YOURS FROM FROSTBITE FALLS--PART ONE

Greeting to God's Frozen People everywhere from Frostbite Falls (aka Grafton Vermont, see the pictures of the bandshell here and the house where I am staying taken two summer's ago) where it is a toasty 1 F on the thermometer with windchill down to -16F.

Grafton is a beautiful little town (3,000 or so depending on the season) nestled in the Green Mountains, home to a wonderful Inn and a great cheese factory where you can get the best Vermont sharp cheddar anywhere. I am safely ensconced here looking at about two feet of snow with prospects of more. It's just me, 2 labs (one named---- wait for it, Ben, and honest I had nothing to do with the naming of the dog which belongs to the Dumas family) and Clio the cat. Through the gracious hospitality of our friends the Dumas' I am taking a chunk of my sabbatical up country in dear ole New England finishing up the second volume of The Indelible Image. Cabin fever is a real possibility here in light of the weather, but hey, I have my books, my computer, and some occasional TV and email. Life is good. Yesterday I dressed up like Nanuck of the North got in the big pickup truck and drove to Walpole N.H. to do the grocery shopping, with guidance and help from Blaine the handyman around here. He's a native son who seems to know everyone around these parts, and is undaunted by the weather. Color me daunted, since I have a bit of a cold just now.

From time to time I will be posting some entries about my time here and my reflections. For now I will just tell you--- think of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the first time you hear about Narnia. Well, its that wintry here, and very beautiful in a cold, pristine, clean, austere, silent sanctuary kind of way. Saw some wild turkey's, partridges, a hawk the other day. We also have Bullwinkle the moose who shows up in the backyard from time to time setting the two dogs off like a five alarm fire bell. Stay tuned.... and stay warm.

BW3

FROST BITES NIXON--- 'FROST/NIXON'

Sometime the propaganda put out by a studio about a new film, amazingly proves to be accurate. Here is the synopsis from Universal Films of the riveting new docu-drama film Frost/Nixon

"Synopsis: Oscar®-winning director Ron Howard brings to the screen writer Peter Morgan's (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) electrifying battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy... Oscar®-winning director Ron Howard brings to the screen writer Peter Morgan's (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) electrifying battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the untold story of the historic encounter that changed both: Frost/Nixon. Reprising their roles from Morgan's stageplay are Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Nixon, and Michael Sheen, who fully inhabited the part of Frost onstage in London and New York.

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans.

Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation's greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who'd built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity -- ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.

Frost/Nixon not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed...all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.

Frost/Nixon is a collaboration between Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Films, with Academy Award® winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard joining Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as producers. Joining Langella and Sheen as the colorful real-life personalities who provide the men counsel is a formidable roster of actors including Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen. --© Universal Pictures"

The movie clocks in at 2 hours and 2 minutes, and not a second is wasted in this film. If you care at all about American history and about America's only President who was both impeached and resigned, then this film should matter to you. He was known as 'Tricky Dick' and the moniker not only stuck but was accurate. He was devious, self-serving, and at times brilliant and farsighted (for example in regard to the policies he pursued with China). But of course besides his moniker, the thing he will forever be most remembered for is Watergate, indeed as the film reminds us adding the suffix --gate to some term for some cause celebre was spawned from the Watergate crisis. Sometimes stage plays make excellent movies (e.g. 'Doubt') sometimes, not so much. Sometimes actors can play the role well in both settings, sometimes not so much). Frank Langella pulls off the double dip in Oscar-worthy proportions, and even gets Nixon's demeanor and deep gruff voice right, as well as the facial nuances. One of the more amazing things, when I went and saw this movie in Charlotte (which sadly is only out in limited release) is that it appeals to young and old alike, for example my mother at 83 liked it as much as I did.

At the heart of the movie is unveiling the heart of Nixon through cross-examination
by the rather out of his depth British TV personality David Frost. Will he rise to the challenge, or will Nixon get the best of him? Will he expose Nixon, or will he be exposed as NOT the Grand Inquisitor? Can Nixon be bated, goaded, or surprised into revealing his real role in Watergate or not? To me without question the most chilling moment in the film is when Nixon says on camera and without reservation--- "when the President does something, then it's not illegal." To which Frost, who is stunned can only reply--- 'excuse me????'

What this film is really about is the arrogance of power, and how all political power tends to corrupt. A President who lives on a pedestal and a precipice and yet in splendid isolation, can begin believing his own rhetoric, PR, press clippings and the like. He can become a total narcissist which is pretty close to what Nixon was- self-centered, self-protective, self-justifying, self-pitying. Coeur in curvatus in se--- the heart turned in upon itself. The movie gets absolutely right the bit about Nixon's paranoia and inferiority complex (especially when compared to Kennedy who beat him in 1960) and his ever-burgeoning sense of entitlement, and feeling that he was bullet proof. But alas he had orchestrated his own demise with all those secret tapes. 'Be sure your sins will find you out'. What is interesting about Nixon in 1977 is how little remorse he had for all his wrong doing, how little he seemed to care about trying to bamboozle the American public and so betraying his sacred trust and oath. It is hard to feel sorry for man, but finally in the end when he cared about his legacy and how he would be remembered, he was a bit contrite, and even tried to give his library to Duke University. Duke, however, wanted nothing to do with Nixon and his tainted legacy, and I can hardly say I blame them.

