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Paul

The Long Road Home Ep. 1&2: Come Together

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(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
–The Apostle Paul

Peacekeeping was the goal for the members of the First Calvary Division when they headed to Sadr City, Iraq in 2004.  It was a quiet area with one incident in the previous calendar year.

Two weeks later, that peace turned into war and a desperate fight for survival.

The first two episodes of National Geographic’s new series The Long Road Home (tonight, 9 PM/8 CT) chronicles the events of Black Sunday and paints a multifaceted picture of war and its effects on not only the soldiers but their families seven thousand miles away.  Based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by ABC Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, it’s intense, violent, and sad—sometimes all at once.  It’s definitely must-see-TV (or at least must-DVR).

Each episode focuses, to some extent, on one of the main players in the Black Sunday attack on April 4, 2004.  1st Lt. Shane Aguero (EJ Bonilla) is the focal point of episode one as the leader of the group initially attacked.  The viewer sees him at the outset playing with his two kids, each of whom are taking his deployment hard.  His daughter is clinging to his side while his son wants absolutely nothing to do with him.  His wife Amber (Kate Paxton) is left to deal with things until he returns, but she has a group of wives on base who have banded together to provide support until the boys come back (if they do).

Life at Camp War Eagle seems quite boring, but who really wants action when it could mean dying in the process? When Aguero’s battalion is ambushed, it’s the first time many of the troops have ever experienced live fire of that nature.  It’s easy to tell the soldiers are a band of brothers, and when one of their own gets hit, it’s a race against time to keep him alive.

Courtesy National Geographic

The second episode looks at the situation through the eyes of Lt. Col. Gary Volesky (Michael Kelly, seen above), a calm, mild-mannered man who lives a life of faith back home.  There are flashbacks to his family praying before dinner and a few situations where he is asking God for faith in what would become two days of nightmares.  One of the most heartbreaking parts of the episode is when a soldier introduces his mom to Volesky, who promptly demands reasons as to why her son is being forced to deploy.  After calming her, he promises that everyone on the journey will return home alive. You can see his resolve shaken when he later learns one under his charge was killed.  Aguero’s team calls for reinforcements, and when they head out (inadequately protected, BTW), Volesky stands beside the chaplain as he prays a long prayer for them.  It’s easy to tell that the situation is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

I was immediately struck by how galvanized the troops were to each other.  Sure, they got on each other’s nerves and struggled with making the right decisions at times, but in the end, they all came together and took care of each together.  This was in direct contrast to the interpreter they had on board (Jassim al-Lani, played by Darius Homayoun), who seemed to be dispensable—especially to Sgt Eric Bourquin (Jon Beavers).  The writer of Ecclesiastes notes that “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up” (Eccl 4:9-10 NASB).  It works in friendship, it works in marriage, and it works in life-and-death situations. That writer was pretty wise!  We were not made to life live alone, and the first two episodes of The Long Road Home are testimony that is the case.

Jane: Fitting In

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(National Geographic Creative/ Hugo van Lawick)

Scientific research is not for the faint of heart.  Able researchers must exhibit keen observation skills, demonstrate significant amounts of patience, and pay attention to all details so the project will succeed.  In addition, one needs to have prior experience with the subject matter and a college degree.

Thank goodness Louis Leakey tried something different when he began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania during the 1950’s. Instead of selecting an experienced scientist to perform the research, he selected a 26 year-old English woman named Jane Goodall who had zero scientific or collegiate experience. Her time in the Tanzanian jungle living among the chimpanzees have provided scientists the world over with invaluable data and turned her into an international celebrity.

National Geographic collected over one hundred hours of unseen footage of Goodall’s research in the Gombe and transformed it into an impressive documentary simply called Jane.  Directed by Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck; Can’t Stand Losing You), the film showcases Goodall in her natural element, crossing streams, climbing hills, looking out over the Tanzanian countryside, and doing her best to make the chimps accept her as one of their own.

Documentaries with archival footage are a dime a dozen these days, so what makes Jane so special?  First, the footage was shot by Hugo van Lawick, one of the most famous nature videographers of his day (and later husband to Goodall).  His talent is on full display in Jane as the viewer is transported into a secret world where chimps live and rule. The color footage has been cleaned up and is so good, in places, that it looks as if it was recently filmed. Second, an orchestral score composed by Philip Glass (Notes on a Scandal; The Truman Show) backs up the footage, adding an element of serene majesty to the film. Finally, Morgen simply allows Goodall to tell her story, complete with humor and heartbreak, in her own words.  He revealed to the audience present for the world premiere in Los Angeles that he was expecting the interview to take about three hours. In actuality, it took three full days.

