Bible-Colored Glasses

Worldviews.

If you've been to a Bible school, or even a Christian school at some point, the idea of Worldviews is pretty ingrained in your mind. A person's worldview shapes every single part of their philosophy. It affects their ethics, their morals, their opinions... it's the basis of who they are as a person.

I've known for quite some time what my worldview is. God is creator, he is all powerful and present in our  lives. There is nothing beyond his control. (Specific Theology left out here for future confusing blog post, for obvious reasons.) Sin is everywhere, polluting God's intended design. So when I look at the world, I see everything that shouldn't be--I see everything that the enemy is doing and am disgusted by it.

What happens when we take this further? Everyone knows that to be a good Christian means to watch out for sin in the world and keep ourselves clean of its influences WHILE loving and not condemning the lost. But the other day I thought of it this way: Imagine ripping a page from your Bible and gluing to your face, trying to see through it as you go about your day. Sure you see everything for what it is through the truth, but what are you missing? And more importantly, what are you saying to those who don't give a "rip" about the Bible-colored glasses you're looking at them through?

EXAMPLE: "Water for Elephants"

I never wanted to watch this movie. I heard about it when it was first coming out, and what was told to me was that it was about a woman who strikes up a relationship with a young man who is not her husband. My alarm immediately flared. "Oh no. I'm not watching that. That's garbage that's a sin that's adultery." I'd made my decision. And then it got really popular. Some of my friends were talking about it. The book was every where. So I looked it up, checked the rating, and decided it wouldn't be too horrible to see it, just so I could know what was going on. (I like to know as much as I can about things that have grabbed a media craze--so I'm informed.) So I watched it, and while I was watching it, I was completely enthralled. The music was spectacular, the world that was created was magical, the characters drew me in. (and it wasn't because of Edward...) Eventually I realized I WAS ROOTING FOR THE WOMAN TO LEAVE HER HUSBAND. The man was cruel and abusive, and the other man she was interested in was sweet and caring and so much better for her. They would both be happy if they could be together and away from that awful man who controlled the circus they were apart of.

NOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT KIND OF THINKING?

Immediately you say, "Oh no! I've been compromised! The EVIL worldview is trying to break me and crack my beliefs! Heaven help me, I've sinned! That movie is filled with trash! So are all other movies! BURN THEM ALL!"

Sound like what you would say? Hey, I thought about it. But then I started thinking... (a dangerous pastime, I know.) What would the non-Christian world think about this movie? What would someone without a page of the Bible stuck to their face think about this movie? If you've seen this movie, you can make a bigger list for yourself, but here are a few values I pulled from it: abuse of spouse is unacceptable, cruelty to animals is unacceptable, love is powerful, friendship is necessary for life, murder is regrettable, alcohol ruins relationships, and money isn't everything.

Are these not good values for the un-churched to hold to? Do these very values, apparently spawned from heathens, not come directly from God? Of course they do. Because all that is right and good comes from the Lord. (But tell that to an atheist, a pagan, anyone who claims a different worldview, and they will disagree.) What happens when a non-Christian sees a good value in something, and they see you freaking out about it? What are they to think of you? Extremist. Religious. Are they going to be looking for your sign that says "God Hates __________"?

Most everyone who is not actively seeking the truth will reject that which is of God. So why do we turn our noses up at things that get his values across in a way that they will actually accept?

Now hear this, if you hear nothing else. I'm not condoning ALL non- Christian movies and ALL non-Christian books that have good values in them. I'm not saying anything like that. I'm saying, we need to think before we blind ourselves with our Bible pages.

Another example: I was watching the show "GLEE" to see what that was all about. The music is incredible, but if you watch both seasons, you will find it filled to the brim with "things" that are unacceptable to Christians. Pre-marital sex, Homosexual marriages, divorce, infidelity, bi-sexual relationships, vulgar humor, and anything else you can think of. Now when I have my Bible page glasses on, I see everything that is sin and I scoff at it and stick my nose in the air, ready to condemn absolutely EVERYONE who watches that show. But what do I see when I take my Bible glasses off?

You are beautiful, even when you're considered "ugly and fat" by others. Bullying is wrong and it destroys a person's will to live. Everyone should be treated equally and not discriminated against (race, sexual orientation). Unsafe sex has devastating consequences. Everyone needs a friend. Being selfish can isolate you. And on and on...

Here's the point: Not everything that isn't made by the folks who put out "Fireproof" is bad/sinful/worthless. The rest of the world doesn't judge their entertainment by the same standards as we do, so when they accept it as something good and wholesome, we cannot condemn them for it. To them, it's a perfectly acceptable judgment.

