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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Julie?
 This past Friday night, Steph and decided to rent a couple movies. Being the nice gentlemenly fellow
that I am, we picked up what was sure to be a terrible chick flick - Julie and Julia. The film follows the supposedly parallel (and true) stories of two women with similar names (Julia Child and Julie
Powell) who shared a love of cooking. One wrote a book on it (Child) and one decided to cook through the entire book in a
year (Powell). And you know what? The movie wasn't terrible. Oh, don't get me wrong - it wasn't good either - but it's tough
to not fall in love with Amy Adams, and anything with Meryl Streep (a.k.a. the greatest actress in the history of Hollywood)
is worth your time. So, being the curious type, I decided to do some internet searching to see just how much of the story
was really true.
It was then that I recieved quite the dissapointment - while the film's plot was basically what
happened, the main character herself was anything but an accurate depiction of real life. There were some obvious, and, um,
unscrupulous details left out, and the actual Julie Powell is so unlike Amy Adams that the producers didn't allow the two to meet until after the movie was finished! Otherwise, you know, Adams would be confused as to why she was playing this character
at all.
The sad truth was that the whole thing was a fake. The character that was largely responsible for making
the movie watchable was the biggest discrepancy between the real story and the cinematic version (which, I suppose, was why
the character was changed so dramatically).
All this got me thinking - what if someone made a movie of my life?
I mean, besides the fact that the writer would be fired for coming up with such an obviously boring story (I mean, really
- who wants to know anything about a preacher in a small town in Missouri? Exactly.), there are a few details I would hope
the writer would leave out. After all, I'm not always the nicest or most thoughtful guy in the world, and that's not the way
preachers should be. And I often say things that border on inappropriate during my sermons (remember the 'pancake batter'
line a couple weeks ago?), and if I'm going to be in a movie, those will have to be removed. Furthermore, there's a skeleton
or twelve in my closet that no one needs to know about, so we'll just leave them be.
I suppose that if any one
of us were to reveal who we really are to those around us, we'd be surprised at the reaction. That's why when the Bible talks about us being justified by God, we should really get excited. To be justified by God means to be made clean - it's
'just as if I'd never sinned.' When we're justified through our faith in Jesus, God doesn't look at us as if we're the sum
of our past mistakes and failures. Instead, he sees us as perfect and holy, and he looks at us at our best. Covered by what
Jesus has done, we're made brand new. It's like the movie version of our lives, only if that were actually the case.
This Christmas, as you're dressing in your holiday best and putting on a brave face for friends and family who just want
to hear that 'everything's fine,' remember that in God's eyes, everything really IS fine. You don't have to feel bad anymore,
and you don't have to carry around the burden of your past. Through Jesus, you're justified, and that means you're just like
Amy Adams playing the role of Julie Powell.
In other words, you're not half bad!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Coat
 As an unfashionable person, there are certain things I avoid doing on my own. For example, I never,
ever buy shoes. Why? For one, I haven't needed to in literally three years, and for two, I have no earthly idea what shoes
go well with the clothes that I wear. So, when I have to buy shoes, I always employ the help of my wife. And it's not just
shoes - this goes for jeans, glasses, shirts that aren't of bands, and even underwear. Truth be told, the only real items
of clothing I choose for myself are my baseball caps, and even those were pre-approved by the misses (note: this does not
mean I'm whipped. It just means I'd rather not look like a moron).
With that said, it should come as
no surprise that my wife buys my coats for the winter. And since the coat I've worn for years isn't 'nice' looking (who knew?)
my wife 'surprised' me with a new coat last month (note #2: wives, if you're gone for the weekend and exicitedly tell your
husband you have a surprise for him that you're excited about, it's best if it's something slightly more exciting than a coat.
Seriously). The coat itself is certainly nice, is ridiculously warm, and I have to admit, I think I look pretty good in it
- only slightly less pretentious than Captain Serious Look above. There's only one problem: it's IMPOSSIBLE to keep it clean.
The coat is black and mainly wool, so it looks great... from ten feet away. Get any closer, and you'll notice
that it's covered all over in fuzz, dust and dog hair. And right now you're thinking, 'Drew - just get a lint roller,' to
which I reply, 'there doesn't exist a lint roller powerful enough to clean this stupid thing.' Yesterday, I literally spent
fifteen minutes trying to defuzz my stupid coat so I didn't look like a goon, and after those fifteen minutes, I think the
coat looked worse.
