The Masterpiece

This morning at 6 AM, the world’s greatest canine and I went for a walk. She, for reasons rather personal in nature, and me to make sure she came home as well as to carry the bag.

We discovered that not only had it snowed last night, but that it was still snowing.
The ground was covered by 2” of snow and the new falling snow was descending – not the big , puffy “angel” snow, but not the hard driving kind either

Tiny, intricate geometric shapes swirling and twirling; cascading down from the sky.

A few years ago I ran across this book called “The Snowflake” by Ken Libbrecht. He has since released a few others in the series.

There are photo galleries here. You should peruse them a bit before continuing to read this entry.

I was struck with the engineering that went behind these amazing creations. Some will attribute this to random chance and the “nature” of crystal formation. Bah! Humbug!
Who taught the crystals to do that? I don’t believe time + randomness can create beauty. Trust me, I’ve tried my hand at artistic painting and random does not equal breathtaking.
It is said by those who study snowflakes that no two are identical

As I was reflecting on these trillion masterpieces drifting on the wings of winter two things occurred to me:
1.) God has not been silent about masterpieces. For as awe-inspiring and breathtaking as snowflakes and sunsets and mountains and majestic redwoods and lynxes and exotic fish are, God says He has created a masterpiece. See, you and I, we human beings, we are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)
Sometimes our English translations muff it up a bit, but Romans 2:9-10 tells us that "Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
(Eph. 2:9-10 NLT
Creation with its heart-stirring, breath stealing beauty, intricacy and majesty are meant to point to the fact that God is there.
You and I are designed to reflect His image. Imago Dei. You are a masterpiece. No matter what you think when you look in the mirror or the magazine. You are a masterpiece dearly loved by an awesome Creator who loves you more than ten zillion snowflakes, or ten million trees.


2.) Think about how Christ came. Philippians 2 tells us that He “made himself nothing”. The passage is talking primarily about Christ’s humility, but also mentions that He was made into human likeness. Or as John states it “The Word became flesh.”

Think about the inner workings of the human reproductive process. How small does a human start? Smaller than most snowflakes.

Here's a baby at 8 weeks of gestation: roughly the size of a blackberry - smaller than some snowflakes I've seen in northern Wisconsin.

Again, Phil 2 , I love the Amplified Bible. Speaking of Christ, Paul says, “6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [ possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11And every tongue [ frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So, even though I will shovel a billion masterpieces off my driveway in a few hours time, when I see these masterworks of snowflakes, it causes me to be greatly humbled, knowing the immense love of the Father God crafting me in His image, calling me a masterpiece and remembering the great humility of my Savior. The God who made himself smaller than a snowflake for a time, grew inside a virgin’s womb, lived a life of joy and honor and love and integrity; a life that made the destitute and disenfranchised feel accepted and the sin-stained know hope. The only One who has ever lived a life without sin. Who was betrayed, mocked, beaten to a bloody pulp, crucified for my sin and has risen again.

And I am moved to my knees in gratitude ….

God Speaks in Wal*Mart

Every year it seems that stores and radio stations begin the full court press on Christmas a bit earlier.

Our local “Lite” Radio station MIX 96.7 has been playing Christmas music almost exclusively for the past 2 weeks.

I love it.

I was in Wal*Mart the other day and found myself humming “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” only to realize that it was playing on the overhead speaker system.

I love it.

Because I’m mushy and sentimental? No.

Because I’m just mental? No.

I love it because of the Gospel.

Because in amongst all the reindeer and “Frosty the Snowman” songs, amongst “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”… amongst all these is God continuing to offer reconciliation through the Christmas Gospel songs.

I am a firm believer that God uses all kinds of things – even very unexpected things – to get people’s attention. He used a burning bush that was not consumed. He had a donkey speak to a man. He had a huge fish swallow a man whole.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that he’d use ‘early’ Christmas music to extend the invitation of the timeless Gospel.

See it’s not just Santa and Frosty and Rudolph and “scary ghost stories” that float through the air in these songs. It’s the “tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.”

Because in among the ‘secular’ Christmas song playlists are songs like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World” and even “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night”.

Maybe for some they are just simple nostalgic reminders. But I believe God uses even simple nostalgia to draw hearts and minds back to faith.

I will never forget standing in line to check out at Wal*Mart and hearing “What Child Is This” played and sung overheard. Not just the “standard” version where every chorus is “This, this is Christ the King…” which is powerful in and of itself. It was the version with all of the choruses including…

"Good Christian, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

The Babe, the Son of Mary"

(blog continues after video)


Here it was: God reaching out once again, offering salvation, pardon to whoever had ears to hear.

The cross… on display… in mid November… in Wal*Mart. What does a speaking donkey have on that?

I stood there praying, "God, let them hear You. Let them hear your love song to them."

I love that the God of the Bible is just and holy AND a compassionate God who relentlessly pursues a rebellious people with arms of love and forgiveness; a God who welcomes back us prodigals and us spiritual prostitutes. (read in Hosea and especially the link)

Though He doesn’t “need” us, the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? (James 4:5)

I love how the Amplified Bible says this: “The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love”

He loves us not only unconditionally – but with the burning heart of a passionate lover.

A lover who will pursue his hard-hearted love even in Wal*Mart check-out lines.

A lover who will break in over the airwaves of a “secular” radio station to sing of His love and woo us back.

This year, my wife, my son and I will see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Green Bay.

My wife and I saw them 2 years ago and though I’m sure the band did not intend it to be a time of worship, God declared His love again through them. I nearly wept as in a sold-out Resch Center, nearly every voice – sinner and saint, the sold-out and the nominal believer - sang at the top of their lungs: “O come let us adore Him – Christ the King!”

And then there's this song (video is a bit quiet) - but check the lyrics.

Even in the lasers and columns of fire and strobes and drums and screaming electric guitars… the love of God.

