fallen warrior

My email can really bum me out sometimes. I was deleting spam from an old account when I came across a message from Liberty alumni updates, or something like that. I scan them every now and then to see what's new. That's when I got a bit bummed.

Before the commercial for some insurance company (you actually could guess which one) the message announced some alumni news. A recent alumni is returning for a concert. She had majored in child development or something along those lines, and originally wanted to work with orphans and disadvantaged children. Then God told her she should sing instead.
Here's where I have issues.

I'll leave the "God told me" can of worms for another time, but I will say He tends to "want" things that cater to our whims a suspicious amount of times. Who knows? Maybe God wanted me to be a Hollywood actor, or a Lottery Winner. You never know.

Back to the singer. I can't help but think about the two options, and how much greater the need is in one than the other. There is no shortage of people clambering for the spotlight, or even those using singing and speaking talents to encourage and strengthen others. But servants are in short supply, as there are no immediate signs of glory (or even success sometimes) there. Our children are being shot at, bombed, orphaned, and starved to death. Even in developed countries such as the US and Korea, many are outright ignored. They don't need governments, they need loving individuals willing to share love, knowledge, food, time, etc., and ultimately, Christ. The laborers are few.

I never met this person, but I can't avoid sorrow. We gained another performer, and lost another warrior.

I feel strongly on the subject, so I may be wrong. If so, feel free to comment.

The Entitlement Generation

Every now and then, I'll brew myself a pot of coffee and reminisce to a couple of years ago when I didn't have a coffee pot. I couldn't find one in Korea until I started working with Americans. I'll jokingly refer to the "instant coffee" days as the time I really sacrificed. At least I hope I'm joking.

I was reminded of this as I read an article about Lent, and why it's good for Protestants to practice. It had some good points, but one statement made me laugh a bit. The author said when she went through coffee withdrawal she would be reminded of Christ's suffering. Yes, it was stated like that. Now, I quit drinking coffee before, and it's given me nasty headaches, but I'm pretty sure scourging, crucifixion and the weight of the sins of mankind would hurt, oh, let's say a gazillion times more. Just a hunch.

Why do we equate willpower to actual suffering? It's because we are used to a few nice things, even the "poor" among us. We equate "have" to "deserve". We love to demand our rights.

Expats, even those in ministry, can be the worst. I've heard people groan like starving POWs because while they have fast food and coke here, "it's just not the same." Forget Tibet; free the whiny white people who CHOSE TO LIVE HERE. They're the real martyrs.

We have no idea what persecution means. This is more than a rant, it's a lament.

I feel a coffee headache coming on. I'd better go lie down.

Random Acts of Kindness Month

Our school decided to make February Random Acts of Kindness month. Some teachers and TA s made three large hearts, one for each floor, and numerous smaller hearts for individuals to use each day of the following two weeks. Teachers, and later students, "caught" students acting kind in a random manner and wrote about it on small hearts. Those were later taped to respective larger hearts for all to see. It took a few days to catch on, but once students started realizing we were writing nice things about them they warmed up to the idea. It made for some worthwhile reading.

I had a student ask me to help her write. I asked her who was kind to her that day. We went through a list of the class' activities, and finally decided that a classmate played fairly and was a good Simon for "Simon Says." She finally wrote, "_______ played Simon Says well with me."

Week three took our kindness outward. On Tuesday a group of teachers and students went to a Grandma House after school for some cleaning and singing. Some sixth graders joined a couple of teachers and high school students this time. Before we left, one of the sixth graders asked me, "Are you going to give us candy?" I said no.

Later on they grabbed rags and went to work on the floors. By the end of the day, I had no doubt they knew why they were doing this. Still, asking for candy is funny.

I wasn't prepared for the singing part this time, as I thought we would just go to clean. Do'h!
Thankfully, we were able to improv. Memo to me, plan plan plan.