The thing is, though, that while this is irritating, it's hardly a huge deal. After all, if
you're judging me on the amount of lint on my coat, chances are solid I don't want to be your friend. Unfortunately, though,
my coat is an awful lot like a whole bunch of people I've known. You know them too: from the outside looking in, they've got
a perfect life. Their marriage is great, their kids are perfect, and every day is filled with the whole family playing board
games in front of the fire with their perfectly mannered dog at their feet.
Of course, no one's perfect, and so
if you get closer than arm's length to these people, you'll see the truth - they're dirty. I can say this with confidence,
because EVERYONE has problems, and no one has life figured out. And just because you haven't committed 'really bad' sins doesn't
mean you're morally good either - next to God's standard, we all fail.
That's why we all need Jesus so badly in
our lives. Just like me trying to use a lint roller on my coat, when we try to clean ourselves up on our own, we tend
to make it worse. And you may be able to fool people who don't see you up close, but you're not going to be able to fool God.
You may seem perfect, but God sees the real you from a mile away. The good news, though, is that while God sees your imperfection,
he wants you to put on Jesus like you would a new coat, one that's clean from wherever you see it.
And that, friends, I'm sure my wife would
approve of!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Oh No! The Ice is Melting!
So there I was, minding my own business, attempting to enjoy another Monday afternoon, blissfully considering
what a great time of year this is, when I was taken from my happy bliss and thrust into a cold, harsh reality. Well,
actually, it's not that cold, which I suppose is the problem: the polar ice may be gone by 2015. And that's not just bad news for polar bears and penguins, as I imagine the delicate balance of this planet would be effected
from an event that dramatic.
I know. Shocking. Of course, today, I felt better when I read this article, which, among other things, claimed that Mr. Gore exaggerated a thing or seven when making his doomsday speech. And that
website is certainly reputable, as shown by the 'Femail Today' articles linked from the page.
Here's the deal:
I'll be the first person to admit that I know little to nothing about Global Warming. Oh, sure, I watched 'An Inconvenient
Truth,' but that was just so I could use it in a couple sermons. But other than that, I've steered clear of the issue, since,
for some strange reason, it seems like a politically charged topic. As far as I can tell, here's what we know for sure: some
people believe that human beings are slowly killing the planet and have all sorts of scientific evidence to back it up. On
the other hand, other people believe that the first group is ridiculous, that the whole thing is a hoax, and they have scientific
evidence to back what they're saying. Oh yeah, and depending on your political affiliation, you're contractually obligated
to fall on the side of those you typically vote for.
Now, this is not to make light of the issue. Clearly, we
could do more to live responsibly, and obviously, we've known littering is bad ever since we saw the Native American cry on
that commercial from the 70s. And you know what? Global Warming could very well be a threat that will render this planet uninhabitable
before little Johnny graduates high school here in the next decade. I don't know. But here's what I do know: you and I shouldn't
be afraid of what anyone claims when it comes to the destruction of the world we call 'Earth.'
The fact is that
we serve a God who has all this under control, and he promised that before everything is said and done in this life, he would return. And for you and I, that means one thing: our concern
for our spiritual well being should trump any concern we have for this planet. If we're right with God, whenever and however
the end comes, we'll be completely prepared to spend eternity where we belong - with Him.
So I guess I'm not really
concerned with whether or not Al Gore's crystal ball is more accurate today than it was ten years ago, because I have someone
I can trust in, come hell, high water, or a massive hole in the ozone layer that causes a worldwide cataclysmic event that
rivals anything Jerry Bruckheimer has ever imagined.
And that truth, friends, is anything but inconvenient!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
'Some Random Dude With An Acoustic Guitar'
 It was to be the pinnacle of my concert going life, and I could not have been more excited: it
was the Summer of 2002, and Weezer was on tour. Weezer, as I've chronicled before is the reason I listen to music as religiously
as I do, and more than any other artist, has influenced my own guitar playing (if right now you're thinking, 'great - THAT'S
who to blame!' then you need to back off. Thanks). Well, growing up in the great state of Indiana had one drawback: the Weez
never played there. Despite their grueling touring schedule, they literally never played anywhere near Crawfordsville, Indiana
for nearly a decade. And so, when I discovered they'd be headlining a tour that would come through Indianapolis, I just about
did a backflip.
