Lately I can't escape a voice that keeps saying to me something along the following lines:
"Stop trying to make God love you. God already loves you and you don't have to earn it. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof of this truth. Why can't you just accept the love of God that is freely offered and stop trying to win something that has already been won for you on the Cross?"
When I hear these words - or something like them - something happens and it simultaneously intrigues and frustrates me. Why? Because I allow their weight to hit in me in the head, but, for some reason, it's not really hitting me in the heart. Not yet, not totally. And that's where the frustration and the feelings of alone-ness starts to appear. And then at that point, I don't feel loved. I don't even feel liked.
My questions is: do you struggle with the same thing as I do?
As in, you hear somebody or something sharing this revolutionary and life-changing truth, yet, you walk away feeling like even though you know it to be true, you don't feel it to be true.
Why is it that we are feeling this way? I'm positive I'm not the only one here...
Or maybe you're not at the know stage yet... If that's the case, I'm truly sorry. Please keep reading.
As I sit here thinking about this problem, I start thinking about the idea of "love" in general and how it compares to "like."
And then, it hits me: before we believe that we are loved by God, truly loved by God, we must start to believe that God likes us.
Take a second and let that set in.
...
God likes you.
God likes you.
God likes you.
God likes you.
He doesn't just love you.
He likes you.
...
Think about that for a second. God does not only love you with a love we can't comprehend. God also likes you with an affection and interest that is astoundingly meticulous and friendly.
And then I start to laugh because I realize that God likes it when I sing lousy poetry to the tune of three chord songs.
God sees and likes it when I'm chewing gum on public transit and it falls out of my mouth and I throw it back in before nobody can see what just happened...
God knows the number of hairs that are on our head...
This sort of "like" and how it feeds into pure love proves that God wants to spend time with us, wants to hear what we have to say, thinks that we are worth being around.
Wow.
Before we feel loved by God, maybe we need to start feeling liked by God.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
I Been Gone a Long Time 1:41 PM
After taking a bit of time away from posting stuff on this thing, I decided to come back with a renewed vision. I realized that my last couple of posts have been a bit distracted and have strayed a bit too much from what this blog was originally intended to do. And what is that you ask? Well, it was originally intended to generate discussions and provoke thoughts about faith... more particularly, it was originally intended to talk about Jesus.
So that's exactly what I'm going to do.
You see, lately I've been thinking about the compelling nature of Jesus Christ.
If someone were to approach you and say "I am the Son of God, God's revelation to his creation, God in the flesh," you have two choices, with a third possibility:
So the answer is either "yes" or "no." Good News or bad news. We are all given a choice. But there is no in between.
Whatever decision you make or are making right now, I'll just ask you this: if you're saying "no," is that really working for you? Do you think that the way you've been saying "no" in your life is helping or hurting you? Do you think that there is, in fact, a God out there who loves you deeply and wants the best for you and all you need to do is say "yes" when he speaks to you and your life we be transformed for the better?
So let's go back to the guy and his dead father. The first thing we assume is that the father and his son were both innocent people and that they had a good relationship and that the son was just being a good son and wanting to pay respects to his dad and that Jesus is the bad guy in this equation.
...
But all the guy says to Jesus is "Lord, first let me go bury my father." Look at the verses I mentioned if you don't believe me...
So what exactly can we glean from this? Not a lot. There are a great deal of things this could mean. Though we assume that this guy had good intentions, maybe his father wasn't dead yet. Maybe this guy wanted to go "bury his father" in the sense of "kill his father." Maybe the guy had been putting this burial off for weeks and pops was starting to decompose and stink up the place. Maybe the son was a bad son. Maybe he was happy his father was dead because he was getting a solid inheritance. Maybe on top of that he and his brothers were arguing over the estate and letting their time of grief be encompassed by greed and selfishness. Maybe he was celebrating the burial of his father instead of mourning it because his father's death meant money and less accountability.
We don't know what this guy meant, and we don't know his story, so we can't say for sure.
But what we can say is this: Jesus is good. He died for us. He rose from the dead. He is here to free us.
And we can say "yes" to the story of Jesus Christ. God's revelation to man, God in human form, God's way of bringing us back to him.
