JohnnyBGamer

Hope

Many years ago, I had the privilege of reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. The story is about a father and son making their way south after their world has been torn asunder. As the world grows grey and bleak, cannibals scour the roads and food becomes a memory of the past. Dread, fear, and hopelessness saturate the book just as summer thunderstorms do in Texas. I found The Road to be haunting and an absolutely memorable page turner.

In 2009, director John Hillcoat brought “The Road” into the darkness of movie theaters. The movie did not look like a joy-filled affair, faithful to the book, so I passed on it. Recently, I discovered that Netflix had added “The Road” to their vast library. So last night I sat down and watched as much as I could stomach. The sense of hopelessness and dread eventually did me in as the two main protagonists entered a house/mansion. Memory recalls that houses, in the book, were places that either served to replenish dwindling supplies or as examples of how far the human soul can fall. The foreboding feeling I felt told me that this particular house held untold horrors. Simply and quietly, I turned the movie off.

As the screen faded back to the familiar Netflix menu, I knew my night needed a palette cleanser. Kevin Costner’s “Dances with Wolves” provided just that.

With the inspiring beauty of the American frontier, “Dances with Wolves” offers hope in solitude. Grand vistas of the rolling prairie soaked in sunlight stood in absolute contrast to the devastating world of “The Road”. Though not intentional, I ended up watching two movies that highlight being alone, cut off from a civilized world. While “The Road” wallows as the world begins to literally dim, “Dances with Wolves” embraces that which has made America an exceptional nation, hope.

Surfing Around: Ohio State Marching Band Video Game Half Time Show

My brother-in-law showed this to me yesterday. Absolutely amazing!

(Stick around for Epona from The Legend of Zelda.)

Fight: Winning the Battles That Matter Most by Craig Groeschel

“…within every man, God has planted a divine desire to fight for righteousness.” – Fight, p.13

As king of the flannelgraph boards, the Biblical/historical figure of Sampson is one that many a young boy wishes to be. Set apart by God from birth, Sampson is the original superhero. Fight, by pastor Craig Groeschel, examines the life of Sampson in parallel to the modern Christian male. Both have been created by God in His image; both are prone to utter and complete failure. Groeschel goes out of his way to point out that Sampson’s failures, like ours, are never due to one time events. Like the falling blocks in a game of Tetris, our decisions stack up and can eventually lead us down a road to ruin. However, like Sampson, we are never beyond God’s redemptive power.

Fight is organized into 3-4 page chapters. I enjoyed these easy to digest chunks of truth. My biggest and only complaint with the book was the unneeded machoism that permeates throughout. Much like John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, Groeschel felt the need to add blanket gender assumptions such as:

“Think about it this way. There are two kinds of movies: chick flicks and, well, everything else. Do chick flicks inspire men? Do they make them want to be stronger, braver, better men?What about in Pride and Prejudice when Keira Knightley’s character says to her new husband, “You may only call me ‘Mrs. Darcy’ when you are completely and perfectly and incandescently happy.” And he responds with, “Then how are you this evening…Mrs. Darcy?” and kisses her on the forehead. And then, “Mrs. Darcy,” as he kisses her on the cheek. And then, “Mrs. Darcy,” as he kisses her on the nose. Again, if you’re a guy, you have no idea what I’m talking about right? Or if you do know, you’re trying hard to forget.” (page 14)

Despite comments such as the one found above, I enjoyed my time reading Fight. Craig does a fantastic job going beyond the Sampson depicted in Sunday school flannelgraphs and digs into the heart of what made him a man. I highly recommend this book.

I was given a copy of this book by BookSneeze. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Off Campus: Bryan is over at Theology Gaming today. Come visit!

Once upon a time, in a Mushroom Kingdom not too far away, there lived a plumber by the name of Mario. Now Mario spent his days as a one-man rescue unit for Princess Peach, seeing as the Mushroom Kingdom seems perennially inept at defensive measure. Sure, the odd goomba might find itself stomped on occasion, but never did eros love infiltrate the kingdom beyond a chaste kiss. The phileo love of friendship remained the common bond that united all together, including Luigi.

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Tempus Fugit Thursday – Preoccupation

Bryan Note: Sometimes I just need to follow my own advice and also remember what God has taught me/ is continuing to teach me.

During my morning devotional I read this:

1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. – Esther 3: 1-6 (NIV)

Notice how distracted Haman is with Mordecai. Instead of focusing on what he had been given, Haman became preoccupied with a single man. This preoccupation with Mordecai and the annihilation of the Jews would eventually lead to Haman’s downfall.

In the age of social media and instant/constant communication, I find it easy to get preoccupied with other peoples lives. I end up wondering why I can’t:

Buy a new house, car, toy, etc.
Travel with all expenses paid by parents or relatives
Eat out five times a week (not that I’d want to)

In looking at everyone else, I fail to realize that God created something special in me. I am not like everyone else nor meant to be.

—————-

Interesting thought: The word preoccupation has the word “occupation” in it. Now, we all work different occupations, there is certainly that definition of the word. But the use of occupation related to Haman’s preoccupation makes me think of this dictionary definition:

possession, settlement, or use of land or property.

When we become preoccupied with something not of God (like lust or greed), we are giving up pieces of our very hearts and souls to things that shouldn’t be entrenched in our lives. We end up becoming occupied territory; slaves to our conquerors.