Well, the night of the show was both exhilarating and excruciating. On the one hand, I couldn't
have been more excited to see my musical idols live for the first time; on the other, there was more than two hours of music
I didn't want to listen to before Weezer played. And I'm not sure, but I think that two hours was four to six times longer
than any other two hour period of time in my entire life. It wasn't that the music was bad, per se - it just wasn't Weezer.
One of those opening bands, the act right before Weezer, appeared to me as some random dude with an acoustic guitar
(see above). Sure, he had a backing band, but the tunes were carried by what I thought was a wannabe punk who got lost on
the way to his GAP commercial. I hadn't heard any of what he was playing, and I can't remember anything other than complaining
for the sixty minutes he played.
Fast forward to 2009: Weezer releases, 'Raditude,' their third straight disappointing
album. Meanwhile, 'some random dude with an acoustic guitar' is actually Chris Carrabba, the frontman of Dashboard Confessional,
who, in the last seven years have become a band that I actually like a lot. And their brand new record, 'Alter the Ending' is absolutely fantastic. It's not just good; it's great, and any fan of pop rock should be listening to it.
Here's
the point: I'd give anything to go back in time and give Dashboard a chance when I could. They were right there, they played
for an hour, and truth be told, and this point in my life, I'd probably rather listen to them than Weezer. Unfortunately,
I was so distracted by Weezer, I completely missed out.
I hope and pray we don't do the same this Christmas season.
It can be easy to get lost in presents and plans, in commercials and consumerism that we miss out on Jesus. The reason is
simple: come December 26, the vast majority of our Christmas plans will be over and done, and all we'll have left is a memory.
Jesus, though, is the same on December 25 as he is on December 26, and while Christmas may be a day to represent his birth,
we can have a personal relationship with him twelve months a year.
Right now, Jesus is available to each one of
us, and it'd sure be a shame to miss out on what's right in front of our noses. After all, Christmas may be as exciting as
as a 2002 concert with Weezer was for me, but years down the road, the value of knowing Jesus will outweigh any excitment
of today.
And after all - Jesus is a whole lot cooler than some random dude with an acoustic guitar.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Catch a Tiger By the Tail...
 I'm not sure if you've heard or not, since it hasn't been much of a news
story, but this past weekend, Tiger Woods was in a car accident just outside his Florida home. If this is the first you've
heard of this, I'll give you a moment to regain your composure. You good? Good.
In the aftermath of the accident,
the story became about something much more than just a traffic stop, and while the damage caused by the crash (and its subsequent
$164 ticket for reckless driving) was minimal, the damage to Tiger's reputation was enormous. Almost immediately, rumors of
infidelity in Woods' marriage surfaced, and by the beginning of this week, the story was about a domestic dispute, two women
who weren't his wife, and potential criminal charges for assault. In the words of Ron Burgundy, that escalated quickly.
And yet, this morning, after reading the statement he released in which he basically admits to adultery and apologizes, I can't help but feel a surprising emotion: sympathy.
It's true - at this moment, I truly feel sorry for the greatest athlete on the planet. And it's not just because of the
media vultures who have done their darndest to rip his family and life apart (though I can't describe how disgusted they make
me). Actually, I feel sorry for Tiger Woods because everything he's worked for to this point in his life can't help him.
Greatest golfer in history? Most marketable athlete since Jordan? Huge wedding to a Swedish model?
More money than he can even count? Ok. Great. But none of those things can help him be a good father or husband,
and none of those things can put his marriage and family back together. At this point, all the riches and accolades
that he's accrued mean absolutely nothing. He is, right now, just a normal human being, a flawed person who's made mistakes
that have put what's actually important in his life in jeopardy.
And I know how he feels; we all do. We've
all made mistakes we're ashamed of, and we've all been humiliated when the worst of our lives come to light to the people
we love. So, I hope he can find peace from the same place I've found, the place we can all find peace. Jesus taught
his disciples about this very principle when he was on earth, that gaining the whole world means absolutely nothing if
we lose our souls. As he put it,
"Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.
What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?"
- Mark 8:36-37, The Message
Tiger Woods' life is not over, anymore than ours are when we make mistakes. But
it does no good for him, or anyone else, to have everything in this life at the cost of spiritual freedom and peace.
So more than just sympathy, I truly hope that Tiger knows this, and I hope that his life is about more than just the things
he's built up on this earth.
After all, nothing here is worth trading your soul for.
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