So that's exactly what I'm going to do.
You see, lately I've been thinking about the compelling nature of Jesus Christ.
If someone were to approach you and say "I am the Son of God, God's revelation to his creation, God in the flesh," you have two choices, with a third possibility:
1) you agree with what that person said and act accordingly
2) you disagree with what that person said and act accordingly
3) you take time to decide whether you are going to pick 1 or 2.
3) you take time to decide whether you are going to pick 1 or 2.
So really, there is no third option. There is no real in between in this equation. Either we come to a place in which we believe in Jesus Christ or we don't. What lies in between is a grey area that isn't so grey when we really think about it.
In other words, we either accept Jesus Christ and let our lives be changed by Him or we don't.
In other words, we either accept Jesus Christ and let our lives be changed by Him or we don't.
To me, this is compelling. It's like a good zombie movie: messy, but I can't look away. It's like minor chords: disconcerting, but beautiful.
The story of Jesus Christ is a compelling cacophonic revelation of the love of God. Accept it or not, it is real and true, and you can't deny it's ability to grab you and never let go. Even if it's grabbing you and you're wrestling and trying to get away, it's still grabbing you and trying to make you see the truth that you are loved by a God who would take on human form and die for you and take away all the guilt and burdens you have been feeling ever since you could think for yourself.
Though I certainly believe that there will always be a stage in which we explore the possibility that Jesus is who He said He is, I would also argue that until we fully and truly say "yes" to Jesus we are still saying "no."
Of course, there are different ways to say "no" to Jesus. Some are stronger than others. But at the most base level, even the nice guy down the street who is just a "nice guy" and "playing with the idea" that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, thinking about saying "yes" to Christ, is still actually saying "no." Intuitively that guy might be hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, but until he fully receives that voice and counsel, he is denying the most wonderful part of Who and What the Holy Spirit is: a quickening revelation of a God that loves and looks after you.
Not a lot of people like this. They get snippy when you say stuff like I'm saying.
Some people see this as bad news.
I see this as good news. More on that later.
For the people that see this as bad news: I think they are afraid, angry, or any other number of things. Why? Because if Jesus is who He says He is, that means we have to start to change. Also, living in limbo when Jesus Christ is involved is a scary situation to be in. If you only give part of yourself to Him, it'll eventually be the case that you begin to lead a double life. You quickly realize that Jesus is not and cannot be compartmentalized and you sometimes feel the joy only he can bestow, and then others, you feel empty and alone because you're running away.
The truth: you either take the Bread and the Wine together that Jesus offers, or you take nothing. Alone, bread is a meal and wine is a drink. Together, Bread and Wine are the broken body and shed blood of Christ. For you, me, and everyone. Get what I'm saying here? I hope so...
The truth: you either take the Bread and the Wine together that Jesus offers, or you take nothing. Alone, bread is a meal and wine is a drink. Together, Bread and Wine are the broken body and shed blood of Christ. For you, me, and everyone. Get what I'm saying here? I hope so...
Jesus said "whoever wants to follow me, pick up your cross and start walking." That's more of a paraphrase, but you can look at Matthew 10:38 and 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23 if you want to make sure I'm not telling lies. The point of such a statement is this: if you're going to walk with Jesus, you have to start walking. Otherwise, you're running in a different direction.
...
That's a pretty scary thought because there is not a lot of breathing room in that choice. Either we accept the life Jesus Christ wants for us, believe in Him, and walk with Him, or we don't.
But let me put it this way: if someone came up to you and said "two choices: live or die..." and they were telling you the truth, there wouldn't be a lot of breathing room in that situation either. That being said, I'm pretty sure I know what most people would answer. They'd answer "live."
:Essentially, Jesus asks us the same thing (with a little nuance). He says: "find life in Me by dying to your old self."
...
That's a pretty scary thought because there is not a lot of breathing room in that choice. Either we accept the life Jesus Christ wants for us, believe in Him, and walk with Him, or we don't.
But let me put it this way: if someone came up to you and said "two choices: live or die..." and they were telling you the truth, there wouldn't be a lot of breathing room in that situation either. That being said, I'm pretty sure I know what most people would answer. They'd answer "live."
