Ok, I finally broke down and saw Avatar. I can count on one hand how many times I have stepped inside a movie theater, so this was a pretty important occasion.
If you aren’t up on the hype of Avatar, it is a futuristic Pocahontas tale which is on the world of Pandora, a planet in space. Very recently, it has made more money than the movie Titanic. One reason for this is the people keep on coming back to see it. For one guy in my group, it was his third time. Because of this, it will most likely have a huge impact on our society.
Many conservative Christians dislike this film for its blatant, pro-earth, pro-pantheism, anti-industry message. Seeing the movie, I agree that the film does have that worldview. But it was also interesting to see the earth movement through the eyes of Avatar.
The movie described a “mother earth” god—one that was a being yet was also everything. I have forgotten the name the movie gave her, sorry; let’s just say it was strange enough for me to forget it. She “doesn’t take sides, she only wants balance.” Meaning there was no personal relationship, just a seesaw which you must play with.
Another interesting moment in the movie happened when one of the scientists discovers "this force" in every tree. She, as we later learn, has found the god.
The climax of the story (and this is probably a spoiler) has to do with the antagonists trying to distroy the connection the aliens had with this god. It was interesting to contrast this with our God.
Our God is bigger than we can grasp and understand, therefore we cannot control Him. A mere explosive charge cannot separate us from the relationship He has with us, his creation. Our God is deeper and stronger and more loving than this god of Avatar. The story of the movie showed a god and tried to explain what God might be, yet it fell so short of the truth.
Some of you may be wondering if I recommend the movie or not. Sure, go if you want a good action movie with some good effects, but remember that the worldview that Avatar offers is popcorn to the satisfying bread of God.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Investment of Work
What is it with work? I avoid it, and find creative ways to get out of it. For example, (Forgive me for using a writing example) to start writing takes so much will power. I must turn on the computer, wear the right cloths (my room can get chilly), have the noise level right, my favorite pen by my side, or any other excuse to create a perfect environment before writing (or studying) is to commence. (Checking email is a great way to burn time) What I need is the persistence to sit at my desk come winter storm, power-outage or pen malfunction, and take down every thought which comes to me. This example proves that even with work we love, it can sometimes turn to drudgery. Sitting at my desk, with nothing coming, I feel I could do something else, something more exciting.
Recently, this verse captured my attention: “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk only tends toward poverty.” Proverbs 14:23 (ESV)
Sometimes, you read a proverb and go “oh, that’s nice,” and not really get the meaning, but this one, I got. Work always creates a profit, if it is cleaning your room, doing school, or digging ditches. There is always something which creates a return on your investment of work. There are no lost investments with work. The stock markets will change and you can lose those investments. The securest investment of them all is your own effort.
Work cannot be measured in monetary means all the time. How much money can be placed on having an organized room, or a lawn that is neat, or a driveway which is safe because it is cleared of ice and snow? What money can be placed on that?
“Mere talk tends toward poverty.”
Well, if you are going to do nothing, then that is what you get. Action is what really matters. Sure, organization and talking things out are necessary for a job well done. But there is a time when the talking has gone too far. George Patton once said: “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
Mere talk. I am good at that. I talk about what is wrong with me, and what I should do to fix it. But that state of rest gets nothing done. The problems are still there. If I move—work—I am sure to have at least some of it pay off. If I work towards that change and fail, it is not all lost; for I have worked and a profit, no matter how small, was earned.
Recently, this verse captured my attention: “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk only tends toward poverty.” Proverbs 14:23 (ESV)
Sometimes, you read a proverb and go “oh, that’s nice,” and not really get the meaning, but this one, I got. Work always creates a profit, if it is cleaning your room, doing school, or digging ditches. There is always something which creates a return on your investment of work. There are no lost investments with work. The stock markets will change and you can lose those investments. The securest investment of them all is your own effort.
Work cannot be measured in monetary means all the time. How much money can be placed on having an organized room, or a lawn that is neat, or a driveway which is safe because it is cleared of ice and snow? What money can be placed on that?
