Bought the pupper saddle bags so he can help carry his own water and snacks when we go on walks. He is so proud that he doesn’t want me to take it off him. When I do he keeps trying to get me to put it back on.

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Sadly, there are people out there who just want to ruin the movie. My oldest now has friends who are working ago and one works at the theater. She told me that her friend said people were leaving the theater in tears because there is a very emotional scene near the end of the movie. Unfortunately I worked out exactly what happened based on passing comments people made. They didn’t think it would “spoil” the movie … like it wasn’t an inside joke people who didn’t see the movie wouldn’t possibly be able to understand.

Well, that might be true of some people, but my daughter and I both tend to predict major plot points in the movie, even without hints. I remember when Sixth Sense came out, and this was way back before everyone was online. I didn’t watch it right away because I wasn’t really that interested. Everyone kept telling me it was “so good” and there was a “OMG BIGGEST PLOT TWIST EVER!!!!!” and that I’d never see it coming. After a few times I got kind of tired of how people who had seen it seemed to feel they knew something I didn’t and just wanted to dangle this big plot twist in front of me so the next time someone tried to goad me to go watch the movie because of the plot twist I looked right at them and said, “Bruce Willis dies at the beginning of the movie but you don’t realize it till the end and he didn’t think he was dead but the boy knew and talked to him.” They asked if I had seen it and I told them all I ever saw was the preview. When they asked who spoiled it I simply said it was them and everyone else who went on and one about the plot twist. That was enough to spoil the movie for me so I never got to experience that plot twist.

Though to be honest, when I finally did watch the movie I couldn’t comprehend how anyone didn’t figure that out in the very beginning. It was pretty blatant.

Anyway, back to Infinity War. Before going to the movie I had a talk with my youngest. He gets really into these movies and loves his super heroes. If something bad happens to them it makes him angry or sad. So I warned him and said this wasn’t like the other Marvel movies. There is a part 1 and 2 so things aren’t going to go well for the heroes and a lot of his favorites might die or be hurt very, very bad.

Basically I was giving him a chance to not watch it, and he thought about it but decided to watch it anyway.

Well, it was intense, right from the start. I kept watching him and he was really into it but it was clear parts of it bothered him quite a bit. I talked with him after and he is angry at the person who made the movie. I did reassure him than in part 2 things will probably get a lot better and the heroes will win in the end. I asked if he was glad he watched it or wished he had stayed with his Nana and Papa. He admitted he was still glad to have watched it but was still mad.

For me, I really enjoyed the movie but not as much as Black Panther. It was great seeing so many characters from the MCU in a single movie. I feel they did a good job of bringing in aspects of each individual part of the franchise too. Like when they switch to the Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time, they are playing music like you’d expect from one of their movies.

They also added a lot of great comedic segments, which helped to counter balance the darker elements.

I think if I didn’t know some of what was going to happen it would have been a true emotional rollercoaster. Unfortunately some of that effect was lost on me.

There are certain things that didn’t fully make sense. I suspect it could be related to cast availability but they didn’t have certain characters and they basically said “oh, they can’t make it…” I mean the reason was a little more specific but I feel like it would have been good to at least give some effort there. It’s like how Thor wasn’t in Civil War. Granted that wasn’t an Avengers movie but pretty much everyone but Thor and Hulk were in it including new characters like Spiderman and Ant Man. We know what Hulk was up to after Ragnorak and Thor was probably busy with other stuff, but it is still disappointing they didn’t have a little more about that in the movie.

Maybe they’ll do something in the upcoming Ant Man and the Wasp movie. There is clearly some major happening that they will have to acknowledge in that movie.

Anyways, I’ve talked for a while and hopefully if you ended up on this page you have seen the movie, but if not I’m going to warn you that there is a spoiler ahead. Like the next paragraph I’m going to start talking about something specific in the movie, not just my experience and feelings about it. Before I jump to the spoiler I will say the movie is a solid A, not an A+. Might have been an A+ if I didn’t see certain things coming. Either way I can highly recommend it.

Ok, you were warned. My favorite part of the movie was actually a casting decision. As you probably know, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir was destroyed is Ragnorak (they show it in the preview which I think was a real disservice). Well, in Infinity War he seeks a new weapon. He goes to the place where Mjolnir was forged and it is a dead hulk in space. Then he is attacked by a giant. When the motion stops for a moment you clearly see the giant’s face. Turns out that space dwarves are about twice as tall as an average human but are played by people often cast as dwarves or halflings. The dwarf that towered over Thor was none other than Peter Dinklage. I lost it.

