Movie Review: Gandhi (1982)

Gandhi won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1982. It took a while to get the motivation watch this, because it is over 3 hours long. We split it between two nights. Thankfully there was a nice clean break with the word "Intermission" displayed on the screen.

I thought it would be boring, because it was going to be about a foreign, old, frail, softspoken man. But in reality, Gandhi was portrayed as very bold, wise, witty, and loving, and also well versed in culture outside of India. He was very able to be a Westerner, and wear suits, as were the rest of India's leaders, and he did this for a while. But he chose to identify with India, and that's why we wore the loin cloth and traditional Indian garb.

The nonviolent resistance that he led was actually very bold. It directly attacked injustice, not with weapons, but with noncompliance. Gandhi got thrown in jail several times, and it made the persecutors look very immoral and very bad. The fact that England massacred many nonviolent protestors made England look even more bad. In the end, an England that thought they were good, were proved to be bad, and that is why they gave India her independence.

I hadn't previously known about the Muslim vs. Hindu divisions that continued even after India got her independence. And this made Gandhi really upset.

The movie powerfully portrays the assassination of Gandhi.

There is a funeral scene that shows 400,000 people, and this is a record. This is the day before CGI (computer generated imagery), and it is predicted that this many people will not show up in a movie scene ever again. Gandhi beat out E.T. for Best Picture.

Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for Best Actor, and it is well deserved. He is half-Indian, and a British citizen.

The movie was set into motion in the 60's when Richard Atteborough was asked to direct it. But no studio would produce the movie, and they had to raise money for 20 years to make it. Richard Atteborough appears as the old professor on Jurassic Park, and is Santa Claus in the Miracle on 34th Street. He won Best Director for Gandhi.

Also features Martin Sheen and Candace Bergen.

In short, this is an amazing movie. Even though it is over 3 hours long, it was interesting the entire time, and that is an accomplishment.

Happy Day!

Four days after I was informed that I lost my job, I finally worked my last day, and left the building with my picture of Courtney as the last item. I am not saying this for dramatic effect, or to harp on the issue, but it is a powerful part of this story. I left the building with a lot of gratitude for my wonderful job at S1, and I was proud of the way I went out, with a lot of respect, hard work, and love. So when I arrived at home, I was not depressed, but I was emotionally tired. Also, I had evening activities the previous 4 days, so I was really ready to stay at home.

After dinner Courtney suddenly said, "Hey, let's go to Liberty Memorial, we can play bocce ball, and walk around." That spot in KC is our favorite place. But I eventually accepted to go only because she really wanted to.

So we drove there, and there was an event on the top of the Liberty Memorial, but there is still a long lawn. So we parked on the side, and climbed up the steep side hill and played bocce ball on the lawn. After that, Courtney had me sit down on the lawn and wait while she went and got me something out of the car to "cheer me up", about my recent job loss.

Then she came back up, and said "Dan come here". She had her hands behind her back, as if she was hiding something. So I was chasing her trying to find out what this gift was. She was standing on the edge of the hill. When I looked over the crest of the hill, I saw the most amazing message I will ever see.



It took my breath away and it was really mind blowing. We had been trying for a few months, and even though it was a short time, I had fears that maybe we wouldn't be able to get pregnant. I was taken completely by surprise. And then Courtney and I embraced, and it was an amazing moment.

Courtney had found out the previous day. She had always viewed this as her version of the engagement, that is, the amazing event that she got to plan and surprise me with! She did an amazing job!

Here are some more pictures we took:


Proud future parents!


Amazing view to complement the event!

We are made to shine

God created us to shine. Sometimes I have, and sometimes I haven't. I believe we aren't supposed to shine on our own effort. But God has given us life, and we reflect him. Just be ourselves.


Daniel 12:3-4

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.

Philippians 2:14-15

Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory,
are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Psalm 37:5-6

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

Trees

God says we are like trees...or in some cases, branches.

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches

Jer 17:7-8

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

Col 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him

Isaiah 61:3 They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

I have noticed the following things about trees that relate to our lives, and hopefully I've been helped by the Spirit:

• They/we are dependent on outside resources for our growth.
  
• By claiming to be self-sufficient, they/we wither and become useless
• Need to be rooted in a good location (not in shallow soil) - the soil in our life represents a good view of God, or rather an accurate view of how God views us.
• Even after death, can leave a legacy. When strong trees are cut down they can be used to build strong structures. When we are gone, we can leave a strong legacy.
• Trees/we start out small and weak but can become strong. You don't see us growing, but as the years pass, you notice that we've grown quite a bit.
• We give back by blessing the world - providing a place for shade/grace environments.
  

Any other Scriptures or insights that you have?

And to put my own intentions in positive light..not trying to earn anyone's approval here or make some sort of impact. This comes out of my own yearning to know what God really thinks of me. I believe that God showed me that we are like trees. It makes sense. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

Best of October 2009

I'm excited that we are once again approaching The Best of the Year post!

Pic of the month: In absence of a good October pic, I am posting a now declassified picture from the day in August when Courtney told me she was pregnant

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Best Book I Read: didn't read any. Has a lot to do with having a new job, and also because I got into this big heavy philosophy book from my dad's college class in 1965. I also took on a couple of other activities. I may also have to foray into baby books.

Best online video I watched for the First time: James May from Top Gear rides in a U-2 spy plane

Making its Lostlifefound debut...Baby Gras

On August 28th, Courtney told me she was pregnant, in a very creative way. More on that later.

It's worth mentioning that on August 24th, 4 days earlier, I was informed by the owner of my company that "we have to make some changes to keep the company afloat and these changes are going to affect you". After a minute or so, I realized that "affecting me" meant that I was being let go along with four other people. I finished out the week, transitioning my knowledge, and August 28th was my last day. I just wanted to sit at home. But Courtney REALLY wanted to go to the Liberty Memorial, where we have gone before to relax. Anyway, more on that later.

