Building the Kingdom Through Socks and Cigarettes

As missional people, we are all familiar with the term contextualization.  It is one of those words that we embrace and hang our ecclesiastical hat on but, as is often the case, we may have difficulty defining it.  As an exercise, quickly jot down your definition of contextualization.  It is harder than you think.  The best definition I have found is: 

“Contextualization is the work of presenting and practicing the Christian faith in such a way that it is relevant within the surrounding cultural context” (read the full article here) 

Once it is defined, one must make an effort to be contextual.  This is less black and white.  Being contextual means adapting.  It means to live in a constant state of tension.  The more I meditate on what it means to be contextual, the more I am willing to let the term remain full of question.  Let it remain in the spiritual gray area, while the unyielding, so-called orthodox theologians draw their lines in the sand and forcing the kingdom of God into a neat and tidy little box—a box which unfortunately never allows any one out or, even worse, in.   

I read this great passage recently in Rick McKinley’s excellent book This Beautiful Mess.  Beginning to see the world around him through the lens of the Kingdom of God, McKinley describes a paradigm shift experienced by he and his friends in their ministry to the lost and broken.  God worked in their heart to show them a way to bring the gospel to the forgotten:  God taught them to be contextual.  McKinley writes: 

“…no flashy programs.  But with God’s help, we were beginning to embarkon a new way of being and seeing the world.  A new way like socks and cigarettes for example.Our group started passing out socks and cigarettes to the street youth of
Portland.  Hundreds of kids living on the streets were confronted with the kingdom through socks and cigarettes.  The socks and cigarettes met needs, spoke their language, announced that someone cared and showed them that in the kingdom of heaven, no one is a throwaway.”  (p. 52)

I understand that you are reading this passage out of context (no pun intended) but what is your gut feeling about their approach?  Do you feel a little strange about it?  What if next Sunday your pastor announced that your church was going to start a ministry to homeless street youth and the tool they were going to use to gain credibility and trust was to hand out cigarettes?  Would you feel self-righteous indignation (after all, we know that Jesus doesn’t want us to smoke right?!) or would you see a bigger picture?  The bigger picture of the story of God’s redemption that He wants to tell through you in a context that, in McKinley’s words, speaks the language of the culture.  

As I sit and write this, I am at a Boys and Girls Club sponsored skate park sitting at a picnic table.  Along with my 8-year old son, there are about 50 kids, all seemingly 12 and under, skating the ramps and rails…and as I look around I am the only parent here.  Not an adult in sight.  I can have two responses—I can shake my head in disgust and curse that my city is falling apart because our youth are lost and have no parental guidance.  Or I can use this as an opportunity to be a glimpse of the kingdom, if even to just one of these kids.  I won’t hand them a tract, invite them to my church (yet) or take them down the Romans road.  No, I will meet them here on their turf and talk about skateboarding.  I’ll talk to them about their music.  I’ll talk to them about whatever they want to talk about.  I can get to know them and their names.  I can learn about their families, where they go to school, and what level of Tony Hawk Project 8 they have reached.  Maybe it will all lead to nothing (in my eyes at least)…Yet my heart knows that even if none of these kids ever darken the doorway of a church, God loves them and created them.  I know that there is a Savior who died and has taken away the sins of the world.  Will they ever taste the sweetness of the gospel and be a participant in His kingdom like my son and I have the privilege of doing?  I can pray for that.  I can pray for God to use me in making that a reality.  I can pray for God to show me what my socks and cigarettes will be, not just here at the skate park but wherever I go. 

What about you?  Take a look around you—the kingdom is happening.  Don’t be a bystander and watch it go by.  Grab whatever the socks and cigarettes are in your context and start handing them out.

Book Review: This Beautiful Mess

In his timely book This Beautiful Mess Rick McKinley, pastor of Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon, clarifies our many misunderstandings of this thing called The Kingdom of God. McKinley hypothesizes that much of the church today has forgotten the true meaning of the gospel message. 

