[As I said yesterday... some spoiler today, if you are a movie purist :)]
No one is beyond hope, or beyond temptation.
I think this is one of those lessons that strangely gets harder to remember the longer one has been a Christian. After years of striving to live holy and putting a good effort into cleaning up our lives it is only natural to believe that we are just a touch above the average citizen. There really is no question that we are above the trouble makers and criminals.
One of the culminating scenes in The Dark Knight occurs when the Joker has stranded two sets of people on two ferries. Each ferry basically gets the choice of a) Blow up the other ferry before they blow you up, or b) Hope you don't get blown up before midnight... and then get blown up by the Joker. On each ferry there is a guardian holding the detonator that will (supposedly) blow up the other boat and save everyone on their own ferry. It was quite interesting to see how the writers played this story out, having a criminal step up and do something quite heroic while the "good" people voted... deciding to kill 450 other people. One caveat is that one boat was filled with criminals while the other was filled with normal citizens. Of course the boat with criminals also had police and military personnel, but apparently they did not factor in when the voting took place on the Citizen boat.
It was a moving moment when I saw it on the screen. It became even more poignant when I walked outside. You see, when we arrived at the movie theatre there was a small crowd of people that looked mostly like me... couples going to see a movie. When I left the theatre I was immediately surrounded by people who seemed to range from 12 - 17 and could only be characterized as thugs. I mean, what else do you call a 14 year old kid standing in your way as you are trying to exit a movie theatre? It was interesting to me how quickly I assumed that this mass of youth somehow wanted to harm me, or at least would take advantage if any opportunity arose. I wondered, "What if they were on a boat and I had the choice of blowing them up or trusting that they would die before blowing me up?" I think that any honest person would think, "We have to get them before they get us! You cannot trust those kids!"
I am not trying to argue for the rights of young people to congregate late at night and... loiter. But, I am trying to argue against my natural inclination to assume that I am the good person in the group and "they" (whoever they may be) are the bad persons. The truth is that given the right circumstances I can still be tempted by evil as much as any man, and it will do my heart and soul good to remember that when I have the chance to offer grace and forgiveness to my fellow man. There is one, often painful, side effect to this way of thinking... and that will be our final lesson revealed tomorrow.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Batman: Dark Knight - Part 3
[Obligatory Spoiler alert. If you care about every small detail being revealed when you see the movie and not before, then you may want to stop reading. Honestly, though... the big spoiler is coming tomorrow... so see the movie already!]
There are good people in this world; and we are not them.
I read a book by Donald Miller not too long ago called Blue Like Jazz. Honestly I did not like it at first, but I suppose it grew on me. One of the things that I often remember is his story about spending a month in the woods with pot-smoking hippies. Though he may not have agreed with all of their life choices or spiritual positions, they were the most loving, accepting, caring people he had met in his life... and he grew up going to church. It was a reminder that God created this world, and He is still present in many parts of it that we don't see or understand. Because of that we can expect to find good in this world even when we travel outside of our churches... and perhaps even because we have travelled outside our churches.
It is so easy to see the rest of the world as evil and me as good, but the fact is that without God I would have royally screwed up my life by now, and it is only by His grace that my current attempts are failing. One of the redeeming story lines throughout this latest Batman movie was that there are still good people in this world; people who will choose to do the hard thing, not just the popular thing; people who will sacrifice themselves for the good of their community. it amazes me that some of these people do not call themselves Christians. It saddens me that some people who call themselves Christian are not willing to make the same sacrifices. It convicts me when God reveals that same selfish restraint in my own heart.
There are good people in this world; and we are not them.
I read a book by Donald Miller not too long ago called Blue Like Jazz. Honestly I did not like it at first, but I suppose it grew on me. One of the things that I often remember is his story about spending a month in the woods with pot-smoking hippies. Though he may not have agreed with all of their life choices or spiritual positions, they were the most loving, accepting, caring people he had met in his life... and he grew up going to church. It was a reminder that God created this world, and He is still present in many parts of it that we don't see or understand. Because of that we can expect to find good in this world even when we travel outside of our churches... and perhaps even because we have travelled outside our churches.
