it’s the first overtly Christian piece of filmmaking that takes itself halfway seriously, more concerned with telling the story than it is with changing the world. Besides, I hate taking something like books or films and labeling them “Christian,” like it’s a genre somehow separate from others. This movie tells a gripping story. It’s telling endures a few hiccups, but it’s a great improvement over the likes of LEFT BEHIND.

Christians will fail to contribute to quality filmmaking so long as we are concerned with saving the world. Jesus never asked us to do that—he asked us to obey.

Portent of things to come?

2006-03-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

I got the email Monday, but I didn’t read it until yesterday. I had a feeling this would happen, despite my optimism. The Easter production isn’t going to happen, at least not this year. We had a grand total of half of what we needed, and we announced the thing for a month.

“People just aren’t giving right now,” my music pastor said. I don’t know why but I can’t seem to get that out of my head. I know that it isn’t personal—this lack of initiative, at least from what I’m hearing, is everywhere.

I received some interesting stats about a year ago concerning the demographic of our local church. More than half of the adults in our congregation are involved in some form of secondary education, and almost all of them are married with kids.

That’s a stressful lifestyle, regardless of how well you manage it. And I don’t want any of these guys who are in school to drop out. So, how is the church supposed to foster involvement, and community, and all those other utopian ideas we hear about in Sunday school, if we’re already too busy to even come to church?

Perhaps it is an outreach problem more than it is an individual problem. Just thinking on my feet here. People are still responsible for working out their personal relationship with God. I don’t believe we should caudle people; we should meet them where they are.

I am becoming increasingly convinced that some of the church paradigms that we grew up with are insufficient. I know change is hard for the church—it’s easier delivering Novocain to a shark. But I am afraid we’re in danger of becoming obsolete before we even recognize it. We are in desperate need of innovation.

A Surprising Night for Oscar

2006-03-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

I did not watch the Oscars this year—we entertained friends, and enjoyed a few casual rounds of a dice game called “Farkle.” At least I think that’s how it’s spelled. At any rate, CRASH scored an upset and dances with Oscar tonight.

I actually quit watching the Oscars a few years ago for some reason. I used to be fairly faithful, did my best to see the best picture nominees before the big night, but now, it just doesn’t interest me. I hardly ever agree with the whole turnout, anyway, and I don’t tend to watch movies with a slide ruler. I’ve enjoyed many films the critics hate, and often vilify. ELIZABETHTOWN, for instance. Sure it wasn’t great, but it had a kind of charm. I liked it, and that's all that really counts to me.

The Course of a Day

2006-03-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

It’s a little after eleven, and as the day is winding down, I look back and think, “crap—this has been a busy day.”

This morning I watched SILVERADO for no other reason than that a friend suggested it. That, and it’s written by Lawrence Kasdan. And the verdict—eh, not too bad. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY it ain’t, but I’m not exactly an avid western fan, probably because I just haven’t seen that many.

My wife and I spent a significant amount of time at a teacher store, where we found loads of wonderful material, but unfortunately, none of it was free.

Got back home after twelve. Wife went to see an ailing friend, husband stayed home and finished the taxes, called his brother and his mom, and still got some creative writing done in the process.

I am 400 pages into State of Fear, which I read as I pedaled eight miles on the recumbent bike.
Chilled with lovely wife after she returned home, and she is now resting comfortably in bed. I’m currently trying to hammer out a second draft of a story you can read here, as well as a couple longer posts that, maybe, hopefully, will find their way someplace else as well.

Tomorrow we will learn the fate of the Easter production. We need 22 speaking parts, and as of last Sunday, there just weren’t enough volunteers. Last count was twelve. I just don’t get it—you don’t have to sing, and so long as you’re not Peter, Jesus or John, you won’t have that many lines. So what’s the big deal? I suppose the music pastor summed it up when he told me, “People just aren’t giving right now.”

So, we’ll see. I remain optimistic, and in much better spirits than I was the other day when I typed out the previous post. It never feels good to get beaten and shaped and molded. And I’m still undergoing the process, I think I’ve just more or less accepted the fact that it’s happening.

In the midst of being pressed and shaped...

2006-03-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

It’s been days since I’ve touched the novel, and I am slowly coming to grips with the fact that the first draft will be nothing short of crummy. And that’s just depressing as hell.

On the bright side, though, I am looking forward to the rewrite. Dependent upon that, however, is the completion of the first draft. Which is probably a fifth of the way complete. Maybe.

I will say one thing, trying to write has taught me, more than anything, how imperative discipline is to the writing life. Working a full time job is challenge enough. It depletes time. And time is already depleted enough by a bunch of other things that are in desperate need of simplification. So says the song, right? If only it were that easy.

I can certainly see why so many writers will sell off just about everything they own in order to live at home and write. Ted Dekker did it, at least. And for a Christian fiction author, he ain’t too bad. I should seriously give EBay a shot. But, then again, I don’t have enough to sell. ;-)

Alright, I’ll stop now. Enough ranting and negativity. This being shaped by the potter’s hand is rough, and I’d I’m just letting off a little steam from the old pipe. I am, after all, all about standing at the crossroads. You know, that verse never tells you that traffic often plays a part in choosing the good and right path. Word of advice: look both ways.

Inherent Worth

2006-02-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

I grew up a southern Nazarene. For those of you who have no idea what I mean by that, here’s the rest of the paragraph. Not everything you’ve heard about the south is true. Most of it is, but not all of it. Certainly one of the truer observations is the stern grip with which southerners cling to tradition, and no place is this more prevalent than in the church. For instance, when I first broached the then sensitive topic of wearing jeans to church, I was warned of the potential aneurisms that might ensue.

It is important to note that, as of this writing, I am almost eleven years removed from my tenure in the south. Things may have changed and attitudes toward certain doctrines may have progressed. But I carried a lot of what I learned with me when I left the south, and I wish to discuss some of those ideas.

One of the more confusing ideas I grew up around was the Wesleyan doctrine of Sanctification. (The version to which I was exposed, I later learned, was neither correct nor Wesleyan for that matter, and I touched on that a little here.) But the one idea that really stuck with me, however, had to do with people in general.

There exist very thick encyclopedias which list the theological terms I could throw out at this point, but I will try to refrain and keep it simple. I learned at a very young age the idea that people, in the broadest sense, basically lean toward—for lack of a better term—bad behavior. People are inherently selfish, unkind, and if we happened upon a brother beaten and abandoned on the side of the road, most of us would opt to cross to the other side of the road than help him out.

Over time, this idea intrinsically wove its way under my skin. It wasn’t something outward—I never engaged in open debate about it, nor did I ever look at people and think to myself, “hey, there goes another inherent evil doer.” At least not consciously. No, this idea manifested itself in more subtle ways. Like trust. There was a time when I found it very hard to trust people. My time in middle school, for instance, didn’t do a lot to convince me otherwise.

Anyway, it wasn’t until recently that I started seeing some of the flaws in such a world view. See, the lens through which we view the world affects the way we engage the world. If I look through eyes of distrust, I will always perceive and assume an inherent dishonesty in others. I know it sounds stupid, but I literally woke up one morning and realized how discouraging it was to feel this way.

Granted, if you tried hard enough, you could make a biblical case for the inherent evil of people, and then we can spend hours haggling over the ideas of original sin, the imago dei, and various other things. Such debates are good, and, when conducted properly, are necessary for spiritual growth and accountability. For right now, I want to concentrate on those things that ultimately changed my mind.

I believe it started with the idea that the Law is written upon our hearts. This idea speaks to an oft neglected piece of Wesleyan doctrine called Prevenient Grace, meaning that, at it’s most simplistic, should a four year old living in Afghanistan who’s never heard the name of Jesus be killed by a roadside bomb, that child is welcomed into heaven.

I was raised to believe that we are born with the sinful nature ingrained on our being from the fall of man. What my pastor forgot to tell me then was that we are still born with the image of God upon us as well. If that were not the case, then how is the “law,” so to speak, written on our hearts? If there is no prevenient grace, then what hope is there? It seems to me that, if the fall of man had negated that image, then man’s sin is more powerful than God.

Maybe, just maybe, people really are basically good. I’ve started trying to look at people through that lens, and I’ve found myself behaving differently. I can actually talk to the guy behind in line at the supermarket, and not feel afraid. This doesn’t happen all the time. It takes a lot of work to muster enough courage to get to that point, but when I do, the results always surprise me. It has helped me to remember that there is an inherent worth in people. And that has made a great difference.

Wands at the ready!

2006-02-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Filming has commenced for the fifth film in the Harry Potter saga, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and it appears that all the key players are set to return. In the beginning, I seriously didn’t think they’d make it this far—I am happy to be proven wrong.

Aside from yet another new director (something which has grown less worrisome with each film), this time we also get a new screenwriter in Michael Goldenberg. Goldenberg adapted Carl Sagan’s Contact back in 1997 with particular success, at least in my opinion. Therefore, I am unworried of this sequel’s coming incarnation. Besides, Kloves is coming back for The Half-Blood Prince.

On a side note, I am well aware that the enthusiasm I express about the boy wizard isn’t shared by many. And, while I am feeling curious about the issue, I offer the following invitation. If you feel that the Harry Potter books or films are portent to something questionable or dangerous where its readers / viewers are concerned, drop me a note in the comments section, I’d be curious to hear your responses.

DA assembles June 27, 2007.

An Eye on Easter

2006-02-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

While not finished, the major work regarding the Easter play is complete, and you can read the story of its genesis on the writing blog.

The short version is this: every Easter play I’ve ever been to, while all are different, generally hit the same beats—Sermon on the Mount, a handful of miracles, the last supper, Judas’ betrayal, maybe Peter’s denial, the cross, the resurrection, and an invitational at the end. My music pastor came to me and asked for an original idea, preferably something that focused on the last supper. He’d looked at some material that tried to turn the story of the passion into a hip genre piece, and hadn’t found anything acceptable. So, I pitched him the idea of doing the whole thing through the eyes of Peter and Judas, the two betrayers.

We’ll probably do some tweaking here and there over the next few weeks before we actually start rehearsals, and there’s the little problem of coming up with the opening voiceover (how do you cover the 33 years between Christmas and Easter in 200 words or less?), but I ought to be able to get back to writing the novel soon. Hopefully I’ll reveal some more details on that project later. But for now, I’m keeping you in the dark.

His friends call him Dude

2006-02-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Peter Pike’s Blog of Doom made a switch a while back to CalvinDude, and I’ve just never updated the link until now. And while I’m at it, I want to also highlight this post.

Pike believes, as I do, that while we seem to live amid a colossal fury of cultural upheaval these days, there’s still plenty of room for optimism. That’s a bus that doesn’t get a lot of play, but it’s worth a ride.

