I have been spending a good amount of time dealing with/ thinking of what “The Gospel in Culture” looks like – I have done the “Run for the hills, the heathen horde is coming!/ God loves us based on our actions/ Legalism thing,” as well as the “Hey I read Blue Like Jazz and Velvet Elvis, I have a tattoo about freedom, and I smoke cigarettes so my eyes are sooooo open…in fact, much more than yours are.” It seems that until people are so often very elaborate pendulums. I have found that there is a lot of value in the idea of protection and wisdom, as well as value in the life outside the “safe” bubble, and there is enough grace and strength to live life in both of those arenas.
Jesus actually prays that we would stay in the world. If God talks to God about something, it’s usually really important. And the only way to slow/stop that pendulum swing is to grasp at the feet of Jesus and pray that He gives you the daily grace and mercy to understand how the Gospel works itself out in our lives. Don’t run to the hills; don’t abandon all rules and authority – stay close to Jesus.
Having said that, these are my thoughts on I Am Legend -
I love that movie.
I am generally startled very easily, but very rarely scared.
Since it was second time I went to go see I Am Legend, I did not have to worry so much about the “BOO I AM A DEAD PERSON...well kind of…but anyways BOO!” parts, and I got to really look at the message the movie had to offer.
For those of you that have not seen the movie, I will ruin it, and I understand if you don’t read on. Ryan, since the last movie you saw in theaters was the 2nd Pirates of the Caribbean, read on my friend.
This is easiest if I just write an account of the movie and let it be what it is.
1.The world has a problem – cancer.
2.That problem is “solved” by a miracle cure (a mutated virus).
3.That cure actually becomes a horrible killer; I believe the stats in the movie are a 95% instant kill rate, 1% immunity, which leaves 4% of humans to eat the rest.
4.Robert Neville (Smith) has the responsibility of solving this issue, which sets him up to be the true savior of the movie. At one point he closes his refrigerator and on the front there is a Time Magazine front cover with the headline “Savior?” which he has clearly drawn a question mark after.
5.Robert makes some poor choices, which leave him needing to be saved, and when he is the first thing he sees is a cross.
6.Robert says “God hasn’t done this, we have”
7.Robert enthusiastically says that there is no God.
8.Robert must hide in the basement with his newfound lady friend and her son.
9.Robert literally takes the blood of a victim that he has cured, gives it to two people who go in a dark whole only to come out at dawn and give the cure to people to save the world. Before he does this he says he is finally listening to God.
Its funny, I left that theater thinking, “Huh, Christ is the true and better Robert Neville.”
1.There is a problem much worse that cancer.
2.That problem has been examined by every single (able) person ever to live.
3.There have been endless proposals of solutions.
4.Christ went to the garden and prayed that God would do it another way, but that he was ready to sacrifice himself.
5.Christ never needed to be saved.
6.Christ not only gives us a “second chance” to a medical problem, He doesn’t just wipe our slate clean, but removes it altogether on a cross and offers us his life, death, and resurrection to stand before God.
"Can you imagine if there was a question mark after Jesus said - 'It is finished.'"
-Ray
Anyways, great movie, those were some of my thoughts.
d
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Mostly for the Burns
Updates -
1. I work a lot now
2. I am growing my beard until I get told it has to go by Starbucks
3. For Ryan - I now drink black coffee
4. I dont blog much
5. I miss the Burns
Oh, and the screen on my phone is broken, hence..very few outbound calls
d
1. I work a lot now
2. I am growing my beard until I get told it has to go by Starbucks
3. For Ryan - I now drink black coffee
4. I dont blog much
5. I miss the Burns
Oh, and the screen on my phone is broken, hence..very few outbound calls
d
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
European Car
Today Colin Dave and I were driving down Monument Ave when we saw a police officer.
Dave, "Cop."
Colin, "Thanks bud."
Dave, "Sure thing, how fast were you going anyways...whoa does that say 50?"
Colin, "Yea...but it is in kilometers per hour."
At this you can imagine how bad Dave and I laughed.
Dave, "You know they can change that back right?"
Colin, "Yea, but I really like the feeling of going 140 on the freeway."
d
Dave, "Cop."
Colin, "Thanks bud."
Dave, "Sure thing, how fast were you going anyways...whoa does that say 50?"
Colin, "Yea...but it is in kilometers per hour."
At this you can imagine how bad Dave and I laughed.
Dave, "You know they can change that back right?"
Colin, "Yea, but I really like the feeling of going 140 on the freeway."
d
Sunday, January 13, 2008
3:10 To Yuma (see post)
Last night I had an experience that was hilarious, and at the same time odd enough that once, maybe twice in a lifetime would probably be enough. My little (bigger) brother was in town, and after we opted not to go to the Byrd, we decided on renting 3:10 to Yuma (see title). It was a pretty good movie, your average modern western - lots of shooting, lots of missing, fairly ridiculous outfits, and people eating with very dull looking silverware. Anyways, seeing as my house has no dvd player, and neither does Sarah, we ended up on her couch watching the movie on her fancy Macbook pro (note the bitterness). About 1/2 way into the movie I start to see my lady on my left start to drift, and soon after Jordan on my right started to twitch as he fell asleep. Soon after Jordan was definitely gone.
