Delivering As Promised

Kim and I went to see The DaVinci Code Sunday night. Our church hosted one of the CCN simulcasts that evening, which I missed in favor of my baseball team's banquet. I think I chose well.

The movie was OK. It wasn't the best murder mystery/drama/suspense that I've seen. As with most movies, the book was better.

I read Angels & Demons this week. I enjoyed it, but the plot was strangely similar to TDC. I expect a movie version of A&D to follow, but I have no idea how they'll get access to The Vatican City's secret places for filming. But then again, Groundhog Day wasn't really filmed in Punxsutawney, either.

I got to thinking about all the movies and books that I've seen or read that have failed to deliver as promised, that were promoted as being incredible pieces of can't miss goodness, entertainment, or education. Most of them fell short. They didn't live up to the hype.

I pray that my life is not like that.

I want my life to be full of integrity. I want to be the kind of man that I'm supposed to be. I want to be able to say, like the Apostle Paul, "Follow me as I follow Jesus." When people look think of me, I hope that they see a man who lives life well.

The bottom line: I want to love God and love other people. I pray that I can get those two things right. I figure that the rest of life will fall into place if I can hit those two...

But we must be sure to obey the truth we have learned already.

Missing an Opportunity

With the opening of The DaVinci Code this week, we have been overrun with outcry on blogs everywhere, TV specials dealing with codes and conspiracies, and media hype in general. The film got mediocre reviews in Cannes. Some folks have their undies in a wad, while others find the book to be interesting writing.

The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation is protesting the movie's portrayal of Silas, an albino, as a red-eyed psychopath.

I'm all for fairness, respecting other people, and not making fun of people who are different. For crying out loud, I have a girl's name. I know the pain of being laughed at for being different.

I believe that we are on the precipice of changing the way movies are made, of affecting the literature of our world. We are dangerously close to missing a moment to make a difference. It is time to put the kibosh to all movies that are not fair in their treatment of their subjects.

I am calling for an end to all stupid baseball movies. From Kevin Costner's ridiculous For Love of the Game, to Joey/Matt LeBlanc's Ed (a chimp? C'mon...), to the sequels to Major League (II and III), to any movie that depicts a kid as a competitor with "real" baseball players (Little Big League, Angels in the Outfield, Rookie of the Year, Tiger Town--I'm tired of linking...).

Enough is enough. Stop the insanity. We need movies based on accurate portrayals of real people, living real lives. We need truth. We need believability. We need accuracy.

We need more Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

There are no small parts,
only small actors.

(I thought I made that up. Turns out it was said/written by Milan Kundera. He may be stalking my subconscious.)

My sister-in-law Amanda is a great gal. She and my brother (Scott, but you can call him Scotty, if you like) and their beautiful family live in Durham, NC. Amanda and Scott are part of The Summit Church.

You've probably seen Amanda. She was in Bull Durham. Yep. Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and my sister-in-law made a movie together. Amanda was the fan in the stands-the one wearing the white shirt, I believe. She tells us that it was cold that day, and she had to focus to stay in character, acting like it was summery and warm! She is quite an actress (or is it just actor?) She skipped school (I think her parents knew) and got some time on the big screen. Not a bad day...

I don't think that she realized how important she is to the success of the movie, and ultimately the careers of those famous actors. She made Costner. (Maybe she should have told him to stsick with baseball movies. I liked Field of Dreams, but For Love of the Game was no baseball movie. He's made some clunkers...I mean, I like the Robin Hood story, but don't get me started on Costner's take. "I have a brother? I have a brother." Give me a break with the accent/no accent.) But I digress.

If there were no fans in the stands (unpaid extras who showed up to make the shot look real), then the movie would lack believability. Amanda recieved no paycheck or credit for her appearance, but the movies wouldn't be the same without the contribution of Amanda and her unnamed friends.

That's true in life in general, and in the body of Christ. We need each other. There are no unimportant people, no unimportant parts of the Body. Each of us has a role to play. Like in your body, each part must perfoerm it's role for the body to work like God intended. You know how bad you feel when part of you doesn't work correctly. Have you ever tried to zip your pants or tie your shoes when you have a banged-up thumb? Not so good...

I wonder if I'm filling the role I was created to play.

What difference does a preposition make?

My high school friend Brad Kile was an early adopter of the "white suburban kid who acts like an urban African American kid" mentality. Brad could dance and rap and shoot hoops better than most of us (you don't want to see me attempt any of the three). He talked like he was from the city (the ATL), even though we lived in a pretty suburban town. Brad had this way of answering the general "Whaddup, Brad?" question with a deep South kind of "Doin' thangs..." that made him seem cool. Doin' thangs...kind of implies control, power, ability. What's up is whatever I want to be up, whatever I want to do. Pretty soon we all said it. Doin' thangs.

So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. John 13:12-15 NASB

Ok, so it hit me today that Jesus twice says, "done to you" in this interaction with his disciples. Not done for you. Is that significant?

Done to you:
:an act of one's will imposed on another's
:without needing permission
:without respect for approval
:indicates authority and power of place
:but humble, gentle, serving

Ah yes, now we get to it. Serving. We've been talking about serving for the last 6 weeks in our church and in our lifegroup. We've come to the conclusion that we talk about serving a lot more than we actually get out and serve...


I am thinking that serving requires:
strength
ability (power)
inclination
intention
humility
confidence

but not permission

done to you...thank you, Jesus, for doin' thangs.

There is an expectancy in the air today.

I feel it i n my spirit, in my soul. I don't know what it is, or why I feel it. But I believe that God is moving, speaking to me.

He seems to be saying, "Watch for me to move."

I believe that God is working all around me (ht Henry Blackaby). I know that he wants my world to know him. He wants to use me to bless and love the folks around me. He uses other people to shape and sharpen me.

Anticipation: the act of looking forward. And a song by Carly Simon.

In Isaiah 40:31, the Hebrew word for wait is qavah. I love the "under-the surface" stuff hidden in qavah. The word means to wait, to expect, to hope. But it carries with it the idea of being bound together with the Lord, united with God in his fulness. Read more here.

As for me, God is moving in my heart, and I will look forward.

"Expect great things; attempt great things." William Carey, 1792.

Yes, oh yes, indeed...