This is just a bit more evidence that I have the privilege and honor to attend, quite possibly, the best church ever…

During the brief Eucharistc meditation today, Pastor Hurt said,

Death is not really a ‘thing’ in itself. We cannot get rid of death and have life, for death is the absence of life. Death is what is left over when life departs. It is true that we can have parts of death living with us. There is a big difference between ‘all dead’ and ‘mostly dead’.

You’ve got one month to get Andrew Peterson’s latest record, The Far Country. Get it now for just ten dollars!

Bumper Sticker: Midwives help people out

I’m going to have to work on a post about fate and providence in Harry Potter. That discussion between Harry and Dumbledore really, really put things in a right perspective, I think. I want to develop it some more. So look for that post some time soonish.

I love Adam

When, in response to the Louisiana Presbytery (PCA) report on Federal Vision Theology), someone comments, “IMO Louisiana Presby exoneration means nothing but enforces the fact that perhaps the Presby isn’t orthodox”, the only appropriate response I can come up with is to laugh and shake my head.

We watched The Reckoning recently. I saw a trailer for it on another small film dvd, and thought it looked worth watching. It stars Willem Dafoe and Paul Bettany. Paul Bettany you may recognize as Dr. Maturin in Master and Commander.

Bettany plays a priest that is on the run for past sin. He comes across an acting troupe, led by Dafoe’s character. They come to a town, and end up putting on a play quite different from their normal, bible story acts. They instead tell the story of the murder of a young boy in the town, opening up what really happened to the boy, which turns out to be all rather involved and mysterious.

There is one scene that is a bit risque. Nothing explicit, really, but definitely more than suggestive. This is the second movie we’ve watched recently that has weird homosexual things going on in the story. This part is well done if you’re going to do it, but it does leave you a bit disturbed.

The title comes from a line of narration in the play,

Sin, in the beginning
may seem full sweet
but the reckoning comes
be you ever so fleet
That, I think, is the theme of the movie. Your sin will find you out.
I’m not satisfied with the ‘redemption’ of Bettany’s character (but I would say that he is redeemed in the end). It seems to be too self-reliant. But, I may be missing something on that, too. Also, I’m uncertain about his faith in the end.

There is one scene, at the climax of the story, which reminds me a lot of Collateral. Human desires, when left unrestrained, will lead to moral chaos. When God is not acknowledged as Law-Giver, then there will be only autonomy.

I guess after thinking a bit more purposefully about it, I think it probably is worth watching. It is profitable to work through the story and its themes.

Y-O-U-R…
Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E…
They’re as different as night and day.
Don’t you think that night and day are different?
What’s wrong with you?

Those of you familiar with Kemper Crabb’s album, The Vigil, what genre would you classify it under?

The only one that I can come up with that’s accurate is ‘medieval’, but I don’t want an album to be alone it in it’s genre.

Loved it!

I read a few spoiler posts, but decided I should go ahead and put mine down before being influenced by what others have said (too late, but now I can limit it, at least).

Read the rest of this entry »

We finished the book last night. After we got to a certain point, at 11:00, we couldn’t stop. We threw caution (and good sense) to the wind, and finished the book around 1:15.

Since I don’t know how to post with a ‘Continue Reading’ link, to hide spoilers, I’m making a new password protected post after this. Password is ’spoilers’.