The Hannah Montana "thing"

SIGH.

Ok, the latest celebrity girl moment that America is losing its collective marbles over are the photos of Miley Cyrus for Vanity Fair. As my daughter is a little older I didn't have to survive the whole Hannah Montana thing. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Pokemon were more than enough, thank you.

So how then, as the father of a daughter and a youth minister, do I feel about this whole flapdoodle? Let's do it point by point:

1: Are these photos terrible/horrible/obscene - In a word, NO. They were taken by one of the finest photographers of our time Annie Leibovitz. As always they are beautifully crafted and tasteful.

2: Was the one photo a good idea? Again, and in my opinion, NO. I'm talking about the one of her wrapped apparently only in a sheet. Word comes now that she was not in fact nude or in bed. But clearly the intent is to give that impression. It's a classic (almost cliche) sexy pose that's been done by a couple thousand models over the last 50 years and more. The problem I have is that Miley Cyrus is 15. And my question is - do we need to continue the trend of increasing sexualization of under age young women? The great thing about Miley was that she was cute and fun and cool without being overtly sexy. She has been about being a young woman, not a sex object. And that was really cool in an age when every other female teen star seems to feel the need to be stupid. So it's unfortunate.

3. Is it time to beat on Miley then? For the third time - NO. If I'm disturbed by anyone it's all the ADULTS who had to give the nod to this shot, starting with her father. Just really stupid and short sighted by them. Miley was working with this incredible photographer who was going to make her look fabulous, guaranteed. Annie Leibovitz could make ME look fabulous just imagine what she can do with someone really attractive!

4:What about the OTHER photos? I'm only referring to the ones taken of her with her then boyfriend not the multitudinous number of fake photos and videos. Seen them. And I've seen ones just like them done by hundreds of girls that age. Are they silly and embarrassing when you realize the whole world is looking at them? Yep, as she's acknowledged (and so do most of the other girls with these kinds of photos). She's being a silly, flirty teenaged girl who is exploring her sexuality and physicality. Not the smartest way to do it but a long way from the end of the world. She'll learn. We all do.

5: So what about the FUROR? Sigh. Let's see I've seen people say "It's no big deal, why not leave her alone?". Because it contributes to an environment that's detrimental our our girls. She could have helped and instead she hurt. Beyond that the rest of the comments I've seen have been idiotic and not worth repeating here. Once again American media and the nation conspire to create a tempest in a teapot over nothing. At best(worst?) this deserves an "I'm disappointed in Miley Cyrus and her advisors. I hope she does better in the future". Other than that it's a shrug and yet another chance to discuss body image and how we treat each other as humans rather than sex objects with our kids.

To everyone out there who is running around like their hair is on fire over this I ask these simple questions:

Are you stupid? Don't you have more important things to worry about?

Peace

All My Friends Have Flaws

(This is my column from our diocesan newspaper for the month of May)

When I was growing up I was in awe of all the perfect people. Well, maybe they weren't really “perfect”, even back then I knew how impossible that was, but they were really, really good. Had their lives in order, did things they way there were supposed to, treated everyone fairly all the time. I saw those people in a lot of places but I really saw a lot of them in church. And not just right then but all those apostles and disciples too. They had this whole saint thing going on.

Then there was me. I was constantly getting things wrong. And I was constantly getting into trouble. Mostly little stuff but I just couldn't seem to keep my feet on the straight and narrow. In the middle of church service instead of thinking about God and praying and all that stuff everyone else seemed to be doing I'd be thinking about baseball. Or riding my bike. Or that cute girl I knew (that came a little later). I was a total flop at being a good Episcopalian. As far as living up to the Disciples (I always saw that word with a capital letter in my head. They were that good) I could just forget it. Clearly they were on a whole other plane from me. I was never going to get there. It really made the whole church thing a bummer.

As I got older and read the Gospels some more I realized that there was something very wrong with my thinking. Jesus was surrounded by a truly amazing group of screw-ups. He had people who didn't listen, or didn't do as they were told. They got caught up in power struggles and argued with each other (even with Jesus sometimes). They were scared when they should be brave.


The other thing that jumped out at me was that Jesus clearly didn't care. Yes, he corrected them when they were wrong. But he never bailed on them. It didn't matter if you had some nasty illness, if you were someone that “nice people didn't associate with”, even if you held a job where you treated people badly for your own profit. He talked and taught and loved old people and young people and rich people and poor people. In fact Jesus goes so far as to say it's the people in trouble, the people who are messed up, the people with flaws that he came to help.