It is so easy to see the rest of the world as evil and me as good, but the fact is that without God I would have royally screwed up my life by now, and it is only by His grace that my current attempts are failing. One of the redeeming story lines throughout this latest Batman movie was that there are still good people in this world; people who will choose to do the hard thing, not just the popular thing; people who will sacrifice themselves for the good of their community. it amazes me that some of these people do not call themselves Christians. It saddens me that some people who call themselves Christian are not willing to make the same sacrifices. It convicts me when God reveals that same selfish restraint in my own heart.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Batman: Dark Knight - Part 2
We accept things that stick to the plan.
This is one of the quotes that stuck to me in the movie, and it became more interesting because the movie itself is proving the point. This movie is true to its title in that it portrays a dark world. People die. Bad things happen. But, they skate the line in such a way that people will go back and watch the movie again. Because of the huge Box Office numbers people are beginning to compare this movie to the Titanic. That is another movie that somehow told a tragic tale but wove in a story of hope and triumph. Batman does the same to a degree, but the biggest thing they do is to stick to the "rules" of what is acceptable for most people. For example, it is generally ok for people to die in a movie. Bad people can die and we don't mind. Even the occasional good person can die if it really helps bring a dramatic flair to the movie. But, if you have senseless death, or the death of children in particular... well you will see your movie drop in the Box Office because people just don't generally enjoy that, and they often won't watch it more than once.
So, at this point you might be thinking, "That is slightly interesting and completely irrelevant to my life." Let us bring it home. When I start thinking about the "plan" that I live with, it can be a bit unnerving. I live everyday with the fact that about 30,000 children will die due to causes that are completely curable. I know that people's homes get broken into, or burned down, or blown away in storms. But, it does not really become "real" to me until my house (or the house of someone I really care about) gets broken into, burned down, or blown away. This reveals my own self-centerdness, and the fact that I am willing to let other people's lives crumble and fall as long as my own world stays safe and secure.
God is very different. Scripture tells us that He lives in true safety and security, and yet He was willing to let His own world fall apart in order to come and heal my mess. He invited pain and loss into Himself in order to join me in the midst of my tragedy. And, He never stops giving of Himself until He has redeemed me and brought me back into the world He planned for me. I think that MY acceptable plan and GOD'S acceptable plan are likely very, very different.
This is one of the quotes that stuck to me in the movie, and it became more interesting because the movie itself is proving the point. This movie is true to its title in that it portrays a dark world. People die. Bad things happen. But, they skate the line in such a way that people will go back and watch the movie again. Because of the huge Box Office numbers people are beginning to compare this movie to the Titanic. That is another movie that somehow told a tragic tale but wove in a story of hope and triumph. Batman does the same to a degree, but the biggest thing they do is to stick to the "rules" of what is acceptable for most people. For example, it is generally ok for people to die in a movie. Bad people can die and we don't mind. Even the occasional good person can die if it really helps bring a dramatic flair to the movie. But, if you have senseless death, or the death of children in particular... well you will see your movie drop in the Box Office because people just don't generally enjoy that, and they often won't watch it more than once.
So, at this point you might be thinking, "That is slightly interesting and completely irrelevant to my life." Let us bring it home. When I start thinking about the "plan" that I live with, it can be a bit unnerving. I live everyday with the fact that about 30,000 children will die due to causes that are completely curable. I know that people's homes get broken into, or burned down, or blown away in storms. But, it does not really become "real" to me until my house (or the house of someone I really care about) gets broken into, burned down, or blown away. This reveals my own self-centerdness, and the fact that I am willing to let other people's lives crumble and fall as long as my own world stays safe and secure.
God is very different. Scripture tells us that He lives in true safety and security, and yet He was willing to let His own world fall apart in order to come and heal my mess. He invited pain and loss into Himself in order to join me in the midst of my tragedy. And, He never stops giving of Himself until He has redeemed me and brought me back into the world He planned for me. I think that MY acceptable plan and GOD'S acceptable plan are likely very, very different.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Batman: Dark Knight - Part 1
Disappearing Pencils are creepy.
This will start a 5-part series on things we can learn from the new Batman movie. I will try my best not to add any spoilers, but for those of you who can read between the lines, well you might want to stop reading now if you don't like spoilers :).