What do you do now? 

Never try to apply Biblical truths to anything you watch/read? 

(Take off the Bible glasses) 

NO.

Never comment on sin in entertainment for fear of offending a non-Christian? 

(Shoving the Bible glasses in your mouth). 

NO.

Never watch anything unless there is absolutely no hint of worldly values?

(Putting the whole book in front of your face) 

NO.

Consider what it looks like with your Bible-glasses on and without your Bible-glasses on, and how others who don't even have a pair of Bible-glasses see it, and how they see you? 

(Putting the glasses on, and then taking them off and looking around.)

MAYBE...

Try thinking about it the next time you watch a new movie or a new TV show. That's all this is. Something to think about. Don't take it to the extreme and look for good things to justify what you watch, though.

What is your worldview and what does it mean? It is "fair" to judge others by a worldview they don't hold to? Why or why not? What of the Christian worldview has been "borrowed" by other worldviews, and can we use that to find a common ground as we share our faith? And speaking of that, when's the last time you've shared your faith with someone? Have you ever even tried? Be honest.

I'm going to go look in the mirror now and ask that again.
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Top 5 Action Movies: Just for Fun

I've wanted to do another post for a while, but nothing extremely insightful was coming to mind. So here I present to you all the top five action movies, in my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree and tell me why! Then I can explain to you how you're wrong. :)

Here goes.

-1-

STAR TREK

"The Future Begins."

Year: 2009
Director: J.J Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
Trailer

       Follow the early days of Captain James T. Kirk before he joined Enterprise. This story is a unique twist to the beginning of the expected storyline, creating an entirely open realm of possibilities. The acting is superb, with Quinto delivering a stunning performance of Spock, staying true to the essence of the character and yet making it his own, and no one can complain over Pine's save of William Shatner's attempt at a character. The action and the effects are top notch, the plot is fast paced and solid, and the recognizable humor of Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) captivates fans of the original series as well as pulls the attention of first time Trekkies.

-2-

THE DARK KNIGHT

"Let's put a smile on that face."

Year: 2008
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Trailer

     The second installment of the very successful remake of Batman takes superheros, and super villains, to the next level. The Joker makes his appearance, quickly captivating audiences everywhere, almost outshining Batman as a character, though entirely evil. The story development and the character struggles are very real and intensely portrayed as the two battle for victory, in their wake causing damage to Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Bruce Wayne's love interest, and even creating a new villain in the process, Two Face. The special effects are riveting, and the late Heath Ledger's performance is breathtaking, earning him an academy award for best supporting actor, making him the first actor to win an award posthumously. The film leaves Batman at a precarious choice that will affect his reputation, setting it up nicely for the third film, The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

-3-

The Matrix

"There is no spoon."

Year: 1999
Director: The Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss
Trailer


     Being an almost ancient movie, released 12 years ago, The Matrix is sometimes forgotten, but it should always be remembered as the movie that revolutionized sci-fi action fighting, as well as the visual effect known as "bullet time" and other similar concepts. The main idea of the film is that the world as you know it is not real, it is a computer program designed to trap your mind--designed by machines. The second two installments of the Matrix trilogy follow the battle for human freedom once more. The complexity and creativity of the real world and the matrix is what makes this movie fascinating, as well as its mind blowing, slow motion action sequences. For Reeves, this really was his one and only redeeming role in Hollywood history because it required him to be mostly emotionless. Some of the actors that turned down the three main roles of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, were Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Sean Connery.

-4-

GLADIATOR

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Year: 2000

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russel Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix
Trailer


     The story of a Roman general who became a slave and had to fight for his life by participating in one of the most violent sports in history. Gladiators fight to the death for the enjoyment and spectacle of others, in this instance, corrupt and insane Emperor Commodus. The raw emotion portrayed in this film is what grasps at the hearts of everyone who sees it. Crowe and Pheonix deliver excellent performances, pulling you into a period of history that has captivated the imaginations for years. The plot pulls you along as you root and cheer for victory. The action and fighting is fast paced and nail biting, and the redemption at the end is more than satisfying.

-5-

THE LORD OF THE RINGS I, II, & III

"One ring to rule them all."

