Prince Caspian Review

I often think of blogging some of my reviews of movies, but I either don't get around to it (for instance - I started this post on May 18, and am finishing it now on the 23rd - a full week after I saw the film), or I figure I don't see enough new releases to make it worth blogging about (who wants a movie review about a film that was released 2-6 years ago?).

So I had the rare opportunity to see Prince Caspian on it's opening day. My summation of my thoughts: I can't recall loving and hating a movie so much at the same time.

I thought Christianity Today had a great review of the film, so I'll point my three readers to that. But if you really are interested in my thoughts, here they are in brief:

• I love New Zealand! It's the perfect setting for these films (and my favorite film of all-time - the Lord of the Rings (and yes - it is one film, not a trilogy!)).
  
• There were compromises in both the first movie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and the second (Prince Caspian), but those are to be expected somewhat. While I never met C.S. Lewis, and am not as well read of him as many others (but I still hold him in high respect and long to read more of his works), I would guess that he would have put up with the changes in the first movie and been pleased with it, but he would have been very upset about changes in the second, despite what his son in law says.
  
• I don't think Andrew Adamson really "gets" the Narnia series (Jeffrey Overstreet seems to agree with me).
  
• I thought Ben Barnes was decent as Caspian, but I hated his fake accent. And is it just me, or does he look like the kid brother of Keanu Reeves?
  
• The guy who played Trumpkin was great!
• I've read how some people didn't like how Reepicheep was handled, but I thought they used him effectively to add humor, yet also made him noble.
• Aslan was not in the movie nearly enough. And I was so disappointed that the conversation between Aslan and Lucy was played off as a dream - it completely destroyed the whole element of faith and doing what God wants us to do despite what others think about us or choose to do.
• That reminds me that I felt they weakened MOST of Lewis' theological underpinings to the story.
  
• I was frustrated with the forced "love interest" between Susan and Caspian.
• I was frustrated that they made Peter so ignoble. They decided to make him "frustrated" at being a teenager again rather than the adult king he was in Narnia for so many years, but to show his frustration he gets into fights with other boys (including Caspian once back in Narnia). I'm sorry, but as High King of Narnia, Peter would have understood the importance of character, of being noble and honorable, and he would have had a maturity about him that would have made him stand out from other boys.
• I thought starting with the birth of Miraz's son was a clever idea, but it was such an abrupt change for M and her friends that they were lost from the very beginning (and we had JUST finished reading Prince Caspian - and she was still lost!).
• Some scenes, like when the Pevensie kids and Caspian were all looking at the image of Aslan in Aslan's How, were just too forced (looked like they were trying to make a movie poster rather than tell a story).
• The "added" material not found in the book didn't "add" to the movie in any way in my opinion.
• There was TONS more action in this film, but not much blood (which was probably intentional to get a PG rating - but this movie was PG-12.5 if anything...)
  

So I loved the landscape, the cinematography was good, the acting was good enough, the CGI was great (there were a few spots I felt it was rough - some of the animals' movements, especially the Centaurs, didn't move as smoothly and naturally as they would had they been real), the story was altered too much from the books, and Adamson should have not tried to remake the Lord of the Rings and stuck to the original story more.

Job Interview No-No's

Since many of the young adults I know go through job interviews every now and then, I thought the following tips might be helpful. Make sure to avoid these when having a job interview so as to increase your chances of getting hired.

THINGS NOT TO DO OR SAY AT YOUR JOB INTERVIEW

~ See photo of interviewer's family on desk, point, and start laughing uncontrollably.

~ Ask if there is only one emergency exit, grin and say, "I bet this floor would be in trouble if someone barricaded that."

~ Inquire on office policy of friends staying over.

~ Over-emphasize your ability to use a copier.

~ Ask if it's OK for you to sit on the floor.

~ Admit having little impact on the overhead budget because you swiped all the supplies from your previous employer.

~ Although parking was free, insist they validate something or you're not leaving.

~ Mention your resume would have been stronger, but you didn't feel like making up anything else.

~ Walk into interviewer's office with a tape measure, measure office from a few angles, put away and declare: "NOW we can begin."

~ As you walk into the office for first time, ask receptionist to hold all your calls.

credited to You Make Me Laugh in the Preaching Now email newsletter

My Great Eight-Year-Old!

Yesterday was M's birthday. Our sweet 2nd daughter turned the "great 8". We had two celebrations - a small birthday party on Friday night (she wanted to go see Prince Caspian on opening night, so she took a couple of friends and we made a small party out of it!) and then a family celebration on her birthday. It was fun to see her smile in the middle of all the attention - our shy one is becoming more and more comfortable with who she is and more confident in unknown situations. It's wonderful seeing her mature.

