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A La Carte (October 13)
5 hours ago
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Time
After years of hearing parents say that their kids grow up too fast, I’ve seen that reality firsthand lately. My daughter is nearly two-months old, and the time has flown by. I’ve thought a lot about time lately, and I’ve thought about it even more since yesterday. After church yesterday morning, I helped one of the guys from my youth group move into the dorms at my alma mater, Boyce College. As we hauled his stuff up the stairs and into a cramped room, I was reminded of when I moved in to the same building just 7 years ago.
I’m amazed at how much has changed in just 7 years. My high school girlfriend of 9 months who I had left behind in North Carolina is now my wife of 3 years. I left home feeling a great deal like a kid myself, now I have a daughter of my own. Many of the theological truths I now hold dear I was at best ignorant of and at worst rebelled against. Then, a youth pastor was the epitome of Christian cool, now that I am one that sentiment just seems patently ridiculous. Even 9/11 was just a meaningless number back in August of 2001. In just a few short years, I’ve changed so much that I wonder if I’d even recognize the me of 7 years ago – and if I did, would the old me irritate the crap out of the current me?
More than ever before, I see the bittersweet truthfulness of Psalm 103:15-16…
I’m amazed at how much has changed in just 7 years. My high school girlfriend of 9 months who I had left behind in North Carolina is now my wife of 3 years. I left home feeling a great deal like a kid myself, now I have a daughter of my own. Many of the theological truths I now hold dear I was at best ignorant of and at worst rebelled against. Then, a youth pastor was the epitome of Christian cool, now that I am one that sentiment just seems patently ridiculous. Even 9/11 was just a meaningless number back in August of 2001. In just a few short years, I’ve changed so much that I wonder if I’d even recognize the me of 7 years ago – and if I did, would the old me irritate the crap out of the current me?
More than ever before, I see the bittersweet truthfulness of Psalm 103:15-16…
"As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more."
At times, focusing on the brevity of life can be emotionally overwhelming. I’ll never forget driving home after Jordan was born to make preparations at the house for bringing her home. Alone in the car, I cried at the prospect of our hospital stay ending because it was all happening too fast. I wanted nothing more than to go back to the moment of her birth and experience it all over again. Yet, even as the brevity of live stings, Psalm 103:17-18 shrouds verses 15-16 with inexpressible hope…
"But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments."
The fleeting nature of life reminds me that God’s love is anything but, that his goodness lasts forever. I taste his goodness in this life in passing doses with family and friends, as but an appetizer to the joys that will come with forever basking in his infinite glory and reveling in his greatness. So, whether you’re at the beginning of your life’s race or nearing the end, savor each temporal moment God gives as an incredible glimpse into the eternal joy that we have been promised in Christ. Life is a gift, to be sure, but it is a gift like a telescope is a gift, directing us to the object truly worth our wonder and amazement, the true gift – God himself.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Friday's Featured Film - 8/8/08
New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, each Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.Insomnia
With the breakaway success of the Batman megahit The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan is finally getting the name recognition he deserves. Nolan has garnered respect over the past decade for his critically acclaimed work on movies such as Memento, The Prestige, and, of course, Batman Begins. However, Nolan also directed a gem of a psychological thriller in 2002 that went largely unnoticed – Insomnia, a brilliantly woven masterpiece about a morally conflicted detective set against the harsh backdrop of Alaska’s midnight sun. If you’ve enjoyed Nolan’s other work but missed Insomnia, now might be a great time to check it out.
Al Pacino stars as Will Dormer, a top-tier L.A. detective who heads to the tiny coastal town of Nightmute, Alaska to consult with the local police about the murder of a teenage girl that has paralyzed the small town. Dormer and his longtime L.A. partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) are paired with local rookie detective Elle Burr (Hilary Swank) with the task of catching the killer. Dormer comes up with a clever ploy to lure the killer (Robin Williams) back to the scene of the crime, but the bust goes bad when the man spots the cops, leading them on a chase into a fog bank where events transpire that turn the characters’ lives upside down.
