Running Into Danger

On Saturday I ran in the Cowtown Marathon. That's what the people in Fort Worth call their annual event in which participants pay to put themselves through gruelling torchure. Before you start thinking that I must be laid up in a hospital by now let me assure you, I did not run a marathon. If you don't know, a marathon is 26.2 miles. Yes, this is an insane distance to travel by foot. So far, infact, that in the largest cities the only way that this run can be done within city limits is for the run to go in a big circle, or perhaps three or four straight lines that interconnect. Let me put this in perspective: When I give Movies.com a distance of 25 miles to find a particular movie that I want to see it gives me theaters on the other side of Houston from where I am. That would be like running to Houston and then keeping running. Insane.

So, no, I did not, at 5'11", 230 lbs. having never run more than 3 miles without stopping in my life; I, who is out of shape and has really never been in good enough shape to run ten miles, much less 26.2, I did not run a marathon. The Cowtown also features shorter, more acheivable feats such as half marathons and 5 and 10K runs. I ran the 10K which equals out to 6.2 miles. Before you start being all impressed, stop and think. I just said I've never run 3 miles before, so needless to say I did a little walking. I ran about 2.5 miles and walked about a mile before I decided that I really wanted to finish and the best way to do that quickly was to run. So I ran the rest. The next day I was very sore, but it felt good. It felt good to run and to finish and to feel at least a little closer to health.

But, here is my problem. I never stick with excersise or eating right or anything that is very difficult. The most difficult things that I do are usually things that are finished in a matter of weeks or months and so long term commitments are few and far between. Don't get me wrong. Some of these short term accomplishments can be tough. But, I can count on one hand the number of things that I haven't grown tired of and given up on. I've started and stopped work out programs and diets and all sorts of things that I know will make me feel better simply because I get tired of them. I'm not, like many people, a creature of habit. I'm the opposite. I embrace change. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. When it comes to things that are good for me it is obviously a bad thing. (When it comes to obsessing over stupid things, it's a good thing.)

That's where you come in. My faithful readers. I've decided to document on my blog, here, my road to health. I'm choosing not to think of this in terms of getting skinny or looking good. I'm consentrating on health. Likewise, because it is much easier for me to convince myself to excersise than to eat right, I'm going to first change my excersise consistancy instead of worrying too much about what I eat. Afterall, I don't eat all that bad to begin with. Amanda sees to that. Here's my plan with regard to eating:

1. Drink less beer
2. bake instead of fry.
3. No more cookie binges at 10 o'clock at night
4. No food at all after 9 pm, except water
5. Eat breakfast and eat lunch so that I'm not starving and pig out after school (This is sometimes an issue for me.)

That's it. That's not a huge change. Here's the tough part.

1. Run 4 days a week
2. Run 6 miles a week for four weeks straight.
3. After 4 weeks begin running 10 miles a week and increase distance with time.

You're job is going to be to email me or comment here asking how I'm doing. The simple fact that you're here and you know what I'm doing will help. I never thought I'd be able to keep up a blog and yet here I am almost a year later. I truly believe that my dislusion that someone is out there waiting for the next installment is what keeps me here. Hopefully, if I think that I'm accountable to the vast network of bloggers I can at least fool myself into thinking that my health is more important than just me. Which really, it is.

Stages' Searching for Eden

A week ago Amanda and I went to Stages Repertory Theatre to see their new and widely acclaimed production of Searching for Eden. The play is an adaptation of Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve a look at what the two matriarchs would have been thinking about upon their first steps in the world.

I'm so glad that Amanda and I got to see this play together because above all this play is a love story. When I first heard that the play was about Adam and Eve I figured that it was about the nature of sin or perhaps a look at the creation story. Those elements are there, but it is much more about the two of them discovering each other than them discovering the world. Adam is, of course, first and we see him in his primitive nature. He loves his garden and rules over everything with efficiency and glee. He proclaims as often as it occurs to him that he "likes it here." Adam proclaims that he wouldn't change a thing. All the while, without him knowing it, things are changing. We meet Eve, who begins stirring the pot. First she must get used to her legs and movement as well as her surroundings. She realizes that she was not the first and therefore must be an improvement. This is a very modern view of the creation than the one that men have often touted, that since we were first that mean we are in charge. Eve's realization fits in better with the information age wisdom of .1 and .2-10, etc. Eve is simply the OS MAN version 2.0. And I have to agree. The new model is much more streamlined. This is what was going through my mind as she was offering this thought.