This first lesson has to do with the Joker. I am sure by now you have heard all kinds of stories about Heath Ledger's performance here, and you can believe any of the ones that say it was outstanding. I have not seen many of his films, but it is clear this man had a certain gift that not everyone has. In this role he also gives us one of the best illustrations of our spiritual enemy that I have seen. I know we don't often talk about Satan, and in truth I don't think we need to speak of him all that often. But, it is good to be reminded of our enemy and how he operates every so often. One thing that we will see is that he loves to be your friend... right up until he kills you.
Even better he enjoys watching people as they kill each other; basically doing his work for him. It is pretty scary to think how easily we can be divided against each other... and by "we" I am talking about the human race. As Christians that should be how we should view the world. You have God on one side, Satan and all the non-God angels on the other, and Us in the middle. But, we do not often look at it that way. Even though Scripture itself tells us that we are not waging a war against flesh and blood, it is always just a bit easier to see other humans as our enemy. That scary-looking guy I pass on the street late at night is not a teammate; he is a possible rival, or even an enemy.
We have enough enemies in this life without creating new ones unnecessarily. Sure there are humans who have given themselves over to evil... and perhaps their destiny is sealed. But, let us remember who our real enemy is and who the world's redeemer is, and let us focus our energy on bringing as many of Us out of darkness and into light as we can.
This will start a 5-part series on things we can learn from the new Batman movie. I will try my best not to add any spoilers, but for those of you who can read between the lines, well you might want to stop reading now if you don't like spoilers :).
This first lesson has to do with the Joker. I am sure by now you have heard all kinds of stories about Heath Ledger's performance here, and you can believe any of the ones that say it was outstanding. I have not seen many of his films, but it is clear this man had a certain gift that not everyone has. In this role he also gives us one of the best illustrations of our spiritual enemy that I have seen. I know we don't often talk about Satan, and in truth I don't think we need to speak of him all that often. But, it is good to be reminded of our enemy and how he operates every so often. One thing that we will see is that he loves to be your friend... right up until he kills you.
Even better he enjoys watching people as they kill each other; basically doing his work for him. It is pretty scary to think how easily we can be divided against each other... and by "we" I am talking about the human race. As Christians that should be how we should view the world. You have God on one side, Satan and all the non-God angels on the other, and Us in the middle. But, we do not often look at it that way. Even though Scripture itself tells us that we are not waging a war against flesh and blood, it is always just a bit easier to see other humans as our enemy. That scary-looking guy I pass on the street late at night is not a teammate; he is a possible rival, or even an enemy.
We have enough enemies in this life without creating new ones unnecessarily. Sure there are humans who have given themselves over to evil... and perhaps their destiny is sealed. But, let us remember who our real enemy is and who the world's redeemer is, and let us focus our energy on bringing as many of Us out of darkness and into light as we can.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Now with Subscriptions!
I heard your cries faithful readers! I also finally figured out how to add the RSS link to my blog. I still have not figured out how to USE an RSS link on other people's blogs. I have clicked the button many times, I even see a "RSS" list in my hotmail that is like 300 entries long. But, I don't get an email reminder or anything... they just sit in their own folder that I forget to check.
In any case, the two readers who asked for this can now rest assured that they will not miss a single post (or comment if you want!).
It is always nice to know that there are readers out there, but honestly I do most of this blogging more for myself than anyone else. Constant writing is a good way to keep my mind working, and it is also a good way to remember what God is doing in and around me on a consistent basis. This is really not so different from the journaling all of us have done off-and-on throughout life... it is just a journal that many people can read if they want to.
That said, please keep reading so that I do not feel like I am just talking to myself. And, if you ever have the strange desire to know what I think about a particular issue please feel free to comment on it or send me an email. As you can see the things that pass through my mind are wondrous and varied... so there are not many topics I consider "off limits". There are food combinations I consider off-limits... but that is a possible topic for another blog!
In any case, the two readers who asked for this can now rest assured that they will not miss a single post (or comment if you want!).
It is always nice to know that there are readers out there, but honestly I do most of this blogging more for myself than anyone else. Constant writing is a good way to keep my mind working, and it is also a good way to remember what God is doing in and around me on a consistent basis. This is really not so different from the journaling all of us have done off-and-on throughout life... it is just a journal that many people can read if they want to.
