Ten Words #9: Little White Lies (Sunday’s Sermon Today)

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.–Exodus 20:16

Growing up, I had a very narrow view of this ninth commandment: don’t lie. It seemed simplified, but not easy; straightforward, and yet superiorly complicated.

Consider the things that we lie about (or are things we accept lying about).

Answering the question, “how do you like this?” when it involves a food dish or article of clothing we can’t stand (many of you spent Father’s Day engaged in artful deception.)

That a person or thing is “All Natural.” Other fun food ones are that it has zero transfat or that it’s cage-free. Isn’t marketing something?

But if we take this a step further, what are some of the things we say that we don’t mean, or that we hope won’t really lead to a real conversation?

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I wasn’t [ fill in the blank].”

“I’ll help with that at [kid’s school, church, work].”

“I’ll pray for you.”

The truth is that truth seems so straightforward an idea and yet we’ve dragged it through the mud and around the block. We’ve gone well past lying into simply thinking that saying the right thing makes it okay, even if we don’t really mean it.

In our Word today, as we close in on the end of the Ten Commandments series, we know that Moses was dealing with people who’d been scraping, scrambling, clawing to get by, who knew that pointing the finger at someone else might make the whip come down on someone else’s back instead of theirs. And so God told them to not “bear false witness,” to not testify, to not slander someone else for their own benefit.

God told them to work for the good of their neighbor. God told them to take responsibility for their own actions, something I try to teach my kids. God told them that the next person’s wellbeing, that their neighbor’s happiness and health, mattered.

So, to not lie is appropriate, but it’s deeper than that. It realizes that there is someone who will in fact be hurt because the truth isn’t being told. Which is strange to us, because we often convince ourselves that not telling

Consider Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

We have a crafty serpent, who arrives and puts a lie into the head of the first woman. He tells her that God doesn’t want her to be as wise as God, so he’s holding her back, that eating from the Tree won’t really kill her. And the downfall of humanity starts with a lie.

So the woman sees the fruit, and it does look good, so she eats of it, and gives it to Adam, and he eats it, too. And they experience shame, all because of a lie followed by disobedience.

When the man and the woman hear God walking in the garden, they hide, because a lie followed by disobedience leads to shame.

God wants to know why Adam hid and he tells God that he was afraid because he was naked… because a lie followed by disobedience leads to shame which leads to the fear of discovery.

When God asks how Adam knew he was naked, Adam does what every self-respecting charlatan would do and tries a misdirection: he blames Eve, who God gave him. He doesn’t just blame Eve, but he blames God for having put her there in the first place! [For the record, the woman’s response is much more straightforward: “the serpent lied to me and I ate it.”]

In the creation story, a lie that someone willingly believes leads to shame, fear, and ultimately, a broken relationship. Actually two broken relationships, because not only are the first man and woman kicked out of the garden, but when you blame someone else for your problems, it doesn’t usually end well.

Do not bear false testimony. Do not lie. Do not gossip. Do not blame others for your mistakes.

All of that seems straightforward, right?

Here is reality- don’t mess with it. But what if our reality needs tweaking?

We’ve spent the last week talking to our Jedi Academy VBS cadets and as adults, sharing the Jedi Code. For those of you who are not Master Jedis in the Star Wars vernacular, we wrote it in today’s bulletin:

Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use their powers to defend and to protect. Jedi respect all life, in any form. Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

Pretty cool, right? Jedis use their powers for the benefit of others, Jedis respect other people (of all backgrounds), Jedis serve rather than ruling… Now go back and consider that again, this time with Jesus in the mix:

Jesus is the guardian of peace in the galaxy. Jesus used his powers to defend and to protect. Jesus respects all life, in any form. Jesus serves others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy.

Jesus is just constantly making things difficult for people when it comes to dealing with the Ten Commandments, when it comes to the reality that is (here on earth) and what people expect. Because Jesus keeps projecting and pointing toward a bigger reality.

In our Scripture today from Mark 6, Jesus is “tested” by the Pharisees, who want to see if they can get him to mess up. It says that Jesus and a man with a withered hand both happen to be in the synagogue on the day of worship, the Sabbath. Nothing ever seems to just happen to Jesus, so I have to wonder if the Pharisees didn’t “plant” this poor man there.

It says that Jesus told the man to stand up, putting both Jesus and the man on the spot, which only encourages my belief that this was staged by the teachers of the law, to catch Jesus “breaking the law.” They were so hung up on not working on the Sabbath, that they had made that a greater reality than whether or not a person would be healed of a lifelong inability to use one of their hands!

So Jesus asks, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” When the Pharisees won’t answer, he heals the man’s hand.

