Saturday, March 8, 2008

Culture Pt. 1- I Am Legend

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

Monday, March 3, 2008

Trying to blog more...

I...am...tryi..ng...to...


nope, just couldnt get it out.


d

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