Right now I am emptying the guest bed room of stuff, since it will be a baby room. Here are the guests we have had in the room:

1. B.J. Anderson - Aug 15th, 2006
   
2. B.J. Anderson - May 19th, 2007
3. Brandi Knouse - October 6th, 2007
4. Hayley and Arlen Redden - March 22, 2008
5. Hayley and Arlen Redden -April 26, 2008
6. Suzette Runyan - June 29th, 2008
7. Alan Boyles - October 5, 2008
8. Cara Gentry - Jan 25, 2009
9. B.J. AND Natosha Anderson - April 14, 2009
10. Dale Lusk - May 15, 2009
11. Emily AND Alan Boyles - October 23, 2009

B.J. is the winner! This blog will now show up on Google searches of your names, sorry!

The Beej after his 2nd stay

Anyway, I may start a new blog for baby stuff, and keep this as it is. But I'm not sure yet.

Due date is May 7. The mother is tired often, but not too sick.

How we told Courtney's parents

Movie Review: On Golden Pond (1981)

Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, and Katharine Hepburn appear in this Hallmark-y movie about old couple at a summer home at a lake, and it's especially about the old man who is grouchy and thinking about death all the time. And he has a strained relationship with his daughter, who comes to visit with her boyfriend (Bill), and the boyfriend's 13 year old son (Billy).

Then there's the mailman, who delivers mail by boat. And those are all the six characters in the movie.

The old man is a depressing character, but we come to find out that he is very sharp and funny. The daughter and boyfriend go off to Europe and leave the boy at the lake. The boy is not happy to be there initially, but the old man becomes like a father to him (overcoming the grouchiness).

The old man does old guy stuff like almost set the house on fire, and gets lost, and then he gets ashamed and afraid. Then the old man and boy have a boat accident, and that apparently knocks something loose, because the daughter comes back, and then the old man is better, and it ends happily. Then the old man almost dies, but then lives. Whew! I hope you didn't want to know the plot.

It was kind of a neat movie. I'm glad we watched it. It's not like really exciting or anything. It was based on a play.

The part of the old man is acted by Henry Fonda, who was the star of 12 Angry Men, so I appreciated watching this one. Also I have obviously heard of Jane Fonda, but have never seen her in a movie before. And Katharine Hepburn is apparently a well known actress, but I didn't know much about her before.

Restaurant Review: Kokopelli's Mexican

When we told the hostess we were 6 people and 2 kids, she seemed really stressed about it, and treated us like we were a nuisance. The place was really busy for a Monday, and there were a few other large groups, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. It's pretty amazing how often people eat out, you know?

I think I had flautas again. Thank God for flautas. I think it's a misconception that Mexican food is good for the wheat allergy, because most places only have about 2 entrees with corn. And one of them is flautas. Pretty much, I could ask them to substitute a corn tortilla on any entree, but I can't tell the difference easily, and they could forget. That is why I don't do that.

The chips were not that crisp. But our friends did say that it was one of their favorite places. I actually went there straight from work, my 2nd week at my new job. So that was almost 3 weeks ago!

Restaurant Review: Golden Corral

My cousin had her rehearsal dinner here. All the family was invited, and it was convenient for everyone to get what they wanted at the buffet. But, there happened to be some kind of sports team that also came by. And then there were the regular diners. So everyone was crowding around the buffet. It couldn't have been much busier.

The BBQ ribs were really good, and they were the featured item. I also had mashed potatoes, other vegetables, and maybe a couple of other gluten free dishes. I didn't have to pay for it, so I have no idea how much it costed. I tend to not like buffets because I don't eat a lot, so I overpay.

The service was good - they have waiters that refill drinks and take the plates.

In a way, it was like entering a different world, like I was visiting a small Kansas town. There was smooth jazz playing over the speakers, which didn't seem to match the decor or style of the place.

Restaurant Review: Spin! Pizza

I thought I remembered writing about this place. Courtney and I took Mom for her birthday. I also benefited, since they have gluten free pizza.

The menu is in the line, so if you take any time to order, you are holding up the line. I think that's a little annoying. But the pizza was really good, and it came out in good time. They have several locations in KC, and hopefully I can go back sometime.

Future posts

Movie reviews:
On Golden Pond

Restaurant reviews:
Kokopelli's
Golden Corral - think I have been there before, but don't remember when
Spin Pizza

Restaurant Review: Pei Wei

My new coworkers took me to Pei Wei (119th & Black Bob) on my first day of the job. You walk in and there is a computerized menu on the wall, and a special Windows error message, that my coworkers claim has been there for months.

I noticed Pad Thai, and decided to get it. Since the menu was on the wall, and if Ilooked at the menu a while, I would have held up the line, I decided pretty quickly. It was kind of like my menu experience at Spin Pizza, which sadly, I forgot to review. I will get on that. Which other restaurants have I forgotten to review???

Anyway, they didn't ask me how spicy the Pad Thai should be....I thought that was odd. It wasn't spicy, it just tasted kind of funny. It was actually the worst Pad Thai I've ever had.

But I'd go back and try some other item. Pad Thai isn't really a Chinese food specialty.

Best of September 2009

Pic of the month: Us and our new nephew, Miles

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Chariots of Fire (Academy Award for Best Picture - Year of our birth 1981)

Best Book I Read: The Robe

Best online video I watched for the First time: Validation (Worth watching the 16 minutes)"

Movie Review: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

I had heard of this movie, but didn't know anything about it. I probably would have gone through life without seeing it, but Courtney wanted to watch it.

The special features were some of the best I've seen, with interviews of Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, John Williams, and everyone else involved.

It's amazing how much creativity goes into something like this. Steven Speilberg wrote the movie and directed it, and it is about extra-terrestrials that visit Earth.