In such an idyllic environment, it wasn’t always easy for Goodall.  She found the days boring as the months passed and the chimps began to reveal themselves.  Of course, when they finally accepted her and her crew (she referred to herself as “a strong white ape”), life was grand, but chimps will be chimps.  They stole bananas from the compound and the males formed conga lines to spend ‘quality’ time with one female chimp Goodall affectionally named Flo.  Eventually, their aggressiveness led to turf wars so bad that Goodall’s son Grub, in a bit of irony, was kept in a cage so he wouldn’t get hurt.

The documentary also shares some of Goodall’s personal challenges in the Gombe, such as trying to secure funding for the continued expedition, having her work accepted within the male-dominated scientific community, and being torn between the chimps and her husband’s film work in other locations.  It all adds to a memorable documentary, one that will prompt contemplation and possibly even activism among its viewers.

The methodology Goodall used to get close to the chimpanzees was quite simple.  Just be there.  The chimps will begin to get closer and closer over time, eventually losing their fear and befriending the humans there.  At that time, the in-depth observation and research can occur.  In many aspects, this is what Paul shared with the church in Corinth about earning the right to share one’s faith in Christ: “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22 NASB).  On occasion the process is immediate, but in many cases it takes time to know a person and earn the right to share one’s life with them.

Morgen’s documentary on Goodall is certainly worth a viewing (it’s in theaters on a limited basis, then will air on the National Geographic Channel at a later date). You won’t be disappointed.

The Story of Us Ep. 2: Why Can’t We Just Get Along?

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(National Geographic/Maria Bohe)

War is not a topic many of us enjoy discussing, and it’s easy to see why. Tensions around the world are currently at a fever pitch as the US and North Korea play a game of chicken over nuclear weapons.  Drone warfare has made it as easy to kill real people as it is to grab a joystick and press a button.  Nobody wants to deal with the effects dueling groups of people can cause—we’ve seen it over and over throughout the annals of history. In the second episode of The Story of Us (National Geographic, 9 PM/8 CT Wednesdays and on demand), Morgan Freeman took a closer look at this issue and discovered some solutions on how to help make lasting peace a reality.

The episode, entitled “The Fight for Peace,” is an interesting juxtaposition of words.  Since Cain killed Abel in Genesis, fighting has been a part of society—for better or worse.  But a lasting peace is always desirable in the end.  Freeman made a trip to Ethiopia and watched two tribes conduct a peace ceremony to end fighting over livestock, pasture lands, and simple theft.  It was fascinating to watch and encouraging to see members of the rival tribes go off together as friends.  Later, Freeman visited Rwanda, the site of a ghastly genocide that killed upwards of one million people in a little over three months.  It took a lot to get things back to something resembling order, but reconciliation is finally starting to occur.

(National Geographic/Maria Bohe)

In some places, there is still tension in the air over past events.  One example is in Ireland, where Catholics and Protestants fought for decades and still segregate themselves for the most part (see the picture above of Freeman looking at one of the 30-foot tall Peace Walls).  Being together brings about the possibility of retaliation from either side.  In other cases, some tribes in South America believe the shedding of blood helps to end disputes.  Every year, they get together for a festival and after getting drunk, start fights with fellow tribes intentionally, stopping only when someone bleeds (but not killed).  Violent, yes.  But they seem to think it works.

Yet we know war isn’t the final answer. It’s going to be a worldwide issue until humans breathe their last breath.  So what will it take to keep peace in the meantime?  If we use the takeaways from the second episode of The Story of Us, we’ll have to eschew revenge and focus on communication, reconciliation, and forgiveness.  It might not be the easiest thing to do when we’re wronged, but it’s where God can enter the picture and make a major impression in someone’s life.  The Rwanda story was unique as the two individuals interviewed were from different tribes (and the man had killed the lady’s husband, brother, and two of her kids) and yet with God’s help, there was forgiveness and a peace that simply cannot come as a result of human intervention.

In fact, the apostle Paul told the Roman church the following: “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21 NASB).”

It’s amazing how advice from two millennia ago can still be timely in an age of distrust and uncertainty. May we employ it before it’s too late.