It is of course unfair to judge a whole life on the basis of the worst thing one has done in life. Richard Nixon had many accomplishments in life which few but God will ever remember. But one day, I finally got another glimpse of the man which humanized him somewhat for me. I was in the White House with a member of the Pentagon doing a tour. Nowadays you have to know someone to even get in that place. And the person who made my day, and made the tour memorable was an elderly black man, a huge behemoth of a man, who had served seven Presidents on the White House staff. I asked him what was his saddest memory from the over 30 years he had worked at the White House. He almost immediately teared up and said "The day President Nixon resigned, and said farewell to all of us, and flew off from the White House lawn to San Clemente." I think I understand why-- it was not just because he had been witness to the fall of a once mighty man. It is because he had known the man personally, had liked at least part of what the man was, for Nixon had been good to him. And he had prayed for Nixon, as we all should have done, no matter our opinions of that President.

Jesus said 'judge not, lest ye be judged', by which he meant do not pronounce the final verdict on any other human being's life, not least because we cannot see inside a person's heart, nor know all that he was and was not. What Jesus did not mean is 'avoid critically evaluating your own and other's conduct'. Indeed, he argued for just the opposite approaching urging being discerning as serpents, without being as devious as they are alleged to be.

Go see this movie if you can, and see whether you think Nixon had a heart of darkness, or not. Be forewarned-- the unveiling in this movie may be unnerving when you start to question your own motives, and what you might have done were you the President. 'There but for the grace of God.....'

LB'S: THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION SONG

I'm off to Vermont to write for a month and to work off some of the Christmas cheer and to play my 12 string and here's a little ditty I wrote to help me out with my New Year's Resolution (and no... the picture above is not quite me.....)
BW3

LB'S

It's sweepin' cross America
The plague of pulchritude
It's gripped the country's midrift
The bare facts are quite rude,
We've put on pounds around our waist
That we cannot divest
And when we were not lookin'
We got a sunkin' chest.

CHORUS (ala Beatles)
Boy, you gotta carry that weight,
Carry that weight a long time,
Girl you gotta carry that weight
Carry that weight for all time.

Sometimes they say Dunlop's disease
Is what we call it now,
When your spare tire hangs out that far
Don't need a belt no how
My waist has wasted more and more
Can't see the scales today
And while my jeans burst at the seams
I've got the guts to say....

CHORUS

They say its love handles
Or 'your full figured now'
Or 'your pleasingly plump'
Or 'you've filled out somehow'
Butt its a weighty matter
When you can't wear your shorts
Your navel's horizontal
And you feel out of sorts...

CHORUS

You know that old phrase middle aged
It's when your middle did
And as for all those thunder thighs
Who are you tryin' to kid
When you keep on bingin
On fast and fatty treats
You just end up becomin'
Exactly what you eat.

CHORUS

I'm now an ole weight watcher
Got it right out in front
But I can't see my toes no mo'
To be quite honest and too blunt
It's best to count the calories
Before they count you out
There may be more of you to love
But less is more no doubt.

CHORUS

God bless ole Richard Simmons
And Mr. Atkins too
Their tryin to help us avoid
The question---'when's it due?'
Ten seconds on the lips ain't worth
The cost you're gonna pay
Ten years on your hips
Will never go away.

CHORUS

Resolve yourself this season
To be like John Baptiste
Who fasted in the desert
And said he must decrease
This is a game where losers win
And winners never cheat
And so in 2000 and Nine
PLEASE WATCH JUST WHAT YOU EAT.

Chorus

BLOOD VESSELS

BLOOD VESSELS

'In Principio erat Verbum'

Chalice, Cup
Grail Goblet
Waiting Wine Glass---
Blood Vessels.

Plate,Patin
Wafer, Morsel
Beckoning Bread Basket--
Table Service.

Mere morsels
Or Bare Body?
Uncommon Cup
Or Challenging Chalice?

From Sacrifice
To Sacrament
From Sign to Symbol
From Servant to Service
Grace Comes a Calling

Blood Shed
Blood Transfusion
His Extinction
Our Distinction
By Intinction.

'You are what you Eat'

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IT'S A CERTAINTY-- 'DOUBT' IS OSCAR WORTHY

It is sometimes difficult to bring an excellent play to the big screen, but John Patrick Stanley has successfully brought both his Pulitzer Prize winning writing skills and his Tony Award for this story to the big screen, with an Oscar worthy cast-- Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams to name the principals. The movie is set in 1964, not long after John Kennedy's assasination. These were tumultuous times, with major winds of change for the Catholic Church, as Vatican II had begun in 1962 and carried on into 1965. But none of those changes could have foreseen the scandal that would fall upon the Catholic Church with the major revelations about priests and pederasty especially in the U.S.A. which would come some decades later. This movie provides something of a premonition of those later revelations--- or does it? You will have to decide for yourself.