Lesson Learned

2006-02-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

I know now never to swallow anything from the first-aid cabinet without first checking the label. Why? Because I just downed 195mg of caffeine.

Consider for a moment that a 12oz can of Coke or Mountain Dew contains about 50mg. Seriously, my mind’s running like a freight train. And while I do not have the shakes—yet—my insides are doing the mambo something fierce.

But at least the headache is gone;-)

Closing the Book

2006-01-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Theology. A difficult term, especially when it’s the subject of primetime television. I’ll admit, given the normally flawed nature of theology as portrayed on television shows, I don’t have too big a problem with it. I know what to expect. Though, sometimes, when men of the cloth or various other religious teachers are portrayed with annoyingly skewed theological perspectives, it can tend to irk me. For instance, let’s look at “The Book of Daniel.”

Oh, that’s right—you can’t. My bad.

NBC pulled the show’s collective plug recently because they couldn’t secure enough sponsors. The reason for this is due to the more than 600,000 emails NBC and its affiliates received expressing disdain.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about the show’s demise; I wasn’t going to watch it anyway—and therein lay my point. Would not the network have received a clearer message if audiences had simply changed the channel? Does a screaming effort by conservatives lend anymore credibility to any attempt to affect the culture than those who brandish the threatening filibuster, for instance?

Granted, the effort worked this time, and it is profoundly illustrative of the power of voice. I’m just not sure it is the best effort we can make.

Conviction and Accountability

2006-01-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I committed a writer / blogger faux pax in that I wrote something that suggested a conclusion other than the truth.

The post in question has since been removed, though I am compelled to at least maintain some sort of accountability in the matter. I had made an off-handed and terse comment regarding the film THE ENGLISH PATIENT, and that it did not deserve its Oscar for Best Picture—a conclusion I am hardly able to defend, given the fact that I have not ever seen the film in its entirety.

In the end, this may prove inconsequential. As the last week has progressed, however, I have felt a steady conviction toward my error. I feel that, if I am to maintain any credibility as a writer, then I must practice honesty even in a forum such as this, even if it is in regard to a late night rant on a blog.

So there it is. Now, on to other things…

Easter in my Mind

2006-01-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

I am currently writing the Easter production for my local church. Therefore, I do not expect to post anything significant for probably the next few weeks. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it when I’m done. Needless to say, the deadline is fast approaching.

Jefferson's looking at you

2006-01-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

At least we know that President Thomas Jefferson is turning at least one head—his own.

The 5 cent Jefferson nickel will no longer cast the portrait of this founding father in profile. Instead, he’s been moved to the left of the coin, and looks out at you stoically.

Creepy.

The Associated Press writes:

"This nickel features a forward-looking President Jefferson who recognized that the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark expedition would expand our horizons in numerous ways," [Acting U.S. Mint Director David ]Lebryk said. "This is a hopeful, positive image, emblematic of a bright future for our nation."

[Full story]

Makes me feel all tingly inside. And they’re not stopping there, either. The Mint plans to redesign the penny for 2009, Lincoln’s 200th birthday, keeping Honest Abe’s stern profile, but changing the back to highlight various moments of his life.

Pinch me, please.

Photo courtesy AP Online

They say he walked with Jesus

2006-01-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

NBC will once again take on Jesus tonight as “The Book of Daniel” premieres on the peacock network. I first heard of the show—which features a highly dysfunctional family fathered by an Episcopalian priest with an affinity for prescription meds—from a full-page ad in a copy of Entertainment Weekly. And I can’t say that I am altogether outraged.

That doesn’t mean, however, that others are not.

Amid a protest bolstered by a pro-family group, an NBC affiliate has dropped a new drama featuring a troubled, pill-popping Episcopal priest who is the father of a dysfunctional family.

The American Family Association says it hopes other NBC affiliates will join WTWO in Terre Haute, Ind., in its decision to not air "The Book of Daniel."

At the top of its website, the TV station says: "Due to emails and calls from viewers, WTWO will not be airing NBC's The Book of Daniel."

[Full story]

And I saw on the news this morning that another community has joined this fray.

Personally, I don’t hold too much stock in the premise, nor do I even consider it a threat. NBC already has the show at a disadvantage by releasing it in January. When a new show is touted in the middle of the season, it usually means that executives held it back in favor of more “sure thing” material to release during September and October. January is not a network sweet spot for a series premiere.

Though, some do develop a following. Remember “Seinfeld”?

Anyway, I might watch it tonight, I may not. (My wife and I need some time together and that sort of takes precedence over television, you know?)

If I do see it, I’ll post something. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

A new year's cold

2006-01-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year everyone, albeit delayed a few days. While I wasn't ringing in the new year in bed with a hangover, I was in bed with a cold.

Now that I'm on the other end of said cold, I am back to regular work, and I hope to place some more substantial material both here and on the writing blog later today.

Now, please excuse me while I go suffer another coughing fit.

How do you define “geek”?

2005-12-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

There are two ways.

One, when you go to the movies and enjoy a lovable if somewhat precocious Coca-Cola commercial in which an adolescent polar bear and a little penguin youngling share a bottle of Coke, you immediately realize the absurdity—in real life, the two live on different polar continents.

Two, when your wife buys you the first season of “The West Wing” for Christmas, and your idea of fun is to watch the pilot while following along in the script book she bought you six months ago for your birthday.

But it’s okay. I carry no shame. For I am fine being a geek.

2005-12-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Blessings and grace to all.

Book Review: Gilead

2005-12-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Of all relationships, perhaps none is so tenuous than the relationship between a father and his son. The inherent conflict of such a relationship consumes much of the narrative of Gilead, the second novel by Marilynne Robinson, and winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize. A novel that I have come to know as one of my favorites.

Gilead is named for Gilead, Iowa, home of the minister John Ames in 1956. Ames is 76 years old, near the end of his life, and begins a letter to his six-year-old son with the aim of leaving some kind of legacy behind by which the boy may know him. Through these episodic letters (there are no chapters in Gilead), Ames weaves an intricate story; tales of his father and his grandfather, tales of his best friend Boughton, and Boughton’s son Jack, who bears Ames’s namesake. Robinson weaves a finely crafted, almost hidden plot throughout these converging, humorous, enlightening, frustrating, and ultimately glorifying pictures of fathers and sons. She confronts the disparity of broken trust, and the necessity of forgiveness, each with a heavy and honest hand fraught with deeply spiritual reflection.

To separate any one element above another does the book a disservice. The only way for it to work is to take every element, from the stories of Ames’ grandfather and his role in the Civil War, to the troubled and disreputable Jack Boughton, who, in a sense, is Ames’ prodigal. Robinson paints an articulate picture of a ramshackle puzzle of fragmented memories that, by the final words, somehow fit together, creating the varied and venerable life of a truly good man.

Ames struggles to fit into the sandals of the prodigal’s father, a role of which he feels unable to break free, though much of the story. His quiet, passionate and unyielding pursuit of fulfilling this role creates much of the beauty of the book’s narrative. He is never so vain as to think himself as any kind of redeemer, all too aware of the bitterness that threatens to escape his own heart.

I’ve read a number of opinions about his novel, and as far as I know, the subtle struggle of fatherly forgiveness which Ames faces is a facet of the story sadly missed by many people’s criticisms. I am also a newcomer to Robinson’s work, and I am by no means qualified to exegete the merits of her text. However, I can draw from what I do know of the story she is trying to tell, and I can say with confidence that she has captured it better than most.

Ames’ voice is very much that of an old, humble man who has lived a simple and quiet life. The narrative reads slowly, written in a patient and elderly hand. His own conclusions on the world that he hands to his son are left open, leaving enough room for the boy to come one day as a man and finish the thought.

Cleverly, Robinson allows the reader a chance to do the same.

Stephen King’s best of 2005

2005-12-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King comments on the best books he read over 2005, most of which went unknown to me until now, and a couple of which I will most likely read in 2006.

And the lucky picks are…

10. The Godfather Returns, Mark Winegardner
9. The Mad Cook of Pymantuning, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
8. Drama City, George Pelacanos
7. The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly
6. The Hot Kid, Elmore Leonard
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling
4. No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy
3. Saturday, Ian McWan
2. This Book Will Save Your Life, A. M. Holmes
1. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson

Added to my list of must reads are numbers 1 and 4. Number 2 is a solid maybe. I am currently slogging my way through Alfred Lansing’s Endurance, which, I am told, is the better of the two books written about Shackleton’s arctic journey. So Stephen, your pick’s will have to wait a while longer.

H/T: Fantasy Fiction for Christians

Into the Wardrobe

2005-12-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

How do you measure the adaptation of a legend? I’ve read many opinions concerning THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, and if there is one consistency throughout, it is that no one seems to agree. Critics have either loved it, but…; or hated it, but…. So I can’t really think of a way to say this, other than to say that I thought the film was incredible.

To escape the terrors of war, the four Pevensie children—Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy—are sent to the English countryside to the home of an old professor. While there, the stiff lipped housekeeper lays down a few house rules: no running, no climbing on the banisters, and above all, no disturbing the professor. In other words, keep your fun outdoors.

While the rain keeps them in doors one day, a game of hide and seek compels little Lucy to hide in an old wardrobe, through which she enters the mythical world of Narnia, and meets a faun called Mr. Tumnus. By now, you are no doubt familiar with the rest of the story, so I’ll end my synopsis here.

Child actors can sometimes leave a little to be desired, and frankly, I was nervous about four virtual unknowns tackling roles in which millions of fans have spent years building up in their own minds. And the first trip through the wardrobe, I felt, would be the defining moment.

A faun carrying an umbrella and holding a parcel was, I’m told, the very first image of Narnia C. S. Lewis had envisioned before he penned the books. The idea itself is totally absurd, and, therefore, in need of the most care if an audience is ever to buy this particular encounter. I’ve never seen actor James McAvoy (Mr. Tumnus) on screen before, but I will say this, he made me believe in fauns.

This one moment, like so many others throughout the film’s fantastic story elements, is played with a certain degree of honesty, yet still retaining enough playfulness so as not to take itself too seriously. It is here that I think director Andrew Adamson proves his skill, crafting a film that strikes a clean balance between belief and disbelief, be it a faun holding an umbrella, a talking beaver, or a talking lion.

Much of what holds this delicate balance together is the children, who, I am delighted to report, emerge from the film without embarrassing the material. The two most worthy mentions are, in my opinion, the portrayals of Edmund and Lucy. Georgie Henley as Lucy brings the starry-eyed innocence to our introductions to the world of Narnia. Her innocence and naiveté is often played against her older sister Susan (Anna Popplewell), the story’s, as well as the audience’s, voice of questioning reason. For the first half of the film, the more subtle conflict driving the plot involves their differing perspectives. Lucy, then, must not only convince her sister, but us as well, and she rises to the occasion splendidly.