NEXT WEEK: Episode 3: The Power of Love

 

Breakthrough S2:E3 (Curing Cancer) – Good From Bad

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It seems like there’s always more bad news than good news when the word cancer is involved.  It’s an equal opportunity disease affecting children, adults, and people of every ethnicity, sex, and religion.  We create fundraisers on Facebook and other social media about it, walk and run to raise money for to cure it, yet still watch it decimate the lives of those we love.  My freshman year of college was no exception, as I returned to my dorm room one Sunday morning after a 10-mile run to see the answering machine light blinking.  My father informed that my grandmother had just passed away from cancer and they were coming to pick me up.  It was a challenging week; that’s for sure.

Facing a disease where the body is attempting to kill itself isn’t easy.  There are numerous methods of treatment at the current time: surgery to remove cancerous portions of the body; chemotherapy to eradicate cancerous cells (and possibly healthy ones as well); and various experimental methods that have no guarantee on extending one’s outlook on life.  Although not perfect, the treatment methods are getting better and better.  In the third episode of Breakthrough (Nat Geo, Tuesdays 10 PM/9 CT), director Lily Amanpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) introduces the viewer to a new method of treatment showing significant promise.

Amanpour’s style involves interviews and animated paper cutouts to tell a story centering around the cities of Philadelphia, Paris, and London. The focus, however, centers on the University of Pennsylvania and doctors who have figured out a way to take bad cells and remove their nuclear essence, changing them into what are referred to as CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T) cells. These cells go into the body, wipe out the cancer cells, then remain as permanent guards for future invasions.  It’s a highly personalized form of medicine and works quite well. But it’s difficult to produce these types of cells for everyone, so there’s a problem.  This issue is being worked on in Paris, where one company has had some success using a universal version of the CAR-T cells on a newborn.

I enjoyed the episode, but wish Amanpour had talked about multiple types of therapies that are on the horizon. There are various types of cancers, and CAR-T won’t work in every situation. The episode just needed more content (and perhaps another case study) to make it more relatable to the general audience. Regardless, I’m not going to see cancer the same way.

One of the doctors at the University of Pennsylvania described the method of creating the CAR-T cells as reprogramming bad cells for good. That was a fascinating way to explain, in real life, a biblical concept seen in the life of Paul.  In the early chapters of Acts, he wasn’t exactly the nicest person of the planet in the eyes of the new followers of Jesus.  He was commissioned to go after them, and he did that with zeal.  But God got his attention in a powerful way (see Acts 9 for the whole story).  The end result was a changed life and a revised outlook on his purpose on earth.  Paul would do no more persecuting; instead, he helped people come to Jesus and experience a personal relationship with him.   He also wrote a lot of letters found in the Bible to boot.

There are still more trials to complete, but the future is looking bright for CAR-T therapy.  Maybe it will be the breakthrough scientists need to eliminate the fear of cancer once and for all.

Breakthrough S2: Ep 1 and 2 – Protect Thyself

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Eighteen months ago, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard decided to spearhead a series on National Geographic Channel involving advances in scientific technology.  Entitled Breakthrough, each episode was created by a specific director and tackled a unique aspect of how science could help society in general. The series was recently renewed for a second season (10PM/9 CT on Tuesdays), providing the viewing audience six more glimpses into a world where science meets life head-on.

The first episode aired last week and centered around an issue many people deal with on a daily basis: addiction.  This doesn’t necessarily refer to drugs or tobacco, but can also refer to cell phone usage, selfies, or other items/hobbies that become “something more” to a person.  There are numerous ways addictions can be dealt with, but the episode focused on an experimental technique—psychedelic drugs such as LSD, Ibogaine, or Psilocybin (magic mushrooms).  The treatment is not for all, that’s for sure—but in the three cases shown, director David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon) made the treatment process look absolutely spellbinding.  The episode was definitely not what I expected, but was intriguing nevertheless.

Cyber terror was the subject of the second episode—an issue many of us summarily dismiss as something that can’t happen to us.  Target doesn’t think so after seeing their online system compromised a number of years ago with millions of credit card numbers exposed for the world to use.  It doesn’t take a lot to break into a computer – a simple USB drive can wreak all sorts of havoc.  However, there are white hat hackers who legally help companies secure their networks by attempting to break into them.  They have lots of work to do—major companies’ detection rate of cyberattacks is only 6%, and when they do find something, it takes seven months to find it.   In fact, by 2019, cyberattacks will cost the global economy $2 trillion dollars. It needs to be fixed now.