Gasp, “Jesus has broken the law!” You can hear them hissing and clapping and throwing their hands up, and it says that they started plotting to kill Jesus. In Mark 3. Well before the crucifixion.

The Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus because of the day of the week he healed someone on. Their law about worship was their reality.

But it wasn’t Jesus’. God’s love for people, for us, was a greater reality, a bigger Truth.

It’s like when we root for the bad guy in a movie who is actually fighting against evil. It’s why we think Robin Hood is amazing when he steals from the rich to give to the poor, or when we think it’s okay that a masked vigilante like Batman can drive over the speed limit, destroy property, punch other citizens, etc. because there’s a bigger reality.

Unfortunately, we can’t always handle the deeper reality, the “magic older than time” from The Chronicles of Narnia.

We’ve settled for lies, for masks, for faking it until we make it. And Jesus shows up in the middle of our lives and says, “you have a choice.”

(No, it’s not the red pill or the blue pill.)

Jesus shows up and says, the way you’ve lived doesn’t have to be the way life is. The lies you’ve believed about yourself and about your future don’t have to be that way anymore. The way the world looks at relationships don’t have to be the views you carry into friendships, and marriage, and parenting.

You can handle the truth! You are loved, blessed, forgiven, redeemed, accepted, bought back, held onto, adopted, respected, created, nurtured, empowered, by the God of the universe.

And you look good. (Tell yourself that, “I look good.” Turn to someone else, and say, “you look good.”)

But it’s deeper than looks. It goes back to the lies in the Garden, the faking it with fig leaves, and hiding behind rhododendron.

It’s the way that trust has been broken down in our big, whale-size lies and our little white lies. It’s the way we’ve broken down relationships with political games in friendship, and failing to be who we’re supposed to be.

Have you seen Jim Carey’s Liar, Liar? Consider how terrifying it is for him that he must tell the truth all the time! What would your life look like if you spoke the truth no matter what for a week?

Jesus told the truth. It got him killed!

Now, I’m not talking about forgetting the love part, about “speaking the truth” and forgetting to love people. That’s as antiquated as “love the sinner, hate the sin.” We need to be about the truth, about God’s truth, about not misquoting or twisting things to serve our own purposes.

Seriously, what if Adam had told the truth? I ate this, I shouldn’t have. I should’ve been a better life partner to Eve, too. Would that have changed anything?

Telling the truth undoes fear, and shame, and keeps us free from the snowballing of the lies we tell to cover for the other lies.  Joan Chittister says, “ruth requires no memory. No fear of exposure.” It’s why people in Alcoholics Anonymous who are really willing to tell the truth about their situation cannot fail. It’s why our words and our truth matters in every situation.

We’ve been struggling with identity since that day in the garden. Sho Baraka says he’s a “vegan just trying to avoid the beef that started in the garden.”

I think that requires truth, and it requires love. It requires making choices about who we’ll follow and what we’ll belief. It requires letting God speak into our lives about what matters, and why we matter. It requires us to recognize that when Jesus told the crowd the parable of the Good Samaritan, that they should love their neighbor, he wasn’t talking about only the Waltons or the Simpsons or the people next door.

Which leads me to this challenge: Last weekend, we heard more from our Annual Conference about the extension of the “Nothing But Nets” project, now called “Imagine No Malaria.” We shared with the Jedi Academy kids and adults this week that Malaria is a completely preventable disease that kills more than half a million people a year. That the United Methodist Church was a leading partner, with the Gates Foundation and the UN Foundation, to deliver malaria prevention by way of bed nets, hospital care, and clinics. That the child who is lost every sixty seconds from malaria doesn’t have to be lost anymore.

Here’s the truth: $10 buys a bed net. $10 saves a life. $10 is two venti iced decaf caramel macchiatos at Starbucks or eight rentals at Redbox.

The truth is that we can make a difference. We can do more. Whether it’s a handful of change or an intentional check, you can be a superhero today.

No matter what you’ve been told in the past. No matter what lies you’ve bought into. You are a hero in waiting, a Jedi with big dreams and great power.

Sometimes, we just need a push. A reminder. The encouragement.

So try these on for size:

You were created good because God created you in his image and God loves you.

You are meant for good because God meant for you to exist.

You have the capability of good because God saved you by the death of Jesus on the cross.

You have the power for good, for your neighbor’s wellbeing, both next to you and across the world.

So stop faking it. And act like it.

Posted in Pop Culture, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Karin Slaughter’s Cop Town: Overcoming Stereotypes & Struggles (Book Review)

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

Karin Slaughter’s first standalone novel takes us to 1974 Atlanta, a city divided by race, gender, and sexuality. Our guides to the city are newbie cop Kate Murphy, struggling through her first week on the job, and second-year Maggie Lawson, whose familial ties to the force limit her role. But when a serial killer starts targeting cops, and Lawson’s brother Jimmy nearly becomes a victim, these two brave women are drawn into the shadowy corners of Atlanta where bullets are the only commodity that matters.