The movie is certainly aptly named as it is dealing with the issue of certainty and doubt, very important issues for Christian folk. And the movie allows these issues to simmer, percolate, bubble up, and then subside only to resurface as the movie moves along for its one hour and 44 minutes. Though the movie is rated PG-13, one can only imagine this is because of the delicacy and incendiary nature of the subject, and not for what is actually seen or heard in the film itself. Perhaps as well it is because of the incendiary nature of the performances of Streep (her best in many years) and Hoffman who is equally compelling as Father Flynn.

In regard to the plot itself, here is the Miramax summary---

"It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools’ strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence."

Though the issues in this film may appear to be black and white, the movie itself is presented to us in shades of gray, because of that small matter of doubt. Where does Sister's Aloysius' certainty which she says she has come from? She says it comes from past experience, and she even admits to Father Flynn in one compelling scene that she also has committed a mortal sin. Is it an experienced woman's intuition about male lust? Is because she herself had been previously abused by a priest? We are never told, and then when she takes a calculated risk or bluff to 'out' Father Flynn she still gets no confession from him. We are not told in the end what the priest did or did not do with young Mr. Miller. In short, we too are left in doubt.

But then, that is what the movie hopes to implant in us all. The film begins with a scene where Father Flynn is preaching a homily, and its subject is precisely on doubt, and how it unites us all. This already gets Sister Aloysius's suspicions going. What kind of priest sees doubt as a good or humanizing thing? At one point in the film it is said that certainty is a feeling, something one senses, without having an adequate cognitive basis to support it. And this is in part correct.

There is indeed a difference between cognitive certainty, and assurance of something, which can involve both cognitive and affective elements. The author of Hebrews reminds us that 'faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and conviction about things not seen'. Faith inherently then involves trust, and not intellectual certainty. This theme is played like a round in this movie, without any final denoument or resolution.

One of the more interesting themes in the movie is developed when Sister Aloysius admits that in order to pursue a matter like 'outing a priest' one has to 'step away from trust and from God'. This is an interesting point, and the character of Sister James is meant to provide the counterpoint-- the trusting, naive soul, who nonetheless has some few suspicions, but deeply longs to believe in and trust Father Flynn.

Of course when you have an authoritarian structure like exists in the Catholic Church, it is very difficult for a person like a sister Aloysius, not in a power position to have challenged authority in 1964. And in the end, even Sister Aloysius has to admit, she too has her doubts. Only the all seeing eye of God knows all, which is precisely why only God should be the judge of any human soul. In regard to behavior however, the Bible is clear that we have every right to call one another to account if there is good reason to do so.

A theme not developed in this movie of course is the problems created in the Catholic Church by a requirement for a priest to be celibate in order to be a priest at all, that is unless he was called to the priesthood after already being married, a distinct rarity.

This movie hit home for me because of having spent some time with a priest who was in limbo, and on the way to being defrocked because of being accused by a boy of pederasty. In fact, he admitted not only the inclination, but even some form of the activity, while arguing he was baited into it, by a boy flaunting his manhood in a gym locker room, trying to tempt him to do something stupid. It was a sad, indeed horrible story I listened to, and this movie reminded me of it all over again. The priest should never have placed himself in a position where he could be tempted to fall, if he knew he had such a weakness. But in fact he did so, repeatedly.

And herein lies the cautionary tale for all religious authorities in positions of power--- the onus is entirely on you to maintain the proper boundaries in an inequitable power relationship such as that between a priest and an altar boy, or a minister and a choir director, or a teacher and a student. It does not matter if there is no age difference between the two persons in the relationship, what matters is the power inequity in the relationship, such that one person has control, and the other will have a difficult time saying no, especially if they want to keep their job, their position, their relationship with the powerful person. A priest or minister must not only err on the side of caution, their behavior needs to be above reproach, and if possible above suspicion. And on this matter I have no doubts. Nor do I about this movie--- almost every adult Christian needs to see this movie, and ruminate on it.

BW3

Love's Labor's Won

How do you measure a human heart?
By beats and chambers four?
By calculating capacity,
Or do you look for more?

Do you follow the Egyptians
Placing hearts upon a scale?
The ones that were the heaviest
Were those beyond the pale.

Or should we think like Hebrews
Who saw within the heart
The locus of thought, feeling, will
The place where ‘souls’ start?

Or should we heed the doctors
Who say its just a pump,
That keeps our lifeblood circulating
While listening to it thump?

But what of seers and sages
Who spoke so long ago.
And told us the heart is where God dwells
And love divine also?

