Its a masquerade out there...

*** First off, a disclaimer- Yeah so, way back when I mentioned I'd try not to get too preachy on here. Sorry. My faith in Jesus is part of who I am and this blog reflects the things I think about. So... the subject is going to come. Such as now...

It's October. For many people that means Halloween, tricks and treats, ghosts and goblins, costumes and candy, mischief and masks.

Isn't it sort of a strange time of year? Everyone is making plans to be someone else. By the end of this month, the streets will be populated by ninjas, witches, pirates, fairies, and ex-presidents. All through a variety of masks... weird, huh?

Or is it.

How often do we wear masks?

I live in Nebraska, heart of football country. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln is my alma mater. I'm a big Husker fan, right? Not so much. I like to see the home team win, but I can't say I follow it closely anymore. Today there are just too many passions and interests competing for my time and energy to pay Husker Football much attention.

However, I still try to follow the stats. I check on the records of Nebraska and their opponents. Nebraska and football - for many people it goes together like peanut butter and jelly. It's what we do. What we talk about. Like the weather. So, I keep track so I can talk to co-workers and people I run into. I wear the mask of a Husker football fan.

But don't we all do this in one arena or another?

You're a Democrat. You're a Republican. There's certain points you have to follow. Certain ideals to hold up.

A prep. A geek. A jock. Even a scummer. We all have masks to wear. Masks to bear.

But, other people aren't the only ones we wear masks for. Have you ever prayed like this, "God, please don't let me fail at this! I'll do anything. I'll read my Bible everyday. I'll be better."? Really? If God does this one thing right now, you'll change your life forever. You will pursue more based on this one moment. Love Him more for it?

Looks a lot like a mask to me. This isn't pursuing the Most High as your goal. This is courting His favor. Loving the gift over the Giver. It certainly isn't living out Matthew 6:33

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

The problem is we don't stop with wearing masks in attempt to trick God. Many of us, quite successfully, wear masks to deceive ourselves.

The following link goes to an article about a man who wore a mask for a large portion of his life. Everyone he came in contact with believed that this was a good man. He began to believe it himself. He just led "another life" in which he did terrible things. I felt that was the gist of what the author was getting at - a good man, who happened to be capable of terrible things. I also think he blew that away in the final lines.

If you decide to read it, the article is pretty graphic.
http://www.esquire.com/features/favorite-teacher-0300

We all have skeletons in our closets. When we sin we like to brush it off, "the devil made me do it". The truth is we humans are capable of incredible evil, in the same way we are capable of amazing good. We have a dual nature. We are created to be the image of God, a reflection of His awesome truth, justice, goodness, love. But we are born into sin. Our inherited sin nature constantly battles our godly spirits. The reality is that we have both the Spirit of God and desires of the flesh within us.

However, we are not without hope. Jesus said -

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10.

Jesus promises a life lived "to the full". One not torn in two by the battling spirit nature from God and the flesh nature of the world. A life that if yielded to Him will experience love, hope, faith, joy, peace and all of those wonderful gifts of the Spirit. All He asks is that we turn to Him -

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." Luke 9:24

So, this October consider a new mask to wear. Think of ways that you can wear your Jesus mask in the world. And if you submit to Him, He will change you, from the inside, to reflect the image of the Father. -

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light... Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 13:12,14

Peace.

Long journeys, single steps...

I'm going to have to fly to make my goal here. So, I just had this idea this evening so bear with me as its more than likely going to evolve in the next few day.

I consider myself a pretty average American. I rail against the idea of being 'average', but for a lot of folks I suppose that in itself is normal. I know there's a lot of things normal folks do that I don't and vice versa, but over all I am stressed out, a little overweight, and too busy. I have my vices, poor eating habits, and worse sleeping habits. I drive a car, surf the internet, drink pop, and eat Twinkies.

Yep. I'm an American.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but we do, on the whole, have some bad habits. We're out of touch with the world around us. We're out of touch with ourselves. We say and mean one thing, while constantly doing another.

