i just got back from watching a movie with my dad. man, i haven't been wrecked by such a movie for quite a while. you're not going to believe what movie, b/c it easily overlooked, and perhaps not fully understood.
starring mel gibson and joaquin phoenix, the movie is signs! yeah, you heard correctly. my gosh. i'm all jacked up. i hope i make sense.
the movie is not so much about alien signs as it is about meanings with signs/miracles in life. the aliens and their "signs" provide a backdrop for which the protagonist's faith or belief in a purpose and meaning for signs/miracles is restored.
in a key scene, graham turns to his brother, asking him something like do you believe in signs/miracles, that things happen for a reason, or do you believe that these signs/miracles are coincidental, that they are arbitrary. the brother says he holds and ascribes to meaning, while graham, the former reverend, resides to the randomness of life - a response from losing his wife. the viewer gets a clear glimpse of graham's malaise, his inner belief in something that he suppresses b/c of the pains and scars in his life. he refuses to hope, "waste any more time in prayer with God", in anything outside of himself and randomness. he aspires for neutrality, even though he doesn't know how to do so. the movie culminates with the release of this belief, a hope that allows him to see that life and its events/parts are not arbitrary, but have a purpose and direction.
man, i can go off on the details, but i'll leave it at that.
hmm...i wonder how we honestly view life? signs? random or meaning?
gear
The reality of God neither provides an escape from this life, or
attempts to mask the brokenness and ugliness of it. Rather, the reality
of God gives us hope to more than endure, to embrace and to invade this
life with a life offered, risen, and to fully come. We are proclaimers
of the heavenly kingdom, provided with courage and conviction to shout
of a hope for this world, the hope for our lives - the reality of Christ
for now and the future.
It does not mean that we don't seek the Lord as our refuge and haven
when things in the life become to hard to bear, and to difficult to
comprehend. It means in seeing and feeling pain, we don't stay on the
mountaintop and never come down. We don't continue in isolation to
coupe, or to portray a sense of healthiness that masks the fallen
condition of ourselves and of this world. No it means we don't get
caught up in activities, but caught up in life: His, ours, and the world.
It means we open our eyes to pains of this world and our lives, the
messyness of it all, and we do with an eternal and living hope that
speaks of redemption, restoration, and glory.
In short, the reality of God speaks of us as invaders, broken ppl yet rebels
nonetheless of His advancing kingdom to this fallen world.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2005/bono-0805.html
dude..i love bono. he's got a great perspective. he's so insightful and articulates and displays an understanding of God and grace better than most pastors. he is able to articulate faih in real lay terms, not Christian lingo and jargon - superficial Christian culture.
i talked with dhung about bono the other day, and we concluded that we Christians are so called up about learning by thinking, or arriving at a correct theology. well, bono seems more concerned with learning by doing, learning by living. let me tell you, his understanding of God, his theology is very real, very genuine.
if you have time, look at the above link or pasted excerpt down below.
yeah..bono definitely inspires me.
gear
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Bono: Grace over Karma
book excerpt
posted 08/08/05
There have been a number of books written about U2 and their iconic frontman, Bono, arguably the world's most famous rock star. But not till now has Bono himself come out to tell his own story. In the new book, Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (Riverhead Books), the rocker shares his thoughts on numerous topics with a French music journalist and friend who has been with the band virtually since the beginning. In a series of honest conversations presented in Q&A format, Bono discusses, among other things, his upbringing (including the death of his mother when he was a teen and the ensuing rocky relationship with his father, who died just a few years ago), U2's beginnings, his bandmates, his marriage, fatherhood, his passion for social action, the effects of celebrity, and, fittingly, his faith and how it intersects all of the above.
The following exchange between Bono and Assayas took place just days after the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, an act of terrorism that left 191 dead and more than 1,800 wounded. The two men were discussing how terrorism is often carried out in the name of religion when Bono turned the conversation to Christianity, expressing his preference for God's grace over "karma," offering an articulate apologetic for the deity of Christ, and giving a clear presentation of the gospel message.
Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don't let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that's my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that's not so easy.
Assayas: What about the God of the Old Testament? He wasn't so "peace and love"?
Bono: There's nothing hippie about my picture of Christ. The Gospels paint a picture of a very demanding, sometimes divisive love, but love it is. I accept the Old Testament as more of an action movie: blood, car chases, evacuations, a lot of special effects, seas dividing, mass murder, adultery. The children of God are running amok, wayward. Maybe that's why they're so relatable. But the way we would see it, those of us who are trying to figure out our Christian conundrum, is that the God of the Old Testament is like the journey from stern father to friend. When you're a child, you need clear directions and some strict rules. But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.
Assayas: Speaking of bloody action movies, we were talking about South and Central America last time. The Jesuit priests arrived there with the gospel in one hand and a rifle in the other.
Bono: I know, I know. Religion can be the enemy of God. It's often what happens when God, like Elvis, has left the building. [laughs] A list of instructions where there was once conviction; dogma where once people just did it; a congregation led by a man where once they were led by the Holy Spirit. Discipline replacing discipleship. Why are you chuckling?
Assayas: I was wondering if you said all of that to the Pope the day you met him.