The play follows Adam and Eve's first meetings, their original reluctance toward each other, particularly Adam's, and their eventual love and fall from grace. The first act is wrought with humor and touching tenderness, as Eve persists with her importance to Adam, and even though he may not realize it, she needs him. When she does leave for a while Adam reluctantly admits that he misses her and that he does need her. Every part of the first act that takes place in the newly formed Garden of Eden is a reflection of the new life of a married coupled. Amanda and I chose to marry but it wasn't until we lived together that I realized that my life hadn't quite begun yet. I had to discover how to exist again after becoming comfortable in my own space. I had everything I wanted and where I wanted it and then I allowed a woman in to (as Eve puts it) "reinvent...relent...resolve...RENOVATE!" In the same way, Adam has to deal with the fact that this woman that seems like a nuisance exists to make him better. It isn't until she takes a little vacation that he is able to see this however. Likewise, Eve, who first saw Adam as a project to make-over has to admit that Adam has some brilliance and wisdom in him as well, while it may be in longer intervals. To Eve, inspiration came easy. While Adam was content naming everything by number (a monkey was number 42, a rose could be number 109, and a tree number 15) Eve attributed every item with a moniker based on it's look, smell and function. A bird became bird because it looked like a bird. Adam seemed like the right name for the only man in her life because it felt right. Somehow she discovered the kiss sans Adam, but when she is finally able to practice it on him, she says "it's a kiss." When Adam asks why, Eve answers, "Because it feels like a kiss." She has a point.

The second act of the play was somewhat less relatable to be but not any less fascinating and probably true. We see Adam and Eve now as a couple who has been married a very long time. Thousands of years in fact. Lucky for Adam and Eve their bodies have stayed true to form, not betrayed by the time that has most definitely pasted. The two love birds, now with high profile and busy jobs have finally taken time out to return for the first time to the Garden of Eden, which is now called simply the stylized, fast-paced sounding, "E." This act is slower as the two reveal the fears and insecurities that have come with age. The two original people now have seen much and not all of it was pleasant. They have regrets that sink so deep that they have not even spoken of them for a long time for fear that the words would force them to recognize truths that are too painful to remember or admit. They talk about their children, their jobs, what it was like in the beginning and what has been lost in aging. Adam and Eve are able to re-evaluate their past and present and remember what brought them together in the first place. Surprisingly enough, their love is not a victim of the process of elimination.

Don't Give Up

It's becoming more and more difficult to post meaningful things here. I have surcome to MySpace which is the lazyman's blog. When I might feel guilty or trite posting a survey or "tag" on this space, it feels natural and totally acceptable over there. It is so much easier, not to mention more widespread. If you doubt it. Go look at my friend list. I'm even friends with famous people like Todd Barry and The Flaming Lips.

But, I looked back on my first entry here, back on March 11, 2005. Almost a year and I've never given it up. I never thought that I would stick to something like this. I guess I'm kind of proud of myself. MySpace is like the cool new kid with the pool in the neighborhood and Great Blogs of Fire is more like the old lady across the street who makes me tamales. I may forget to go over to Mrs. Juarez's house sometimes, but I know that there is more substance in my visits there.

I really want to write you about Searching for Eden the play Amanda and I saw at Stages Repertory Theatre on Sunday. And I will. But, not today.

The Aristocrats

The Aristocrats was interesting. If you haven't heard of this movie it is a documentary about a joke. Yes, one joke. This joke lives on in the stand up community as one of those inside things that every comedian tells a different version of. The main reason that this joke is almost strictly "inside" and is never included in someone's act is that it is so dirty that even the most crass comedians stay away from it. In fact, the joke isn't even that funny, but the fun is in seeing how offensive a comedian can become with it.

Being an open minded kind of person with self-professed thick skin I thought, "How bad can this joke be? It can't be much worse than the disgusting filth that gets played on HBO and Comedy Central." I mean, even if a comedian is on basic cable getting bleeped every other line we still get some pretty filthy stuff being pumped into our living rooms. I'm no prude, and these offensive topics rarely phase me. Usually, as in the case of Drawn Together, probably the most offensive show on T.V., I'm more offended at the fact that the show sucks and exists soley on the toilet humor that attracts junior high kids with neglectful parents. But, trust me, the joke does not disapoint. It is extremely filthy. Depending on what comedian is telling the joke the offense can run from simply a disturbing visual to borderline illeagal. Let me go ahead and give you the gist of the joke. I will attempt to do this delicately for I know that my readers have human decency, something that most versions of this joke do not have.

A man walks into a talent agency and claims to have an amazing new act. It is a family act. The talent agent agrees to see the act. The man brings in the family and the act begins. This is where each teller of the joke peppers the act will all kinds of indecencies that I will not repeat on this blog. The point of this joke differs from most in that it is not intended to be funny, unless you find the shock of the digustingness of it funny, which, at times, it was. The joke is simply meant to be disgusting. It is the ultimate joke that comedians tell when they know that the other comedians in the room will not hold it against them for saying all kinds of horrible things. They cannot tell this joke to a paying audience. It would surely offend the most objectionable audiences. It offended me, and that is hard to do. But you have to keep telling yourself, "These comedians don't condone the kinds of things they are talking about, but are only carrying on a long tradition of shock humor and immoral ideas that shall never see the light of day." Many of the comedians even commented that they couldn't believe they were telling the joke on camera. One comedian quipped, "Well, I'll never get to work for Disney again."