The great thing about understanding this is it takes the pressure off of everybody. It's OK that I have flaws. It's OK that my friends have flaws. Because Jesus loves us and is here to talk with us and teach us. That's to help us deal with the flaws. In fact now I'm suspicious of people who try to pretend that they're too perfect, that they don't have any flaws. The very best, finest, most spiritual people I've ever met have flaws. A few less than I do probably but they still have flaws. Now I can see them as people just like me working on dealing with those flaws. Now I don't have to feel like I'm some failure because I didn't make perfection.

Then and now the followers of Jesus are real live human beings. Which means we have our stupid days and our clumsy days and our selfish days and our mean days. With a little help from God, and a little help from our friends we get over them. If we keep working at them maybe we don't have those bad times quite so often, or they don't last quite so long. Along the way we get the chance to help our friends and everyone else we meet work on their flaws too.

All my friends have flaws.

Thank you God!

Peace

Loserocity

Why I love these guys...



I did complete the competition, looking forward to tomorrow's announcement.

End of the contest!

Just some stuff:

Ok, I'm an old person. But if you're an old person (particularly one who kinda likes new tech toys)this is just hysterically funny. Assuming you speak Spanish. And ever made a mix tape. And have a twisted sense of humor like mine:
Neat little Star Wars touch too.

Well the Bigger Loser than Marko contest is now over. We've submitted our final weights and it appears that in fact no one is a bigger loser than Marko! (His staff warned us of his immense loser-ness, lol) Marko is the head honcho over at Youth Specialties and lost 60 pounds in just 12 weeks. Truly amazing. Here's his before and after photos:

Props to him for an amazing effort. For myself in 12 weeks I lost 21 pounds. That's 10% of starting body weight. I still need to lose another 15-20 pounds but now I believe I can. The formula was one I outlined at the beginning:
Eat good food
Eat less
Exercise more.

Rule #1 was I wasn't going to eat nasty tasting food that was "good for me". Food should be enjoyed. If the only way to be slimmer was eating horrible things I'll die fat thank you. Well it isn't. I gave up NOTHING. I ate chocolate and ice cream and pasta and bread and drank wine and everything. I chose better quality foods (brown rice instead of white, whole grains instead of refined) and ate less than usual. Add in several days a week at the gym doing cardio, weight lifting and swimming and the weight came off.

Slowly, sometimes very slowly but surely. And I feel great. Other than my socks and shoes none of my clothes fit any more. I have more energy, my brain works better (keep your comments to yourself) and my outlook is brighter. It's been great. And I'm not sure I would have done it without Marko's challenge. So thank you Marko. From the bottom of my heart.

Expelled

Not me, at least not yet.

Rather the movie "Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed". It opened last weekend to a modest response (just under $3 million in it's opening weekend. In comparison 3 other movies that opened that same weekend rang up $21.4 million - "The Forbidden Kingdom", $17.7 million - "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", and $6.9 million - "88 Minutes". Expelled ended it's opening weekend as the #9 movie nationwide for the weekend).

I have to admit that I had hopes for this movie. Since his role in Ferris Beuller I've had a soft spot for Ben Stein who "stars" in this "documentary". I thought it could present a great chance to discuss with our young people how we see the intersection between faith and science. Is it one of conflict, agreement, mutual avoidance?

(Just for the sake of transparency, and without trying to push my understanding on anyone let me say that I don't see much conflict between faith and science. To me they are two ways of trying to describe/understand the world. They are not mutually exclusive but use very different methods to describe what they "see". Consequently faith relies on belief in things unseen while science requires that things be testable by experiment. My personal belief in the truth revealed by science doesn't destroy my belief in the truth revealed by faith. My understanding of the Divine allows for a God subtle enough to create the world through the device of evolution. What appears "random" to us may have a deeper complexity than we are capable of understanding. Science, for me, is our explanation of how God did and does it.)

So my hope was that "Expelled" could provide a way to discuss what we as individuals and the larger church have come to understand about faith and science. History shows that we've taken some very firm and very wrong stands in these debates in the past (Galileo as an example). How do we find the balance between scientific knowledge (limited as it is) and faith filled belief (limited as it is)?