The “isms” of Atlanta are shocking: whether it’s because of race, gender, religion, sexuality, or number of days on the job, there are more things that keep people apart than hold them together. All of those things seem to hold more sway in the hearts and decisions of the characters we meet than even family lines, marriage, or the thin blue line. Most of all though, thanks to Slaughter’s depiction, we see how tough it is for a woman to break into a police force run by “good old boys,” where even the older women are suspicious of new candidates. No one is looking out for you, but rather, the disparate allegiances are united in trying to make you quit.

Yes, Slaughter’s experience as a crime thriller author shows up here, and the investigation into the Shooter is compelling. We’re lead to believe it might be one, no wait, two, no three, characters, before the big reveal. But the way these two women navigate a chauvinistic system, and the dynamics of family, proved to be what compelled me to read the majority of the book in one sitting. I wanted the two women to succeed, to overcome their grief, their struggle, their pain, and prove that being cops the right way did actually matter.

In one of my favorite conversations, Murphy’s Auschwitz-surviving grandmother (yeah, Slaughter went there) says, “There is no explanation [for why horrible people can be good.] Evil people can do good. Good people can do evil. Why does this happen sometimes? Because it’s Tuesday.” It’s a telling moment about fighting evil in all tis forms, in believing in God in the midst of Auschwitz and segregated, murderous Atlanta, and it defines how two women rise above all of the trash and turmoil to thrive. No one expects them to do much, to matter, and they prove that good people can accomplish much when they work together.

They can overcome.

Posted in Books, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Star Wars: My Reflection

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

As part of our ongoing Summer Blockbuster series at HollywoodJesus.com, I signed up to write on Star Wars. But my exploration exceeded the length we were to write, and I ended up with a longer ‘dissertation’ that I share with you brave souls now.
I will always consider Star Wars: A New Hope and Return of the Jedi as (the?) movies that were the first building blocks of what I do now, write on faith in films and preach. I remember playing as Luke Skywalker on the playground, with friends who were Han, Leia (also the name of my first grade school crush), Chewie, Lando, and many others. (You can keep G.I. Joe, I’ll take Star Wars anyway.) I was Luke (he was blonde as was I), and thought he was the coolest. It wasn’t until much later that I realized Luke was good, but Han was actually cool. The stories of these characters were foundational to my belief in bravery in the face of danger, friendship in the face of adversity, selflessness in the face of greed, and faith in the face of doubt.

You know by now that Episode VII will unveil next year, thanks to Lucasfilm’s sale to Walt Disney and the success of one J.J. Abrams. But rewatching the original Star Wars film, that is A New Hope, I’m not sure that the film can be topped or that there should be sequels. [Disclaimer here: I will see them, irregardless of whether they should be made or not.] Watching the film with a seven-year-old who’d never seen the film, but who had played every video game, read every comic book, and seen every animated adaptation, I was struck by the joy of experiencing the film (and how it’s actually PG, not some strange stretching of the boundaries). And I was reminded of the wisdom of one George Lucas, who wrote the script for my childhood playing, ripe with the nuggets of wisdom that struck me decades later.

First, there’s a boundless flow of courage and naiveté in Luke on Tattoine. It’s the sense that the world is bigger than he ever imagined but that it is innately good. He doesn’t know that Old Ben is Obi Won Kenobi, or who his father is yet; he doesn’t realize that there are forces at play that will one day challenge for his soul. He’s just a kid dreaming of something bigger, knowing he could be doing more. And when the opportunity rises, he’s the moral compass that makes grand, stupid, amazing gestures, like charging deeper into the Imperial Cruiser to save the captive Princess Leia Organa. What would the world look like if we actually dreamed like that, if we actually believed that the world was good when it was made and worked to help be part of making it better?

Second, there are issues that Lucas touches on that I didn’t see at first but I recognize are still impacting society today. It struck me that when the bartender at the Mos Eisley Cantina says, “we don’t serve their kind here” (about the droids R2D2 and C3PO), that we’re also talking about the Civil Rights movement, and the reaction to people from the Middle East after 9/11. And then I realize we’re also talking about the way that some churches respond to people who are addicts, remarried, alcoholics, or gay, just to name a few. And I think that maybe this galaxy isn’t so far away. I also recognize that there are plenty of people who see those injustices and fight them; we call them anything from Freedom Riders to Jedi Knights.