The government learns about the alien visitors,and tries to keep it under wraps, but several "normal Americans" have "close encounters". These encounters involve space ships, kidnappings, control over matter - especially lights and electricity, strange weather patterns. Those who have close encounters are then obsessed with a certain mountain shape, which they find out is Devil's Tower. The government is there at Devil's Tower waiting for the aliens to arrive.

The humans and aliens communicate with each other using music, lights, and colors.

Even though it's a good movie, it feels dated. Modern movies like Independence Day (1996) kind of crowd this out in the alien movie space. But this is a work of art worth seeing.

BBQ Post

My post about a Kentucky BBQ has gained some comments from completely random people. One commenter even took the time to insult me, and I tried to respond by pointing out that if my blog shows up in the top 5 google search for the restaurant, that means the restaurant is not that great.

check it out:
Kentucky BBQ

October 4, 2008

Courtney with my cousin Sarah who will be married October 24, 2009!


I wonder if I can photoshop out that little guy on Courtney's shoulder.

Just for fun, here is a picture of me from October 4, 2008, with my cousin Ben.

Job Search advice so far....

Let me know what you think of these job tips. I'm hoping that when people ask me how I got a job, that I have something to tell them. I am not an expert, and a lot of my success is attributed to things out of my control, but I did pick up some wisdom along the way.

• Use the time to be emotional. Buy a journal. Go to a park, and write down whatever thoughts come to your head. After losing your job there is a time of grieving. Reconnect with nature and with God. Reconnect with whatever you like to do (if that’s not your job), for me it was playing music.
• Try to see where God has led you in your career so far, and how he has been there for you in the past. For me it gave me reassurance about the career path that I was on.
• Have an accountability group, preferably with seasoned career experts. They taught me to write thank you notes, to look at interviewers in the eye, how to network.
• Initiate informational interviews with business friends in the city. If you meet with business owners or workers, you will gain a lot of insight into your career. And you will get practice for real interviews.
• Get professional resume help. As a technical person, I failed to see how my sentences were worded awkwardly. I wasn’t selling my skills in a grammatically convincing way. I also needed major help on the formatting and outline.
  
• Have people praying for you. I didn’t have to ask, because I’m part of a tight knit community, and the word spread around.
• Listen to the concerns of the interviewers. Address their concerns directly, and explain why you are a good fit for the job. I’m not sure that I’m a great interviewer, but I did my best to prove that I was a good fit, and it worked. Let friends know the time of the interview so that they can pray.
• Write personal handwritten thank you notes to every person you interview with, instead of stuffy formal ones that you can find online or in books. A personal letter can address the concerns or needs that you just learned about in the interview. It’s risky because you are putting your true vulnerable self out there without many guard rails, but I have a feeling that this worked in my favor.
• If you are currently working, work hard. Because I worked well in my previous job, my former coworker wanted to help me by referring me to this company. And I got a good reference letter from a previous supervisor.

Book Review: The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas

This book was recommended by Vince. I went to the library and expected to see maybe a 10-20 year old book. It was actually written in 1942! I later found out that my mom had read it as a teenager.

The book is the fictional story about what happened to Christ's robe. In the well known story of the crucifixion, as written in the Bible, the Roman soldiers gambled to win his robe, as Jesus hung on the cross.

I thought the book was going to lead up slowly toward that moment. But that moment is toward the beginning, and is not really a primary focus of the book. The book focuses on one of the Roman soldiers who crucifies Jesus and wins the Robe, and of his faithful Corinthian slave. Then in the rest of the book, we hear more about who Jesus was, and find out how that affects people a year after the crucifixion.



For me, it was educational about the Roman culture and dominance of the day, and about Jewish culture. It was good to read about how possibly the message of Jesus spread across the world. These are things that I have not reflected on in depth. Honestly, I wish many of those hours I spent in Sunday School or in Christian teaching were spent on historical subjects rather than only theology or Christian living.

This is a really great book, and I recommend it. Learning more (fictionally, but maybe also realistically) about how people who knew Jesus reacted to him, and to his death and resurrection helps me to connect with Jesus as well.

-----------------------------------
I had wondered why it hadn't been a movie, and I just looked this up and it was made into a movie in 1953. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, which I wasn't aware of. I'm not sure I would want to ruin my remembrance of the book by watching the movie. But I do like movies from the 50s.

Also, I read that it was one of the best selling books of the 1940s.

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

I was surprised to find out that I hadn't seen this movie yet. I guess that makes sense, since it was filmed in the year that we were born - 1981. And by the time we were of movie watching age, the popularity had died down somewhat. I remember seeing the third movie, The Last Crusade, several times growing up, and it was filmed in 1989.

I enjoyed the action and chase scenes. And the concept of an archeologist competing with Nazis to find the greatest religious artifact, the Lost Ark, is a winner. I love Harrison Ford in the role. The special features said that Tom Selleck was the first choice, but obligations with Magnum P.I.

The movie is not at all realistic in the action scenes, and it's not meant to be. Most of the time, comedic elements are added into everything. There is some supernatural things when the Nazis attempt to perform a religious ceremony with the Ark. It was a good movie.

Five Year Anniversary

As of September 24, Courtney and I have been officially a couple for five years!

2004 (official for a month in this picture)

September 24, 2005 (engagement)

2006 (married for four months)

2007

2008

Best of the Month: August 2009

Pic of the month: Omelette

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Ordinary People

Best Book I Read: Tortured for Christ

Best online video I watched for the First time: The amazing "Mathmagician"

Movie Review: Chariots of Fire

I have an easier time remembering the theme song to this movie than the movie title itself. I was blanking on the name if when I sat down to write my review! But the theme song is etched into my brain. I was disappointed that the theme song only appeared at the very beginning and at the very end. But the music was good in between too, and it gained an Academy Award.

Chariots of Fire also won Best Picture in 1981. Courtney and I had been looking forward to watching it, because it is from the year of our birth.


Somehow I was under the impression that the movie was about a guy named Prefontaine who was a famous runner. Maybe that is what someone mistakenly told me once. But it was about runners in England in the 1920s.