I'd like to change that. Not overnight and not in some extreme way, but bit by bit, action by action I hope to achieve some sort of harmony.

I don't mean some sort of New Age spiritual enlightenment. I just want to do what I say and live what I believe.

For example, the whole BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico issue really irks me. I take every chance I get to run my mouth about the problem, but what am I DOING about it? Why am I still part of a system that spews this stuff out of the ground(or ocean) just so we can burn it up and blow it into the atmosphere? Do I have to live this way?

I want to approach these questions, and a thousand others, with honesty, practicality, and sound judgment. I don't intend to have a knee jerk reaction current events and self-improvement articles. I want to learn real and sustainable practices that I can use to form new habits. Habits that will allow me to be more genuine, more 'in tune' with my life and environment.

If you're interested in anything I'm saying here, or have any specific areas you'd like to address. Keep watching this site. Starting today, June 1, 2010, and going on for the next year, till June 1 of 2011, I hope to research, consider, and implement these kinds of practices. All while recording the results regularly.

It's going to be a long j0urney. But this is a first step. Hopefully there are many more to follow.

On Love and War

Let me preface this post by commenting that socially I'm pretty ... awkward? Maybe just inexperienced is the better term, regardless I am still trying my darnedest to work out this whole boy/girl game we seem to devote so much headspace towards. So at the tender age of 27, I find myself making realizations that many of you have (or at least believe you have) mastered years ago. I like to believe that a few extra years getting into the game has given me the chance to put some perspective on things. Or I could be completely full of BS.

Like any good story, this one begins with a girl. A young woman, actually, that I work with. She's funny, energetic, and cute as a bug's ear. And everybody knows it. This creates a problem. At least, it does in my sophomoric approach to the matter. The problem is that it feels as if there is a competition for her attention and eventual affection.

Each of my young male co-workers seems to be smitten with her to varying degrees, plus a few customers and at least one other fellow she has mentioned. Now, again I will stress that maybe this is just me (though I doubt it), but it seems like I have to measure up against her other suitors. He's better looking, but I'm more intelligent and articulate. This guy's funny, but I have more money. And so forth and so on.

This situation works the other way as well. "Hmm, I like this girl. She's fun and smart, but the other one is better looking." Even for the young lady in question I don't think she realizes what she is doing. I feel certain she doesn't realize how much she tugs at the heart strings at the young men around her, but does she even know what she is looking for? Is she comparing between those of us who pursue her while we seek her affections? I guess the real question is when did this whole love thing become one giant tournament?

I just don't believe we need a ranking system to get in on the love game. Finding a "soulmate" should never come down to comparing people against each other and/or a list of criteria. Shouldn't we be happy finding someone we can be comfortable around in our own skin? I guess this is the point where euphemisms like "chemistry" and "we just clicked" work into the discussion. But, I think it goes beyond that. There are people who immediately find a connection, who "click". However, some people may grow into a comfortable relationship with one another. And who says that isn't love?

Ultimately, I think our whole system, like most man-made systems, is flawed. So many of us weigh ourselves and potential mates against these ideals we have in our heads. Things like looks, money, shared interests, intelligence, and humor all have a place, but consider how you make new friends. We naturally gravitate towards people who have traits we admire as friends. Could finding love work in a similar way?

Take this scenario. Instead of seeking out people who meet a predetermined number of checks off of our lists and then focusing on them, competing with other suitors for their attention, we just love those around us as friends. As these relationships grow and deepen, we learn who we can trust; who we can be ourselves around. We may even learn a thing or two about BEING ourselves. Eventually, we find that special someone who can accept us, who we feel comfortable with. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter that she's not a huge Star Wars fan, or for that matter even seen it before. You know why? Because she loves you just the way you are.

Things could work out that way. Or, as I said before, I could be full of BS. What do you think?

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Come one! Come all! Come to the amazing world premiere of this fantastic weekly feature!!! Feast your eyes upon the incredible ... um... (crickets chirping). Well, I haven't come up with a snazzy name for it but this is the beginning of a weekly feature blog that will discuss new movie releases. Each week I will tirelessly scour the internet for reviews and snippets to aid you in deciding where to spend your hard earned dollars at the multiplex.