Third, and theologically (if the other two don’t ring that bell for you), I am practically CHEERING when Obi Won gets that look in his eyes (right before he closes them) and Darth Vader slices through him. And we’re not clear if Obi Won was there when the lightsaber came through and then disappeared or not (and I realize it doesn’t matter if Greedo shot first or not), but we remember that before he died/passed/disappeared/was taken up to heaven, Obi Won said, “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” It’s then that I realize all of my Star Wars love is deeper, broader, and wider than one element, one aspect of faith, but that we can see that Obi Won represents the image of Jesus, who said they’d kill him and that he’d rise three days later, that there is love, courage, power, gospel, Spirit in the world that cannot, will not allow life to be won by the dark side.

[Watching this with my seven-year-old, he asks, “Why did he do that? Why didn’t he fight back?” And I sat there, theologically educated, movie-loving, and Christ-focused, and I said, “um, well,… you’re just going to have to see the story.” It doesn’t make sense but it’s the beauty of the gospel. There has never been a movie that I’ve seen that reflects a version of the gospel story where a person doesn’t make a move that’s suicide or fight back that they die… because they just need to. For the record, Edge of Tomorrow does make a stab at it, but this is one of those moments where Star Wars makes me go, “ohhhhhhh.” Go rewatch that scene.]

Fourth, now some of you will say, “you’re full of it, it’s just a movie,” and I will reply, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” That’s something I never would’ve done as a second grader, quoting Vader, because as a kid, I didn’t understand how both Darth Vader (or Dark Vader as my three-year-old calls him) and Obi Won could believe they were serving the Force. That the Force was a power beyond and above both of them, that as an image for the Holy Spirit or the empowerment of God, we can use our force for good or bad. We all are aware that the church sometimes gives itself a bad name because the church is made of people who get confused, deceived, twisted by those who advise them and their own desires. But we know that Obi Won rebukes Han Solo’s disbelief because he’s never seen, and we know that Darth Vader ‘rebukes’ the Imperialist who belittles the “old, dead religion.” We know that real faith and truth win the day, and we know (cheating a little here to Return of the Jedi) that in the end, the old dead religion grants second chances, redemption, and opportunities for ‘resurrection’ to all who would believe.

The original Star Wars, not the Jar-Jar derivative or what still appears to be MoneyGrab2015 to me, is one of the best movies of all time because it brings beautiful tones to what we could be. It helps us dream, hope, love, think, and move. It’s not just imagination, it’s parable. (And we didn’t even get to Yoda yet!)

So, yeah, I cheered Obi Won’s ‘death,’ “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). I cheered because Star Wars taught me, even in the midst of a one-handed man hanging from the underground (overground?) spires of Cloud City at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, that in the long run, the good guys win.

Posted in Current Events, Movie Reviews, Reviews, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Karin Slaughter’s Undone: Making Sense Of Family (Book Review)

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

In her novel, Undone, Karin Slaughter brings together three of her previous stars, uniting Dr. Sara Linton with Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Will Trent and Faith Mitchell, in a frantic hunt for a serial killer who is kidnapping women, torturing them, and leaving them maimed. Now releasing in mass market form (thanks to the publisher for my copy!), the book is a dizzying spin through the lives of our three heroes, and a gripping manhunt for a sadistic villain.

Linton is still reeling from the death of another Slaughter character and her husband, police officer Jeffrey Tolliver, and adapting to the shift to a big time hospital. Trent continues to have a wild on again-off again relationship with his ex-wife, who’s life intersects with the case they’re pursuing, and Mitchell finds out that she is both diabetic and pregnant, complicating her life and adding some personal drama to the case.

But the main focus here is the pursuit of a man who kept two women chained to a makeshift bed underground in a pit, who blinded them and forced them to drink industrial cleaner. This is a villain the likes of Criminal Minds or sweeps-week CSI might pursue, and it will take everything our three characters have to bring the madness to an end.

I read the book in a sitting– it was compelling, scary, and, a bit, sickening. But the dogged pursuit by our detectives, and Slaughter’s easy-to-read prose, made for an entertaining ride. It’s just one of those stories that makes you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter, and maybe after a scalding shower.

Posted in Books, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Leigh Bardugo’s Ruin & Rising: Sometimes, Our Heroes Don’t Make It To The End (Book Review)

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

I knew we were in trouble when I read the dedication: “For my father, Harve– Sometimes our heroes don’t make it to the end.”

It’s book three of the Grisha trilogy: Alina, the Sun Summoner, is recuperating underground with her merry band of misfits, as the Apparat uses her presence to keep his followers hopeful. Meanwhile, the Darkling appears to have won, ruling over Ravka and forcing those in the middle to humbly submit or face the shadowy nichevo’ya flying overhead. For the uninitiated, it’s the court intrigue of Game of Thrones mixed with the fantasy of Terry Brooks and the emotional triangle (quadrilateral?) of The Hunger Games.

