Can't Ever Happen--It'd be toooo good

Yesterday someone posted a link to an old Credenda/Agenda article (one that I didn't find terribly helpful, either). But I got to looking through the rest of the issue and was reminded of this great piece. If Doug Wilson was nominated for Secretary of Education . . lol.

"I am opposed to prayer in the government schools for the same reason I am opposed to drinking fountains, lockers, classrooms and children there." AMEN

Safe Love

“It seems to me now that the plain state of being human is dramatic enough for anyone; you don’t need to be a heroin addict or a performance poet to experience extremity. You just have to love someone.”

This is one of the conclusions reached by the protagonist in Nick Hornby’s How to be Good—for some reason it struck me more than many of the others. One reason it may have stood out is that it sounds like a conclusion reached by protagonists in Hornby’s other novels—the fantastic High Fidelity, and the heart-warming About a Boy. Love—romantic or friendship—is about taking a risk. A risk of injury, a risk of nothing ever changing, a risk that you’re missing something better, and so on.

And while I can’t think of any other examples at the moment (to my embarrassment, because this makes my argument harder to make), this is a theme common in recent TV shows, movies, songs, etc. To open up to someone is a dangerous thing, we’re told.

I halfway wonder if the appeal (and it is usually discussed in this way) of Love and Relationships as risky has something to do with the popularity Open Theism’s “God Who Risks” (á la John Sanders) . . .

But ultimately, I think this shows a problem with our zeitgeist. It’s too individualistic, not covenantal perspective on these things. Now, my Baptist friends, hold on—I think you won’t be offended here. If you covenant to love someone—either as a spouse or a “bosom companion” (to use a Puritan phrase) there’s a safety there that isn’t possible in other instances. Here’s where the courtship-only folks make their strongest case.

My wife and I have made a covenant—there’s no risk there, it’s safe. There’s where the whole richer/poorer, better/worse, disease/health thing comes in. If one of us changes into a “different person” well, that’s covered. Ditto for missing something better (as my wife is), or getting hurt—‘cuz you’ll get over it if you work at it.

Same thing goes for friends—a friend and I had a falling out some time ago—and we pretty much don’t speak for a year, which is made easier by us living 5 hours apart. A couple of years before that, I went through this Promise Keeper-Knock Off phase (about the same time as PK took off, so it was just a competitor then) and I’d made a covenant with him, as I recall lifting Jonathan and David’s language. Anyway, when my friend had gotten some major things straitened out in his life, he knew that he could resume our friendship safely. Within a matter of weeks our relationship was probably as close as it’d been before.

Now when I started thinking about this quotation a couple days ago, the application was pretty clear to me, and I think I haven’t translated my thinking too well to the page. But hopefully you see it. Real love—whatever form it takes—isn’t risky, it isn’t dangerous. Commitment is an integral part of love. And nothing’s safer than commitment.

oh sure . . .

the same day that I finally take the plunge and post one of these "What _______ are you?" tests, my favorite Internet comic does this to me . . .
1/6/04's DORK TOWER

Today's Breakpoint

I frequently get tired of Colson's reading perspectives (usually can see them coming a mile away), but sometimes he really hits one out of the ball park. This is worth the read just for the picture of the Bushes.
BreakPoint | At the Foot of the Cross

Personality Test (yes, I have a personality!)

Took yet another of those ubiquitous personality tests--this one is almost as fun as "what Batman villain are you?" (I'm the Joker, lost the link, sorry). Anyway, for those who were interested, I'm a:

Hobbit


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to Julie for the link.

Poor girl

Got a 21 month old princess who won't get off my lap. She's not feeling too good today and demands to stay perched here.

Really, really hard to get anything done this way--and I don't care. :)

Political Truism

"Americans have a tendency to think the problem with politics lies with their candidates and not themselves. The truth is Americans deserve the blame for the state of our politics and the state of our media."

Yeah, yeah, I know--it's been said many times before. But it's true (and continues to be true, which is why people have to keep saying it). Jonah Goldberg was the most recent one to say it, and he said it in one of the more entertaining ways I've seen.

from Earthlink's latest newsletter

The Cover Project . . . this is just cool.