I have no idea what faith if any the TSO songwriters (mainly Paul O'Neill) have. But I wonder how God is using this song to woo His wayward children back…

Got to get back to a reason
Got to get back to a reason I once knew
And this late in the season
One by one distractions fade from view
The only reason I have left is
You

~Back to a Reason II

wintery aire

every year about this time I start listening to Christmas music (in an effort to save myself undue stress in planning services in December). I was telling a friend about Sufjan Stevens' wonderful Christmas set of CD's called "Songs for Christmas"

And then, in an effort to locate sound clips online, I ran across this deal he did where he encouraged people to upload their Christmas songs as part of a "Christmas Song Exchange." He got 600 entries and posted some of his favorties.

I am so enjoying their uniqueness as the winter air begins to creep in past the falling leaves.

I was going to embed it in the blog, but I'm apparently not as tech savvy as I thought... so, check it out... here .... and start feeling the season!

everybody dance now

some days are like this. Today was not one of those days. But this comic reminds me that those days still sneak up on me - sometimes when I least expect it.

KUNG FU PANDA vs. STAR WARS

…well, not Star Wars proper, but the latest Clone Wars “film” and Episode III anyway.
This blog actually started off as merely a status update on my Facebook account. It read. “[I] still think Kung Fu Panda is better than Clone Wars and possibly Episode III"
Let’s take ‘em one at a time:

KFP v. CW
Not much of a fight here. Kung Fu Panda has a better plot, better score and better animation. The animation and art were so well done that my wife commented that it seemed as if you reached for the screen you would feel the fuzziness of the fur of Po (the panda) and other on screen animals such as Tigress.

This one’s a K.O. – kapow!

KFP v. SWEIII:ROTS
Animation up against live action? Let me rephrase… 100% Animation v. 90% animated 10% live action. Revenge of the Sith ended up being the big lead up to the big letdown. Granted it’s the most “Star Wars” of the prequels, but as I watched KFP I kept thinking, “man, if this plotline was tweaked a bit and used for EPIII it could have been a much stronger movie.
In KFP you feel the tension of the characters. Po who longs to be a kung fu master. Shifu’s struggle to find the Dragon Master in the most unexpected place and struggling to become the Master after his master, Oogway, “passes”. Tigress struggles with the desire to be the dragon master, being usurped by an undisciplined, cavalier wannabe. TaiLung’s relentess pursuit to become the dragon master destroys his own destiny.

Oogway’s comment “One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.” Reminded me of ROTS, but it was foreboding in KFP, whereas in ROTS the dialog was so stiff, and delivered so poorly. (In fact, much of ROTS felt like one last dip to he cameo well)

I wondered: What would it have been like had these roles were filled this way:
Again, the cut and paste does not work – adjustments would need to be made
Oogway –Yoda
ShiFu – Kenobi
TaiLung - Anakin
Po – a Jedi who excels quicker than Anakin whom Anakin eventually destroys

If you see KFP, keep this in mind as you watch and you’ll see what I mean.

You’d need to remove most of the humor, but Anakin’s fall was less well developed than TaiLung’s. TaiLung was an orphan “adopted” by ShiFu. TaiLung quickly became a master of KungFu but wanted to be Master of all, with powers unknown to any other. He is frustrated and angered when he is forbidden to become the Dragon Master and turns dark.

Anakin wanted much the same in regards to power, but the delivery and overall plot (Anakin’s dream / Padme’s death) was rushed and left me saying… “wait..what?…already?” Most villians’ backstories either contains a sudden traumatic event that breaks them to the point of a life turned to evil or they experience a slow disintegration.

For whatever reason KFP, while not spending time on TaiLung’s backstory gave a much more powerful turn to the dark side than ROTS gave to Anakin.

T.K.O for KFP

Rush and Obama

hmmmm....

I find Rush Limbaugh more entertainment than information, but on this one I agree with him.

Obama takes Limbaugh out of context to rally Hispanic support by painting Limbaugh as racist. Limbaugh responds in Spanish:

http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/clips/08/09/092208_6_spanish.asx

Here's Rush's written response:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178554189155003.html


check out the video of Rush's interview with Greta VanSustren here:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092208/content/01125106.guest.html

Here's part of it:

No Line on the Horizon still on the Horizon

goodbye NOV. 14 - hello 2009 !??

mrrrghhhffff!

U2 album pushed back to 2009

http://www.tostartafire.com/news/u2-no-line-on-the-horizon

http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2249

None of the Above (?)

Every election cycle some group of ‘political activists’ in our area vote for some dude in the Rastafarian party.

How do I know this?

Our local cable access channel publishes the results.

Either these folks see the process as a joke or they have the gumption to believe that one day our country will inaugurate its first Rastafarian.

It’s the latter hope that I admire. Not the Rastafarian hope. The hope that their voices will grow and make a difference. (Can you believe I just had to refrain from using the word ‘change’ b/c I’m so sick of it?)

They refuse to go with the flow and pick from the standard 2 party system because they hold their convictions above electability. (at least this is what I’m taking from their vote)

I think our country is heading toward a place of settling for candidates we’re less than enthusiastic about.

When both parties this year actively encouraged the other side to vote in their primaries, we wound up with what we have.
Republicans were encouraged to get involved in picking the Democratic candidate as were Dems for Repubs.
The result is that I am not excited about either candidate – many people are not. Ask the Hillary supporters.

A very good conservative friend of mine told me he’s seriously considering Obama this time out for a variety of reasons – chief among them were his disillusionment with the Republican party and Obama’s stated “heart for the poor.”
To say I was shocked is like saying that you just heard the Pope say he’s become Hindu.

Mr. Obama may have a heart to see the less fortunate lifted up, but with an accomplishment record that is sorely lacking (not to mention foreign policy) as well as not willing to make a moral stand in line with his own beliefs (which are what ? anyway) – I cannot in good conscience vote for him. But McCain fans don't get excited just yet...



I am not a socialist.

