Thoughts from "Garden State"

Garden State is one of those indie dramedies (examples include Lars and the Real Girl, 500 Days of Summer, United States of Leland, or Wristcutters) many, or at least some of us have come to know and love these days.

After seeing Garden State for a second time, I am reminded of the difficulty of interacting with this genre of film. These movies are very dialog heavy, and since I do not take notes, it is easy to lose key lines from the movie as you watch it, and they slip away even faster once the movie is over.  Second, I do not so much watch these films as much as I enter into these films.  Movies like Avatar and Daybreakers are movies you watch but do not necessarily enter into, or you merely enter in for a scene here or a scene there.

This film deals with the themes of emotion, home, love, significance; and all of these are addressed within a world that is finite.  This life is the only shot you get, and when it's over, it's over.  That's it.  So, where's the hope?  Well, hopefully you'll find something worth living for and people worth living with...hopefully.  After all, according to Garden State, life is an "infinite abyss."  So, what do you do?  You live in the present, for the now, because who knows what's on the way and how long it is going to last anyway.

As I watched Garden State I realized that I shared similar emotions and feelings with the varying characters at different points in the film, but I could not enter into these feelings without knowledge of how my faith addressed these emotions.  True, sometimes you do not feel like you have a home, a place of community to go back to ("The affectionate child pines in a mansion for the home of his parents, though that is a scene of comparative poverty," which is clearly revealed by the statements of Jesse in the film.), but for the Christian, it does not end there.

For the Christian, we know that whatever idea and community of "home" we experience here, it is only a taste of what our real home will be - Heaven, eternally in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  "This is the expression and summation of all the believer hopes for beyond the gave...ETERNAL LIFE: It is life, intellectual, physical, spiritual, social—in absolute perfection—and all this forever...through eternity there shall never be a moment when there shall not be a fullness of joy; when the happy immortal shall not be able to say, "THIS IS LIFE!"  'He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain! For the old world and its evils are gone forever!' (Rev. 21:4)."[1]

For Garden State, this life is a road to nowhere:

Andrew Largeman: You remember that idea I had about working stuff out on my own and then finding you once I figured stuff out?
Sam: The ellipsis? 

Andrew Largeman: Yeah, the ellipsis, it's dumb. It's dumb. It's an awful idea. I'm not gonna do it, okay? Cause like you said, this is it. This is life. And I'm in love with you... I think that's the only thing I've ever really been sure of in my entire life. And I'm really messed up right now, and I got a whole lot of stuff I have to work out, but I don't want to waste any more of my life without you in it. And I think I can do this. I mean, I want to. I have to, right?
Sam: Yeah. Yes!
Andrew Largeman: So what do we do? What do we do?

So, what do you do in a life that's on a road to nowhere?  Where do you go?  Find love that will hopefully last until you die?  Find a home that's permanent enough to last so you can leave it instead of it leaving you?  What?

"There is a source that can tell us what life is really about. Found in the pages of Scripture...are directions not just to “live and learn” but to “learn and live.” The promise of skillful living is made to all those who will “listen to advice and accept instruction” (Proverbs 19:20). God has revealed truths about life; the Bible is a guidebook of sorts, a blueprint to living, the foundation of a well-built life and a roadmap through the maze of confusion that our days often resemble. There is purpose and meaning, clarity and fulfillment in this life. But it is only found as we navigate by the wisdom contained in the word of God."[2]

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith" (Philippians 3:7-9).

On a road to nowhere with no absolute destination except the non-existence of death and no absolute purpose, all that is left is desire.  Purpose becomes fulfilling your desires, and you cannot fulfill your desires; no one can ultimately fulfill their desires, which makes every life without Christ a failed life.

"For Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee" (Augustine).  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  He is the road; He is the destination; He is the purpose, and it is through Him that we finally reach our true home, where we've been meant to be since the day we were born - eternal life with Him in Heaven.

Love

I heard a song about love this morning, and I don't remember much of the content except that it was about love.  It was a Christian guy so I know it's not Lady Gaga's or Kes$ha's (I even got the dollar sign right for her name.) or 3OH!3's perspective on love...if they even have a perspective on "love."

It inspired thoughts of conversations with my former roommate, conversations about this concept of "falling in love" with someone, which has in turn led to the phrase "falling out of love."  Really?

We need an accurate definition of love.  Without this, no one knows what they're even falling into or out of.  [Spoiler Warning!] The fact is, with the right definition of love,  you realize it's not something you fall into or out of at all.