I’m going to intentionally avoid giving away too much plot, since much of the movie’s strength lies in the story being much deeper than originally anticipated. What begins as a simple cop-vs.-killer story quickly evolves into a portrait of a man tortured by his conscience with no answers in sight. Nolan has a knack unlike any other modern director for exploring the darker side of humanity in a way that’s never exploitative but grounded in simple, relatable realities. This is a fantastic character drama, and the cast is a big reason why. Nolan is a pro at getting the most from his actors, and he certainly does here. Robin Williams is fantastic in his debut turn to the dark side (delivering a performance on par with 2002’s One Hour Photo but in a far superior film), portraying a quiet menace close enough to normal to be entirely unsettling. Swank does well as the film’s moral compass and solid supporting jobs are turned in by Maura Tierney and Paul Dooley, but ultimately this is Pacino’s film. He plays a man on the edge (if not over it) with his usual panache without falling prey to the overeager caricature of himself that has shown up from time to time. His Will Dormer is a man in extreme circumstances, but a man of relatable character, connecting to the audience with ease.
The setting is almost a character in its own right. Cinematographer Wally Pfister does a fantastic job of capturing the pressure brought on by a land where the sun never sets, giving us a torturous picture of the psychological realities on display in the movie. Nolan has an incredible talent for making movies with great moral weight without ever making the audience feel like he’s beating us over the head. This film’s no different, as the implications of the characters’ choices will leave you thinking long after the credits finish rolling. But much like The Dark Knight, the ethical questions are explored in the context of an incredibly engrossing narrative that cements Christopher Nolan as one of the premier filmmakers of this generation. - **** (out of 4)
Al Pacino stars as Will Dormer, a top-tier L.A. detective who heads to the tiny coastal town of Nightmute, Alaska to consult with the local police about the murder of a teenage girl that has paralyzed the small town. Dormer and his longtime L.A. partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) are paired with local rookie detective Elle Burr (Hilary Swank) with the task of catching the killer. Dormer comes up with a clever ploy to lure the killer (Robin Williams) back to the scene of the crime, but the bust goes bad when the man spots the cops, leading them on a chase into a fog bank where events transpire that turn the characters’ lives upside down.
I’m going to intentionally avoid giving away too much plot, since much of the movie’s strength lies in the story being much deeper than originally anticipated. What begins as a simple cop-vs.-killer story quickly evolves into a portrait of a man tortured by his conscience with no answers in sight. Nolan has a knack unlike any other modern director for exploring the darker side of humanity in a way that’s never exploitative but grounded in simple, relatable realities. This is a fantastic character drama, and the cast is a big reason why. Nolan is a pro at getting the most from his actors, and he certainly does here. Robin Williams is fantastic in his debut turn to the dark side (delivering a performance on par with 2002’s One Hour Photo but in a far superior film), portraying a quiet menace close enough to normal to be entirely unsettling. Swank does well as the film’s moral compass and solid supporting jobs are turned in by Maura Tierney and Paul Dooley, but ultimately this is Pacino’s film. He plays a man on the edge (if not over it) with his usual panache without falling prey to the overeager caricature of himself that has shown up from time to time. His Will Dormer is a man in extreme circumstances, but a man of relatable character, connecting to the audience with ease.
The setting is almost a character in its own right. Cinematographer Wally Pfister does a fantastic job of capturing the pressure brought on by a land where the sun never sets, giving us a torturous picture of the psychological realities on display in the movie. Nolan has an incredible talent for making movies with great moral weight without ever making the audience feel like he’s beating us over the head. This film’s no different, as the implications of the characters’ choices will leave you thinking long after the credits finish rolling. But much like The Dark Knight, the ethical questions are explored in the context of an incredibly engrossing narrative that cements Christopher Nolan as one of the premier filmmakers of this generation. - **** (out of 4)
Insomnia is rated R for language, some violence and brief nudity.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 8/6/08
This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.
