The Day After Christmas

Don't go see "The Producers", either. It's just bad. I hadn't seen RENT and didn't realize it was being pulled from theaters on 22 DEC, so I went with Lee & Helen to see "The Producers". Ack. I don't even think it would have been that great in the theater. Or in the theatre, for that matter.

When did I become a movie critic?

I am loving my schedule for the next two weeks, and it consists of nothing, nothing, and more of the same. I've spent several hours today at Jittery's 5 Points just responding to or dealing with over 65 emails in my inbox. I had let them collect as exams and papers took over my time. I think the Jittery's staff will finally learn my name. One of my friends, Chris S., just got a job with Jittery's coporate office. Check out his blog.

Now that Christmas is over, I can get some other things done, like the following:

1. Rent some movies that I missed in the theater, like RENT. Is it even out, yet?

2. Make new 2006 file folders for my file cabinet and pull the 2005 folders to put in storage. I really like doing this, so don't laugh.

3. Read books, as many as I can until I have to read for assignments. As soon as I am assigned a reading, I have to fight to read it, even if it's something that really interests me. Probably just latent, teenage rebelliousness. Or just latent teenage rebelliousness. (Punctuation matters, dammit!)

4. Finish writing thank you notes for my Christmas gifts. God really provided some needs this year, like new boots.

I'm currently reading God Is The Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself by John Piper. As usual, Piper teaches and reminds me of God being the only thing, the everything. Even the gospel is really all about Him. And that is a truth that has a compelling beauty.

Prayer on Christmas Eve

Holy Father of all love,

Remember the lonely ones tonight. Those who are aching tonight to be held by someone. Those who just want someone to hold. Those who are separated from their families, whether by thousands of miles or just one. Those who are especially lonely during family-focused holidays. Those who have no families, whether literally or figuratively. Those who are struggling with having desires that dishonor Your heart. Those teenagers who are desperate to be known. Those young adults who are searching for a true source for life. Those older adults who know too much of the brokenness of this world to have hope. Those who are going to bed tonight alone--again.

Father, I lift us up to You and beg for Your comfort, Your peace, Your love. Let us know the power of your steadfast love and the security and serenity of being known by You.

You alone are worthy. You alone are holy. You alone are.

Through Christ who is Your image, our intercessor,

Amen.

Christianity Today Weighs In

Read their Review of Brokeback Mountain.

Read comments on their review.

Desert Stream's Response

This afternoon, I received an email "prayer alert" from Desert Stream Ministries regarding the movie, Brokeback Mountain. Andrew left the homosexual lifestyle over 25 years ago, and now he and his family minister literally around the globe to people struggling with sexual and relational brokenness. I was trained by Desert Stream to run two of their programs, Living Waters and CrossCurrent. Andy is very wise in these areas, and God has given him grace upon grace in leading people out of the lifestyle. Here is what they said:

"Greetings!!!

"We hope your Christmas Season is happy one. We wanted to make you aware of an urgent prayer need. The recent movie, 'Brokeback Mountain' portrays the relationship of two gay cowboys. It rationalizes the gay lifestyle, romantizes adultery and marginalizes the violence done to families because of homosexual infidelity. This movie is a demonic assault on the culture, Jesus and His church.

"Please pray for our culture and its view of homosexuality. Our culture, like never before, is bowing down to false gods and is giving itself over to darkness.

"Please pray for the church that she would stand in the light and bring an answer to this perversion. The church, in trying to be 'kind', is indecisive. We believe the Lord is calling her to fight and take a stand. Pray that this might happen.

"Please pray for those who have been deceived by the culture. Pray that in grace, the Lord might come close and tear away false assumptions and identities.

"Please pray that the Lord would raise up young men and women who have thoughtfully repented from homosexuality and have found good life in the Kingdom. Pray that these ones would make a way for a generation of young people that have lost their way.

"As always, we are blessed that you pray for us."

“Brokeback Mountain”

On average, I travel to Atlanta twice each year. This past weekend, I went for the following:

1. To visit with Brent J. who flew in from seminary to attend a friend’s wedding;
2. To visit with the other friends who also traveled to Atlanta to see Brent;
3. To do all my Christmas shopping with my sister so she could give advice and opinions;
4. To buy my annual fountain pen; and
5. To visit with Hunter.

You may remember Hunter from a previous post: he’s my ex-b/f who has been living in Atlanta for a few years. On average, we meet up for coffee or lunch about once every 18 months. I love him and can’t think of a reason I shouldn’t, although by God’s grace my love for him has grown beyond (and deeper than) what it once was.

After my recent post about RENT, I forwarded it to Hunter because I wanted him both to know that I mentioned him in a post and to read my current thoughts about RENT. He replied, saying that my description was just like he remembered it. Since I was planning to be in Atlanta, I suggested that we grab lunch or catch a movie while I was in town.

I suggested Brokeback Mountain because I knew it wouldn’t be playing in Athens any time soon, if ever. If you haven’t heard about this movie, you probably will. It is generating some of the biggest buzz any movie has received in years, and critics seem to be in a competition to outdo each other in expressing admiration and awe at Ang Lee’s latest film. It has been nominated for and/or won a number of awards, and critics are already saying it is a strong Oscar contender for Best Picture, Best Director (Ang Lee), and Best Actor (Heath Ledger).