Many of us have heard the phrase, "Love isn't a feeling.  It's a decision."  Hurray cliché.  But if you look past the overuse, you will find its truth.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

I began to think, "How much of love is a feeling?"  My thoughts took me to the passage above.  Patient and kind, how often do you or I feel patient or kind?  How often do you or I fall into or out of patience and kindness and hope and humility?  Do we just fall into or out of envy or boasting or arrogance or rudeness?  They just happen?  We just fall; it's the gravity of life, I guess (By the way, how can you fall in two different directions?  You only fall one way?  Where does this second option for falling come from?).

How often do I just fall into not insisting my own way, and later, I just end up falling out of it and insisting on my own way instead?  I mean, it just happens right.  Everyone walks down their own paths, and sometimes those paths take people apart, right?  Life just happens to me, to us, doesn't it?

Here's the deal, none of us just fall into or out of any of those things love is.  Those are all choices to be and act a certain way.  As John Piper says, "Love from God in us shows itself in deeds, deeds, deeds!"[1]  It is a fact.  "But I'm in love with him/her."  Really?  Are you patient, kind, content, humble, selfless, joyful?  Whatever it is we're falling into or out of, it isn't anything like love.  In fact, if love is a feeling and not a decision, all love is is a collection of all our emotions that at this time or that time make us feel good (It's pretty selfish, huh?).  So really, what we are all saying is not that we fall in or out of love but that we fall in or out of feeling good with this or that person.  Sounds great, right?  Thankfully, this is not what love is.

Why is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 the right definition of love?  Because it is not rooted in mankind and his ways.  It is instead rooted in Jesus Christ, which means it is rooted in God.  This is the true meaning of love because it is who God is.  All of this is rooted in and founded on the person of God who is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ.  When we say, "God is love," we are talking about the Trinity; we are talking about Jesus; we are talking about 1 Corinthians 13 and other passages like it found in God's word for us:  Love is from God.

"For God loved the world, so He gave gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16; emphasis mine).  Do you see 1 Corinthians 13 in this?  Do you see it in the God of the universe, the Creator who humbled Himself from His rightful place as king in Heaven to live on this earth as a man, as part of His creation even to the point of suffering and dying on a cross, and for what?  For our salvation because of His love, real love, love that is a decision, love that you can't fall into or out of, love that is actually what love is, love that was undeserved, and we can rejoice that this is a love that truly never changes, never leaves us nor forsakes us, from a God who does not fall into or out of feelings but has chosen in His complete and perfect goodness that He would love us.

We will never fully grasp and understand the love of God and what love actually is until we grasp and understand the distance between the throne and the cross.

To Eastern Europe

As I get closer and closer to May 15, the reality of going back to the Czech Republic sets in deeper and deeper.  Yes, God willing, I will be returning to the Czech Republic to do youth ministry there, and this time for seven months.

I will again be leading/co-leading an intern team over the summer, and this summer is looking like quite the roller coaster ride, except that you are blindfolded before you get on, and the blindfold does not come off until you reached the crest of that first thrilling and terrifying hill.  Like a new, unseen roller coaster, this summer will have similar aspects to it - camps, intern teams, visiting churches and schools, songs, dance, follow-up, and etcetera - there will also be much that is new - curriculum, interns, churches and camps, schools, cities, challenges, and things I have not even thought of yet.

Josiah Venture (JV)

Josiah Venture (JV) takes its name for King Josiah of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles fame.  Using money that had been put into the temple treasury, he had the Temple of God restored and in the midst of its restoration found the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy).  Having read it, he tore his clothes and wept for the sin he and his people had committed, and he summoned the people to hear the Book of the Law read, which led to a revival of the people who once again placed the Word of God at the center of their lives.  Eastern Europe desperately needs its own Josiahs, young men and women who lead the way spiritually as this young king did.

Vision and Mission
 This is the vision of Josiah Venture, to be part of a movement of God among the youth of Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society. Our mission and calling is to equip young leaders to fulfill Christ's commission by reaching and making disciples. More than just conversion, we want to see passionate followers of Jesus Christ, with a vision to reach and disciple their generation for Him.

The Ministry
My team and I will be involved in leading evangelistic English camps for high school and university-age students.  The English camps are a vital tool in bringing the gospel to the youth in a relevant and relaxed environment.  We will be promoting the camps, teaching conversational English, building relationships with non-Christians through activities (sports and free time), leading small group evangelistic discussions, and helping lead evening programs consisting of music, drama, games, and testimonies.

When summer is over, I will be living with a full time missionary, Greg Strock, in the city of Tabor.  I will be taking 10 hours of Czech a week (Hurray Language!).  I will be participating in camp follow-up events throughout the fall.  These would be outreach style events meant to continue to facilitate connection and relationship between the church and youth ministry and the other students who attended the camps.  I will be helping Greg with any of his ministries and will likely do some teaching in the youth groups.  I will also be doing a lot of "contact ministry," which means spending time with students outside of school and church - playing sports with them, getting coffee or going out to eat, and etcetera.  I will also be attending the JV fall conference, staff Thanksgiving, and weekly and monthly leadership meeting.