Before the birthday meal of our family celebration, instead of one of us praying to thank God for the food, each person prayed, thanking God for one thing about M. We all agreed - we think M's great, even at 8, and we are thankful God put her in the Birdnest!

Microsoft and Narnia

I've had a major revelation today. Microsoft is running on Narnia time. He's how I've come to this amazing conclusion!

This Friday, we are taking my soon-to-be 8 year old daughter (and two of her friends) to see Prince Caspian on opening night for her birthday. (We've never done a "movie birthday party" so we'll have to see how this goes - Mom and Dad are just slightly nervous (but really looking forward to the movie ourselves!).) Of course, this means we have to re-read the book in preparation for the movie (which is a great excuse for father/daughter time!).

Well, in chapter 1, the Pevensie kids have been back in England for a year since their first adventure in Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But they get pulled back into Narnia. A couple chapters later they realize that 1300 years or so has passed in Narnia while they've only been gone one year in "their" time. They realize this makes sense, because in their first adventure, they were in Narnia many years, growing into adults and serving as Kings and Queens for quite some time, but when they stumble back into our world through the wardrobe, it was as if they were only gone for a second.

So time moves differently in Narnia than in our world.

Today, I got a message from Microsoft Updater on my Mac saying that an critical upgrade was available for download for my recently installed version of Office 08. I chose to proceed with the upgrade. After clicking through all the legal stuff and selecting the location, I sat in horror as the progress bar window said that the installation would take 47 minutes.

But within seconds it was down to 26 minutes. Then 19. Then 17. Then 16. Then suddenly 5.

Within 2 minutes of seeing "47 minutes", I was told I only had a minute to go. That "About a minute" stayed there for over 5 minutes.

So clearly, Microsoft is operating on a different time continuum than the rest of us (or at least me and my Mac). Just look at how long it took them to put out Vista (and yet they acted like that was normal and fine) as further proof to my theory.

Thus, I have safely concluded that Microsoft is running on Narnia time. Here's hoping that Aslan can save them!

Co-ed Dorm Rooms?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this article on co-ed dorm rooms now available on many college campuses. I've seen signs of this in our culture for sometime now, so this just seems to be the natural progression. Eventually we'll probably end up with co-ed locker rooms as well.

While the article has only positive to say about the experiences of those who have already experienced a co-ed living situation, I can't help but wonder what the long-term ramifications of this might be. To me, it just seems like practice for a future divorce (even though these couples living together aren't married). Here's what I mean:

You learn how to live with a member of the opposite sex, but not be "one flesh" with them, living as a united team. So when your marriage hits some tough times, or you just go through a bit of apathy in your marriage, you revert back to what you learned in your college days, shift into a "roommate" mentality, and stop working on the relationship. Eventually, you want to feel "in love" again, and so you look for it elsewhere since your relationship with your spouse is now merely platonic. For most people, when they reach this stage, divorce just seems like the natural thing to do since "we've grown apart."

Additionally, co-ed dorm rooms seem to devalue the "specialness" of a guy and girl getting to know and explore each other intimately (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc.) in the confines of a new marriage. It seems like we are content with our mud pies in the slums when God offers us a holiday at the ocean (to recall the C.S. Lewis quote).

But I'm probably "too old-fashioned" and "Christian" to see that this is just fine for some people. Looks like I'll need to ask for forgiveness from the popular culture for connecting the dots and seeing where this "innocent" situation could lead us.

A Time for Everything

For everything there is an appointed time,
and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to rip, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – NET)

This is only the 2nd (and last) time that I have posted the same thing on my personal blog as I have posted on Waterblogged, the “official” blog of Watershed. But I felt it best to put this in both locations since it concerns Watershed and myself.

Last night at Watershed, I announced at the beginning of my message that I am stepping down from leadership of Watershed. Anytime a leader announces they are “stepping down” immediately questions arise: “What’s wrong?” “What did he do?” “Is there some scandal I don’t know about?”

So let me start by saying that nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. My marriage is fine. I’m doing well spiritually. I don’t have some unconfessed sin I am needing to deal with.

Also, Watershed is fine. In fact, it is going great and could possibly be at its healthiest point ever in its 4 1/2 years of existence.

So why would I be stepping away if everything is “fine”? Simple: obedience.

Now I must confess that my obedience has come slowly. I have sensed that God has wanted me to do this for several months. But I like Watershed – I like the young adults who come, I enjoy teaching, I enjoy worshiping alongside of those who come, and more. And so I fought against what I knew God was telling me to do.

But by February, I knew I had to obey. This feeling wouldn’t go away after much prayer and counsel.