You may want to ask the obvious question at this point: why would I go see a movie that approvingly and unflinchingly depicts the very lifestyle, or at least one expression of it, that God has called me to leave? And that’s a good question. My reasons for wanting to see it are complex, even to me, so I sought God’s face about it and asked others to pray and ask for God to give them wisdom regarding whether I should see it.

I am glad I saw it so that I can give an honest warning to others: do not see this film. Of course, those of you who allow your rebellious nature to lead you to see it just because I said not to, then my warning means nothing. But, if you are willing to listen to someone who has learned of Satan’s ways through experience and God’s grace, then read on.

The movie is based on a short story, and that short story is very well crafted. Unfortunately, it is well crafted so that the reader will sympathize deeply with the two main characters’ struggle to express themselves with each other homosexually. It is not about the deep love between two male friends. It is about their sexual attraction to each other.

And the audience bites, and bites hard. There is a scene where the two men reunite four years after their first encounter while herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. They are both married with children at this point, and when Jack shows up at Ennis’ door, Ennis runs to greet him. Realizing the danger they face if anyone sees their embrace, they push each other between two buildings and passionately kiss. Ennis’ wife opens the door and sees them, but they don’t see her.

The audience’s reaction at that moment was to laugh uproariously. They were clearly rooting for the two men, despite the characters' marriages or their children.

Five years ago, I might have laughed along with them, thinking her a fool for getting in the way of her husband’s true self. But God’s grace was with me, and I sat in shock and sadness as I watched the scene unfold through God’s eyes. Perhaps my own experience with my father cheating on my mother played a part, but that would just be God’s grace in using sin done to me to let me see things the way He does.

And it makes Him weep: not because He can’t change things, but because these things are necessary in order for His glory to be magnified.

One of my concerns about seeing the movie was that I would succumb to the sympathy that the story intends to generate. It is a powerful story and takes advantage of the culture in which it stands. The sympathy is made more poignant because the characters’ lives are very bleak. Jack is murdered because he is homosexual. Ennis ends up divorced and never remarries, living alone and isolated.

We should be the first to rise up against people who hate and murder others, no matter their reason. We should weep with those who feel alone and abandoned. We should mourn the deep effects of sin in the lives of others, and with true compassion. But compassion without personal confession is mere condescension. Critics of Christianity (and Christians) are right to reveal and proclaim the hypocrisy or arrogance of Christians who hide their self-righteousness behind clichés like “love the sinner but hate the sin”.

But we should be very wary of allowing the collective sin of our culture to affect us, especially in subtle ways. Consider what happens as you watch the TV show “Will & Grace” and laugh at Jack’s effeminacy or Karen’s pretentiousness. Consider how you are affected as you root for Will to fall in love or at least find a partner to end his loneliness. It is small compromises that slowly kill our willingness to hear God at every moment. It is the small disobediences that open gateways to the larger.

So my plea that you not see this movie is lovingly protective: you will be affected. I was. I still am.

But after I walked Hunter to his car, I left and spent the ride back to Athens crying for the millions who are living bleak lives and feel that there is no hope. For people like Jack and Ennis (and me) who feel a longing for intimacy but know that it won’t be met as fully as they hope. For people who desperately want to be loved but won’t look to Christ. For people who struggle with homosexual feelings and don’t love the Truth.

God confirmed His call for me on the way home, and I literally felt Him keeping the enemy at bay. Thank you for those of y’all who were praying. He heard. They both heard.

If you see the movie’s promo poster, the tagline reads, “Love is a force of nature.” I hope you see the agenda in that. But even if you don’t, know that nature is a force of God, and only He can define what is True about it. All creatures must submit, and one day all will.

For His glory alone!

Student Quote of the Year

Y'all may have been wondering (but probably weren't) when I would post stories about my little students. Wonder no more! Today one of them uttered something so completely cute that I have to share it.

I teach this 8-year-old girl, and she's as talkative and smart as can be. She showed up to her lesson today with a little stuffed elf, saying that it "just showed up" at her house, like it does every year, to cause mischief when no one is looking. Apparently, Santa retrieves this elf on Christmas Eve when he lays out her presents. This is an annual thing in her house.

So this elf has been causing all kinds of mischief when not pretending not to be alive by pretending to be a doll. My little student says the elf came with fairy dust that she can sprinkle on the elf when she wants it to come alive. She recounted a few stories of how this elf has caused mischief when she wasn't looking.

Now, you have to understand, this is a very exciting development each Christmas at her house. Her brother has an elf, too. Their parents and teachers are in on this little charade, so it seems to these kids that the elves really are causing mischief.

So she can't stop talking about the elf. No sooner has she hit the last note in a piece than she instantly starts in on another story, as if I can't tell she's just trying to think of a new story while she plays her pieces for me.

At one point, I need her to put her hands in Middle C Position, the first and easiest hand position a student usually learns. She has had no problems finding it for months, but today, she just couldn't figure it out. When I asked her why it was so hard to find Middle C Position today, this little 8-year-old said, and I'm not kidding,

"I have elf issues."

Case closed. Well, you'd better believe that this will be added to my personal list of excuses around Christmas. This was just too much.

My students rock.

Blogging Issues

Have you ever felt like not posting because one or more of your relationships with known blog readers has changed? **Edited**

I decided to change this post. After reading it again, it didn't reflect my actual emotion about this topic but sounded more angry or aggressive than I actually feel.

So to anyone and everyone who reads my blog, carry on. I won't move my blog or refrain from posting.