Things are pretty desperate for our heroes (whether you’ve read the first two books or not), and Leigh Bardugo weaves together a tale centered around finding the third talisman that would give Alina a chance of defeating the Darkling, while it makes us consider who would be best for Alina. Is it joining with the Darkling, the only other eternal being in her life? Is it settling down with the warrior Mal, who loves her but boasts humble origins? Or is it the king-in-waiting, Nikolai, the trickster-from-royalty?

I’m not much into love triangles (or squares) but the exploration of Alina’s weighty decisions, the way that her philosophy of life weighs against the ruthless situations that she is put in, that is interesting. The duality of Alina’s gift and her understanding of it with the way she’s deified by others is interesting. The way that Bardugo blends faith and truth, doubt and experience, good and evil makes for a stunning novel that is (in my estimation) significantly better than what I read when I picked up Shadow & Bone a few years ago and dismissed it. I’ll admit it here: Bardugo has spun a tale that bears weightier issues and an emotionally moving tale of sacrifice that shows us that too often, to win, we have to lose.

What does it mean when we quest after something, expecting we’ll never have to work or sacrifice along the way? Doesn’t it mean we have to grow, to learn, to fail, to rise? Looking for faith in the wrong places, and finding it where we least expect it, that’s all part of the human experience, part of what it takes to figure out why we’re here and what we’re meant to do. This is an interesting book, and one I’d expect to see again sometime, maybe with the full-color treatment, starring teen stars at a theater near you.

Posted in Books, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Words #8: Cookie Jars and Cash Registers (Sunday’s Sermon Today)

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

So, I’m not preaching on Sunday (thanks to Annual Conference), but preaching a sermon series means it’s on my mind anyway. So, briefly, here’s what I’d say, for those of you keeping track.

“Do not steal.”–Exodus 20:15

The Israelites, recently freed slaves, have to be reminded that someone else’s stuff is sacred. As slaves, possessions would’ve been claimed by whoever possessed the objects at the time. But God’s command not to steal is reminder that God is sufficient; stealing is the opposite, a belief that we need more than we have or can get in time (which will be echoed later in the tenth commandment about coveting).

So what are some ways we condone stealing? Finders keepers, the “Five fingered discount,” “They wont miss it.” Maybe, some others are more devious: Using work materials for personal work, paying someone under table, not reporting income to the IRS. It’s one of those things that we seem to be okay with “a little of.”

Ironically, the FDA has an acceptable rodent/bug ratio. It’s okay for “x” bug parts or rat feces in your food as long as it doesn’t exceed something. Does that make you feel comfortable? How do we rationalize behavior/absolute purity? Maybe if we’re disturbed by the bugs, we should reconsider stealing, too.

I remember over a decade ago, when we were stolen from on our way home from our honeymoon. We lost souvenirs, jewelry, and a sense of security. The next few years, when we went away, I always kept my eye on people, especially those handling our luggage.

Stealing “stuff” or money leads to mistrust, and fraud makes us believe that the system is broken. When we steal time, affection, etc., we break down relationships and our ability to make our hearts, our bodies, and our relationships work. [I wonder what would we find if we charted the way we spend time?]

Other impacts of stealing deconstruct blessings for others: Shoplifting increases costs for others; healthcare fraud increases costs for others; refusing to really give to God what is God’s by not giving to church inhibits mission; an inequitable distribution of wealth in the world creates conflict.

Israel saw it—all was God’s. God, the slave freer, was the giver of all, and the Israelites were playing with “house money.” But God wanted them to see other people’s “stuff” as just as holy and set apart.

So how have you stolen? How can you make it right?

Ephesians 4:28 says, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” But if we take it a step further, we’ll recognize that we already have a pretty standard/recognized lesson from Jesus on ‘not stealing,’ but we often overlook it.

Take a look at the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Read it (or pray it). Now reflect on verse 11, “Give us today our daily bread.”  What would our lives be like if we really only worried about our daily bread How would we spend our time differently? How would we spend our time differently? Would it mean I put any form of stealing aside if I actually fully relied on God?

Taking it a step further, St Basil wrote, “When someone steals a man’s clothes, we call him a thief; shouldn’t we give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not?”

What does it mean if I’m full while a neighbor starves? I’m stealing.

What does it mean if I have clothes in my closet that I never wear while a person down the street lacks a coat? I’m stealing.

What does it mean if I can save for retirement while my children or parents can’t make ends meet? I’m stealing.

Do I shop in stores that use child labor in other countries? Do I make decisions that allow others to thrive? I’m stealing.

Patrick Miller wrote that “stealing a person’s freedom is virtually always a matter of economics, the theft of a person for economic gain, turning the stolen object into a human machine of productivity.”

