To celebrate, we watched on of my all-time favorite flicks, appropriately titled...Groundhog Day.
The main character goes through a profound transformation over the course of the film, and the key truning point in his life comes when he recognizes the virtue in a woman he's been trying to woo unsuccessfully. He stops trying to win her and starts trying to become like her, with dramatic results.
A funny film with a good moral and a great lesson about the power of a role model.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
The Shrine Next Door
This review points to a book that looks very helpful in understanding Chinese religion.
For Christians, two aspects of particular importance:
One, we need to understand how other cultures perceive God and human relations with God. The Chinese understanding starts from a very different reference point from the Christian understanding.
It would be easy for a Chinese person to adopt the outward forms of Christianity because they see it working for other people, while at the same time their inner understanding of who God is and what he wants from them has not really been affected.
Understanding Chinese religion gets us to the inner motivation of how they perceive their relationship with God so that we can communicate the meaning of Jesus' life more effectively.
Two, learning about the history of religion and its practices in China will help us understand the Chinese government's attitude towards religion. My experience is that the government is not particularly anti-Christian, but is afraid of any kind of secret movement, and especially suspicious of religious ones.
"One stark continuity with modern China strikes those who have heard about the persecution of house church Christians: Government leaders have always feared popular religious movements. Not only because Buddhist- and Daoist-inspired uprisings have on several occasions nearly toppled the throne, but because local religion resists government control."
For Christians, two aspects of particular importance:
One, we need to understand how other cultures perceive God and human relations with God. The Chinese understanding starts from a very different reference point from the Christian understanding.
It would be easy for a Chinese person to adopt the outward forms of Christianity because they see it working for other people, while at the same time their inner understanding of who God is and what he wants from them has not really been affected.
Understanding Chinese religion gets us to the inner motivation of how they perceive their relationship with God so that we can communicate the meaning of Jesus' life more effectively.
Two, learning about the history of religion and its practices in China will help us understand the Chinese government's attitude towards religion. My experience is that the government is not particularly anti-Christian, but is afraid of any kind of secret movement, and especially suspicious of religious ones.
"One stark continuity with modern China strikes those who have heard about the persecution of house church Christians: Government leaders have always feared popular religious movements. Not only because Buddhist- and Daoist-inspired uprisings have on several occasions nearly toppled the throne, but because local religion resists government control."
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Christian Audio
"Thoughtful Christian Audio"
Just found this great website that offers a free Christian audio book download each month.
Just found this great website that offers a free Christian audio book download each month.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Media Bias Is Real, Finds UCLA Political Scientist...
According to this article, there are some "surpirsing findings" here.
"there is a quantifiable and significant bias in that nearly all of them lean to the left,"
And they mean nearly ALL of them!
Of 20 outlets surveyed for their coverage over the past ten years, 18 were found leaning to the left, 1 centrist, and 1 to the right!
Now this is no surprise to me and my wife, who used to have the bumper sticker "I Don't Believe the Liberal Media."
"there is a quantifiable and significant bias in that nearly all of them lean to the left,"
And they mean nearly ALL of them!
Of 20 outlets surveyed for their coverage over the past ten years, 18 were found leaning to the left, 1 centrist, and 1 to the right!
Now this is no surprise to me and my wife, who used to have the bumper sticker "I Don't Believe the Liberal Media."
Saturday, January 21, 2006
My Take on Broken Flowers
Kimberly and I saw this movie last night. It was my choice, I really like Bill Murray.
The ads for this movie made it seem to me like a blend between Lost in Translation and Sideways.
And it was. Slow, not much dialogue, kind of washed-out cinematography, a repetitive jazz track, very mundane. With no explicit moral.
I really liked it. Kimberly really didn't like it.
"Is that all? What's the point?!!" she wanted to know when the credits ran.
But the movie was interesting. It kept me wondering, what's going on inside his head? What is he learning from all this? How is he changing?
It's very understated, so you have to read between the lines.
Here's my take. It's a commentary on a life of dissipation. He's lived for himself, making no commitments or lasting attachments, and seems to not care about anything or anybody.
By the end of the movie, there's a kind of realization that he really wishes he had some connection. But he's wasted his life so far, and can't do anything about all of those years that he might have invested in building meaningful relationships.
His life is really shallow and uninteresting.
A great commentary on the value of investing in relationships, especially family, and a real indictment on the culture of me, that ultimately ends in emptiness.