Now this movie is quite peculiar and impressive.

1. It is about runners, so there are a lot of running scenes. I was impressed how the runners were genuinely exhausted from running fast. I don't think there's any way you can "act" like people feel after a sprint. We wondered how often they had to run, and the complexity of having different takes.
2. There are instances where the tape is slowed down, or running scenes are repeated. Kind of like instant replay. That way the movie can maximize those scenes.
3. The movie is about people from different religious backgrounds, and how they overcome the challenges surrounding that. For the Jew, he is discriminated against, and wants to prove himself. For the Christian, he is asked to compromise, and has to choose between honoring God and running in the Olympics.
   

The Christian runner (Eric Liddell) causes a stir when he refuses to run time trials on the Sabbath. My view of the Sabbath is subject for a separate blog post. My views are not that extreme, but I do have some ways that I honor it. Anyway, my favorite part was when an American runner gave him a note that read "Those who honor me, I will honor", says the Lord. And he clenches that note in his hand the entire race.

Another quote that has been often quoted in Christian literature and sermons is when the Christian runner (Eric Liddell) says to his anti-running sister, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure". And the usual application is that religious activities are not the only activities that honor God.

It was tougher for me to relate to the Jewish runner (Abrahams), because I'm not an ultra competitive person, and the things that motivated him aren't the things that motivate me. He eventually gained the respect he sought, and he was treated like a true Englishman.

Anyway, it's hard to know where to rank this movie, but it's toward the top. I didn't ever get bored with it, and it is an epic story, which are is favorite kind.

Here's a video with the theme song:

Restaurant Review: Samurai Teriyaki

I had seen this place for a while, and teriyaki bowls sounded really appealing to me. Having my gluten allergy, you don't understand how cool it is to have a restaurant where I can eat most things. I can eat rice and meat. Teriyaki bowl. I'm not sure if the sauce is gluten free, but I can live with not knowing.

We dropped by on a Wednesday evening, and it was shocking to me how there were no customers. And only one employee, who took the order and cooked. Then when I wanted to ask her a question, she was back cooking behind some curtains, and there was no way to get her attention. Besides yelling and screaming, which are not my thing.

The environment was pleasant. Although I wouldn't have a private conversation there, because it's one of those places where you can hear everything.

The food was tasty. It was expensive. I think I ended up paying around $20. But we had leftovers, so it was like two meals. Still, I don't blame them for high prices, because you have to pay bills. But I may not go there often, and we don't eat out a lot anyway.

It is located at 87th and Gillette, next to the YMCA.

Unemployment update

I know that many are interested in how I'm doing. Unemployment is kind of a slow process. And it isn't a process that I've done before, so I'm learning as I go along.

My first reaction was to sign on with an IT staffing company that was going to place me into a 6 month contract. Even though it was a contract, I was excited because it was the exact type of work I'd like to continue doing, and it was relatively close to my house, and I think salary was going to be decent. My contact said that I needed to improve my resume, which I was going to do anyway.

So I decided to have a resume work day. An old college friend saw my Facebook status, which said "resume work day", and offered to help. She had recently read a 500+ page book on resumes and had become an expert on it. She said that she felt God was calling her to help me out. She worked on it really hard, in the midst of homeschooling several children and having a trip to the beach on Labor Day weekend. And I love the final result.

By the time I got this ready, some people were already interviewing for that 6 month contract, and the IT staffing company didn't want to send any additional candidates. So this is when my "get a job quick" mentality was killed. And I started to set in for more of a longer term job search.

I met with a friend my parents' age who had helped me to find my first job. He reminded me of the power of networking, and advised me to spend most of my time on that, because it is the most effective way of finding a job.

There are a few other things I need to focus on before jumping into networking. That is, I need to sign up for some health insurance. And I need to make a variety of resumes for the different opportunities that come up. I also need to prepare some answers to standard interview questions such as "Tell me about yourself". So it's really an exercise in preparation, and I can't wait to get to the point where I'm pursuing the actual opportunities.

Movie Review: Uncle Buck (1989)

Somehow this made it on my list of movies to watch, and we watched it Labor Day weekend. There's something about 80s comedies that I don't like - I prefer movies that make fun of the 80s like Wedding Singer.

That being said, this was one of the better 80s comedies that I've seen. John Candy is a spectacular actor. I was a bit disappointed that John Candy's character (Uncle Buck), quickly proved to be a completely responsible guardian. It kind of defeated the purpose that it was supposed to be about a bumbling idiot that couldn't do anything right, and finally pulls through in the end. There was a funny scene where he broke an antique plate, but I don't remember him screwing up much more often than that. At the end, in a moment of desperation, he almost took the kids to his gambling venue, since that was his only source of income, and had them in the car, but before leaving, he realized what he was doing wasn't right.

The only other actor I recognized in the film was MacCaulay Culkin, and he did a great job. This movie takes place a year or two before Home Alone.

Movie Review: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

We watched this 1963 movie a few weeks ago, but blogging hasn't been on my mind. The movie title maybe even reflects my life right now!

This movie was funny for about half of it, but for me, there is no way I can be on the edge of my seat for two and half hours, so I kind of get tired of it.

Anyway, it has a bunch of famous actors, the list of which you can find here. The ones I had heard of were Sid Caesar and Mickey Rooney and Don Knotts and Carl Reiner and The Three Stooges. But the fact that I don't know the others probably shows my lack of knowledge about film stars from the 40s and 50s.

A few of them find out about a hidden treasure from a dying motorist, and then they try to beat each other to the place. The police are following them. And the police chief wants the money too because of his own troubles. Hilarity ensues.

Success!

Voice of the Martyrs sent me a book that I didn't order, Marx & Satan, by Richard Wurmbrand. It details how the father of Communism was a Satan worshipper. It sounds intriguing. There was no letter or explanation enclosed. I am almost positive that someone at VOM read my blog post about Tortured for Christ, and they liked my blog post, and sent me a free book.

