Now that Bob Dylan is old and famous he can do whatever he wants. I'm thinking about this because I currently have his song "Ain't Talkin'" from Modern Times stuck in my head. He's earned the right to sing what he wants, and how he wants to.
The song is fairly long and moody, along with the story it sort of tells. It's haunting and speaks of revenge, suffering and desires more than bordering on hopeless. It has a mysterious quality as well, since we don't know exactly what it's talking about.
The music has a haunting minor sound to it, up until the last note, which is major. The lyrics don't suddenly get uplifting, but the last note does.
I listen to the song when I'm brooding every now and then. I brood with the mysterious protagonist as I wait for the strum. It almost seems tacked on, but it's there nonetheless.
I like that awkward strum. It encourages me. As frustrating and confusing as the situation seems, somewhere there's a strum of hope. Just a strum, but it's there.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The offense of the Lone Ranger
Reading books about what following Christ is and isn't reminded me of a video I saw a while back. A guy meets a Mormon in a parking lot and argues about why the Bible is right and Mormonism is wrong. He doesn't let the poor Mormon guy get a word in.
It was about as subtle and loving as a kick in the crotch.
In the end the frustrated young Mormon rides away on his bike, while the victorious hero beats his chest and all but bellows, "I'm the greatest!"
I just can't call that behavior Christian or remotely Christ-like.
Following Christ is about love in the most true, purest sense. It isn't about being right. It kills me inside that we still don't get it.
It was about as subtle and loving as a kick in the crotch.
In the end the frustrated young Mormon rides away on his bike, while the victorious hero beats his chest and all but bellows, "I'm the greatest!"
I just can't call that behavior Christian or remotely Christ-like.
Following Christ is about love in the most true, purest sense. It isn't about being right. It kills me inside that we still don't get it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
More about Creativity
The link below seems to fit with what I've been reading (see previous blog entry). It's long, but thoughtful and entertaining as well.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66
Book Review # 1
I'm reading three books at once, and they're starting to blur together. Perhaps simultaneous reading isn't such a bright idea after all.
My next review will probably be of How I Became Stupid, a satire about a genius who decides his misery is caused by his intelligence. I'll talk more about it when I finish it, but one part that stands out is a character named Aas (meant to sound similar to "the part you sit on"). Due to tesing products containing phosphorus when he was a child, Aas glows in the dark and can only communicate through poetry. Envy of his simplicity and beauty seems to be an influence in the protagonist's decision to become, well, read the title if you don't know.
I did finish reading Searching for God knows What, and some similarities between the two books are noteworthy.
Donald Miller laments how something as beautiful and creative as the Bible has been reduced to a formulaic series of steps. He recalls how God seems to favor varied creative ways to express His will, such as storytelling and poetry. He especially contrasts poetry to lists and formulas. The point being that the way God expresses Himself is more relational than a series of steps.
The protagonist in the novel felt isolated because he knew too many facts. Both books seem to express a dissatisfaction with knowledge alone.
Am I reaching? Most likely. I'll let you know when I finish the other book.
My next review will probably be of How I Became Stupid, a satire about a genius who decides his misery is caused by his intelligence. I'll talk more about it when I finish it, but one part that stands out is a character named Aas (meant to sound similar to "the part you sit on"). Due to tesing products containing phosphorus when he was a child, Aas glows in the dark and can only communicate through poetry. Envy of his simplicity and beauty seems to be an influence in the protagonist's decision to become, well, read the title if you don't know.
I did finish reading Searching for God knows What, and some similarities between the two books are noteworthy.
Donald Miller laments how something as beautiful and creative as the Bible has been reduced to a formulaic series of steps. He recalls how God seems to favor varied creative ways to express His will, such as storytelling and poetry. He especially contrasts poetry to lists and formulas. The point being that the way God expresses Himself is more relational than a series of steps.
The protagonist in the novel felt isolated because he knew too many facts. Both books seem to express a dissatisfaction with knowledge alone.
Am I reaching? Most likely. I'll let you know when I finish the other book.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
And back to movies
Whenever I watch a Christian movie I get the urge to watch Tim Burton's biopic "Ed Wood."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51U0f4VKXIg
Plan 9 from Outer Space was directed by Ed Wood and funded by Christians. It is also considered the worst movie ever made. And Christians have been putting out Ed Wood quality movies ever since.
Ed Wood convinced a "Baptist" church to fund his movie so they could generate funds to make a series about the twelve apostles. He insisted Plan 9 would be a blockbuster. He was wrong.
In the film, Burton portrays the "Baptists" as seeing the flaws in Ed Wood's directing abilities, yet in the end too weak to take a stand and pull out their funds. They trust the promises of a man in love with his work.
The results are tragic and funny, but when I watch Christian movies, I emphasize "tragic".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51U0f4VKXIg
Plan 9 from Outer Space was directed by Ed Wood and funded by Christians. It is also considered the worst movie ever made. And Christians have been putting out Ed Wood quality movies ever since.
Ed Wood convinced a "Baptist" church to fund his movie so they could generate funds to make a series about the twelve apostles. He insisted Plan 9 would be a blockbuster. He was wrong.
In the film, Burton portrays the "Baptists" as seeing the flaws in Ed Wood's directing abilities, yet in the end too weak to take a stand and pull out their funds. They trust the promises of a man in love with his work.
The results are tragic and funny, but when I watch Christian movies, I emphasize "tragic".