Judging a heart is not a task
The faint of heart should try
There’s more to love than feelings
Much more than meets the eye.

And if we ask about love’s labors
And when they may be done
It is by loving others
That a true heart is won.

A CHRISTIAN WHO THINKS ATHEISM IS UNAMERICAN

And from the other end of the spectrum comes the story of a Baptist minister and his legal travails as he tries to inject God back into the public sphere. See what you think. BW3

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/us/04louisville.html?th&emc=th

AN ATHEIST WHO THINKS CHRISTIANITY IS GOOD FOR AFRICA

Here is an interesting article from the London Times kindly sent to me by Jim Foster written by an atheist who thinks Christianity is good for Africa. You'll be intrigued to see why. Here is the link.....see what you think. BW3

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

HOW TO MARRY A 'SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE'

You will not know any of the actors, nor indeed the setting in Mumbai (Bombay) unless you've been paying attention to the news of late or have been to India. You will not find appealing the setting, or many of the situations that Jamal Malik, a child of the Mumbai slums finds himself in, nor will you be glad you saw human degradation at it worst (hence the R ratings). But like a diamond found in a coal mine in the midst of mere lumps of coal, this movie is a gem in many ways, and a brave and brilliant testimony to the resillience of the human spirit. And if you like suspense, and also surprisingly happy or bittersweet endings, this is the movie for you.

Danny Boyle, a British director has teamed up with a group of actors whose sphere is Bollywood, the Indian equivalent to Hollywood, and the result is compelling story telling for a full two hours. Perhaps most impressive in this movie is the juxtaposition of Jamal's life story with the questions asked him when he manages to get himself on the Indian version of the Millionaire TV show. As the last line of the movie shows, the theme is 'it is written', that is that there is a karma, a fate, a destiny that is guiding the action in this story and its outcome, and in this respect one can find this film quite similar to Benjamin Button. And like in the case of Benjamin Button we are dealing with a person in Jamal Malik who is an engenue, an innocent caught up in a maelstrom not of his own making. Unlike his brother who chooses to go over to 'the dark side of the force' Jamal maintains his innocence, and his quest to find a girl he grew up, Latika, a girl he loves unconditionally. In desperation, having been separated from her several times, he chooses to go onto the Millionaire show in hopes she will see him and find him.

In some respects this story will be reminiscent of many of the Rudyard Kipling stories coming from and set in India, and it is a true rags to riches tale ('Rikki Tiki Tavi' comes to mind in some ways) It's just that there are a lot more rags in India to overcome especially if one is born a slumdog, and indeed Kipling's poem 'If' would be apt in this movie as well. There is a winsome quality to the story of children overcoming adult evil including adults who prey on children.

I have little doubt this film will get serious consideration for best picture of the year, and it may well be the first film, not merely made in India, but really starring Indian actors and Indian production that registers with Americans, though we have seen Ghandi and other such western uses of India as a setting for a film previously. Though this film is about children and young adults, I only recommend it for adults because of its graphic quality (no there is not a lot of violence and no explicit sex in the film). But it is a film well worth seeing, carefully constructed, and as the closing line of the film says --the outcome falls into the category of 'it is written'.

A NEW YEAR'S PRAYER FOR 2009

A NEW YEAR’S PRAYER FOR OUR NATION--- 2009

Lord God, maker of all that is good, and true and beautiful, all that is right, and righteous, and holy, all that is giving and forgiving and merciful, we entreat you on this day to have mercy on our nation America.

We confess to you that we have been self-centered, self-seeking, self-indulgent, self-absorbed. Sometimes we have even assumed that we are your favorite people, but Lord in our better moments we know that arrogance and ignorance dull our spiritual senses and cause us to over-estimate our standing with you, over-compensate for our own sense of being a young and inexperienced nation, and over-react to those who would do us harm.

How much of the bounty you have bestowed on us have we wasted in over-indulging ourselves, in greedy pursuits? How much of the largesse you have bequeathed have we wasted on fighting unnecessary wars, alienating both friend and foe, wasting our moral capital on pointless pursuits and vain strivings, all for little or naught. In the eyes of even our allies we need a complete makeover, but more importantly Lord, where do we stand in your eyes? Are you ashamed of your violent children who refuse to trust you and leave vengeance in your hands?
And now Lord we are experiencing correction, economically and otherwise. Help us to receive it as the discipline we need. Help us not to point fingers of blame at others, but ask ourselves--- Is it I Lord? Have I contributed to our being a debtor nation? Have I spent money like there was no tomorrow? Has my capital run through my hands like water through a sieve? Have I built my financial house on sand or on solid rock?