This week, pray with me:  “God, Give us this day our daily bread!”

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The LEGO Movie: Grace Versus The Law (Movie Review)

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

This movie is awesome, Chris Pratt is awesome, the animation is awesome. It is self-reflective, self-deprecating, hilarious, and insightful. Given that Chris Lord and Christopher Miller have written and directed the kid flick Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the adult-humor-related 21/22 Jump Street, it’s not surprising that this allows adults to enjoy this film that is nostalgic, LEGO-related, and peppered with delightful dialogue and voice-acting by some of today’s biggest stars. But this is really two movies within one film, two levels of brilliance.

First, there’s the obvious epic story about Emmet (Pratt) who finds himself in position to fulfill a prophecy handed down by Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), battling against the evil forces of Lord Business (Will Ferrell). Thankfully, Emmet is joined by Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett), Metal Beard (Will Offerman), Benny (Charlie Day), Superman (Channing Tatum), Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), and a host of genre LEGOs from the vault. This is exciting, funny, and clever in a way that spoofs several legendary stories (like Star Wars…)

Emmet is the antithesis of what a leader looks like when we meet him, but he has an imagination. Emmet is naive, law (corrupted law) following, cowardly, and clumsy. But he has imagination. He doesn’t know anything about how things work, but he loves life, loves everyone (he even knows all of the names of the cat lady’s cats), and believes everyone is special. We see different worlds from generations of LEGOs, and we see a world where our LEGOs come alive. It is all fun, all awesome.

Spoiler alert!

Second, there’s a story about the way that we deal with the rules of life. When we suddenly find ourselves ripped into the real world where “The Man Upstairs”/Lord Business is really a father who doesn’t understand that LEGOs are for playing with, that his son has an imagination and that it is good, we go… whoa. All of the entertainment value in the first three quarters of the film now has an emotional sucker punch.

This film is for all of the kids who were only allowed to play with LEGO sets if they used the instructions.

This film is for all of the people who were taught to only color within the lines.

This film is for all of the parents who measure their children’s value based on their ability to follow instructions, and for adults who assemble LEGO sets and then put them on the shelf not to be touched.

Ultimately, this film is about the Law (there are pieces that will not be touched; the LEGOs should only be used when the instructions are followed) versus Grace. Grace says that creativity should be valued, that things should be created in community, that there’s more than one way to build or solve a problem. Grace says relationships are more valuable than checkpoints or to-do lists, that everyone is special for what they bring to the relationship.

I rarely look forward to seeing a movie again, at least as quickly as from the theater to DVD. But I couldn’t wait to rewatch this, knowing how it ended, and considering in its complete form. I’ve come to one conclusion: everything is awesome.

Posted in Movie Reviews, Pop Culture, Reviews, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chevy Stevens’ That Night: Bullying Inside & Out (Book Review)

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

In the late 1990s, high school grads Toni and Ryan go off for a night of romance, with Toni’s kid sister Nicole tagging along. The next morning, Nicole is found violently murdered and the subsequent investigation sends both Toni and Ryan to prison for the next sixteen years. Now released, Toni finds herself back in her hometown, wondering who really killed her sister, even as the bullies from her high school and prison days ramp up their efforts to bring her down.

Chevy Stevens’ fourth book delivers in the vein of Linwood Barclay or a less violent Tess Gerritsen, in what might have been a run-of-the-mill “who framed me?” thriller if not for a few well-shaped aspects. The first is that the two-pronged approach to the story (we follow Toni in 1996 and in 2013) provides us with a background of character, setting, and tone that makes us feel like we know Toni, even as she pays for crimes she didn’t commit. The second is that Stevens weaves in the familial context of Toni and her relationship with her parents, stirring up in us the good and bad emotional attachments of our own teenage years. And the third is that the story focuses on bullying, in the home, in the schools, and in prison itself.

After reading the first fifty pages, I sat down for the next fifty or so… and couldn’t put the book down until I was done. Stevens made me sweat for Toni, even as I wondered if we were listening to a reliable narrator or not (were we buying into the ‘everyone thinks they’re innocent’ or not?) I wanted to know who killed Nicole, but even by the end of the first third when I had a pretty decent idea who had, I wanted to know why, just like the television show Motive. But in the end, much of the story boils down to the way that we deal with our own pain, and how we choose to either inflict our hurts on someone else or learn to forgive, let them go.

This is not a hard read, but there is a lot going on here. Whether you like the flipping back and forth or not, between times, you’re sure to recognize the reality that what we do and who we associate with impacts the trust level people have for us. Does Toni deserve to be branded a murderer? No. Were there things about her life that she could’ve done better to create more trust within her family and community? Yes. Ultimately, that’s a passing warning compared to the complexity of the bullying issue here.