The ads for this movie made it seem to me like a blend between Lost in Translation and Sideways.
And it was. Slow, not much dialogue, kind of washed-out cinematography, a repetitive jazz track, very mundane. With no explicit moral.
I really liked it. Kimberly really didn't like it.
"Is that all? What's the point?!!" she wanted to know when the credits ran.
But the movie was interesting. It kept me wondering, what's going on inside his head? What is he learning from all this? How is he changing?
It's very understated, so you have to read between the lines.
Here's my take. It's a commentary on a life of dissipation. He's lived for himself, making no commitments or lasting attachments, and seems to not care about anything or anybody.
By the end of the movie, there's a kind of realization that he really wishes he had some connection. But he's wasted his life so far, and can't do anything about all of those years that he might have invested in building meaningful relationships.
His life is really shallow and uninteresting.
A great commentary on the value of investing in relationships, especially family, and a real indictment on the culture of me, that ultimately ends in emptiness.
Friday, January 20, 2006
End of the Spear Recommendation
A friend just wrote me with this recommendation -
A major film, called End Of The Spear, will be launched January 20. I believe God will use it in a big way. It depicts the effects of the grace of God in very powerful and spectacular ways.
The story begins in 1956, when five Christian missionaries (Jim Elliot was among them) gave their lives in an Ecuadorian jungle, attempting to bring the gospel to the Waodani stone-age people. At that time they were the most violent tribe on Earth -- and yet they became the most loving and peaceful!
The missionaries made friendly contact, but something went terribly wrong. The Waodani speared them to death. A tragedy? Yes, but God turns everything to good, for the blessing of many and for His glory, and this was no exception.
God used this tragedy to motivate more people to become missionaries than any other event in modern history -- perhaps ever. He also used two women to complete the work of the five martyred missionaries, bringing the Waodani to himself. So the deaths of those five men did more to advance the kingdom of God than their lives ever could.
God’s ways are so great!
But the story doesn’t end there. It seems God is about to use the tragedy that happened 50 years ago to help others know Christ in our day, using The End Of The Spear. It is a major motion picture (production cost $12 million) that tells the story of God’s grace from the perspective of the Waodoni.
Making it even easier, great resources are provided. A Google search for “End Of The Spear” will yield several excellent web sites, including www.endofthespear.com . Then there is a special web site for Christians at http://www.daretomakecontact.com/. It offers lots of helps to help us promote the film and make it a huge success. You’ll really get the flavor of the film by watching the trailer.
By the way, the producers of End Of The Spear is Bearing Fruit Communications http://www.bearingfruit.org/About/. They have more plans in the works to advance the gospel through similar means. Find them on their web site.
A major film, called End Of The Spear, will be launched January 20. I believe God will use it in a big way. It depicts the effects of the grace of God in very powerful and spectacular ways.
The story begins in 1956, when five Christian missionaries (Jim Elliot was among them) gave their lives in an Ecuadorian jungle, attempting to bring the gospel to the Waodani stone-age people. At that time they were the most violent tribe on Earth -- and yet they became the most loving and peaceful!
The missionaries made friendly contact, but something went terribly wrong. The Waodani speared them to death. A tragedy? Yes, but God turns everything to good, for the blessing of many and for His glory, and this was no exception.
God used this tragedy to motivate more people to become missionaries than any other event in modern history -- perhaps ever. He also used two women to complete the work of the five martyred missionaries, bringing the Waodani to himself. So the deaths of those five men did more to advance the kingdom of God than their lives ever could.
God’s ways are so great!
But the story doesn’t end there. It seems God is about to use the tragedy that happened 50 years ago to help others know Christ in our day, using The End Of The Spear. It is a major motion picture (production cost $12 million) that tells the story of God’s grace from the perspective of the Waodoni.
Making it even easier, great resources are provided. A Google search for “End Of The Spear” will yield several excellent web sites, including www.endofthespear.com . Then there is a special web site for Christians at http://www.daretomakecontact.com/. It offers lots of helps to help us promote the film and make it a huge success. You’ll really get the flavor of the film by watching the trailer.
By the way, the producers of End Of The Spear is Bearing Fruit Communications http://www.bearingfruit.org/About/. They have more plans in the works to advance the gospel through similar means. Find them on their web site.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
ChristianityTodayMovies.com: Christian Movie Reviews, Movie News, & Film Commentary
Here's a helpful website, reviewing movies from a spiritual standpoint.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Words for the Year
No, not podcast (ha!).