The sixth graders also joined us on Wednesday after school for a trip to the orphanage. We sat in a room with a group of three and four year olds, reading stories in English, coloring with them and teaching the hokie pokie. The latter was a noble attempt, and one of the kids joined in. The rest listened and watched the strange giants dance.

At one point, we were intent on helping our respective kids color and write letters of the alphabet, while some of our students read to others. Seemingly out of nowhere, one adult started singing the alphabet song. Others joined in, and before long, we were all singing together. It was rather magical.

On Thursday we grabbed some trash bags and gloves and set out to pick up trash on the property near our school. Teachers and students, grades K-12, discovered just how much litter is out there. I followed with a camera and enjoyed a chuckle when one student said, "Wait! I have to fix my hair!" before I took a picture. You're picking up trash. I think hair issues would be understandable.

The elementary students almost moved me to tears. They could see there was something they could do now, and they did it. Later I asked some students if they knew why we did this. Love for others and God was the main answer.

Friday was our fashionably late Valentine's Day Banquet, a fundraiser for our Spring Break missions trips to the Philippines and India. As we shared with parents and friends where we are going and why, I was reminded of a Nietze quote made by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Ethics. "...your love for your neighbor is ... love for yourselves. I say shun your neighbor, and love those farthest from you!" In our case, hopefully it starts with our neighbor and continues outward.

Forgive Our Debts (?)

This issue may skew more to the political than the moral side. I do, however, enjoy the prospect of debts being forgiven along with an alternative to rewarding greed. Now that you're wondering what I'm babbling about, check out the story below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-chattman/forgiving-student-loan-de_b_164103.html

It's been a shamefully long time since I've done this, but I've got more questions than answers. Any thoughts?

Don't Try This at Home

Quite a few posts back, I vented my frustrations at the new trend of churches making movies. My conviction behind that is there are better ways for the church to show the gospel to those who need to see it. I try to share ideas for such ways whenever they are revealed to me. My conviction stands, but I have other reasons as well.

I'm a movie snob. I've seen a few, and I'm a sucker for good storytelling, whether it be literary, cinematic, or both. All that to say I have strong feelings on the subject.

These strong feelings make me fidget often in Christian circles. I hold my tongue because many friends are excited about this great new movie with little to no production quality, and they strongly recommend it. I don't like popping people's balloons, so to speak, as it's frowned upon and may cause them to cry. Or me, or both. When in doubt, smile and nod.

I recently saw a popular Christian movie, and as with all movies I watch, I looked for the good. The best I came up with was potential.

A story should reflect effort put into it. It's good to have a message, but if that's the only point there are other (and better) methods for that. Movies are about storytelling.

Part of telling the story is being aware of cliches. An online entertainment magazine brought my attention to the "magical black man" cliche in movies such as the Green Mile. Rather than portray African Americans as human, they are given powers. A friend noted the sassy black friend cliche in other movies. Or maybe being sassy is another power, I'm not quite sure. It could be.

Back to the Christian movie. It had both of the cliches. One wasn't enough, I guess.

Why is this an issue? It disturbs me to see Christians chasing after trends, especially when there's something wrong with them. There was potential to show the difference in Christian and worldly perspectives, yet we got sucked in.

It doesn't help that women are shown in this movie as better seen than heard. Or hilariously sassy.

Shouldn't we identify and strive to correct cliches with a flawed basis? Why not give the supporting characters some depth, or even make the story about them instead of the leads? I think the latter would have worked better in this film as striving to keep a marriage together after one has already failed makes a better story than the one used.

This could show a deeper respect for the characters than we are used to in most movies, Christian or secular. It doesn't take tons of money but good writing, and people who enjoy what they do. I know there are screenplay writers out there who can do it, and if any of them read this post by some miracle or another I encourage them to do so. It can be made by people who know how and really want to.

Filmakers make films. Meanwhile, the local church is doing what it does best-- loving the Lord God with all its heart, soul and mind, and its neighbor as itself. We are one body, but when a hand tries to be a foot, things get messy.