The Family
The people of JV are incredible. It is like one big family. I am so grateful that God has allowed me to be a part of this family. Nate and Emily Hughes are the leaders of the English camp internships in the Czech, and they are amazing. There are people that bring peace. When they visited the camps (they visit every camp for a day for the whole summer), I felt a peace come with them. They are like the parents of the interns, or the wise, caring older brother and sister while over there, and I can't thank them enough for their encouragement and leadership, and these are just two of the many incredible brothers and sisters I have had the privilege of meeting and being sharpened and spurred on by in JV. 

Passion
The JV staff is filled with it, and it flows out of them into all those who come in contact with them and their ministry.  I love it.  Where does their passion come from?  The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-7).  The people of Eastern Europe need to hear the gospel, and it is for this reason why I am going there and why those already there still serve (1 Corinthians 9:23; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1). 

"You get better at preaching the gospel by hearing it preached well and preaching it well” (Tim Keller).  I get to preach the gospel a lot in this ministry.  You live the gospel.  You live the truth and defense of the faith.  You live the testimony of Jesus Christ – salt and light – your joy makes a statement:

"Though [we] have not seen him, [we] love him.  Though [we]do not now see him, [we] believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of [our] faith, the salvation of [our] souls" (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Your life tells Christ’s story.  When you speak the gospel, there is power there (Romans 1:16-17), and when you live as Christ lived, when you love as Christ loved, when you obey as Christ obeyed, when you give grace as Christ has given grace, you tell those watching and listening to and relating with you true things about Jesus.  You tell them Jesus loves and Jesus reigns and Jesus lives and Jesus gives grace and Jesus gives Himself for their salvation.  You not only preach the gospel in this ministry, just as we ought in life, you live the gospel for the sake of the elect and the edification and encouragement of the brotherhood of believers (Hebrews 10:24-25).

So this is what my seven months in the Czech Republic will be.  Thank you to those who were used by God to make my three month internship there last summer possible.  I continue in prayer for what this next season holds.  I believe God is raising and will raise up Josiahs from the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe.  I believe He is going to raise up Moseses and Peters and Pauls and Isaiahs and Davids and Elijahs and Elishas and Johns to bring His gospel to His people.

"Legion" from two sides

Legion (click this link to get the basic information and summary of the film) is a new movie in theaters.  It is one I cannot directly interact with because I am not going to see it.  There are films I will not see (The trailer was bad enough.).  This is one of them.  It is a film that "deals" with spiritual matters.  Thus, for those that are interested, I want to give you a review of the film from a Christian and a review of the film from a non-Christian.

I think it is a clear contrast between the Christian and non-Christian mind.  The movie itself testifies to the fact that without the Holy Spirit, one can never rightly understand and interpret and apply the Scriptures.  Without the Holy Spirit, one can only twist and butcher God's word and the God who authored it, "which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:15).

"Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish" (2 Peter 2:10b-12).

Camera Tag

I'm in.  I'll start as IT.  If you do not live near me, feel free to start your own game where you are.

How do you play?  Click here.

Also, major update on my upcoming seven month term in the Czech Republic.  I know...the suspense is killing me too.

"Daybreakers"

I saw "Daybreakers" last Thursday night.  Yes, it is a vampire movie, and no, it is not for everyone (for a content review click here).  It is a vampire movie in the same way that "28 Days Later" is a zombie movie.  In "Daybreakers" the vampires are not mystical or magical but biological, turned by a virus from a bat.  These former people do not have beating hearts. Instead, they have a low body temperature, burn up if they are hit with sunlight. And, more importantly, they need human blood to survive.  Unfortunately, they are running out of humans.

Message and Themes 
Well, I could not really find a message in the film, but a major theme revolves around fear of death and fear in general.  Who really has fear?  The vampires think humans live in fear because they are being hunted; they are outnumbered; they can die, but the vampire cannot die of natural causes.  However, as the film continues you realize the vampire has much more to fear than just the sun, and like the humans they were before they were turned, they are still fallen and sinful and selfish and power hungry.  Really, you learn that immortality alone does not change someone's heart (whether it beats or not).  New powers and abilities do not change how one will use them.

Parallels to Life (Spoilers ahead) 
Parallels to life?  A vampire movie?  Really?  Yes.  The plot and conflict are similar to that of Will Smith and his plight in "I Am Legend."  Throughout the film I saw the vampires as those who do not have new life in Christ, as representative of those all around us who are living a physical life but are at the same time spiritually dead.  This is important for the following parallels. 

