Letter to a Friend

Well done my friend, well done
You've fought and you have won
Well done my friend, well done
You've finished what you begun

I know the road is long and hard
The frost bites sharp and deep
And thought we fall, bleed and cry
The path we must always keep

Look at me, I've been there too
Even though you may disbelieve me
I've felt the fear and kept it down
Until I thought no one could see

But when I spoke, the chains fell off
I could feel and laugh and breathe
So if you look upon me now
See a friend
One who was bound, but now is free

I didn't know they made movies like that anymore

This is an overview/review/my comments on the movie Book of Eli.

WARNING! MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!


Envision this conversation:

Upstanding Hollywood Director: "Hey, I've got this great idea for a movie!"
Warner Brothers: "OK, what is it?"
UHD: "Well, the whole movie takes place in post-apocalyptic America. So basically the whole thing looks like the wild west."
WB: "I like it so far."
UHD: "And there's this guy see, and he is traveling west, he's not sure were exactly, carrying the last copy of the Bible on earth with him."
WB: "I love it! How much do you need?"
UHD: "About $80 million. Oh... and can we have Denzel Washington star as the protagonist?"
WB: "Of course!"

Can you picture it? Neither can I. But something to that effect happened. And now the Hughes brothers' film is roaming around theaters worldwide. Last movie they made was called From Hell. It was released 9 years ago and was about Jack the Ripper. What on earth happened between then and now? I have no clue, but whatever it is, I am grateful for it.

The movie starts simple enough. Denzel Washington is walking across the desert in slow motion, exuding pure coolness. He has a shot gun, a pistol, a backpack, an ipod and what we soon learn is a Bible. Soon enough his ipod runs out of juice and he runs out of water. Nothing for it but to enter the nearest town western style. Denzel finds ipod fix it man, Denzel finds pretty girl, Denzel finds trouble, Denzel finds evil Gary Oldman. Oldman wants to recruit Denzel. He has and eye for talent, and Oldman needs a bit more muscle to keep a hold of his town.

Denzel: "No can do."
Oldman: "Well, at least stay the night."

Denzel isn't given an option. In the middle of the night, Oldman, in an attempt to convince Denzel to stay, sends his daughter (Mila Kunis) to show him a... pleasurable evening. Little does he know Denzel is a man of God. Denzel teaches Mila to pray instead. Mila prays in front of Dad. Big no, no. Now Oldman wants the book.

Denzel: "What book?"

Denzel runs off into the desert. Mila goes with. Oldman chases. Denzel and Mila run into cannibals. They turn out to be nice cannibals. Oldman and co. show up and kill cannibals. Lots of shooting. Oldman gets Mila. "GIVE ME THE BOOK OR I'LL SHOOT HER!" Denzel gives him the book, Oldman shoots Denzel.

The end. Nice bleak, pessemistic ending. Religion doesn't solve problems, it causes them. Right?

Wrong.

Mila hijacks bad guys' car. Blows another one up. Runs off back to Denzel's body. Oldman gives up the chase. He has what he wants. Now he can twist Scripture and use it for his own purposes. Mila finds Denzel up and walking, still heading west. He gets in the car and they finally make it to San Fransisco and to Alcatraz, where another group of survivors are holed up.

Oldman makes it back to town, only to discover that the Bible he has is all in Braille. Denzel is blind. The film ends with Denzel, his wounds washed, dressed in white, dictating the Bible to a scribe, dictating the Scriptures that he has spent the past 30 years reading. And Oldman, dying of his wounds, looking at a Bible he can't read, watching his "kingdom" fall apart. Denzel is entering heaven. Oldman is entering hell.

God will preserve His Scripture and His people, no matter the circumstances. No matter the odds. No matter the cost. He will continue His work, and He WILL complete it!

God will...

Amen!

JSTT

Playlist of the week 2010 #3

-maylene and the sons of disaster- waiting on my deathbed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP6RHGuRUVc
-alkaline trio- stupid kid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAuvtHaCnYU&feature=related
-wolfmother- joker and the thief http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKjV_bWnFCM
-jack white- fly house blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UFb5UO-xBg
-the doors- people are strange http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awi14wDTxNw
-son house- grinnin in your face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA8-ZOuKetU
-the matches- 50 altered states http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avlwpld-pcY
-white stripes- hotel yorba http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZPEUyiNcjA
-u2- sunday bloody sunday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQZLPV6xcHI
-steven curtis chapman- heaven is the face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9JTwJ_1lzE
-led zeppelin- going to California http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpVLlnQ08OA
-Sara Groves- He's always been faithful to me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHFK94QH5sU

The Dilemma of Stand Up Comedy

I love stand up comedy. The whole goal of making people laugh is a very good one. We take ourselves WAY to seriously in America now-a-days, and plus, so many people are just downright depressed. (I know you cannot have true joy without Christ, but that is a topic for another time. And yes, I'm going to be like Herodotus and just die before I can actually come back and address something that I promised you all I would address).

But with stand up comedy going the way it is now, well, I am presented with an interesting dilemma. So much of the comedy scene is populated by downright dirty, smutty, vulgar jokes. Dane Cook is a great example. He certainly has a stage presents, he is one of the best paid comics in the world, but boy is he vulgar! "F***" replaces "like" as the standard verbal tick when he's on stage.

Then you have people like Jim Gaffigan. Clean, really funny... but then I started stumbling upon some of his more blasphemous routines and became very uncomfortable.

Even worse is Lewis Black, who is as vulgar as Dane Cook, and has all the passion of Richard Dawkins. Outspokenly Jewish, Black goes on to rail against the Old and New Testament and how evil the God of the Old Testament is. Blasphemy to the nth degree.