Year: 2001-2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davis, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, and tons of other people.
Trailer


     One of the most, if not the number one, fantasy story of all time, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Known and loved world wide, the world and characters Tolkien has created are masterfully represented in the three films of Jackson's. The story follows a young Hobbit as he embarks on a quest to destroy an evil ring with his eclectic band of companions including a Wizard, a Dwarf, and Elf, a man who would eventually become King, and a strange little creature named Gollum-- a genius character brought to life by Serkis. The trilogy won 17 out of 30 Academy Awards, the final film "Return of the King" winning all 11 that it was nominated for. The all star cast pulls out the stoppers for this 8-year long film project, fully keeping up with the costumes, the make-up, the sets, and the overall "epicness" of this epic tale.


Thus endeth my opinion on the five best action movies of all time. Some of the movies that came close to being in my top were INCEPTION, THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, EQUILIBRIUM, and CAPTAIN AMERICA.


What do you guys think of that?

Following

Heard a sermon today about following Jesus. Not a new concept right? But perhaps, sometimes a forgotten one?

I graduated college 2 months ago. Moved from the busy city of Chicago to the town of Siloam Springs, home of John Brown University and near the nucleus of the greatest shopping chain in the world, Walmart. In Chicago there was the Sears tower, Navy Pier, The Cubs and the Sox, The Theater District, a large group of energetic friends, and a thriving, mission-bound, inner-city church that I was knee deep in. In Siloam Springs---me and my husband, the few people we knew, and our cat.

In May I was in Israel on a Choir tour, singing every night, playing hand-bells, ministering to people and walking through sites I'd only seen on flannel-graph. I was needed. I was important. They couldn't do it without me. In June I'm in my apartment, every day, all day, by myself, needed and missed by no one. Can't drive the car--it's a stick shift and I have no license. Can't work--I'm Canadian and don't have my green card yet. Can't play my piano--it's half-way across the world. Is this what it's like to follow Jesus?

So there's been a lot of questioning. A lot of thinking and changing of minds. A lot of useless feelings. I decided to just bite my tongue and bide my time to a future where I'd be important again--important and doing something for the kingdom instead of just sitting around.

Then I heard that sermon today on Following Jesus. The illustration was of the Israelites in the desert for forty years being led by the cloud/pillar of fire. The cloud stayed put for a day, maybe a week, or even a year. That was God, and he was teaching his children to follow him whenever he decided to go. They'd look up in the sky and say, "I guess we're staying here one more day."

I'd been so preoccupied with looking way ahead and trying to see the cloud, that I missed the fact that it was right above my head, standing still. No wonder I could never find it.

So maybe I have my learners license. Maybe we might make that church our home church and get involved. Maybe the interview for my green card application is at the end of this month. Maybe I just have to calm down and stop trying to make that cloud move.

Matthew 16:24-25

The Message (MSG)

^24-26Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?

The Diamond in the Muck: When is it worth it?

“Dude, do you see that?”

“What?” I stopped and looked in the direction my buddy was pointing.

“That! Right there.” He pointed to a black, muddy pit.

I walked around it and stared. “What am I looking for?” I asked. I saw absolutely nothing. It was a giant hole filled with a disgusting substance that smelled like tar. “Is this tar? Why is it here?” I looked around the street for a construction sign or some trucks or men in orange vests, but I saw nothing. It was just me and my friend.

“Nah, did you see what fell in? I saw it! I think it was a huge diamond!”

“So you saw a huge diamond falling from the sky into this sludge?” I scoffed.

He rolled his eyes at me. “Does it matter where it came from?”

“Don’t you want to know?”

“No.”

“Are you sure you saw it?”

“Yes.”

I sighed and put my hands deep inside my pockets. “Well, whatever. It’s at the bottom now. You can’t get it.”

“Lemme just…” he grabbed a stick and poked at the stuff. “I can’t feel the bottom.”

“Let’s go,” I prompted.

“Dude, there’s a diamond in there! I know it!” He tossed the slimy stick aside and took off his shoes.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna get it.”

I grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “What are you talking about? You can’t jump in there, you don’t know how deep it is or what it is for that matter!”

“It doesn’t matter what it is! There’s a diamond at the bottom.”

I looked around for someone to help me—to reason with him, talk him out of jumping into what could be a bottomless pit for a silly rock. To my surprise, a 50 dollar bill was lying on the ground. “Hey, hey check this out! Fifty bucks! Here, take it!” I thrust it at him.

“Nah, that diamond is worth more.”

“But you don’t have to get all dirty if you take this!”

“It’s not going to affect me! I’ll just wash it off!”

