Everything That's On My Mind

In our Wednesday night services for the past few months, we've been doing what I call a cooperative bible study. That is, I try to act more as a facilitator than a teacher. I really enjoy being a moderator for this kind of study, even though it is difficult for me to keep my mouth shut sometimes. For the last couple weeks we've been studying the "five-fold" (or four-fold) gifts in Ephesians 4. We encountered a situation where one bible dictionary gave a definition of evangelist as "one who evangelizes"...not very helpful. My comment at the time was "time to get a new bible dictionary". So I thought I would post some bible dictionary recommendations.

On a budget (free online):

The International Standard bible Encyclopedia - This work has been revised and expanded (the current edition is nearly 5,000 pages) but the first edition is still useful and it's available free online.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary - Another good free online tool.

The basics:

The New Unger's Bible Dictionary - This is a good tool to have. I reference it often.

Vine's Expository Dictionary - Older and not as detailed as Unger's, but still quite useful.

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary - I don't personally have a copy of this work yet, but it's been recommended by a number of people as "Vine's for the 21st century".

If I've missed a bible dictionary that you've found particularly helpful, leave a comment.

...or question in the form of an answer.

HT: Douglas Adams

Though I haven't yet seen Prince Caspian myself I highly recommend Jeffery Overstreet's review of the movie, not only because I respect his opinion on movies but also because it's one of the more cleverly written movie reviews I've read in a long time.

Most children will miss the quieter, subtler fire, running instead to the bright and roaring fires of a lesser tale with the same title. There, Aslan may show up and inspire them in spite of everything. But some, we can hope, fill find their way to Professor Lewis out there in the woods, find Aslan in all of his glory, and bask in a light more penetrating and beautiful.

Amen.

I find a certain sense of irony in the new ballpark rankings released by SI.com, since the long-anticipated demolition of Tiger Stadium will begin shortly. Its replacement, Comerica Park, is ranked the 4th best place to see a ballgame in Major League Baseball. Like anyone who grew up in Detroit I have very fond memories of the old bandbox, but I've grown to appreciate Comerica Park. I've sat all over the park and there really isn't a bad seat in the house. And of course, since they've been one of the best teams in baseball the last few years the atmosphere has been electric.

Congratulations to the Tigers organization. Go Tigers!

(The picture above is taken from my friend Bob's seats. I am grateful for his generosity in sharing them with me.)

As you can see (unless you're using an RSS reader), I've finally gotten around to redesigning the site. I consider this a live beta at this point and I'm certainly open to comments and suggestions. I envisioned a more interesting background for the masthead, but while I'm handy with computer graphics software I'm not an artist. I'd be happy to take suggestions/submissions from artsy types.

Please let me know if you have any problems viewing the new design. I've tested it in IE7, Firefox2, and Safari, but I may have missed something along the way.

P.S. If you are using an RSS reader and the upgrade caused a deluge of posts on the feed, I apologize.

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please - not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of him to make me love a foreigner or pick beets with a migrant worker. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of a womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I'd like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

~Wilbur Rees

HT: Ben Witherington

How would you react if a freak accident took your entire family from you in an instant? If you're anything like me, your honest answer would be...not very well. Especially if that accident is what some people call an "act of God". That's exactly what happened to my friend Robert Rogers almost five years ago. His story is summarized in an article in the current issue of Charisma Magazine. Robert and I were good friends in college at Anderson University. He was kind enough to come all the way up from Cincinnati when I married Lori and I was honored to be in attendance when he married Melissa. I haven't stayed in close touch with him over the years, just Christmas cards and such, but he remains an inspiration to me. Whenever circumstances begin to weigh me down, I try to remember the faith Robert has exhibited despite this tragedy and my troubles seem insignificant.

Robert now devotes himself full-time to ministry and to his Mighty in the Land Foundation. The foundation's goal is to sponsor orphanages around the world. You can support this foundation through donations or by buying Robert's CDs. (He's the most talented pianist I've ever known, and I've known quite a few talented pianists.) He's also recently published a book, Into the Deep, that tells his story. It's a great reminder that no matter what happens to us, God's grace is sufficient.