According to McKinley, at the center of the gospel message is something not so tidy, not so neat, not so perfect.  Building upon Jesus words in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the conclusion is that the kingdom is for those who lack and those who are broken.  Unfortunately, most of us are too busy involved in other matters to see the beauty (i.e. The Beautiful Mess) that is the kingdom around us.  

Jesus’ teaching of the kingdom being something here and now is something missed by most theologians—and therefore most Christians.  In most eyes, the kingdom has been reduced, spiritualized or something future.  That combined with the individualist mindset of our American culture empties the power and usefulness of the gospel.  Shying away from such things as pain, suffering and poverty, what remains is an impotent shell of what the kingdom is supposed to be:  an anchor of hope rooted in Christ’s sacrifice, mercy and grace.

McKinley challenges us to re-imagine our life and our service with the Jesus and His kingdom at the center.  Building upon anecdotes of his own journey and experience, McKinley paints a beautiful picture of what the kingdom should be.  Laboring side by side with the members of his church, Imago dei Community, they have seen their life and their city changed.  He is clear that God is the one building his kingdom and they are only privileged participants—he is not promoting a social gospel.

Selflessly responding to the needs of the broken and suffering in our midst, the gift the church ultimately offers is found in Jesus.  Practicing the presence of the kingdom (the books’ subtitle) is not a one-shot deal—it is organic, time consuming, and long-term.  The examples McKinley writes about are rich with grace, mercy and unconditional love. 

McKinley never claims to be a theologian himself.  However, the result of “This Beautiful Mess” is more powerful than any theology textbook can offer.  He possesses credibility because he and his church are actually living out their theology.  James chapter 2 states “Faith without works is dead.”  It is clear that McKinley, Imago dei Community and their friends have faith.  Let’s hope that the church at large re-discovers its faith as well.  If they do, they will find a beautiful mess waiting for them.

Pastoral Confession

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, recently wrote an interesting piece about the fall of Ted Haggard. Driscoll, in his usual pull-no-punches style, outlined 6 things we can all learn from his situation.  (read the complete piece here). 

All 6 points are powerful; however, it is the first point that should intrigue the most: 

“Like 1 Timothy 5:24 says, some mens sins are out ahead of them in plain sight while others trail behind them. In this instance, Haggards sin finally caught up with him after his admittedly many years of battling in shame and secrecy. This is a wake-up call for all Christian leaders to be open and honest about sin and temptation before it ends up in a similar scandalous scenario.” 

In this day and age, pastors are living increasingly in the fishbowl under the microscope of not only their congregations but, through media, the entire world.  Let’s face it—the world loves it when a Christian falls.  And, as the old adage says, the bigger they come—the harder they fall.  The Haggard story provided great fodder for the late-night talk shows and cable news outlets.   Driscolls’ wake-up call for pastors to be open and honest about sin should be heeded.  But how does that happen?  What does it look like?  The most important question is what accountability structure do we have for our pastors to do that?  Being a pastor has to be a lonely place.  Imagine everyone looking at you for spiritual guidance and comfort.  Everyone is looking to you for the biblical answers for their problems.  Everyone is looking at you to be the example of the perfect Christian.  Everyone expects you to be the perfect pastor, the perfect husband, the perfect father.   Do we really want our pastors do be open and honest about their sin?   Every unrealistic image of who are pastors are will be shattered.  Craig Groeschel, pastor of the mega-church Lifechurch.tv, recently wrote a book called Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real With God.  Written before the Haggard scandal, Groeschel writes with sobering honesty about the many struggles he has as a follower of Christ.  While the many challenges he faces are serious, they pale in comparison to the severity of Haggard’s fall.  Yet, the fact that he is a pastor may be unnerving to some.  There may even be some who think that he should not be a pastor.  Many find it unnerving to know that their pastor struggles with lust.  Some would be shocked to learn that their pastor really doesn’t like prayer meetings.  Maybe your pastor doesn’t like some people.  Would that upset you?  Groeschel’s book gives us great insight into how our pastors are just normal men with all the same struggles, sins and weaknesses that we all have.  Driscoll’s call for pastoral honesty and openness made needs to be heeded by every church.  No pastor should stand alone.  Every pastor should have a group of men (elders, deacons, leaders) in the church who surround, protect and encourage him.  As a normal practice, our pastors should have the liberty to confess their sins with these men.  What is needed is not some hokey, Oprah-like appearance of transparency where our pastors get in touch with their “more sensitive side” and cry like babies.  But down and dirty confession and repentance with men who will pray with and for their pastor.    In hindsight, maybe that’s what Ted Haggard needed.  Let’s hope that all churches will learn this lesson and strive to give their pastor the liberty to be weak.  When we do this, maybe the days of the fallen pastor will be a thing of the past.   