Forgive us Lord our sense of entitlement, our sense that it is ‘owed’ to us, often without hard work, without fulfilling the Genesis mandate. Forgive us for seeking short cuts to success, to wealth, to opulence—gambling, lotteries, and the like. Help us to remember Lord that work is a gift from you, and while ‘the workman is worthy of his hire’, we are not entitled to riches, or early retirement or pension, simply because we have worked hard. Forgive us our dishonesty Lord… for seeking ‘something for nothing’ for seeking compensation without real injury, for seeking good goods for little or no money, and thus driving out of our nation the artisans, the blue collar workers, the furniture makers, the textile experts, and many others. We are reaping what we have sowed Lord, and the fruit is bitter. We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves much less loved our enemies, but rather we have loved things more than we have loved people, and so we have used people to get the things we love, rather than the reverse.

And Lord what of our leaders? We remember the stories in Samuel about how Israel got the king that they deserved, rather than the leader that they needed. We ask Lord as we stand on the cusp of a new administration that we will have godly leaders equal to the awesome tasks we face with daunting troubles both at home and abroad. Give us patience with our leaders as they try to dig us out of the enormous holes we have dug ourselves into. Lord, remind us to pray for our leaders even when they exasperate us, perhaps especially when they exasperate us. Give us leaders that promote a culture of life, not death, peace not war, equity not privilege, justice and liberty for all, not just for privileged few. Give us leaders that will appeal to our best and most Christian instincts, not our worst ones, leaders who will make faith rather than fear based decisions about our drastic circumstances.
Lord we do hereby repent of all our sins as individuals and also as a nation, but help us to daily live out that repentance by actually turning away from the very things that made for debt, death, destruction, disaster, and the demise of our nation.
We know you are not finished with us yet, and there may yet be more painful corrections along the way, but Lord we take them all as tokens of your love, for we know you chasten those that you love so deeply, so that our relationship with you will not go forfeit, so that we will seek your face when all else around us is falling apart and the dark clouds loom.

We remember your promise ‘If my people who are called by my name will repent and turn to me….” and we cling to it, like a man clinging to a rope from a helicopter who is being rescued from a raging sea. Lord, teach us to truly put you first in all that we are and all that we have. Teach us the meaning of doing justice, loving loving kindness, and walking humbly with You.

Most of all, Lord, we ask in the New Year that your Son’s image might be better reflected in our demeanors, our behaviors, our beliefs. Lord we ask in the New Year that when the world looks at us, they may get a glimpse of you. And for us Lord we ask that we might see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly every single day of 2009.

In Your Blessed Name we Pray these things,

Amen.

BW3

"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"-- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

'Ars longa, vita brevis', is the Latin saying-- Art is long, life short, but it is not always true. In 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (PG-13), the 'ars' is rather 'longa', 167 minutes to be exact, which in some ways is a surprise since it is based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, but it is worth every moment of it. This movie involves an all star cast (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton amongst others), and a tale of epic proportions, reiminiscent in some ways of Forrest Gump in terms of its full life sweep and its decidedly southern setting (filmed and set in New Orleans, for the most part, Brad's recently adopted home town). The movie tells a story whose arc goes from 1918 until 2004 and Hurricane Katrina. Such is the curious life of Benjamin Button who is born old (though in the form of a new born) on the outside and gets progressively younger as the movie goes along, but on the inside he is aging normally, and finishes as an infant with dementia.

But a life is not summed up simply by adding up its number of years, and the tale of Benjamin Button is so much more than just the ticking of time's clock, even the clock in the New Orleans train station which was deliberately set up to run backwards. It is the tale of someone who was born different and remains different throughout his entire remarkable life. It is also a tale of pilgrim's regress and yet also his progress. What this film shows ever so clearly, is that aging or its reverse is not the real villain in life. Turning back the clock doesn't change human nature, and if one could do that, as this movie so admirably shows it would create more problems than it solves-- for one thing it would make it ever so difficult to have properly developing relationships and life long friends, much less finding a mate. There is a terrible aloneness to being Benjamin Button, even from birth when he certainly was not 'cute as a button'. Finding the fountain of youth, is after all not the same as finding the tree of everlasting life.

I have to tell you that Brad Pitt should certainly win an Oscar, and Cate Blanchett is marvelous as well. This is a very watchable movie, even if you are only watching them. But the movie is so much more than a star turn. And like in any good movie the cameo appearances and minor characters are interesting in and of themselves. The photography is grand, the sweep of the story is grand, there is tragedy and triumph.

Unlike the trite Forrest Gump message 'life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get (until you sample it)' the message here is that life is rich, varied, unpredictable, and indeed co-entailed, by which I mean so many events hinge on the previous happening of so many other little events. At one juncture this is called kismet or fate in the movie, at another, just bad timing, but the picture becomes clear that one is not master of one's own fate in any case.

All our lives are intertwined and so many things can intervene and irrevocably change the course of a life. Benjamin Button is not just along for the ride, he has some say, and control in what happens to him, but only some. But imagine a life where you do not learn who your father is until just before he dies, and then your own child has the same sort of experience through reading your diary, only this time it is the daughter who learns this news too late to make a big difference. If this is like a box of chocolates there are too many pits in the cherries in there.

