The Return to Camelot

In this morning's New York Times, there's an interesting article in the Fashion and Style section entitled "The Newly Uptight". The article is all about the upcoming Fashion Week in NYC and the "new" styles that we can expect to see on the runways of the top designers. They predict a return to the Jackie Kennedy look (which my wife tells me never goes out of style), a return to a tailored, more conservative look.

I have to admit, I do prefer Jackie Kennedy's style to that of Britney Spears, but that was not what struck me about this article. It was the reason for this move by the designers.

“We have certainly reached the time where people want to feel good again, to go back to Camelot and pre-Camelot days,” said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with the NPD Group, a market research firm. “Boomers especially are harkening back to a day before there were issues,” among them global warming and teenagers overdosing on prescription drugs.

Fascinating! The appeal of living in denial is strong, is it not? We want to go back to a time that covers over dysfunction and unrest. Jackie Kennedy admitted that she created Camelot in The White House to project an image of fairy tale perfection because she felt the reality was too much for the country to handle; that is, the President was unfaithful, and she suffered from depression, being often overwhelmed by the spotlight. The interesting fact is that no matter how much truth comes out about that time, our country still remembers it as the fairy tale, as Camelot.

Fast-forward to today: the sword of impending doom of a recession, the continual war in Iraq, the prospect of losing our superpower status as a nation, etc - according to the article, all this is proving too much for our society. We want to dream about a "better" time. As a result, the fashion shows "are expected to pay homage to a period, the late ’50s and early ’60s, that was, in retrospect, an interlude of prosperity and stability".

How ironic! I thought the '50s and early '60s were, "in retrospect", a time of suppression and denial that led directly to the sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll of the late '60s.

Still, I understand the desire to return to Camelot even if it is a fantasy. One look at my dvd collection and it's clear that I like to escape reality as much as the next guy. Reality can simply be too painful and too scary to handle sometimes. It's hard to hold on to the hope that things will be okay, when nothing in life seems to point that way. Denial and escape come much more naturally. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that hope doesn't really exist in me; it has to come from outside. It has to come from Someone who knows what this world is about, what my life really is, and who has overcome the world.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have over come the world." (John 16:33)

A Jenny Holzer Truism (1986)

The Pats

My good buddy Nick Lannon (who, I might add, gets ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church this week) sent me this quote from Chuck Klosterman's editorial "All Too Perfect" on ESPN.com.

If the Patriots win, they will just become this thing that scorched the earth for five months before capturing a trophy that was never in doubt. Future historians will describe this New England team as if it were a machine. Everyone will concede the Pats' superlative greatness, but the 19 wins will be just a collection of numbers. But if they lose -- especially if they lose late -- the New England Patriots will be the most memorable collection of individuals in the history of pro football. They will prove that nothing in this world is guaranteed, that past returns do not guarantee future results, that failure is what ultimately defines us and that Gisele will probably date a bunch of other dudes in her life, because man is eternally fallible.

I couldn't agree with Klosterman more... "failure is what ultimately defines us". It's through our failures that we learn about ourselves, and it's through our failures that we come to understand the truth about human nature - that it "is eternally fallible."

So, I will join Klosterman and cheer on the Giants, not because I live in New York, but because the loss of the Patriots will remind us all of our true state and need for deliverance.

To read more of the article go to http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=perfectpats

P.S. Full disclosure: I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, which means I hate the Patriots. However, I want you all to know that I tried to approach this topic with as much objectivity as is possible... I failed:)

Nepotism - A Tribute To John Camp

I came across the following album cover yesterday and couldn't resist posting it in tribute to my brother John.


For the past few years, John has been diligently exploring the intersection of historical Anglicanism and the (international) Disco movement of the late 1970s. His findings, of which there are many, can be found on his amazing blog, John Camp.

John's presence on the web doesn't end there, though. The first 12" of his DJ work was released in the UK last week (here), and as part of his day job at Church of the Holy Cross in Charleston, South Carolina, his sermons are being posted online. Don't delay!

Jurgen Moltmann Quote (The Crucified God)

To know God means to endure God. To know God in the cross of Christ is a crucifying form of knowledge, because it shatters everything to which a man can hold and on which he can build, both his works and his knowledge of reality, and precisely in so doing sets him free.