The Lord has given me a couple of words for my life this year: organization and communication.
I'm a pretty extroverted person and most of my work involves building up people. I'm good at facilitating groups and coaching individuals.
However, my time with people could be more effective if I was better organized. And my communication would also be a lot more effective.
So I'm going to devote more attention this year to building my organizational foundation and increasing my communication so that I can be more effective in serving God and people!
The Lord has given me a couple of words for my life this year: organization and communication.
I'm a pretty extroverted person and most of my work involves building up people. I'm good at facilitating groups and coaching individuals.
However, my time with people could be more effective if I was better organized. And my communication would also be a lot more effective.
So I'm going to devote more attention this year to building my organizational foundation and increasing my communication so that I can be more effective in serving God and people!
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Fastest Growing Websites
Wow! Things can change so quickly with the state of modern technology. 2005 is the first year I've been blogging, listening to podcasts, and posting photos on the internet.
At least I thought I waskeeping up. Now I realize that I haven't even heard of the fastest-growing websites.
"Comparing all sites with at least 1 million visitors in November, the PhotoBucket photo-sharing site saw the largest growth — a 16-fold increase to 15.6 million visitors, from 983,000 last year.
Social networking sites MySpace and Facebook had the second- and third-highest growth, respectively."
At least I thought I waskeeping up. Now I realize that I haven't even heard of the fastest-growing websites.
"Comparing all sites with at least 1 million visitors in November, the PhotoBucket photo-sharing site saw the largest growth — a 16-fold increase to 15.6 million visitors, from 983,000 last year.
Social networking sites MySpace and Facebook had the second- and third-highest growth, respectively."
Poll: Americans Need High-Tech Gadgets
Can anyone relate to this statement: "The Internet connection is my lifeline."
Haha! I feel like that! I thank God I live in an age when I can learn more about the world than anyone ever before. I can live anywhere and be a citizen of the world.
Haha! I feel like that! I thank God I live in an age when I can learn more about the world than anyone ever before. I can live anywhere and be a citizen of the world.
Monday, December 12, 2005
What we crave - simplicity
Anybody else think "It's about time?!" I am frustrated with increasingly bloated software programs that can do 999 things I don't know about or care about, and which make it so hard to find the way to do the 3 things I really want to do.
"Think of it as option fatigue. Why fumble with one of five remotes when you can press one button, and voil�, it works! Simplicity is the latest buzz in management and design. With the need to work faster and better, who has the time for owners’ manuals?
"Thus a new premium is being accorded to ease of use. The iPod nano nails it. Complexity has become a hazard in pushing products. The new trend is to strip things down to their basics and make products intuitive. In 2005, less was more."
"Think of it as option fatigue. Why fumble with one of five remotes when you can press one button, and voil�, it works! Simplicity is the latest buzz in management and design. With the need to work faster and better, who has the time for owners’ manuals?
"Thus a new premium is being accorded to ease of use. The iPod nano nails it. Complexity has become a hazard in pushing products. The new trend is to strip things down to their basics and make products intuitive. In 2005, less was more."
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Fascinating Football Facts
USC really has an incredible combination of talent in its two star players. They could accomplish something that has never been done before in college football.
"If Bush wins the award, he and Leinart will become the third set of teammates to win the award in consecutive years.
The last were Army's famous Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, in 1945-46.
And the two USC stars could become the first Heisman winners to play together in a college game when USC (12-0) meets No. 2 Texas (12-0) in the Rose Bowl for the national title on Jan. 4.
Or if Young wins, the national title game will be a matchup of Heisman winners for the second straight year — and the second time ever.
Last season after Leinart won the award, USC played Oklahoma and 2004 Heisman winner Jason White in the
Orange Bowl, marking the first Heisman showdown in college football."
"If Bush wins the award, he and Leinart will become the third set of teammates to win the award in consecutive years.
The last were Army's famous Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, in 1945-46.
And the two USC stars could become the first Heisman winners to play together in a college game when USC (12-0) meets No. 2 Texas (12-0) in the Rose Bowl for the national title on Jan. 4.
Or if Young wins, the national title game will be a matchup of Heisman winners for the second straight year — and the second time ever.
Last season after Leinart won the award, USC played Oklahoma and 2004 Heisman winner Jason White in the
Orange Bowl, marking the first Heisman showdown in college football."