Basic Math Skills Displayed

For those keeping score at home, yes I have now used the word "resolve" in 2 consecutive posts. Well, as of this one, three.

Marking a little more time . . .

Aaack, way too busy to do a real post (have a couple in mind I'd like to make). But to show (myself) that I really have some resolve, thought I'd throw this up.

Marking Time

Need to write something to keep my resolve up for blogging. Also, if I don't, I open myself up to charges of hypocrisy from my pal Alex, who has apparently forgotten his blogger.com password. :)

Nothing happened today.

No awesome or brilliant insights came to me.

Didn't even think of something funny to say.

But I've written six sentences.

Casting Wisdom from the Peanut Gallery

Okay, now that Return of the King is out (I need to see it about a dozen more times in the theaters), it's time to turn my eye towards future movies. Punisher as link looks good, Spider-Man 2 as link is a shoe in for great flick, Episode III . . .eh, well, the FX will look nice.

Christopher Nolan's Batman. Nolan's not going to go the way of Joel Schumacher--that's almost a guarantee. I also doubt he'll let himself get carried away as Burton did in Returns and came close to doing with Batman.

According to a story on Superhero Hype! today, the cast is coming together and they provided a listing.

The cast are
Christian Bale as Batman (I have great hope!)
Michael Caine as Alfred (eh, not to shabby)
Judson Caspian as Viggo Mortensen (oh ho! this could be good! But I figured him for older)
Cillian Murphy as Harvey Dent (no clue about this dude)
Katie Holmes as Rachel Caspian (this makes me very nervous)
Chris Cooper as Gordon (imdb has about a dozen Coopers, so I don't know what I think of this one)
Elle Fanning as Barbara (she's just a kid--as long as she ain't Jake Lloyd, I'm not going to complain)

SHH also stated they were looking for two villains and will have the casting on that done soon. Now, why, why, why are they going with two villains? Learn from history!!
Batman--best of the series--1 villain, played very well, developed very well.
Batman Returns--not bad--1.5 villains (Catwoman didn't really count long term), both pretty well developed, both played very well.
Batman Forever--2 villains, neither played or developed well. Batman & Robin--2.5 villains (Bane was really more of a henchman), half-developed, played like a joke.

What lesson is there in all this? One hero + One bad guy=One good movie. Anything more than that and you don't have the time to deal well with the material. X2 had too many people in the movie and we didn't get as much as we all wanted with all the characters--it hurt the film (granted, still a good movie, but parts felt weak). Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2? One villain. See, they know!

Common Thread?

:) If you look to your left at the "At The Moment" box, you'll see I'm reading 2 books: The Path of True Godliness by Willem Teellinck and How to Be Good by Nick Hornby.

If you look at the titles, you might be tempted to think I'm reading two books on the same theme. I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth.

A Month and A Half Later . . .

Okay, new template, new commitment to blogging.

How long you give this try? Me, 3 weeks tops.

I'm pretty excited about the new Punisher movie--far more than the Lundgren travesty, for sure.
But when I saw this picture . . . wow. Could you ask for something more perfect?

Mad Harry Rackham is my pirate name. What's yours?

eh, what's a month between friends, right?

Krispy Kreme opened up its first Idaho store this week. Dropped by this morning for a couple o' glazed and a very bold cup o' joe.

As Homer says, "mmmmmmmm, doooo-nuts".

Are they a cure for cancer, manna from heaven, the end-all of civilization? Nope. Are they the greatest taste-sensation on the planet? Nope. But are they a bleepin' good doughnut? Ohh yeah.

And sometimes that's as good as it gets.

I'm trying--trying really, really hard--to get excited about the next Star Wars movie. Can't seem to care about it much. I know I'm much more excited about the DVD release about The Two Towers than I am the big-screen release of Episode III.

Opus is coming back!

According to Ain't It Cool News--Opus is back on the funny pages soon (this may be enough to drive me to get a newspaper subscription). And in a movie--that could be good, or bad. Not sure what yet.

WHOA! 2 WHOLE MONTHS!!!!!!! Man . . .

Anyway, this was too funny:

The Romans wore socks with their sandals . . .