I turned to Sarah and pointed at J, we laughed, and 10 minuets later she was snoozin too. So I finished the movie in between two twitching people. It was pretty great.
On a sentimental note, it was really cool to get to sit in between my old family and my new one. It was cool to get to see the connections that are being built between our families. I Love it.
d
I turned to Sarah and pointed at J, we laughed, and 10 minuets later she was snoozin too. So I finished the movie in between two twitching people. It was pretty great.
On a sentimental note, it was really cool to get to sit in between my old family and my new one. It was cool to get to see the connections that are being built between our families. I Love it.
d
Friday, January 11, 2008
Two Quotes
This may be my favorite post so far.
1. We were watching tv and Sarah asks..."Are you fatter than a fifth grader? Now that would be a great show. Yes, and 15 years older as well." It just made me smile, and also impressed me that Sarah was apparently 5 years old in 5th grade.
2. As we finish going through the book of John, Sarah asks, "What did Jesus do for three days?" This question led to a discussion of what God really requires/what it looks like for sin to be paid for. Clearly Christ is our full and final payment, but what does it look like to have our sin crushed in Jesus Christ. Anyways, it was great.
Those two quotes within two hours of each other.
holiday pounds have set back my race with Colin, so back to the gym it is.
d
1. We were watching tv and Sarah asks..."Are you fatter than a fifth grader? Now that would be a great show. Yes, and 15 years older as well." It just made me smile, and also impressed me that Sarah was apparently 5 years old in 5th grade.
2. As we finish going through the book of John, Sarah asks, "What did Jesus do for three days?" This question led to a discussion of what God really requires/what it looks like for sin to be paid for. Clearly Christ is our full and final payment, but what does it look like to have our sin crushed in Jesus Christ. Anyways, it was great.
Those two quotes within two hours of each other.
holiday pounds have set back my race with Colin, so back to the gym it is.
d
Monday, January 7, 2008
Green Coat
Todays riddle - What do my green rain jacket and my braces from middle school have in common?
Answer - they are gone. Oh and they were both green...sometimes...
Heres the catch, I really miss my jacket.
Answer - they are gone. Oh and they were both green...sometimes...
Heres the catch, I really miss my jacket.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Jesus died.
As we were going through John 14 tonight something struck me - we often gauge our suffering based on something so much less than what Christ new the disciples were going to face. This chapter begins and ends with Christ saying - "Let not your hearts be troubled." This begs the question, "Why would our hearts be troubled Jesus?" They are clearly sitting around the table asking questions about where Jesus was going, what he was doing, and he is very frank on the fact that they are not getting it, perhaps most clearly when he says in v29 that he is telling them these things so that later they will believe.
Perhaps all this is to you, like it was to me - just the beginning of a really bad week for Jesus.
But then these verses came alive with the blood of the Gospel - "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live."
I often read this from the standpoint of knowing the end of the story. "Yea yea Jesus, they get it, you will die, and you will return." That is such a terrible look at what is happening. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, the Author of life, God - is telling his friends, friends that have traveled with him for three years, are very committed to him, and are dear to him - that he will not leave them orphaned. He is not talking about the second coming here - he is talking about those three dark days that he was in the ground.
One.
Two.
Three.
Three days he was gone, and not expected to return. But then, PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW - HE RETURNS.
He comes back. He visits them before he goes to heaven. They see this and they do in fact believe.
Because he lives we too may live. Paul tells us that "...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
Jesus actually died. It is so easy to see life, death, and resurrection in such a sequential and single dimensional aspect but think about the disciples. Jesus was a real person, who lived in a real place, who suffered a very real death.
Oh to Grace how great a debtor -
d
Perhaps all this is to you, like it was to me - just the beginning of a really bad week for Jesus.
But then these verses came alive with the blood of the Gospel - "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live."
I often read this from the standpoint of knowing the end of the story. "Yea yea Jesus, they get it, you will die, and you will return." That is such a terrible look at what is happening. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, the Author of life, God - is telling his friends, friends that have traveled with him for three years, are very committed to him, and are dear to him - that he will not leave them orphaned. He is not talking about the second coming here - he is talking about those three dark days that he was in the ground.
One.
Two.
Three.
Three days he was gone, and not expected to return. But then, PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW - HE RETURNS.
He comes back. He visits them before he goes to heaven. They see this and they do in fact believe.
Because he lives we too may live. Paul tells us that "...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
Jesus actually died. It is so easy to see life, death, and resurrection in such a sequential and single dimensional aspect but think about the disciples. Jesus was a real person, who lived in a real place, who suffered a very real death.
Oh to Grace how great a debtor -
d
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