Sadly the more I read about the movie and the point of view it presents the more disappointed I become. For a movie that touts the legitimacy of Intelligent Design it appears that it never clearly defines just what it means by that. It claims that communism was the result of Darwin's theory of evolution (Karl Marx "Communist Manifesto" published 1848. Darwin's "Origin of Species" published 1859!). The list goes on from there of facts that are distorted, quotations that are edited in a manner that changes their meaning without notification that they're edited. And apparently the camera angles and lighting for the scenes with renowned atheist Richard Dawkins fall just short of Darth Vader-esque.

Do we need to have discussions about what we as people of faith believe in relation to the creation of the world? Of course we do. A knee jerk dismissal of intelligent design/creationism is as intellectually dishonest as a knee jerk dismissal of evolution. On one side is "Everyone knows that" and on the other is "The Bible tells me so". In fact, at least in this case, neither is true. Our youth have fairly refined B.S. monitors and we lose credibility when we can do no better than this. We must be able to discuss these kinds of issues intelligently with each other and most especially with our young people. Otherwise we support the point of view that religion is for the unthinking, that it is the opiate of the masses.

It's sad that so much attention will be paid to this movie. It's sad that in all likelihood the shortcomings of "Expelled" will result in a very short run. Not that I want a badly made movie to continue to be screened but because in contrast a well made argument could begun much better conversations. If you want to see it or take your youth with you I recommend you do it soon. I doubt it will be easy to find even a month from now.

Better yet sit down with your youth and start the discussion about science and faith. The conversation is likely to be surprising.

Peace

Just some bits and pieces

Well I'm into the final week of my weight loss contest. I haven't posted much about it because quite simply I got stuck at about 15 pounds lost. Just couldn't budge from it. Strangely adding yard work to my days seems to have unstuck me. As of this morning I'm down 20 pounds. The contest ends Friday and I'd like to drop 4 pounds this week which would put me under 190 pounds for the first time in I can't remember how long. I'd still have about 10 pounds to hit what is probably only my first weight goal. I'm betting my doctor says that she wants me to lose another 10-15 more next time a see her. Another hard to please woman in my life, sigh. (That was a JOKE! Don't bombard my lady wife with notes telling her what a cad I am. She already knows)

Reasons why, though I love Canada and Canadians I will never move to Canada. This picture was taken YESTERDAY from the front window of Tim Chesterton's house in Edmonton. Tim is a Family man, pastor, storyteller, musician, songwriter and an interesting blogger. He's also something he calls an Anabaptist Anglican. I've never been able to wrap my head around that concept yet. But then I don't care. I have a soft spot for folk singers.

I have a long list of blogs that I check on a regular basis. A good portion of them deal with the news in the Anglican Communion and I posted comments on them semi-regularly. But I've slowed down on that recently. I find that I'm schism-weary. I'm tired of being blasted for a whole host of supposed failures. I'm tired of it all. So I'll keep watching but I think I'll stay in posting "hibernation" for a while longer.

Busy month coming up. My next "free" weekend (meaning all to my own is about six weeks away. Shortly thereafter I have camp starting. It's a busy time of year. The good news is that I get to spend most of those weekends with the kids. They give me a tremendous energy boost, spirit boost and joy boost. With all due respect and affection to my fellow adults, most of you just make me tired.

Back to the salt mine...

Peace

R.I.P. Danny Federici

Daniel Paul "Danny" Federici, longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen died yesterday following a three month battle with melanoma.

Regular readers know that I'm a huge fan of Springsteen and the E Street Band. Federici was an outstanding keyboard player and was highly respected in the music business. He was equally at home in Jazz, Polka, Classical, Blues and Rock. He played piano (and its various electronic variations), accordian (his first instrument) and glockenspiel.

It was interesting that he was such a self effacing performer in a band filled with big personalities - Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, Little Stephen Van Zandt. Even drummer Max Weinberg has a higher profile than Danny. Federici was an original member of the band going back to 1972. His death leaves on Springsteen and Clemons from the very first E Street Band.

The band has postponed two concerts today and tomorrow in Florida. Federici last played with the band on March 20 in Indianapolis after having been on medical leave since November of last year.

Springsteen fans everywhere are in mourning today.

The questions of our young people

Click image to enlarge. Courtesy of "The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus"

For our youth these are the normal questions of their age. I grow increasingly worried about how we are failing in our job in helping them answer those questions.