You're left with comics like Brian Regan holding the bag, as far as good family friendly comedy goes. He does an admirable job, but it's not enough. He's a good comic, but not an excellent one. But if he and his kind are not supported, we won't see many more, if any, clean comedians take the stage and make the masses laugh harder than they have ever laughed before.

Is there a need? Yes, I would say so. We need more really solid Christians playing the comedy circuits. If I'm so adamant about it, why don't I go? Fair question. Safe to say... I am seriously considering it. (Or would that be funnily considering....? Nevermind.)

In the meantime, here's a clean comic doing the routine I stole in my last post: "On a chair... IN THE SKY!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOtEQB-9tvk

In Christ, with laughter, though war,
JSTT

Note

I realize that my last post was pretty much incomprehensible. I'm going back and editing it now. Hope it is more fun to read when I am finished.

Cheers,
JSTT

Back for another round

Well, I just got back to beautiful Moscow, Idaho. I was a little trepidatious about coming back, what with traveling several thousand miles, and the whole going to school and being away from my family... again. But I shouldn't have been. Since when has being worried ever solved anything? Or... is it the other way around? That it DOES work? As the saying goes: "Worrying works, what you worry about never seems to happen."

I really hate planes though. Well, not hate. They help me get to see people that I love quickly and efficiently. We often complain about security checks and what not... but really, think about it for a moment: you are sitting in a chair......... IN THE SKY!!!! You are thousands of miles above the surface of the earth, defying gravity. What is NOT cool about that, huh?

Security checks do suck though. A friend of mine told me this morning that in some airports they have installed body scanners. Like... um.... yeah. They see everything. Not ok. Just not OK. Like in Britain they can't scan anyone under 18. Yeah. Ick. Somebody has got to put and end to this madness.

But still, the whole plane part is pretty much the bomb. (pun not intended) For example, on my flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake, they had personal TVs installed in the back of the head rests. BOOYAH! Even better, they had one jack headphone adapter things. Don't you hate it when you pull out your headphones to watch the in-flight movie and you suddenly realize that you need a pair of headphones with two jacks to watch in stereo? Anyway, they had Comedy Central. Stand-up comedy all the way to Mormonville.

Don't get me wrong. I love Mormons. They show us Christians up all the time. I mean, why can't WE be that nice? Huh? Somebody riddle me that.

While walking through the Salt Lake airport however, I was surprised to find people besides me wearing Goorin Bros. hats. You cannot go wrong with a Goorin. Mine is pretty much my favorite hat of all time. http://www.goorin.com/

Finally on the last flight from Salt Lake to Lewiston (read it as: middle of nowhere Idaho), I sat next to a nice girl going back to school too. Vandal pride. She had been in... Romania was it? Jenny. She pointed out that we were both wearing claddaugh rings. So we were. Imagine that. Turned out she had been all over Europe, and was considering studying there eventually.

Inevitably the subject of where I went to school came up. "New Saint Andrews," I say. A look of consternation. "You know, the little brick building on main street?" A look of recognition. "Yeah, I've heard of it... I think."

Suddenly, the man sitting in front of us turns around, looks at me, "Josiah!" He sticks out his hand, I shack obligingly. "I knew you looked familiar!" It's Mr. Garfield, one of the teachers from Logos private school... the little brother to New Saint Andrews.

Then he turns to Jenny, and looks at her hard. She looks a little taken aback, a little nervous. I can understand. Old guys (no offense, Mr. Garfield) staring at you will do that to you. "We're neighbors, aren't we?" Another look of recognition. "Mr. Garfield?" "Yup! How's the family?"

Small talk. We still haven't taken off yet. Salt Lake airport officials are pretty serious about de-icing all the planes.

Finally back in good, ol' Idaho it's still a half-hour drive from my landing point, Lewiston, to my final destination, Moscow. Pump Say Anything through the speakers. Punk rock with a psychotic messianic Jew as the front man, what's there not to love? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Anything_%28band%29

I make it back at about 11ish, 2300 for all you military types. My body is screaming: "2 AM, 2 AM, 2 AM!" as loud as it can. I head to crash into bed, but not before my roommate tells me that one of the other guys left... like for good. Or at least for the foreseeable future. Not enough cash. That's the jist. Fading... fast. Bed eats me for a midnight snack.

Next morning... Sunday. Back to Christ Church. Home. http://www.christkirk.com/ I think that was the biggest thing I was worried about coming back, not the academics, not the weather.... the people. Like I said... I needn't have worried. With God you never do. You NEVER do. "He's always been faithful to me."



So... I'm back. Back.... home. "Home is what you make it." Never blame it on others, never fear, never despise where you are. If you harbor loathing in your heart simply for where you are, you are most definitely not living in God's will, you are not seeking His peace. Rest in Him always. He's never steered me wrong.

The glory and grace of God never fails.
Praise be unto His name!


Well, Latin vocab is calling my name. Until next time, I remain you friendly neighborhood Calvinist!

JSTT

Withdrawl

Yes, I'm going through it. I logged back into facebook a little while ago. Then I logged right back out. Why can't I let go of that digital world? Why am I so consumed with it? What is real there? I don't know. Perhaps it was that I felt important.

I think even more than that it's because we are lazy. SUPER lazy. We would rather log onto facebook than make a phone call. I'm not criticizing my readers... I'm talking about myself. It's as if I cannot even deal with real interactions with other human beings. What am I afraid of? That I might actually enjoy actual interaction with others??

I'm going to start twitching soon. Coma is next. Someone please get out the defibrillators.