:Essentially, Jesus asks us the same thing (with a little nuance). He says: "find life in Me by dying to your old self."
At another point in the Gospels there is a moment when Jesus tells a man who wants to follow him that he is not allowed to bury his recently deceased father (Matthew 8:20-22 and Luke 9:59).
...
Imagine that. Someone tells you that if you want to hang out with them, you are not allowed to bury your father who just died. Instead, you have to drop everything and start walking.
...
Imagine that. Someone tells you that if you want to hang out with them, you are not allowed to bury your father who just died. Instead, you have to drop everything and start walking.
Does this scare you? Because this scares me... Terrifies me.
Up until this point, there have been moments when Jesus has looked at me and asked me to give things up. But nothing like that. Can't even imagine...
Of course there is a context and frame to that story in the Gospels, but the root thought of its message is this: before we do anything in life - even take care of our father who has just died - we must first and foremost accept Jesus Christ and let that permeate every aspect of our lives. Everything must be given over to Christ before we do anything. Otherwise, we are saying "no."
So at this point, it's becoming more and more easy to imagine that Jesus Christ is a divisive figure; that if Jesus Christ is God in human form and says "either follow me or don't there are no in betweens," then He must be close minded, divisive, and limiting because nobody who asks such things from us could be inviting, kind, compassionate, loving, and so on and so forth.
And at this point we are scared and running because we want to do what we want and want to "have fun."
And at this point we are scared and running because we want to do what we want and want to "have fun."
But before you conclude that Jesus Christ is divisive and limiting, I would like you to think about the following idea: perhaps the way in which you previously thought about words like "divisive, limiting, and close minded" could change based on who Jesus Christ is and what He represents and reveals.
In most cases, a lot of people would respond to what I'm writing with "well based on what you say, I'm not willing to enslave myself to such a divisive person. I'd rather follow someone or something who is inclusive and lets me be me and do what I want."
But here is the earth shattering and divinely transforming paradox of Jesus Christ:
Limiting our lives for Jesus means a freedom we never thought possible.
But a lot of people say "heck no, I'm not limiting myself for Jesus. I'd rather be free."
...
And then they go play X Box 360 for four hours.
And then they drink themselves silly.
And then they are a bad husband and ignore their wife and kids.
And then they steal, cheat, and lie to get what they want.
And then, and then, and then...
Now to me that's limiting yourself. That's enslavement.
But then other people see this decision that needs to be made and say "heck yes, I will allow Jesus to take control."
And they are freed from everything painful and dark and terrible and hurtful in this world at no real cost to themselves and drawn back to the compassionate and loving God that created them.
In most cases, a lot of people would respond to what I'm writing with "well based on what you say, I'm not willing to enslave myself to such a divisive person. I'd rather follow someone or something who is inclusive and lets me be me and do what I want."
But here is the earth shattering and divinely transforming paradox of Jesus Christ:
Limiting our lives for Jesus means a freedom we never thought possible.
But a lot of people say "heck no, I'm not limiting myself for Jesus. I'd rather be free."
...
And then they go play X Box 360 for four hours.
And then they drink themselves silly.
And then they are a bad husband and ignore their wife and kids.
And then they steal, cheat, and lie to get what they want.
And then, and then, and then...
Now to me that's limiting yourself. That's enslavement.
But then other people see this decision that needs to be made and say "heck yes, I will allow Jesus to take control."
And they are freed from everything painful and dark and terrible and hurtful in this world at no real cost to themselves and drawn back to the compassionate and loving God that created them.
So the answer is either "yes" or "no." Good News or bad news. We are all given a choice. But there is no in between.
Whatever decision you make or are making right now, I'll just ask you this: if you're saying "no," is that really working for you? Do you think that the way you've been saying "no" in your life is helping or hurting you? Do you think that there is, in fact, a God out there who loves you deeply and wants the best for you and all you need to do is say "yes" when he speaks to you and your life we be transformed for the better?
So let's go back to the guy and his dead father. The first thing we assume is that the father and his son were both innocent people and that they had a good relationship and that the son was just being a good son and wanting to pay respects to his dad and that Jesus is the bad guy in this equation.
...