I had been avoiding spoilers or information about the movie as much as I could so I had no idea he was in the movie. When I realized they cast him as a dwarf but made the dwarf a giant I had a hard time breathing I was laughing so hard.

In my mind there had to have been a conversation something like this:

casting director: Peter, we have a part we think you’d be perfect for.
Peter Dinklage: You’ve got 30 seconds to wow me.
CD: Space Dwarf
PD: Ok, I’m interested .. but not wowed. 25 seconds.
CD: Space Dwarf that forged Thor’s Hammer out for revenge against the Titan who mangled his hands, killed his people, and broke his forge.
PD: …
CD: …
PD: You’re losing me. Dwarves, forges, seems a bit played out. 15 seconds.
CD: Did I mention the Space Dwarf is a giant?
PD: You mean like tall for a dwarf? Maybe average human size?
CD: I mean like twice as tall as a tall human.
PD: You had me at Giant Space Dwarf. Peter out!

If that conversation didn’t happen I’m still going to pretend it did. It feels like something right out of an SNL skit only it happened for real. That scene alone was worth the price of admission.

So that’s my review and I hope you already saw the movie if you’ve made it to this point. If not, there is plenty of other stuff that happens in the movie that makes it worth your time to go watch it.

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I keep circling back around on this issue. So many people are so angry and it is making my social media feel like a morass of hatred.

It is funny, because as I’ve grown I’ve found myself further and further away from the hard right on so many issues. I don’t know if this is because I’ve changed that much, or if the “right” has changed that much.

Once upon the time the Republican party was a minority party. That is, they fought for minority rights and also had a minority in the political arena. It is well known that the first Republican president was Abraham Lincoln. He fought a war to free slaves. Of course some people will argue the war was fought for various other reasons but there can be no doubt that abolition was a big part of his platform. This is why the South broke away.

Over the years the Republican party stood for important ideals but it seems in recent times, there has been a big shift away from those ideals.

But wait! The Republican party is in support of…

I’m sure people are quick to point out all the good things the party supports. They want to keep religious freedoms, protect innocent babies, and cut taxes among other great things.

At least that is what they say they want to do. I find it very interesting that the Republicans have a majority in both houses plus the White House, and yet they struggle to get anything accomplished. To hide from this lack of progress the President is creating a three ring circus.

This whole thing pains me because I believe many of the things the Republican party claims to stand for is important.

However, I am completely missing how making a huge deal about how some people choose to protest things we should all support helps us to reach the goals the party claims to cherish.

Instead, it shows the true nature of the party.

Nationalism

Nationalism is different than patriotism. Patriotism says, “we have an amazing country and there are amazing people. Now let’s work together to maintain what is great, improve what can be improved, and cut away what should be cut away.” Nationalism takes the approach that the country is amazing and any one questioning that is a traitor.

Let’s consider an example from literature that I think really captures what is happening and makes it clear why it is evil.

The most universally hated person in the world of Harry Potter is Delores Umbridge. I hate to even use her given name. She is so vile that I typically call her “Foolores Dumbridge” or “we hates her.”

This woman is EVIL. Like, given the choice between Voldemort and Dumbridge, I’ll take the noseless one every day.

Dumbridge believes that the Ministry of Magic is above question. When the Minister of Magic says that Harry Potter is lying about the return of Voldemort, then she believes it is her responsibility to punish Harry and force the truth out of him. She tortures him for a year before being attacked by centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Sadly, she returns 2 books later as the grand inquisitor. Once again the Ministry has decided that any witch or wizard born from non-magical parents must have stolen their wand and with it the powers they possess.

This flies in the face of everything that is known to be true in that world. If a muggle picks up a wand, it will not give them power. The wand channels the power.

However, Foolores goes all in on this. She doesn’t just use this lie to gain power, she simply cannot accept the possibility that the Ministry could be wrong, even if it is being run by the evil wizard that she legitimately believed had not returned to power just 2 years previously.

This is what nationalism does. It blinds to the possibility that the government and representatives of the government could possibly be wrong.

Nationalism is a big part of what gave rise to the Nazi party. It’s also what buttresses many other evil empires. I won’t go into the history of them all, but I will consider one interesting story from the Bible.