Book Review: Confessions of A Pastor

Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real With God is the perfect title for Craig Groeschel’s brutally honest story of his struggles as the founder and pastor of Lifechurch.tv.  From the early days as a church plant to its growth into a mega-church, Groeschel chronicles not only the corporate struggles of the church but also his many failings and inadequacies as the pastor.  Not for the squeamish, the book candidly  explores the spiritual walk of a man through the challenges of planting a church, weathering the storms that come, and emerging on the other side not necessarily victorious—but having a sense of God’s strength despite his own weaknesses.   

Transparency and honesty are buzzwords that are commonplace in the market of ideas of spiritual discipline and growth.  As laymen, we are encouraged to explore these ideas.  But do we expect or desire the same from our pastors?  Seemingly not.  More than ever, the current climate is a distrust and suspicion of the men who are called to be the leaders of the church.  Our foolish expectation of these men of God is to be men of strength, unflinching in their steadfastness and perfect examples of integrity.  Should we be surprised when they are not?     

Some may choose to continue to live in a state of denial.  After all, aren’t pastors supposed to be above reproach?  Readers of Groeschel’s book will find that they are far from it.  Any person who reads this book will see a mirror of himself on each page—and, more importantly, we will see our pastors.  This can be either a relief or terrifying—depending on what side of the fence they are on.   

Groeschel opens the Pandora’s box of lust and sexual purity dealing with it tastefully with a sense of sobriety without being titillating or shocking.  Pride and arrogance also rear their ugly head.  Marriage and parenting failures also litter the path of Groeschel’s journey.  How refreshing to hear that pastors do not necessarily always love their wives as Christ loved the church.  What about raising their kids in the fear of the Lord?  Inconsistently.  In other words, they are just like you and me.  Occasionally victorious—more often than not, falling short. 

Written in a quick-paced narrative style, Groeschel riddles his story with the lessons he has learned along the way.  Ever the pastor, his lessons resonate with application not just for pastors but anyone seeking to grow in their faith.   

Groeschel should be commended for being at the forefront of tearing down the stereotypes and unrealistic expectations we place upon our pastors.  With his Confesssions  let’s pray that other pastors, and all believers for that matter, will follow his lead and be fearless in admitting their faults and weaknesses.  Our churches can only be better as we all learn to “drop the pose and get real with God.” 

Book Review: Wired For A Life of Worship

 

One of the first things I struggled with when I first became a Christian was worship.  Because I had never been exposed to any sort of church tradition or practice, I pigeon-holed the practice of worship as being the 15-20 minutes of music and singing before the sermon.  (The on-going debates around me about contemporary vs. traditional, praise choruses vs. hymns did not help my struggle–it only reinforced my immature misconception of worship being only about singing.)   I don’t think I was alone in that struggle in the early days of my faith.  Looking back, a book such as Wired For A Life Of Worship by Louie Giglio, would have been an invaluable resource.  In eleven succinct, easy-to-read chapters, Giglio gives the reader a complete snapshot of what true worship is.  Both anthropological and theological, the result is challenging and life-changing to any reader regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey. 