Skandar Keys (Edmund) plays the angry son of an absent father with a satisfying hatefulness. Edmund (for those who haven’t seen the film or read the book) represents the seed of bloodguilt—he commits an offense which begs for justice, and in order to fulfill his character arc, he must receive redemption.

The method of redemption is sometimes a fascinating aspect of storytelling, and in this case it is two fold; the first and most obvious being Aslan’s sacrifice. The second, almost over shadowed by the first in some cases, is the moment when Edmund rejoins his siblings after having betrayed them. “What’s done is done,” Aslan tells them. “Let the past stay the past.” Both methods of redemption recall the two most important roles of grace—sacrifice, and forgiveness—and the point is well told by the filmmakers, Christian storytelling or not.

Extra-narrative material, meaning those things in the film which could never have found their way into the book, such as the score, serve to breathe an underscoring atmosphere which makes this world complete.

The battle—somewhat underplayed in the book, I thought—is brought to life with amazing and threatening grandness. Harry Gregson-Williams has composed a musical score that enhances every emotional cue, from the bombing of London, to the first instances of the climactic battle, to that final moment when the children stumble back through the wardrobe, falling at the feet of the professor who eagerly awaits their tale.

As an adaptation, the film is a triumph. No film based on previously published material, especially quality material, can ever capture the nuance of the prose that threads a story together. The best we can hope for is that the images of the film might catch in some small way the light of the narrative’s tapestry.

Most every charming moment of Lewis’ prose finds a place in the film. If I were to find one flaw, it would be that the filmmakers might have run too long on the charm, and too short of the grandeur. A lion! Is he quite safe? Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he’s not safe—but he’s good. Cannibalizing this small exchange and placing at the end of the film lacked, for me, the emotional stir that Lewis had nailed before his hero had even appeared. Still, whatever line it walks is a blurred one. On the merit of the film alone, the only thing upon which it has to fall short is the fact that it was book before it was a film. And the book, lets face it, is always better.

So long, dial up

2005-12-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE 12.17.05 - Internet is back up. Finally.

****************

UPDATE 12.16.05 - Well, it appears that my internet woes will have to continue for the time being. After signing up for DSL last week, I learned today that I "failed to qualify" for the service. Whatever that means.

I'm going to try and score a dial-up service tonight. Until then, no more new posts. Sorry.

Except to say this - NARNIA was excellent. More on that later.

*****************

In one week’s time, I will join the ranks of those fortunate enough to enjoy high speed internet access.

Unfortunately, I am without internet access until then, except here at work. And speaking of which, I must get back to it.

Going to see THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA tonight. I’ll try and post my thoughts after the weekend.

Happy Friday!

The Narnia books aren’t Christian novels

2005-12-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

So says Douglas Gresham, stepson of C. S. Lewis, and co-producer of the film premiering Friday.

The film is a triumph for Gresham, who charmed the movie industry into filming Lewis' first Narnia book; the other six will follow if the audience figures are good. But then, he has enormous reserves of charm - though liberals and feminists who encounter the gale force of his born-again Christianity may disagree.

Paradoxically, Gresham has not joined the Christian bandwagon gearing up around the film. Won't it at least impart a subliminal Christian message to young audiences, I ask?

"I sincerely hope not," he snorts. "Because - and this is what people always get wrong - it's not a Christian film and the Narnia books aren't Christian novels."

This will come as news to the thousands of churches that are endorsing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because of its Christian message - and to the Disney organisation, which, to the fury of liberal commentators, has appointed a Christian "outreach" organisation to promote the movie to British congregations when it opened in the UK last week.

I’ve only seen this in one place, and the caption under the Google News headline yesterday highlighted this sigular aspect. So, naturally, I read the article. Here’s what immediately follows the above highlight:

"Jack didn't intend the Narnia books to be an evangelistic fantasy," explains Gresham.

"The myths of Narnia are partly those of the great man-made religions - Norse mythology, Hindu mythology, as well as the true myth of Christ. Exposure to man's myths will make young viewers ask questions about themselves - and only later will the seed of faith take root."

[Full story]

I think what Gresham is trying to say here is that the Narnia books were not written to a singular audience, like much of the genre fiction coming out of today’s Christian market.

Lewis saw fantasy as an element that would help young people assimilate the Gospel later in life as opposed to a systematic allegory of the Gospel—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe doesn’t really read as such.

It’s wrong to expect anyone to walk out of this film immediately believing in Christ. Movies are not made to proselytize, and the theater isn’t really the best place for it. It is, however, a place for planting seeds, something that storytelling has a tremendous ability to accomplish.

And, speaking of the “bandwagon gearing up around the film,” I understand that the article comes from an Australian publication, but here at my local church in the states, we’ve done nothing more to promote this film than we have any other (with the exception of THE PASSION). That is to say that we’ve done nothing at all.

So, I am compelled to ask you, how evangelical should we get with films of this sort? Should we let the seed fall where it may, or should we take a more…proactive stance of some measure?

A Christmas Wish List

2005-12-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” (Mark 10:51 NIV)

The interim pastor who preached at church this morning provided this wish list, though most of the exposition that follows each item is my own. I don’t normally rehash Sunday morning’s sermon here, but this being Christmas, I am compelled to pen a few thoughts. So, this Christmas, I wish for…

Grace—my favorite word. It is the very tissue that defines salvation for me. Without grace, I don’t think I would want salvation, because I don’t feel that its blanket could ever truly cover my feet.

A good marriage—I’ve been married two and a half years. In that time, I’ve clung more and more to Ecclesiastes 4:12, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Peace—such a hard word. An even greater mystery with a war on. Still, peace is something I think we can take to war, and I haven’t known a peace that has not endured conflict. The message of Christmas is peace on earth, good will to men. And that call for peace required a cross.

A Godly sense of humor—I’ve spoken many biting words in the name of humor, and I even remember some laughter then. I’m not too sure I’d still be laughing today. Still, it is important to try and find humor, even if it is simply to enjoy a laugh at an absurdity that deserves more scorn than it does a smile. Maybe that’s another snapshot of grace.

That God might share His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit with me, and to know He abides with me every day—I’ve come to know grace as participatory, that, like love, it is more action than it is feeling. We ride a carpet of grace to the Father that is knitted out of the death and resurrection of Christ. And I want to take a ride.

How many words does a picture speak?

2005-12-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

That's me over there in the sidebar. And, with this sentence, it amounts to sixteen words.

Writing Blog is Up

2005-11-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Working from inspiration from a couple other writers' blogs, I've created a place to post some of my shorter works. You can find the first story here. It is a very rough draft, complete with typos--so if you find it tedious, don't worry, I won't feel insulted.

Though, if you can think of a title for the story, feel free to sugest one.

A Tale of Another Prejudice

2005-11-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

I have never read Pride and Prejudice. Before my marriage, the book was the object of a few YOU’VE GOT MAIL jokes, and my interest in the matter never developed any further than that. Marriage, however, can have a profound effect on the perception of such classics, and so begins my tale.

My wife hasn’t read the book either, though she has seen, many times, the oft lauded BBC adaptation. Her admiration of the mini-series led me to purchase the DVD set for her last year for Christmas. And we watched it that day, I, my wife and her sisters, all five hours of it.

I don’t know what I really expected, but I do know that I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I usually cannot stomach romance movies simply because they’re often too shallow. This, however, proved deep, complex, and often very funny. When I learned that Hollywood was releasing its own version this year, I could not help but feel a little prejudice myself.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE begins much in the same way it’s BBC counterpart does, announcing the arrival of a wealthy suitor potentially apt to marry one of the Bennett daughters. The heroine of the film is of course Elizabeth Bennett, played here by Kiera Knightly, and for the first ten minutes of the film, the actress' portrayal of the character had me convinced I’d made a mistake. BBC’s Elizabeth was a mature, dignified and womanly being whose sharp wit could cut through steel. Hollywood’s looked more like a few of the girls I knew in high school. I didn’t like a lot of the girls I knew in high school.

Thankfully, Knightly’s portrayal quickly fell into place. She retained much of the flashy cuteness of the film’s opening act, but she quickly found that mature strength I had always felt was the character’s most defining attribute. Unlike the love stories I loathe, what I love about this story is that it shows true love as virtue, character, and above all, action. A five hour film is much more apt to capture the nuance needed to pull off such a feat, but the two hours I spent at the theater this afternoon captured it as well as it could, in my opinion. By the end of the film, I forgot I was looking at Kiera Knightly. In her place, I saw Lizzy—a different Lizzy, to be sure, but it was her nonetheless.

Beautifully photographed, the film is lush with amazing imagery—you could almost watch the whole thing with sound off. Still you’d miss the zingers shot by a thankfully enthusiastic Donald Sutherland, and a satisfyingly uptight Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy. The film hits a great many of the beats I had hoped to find replayed from the beloved BBC version, and, at least in this writer’s opinion, this adaptation stands well enough on its own. Bravo. You’ve turned this season into a great time to go to the movies.

Noriyuki “Pat” Morita dies at 73

2005-11-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

Most of my memories about Morita are from my youth, and are therefore removed enough as to hinder my remembrance of his career. This Washington Post article highlights much of his story, including his stand-up career, which I knew nothing about.

He passed away yesterday at his home. Before he taught Ralph Macchio the crane, we knew him as Arnold on “Happy Days,” and I think he appeared in one or two episodes of “M*A*S*H” as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, it’s hard for me to come up with an eloquent reflection on holidays. So for what it’s worth, I’m going to throw out something interesting I learned this week, and leave it for the rest of you to think about.

In Greek, the words for “thanksgiving” and for “joy” both come from the same root family that we get my favorite Greek word—charis—which means “grace.”

Grace and joy to all of you, and happy Thanksgiving.