“It’ll get everywhere! Your eyes, your ears, nose, mouth! How will you breathe in there??” I was starting to freak. He was really going to do it. He kept getting closer and closer to the pit. “Look, this fifty-dollar bill is free for the taking. It’s not covered under layers of slime. Why would you rather wade through that than take this?” I waved it in front of his face. He didn’t even look at it.

“I’ll hold my breath. Calm down!”

“I don’t think it’s worth it!” I yelled.

“Hey!” he snapped at me. “Just because you aren’t willing to get your hands dirty doesn’t mean you have the right to pass off your legalistic beliefs on me. This stuff won’t affect me. I’ll be fine. You like diamonds, don’t you?”

“Yes but—”

“We’re supposed to want diamonds, aren’t we?”

“I know but—”

“Then why is this an issue?”

“Because you shouldn’t be willing to do anything just to get it! You’re risking everything, exposing yourself to whatever garbage that is, and for what? For the possibility of a reward at the end. You don’t even know for sure it’s there.”

He pushed me away. “Whatever, man. I want that diamond. This junk,” he reached down and scooped up some tar in his hand, “will wash off. I’ll be fine. Just wait here and I’ll get it and you’ll see.” He jumped in.

I waited. I waited for a long time. He never came back.

He's a bit of an idiot, isn't he? The guy who jumps in the pit? Obviously. But, why do we not see ourselves as idiots when we do the same thing?

This story came to my mind as I was daydreaming in class. Yes, I do that sometimes. We all do. But it stemmed from what I had been thinking about all day. Is it okay as Christians to subject ourselves to sin in hopes of obtaining the tiny speck of truth that might lie within?

Let's start with an example from my life. I have made the decision not to watch the popular TV series GLEE. Why? Because it is filled with earthly morals, inappropriate humor, secular truths, and whatever else you can imagine. Now many things are filled with these things but this show presents them in either an "un-serious"/normal way or a very offensive way. (All you GLEE fans can get all offended now, but do me the honor of continuing to read.) A particular strand of "humor" that I cannot tolerate is homosexual "humor", and the show is dripping with it. So, thus my decision. Now every once and a while I reconsider that decision because I hear an amazing song from one of the episodes and I love well-done music. Then the familiar thought occurs to me: What am I willing to put up with, to let into my life, to loosen my convictions for, just to hear some good tunes?

Hmmm....

Every time, I decide not to give in and watch it.

And then recently, I'd been thinking a lot about why this is the only thing in my life I have applied this to. This came from a Friday night hanging out with friends and we were doing the usual, "What movie should we watch?" Someone said, "FIGHT CLUB!" My response immediately was, "No way. It's inappropriate for mixed audiences." Later that night when people were gone, I started wondering why I had decided that FIGHT CLUB was inappropriate for mixed audiences but okay for "un-mixed" audiences... guess what? It's Not.

Why do I like it? Why is it on my shelf? I tried to think. SEX VIOLENCE IMMORALITY SWEARING BLOOD SEX UNPRECEDENTED VIOLENCE VULGARITY SEX........ why do I watch this? Why do I drown myself in this slime and garbage, why do I get it in my ears and my eyes and caught in my throat? For what? Where is the truth? What is the diamond? Is there one?

Here's the diamond: the mind game.

Wow. I put up with all that crud because the story has an interesting twist?? Here's another question. Are there not movies with twists and mind games that are not covered in five feet of tar? yes. So why do we go for the unobtainable when something similar is just within reach? Why do we hold our breath and plunge head first into sin when we don't have to?

I'm not saying, "AVOID ALL THINGS WITH BAD STUFF IN IT BECAUSE IT'S SIN AND IT'S BAD!" But what I am saying is that we need to think about the movies and the music and the TV shows we like and why.

We should not shelter ourselves from the world. We need to know what's going on, what people enjoy and what shapes their worldview. But we need to realize where we are compromising OUR worldview for a mere nugget of truth.

And just to show you I'm not all about rant and no action, here's a list of some of the things I will prayerfully be considering removing from my entertainment shelves/desires--

"Fight Club", Eminem, Hip-Hop/Rap music, "Bridget Jones' Diary", "American Beauty", "8 Mile", "Boondock Saints", "The Departed", TrueBlood.

Hey, some of these things I'm not proud of. But i was truthful with you. Be truthful with yourself and with God. He's the one who really cares. He's the one who can really tell if it "affects" you or not.

Just try making a list. See what happens.

"Don't be afraid. I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You are mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end--because I am your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you. That's how much I love you."
- Isaiah 43:1-4 [The Message]

What does it take to be faithful? What is faith anyways? Is it a gift--one of those spiritual ones Paul throws at you and everyone argues about if they're actually spiritual gifts or not? How do I have faith? How can I get more of it?