To kneel or stand

Right now there are some football players who feel they cannot stand during the anthem. It is their belief that the position they hold can help bring attention to important issues and so they choose to kneel. They risk their careers, fan base, and even lives considering what some people have said about them.

In the book of Daniel, 3 young men had to take the opposite stand (see what I did there). Their conscience guided them to stand, when everyone was commanded to bow. I’m sure that some readers will be quick to shoot down the comparison. The young men were following the Bible and thus following God. They were doing the right thing.

I agree, the comparison is not 1:1, but consider the context. There was a nationalistic fervor to worship the emperor. Everyone was commanded to bow to the statue with the music. Everyone else did exactly that. I am certain there were other Jews who chose to bow. I am certain there were representatives from other cultures who worshiped other gods who chose to bow. They rationalized the choice and considered it an empty gesture to appease the culture they were in.

These 3 young men did not bow. They stood and they stood out. It was clear who they were and what the cost would be.

In the end it worked out. The young men are spared because of the power of God and so we lift them up as heroes of faith.

Yet we vilify others who are following their conscience.

Why is it wrong?

Patriotism is powerful. In the middle of all of this there is a story about a player who chose to stand when his entire team did not. See, we are quick to celebrate this man because he did what was right. At least in our mind he did what was right.

It seems Villanueva was motivated by patriotism. He served and understood what his privilege cost so believes the most respectful thing he can do is to stand.

The difference between this and the people who chose to take a knee is surprisingly slight. They also believe they are doing the right thing by the country.

Remember, patriotism doesn’t mean we believe the country is perfect. When Lincoln took office, there were great aspects of the nation but there were also aspects that we’d rather pretend didn’t exist. They are uncomfortable to think about. Men and women died to change those things, not because the country was perfect, but because it was worth making better.

When a player choses to kneel he is taking the position that this county can be made better.

To say, “if you hate this country that has done so much for you then you should leave,” because someone believes the country can be made better, then you are spitting in the face of law enforcement, soldiers, and everyone else who has believed this country can be better.

Let’s be perfectly clear here, the men who have been paid millions to play a sport have been incredibly fortunate. They could literally take that money and go to a small, third world country and live like kings. The easy thing to do is just pretend everything is fine, cash out, and enjoy the party.

The hard thing to do is to stand out. To say, “there are things that can be improved,” and to find a way to bring that to the national eye.

Several years back another player was called a hero because he took a knee. Tim Tebow would take a knee as part of his victory celebration to honor God above himself. Many were offended at this, but he did it anyway. He took advantage of his position to bring his beliefs to the national eye and many of the people who celebrated him are full of hate for those who would do the same in a different context.

The reason we view one as good and the other as wrong is because one lines up with what makes us feel good and the other with what makes us feel shame.

Shame

I believe that most of the people who are so full of hatred about this issue are not angry because they believe black people are inferior and should be abused and killed. I believe, given the chance, they would rather see all men and women treated well regardless of color.

The problem is, the issue is shameful. It is shameful like slavery and many other dark marks in our history.

There is an interesting story in the book of Genesis. After the flood receded, Noah planted a vineyard. Then he made wine and had himself a party. I can imagine that after all of the events, some serious drinking would be in order. Noah became drunk and did some serious frat boy level crazy stuff that resulted in his son seeing his nakedness.

In shame, Noah becomes angry. He curses his son and sends him away.

Shame causes us to hide and when those shameful things are brought to light, it makes us angry.

This issue brings shameful things into the light and ultimately it means we have two choices. We can become angry or we can work to fix it.

Cleaning House

There is a classic allegory of the Christian life called Pilgrim’s Progress. During the course of the journey the protagonist sees a man attempt to clean a dusty room. The dry dust flies about and makes things worse. Then a Damsel bring water to sprinkle on the dust and the room is easily cleaned.

This is an illustration of the act of cleaning the spiritual heart. We can work to clean it up but only make things worse. In a sense, that is what this situation has done. Everything is stirred up and people are choking on the shame and becoming angry. We see the person who stirred up the dust as the problem, but they did not create the dust or the shame of it. They have just tried to clean it however they could. It is a big mess now.

In the allegory, Damsel spreads water to make the clean up easier.