Parallel 1: Due to the lack of humans and thus, human blood, the vampires are looking for a blood substitute.  You find out that drinking one's own vampire blood or another vampire's blood does not work.  It instead morphs you into a bat-like mutant creature.  Just like sin and sinners, when we seek solutions and significance and salvation in any other place but Christ, in more sin, it only ruins us and takes us further down the path of destruction, makes us more selfish, more hard-hearted.  Like the vampires could not turn to each other for salvation from their plight, so we cannot turn to creation, to man or beast or plant for salvation from our plight of being dead in our sins, for there is no salvation there.

Parallel 2: You are then introduced to a character who has gone from being a vampire to human.  How?  The sun.  He crashed his car, flew through the windshield into the sun and landed in water where a tunnel to hide him from the sun was.  Anyway, that limited exposure to the light made him human again.  Brought him back.  Just like in life, it is exposure to the light of Christ that reveals the truth of who we are - sinners in need of a savior - that leads to new life.  "Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12), and "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

Parallel 3: You then learn that not only do controlled burns from the sun make one human again, but the blood of the former vampires/newly humans turn vampires into humans again.  Interesting, we as Christians have been ignited by the light of Christ and are called to proclaim His gospel, His good news of salvation to the world.  What we have been given we are called to proclaim and give to the masses.  What was inside those who had new life was an antidote to the walking death the vampires lived in.  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).

Parallel 4: Lastly, the vampires did not want it.  Reminiscent of Will Smith crying out to the mutants that he had an antidote, that he could save them, so we see the same response in "Daybreakers."  However, unlike the inability to respond the mutants had in "I Am Legend" (see Ephesians 2:1-3), the vampires in "Daybreakers" willingly chose to reject the cure, their salvation (see Romans 1:18-23).  And so does the vast majority of humanity reject by nature and by choice the salvation offered to them in Jesus Christ.  But just as the heroes of "Daybreakers" carry on, seeking to find a way to bring all the vampires back to new life, so we as Christians carry on as Christ's witnesses "that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light."

The Imperfect Christ-type (Spoiler ahead) 
A Christ-type in literature is a character whose death brings about redemption for others or society or the hope of redemption (Maximus in "Gladiator," Will Smith in "I Am Legend," Aslan in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe").  One former vampire, the brother of the protagonist, having been turned human, ends up standing before a SWAT team of vampires who are starved for blood.  He stands his ground, proclaiming the good news that they have an antidote, they do not have to kill anymore, they need no longer be enslaved to their need for blood; however, they do not listen and attack, not knowing this act of brutal violence will in fact be their salvation.  And so we as Christians stand, knowing that just as Stephen died proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ, so we stand in the face of any opposition to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing that God will use our faithful stance and obedient proclamation to bring even some of our attackers to salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.

A reading recommendation: "Stop Going to Church"?

Yep, that's what the reading recommendation is called.  Check it out here.

Review of the movie "Daybreakers" coming soon.

From Glory to Humility

There are realities in the Christian faith so awe-inspiring that it seems nearly impossible for me to comprehend, too incredible for me to feel deeply, a realization that to seek to know this truth brings a weight to one's worship and gratitude I can hardly bear.  Below is one of these truths.

In Ezekiel 1:22, 25-28, Ezekiel describes his vision of the throne of God:

"Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads...And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.  Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking."

Ezekiel knew this to be God but did not know this person to be the Son, to be Jesus Christ, but it is the Son who reveals the person of God in the ways our physical senses can comprehend, and comparing this passage with Eph. 1:21-22; Phil. 2:9-10; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 1:13-16; 4:2-3; and 5:13 shows clearly that this is indeed Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Ezekiel is witnessing on the throne, and here is the truth I can hardly bring myself to meditate on, this is where it hits home:

"You will never fully grasp and understand the love of God until you grasp and understand the distance between the throne and the cross" (Robert Reyburn).

The distance between the Son of God on His throne, His pure glory, to His death on the cross, His complete humiliation.  I can hardly bring myself to think on and feel this more deeply.  Like a giant wave coming up and crashing down over my head.  I can barely bring myself to stay put and let its truth wash over and in and through me.

"How great the Father's love for us?  How vast beyond all measure?  That He would give His only Son to make a wretch His pleasure."  The Father's love is the Son's love, and how great is His love, how vast?  It is the distance from the throne to the cross, from His glory to His humiliation.  How great indeed is His love for us, indeed is its vastness beyond all measure, for no one can comprehend the distance that none of us will ever go out of love for another.

May you and I never forget how great is His love.  May you and I boldly approach the throne of grace as sons and daughters and ask, "Help me to understand more clearly, help me to feel more deeply the depth and greatness of Your love."

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I have been reading Ezekiel, and anyone who has read Ezekiel knows how difficult this book can be to understand or apply, which is why I have been listening to a sermon series on it for further teaching and understanding, which is what God used to teach me this, to remind me how great the distance was for Him to give His life for me.