Let (us) Be

Interesting days we are living in...

I find myself spending a lot of time talking about things like the economy, the social and political climate and, of course, how we as Christians might think about all of this. While I am happy to do so (and feel free to send questions and comments, BTW), I am also mindful to be cautious. One of the most needful and least appreciated aspect of the Christian (human?) life is peace and peace of mind. While many people seem anxiously focused on what to do, I sense that a great many others long simply to be.

The point is not necessarily idleness. It is rather a healthy gratitude and fascination with life itself. In honor of this, I am going to resist the urge to blog on about this that and the other. Instead, I thought I would offer some resources that might help us re-appreciate simply being. I am shooting for stuff you have probably not seen, heard or discovered yet.

Films:

"Henry Poole is Here" (Drama) Luke Wilson has done some amazing work--most of it disguised by the unassuming approach he often takes. This film is powerful. Bring tissue.

"Moneyball" (Drama) What? This movie is still in theaters! Ah, but have you seen it? I understand the book is very good as well... What they did with the film is an important reminder that courage is sometimes a thankless virtue. It also makes a subtly hopeful statement about family.

"Joe vs. the Volcano" (Comedy) When I first came to Saint Francis, I hung two posters in my office. This was one of them. It was confusing to a lot of people... So is the Gospel.

"A Life Less Ordinary" (Comedy) Probably a strange choice given the amount of violence and overall stress in the film. However, watching the characters traverse the challenges of their situations reminds us how hungry we are just to be. And, in the process, the film also points toward grace. Can it be that in the midst of our seemingly impossible stories, God really is trying to work out some good?

"Desert Blue" (Drama/Comedy) Perhaps my favorite example of "you have probably never heard seen this." The story is set in an extremely tiny desert town and centers around the lives of young people. Remember when friendship was the only thing that really mattered?

"Interstate 60" (Comedy) Another example you have almost certainly never seen. Beware though, this film does not shy away from profanity. The opening scene involves a post-Parkinson's Michael J. Fox cursing his eyes out. It is hard even for me to watch. Keep going though--this film might just restore your hope in your own future. No connection to the BTTF series. I am not kidding though--this film is not intended for your teenager or your mom.

"Million Dollar Baby" (Drama) I know, there should be no Academy Award winning stories on this list but in his old-age, Clint Eastwood has become one of the premier story-tellers of our time. You can also see "Unforgiven," "Gran Torino" and the highly under-rated "Bronco Billy." All love stories really, just not in the traditional sense.

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These last few are only for the die-hards. If you could not find something to get you through the weekend in the above list, then you are not likely to be encouraged here. But if you are learning to enjoy your own company, try these:

"Kicking and Screaming" (Comedy) This is NOT the Will Ferrell movie. It was a film done in 1995 about a bunch of guys who recently graduate from college. (Kicking and Screaming--get it?) It is kind of a man-flick. But it does poke fun at how self-involved we men can be so women might like that. The film is directed by Noah Baumbach who is famous and hated for his obsession with dialogue. Imagine listening to one of my sermons for two hours--only funnier and with quotable quotes!

"The Big Empty" (Think sci-fi comedy here). This is a weird film but I find myself popping it in the DVD about once every three months or so. For those of us still wondering who we are and what we are doing here, this might just be our film.

"True Romance" (Adventure) O.K., you might have seen this but it was a long time ago. It is filthy--blood, guts and morally suspect people. But its also got Elvis obsession, a convertible and Brad Pitt in his shortest role to date. Most importantly, it has a really, really good ending. And let's face it, we're all romantics at heart.

Songs:

With the wonderful world of YouTube, it is now possible to not only hear any song you want at any time, you can usually find someone singing it as well or, at least, enjoy pretty pictures while you are listening...

"Heavenly Day" (Patty Griffin) Go to YouTube and search it right now. It will make all the time you have wasted reading this blog suddenly worthwhile. Then you can spend the rest of your week listening to the other 200 songs that she has written and recorded, most of them just as good!

"The Wing and the Wheel" (Nanci Griffith) These really are two different people. The Wing and the Wheel is melancholy in verse but it will leave you strangely hopeful about everything you have been through.

"Don't Look Back in Anger" (Oasis) I don't think Oasis ever wrote a bad song. It was tough to choose one here but this seems to especially go with the whole be theme. If it doesn't do the trick, try the acoustic version of "Slide Away"... Amazing.