Jesus Of Cool

Shameless plug: in February, Nick Lowe's 1978 pop masterpiece, Jesus of Cool is finally being reissued. No, it has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus - it's just a really fantastic album, from start to finish, and for some reason, it's been unavailable for years. If the only song you've ever heard of his is "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?", here's your chance.


Lowe led the charge in the British post-punk "movement", producing seminal records by Elvis Costello, The Damned and The Pretenders. But it's his own early solo albums which I like best. I remember reading that he wanted Jesus Of Cool to sound like a jukebox when you played it, so every song was in a different style. And man does it work! Lots of clever, insightful songwriting and quirky arrangements, three particular favorites being "Little Hitler", "So It Goes" and "Marie Provost".

Also, check out the amazing t-shirts he's selling as part of the package:


Eleven Non-Jesus Of Cool Nick Lowe Songs Everyone Should Hear
1. When I Write The Book - Rockpile
2. Time Wounds All Heels - The Abominable Showman
3. The Ugly Things - The New Favourites Of Brinsley Schwartz
4. The Beast In Me - The Impossible Bird
5. The Other Side Of The Coin - At My Age
6. Failed Christian - Dig My Mood. Can you imagine a better song title?!
7. American Squirm - Labour of Lust
8. Lately I've Let Things Slide - The Convincer
9. All Men Are Liars - Party Of One
10. The Rose Of England - The Rose Of England
11. There Will Never Be Peace (Until God Is Seated At The Conference Table) - iTunes Bonus EP

Finally, a brief excerpt from his 2002 interview with The Onion:

The Onion: Is there a God?

Nick Lowe: [Long pause.] Yes.

Kerouac On New York

NEW YORK, a huge, rude, forgetful city,

full of excited mediocrities..

A cold town--

I cant describe it -- Because it's not

New York that is huge, rude, forgetful, cold,

and an excited mediocrity, it's ME ---

Actions and Motivations

I had a conversation the other day during which I became painfully aware of the fact that I find my definition in what I do. I measure myself according to my actions and my success, or lack thereof, at performing those actions. I have a difficult time thinking of myself in any other terms.

It's tempting to think that I can change who I am by what I do . . . "being better" usually means "doing better". Doesn't that sound appealing? If you can just get yourself to like taking the garbage out you'll be a better person. I've heard so many times, "Just keep doing _____ and eventually you'll like it."

It sounds good, but it never seems to work. At least not for me. For example, no matter how often I clean my cats' litter box I never seem to enjoy it - and I clean my cats' litter box a lot! Taking out the garbage always feels like taking out the garbage... It doesn't get any better, and I don't feel any better for doing it. I'm just glad the house doesn't stink:)

Maybe it's the power of positive thinking. If I can just manage to think positively about what I'm doing, I'll enjoy it. And then I'll feel good enough about myself to derive some value from what I've accomplished, right? But no matter how positive I get about my cats' litter, it never lasts. And aren't people who are super positive about trivial things annoying?! I can't help but think to myself, "Whoa . . . that person is in denial." I want them to admit that cleaning the cat litter sucks! Perhaps I am just too cynical...

But the truth is, my actions (and how I view those actions) do not define me. If they did, life might be easier - then I really could dismiss people as "bad" because their actions were "bad", or accept people as "good" because their actions were "good". And more importantly, I could correct my own flaws by doing good things. BUT I can't avoid the fact that Jesus teaches the exact opposite.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals that a person's inward thoughts and motivations are what really matter as opposed to their outward actions (Matt 5:21-48). He also says, "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile a man . . ." (Matt 15:18-20). In other words, the fruit depends upon the root; if the root (the heart) is corrupt then the fruit (the actions) will be corrupt.

So, no matter how much I wish it weren't true, I've come to believe that our motivations are always flawed, that self-interest plays a part in everything we do. Our actions are tainted because our hearts are tainted. Our only hope is that Someone from the outside might change us, from the inside out!

T.S. Eliot Quote (The Cocktail Party)

"All cases are unique, and very similar to others."

30 Rock

If you haven't gotten into 30 Rock yet, you're missing out. It's not only the funniest show on network TV, but it's somehow still airing new episodes! Here's a highlight (stick with it):

Broken By The Church

A downside to making one's faith public is that you frequently find yourself on the receiving end of people's criticisms of organized religion. And since religion is such a loaded subject, these criticisms tend to be highly-charged. It can be quite awkward, especially with people you've only just met, and reminds me of when I studied in Europe and was constantly asked to answer for America's foreign policy... The fact that in both cases I usually sympathize with the accusations is beside the point.