Bono: Let's not get too hard on the Holy Roman Church here. The Church has its problems, but the older I get, the more comfort I find there. The physical experience of being in a crowd of largely humble people, heads bowed, murmuring prayers, stories told in stained-glass windows …
Assayas: So you won't be critical.
Bono: No, I can be critical, especially on the topic of contraception. But when I meet someone like Sister Benedicta and see her work with AIDS orphans in Addis Ababa, or Sister Ann doing the same in Malawi, or Father Jack Fenukan and his group Concern all over Africa, when I meet priests and nuns tending to the sick and the poor and giving up much easier lives to do so, I surrender a little easier.
Assayas: But you met the man himself. Was it a great experience?
Bono: … [W]e all knew why we were there. The Pontiff was about to make an important statement about the inhumanity and injustice of poor countries spending so much of their national income paying back old loans to rich countries. Serious business. He was fighting hard against his Parkinson's. It was clearly an act of will for him to be there. I was oddly moved … by his humility, and then by the incredible speech he made, even if it was in whispers. During the preamble, he seemed to be staring at me. I wondered. Was it the fact that I was wearing my blue fly-shades? So I took them off in case I was causing some offense. When I was introduced to him, he was still staring at them. He kept looking at them in my hand, so I offered them to him as a gift in return for the rosary he had just given me.
Assayas: Didn't he put them on?
Bono: Not only did he put them on, he smiled the wickedest grin you could ever imagine. He was a comedian. His sense of humor was completely intact. Flashbulbs popped, and I thought: "Wow! The Drop the Debt campaign will have the Pope in my glasses on the front page of every newspaper."
Assayas: I don't remember seeing that photograph anywhere, though.
Bono: Nor did we. It seems his courtiers did not have the same sense of humor. Fair enough. I guess they could see the T-shirts.
Later in the conversation:
Assayas: 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.
Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.
Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.
Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it 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 or an 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 you will 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.
Assayas: 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 s---. 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.
Assayas: 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 a 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 humbled… . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.
Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?
Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched …
Bono later says it all comes down to how we regard Jesus:
Bono: … [I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s--- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.
From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, by Michka Assayas, copyright © 2005 by Michka Awwayas. Used by permission of Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. For online information about other Penguin Group (USA) books and authors, see the website at www.penguin.com.
(Note: While the book includes numerous passages of Bono discussing his Christian faith, it also includes occasional salty language from both parties.)
we have a college student, a freshman at cal, working part-time for us. he worked here as a h.s. student two summers in row. he's a pretty smart kid, a c.s. major.
he's also a bit geeky. he wears these jeans, though new looking, are old looking. the jeans are a darker shade of sky blue, sort of bright. there isn't any fade to the jeans or anything, no discoloration. it's not edgy at all. it's actually what my co-worker wears, who's a lot older, has a wife and kids - a bit more acceptable for him. larry, the college kid, also wears some geeky shirts, the ones you get free at geeky linux or java conference. hmm..my co-worker wears them too. he gives me some free t-shirts, which i only use to work out in. not good for anything else if you ask me. oh wait, if they're white, they serve as good undershirts. lol.
not really the most fashionable person, i want to give larry some fashion advice, but not sure how to transition the conversation in that direction. i don't want to offend him or anything, or act like i have it altogether, b/c most of you, i don't. i seriously like him and want the best for him. in college, if it wasn't for my sisters, i would be far worst off than i am now. (i'm already pretty bad. :P) come to think of it, maybe my sisters helped buy me clothes b/c they were a bit emabarassed of me. anyhow..i sincerely want to help larry out. he's a good kid. i tried to direct conversation yesterday, but didn't do a good job.
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me: hey larry...how's it going?
larry: (blah blah)
me: how's school going? meeting new ppl?
larry: yeah (or something along that line.)
me: meeting any girls?
larry: (smiles b/c i asked so directly) yeah (or something along that line.)
me: only ppl in your class. engineers and such?
larry: mostly (or something along that line)
me: you should meet ppl outside of your major, non-engineers and stuff.
larry: (not sure what his response was)
me: (standing next to him, almost putting my hand around his neck in a buddy way, but didn't do it.) so you taking loans out, or do you have extra money from working here? ( i wanted him to have extra money to spend on clothes!)
larry: yeah, mostly loans.
(could tell he was feeling a bit uncomfortable after i asked him about girls and perhaps inadvertently implied that he's only meeting nerdy ppl..btw, nothing wrong with girl engineers. but i'm sure engineer girls don't want to hang out with engineer guys all the time. )
me: alright larry...well, i'm going to take off now. see you later.
larry: (wave goodbye)
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alright, maybe i try again tomorrow. just need to be less conspicuous about it or should i be more direct like, "hey larry...that's a nerdy shirt you're wearing! lose it bro! while you're at it, get some dark and faded jeans. stop dressing like chip. you should check out the male mannequins in the gap window. that's what i do. just get what they're wearing."?
alright..revealing too much now. :)
gear
Lord, sometimes I think about faith: a long lasting faith, one that spans or connected with more than a phase of life, a specific need, and a particular cause; a faith that correlates with the life we claim – a faith that is forever as the life we have received. That as forever has planted in the hearts of creation, that when forever is found, forever would stay. Lord, grant me the grace of forever: that I would more than endure, I would continually seek, continually surrender, and continually grow into your eternal likeness; that forever is what I would become as forever is what I am in You.
gear