Category Archives: Pop

Ferris Bueller remembers the Sabbath

24 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Torigian… Torigian…

Well, of course I’m here!

I was the youth with semesters of perfect attendance and involved in MANY after-school activities.  I wouldn’t be the student wanting to take the day off to head to the Cardinals game, head to the Hill for lunch or traipse around the St. Louis Art Museum in an effort to skip history class.  In fact, opportunities for Sabbath seemed slim since I was involved in so many activities.

Now that I’m getting to the age where I could easily be a parent of a high school student, I have begun to look at Ferris Bueller as the slacker kid that decides to skip school one last day before high school graduation.  Could I be more judgmental and more wrong?

Maybe Ferris just needed the day off because he needed some “self-care”.  Would Jesus take a day off for some self-care?  Scripture shows that Jesus needed to get away from the enthusiastic crowds for some “chill” time.  He didn’t work every hour of every day.  Granted, we don’t see him riding on a float in a parade, but we do see him riding on a donkey in a parade…

If you were to stop and create a fun and relaxing day off, what would your true Sabbath look like?  Would you take a road trip to Chicago to catch a ballgame or ride a float in a parade?  Would you walk in a park, see a matinee or just go home to take a nap?

“Life moves pretty fast… If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Sabbath gives us each a chance to see the details of life.  When we stop to see the small moments, we see God much clearer.  Could Ferris experience the presence of God while singing to thousands in downtown Chicago?  Could Ferris experience God’s presence while staring at the works of art? Maybe “playing hookey” isn’t the most ethical way to spend time.   However, remembering to take time to rest, spend with friends, value our lives and look for God is needed.  When our work swallows any Sabbath and any chance to relax, it could be time to reevaluate our lives and our schedules.

While I’m only taking days off when I’m actually sick or scheduled a vacation, sometimes, it’s worth taking ten minutes, twenty minutes or an hour to take a walk, get a cup of coffee or drive through a park.  Maybe that super-short Sabbath will shine a stronger light on God’s presence.  Maybe we will refocus our minds to discern God’s call with more clarity.

Or maybe we will just cherish life a little more…  just like Ferris…

There may not be crying in baseball… but there is God…

19 Friday Oct 2012

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October.  Postseason bliss.

I’m a St. Louis girl living in the Cincinnati area.  So, this year, I’m ecstatic that two of my teams were in the postseason blitz.  Yet World Series success can happen to only one of my teams now that Cincinnati’s dreams are gone.  While I am pretty sure that God doesn’t choose one team over another in sports, sometimes God calls us to see lessons in the last few innings of baseball.

  • It’s all mental.

The Reds were doing a phenomenal job defeating the Giants on their turf.  Yet when the Reds returned back to Cincinnati, the Giants returned the favor… the first night… the second night… the third night.  World Series dreams ended for the Reds as the Giants moved forward.

Could the Reds have come back?  Or after each defeat, were they expecting another loss?

Do we play our lives like the Reds did in this postseason?  Do we assume we will lose the next game, and the one following?  When we catch momentum, do we find it easier to sail to the next step?  Does our mind win or lose our game for us?

  • Is the game over yet?  Not for the Cards.

Two years in a row, the Cardinals have been outs away from being defeated.  Yet they come back.  And it was a comeback of record proportions.

How close are we to our final out but then find our second wind?  What does it mean to us that even when facing defeat there’s still a chance for us to win?

The Cardinals have taught me to hope in the face of loss.  Even when the fans are in locked rooms like the apostles after the death of Jesus, hope appears to them.  That’s what it means to be a Cardinals fan in the 2010’s.

  • Resources don’t necessarily matter.  There’s still a chance to win!

The Yankees have the highest payroll, yet the Tigers, the team with the fifth highest payroll, defeated them in the ALCS.  The Cardinals lost Pujols, yet they are back in the NLCS this year.  While having greater resources tends to give advantage, it doesn’t always guarantee a win.

In our society, those with the most resources win more often.  But more money and more power doesn’t mean that person will always win.  Sure, the Yankees are the empire of Major League Baseball.  Do they win every year?  No.  Sometimes the underdog wins.  Sometimes the least likely person wins.  Sometimes, it’s our turn to win.

With God and a dash of hope, there’s always a chance of winning.

The Rebirth of Ben Affleck

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

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I’ve had a crush on Ben Affleck since 1998.

Maybe it was Chasing Amy or Armageddon that captured my heart.  In any case, I’ve adored Ben since then.

I’ve seen the ups and downs of his career.  He captured the Oscar for best screenplay in 1998.  Who remembers this great Oscar acceptance speech with Matt Damon?