Last night, we continued our Q&A series “You Asked For It” by taking a look at the question, “How do I know my faith is real?” One of our students submitted a question wondering how we can tell if our love for Christ is genuine and real or if we’re just self-deceived. Surely, feelings of doubt and uncertainty in our faith is something that all Christians deal with at some point in their lives. The good news is that this isn’t a dilemma that’s foreign to Scripture. The apostle Paul encouraged believers to examine themselves to see if they were really in the faith, and in 1 John, John spends a great deal of time responding to a wave of false teaching by showing believers how to identify a real Christian from a fake one – an examination that needs to be performed on ourselves on a regular basis. In 1 John 4:13-21, John gives us three things to check so that we may have confidence and assurance that we are in Christ.
First, and perhaps strangely to many of us, John tells us in verses 13-15 to check our doctrine. In our modern culture, doctrine is often seen as an unimportant negative that only serves to divide. However, John saw it as absolutely foundational to our faith. He puts great importance on proclaiming Christ as the Son of God who came to be the savior of the world – a belief that was under attack in the churches he wrote to. Many were teaching that though Jesus was a great teacher and a special man, he wasn’t divine. John understands that Christ’s divinity is essential for understanding the salvation from sin he offers. So, before moving on to talk about the other important signs of a true faith, he wants us to make sure we’ve got a firm foundation. What exactly is the faith we claim to have, anyway? If it’s not informed by the Scripture, then no matter how passionately we may believe, our faith is the product of our own imagination and is useless.
Secondly, in verses 16-18, John says to check our trust. Since he’s dealt with the mental foundation of our faith, now he says that it must sink into our hearts. It’s not enough to know the promises of Christ, we have to believe them – which involves trust. John says that God’s love working in us should give us confidence rather than fear. If we believe that he has paid for our sins on his cross then we should approach God with boldness rather than with uncertainty, not relying on our spiritual performance for our confidence. Don’t be afraid when you fall, but seek forgiveness from God with the expectation that he will certainly give it, since truly he already has in Christ. Consider the advice of Martin Luther…
The final command that John gives comes in verses 19-21 – check your love. John is very blunt with his words here. How we treat other people is a very objective test – it’s not internal like the first two. Our actions are out there for those around us to see, and John says that if we claim to have faith but don’t show love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are liars. Period. The Scriptures teach that love for others is a natural outworking of true faith to the extent that James even wrote, “Faith without works is dead.” John uses a very powerful argument, asking how we can ever hope to love a God we’ve never seen when we can’t love the people right in front of our faces. This test doesn’t demand perfection (as John made clear earlier in the letter), but it does demand that if we claim to have faith we must show it by the way we live. Can you point to areas where God is growing you to look more like the image of Christ? Can you see the evidences of God’s grace showing up in your interactions with those around you? If the answer is no, then the question about the reality of your faith is one you probably need to be asking. Pray that God would give you a faith that is real – rooted in the truth of Scripture, anchored in a strong trust, and evidenced by a radical love. If you pass the test, then rejoice at God’s grace in your life and remember the promise of Philippians 1:6.
Last night, we continued our Q&A series “You Asked For It” by taking a look at the question, “How do I know my faith is real?” One of our students submitted a question wondering how we can tell if our love for Christ is genuine and real or if we’re just self-deceived. Surely, feelings of doubt and uncertainty in our faith is something that all Christians deal with at some point in their lives. The good news is that this isn’t a dilemma that’s foreign to Scripture. The apostle Paul encouraged believers to examine themselves to see if they were really in the faith, and in 1 John, John spends a great deal of time responding to a wave of false teaching by showing believers how to identify a real Christian from a fake one – an examination that needs to be performed on ourselves on a regular basis. In 1 John 4:13-21, John gives us three things to check so that we may have confidence and assurance that we are in Christ.