Do you really want to know?

Fine... you asked for it.

You have to suffer.

I've found that Faith is something I'm good at. I have a lot of it. If it is a spiritual gift I think I have it. And since I have it, I know how I got it. Through suffering and trials. And hey, guess what? I hate suffering. I'm not one of those OT saints who longs to suffer and die for Jesus, I'm not. I'll admit it. And I'm sure all of you would say the same. So you know what I have to deal with when I have faith? FEAR. Yes. For me, they are two very connected things.

I am Canadian. (just in case you hosers didn't know that) I am in the process of applying for a Green Card so I can work here in the States and pay taxes to this perfect country. So my husband, as amazing as he is, buckles down and does oodles of confusing paperwork for this crazy application himself so we don't have to spend $2000+ to get a lawyer to do it. It would've been sent off in September but I had to go to the doctors and get their immigration tests done, which included me getting three immunizations (including a chicken pox one because I wasn't lucky enough to get it when I was a wee lass) and getting stuck FOUR TIMES while they tried to find my veins to draw blood. That was a hoot.
So the application to be registered as some kind of Alien got sent off in October; our fingers were crossed for it to get through by December. Why? Because Grandma had just bought the entire family a CHRISTMAS CRUISE. Um, yeah, gee, who wouldn't want to go on a free cruise? Here's the deal. When you're in Green Card Application status you can't return into the country, and since the cruise was to the Caribbean, I couldn't gone but never come back... that wouldn't be good. So we needed the application to go through and for them to issue me TRAVEL DOCUMENTS which would allow me into the country again.

They didn't arrive in time.
Mess-ups with our address made something wonky with the mailing process.

So no cruise for us. Sad day, but we survived. We went down to Arkansas and hung out with family and friends and we had a great time. *silver linings*, guys.
So what was the next big thing coming up that I needed those travel documents for? CHOIR TOUR. It was going to Canada for Spring Break. Hey that was in March, no biggie right? Wrong. We were getting past the deadline to either find them documents lost in the mail returned, or to apply again (which would be another $300). Here, is the moment where the fear creeps in. Here's a snippet of my brain activity so you can know exactly what this process looks like.

"Keep waiting for them to show up or re-apply? If we wait to long re-applying won't do any good. What's going on? God why haven't you brought them to me yet? I know everything will work out the way you want it to, but does that mean me not going on choir tour? I really want to go. I can't imagine not going. If I can't go I'll have to give up my spot on the Handbell Choir so someone else can learn how to play my part. I love the bells. When I think about not playing them I feel sick. This is my last year here. God why would you not want me to go? I have faith that you know what you're doing but I'm afraid of the suffering that comes with it."

Imagine having that run around in your mind 24/7. Not fun.

So what happened, you say? Well, Winter Tour was coming, and that was to Iowa so I could go on that one. ;) I had mixed feelings about it because I was grateful I could at least go on this tour, but the thought that it might be my last tour ever really stung. (if you're wondering why tour is so important, it's because it's what you've been working towards from the beginning of your college career. You're in choir and you work towards the end goal of tour. that's just the way it goes.) So the night before we left on tour, I found this verse:

"Think of your suffering as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want." - I Peter 4:2 [The Message]

Read it again before continuing on. This verse was huge for me. I wanted to go on tour so badly i was making myself physically sick over the fact that i might not be able to go. God was saying, slow down. You want this, but do I? You know you always think, well, if I'm in tune with God his will will be my will? HEY! Don't flip it around and say MY WILL IS HIS WILL IF WE'RE IN TUNE. That's what I was doing.
That verse got me through the first two days of our little tour to Iowa. I was able to let go a little and enjoy what i had at the moment, and if God wanted this to be my last tour then so be it.
Then the day came that we were in this little science museum for children, you know the ones with all the hands-on experiment things you can do. And I was just low. I don't like museums in the first place. So I was wandering around by myself and scoffing at the little airplanes that moved when you pushed buttons, the radio waves that went crazy with the turn of a dial, and the big gross boa-constrictor in the corner tank when my phone buzzed. It was a text from my husband at home.

GUESS WHAT CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY?

My heart jumped out of my throat.
Yes folks, the papers came.
And you know what? After a few weeks we even realized why they were late. Each travel document is only good for one re-entry. There were two documents in the package that came. If I had used one to go on the cruise and one for Spring Tour to Canada, I would not have been able to go on the International Tour to ISRAEL this summer with the choir. Oh, geez. Well. Good thing I'm not in charge then, huh?

