Random Thoughts - 5

I recently had an experience unlike any other: My first kiss. It was unique (to me) for obvious reasons; I had never kissed anyone before. It was unique for a few other reasons.

I walked Jan to her car. I care about Jan deeply. I have told Jan I love her, and she has said the same to me. Jan is also not her real name, if you're wondering. Jan and I have a long and complicated relationship. I thought things were going to perhaps stabilize once I moved back to the area, and they did, for a week. We started to casually date, and I was actually playing cards with her parents the night I walked her to her car. As we got to her car, she dropped a bombshell.

"I don't want you as much as you want me. I'm not sure; don't know if I'll ever be sure. I think we should just be friends. I'm sorry. I wish that it was easier. I wish I could be sure. I want to want you more than I do. You're not the boy I dream about."

And I am dumbfounded, blindsided by the uncertainty. As I look into the stars, there is no proper response. So I said "Screw it." and then I kissed her.

So that was my first kiss. The rest of that particular story and relationship remains to be told, but I want to focus on just that story. Because as I have been reflecting and agonizing on this, I keep coming back to the Cross.

Doesn't the story of the Cross seem to parallel this story a bit? I am certainly not comparing myself to Jesus, but I think I learned a bit about the love it must have taken to step out in faith. Let me illustrate it for you.

God and People have a long and complicated relationship. God has told People that he loved them, and People have responded in kind. But for whatever reason, People are never able to fully commit. Sin and Idolatry and Adultery keep coming in between them. God moves to the area in Jesus, and hopes for things to stabilize. But People still don't realize the love of God, and are desperately pushing Jesus away. In one last ditch effort, Jesus dies on the cross for the People who don't want him.

Maybe it's sacrilegious, but I wonder if Jesus saying "Screw it, I'll die anyway," is a stretch.

Hey Neat-O - 2

Check this out:

This website creates four strip comics out of dreams. At first it's crazy, but the more you read, the more absurdly familiar they become. It's sort of like dreaming while awake.

http://slowwave.com/index.php

Post Schedule

Here's the general time frame of what I'll be posting and when:

Saturday: Movie Review.
Monday: Cool Link.
Tuesday: Random Thoughts.
Wednesday: Book Review
Thursday: Quote.

And other random stuff to appear... randomly.

Update 10/10
Ignore everything above. Check the New Post Schedule.

Somebody Smarter Said - 1

"Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death." - Shane Claiborne.

Writing

Well, work on 300 stalled at the gate. I wasn't ready to start it, and until I feel the absolute need to write it, it will probably remain stalled. I'm still working through the second draft of Ashram, and that is going well. I'm allowing more people to read it, and am getting some good criticisms (positive and negative). I might start a few small personal projects, but I'm not sure. I'll let you know if anything else comes up.

Narnia: Prince Caspian Review

This is where everyone calls me a bad christian, because I didn't like Narnia.
Yeah, so shoot me.
The allegory is heavy handed. Aslan is not my favorite picture of God. The elements that are good are underdeveloped - in particular the leadership conflict between Caspian and Peter. Edmund, my favorite kid from the first movie, has very little to do here. He does have one nice moment, which plays off his arc from the first movie, but thats about it.
I also did not thoroughly enjoy the first movie, but it did a nice job of introducing the world. In this movie, Narnia doesn't feel magical anymore. It's true, that supposedly 1300 years have passed and the magic is suppposed to be gone, but that was the greatest appeal from the first movie for me.
So... I'd pass and wait for DVD. If you liked the first movie, or if you loved the books, you'll probably like it. I'd rather catch Iron Man again.

Speed Racer Review

This movie is like crack cocaine for your eyes.
I think the movie was not very good, as far as movies go. As far as experiences go, it was pretty sweet. My roommates and I caught the midnight opening, and chugged Red Bulls and Pop Rocks throughout. So it was crazy!
I left, convinced I was going to be able to make my car do backflips.
But... The storyline is slow at parts. When they weren't racing, I was fairly bored. Also, the live action 'anime' didn't really appeal to me. I think it made some bold choices, and was full of great visuals, but overall, I'd recommend Iron Man first.