First, and perhaps strangely to many of us, John tells us in verses 13-15 to check our doctrine. In our modern culture, doctrine is often seen as an unimportant negative that only serves to divide. However, John saw it as absolutely foundational to our faith. He puts great importance on proclaiming Christ as the Son of God who came to be the savior of the world – a belief that was under attack in the churches he wrote to. Many were teaching that though Jesus was a great teacher and a special man, he wasn’t divine. John understands that Christ’s divinity is essential for understanding the salvation from sin he offers. So, before moving on to talk about the other important signs of a true faith, he wants us to make sure we’ve got a firm foundation. What exactly is the faith we claim to have, anyway? If it’s not informed by the Scripture, then no matter how passionately we may believe, our faith is the product of our own imagination and is useless.
Secondly, in verses 16-18, John says to check our trust. Since he’s dealt with the mental foundation of our faith, now he says that it must sink into our hearts. It’s not enough to know the promises of Christ, we have to believe them – which involves trust. John says that God’s love working in us should give us confidence rather than fear. If we believe that he has paid for our sins on his cross then we should approach God with boldness rather than with uncertainty, not relying on our spiritual performance for our confidence. Don’t be afraid when you fall, but seek forgiveness from God with the expectation that he will certainly give it, since truly he already has in Christ. Consider the advice of Martin Luther…
“If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter, are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign.”Luther isn’t here saying that we should seek to sin. He’s saying that we shouldn’t place our confidence in our own goodness but in God’s grace. Don’t struggle with the doubts that come when we feel we have to be good enough for God, but look honestly at your sin with the confidence that God’s grace truly is bigger.
The final command that John gives comes in verses 19-21 – check your love. John is very blunt with his words here. How we treat other people is a very objective test – it’s not internal like the first two. Our actions are out there for those around us to see, and John says that if we claim to have faith but don’t show love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are liars. Period. The Scriptures teach that love for others is a natural outworking of true faith to the extent that James even wrote, “Faith without works is dead.” John uses a very powerful argument, asking how we can ever hope to love a God we’ve never seen when we can’t love the people right in front of our faces. This test doesn’t demand perfection (as John made clear earlier in the letter), but it does demand that if we claim to have faith we must show it by the way we live. Can you point to areas where God is growing you to look more like the image of Christ? Can you see the evidences of God’s grace showing up in your interactions with those around you? If the answer is no, then the question about the reality of your faith is one you probably need to be asking. Pray that God would give you a faith that is real – rooted in the truth of Scripture, anchored in a strong trust, and evidenced by a radical love. If you pass the test, then rejoice at God’s grace in your life and remember the promise of Philippians 1:6.
Christ on Display in Canton
A big thanks to my uncle Chris Cowan for passing along C.J. Mahaney's post on Redskins WR Art Monk's recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Monk's induction speech should be an encouragement to every Christian to remember the true measure of a man. An excerpt..."...even now as a Hall of Famer, the one thing I want to make very clear is that my identity and my security is found in the Lord. And what defines me and my validation comes in having accepted his son Jesus Christ as my personal savior. And what defines me is the Word of God, and it’s the Word of God that will continue to shape and mold me into the person that I know he’s called me to be.
So I’ve learned a long time ago never to put my faith or trust in man, for man will always fail you. Man will always disappoint you. But the Word of God says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. And He will never fail you.
And that is what I live by and what I stand on. Being included into this fraternity is a pretty humbling experience for me. I always grew up seeing these guys as giants and legends who make significant contributions to the game of football. And it’s pretty hard for me to believe that I’ve now been included as part of them. Growing up I was never voted the most likely to succeed. And there was never anything about me that would have given anyone the impression that I would have played in the NFL, let alone to be standing here.
There’s a scripture that I think about almost every day and I’ve come to personalize it to my life. It says: “Lord, who am I that you are mindful of me?” [Psalm 8:4]. And the Apostle Paul says, “Think of what you were when you were called. Not many were wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were born of noble birth” [1 Corinthians 1:26]. And when I look at my life and how I grew up, I certainly had none of those qualities or benefits.