Ah, lists

2005-11-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Entertainment Weekly has printed a list of the 30 best sports movies on DVD, and I just couldn’t help myself. Here it is, in all its critical glory:

1. RAGING BULL—never seen it, and given the fact that the F bomb is dropped 128 times, it isn’t very high on the list. It’s tucked safely in the watch-while-wife-is-away list.
2. CADDYSHACK
3. HOOSIERS—3rd behind CADDYSHACK?
4. ROCKY—4th behind CADDYSHACK?
5. BULL DURHAM—I’ve never seen this.
6. MILLION DOLLAR BABY—I’m sorry, it’s hard to respect a film that not only makes noble that which I detest, but is also the exact opposite outcome of the real life story that inspired the film. Nevertheless, I’ll probably still see it.
7. BREAKING AWAY—never heard of it till now #1
8. THE BAD NEWS BEARS—not bad…and the payoff was worth it.
9. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS—on the Netflix queue.
10. SLAPSHOT-- never heard of it till now #2
11. THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES— never heard of it till now #3
12. KINGPIN—this ranks in at 12, and CHARIOTS OF FIRE never made the list?
13. THE SET-UP— never heard of it till now #4. Oh dear.
14. NORTH DALLAS FORTY— never heard of it till now #5.
15. EIGHT MEN OUT— never heard of it till now #6, and added to queue.
16. BRIAN’S SONG—my parents had a copy of this lying around all my years in their home. And I never watched it.
17. FIELD OF DREAMS—17th behind CADDYSHACK?
18. WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP—a perfect example of a story that goes all over the place, and still doesn’t go anywhere.
19. FAT CITY— never heard of it till now #7
20. HEAVEN CAN WAIT—might have to add this one. The Chris Rock remake left nothing but all the wrong impressions. Now that I know what this film is about, I might add it to the queue.
21. THE ROOKIE—This is a great film.
22. CINDERELLA MAN—SEABISCUIT in a boxing ring…yeah, I’ll see it.
23. THE FRESHMAN—the unrated 1925 film, that is. Which makes it never heard of it till now #8
24. ROCKY III—Four words. Eye of the Tiger.
25. THE BINGO LONG TRAVELING ALL-STARS & MOTOR KINGS—…what?
26. LOVE AND BASKETBALL—Since Oliver Stone so spectacularly screwed up two seemingly flawless film elements (Al Pacino and football), I’m not as easily lured to basketball and Spike Lee. Still, I might see it.
27. BETTER OFF DEAD—the print article says it best. “Not a sports movie, you say? Well, name one other film that features a Japanese drag-racing Howard Cosell impersonator, a big wet smooch at Dodger Stadium’s home plate, and a climactic ski race in which a lovable loser (John Cusack) goes up against both the local legend and a psychotic bike-riding paperboy on the formidable K-12—on one ski!”
28. TIN CUP—an under appreciated film.
29. THE LONGEST YARD—the original, that is. And a possibility for the queue.
30. BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM—I remember seeing this movie everywhere when it came out, and every now and then, its title still rings in my ears like a forgotten piece of poetry. Yeah, I know, it’s alliteration. But it still might be worth a view.

Look, up in the sky…

2005-11-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Growing up, it seemed nobody liked Superman. Through the latter half of the eighties, and even a good chunk of the nineties, Superman was reduced to a pile of clichés and bad nicknames (“Supes,” and the like) thanks to the campy vision of Richard Lester, and the various TV incarnations.

In 1989, everybody seemed to love and adore Batman. There were rumors that James Cameron would soon bring Spider-Man to the big screen, and for a while, the Man of Steel seemed to fall off the map for a while.

Then, Superman died.

When the comic book world announced the death of Superman, suddenly, his popularity soared, if only for a short while. Then, reportedly due to incredible demand, he returned.

And all was quiet in Metropolis. Still, a quiet rumble resonated from a little place Hollywood likes to call “development hell.” In this case, it lived up to its name.

For years, Warner Bros. had been planning to resurrect the franchise. Both SUPERMAN III and IV had dive bombed spectacularly, but hopes remained high to return the caped wonder to the big screen. The Internet Movie Database recaps the story sufficiently, so I won’t rehash it here. But, needless to say, Superman needed a fresh vision before he could return.

And now he has.

Superman Returns June, 2006. See the teaser here.

A little about writing…from my point of view

2005-11-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Writing can be lonely. I do not mean that writing is lonely, only that it can be. Many times, it is by choice. For instance, I’ve found I cannot show my wife my works in progress because she hates reading a story that offers no resolution to the conflict. So, until something is finished, she only gets to hear me talk about it, and I think she prefers it that way.

Another funny thing about my writing is that I cannot give something a title until it is finished. I’ve found that, when I do, I never finish it. Therefore, things remain untitled until the first draft is finished. Call me superstitious, but I’ve found that, when the energy is rolling and the words keep coming, and the layers keep falling into place, you’ll do almost anything to keep it that way. This is what works for me.

The other thing that works for me is stripping away some of the lonelier aspects of writing. Writers need the company of other writers in some form or another. I remember reading about C. S. Lewis getting together on a regular basis with Tolkien, as well as two other Oxford fellows to talk about their writing. Parts of Narnia were spawned from those meetings, as was Middle-earth.

Therefore, two blogs enter the blogroll, both of them writers, one of whom I actually work with, and the other, a pleasant discovery found while perusing the blogroll of the Crusty Curmudgeon. The Blog of Doom is of a local novelist here in the Springs, and Observations from the Roof of a Building is the chronicle of a comic book writer in South Carolina. Thanks to you both for your words; they are an encouragement to me. I hope that mine may, in some way, be an encouragement to you as well.

Thoughts on Grace

2005-11-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve had grace on my mind, lately. The topic just seems to come up every so often—the latest example was at work where someone raised a question concerning practical expressions of grace. We tend to think of grace as this very high and almost untouchable thing. I’ve always thought of grace as something more participatory, and I came across a good example while reading Gilead this afternoon.

When you encounter another person, when you have dealings with anyone at all, it is as if a question is being put to you. So you must think, What is the Lord asking of me in this moment, in this situation? If you confront insult or antagonism, your first impulse will be to respond in kind. But if you think, as it were, This is an emissary sent from the Lord, and some benefit is intended for me, first of all the occasion to demonstrate my faithfulness, the chance to show that I do in some small degree participate in the grace that saved me, you are free to act otherwise than as circumstances would seem to dictate. You are free to act by your own lights. You are freed at the same time of the impulse to hate or resent that person. He would probably laugh at the thought that the Lord sent him to you for your benefit (and his), but that is the perfection of the disguise, his own ignorance of it.

(Robinson, Marilynne. Gilead. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004. 124)

Grace, participatory grace, seems to function in a way that allows us to experience true freedom. See, freedom isn’t the idea of just doing what we want. Doing what we want, obeying each and every impulse that strikes our fancy, makes us slaves to the impulse. And, as slaves, we are not necessarily free.

Veteran's Day

2005-11-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you, troops. Thank you. And God bless.

Thoughts on Gilead

2005-11-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

I’m about halfway through Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead. Last year, Gilead took home the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and while I am certainly no authority on judging the merits of such a prize, I am pleased to see it granted to such a work.

Gilead is an unabashedly Christian book. It is written in the voice of a 76 year old pastor in the 1950s as a letter to his son, then only seven. What separates this story from the general Christian market, in my mind, is that Gilead isn’t as concerned with preaching me to death as it is with telling its story.

Christian genre fiction of the last twenty years or so seems preoccupied with proselytizing. That’s probably it’s biggest flaw—writers so intent on telling the story of the Gospel’s converting power they forget that that wasn’t God’s only expression of grace. What Ms. Robinson does is much better. Her stance is certain right from the beginning, and is unapologetic. She paints portraits and lets the reader figure it out on his / her own. And, thankfully, she rises far above trying to spell anything out for me. (Dan Brown could learn something here.)

That’s the kind of witness I enjoy. It’s also the kind of writing I crave, and long to produce myself.

Up and Wired

2005-11-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

It’s a little late—well, at half past ten, it’s late for me—and I’m feeling a little wired. I’m about to curl up on the sofa with an old copy of The Atlantic Monthly and try to enjoy a short story. That’s about all I read in the Atlantic. I can only take so much “the-world’s-going-straight-to-hell-and-it’s-all-____’s-fault,” know what I mean?

I’m five chapters into my novel. I’m letting one person see it; they’re getting it in installments, actually. Which reminds me, I need to send off chapter five before I log off here.

Good Lord, it’s already ten to eleven. This is why it’s so hard to blog these days, I take too much time to do it. Ah well, if I stay true to my average lately, you can expect at least one more post before we close out the month. Probably around Thanksgiving.

If I do get back to doing this on a regular basis, I’m not sure it will be in the same vein as before. Before, I think I was too stuck on trying to be a journalist. I was too stuck on trying to do something…I don’t know, significant. Lately, when I write, I’m just letting the heart speak. It’s a window to the soul, after all. First drafts are like that, a pouring out of the soul’s inner longings. It’s in the second draft that we go in, clean things up, and make it a little more readable for others to understand. Then we can have journalism. This place, this was always a place for first drafts. And I’m not so concerned about being significant.

OK, I’m going to go email chapter five and then try to make my eyes tired.

2005-10-13T22:33:00.000-06:00

I'll admit, I am at a point of confusion right now, and when my head gets this wishy-washy, I hardly know what to do with myself. At any rate (in the off chance that an aggregator picked up the post I just deleted), I know enough to recognize that I am in a place where I must step back.

Some significant changes have occurred in the structure of my life, particularly in the addition of my new job. Don't get me wrong, I love the job. It has, however, affected things, and it is time to reassess my priorities.

So, for the time being, the blog is taking a back seat. Thank you to all who've shared in this place, and for your comments. I have enjoyed this immensely, and I hope to return soon.

I’ll remain a constant visitor to those blogs I enjoy regularly, so I’ll still be around. I do not mean for this post to make me appear as if I am crawling into the proverbial hole in the ground. Those “other writings” deserve some attention right now, and so does the woman with whom I share this house.

In His everlasting grace,

Travis

Still Here

2005-10-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

This is just a quick post to let anyone who has stopped by here and wondered, yes, I am still alive.

I’ve been reading heavily and watching a lot of movies as evidenced by the sidebar. So I am not entirely out of touch, though, I am afraid I reached a sort of crossroads over the last few weeks. And, after all, that is what this blog is all about.

I’ve been working a little on the novel and on a shorter piece I hope to submit soon. I also want to comment a little on some of those books and movies I’ve completed, so, hopefully, I’ll be back to writing here some more.

Peace, love and serenity to all, faithful readers, wherever you may be.

Wordplay with the Da Vinci Code

2005-09-22T18:46:00.000-06:00

This is a topic that came up at work today, and it still resonates as an eye-opening revelation. Regular readers will know that I recently finished a perusal of The Da Vinci Code, and that I was summarily unimpressed.

First, let me address the book simply on its literary merit. Dan Brown is very good at pulling his readers through the plot. Virtually every chapter ends in a cliffhanger of sorts, and there are enough puzzle pieces to satisfy any geek. Erudite, I am told, is the word for this. The Times called it gleeful. I personally found it annoying.