That said, please keep reading so that I do not feel like I am just talking to myself. And, if you ever have the strange desire to know what I think about a particular issue please feel free to comment on it or send me an email. As you can see the things that pass through my mind are wondrous and varied... so there are not many topics I consider "off limits". There are food combinations I consider off-limits... but that is a possible topic for another blog!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Dark Days
I learned today that a close friend and his family will be going through some dark days. There is no way out, there is no immediate comfort, and this will be a life-changing time. In the midst of this I find myself facing another "both / and" realization. People always ask, "Did God do this?", or "Did this just happen?" If I confess that God made all that we see then at some point I have to say that Yes, God did this. And, if I believe that God created man with choice, and so not long after that creation sin and death entered the world, then I can say that Yes, this did just happen. But, even more than the darkness, what about my response to it?
Can I be fearful and faithful? Can I be angry and accepting? Can God's light be revealed through the darkness that consumes my thoughts? The words, "God is always in control; He always has a plan" do not hold much comfort when all the world is crashing down. And yet, they remain true. God is not loving because of my circumstances, God is loving regardless of them. And, God does not love me because of how I respond, God simply loves me. So, yes, I believe that I can demonstrate fear and faith, anger and acceptance, and even a trial so dark that it threatens to consume me can be used to shed God's light in my life and this world.
I will share more details in the coming months, but for now please pray for my friends, and for those in your own life who must face the darkness... that they would know they do not face it alone!
Can I be fearful and faithful? Can I be angry and accepting? Can God's light be revealed through the darkness that consumes my thoughts? The words, "God is always in control; He always has a plan" do not hold much comfort when all the world is crashing down. And yet, they remain true. God is not loving because of my circumstances, God is loving regardless of them. And, God does not love me because of how I respond, God simply loves me. So, yes, I believe that I can demonstrate fear and faith, anger and acceptance, and even a trial so dark that it threatens to consume me can be used to shed God's light in my life and this world.
I will share more details in the coming months, but for now please pray for my friends, and for those in your own life who must face the darkness... that they would know they do not face it alone!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Looooooong Middle
I am not a runner, and I won't claim to be one. But, I have run a 10k (6.2 miles). Once. Illegally, but that is a different story. Actually the whole thing is an interesting story, but I try not to be too interesting on this blog so I will save it for another day.
The point I was trying to get to is that there is this part in a run I think of as that loooooong middle part. It is exciting when you start the race and everyone is cheering and thinking about how awesome it is going to be. It is also exciting to see the finish line at the end of the race and realize that you are almost done. But, there is also this time in the middle where you are just running. One foot in front of the other, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. You have a goal, you know there is a destination. You may not be able to see it, but you know it is there and that if you stay faithful to keep putting one foot in front of the other that you will GET there. But, sometimes that long middle part can be tough to go through.
It is during these times that I find it very helpful to think about my history. During the times when I begin questioning the plans God has for my present I try to think about the way He has revealed His plans for me in the past. As I look backwards I am reminded of God's faithfulness, His goodness, and His ability to always get it right. That helps me to trust that He is still faithful, He is still good, and if I will only trust Him... He will get it right this time too.
One thing about the loooooong middle. If you are not there right now, you will be soon. You cannot be a part of an epic adventure without a long middle part. So, when you find yourself in one again, take time to look back and let it build your faith again as you keep running forward.
The point I was trying to get to is that there is this part in a run I think of as that loooooong middle part. It is exciting when you start the race and everyone is cheering and thinking about how awesome it is going to be. It is also exciting to see the finish line at the end of the race and realize that you are almost done. But, there is also this time in the middle where you are just running. One foot in front of the other, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. You have a goal, you know there is a destination. You may not be able to see it, but you know it is there and that if you stay faithful to keep putting one foot in front of the other that you will GET there. But, sometimes that long middle part can be tough to go through.
It is during these times that I find it very helpful to think about my history. During the times when I begin questioning the plans God has for my present I try to think about the way He has revealed His plans for me in the past. As I look backwards I am reminded of God's faithfulness, His goodness, and His ability to always get it right. That helps me to trust that He is still faithful, He is still good, and if I will only trust Him... He will get it right this time too.
One thing about the loooooong middle. If you are not there right now, you will be soon. You cannot be a part of an epic adventure without a long middle part. So, when you find yourself in one again, take time to look back and let it build your faith again as you keep running forward.
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