Were these attacks valid in some way, this would be an exhausting way to live. But what keeps me going is that the vast majority of the criticism I hear is not actually directed at Jesus; it's directed at the Church. In other words, the complaints lie with Christians rather than with Christ.

Sadly, as we all know, there's no shortage of injustice done in the name of Jesus, of folks who use religious language to disguise/bless selfishness, who make a big noise about love and forgiveness but deliver the opposite. Lord knows I've been guilty of it myself! In "There Will Be Blood" the Daniel Plainview character makes a memorable pronouncement about how spiritual fraud is the most despicable kind, a view which I think is shared by many (at least in New York City!). So of course people have stories along these lines - in fact, it's surprising there aren't more!

At a time in my life when I was particularly disillusioned about this stuff, I was introduced to a guy named Rod Rosenbladt. His lecture, "The Gospel For Those Broken By the Church" really spoke to me. I just found out that it is now available as an MP3. You can order and download it here.

His particular concern is for people who've been burned by their experiences with American Evangelicalism, but I think it translates fairly well to other contexts. So if you or anyone you know fits the description, check it out! More on all this later...

Jack Kerouac

I read "On The Road" one summer during high school for the same reason I did a lot of things: because the cool kids told me to. I don't think I understood it; in fact, it sort of gave me a headache.

So I was more than a little surprised when my father insisted that I go see the New York Public Library's new exhibit of Kerouac's life and work. If you have a chance to see it, you should! It's there until March 16th and focuses primarily on his spiritual life, which, it turns out, was very deep. Kerouac started out life as a Roman-Catholic, became an Atheist, then a Buddhist, then a Buddhist-Christian, and then, at the end of his life, a straight-up Christian.

But don't take my word for it - here are a couple of the journal entries that were on display:

"There is a grave fault in the nature of human life. Somewhere in the soul there is an error in the construction, a dark misgiving intimate and mute that prevents us from being happy when there seems to be no particular unhappiness abroad in our lives. In this dark cave is stored the universal essence of all sufferance." - 1945

"Nothing else in the world matters but the kindness of Grace, God's gift to suffering mortals." - 1961

Next to one of his many mid-60s paintings of the Crucifixion: "Yet I saw the cross just then when I closed my eyes after writing all this. I can't escape its mysterious penetration into all this brutality."

And my personal favorite, from his 1964 poem, The Northport Haiku: "Whatever it is, I quit."

Plank To Plank

I noticed recently that two of my favorite film directors, Woody Allen and Noah Baumbach, make reference in their films to the same joke, Q: "How do you make God laugh?" A: "Make A Plan". Of course, since neither of them believes in God, I assume it's their cute way of expressing how life rarely, if ever, unfolds according to our plans.

This may not be the most profound insight out there - plenty of artists have riffed on it - but that doesn't make it any less true. And it certainly doesn't prevent most of us from disregarding it in our day-to-day lives. I know I, for one, am endlessly making plans and getting upset when people get in the way of those plans.

Emily Dickinson articulates the opposing, more passive view in poem #875. Maybe it's a stretch, but I think it jives pretty closely with the whole New Testament understanding of "life by the Spirit":

I stepped from Plank to Plank
A slow and cautious way
The Stars about my Head I felt
About my Feet the Sea.

I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch --
This gave me that precarious Gait
Some call Experience.

And The Raven Answers "Nevermore."

We have made it past the first half of the first month of the new year, and gym attendance has already begun to shrink. So a post of encouragement to all you whose legs and arms are sore:

Since January 1st 1975, without missing a single day, the man known as "The Raven" has run an average of 8 miles on Miami Beach. The man is a human specimen and has the website to prove it! His streak is not the longest of its kind - it is not even in the top ten - but what distinguishes The Raven is that he is talking about hanging up his sneakers when he reaches 100,000 miles in March of next year.

ESPN did an amazing article on The Raven where they chronicled his streak and other streakers (read: people who have been running longer than he has). The overarching question of the article is whether or not he can stop. Does he possess the power within himself to change?! It appears that the only other people to quit have been forced to by factors outside of their control (heart attacks, etc). But the Raven claims that he will have no problem ending his streak once he reaches his goal.