One of the most beautiful aspects of this story is Benjamin Button's actual mother (not the birth mother but the one on whose doorstep he was left), a black woman who raised him with love, and faith, and all that makes for good parenting, and the development of their relationship across time. Here is a relationship that is strong and solid as a rock. When Thomas Button finally reveals who he is to Benjamin, and shows him the picture of his birth mother who died in childbirth, Benjamin simply walks out the door saying "I'm going home". Parenting is much more than biology, and home is much more than a house owned by one's ne'er-do-well father.

There is so much more I would like to tell you about this movie, but the most important thing is--- GO SEE IT. You will be enriched by it.

THE NEW TESTAMENT IN GOD'S PREFERRED VERSION

A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

The first volume of my two volume theology and ethics of the NT, will be out in 2009 with the second volume out in 2010 with Inter Varsity Press Here is the splendid cover design.

Joyeux Noel,

BW3

STILLE NACHT-- THE LEGEND OF CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES

THE REBIRTH OF WONDER

The following is another poem from my book 'The Living Legacy'
BW3


Jaded, Jaundiced
Left out in the cold,
Cynical, clinical
Tired of getting old
Looking for something,
More glittering than gold…
The rebirth of wonder.


Seeking, searching
Coming from afar
Reaching, lurching
Wishing on a star
Wise guys, shepherds
Bordering on bizarre
Where’s the boy wonder?

Child-like, crawling
Wide-eyed, on his knees
Compact, contact
With everything he sees
Babbling, bobbling
Hoping to believe
Wandering towards wonder.

Silence, science
Analysis complete
Seeing, being
Honest but discreet
Empirical evidence
Incarnation’s feat
Makes you wonder.

Believing’s seeing
Not blinded by the light
Seeing’s believing
Leaves one in the night
Longing, aching,
Couldn’t love be right?
Wonderfully contrite.


Unveiled, unabashed
Breaks into the world
Shattering the smatterings
Of reasons we have heard
‘Why it could never be,
Of course it is absurd’
Until she bore the Word.

Child birth, new birth
Coming from the womb
Fine wine, wonderbread
Placed upon the plate,
Revelation, consummation
Never out of date,
The rebirth of wonder.

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Christmas around the World

A PUZZLE FOR YOU. MATCH THE DESCRIPTION WITH THE APPROPRIATE PICTURE---
ENJOY BW3




















































Christmas at Rockefeller Center in New York Before the ball drops in Times Square, the Big Apple turns on its holiday charm with the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

A holiday tree is shown lit in front of the U.S. Capitol building. The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., is decorated with 3,000 ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. schoolchildren. Encircling evergreens in the 'Pathway of Peace' represent the 50 U.S. states.

Italy,Umbria, Gubbio town, Christmas tree on hillside mThe world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopesof Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy's Umbria region. Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire,the 'tree' is a modern marvel for an ancient city

A 100-meter tall Christmas tree is illuminated on the wall of a skyscraper. A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo's nighttime neon display is projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Czech Republic,Prague, Teyn Church at Christmas time. Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague's Old Town Square,and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains in the southern Czech Republic.

Glass Christmas tree in Murano. Venice 's Murano Island renowned throughout the world for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree in the world. Sculpted by master glass blower Simone Cenedese, the artistic Christmas tree is a modern reflection of the holiday season.

A Christmas tree is shining at the Manezh Square in Moscow. Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox calendar on Jan. 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical troika with the Snow Maiden. He and his helper deliver gifts under the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.

A 72-meter-tall Christmas tree stands at Praca do Comercio in Portugal. The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall)can be found in the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal. Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

Chapel in winter, christmas tree. 'Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree': Even in its humblest attire, aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany's Karwendel mountains, a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

Large Christmas tree inside the Galeries Lafayette. Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic. With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

Faithful surround the Christmas tree in St. Peters. In addition to the Vatican's heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square in Rome hosts a larger-than- life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

Christmas Tree at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol is dressed for a party. Madrid's two-week celebration makes millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec. 22, a lucky citizen will win El Gordo (the fat one), the world's biggest lottery.

Trafalgar Square at night with Christmas tree, London. A token of gratitude for Britain's aid during World War II,the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square has been the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947.

The Romer and Christmas tree at night in Frankfurt, Germany Frankfurt's city hall since 1405 is shown.

Three trees in forest decorated with lights, location unknown.

ON LOVING YOUR CELL PHONE TO DEATH

In the latest you've got to be kidding, in funerary trends, funeral directors are now telling us that people currently under 40 are increasingly requesting to be buried with their cellphones, or in some cases with their Ipods or Xbox games.

“It really started happening within the last five or six years,” says Frank Perman, owner and funeral director of Frank R. Perman Funeral Home, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa. “But I expect it to grow exponentially, especially with the price of technology getting so low. It’s not that big of a deal to bury somebody’s cell phone.”

“I’ve seen family members place iPod earphones on the decedent and play songs as the casket closed,” says Pam Vetter, a Los Angeles funeral planner who helps create more personalized services for families.