“Mere talk tends toward poverty.”
Well, if you are going to do nothing, then that is what you get. Action is what really matters. Sure, organization and talking things out are necessary for a job well done. But there is a time when the talking has gone too far. George Patton once said: “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
Mere talk. I am good at that. I talk about what is wrong with me, and what I should do to fix it. But that state of rest gets nothing done. The problems are still there. If I move—work—I am sure to have at least some of it pay off. If I work towards that change and fail, it is not all lost; for I have worked and a profit, no matter how small, was earned.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Doubts and the Red Pencil
Writing is scary. Every time you have an idea, trying to put pen to paper, fingers to the keyboard, you are proving again that you can write. When I see some of the phrases, sentences and whole paragraphs, which come out of my head sometimes, it adds doubt that I can write well.
One of the things is the whole self perception of a writer. If I believe that I am the next best thing since Twain, Bellow, and Shakespeare, then I am more likely to keep the dross that forms on my page. But if I have something to prove--then I work and hone every sentence, polish each paragraph and pick the right words. Out of that page full of mangled sentences and confusing structure comes a thing of beauty. Seeing the rough draft come together is a humbling experience, fraught with writers block and doubt.
To see how much a little revision can help writing, I will show you the rough draft (or pretty darn close) of a paragraph for a recent magazine article I wrote:
"The performance of a bullet shot in the air is a widely debated topic among people. For physicists, it’s fairly simple. The bullet is fired and the force of gravity gradually slows the upward ascent of the bullet (along with the help of a bit of air resistance, but a little bit, as a bullet is supposed to be as aerodynamic as possible). At one point, it will turn and start coming down. Turning and twisting the bullet will drop towards the earth, accelerating because of the force of gravity, but at some point, the friction between the bullet and the air will create a speed where it stops accelerating and it drops to the earth at a constant speed. For a human skydiver, it’s about 150mph, but since the bullet is much more aerodynamic, it’s about 300meters per second. But there are variables in that. Such as bullet shape. How big is it? How many grains? Is it a hollow point? What is it made of?"
Ugh! painful! Here is the finished product:
"The performance of a bullet shot in the air is widely misunderstood. Here’s how a physicists would explain it. The bullet is fired and the force of gravity and air resistance gradually slows the upward ascent of the bullet until at one point, it will stop, turn and start coming down. Turning and twisting, the bullet will drop towards the earth, accelerating because of the force of gravity. But at some point, the friction between the bullet and the air will make the bullet drop at a constant speed. For a bullet, it’s about 270 feet per second. Many things though, such as bullet shape, how much the bullet weighs and what metal it’s made of, will affect the exact speed."
It's better, but I still don't know if it is totally clear. Again, those doubts.
When I think about it, I really cannot see Mark Twain, Saul Bellow or even Shakespeare churn out perfect prose in one go. They spent their time revising and editing just like the rest of us. The thing they had and we don't is recognition. Starting out, they all probably had the same doubts and frustrations as we did too. But they plugged on and wrote and wrote (and revised and revised), and eventually got somewhere. So what about passing the red pencil, eh, friend?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Liar, Lunatic or Lord?
Who do you think Jesus was? Many people, such as Muslims, believe he was only a good teacher: “Oh, he was a good man with good teachings”. This is the ‘safe’ position on Jesus. The position recognizes there is something good about him but doesn’t take the risky and life altering view that he is God; it sounds nice, and it doesn’t offend anyone, too much.
But there is that problem of what Jesus has said about himself and the message that he taught. He is more than a serene, slightly eccentric character preaching “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” in the desert. Although that is a part of the message, Jesus’ main message is: “I am the fulfillment of the old prophecies; I am God.” This message stunned people in his day, and it continues to trouble people even now.
The mere man who would make these claims can not be a teacher with sound teachings. Only three possibilities arise: ether he was lying, being a malicious prankster or possessed by a demon; he could have been a lunatic, disillusioned on whom he was; or, he is what he claims to be— God come to save sinful man.
“You must make your choice” writes CS Lewis. “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up as a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Liar, Lunatic or Lord?