So while the individual comedian comes up with varying acts of unspeakable nature upon unspeakable nature the listener (granted the listener hasn't walked away, yet) is expecting some grand punch line to cap off the story. So the talent agent says "Well, that certainly is some act!" or "That was horrible!" or "I've never seen anything like that!" or something else, but always finishes with "What do you call it?" And the man says, "The Aristocrats!" The name of the joke is purposefully anti-clamactic for a number of reasons, which you may explore on your own. Needless to say, a sensible audience would find this joke horribly offensive and not all that funny. But, comedians don't tell it to sensible audiences, they tell it to themselves. It is almost a game to see who can be the grossest, the most inhumane and anti-social, and many times who can draw it out the longest.

The movie will be interesting to those who might be interested in the inner-sanctum of the stand-up comedian. Watching Bob Saggat swear and speak of all kinds of vagrancies would be worth it enough for some. But, other than people who already have a fairly sick sense of humor anyway, this movie is not going to be appreciated or enjoyed by many people. I read one review that says that the telling became old after a while and I have to agree. We get accustomed to the degretancy spewing from the comedians and it becomes a simply inside look into what they do when they're drunk and want to make each other laugh. Personally, I'm at least intrigued but I can hardly believe that a whole lot of others are.

2.5 bulls out of 5

Sordid Lives Cast

Everyone who doesn't care about the cast of Sordid Lives and just came to read about politics start a controversial discussion of somekind, carry-on.

Thank you for all who auditioned. Casting a show is both exciting and nerve-racking, especially when you have so much talent to choose from. The cast for Sordid Lives will be as follows.

Bitsy Mae Harling Emily Griffin

Ty Williamson Neal Gage

Sissy Hickey Cathy McMillan (not Millican as previously noted.)

Noleta Nethercott Wendy Bailey

Latrelle Williamson Dawn Daily

LaVonda Dupree Maggie Eubanks

G. W. Nethercott Kim Martin

Wardell "Bubba" Owens Les Craig

Odell Owens John Eubanks

Dr. Eve Bolinger Any Miller-Martin

Earl "Brother Boy" Ryan Martin

Rev. Barnes Dwayne Bailey

I'm excited about this show and about directing all of you. Our first readthrough will be Monday, February 20 at 7 pm at the theatre. For those who do not yet have a script and would like to pick it up before then please let me know. You can call me, email me or leave me a message here. I will make sure to leave a copy at the theatre box office for you.

My New Space

Well, I've discovered MySpace. While I'm not abondoning the blog here I am certainly intrigued by the MySpace phenomenom. When I first started blogging here (almost a year!) I was reaquainted with many of you who I hadn't seen in a while. MySpace has done that also, but at super-sonic speeds. It's much more frivolous than blogger, I'll admit. Not as much discussion and more just friends keeping in touch and networking. It's kind of fun even if it's trendy.

Here's something I found on MySpace, which appeals a great deal to me since Wes Anderson just happens to be my favorite director. Enjoy.

UPDATE:Simply changing my favorite color to blue makes me Max Fischer.

Which Wes ANDERSON character are you? by life_as_a_decoy
Your name
Your favorite color
Favorite letter
In your free time	you like to writeyou like to smokeyou like to drawyou like to get revenge
Your age
You are
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Friday Night. Where Are You?

Tonight I'm carb loading. Potatos and cornbread. What do you think about that. Amanda is at a party tonight that I wasn't invited to because I am uncooth (uncuthe, uncouth, or perhaps unceauxth?)

Not really, it was a small little thing that turned big. I am not running a marathon in the morning if that's why you think I'm carb loading. It's simply because of the leftover pototo casserole and cornbread. The cornbread had actually turned disgusting, so it got tossed.

Thanks for thinking that I could run a marathon.

I should be watching the season (possibly series) finally of Arrested Developement tonight (can someone say the best show ever?) but I'm not. I didn't think it would be right given that Amanda and I just returned season 1 to Netflix and season 2 is in the mail. I didn't want to get thrown off. I'll wait until it, too, is available on DVD. After all, I've grown to hate commercials.

CALLING PEOPLE WHO USE DIPTHONGS AND TRIPTHONGS VERY SLOWLY BUT DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

We are auditioning for Sordid Lives on Sunday and Monday (Feb 12, and 13) and we need you to embarass your self. Please come and audition for the comedy that Kyle Martin calls "the funniest play I've ever read." And many ladies have called, "a filthy peice of comic genious!" It's really a funny play, but it is rather racey if that kind of thing doesn't float well at your tea breakfasts. So I understand.

But, I'm looking forward to directing adults. should be fun.