Dogma is one of my favorite theological movies.  Scenes like this from Ben, while expressive in explicit language (NSFW), give great lamentation and expression on free will and forgiveness.

Then came the years of Gigli and other blockbuster flops.  His life became tabloid fodder.  Ben’s existence was in a fishbowl.

With a series of career mishaps and personal life failures, Ben’s career seemed close to over.

Yet, in life there are second chances and resurrections.  And Ben’s second act was just starting.

First there was the brilliant performance in Hollywoodland.  Critics were surprised by his performance, but it was easy to tell that his focus was switching to smaller, quality roles (rather than feature roles in blockbusters).   Gone Baby Bone was the spark of Ben’s creativity in directing.  Then came The Town.  This weekend, Argo is released throughout the country, and Oscar buzz is already surrounding the film and direction.

Ben’s work now seems authentic to who he is.  On top of all of this, he seems like he is in a healthy relationship with much less paparazzi interruption, and Ben is dedicated to his work with the Congo.

Actual resurrection is hard to see sometimes.  The beautiful metaphor of Easter seems so far away – two thousand years to be exact.  Yet in each of our lives, we experience resurrection.  God is the God of second chances.  And thanks to the public life of Ben Affleck, we can see that multiple failures do not mean a life that’s over.  It means that there’s a chance for resurrection to happen, for the Holy Spirit to work and for inspiration surround us with creative new beginnings.

Ben turned 40 in August.  My 40th birthday is exactly six months away.  Thanks to Ben, his persistence and creativity, act two looks more promising than act one, and I can anticipate the same for mine as well.

God, why didn’t he put a ring on it!?!?!

07 Friday Sep 2012

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In my twenties, I fell in love.

At the time, I thought he would be “the one.”  Yet, he wasn’t.  Five and a half years into the relationship, it was over.   And, he was engaged to someone else approximately eight months later.

I know… I know… First world problems.  I had food, and housing, and a great job.  But someone else took the role of “fiance” so soon after my departure.  By someone else taking the role only months after our breakup was difficult to grasp.  Self-esteem issues continued to get tangled in that permanent loss of identity.

God, why did he put a ring on her finger and not mine?  What made her appropriate for that role and not me?  So many questions swimming through my head.  Even now, I wonder why.

When it comes down to it, Beyonce’s song is no different than a lament psalm.  The song gives many women the words to sing about frustrations of being passed over, of being left behind and of feeling not good enough.

This week was Beyonce’s birthday.  In honor of her birthday, Unvirtuous Abbey had a “prayer challenge” entitled “Preyonce.”  Tweeters were to write a prayer based upon the lyrics of one of Beyonce’s songs.  As I tweeted: “@UnvirtuousAbbey @Beyonce For all the men who liked it but never put a ring on it, we pray. #preyonce”

I realized that my Tweet focused on what had been in my heart all those years ago.

Think about all of the songs that we listen to on a daily basis.  As we belt out the lyrics, how are they the feelings that currently reside in our hearts?  How are the lyrics streaming from our mouths the pain that ate away at our souls years ago?  Aren’t the lyrics what we’re talking to God about anyway?

Dance Moms

08 Thursday Sep 2011

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Recently, I’ve been watching Dance Moms.  I’m not exactly sure why…

With each episode comes climbing angst between the moms and the dance teacher, Miss Abby.  The children are pawns in this fight to be on top.  Miss Abby ranks them each week, pitting them against each other.  The children are incredibly stressed to stay afloat in this sea of performance perfectionism. 

Where is God in this show?  Well, sometimes it’s difficult to see the God of love being portrayed in such negativity.  But God is still there.  Each of these children have amazing gifts that they’ve shared with the world.  They are motivated to continue to develop the gifts.  No matter what abuse Miss Abby throws their way or what commotion is created by their moms, they still find the courage to continue with their dancing.

A note to Miss Abby: these children are made in God’s image.  When you tear someone down like you do, they are further and further robbed from seeing the presence of God within themselves.  They will grow to be adults who look into a mirror yet see only rubbish.

Hoping With…

30 Thursday Dec 2010

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Adapted from original posting on here 12/30/10.  Inspired by Grey’s Anatomy, season 3, episode 12

Hoping is a communal action.

Dr. Preston Burke says it best in a season 3 episode of Grey’s Anatomy.  George O’Malley’s father was diagnosed with advanced cancer.  We no longer see “George the doctor” but “George the patient’s son.”

As his father’s body experiences organ failure, George turns to Burke, the cardio surgeon, to discuss father’s health.  Preston alludes that George’s father probably won’t be coming back from this.  Preston tells George that what he can do is “hope with you.”