Brown’s protagonist is Robert Langdon (soon-to-be-played by Tom Hanks in the film later this year), a Harvard symbologist. After wowing readers with Langdon’s ability to deftly pick apart and scrutinize the best of Da Vinci’s work, Brown then dumbs-down his character as he over-scrutinizes every clue. At times it’s almost funny, allowing for some of the same ideological play that made Mulder and Scully so much fun to watch. At others, however, it becomes redundant.

Some of the clues just aren’t that difficult. Yet, Langdon feels that he must delve into the depths of his vast historical knowledge before it dawns on him to take a piece of paper and hold it up to a mirror.

The reading is quick as chapters are short (ala James Patterson), usually no more than four or five pages. Intrigue and betrayal run rampant, and the payoff at the end isn’t too bad either. Brown, however, writes his characters extremely flat, allowing for almost no change (aside from the assassin’s “redemption” in the closing moments, which, given the context, isn’t very genuine). His narrative is riddled with clichés, and if I couldn’t get away with it as an English major, then Brown is unforgivable.

Most of these remarks are meant to read a little tongue-in-cheek. Brown is a millionaire and he’s also published, the latter of which (being something I have yet to attain) lends him some authority, but not as much as he suggests through the plotlines of his text.

The controversy surrounding this book is well documented (books, articles, etc), and I will not enter into another tired treatise here. Some of the “factual” claims of this novel are totally imaginative (for those less initiated, that is to mean that they are false), and others, laughably so. One such piece of work surrounding the origin of the name Jehovah, at least as far as I’ve read, has yet to be scrutinized. I intend to buck that trend here.

The name Jehovah is generally attributed to the Christian God Yahweh, itself a transliteration of the Hebrew word, roughly translated here as “YHWH.” Brown would have us believe that Jehovah is actually an amalgam of two words, the ancient Hebrew word “Jehu,” if memory serves, and “Eve.” According to Brown’s novel, Jehu is translated as “man,” Eve as “woman.” And this may be true. However, “Jehovah,” does not stem from these in the least. The responsibility for this word falls in the hands of a people called the Mazorites.

Hebrew, traditionally, has no vowels. Vowels in Hebrew are implied by a number of things (like tradition, diphthongs, order of the consonants, and so forth). The Mazorites took the Hebrew text of the Old Testament writings and added vowel markers, usually in the form of little dots above or below written Hebrew characters.

Now, there’s some lingual tradition to consider here before we proceed. When the Mazorites first placed the vowel markers in the Hebrew text, it was and is today a Jewish custom not to speak the name of God aloud. It is custom instead to substitute the word adonai, which means “lord,” when referring to God’s name (this is why you find LORD written like so in so many Bibles). The Mazorites carefully acknowledge this trend in their vowel markers, in that whenever you find the name of God in the Mazoritic text, you’ll find the vowel markers for adonai right along with it.

So, piece with me, if you will, the clues to this puzzle. If you take the name of God (YHWH), and the vowels for adonai, what do you get?

Jehovah.

I hope I’m not bursting anyone’s bubble here, but Jehovah really is an amalgam. It is not, and should not ever be confused with, any clue to the forgotten tradition of the feminine mystique.

Now, in case you happen upon this essay, have acknowledged this claim, and followed me thus far, let me provide you with some means of checking my facts. I have no intention of misleading you, dear reader. C. L. Seow’s book of basic Hebrew grammar is a good place to start. Then try the writings of a man named Jacob Milgrom. They may not be as gleefully erudite as Brown, or even this essay, but they at least back up my claims.

And by the way, The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, which, last time I checked, still means “false.” That concludes this lesson on linguistics.

Choosing between what is right…and what is easy

2005-09-16T21:53:00.000-06:00

The full trailer for HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE is up at Moviefone (and, among other things, offers a delicious example of broadband’s superiority to dial-up).

An unholy alliance

2005-09-16T21:25:00.000-06:00

Microsoft and America Online. That does it—I’m switching to Macintosh.

Coercive….

2005-09-14T19:22:00.000-06:00

So. That worrisome phrase “under God” that was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in the late fifties has been deemed “coercive.”

A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional Wednesday in a case brought by the same atheist whose previous battle against the words "under God" was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on procedural grounds.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

[Full story]

Coercive. Three unnamed parents trot to court. One judge promises to sign a restraining order barring three school districts in Sacramento County from reciting the pledge.

Coercive.

H/T: La Shawn Barber

Confessions of an absentee blogger

2005-09-10T08:31:00.000-06:00

Been a while. At least it’s still clean here. I think I might give the maid a raise. After making the transition from part time employee at the library to full time employee somewhere else, things are beginning to quiet, and I should be back to posting somewhat regularly. Maybe.

The new job is wonderful (name withheld for the time being—not sure of my footing here). I started losing some of the deer-in-headlights around two in the afternoon of my second day. It is still very new, lots of new things to learn, but I am confident.

My wife just returned from the grocery. Without donuts. So much for theories of telepathy.

New to the blogroll is Cinema Veritas, Bill Wallo’s WorldMag movie blog. Bill’s insights and commentary have become a valuable part of shaping my own worldview concerning film—a worldview that has encountered many shifts over the past couple of years and is still developing. Hey, I’m only 25, give me a break.

Speaking of film, Newsweek has posted an article previewing SUPERMAN RETURNS, which gives away a few plot points I would like to have missed for now, but, oh well.

I suppose that’s all for now. At least until the next post, that is.

Pray for the peace of the city

2005-08-31T15:46:00.000-06:00

I remember reading the letter Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylonia (Jer. 29), in which he relays the commands of the Lord, asking them to seek the peace of the city to which they’ve been exiled—“if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

New Orleans is currently racked with chaos, and her full recovery is months, maybe years away. Similar to those exiles many years ago, an entire city’s population has been uprooted and forced to leave.

I do not believe that Katrina is simply an arm of retribution dogma, however, I do believe that she highlights a deeper, and more difficult characteristic of the world in which we live. Bad things happen to people—both good and bad. And while New Orleans struggles to recover, we need to pray for the peace of the city.

Aid is coming. Already, charities and relief funds are in place, ready to ease this struggle. Still, thousands are feared dead, looters roam, the waters are still rising, and the threat of disease only increases.

We need to pray for the peace of the city.

I’ll have my cup back if you don’t mind

2005-08-29T21:51:00.000-06:00

Coffee lovers, this is our time. No, Starbucks isn’t lowering its exorbitant prices. But now we have a reason to drink that even our physicians can’t thumb their collective noses at.

Coffee might soon be considered a health drink following a study showing it is a surprisingly rich source of anti-cancer agents.

A study has found that coffee contributes more antioxidants - which have been linked with fighting heart disease and cancer - to the diet than cranberries, apples or tomatoes.

[Full Story]

“Health drink” might be a bit of a reach, seeing as how high blood pressure, insomnia and anxiety still cling to coffee like a leach. Some of us have enough of that to deal with without any additional help.

However, it is nice to deliver warm and hearty raspberry to all anti-java naysayers.

Another Farewell

2005-08-24T22:02:00.000-06:00

Actor Brock Peters, known for his role as Tom Robinson in TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD, and lesser known for his various (and often pleasing) stints in the STAR TREK universe, succumbed to pancreatic cancer yesterday, at the age of 78.

Scott the Crusty Curmudgeon pays a fitting tribute to an actor that, regrettably, many may not have ever noticed.

Peace and Prayers to Peters's Family.

Is Pain a Factor?

2005-08-24T21:41:00.000-06:00

According to a new study, fetuses do not feel pain until they reach 29 weeks. The research, predictably, responds to various criticisms of late-term abortions that assert the need for fetal anesthesia.

Taking on one of the most highly charged questions in the abortion debate, a team of doctors has concluded that fetuses probably cannot feel pain in the first six months of gestation and therefore do not need anesthesia during abortions.

Their report, being published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association, is based on a review of several hundred scientific papers, and it says that nerve connections in the brain are unlikely to have developed enough for the fetus to feel pain before 29 weeks.

The finding poses a direct challenge to proposed federal and state laws that would compel doctors to tell women having abortions at 20 weeks or later that their fetuses can feel pain and to offer them anesthesia specifically for the fetus.

[Full Story] (free reg. req)

Since when did this enter the moral fabric of the debate?

Pain, apparently, has been a measure of cruelty for some time. When I read the article this morning, I knew there was something wrong here, but I couldn’t place it. I know, it’s all done in the name of science—just trying to help people make a more informed choice.

But the article is wrapped around the perceived response from pro-lifers, anticipating rebuttals such as, “This is a lie,” or, “other research suggests…” Pain becomes a ruler, at least temporarily, by which the horror of this practice is measured. And its wood is very brittle.

I took a drive out to the corner Safeway this evening. On my way there, I noticed a young boy, cane in hand, shuffling across in front of me. His cane tapped the edge of the curb, and with perfect precision, he stepped onto the sidewalk. Then he waved at me. From the emptiness of his downward stare, it was easy to tell that he was blind.

I like to think of his wave as a way of saying thank you for slowing and letting him cross with ease. He heard me coming, obviously, and it made me smile, knowing he was considerate enough to make such a simple gesture. However, it was dark out, and I immediately began to wonder how far he had to travel tonight. Would another driver spot him in time at the next street corner? Is he spared any horror in not seeing what is coming? After all, he can still hear.

Cognitive development aside, we’re talking about a living being. He / she may still be developing while inside the womb, though, nonetheless, we’re still talking humans. And humans have a penchant for knowing something is wrong, even if all the faculties aren’t there.

A conversation with me

2005-08-22T20:22:00.000-06:00

TAJ: So, finished reading Da Vinci?

Me: Finished last night.

TAJ: And?

Me: What’s more to say? It’s not like I was reading Dickens. Dan Brown might spin a good yarn, but his thread is running a little thin.

TAJ: That’s not what the Times said. [free reg. req.]

Me: Well, “gleefully erudite” is rather subjective, and so is Brown’s wonderful world of theological fiction. I’ll admit, some of his preaching is fairly plausible, though some of his “facts” are absolute gut-busters.

TAJ: But the plot is based on empirical evidence.

Me: Empirical evidence depends on perspective. I once triggered the alarms walking out of Wal-Mart, it doesn’t mean I stole anything.

TAJ: But it does look suspicious.

Me: And you look annoying.

TAJ: Fair point. So what’s next?

Me: Another jaunt to the library. I think I might try reading some of Stephen Lawhead. And I’m hopefully going to see WAR OF THE WORLDS this weekend.

TAJ: Okay, when I said, “what’s next,” I wasn’t really asking.

Me: Leave, now.

Answer to Prayer

2005-08-18T22:22:00.000-06:00

Way back on 7.11.05, I posted a prayer request that I might find a new job, and soon. Well, I thought you might be pleased to know that organization to which I had sent an application that night decided yesterday to hire me.