To make things worse, director Steven Hoggard (Inside the Green Berets) reveals that cybercriminals (black hat hackers) are using encryption-based devices to recruit people into terrorist groups such as ISIS. Some have even been able to hack into US Central Command!  Some journalists in the UK havegone undercover to help stop this from occurring, using a similar technique to how criminals were caught on the show To Catch a Predator.  Do they always succeed?  Not quite. But stopping one attack is better than none.  That’s why it’s always important to protect oneself from the attacks of enemies who cannot be seen.  It sounds eerily like what Paul told the church in Ephesus when describing the armor of God.  The various components—helmet, breastplate, sword, and other elements—protect a Christian from the attacks of the devil and his minions (see Ephesians 6:11-20). Protection can be a good thing—we just need to be aware of the problem and prepare accordingly.

See La La Land & Take Everybody Else With You

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a while back
(on another site),
i wrote about how
art begets art –
in that case how
love for the game Bloodborne
led to a renewed
dip into
Lovecraft

several whiles back
(on a currently dead blog),
i wrote about how
faves lead to proselytizing –
how when we love something
(in that case, Bloodborne’s 
forebear, Dark Souls),
we naturally want
to tell everyone,
so they may love it too

(i also,
in each case,
related what i was saying
re: art, proselytizing, etc.
to God
(surprise))

now, here, i want to
say (and do) something similar –
interrelated/interconnected –
re: current Oscar top dog
and Hollywood darling
La La Land

by way of micro-review
(micro since so many
words have been spilt
already along these lines),
lemme just say:
La La Land was great;
like, really great;
like, to me, it deserves
how ever many Oscar nods
it’s been nodded

i mean, somehow,
like a filmic magic trick,
La La Land managed to be
classic without seeming formulaic,
nostalgic without seeming disingenuous,
an homage without seeming cute,
timeless without seeming stale

was it the great casting?
music?
acting?
writing?
cinematography?
music?
choreography?
music?
its situatedness in place/time?
just something about it
that makes you want to
give in and go along with it,
right from the start?

yes.

anyway, it’s legit great;
greatly legit;
but that’s not really
the main thing i want to say
now, here

really, i mainly want to
say (now, here) five things

1.

you should go see
La La Land

2.

and you should
take everybody else with you

3.

cuz art that’s exemplary,
and amazing, and wonderful,
memorable and high quality,
carefully crafted and
expertly done –
art that’s truly artful;
art that speaks;
art that’s just plain good –
it deserves to be seen,
to be understood and appreciated
(not alone because
doing so also cultivates us)

4.

and cuz people collectively
need to know that kind of art
when they see it;
and cuz the best way
to help that happen
is to show them bunches of it

(i know my initial instinct,
upon realizing i was in the
presence of something special
with La La Land,
was to see it again
and take my kids;
to help them see:
this is how it’s done,
this is something
beautiful that means something;
understand,
appreciate,
be cultivated by it)

5.

and all this previous stuff –
about art,
about appreciating it,
about sharing it with others –
cuz God

cuz God made
and digs
and wants us to dig
great art,
not alone because
doing so also cultivates us
(Paul says in Philippians: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”)

cuz God made
it so that
learning comes by example –
speaking a writer’s
words after her,
following a
choreographer’s footsteps,
tracing a pianist’s keystrokes,
so that we may also
artfully write, dance, make music
(Paul says in 1 Corinthians: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

and,
therefore,
the world –
this world –
will always, always,
need more writers,
dancers,
music makers;
will always need more
artists;
will always need more
great art;
will always need more
things like La La Land,
and people to see them,
and people to tell others
to see them too

Being Chosen: The Story of God With Morgan Freeman S2E1

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(Photo Credit: National Geographic/David Kraemer)

The success or failure of a television or cable program can be largely attributed to many different factors.  Having a good story is important, as is good videography and relatable characters. A topic that’s intriguing also helps considerably.  But in the end, it all comes down to the number of eyeballs looking at the show each week. In the case of National Geographic Channel’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, there were a lot of eyeballs looking at Freeman’s foray into faith-based questions we’ve probably asked at one time or another.  In fact, the show was National Geographic’s most watched of all time. Thankfully, a second season of episodes are one the way—the first airing this evening (9 PM/8 CT).  In it, Freeman (and a few new characters) take a look at the concept of the Chosen One and what that means across faiths.