This summer seemed to make the most sense for a transition, so I will be transitioning out of leadership during June, July, and August. The leadership team (made of Steve Adolphs, Matt & Amber Schouten, John Connelly, and Bill & Sue Lottes) will continue to protect the vision of Watershed. At this time we don’t have a solid answer on how we will oversee the teaching schedule since I have been doing that pretty much by myself. But I have no fears that we, with God’s guidance, will come up with a great solution.

I always knew my time with Watershed would some day come to an end, but I always thought it would happen when I died or God moved me to a different ministry. But I’m obviously not dead, and I don’t have other plans in mind. So my plan is to just pour into my family more and the ministry I was called to first as the young adult pastor at New Covenant. But I am remaining open to whatever the Lord wants to do with my life.

I want to thank all of the young adults that worshiped together through the gatherings of Watershed. Seeing you worship, give of your time in serving, and caring for one another and those outside of Watershed has been an inspiration to me. When we tried to start Watershed back in 2003, many people said we were crazy – it wouldn’t work. There was no way you could have people from many different churches come together without it wrecking. I think they would be right if Watershed was a man-birthed organism. But from the very beginning, we knew that God was leading and creating this unorthodox ministry. And we simply chose to follow Him in faith. That is why I believe Watershed is as strong as it is right now.

I’m excited about the future of Watershed. I wish I could be intimately involved to watch it closely, but God either has different plans for me or for Watershed (or both). I’m excited because last week around 10 people stood up saying they were feeling some sort of call from God to go overseas for a long term commitment (a year or more). I’m excited because I see people worshipping authentically through the songs and as they listen to the messages. I’m excited because I see new people being welcomed naturally. I’m excited because God is clearly doing something by moving me out, and we get to place our faith in Him and follow His lead just as we did when we started this crazy thing.

I’m not leaving Cedar Rapids anytime soon – so to any Watershedders reading this – if you see me around, please stop me and say hi. I’ll want updates! But not only will I want to know what’s going on with Watershed, but also I’ll want to know what God is doing in your life. So I encourage you to keep going deeper, to get in over your head so that the “river” of Jesus Christ can take you wherever it/He wants.

Still going deeper with you,
Erin

Blog Catch-Up

Once again I find myself with lots of thoughts (that sounds like a bad band name - "Lots of Thoughts"), but I'm just not getting these thoughts converted into blog posts. So I thought I'd do another "Catch-Up" blog. (I'm hoping these don't become a habit!)

• Today is a big day in politics due to the unforeseen Democratic battle for President this year. John Ortberg has a GREAT short article about politics and the church that echoes the personal thoughts I've had for years.
• Last night my family went to Wapsipinicon State Park for a picnic and hike. The picture is from our outing.
  
• I've started watching Lost. I'd never seen it, but always knew I'd like it based on what I saw from commercials on TV. Then someone at Watershed a few weeks uttered the fateful words that have changed my life for the next few weeks/months - "You can watch Lost online for free". I'm surprised at how much of a soap opera it is - but I'm also surprised at the creativity it has sparked in me. Nothing has materialized yet from the creativity, but my juices sure get going while watching it.
• I've been listening to the CDs that came in the most recent Relevant Network box. 3 of them have really appealed to my ears: Leeland Opposite Way, After Edmund Hello (Especially their opening song "Thank God" ("Thank God I've lost my hope in everything that isn't You...")), and Jared Anderson Where Faith Comes From (which surprised me since I didn't care for his first album).
• My heart hurts for Myanmar right now - as of today, 22,000+ have lost their lives, and possibly a million are homeless from the devastation left behind by a cyclone.
• I've been at the hospital a lot lately - lots of babies, but also some tough stuff. It's fun to visit parents when they have a little one - but I'm learning how to minister to those who aren't in such great circumstances. I sure hope I'm representing Christ well, as well as our church family, when I visit.
• I'm in Acts right now in my own personal reading. Something that really stuck out at me was in chapter 12. This is a familiar passage about Peter's miraculous escape from prison. But something I seemed to miss in previous readings is verse 2 - James, the brother of John, was killed by the sword (possibly beheaded) by King Herod. It hit me - God allowed James to die, but chose to rescue Peter.
• Softball practices have started for M. I am one of the coaches - thankfully there are 3 others, one of whom has done a fair bit of coaching.
• This Sunday is Mother's Day. I am leading a LOT of baby dedications in the Sunday services.
• After 4 awesome weeks of hearing my friend Andy speak about world missions, I am speaking at Watershed for the next 3 Thursdays.
  

I better stop there. I've worked on this post all day little by little, and now my wife and youngest son are here in my office waiting on me to go to a birthday party for a family friend. I have some big news I plan to share on here, hopefully by the end of the week. 'Til then...