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Book Reviews on the way
We just received a big box full of wonderful books. This adds to the pile I'm currently working on. All that to say, I'll be writing some book reviews soon.
Due to the ever-growing pile and some of my selections (Don Quixote? What was I thinking?) this is a long-term plan. Until I finally finish one, here's a piece on some of my old favorites.
1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
It's promoted as "a story that will make you believe in God." Uh, I already did, but the protagonist's musings on religion and faith affected the way I believe.
Confronted with two stories from the survivor of a shipwreck, people are challenged to believe the better story. I believe the Bible is true, but it also contains the better story.
2. Freakonomics
Think of the scene in Patch Adams where the old guy challenges Patch to "see past the fingers." That's what this book is like. An economist screams at everyone, "You're not really looking." He challenges conventional wisdom. He also makes everyone mad, conservative liberal or whatever. He must be doing something right.
3. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.
Only Clive Staples can use a Greek myth to examine divine perspectives on love. Well done, Jack.
4. Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Here's one perspective that reading this book changed.
Gluttony isn't about overeating, did you know that? It's about the obssession with food, "It must be done in such and such a way," etc. It sounds like a lot of fad diets these days.
5. The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Nighttime by Mark Hadden
I have to say this changed my perspective, because before I read this book I didn't have a clear idea of what being autistic would feel like. But this imaginative and entertaining read showed exactly that.
6. The Plague, by Albert Camus
It's a fictional case study of a quarantined village. There's nothing more challenging to one's faith than facing death.
7. The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks to Budda, by Ravi Zacharius
It's an imagined conversation between Christ and the founder of Buddism. Ravi Zacharius lived with monks for a time to research for this book. That's dedication.
8. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
The genious in his writing is that Hornby creates a story about four people who decide not to jump to their deaths, then makes us question for the next few hundred pages whether that was the right decision. And as painful as that sounds, it's laugh-out-loud funny. Before I read this, I never knew slapstick could be done successfully in a novel. Thank you, Nick Hornby, for proving it can.
Much more to come.
P.S. I'm enjoying Don Quixote immensely, and I'll have plenty to share. However, it'll take a while.
Due to the ever-growing pile and some of my selections (Don Quixote? What was I thinking?) this is a long-term plan. Until I finally finish one, here's a piece on some of my old favorites.
1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
It's promoted as "a story that will make you believe in God." Uh, I already did, but the protagonist's musings on religion and faith affected the way I believe.
Confronted with two stories from the survivor of a shipwreck, people are challenged to believe the better story. I believe the Bible is true, but it also contains the better story.
2. Freakonomics
Think of the scene in Patch Adams where the old guy challenges Patch to "see past the fingers." That's what this book is like. An economist screams at everyone, "You're not really looking." He challenges conventional wisdom. He also makes everyone mad, conservative liberal or whatever. He must be doing something right.
3. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.
Only Clive Staples can use a Greek myth to examine divine perspectives on love. Well done, Jack.
4. Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Here's one perspective that reading this book changed.
Gluttony isn't about overeating, did you know that? It's about the obssession with food, "It must be done in such and such a way," etc. It sounds like a lot of fad diets these days.
5. The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Nighttime by Mark Hadden
I have to say this changed my perspective, because before I read this book I didn't have a clear idea of what being autistic would feel like. But this imaginative and entertaining read showed exactly that.
6. The Plague, by Albert Camus
It's a fictional case study of a quarantined village. There's nothing more challenging to one's faith than facing death.
7. The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks to Budda, by Ravi Zacharius
It's an imagined conversation between Christ and the founder of Buddism. Ravi Zacharius lived with monks for a time to research for this book. That's dedication.
8. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
The genious in his writing is that Hornby creates a story about four people who decide not to jump to their deaths, then makes us question for the next few hundred pages whether that was the right decision. And as painful as that sounds, it's laugh-out-loud funny. Before I read this, I never knew slapstick could be done successfully in a novel. Thank you, Nick Hornby, for proving it can.
Much more to come.
P.S. I'm enjoying Don Quixote immensely, and I'll have plenty to share. However, it'll take a while.
Monday, February 11, 2008
What is Love?
Love Actually was on TV last week. I saw it before, but my wife hadn't, so we had a chance to enjoy it together. Most of it.
Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. It has a few short stories woven together, all having something to do with love. It transcends the typical romantic love story, as some of the stories don't involve romantic love at all. Two involve sacrificial love, one forgiving love, and several involve the love for one's family. Then there's one that just doesn't fit.
A British young man decides he isn't "getting any" because British women don't get him. So he flies to the US to meet women who are as horny and superficial as he is. He finds his heart's desire and then some.
There's something wrong with that story. It doesn't fit with the others. It's not even about love. It's American Pie, or Road Trip.
If the whole movie was typical of the romantic comedy or R-rated comedy genre, I wouldn't be so surprised. But if you show a little maturity, people start to expect more.
Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. It has a few short stories woven together, all having something to do with love. It transcends the typical romantic love story, as some of the stories don't involve romantic love at all. Two involve sacrificial love, one forgiving love, and several involve the love for one's family. Then there's one that just doesn't fit.
A British young man decides he isn't "getting any" because British women don't get him. So he flies to the US to meet women who are as horny and superficial as he is. He finds his heart's desire and then some.
There's something wrong with that story. It doesn't fit with the others. It's not even about love. It's American Pie, or Road Trip.
If the whole movie was typical of the romantic comedy or R-rated comedy genre, I wouldn't be so surprised. But if you show a little maturity, people start to expect more.
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