Sleekly presented with simple text interspersed with bold color, assorted font styles and wide margins, the book itself is aesthetically pleasing.  However, the old adage about not judging a book by its cover rings true.  In a day and age where style is emphasized over substance, it is refreshing to find a solid combination of both.  Within the pages of Giglio’s book, the reader is systematically taught a full-orbed perspective of worship beginning with a general analysis of all of mankind.  Using scriptures along with anecdotal stories and practical experience, Giglio hypothesizes that every person is born with a God-given desire to worship; i.e. we are “wired” for worship.   Even after the fall of man, the need and drive to worship something remains.  However, stained by sin the human heart resorts to worshipping anything but God. From here, Giglio skillfully builds one point upon the other painting a beautiful picture of creation, fall, grace and redemption.

Perusing many other books written on the subject work of worship, I have found that many of them erred on the side of being overly self-centered, individualistic, mind-numbingly mystical and theologically muddy.  Giglio, on the other hand, emphasizes the work of Christ on the cross, the importance of sacrificial living with others in community, and a Christ-centered love of God out of response for what He has done.  The result is a good balance of theological and practical applications.  The headings for each chapter illustrate how the theme of each builds upon the other:

·                    Chapter One: That Thing We do–Everybody worships something.

·                    Chapter Two: Something More–We are made to worship God.

·                    Chapter Three: Why Worship Matters–We need to worship God.

·                    Chapter Four:  What God Wants Most for You–true worship begins at the cross of Christ.

·                    Chapter Five:  Joining the Ranks of True Worshippers

·                    Chapter Six:  For who He is and What He does

·                    Chapter Seven:  Worship as a Way of Life

·                    Chapter Eight:  Through Jesus, All the Time

·                    Chapter Nine:  Lips and Lives–everything can be worship when it’s done for God’s glory.

·                    Chapter Ten:  A Personal Path to Worship

·                    Chapter Eleven:  Moving Beyond Me, to Us–community worship

Through each chapter I was challenged and convicted personally in all areas of life–how I think, how I serve, how I use my gifts and resources, how I work and even how I rest.  Do I make every part of my life an opportunity to worship?   Or do I compartmentalize them?  Do I view the things that God has blessed me with as mine and that I somehow deserve them?  Or are they gifts from God that I am to use for His glory alone?  Do I view time as mine or a tool to use for His purpose?  Tackling this book was a humbling endeavor and I doubt that I will be alone in that conclusion.  

Interspersed in the content of each chapter is a brief, devotional bible study which addresses the theme being discussed.  This is an extremely helpful tool in supplementing the understanding of the chapter.  Also, there are discussion questions at the end of each chapter which makes this a great resource for small groups or home bible studies.  (Note:  the book is also packaged with a devotional/bible study called “30-Day Worship Journey” which takes the reader through 30 different Psalms.  With each Psalm the reader is taught how to note key phrases and words to capture the theme of each Psalm; essentially, you are taught how to study the Bible.  By the end of the 30 days, the reader is able to do each exercise without any outline or instruction from Giglio.  Again, this is a very effective resource especially for the newer Christian.)

Although Giglio gears his material for a younger audience in both its style and presentation, Wired For A Life Of Worship will surely challenge the most mature of reader.  Having our preconceptions (which are often misconceptions) confronted, deconstructed and re-shaped is often times painful but ultimately necessary.  Only when we view all of our life as worship will we be able to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

Book Preview-Confessions of a Pastor

“In acts of mutual confession we release power that heals … humanity is no longer denied, but transformed. The followers of Jesus Christ are given the authority to receive the confession of sin and to forgive it in His name.”–Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline

“Confess your sins one to another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”-James 5:16

The concept of confession of sin to one another in most Protestant circles is meet with, at the very least, indifference.  At its worst, it is met with outright rejection.  “That sounds Catholic to me,” they may argue.  “I don’t need to confess my sins to anyone but God.” 