I am not a Marxist.

I believe life begins at conception.

I believe traditional marriage is important.

I know we spend more per child in education than any other country and have less success to show for it.

I believe anyone who thinks a divided Jerusalem is a good solution has zero concept of history in that neck of the woods and is basically just allowing a massive war to start.

I believe the Constitution is the founding document for our country and that our laws are defined by it – not the other way around. I do not believe the Constitution needs revamping (read: it is not a “living” document).

I do not believe in Judicial legislation. I was taught in school that is the sole responsibility of the Legislative branch as outlined in above stated Constitution.

As part of an ethnically diverse family, I could care less what race a candidate is, and voting for a someone because they are of "____" race is just as racist as voting against them for that same reason, just 'moralized'.

Back to Barack's heart for the poor: “But as a Christian, don’t you see Jesus’ heart and commands to help the poor?”

Regarding the desire to have the government redistribute wealth because ‘Jesus cares about the poor’ I think is a gross oversimplification, and an unbiblical solution.

Yes, Jesus cares about the poor – the Bible is replete with commands to do so.

BUT – the Lord was pretty clear that He’s after heart change, not upping taxes.

In the Bible, Governement serves a very specific role – protection from foreign enemies and punishment of crime.
When Christians abdicate care for the poor to the government, who gets the credit; who gets the glory? An elected leader. A political party. Even a collective “us”. It’s a self-righteous tower of Babel. “We” get the glory.

I think it’s one of the reasons I once heard an African-American preacher say that God will frustrate the secular attempts of mankind for racial reconciliation. Because only through Christ is true reconciliation possible.

It’s about heart change. Otherwise at best we’re white-washed tombs… and worse begrudging servants.

There is no joy in forced servitude.

The disciples in Acts gave of their own free will. They shared with all as there was need – out of free will. It was not their taxes to Rome that paid for it. It was AFTER TAX money they used.

We followers of Christ serve out of gratitude, and love for fellow human beings who are also created in God’s image. When we see those God dearly loves in distress, our hearts are moved to action – or should be. And, when we give up vacation time and worldly treasures to serve the less fortunate, those devastated by natural disaster and sin and disease and poor choices and war. When we “lay it down” to lend hand the door for the Gospel is opened.

“Why are you doing this [helping me]?”

“To show you God’s love…”

To God be the glory, great things HE has done – to borrow from a hymn.

We point to the Answer, and He does not run for office.

Mr. McCain, while touted as a “maverick”, gave us McCain-Feingold which tears apart the 1st amendment and without which I may have never heard the name George Soros. And his leading of the “gang of 12” regarding Supreme Court nominees/filibuster debacle disheartens me. Wonder how he will feel if, as president, his nominees get the treatment that Bush's did? And then there are McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman, McCain-Edwards -- which are socialist, anti-speech, open-borders, enviro-Marxist measures.


Let me also add this – while I was an enthusiastic supporter of Bush 43, I no longer hold him in high esteem. I have learned since then again and again that as a Christ-follower my allegiance is to Christ and His inerrant, counter-culture Word. I no longer will wear a party label.

So my dilemma this: where does my vote get cast this November? While ruling out the “0”, and very, very wary of McCain.. do I go 3rd party or sit this one out?

And this kind of filth riles me:
“Sen. Barack Obama was likened to Jesus Christ on the floor of the U.S. House today by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn), while Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was compared to the Roman governor responsible for ordering Jesus' crucifixion.”
source: http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=74896


This article hits on some of the reasons I don’t like either candidate (I do not necessarily agree with every statement)
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72716

PSALM 146:3

If you’re reading this and have advice... ring, email or IM me for coffee... a back-and-forth blog or IM ‘discussion’ about this is like eating soup with a fork. Please don’t load my comments box with facts and figures supporting either major party candidate - they won’t be published. I want face to face dialog on this one… and I could use a strong cappuccino. =)

a new appreciation

I had a really odd moment the other day. I came to a new appreciation for both pop music and classical over the course of a 24 hour period.

I’ve always had somewhat of an eclectic taste in music. For my part, I grew up listening to rock and pop, metal and eventually primarily landing on New Wave and what was once called ‘alternative.’ [This is before that label was applied to the likes of grunge bands like Nirvana. I mean alternative in the 80’s sense: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, etc.]

Meanwhile, I was exposed to – and developed an appreciation for – music that my parents had playing. This included everything from classical music to Captain and Tennille to Johnny Mathis to big band swing to “Hooked on Classics” to Dean Martin, and so forth…

(hold that thought… What!?... seriously – trampoline is now an Olympic sport??? Can’t wait for Olympic Tai Chi)

Anyway, I grew up with very diverse musical influences, and I think came to appreciate differing forms of music, and I think this is a good thing. Some will turn their noses up at pop music, or roll their eyes when landing on a classical station.
Yet, for all my modern alt-rock-emo-new wave loving soul, my favorite song of all time remains Schubert’s “Zum Sanctus” from his German Mass.

But here’s what happened the other day:

I had popped in Depeche Mode’s new CD “Playing the Angel” in our van and was struck again with Martin Gore’s ability to really capture in both lyric and melody the anguish of struggle. David Gahan’s melancholic vocal compliment’s the music and lyric perfectly. The pulsing, relentless electronic music undergirding the lyric of “If I could just hide / The sinner inside /And keep him denied /How sweet life would be / If I could be free / From the sinner in me” is ideal. DM’s music has always carried this questioning, struggling, wrestling through big questions. Unfortunately (to the best of my knowledge) the DM boys have not yet found the hope that is offered in Christ in a real way. It is obvious they’ve had interactions with religious folk – the symbolisms and phraseology are just too apparent. I hope they one day do. But the music grabbed me at the core. My soul connected to the music in much the same way it does when reading Romans 7. This is good music. It is raw and unrefined, yet it is good.