What, you may ask, are the Felix Awards? Well, I don't see enough movies to voice an opinion on the Oscars, so the Felix Awards are my votes for film awards based on the movies I actually have seen this year. May I have the envelopes please?

Best Screenplay: Diablo Cody - Juno

Juno is a wonderful story of an uncommon teen with an all-too-common problem. Diablo Cody's screenplay is laugh-out-loud funny without (for the most part) being crude, sensitive without being sappy, and poignant without being melodramatic. I especially appreciated her portrayal of Juno's parents as honest, involved, and caring rather than the typical caricature. I hope she's not a one hit wonder.

Runner-up: Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard - Gone Baby Gone

Best Actor: Tie between Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
(I'm not going to bother with the lead vs. supporting distinction on the next two awards.)

Javier Bardem has created one of the great movie villains/monsters of all time. The scene In No Country for Old Men where Chigurh asks a confused gas station attendant to call a coin toss that, unbeknownst to him, will determine whether he lives or dies is utterly terrifying. Not since Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter have I seen pure evil personified so effectively. At the same time, Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of the world-weary and increasingly despondent Sheriff Tom Bell was equally powerful.

Runner-up: Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd

Best Actress: Ellen Page - Juno

Any actor with any experience at all will tell you that comedy is much harder than drama. Because of the highly stylistic dialog, the role of Juno MacGuff is particularly fraught with peril. It could so easily have been turned into a silly caricature. Ellen Page walked the tightrope like a Wallenda. The transformation of her character was so subtle, yet so real. I totally believed every moment of her performance. That may be hard for some people to grasp but if you've ever spent time with my daughter, you understand. Kids as intelligent, witty, quirky, and random as Juno really do exist.

Runner-up: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

Best Director: Joel and Ethan Cohen - No Country for Old Men

The Cohen's are amazingly skilled. Their movies are consistently original and artistically powerful. Unfortunately, in this case, those skills served a depressing story. No Country for Old Men is marvelous filmmaking. You just can't take your eyes off the screen, even when you want to. It is a hopeless, nihilistic story but their skill in telling it is undeniable. It's perhaps the best pure horror film since The Shining.

Runner-up: Jason Reitman - Juno

Best Picture: Juno

Based on the reviews, I went into this movie expecting to like it. I was wrong. I loved it. Juno works on so many levels. A great screenplay, effective soundtrack, and fantastic performances from J.K. Simmons, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, and most of all Ellen Page. It's rare you find a comedy with this kind of depth and rich, multi-dimensional characters.

Runner-up: No Country for Old Men

And now for a few silly categories:

Best Hero: Jason Bourne - The Bourne Ultimatum

Here's hoping that the CIA never wise up and leave him alone.

Best Villain: Anton Chigurh - No Country for Old Men

I'm not sure who I'd rather meet in a dark alley, Anton Chigurh or Hannibal Lecter. I'm leaning toward Lecter.

Best Movie That Could Have Been: I Am Legend

Boy, this could have been a great movie, but someone forgot to write a decent ending...like, for example, the one in the original book. Dumbing down the story for a nice, Disney ending just killed this movie. A really good performance by Will Smith was wasted here.

Worst Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End

My daughter will argue with me all day and all night on this one, but this movie is just bad, bad, bad. Only Johnny Depp's performance makes it watchable at all.

Most Unexpected Laugh: How To Hook Up Your Home Theater (animated short before National Treasure: Book of Secrets)

This Disney short starring Goofy was a great surprise. Honestly, I may have enjoyed it more than the feature. I hope this is a trend toward the return of the classic short film before features. Probably not, though.

Movies I'm Sorry I Missed (but hope to see eventually):

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
August Rush
Charlie Wilson's War
Michael Clayton
3:10 to Yuma
There Will Be Blood