FAITH & FEAR

Is it possible to have one without the other?
I sure hope so. Once the ordeal is over you always realize that the fear was unnecessary.

I leave you with this.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by the fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
- I Peter 1:6-9

Merry Giftmas!

So it's been a while since I've had something to write about. I guess that means life is perfect right? You wish.

Giftmas came and went. I don't know about you guys but I just love Giftmas. All the cards, decorations, lights, cookies, fudge and the awesomeness of decorating a tree-- I just love it. I look forward to it all year. Oh wait! Can't forget the most important part of the whole season!! Gifts! Presents! There's nothing that warms your heart more than seeing brightly wrapped packages under the tree with your name on them, and if you're like me, seeing brightly wrapped packages that I wrapped with someone else's name on them makes me feel even cozier inside. I just love making cards and presents for everyone I know. Ah, Giftmas. A season of giving and

getting. Great right?

Oops. I just noticed a large spelling error I made throughout the first part of my blog, right up there, see it? Sorry, guys. I meant to write Christmas. Christ mas.

You noticed, right? Of course you did. It was obvious. But did you notice before? Did you notice when you woke up on Gif-- ahem, Christmas morning with your family, whether bright and early, or whenever you felt like it, and you all sat down in front of your tree and dove into the sea of boxed-up joy and joyness?

Did you stop to remember what the original Christmas gift was and who it was from? Did you stop to think about what it means?

I didn't. Not until the last piece of wrapping paper had been torn off the last present.

How many of you grew up reading the Christmas story, about Baby Jesus being born in a manger to save ALL of us, before you even touched a present under the tree? I did.

How dare we even think that we have the right to grab those gifts with our grubby little paws without taking a SECOND to remember the God of the universe who came down in a form of a Baby, who sacrificed himself for the sake of mankind, for the sake of those who laugh in his face and scorn the cross, for my sake, and yours?

Now calm down if you were one of the ones who read the Christmas story. Calm down if you had Christ on your heart all season. Calm down if you think I'm bashing gifts or the holiday cheer, I'm not. Calm down. Why get ticked at me? I'm sticking up for my Saviour's birthday being turned into someone, or something, else's day. And if you agree with me, and if you know you never gave him a second thought, don't calm down. Get upset! GET ANNOYED at yourself!

And you know what? While we're at it, why is the whole holiday not wrapped around Christ in your heart? It's not just something to remember before you open gifts, it's not just the Christmas Eve service you so dutifully attend, whatever motions you go through to "keep Christ in Christmas" that's NOT ENOUGH. When you go to a wedding, do you take three minutes to say, "hey, there's the bride and groom. How great for them. Isn't that happy. Thanks for inviting me!" and then promptly moving on and pig out on all the food and drink and feel good about yourself because you took a few mere moments to acknowledge the reason for the celebration. Jeez, now that that's over you can enjoy yourself, right?

If all I'm doing is ranting to myself, that's fine. I'm only responsible for me. But if you've been upset or convicted by what I've put forth today, share your thoughts. Maybe not here, to me, or the rest of the online world who reads this, but maybe share it with the person who's birthday you forgot or watered down. After all, he's the only one that matters in the end.

Happy New Year. Make it start out right.

JOSS WHEDON: a summary of thought

This is Joss Whedon. He is a screenwriter, producer, director, and on occasion, a composer.

He works in Film, TV, Comic Books, and Online Media.

His work is mainly followed by small, radically dedicated groups, also known as cult fans.

His most famous works are: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity, Angel, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and Dollhouse.

His popularity among Christian youth is skyrocketing.

He is an atheist.


Let's talk about his stuff. First, let me give you a few examples that you WILL be familiar with if you are not one of his--- cult followers.

Toy Story

One of the funniest kids movies of our time, voices by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks, with two very successful sequels. Woody and Buzz, two very different toys both vying for the affection of their owner Andy. Who doesn't like this movie?
"You-- are a child's plaything!"
"You are a sad, strange little man."
Whedon was one of the writers for this script.


The Lion King: Simba's Pride

The "not-as-famous" sequel to The Lion King. Simba's daughter Kiara falls in love with Scar's nephew Kovu who is being manipulated by the evil Zira who wants to kill Simba for what he did to Scar. The lullaby she sings to Kovu as a baby...
"Sleep, my little Kovu, let your dreams take wing. One day when you're big and strong, you will be a king. But I dream a dream so pretty that I don't feel so depressed 'Cause it soothes my inner kitty and it helps me get some rest."
Whedon wrote this song.