But all the guy says to Jesus is "Lord, first let me go bury my father." Look at the verses I mentioned if you don't believe me...
So what exactly can we glean from this? Not a lot. There are a great deal of things this could mean. Though we assume that this guy had good intentions, maybe his father wasn't dead yet. Maybe this guy wanted to go "bury his father" in the sense of "kill his father." Maybe the guy had been putting this burial off for weeks and pops was starting to decompose and stink up the place. Maybe the son was a bad son. Maybe he was happy his father was dead because he was getting a solid inheritance. Maybe on top of that he and his brothers were arguing over the estate and letting their time of grief be encompassed by greed and selfishness. Maybe he was celebrating the burial of his father instead of mourning it because his father's death meant money and less accountability.
We don't know what this guy meant, and we don't know his story, so we can't say for sure.
But what we can say is this: Jesus is good. He died for us. He rose from the dead. He is here to free us.
And we can say "yes" to the story of Jesus Christ. God's revelation to man, God in human form, God's way of bringing us back to him.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Quotes From Movies That I like 3:42 PM
"You are who you love, not who loves you." - Donald Kaufman (Adaptation)
"There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this - I'm paraphrasing - um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women." - Alvy Singer (Annie Hall)
"As the great Balzac once said, there goes another novel..." - Alvy Singer (Annie Hall)
"Mia: Don't you just love it when you come back from the bathroom and find your food waiting for you?"
"Vincent: We're lucky we got anything at all. I don't think Buddy Holly's much of a waiter." -Vincent and Mia (Pulp Fiction)
"After all, the wool from the black sheep is just as warm." - Sister Margaretta (Sound of Music)
"Oh. So that's puce."- Sulley (Monster's Inc.)
"Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Mayor: All right, all right! I get the point!" - (Ghostbusters)
"Francis Fratelli: Tell us everything! Everything!
Chunk: Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life.
Jake Fratelli: I'm beginning to like this kid, Ma!
Mama Fratelli: Hit puree!" - (Goonies)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Steady Pt. 2 4:20 PM
So I am "home" from the hospital now. I feel a bit like I've been put through a fax machine and mailed to "home," but I'm feeling better than I was before. Much better. Which is a tad scary, because I get out of breath when I walk up the stairs...
I put "home" in quotations only because I am back at my Calgary home, not my real home where my family is in Vancouver. But what is the difference between a "real home" and a "sort of real home?" I only ask because I have a large number of "sort of real homes," that I love deeply. Joel and Jessy's, for example. My Grandma and Grandpa's house on Park Lane, too. I'll tell you more about Park Lane later, though.
Anyway, now that that's cleared up, and you know that I'm home and not dead I want to start this post by saying THANK YOU to everyone. I cannot honestly communicate how overwhelming it is to be in the hospital not knowing which way your health is going to go and all of a sudden you and your family are literally flooded by phone calls, texts, flowers, surprise gifts, in person visits, skype visits, cards, candy, rice crispies. These may seem like small things to all of you, but they are elephant in size when you're in a small room waiting to go into surgery.
Especially prayers.
I can't tell you how moved I was knowing the amount of people who were praying for me. I could write an entire novel on how powerful prayer is and how blessed it is to be abundantly prayed for (maybe I will one day), but for now, I'm just going to say that this part isn't about me thinking that I'm popular because so many people were praying on my behalf.
This is me saying that the prayer that happened is about you. Completely. It's about you responding to God's work in somebody's life - including yours - with ultimate conviction and faith in the fact that when you speak to God, he responds with nothing but open ears, outreaching hands, love, and compassion.
So I will say thank you for being you; thank you for being faithful.
I will also say I am proud to call you friends and family. I don't ever feel I can repay what I owe all of you (I guess that's the point of Grace, though, right?). So I'll just say this: "God Bless you in all that you encounter."
The second thing I wanted to share with you was something I've been thinking about since I've been back "home." Right now, "home" has become Grandma and Grandpa's on Park Lane here in Calgary.
Now I've never been someone who places too much emphasis or importance on geography, but I will say that for some reason, the idea of geography - as in a physical space where you sleep and eat and interact with people (what we would call home) - has become a huge comfort for me in this distressing time. Being in some place familiar has steadied me in way I didn't really think was possible.