"Rain King" (Counting Crows) Fast, feel good song. Besides you have probably heard the other possibilities. "A Long December" is also great but the list is already a little long on slow and sad.

Of course, the Beatles wrote a song about all this. It's pretty good too.

Peace,

Mark

Profiles and Timelines

I need to begin with a brief word of clarification. My use of the word, "profile," here is in it's less common form. I mean visibility, as in a higher or lower profile, rather than in reference to a pattern or characteristic of some kind.

I recently came across an interesting suggestion concerning the Christ event. The person suggested that what happened was only a partial victory. That Jesus' victory was not complete, or at least not immediately complete. And because of this, what we have is essentially two parallel timelines. This means that humans are essentially living in the nexus of two competing futures. One, in which the Christ event wins and restores humanity and one, in which, it does not. As we approach resolution, we will see more readily what is at stake as well as some of the people/forces involved.

While there are certainly problems with the suggestion, it also might shed some light on some questions. Specifically, it does appear that Jesus victory was at least partially incomplete. This, of course, is the argument of the Jewish tradition. Namely, if Jesus really was/is the Messiah why did he not establish his kingdom on earth and where are the signs of this victory? While Christians might argue that, in fact, Jesus did set up his kingdom (The Church) and that the signs are there for anyone to see, there are certainly other signs that the world remains unredeemed.

Herein lies the question. Does this point to the possibility that Jesus victory was incomplete or unfinished? Or, does it rather point to what God intended all along? Namely, that the nature of the Kingdom would be for believers to live side by side with others in a world where evil, injustice and slavery remained part of the landscape?

In either case, it appears, as yet, unresolved. But it seems logical that this will not go on forever. Or to put it another way, one of these timelines is going to win out. Either the full victory of Christ is going to be established or the full depravity (the complete fall) of humanity shall come to pass.

Of course, as Christians, we believe that Christ's victory will finally be complete. There will come a time when there is no longer a competing timeline. Or, as Saint John puts it in Revelation 21:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

The details of the end as well as the strangeness of the middle might be unclear but the resolution of the end is certain. There will come a time when all is accomplished.

So what should we do in the meantime? Do we keep a high or a low profile as we wait for all this to work itself out? Some say that it is our task as Christians to influence as many people as possible by all means necessary. But others say that this is a seduction--that there is no way to embrace the ways of the world and still remain true to Gospel and the Christ event.

I am by nature, a low-profile person, at least in this regard. I have met and listened to folks who approach this differently. It is hard to argue with them--especially if you believe that your efforts somehow impact the resolution of the timeline.

In either case, it seems correct to say that as we approach resolution, it will be easier to see what is truly at stake. It will also be easier to identify those who have a stake in the resolution.

Magicians

Just moments after I finished my sermon this morning, I had a nagging feeling that I hadn't quite said enough. I had spoken about the Kingdom and how it will not be based on the economic models that are so familiar to us. I stated that there will come a day when we will be delivered from our slavish existence to money. I even pointed to an example of what this might look like--referencing the Biblical story of manna in the wilderness and how quickly everything is now moving from the realm of ideas to the physical world in which we live.

Though what I said is helpful and, I think, faithful to both the Gospel and the world in which we are living, I failed to say one additional thing that is equally important. Just because we see the economic cycle broken or the appearance of manna in the wilderness does not necessarily mean that the Kingdom has come or that the man or woman who appears responsible is the Christ.

While this might be obvious to some, I do not want it to be lost on any of us. History has shown us time and again that saviors who swoop in to save the day in troubled times often turn out to be something else altogether.

Beware of magicians. Great entertainment... disappointing saviors.

Amazing Grace

For a while now, my daughter has been after to me to watch a film with her. The name of the film is "Amazing Grace," and it deals with the abolition of slavery in England. My daughter told me how powerful and inspirational the story is and I believed her but kept putting her off. This is because lately I've tried to restrict my movie-watching to fantasy, science fiction and comedy. I used to watch everything but it's harder now. I figure that I have enough reality in my real life. So movies have become for me mostly about escape.