So a toast... to healthy, long lasting habits and a better life! Of course, since running totally controls his entire life (for example, when not running the Raven sits at home and watches TV, careful not to participate in any strenuous activities for fear of getting injured and ending the streak), it might not be as easy as he thinks. But we shall see! Forest Gump did it, right?

One more quote from the article:
"Back in Miami, Kraft gives at least lip service to ending his streak on his own terms. At his current pace, the 100,000-mile mark should come around March 2009. It's a nice round number and as good a time to end as any. Priscilla Ferguson, Kraft's girlfriend of 10 years, has heard all about 100,000 miles, and pardon her if she's just a bit skeptical. 'I'm surprised he's actually able to discuss ending it rationally,' she says. 'I just don't think he will ever be able to stop. I've heard him call it a healthy addiction.' Almost 33 years ago, Robert Kraft started running out of anger, pissed that a song he says he wrote made somebody else rich. When he ran, he was a little less angry. Maybe when he hits 100,000 miles, he'll find the peace he has been chasing. "

Yesterday Morning

Yesterday morning I woke up in bad state. I was on edge. Before I could even wipe the sleep from my eyes, I was worried about what had to be done that day, about doing enough to make myself feel like I had accomplished something. It was an undefinable standard that bubbled up from within, and I didn't really know what I could do to meet it. All I knew was that I had to get busy doing something; the voice in my head was screaming, "Get to work!"

It sounds extreme, but it's the truth. I don't know if you have ever experienced this, but I have learned that it is rather commonplace in my life. In fact over a year ago now, the very same kind of thinking landed me in the hospital. I had suffered from intense panic attacks to the point where I could barely move. I actually had to go on medication to help me calm down.

The result of that experience is that I've learned that more of us are one step away from breaking down and buckling under the pressure than we like to admit. When it happened to me I thought I was alone. I thought it was unique to me (even in my lowest lows my pride is evident), but I discovered tons of people who had had the same experience but had never talked about it. They felt exposed, as I did. The truth was out! We didn't have it together. We weren't able to handle the pressure. Our inner existence did not match the facade we had carefully crafted for everyone to see. It all had come crumbling down without our permission.

It was during this time that I really learned I had no control over my life . . . that I had no choice in the matter. If I had had a choice I would have certainly avoided what I was going through, but I didn't have a choice. The experience brought me low, but in a good way. It brought me to where I really live everyday. It brought me to where I understood my constant need for help. It made me finally understand what unconditional love is, what the cross is. It's when I am absolutely at my lowest low, when I have nothing to offer that I am accepted by God without hesitation.

As I said above, the truth is that I am always one-step away from breaking. Yesterday morning reminded me of this fact. I never really have anything to offer. Thankfully Jesus came to find us in those low moments when we are at our weakest, so that we might know the extent of His love for us.

Dylan in the 80's

It may sound preposterous but I consider Bob Dylan to be something of a prophet, in the Old Testament sense of the word. He not only sees the world with astounding clarity, he has the talent/courage to share his vision with others. And he's always done so without almost any compromise or deference to fashion.

Nowhere is this more evident than in his work from the 1980s, a period unfairly maligned as his most uninspired. I first got interested in this period when I borrowed the Bootleg Series Vol.1-3 box-set from a friend and discovered that, much to my surprise, all of the best songs on it were from the mid-1980s. Why didn't he release this stuff?!

Before I list the songs to support this claim, here are two particularly pertinent quotes:

1985: "We're all sinners. People seem to think that because their sins are different from other people's sins, they're not sinners. People don't like to think of themselves as sinners. It makes them feel uncomfortable. 'What do you mean a sinner?' It puts them at a disadvantage in their mind. Most people walking around have this strange conception that they're born good, that they're really good people - but the world has just made a mess of their lives... But it's not hard for me to identify with anybody who's on the wrong side. We're all on the wrong side, really."

1986: "Well, for me, there is no right, and there is no left. There's truth and there's untruth, you know? There's honesty and there's hypocrisy. Look in the Bible, you don't see nothing about right or left... I hate to keep beating people over the head with the Bible, but that's the only instrument I know, the only thing that stays true."