This is the Holy Spirit bringing the Gospel into our lives so that we can be set free from the sin. Much like this, our nation needs the Holy Spirit to bring us the gift of Love. By this we can work to resolve the things that bring shame and restore the rightness, and even righteousness, of our nation.

Instead of nationalistic pride, we must have patriotic love for our fellow man and country.

There is great pain, shame, and even anger; however, we can become great again. Not through hate but love.

Let’s stop vilifying those who are showing us our shame, and instead seek the Spirit and power of God to correct those shameful thing for the good of all.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20 ESV

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I’m really excited to announce I’m speaking at WCDC 2017!!!

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Getting some more headway in the remodel. We’ve got a ceiling and have the walls painted. It looks nice and sharp if I do say so myself. Props to my wife for picking the color. 

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As a minister of the Gospel I feel compelled to write a love letter to you, the Bride of Christ. I am also a part of the Church so I take these words to heart.

Know that you are loved. Christ paid so much to have you set free. I can’t even begin to comprehend the price that was paid for you and now you are free. You don’t have to be a slave to sin and death any longer. Christ waits for you because you are his chosen bride. That is powerful and amazing. I wanted you to hear this just in case you have forgotten who you are to Him and what He has done for you. You are loved with a greater love than any of us can understand.

However, we’ve been far from a perfect bride. While we wait for Him we’ve become a bit of a bridezilla. We fight with each other, we point out all our flaws, and we complain about all the things. I’m a bit worried because we have winked at our own sin and pushed people away by yelling about their sin.

Christ wanted so much more for us when he paid that great price. He had hoped that we would become more like Him. In fact, He said to the Father, “make them one even as You and I are one.” We shouldn’t spend so much time bickering. We aren’t really living in unity when we do that.

He also declared that he came into this world not to condemn, but to save. Once he called one of us who was waiting to be stoned because she was adulterous. He saved her and told her “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” The truth is, we all fall into that category. I know I was in a place where I deserved death when He saved me too. He lifted me up and made me a part of the Church, His beloved Bride. How amazing it is that we were delivered from sin and death.

Some of us have become quite zealous because of that deliverance. We have railed against sin because of all the pain it cost us. I hope you understand, Christ already defeated the sin you hate so much. He delivered us from it. It hurts to see others who have not been delivered, but we need to help them come to Christ because He is the one who can set them free. Use your zeal to share the Good News. We are free from sin and death. He did it all and he will do it for anyone who would dare to believe.

On the other hand there are those who wink at their sin. It breaks Christ’s heart because He set you free from that slavery. Why do you keep going back to it? Don’t you understand that he wants a pure, spotless bride? Yes, we were a mess when He saved us. We were dirty and impure, but then He cleaned us up. We were pure and spotless after He set us free. When we go back to the sin we were delivered from, we become stained once again. It doesn’t matter if you are “more clean” than someone else, it’s not good enough for the one who set us free.

I know He will clean us up again, but don’t you love Him? Yes, I get it, when He cleans us we feel so good, but we don’t have to go back and get dirty to have that feeling again. We feel good because He is there with us and when we come together in unity, He is there.

Unity is the thing I want to write about most. It’s so hard to write this love letter to you and tell you that you aren’t perfect. I want to only say good things to you because you are his beloved bride. I would be pretty angry if someone wrote a demeaning letter to my wife. On the other hand, if she were taking voice lessons again and her instructor gave her advice on how to sing I would welcome it, as long as the advice were kind and loving. My wife has a beautiful voice but an expert voice teach could probably help her sing even better.

That is what Jesus was saying to the churches in his love letters from the Revelation. He said, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” He spoke in love for His Bride.

I’m speaking in love for her too. I hate when I see “open letters to the church” that do nothing but put down and beat up the church. I know we aren’t perfect.

We are loved

This is a love letter, not a dear john, not an ultimatum. It is expressing love for the church. As broken and messed up as we’ve become, actually considering the stories in the New Testament always have been, we are still loved.

Because of that love let’s strive to do better.

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It’s been raining quite a bit but this am was really nice after I dropped the kids off so I went for a walk. When I crossed the bridge over the river at 619 I saw a log floating down the river I so knew the creek would be high. It was so beautiful that I had to snap a few pictures. 

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Nope puppy dog eyes don’t work on me. I’m telling momma.

Aww him got caught

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It’s tough getting a picture of him unless he is sleeping because he is super active. This took about 20 tries to get in focus. 

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