“It’s comforting to the family to think mom’s playing her iPod or dad’s still got the cell phone that was attached to his ear all the time,” she said. “It’s comforting to think those things are still with them.”

The notion of staying connected also seems to play into being buried with one’s mobile. In an article worth reading by Diane Mapes at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28182292//wid/11915829?GT1=40006 we find the following quotes:

“I’ve seen people leave cell phones on and tell me they’re going to call their loved one later,” says Vetter. “Not that anyone will answer, but they want to have that connection. I’m sure the family gathers around the phone when they call. They feel connected with that person because it’s their phone, but at the same time it helps them realize that a death has occurred.”

"When Manhattan criminal defense attorney John Jacobs died in 2005, his wife, Marion Seltzer, not only buried him with his phone and a fully charged battery, she continues to pay the monthly phone bill and even calls him on occasion (since the battery’s now dead, the calls immediately go into Jacobs’ voicemail)."

I would suggest that among other things this reflects a hope for, and even in some cases a belief in the afterlife, however weird the conception of it. But if it is a manifestation of a delusion, namely that the person is not really dead and gone, then its not a healthy thing.

This practice of being buried with a cellphone could have come in handy in the late Middle Ages in Ireland when heavy drinkers sometimes went comatose from drinking too much from lead tumblers, resulting in lead poisoning leaving the person apparently dead. Precisely because people weren't sure if Uncle Ian was dead or not, they would lay him out on the table in the parlor for a 'wake', to quite literally wait and see if he would awake. By the way, having the body in the parlor in the home is where the phrase funeral parlor originally came from. But when a sufficient time had elapsed, Uncle Ian would be buried. Unfortunately, sometimes real drunks were buried alive, only to wake up under ground. This was discovered in one Irish county when an ancient graveyard had to be moved. In moving a casket, the lid came open and fingernail scratches were found on the inside of the lid of the wooden casket. Thereafter, a string was tied to a finger of the deceased, and if it twitched, it would ring a small bell in the graveyard. Such a person was called a dead- ringer, and it was also said that he was 'saved by the bell'. But what if the person awoke at night, when all were sleeping? To remedy this problem, the church would put someone on night watch for a couple of days in the graveyard. The person was said to work, 'the graveyard shift'.

At Christmas, when we try to get to the bottom or source of things, even grave matters, it is apparently comforting to some to know that we can be buried with our technology, It would have been better to have had one's cellphone send an instant text message to Jesus upon expiring. The message would read--- 'Here I am Lord, beam me up', or perhaps, "Construction completed, thanks for your patience. This person ready for immediate pick-up.Lord have mercy."

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THE DESPERATE TALE OF DESPEREAUX

First a little background info, courtesy of Amazon. Here is what they say about the author and the fairy tale book, which is the basis of the movie 'The Tale of Despereaux':

"Kate DiCamillo, author of the Newbery Honor book "Because of Winn-Dixie", spins a tidy tale of mice and men where she explores the "powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous" nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. Her old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated "Dear Reader"-style, begins "within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse." Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouselike spirit that leads the unusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.

The first book of four tells Despereaux's sad story, where he falls deeply in love with Princess Pea and meets his cruel fate. The second book introduces another creature who differs from his peers--Chiaroscuro, a rat who instead of loving the darkness of his home in the dungeon, loves the light so much he ends up in the castle& in the queen's soup. The third book describes young Miggery Sow, a girl who has been "clouted" so many times that she has cauliflower ears. Still, all the slow-witted, hard-of-hearing Mig dreams of is wearing the crown of Princess Pea. The fourth book returns to the dungeon-bound Despereaux and connects the lives of mouse, rat, girl, and princess in a dramatic denouement.

Children whose hopes and dreams burn secretly within their hearts will relate to this cast of outsiders who desire what is said to be out of their reach and dare to break "never-to-be-broken rules of conduct." Timothy Basil Ering's pencil illustrations are stunning, reflecting DiCamillo's extensive light and darkness imagery as well as the sweet, fragile nature of the tiny mouse hero who lives happily ever after. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson"

Several points about this precis: 1) note that this is a story about grief and forgiveness, and a bit about redemption as well that is written for 9-12 year olds, not small children. The same can be said for the movie, the message of which will go right over the heads of the kids, and, at least in movie form develops in too slow and plodding a fashion to keep younger children's attention; 2) Note that we are talking about four little books and stories, which while inter-related are nevertheless not a continuous narrative. And herein lies the basic problem for the movie-- it tries to turn all four into one narrative, with far too much lead in material and far too little climax and denouement. It's too bad because this could have been a wonderful movie that focused on fewer topics to greater effect.