Later that same day, my wife and I took our kids to the Fine Arts Center at UWSP where the Suzuki camp kids were playing a recital. The first two pieces were good. Talented kids, playing good music.

The third student to play, played another of my favorite pieces: The prelude of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite in G Major, and I was moved deeply again. While the piece was played well, it was not played with the expertise of Yo Yo Ma, but the piece itself grabbed me again. But this music was more like ‘hearing’ the math theorems written on the window pane in the movie “A Beautiful Life.” This is music that is like a majestic, mathematically-based, Newtonian cathedral built on formula and rule and precision AND emotion.

I can’t put my finger on a specific emotion, but it reminds me of going for brisk walks in Autumn, when the trees explode with color and the smell of wood fires is in the air. Autumn, when I met my wife, when we had our first child, my first visit to a real coffeeshop. Spice and apples and this feeling of home and longing and majesty and art and warmth.

The recital made me want to buy orchestra tickets for myself and my wife so I can be sun-drenched in the glow of 'classical music performed live.'

I thank God for this exquisite gift He’s given us in it’s many forms. In my life, He has hit my heart using the following: Rock, New Wave, Industrial, Folk, Pop, Electronic, Metal, Classical, Reggae, Emo, World, Romantic, Alternative, Baroque, Ambient, Chant, Chill, Hip Hop, Jazz, R & B, Goth, Blues, as well as other genres.

I thank God for the rich diversity He has given to us in music. All music.

Well, except maybe Country.

[EDIT: and polka]


for a real slice of music that is akin to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster; a drink whose effect is similar to having one's brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.... visit www.punkrockorchestra.com

CLONE WARS: THE REVIEW

Before anything else – major kudos and massive thanks to our friend Amy H for making my son and I these fantastic Jedi robes!!!

These are first thoughts. Any updates or additions after the initial post will be added in bold font.

RATING
Hard core SW fan:......
semi-fanatic fan (me):
casual SW fan:...........
kid SW fan (my son):..
(also after reading some reviews at theforce.net, this last rating of 9.5 stars includes Lucas devotees)
“If you love Jar-Jar you will love this film”

When I first heard that Lucasfilm was retracting an earlier statement and releasing another Star Wars film theatrically I was curious. It was to be their new “3-D” “painterly” style of animation to launch the new ongoing Cartoon Network series: The Cone Wars.

“This is either going to be a fun ride” I thought, “or it’s really gonna fail” (to put it nicely)

My first glimpse of the animation did not leave me impressed because at the same time a fan made teaser called “Tales of the New Republic” splashed its way across the internet – and honestly the quality looked better and the prospect of stories from the New Republic Era were more tantalizing – we would perhaps see Mara Jade, Admiral Thrawn, find out that Mace didn’t really die, Boba had escaped the Sarlacc and Luke and Leia were well on their way to training a new era of Jedi.

“But maybe the Lucasfilm release’s story will be strong,” I thought.

Then details began to leak out. The plot was going to revolve around the Jedi helping Jabba the Hutt recover his kidnapped son, Rotta, and Anakin was going to have a padawan.

Uh oh.

I also had the opportunity to read the “junior novelization” well before seeing the movie.
Reading the book made me want to sell my Star Wars toys and when asked, pretend I had never heard of George Lucas or Star Wars.

“Star Wars? Sorry I am unfamiliar with the film to which you refer.”

On the other hand I could just skip Clone Wars and pretend, as I try, that like Episode 1 it just didn’t really happen. (except for Qui-Gon, Darth Maul and Watto – in that order)

My hope for this movie is that a skillful fan film editor from the originaltrilogy.com community will edit this to feel more like Star Wars. ADigitalman I hope you’re reading.

I had also read Harry Knowles' review at aintitcoolnews.com before Lucas' minions put the heavy screws on him and had him yank it from the site. Apart from Harry's very colorful language I agreed with most of what he said

I went into the theatre prepared to hate, and I mean hate this movie. I went so my son could experience a Star Wars film in the theatre. My hope is they will release the OT (original trilogy) back to theatres at some point. I came away thinking it was better than Phantom Menace for the most part… or at least equal to that atrocity.
So 4 stars out of 10. Let me break it down as fairly as I can:

THE ROTTEN:
- the opening – barf – since when does Star Wars need Space Ghost’s disembodied voiceover recapping what has been going on during the Clone Wars in an old newsreel nod? Does anyone remember Lucas dropping us into a story with NO backstory that opened with “Episode IV”?

- the animation style. Think 60’s Thunderbirds meets stiffly animated films like Hoodwinked (Hoodwinked was saved btw by its clever storyline and smart humor). Think stiff lips. Think 3-D renderings of paintings. Wrinkles look like painted on lines. Seriously it looks like a painting… sort of. In fact it also looks like a 90 minute ad for the new video game. Dudes, ever hear of motion capture? The dancing at Jabbas and Ziros ... were they dancing, or did they need to use the toilet? They looked like marionettes without strings. My daughter's Barbie ballet DVD had better realism of motion.

- the first 15 minutes or so – apart from meeting Ahsoka – totally unnecessary

- Anakin has a padawan? Huh? Oh I see to advance this certain plot point. No – my Anakin doesn’t have a padawan.

- the cutesy names they call each other “Sky Guy”, “Snips”

- Obiwan’s “negotiations” with some alien. Lame. Is Obiwan choking him now or giving him a buddy-buddy hug???

- Jabba has a son – Rotta. Jabba calls him his “punky muffin” Dump out the popcorn so I can throw up in something. And please stop calling it “stinky”. “aww he’s so cute” – hand me the barf bag again please.