I can honestly say that God picked me up and placed me here at Park Lane for a reason. All the memories that I have here have grounded me; put my shaky legs on firm ground where I can rest easy and think about the time when my three brothers and I were in diapers running around with our cousins and my brother Peter decided that he didn't need clothes anymore - including his diaper - and then, eventually decided that it would be most appropriate and efficient to relieve himself - including a substantial "bam bam" - on the kitchen floor in front of my parents, grandparents, and uncles and aunts as they sipped their pre-dinner gin and tonics.
I would pay a great deal of money to go back and time and witness that event...
The point I'm getting at here is this: where do you call home? What places keep your feet planted firmly on the ground when the world starts to spin? What people are in those places? Have you told them that you love them lately? Have you put your arm around them not because you have to, but because you want to? Have you made them a breakfast wrap and filled their glass with juice even though you were tired and would rather just throw a box of cereal at them and say "eat?" Have you asked them for help? Have you opened yourself to them and shared with them how you really feel? Have you let them open themselves up to you?
These are all questions that I have failed to ask myself before. But being home after being in the hospital, I've started asking myself these, and more, as much as humanly possible.
So ask yourself: where is this place and how can I get there? After you come up with an answer, or answers, find a way to get there sooner than later.
You can find a lot of beauty there. You can also find dusty books and art work; lumpy couches; hardwood floors; warm dens; real rugs from Persia; peace; quiet; love. Jesus.
I put "home" in quotations only because I am back at my Calgary home, not my real home where my family is in Vancouver. But what is the difference between a "real home" and a "sort of real home?" I only ask because I have a large number of "sort of real homes," that I love deeply. Joel and Jessy's, for example. My Grandma and Grandpa's house on Park Lane, too. I'll tell you more about Park Lane later, though.
Anyway, now that that's cleared up, and you know that I'm home and not dead I want to start this post by saying THANK YOU to everyone. I cannot honestly communicate how overwhelming it is to be in the hospital not knowing which way your health is going to go and all of a sudden you and your family are literally flooded by phone calls, texts, flowers, surprise gifts, in person visits, skype visits, cards, candy, rice crispies. These may seem like small things to all of you, but they are elephant in size when you're in a small room waiting to go into surgery.
Especially prayers.
I can't tell you how moved I was knowing the amount of people who were praying for me. I could write an entire novel on how powerful prayer is and how blessed it is to be abundantly prayed for (maybe I will one day), but for now, I'm just going to say that this part isn't about me thinking that I'm popular because so many people were praying on my behalf.
This is me saying that the prayer that happened is about you. Completely. It's about you responding to God's work in somebody's life - including yours - with ultimate conviction and faith in the fact that when you speak to God, he responds with nothing but open ears, outreaching hands, love, and compassion.
So I will say thank you for being you; thank you for being faithful.
I will also say I am proud to call you friends and family. I don't ever feel I can repay what I owe all of you (I guess that's the point of Grace, though, right?). So I'll just say this: "God Bless you in all that you encounter."
The second thing I wanted to share with you was something I've been thinking about since I've been back "home." Right now, "home" has become Grandma and Grandpa's on Park Lane here in Calgary.
Now I've never been someone who places too much emphasis or importance on geography, but I will say that for some reason, the idea of geography - as in a physical space where you sleep and eat and interact with people (what we would call home) - has become a huge comfort for me in this distressing time. Being in some place familiar has steadied me in way I didn't really think was possible.
I can honestly say that God picked me up and placed me here at Park Lane for a reason. All the memories that I have here have grounded me; put my shaky legs on firm ground where I can rest easy and think about the time when my three brothers and I were in diapers running around with our cousins and my brother Peter decided that he didn't need clothes anymore - including his diaper - and then, eventually decided that it would be most appropriate and efficient to relieve himself - including a substantial "bam bam" - on the kitchen floor in front of my parents, grandparents, and uncles and aunts as they sipped their pre-dinner gin and tonics.
I would pay a great deal of money to go back and time and witness that event...