Thanks first goes to God. And thank you to all those who read that request, and joined with me in my petition (those whom I am able to link to are: Neophyte Pundit, Practicing Pedantics, and Roeddog at Mariner Ministries).

Grace and peace to you all, and to all a good night.

A View from the Creek

2005-08-14T18:11:00.000-06:00

I first met the words of Annie Dillard in college. If you’ve ever read her work, then you know how easily her voice burrows into the mind, or you’ve just as easily dismissed her. And I will not blame you. Her words are odd and her language is undeniably high. But she sees the world through a lens I think we should at least glimpse, if not spend an afternoon enjoying.

I’ve just finished reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and I’ve been trying to decide how I might write to you about this book since I first started reading. Dillard approaches her world with a thoughtfulness so carefully aware of itself, it almost feels inhuman. But she is, just like you and me, a living and breathing soul, with a deeper appreciation for creation than many devout churchmen.

“I’m getting used to this planet,” she writes, “and to this curious human culture which is as cheerfully enthusiastic as it is cheerfully cruel.” This cheerful cruelty is something Dillard takes on throughout her narrative, encountering it almost by accident. Who would ever notice the lives of barnacles or the parasites that would devour grasshoppers? Miss Dillard does. And the violence she discovers greatly recalls the later chapters of the Book of Judges.

Wonderfully, however, she emerges from such a study with an insightful understanding of grace. I wish I could lead you on a similar path, but I am afraid that you’d have to read the book in order to share in the discussion. I can only give you nuggets, which I will gladly share.

Her wit is unique. “When I read how many thousands of dollars a city like New York has to spend to keep underground water pipes free of ailanthus, ginko, and sycamore roots, I cannot help but give a little cheer. After all, water pipes are almost always an excellent source of water. In a town where resourcefulness and beating the system are highly prized, these primitive trees can fight city hall and win.”

Her eyes, and the mind that interprets what they see, are penetrating. “Were the earth as smooth as a ball bearing, it might be beautiful seen from another planet, as the rings of Saturn are. But here we live and move; we wander up and down the banks of the creek, we ride a railway through the Alps, and the landscape shifts and changes. Were the earth smooth, our brains would be smooth as well; we would wake, blink, walk two steps to get the whole picture, and lapse into a dreamless sleep. Because we are living people, and because we are on the receiving end of beauty, another element necessarily enters the question.”

Her wisdom is proven. “Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.”

And her theology…well, read the book, but taste this first. “I have never understood why so many mystics of all creeds experience the presence of God on mountaintops. Aren’t they afraid of being blown away? God said to Moses on Sinai that even the priests, who have access to the Lord, must hallow themselves, for fear that the Lord may break out against them. This is the fear. It often feels best to lay low, inconspicuous, instead of waving your spirit around from high places like a lightening rod.”

This text is not one for a quick read (unless your diction and vocabulary surpass mine, which isn’t too difficult). I’ll admit, there were sometimes whole paragraphs that leaped clean over my head. It is best enjoyed slowly, and with a friend nearby, for such jewels must be shared and not horded. Kind of like grace.

Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.

Peter Jennings 1938-2005

2005-08-08T17:31:00.000-06:00

So long, Peter. We will miss you.

What part of FICTION do people misunderstand?

2005-08-07T21:44:00.000-06:00

We’re at it again. And the potshots are soon to follow somewhere, I’m sure. Christians are making a plea in Hollywood [free reg. req.], concerned about the forthcoming film of THE DA VINCI CODE.

The Times article I link to here does report some significant and worthy concerns.

The Catholic League asked that Mr. Howard include a disclaimer acknowledging that the movie is fiction. Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic group, was particularly worried about its own depiction, because it is a central villain in the book. "The novel portrays Opus Dei in a completely inaccurate way; if the movie does the same thing it's something we'd be concerned about," Brian Finnerty, a spokesman for the group, said.

[Full Story]

The book, among other things, asserts that Jesus married Mary Magdalene (as if this is a new idea), and that the Roman Catholic Church perpetuated one of the greatest cover-ups of all time in concealing this fact. Is this going to offend people? Yes. Will the filmmakers care? Probably not. Should we?

Well, that depends. I don’t think I’m going to have a problem with this unless I read the words “based on true accounts” appear on the screen before the titles. This is a work of FICTION, after all.

And if anyone is really that concerned about it, arm yourselves with the following, and proceed with trying to enjoy life—we’re supposed to sucking the marrow out of it, not vice versa.

Time to Explain

2005-08-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

A note on the script I posted below: this is not what I sent out for publication, but rather part of the book of scripts I am compiling for my internship (the many frustrations of which I have mentioned here before;-)

Sorry about any confusion.

The story I submitted to the STANDARD (sorry, no electronic publication available) will remain unposted for a while--I am unsure of intellectual property rights in relation to weblogs while one is trying to publish. I may still send the story elsewhere before I feel its time has passed. At that time, if it cannot be read elsewhere, I will publish it here.

Later, all.

Paul's Letter to Rome

2005-08-05T07:14:00.000-06:00

an exhibition on Romans 7:14-8:1
(c) 2005

The Apostle Paul sits at a desk, writing, scratching out what he just wrote to write again, and scratches that out as well. Finally, he sits and stares frustrated down upon his scroll of parchment. Timothy (yes, that Timothy) ENTERS.

Timothy: Writing a letter?

Paul: No. I’m just keeping the ink wet, just in case I decide to use it.

Timothy: Feeling sarcastic this morning?

Paul: Well, you know how I get when I don’t have my coffee.

Timothy: Paul, you’re a burdensome old man and I can’t believe I left Ephesus just to pay your sorry hide a visit. (Paul grins) What are you smiling about?

Paul: Ah, Timothy. To think that Barnabas had a problem with me calling you my son. You’re just as insubordinate as any child I’ve ever seen. Why not claim you as my own?

Timothy: But then, you and Barnabas rarely agree about anything.

Paul: Not so. We pick a few days every year to find something to agree on. Usually around Christmas.

Timothy: What are you writing?

Paul: I’m trying to write to Rome, let them know a little bit about myself. Yet, alas, I am afraid I suffer from writer’s waterlog.

Timothy: You mean writer’s block?

Paul: See, I can’t even get my metaphors right.

Timothy: Seems you’re having a little trouble with your similes too.

Paul: Did you come in here for something, I mean, other than to pester me?

Timothy: (suddenly sullen, serious, embarrassed) No. You go on, write your letter. I know you’ve been working on it for a while. (begins to leave)

Paul: Timothy, don’t think I’m too old to turn you over my knee.

Timothy: I just don’t want to break your hip.

Paul: Sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.

Timothy: Well, it’s just that…I don’t understand why sin is such a problem.

As Timothy takes a seat, he might do well to be positioned facing the audience, but away from Paul, sort of like a therapeutic session.

Paul: Oh, easy. Sin is such a problem because it is wrong.

Timothy: (over his shoulder)You know what, breaking your hip is starting to sound pretty good.

Paul: Okay, okay. Calm down. Continue.

Timothy: Sin is just…I don’t know, it’s annoying. No matter what I do I just feel like I can’t measure up.

Paul: Hmm. You feel you can’t measure up to your standards, or to God’s?

Timothy: Well, both, I guess.

Paul: Ah. Well Timothy, we know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. (suddenly it strikes him that this is pretty good stuff, so he starts to write it down)

Timothy: (turns to look at Paul) What? Wait a minute, back that train up and give it to me again in Aramaic this time. How can you call yourself unspiritual?

Paul: I am speaking figuratively, dear boy. Allow me to pen these thoughts, hm?

Timothy: (settles back into chair) You know, there are times when you don’t make a lot of sense.

Paul: I see you’ve been reading my letters.

Timothy: Paul, help me out and take this seriously. I have a real problem here.

Paul: All right. (sets the pen down) It goes like this. You see the law of God at work in you, right?

Timothy: Well, yeah.

Paul: But you also see the law of sin at work in you too.

Timothy: Yeah, but I don’t think I’m following you here.

Paul: Well then allow me to enlighten you. What is it your mother calls a mistake?

Timothy: A mistake is a mistake when you don’t learn from it.

Paul: Precisely. Sometimes you learn good behavior by doing bad behavior.

Timothy: Fair enough.

Paul: So what happens? Pretty soon you have a very nice checklist, right? An orderly list spelling out what to do and what not to do.

Timothy: Yeah, I see where you’re going. The problem is that I keep missing the things on the list.

Paul: And then what happens?

Timothy: Wait a minute, you’re not using me as another example in one of your letters are you?

Paul: Don’t worry about that—what happens after that?

Timothy: Well, when I keep missing the things on the list I feel guilty.

Paul: Exactly. So what happens?

Timothy: I start all over again.

Paul: Bingo. In my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work inside of me. What a wretched man I am! I mean, who will save me from this body of death? (he says this like he’s leading Timothy on to answer the question for him).

Timothy: Jesus?

Paul: Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (starts writing)

Timothy: Okay, I think I get it now. I’m just going around in circles trying to live by the law. In the sinful nature, I am a slave to the law of sin.

Paul: (looks up to consider that thought) You know, that’s very good. (keeps writing) Look, Timothy, just throw the checklist away. (stops writing to look up) There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (hey, that’s pretty good too—writes it down)

Timothy: Wow. So be a slave to Christ, and not the law.

Paul: Exactly. You follow that checklist and you’ll end up a crazed and bitter old man.

Timothy: Not unlike yourself.

Paul: Hey, how else could I teach my favorite son a lesson?

Timothy: Well, I better leave you to your parchment. (heads for the EXIT) Lord knows I’ve given you plenty to write about.

EXIT ALL.

As if we didn't see this coming...

2005-08-04T17:10:00.000-06:00

Rolling Stone disses the Dukes.

There's a stink coming off the big-screen Dukes of Hazzard that even fans of the TV series (1979 to 1985) won't be able to shake out of their nostrils.

After penning such a lead, Travers’s review doesn’t get any friendlier. I doubt this’ll make my must-see list anytime soon. And its too bad. Upon seeing the trailer, I had high hopes. The car, the horn, Willie Nelson…

And then Jessica Simpson appeared. All hope of a decent flick gone, just like that.

Merge with Caution

2005-08-04T12:10:00.000-06:00

Who knew lemonade could be so sour?

Mayor Stanley Usovicz [Salem, MA] said sausage stand owner Kevin Kefalas agreed to allow Dominic Serino, 9, and Ryan Decker, 11, to operate as subcontractors under his vending license following an impromptu outdoor meeting initiated by Usovicz.

The agreement expires when school starts.

Kefalas' employee, Jarrod Crowley, reported the boys to police Saturday, saying their stand was affecting his business, which also sells lemonade. He said he didn't want the stand closed, just moved farther away.