This doesn't quite match when Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat, sent me a letter and a book, but I think this is awesome anyway!

Different worship experience

We went to a Black church with Mom and Dad on Sunday. The church belongs to my former coworker, Rachel, and her father is the preacher. I always told her I would visit her church, but never did, so I finally arranged to go.

First, I want to write about the term "Black church". You know, it's not really a fair statement to categorize a church by race, but I feel that is the most concise way to express my message. A more accurate term would be "a church founded by and mostly attended by African-Americans". I believe that the term "Black church" is only offensive in the sense that "White church" is. It boils down a spiritual institution to a race, rather than a belief.

I know it's not for me to decide, but I think the term "African-American" gets really wordy. I would guess that the term "Black" is acceptable when talking among friends. It just feels odd to me, especially during a private conversation, as if being PC is necessary in private. In public, the term African-American should be used, because someone might have strong feelings about it. Maybe we should ask the person we are talking to how they feel, before choosing a term. (How, blog reader, do YOU feel about it?)

The denomination was Church of Christ, so there were no musical instruments. The vocalist had a huge voice. There was powerpoint as well as song books. The songs were easy to pick up on, so we didn't need to open the song books. It was nice to hear the four part harmonies, including some call and response tunes.

The preacher was really energetic, and obviously knew the Word quite well. He was bold, and I don't think anyone could have gone through it without being woken up spiritually. I got a lot out of the sermon, and it had a symmetrical outline, so it was easy to remember. A few members of the congregation urged the pastor on. The lay people had a large part in the service and knew Scripture well and prayed beautiful prayers. Prayers are also a time where the congregation can say an "Amen" or a "that's true!" You know, I really like that, but in most White churches we don't do it.

There was an invitation, and one little girl made a decision for Christ, and was baptized a few minutes afterward in the baptismal font, which was above and behind the podium. There was a time for the greeting of visitors, where they said our names, and we stood up, and everyone clapped.

It seemed that everyone wanted to meet us and know our first AND last names, and wanted us to know theirs. And they urged us to come back. I would like to go back sometime.

Book Review: Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand

Believe it or not, "tortured for Christ" is kind of a genre of book, and I've read three such books.

Here is my review in 2007 of Heavenly Man, the story of a man tortured in Communist China.

This book is written by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian who was imprisoned for 14 years for sharing Christ with others. After 7 years, he was released, and he eventually resumed his activities, and was put into prison again.

There are a few descriptions of tortures, but the author says that there are some that he is not even able to write, because he wouldn't be able to sleep if he told anyone.

I am able to read about torture, and I don't have nightmares or anything. But I do get into kind of a depressed mood, because I feel bad about my imprisoned brothers and sisters. Currently, this kind of thing still happens in North Korea and China especially. And no, I don't think China deserved to host Olympics . I think it just fed the ego of the Communist government.

Pastor Wurmbrand had a remarkable attitude. He claims he never had bitterness against his torturers, only against Communism. This is because Communism brainwashed the people. When asked why not believe in Christ, they would sometimes say "the collective hasn't told me to." He and his fellow prisoners prayed for their torturers. He wrote, "it was a win-win situation....we liked preaching, and they liked beating ,so we preached, and they beat"

By the way, I forgot to mention that Richard Wurmbrand founded Voice of the Martyrs, one of my favorite charities. VOM provides aid to those in "closed" countries, and supports the families of martyrs, and provides medical care to people who have been attacked for their faith.

In closing, Richard Wurmbrand preached against the Communist system. He was criticized by some Christians for going into a political message as well as a spiritual one, but since the Communists were holding so many people in captivity, including the people in charge, why not preach against Communism?

Best of the month: July 2009

Pic of the month: Zoomed in from far away on David Crowder and his keytar

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Bullit

Best Book I Read: already listed count of monte cristo last month

Best online video I watched for the First time: I didn't watch too many

Guy doing a bunch of flips and stuff

Movie Review: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

UPDATE

Having gotten over how the movie is not the book, I still think that it is poorly written. There are some good parts, but so many holes in character development. It's fast moving, it tries to be flashy, and doesn't matter if it makes sense or not. I think it's insulting that they call the movie Alexandre Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo, since it is clearly not so. Ok, so I guess I haven't gotten over it.

But after watching the special features, the movie does have good merit in the area of set design, sound design, and stunts.

---------------------------
This movie was one of the worst adaptations of a book ever . Almost none of the details in the movie actually exist in the book!

Mid-way through, Courtney said she wanted to read the book, so I had to shut up about how everything was wrong about it. But I will say that in the movie, the revenge seems to happen immediately, and in the book it happens over a long period of time, like it is supposed to. So I don't really understand the point of making a movie that is so loosely based on a book, I guess it was just to make some money. But still it would have made more money if it was closer to the book, because it would have been better.

The actors did not look 20 years older from the beginning of the movie to the end, but they actually looked the same. I wondered how the movie would handle that, and it didn't really. The accents were about as I expected....old English of course, but without a British twang. Danglars, of the rivals responsible for Dantes' imprisonment, was left out of the movie almost completely, and had a different profession. The manner of revenge on everyone is completely different.

There was a completely made up thing at the beginning where Dantes talked to Napoleon, and Napoleon gave him a letter to deliver. It was completely bad judgement to add that, because now Dantes actually does have some guilt, of being stupid at the least. And there is an emphasis on sword fighting in the movie, to make it more action-entertaining, but in the book there is not any sword fighting.

Book Review: 2 contents, 2 realities, by Francis Schaeffer

This book was written in 1973, and was once again given to me from my Dad's old collection. The going price for these on Amazon is $177.00. And it was originally sold for $0.95. So I got a collector's item. Wish me luck as I try to sell. I'm guessing there is not much demand, and no one would pay that much, but I'll try to put it out there.