But I understand and I know that I’m here not by, in, and of my own strength—but it’s by the grace and the power of God upon my life, who I know gave me favor along the way, and who provided opportunity and room for me to use my gifts.
So I am very grateful to receive this honor, and I can stand here before you and say, “Hey, look at me, look at what I did.” But if I’m going to boast, I’m going to boast today in the Lord, for it’s because of him that I’m here and I give him thanks and glory and honor for all that he has done for me."
Be sure to check C.J.'s post, and the full transcript of Monk's speech.
HT: C.J. Mahaney
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Lost in Translation
This picture was taken by my good friend Corey Reynolds of a Chinese buffet near his home in Illinois. Word order matters so very much.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Can You See the Stars?
"When the prosperous man on a dark but starlit night drives comfortably in his carriage and has the lanterns lighted, aye, then he is safe, he fears no difficulty, he carries his light with him, and it is not dark close around him. But precisely because he has the lanterns lighted, and has a strong light close to him, precisely for this reason, he cannot see the stars. For his lights obscure the stars, which the poor peasant, driving without lights, can see gloriously in the dark but starry night. So those deceived ones live in the temporal existence: either, occupied with the necessities of life, they are too busy to avail themselves of the view, or in their prosperity and good days they have, as it were, lanterns lighted, and close about them everything is so satisfactory, so pleasant, so comfortable—but the view is lacking, the prospect, the view of the stars."
- Søren Kierkegaard, The Gospel of Suffering
HT: Justin Taylor
Monday, August 4, 2008
Repentance and Forgiveness: NFL Style
If you're a football fan, chances are you've seen the ugly headlines out of the Panthers' training camp from over the weekend. Star WR Steve Smith has been suspended two games for punching CB Ken Lucas during Friday's practice. Many people will certainly form an instant opinion that Smith is an example of al that's wrong with pro sports. That would be a shame, since Smith has followed his bad example Friday with a truly great one today.Smith has always had temper issues. In 2002, he was suspended for a game after a similar incident with teammate Anthony Bright. In 2003, he cost the team a game against the Houston Texans when his 15-yard penalty for kicking an opponent negated a first down and ended what was shaping up to be a game-winning drive. However, since then, something has happened to Smith. He professed faith in Christ. He didn't become an instant golden boy, but he has grown tremendously. His temper has been kept largely in check over the last 5 years. Last year against Atlanta, it was Smith who kept his cool while baiting DeAngelo Hall's temper into 67 yards of penalties on Carolina's game-winning drive. Ever wonder why you don't see anymore of the entertaining touchdown celebrations Smith became famous for in 2005? As Smith says, it's because he needed to be "more about God and less about me."
So, as a fan and as a brother in Christ, watching Friday's events hurt. However, my admiration for Smith went up a hundredfold today with his first public comments about the incident. What he did is something almost unheard of in our modern culture - he accepted full responsibility for his actions and expressed humble repentance. Here's an excerpt...
"I will not put myself in position where I have to defend myself or state my side of the story. There's only one side, which is a lack of judgment on my part. I have no excuse...I'm going to take this opportunity to let God break me, humble me, and continually let me move forward in being the person I can truly be - and that's a God-fearing man, no matter what people may think or what they may say. It's an opportunity for me to stand tall and take my punishment, but take it with God on my side and not me standing up trying to be something that I'm not. I'm a fallen man. I'm a man who made a mistake. I intend to mend the bridges I have burned and help rebuild a bridge if I need to all by myself, but not do it in a spiteful way. But to do it with the labor and the sound mind that God gives me, which is to do what I'm supposed to do. I'm not going to get into who's right, who's wrong. I'm completely wrong. (It was) an asinine decision."
Of course, repentance is defined by actions, not just words - but the way that Smith has taken responsibility gives me great encouragement about his future. He's a work in progress, sure, but so are you and I - being ever more closely conformed to the image of Christ. Pray for Steve Smith this week, that God would grow him in grace and truth, removing the sinful remains of the old man. Also, take a look at Lucas' response - itself a lesson in Christian forgiveness.
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