If you’re not familiar with the show, Freeman takes a topic relating to faith and looks for commonalities within various religions around the world. Christianity is given significant attention, but so are Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu perspectives. It can be quite fascinating, and the first episode of the second season is no exception.

What does it mean to be chosen? Is it exclusive to a specific faith?  Freeman takes a look at a number of different variants of this concept, beginning with a nine year-old named Jalue Dorjee.  He plays soccer like many kids his age, but at age two, his parents were given a paper from the Dalai Lama signifying he’s a reincarnation of an individual who has inhabited folks for five centuries.  In another instance, Freeman travels to London to celebrate the martyrdom of a grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Native Americans are also represented in the form of Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the chosen one of the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota tribes (see top picture).

(Photo Credit: National Geographic/Seth Nejame)

Even though chosen ones “help the faithful get back on track,” they’re not always living.  In the case of the Sikh culture, their chosen one is a book (see photo above). Some show their devotion in Thailand by piercing themselves with various objects such as metal spears (!) to gain superhuman powers. And sometimes the chosen are more along the lines of missionaries, such as Christian Kenneth Bae, who endured two years of hard labor in North Korea for simply organizing prayer groups.  His journey has brought him to the realization that “Jesus is [his] hope—[he] wants to be a blessing.”

There are a few changes to the program this season.  Gone is the blast of the shofar to start the program; instead, a graphic montage replaces it.  I thought the horn was a great part of the first season and am sad to see it go.  In addition, Freeman is not in every section of the show—at least in the first episode.  Two people—a man and a woman—take his role as they explore aspects of the episode’s theme (I think they’re one-time examples, however).  It adds a different perspective, but I think the focus of the show has been Freeman’s personality shining through the exploration of certain faiths and customs.  In the two sections of note, that seems to have been somewhat lost, although the two individuals do a good job with their questioning.

For me, the biggest takeaway from the episode was along the lines of what it means to be chosen.  In essence, it’s another way to say an individual is called out by God for some special purpose.  Sometimes it happens in a dramatic way, such as Paul’s encounter with God on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9:1-18) or Moses finding a burning bush (see Exodus 3:1-10).  But for many people, it’s not that way.  There’s an inward nudging that God has plans beyond anything a person could ask or even imagine.  To respond in any way other than acceptance is to be in a state of rebellion akin to Jonah (with or without the whale).  From there, it’s a process to become so in tune with God’s plans that one’s plans simply become his. In fact, Jesus made it clear that all that follow after him are to be his ambassadors to the world in their words, thoughts, and actions, seeking to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:18-20).  It’s not easy, but being chosen is a responsibility that must be taken seriously.  The end results can be incredible—if we’re just willing to listen and respond in faith.

The Evil Within (and Without): The Story of God (Ep. 5)

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Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4
Shrieking Shack
Evil is one of those things that we, as humans, have to deal with on a daily basis.  If you’re not sure about this, all it takes is a few minutes of watching television or browsing the news headlines on a phone. Although our overall desire is to be and do good in all situations (including our thoughts), we aren’t able to do it with 100% effectiveness our entire lives. The Apostle Paul shared this struggle as follows: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19 NIV) So where does all of this come from?  Morgan Freeman, in the penultimate episode of The Story of God (National Geographic, 9 PM/8 Central tonight), tackles this subject and reveals some enlightening things about humanity and their propensity for evil.

This episode starts off with a visit to a maximum security prison and a challenging conversation with a person convicted of some pretty heinous crimes (I’ll let you discover what they are for yourself). When Freeman asks the prisoner why they happened, he says, “I had a desire, an impulse, and I wasn’t able to stop myself from acting on the impulse.” He’s also not convinced that if released, he could avoid doing the crimes again.

This brings up the question, “Where does evil come from?”

To attempt an answer, Freeman looks at how a number of faiths deal with the issue. The early Egyptians believed that when a person was filled with evil or sin, their heart became heavy. Their heart would be weighed on a scale upon death against truth; the result would determine their eternal destiny. Hindus think evil may have to do with the spirits of dead ancestors who weren’t happy; they offer sacrifices upon realizing this is the case. Zoroastrians believe evil is a battle within to be fought with good thoughts, words, and deeds (in that specific order). Buddhists try to counter the evil within using meditation and ritual. And Christians believe that Adam and Eve’s sin started a chain reaction of events that transfers evil to each person upon birth. This is why Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection allows believers to combat—and eventually conquer—Satan and his minions.