Things I Do When I Have Nothing Else

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Waiter
2. Substitute teacher
3. Auto maintenance
4. TV delivery guy

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. The Royal Tanenbaums
2. Resovoir Dogs
3. Rushmore
4. Back to the Future

Four books you could read over and over:
1. Lord of the Flies
2. Catcher in the Rye
3. Harry Potter series
4. The Bible (I know it sounds cheesy, but it really holds my attention)

Five places you have lived:
1. Baytown, TX
2. Abilene, TX
3. Dallas/Fort Worth area, TX
4. Prescott, Arizona
5. New York City

Four t.v. shows you watch:
1. Arrested Developement
2. The Daily Show
3. Everybody Loves Raymond
4. The Office

Four places you have vacationed:
1. Colorado
2. Florida
3. Chicago
4. Hawaii

Four web sites you visit (nearly) daily:
1. The Internet Movie Database
2. My Blog (You're already here.)
3. The Homestar Runner
4. Wikipedia

Four favorite foods:
1. Tex-Mex
2. Pizza
3. BBQ
4. Thanksgiving food

Four places you would rather be:
1. Home with Amanda
2. Mountains with Amanda
3. At the movies with Amanda
4. At a restaurant with Amanda

Bono

He continually derides himself as being "just a rock star" and never denies any of the connotations that are associated with that moniker. He doesn't see himself as any kind of important figure in history other than in the pop culture arena, but I think that history will prove differently. Bono's music never moved me the way it does many others from my generation, but I've always appreciated U2's integrity and sense of self-aware, non-importance. The Pop-Mart tour struck me as a brilliant way to satirize the uber-consumerism that surrounds a popular culture that included, to a large part, U2 themselves. Bono has always helped guide his band to lead the way in music of social justice, and while I'm only a mediocre fan of his music I am a huge fan of Bono's status as a figure for peace and justice.

February 2 Bono spoke to the President and other political types at the National Prayer Breakfast, and he continues to move me with the way he stands up to governments and challenges them to do more in the worldwide quest for international justice. Please do yourself a favor and watch the speech.

If you can't load the video for some reason you can read the transcript at Larry James Urban Daily blog.

Ruben and Robert

I want to tell you a story:

When I was junior high was considered short by a lot of people. Perhaps I was the main one who thought that I was short, and everyone else just saw me as normal hieght. As you well know, it doesn't matter in junior high what others think of you because in fact, no one is reallly thinking of you at all. Junior high students are way too busy thinking of themselves to ever take anyone else into consideration, so my self-conscious attitute toward being what I thought was short was, like all self-consciousness, unfounded and unnecessary. But, like most junior high kids, this didn't deter me from feeling left out, ostrasized and like the wierdest guy on the planet. I suppose that my affliction wasn't as severe as many, but it still existed.

A major part of any short junior high boy's bane is the bully. I had my fair share of run ins with bullies. In junior high I could name the names of several that made life at Gentry Jr. High less than bearable. This particular story involves a gentleman by the name of Ruben. I don't feel the need the need to change his name, because while I'm not sharing his last name, I also don't have found memories of Ruben and don't feel the need to protect his identity. I'm sure Ruben has grown up to be a fine individual with kids and a house on blocks and all the great stuff that happen to former bullies, but for the sake of this story, he is the bad guy.

Ruben was a torn individual. He was your typical bully, balancing the need to feel powerful and compensate for his shortcomings and the desire to be liked. Depending on who he was around and who he was trying to impress, Ruben could morph loyalties and demeanor on the spot. Generally it was amoung the group of students referred to as kickers (kids who dress in cowboy garb) that Ruben felt that he had to be the tough guy. When he was around the likes of Wesley and Shane and Brent, other bigger, puberty advanced kickers, Ruben would go out of his way to be the toughest and meanest and most apathetically hateful guy around. These others who I named had their moments but Ruben was such a follower that he took bullying to a new level for the entertainment value of the others.

So, one day in gym we are running laps around the basketball court. I am going to assume that this is 8th grade since I remember that being the toughest year with regard to being bullied. Many had already started to hit growth spurts and whatnot, while I, seemingly on my own, was stuck in a child's body. As we ran around the court Ruben decided that it would be fun to ram me from the back. He would run up behind me and push me hard into the brick wall, or at least hard enough to make me lose my balance. Maybe if I had taken these little jabs as good clean fun then I would have been okay, but I didn't. I knew that it was not meant to be for fun but to make me mad. So I would yell back and perhaps even try to push Ruben back. At 5'4" I was no match for Ruben's sturdy 200 + pound, adult-like frame. As I resisted my abuse the humiliation rained down ever the more. I needed a friend who was not scared of this guy like I was. I needed some kind of protection as a little kid among giants who only sought to hurt me. Just then it showed up.

WHAM! Just as Ruben is taunting me with "What are you going to do about it"s He is sent flying into the wall and crashing to the floor. My hero had arived in the form of an even bigger black guy named Robert.

"If you're going to mess with someone, mess with someone your own size." Robert demanded.

Ruben tried to defend himself. "I was only playing. Weren't we, Kyle?" I wasn't biting. My loyalties were drawn and I've never cowtowed to pressure from bullies.

