subtitles

I really like foreign films. There is such an artistry about them that is missing from most American movies. There is a key to a really great foreign film. It's a holistic aspect to the artistry. When everything is working together - the cinematography, the plot, the music and yes, the subtitles - it truly is amazing. The trick with great subtitles is that they help you understand what you are hearing and seeing in such a way that you forget they are there. When I watch a foreign film and at the end walk away feeling as if I actually saw the movie instead of continually reading the subtitles then I am tremendously pleased with the film.

I was thinking about this earlier in the evening while teaching a class on worship to some of our church's worship leaders. What occurred to me is how much this is an illustration of how I desire to live my life. Now I know that I am not perfect and that I have many faults. But I also strive to live a life that is holy and brings glory to God. When Jesus began teaching some followers of John the Baptist went to John to complain. John responded by pointing out that he had already taught that someone greater was coming and that Jesus was this someone. In order for Jesus to get the honor that was due him, John stated that his own honor must decrease. "I must become less and him more."

Its the reality of becoming less. In order for people to see and hear and understand God in and through my life I must become less. If the attention is on me they will not see the full story being played out before them. And so I strive to be like a great subtitle. Helping understand without distracting. The fullness of the picture is lost when all you see are the words. I want people to see and experience the full glory of God. My life is just the subtitle in this amazing story.

through fresh eyes

The other night I was driving with a friend of mine visiting here from West Africa. Out of the blue my friend asked why so many homes had American flags on them. He went on to say that the only day of the year flags are posted on homes in Liberia is on their flag day. So he wanted to know why so many of us would fly our flag if it wasn't flag day.

I answered as best I could based on my own family experience. I said that we live near many military bases and that many veterans fly the flag year round. And many families of current military personnel do as well to show their support.

A few decades ago I would have said that it was simply a matter of patriotism. I'm not sure that is as legitimate an answer anymore because people's attitudes about our nation have changed so much. Attitudes about the flag have changed too. I don't recall flag burning being much of an issue outside of war protests until the past decade or so.

I'm curious as to any other thoughts some of you may have. It was fascinating though to ear the honest question from someone on the outside looking in.

quanitfy what?

I've been thinking about surveys a lot lately. One I took was about my theological tendencies. At the end it showed a bar graph with a number of categories showing how you scored from strongest to weakest. Now the postmodern in me just screams don't categorize me! But this led me down a train of thought regarding surveys.

A little background: the enlightenment period that really ushered in the "modern" era leaned heavily on this new idea of the scientific method. And much of the scientific method revolves around measuring things, quantifying them into neat packages called theories. But over time people began applying this idea of measuring and quantifying to all aspects of their lives.

In the wake of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech one commentator reflected on how the media needed to stop talking about it in terms of being the worst, the biggest, the most... He went on to say that it was just feeding our society's hunger for records. That's how far it has gone. We measure everything. As a computer geek I'll be the first to say that I look at all the specs on a computer. How fast is the chip, how big is the hard drive... We thrive on compiling and comparing such statistics. From sports, to clothes, to performance appraisals, to cars, to war, disease and murder.

It's sad. We use these numbers to wrap our minds around the troubles of the world and soothe our minds that they are controllable. And we use them to feed our own consumerism. Really, how do we know it really is the best? Just because its the best today doesn't mean it will be the best tomorrow. Who we are, the world we live in, love and success simply are not things that can be quantified. And so we need to change how we see the world. I have a degree in biology. I know that the scientific method is useful, for some things. But numbers, measurements, statistics... they will never succeed at truly describing life.

And so I look at the surveys I've taken. All I can conclude is that they are interesting to take but they do not define who I am. Life isn't that simple. Faith isn't that simple. Love isn't that simple.