- Jabba’s uncle – Ziro. AAAAAAAUGGHHH! close your eyes and imagine the cartoon dog Droopy’s voice. Now imagine him speaking very effeminately. Now open your eyes to see a neon striped Hutt with eye shadow and feather’s adoring his head. A male Hutt in drag complete with semi-lisp. This scene is NOT helped by the AWFUL film noir jazz sax music. I fully expected to hear Garrison Keillior's voice saying, "A dark night in the city that knows how to keep its secrets".... pass the barf bag once more please

- The ___________ battle droids. The “humor” is not humor. It is annoying – unless you are under 10 years old. And since when do battle droids use the expression, “oh my god”? Come on! And why are the droids dumber than Salacious Crumb?

- Continuity anyone? Um… Jabba has obviously heard the name Skywalker now. In fact, Anakin SKYWALKER has saved his son from certain death. Why does he show distain for Luke SKYWALKER when we hit Return of the Jedi? Ooops.

- they cut out the scene from the book where Anakin and Ventress duel atop the back of a Rancor. that would have been coo

- what is the deal with R2's- eye plate and front blue lines - why do they have notches in them?l.

THE OK BITS
ANAKIN
Apart from the dialogue, which to be fair wasn’t as bad as the prequels, this Anakin showed emotion and the voice actor emoted as well. Strange that Hayden C did not.
This Anakin’s voice sounds nothing like Hayden’s – or even the guy from the Cartoon Network’s Clone Wars. At first I found this distracting, but came to eventually think: “this is how he should have sounded in all other incarnations”

SOUNDTRACK
I was expecting John Williams symphonic anthems and swells. What I got was an eclectic mix of:
- world music that could have originated on the streets of Marrakesh. This was cool and added an otherworldy feel.
- some vocal pieces that could have fit nicely into The Passion of the Christ or Episode III
- Driving rock music akin to the soundtrack from the XBOX game Spy Hunter
- some symphonic music
- out of place jazz (music leading up to Ziro's) (like they were trying to hearken back to the Cantina – but missed that Williams took Jazz and fused it Caribbean instruments and Moog organ making it seem alien)
- an occasional nod to the Original Soundtrack
I will most likely buy the soundtrack, forget it is Star Wars related and just enjoy it

REAL VOICE TALENTS
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
Christopher Lee as Dooku
Whoever did Yoda and Obiwan and Padme
Jabba’s voice. Finally! Finally he sounds as good as in Return of the Jedi. This is partially the reason that I refuse to watch unedited versions of EP I & IV that contain him – he just doesn’t sound the same (and they never got his look right)

SOME “STAR WARS” MOMENTS
The Asajj Ventress subplot was great – should have been expanded. Best character in this film
The flight from Teth to Tatooine. Some good dog fights and the only line that made me laugh out loud.
The Anakin/Dooku saber fight was cool.
Some air/space battles

THE JAWAS - hilarious in an appropriate way. and can you ever hate jawas?

Will this movie make it onto my DVD shelf?
It will – but because my son wants it.

The ONLY other way would be through a skillful edit done by a fan. Watching the cartoon I consciously thought it could work with a few major overhauls including some soundtrack replacements and changing Ziro’s voice. Let him speak Huttese and add subs for crying out loud. Make him a Hutt – not a stereotype.

So until someone with more technical expertise than me can make this a true Star Wars chapter I will pass on it.

oh what a fall

this is probably not that exciting for anyone but me, but consider these new items dropping this fall....

are the planets aligning or what?

AUG 15 - STAR WARS: The Clone Wars movie - this may be less than stellar, but a fun ride with my son nonetheless

AUG 19 - CHARLIE HALL - The Bright Sadness - new CD

AUG 19 - DAVID CROWDER BAND - Remedy Club Tour - Live CD/DVD

SEP 2 - CHRIS TOMLIN - Hello Love - new CD

SEP - The Office Season 4 on DVD

SEP 16 - THE CURE - ("13" ?) - new CD

OCT 13 - Sixpence NTR -the Dawn of Grace - new CD [Christmas (!)]

OCT 21 - ANDREW PETERSON - Resurrection Letters, Vol. II - new CD

NOV 18 - U2 new CD info here

Dark(!) Knight(?)

So after all the hype, I went to see the latest Chris Nolan Batman installment last night. Given the reviews by both critics and friends and DK’s record breaking box office returns I was set to be wow-ed.

I wasn’t.

I was disturbed. I feel like I wasted $8.50

First off, let me say that from the directing to the acting to the DP to the sound editors, the film was well executed. I really appreciated that what CGI there was was minimal and not ostentatious. The buzz is that Ledger will be nominated for an Oscar. Does he deserve it? eh… if Ledger gets a nod, then Nicholson should have. Nicholson’s portrayal will always be the defining Joker for me. Michael Cain – perfect. Gary Oldman – spot on! Christian Bale – totally buy him as Batman. I would rank the Batmen in the following order from best to worst:

1. Christian Bale
2. Val Kilmer
3. Michael Keaton
4. Adam West
5. Kevin Conroy (Batman’s voice from the animated series)
6. George (ugh) Clooney

So why didn’t I lurv DK? Here are a smattering of reasons:

1. Maggie Gyllenhaal – sorry – she ruins the ‘Rachel’ character. Gyllenhaal always seems to play the same arrogant, aloof, self-righteous character. She was perfect in Stranger than Fiction – I’ll give her that, but during DK I thought, “I really could care less what happens to her character.” So, when a twist came, I was surprised but not dismayed.

2. The Joker’s backstory – non existent. The guy has zero DNA, dental or fingerprint matches. OK – the comics never gave him a ‘definitive’ name or complete backstory (the most widely accepted being the chemical waste disfigurement and insanity). But I’ll take these multiple “chemical waste” back stories above the ‘My dad killed my mom in front of me and then turned the knife on me’ story.

3. Batman’s dilemma(s) – Batman is no Superman to be sure. He never has been. Batman is a vigilante semi-sanctioned by Gotham’s Comissioner Gordon. His dilemmas in DK include: To prevent the SWAT team from killing innocents disguised as villains, he has to stop them – through any means necessary. So Batman beats the tar out of quite a few of them. And while Batman takes the blame for some Police who die (though not at his hand), as the audience we never really know if there were any police who died as a result of being pummeled by Batman.