I see two major reasons for our failure:

We Want To Tell Them the Answers - We know who you are and where you should go! So just do as you're told and all will be well. That hasn't worked for several generations now so I'm amazed that some folks insist on trying it. We do it through badly done teaching styles where to goal is to impart knowledge/wisdom/tradition rather than share in an exploration of them.

We Want Them to Find Out For Themselves - Here's the deal. I'm going to drop you into the middle of someplace you've never been and have no referents for. You don't really understand what's going on, if you ask for help people will tell you to figure it out for yourself and you'll be entirely on your own. Do this where the language is kinda strange to you and with your perceptions changing very quickly of yourself and everyone else. The concept is idiotic but we're trying this one as well.

Is there a didactic portion to what we must do? Yes but we must guard zealously against pedantry(def. -a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules). We must allow our young people to question and to search, to even take the lead in that exploration. But we must also be there with them, prepared when asked to help them find the right direction.

This method of faith sharing is harder. It requires us allowing them to make decisions that will turn out to be wrong, to explore paths that have already been tried and found wanting. It means shutting up sometimes, waiting to be asked, walking next to them rather than leading them. Unless we do that we will share with them a faith that is not intrinsically theirs. It will be a shallow, thin veneer that will peel away under the least of stress. We must teach by how we live, how we make decisions, how we treat them and each other. It's always fascinated me that in one of the epistles the greatest burden, the greatest penalty for failure is placed on the teacher.

How we choose to answer those questions above is important not only for our young friends but for ourselves as well.

Rather amazing

This is a video from the Kinetic Church in Charlotte NC. In early March of this year someone stole a trailer that contained most of their church stuff. They hold their services in a theater and have loud rock music from the sound of the description. So they're not everybody's cup of tea. At the same time they offer communion (their word) every week. I'm not sure I'd become a member but I think I'd be happy as a visitor. Kinetic Church

I just know this is the way it's SUPPOSED to work.

Incredibly frustrated

A while back I read something that I really wanted to use later. Since it was right there at the top of my pile of "stuff" I wasn't worried about it, I could find it quickly.

Well, then a backed up schedule and a bunch of other projects all jumped the line. I shoved everything else to one side and buckled down to get caught up. Now I need to get back to that previous thought and it's gone.

I was reading something, most likely online. It was talking about young people and how several traditional points of "structure" for them have been moved/eliminated which, if memory serves, is increasing their level of stress. The thrust of the article struck me as consistent with some other work I'm doing on what I see as needed changes in how the church interacts with youth.

But I have no idea where I saw it, what it came from, or where to even begin looking. Unfortunately I read SO MUCH in any given week it could take weeks to even cover a small portion.

Aaargh.

By any chance does this sound familiar to anyone?


Update - In fact it took me about 30 minutes to track it down. Where had I read it? Oh yeah it was a link in one of my own newsletters! Check out "The Great Family Meltdown" at the Center for Parent Youth Understanding. I've now SAVED a copy of that article onto my hard drive. Whew.

Peace

Buried

So consider this a note from the bottom of the pile.

It's a busy time of year for a diocesan youth minister. Camp/summer programs are at the top of our lists. There has to be about 10 gazillion details that have to be handled.

Add into that my trip to the provincial network meeting and I'm trailing the curve rather than ahead of it. Last week I blew off a couple personal options to make time to get a little closer. I have to admit it worked and I can at least see the break even line again. Of course it keeps moving on me.

On the weight loss side after weeks of being stalled I've started losing again. Spent a session with a personal trainer who kicked my workout intensity up. So I'm only 2 pounds away from the 20 pounds lost level and need only 1 more than that to hit the 10% weight loss. Both very exciting. 3 pounds beyond those 3 pounds and I drop below another milestone. But I don't want to start thinking about that yet. I need these first three.

Speaking of milestones I crushed one on Friday. I've been swimming on Friday and making good progress. A couple weeks ago I managed 36 lengths (18 laps) which is just over a half mile. I couldn't swim last week so I wasn't sure how I'd do when I got back in the water. My plan was to try for 3 sets of 12 lengths. That's a pretty easy prospect for me at the moment. At the end of the first 12 I felt good so I did two more. And two more. And two more. Now my personal best of 20 was in sight so I decided to go for it. At the end of 20 I still felt good and thought "Set a new best". Two more. And two more. And two more. Now 30 is in reach. Once I hit 30, still feeling pretty good I knew I had to go for it all. 36 lengths in approximately 34 minutes. Best of all I felt like I could have done more.