Now as for his stuff that's gained the most popularity and following, let's take a look.

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog (watch)

Written for the Internet during the writer's strike, this 45 minute short film spread across the world like fire, consuming as many eager fans as possible. The witty lyrics, catchy melodies, and hilarious performances by Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion pleased Whedon fans and non-Whedon fans alike. The story follows a wanna-be super villain who's in love with the girl of his dreams, who in turn is being swept off her feet by Captain Hammer, Dr. Horrible's arch nemesis. To get a taste of Joss Whedon before reading the rest of this blog, go ahead and watch this. Twice. Otherwise you might hate it.

Firefly / Serenity

Firefly: the show. Serenity: the movie that was made to wrap up the show once it was canceled after the first season. Just imagine the wild west in space in the future. War happened, the universe was united into the Alliance, and there were those who resisted and who still resist. Malclom Reynolds was one of those "Browncoats" who resisted in the war. His side lost. Now he captains a ship and together with his crew the do "odd jobs"/crime to stay alive and away from the Alliance. His crew consists of a young girl mechanic, an untrustworthy, not so bright muscle man, a married couple, the man being the best pilot around and the woman being his second in command, and a registered "companion" who rents out one of the side shuttles for her "business" (prostitute). They eventually pick up a "shepherd" and a brother and sister who are running from the law because the sister is a mind genius and the government was experimenting on her. They fly around, steal and smuggle stuff and somehow help people in the process. The universal trade language is Chinese. Interesting, huh?

Dollhouse

This was one of Whedon's less popular creations. A futuristic sci-fi world that revolved around underground "dollhouses" that were centers for "Actives", a line of robots who could be rented and programmed for any type of situation. Sort of a "robot-for-hire-temporarily" kind of deal.
Eliza Dushku played the main character, an "active" doing her job as she was on the path of self-realization and enlightenment.






Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy, a 16-yr old girl, suddenly finds out that she has been chosen to be the new Slayer. One is chosen every generation, and when she dies, another takes her place. She moves to a new town, Sunnydale, California's very own "hellmouth" (one of the places where hell itself can open). She meets Rupert Giles, the school librarian, who is also her "Watcher", sent from England to be her guide and trainer. She makes two best friends, Willow Rosenburg, a Jewish nerd, and Xander Harris, an outgoing loser. Together the three of them slay vampires and kill demons and have drama in high school. These are the four main characters throughout the series. Xander goes through a girlfriend or two after getting over his love for Buffy and eventually ends up dating an ex-vengeance demon (who became human) named Anya. Willow falls in love with a werewolf named Oz (played by Seth Green) but he eventually leaves her for fear of hurting her. She becomes a powerful "Wicca" and eventually decides she is a Lesbian. Buffy falls in love with Angel, a vampire with a soul who lurks around and helps her defeat the powers of darkness. Angel used to be Angelus, the worst vampire of them all, until gypsies cursed him and gave him back his soul so he could regret all the atrocities he'd done. He then brooded for years until he saw Buffy and wanted to help her. Buffy and Angel are terribly in love, until the curse on Angel is broken. They sleep together, Angel has a moment of true happiness, and he loses his soul. He then goes on a rampage to try and kill everyone, including Buffy, who eventually has to kill him herself and send him to hell. Buffy goes through teen angst, fights more evil, dies once and comes back to life, but a new slayer rose. Now there's two. And the new slayer, Faith, has an evil streak. Buffy and Faith eventually become enemies, Angel returns from hell all broken and tortured (he'd been there for hundreds of years because time down there is apparently different than in the world). Faith is defeated, Angel leaves as to not become Angelus again (and also so he can go start his own show) Buffy dates a few guys, including a vampire who had been hers and Angel's worst enemy (named Spike) after she grows fond of him. (he had a chip embedded in his brain that made him unable to kill humans.) A military presence appeared in Sunnydale to fight demons, Buffy dated Riley, a military guy, but her commitment issues drove him away. A mystical force turned into a human being becomes Buffy's little sister Dawn, Buffy's mom dies of medical reasons, Buffy herself dies, Willow brings her back from heaven (where she was) with magic, sending Willow on a downward spiral and becoming addicted to dark dark magic. She almost kicks the habit when her girlfriend Tara gets shot and killed and Willow goes crazy with magics and murders a bunch of people.
The last season's main plot is the fight against "The First". This evil, as they describe it in the show, is the creator of all evil; the original evil-- evil itself. This idea is the basis for my thoughts on Joss Whedon's worldview-- the worldview that we are now eating up like candy.