Now for some facts about the movie. It is G rated, so deemed suitable for everyone, though there are some scary rat scenes in the movie. Secondly the movie seems quite long (and by children's movie standards today it is long, some 2 hours) and it offers not enough humor or really compelling action to keep the story humming along in a cheerful way. It has some recognizable voices as well-- Sigourney Weaver as the narrator, Dustin Hoffman as the lead Rat--Chiaroscuro, and Matthew Broderick, as well as others. And to offer more good news, whilst the drawing of the Sow story characters makes them look like refugees from Shrek, the drawing of Despereaux is, in equal turns charming and beautiful, and his character is equally winsome. But alas even he cannot rescue this movie, and there is honestly not enough of him in the movie. Too little time is also spent on the chef and his soup, and the one really comic character in the story-- the walking V-8 collection of vegetables that is the chef's muse. For the Kingdom of Dor, Soup day, had even eclipsed Christmas, but alas instead of this movie ending with a grand celebration of soup and food, ala Ratatouille, we are left with king rat drifting out to sea. In some ways this is a metaphor for this whole movie--- somewhat adrift. It has however some fine elements.

For one thing, Di Camillo writes beautifully, and so the narrator's bits bring us something we seldom see in children's movies these days--- excellent prose of the 'once upon a time variety', even if occasionally somewhat antique. For another thing, the exploration of powerful emotions, including fear, grief and forgiveness, are notable themes, too seldom explored in children's tales. Di Camillo has some good things to say on these subjects, including the notion that forgiveness is more powerful than grief. More time however is given to the courage vs. fear tandem, under the banner "are you a man or a mouse", and clearly Despereaux is not your ordinary mouse--- he will not scurry or cower, even when taught to do so. He has an insatiable curiosity, and indeed he fancies himself a gentleman. The subliminal message of 'you can be what you can imagine yourself to be' can only be pushed so far, because in the end, Despereaux remains a mouse who does not marry a princess, and Ms. Sow remains a working girl, who does not become a princess, despite her dreams. Living happily ever after in this movie is not about achieving one's dreams, but settling for less.

I must admit to having had great hopes for this long advertised movie in a post-Ratatouille world. Alas, it turned out more of a tale of "who moved or stole my cheese" that I was looking and hoping for. The reviews of this movie are equally divided, and not surprisingly so, since there is so little good Christmas fare out there this year. Kate's earlier story turned movie 'Because of Winn Dixie' was a better film for sure.

My word to you is, this may be the best family movie to see this Christmas, and it has some delightful elements and will do no harm, but it will leave you longing for more--- sort of like Despereaux himself.

OBAMA PICKS RICK WARREN FOR INVOCATION-- A STORM OF PROTEST ENSUES

In a move that suggests that Obama does indeed intend to try to be everyone's President, the President elect named Rick Warren to say the invocation at his inauguration. Here is the link to the story---

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/us/politics/18inaug.html?th&emc=th

The reaction today to this move was predicable as protests came from both the gay and lesbian lobby on one hand and from conservatives as well, but for different reasons. The gay and lesbian lobby of course was angry because of Warren's strong opposition to gay and lesbian marriage and support for Proposition 8. Some of the vitriolic gay response revealed the ugly face of gay and lesbian stridency and strong arm tactics to try and force their views on the majority of Americans who do not agree with them on their key issues.

But it would be hard to say that that response was uglier than the response of those Christians who are angry with Warren, their own fellow conservative Christian, for agreeing to PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT ELECT, in view of Obama's pro-choice views in regard to abortion. As Obama said however at his press conference today, Americans need to learn to be civil towards one another, and learn how to disagree without being disagreeable and ugly. In the case of Christians the issue is whether one can disagree and not do it in an unChristian manner. One thing is clear-- controversial appointments and actions do indeed smoke out people's real views and feelings, and often those feelings are subChristian at best, and positively carnal at worst.

Tell me how you respond to this story.

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CHRISTMAS OUTSIDE THE LINES--- WITH DR. J.

There is an enormously poignant story about Julius Erving and his long lost daughter Alexandra Stevenson by Tom Friend as a featured story on ESPN's award-winning show 'Outside the Lines'. Here is the link to the script of the story, and some video highlights as well----http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=drjandalexandra

It will show up as a TV broadcast next Sunday morning Dec. 21 at 9.a.m. on ESPN. It is a story, often sad, but also with hope and reconciliation about what happens when a celebrity commits adultery and has a child outside of wedlock, and then longs for forgiveness and reconciliation after the fact. So many have loved Dr. J through the years, and still do--- witness his recent Dr. Pepper commercials. But there is another side of the man, a man who cheated on his wife of many years Turquoise, several times, and on more than one occasion it led to the birth of a child--- in this case Alexandra Stevenson, a budding tennis player on the women's circuit. What I find especially moving about this whole story is Alexandra's willingness to forgive a father who had really no part in her life before she was 18, a father whom she still has trouble calling 'Dad'. For you see it takes more than paternity to make a real father, a real Dad. And this case it takes real forgiveness before the 60 something Julius Erving could even begin to be a Dad to Alexandra. Read the story and see what you think.

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