I "read" two really neat books during my drive to and from the network meeting. Normally I hate being read to but on long drives books on CD are great.

The Greatest Player Who Never Lived by J. Michael Veron. If you love golf (as I do. I do terrible things to my love but that's the way of it. She does terrible things in return) this is a book that will grab you. Veron clearly understands the passionate attachment so many of us have for the game. It's a great story and well told. And you don't have to know squat about the game (though you'll know more when you're done) to enjoy the story. Might make a neat movie.

The Quiet American by Graham Green. This is one of the great novels to come out of the Viet Nam era. It's not particularly flattering to the American mind set in the foreign policy arena but that doesn't mean it's not pretty close to the truth. It is sad and cynical as it explores naivete, and culture clash. I found the characters to be disturbing and enthralling. This one's been made into a movie twice.

So still lots to do. I have several faith related ideas for posts kicking around in my head and I really need to get them down. I feel like I'm neglecting that part of this blog.

April 4, Shot rings out in the Memphis sky...

April 3, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech that includes on of the most stirring paragraphs I've ever heard. Add to it just a frisson of foreshadowing:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

The nation lost a great leader.
Peace

BOGO Jesus

This is my column from the April issue of our diocesan newspaper

Sometimes I lean back in my chair and close my eyes (just to rest for minute) and I have the strangest dreams:

The Marketing Man burst into my office, filled with great ideas.

“I've got some great ideas about getting out your message about faith and ministry and all that other stuff”.
He seemed really excited as he paced back and forth across my office. His eyes were focused on some far distant place and his hands cut great swathes through the air as he gestured grandly.

“You gotta grab their attention. Hit 'em where they live, really slide right into what they're already thinking about. I'm thinking we make this whole church thing sexier. Some hot models in church shaking their...”

“Whoa”, I cried, “We really try to avoid the whole 'shaking' thing. Faith is about the fruits of the spirit, not being bootilicious”.

He paused a moment to ponder that idea. With a shrug of his shoulders he went on.

“Well if you insist. Then maybe we need to go high tech. Yeah, that's it. Lasers and big screens and speakers pumping out the 'bompa-bompa-bom-bom' till the windows rattle.”

“Well,” I responded, shaking my head , “I love the high tech toys as much as anyone. But lasers and big screens don't translate well into everyday life. We need to make sure they can carry their faith with them everywhere.”

A smile appeared on the Marketing Man's face.

“You're a tough one my friend. You're tough. OK, I've got it the perfect pitch for today. It's all about the price point. We go with a buy one get one offer. It can't miss!”

I almost felt like I was letting him down. The Marketing Man was trying so hard, working up all these ideas just for me. I stood up and putting my hands on his shoulders I looked the Marketing Man straight in the eye.

“I know you want to help but you don't seem to get the concept. A life in faith is about treating other with respect, caring for the individuals around you. Sometimes it happens alone, sometimes it happens in big groups. Sometimes it's flashy and colorful and sometimes it's just you all by yourself. It's not about some marketable event or product. It's about how you live your entire life. And the buy one get one thing? There is only one. And we give it away.”

The Marketing Man looked stunned and then he looked sad.

“I'm not the one who doesn't get it my friend. Taking care of OTHER people? Being respectful? Long term thinking over short term gratification? And giving it away?!?!?! That'll never fly”

He muttered sadly to himself as he gathered his briefcase and walked out the door.

I opened my eyes with a realization.

It's not about what program or curriculum we use. It's not about the latest music or video or podcast. It's not about being “hot” or “relevant” or “high tech”. It's about the love of God that surrounds us and warms us. It's about how we share that love with everyone around us. It's about how we live our lives as an expression of that love.

And then I turned to my computer and I began to write.

Peace

The Movie List

Saw this first at Mindi's then at McNutt's and thought - Gotta do it. I'm surprised at the ones they HAVEN'T seen but then I'm a movie geek. This is the American Film Institute’s 2007 list of the top 100 American movies; I’ve put the ones I’ve seen in bold. I've included only those movies that I've seen the whole way through. There's a bunch here of which I've seen part or most of but I don't count those:


1. Citizen Kane, 1941.

2. The Godfather, 1972.

3. Casablanca, 1942.

4. Raging Bull, 1980.

5. Singin’ in the Rain, 1952.

6. Gone With the Wind, 1939.

7. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962.

8. Schindler’s List, 1993.

9. Vertigo, 1958.

10. The Wizard of Oz, 1939.

11. City Lights, 1931.

12. The Searchers, 1956.

13. Star Wars, 1977.

14. Psycho, 1960.

15. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968.

16. Sunset Blvd., 1950.

17. The Graduate, 1967.

18. The General, 1927.

19. On the Waterfront, 1954.

20. It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946.

21. Chinatown, 1974.

22. Some Like It Hot, 1959.

23. The Grapes of Wrath, 1940.

24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982.

25. To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962.

26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939.

27. High Noon, 1952.

28. All About Eve, 1950.

29. Double Indemnity, 1944.

30. Apocalypse Now, 1979.

31. The Maltese Falcon, 1941.

32. The Godfather Part II, 1974.

33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975.

34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937.

35. Annie Hall, 1977.

36. The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957.

37. The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946.

38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948.

39. Dr. Strangelove, 1964.

40. The Sound of Music, 1965.

41. King Kong, 1933.

42. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967.

43. Midnight Cowboy, 1969.

44. The Philadelphia Story, 1940.

45. Shane, 1953.

46. It Happened One Night, 1934.

47. A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951.

48. Rear Window, 1954.

49. Intolerance, 1916.

50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001.

51. West Side Story, 1961.

52. Taxi Driver, 1976.

53. The Deer Hunter, 1978.

54. M-A-S-H, 1970.

55. North by Northwest, 1959.

56. Jaws, 1975.

57. Rocky, 1976.

58. The Gold Rush, 1925.

59. Nashville, 1975.

60. Duck Soup, 1933.

61. Sullivan’s Travels, 1941.

62. American Graffiti, 1973.

63. Cabaret, 1972.

64. Network, 1976.

65. The African Queen, 1951.

66. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981.

67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1966.

68. Unforgiven, 1992.

69. Tootsie, 1982.

70. A Clockwork Orange, 1971.

71. Saving Private Ryan, 1998.

72. The Shawshank Redemption, 1994.

73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969.

74. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991.

75. In the Heat of the Night, 1967.

76. Forrest Gump, 1994.

77. All the President’s Men, 1976.

78. Modern Times, 1936.

79. The Wild Bunch, 1969.

80. The Apartment, 1960.

81. Spartacus, 1960.

82. Sunrise, 1927.

83. Titanic, 1997.

84. Easy Rider, 1969.

85. A Night at the Opera, 1935.

86. Platoon, 1986.

87. 12 Angry Men, 1957.

88. Bringing Up Baby, 1938.

89. The Sixth Sense, 1999.

90. Swing Time, 1936.

91. Sophie’s Choice, 1982.

92. Goodfellas, 1990.

93. The French Connection, 1971.

94. Pulp Fiction, 1994.

95. The Last Picture Show, 1971.

96. Do the Right Thing, 1989.

97. Blade Runner, 1982.

98. Yankee Doodle Dandy, 1942.

99. Toy Story, 1995.

100. Ben-Hur, 1959.


Hmmm, that's only about 60%. Now I need to get the rest of these. A couple will be tough because they're so old (Intolerance, The General).

From the sublime to the ridiculous

This is from Lark News:

Inner-city ministry trip confirms youths’ worst impressions

CHESTERFIELD — A youth group from a suburban mega-church traveled to inner-city St. Louis for a ministry trip which confirmed their preconceptions about urban poverty.

Full Story

Before anyone has a coronary Lark News is a parody news site.

And don't miss THIS:

Episcopal Church named official denomination of Major League Baseball

Here's some exciting news that's breaking this first day in April:
baseball

(by email)

As a part of opening week festivities, Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced today that the Episcopal Church has been designated the Official Denomination of Major League Baseball. The move was announced today in a teleconference with reporters.

Full Story from Episcopal Cafe

What day is it again?

What a tribute!

I've mentioned my friend G-man before. Well just recently he heard God's call to move on from his ministry job. At the moment he's kind of in limbo since where God wanted him to go next wasn't clear (yet). I applaud his courage.

He recently posted this tribute video done for him by his church. What a great tribute to the work he did there. Wouldn't we all like to be remembered this way.


Congrats!
Peace