My daughter, however, can be relentless. I knew that this was important to her, and I knew that she would not quit hounding me about it. So I decided to take a couple of hours to "do the right thing." And, of course, she was right. The film was very powerful. And even though it dealt with some very painful things, it was still very inspirational. I was very glad that I watched it. I was especially glad that I watched it with her.

After the film, it was time for her to go to bed. So I walked her up the stairs, waited for her to brush her teeth and then sat on the side of her bed as she asked the familiar questions that she asks whenever we watch a movie together.

"What was you favorite part?" She asked. "And who was your favorite character?"

I laughed because she literally asks these questions every time. But I also sensed that in this case, her inquiry was especially important. I answered her question with sincerity and to her satisfaction. I then asked her the question that I always ask when I put her to bed, "So who should pray tonight? Do you want to do it or should I." It was late and she would have to get up early for school, so I suspected that I would be praying. But to my surprise, she said, "I'll pray."

My daughter then offered a prayer. She prayed the kinds of things that she had heard me pray for on a number of occasions. But she did so with her own voice and with her own heart-felt petition. It was perhaps the most decent and sincere prayer that I have ever heard. After she finished, I told her that it was a beautiful prayer and that she was a beautiful person. Because she is.

In the film that we watched, a man is passionate about bringing an end to slavery. He loves his country but he believes strongly that it needs to change. Time and again, he brings a bill to Parliament to put an end to what he believes is a scourge upon the country that he loves so dearly. And time and time again, those bills are defeated. It is not that his countrymen are insensitive to his passion, it is rather that they cannot get past the fear of an inevitable economic shock-wave that would surely follow the end of slavery in the UK.

Years go by. The battle takes its toll on the man. Although he is passionate and his cause is just, change comes slow and may require more than this man has in him. You can see his resolve shaking--his physical body giving way before the wall of inertia that must be overcome. At times, the man feels that he is failing at the very work that God has given him to do. And he comes very close to giving up. But his friends will not allow him. They, in fact, are there with him almost constantly. They do everything they can to keep this man going, to keep him striving toward his vision. Though they cannot live his life or fulfill his work, his friends are nevertheless an essential part of it.

Amazing Grace is a somewhat unique story in this regard. In American film, heroes often seem invincible and far removed from the average folk around them. But this is false. Even the strongest among us are only as strong as the support that we receive. God works in us and God surrounds us with wonderful people--beautiful people--who allow us to be that which we would otherwise only hope to become.

As I listened to my daughter's prayer, I saw her great strength. It was, at least in that moment, strength far beyond my own. I marvel at this. And I marvel at the many people that I have known who are decent, and who have faith, and who are compassionate and hopeful and quietly courageous. I am humbled by them. I love them. And I tremble because my own life is so greatly dependent upon them.

[The image for this entry comes from the film "Stand By Me. Remember River Phoenix and his friends? And here is Nanci Griffith offering a word of encouragement to her friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OgNnPI_D3Q&feature=related ]

Not My Job

The title of the entry here is taken from the name of the jpeg above. I found it on the official website for Dr. Judy Wood. Judy Wood has written a book entitled, Where Did The Towers Go? I have not yet read the book but I spent a good bit of yesterday reading an extensive review of the book and Dr. Wood's methodology. I am using the image above for my blog this week because I think that it's an unique picture. I am writing about 911 because everybody else is.

I, like the four of five other people who might be reading this, remember what I was doing on September 11, 2001. I was at Appalachian State University. My wife, Diane, called me to tell that the television was saying that a plane had crashed into a building in New York. I remember telling her that it must have been a very small plane because it would be impossible for a large plane to hit a building in downtown New York. That was incorrect.

I then spent the rest of the morning doing what many (most?) Americans did that day. I watched the story unfold on television. I remember thinking that this was bad--that it would lead to many bad things in the world. That was correct.

I am going to quote a section from Eric Larsen's review of Wood's book. It is worth noting that Larsen wrote the forward to Where Did The Towers Go? and he openly admits that he looks favorably on Dr. Wood's effort. However, the quote that I want us to consider has nothing to do with 911 itself. It has to do with its aftermath. That is, what has become of our world since September 11, 2001.