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Putting Christ back in Christmas
"For the third year in a row, Christians nationwide have mobilized to put the holy back in the holiday. And they are winning battle after battle."
Thursday, December 08, 2005
And the word of the year is...
podcast, which has really come a long way during the year, from infancy to almost mainstream. I started listening to podcasts in March (my favorite is the maccast) but after Apple included it in their iTunes software, lots of more professional quality content appeared, including many network-broadcast shows.
"The term 'podcast' has been declared Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
The term is defined as 'a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the internet for downloading to a personal audio player'."
"The term 'podcast' has been declared Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
The term is defined as 'a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the internet for downloading to a personal audio player'."
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Fooling Ourselves
This week the USC-UCLA football game gave me a reminder of how hard it is to get an objective evaluation of ourselves.
We can take our successful results and mix them with wishful thinking and praise of fans and over-rate ourselves, ignoring our weaknesses. Lots of times we don't really want objective evaluations, because they can be painful.
In sports, blissful ignorance can't last too long, because sooner or later you will come upon a really good team. However, in other areas of life, it is easier to go on deluding ourselves.
"I remember a famous writer, I think it was Salman Rushdie, was on the David Letterman show a few years ago. When Letterman asked Rushdie what was the one thing he had learned about human existence, Rushdie said, “The extent that humans will go to fool themselves.”"
We can take our successful results and mix them with wishful thinking and praise of fans and over-rate ourselves, ignoring our weaknesses. Lots of times we don't really want objective evaluations, because they can be painful.
In sports, blissful ignorance can't last too long, because sooner or later you will come upon a really good team. However, in other areas of life, it is easier to go on deluding ourselves.
"I remember a famous writer, I think it was Salman Rushdie, was on the David Letterman show a few years ago. When Letterman asked Rushdie what was the one thing he had learned about human existence, Rushdie said, “The extent that humans will go to fool themselves.”"
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Singlish can, lah!
Here's a hilarious example of Singlish from local blogger Mr Brown:
"Aiyo! Why you say me until like that? You so clever you write yourself lah!
.
I tells you first hor, it is not 'Singlish Complain Columns'. In fact, you should say 'Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) Complaint Columns'.
.
Don't anyhowly say, wait, people say your England not powderful.
.
Anyway, you think any mother's-son can write in Singlish meh? You are very the wrong, can?
.
First you must know what is the rules of England. And then you must know what is the rules of Singlish (yes, actually Singlish is also got grammar one, ok?).
.
Then when you write that time the Singlish then got pattern."
"Aiyo! Why you say me until like that? You so clever you write yourself lah!
.
I tells you first hor, it is not 'Singlish Complain Columns'. In fact, you should say 'Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) Complaint Columns'.
.
Don't anyhowly say, wait, people say your England not powderful.
.
Anyway, you think any mother's-son can write in Singlish meh? You are very the wrong, can?
.
First you must know what is the rules of England. And then you must know what is the rules of Singlish (yes, actually Singlish is also got grammar one, ok?).
.
Then when you write that time the Singlish then got pattern."
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Olson became rallying point
Quarterback Drew Olson of UCLA has been the heart and soul of a team this year that has played above expectations and above its talent level.
He has led his team to an impressive 9-1, four of them incredible come-from-behind vicotries, while playing with good but not great offensive linemen and receivers and a poor defensive line and average linebackers and secondary.
"Olson has a better completion percentage, passing-efficiency rating and touchdown-to-interception ratio than any of the past eight Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks"
However, he won't win the Heisman, because he is not leading a national championship team nor has he set records for total yardage or touchdowns. All he does is play the position more efficiently than anybody else and lift a mediocre team to near-greatness.
I think he's had an incredible year and deserves recognition as having the best season of any college football player in the country this year. Certainly if there was a college MVP award, he should get it.
He has led his team to an impressive 9-1, four of them incredible come-from-behind vicotries, while playing with good but not great offensive linemen and receivers and a poor defensive line and average linebackers and secondary.
"Olson has a better completion percentage, passing-efficiency rating and touchdown-to-interception ratio than any of the past eight Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks"
However, he won't win the Heisman, because he is not leading a national championship team nor has he set records for total yardage or touchdowns. All he does is play the position more efficiently than anybody else and lift a mediocre team to near-greatness.
I think he's had an incredible year and deserves recognition as having the best season of any college football player in the country this year. Certainly if there was a college MVP award, he should get it.
