My good friend, Corey Reynolds, has changed up his blog a bit. My Great Blogs sidebar used to point you to his Wanderlust in the Word blog, but he’s now moved his address and renamed the blog Chasing the Wind. In addition to Corey’s sermons and theological insights, which are always thought provoking, he’s also beginning to blog some about other things. Definitely worth checking out – especially if you, like me, share some of Corey’s interests in the realms of geekdom.

I’d hope that phrase would strike us as a little bit strange. Apparently, it didn’t for a church here in Louisville. On Saturday, New Bethel Church – an Assemblies of God congregation – held an “Open Carry Celebration,” inviting people to come to the church packing their (unloaded) pistols to celebrate their second amendment rights.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, each Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

What does revenge cost? What does it do to a man to take another man’s life, even if it was justified? Where is the line between justice and vengeance? Perhaps no film has explored these questions recently quite so thoroughly and devastatingly as Steven Spielberg’s 2005 Best Picture nominee Munich. Heather and I saw the movie last weekend with her parents and sister, and I found it difficult to watch – but in a positive sense. This is a film that examines a bloody and nasty conflict, but in its focus shifts attention away from socio-political debate and toward the realities of the individuals most involved. The result is a film that inevitably causes the viewer to look inward, pondering what it would be like in the shoes of these men who sought revenge at the request of their government but at the peril of their souls.

Munich is rated R for strong graphic violence, some sexual content, nudity and language.

Check out this great post by Stephen Altrogge over at The Blazing Center on what our online personas say about the real us. A good reminder, and an interesting 21st-century look at what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34.

My Bobcats were one pick away from pulling off the draft that I’ve been hoping to see. Too bad the New Jersey Nets had to go and screw it up. The Nets drafted Louisville forward Terrence Williams at #11, one spot before the Cats scooped up Duke G Gerald Henderson as a consolation prize. Henderson should be a good player (and shut up all the Duke fans who constantly gripe about Charlotte’s Tar Heel-centric nature), but after watching T-Will here in Louisville I was very excited about what he would bring to the team. Charlotte rounded out their draft with Xavier power forward Derrick Brown in the second round. I don’t know much of anything about him, but hopefully he can provide us with the backup power forward that Sean May never became. How was your team’s draft? Weigh in in the comments.

How many of you have ever sat through something like this? I see those hands.

HT: Douglas Wilson

June 20, 2008June 20, 2009

Incedentally, I just noticed that I’m wearing the same shirt in both. Weird. Happy Birthday, Jordan!

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, each Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

The movie is actually based on newspaper columnist John Grogan’s autobiographical book of the same name (so it’s hard to get too upset at the formulaic nature, since most of this stuff really happened). Wilson and Aniston star as Grogan and his new bride Jenny as they leave Michigan to pursue new jobs at newspapers in South Florida and start their life as a family. The two of them adopt a yellow lab puppy named Marley, who very quickly shows his colors as “the world’s worst dog.” The film follows the Grogans as jobs change, their family grows, and their marriage is challenged – with Marley there every step of the way, for better or for worse.

If that plot setup seems a little thin, it is – and it’s actually one of the movie’s strong points. The film finds its drama in the ins-and-outs of daily life and the challenges and joys of marriage and family. There’s no contrived, over-the-top antagonist, no implausible crisis to face. Screenwriters Scott Frank and Don Roos and director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) realize that there’s plenty of drama in day-to-day life to sustain an interesting film without resorting to cheap cinematic tricks. Wilson and Aniston are both strong in the lead roles, contributing to a movie that is one of the more refreshingly honest, realistic, and moving depictions of family life I’ve seen on screen in recent memory. This is a film that’s not deprecating marriage and children, but showing the family as something of high value that is worth the many sacrifices life demands to sustain and nurture it. With my little girl about to turn 1 tomorrow, perhaps my heart was a little more tuned to what amazing blessings marriage and family are, but I found the film genuinely moving. The standard “bad-dog” gags are played – but not overplayed – and many of the film’s scenes can be predicted before the previous scene even finishes. As I said, it’s formulaic, and for that reason I didn’t really want to like it, yet I did, in spite of itself. So guys, if your wife wants to rent Marley & Me this weekend, rest easy – this is no vapid chick flick, and it’s certainly not a film you have to dread seeing. In fact, in a culture that sees marriage as a joke and children as a hindrance to personal freedom, it’s actually rather refreshing. – ***1/2 (out of 4)

A couple weeks ago, when I went out shopping for books for my high school grads, the first place I visited was a local Lifeway. I must say, I was absolutely disgusted by the drivel that filled the shelves, and the associated lack of solid content. It’s a shame that this is the best our SBC dollars can do. There were three or four books I had in mind for my students, all by known authors, and none of them were anywhere to be found. The place had more Don Piper than John Piper. Fluff was the name of the game. My wife had a similar experience a week earlier looking for a family and parenting book for some friends of ours. No wonder everybody’s using Amazon. I mean, it’s not like there’s not good stuff out there. This got me thinking recently – what’s the problem? Are our bookstores stocked with fluff because that’s what our biblically anemic American Christianity wants, or is our American Christianity biblically anemic because our bookstores are full of fluff? My sense is that it’s much like the classic “chicken or the egg” conundrum, where the two are so interconnected it’s impossible to say which begat the other. I’d be interested to hear your take.

Note: For any Louisvillians out there, let me recommend the Christian Book Nook, where I easily found what I was after. It’s a great, locally and privately owned bookstore with great prices, selection, and service. Check it out. Lifeway – take some notes.

One decision I enjoy getting to make every year as a youth pastor is what book to buy as a gift from the church to my graduating seniors. Last year, I really enjoyed Alex and Brett Harris’ Do Hard Things, and I’d actually given thought to getting it again for my 3 grads this year. In hindsight, I’m very glad that Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God caught my eye instead. Though it was a quick read, don’t let that fool you as to the depth of spiritual insight contained within. This is one of the best-written books I’ve read in some time in terms of making excellent use of every word.