9/11 has been “the justification and starting point” for all manner of destruction, loss, crime, and horror. Without 9/11, there would have been no “Patriot Act,” no abuse of FISA and stripping away of privacy rights, no Military Commissions Act of 2006 with its setting aside of Habeas Corpus, no implementation of Northcom and deployment of our own military forces on domestic American soil (for use against who, you might ask?), and no trashing of Bill of Rights and Constitutional guarantees, no programmatic and precedent-setting weakening and eliminating of right and guarantees so that the very concepts of “citizenship” and “freedom” have been emptied out to the point where setting up concentration camps inside the U.S. is now legal and not a one of us would have any recourse whatsoever if it were decided that we should be thrown into a cell in one of them and forgotten forever.[1]

Without 9/11, there would never have been any fake and opportunistic “Global War on Terror,” would never have been Guantanamo as we know it now, never have been official programs of torture or fake demonizing of Islam in order to justify wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia, or to justify overt plans for the murder of U.S. citizens living in places like, say, Yemen.

There’s more, much more. The complete list of atrocities, crimes, and inhumanities triggered by or justified by 9/11 could fill whole chapters, even books. By using 9/11 as propaganda—by using it as trigger, excuse, justification, or catalyst—the U.S. has betrayed itself, its principles, and its people, and has made itself the world’s most dangerous enemy of all mankind and also of Earth herself. [Eric Larsen, http://wheredidthetowersgo.com/review/]

I am not a scientist. I am not a political activist. And, at least, historically, I have had no urgent need to understand 911. My interest here is as a Christian and as a citizen of the world. And from that perspective, I find Eric Larsen's statement here very important. He is either wrong--and the details that he mentions here are simply not real. Or he is correct in saying that our society has taken a disturbing turn away from many of its foundational principles. And if that is the case, the question seems fair to ask, "what--if anything--does this have to do with whatever happened on September 11, 2001?"

People magazine is a weekly publication. It is known for its light and happy tone. And perhaps because of this, it is one of the most popular magazines in the world. In People, readers will find pictures and simple articles updating them on what is happening with movie stars and celebrities. For example, they have an annual issue identifying the 50 or 100 sexiest people in the world. This is generally the kind of material that one can expect to find in People magazine. Did you happen to see the cover of People last week? It had a picture of a young girl and the lead story was about "the children of 911." Even my wife, who actually likes to read the magazine, was bothered by the story. She couldn't quite name what it was that bothered her so when she came to talk to me about it, I helped her. The word that she was looking for was "exploitation."

It is understandable that a worthy nation would make it a point to remember an event like 911. It is understandable that such a nation would want to honor the people whose lives were lost on that day. And it seems equally important that the remembrance and the honoring would be done in such a way that does not sacrifice the values and moral decency that made that nation worthy in the first place. Whatever our time might make or not make of a ten-year-anniversary of a national disaster, I hope that it will be something other than exploitation.

Living Outloud

To those who might have missed my entries over the last several months, I apologize. The fact is that I just didn't have the strength--or at least the needed strength to overcome the inertia. I do now.

I have been reading a lot lately--mostly material that will never be printed in books or material that was printed long ago and kept in just a few volumes. It has helped me see. I think that there is something else helping me as well. I do not yet see well, not by a long-shot. But I believe that I am seeing better. And I want this to continue.

In the midst of this recent journey, I have discovered something about learning and, perhaps, about knowledge itself. I have found that it easy to focus on the wrong side. Discovering the glass, taking note of its contents, and the fact that it is so little filled, we can easily be drawn into lament. And such lament is not without justification. When our eyes begin to open, there is plenty to be angry or sad about.

Call it evil or darkness or negativity... We see this and its capacity to sour and destroy and it's hard to resist overly regarding it. A friend of mine once put it this way, we need to acknowledge the evil in the world without glorifying it.

You see, in our anger and sadness, we can actually come to worship evil, if only accidentally. This happens when we become overly fascinated by the capacity of wickedness to woo the world and impose its will upon it. The result is terror and a great feeling of helplessness. Consequently, our focus turns less toward asking God for help or deliverance. Rather, we spend all our time and energy simply mesmerized by the enormity of the darkness.

One thing that I have come to consider is that the pain and suffering in the world might be coming from a source other than that which seems the most obvious. Christians are generally taught to take great, personal responsibility for sin. And this is probably a good thing. But most of the people that I know do not really want to bring pain and suffering upon the world. Consider the level of war and strife and slavery that we have in the world today. Do you know anyone who is sincerely excited about all this? (BTW, if you do, you may want to look for some new friends!)