Monday, November 28, 2005
George Washington and Thanksgiving
Author Paul Johnson, in his book on George Washington, says that Washington sanctioned the first amendment because he opposed the government setting up a national church like the Church of England.
However, he would have been horrified to know that the first amendment was used to eliminate religion, and especially Christianity, from public life. He saw the Christian religion as underpinning civilized society.
Johnson pointedly observes:
An America without religion as the strongest voluntary source of
morality was to him an impossibility.
It is significant that the day after the House of Representatives passed the
First Amendment, on September 25, 1789, it also passed, by a two-to-one
majority, a resolution calling for a day of national prayer and
thanksgiving, and asked Washington to appoint the day. The Resolution
reads: ‘We acknowledge with grateful hearts the many signal favours of
Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peacefully to
establish a constitutional government for their safety and happiness.’
Appointing the national holiday of Thanksgiving, Washington replied, in
words equally significant: ‘It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the
providence of Almighty God, to obey His Will, to be grateful for His mercy,
to implore His protection and favour... That great and glorious Being who is
the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that ever will
be, that we may then unite in rendering unto Him an sincere and humble
thanks for His kind care and protection of the people.’ (pp. 102-104)
However, he would have been horrified to know that the first amendment was used to eliminate religion, and especially Christianity, from public life. He saw the Christian religion as underpinning civilized society.
Johnson pointedly observes:
An America without religion as the strongest voluntary source of
morality was to him an impossibility.
It is significant that the day after the House of Representatives passed the
First Amendment, on September 25, 1789, it also passed, by a two-to-one
majority, a resolution calling for a day of national prayer and
thanksgiving, and asked Washington to appoint the day. The Resolution
reads: ‘We acknowledge with grateful hearts the many signal favours of
Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peacefully to
establish a constitutional government for their safety and happiness.’
Appointing the national holiday of Thanksgiving, Washington replied, in
words equally significant: ‘It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the
providence of Almighty God, to obey His Will, to be grateful for His mercy,
to implore His protection and favour... That great and glorious Being who is
the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that ever will
be, that we may then unite in rendering unto Him an sincere and humble
thanks for His kind care and protection of the people.’ (pp. 102-104)
Friday, November 25, 2005
Narnia: Up from the church basement
Columnist Cal Thomas makes a few good observations about Christians' engagement with society, particularly in the realm of the arts:
"This is an important film because it offers a better strategy for Christians and conservatives than Hollywood-bashing."
"Most conservatives and Christians, rather than advocating for better movies, have been content to boycott films, make really bad ones, or criticize what was being produced. This approach has had minimal influence on the film industry and has contributed little that was positive to the culture wars."
He applauds the new "Chronicles of Narnia" film for being a wonderful movie that appeals to the spirit without pedantically spelling out a gospel message.
Can we applaud Christians for making really good films, music, art, etc, that are not explicitly "Christian?" To skillfully portray biblical values and worldview and then leave it up to the viewer to decide what they are going to do with the message?
Absolutely! Wow, I think we need so much more of that. A subtle communication of the values we believe in and the implications for our lives. Isn't that how non-Christians have shaped culture for decades? Not with overtly anti-Christian messages, but with TV shows and advertising and movies and music that are thoroughly humanistic and hedonistic. Though churches may still be teaching orthodox doctrine, the media of our society have captured people's hearts and shaped our opinions.
Let's patronize this movie and clamor for much more entertainment like it.
"This is an important film because it offers a better strategy for Christians and conservatives than Hollywood-bashing."
"Most conservatives and Christians, rather than advocating for better movies, have been content to boycott films, make really bad ones, or criticize what was being produced. This approach has had minimal influence on the film industry and has contributed little that was positive to the culture wars."
He applauds the new "Chronicles of Narnia" film for being a wonderful movie that appeals to the spirit without pedantically spelling out a gospel message.
Can we applaud Christians for making really good films, music, art, etc, that are not explicitly "Christian?" To skillfully portray biblical values and worldview and then leave it up to the viewer to decide what they are going to do with the message?
Absolutely! Wow, I think we need so much more of that. A subtle communication of the values we believe in and the implications for our lives. Isn't that how non-Christians have shaped culture for decades? Not with overtly anti-Christian messages, but with TV shows and advertising and movies and music that are thoroughly humanistic and hedonistic. Though churches may still be teaching orthodox doctrine, the media of our society have captured people's hearts and shaped our opinions.
Let's patronize this movie and clamor for much more entertainment like it.
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