Morgan Freeman
(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Matthew Paul Turner)

Freeman has a fascinating talk with Brian Widener, a former Neo-Nazi, during the episode. Widener was tattooed beyond recognition during this time, but after getting married and having a child, he realized the error of his ways and had them removed from his face over a period of 2½ years. He states he found God in the middle of the process, although he admits he’s not sure what that looks like.  Can evil be contained and washed away? Freeman asks before ending with a baptism ceremony in a river—the Christian symbol of a regenerated life through belief in Jesus.

For me, one interesting point of the episode involved a scientist in New Zealand who showcased an experiment involving kids and the need for a higher being to keep order and control using a game (again, I’ll let you see what that looks like). To me, it reveals the propensity of evil in an individual’s heart when they think they can get away with something.  As the prophet Jeremiah notes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?” Science can attempt to decode the reasoning for why we do things and discover patterns of behavior, but the heart is fatally diseased, prone to evil from the outset. In this way, we are all wretched (there’s the Apostle Paul again), which is the exact reason why we live in a world full of sin. How we deal with the evil within (and without) says a lot about our beliefs and, in many ways, our outlook on the world we inhabit.

Describing the Divine: The Story of God (Ep. 3)

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Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1| Episode 2
Sunlight through the cloudsDiscussions of spiritual topics, in some way or another, invariably revolve around one single question: Who is God? What are the qualities of the divine?  Why in the world do people choose to live in wonder and adoration of one they cannot see and talk to physically? It’s a question that has challenged people for centuries—and one Morgan Freeman takes up in the third episode of National Geographic Channel’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (Sunday, 9 PM/8 Central). In the final analysis it turns out that, despite different belief systems, there are some common elements that people experience as they live their lives on earth. I just wish the episode had gone a bit further in the discussion.

Freeman begins the episode in a blues bar and notes that people’s reactions to music (such as blues) is similar to how people experience God. What are the universal concepts of God? he asks.  From there, he goes on a whirlwind tour around the world to get some answers.  Some of the places he visits are the same as in previous episodes (India; Egypt, Jerusalem), but new wrinkles appear as he takes trips to Stonehenge in England, a Navajo family in New Mexico, and a medical facility in Philadelphia—the latter to discover what happens in the brain when a person has religious experiences (note: the answers, provided by Dr. Andy Newberg, are pretty interesting).

Since the show seeks to compare different belief styles, Freeman hears some very different things about the religions of the world. Hindus have millions of gods with thousands of names for those individual gods. He moves from the polytheistic to monotheistic as he looks at the sun’s role in Stonehenge, King Tut’s father, and Abram (Abraham’s) role in Jewish belief.  It turns out that however well we think we can imagine God, he is always beyond what we can consider (see Ephesians 3:20).

The Navajo section was interesting, as the cinematographers chronicled (with one exception) a young girl’s transformation to a young adult—a time, in their belief system, where God and human become one (a very large corn cake is involved—you’ll just have to see the episode to understand).

Morgan Freeman at Lakewood Church, Houston TX
Morgan Freeman at Lakewood Church, Houston TX (Photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Matthew Paul Turner)

In the end, Freeman seems to realize that the commonalities in faiths are that a) God surrounds us and b) God has the power to move inside people and change them. This takes him to his final destination of the episode—Houston TX and Lakewood Church, a Christian megachurch pastored by Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria. He talks with the two just before their service, which he attends, stating he felt a real sense of joy in the auditorium. Freeman asks Osteen point-blank after the service, “Who is God?”  Osteen responded, “I believe God is our Father, the Creator, Somebody that gives us purpose and destiny . . . Sometimes it’s hard for people to say, How can I believe in something I can’t see? But it’s what you choose to believe, through faith.” Osteen added his goal as pastor was to make God approachable, useful, and helpful to people.

There’s plenty to consider in this episode, but my mind goes back to a passage in Acts 17 where Paul addressed a group of people in Athens and brought up a similar question.  “For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you,” he said (Acts 17:23). He then shares that God doesn’t live in human-made temples, gives life and breath to all humanity, is not far from people, and wants them to seek him and repent of their evil ways. He’s all about justice and will judge in the end through one he brought back to life from the dead (in this case, Jesus).