Another - If Batman reveals his true identity, the Joker will stop the killings. Alfred essentially tells him to buck up and that he shouldn’t give in to the demands of the Joker – but that in this process (of bringing Joker to justice) some people may have to die. Should Bruce give in to the Joker? No. But the way this dialogue is delivered leads me to…

4. Body Count – Police die willy nilly. Innocent motorists too. The audience’s reaction… reminded me of reactions at Fourth of July fireworks, as well as chuckles over creative car crashes.

Above and beyond that – the Joker’s total lack of respect for human life is nauseating. Maybe it’s just that as I’m getting older human life has become much more valuable in my eyes. I know that sounds altruistic – but I really hope it’s the case. Perhaps it’s the tortuous ways that the Joker dispenses with his victims. He doesn’t just kill them… he relishes their final moments.

I sure hope we don’t see copycats of these in the paper anytime soon.

In the days of my youth, and to my regret, I watched my share of ‘slasher flicks’… Nightmare on Elm Street(s), Friday the 13th(s), Children of the Corn, etc. etc. To be sure, DK is NOT a ‘slasher flick’, but I had the same gut reaction to it as I did to them. That same reaction I had to Tom Cruise’s ‘War of the Worlds.’ That stomach churning, “why-did-I-pay-to-see-this?” feeling.

We don’t ‘see’ the torture, but we are led ‘right up to the door’ so to speak only to cut away (no pun intended) at the last moment. That the Joker’s weapons of choice are knives takes me back to Freddy.

There were literally moments I had to turn away from the screen because of the implied severity of the scene, and because even though t was PG-13 I didn’t have confidence that the film wouldn’t stay with the action.

I am so glad I didn’t buy popcorn. And at one point I said to myself, “if ‘x’ happens I’m leaving. Thank God it didn’t, but with this Joker I was expecting it would.

A friend summarized it best: with few exceptions, “evil seemed to be on screen for nearly every scene.”

"Well, I grew up where they showed you the body count,
In color on your dinner T.V.
And I've been numbed so insensitive,
that all I can think about is you and me."
~ from Accidentally 4th St. (Gloria) by Figures on a Beach (1989)


5. Harvey Dent (aka Two Face) – the FX for his face were grotesque. Beyond Freddy Krueger gross.

And his ‘turn to the dark side’ was almost as fast and head-scratchingly implausible as Anakin Skywalker's in Revenge of the Sith. I get that losing the love of your life could induce rage of epic proportions. But to then be swayed by your loved one’s killer into joining him? Not buying it.

DK did have some saving graces.

- I saw a fleeting, and I mean “blink-your-eye-and-you-missed-it” fleeting moment of Jesus. Batman accepts the blame, shame and reproach of the sins of another. He bears them.

- The ferry scene. Not to give it away, but there is the best of humanity displayed in what appears to be the worst of men. “Let me do what you should have done 10 minutes ago.” For me, this scene was the best part of the movie. Period. And the guy who uttered that line – HE is the hero of the film. He’s powerless and displays Biblical meekness: amazing power under perfect control - that and amazing self-sacrifice.

So… Mr. Nolan, I appreciate your film making abilities, but I won’t be returning to the theatre for a 2nd go. I won’t be adding Dark Knight to my DVD collection. I know some people will think I’m overreacting to sections (better said – “swathes”) of the movie. That’s OK. I’m not all for being a conformist anyhow. I’m the same guy who considered WALL-E, Indiana Jones & the Crystall Skull and Hancock wastes too.

Maybe I’ve been watching too much ‘Little House’ with the family. I may have to pull Bille August’s “Les Miserables” off the shelf tonight. I need a cinematic shower.

messiah

"The Israeli archaeological community, meanwhile, is currently abuzz over the discovery of an ancient stone tablet dated not long before the birth of Jesus that strongly suggests that religious Jews of the day were expecting the coming of a Messiah who would suffer, die, and be resurrected three days later. Most Rabbis and other Jewish scholars have long argued that the death and resurrection of a Jewish Messiah was a "Christian" invention, not part of long-established Jewish thought or Biblical teaching. But a front-page story in Haaretz, a leading Israeli newspaper, just a few days ago has a lot of people asking: Are Jews really supposed to believe their Messiah will actually die and rise again, and was this really Orthodox religious thinking before the time of Jesus? "

From Joel Rosenberg's Blog

Haaretz link

Hillary's Powers of Discernment

"I think that I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. Sen. John McCain has a lifetime of experience that he'd bring to the White House. And Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002."
- Hillary Clinton, March, 2008
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/hillary-clinton.html

In [a] conference call, Democratic Party Representative Nydia Velazquez said Mr Obama would win key voting blocs such as Hispanics if Mrs Clinton were on the ticket as vice-president.
Mrs Clinton replied: "I am open to it."
June 3, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7432696.stm

Well, Mrs. Clinton - which is it???

FOXed News

or as some are rightly calling it - Faux News

This is the segment of video FAUX refused to re- air after the debate.



and check this out:

Jesus and Jericho

Some days I love the access the internet provides – like the ability to watch TV shows online.

Granted I probably watch much more TV than I should, having gotten hooked on shows like LOST and The Office, but I really like that the big 3 stream many of their shows online.

I completely missed viewing any of the episodes of Jericho when originally aired, but over the course of the last few weeks I’ve made it through the 29 episodes that comprise the series (and secretly hoping there will be a season 3). It ended mostly satisfying enough… mostly.

I liked it for several reasons: plausible premise, decent acting, not much language, no hot n heavy ‘love’ scenes, decent writing – though there were some episodes that had about 10 minutes of plot that moved the story along surrounded by 30 minutes of filler.

I’m also somewhat of a ‘disaster movie’ junkie: Volcano, Twister, The Day After (not to be confused the abysmal “the Day After Tomorrow” by Roland Emmerich – you know the one – where ‘cold’ chases the principal characters down the hallway?).