But without a $2,200 vendor's license, the police were forced to shut it down.

Crowley said he's endured his share of icy stares since the incident.

[Full Story]

Gee, ya think?

Rejected

2005-08-03T15:29:00.000-06:00

Well, I just received my rejection letter regarding the short story submission made nearly two weeks ago. Funny. I am not discouraged, but rather reinvigorated. This little slip of rejection will make a welcome addition to the collage of rejection letters I'll use to matte my first acceptance letter.

Bench Me

2005-07-26T13:15:00.000-06:00

I am not having the greatest track record when it comes to finding movies to watch. I quit BLADE RUNNER after an hour of bleak, drab and overt pessimist paranoia; and you already know how I felt about FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (2004).

So, I turned to a place where you’re always sure to find a good healthy dose of thematic moralism: the sports movie. Namely, COACH CARTER.

What I saw was another frustratingly annoying attempt to preach at me. I subscribe to the Roger Ebert philosophy of film: movies are made to entertain, period. (I can hear the arguments now—what was THE PASSION all about then?)

You know, rather than dive into a long winded rant (one I am finding many people share), let me just direct you here, and say that while CARTER is good basketball with enough moralism to warm your soul, don’t forget: there’s a worm lurking at the bottom of the bottle.

Let the Wait Begin

2005-07-22T22:27:00.000-06:00

I sent off the manuscript this afternoon. It happened with very little fanfare, and it felt a little strange leaving it at the post office. That was really the moment back there. It's really left my hands.

It'll be a few weeks before I get a reply. When I know something, you'll know something, and if they do not accept it, I'll post it here for you to enjoy at least.

Something else occurred today. This marks one year to the day that I began this little blog. Kind of a lot's happened since then, huh?

One Headlight

2005-07-22T08:42:00.000-06:00

Stephen King once considered using this as a title for one of his short story anthologies, because if anything is like driving home with one headlight, it’s writing.

Little did I know that this metaphor would follow me down every course of the journey. As I write this now, I have a 630 word submission ready to deliver to a publisher with the hopes that they will at least find it worthy enough to include in their periodical.

First I was sweating bigger details, like cinching the plot, tightening the narrative, choosing the right words, and so forth. Now, smaller details are making me sweat, like whether or not the address label is formatted correctly (how hard could it be, it’s four lines for crying out loud).

Lawrence Kasdan was right. Writing really is like having homework for the rest of your life. But, it’s my drug of choice.

Scotty Signs Off

2005-07-21T23:18:00.000-06:00

It occurs to me that I have not yet mentioned the passing of James Doohan, which occured early yesterday. He was 85. James Doohan (for those not originally from this planet) portrayed Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott on STAR TREK.

Following in the steps of Gene Roddenberry (the show's creator), and per his request, Doohan's ashes will be sent into space sometime this September.

Another Explosion in London

2005-07-21T06:43:00.000-06:00

Another explosion occurred this morning along the London subway system. Unclear as to the details. Good Morning America just reported that detonators as opposed to actual explosives may be responsible.

Radio Refuses to Bow to Idols

2005-07-19T08:41:00.000-06:00

It appears the debut single for American Idols Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice (as they both recorded the same song) is less than praiseworthy, seeing as how radio is virtually ignoring them.

And before we all speculate that it’s all television-driven pop culture hype, I want to make things real simple for you:

The single just isn’t very good.

My wife, ardent Idol fan that she is, bought the single, and we must have argued for about five minutes about its musical merit. In the end, we both agreed it reeked.

Underwood’s and Bice’s contribution to country and rock respectively is still full of potential. They just need better material. Otherwise, they’re destined to fill the back of the discount rack, like another can of beans, as Billy Joel once so eloquently put it. You know, kind of like the last two idols, whose names I had to look up (and they are Rueben and Fantasia).

Discovery Watch

2005-07-13T06:57:00.000-06:00

UPDATE
Mission delayed due to faulty fuel sensor. No word yet on when they plan to try again.
***
If this works, there should be a gorgeous photo of the space shuttle on launch pad in early sunrise just to the right here. Thank you, Blogger.

Space shuttle Discovery is set to return to space this afternoon. Weather conditions still pose a threat, though the clock is still ticking away. Although the two of the heat resistant panels received damage earlier this week, the panel as since been replaced, and the mission is a go.

God and peace go with you. Launch is currently set for 3:51pm ET.

Elizabethtown

2005-07-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

Stumbled across the trailer for ELIZABETHTOWN over the weekend. Judging by the clips, this is very much a Cameron Crowe film. You know Crowe. He’s the one who gave “show me the money” to Cuba Gooding Jr.

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is fired from his job and dumped by his girl. Mix in one death in the family, add one love interest (Kirsten Dunst), and stir. Serve hot in small town Kentucky.

Yes, at a glance, the film looks a tad bland. But then, so are sports agents. Watch the trailer.

I spotlight this film, for some of it was filmed on location in Versailles, KY, not ten minutes away from where I grew up. The rest of it was filmed in the small Kentucky town for which it is named (and from which I lived about three hours).

ELIZABETHTOWN premieres in October.

Well, Here's Hoping

2005-07-11T22:10:00.000-06:00

I've just submitted another application to another ministry I hope will allow me to take part in their service. It's challenging, and often time consuming, to articulate my statement of belief, or the service which has brought me the most satisfaction in ministry, etc, etc, etc. But, it's finished, and it's now in God's hands.

So, on this, my 100th post, I shall request of my readers something I have not requested before. Please pray for me to find a job.

Thanks.

You, Me, England and God

2005-07-07T22:52:00.000-06:00

Early this morning, England time, terrorists detonated explosives along London’s subway system.

After these weary rush hour travelers stumbled from the smoldering ruin, frightened and bleeding, some of them turned to public transportation above the ground. Nearly an hour after the initial onslaught, the terrorists then blew up a bus.

You know, with the clamor of deadlines, many have already gotten their voice out there to speak about the evils of this attack, and what this means in the overall scope of humanity. I wish my words would wax as eloquent.

In times like this, I feel like my only option is to pray. To pray for those who didn’t go home today; for those who lost someone; for those who are going home and wonder why them and not the next guy. For those evil enough to carry out such plans, that yes, even they may find mercy, because the same grace that covers you and me can still cover them. For those who will try and make light of this day, and for others who will only see it as an opportunity. For help to trust, because my mind lacks enough wisdom to understand any of this.

To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven, huh? You never made it easy for us, did You. But You did promise You’d never leave. That makes a difference, somehow, in that realm of understanding I fail to penetrate. And now, I really do need You to tell to me unsearchable things I do not know.

Return this Phoenix to the Ashes

2005-07-06T23:07:00.000-06:00

Hollywood’s box office draw is lax as of late. What we’re seeing, I believe, is something we’ve been building toward for a while now. Many films coming out of Hollywood offer a worldview that audiences just aren’t buying.

Let’s take FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX for example. This isn’t the 1964 Jimmy Stewart classic, it’s (yet another) remake, made by a Hollywood bent on “updating” the classics. While many view remakes as sacrilegious as colorizing black & white, I think it offers an insightful glimpse into changing contemporary themes. Now, I never saw the original PHOENIX, but I have a couple bones to pick with the remake nonetheless.

An oil drilling station in Mongolia is on the out. Thus, Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid) flies in to ferry the pink-slipped staff to Beijing. Towns is, well, the opposite of good natured. He obviously hates having to come out to the middle of the desert (I mean, really, don’t we all?) but he grits through it, and even opts to fly through a very large sand storm in the hope of shaving a few hours off his flight time. Dumb. Just, dumb.

Anyway, the plane crashes. Suddenly, Towns, as well as the passengers, are faced not only with the isolation and scorching heat of the Mongolian desert, but with their own innate character flaws. And for a while, the plot works. Each character begins to reveal both strength and weakness, and even a little wisdom creeps out to light the way.

One character, a hitchhiking businessman on sabbatical named Elliott (Giovanni Ribisi), discovers a way to get them all home. They can build a new plane out of the old one…from the ashes, as the phoenix flies.

Towns, roughneck as he is, and intent on doing nothing this time seeing how his track record at decision making crashed them in the first place, refuses. One character, a driller named Liddle (Scott Michael Campbell), offers the best wisdom of the film: “I think a man only needs one thing in life. He just needs someone to love. If you can't give him that, then give him something to hope for. And if you can't give him that, just give him something to do.”

As the work proceeds on the plane, the water runs low, and dark sides are revealed. When it’s discovered someone is pilfering the dwindling water supply, Elliott confesses. Since he works while the others sleep, he figures he needs more water. Sound logic, but in word only. His heart is intensely black, sneering at the others’ hatred, proclaiming that he alone is what is keeping them alive, everyone is expendable except for him.

Again, the plot works. Elliot calculatingly manipulates the others, blames Town’s inept intelligence for their plight, and generally portrays himself swimmingly as the slimy villain. And here is where the plot starts to run thin.

Elliot, after killing an injured nomad (they need to preserve their water—I mean, his water—don’t they?), he is definitively portrayed as evil. Doubts quickly arise concerning his new plane’s ability to fly. However, as soon as he’s vindicated, it seems that all is forgotten.

Though the film never really celebrates Elliot’s brand of logic and justice, it does leave its audience with a sense of, well, abandonment. The ending serves a single purpose, it sees its heroes safely out of the desert (oh, come now, you can’t honestly accuse me of giving anything away, can you?). We are left succinctly with the impressions that the characters not only didn’t overcome their flaws, but that this is an OK thing.

Audiences, regardless of age or maturity, are surprisingly attentive in regard to such manipulation. They enjoy consequences. They enjoy resolution. And when a film simply shrugs off the moral frivolity of the world by simply saying, “well, that’s life,” we return the movie to Blockbuster feeling somewhat dejected. We’re not too encouraged to return. We’re looking for heroes. That’s why we flock to see BATMAN, and why films like PHOENIX can’t fly.

Time to leave the wizard on the shelf

2005-07-06T22:02:00.000-06:00

Well, I’ve been on this kick for long enough I should say, having just finished number four in the Harry Potter saga this evening. I’ll start book five sometime later in the summer.

For now, I’m returning to Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Then, I might try to score Ted Dekker’s Circle trilogy.

It’s funny the amount of work one can get done when they’re not consumed with homework. Three scripts written, three books devoured, and there’s more where that came from.

It was bound to happen sooner or later...

2005-07-06T22:01:00.000-06:00

POTUS in a bicycle accident? Now that’s life imitating art. And on his birthday, no less. I was in an accident on my birthday once. Too bad it didn’t amount to just scrapes and bruises.