I wish there had been time in the episode to discuss the justice aspect, as it would’ve provided some levity to what is perceived as a God who could be perceived as touchy-feely and happy all the time.  As it is, the third episode of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman provides some pieces to consider but could’ve gone farther with the discussion.  But at least it’s a start.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens–Thoughts to Consider (SPOILERS)

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Kylo RenSince a large chunk of the population has donated a portion of their disposable income to a movie theater in order to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we’re getting to the point where spoiler-free reviews are going to be unnecessary. If you haven’t seen the film yet and want to be surprised when you get to the theater, I’d recommend taking a look at my earlier review first, since it contains no spoilers.   Otherwise, read on, as I go into some of my personal ponderings regarding the movie.

Scroll past the picture below to read on.  Otherwise, it’s okay to return later and read when you’ve had a chance to see the film for yourself.

Fighter battleAre we all here? Good.  Here are a few personal thoughts after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens twice (Thursday PM and Friday PM):

I am not a Star Wars fanboy, but I have always had an interest in the series.  Perhaps it’s because George Lucas wanted to change some sequences in the preexisting films to make a plot point more noticeable (Greedo shooting first instead of Han Solo), more detailed (all the CGI with Jabba the Hutt in A New Hope) or look more unified (the horrific revised ending to Return of the Jedi that seems a bit ironic, seeing as it shows the folks on Corcuscant celebrating freedom, not knowing they’ll suffer the same fate as Alderann thirty years later). Maybe it’s because I wanted to leave a theater with a sense of awe and wonder—something I didn’t get when seeing The Phantom Menace back in 1999.  It could be due to the fact that I saw Peter Jackson succeed mightily in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Hobbit?  Not so much.). Regardless, I went in wanting something more, something dynamic, something post-worthy.

I got that—and much more.

The film’s first portion centers on the planet of Jakku, as BB-8 takes the map portion with him a few seconds before Kylo Ren’s Bat Cruiser (not trademarked, but it should be) shows up and annihilation occurs.  Rey, a scavenger in those parts, wants little to do with the droid when she encounters him and eventually has to make a decision about whether to sell him.  BB-8’s loyalty reminds me, in a non-speaking way, of the loyalty of Ruth to Naomi in the Old Testament (see Ruth 1:16-18).  Rey decides not to, and it’s a good choice on her part, as the droid introduces her to Finn, a Stormtrooper gone AWOL. The two make quite a formidable pair, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of this pair in future films.

As for Kylo Ren, it’s revealed that he’s the son of Han Solo and Leia.  He’s definitely a force (pun intended) to be reckoned with (notice the Force stop of Poe Dameron’s blaster shot in the opening sequence). In fact, the only folks who can fight him off are Snoke, General Hux, and (later on) Rey. But he’s got some serious issues. He has no control over his temper, slashing massive streaks into a computer wall when he finds out Rey was not captured. In another sequence, the Stormtroopers on duty just turn around and walk away. This probably explains why his lightsaber fizzles, pops, and looks so different than the ones we’ve come to know in the past. He wants to be good, but can’t seem to fight his way out of the Dark Side. We see this in play on numerous occasions, notably when taking to Han Solo on the bridge at the end of the film.  He knows what he needs to do, but can’t do it—does that sound eerily like the struggle Paul talks about in Romans 7:15-25?  As a result, he is a wretched man.  It looks like we’ll get to see more of this struggle in future episodes.

The last scene location of SW: TFAIn the end, Starkiller Base is destroyed, Han Solo is taken out by his son, Finn is on life support after a nasty lightsaber slash up the back from Kylo Ren, and Rey travels with Chewbacca to a planet full of islands.  Atop one of the islands, she meets up, for the first time, with Luke Skywalker.  Luke on the island reminded me of John on the island of Patmos in the book of Revelation. He had vanished (remember the opening screen crawl?) after seeing one of his Jedi trainees go rogue (in this case, Kylo Ren).  Perhaps he was waiting for a revelation of his own.  In John’s case, he came across Jesus himself, who told him to write some letters to a group of churches that needed a wake-up call badly (except for Philadelphia) and provided an amazing look at what will eventually come to pass. We’re not sure about Luke yet, but Rey holds his lightsaber out to him as the camera pans around them and the film ends (one of the best shots I’ve seen in a film in quite a while, I might add).  Perhaps it’s the wake-up call Luke needs to hear.  Sadly, we’ll have to wait a few more years until director Rian Johnson shares Episode VIII with us.