22 Great Dylan Songs from the 80s, in Chronological Order:

1. Pressing On - Saved [1980]
2. In The Garden - Saved [1980]
3. Every Grain of Sand - Shot Of Love [1981]
4. The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar - Shot of Love [1981]
5. Caribbean Wind - Biograph [1981]
6. You Changed My Life - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1982]
7. Jokerman - Infidels [1983]
8. Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight - Infidels [1983]
9. Foot Of Pride - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1983]
10. Blind Willie McTell - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1983]
11. Lord, Protect My Child - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1983]
12. When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1985]
13. Emotionally Yours - Empire Burlesque [1985]
14. Tight Connection - Empire Burlesque [1985]
15. Brownsville Girl - Knocked Out Loaded [1986]
16. Band Of The Hand - Band Of The Hand Soundtrack [1986]
17. Silvio - Down In The Groove [1988]
18. Death Is Not The End - Down In The Groove [1988]
19. Tweeter And The Monkeyman - Traveling Wilburys, Vol.1 [1988]
20. Ring Them Bells - Oh Mercy [1989]
21. Man In The Long Black Coat - Oh Mercy [1989]
22. Shooting Star - Oh Mercy [1989]

Year In Movies

The Golden Globes were announced this morning, and I was excited to see that Daniel-Day Lewis won Best Actor for "There Will Be Blood". All of the reviews I've read have tried to describe the dimensions of his performance ("volcanic", "elemental", "titanic" etc) but none have captured it. Probably because it can't be captured - it was that good. Go see the movie, and then tell me what you make of the final scene. I know I'm still thinking about it.

Another thing reviewers have agreed upon is how good of a year 2007 was at the movies. So good that we're tired; "Great film fatigue" I've heard it called. I was going to post a "best-of", but then I realized that although I've been to the movies this year more than ever before, I still haven't seen a number of films that everyone's been listing ("Atonement" "Diving Bell" "I'm Not There" "Eastern Promises"). So instead of a "best-of", here are my personal favorites of 2007:

1. There Will Be Blood. The scene where Plainview reveals, "there's a competition in me" is the most profound thing I've seen on screen in a long, long time. If there's a better description of the law out there, I haven't heard it.
2. Margot At The Wedding. Some say Baumbach's families are too "dysfunctional", but I think he depicts the world as it is - in desperate need of redemption, on every level, often hilariously so. Jack Black will never be funnier.
3. The Darjeeling Limited. Completely underrated, even better the second time.
4. Ratatouille. Brad Bird rules!
5. Michael Clayton. Tilda Swinton's slow descent into villainy is breath-taking to behold.
6. The Savages
7. Juno
8. No Country For Old Men
9. Once
10. Sunshine

Love Hurts

I am a romantic. I like to watch romantic comedies and "date movies", or, as they're more commonly known in many male circles, "chick flicks". I can't help it. I love movies like The Notebook (2004) and Pride and Prejudice (2005). I know it is because the subject of love is something in which I am thoroughly interested. Love is something we all want, and it is something we all need.

But there is something that many of these "chick flicks" reveal about love that tends to get lost in all of the happy endings and long kisses. Love hurts. Love is not all warm fuzzies; it is often painful and difficult. Love hurts because we live in a world of death and loss; we live in a world of brokenness and shame; we live in a world of sin.

I think "18 Bullet Holes" by Waterdeep conveys this truth very well. The chorus is simple and honest, and every time I hear it I find myself actually praying the words.

Oh, God, it hurts so bad to love anybody down here

Why don't you come and help me out?

Cause I can't even see clear

So often I feel this way. I reach my end. I cannot do it any more. Love costs too much. I join Don Chaffer in this refrain and wonder why God doesn't help me out; why doesn't he do anything? The last chorus of "18 Bullet Holes" answers:

Oh, God, it hurts so bad to love anybody down here

But oh, that's right, You know so well

One thorny crown, three nails, and a spear

One thorny crown, three nails, and a spear

The Pilgrim And His Lack Of Progress

A couple more soundbites from Bono, this time from his Rolling Stone interview in 2005:

Q: How big an influence is the Bible on your songwriting? How much do you draw on its imagery, its ideas?

Bono: It sustains me.

Q: As a belief, or as a literary thing?

Bono: As a belief. These are hard subjects to talk about because you can sound like a d---head. I'm the sort of character who's got to have an anchor. I want to be around immovable objects. I want to build my house on a rock, because even if the waters are not high around the house, I'm going to bring back a storm. I have that in me. So it's sort of underpinning for me.

I don't read it as a historical book. I don't read it as, 'Well, that's good advice.' I let it speak to me in other ways. They call it the rhema. It's a hard word to translate from Greek, but it sort of means it changes in the moment you're in. It seems to do that for me.