But there is that problem of what Jesus has said about himself and the message that he taught. He is more than a serene, slightly eccentric character preaching “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” in the desert. Although that is a part of the message, Jesus’ main message is: “I am the fulfillment of the old prophecies; I am God.” This message stunned people in his day, and it continues to trouble people even now.
The mere man who would make these claims can not be a teacher with sound teachings. Only three possibilities arise: ether he was lying, being a malicious prankster or possessed by a demon; he could have been a lunatic, disillusioned on whom he was; or, he is what he claims to be— God come to save sinful man.
“You must make your choice” writes CS Lewis. “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up as a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Liar, Lunatic or Lord?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Persuasion By Holy Spirit
This article was published in my church newsletter a couple weeks back. Please feel free to leave any comments about it.
I was at the reception for my violin recital working my way over to the refreshment table to grab a bite of flan when I ran into the pastor of the church where recital was being held. He was standing by himself as I greeted him and then it occurred to me: ‘this is a good time to ask him.’
Several weeks ago the pastor made mention that his church was “a liberal Church.” I wanted to know what he meant by a liberal church, and to understand what he believed and taught.
Throughout the course of the conversation, he told me that he was gay, that he believed the Bible is open to interpretation and that Jesus was only a symbol that the gates of hell are closed forever (similar to the rainbow in Genesis). He explained to me how he believes Christianity may not be the only way to heaven and eternal life “I believe that Christianity is true but I cannot tell another religion that it is wrong.”
This was a belief that needed to be explored. “How do you know that is true?” I asked.
He replied “I have faith and I trust that it is true.”
I mustered all the love and tact I could and asked “But what happens if you are wrong? What if you find out that the way was much narrower than you think it is or it is something totally different such as Buddhism?”
He looked me strait in my eye and said “then I will stand on judgment day and answer for what I have done.”
I realized then how futile my years of study of apologetics turned out to be. They were useless in the course of winning someone to Christ in an argument, because they wouldn’t be attracted to Christianity after some Christian blasted their beliefs out of the water. This pastor, I could tell, was very sensitive and wouldn’t be open to my views. The only way they were going to be persuaded was through the work of the Holy Spirit. As Ravi Zacharias said, “Apologetics is only the spice that flavors the actions and testimony of the Christian.”
The most powerful weapon in the arsenal of Christian apologetics is the Holy Spirit and a Christian with a story to tell.
I was at the reception for my violin recital working my way over to the refreshment table to grab a bite of flan when I ran into the pastor of the church where recital was being held. He was standing by himself as I greeted him and then it occurred to me: ‘this is a good time to ask him.’
Several weeks ago the pastor made mention that his church was “a liberal Church.” I wanted to know what he meant by a liberal church, and to understand what he believed and taught.
Throughout the course of the conversation, he told me that he was gay, that he believed the Bible is open to interpretation and that Jesus was only a symbol that the gates of hell are closed forever (similar to the rainbow in Genesis). He explained to me how he believes Christianity may not be the only way to heaven and eternal life “I believe that Christianity is true but I cannot tell another religion that it is wrong.”
This was a belief that needed to be explored. “How do you know that is true?” I asked.
He replied “I have faith and I trust that it is true.”
I mustered all the love and tact I could and asked “But what happens if you are wrong? What if you find out that the way was much narrower than you think it is or it is something totally different such as Buddhism?”
He looked me strait in my eye and said “then I will stand on judgment day and answer for what I have done.”
I realized then how futile my years of study of apologetics turned out to be. They were useless in the course of winning someone to Christ in an argument, because they wouldn’t be attracted to Christianity after some Christian blasted their beliefs out of the water. This pastor, I could tell, was very sensitive and wouldn’t be open to my views. The only way they were going to be persuaded was through the work of the Holy Spirit. As Ravi Zacharias said, “Apologetics is only the spice that flavors the actions and testimony of the Christian.”
The most powerful weapon in the arsenal of Christian apologetics is the Holy Spirit and a Christian with a story to tell.
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