"We weren't playing. You were pushing me around."

After a strongly worded threat to yours truly Ruben was silenced once more.

"Just leave him alone." Robert ordered.

Robert and I never hung out or became great friends. We were in a few classes together in junior high and then in high school, but for the most part he was not a major part of my life in any way. But, Robert's character and sense of duty always stuck with me in a profound way. As he became a star high school athlete and rocketed to All-District in football and then a scholarship to play at Texas A & M, I payed close attention. Robert, who is known as Rocky to most people, was getting some well deserved fame and recognition for his talents. I was proud to have known Rocky when he was drafted into the NFL and boasted a successful rookie season with the Seattle, and this season as he helped his team to the Superbowl I was excited that this had happened to such a good guy. Rocky probably doesn't even remember that time in the Gentry Boy's Gym, but I certainly do and it's always made a big difference to me. I don't remember if I thanked him or not. I could have been too embarrassed, but if I ever saw him now I would certainly tell him how happy I was that he was so successful, because it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more genuinely good guy.

Congratulations Rocky!

Good Night, and Good Luck

Amanda and I saw Good Night, and Good Luck yesterday. If you didn't already know it is nominated for a bunch of Oscars, not that this means a lot, but nonetheless it is.

Good Night, and Good Luck chronicles the 5 or 6 month period of time in which Edward R. Morrow and the CBS news show "See it Now" decided to take on the tactics of Joseph McCarthy during his quest to exploit American's fears of Communism in America. Morrow and his fellow producers take great risks as they put themselves in the hotseat by exposing McCarthy for being as un-American as the people he saught to destroy.

Good Night, and Good Luck is almost not even a narrative film at all but is more of very artistically conceieved documentary. I guess the correct term for it is a "docudrama" but I hate terms that combine two words to make one. Good Night, and Good Luck doesn't require a strong emotional response from the audience like most great movies. I found myself more informed than moved, more interested than engulfed. It doesn't surprise me that it was nominated for Best Picture because by far it is the most unique picture of the year. Nor does it surprise me that David Strathairn was nominated for Best Actor because he was great. But, Good Night, and Good Luck did surprise me in that it created a new genre of movie in my opinion. I think that it should be getting even more buzz than it is simply because of the innovativeness of it. The movie combines real footage of the trials and events surrounding the McCarthy scare of the 1950s with black and white shot, smoky shadows and sternly serious men and women in the CBS rooms at the time. The 7.5 million that it cost to shoot this film surely was purely actors' paychecks and marketing because with the stock footage comprising at least a quarter of the 93 minute film and the rest of the movie being shot in the studio, it's hard to imagine that the money went into production costs.

5/5 bulls

"Make You Happy Tonight"

Amanda's Birthday was yesterday. No, I didn't forget, she got cake and presents and such. But, I did want to honor her right here in some way and thought today would still be okay since we're celebrating tonight by going to dinner and a Rocket's game.

I just wanted to thank you Amanda for putting up with me, a big duffus, and loving me anyway. How big a duffus you say? Watch the video. It speaks worlds.

Born Again Artist

Lately, I've read some pretty scathing reviews of the movie, The End of the Spear a story about a couple of missionaries who travel to a remote part of Ecuador to bring Jesus to those poor unfortunate souls who call themselves the Waodani tribe.

I don't want to give a full review here because I haven't seen the movie. See the excellent reviews by the Venerable Priest and the ACU Optimist's Sarah Carlson, sister of Great Blogs of Fire regular and film critic.Dan. (Sarah Carlson is also the name of a person I worked with one summer at a church camp in Arizona, but she spelled "Sara" without the "h" at the end. This is beside the point.)

These reviews are by people who would consider themselves, and whom I consider Christians, probably even Evangelical. Both of these reviews describe The End of the Spear as being bland, cheesy, without depth, relevance or any effort at a legitimate work of art chronicling the incredible stories of these missionaries. Both Carlson and Priest cite the film as not giving due respect to the lives of the missionaries involved.

While these reviewers are probably right and I'm not going to see this movie based on them, I can't help but identify with Christian artists. Somewhere there is a balance between making entertainment that is accessible to secular audiences without alienating Christian artist, but express the artists' Christian perspective. In the ACU Theatre department we concentrated quite a bit of effort on this problem. The mission statement of the department reflects this problem as does a quote that appears on much of the ACU Theatre recruitment material. I can't find the exact quote but it was something to the effect of this: "Where are the artists who will represent Christ to a desolate and lost world with artistic integrity?" The actual quote was better put, but that is the large question for a big portion of the Christian arts community. When writing a play I am often met with the dilemma of appealing to both secular and Christian artists. My play Arizona Rose, for example has undergone numerous rewrites, some for the simple reason that I was unable to resolve this issue. On the one hand I didn't feel that the issues presented would be relevant to a secular audience, but some of the material might be offensive to many Christians and therefore no one would ever see the play. But, how does an artist remain truthful without offending Christians. I mean really, everything offends some Christians!

There's got to be a balance out there, though. Some movies like Passion of the Christ and The Ten Commandments have been accepted into mainline film circles as quality films despite their religious themes. Two things, though, make this possible. First, mainstream audiences are more likely to accept stories that are direct translations of the Bible. People see it as historical and not in your face evangelising. Second, these two films were made by directors who had already proven themselves in mainstream filmmaking. Another thing that helps Christianity based or religious themed films is if they cause more offense to the Christian community than to the secular one. In these cases many movie goers are apt to jump to see what all the fuss is about.

But the bottom line is that a movie has to be good. And to be good it has to be able to move more people than just your fundamentalist religious zealot, who seem to be content with the dreck they play on TBN. To me this means that I have to continue doing what I'm doing without worrying whether or not someone is going to take offense because my play contains cuss words on the same page as a character professes Christ. That's for that character to hash out and if you take offense to that then you are simply taking offense to real lives being lived. So those who took offense that a priest has an openly gay son and has a very personal relationship with Jesus, himself, see the art for what it is: a representations of someone's reality and not the white-washed cookie cutter brand of Christianity that you want to believe exists, but doesn't.

So, what is the greatest mistake the makers of The End of the Spear made? I can tell you without even seeing the movie that they neglected one very important sector of movie-goer. Christians who care about good art.

Website Down

If you try and click the link on the side of the page that says "My Professional Website" you will get nothing. Well, not nothing. You'll get a really wierd page with nothing of interest. I was growing more frustrated with my website as it fell farther and farther behind anything that I would consider useful and was unaware of anyone even looking at it. Ever. Then I realized that all of the photos that I had uploaded were eating up my disk space and my email was filling way too fast. So, if my website was the most interesting thing of your day then, first, I apologize. Second, get out of your house and make some friends, buy a book, something. You're pathetic.

I plan to have a much more scaled down version of the site up at some point, but I want to learn how to create a real one first. Even then it will only have a few things instead of EVERYTHING that I've ever done.

UPDATE: I created a spaceholding page that lets people know what I've done, Click here to see what it looks like.

Kiss Hank's Ass

Wendy Bailey gets the credit for diirecting me to this interesting and funny little video.

Let me warn you, as she did, that it will offend some people who get offended easily. I'm not one of these people, in fact, I thought it was hilarious. But, if you think you are offended easily, don't watch it. I'd love to discuss what everyone thinks the makers were trying to say. It seems pretty clear at first until the very end.

This comes to mind after seeing the end, doesn't it. I guess that's the point.

Blonde Joke

If you like blonde jokes, you'll love This one courtesy of Marcus Ellis, who apperently hasn't fell off the world of blogging quite yet.

This is how I deal with anonymous bloggers

This is in response to an anonymous comment that was made on the January 23 post.

Mr. Anonymous, by all means, please butt in. I really like it when I see comments from people I don't know or from people I don't hear from often. Although, I do prefer people who sign their name.

I realize that I probably came off a little hard on the SBTC. In no way did I ever mean to indicate that I thought they were bad people. I wasn't singing their praises, don't get me wrong, but I realize that they, like most fundamentalist groups are acting in what they feel is the best interest of both their organization and that of their affiliates.

As far as I know, everything I said about the SBTC was either opinion or taken directly from their website. I don't see how you can say, "what you are writing about the SBTC is not entirely correct" since I only stated my opinions.

The main point of my original post was to illustrate my confusion over why Faith Harbour would want to be a member of SBTC in the first place. Obviously, if you are right about the financial benefits then I've got my answer. But, otherwise, after reviewing the SBTC site it didn't seem that Faith Harbour fit their "mold" with or without a gay ministry.

It seems to me that both Randy and the SBTC have reasonable arguements as to why he is or isn't within the guidelines of SBTC churches. But, to me, it doesn't matter. If I were a member of the The Harbour I would feel a sense of freedom from the leagalistic and inhibiting bonds of the SBTC. This isn't to say that they are bad people, but they obviously have a stricter view of who Randy should be affiliated with than even he himself has. Therefore, why should he maintain his relationship with them. Good for Randy for refusing to abandon a what he feels is a worthwhile ministry just to appease the convention.

The main problem I have with your comment is when you name the salvation aspects of Christianity as the cornerstone of the SBTC, but then say "That is the problem with the STBC and Faith Harbour." There is no connection between the two statements unless you are implying that the Harbour doesn't believe in the basis of Christianity. I don't think that you are saying this if you truly have had lengthy discussions with Randy, so I must ask you for clarification on these statements.

One more thing you stated that gave me pause: "[Randy was] to choose not to support a ministry led by another person who affirms the lifestyle of homosexuality." According to Wendy, Eklektos neither affirms (in the sense you mean) nor denounces homosexuality, despite her personal feelings. So you're saying that if a member church helps a ministry (or church. I agree that it's really irrelevant) and the leader of that ministry disagrees with the SBTC then the member church will be disaffiliated? Or is it just about homosexuality?

That brings me to a much bigger question for extreme right wing? Why homosexuality? Why not pick on adulterers or gossipers or the prideful? Are they with just as much sin? I address this topic here but the question keeps popping up somehow.

Life's Instruction Book

The issue concerning the Harbour has reopened some thoughts and feelings that I've had in the past concerning the finity and absoluteness of God and his Word and how that specifically applies to Christianity.

Wendy Bailey, one of the two people at the center of the SBTC/Harbour controversy, wrote a very helpful and inspiring message in her blog today. You can read it and some quotes from a Christianity Today article by Brian McLauren here, on her blog

Greggo (that's not his real name, but I don't really know his real name since I only know him through his blog) also posted some quotes that speak to the issue of definite answers and the difference between being steadfast and stubborn. Here they are:

"It is our fascination with fixed and ultimate answers - dogma - that can so easily end the search for Mystery. When answers remove ambiguity and settle all vulnerabilities, those answers become dangerous, and we slip off the path of the seeker. When we use answers to put the Ultimate in a finite box, as if it can be described and contained, stagnation and arrogance result. When we believe we have final answers to all questions, we are no longer open to the experience of life and God. At these times, we are more invested in certainty than in the happenings of the present moment. These two dangers - stagnation and arrogance - will block our vision of God. Our search is hindered or abandoned all together."
-Dave Fleming

"It's a much safer world if the world is full of answers, particularly if I believe that my [religious] tradition has all the answers. If that is my view, then there in no reason to talk to anyone else from another tradition or viewpoint."
-Wayne Teasdale

People like myself who were raised going to a conservative, evangelical church have always been raised with the idea that sin as described in the Bible, homosexuality included, is black and white. It is wrong and those who live their lives never asking for forgiveness from those sins will not go to Heaven, but Hell. (My own sect of Christianity also firmly believing that complete immersion as baptism is not only a part of salvation but a requirement for salvation.) I've already found from others' blogs, even on this blog, that most of those who were raised in a similar way to my own still feel very much the way they did as they were growing up, and refuse to rethink it or give any leeway because the Bible says it and if the Bible says it then it must be so. There is no grey area or discussion about it. I've even heard of the Bible described as "Life's Instruction Book."

I've never bought into the "instruction book" philosophy. First of all, the more people you talk to the more you realize that almost no two people completely agree on what the Bible specifically says in most places. Even those who claim to be literal interpreters can't always agree on scripture. No one has these kind of arguments about how to interpret an automobile owners manual or instructions on how to put together a bookshelf. That's lead me to believe that there is a certain amount of searching to be done. Searching is done by reading and studying. But, not just reading, but reading between the lines, taking things into context and using other knowledge to draw understanding from the Bible.

The question of "is homosexuality wrong?" perplexes some, I know, because it is written down, right there in black and white. Why even the discussion, right? However, like the quote by Teasdale, above, states, "It's a much safer world if the world is full of answers." The Bible as "Life's Instruction Book" makes us feel safe in the same way we feel more confident if we have the instructions on how to build a bookshelf. The thing is, if we figure out how to build the shelf on our own, we'll probably have a better idea on how it was put together.

The Faith Habour Lives Up To It's Name

Click here to read an AP article about a church here in Baytown that has been "disassociated" with by some big Baptist group because they are helping to start a ministry aimed at the Gay and Lesbian community.

For those of you too lazy to read the whole article let me sum up. A good friend of mine, Randy Haney, is the pastor of a small diverse church called Faith Harbour. I am well acquainted with many of the members there and have visited their services. Randy has recently come under fire from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention for allowing the group Eklektos to hold meetings at their space, a rented out storefront in the Bay Plaza shopping center. Eklektos is a ministry that seeks to minister to the GBLT community in and around Baytown. At the onset of this ministry I was invited to come to the original planning meeting, but out of laziness or perhaps sheer busyness I neglected to go, despite having half-way intended on it.

Nonetheless, Eklektos pushed on without me. Go figure. Because of Faith Harbour's association with Eklektos the SBTC spoke with Randy about severing ties with Wendy Bailey, the originator of Eklektos. They believed Eklektos to be a new gay church that Randy and her were starting. Well, Randy's not starting it ad Eklektos isn't a church. When he refused the SBTC "disassociated" themselves with him, along with several other organizations including Baker Road Baptist who had until recently been giving support to the Harbour. (In the reports of this meeting I've read the suits from the SBTC kept referring to Eklektos as a church, despite Randy telling them repeatedly that was not a church. That's very humorous and typical to me. Like something you would see in a SNL sketch.)

To a Church of Christ boy who is used to a completely different set of political and ideological messiness within church bureaucracy, I don't quite see why The Harbour was even all that keen to associate with the SBTC, in the first place. In the good ole' C of C while most still adhere to a few general similarities (communion, baptism, a cappella singing) each congregation is truly autonomous and answers to no higher power. Except God. So aside from some unwritten and unbroken rules, there are no rules except what's written in the Bible. Interpretation of scripture is completely up to the individual church, and yet somehow they all seem to conform for the most part. Hmm. That sounds familiar....

As I see it, what good does a membership in any type of hierarchal system do for a church that is aiming to be diverse and individual? Since I don't really know how it all works, I won't assume to know the answer to this, but I'm guessing that the SBTC gives financial backing? I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong. I happen to know that most of the members of Faith Harbour weren't raised Baptist and probably would not consider themselves "Baptists." A service at the Harbour feels very non-descript and free. It's unlike any worship I've ever been to. It feels more like friends just getting together to sing and listen to God speak to them through music, art, the Bible, or whatever else moves them. It's a long way from the church that raised me, but also quite a ways from most Baptist fellowships, as well.

So, it's a wonder to me why the Harbour still wishes to associated with such a stuffy group anyway. But, it is obviously a huge deal, judging by the press coverage, and so my heart goes out to the Haneys and the other members of the Harbour. On the other hand, suppose I do understand. Afterall, I still attend a Church of Christ. There's always the idea that one can change the system from the inside out. I don't think that is Randy's goal with the Harbour, but it's a thought.

The problem, as the SBTC sees it, is simple. They have bylaws stating that member churches may not condone or support ministries that condone the homosexual lifestyle. I probably quoted incorrectly, but that is basically it. The Harbour supports Eklektos by offering space in which to meet, and by linking to the Eklektos website on their own. Eklektos's website states that they are "[A] community of Christians...especially called to welcome and affirm people who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered." To the SBTC this means that since Eklektos "affirms" (an ambiguous term) gays they are "affirming" being gay, and so is the Harbour which means that the Harbour is outside the guidelines of the SBTC.

I have had lengthy discussions with Randy on the topic and I know that Randy would never allow the Harbour to be perceived as affirming the homosexual lifestyle. He is a strict literalist with regard to interpretation of the Bible. I think whether or not Randy is condoning anything, however is not even relevant to the SBTC. It seems to me that they simply want to distance themselves from anything that doesn't fit their mold. Faith Harbour certainly doesn't fit any mold and never has. Being aligned in any way, shape, or form to a gay-friendly organization just adds to their deviation from the mold set up for member churches.

A little research tells us that the SBTC is actually based in the idea that Baptist churches must conform. Their website states, "The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention does not seek theological conformity, but our own autonomy has led us to set parameters for fellowship." Does that not seem a little contradictory to anyone else? "We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture" but they have also decided that one's interpretation of that scripture must conform or they will not associate with him or her.

For the two or so years that I've know Randy I have come to admire him greatly. He and I differ on many topics, ranging from politics to religion, but he has always been gracious enough to sit and welcome my opinions and views. We discuss topics which people can get very heated about and yet he calmly gives me reason for his view and accepts mine without the usual backlash of disdain and judgment that unpopular opinions are often met with. He understands a basic Christ-like principle that many people over-look: Christ didn't tell us what to think or try to force others to believe what he wanted them to. He fought for the rights of others, in fact, and encouraged them rather than ridiculed them. I've never felt judged by Randy Haney, and yet through this ordeal and over his blog and others' he is being judged repeatedly and unfairly. It breaks my heart. But, I know that he can handle it because I know that he's dealt with this kind of scrutiny before. It's my belief that men like Randy who aren't afraid to push for change and unorthodoxy usually are.

I link to the Eklektos website in my sidebar because I believe in it's purpose and vision. It's goal isn't to condemn anyone but to invite people in as they are. Because I believe Jesus will accept us all despite our sins, whatever they are. I also believe that Gays and Straight alike are sinful and are God's Children. Jesus didn't only die for sinners who loved the opposite sex. He died for everyone. I'm proud that Baytown is host to such visionaries as Wendy Bailey and Randy Haney, who, despite polarity of opinions have daily found common ground in Christ. Well, I see Christ in both of you. I love you both and pray that this mess will strengthen both Faith Harbour and the Eklektos ministry (not a church).

UPDATE: The term I was looking for is "disaffiliate", not "disassociate," although it's really the same thing, isn't it?

Monday Haiku Therapy

It's one of those days. Monday. Bad weather. Uninterested students. I'm not doing much better. I think it's time for some Haiku.

I woke up last night.
I thought it was the morning.
Thank you, Lord. More Sleep!

The weekend was nice.
No responsibilities.
Nothing real to do.

5th period next.
The large class full of freshmen.
Hour and a half.

It's advisory.
Not a big fan of it all.
Too much wasted time.

Need to eat my lunch.
Cafeteria's not bad.
Gives me the gas though.

Light on the phone blinks.
You think I have a message?
No, it is broken.

What's up with paper?
It is the digital age.
Stop sending me crap.