Hoping with… what a unique way to show solidarity with those in pain and those grieving. Usually, hope is something that I will do for me and you will do for you.  Hoping seems like a very private and internal journey.  But what if the journey of hope is intended to be something we do with others?  When our hope seems dwindling, what if someone comes along side of us and keeps the hope going?

Hoping with someone has its risks.  Maybe it means that we risk our emotions in hoping.  We sit in the depths of the ditch with our neighbor, and our heart is with them in that ditch.  As their hope becomes our hope, we, too, risk having hope pass us by.

If we identify with the Christian faith, we are undoubtedly in the hope business.  We are in the tomb with Christ, hoping for resurrection.  We are with the women at the tomb, hoping for a better day.

Hope isn’t just for Easter.  At Christmas, hope comes as we wait for the birth of someone who embodied God’s love.  Hope comes as we know night will not last forever, and longer days are ahead.

For what are you hoping?  How can I hope with you?

Back to the Future III can even be constructed

30 Thursday Dec 2010

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“Your future hasn’t been written yet.  No one’s has.  Your future is whatever you make it.  So make it a good one.”

Doc, Back to the Future III

Again I am reminded of Process Theology when watching Back to the Future.  There is no predestination – everything has not been set in God’s mind.  God is like the DeLorean, the only constant, travelling throughout time.  God is with the characters as they travel throughout the decades, making choices that impact the universe and future. 

Now, I’m not saying that the DeLorean is God.  Nothing is God except God.  But when constructing the theology of this movie, it seems as though that would be the place to start.  The energy which runs the DeLorean is the Holy Spirit.  Basically, the spirit changes throughout time – sometimes the DeLorean is run on lighting, sometimes plutonium, sometimes garbage, sometimes steam.  The context in which everything happens is valuable to the story.

Christologically speaking, Marty would be the obvious choice.  However, so would Doc.  It’s a team effort.

Ok, this may seem crazy to those who have not taken Constructive theology.  So basically, it’s like this: The DeLorean/time machine is the constant when travelling throughout the decades as God is the constant travelling with us throughout the decades.  The energy running the DeLorean is the Holy Spirit in this case which changes from decade to decade.  Again, it’s always a constant – just changing based on context.  The salvific characters are Marty and Doc.  It’s a group effort.  Both are needed to make changes to the future and past.

One more thing – just because the DeLorean is destroyed does not mean God is destroyed.  There are new time machines used in the past (the train).  There will be more in the present and future.  God, Holy Spirit and Christ are changing based on the context of the time period, but are constantly present in one way or form.

The seemingly bland call of George Bailey

12 Sunday Dec 2010

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Call isn’t necessarily something spectacular, like Superman or Batman.  Sometimes call is as quiet as the wind breezing past the summer leaves.  Sometimes it is the seemingly ordinary when others have grandiose calls.

Take, for instance, George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life.  George continues to find himself cemented to his hometown while his brother and others are called in other directions.  His brother goes to college, works outside of Bedford Falls, goes to war and becomes a war hero.  His friend Sam begins a plastics business.  Everyone lives the dreams that George himself could never had.  Because of the perspective that George has on his life, he takes for granted the little moments that create the universe.

George’s call is seen in life’s little moments.  George saves his brother.  George makes loans available to those who couldn’t otherwise afford a house.  George gives people ideas.  George loves the town and those in the town, willing to maintain an honest business for the good of the people.  George’s call is as important as everyone else around him except that the perception of his call is what the world sees as small.

What if George hadn’t answered those calls?  We see the outcome in the “what if George wasn’t born” portion of the movie.  His brother would have died.  The death of his brother rippled into the world.  Others would have died because hadn’t served in WWII.  His friends would live on the streets.  The town would have been bought by Mr. Potter and turned into the slums.  George’s mother and wife face the world with angst.

George Bailey was called to be alive and called to serve in Bedford Falls.

Just like George, everyone is called in both unique and ordinary ways.  The world would be a very different place if we made different decisions or if we had never been born.  Yes, we get frustrated with our lives.  We forget that the little steps impact the greater universe.  And we get upset with the track our lives are on.

So when we don’t feel that our lives make a difference or that we have a purpose here, know that we are all George Baileys – willing to take the little steps in front of us and building a better kingdom of God.

Movies exist. God is everywhere. Therefore, God is in movies.

12 Sunday Dec 2010

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So I decided to begin this blog to look at movies.  Well, basically I want to keep track of my theological thoughts of movies so I can reflect back when I decide to use the movie in a sermon.

Any thoughts you may have, please feel free to include them as part of this blog.