The two contents are:

1. Sound Doctrine - don't let liberal theology, such as the "Bible isn't absolute truth", creep in to your thinking.
   
2. Honest Answers to Honest Questions - We should try to answer honest intellectual questions - faith decisions should not be the result of emotion or manipulation - but there should be real answers to questions.

The two realities are:

1. True Spirituality - even though intellectual belief is important, having a deep spiritual life is important
2. The Beauty of Relationships - Christian love is what should will the good news. Unfortunately, in Dr. Schaeffer's day, the church wasn't a good model for it, especially looking poor in race relations. The first century church was great because there were people of all different religious, racial and economic backgrounds worshiping together. The love exhibited by the followers went down into the material possessions, as they shared them. Dr. Schaeffer was quick to point out that this wasn't communism, but volunteered donations.

Movie Review: Ordinary People (1980)

This won the Academy Award for Best Picture 1980. Based on the cover I thought I wouldn't like it, but I was excited to see Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore.




But I guess don't judge a movie by it's cover, because this one was really really good. It is the directorial debut of Robert Redford, and he deserved the Academy Award that he won for that too.

The son, Conrad, is depressed, and decides to see a counselor. As the movie unfolds, we learn it is because he tried to commit suicide recently, because his brother died in a boating accident. The whole family, which consists of the dad and mom, are all dealing with the issue in different ways. The counselor actually helps Conrad quite a bit, and the father is helped too. The mother seems to be only concerned about keeping the status quo in their circle of friends, in other words "nothing's wrong". And she shows no love to Conrad. And their state of denial is totally torn apart as they deal with their stuff in the movie.

But anyway, it's good. It really competes for being one of the best. I'm surprised because it's not flashy or anything - I actually had never heard of it before.

Movie Review: Help!

Kenny Bade recommended this movie, and it is the Beatles 2nd movie. The Beatles go around in a slapstick comedy. If you want a plot, go here.

They were a little difficult to understand, so we turned on subtitles. In the special features, we learned that the Beatles were smoking marijuana the whole time, and they remember it as a happy time in their lives.

The movie itself was funny in a slapstick kind of way, and featured a few full band performances. But don't watch it unless you are interested in the Beatles. Since we are fans, it was fun to see the footage of them.

Movie Review: The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Once again, when Courtney was gone, I picked up a movie. This one is a war movie, so thought she wouldn't feel like she was missing out. It was nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture in 1961, the year that West Side Story won. Judgment at Nuremburg and The Hustler were also nominated that year.

The Guns of Navarone features Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn. David Niven had a disappointing performance - I think it was actually a miscast. These were all supposed to be rough characters in my mind, but he was cheery. I couldn't see him outside of the personality he played in Around the World in 80 Days (1956). The acting appears to be really bad overall, but I realize now it's just the way that movies were written back then. I'm sure they acting well according to the style of the day. The characters are just not believable today.

The story is not really believable either. The characters are British soldiers embarking on a quest to "take out" (remove) some huge guns that are guarding a coast. They are able to do it eventually after many trials. I think fiction is not as good as movies based on real life. In this case, the time period and geography are in real life, but not the story itself.

But apart from the bad elements, I did enjoy the special effects. The soldiers have to climb a huge cliff in the rain, after being shipwrecked. As you can imagine that is pretty cool. Then there are a lot of tanks and heavy weaponry in the movie. And there are lots of things being blown up. So I think that is really impressive.

Here's a trailer if you want a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpMonrArlHI

Movie Review: Bullitt

This is my 100th movie review in LostLifeFound. It's kind of hard to believe that I've watched that many movies. I think it comes out to about 2.5 movies per month. Before marriage, I was kind of a casual movie watcher, very rarely watching them, and strictly for entertainment. Now, it has become more of a hobby. I see movies as works of art, because they really are. Something that looks simple on screen often has taken a lot of planning and thought in the background. Something that looks difficult on screen has taken a ton of money and even more time. So that is, in the end, really entertaining to watch.

I heard about this film while watching the special features of The French Connection. They were talking about how the French Connection succeeded in outdoing the car chase scene of Bullitt.

So when Courtney went out of town for CHIC, I was looking for movies that I'd like to see that she wouldn't like to see. So I picked up this Bullitt.

Basic premise: A detective (Bullitt, played by Steve McQueen) is asked to protect a special witness to a trial, and the Chicago mob is trying to kill the witness. There is a politician that is putting pressure on the cops to protect his star witness. So it's kind of a suspenseful movie where the mob is trying to sneak around and kill people, and the good guys are trying to sneak around to protect themselves. Then there is a car chase scene where they finally meet each other.

In the end, the story does not make a ton of sense. But it is still enjoyable. Bullitt's girlfriend, played by Jacqueline Bisset, doesn't move the plot along at all, but is just there to personalize Bullitt. The politician is completely inhuman and only cares about his power. He threatens to slander the cops if they don't protect the witness.

The late 60s sound track was fun...with the jazzy orchestra type of music that adds to the suspense.

July through the years

Courtney decided to make an effort to lose weight in the summer of 2008. Look at the difference between 2008 and 2009, then leave a comment if you wish.

2005 - about 2 months before engagement:

2006 - July 4th Freedom Run:

2007 in OKC:

2008 - July 4th at Hope and Jeff's:

2009 - July 4th at Hope and Jeff's:

Best of June 2009

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Kramer vs. Kramer

Best Book I Read: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Best online video I watched for the First time: I saw a lot of good videos

1. Flight of the Conchords - Something for the Ladies
2. Red Green Show - A Handy Computer Desk
3. United Breaks Guitars
4. Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa


Picture(s) of the Month by our camera.
I like these family pictures. We'll call it a tie.








Life Happenings:

I didn't keep track very well last month...busy times though. I'll come back and edit it

The Cause of Global Warming

Michael Jackson thoughts

Micheal Jackson passed away as we all know and here are my thoughts.