Note to self: Netflix “The Day After” – haven’t seen it since childhood when it ran on TV. OK – set to #4 on Queue.

Where was I? Oh yes – Jericho.

The series really got me thinking – what would happen if several major U.S. cities got nuked? And not to give away any part of the series plot, but how ‘safe’ are we anyway? And have we considered all potential threats to our current way of living?
What would our utilities infrastructure be like? What about commerce? Grocery shopping? Clean water?

If you’re up for an intriguing series you may have missed, head over to CBS.com and navigate your way to the Jericho page(s) and watch the series

I also recently finished reading the novel Dead Heat by Joel Rosenberg, who through his political connections seems to have a pretty good read on the pulse of current world events as they relate to Biblical prophecy. The novel also raises the question of what would happen during a nuclear attack on the U.S.

The U.S. could never be nuked though, right? Why not?

Nowhere in Bible prophecy is the prominence (or existence for that matter) of the U.S. assured. There are some who would spiritualize parts of Revelation seeing the U.S. as Israel that John is talking about. I think that’s poor exegesis. It also is based on the notion of ‘British Israelism’ – the belief that that many early Britons, Europeans and/or their royal families were direct lineal descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel but rarely the Tribe of Judah and that God’s blessing and choosing of ancient Israel have migrated to the U.S. and Caucasians in general.

Others have said that the U.S. is the ‘mystery Babylon John refers to, a nation that ‘exports her immorality to the rest of the world’ and that one day we will fulfill the words “in one hour your doom has come!” The passage indicating smoke pillars rising….

Let’s take texts as face value: Israel is Israel. Babylon is Babylon – yup the one in Iraq.

No mention of the powerhouse that is the United States. Of all the major players in the end times passages (Iraq, Israel, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, Russia and a vast Asian army) there is no mention of the U.S.

So I wonder what happens to us(U.S.)?

Let me be clear in saying that no matter what happens, I trust the sovereignty and goodness of God. His plan to bring Himself glory through Christ will not be thwarted. God seemed to be silent during the 400 years that Israel – His chosen – was in bondage in Egypt. God seemed silent, seemed distant during the 400 years between testaments. But His plans are so different from ours.

“Signs, signs, everywhere the signs…”

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the state of the world. Seems there’s a lot going on that could be indicators of the Big Show coming down soon. And I realize every generation thinks they’re the last. But some significant things are going on that have never happened before. To get a more comprehensive read on some of these, you can head on over to http://www.joelrosenberg.blogspot.com

Pick up a copy of Rosenberg’s non-fiction work – Epicenter. Don’t get the DVD. Get the book. (http://www.joelrosenberg.com/epicenter.asp)
It is eerily prophetic. And some of his ‘guesses’ at what’s to come next have been steadily moving that direction since its publication.

I’m an unabashed ‘Pre-wrath Rapture’ guy. (You can read the books by Marvin Rosenthal or Robert VanKampen for a detailed explanation).

In a nutshell, I reject the eschatological view that says the Church (big C) escapes the tribulation during the time when the anti-christ rises to power. That position, called ‘pre-trib’ has been popularized by the Left Behind novels and could do a major disservice to the Church if we don’t all vanish before the anti-christ is revealed in the coming temple in Jerusalem. What will happen to the faith of those who think they have missed the rapture? Many Christians in the West live with this sense of “I don’t have to be prepared, cuz I’ll be outta here.” What happens if(when) that position does not come to pass?

How many Western Christians realize that unimaginable conditions exist today for our brothers and sisters around the world? While we complain about carpet color and music style and whether the pastor wore a tie (or - gasp!- jeans), our sisters in Sudan are sold into prostitution and their children as sex slaves because they will not deny Christ. Believers in Jesus in the mid-East and Indonesia and China and North Korea are tortured and executed for their faith. Interestingly, these countries’ believers are mostly not ‘pre-trib’. And Czar Putin is in the process of squashing the Church of Jesus and funding the building of mosques.(read)

Back to Jericho & Dead Heat – how many Christians will lose faith if the U.S. is nuked, experiences famine, the rise of a tyrannical government or any other ‘impossible situations’?
If I am wrong, so much the better. If I am right, the Church should consider what to watch for. Again, see VanKampen & Rosenthal for specifics, or check out www.prewrathrapture.com

Jesus said to watch and pray. If He said ‘watch’ that means that we (the Church) are to watch for something. And there are many coming, specific signs. It does not mean “hopefully some unbelievers will race to find a Bible and stumble upon specific prophetic utterances when they realize that Christians have disappeared, and then watch for the signs to come.”

We need to not be naively biding time, hoarding or fretting.

We do need to be watching, preparing and praying.

Thank you Lord for wake up calls through the coaxial.

so glad

these guys are still around... can't wait for the 4th circle's release

Enter the Worship Circle

right on! right on!

a hearty "Amen!" Mr. Kraueter!

from the CCLI website:

The Missing Element of Worship
Written By: Tom Kraueter

It was a beautiful spring morning and people were trickling in just before the late service began at New Heights Christian Church. Josalyn, a relatively new Christian, caught sight of David as he walked through the back door of the church. They had dated three times, all within just the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately David had decided that Josalyn really wasn’t the person with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life, so he ended the relationship. Josalyn, on the other hand, had enjoyed their times together. She had begun to think that David would be a good catch. But now she was miffed. What a slug, she thought. I can’t believe he’s got the nerve to still come to church. She dramatically turned in her seat and faced the opposite direction.

Sonya and Bill sat just one row back but further over on the same side of the church as Josalyn. “Look at that dress Josalyn is wearing,” whispered Sonya with a tone of disgust. “No, better yet, don’t look. It is much too tight for her to be wearing to church. She needs to get a clue.”

“Where is she?” whispered Bill as he suddenly looked around.