Several of the teens in 1996 are bullied, emotionally or physically, at home; a Mean Girls-like pack of girls in the high school takes to bullying other teens, but they are aided and abetted at times by parental naiveté and peer fear. The same proves to be true for Toni when she gets to prison, and later, a halfway house. Bullying short circuits the community’s ability to respond directly because too many individuals live in fear. It’s only when someone chooses to break the cycle, to respond without fear in peace and love, that the pattern is broken.

I enjoyed the emotional payoff as much as the justice aspect of That Night. Stevens’ characters seemed real enough, and didn’t make any of the “that would never happen” decisions that I’ve come to fear in some of these thriller novels. We want Toni to succeed, on a community level and on an individual one. Thanks to Stevens’ portrayal, Toni does both.

Posted in Books, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Father’s Day: A Letter to My Sons 2.0 (2014)

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

Two years ago, I delivered a letter to my sons, written for their eighteenth birthdays, as part of my Father’s Day sermon. I first considered the idea when a friend of mine, a former Marine, told me about starting the tradition yearly as he served in various tours, and couldn’t be home for his children’s birthdays. Even after he retired and became a pastor, he continued the practice. I found the idea enticing and wrote that first letter in 2012. Now, it seems appropriate, not necessarily to update the letter, but to add to it, to emphasize different spots. Of course, it’s an open letter, and can never be finished…

By now, you’ve finished the first letter, the one that told you not to mix the reds with the whites when doing your wash (yes, that includes in the dryer!), about being a Christian, about respecting other people. But there are some things that I think I’m supposed to remind you about, over and over, as much as you might think I’m crazy.

First off, have you called your mother yet?

Second, I love you. And I’m proud of you.

Society seems to think that might makes right, but I have an admission to make: I’ve never regretted not throwing a punch, or not sticking it to someone. But I’ve wished I could take back something I said, or someone I hit. Just because you don’t fight back doesn’t mean you’re wrong or weak or a coward. Sometimes, it’s the stronger man who doesn’t have to settle things with his fists.

You’re going to have the opportunity to try lots of things now. Things maybe you’ve always wanted to, and things you’ve never heard before. I’d tell you not to do anything I wouldn’t do, but what fun would that be? Instead, I’ll tell you to make smart decisions, to respect yourself and the people around you. If there’s a chance you might regret it in the morning, wait til tomorrow to make the decision.

Call your grandparents, write them on whatever social media exists now. Remember that they loved you even when you were a pain, and make sure that you spend as much time as you can with them.

Stand up for those who are persecuted. You don’t have to agree with them, like them, or believe what they believe, but it’s not right when the majority holds someone down. The majority can be a group of people, or just the bully on the playground. There are bullies everywhere, but they run screaming into the night when people stand up to them. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is a good quote to keep in mind. No one seems sure who said it first, but I know Batman said it, and it’s true.

Speaking of things that are true: I know Jesus Christ is God’s son and he died on the cross because God loves us. I know that because I believe that, I am forgiven and can have an eternal relationship with God. All that other stuff? It’ll get worked out in the wash. It’s not always pretty. Just remember to keep the main thing the main thing.

I don’t have any regrets, which is strange because I’ve made plenty of mistakes. I should’ve eaten more vegetables and drunk less Coke; there are plenty of times I should’ve kept my mouth closed. But I’ve learned that being ashamed of what I’ve done or hanging onto what could’ve been doesn’t really help: what you do right now, tomorrow, when the opportunity arises, that’s what matters.

Do what’s right. We taught you the difference between right and wrong. You know the difference, so make good choices. (That’s from your mother– I asked her what one piece of advice she’d give you one you turned eighteen!)

Be independent. I am. Oh, you can be Republican or Democrat, or independent. But vote. Your voice matters.

Go to church, or small group, or something. We all need accountability. Your dad has been in a small group for years with guys who call me out when I’m being an idiot. We all need that. Especially guys.

Forgive quickly. Don’t hesitate to say you’re sorry. When you mess up, and you will mess up, because you’re human (and my son), admit it. If you need to talk about it, let me know. Otherwise, tell your mom.

Be punctual. (I can only hope you learned this from your mom.) Whether it’s school or work or for a date, someone is counting on you.

Dream big. Dare to do the impossible. Believe that you can do anything. Sometimes you’ll fail, but where you’ll get to while dreaming is pretty amazing.

Someday, you’re going to meet a girl that knocks you off your feet. Get up, she’s probably about to score a goal or dunk on you! No, seriously, one day, you’ll meet a woman who drives you crazy and makes you wish you were a better man. She’ll love you even though she knows what you’re really like, and she’ll encourage you to be the man God wants you to be. You won’t be able to imagine your life without her. Propose. Marry her! But until then, guard your heart and your affection– you are a great gift from God, not to be taken lightly or wasted. Getting married is no walk in the park– it takes hard work and commitment– but dating should be fun.