The point I'm getting at here is this: where do you call home? What places keep your feet planted firmly on the ground when the world starts to spin? What people are in those places? Have you told them that you love them lately? Have you put your arm around them not because you have to, but because you want to? Have you made them a breakfast wrap and filled their glass with juice even though you were tired and would rather just throw a box of cereal at them and say "eat?" Have you asked them for help? Have you opened yourself to them and shared with them how you really feel? Have you let them open themselves up to you?
These are all questions that I have failed to ask myself before. But being home after being in the hospital, I've started asking myself these, and more, as much as humanly possible.
So ask yourself: where is this place and how can I get there? After you come up with an answer, or answers, find a way to get there sooner than later.
You can find a lot of beauty there. You can also find dusty books and art work; lumpy couches; hardwood floors; warm dens; real rugs from Persia; peace; quiet; love. Jesus.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Machines 2:55 PM
Expressed Thought: "You're a machine, to say the least."
Response: "It's the Spirit of Christ. Keeps me well oiled."
Response: "It's the Spirit of Christ. Keeps me well oiled."
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Save Blue Like Jazz! 12:56 PM
Hey Everyone,
I'm sure most of you have read Donald Miller's book "Blue Like Jazz." If You haven't, I'd suggest taking a look. I'm not going to give a full synopsis of the thing here, but I'll just say that Miller writes from a perspective that I think many of us can relate to. His writing is packed with insight into what it means to be a young person struggling with faith and what it means to be a follower of Christ. His writing is anecdotal, theologically provoking, irreverent, and self deprecating all at the same time. This book is a favorite of mine, and a favorite of many. Seriously, if you haven't already, check it out.
Really, though, this post isn't so much about the "Blue Like Jazz" book as it is about the "Blue Like Jazz" movie. Basically, the book has been written up into a screenplay and is ready for production. For a while, things looked hopeful. Then all of a sudden the project crashed because they were not able to find enough investors. Apparently, there aren't a great deal of church institutions and rich Christians out there willing to invest in a movie about Christianity that isn't filled with rainbows and unicorns. Pretty sad, really, because it's not as if the movie needs a lot of cash to be made. There aren't any car chases or blue people in it...
And yet, when all looked grim, a few people started up a campaign to raise money so that the film could be made. What has resulted is that the movie is going to be made because so many random people like you and me have been donating what they can. It's crazy, look at Miller's blog to see the epic story (because he tells it better than me).
Anyway, although the movie is going to be made, the poor guys are running on a ridiculously low budget. So many people believe in this project, though, they are literally working without pay to make this happen.
Now, if this interests you at all, and you want to be a part of making this movie happen, go to THIS SITE and donate some money.
It may seem weird to post a blog telling you to donate money to something, but underneath all of this, I believe, there is a great God working. You see, insightful and creative art and media is one of the last few things we have to show the world that God is good and he loves them deeply. I sincerely believe that Blue Like Jazz is something that can do that. It has been made apparent to many people that God wants this film to be made: this story is actually getting attention on huge news media networks - movie production just doesn't go this way: usually, investment comes from a few rich conglomerates of people, groups, or corporations. With Blue Like Jazz, investments are coming from anywhere and everywhere. This means records are actually being set; rules being broken.
So become a part of something bigger than you. And really, even donating a dollar will help something beautiful become a reality... Save Blue Like Jazz, and maybe save a few lost souls in the process. Here's a video about what's going on, and what needs to happen:
I'm sure most of you have read Donald Miller's book "Blue Like Jazz." If You haven't, I'd suggest taking a look. I'm not going to give a full synopsis of the thing here, but I'll just say that Miller writes from a perspective that I think many of us can relate to. His writing is packed with insight into what it means to be a young person struggling with faith and what it means to be a follower of Christ. His writing is anecdotal, theologically provoking, irreverent, and self deprecating all at the same time. This book is a favorite of mine, and a favorite of many. Seriously, if you haven't already, check it out.
Really, though, this post isn't so much about the "Blue Like Jazz" book as it is about the "Blue Like Jazz" movie. Basically, the book has been written up into a screenplay and is ready for production. For a while, things looked hopeful. Then all of a sudden the project crashed because they were not able to find enough investors. Apparently, there aren't a great deal of church institutions and rich Christians out there willing to invest in a movie about Christianity that isn't filled with rainbows and unicorns. Pretty sad, really, because it's not as if the movie needs a lot of cash to be made. There aren't any car chases or blue people in it...