The need of an outlet for confession is the motivation behind mysecret.tv, recently featured in the New York Times:

The LifeChurch founder, the Rev. Craig Groeschel, said that after 16 years in the ministry he knew that the smiles and eager handshakes that greeted him each week often masked a lot of pain. But the accounts of anguish and guilt that have poured into mysecret.tv have stunned him, Mr. Groeschel said, and affirmed his belief in the need for confession. (read the article)

Pastor Groeschel has written a book of his own confessions appropriately titled Confessions of A Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real With God.  Described as “the dark side of a pastor’s life,” Groeschel states bluntly “I have to work hard to stay sexually pure, I hate prayer meetings, sometimes I doubt God , and I can’t stand a lot of Christians…”

Unlike the users of mysecret.tv, Groeschel writes without the protection of anonymity–a bold and refreshing move considering how we tend to forget that pastors are real men who share the same struggles, face the same temptations and have the same dark secrets that we all have.

Movie Review-World Trade Center

Only history will tell if Hollywood accurately recounted the harrowing events of September 11, 2001. Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center,” coupled with the recent “United 93,” are the first two major studio forays into the subject. Despite differing opinions on whether such films are necessary yet, each film has given us an important snapshot of that fateful day. In “World Trade Center,” Screenwriter Andrea Berloff and Stone take the high road by refusing to politically grandstand or resort to cliched flag-waving. Instead they weave a powerful tale of courage and redemption in the face of evil.

“World Trade Center” focuses on the story of two New York City Port Authority police officers, Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) and John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage), who were the 18th and 19th persons rescued alive (there were only 21 in all) from the collapsed towers. Told mostly from deep within the rubble, the story moves briskly from the vantage point of the two survivors clinging to life, their families coping with the uncertainty of their loved ones’ fate, and the God-inspired calling of the man who ultimately is the one who discovers them.

There is an eerie sense of layered normalcy in the opening sequence of the film. On one end of the spectrum is McLoughlin, a 21-year veteran of the department. In the pre-dawn hours of what is seemingly just another day he rises from bed. McLoughlins’ tired, sunken eyes and weary movements demonstrate a man who has done this thousands of times before and will do countless times in the future. He dutifully peers into the bedrooms of each of his children before heading out the door for his trek into the city. In contrast, Jimeno has been on the force all of thirteen months. With a young, pregnant wife and four-year old daughter, he is the epitome of the nervous, optimistic rookie. Seemingly savoring every moment, he emerges from his small suburban home with a spring in his step eager to take on whatever comes his way. He excitedly drums his steering wheel and sings along to the tune of Brooks and Dunns’ “Only in America” blasting from his car stereo. Meanwhile, McLoughlin stares blankly ahead to the drone of a monotone radio news commentator. The clear city skyline and the Twin Towers gleam brightly in the sunrise of a day that would providentially define the course of history.

Stone, who in past films has had all the subtelty of a sledgehammer, uses unusual restraint in his recreation of the hijacked planes flying into the towers. We never see the planes or the explosions of impact; instead we “feel” them through the sickening sound. (This is a powerful and effecitve method because every viewer has their own “story” behind the events of that day–where they were, what they were doing, who they were with. I found myself struggling with the same emotions watching the film as I did that day.) When McLoughlin rallies a small group of officers to enter the burning towers, Jimeno is the first to step up. An unspoken bond is immediately formed as the brave men embark on their mission–the young cops filled with fear and uncertainty; the vet McLoughlin, with years of experience and knowledge, leading them despite the impossibility of the task. As chaos ensues around them, the team begins their ascent into the tower. The tension increases as scores of desperate occupants file by them, many of them burned, bleeding and covered in soot. When the first tower begins to collapse, Stone unfortunately resorts to the hackneyed technique of slow-mo as if the moment needed more dramatic effect.

