Battle Los Angeles

Movie Score: 8 out of 10

This is one of the best Alien Invasion Movies I have seen. I enjoyed the relentless action of Battle Los Angeles. It was kind of like a sci fi version of Black Hawk down. The action never stops. The characters are great. There is depth to the writing. The special effects and the direction are fantastic. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and there are a few gems that made my day. One of the soldiers on his way to fight the aliens that have invaded his city is reading a Bible that has handwriting in the margins that reads: "Through Christ there is freedom." This was one of those rare moments when truth shines through in undiluted form.

Aaron Eckhart as Staff Sgt. Michael Nantz, does a fantastic job in his portrayal of an emotionally scarred and dedicated warrior. Michelle Rodriguez, one of my favorite characters from the TV show LOST does a good job as Technical Sgt. Elena Santos. The movie lets us see real people in an unreal situation. Brian Tyler composed a solid action-sounding and virtuous original score that accented these brave characters in their fight.

All in all I would give BATTLE 8 out of 10.

The City and The Town

Feb.15, 2011

A dark haired, young woman walks by the coffee shop window. Across the street a city jogger with a white cap glides by—I can tell he is used to running by the way he floats across the pavement. The barista who served me some really good medium roast coffee, she’s with the one with the cool Australian accent, just gave me directions to Granville Island where I’m going to a one day seminar called, “Church Planting in the City.”

As I glance out at these buses flying by, hooked up to electrical wires and the walking commuters who are passing the commuting cars who are stopped at yet another light, I am struck by something: Despite the Police on foot, the tall buildings and the bustling traffic, this little block I am on is just like a small town chock full of people who need Jesus.

In fact this block I am on is like Sicamous, the little town where I live. If I was living here I would come to the same coffee shop everyday and get to know these folks. I would try and show them the love of Jesus like I do in Sicamous. I don’t really believe that these folks have any thicker skins than the ones in Sicamous. I think they just need some small town loving in the middle of a very big city.

Another thing that strikes me is the infinite number of faces and the endless variety in each one. It reminds me of the infinite creator and how He, being the infinite source of all these beautiful people, is the reason that there is a never-ending stream of unique personalities. Like the teenage girl who just walk by the window reading her Vancouver Province as she walked or the Indo-Canadian dude who is working in the back of this coffee shop or the short black guy with the salt and pepper goatee carrying that HUGE briefcase.

Each of them is known intimately by their infinite Lord and He seeks each of them. Lord of the Harvest, send someone to them I pray. Because they need You so badly.

The city is no different.

Except for the fact that this cup of coffee is waaaay better than anything in Sicamous.

Amen.

Though I Doubt My Heart, I Doubt My Eyes

I have always been a fan of the music of dearly departed brother and artist Rich Mullins. The man had a way with words and music. The way that he backed up what he sang with his simple life of giving to the poor and wanting to avoid getting sucked into the affluence of even the Christian music industry still speaks today.

I love these lyrics to the song My Deliverer:

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise - He has written it upon the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
I will never doubt His promise though I doubt my heart, I doubt my eyes
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise though the stars should break faith with the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

There is the anchor of faith that Jesus inspires in my heart that does not depend on the situations I find myself in or the brilliant new revelations that philosophers, athiests and scientists come up with. "I will never doubt His promise though I doubt my eyes."

Russian author Dostoyevsky penned these words through a character in one of his novels and it resonated with me big time as I read them:

"If anyone could prove to me that Christ is outside the truth, and if the truth really did exclude Christ, I should prefer to stay with Christ and not with truth. There is in the world only one figure of absolute beauty: Christ. That infinitely lovely figure is as matter of course an infinite marvel."

'Nuff Said.

Good Prayer

I was recently watching FIRST KNIGHT with my wife. Good movie. I forgot how good Sean Connery was as King Arthur. What struck me was when he would convene a meeting of his knights at the round table. He prayed these words:

God,
Grant us the Wisdom to discover the right,
The Will to chose it,
And the Strength to make it endure.
Amen

As my Dad would say-Good Stuff. If we could honestly come to each day and mean those words and live them, chasing hard after truth and love and righteousness; how much better would our world be? I was reading Psalm 15 this morning. I made it my prayer today.

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

² He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

³ and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

⁴ who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,

⁵ who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.

I pray that we would strive to be modern day men of honor and men who seek after the King's heart and live like Jesus and that God would give us the wisdom to discover the right, the will to choose it and the strength to make it endure.

Amen.

LOST

LOST the TV Series is over. Last night I was able to take the time to sit down and watch the series finale of my favorite TV show of all time. I have to say it was very LOST-like. The show has always been the proverbial enigma wrapped inside the puzzle wrapped up in a riddle and wrapped up in a question. I very much enjoyed the finale from beginning to end.

The entire series, including the ending, is very much like life. As I sit here at the middle age of forty one years I have found that Lost is very much like my life indeed. I am a flawed character like all the people on Lost. I have a past that I cannot escape and that I find hard to get over and let go. I hold on to this fleeting life as if it is all there is. I find I am the middle of an extremely beautiful world that is equally as dangerous. There are moments of sunshine, storm, romance, danger, stress and grief. I too am wondering why it is so hard to believe in purpose and a grand scheme of things and why it is so natural to believe it. Job was a man who lived his life well and still he had much misery and more than most. Job, like the series Lost, died without all questions being answered.

My friend Rick pointed out to me that the stain glassed window behind Jack in the final scene of the show featured the symbols of the prominent world religions. It is not hard to see what the producers think. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the room where the producers have their brainstorming sessions. The discussions and creativity would be something to behold. This show certainly demonstrates the infinite creativity that Jesus put into every human being. These writers and creators cranked out the most original show of all time.

One thing I have been learning lately is that while all my questions may not get answered in a world that will always be an up and down adventure, it is all going somewhere and it is headed for a good ending and one day there will be peace. Revelation 21 keeps me going. I strive to keep my eyes on the prize and the place and the person of Jesus Christ while I relish the mystery that is fraught with ferocious curveballs and grand adventure.

Nuff Said

Thoughts on Spring and Winter

Spring is here....yay! It was so nice, the last few weeks, not going to church in the dark. Winter seems sooooo long....and then WHUMMP! Spring has landed. I must say it is quite the same in life's phases. Winter is long and then before you know it - Spring!

I often think of the 100 years of winter under the white witch in Narnia before Aslan came. This world is often a wintry world...beautiful but cold and desolate at the same time. But then, SPRING! I must remember to keep telling myself the truth. Any winter that we find ourselves in - and a winter storm can hit rather suddenly - is not forever. Spring is coming. Jesus is coming. This life seems long when we are in so many winters - but Spring is coming and will be here much quicker than we realize.

'Nuff Said.

Happy New Year!

I am reading a tremendous new book I got over the holidays by Pastor Erwin McManus called WIDE AWAKE. I just wanted to share a few quotes from the book that are inspiring me. I hope these little tidbits of truth fuel your passion for life and love for Jesus too:

"Living wide awake is about realizing that the world needs you to live up to your potential. There are others whose lives and future depend on you stepping up and living big."

"God gives God-sized Dreams to people with God-shaped hearts."

"The way that you begin to live out your God-given dreams is to become the person God desires you to be. What kind of person do you need to become for your dream to come to life?"

"You cannot even begin to live the dream God has for you until you stop caring about only yourself."

Just thought that maybe, like me, this stuff is good food for thought for 2010.

'Nuff Said