When I was growing up in my sheltered environment, I didn't really know who Michael Jackson was. In fact, I kept trying to remember if Jackson was the singer and Jordan was the basketball player, or the other way around. Think like 9 or 10 years old. What little I knew about Jackson I heard mostly from my friends, who made fun of him by twirling around and then grabbing their crotches and making a high pitched noise. I think I was also aware that he was a guy who was trying to look like a woman. I only knew two of his songs, and those were "Bad" and "Beat It". In 1993, Michael Jackson was in the Super Bowl halftime show. And this only confirmed that he was the guy who twirled around and grabbed his crotch, and looked like a woman.

Michael Jackson songs are never played on the radio. I don't know if that is because of copyright laws or because no one wants to hear his music. He had really good songs, but they didn't pass the test of time. Look at classic rock, on the other hand, which is still popular today.

I think he did influence music a lot, and I think his music was really good. And his dancing is really fun to watch. But when the media cites Justin Timberlake as the main person that he has influenced, I think that is a sad legacy. I hate Justin Timberlake's music, if you want to call it music.

I think the media coverage has been appropriate. It is the biggest celebrity death in my lifetime so far. For people who complain about cable media coverage, just turn your TV off, why are you watching news shows that you hate anyway?

But overall I do enjoy Michael Jackson's music and personality, that is, how he was in the 80s.

Book Review: The Count of Monte Cristo (Unabridged)

This was over 1200 pages of book, and I completed it in approximately 10 weeks! So I guess that is about 17 pages per day. It was really good, so that wasn't tough to do. Plus, I didn't read much Bible during that time!

The book was originally written in French. There are still French words used like Monsieur and Le Comte. But the translation I read was in English. I wonder how the movie treats this. The actors I'm sure will be speaking English. Will they have French accents? I also wonder how the movie treats the length of the story. I'm sure it does not cover half of what happens in the book. I've also wondered about the abridged version, and what was cut out of there.

The first 300 pages were really riveting...but in the remaining pages the plot slowed down, because. his revenge is quite elaborate...but I'm getting ahead of myself since I want to explain some plot.

Edmond Dantes was a bright and talented sailor. He arrives back home in Marseilles at the beginning of the book. His captain had died during the trip, and he was sure to be promoted. He was excited to see his dear father, whom he saw first, and then his fiancee, whom he decided to get married to the next day.

Dantes' captain had given him a letter when he died, that he was to deliver to an island. He was quite naive and didn't know the contents, but it happened to contain news of a Bonapartist conspiracy. One of his rivals, Danglars, wanted to be captain of the ship, and he had a plan to get Dantes in trouble. Another rival, Fernand, was in love with Mercedes, Dantes' fiancee. So Danglars knew about the secret letter, and told Fernand that he could write a letter to the authorities reporting that Dantes had a letter of interest.

So Dantes was all ready to get married, when the authorities showed up and took him into custody. He would have been found innocent, but there was another twist. The main authority, the crown persecutor, was Villefort. And the letter had some incriminating information about his father. This information would have ruined his own career by association with his father. So he overreacted and put Dantes in jail, in the lowest dungeon, just in case he knew anything about this. Dantes never got to say goodbye to his father or his fiancee.

So probably no one is still reading my review. But I shall continue, but with fewer details.

Dantes meets an old wise man, Faria, who is a prisoner digging through the dungeons. Faria is an academic and an inventor, but the prison guard thinks he is insane. Faria teaches Dantes everything he knows. I won't say how, but finally, Dantes escapes the prison after 14 years, and finds the hidden treasure that Faria told him about on the island of Monte Cristo . From this point on, he is the richest person imaginable in the world, and he plots revenge against the three men that put him in prison.

No one recognizes him because they all believe he's dead, plus he has aged and is pale from being in the dark for so long.

The revenge is quite elaborate, and it's what the rest of the book is about. The book is also about Dantes, now called the Count of Monte Cristo, and how he has become a very smart man, able to come up with elaborate schemes. He has become very talented at everything, including spending his money lavishly. He buys horses that he sees by offering way too much, and rents out an entire hotel, orders fish from across the globe, and many wacky things. A lot of this is to impress all of the people he is trying to get revenge on, because they have all become rich as well. But he makes them look poor in comparison. He wears costumes and plays different roles to trick people.

He has a God complex and claims that God has given him authority to punish those who have done wrong - he truly thinks much of himself, and is a different person than the jovial young man he was at the beginning.

So that's the end of my plot summary...I don't like to share the end, and I'll be watching the movie with Courtney. The writing was quite poetic, and that is possibly more enjoyable than the plot itself. This is another odd thing about it being a translation. Was it more poetic in French, or is the English about the same effect? I'm guessing the same.

In conclusion, I can't imagine writing a book this long, but I HAVE read one! Maybe pick up the abridged version. It's probably decent.

Movie Review: Kramer vs. Kramer

1980 Best Picture Winner

Towards the middle of this movie, I realized I had already seen the end. I don't know when or why, but it was a long time ago, and I remember not liking the movie at all. I was shocked to find out that this was an Academy Award winner. My least favorite types of movies are 1) family conflict and drama, 2) courtroom drama, and this movie has both. But thankfully, there are a few funny scenes in there too that make it better.

The story is about a mother (played by Meryl Streep) that suddenly decides to leave her husband and her son. And then the husband (Dustin Hoffman) had just gotten a promotion that day, and now has to juggle his busy job with raising his young son. And then the father and son bond, but then the mother wants the child back, and there's a custody battle. Courtney cried at the conclusion. I did not react to it, because I knew the whole time what would happen.

I like parts of the movie. There is great acting by Dustin Hoffman and the child actor. There are several funny parts. I can relate now to the husband trying to work at the same time as having family responsibilities.

I like the character played by Dustin Hoffman. At first we think he's a workaholic. But then we learn that he has more of a heart for his son than for his career. And he's a really great guy, and he may not have been good at marriage, but he didn't deserve his wife leaving him.