First of all, a disclaimer: I really love Joss Whedon's stuff! (Except for Dollhouse. It's too weird.) The world's that he creates, as in Firefly or Buffy, are fascinating. His characters are lovable, funny, heroic and attractive. His stories have something for everyone to appreciate. But I want to point out a few things that I think we as Whedon fans need to realize so we don't let him influence our own worldview.

Whedon is somewhat inconsistent with his stance of if there is a "God" or not. In Firefly, the "Shepherd Book" character is never quite explained but is presented as a Bible Preacher. Whedon doesn't make fun of him or make him out to be a fool, but instead presents him in a good light. here's a portion of one of the shows where the genius sister (River) gets a hold of Shepherd's Bible.

Book: What are we up to, sweetheart?

River: Fixing your Bible.

Book: I, um... What?

River: Bible's broken. Contradictions, false logistics... doesn't make sense.

Book: No, no. You—you can't...

River: So we'll integrate non-progressional evolution theory with God's creation of Eden. Eleven inherent metaphoric parallels already there. Eleven. Important number. Prime number. One goes into the house of eleven eleven times, but always comes out one. Noah's ark is a problem.

Book: Really?

River: We'll have to call it "early quantum state phenomenon". Only way to fit 5,000 species of mammals on the same boat.

Book: River, you don't... fix the Bible.

River: It's broken. It doesn't make sense.

Book: It's not about... making sense. It's about believing in something. And letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It's about faith. You don't fix faith, River. It fixes you.

Whedon obviously presents this scene as "see, this whole Bible/God thing isn't scientific at all and it makes no sense if you're smart." Almost as if the only people who believe in that stuff are folks who don't think it out or reason it out. But at the same time, without even knowing it, Whedon presents the Gospel message in a small way. Think about how. In the movie Serenity, Malcolm holds onto the Shepherd Book as he dies from wounds. Mal says "I don't believe in God!" Book responds, "It doesn't matter. Just believe in something."

Let's take a look at an example from Buffy. The "First" is about to destroy the entire world with an army of ancient vampire monster things and Buffy is having a hard time defeating them. Once she gets beaten down a few times she resolves to win. this is what she says:
"There's only one thing on earth that is more powerful than evil. That's us."
A strong sense of human ability, no need for a higher power to fight for them. Earlier on, another character said this about evil.
"Once you see true evil there's some serious afterburn. You can't unsee what you saw."
This shows me that Whedon is willing to admit (and definitly believes in) there is a pure source of evil that has been around forever, that was not a created but a creator. Interesting. But he refuses to acknowledge the existance of a pure good, a counterpart to evil, God.
So how does Buffy defeat the "First"? Well, with her friends, by her own strength, they just had to figure it out. The idea at the end is that the "First" is everywhere, in everyone, and it is a natural part of life. Are there parallels to a sin nature here? Or possibly the fact that maybe we are all god or part of god?
Whedon tries so hard to explain his way around God. I know that he knows God exists. He has to. His stories revolve around him whether he wants them to or not.

A few other things to notice. The push of feminism, and how relationships only seem to "work out" or sail along smoothly if they are same-sex. Willow and Tara from Buffy seemed to be true to each other even through hard times. Buffy's relationships never worked, Xander and Anya ended up breaking up at the wedding altar, Giles was always unlucky or he went for shallow one nighters as did Mal in Firefly, but he always seemed to cold to date anyways. The Companion/Prostitute on Mal's ship had shifty clients until she had a woman client, and then it was all graceful and glamorous. Interesting to think about, that his view of a healthy relationship is the exact opposite of what it should be.

So why do we like his stuff? Why are so many people obsessed? Perhaps because it's funny, creative, and very realistic. People are tired of being fooled and conned while they watch shows, they don't like saying "yeah, like that could ever happen" anymore. Whedon grabs you where you're at, deals with issues that you have, and lives out your fantasies for you. But how much effect does his worldview have on yours? None? Or have you stopped to notice?

So check out his stuff. Or don't. Or re-evaluate your obsession with him. But realize that he is out there and he is gaining a following. He's writing and directing the new "Avenger's" movie and people are ecstatic. I think he's got great talent and I can't wait to see it. I want to see how he tries to hide God in this one. It's great when Atheists can't hold their own, isn't it?