notes on christianity, belief, and art
Three weeks ago my father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia. It reminded me of one really good reason Christians should attend church.
I say “one reason” instead of “the reason,” because I don’t think it’s possible to boil church down to a single argument. But I do think this is an important point we don’t talk about as much as we should.
Edge of Tomorrow – Warner Brothers
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
– C.S. Lewis
When audiences first meet Tom Cruise’s character (Bill Cage) in Edge of Tomorrow, he’s cocky, weak, and selfish. With a background in advertising, Cage has risen through the ranks of the United States military, using charm and charisma to boost enlistments in a war against an extraterrestrial force engulfing Europe. Cage has never seen battle, but he is a salesman. And, like any good salesman, Cage pushes a product: the army’s new exoskeleton combat suit. A suit that promises to transform even those with limited military experience into alien-slaying machines. Continue Reading…
My son Weston
This Sunday is my first Father’s Day. It’s difficult to believe Weston will be a year old next month. Pretty soon he’ll be able to bring me the television remote and mow the lawn when I need to rest up for dinner. I think I’ll teach him how to bake cookies too. You never know when you’ll need a skill like baking cookies. Oh wait, yes I do. Every single day. Continue Reading…
If I were forced to describe X-Men: Days of Future Past in one word, it would be “hope.” Hope despite the mistakes of the past. Hope for the future. Hope that change, no matter how difficult, is still possible. Hope that, surprisingly, finds a parallel message in the New Testament’s treatment of violence, retaliation, and sacrifice…READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.
Years ago, a minister’s widow gave me her late husband’s library. I still remember the books covering my office floor, leaving a small trail of carpet from the door to the desk. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to start thumbing through the old volumes. I think libraries can teach us a good deal about a person. They reflect what we value, what we yearn for. Books are an echo of our imaginations and desires. Continue Reading…
The X-Men film franchise begins at a rain-soaked Nazi concentration camp during World War II. In the midst of a large crowd walks a young Jewish boy. His dark coat bears the Star of David, the badge’s yellow color contrasting against the dreary hues of the compound. As the boy is torn from his parents, he mysteriously emits a powerful magnetic force, bending the camp gate. The chaotic moment reaches a breaking point when the child, later known as Magneto, is knocked unconscious.
This introductory scene—expanded in X-Men: First Class—encapsulates the thematic mood of the entire franchise. At its core, the X-Men cinematic universe is more than a slab of blockbuster meat to a slew of hungry consumers. It’s a probing commentary on social subjugation, equality, and discrimination…READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.
A year ago this week, I was told to look for another job. The Christian school where I taught saw an enrollment drop and couldn’t afford to keep me on staff.
Days after the news, the tips of my fingers still tingled with numbness when I thought about finances. I didn’t know if there would be any money left to scrape out of our bank account in the next few months. If this news wasn’t enough, we had just moved into our first home and my wife was seven months pregnant. Continue Reading…
As a child, I remember the first time I saw a mountain. The rugged peek ascended to the sky above; a tip of white capping the crescendo. My South Texas mind realized, as a looked up at the Appalachians, that there is more to this world than my home. Continue Reading…
Heaven is for Real – Sony Pictures
Heaven is for Real, the story of a boy who allegedly visited heaven and lived to tell the tale, is getting a big Hollywood treatment this week. Continue Reading…
The clean version of an Eminem song gave me the feels three weeks ago.
Most people think I’m a huge fan of rap, but that’s just them playing off of stereotypes. Even so, when I heard Eminem’s new song “Headlights” on the radio, I lost myself in the music, the moment.
I owned it. Continue Reading…