Trailer:

Book Review: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, by Mitchell Bard

The name of the book is a misnomer, because I don't know any idiots that would take the time to read a reference book about Middle East conflict. So the name of it is no more than a marketing tool. It is also misleading, because the book is mostly about the history of Israel's conflicts, and not about other conflicts. It is also written from a heavy pro-Israel bias.

That being said, I enjoyed learning about the history of Israel and the other Middle Eastern nations. People complain about US involvement in Iraq, but in Israel war and violence with other nations has been a constant, and residents just have to live with it. Israel has offered some amazing concessions to Palestine, but the Palestinians have turned them down, preferring to wish for the extermination of Israel. There have been fewer attacks since Arafat passed away. Also, every time Israel has won wars and won land, they always give the land back, but still their neighbors constantly want more. Israel constantly improves infrastructure and quality of life, and welcomes people of all races and religions.

I thought to myself that after all of my education up until the age of 23, I was still ignorant about all of this. And today the Middle East is one of the most important areas in our foreign affairs. There is something wrong with our education, don't you think?

Louise and Jeff's wedding

We danced until the end. This was really strange and fun because the only other wedding we've danced at was the Simpson-Fehr wedding. In that one it was impossible not to dance because of the live blues band. We didn't even dance at the wedding in Iowa where I knew absolutely no one. I totally could have had some fun with it. Courtney and I had our first ever conversation at a wedding reception when EVERYONE was dancing except us.

So this is where I found out that Courtney could dance. And she looked hot!

It was the environment (outside), the people that helped us to dance. Once we got to 11:45 pm we knew we could make it to the very end. I know I'm cheesy, but that's how it is.

Someone brought out glow sticks, and we wore them around our necks, wrists and ankles. We danced to standards like Love Shack, Ice Ice Baby, and some other songs I hadn't heard before

I saw a different side of my cousins, who I grew up with, but have been across the country (or continent) since 8-10 years ago. I was surprised that they knew the lyrics to all of these dance songs. Christian kept ordering the DJ what to play next and chiding him for poor song choices like MJ's "Rock With You". The end.

Daniel Sock

I had to throw away my Daniel socks, since the elastic is worn out and there is a hole in the heel. I originally thought I bought these in Australia in 1999, but now I am not sure. Maybe it was a gift from one of my sisters.

These have been my favorite black socks for 10 years.

Leading Worship, Creating Flow with Paul Baloche

Here's the story behind this. Our church is merging two worship services, and we hired a worship consultant to help us with the transition. In his report afterward, he said that both services needed to work on this concept of "flow". This means that if you have a song set, there should not be several seconds of silence as you switch between songs, because that is awkward silence for everyone. He strongly recommended to watch this DVD "Leading Worship: Creating Flow, with Paul Baloche".

Paul Baloche is most known to me as the guy who wrote "Open the Eyes of My Heart" (link of Paul Baloche explaining the song).

The DVD starts out with Mr. Baloche sitting on a little pedestrian bridge over a flowing river. He expands on the idea that all of nature is flowing, so our worship should also flow like a river. It also shows Mr. Baloche at a Chinese buffet where he makes the claim that our worship should have a lot of variety. The rest of the DVD shows Paul with his guitar and a worship band in the background, teaching or playing examples.

He covers the choosing of songs. Songs should transition smoothly with keys. The key should transition upwards if possible. Instead of ending and having seconds of silence, there should be smooth transitions with the keyboard. At the end of the song, sometimes there is extended vamping where the worshiper can just stay "in the pocket", and not leave the moment. Some other ideas are to encourage your congregation to integrate of the types of praise in the bible - clapping, hand raising, for instance.

Of of the influential things to me was that to be a good worship leader, you should be a worshiper during the week, not only in song, but by immersing yourself in the Scriptures.

I was shocked that he picked songs like "As The Deer" and "Majesty" and "Victory Chant". I had rejected and left those songs long ago, because of their overuse in the 90s. But they sounded fine, and I respect his ability to make singing them a worshipful experience.

Book Review: Experiencing Prayer With Jesus, Henry and Norman blackaby

I regret my review a little bit. Partially, it's because I do believe that systematization of facts is a valid and useful tool for understanding the Bible. I think my biggest objections are that it was very boring, and that the authors came from a position of superiority.

But I'll leave my original review here just for fun.

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Brent Ahs lent me this audio book, completely unsolicited. But I would hate to return it to him and say that I didn't listen to it, so I did over my lunch hours. I don't have a big commute, and no CD player in my car, so i don't listen to audio books when I drive.

It was read by a professional reader, but without any enthusiasm. I kept thinking that if someone read the proceedings of a city council meeting, it would have sounded more exciting.

The interpretation was incredibly modern rather than postmodern. The modern era was the time of invention and machines. It was a time of rationalism. Where x + y = z. This time period affected people's view of Scripture interpretation. If Scripture says this here, or this there, then God always has to act a certain way. As a result, we have a God that is not much more than a math equation, instead of an artist or a Being. For me, I'd really love to worship something wild and real, rather than a machine. If I do X and Y, the reaction of God is not necessarily Z.

And that is my problem with this book. It is an encylopedia of prayer, a systematic theology. If God wanted the Bible to be a list of ways to pray, he would have written it that way. Instead it is a collection of stories that do not appear in a systematic order. The Bible's purpose is not to be instructions for the machine of life. This approach caused the authors to become professors who have everything together, and it was an academic exercise more than a spiritual one. This may be a big problem with our seminaries, although I haven't attended one.

I think the best thing for our era is to drop these systematic theologies, and dictionary approaches, and really dig into the story ourselves and let the Spirit speak to us. I love our current pastor's preaching. His preaching is not academic or systematic - it really speaks to the heart. This book primarily spoke to the mind, and did not have many words for the heart.