The film is at its best when it settles into the dark and quiet claustrophia within the ruins as McLoughlin and Jimeno bond in their determination to survive. Out of sight from one another and severely wounded, the pinned men communicate and keep each other going despite the gravity of their situation. Heavenly beacons of light shine through the cracks and a small drip of water from a pipe just out of reach are the only glimmers of hope for the two. “Can you still see the light?,” McLaughlin asks his partner. Dramatically the camera pulls out of the ruins, up above what will come to be known as Ground Zero and into the city skyline revealing only a solitary plume of smoke reminiscent of the presence of God in the Old Testament described as a pillar of smoke. It is here within the depths of destruction that these two men are brought to the end of themselves, left to seek comfort in the transcendent–screaming the Lord’s Prayer as the second tower crumbles or Jimeno’s visions of Jesus offering him water.

Meanwhile, the families of McLoughlin and Jimeno are left in aching uncertainty on the fate of their loved ones. The tension is excruciating as they find various ways to cope–the wives manically searching for answers, Jimeno’s mother dropping to her knees to silently pray, McLoughlins’ brave son wanting to “just go down there and get him.”

In the turning point of the film, a savior emerges in a scene rich with spiritual overtones: a Bible opened to the first chapter of Revelation. A cross. People filling a church to pray. It is within the walls of this church we are introduced to ex-Marine David Karnes. Sensing a divine calling, he leaves his job in Connecticut to become part of the rescue efforts. Upon his arrival and surveying the destruction at Ground Zero, Karnes tells another rescue worker, “It’s as if God made a curtain with the smoke to shield us from what we’re not ready to see.”

In the end, Karnes calling was sure as he discovers and orchestrates the rescue of the two heroes. As McLoughlin ascends toward the light and out of his grave of twisted steel, we see hundreds of hands carrying his broken and wounded body to safety and restoration–a beautiful picture of self-sacrifice, community and brotherhood. Scripture says in Genesis 1:27 “God created man in his own image.” It is this truth written on the hearts of men that causes us to rage against the injustice and violence commited on 9/11. This is also the truth that motivates men to great acts of selflessness, bravery and courage as demonstrated by countless thousands on that day and the days that followed. Some, like Jimeno and McLoughlin, made it out alive–thousands did not and that alone makes this a story worth telling–despite the flaws of Stone’s film.

Movie Review-Barnyard

BARNYARD

MPAA Rating: PG-for some mild peril and rude humor

Genre: Animation, Comedy

Starring: Kevin James, Courteney Cox-Arquette, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell, Wanda Sykes

Being a father of two boys, age 7 and 5, it’s a given that if watching paint dry could somehow be animated we would shell out the bucks to see it. And, as any parent who frequents this genre of film knows, you take your life into your own hands and put your sanity at risk the moment you enter the theater. Imagine a theater full of youngsters juiced up on concession-stand candy, soda, icees and buttered popcorn. Kids, and most parents apparently, find it completely acceptable to talk and scream at the top of their lungs without fear of repercussion. Some even venture to stand up and wander the aisles aimlessly. Combine that with babies (come on parents: just because it’s animated doesn’t mean your 5-month old is going to watch it, much less enjoy it!) crying, screaming and exhibiting every other bodily function imaginable. Exhausted parents are sorely outnumbered in these dens of misery. Actually watching and enjoying the movie become secondary to pure survival and tolerance; at least it is for me and my two perfectly behaved children (wink)!

This was, once again, my experience as we ventured to see the latest in the seemingly endless stream of animated films featuring talking animals acting human-like: “Barnyard.” In the past year moviegoers have been subjected to the likes of “Madagascar”, “Valiant”, “Hoodwinked” and “Doogal.” This summer alone has blessed us with “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown”, “The Wild”, “Over the Hedge” and “The Ant Bully.” Before the year is over, as promised by the three trailers that preceded “Barnyard,” we will be graced with “Open Season”, “Flushed Away” and “Happy Feet”—enough already. I cry uncle.

In “Barnyard,” writer-director Steve Oedekirk (“Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”, “Bruce Almighty”) tackles the timeless (literally) story of sacrifice and selfless love using barnyard animals as the players. When dim-witted humans are around, these animals act, well, like barnyard animals. When left to themselves they become, as the movie poster exclaims, the “original party animals” (i.e. human): talking, standing upright, dancing, joy-riding and having an all-around good time. Creator of “The Far Side” Gary Larson should sue for theft of intellectual property!