Greet people who don’t agree with you with grace. You are probably a little wrong! Whether it’s political, or social, or religious, it doesn’t matter– there is room for you to grow by hearing them, without fearing that you’ll lose yourself. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion, unless they went to UNC- Chapel Hill. Then they’re just wrong.

The more time you spend serving others, the happier you’ll be. Give your time away, give your money away, give away what’s been given to you by giving back. In some strange corollary of the universe, it will come back to you. Your dad doesn’t know exactly what heaven looks like, but he believes that we’re preparing for heaven now, not just waiting to get there. Maximus says in Gladiator that what we do in life echoes for eternity: Jesus said to store up treasure in heaven. Either way, do what you do with purpose, and selflessly.

For the days when you don’t want to go to class or work or to get out of bed, remember these things. Remember that God has a plan for you, and if you don’t know what it is, keep searching. Remember that your mom and dad love you unconditionally, and that you will always be my our boy. (Even though by now, you’re probably taller than I am.)

Call your mom, she misses you. Let me know when you’ll be home next: I’ll take you to a movie, or we’ll go play catch.

Posted in Current Events, Theology | Leave a comment

How To Train A Dragon 2 (3D): Heart Of A Chief, Soul Of A Dragon (Movie Review)

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Jacob Sahms

Paramount Pictures’ second adaptation of Cressida Casswell’s series about Hiccup the Viking and his dragon, Toothless, finds our hero exploring his own calling, wrestling with family, and battling against a tyrant bent on controlling all of the dragons. Painted beautifully in realistic-looking animation, How To Train A Dragon 2 provides a dizzying, stunning ride from the skies to the ocean below, with fast paced action scenes and emotive dialogue that asks us to consider how we relate to our families and how we figure out why we’re here.

Hiccup (Baruchel) struggles with his father the chief, Stoick (Butler), who sees every moment as a teachable situation, as he grooms Hiccup to become the leader of Berk. Longing to figure out who he is, and what the world outside of Berk looks like, Hiccup ranges into the unknown, often trailed by his girlfriend, Astrid (Ferrera), and his friends, Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Mintz-Plasse), Tuffnut (T.J. Hill), and Ruffnut (Wiig). These characters provide the sense that Hiccup is leading already, even if he doesn’t think he is, because there’s a general sense that where he goes, they’ll go.

On one expedition, Hiccup stumbles on a dragon trapper, Eret (Harrington), who taunts Hiccup with the knowledge that the dragon hunter Drago (Hounsou) is coming for Berk. As their confrontation ends, Hiccup is taken by a mysterious dragon rider (the trailer/commercial reveals that this is Hiccup’s mother and Stoick’s estranged wife), leading to the reunion between Hiccup, Stoick, and Valka (Blanchett). [Just writing those names reminds me that Dreamworks has aimed ‘top shelf’ at voice actor quality, and the humor and texture of the voices delivers stellar work.] Unfortunately, their reunion is cut short by the arrival of Drago, and it’s an all-out battle from that point onward.

Visually, this movie is amazing. In 3D, I would’ve told you I felt the wind rushing past my face as Hiccup and Toothless soared and dove in several of their flying sequences; the audience literally cried out and recoiled a few times when things flew at us, or when it appeared Toothless might crash. The Dreamworks crew can even fool you periodically into thinking you’re watching some motion-capture animation, that this just might be real (one particular scene with Stoick and Valka dancing, particularly Stoick’s beard’s movements, had me shaking my head).

Thematically, the movement from teenage footloose behavior to adulthood looms large. But there’s also a sense that Hiccup can embrace who he is once he recognizes the landed responsibility of Stoick and the freedom of the adventuring dragon riding of Valka. That he really does have the heart of a chief and the soul of the dragon, that his desire to create peace is a healthy blend of both of those influences flowing together. Ultimately, what happens is that Hiccup rises above the adversity, the tragedy, the danger, to lead because he settles into a balance of both. Hiccup becomes a man before our eyes, thrust through the cauldron of dragon fire into a world that desperately needs his blend of compassion and boldness.

Proverbs 22:6 says “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” That’s the truth that rises up through Hiccup’s development, that launches him to the places he needs to climb. His fierce fearlessness, his passionate peace-making, make for a beautiful character, who extends love to even his fiercest enemy. Whether his enemy accepts or not is not for Hiccup to decide. He can only be the boy, the man, the chief that he is called to be, blending heart, soul, and some 3D action into a film that catches fire on screen and delivers this summer’s animated hit.

Posted in Movie Reviews, Pop Culture, Reviews, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment