Man, I need to post more frequently. I was just browsing through my picture archive... I have SO MUCH awesome stuff waiting to make an appearance on one of these blog posts, it isn't even funny...
In fact, here, let me lead with a couple landscapey photos today instead of one. These are from August, but never got air time...
Come on... how amazing is that photo? Tell me you wouldn't LOVE to go there...
Here's another...
Yeah, I know, a little cliche. Still, I love the vibe. A nice, cool, late Summer stroll on the beach anyone? The only thing that rankles me a bit about the pic is the red shirt... wish it was a different color...
Anyway, that's just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, here, let me post another "penguins on an iceberg" photo... I have several, lol...
Love it.... look at those shades of blue. Man, that would make a great jigsaw puzzle, eh?
Oh, what the heck, here's another. From National Geographic this time...
I hope you're clicking these and looking at them nice and big...
OK, enough of that. Down to business...
So after a spate of book/movie review posts, I'm back to my usual blast of hot air, whereby I prattle on about things of little interest to you, and you put on a forced smile, add a courtesy laugh now and then, nod, and skim forward, looking for cool pics/videos. Ahh, it's good to be back in form!
I've come up with what I think is a good idea for this year's Christmas play. Definitely way outside the box, as far as what we've done before. Going to pound out some notes tonight, and send them off to Cathy to see if she wants to roll with it. I know she's getting antsy, what with the weeks starting to tick by. It'll be Christmas before we know it! Probably won't be doing a film project for Christmas -- Todd F. is super-busy with work-related stuff. Who knows. I'd love to get a film project rolling too, since I know we can top our last effort (the Lazarus one, from last Easter). That one was fun, for a first effort. Time to kick it up a few notches, eh Abbie? ROOAR!
I watched this video last night, called Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee... check it out, it has Jerry Sienfeld, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks...
Good stuff. Never really was a big Mel Brooks fan - his humor was always off somehow to me. Anyway, I enjoyed that clip a lot. And Seinfeld is always gold.
After finishing Prince of Thorns, I decided to try my hand at a little sci-fi. I'm always forcing myself to read sci-fi, since I feel like I should like it. I mean, I dig Fantasy so much... and sci-fi is its twin sister, right? I should either like them both, or despise them both, right? Well, I'm about halfway through Nebula/Hugo/Locus Award-winning novel The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It reminds me of Old Man's War, by John Scalzi, which I reviewed here last year. Anyway, I'm really trying to stay interested, but man, it's so hard for me. Space marines, interstellar travel, alien races, strange technologies, weird occurrences and parlance... man, it's grueling. I'm going to finish it, though. I'm going to force myself to like sci-fi (if you'll pardon the Star Wars pun)...
That's me, trying to like sci-fi...
OK, theological conundrum time. With or against?
OK, so in Luke 9:49-50 it says the following...
"Master," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
and a little later, in Luke 11:23, Jesus says...
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."
OK, so, to you, are these saying the same thing? Maybe I'm reading too much into them, but it seems to me that in Luke 9, it is saying that the default position of mankind is helpful, and in Luke 11, the default position of mankind is antagonistic. Meaning, in Luke 9, unless a person is actively working against you, you should consider him as a positive, constructive force, and in Luke 11, unless a person is actively working for/along with you, you should consider him as working against you.
Are those the opposites that I think they are, or do they mesh in a way I'm not seeing? It seems to me that there are three classes of people being discussed: for, neutral and against. In the one case, the neutral folks are grouped with the "for" group... and in the other case, the neutral folks are grouped together with the "against" group...
Odds are I'm making an issue where none exists, but I thought I'd throw it out here anyway, in case someone cared to comment.
So I initially had no real interest in watching Les Miserables when it releases soon... but then I watched this little vignette about the music and thought... wow...
They recorded the songs live as they filmed the scenes? I don't think I've ever seen/heard of things being done that way before. Very, very cool. I may have to see this. Or at least buy the soundtrack.
I'm going to bail now, and go crank out those script notes that I mentioned earlier. If any of this entertained you, by all means, leave a comment and I will greedily devour it!
Adios for now,
Dave the Gump
6 comments:
Oh, I so want to see "Les Miserables" now! It looks and sounds gorgeous.
As to your theology questions...I guess I'll have to go read the actual scriptures first (not going to do it now), but perhaps you first need to look more closely at what they mean by "not one of us". Not a disciple, or not a follower of Christ? Anyway....
I shall now attempt sleep. Beautiful photographs, btw.
Havah
Dave-
I know where' you're coming from. I've always considered myself a big genre fan, but I've struggled to get into fantasy and sci-fi books lately. Color me jaded, but I just think that there's a lot of caca poo poo out there getting published.
I read Old Man's War and The Forever War. Can't remember which one I liked better, but I know I liked them both.
Hope you find something to like in it. Really, a lot of that sci-fi is just fantasy in a different setting.
Later.
Kris
The Sound and Fury of Kristopher Denby
Theology! My fave. We know the guy casting out demons in Luke 9 is a disciple of Christ because John said he was doing it in Jesus' name. Evidently John thought only a select group were permitted to do good. :) So, this person wasn't neutral, he was a disciple. In Luke 11, Jesus is simply saying if you aren't a disciple of His, you are against Him, an anti-Christ, so to speak. No middle ground. Same idea in both verses. :)
There are only two camps: “For” and “Against.” Mark 9:38-40 speaks about the same situation written in Luke 9:49-50, indicating that this person is not neutral because, “there is no man which shall do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me” (Mark 9:39). A neutral person would not do mighty works in Jesus’ name, nor be “Against” Him (speak evil of Him).
In Luke 11:14-26, on lookers are provoking Him, stating that the devil can cast out devils. Jesus counters this with the obvious: Why would the devil do this, for if he rids himself of his demons, his “kingdom” would not survive. Further, if Jesus himself is working for the devil, then so must the provokers. Thus, in v. 23 He’s saying there are two camps, satan’s or God’s, “Against” or “For,” and that the “For” is the stronger (v.21). Lastly, there is no neutrality on earth. The “Against” crowd cannot be neutral, because by virtue of them not being for Christ (gathering), they actually work against Him (scattering).
As I’ve always said, we are in a constant state of motion – we are either moving forward in Christ, or backwards, away from Christ. The enemy knows which way we move – read what happens in Acts 19:15,16 for an example of those attempting neutrality ☺
Beth
Like Paula & Beth said, you're either "For" or "Against." They pretty much said exactly what I was coming here to type up, so, yeah.
Context, friend. So important.
Havah: What they've done with the music is so unique to me, I may have to go see it...
Kris: I think most of the "cat poo poo" is being self-published... although there have been a few self-pubbed gems that I've read (or read samples of). Finished the Forever War last night. There was enough I liked about it to make me glad I read it... but I don't know if I could read it again...
Paula/Beth/Logan: So the statements in both cases are very specific to the moment, and not general truisms with wider application? The struck me as such at the time, which is why I brought it up. Not trying to cause trouble!
It seems to me that I recall a case where a man was casting out devils in the name of "Jesus whom Paul preaches", and got a beating for his trouble... by the way, did Jesus send out the 70 with power to minister before or after the Luke 9 example, I wonder? Better go track that down. Seems to me that if He'd already sent the 70 out, then John shouldn't have had a problem with some other disciple (not the 12) driving out demons in Jesus' name...
Hey, and what about when Judas ministered, pre-betrayal? Was that "gathering" or "scattering", pro or con? Man, too much to think about...
Thanks for the input, all!
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