My hate destroyed work.
But truth set discipline free,
and it's now my tool.
-David J Ruess
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
I watched 'The Fountain' (that artistic, “semi-hit” from a year or two ago) the other day. I'm pretty sure it was poignant, well-shot and very deserving of the critical praise that it received. It was also probably an allegory and a metaphor and I’m sure it must have profound implications for us right now, in this very moment. In fact, it’s probably telling me something about eternity, and about how I probably wasted too much time on the couch today. To be honest though I didn't really enjoy the movie, I didn't get it, I think I could have, but I honestly didn't care that much. And it was one of those movies where you have to care to get it (unlike Harold and Kumar, not that you
would care or should care about Harold and Kumar, I'm just saying.) to understand it.
Its how I sometimes feel about church. I see the same exact things that everyone else is seeing but for some reason, it just seems boring, life-less, irrelevant, and I won't use the word unnecessary because I know that sounds terrible and that “Biblically” its on-tap with saying that Paris Hilton is a virgin, but to be honest, it sometimes seems like it.
I did pick up a few things though watching the movie, and so without further introduction, heres my list of what I discovered during my viewing of the 'The Fountain.'
1. That guy, the one who was the fat guy on 'Remember the Titans' and I think 'Varsity
Blues,' and now is on that show that a lot of people find funny but that I've never really watched called 'My name is Earl' was in it.
2. They operated on the monkey of a brain. That was cool. It looked very sweet. It looked exactly how I thought it would look to see a monkey having his brain operated on.
3. Rachel Weise is just beautiful, I mean absolutely gorgeous. She could seriously have fur and I would still be attracted to her (?).
4. I put too much butter on my pop corn.
5. I'd rather watch 3 Ben Afleck movies back to back to back (not including Pearl Harbor or the onewith Matt Damon where he says, "how u like them apples!" but whose title I currently am blanking on) before I watch this movie again.
Speaking of movies, Why do we continue watching-why do we “stick out” movies-that don’t seem to make any sense? Why do we keep watching them even though we can’t see where their going or how all the scenes we’ve seen so far are going to fit together?
We keep watching because we believe it’s going somewhere. At least I suppose. Because we believe-with good evidence, that a creator-a director-has pieced these scenes together-indeed actually chosen them to unfold the very way they are happening. The creator has made a trajectory.
And so even though we don’t like that that one jerk has gotten the girl. And that the nice guy with red hair got killed for some reason, and that the cute blond girl is being blamed for something she obviously didn’t-we keep watching the movie. Because, it’s going somewhere.
Now, I’m not trying to make light of, or wrap a cute bow on what we face in this life-but I do feel the need to encourage and remind us that the lives we live do have trajectories whether they seem very random or not. They are not pieces of a story held together by nothing.
This doesn’t meant that if we walk super close to God that we will be able to fit all we go through together, into some nice puzzle of God’s proved faithfullnes. In short, it doesen’t mean that it will all “make sense” to us as we live our lives. Because often times it simply will not.
The rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous and God’s ways are higher than ours (aka the jerk will get the girl, the nice red-headed guy will get killed, and the cute blond who did nothing wrong will get blamed).
Life can really hurt and cause our minds to wander when we don’t recognize the inherent story within. The earthly redemption….BUT, central to our faith is the abiding conviction that not only is history going somewhere-but we are too. Our lives (our excitement, our pain, our joy, our outbursts, our relapses, our victories, our transitions yadayada!). Our faiths. Our souls. I need to know that. I need to believe that.
-kevin j.
would care or should care about Harold and Kumar, I'm just saying.) to understand it.
Its how I sometimes feel about church. I see the same exact things that everyone else is seeing but for some reason, it just seems boring, life-less, irrelevant, and I won't use the word unnecessary because I know that sounds terrible and that “Biblically” its on-tap with saying that Paris Hilton is a virgin, but to be honest, it sometimes seems like it.
I did pick up a few things though watching the movie, and so without further introduction, heres my list of what I discovered during my viewing of the 'The Fountain.'
1. That guy, the one who was the fat guy on 'Remember the Titans' and I think 'Varsity
Blues,' and now is on that show that a lot of people find funny but that I've never really watched called 'My name is Earl' was in it.
2. They operated on the monkey of a brain. That was cool. It looked very sweet. It looked exactly how I thought it would look to see a monkey having his brain operated on.
3. Rachel Weise is just beautiful, I mean absolutely gorgeous. She could seriously have fur and I would still be attracted to her (?).