And yet, when all looked grim, a few people started up a campaign to raise money so that the film could be made. What has resulted is that the movie is going to be made because so many random people like you and me have been donating what they can. It's crazy, look at Miller's blog to see the epic story (because he tells it better than me).
Anyway, although the movie is going to be made, the poor guys are running on a ridiculously low budget. So many people believe in this project, though, they are literally working without pay to make this happen.
Now, if this interests you at all, and you want to be a part of making this movie happen, go to THIS SITE and donate some money.
It may seem weird to post a blog telling you to donate money to something, but underneath all of this, I believe, there is a great God working. You see, insightful and creative art and media is one of the last few things we have to show the world that God is good and he loves them deeply. I sincerely believe that Blue Like Jazz is something that can do that. It has been made apparent to many people that God wants this film to be made: this story is actually getting attention on huge news media networks - movie production just doesn't go this way: usually, investment comes from a few rich conglomerates of people, groups, or corporations. With Blue Like Jazz, investments are coming from anywhere and everywhere. This means records are actually being set; rules being broken.
So become a part of something bigger than you. And really, even donating a dollar will help something beautiful become a reality... Save Blue Like Jazz, and maybe save a few lost souls in the process. Here's a video about what's going on, and what needs to happen:
Thursday, September 30, 2010
It has been a few days... 9:29 PM
Yes, it has been a few days since my last post. Moving back to Calgary and throwing myself back into school has made me a bit too busy to write in a context outside of "assignments." That being said, I'm enjoying my "assignments" and am nerding out in regards to all the awesome new books I get to read. Is it wrong that I love the library? I hope not. Either way, I don't really care if it is.
Also, I'm taking a break for about two minutes to say a few things:
1. Cats are funny. The place in which I am living has two cats. Their names are Broccoli and Cheddar. Every morning I wake up and Cheddar assaults me because she wants attention. Broccoli has thus far remained a bit distant. She's the alpha cat, I guess, so I suppose that means I have to put a bit of time in before she lets me pet her. Anyway, just wanted to say that cat's are funny. Especially when they do the worm - I couldn't even describe this in words if I wanted to - and play soccer with their food before they eat. Also, it's funny to watch what happens when you sneak up on a cat and make sudden and loud noises...
2. Books are awesome. Read this book. It may wreck your mind because it's all about ecclesiology and the Trinity and Volf is a tough nut to crack, but I was seriously up until 1:30 AM last night reading this because I couldn't pull myself away. Maybe it'll do the same for you:
3. Read the Psalms daily. In fact, don't just read them, study them. If you want to know what I mean by "study them" ask me and I'll give you some resources. Trust me on this one.
That's all for now. I'm sure I'll have some long winded opinionated piece for all of you very soon.
Oh, and one last thing. On the topic of cats, my friend shared this handy clip with me. It explains the art of "cat massage:"
Also, I'm taking a break for about two minutes to say a few things:
1. Cats are funny. The place in which I am living has two cats. Their names are Broccoli and Cheddar. Every morning I wake up and Cheddar assaults me because she wants attention. Broccoli has thus far remained a bit distant. She's the alpha cat, I guess, so I suppose that means I have to put a bit of time in before she lets me pet her. Anyway, just wanted to say that cat's are funny. Especially when they do the worm - I couldn't even describe this in words if I wanted to - and play soccer with their food before they eat. Also, it's funny to watch what happens when you sneak up on a cat and make sudden and loud noises...
2. Books are awesome. Read this book. It may wreck your mind because it's all about ecclesiology and the Trinity and Volf is a tough nut to crack, but I was seriously up until 1:30 AM last night reading this because I couldn't pull myself away. Maybe it'll do the same for you:
3. Read the Psalms daily. In fact, don't just read them, study them. If you want to know what I mean by "study them" ask me and I'll give you some resources. Trust me on this one.
That's all for now. I'm sure I'll have some long winded opinionated piece for all of you very soon.
Oh, and one last thing. On the topic of cats, my friend shared this handy clip with me. It explains the art of "cat massage:"