Belated

2005-07-06T07:18:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems I forgot a birthday a few days ago (actually I was too busy celebrating to post something).

America turned 229 the other day.

And today, George W. Bush is 59.

Happy birthday, best wishes and God bless - our hopes and prayers are with you both.

O’Connor to Retire

2005-07-01T08:54:00.000-06:00

Just across the wire: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor today announced her retirement.

I just might have to start keeping a more watchful eye on SCOTUS, what with some of the more…decisive decisions the court has handed down in recent weeks. I’m anxious to hear more about prospective nominees.

Reflections of the Knight

2005-06-30T13:57:00.000-06:00

Gary D. Robinson has written an insightful review of BATMAN BEGINS, highlighting a theme the writers wisely chose to exemplify in this incarnation of the Dark Knight, rather than bury: the heart of the father.

Give me my name!

2005-06-29T14:17:00.000-06:00

In what I think has been a steady attack of conscience recently, I am changing the name by which I sign these little posts. Seeing as how, career wise, I am not freelancing as anything (although I hope see that change here in the next month or two), the name "Freelancer" just doesn't seem, I don't know, real.

So, as I did back when I was video game junky, "TAJ" will fill that tiny void that comes after "posted by."

Abyssinia . (I hope I spelled that right)

There's freaks, there's geeks...

2005-06-29T13:55:00.000-06:00

...and then there's this:

In his maiden speech to the House of Commons, the Hon. Member for Copeland, Jamie Reed MP, announced that he is a Jedi: "as the first Jedi Member of this place, I look forward to the protection under the law that will be provided to me by the Bill" (the quotation is a fair way down the page; search for 'Jedi,' not surprisingly).

Somebody please tell me this is a hoax.

H/T: Slashdot.

Freedom Tower

2005-06-29T09:53:00.000-06:00

Ever since 9/11, I’ve thought, perhaps naïvely so, that when we do finally rebuild, we ought to simply restore what was there before – the Twin Towers.

However, I’ve begun to rethink this after a friend of mine returned from ground zero last week. I can’t really explain my sudden change of mind—maybe it had something to do with the pictures he showed me—but, I’m starting to warm up to Freedom Tower.

Six days into summer...

2005-06-27T13:54:00.000-06:00

...and I am well on my way. In media consumption, that is. My Oregonian hiatus provided ample opportunities for reading and film viewing, so I’ve decided to start a tally at the right for those books read and movies viewed this summer.

First on the shelf, much to the chagrin of many, I am sure, is book two of the Harry Potter saga.

Yes, I finally caved.

I decided to ignore, finally, the begotten woes lamented by so many of my brothers and sisters, and decide for myself how dangerous J. K. Rowling’s wizard chronicle really is. And the verdict so far? Mostly harmless.

Author J. K. Rowling’s brand of wizardry more closely resembles George Lucas’s Force. And while many bemoan the Jedi as much as they do Hogwarts, both offer many favorable aspects as well.

With the Chamber of Secrets closed, I am now making my way through Azkaban, and hope to have the Goblet of Fire finished by the time the movie premieres. My time is short here, so further comments will have to wait for later. Until then, may the force be with you.

UPDATE - 06.28.05

More Potter Apologetics.

Enjoy.

A Problem Regarding Schiavo

2005-06-19T09:33:00.000-06:00

Yes, I was lured into the right-thinking debate surrounding the Terri Schiavo controversy. Yes, I feel what happened to her is terrible, and that her husband’s actions were questionable at best. What I do not understand is why we will not let this rest.

Jeb Bush is now engaged in a rhetoric war with the Times, and in such a battle there can be no victor. Schiavo has become a poster child for Christian activism that calls fire down upon the culture of death, seeking to expose its moral evils. And yes, it is a fight that needs fighting. So, lets be honest about a few things.

The first disagreement I have with every right-thinking pundit and editorialist I’ve read is this wanton anger aimed at the courts. While we were outraged at the court’s decision to honor Michael Schiavo’s request to remove the feeding tube, we never once complemented the courts in upholding the sanctity of marriage in this case.

We can debate the morally questionable acts of Michael Schiavo until we’ve cured the common cold. It doesn’t alter in the least the fact that he was still her husband under the eyes of the law.

We criticize the courts for legalizing gay marriage and accuse them of blatant activism, but in an instance where the courts actually uphold the marital rights of the husband, we create tightly-wound catch phrases like “court sanctioned murder.” Suddenly, we’re ready to stone any judicially clad figure standing on the other side of the line we’ve so angrily drawn in the sand.

We have to first maintain and encourage what is right with the system before we go about dismantling what is wrong. To act with any lesser degree of candor means subverting the very virtues we claim to espouse.

The Praying Mantis

2005-06-09T18:52:00.000-06:00

Reading today brought me to an encounter with the praying mantis. It didn’t happen in the physical world, it only alighted to me from the pages of the text, telling me that the female praying mantis will commonly, “mate with and devour up to seven males, whether she has laid her egg cases or not” (Dillard 57).

It is strange wonder to me how this ever came into being in the created order. So, I wonder, what part of His divinity was God trying to express in this creation?

It ought to come as no surprise that life invariably is associated with death. It is more than just a dualistic conflict; the two very often work hand in hand. The only way for the world to fill itself with more skittering little praying mantises is for more of the males to die. The males cannot help it; their nature compels them.

Compulsion is a dangerous thing. Though every animal shares its urges, we who regard ourselves members of humanity have a choice whether or not to follow its whims. I read a heartbreaking editorial by Chuck Colson today that tells of the dangers of compulsion. After reading it, I wonder if compulsion is merely, more often than not, a clever disguise for fear.

What is it we fear, or what is it that we hide? Do we fear being devoured by a mate, a friend, a trusted mentor? The world is dangerous, a curious blend of beauty and cruelty. The question remains, how do we respond? We can stay shut indoors, the blankets pulled up to our chins tightly. Or, we can venture out, live among the woods, the plains, the desert.

Sometimes I wonder if we, as Christians, share more in common with those folks we met in THE VILLAGE last summer. Do we just hide ourselves away in solitude, creating a universe of our own, tucked quietly away, forgotten and alone? Sooner or later, something will breach those walls we’ve built so meticulous and strong. We cannot hide forever. The world comes crashing in, and it comes from all sides.

WORK CITED
Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.

Finally...

2005-06-06T12:39:00.000-06:00

…someone is taking notice.

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court launched a formal investigation on Monday into suspected crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region.

The Reuters article also contains a short list of key facts surrounding the Darfur genocide

(H/T: WorldMagBlog)

Ah, the gentle musings of a fellow writer in the wings

2005-06-01T10:32:00.000-06:00

Bill Wallo is an intellectual I first discovered after submitting a posting to one of the Christian Carnivals he hosted. I had become a loiterer around his blog, the aptly named Wallo World, and he’s now a regular read.

Bill, as it turns out, is also an aspiring screenwriter, and you’ll find samples of his writing on his site. I’m no authority, but his writing is clean, taut, and above all, readable (not to mention enjoyable;-). The blog offers further cultural perspective similar to what I’m aiming for here, so, naturally, I am compelled to encourage.

Welcome to the roll, Bill.

Deep Throat Revealed?

2005-05-31T12:42:00.000-06:00

I don’t buy it, at least not until “Woodstein” says so.

***

UPDATE 06.01.05: It appears I am eating my words.

The Washington Post confirmed late Tuesday that W. Mark Felt, then the No. 2 official at the FBI, was their source. The Post's announcement followed release of a story in the July issue of Vanity Fair magazine that reported Felt's role.

Commencement

2005-05-29T08:03:00.000-06:00

As grace brought me here four years ago, it is grace that will lead me onward.

The candle is lit, the course is set, and I go now to light the world.

Patriotism and Freedom, and the fulcrum in between

2005-05-26T09:09:00.000-06:00

A Washington state librarian was forced recently to choose between maintaining the privacy rights of her patrons, and sacrificing those rights to aid the fight against terrorism, after the FBI requested patron records regarding a biography of Osama bin Laden.

The library trustees[...]had to balance privacy rights with its desire to help the government fight terrorism. It decided to fight the subpoena in court, and 15 days later the FBI dropped its demand.

This raises some interesting questions concerning the balance between freedom and power. No one wants another terrorist incursion on American soil, and no one wants to sacrifice their civil liberties either. A bend in either direction threatens to weaken the integrity of the concept of freedom.

I suppose that, in times of great moral and social crises, it is necessary to sacrifice some freedom in order to allow those with authority to return balance to the conflict. This then begs the question, where do we draw the line? In time, we might suffer the overwhelming recourse of becoming the very thing we sought to defeat. It is wise to tread such slopes with caution.

I believe they took the proper measure here, this time. We’re a little early in the ballgame to address prescribing a blanket order to every such federal request, though it does mean that day is approaching. For now, we can only hope those faced with such a decision can discern for themselves the proper course of action.

Preparing to Move On

2005-05-25T09:56:00.000-06:00

Graduation is four days away. I’m attending my final class session tonight where I will (hopefully) turn in four reading reports, and observe two groups as they host a 40 minute worship program. After that, things will begin to change. I’ve been a student for six years. From one perspective, the only thing that’ll change tomorrow is that I’ll be out of the classroom. The learning will continue (and I got a lot to do).

At another angle, however, it means coming to the realization that what was only a blip on the radar screen four years ago is now just down the road. For years I’ve dreamed of becoming a writer. It wasn’t ‘til last year that I actually got serious about it, quit daydreaming, picked up my pen and declared myself ready to write. And I am learning that Milton got it right (at least I think it was Milton), that long is the way and hard that out of hell leads up to light. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Few writers actually achieve rainmaker status; among them are J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, Tom Clancy and John Grisham. Most others, however, begin, as one author so eloquently put it, as turkey carcass writers. We write for an editor whose chief concern is the space on the page. But he / she has to like your writing first, and that’s where it gets a little tough.

So, I’ll be starting small. It’s been a fun six years, and I think I’ve finally gotten over myself enough to admit that I don’t know everything. I am griped in the Master’s hands, and He stands ready to swing. I look forward to seeing how far the ball flies—if it clears the mound I’ll be happy.

Take it out to the schoolyard...

2005-05-24T08:45:00.000-06:00

Been reading about the late night coup by McCain & Co. USA Today’s print edition this morning reads (sorry, no link),

The compromise agreement was hammered out over days of negotiations by a group that included some of the Senate’s most senior and most junior members. It guarantees confirmation of at least three Bush appointees but lets Democrats continue to block two others.

You know, this reads more like bunch of middle school nerds facing off against the bullies and saying, “OK, we’ll give you half of our lunch money, and you can only beat up two of us.” I weep for both sides.