4. I put too much butter on my pop corn.
5. I'd rather watch 3 Ben Afleck movies back to back to back (not including Pearl Harbor or the onewith Matt Damon where he says, "how u like them apples!" but whose title I currently am blanking on) before I watch this movie again.
Speaking of movies, Why do we continue watching-why do we “stick out” movies-that don’t seem to make any sense? Why do we keep watching them even though we can’t see where their going or how all the scenes we’ve seen so far are going to fit together?
We keep watching because we believe it’s going somewhere. At least I suppose. Because we believe-with good evidence, that a creator-a director-has pieced these scenes together-indeed actually chosen them to unfold the very way they are happening. The creator has made a trajectory.
And so even though we don’t like that that one jerk has gotten the girl. And that the nice guy with red hair got killed for some reason, and that the cute blond girl is being blamed for something she obviously didn’t-we keep watching the movie. Because, it’s going somewhere.
Now, I’m not trying to make light of, or wrap a cute bow on what we face in this life-but I do feel the need to encourage and remind us that the lives we live do have trajectories whether they seem very random or not. They are not pieces of a story held together by nothing.
This doesn’t meant that if we walk super close to God that we will be able to fit all we go through together, into some nice puzzle of God’s proved faithfullnes. In short, it doesen’t mean that it will all “make sense” to us as we live our lives. Because often times it simply will not.
The rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous and God’s ways are higher than ours (aka the jerk will get the girl, the nice red-headed guy will get killed, and the cute blond who did nothing wrong will get blamed).
Life can really hurt and cause our minds to wander when we don’t recognize the inherent story within. The earthly redemption….BUT, central to our faith is the abiding conviction that not only is history going somewhere-but we are too. Our lives (our excitement, our pain, our joy, our outbursts, our relapses, our victories, our transitions yadayada!). Our faiths. Our souls. I need to know that. I need to believe that.
-kevin j.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
David's Winter 2008 Snow Guide
Snow days were always the best when we were kids. No School. No Homework. No Teachers.
And if it was a real snow day - where the snow kept-a-comin' in big flakes and medium flakes and little flakes too - snow fun abounded.
Especially if the conditions were right - snow men...snow balls..snow forts...sledding etc...
My friend Steve, who lived across from me, we would build snow barricades in the middle of the street to block cars from driving down it...but also dared them to try and crash through our impenetrable snowy wall (little did they know we enjoyed watching metal tear through packed snow with tires crunching the boulders we rolled...that's what you call a win win baby).
Basically I've grown up around snow my whole life - I'm a Midwesterner through and through - So here's my guide to snow:
White & Light & Slow Falling
Pros: Great to walk in, think about life, and sip hot-chocolate. Also good for a romantic walk. Easy to shovel. Can eat if fresh. If enough accumulation - great for sledding.
Cons: Bad packing snow which = no snow balls, forts etc... :( Bummer.
White & Light & Windy
Pros: Blizzards are cool :-) Sledding in blizzards are even cooler (PUN intended...hah!)
Cons: Low Visibility = Car crashes. Could lose a child if you go somewhere outside.
White & Heavy
Pros: Packing Snow! Build forts. Snow ball fights. Snow men. Snow Barricades. Chance of school closing. Aliright for sledding. Can eat if fresh - more moisture in each bite. Alright!
Cons: Clothes get wet fast, gloves especially. Hard to shovel. Often turns to ice-snow which leads to more moto crashes.
Yellow & Wet (Probably a dog pee'd here)
Pros: Can use to throw at enemey...be sure to have protective layer of white snow around it before packing into snow ball.
Cons: Tastes horrible. Can get you made fun of if you think somone dropped Mountain Dew and you dive right in...
Grey to Black & Wet or Frozen
Pros: Makes the white snow so much whiter.
Cons: Contains cancerous agents...eat at own risk. Detracts from beautiful snowy scenary. Stays around for a looong time.
Stained different colors & Wet to Frozen
Red - Probably blood. Check for bodies, objects that look like weapons. If any found, call 911.
Brown - If shaped like a turd, its probably a frozen turd, or melting. No treasure here. Move On.
Green - Could be a leaf, pine needles, a fern etc... If it is an emerald, pick it up. Could also be dog vomit.
Blue - Probably some spit out Powerade or Gaterade, taste to make sure. If not, probably windshield wiper fluid.
Purple - Take as much as possible!!! Put it in your pockets, your pants, your shirt. Consider yourself lucky - this is the stuff dreams are made of...literally. Eat before you go to bed.
Sweet Dreams,
David J Ruess
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