What if it really is not us--at least not at the foundation anyway. Of course, we certainly can get co-opted into some pretty horrible things. But most of the people I know--even the very worst people that I know--don't sit up nights thinking about ways to bring terror and hardship upon the earth. (BTW, if they do, then I need some new friends!)

The thing is that it doesn't have to be this way. Evil does not have to hold our attention. But we DO have to find a way to turn away from it--to set our eyes and hearts to something else. When we do that, we find that darkness is not the only game in town. As we turn our hearts toward the good, the light, the positive, we indeed find that things like hope and peace and love are very real and very powerful. Nothing dispels darkness like light. Nothing overcomes evil like good. Nothing shows negativity for what it is better than something truly positive.

A few days ago, I looked up a song that I have always liked and discovered that there is a video that goes along with it. Take four minutes and watch this in its entirety. I think it explains what I am trying to say here in a far clearer and more beautiful way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6pODq8_FxE&ob=av2e

Of Life and Basketball

For those who read my blog, I sincerely apologize for taking a couple months off. I love to write and think and converse (if only with myself--ha) For whatever reason, I had neither the energy nor the passion to write much recently. I hope to return to my regular weekly writings. I begin here with a heart-felt commentary on two things that I am truly passionate about basketball and humanity.

Early this week, ESPN ran a documentary entitled, "The Fab Five." If you have not seen the special, I highly recommend it. It tells the story of the five great basketball players who came to the University of Michigan in the early 1990's. The documentary includes interviews with four of the five players who are now grown men, retired from the NBA and working in various careers. The interviews are strikingly honest, powerful and a great testament to many things such as racism, materialism and how people grow over time.

During the interviews, some harsh things are said. Specifically, there are some harsh things said about how the Michigan players perceived Duke's basketball program and the men who were playing at the time. At one point, Jalen Rose states that he thought that the black players who played for Duke were "Uncle Tom's." I firmly believe that he said this to speak honestly about his perception at the time. I didn't not get the idea that Jalen still believes this today. But, of course, we live in a time when the media is going to do anything possible to sensationalize something like this. In the days following the documentary, there were several references to the story as well as the disparaging comments that were made.

Then, yesterday, Grant Hill, a player from Duke wrote a response to the film, the rivalry between Duke and Michigan at the time and, especially, Jalen's comments. The article is very well written and I commend it to you. I will include a link to Hill's article at the bottom of my blog entry.

I am Duke graduate and a great fan of Duke basketball. So what I feel that what I have to say here is important. I can honestly say that I thought that documentary was very well done. I was especially impressed by the players and how they shared both their memories of being "The Fab Five" and their present feelings about all this. I was moved by Jalen's honesty in sharing his story even though he was saying some unhappy things about his youthful perception of my Alma Mater.

In fact, I heard in his voice a painful expression of how we as human beings we sometimes judge things that we know little or nothing about. Of course, Jalen and his teammates were judged as well. They were stereotyped and received criticism for simply being something other than what people were used to seeing in college basketball at the time. This was partly about race but a lot of it had more to do with changing attitudes in our culture.

The really tough part in all of this is seeing how we as people come to resent and distrust one another simply because we appear to be different. In this case, a young black man from a poor community apparently resented a young black man from an affluent community. Of course, today, Jalen Rose is very wealthy. And I believe that he sees the irony here. In that, the very things that he might have once thought about Grant Hill and his parents could now be said about his own family.

My hope is that these two men speak to one another and soon. I suspect that everything that we have seen and heard over the last few days is just another example of how the media twists things into serving its own interest. Nevertheless, these are the very opportunities where we as people need to be clear. Even though this has probably been a very stressful week for past players from both Duke and Michigan, I suspect that it might be a unique time for a teaching moment.

Young people can learn something from all this. We all can. The fact is that Grant Hill and Jalen Rose are not so different. The same goes for our own rivals. I think often of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. These two men probably despised one another on the court. They played hard against one another and certainly wanted to win. But in the end of the day, they respected one another greatly. They each appreciated where the other had come from and what they had accomplished. Mutual respect is one of the great contributions of athletic competition. It is also a fundamental building block in a decent society.

Here is the link to Grant Hill's response to Rose's comments:
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/