As with any community, the barnyard has its own hierarchy. The older, wiser and responsible segment is represented, seemingly, by one person—er, cow—Ben (Sam Elliot). Ben is the unquestioned leader of the bunch providing strength, wisdom and protection from threats outside (coyotes, man) and inside (recklessness, irresponsibility) the community. Ben lovingly and patiently attempts to show his stubborn, fun-loving son Otis (Kevin James) the foolishness of his ways. “A strong man stands up for himself,” he tells the strong-willed Otis. “A stronger man stands up for others.” Borrowing heavily from other animated tales like “Bambi”, “The Lion King” and “Finding Nemo” the fun and frivolity is underscored by a great deal of heartbreak, tragedy and conflict. In those classic films, the formula works; here, however, it seems contrived and forced.

Of course, everything is neatly wrapped up in a nifty 89 minutes so as to not over-tax the attention-deficit minds of its core audience. To bridge the gap from conflict to resolution, the middle portion of the film is a seemingly endless montage of sight gags, fast-paced chases, loud music and overall barrage of sensory overkill. Sprinkled throughout are enough pop culture references to keep adult minds semi-engaged until we get to the expected resolution.

Along for the ride is the standard love interest, Daisy (Courtney Cox), barnyard sage Miles the Mule (Danny Glover), wise-cracking Bessy (Wanda Sykes) and a smart aleck mouse named Pip (Jeffrey Garcia). Was it just me or was the choice of casting a little peculiar? The two main characters (James and Cox), along with the wise leader (Elliot), were voiced by white actors. The mule, voiced by an African-American (Glover), on the other hand, often used a quick kick to the head to exhibit his strength. Similarly, I half expected the jive-talkin’ Bessy (Sykes) to scream “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies!” as she helped Daisy give birth. Worst of all, was Pip (Garcia) who exhibited every possible Hispanic stereotype in the book. Am I the only one who noticed this?

Despite the flaws and racial stereotypes (real or imagined) “Barnyard” positively communicates a timeless truth. By confronting and conquering his own weaknesses—overcoming guilt and fear of responsibility—Otis realizes, in a sense, that “greater love has no one than this—that he lay down his life for his friends.” As the appointed heir as leader of the barnyard, he learns that “to much is given, much is required”-even if said leadership is not necessarily desired. Valuable lessons, indeed–for children and adults alike.

Late to the Party…The Fuse

“According to recent statistics from blog-tracking site Technorati, the blogosphere has doubled every six months for the last three years. That’s 175,000 new blogs per day worldwide. Technorati added its 50 millionth blog on July 31, 2006…”–(read the article here)

Alright, I confess…I’m behind the times.  While it seemed like everyone and their mothers were starting their own blog, I resisted the temptation.  However, I was always intrigued by the idea–imagine a place to vent my thoughts, express opinion and share my insights (however misguided they may be at times) about the beautiful mess called life.  My mind races with a million random thoughts and ideas everyday…why not document them and make them public?

Now, OK…if you are anything like me you are probably thinking “Hey, who the hell cares what you think and what your opinions are?”  I know that feeling–most blogs I have read are a colossal waste of time.  However, there are a handful of great ones that have not only been entertaining and educational but life-changing and inspirational.  It would be pretentious of me to assume that any of my writings will reach that level but, hopefully, they will land somewhere in between.  Along the way, I hope that something here will spark an interest and create a dialogue that will be beneficial to whoever comes across them.

What’s with the name?  The Fuse.  A fuse is defined as a cord of readily combustible material that is lighted at one end to carry a flame along its length to detonate an explosive at the other end.   Sounds heavy and that’s a lot to live up to; the truth is that most of the topics and opinions will not be combustible and the conclusions we reach will not be entirely explosive.  But you have to aim high right?  Welcome to the Fuse.