stranger indeed

I guess it's been about a week since the last time I posted.
Sorry.

Anyway, last weekend I saw a movie that I detested and this weekend I saw a movie that I absolutely fell in love with. If you get the opportunity, go see "Stranger Than Fiction." I won't insult your intelligence by giving you a synopsis of the film. You are reading this right now, which means you can probably find a better written synopsis on your own somewhere on the world wide interweb.

I just want to say that I thought "Stranger Than Fiction" was endearing, heart-warming, inspiring, delightful, charming, full of character, and a welcome break from the trend in Hollywood toward the perverse and grotesque.

Some of the friends i went to see this film with didn't enjoy it as much as I did. They may have their reasons... whatever- it's not like we all love the same films, right?

I can say that as I have spent time reflecting why exactly I enjoyed this movie so much, I couldn't shake this sense of familiarity with the main character. Granted, the primary character is an IRS agent... and I have difficulty with simple mathematics, but there was still something familiar about the way the character processed life. His mind never stopped running. Everything he thinks, says, hears, and experiences is filtered through the forms, policies, procedures, and so on stored within his mind. He is a guy who is living his life the best that he can. He is sensitive and compassionate... and he's just waiting for love to enter into his life and stir things up a bit. He's also just learning to live when he finally confronts his mortality... his imminent death. All of this is what I find myself relating to.

No, my mind doesn't filter through IRS files, but it does sort everything in accord to theology, doctrine, appropriateness, and the like. My mind spins and spins and I just live this life the best that I can hoping that love will enter in and give me a reason to really get excited about who I am and where I am at. Please, don't read into anything that I'm writing here. I am well aware of my identity in Christ, and I'm well more than content with where He has me in my life, and I am loving this life- it is a gift from the very hand of God. What I am really getting at is that this movie was great and I am a "hopeless" romantic. That's all.

Anyway... I can get really fragmented in my thinking sometimes. I could chalk it up to the influence of the post-modern world I live in, but I think it has far more to do with the fact that I'm writing this at 1:30 AM. I'm going to bed now...

Good night
and
Good morning.

trace bundy

WOW!

I can hardly believe what I've just experienced.

Last night and this morning Trace Bundy performed at Crosswinds. Simply stated, I have never seen somebody play guitar like him before. Watching and listening to him play was genuinely a worshipful experience for me. Below is a compilation video from his website.

You need to check him out!

Trace Bundy VIDEOS: Dueling Ninjas, Hot Capo Stew, Patanga
www.TraceBundy.com

on Borat

Last night I saw the film "Borat." Simply put, I regret the decision.

Heading into the film I was anticipating it being non-P.C., but I was not prepared for the contents of this movie. I will not divulge the details of the content, but I will state that I believe the movie was vulgar, offensive, derogatory, crude, slanderous, perverse...

...Borat exemplified poor taste.

Do not think for a moment that I just don't have a sense of humor or that I just didn't get the joke. Admittedly there were a number of significantly funny situations in the film that relate to the premise of a backwards Eastern European reporter adjusting to the customs of the thoroughly modern United States. The film does also represent the fact that there are some places and people of our nation that are entirely out of touch with the fundamentals of human rights. However, there was a distinct and selective display of bigots and small-minded as a representation of particular sub-cultures within our society. Our country may be modern, but not all who are in it are progressive.

All-in-all I could never, in good conscience, recommend this movie to anybody.