This week we have a pair of cinematic offerings that either lifts us up or drags us down. The two movies are none other than Disney/Pixar's Up and the Sam Raimi directed horror flick, Drag Me to Hell.

The latest feature from the infamous Pixar team, Up is unsurprisingly getting rave reviews. The surprising part is that Pixar's chosen protagonist is a 78 year-old widower, voiced by Ed Asner. The story follows Carl, who has lost his wife and stodgily resists the progress around him. When the powers that be intend to move Carl out of his home to develop the area, things really blow up, as in hundreds of helium balloons lifting the house into a grand adventure. Unbeknownst to Carl, young Russell, a Wilderness Explorer (think Boy Scout), is stowed away on his make-shift dirigible. Of course, hilarious adventures ensue and, being a Disney/Pixar film, I'm sure a life lesson or two is learned.

We'll have to see how an older protag plays with the young audiences that are built into an animated feature, but the grown-up kids are definitely getting a rise out of Up. Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles critics ratings for there Tomatometer, award Up an outstanding 98%. Numerous sources, such as Josh Tyler for Cinemablend.com, cite the opening montage through Carl's life as a heart-wrenching sequence. Peter Sciretta over at slashfilm.com has also indicated that the digital 3-D for Up is especially effective at immersing you in the films action, so if you have that option it may be worth the upgrade. All in all if your looking for a great family film or just an emotional, fun animated adventure, then Up rises to the challenge.

Drag Me to Hell is the week's second major release and is a return to director Sam Raimi's roots. Raimi became a cult film icon with his Evil Dead series. With Drag Me to Hell, Raimi looks into one of the most frightening aspects of the world around us... home foreclosure. Well, that and curses, demons, and Hell. The film tells the story of Christine, played by Alison Lohman, as she tries to work her way up the corporate ladder at a mortgage bank. Along the way, she is forced to reject an old womans payment extension. Facing eviction from her home, the elderly woman puts a curse on Christine that will come to fruition in three days.

Raimi brings campy fun to the screen in this PG-13 horror film. Drag Me to Hell seems to be resonating with most critics with a solid 94% on the Tomatometer. The film intersperses moments of levity with shots that are "grab-your-heart-medicine scary" as Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune put it. Just remember, this is a different kind of horror film than Hollywood has been rolling out. Drag Me to Hell is neither an Asian remake or a brutal gorefest. It's shocking imagery is interjected with campy humor. This is the director that previously brought us a hero with a chainsaw attached to his arm, so if you like your scares of the tongue in cheek variety drag yourself to the theater.

That's all for this week. Tune in to see what I find for next week's feature. Also, I'd gladly take into consideration any ideas people have for the title of this weekly section left in the comments.

Boldly going...

So, I have been doing some thinking about this whole blog thing. I think it is going to take a little practice to find a "Voice" I feel good about. That's kind of the point of this whole thing.

Somethings I have thought about would be how often to post and what about. I could try to be really ambitious and try to blog practically everyday. I have considered breaking each day down, so you might have something to expect. A purely hypothetical weekly schedule could include a look at the new DVD releases on Monday, maybe a weekly book review or something along those lines (as if I could keep up reading a book a week) and on Thursday a look at movies hitting the theaters. I also think that my blog posts should include some discussion of Christian ideals and themes. I was originally going to try and leave that out, because I know there are some people it will turn off. However, if I am looking to find my own voice through all of this I need to acknowledge that large part of myself and make a stand for it. I will steer clear of being too "preachy". I don't think that is how Jesus intended his message to be shared. He was more about meeting people where they were and loving them recklessly. I think the world could use some more of that kind of attitude.

So it begins...

Well, I'm blogging now.

I'm not exactly sure what form this is going to take, but I have had the idea for a little while so what the heck? It'll be interesting to see if it even becomes anything at all. I am considering writing up some sort of manifesto. (or is that to Unabomber-ish??) Oh well, no one will probably read this anyway.