Q: You're saying it's a living thing?

Bono: It's a plumb line for me. In the Scriptures, it is self-described as a clear pool that you can see yourself in, to see where you're at, if you're still enough. I'm writing a poem at the moment called 'The Pilgrim and His Lack of Progress.' I'm not sure I'm the best advertisement for this stuff.

(The man himself with my friend and fellow fanboy, Nathan Hart!)

Bono

The fashionable view of Bono is that he's full of himself, the most pretentious of all rockstars, that instead of crusading around the world, he should shut up and sing (or just shut up, period). Though I understand where this view comes from - after all, his kind of earnestness can definitely be off-putting - I think it's overly cynical. The man has guts, yet is quick to admit his own hypocrisy. And if you've ever seen him in concert, you know he's a born performer. So I admire him greatly.

Then again, maybe I just like the fact that we've been photographed together...


I recently stumbled across this excerpt from an interview he did a couple years ago, taken from the book, "Bono in Conversation with Michka Assayas":

Q: As I told you, I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Q: I haven't heard you talk about that.

Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma and into one of Grace.

Q: Well, that doesn't make it any clearer for me.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics – in physical laws – every action is met by an equal and opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the Universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so will you sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Q: I'd be interested to hear that.

Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep shit. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

Q: The son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: "Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's mortality as part of your very sinful nature and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions." The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not
reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humble… It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.

New Year's Resolutions

Resolutions are a tricky business. All of us have things we could be doing better, right? Habits we know we should kick, ways we could improve ourselves, obvious steps to a happier, healthier life: more exercise, less TV, earlier bed-times, etc. Things which do in fact lead to a happier, healthier life.

But everyone knows that New Year's resolutions, despite their attractiveness, seldom acheive what they promise. Maybe we lack the willpower to keep up new routines over the long haul, or maybe the resistance proves too great. Or maybe we drive ourselves hard enough to reach our goals, only to find the satisfaction doesn’t last; it turns into self-righteousness or gets replaced with another, more difficult goal immediately. Whatever the case, like most attempts to "take control of our lives", New Year's resolutions tend not to work.

So this year, I thought I'd resolve not to make any more resolutions! Sadly, I've already failed... Hopefully you're doing better.


My friend Drake Richey has a great take on the whole phenomenon:

“This year, my resolution is to ‘Do a little bit less than I did last year and maybe even do it a little less well.’ I want to be content with not being the best. And I want to be content with not doing everything that I can. I want to supplant my natural Army-instinct of ‘Be all that you can be’ with what Jesus tells Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ I think it’s a good resolution (or anti-resolution) because it usually isn’t me who slows myself down – that’s where God comes in.”

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the gym…

Reign Over Me

The movie Reign Over Me (2007) starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle, is one of the most profound movies I have seen in a long time. It deals with heartbreaking loss, loneliness, family and friendship.

My favorite thing about this film is its message that thinking you know what is best for a person and pushing them to deal with their problems does not work. It only alienates them. It only adds to their pain, and does not bring about the desired result of healing and wholeness. Reign Over Me shows that it is only unconditional and non-judgmental love and friendship that can bring true change in a suffering persons life. The moment Adam Sandler's character is loved he begins to open up, but the moment he feels threatened or pressure to "get better" from someone he shuts down.

This theme of the movie is punctuated powerfully by The Who's song "Reign O'er Me" performed by Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder's scream of the chorus "Love reign o'er me!" cuts right through to the heart. It is the cry of all sufferers because love is the only thing that can bring relief.

When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky

At the height of his 80s "lost" period, Bob Dylan wrote what has got to be the best rock song ever about the second coming. Though he obscures the meaning a bit (force of habit?), the gist comes across, loud and clear, and it's powerful.

The song exists in two recorded versions, an official one with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and an "unofficial" one with none other than Springsteen's E Street band behind him. The latter is superior in every way, almost a different song entirely, and definitely worth seeking out (on the Bootleg Series, Vol. 3). I've included the lyrics, as well as a live video with the Heartbreakers:

Look out across the fields, see me returning,
Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile.
From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning,
You've had time to think about it for a while.

Well, I've walked two hundred miles, now look me over,
It's the end of the chase and the moon is high.
It won't matter who loves who,
You'll love me or I'll love you
When the night comes falling from the sky.

I can see through your walls and I know you're hurting,
Sorrow covers you up like a cape.
Only yesterday I know that you've been flirting
With disaster that you managed to escape.

I can't provide for you no easy answers,
Who are you that I should have to lie?
You'll know all about it, love,
It'll fit you like a glove
When the night comes falling from the sky.

I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river,
You must have been protecting someone last time I called.
I've never asked you for nothing you couldn't deliver,
I've never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.

I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness,
For the love of a lousy buck, I've watched them die.
Stick around, baby, we're not through,
Don't look for me, I'll see you
When the night comes falling from the sky.

In your teardrops, I can see my own reflection,
It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line.
I don't want to be a fool starving for affection,
I don't want to drown in someone else's wine.

For all eternity I think I will remember
That icy wind that's howling in your eye.
You will seek me and you'll find me In the wasteland of your mind
When the night comes falling from the sky.

Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter
But you were gambling for support.
This time tomorrow I'll know you better
When my memory is not so short.

This time I'm asking for freedom,
Freedom from a world which you deny.
And you'll give it to me now,
I'll take it anyhow
When the night comes falling from the sky.

What Is The Distinction?

People often ask me what I mean when I talk about "the distinction between the Law and the Gospel" (I talk about it a lot!). It sounds fancy, I know, but does it actually have any grounding in the Bible? Or have I simply made it up for the sake of convenience? A friend recently forwarded me this piece from The Marrow of Modern Divinity (1766) by Edward Fisher, and though it's a bit old-fashioned, I think it articulates the distinction well and demonstrates that yes… it is biblical.

"Briefly, then, if we would know when the law speaks, and when the gospel speaks, either in reading the word, or in hearing it preached; and if we would skillfully distinguish the voice of the one from the voice of the other, we must consider:—

The law says, 'Thou art a sinner, and therefore thou shalt be damned,' (Rom 7:2, 2 Thess 2:12). But the gospel says, No; 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'; and therefore, 'believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved' (1 Tim 1:15, Acts 16:31).

Again the law says, 'Knowest thou not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God; be not deceived,' &c. (1 Cor 6:9). And therefore thou being a sinner, and not righteous, shalt not inherit the kingdom of God. But the gospel says, 'God has made Christ to be sin for thee who knew no sin; that thou mightest be made the righteousness of God in him, who is the Lord thy righteousness,' (Jer 23:6).

Again the law says, 'Pay me what thou owest me, or else I will cast thee into prison,' (Matt 18:28,30). But the gospel says, 'Christ gave himself a ransom for thee,' (1 Tim 2:6); 'and so is made redemption unto thee,' (1 Cor 1:30).

Again the law says, 'Thou hast not continued in all that I require of thee, and therefore thou art accursed,' (Deut 27:6). But the gospel says, 'Christ hath redeemed thee from the curse of the law, being made a curse for thee,' (Gal 3:13).

Again the law says, 'Thou are become guilty before God, and therefore shalt not escape the judgment of God,' (Rom 3:19, 2:3). But the gospel says, 'The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son,' (John 5:12)."

-thanks to the Rev. Ben Phillips!

Queen and David Bowie - Under Pressure

I think Queen and Bowie touch on something rather profound in this song, which the video helps convey. I love the line "It's the terror of knowing what this world is about watching some good friends scream 'Get me out!'"
They are in touch with the inescapable destruction of human nature in this song, and it seems to bring them to their knees. "Pray tomorrow - gets me higher."
The pinnacle is when Freddie Mercury screams out in desperation. He is brought to his end and then comes to the ultimate question "Why can't we give love that one more chance?"
The only answer to Freddie's cry is love, but it is not anything that we can do ourselves ... it has to come from outside of us. Every time love breaks in it is a totally foreign, supernatural event, and I think the movement of this song captures that extremely well, and the video is pretty cool:)

Banksy (Love Is In The Air)

I've been enjoying the book "Wall and Piece" by the British graffiti artist Banksy, which a friend gave us for Christmas. Part prankster, part agitator, if nothing else he's pretty clever:



"There are no exceptions to the rule that everyone thinks they are an exception to the rules."


He did this one on a wall in the West Bank(!):

Melanchton

A great quote from the early edition of the reformer's Systematic Theology, courtesy of Simeon Zahl:

"The Christian will acknowledge that nothing is less in his power than his heart."