“Never mind,” snapped his wife.

Elmer and Gloria sat in the very back pew on the left, the same place they had sat every Sunday for the past forty-seven years. “If that kid starts banging on those drums again, I’m leaving,” whispered Elmer, loudly enough for those around him to hear. “I’ve about had it with that music.” No one was quite sure if Elmer wanted others to hear, or if it was just because Gloria didn’t have her hearing aid turned up again.

Teenage friends, Ben and Sam, sat two-thirds of the way back on the right near the side door. They were uncharacteristically quiet this particular morning. Quiet, that is, until an overweight, elderly woman waddled down the main aisle. Ben nearly laughed out loud as Sam stood and began to imitate her walk. Fortunately, she didn’t see him, and a few sharp looks from those seated nearby put an end to the episode. Sam sat, but he and Ben continued their laughter. Worse, they murmured criticisms of others back and forth throughout the entire service.

Robert, a bank auditor by profession, sat alone on the opposite side. Robert—“Mr. Detail” his friends called him—knew that in the past two years, Pastor Perkins’ sermons had gone from twenty-three per cent Scripture to just fifteen per cent. The pastor still used Scripture, but he used fewer actual verses and spent more time expounding on the verses he used. No matter though. From Robert’s perspective an eight per cent drop in the amount of God’s Word used was inexcusable. He checked his stop watches one more time to be sure he was ready for the sermon. He wanted to make certain he had complete and accurate information for the voter’s meeting next Thursday night.

Just then Anne walked in with the baby in her arms and her other five straggling along behind. The shabby dress of all seven of them spoke volumes about their financial situation. Rhonda leaned toward her husband and whispered, “Why does Anne always wear that same old dress week after week? She needs to get herself a better job…or maybe a new husband. He must be a real jerk. Have you ever seen him? Just look at all those kids. Margaret Schultz told me that they...” Rhonda went on for quite some time. Her husband just kept nodding and smiling, though he paid little attention to anything she said. Ever.

One of the ushers that day was a tall, muscular, handsome man named Zach. As he escorted beautiful—and eligible—Cynthia to her seat, Zach gently put his hand on her shoulder and confided, “Be ready. The pastor is really long-winded this morning.” He shook his head as though in total disbelief. “The sermon took almost 26 minutes in the first service. I thought he’d never get done.” Cynthia smiled coyly at Zach and thanked him for the information as she sat down near the end of the pew.

“Why does Zach always escort Cynthia to her seat?” asked Jane as she watched. “He’s never once offered to escort me to my seat.”

Her husband Jim looked at her curiously. In a low voice he asked, “Do I really need to answer that question?” He paused, then continued, “You’re probably twenty years older than her, and…” Jim rolled his eyes as if stating the obvious, “she’s single.” Jim stared at his wife as though he was amazed that Jane didn’t understand this. “Besides,” he continued, “why would you want him to escort you to your seat?”

“I just…” Anything else Jane said was drowned out by the opening notes of the organ prelude.

As the music began, each of the members quickly glanced through the bulletin, checking the songs and other information about the service. They all dutifully noted the sermon title, “Love One Another,” but, interestingly, each person had the same reaction: Why can’t Pastor Perkins find something else to talk about? We have certainly heard that theme enough.

Here’s the question: As the Lord views this scene from His perspective, what does He think? Is this an atmosphere conducive to worship? If you were God, would you want to be in the midst of such bickering and rivalry? Would you condone such negative attitudes and gossip? Are these godly characteristics?

When the people looked at the sermon title, “Love One Another,” and thought, We have heard that theme enough, perhaps if they actually listened closely, they might have heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “Maybe you have heard it, but you have not done it.”

You see, from God’s vantage point, the too-often missing element of worship is love for one another.

So far...

Here's my pick so far...
http://www.ronpaul2008.com

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

made this for Sunday's welcome at church:



NOTE: Typos were fixed prior to Sunday

Star Wars: Revisited

After aprox. 2 years of work, a SW fan in the UK has finished a labor of love - Star Wars Revisited.

Star Wars: Revisited represents perhaps the boldest and most sophisticated of any of the fan edits of Star Wars EP IV: ANH. Star Wars: Revisited not only fixes errors and technical limitations to the film that should have been made in the first SE, but gives us a whole new vision for the movie, tying it to the rest of the Star Wars saga while correcting many of the excesses of the original SE. Shots are re-mastered and restored, special effect shots are re-composited and whole new sequences are created, giving the viewer a taste of what the SE could have been.

Here's the trailer (which doesn't do justice to the entire completed update)

Adywan's changes are subtle, yet enhance the overall experience.

for more, visit here

politicalamity

clinton. huckabee. obama. thompson. edwards. guiliani. kucinich. paul.

poTAYto. poTAHto. toMAYto. toMAHto.

with some notable exceptions, this is how it's beginning to feel.

and the talking heads on each side are making me sick of the process.

hannity. colmes. foxnews. cnn.

As a Bible believing "Evangelical" who is tired of tags there seems to be very little difference in the candidates.

to be certain their promises sound different - their visions for the future of America seem different, but once elected i have seen very little to make me stand and applaud.

EXTREME: POLITICALAMITY
Wars 'n rumors
Of wars, no one knows what for
Toys and soldiers
Deployed, on some foreign shore
Lords and rulers
Destroy, diplomatic rapport

Communists, dictatorships
Democracies, hypocrisies
Ask not what your country can do?
To a one world governmental zoo

POLITICAL, POLITICAL
POLITICALAMITY
IT'S AN-AR-CHY
POLITICAL, POLITICAL
POLITICALAMITY

Rich 'n poor
Salute your country's colors
Less is more
When one oppresses the other
Pride 'n power
Decorated upon collars

Donkeys, bears 'n elephants
All paper-trained on parliament
Ask not what your country can do?
To a one world governmental zoo

eXpelled movie

this looks like it's worth a $10 ticket: