Category: Pop. Culture & the Arts

by Stan “the Incredible” Lemon

Back on the screen after five years, the Hulk returns. This time, he is incredible with an all-star lineup, a plot and some fairly decent acting. Five years ago Marvel was really beginning to develop its movie franchise, after the 2000 X-Men success and 2002 Spiderman success they really seemed to be on a roll. In 2003 Marvel released three notable comic movies, X-Men II (arguably the best in the trilogoy), Daredevil (a painful flop in every sense of the word) and Hulk staring Eric Bana. Do you remember Hulk? No? Well thank God for that.

The first Hulk movie from Marvel was so bad that after a record high opening it was followed with a record low second week and ultimately failing to produce enough revenue to develop a second film. Thankfully, Marvel maintained a merchandise market for the Hulk, so with that money, some new actors and a new director we meet the Incredible.

Incredible begins with our superhero Bruce Banner hidden away in South America. He’s hiding from General Ross, who is really the author behind the menace we call Hulk. Ross is still looking for him, stumbling across evidence of Banner’s whereabouts. The evidence? An elderly man was suffering from Gamma poisoning, having drunk soda bottled from Banner’s current place of employment. The chase ensues and Banner barely escapes.

Next we find Banner in search of former girlfriend Betty Ross, the general’s daughter. The General isn’t too far behind, this time with an augmented crazy Russian (with a British accent strangely). The Russian doesn’t fair too well, and neither do a couple of General Ross’ tanks, but Banner and Betty escape unscathed.

The Super-Russian pursues Banner and Betty to Mr. Blue, a e-pen-pal of Banner’s who is trying to help cure him of being Hulk. Banner is healed, Mr. Blue dies and Super-Russian becomes Russian-Hulk via Banners blood and then disaster follows. Banner, cured of his own gamma poisoning, dives out a plane to his demise, hoping to perhaps resurrect the Hulk and save the day. With a smashing end, Banner is buried into the ground. A tomb of asphalt consumes Banner.

In order to become the superhero Hulk and save the world from the crazy Super-Russian, Banner must die. Then, with Banner dead the Hulk resurrects out of his deathly tomb. Some serious butt kicking follows and only by virtue of the Incredible Hulk does the world get to see another day.

The movie ends with a cameo by the mighty man of steel, Ironman’s Tony Stark talking with a drunken General Ross about what we can only speculate is The Avengers. If you’re a marvel fan you know that means extremely cool, and if you’re not then just think of a movie with Ironman, Hulk, Captian American, Thor and some other awesome superheros.

In sin, we are General Ross creating our own destruction. We’re not worried about our neighbor, or even our own family! We want what we want, and we forsake everything to have it. In the end our Lord redeems us. He’s a hulk of a Lord too, because He washes us in His own blood even when we don’t want Him too! Our Lord takes on a Super-Satan, so powerful that at times you think he might overcome our Lord, but in the end the Lord strangles Satan’s power free from him and saves us all in the waters of Holy Baptism.

There was no disappointment in The Incredible Hulk. Marvel seems to have redeemed itself of bad comic movies. Our Christocentric Hulk who must die and rise again to save the world is a stellar character. I sincerely hope Edward Norton stays as the Hulk and comes back to do a sequel to this film.

If you’re sitting around on a Friday night and have already seen Ironman, wondering what should I do? Go see The Incredible Hulk! Watch as the Superhero saves the day and redeems the deeds of the sinful General Ross.

 

Stan Lemon lives with his wife Sara and dog Ivan in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, home of the five-time World Series champion Pirates. Go bucs!

by Kimberly Grams

Ah, June.  It’s wedding season and love is in the air.  Lots of anniversaries in June too.  We attended a 40th party recently, and our own anniversary is June 15th – 17 years!  (A number that makes me a bit light-headed wondering where on earth the time went.)

The topic of long-distance relationships came up in February when it was suggested that I write an article on the Plain White T’s song “Hey There, Delilah.”  Living in a rural area with lousy radio stations, I’m behind on the music curve.  Being unfamiliar with them, I opted not to write a Valentine-y article, but to save it for later – so I’ve had a lot of time to think on it.

If you haven’t heard Plain White T’s, go to YouTube, their MySpace page, or Google them and take a listen.  “Delilah” is the song that made them famous, but I also enjoyed their peppy anthem “Our Time Now”, and I really liked their ironic break-up song “Hate – I Really Don’t Like You” (Chorus: “Hate is a strong word, but I really, really, really don’t like you”; it really, really, really cracked me up).  But, I digress.

“Hey There, Delilah” is about a long-distance relationship.  She’s in school in NYC and he’s written her this song.

    Hey there, Delilah, what’s it like in New York City
    I’m a thousand miles away
    But girl tonight you look so pretty, yes you do
    Time Square can’t shine as bright as you; I swear it’s true
    Hey there, Delilah, don’t you worry about the distance
    I’m right there if you get lonely – give this song another listen
    Close your eyes, listen to my voice it’s my disguise
    I’m by your side

And . . .

    A thousand miles seems pretty far
    But they’ve got planes and trains and cars
    I’d walk to you if I had no other way
    Our friends would all make fun of us
    And we’ll just laugh along because we know   
    That none of them have felt this way
   

I would have gone GA-GA for this song in college.  I left NJ to go to Valpo in Indiana, leaving behind a boyfriend two years younger.  We had dated for a couple months during my senior year, then broke up.  He was the only boyfriend I ever had, other than my husband.  Even though we weren’t still an item, he was my Prom date, and then our romance revived that summer when we had the romantic leads in “Lil’ Abner.”  In our heads we knew it was totally unrealistic, but in our hearts we felt just like this song.  We were young and thought we could make it work.  That lasted until about Christmas break, when I decided it was just too hard.  At the time, I’m sure I broke his heart, but we kept in touch later.  He’s now married to another girl we went to school with.

The song’s got a wickedly, insidious tune that gets in your head and sticks.  It brought up some fond memories.  We started telling our kids stories about “back in the day” and pulled out the prom pics.  They thought it was hilarious – and not just for the ‘80’s hair.  For both the Christmas dance and Prom, my boyfriend and I double-dated with . . . my husband, Jeff.  We shared a limo, sat together and had great fun. 

But then I realized . . . I’m actually in a long-distance relationship right now.  We have tweens, and school, and activities, and church, and life.  Most of our conversations involve schedules and there’s usually some kind of interruption – a kid, the dog, the doorbell, the phone, his cell, my cell.  It’s a regular thing that often several of those things are ringing/happening at the same time.

So we do what you do at this phase of life – schedule a date night.  We decide (in February) to go to Cheyenne, WY to Olive Garden.  That’s 3 hours of uninterrupted car conversation and pasta, which in our house is scarce due to our daughter’s celiac disease.  We try to plan for a Friday – his day off.  But, our school has some kind of warped schedule from February on where they have so many Fridays off it’s ridiculous.  And the 4th grade musical (for which I’m choreographer and assistant director) rehearses on Fridays, so I can’t be gone when there IS school. 

After the musical in April, we pick the ONE Friday that will work before school lets out.  The Spring Pastor’s Conference is the first part of that week, seven hours away, so it’s not perfect, but it’ll work.  Then a member passes away so he books it back for the Thursday funeral.  By Friday, he’s exhausted, and I’m running behind.  We’re out of most grocery items – enough that I will have trouble pushing the cart and lugging everything with a strained arm.  So guess what we did instead of going to Olive Garden?  We went to Wal-Mart.  And you know what?  THAT’S what real love is.  Giving up what you want to do, and doing what needs to get done for your family to function.  Sacrificial love – the kind Jesus taught us and that we humbly try to emulate.  Who knew I’d get all that from the Plain White T’s?

Shift gears.  The other thing I got from this was finding a band I wouldn’t have heard otherwise.  (Actually, that’s not quite true, because I told my kids that I absolutely HAD to finish this article and they were like, “Oh, that band was on iCarly” – which of course then I HAD to watch before I finished the article).

It made me think what else am I missing – and not just music.  I’ll be 40 (and fabulous) in November, so of course I’m into shows that cater to that;  I am drooling over promos for “She’s Got the Look,” a modeling competition for the over 30’s. And having tweens, I get plenty of “Hannah Montana,” “High School Musical,” etc.

But this is a website for Lutheran Youth right?  So here’s what I need from you.  What stuff do YOU think I should check out this summer?  Music, TV, Movies, Internet: what are your favorites?  I really, really, really want to hear from you if you’re high school/college age.  Email me at KimmerGrams@hotmail.com with your top 3 things you’d like to see for HigherThings.org.  I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Kimberly Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written over a dozen articles featured in the Pop. Culture & the Arts section of HigherThings.org.

by Stan Lemon

Perhaps the best movie to grace the screen this summer (so far) is Marvel’s latest comic big-screen movie, the one about the man of steel. No, I’m not talking about Superman (that’s the other comic company, DC), I’m talking about Ironman. In this almost Pauline epic, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) is the CEO of the world’s largest weapon’s company. This doomsday mastermind is charming, good looking, extremely wealthy and he’s got all the right moves. After a trip to the middle East and a Damascus-like experience this man with all the right moves and a godless core finds himself as a superhero saving the world from what was once defined who he was.

Like St. Paul, Stark has the right moves – he’s got the fancy “liturgically correct” clothes of the GQ world, he’s got all of the right lines and he’s at the top of his game. All this exterior perfection doesn’t do him a lick of good when he’s captured by crazy Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and everything he knows is stripped away from him. Stark doesn’t lose his eyes but he does lose heart, and only after traveling to some stinky cave is it given back to him – but with a bit of a twist. Stark’s new heart starts off as a car battery, but quickly becomes an Ark Reactor. This fancy technology can power Stark’s heart for over 50 lifetimes, or one really clunky steel suit.

While still captured by Islamic terrorists Stark is ordered to build a doomsday missile, instead Stark secretly constructs a mechanized suit that allows him to break free from the terrorist camp and eventually get back home. With his own little Road to Damascus, Stark seems a little more genuine and is now concerned with the effects his Pharisaical corporation is having on the world. Turning over a new leaf, Stark wishes to devote his energies to peace. Next thing you know Stark’s clunky steel contraption is a sharp looking and extremely powerful suit with a cool paint job that empowers Stark to save the world as Ironman.

The movie ends with Stark battling his own creation and his father’s closest friend , whose own greed has drowned his sense of reality. By the time the credits roll Stark has saved the day and peace has triumphed over evil.

Stark’s new mission, to proclaim peace where he once battled against it sounds like a familiar story. What’s even more familiar is the way that the world is busy destroying itself while Stark serves as an outcast. Greed, which is ultimately the sin of the movie, causes Obadiah (Stark’s dad’s friend) to self-destruct. Peace, which we know to be the love of God in Christ Jesus on the Cross, ultimately wins the day despite the world falling apart all around. Peace always prevails, even when it seems like it won’t.

While we see a bit of St. Paul in Stark, we also see the ultimate superhero – the one that no comic book could ever depict, but only the Word of God. It’s the greatest story ever told, where God in man saves the whole world from sin, death and the worst bad guy ever – the devil. Jesus is our own Ironman, battling sin and death, and ultimately conquering destruction and making peace prevail.

Sin and death are the world we are born into, it’s all we know as little pagans. Left to our own vices we’re no better than Obadiah, who ultimately caused his own death by virtue of his sin. To save the day amidst what the world would want is peace, the Pax Domini that the Lord can only give. He gives it to us in Holy Baptism where peace is sprinkled upon our foreheads and salvation sealed upon our hearts. He continues to give it to us in Holy Absolution and the Lord’s Supper. Our own Ironman delivers Himself to us for our sake, saving us from sin.

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to see Indiana Jones or any of the other really lousy movies out this summer, receive Ironman as your Redeemer! The box office isn’t totally lost, as this movie saves the cinema in what could be the best Marvel movie to date. I loved it, I’m going to go see it again, and when it comes out on DVD I’m adding it to my collection. Ironman rocked and it doesn’t get a single Lemon because there’s nothing sour about it!

Stan Lemon lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Sara and his dog Ivan. He serves as the Higher Things webmaster and is a huge Pirates fan. 

by Stan Lemon

Twenty years in the making, with who knows how many scripts rejected and with more publicity and hype than anything else this summer, the fourth installment of Indiana Jones has to be a must see movie, right? Try again…

Harrison Ford’s latest train wreck plagues one of the greatest cinematic stories of all time. Everybody loves the heroic save-the-day Indy, who first entered screens in Raiders of the Lost Ark, sent by the U.S. Government to find the Ark of the Covenant, you know the one Moses was given. The bad guys are none other than the Nazis, who are in search of the same Ark because of its supposedly mystical powers.

Fast forward three years and we meet a sloppy sequel, The Temple of Doom. This one made a better stunt show at Disney then it did a movie, as Indy wanders to a distant Indian village where children are disappearing. It ends up that some freaky heart-stealing guy named Mola Ram is the culprit. Indy saves the day of course, with some great stunts, a hot girl, and little Chinese sidekick.

Five more years and we find an attempt to salvage the Indiana Jones legacy, and how are all great trilogies saved in the 80’s? With Sean Connery! The Last Crusade is an excellent conclusion to the Indiana Jones series, with Indy and his father seeking out the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Of course, the de-facto bad guys, the Nazis, are after it as well. Connecting well to the movie that introduced Indy we find these bad guys once again seeking some mysterious power buried in antiquity.

Indiana Jones threw the Jews a bone and then the Christians too, so it only seems natural that the fourth movie would also throw some other religion a bone and give them center stage. Who, though, would have guessed the atheists would have taken the day? [spoilers to follow]

No “God” in this one, just little green men. Taking place some 20 years after the first film, Dr. Jones faces a new enemy, the Soviets. With the Nazi regime gone, the movie needed another evil world power to battle Indiana Jones and with Harrison Ford’s aging the Soviets were the right fit. Once again they seek some hidden source of power buried within antiquity.

Having been to the Middle East, Europe, Asia and India we really only had a couple of choices left… This mystery leads us to South America where the Soviets and Indy are searching for a hidden city of gold. With some hokey twists and turns Indy, his son (played by Shia LeBeouf ), Marion Ravenwood (remember her from Raiders of the Lost Ark) and some other people who are pretty much trivial to the plot go in search of a crystal skull in the depths of the Amazon.

The movie ends with the crystal skull belong to an alien, one of thirteen we find out from a trans-dimensional reality or some nonsense like that. A movie which started in Roswell with the Soviets ends with Indy sending the little green men off. Of course the whole time our martian friends are portrayed as some kind of demi-god. Sounds strange to you?

The movie stunk, what else can be said? When Indy was Indy you could enjoy the film, but eventually you realized that not enough stunt devils, fill-ins and CGI could make Harrison Ford 20 years younger. Throw in some cheesy dialogue, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and you’ve got a bad fourth episode to an awesome saga.

What’s most disheartening about the film is the direction it took, the little green men. Our society is so infatuated with concocting a reality where God doesn’t exist that we should have expected it. But, who counts on archaeology going to space? This Godless movie couldn’t possibly give us a good spin if we tried, and worse yet is the fact that Indy’s not even so heroic this time around to find a Christological connection in him. It’s just that bad.

If I were you, spare yourself the ticket – this one is best reserved for the Red Box or Netflix – it’s not even worth OnDemand-ing! Maybe when it’s goes to $.99 at the Family Video… Instead, go out and see Ironman, that’s what I did to redeem my summer cinema experience. Let’s hope Harrison Ford retires after this one, because I’m sending him and Lucas a whole grove of Lemon trees – that’s how sour Indy 4 was! 

Stan Lemon lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife Sara and his dog Ivan and serves as the Higher Things Webmaster. When he grows up, he wants to be just like Pastor Borghardt! (a Texan) 

by Kim Grams

The problem with being a junkie is that you want to quit, but you can’t. American Idol in a lot of ways has gotten predictable, clichéd, and boring. It’s still the number one show, but a lot of people don’t watch anymore – especially in the younger demographic. I always think I’ll quit watching, and then end up watching anyway.

I had an article already written giving you the week-by-week playbook; it just needed the stuff from the finale and it would be already to go. But I’m ditching it at the last minute to bring you the following instead . . .

 

Why Season 7 Was the Best Season in a Very Long Time

Everyone was not the same:

By the time we were down to the top 8, there were still 3 rockers (Michael, Carly, David Cook), two folksy singers (Jason and Brooke), one who was perpetually in the bottom 2 but didn’t go home (whom I originally hated, but came to respect – Miss Kristy Lee Cook), a power vocalist (Syesha), and a teen wunderkind (David Archuleta).

 

Surprising moments:

Even though it started to become clear that it would be a David vs. David finale, there were still many moments that made the season exciting. Starting with “Idol Gives Back” week, here’s my Top 10.

Moment 1 (Inspirational songs):

Jason Castro bought a ukulele for a Hawaiian version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. That kind of thing is either a disaster or brilliant. It was the latter – and to me one of the best moments of the season.

Moment 2 (Idol Gives Back):

All the secular journalists complained, but the group song for the results show was “Shout to the Lord”. A lot of the singers chose songs that name-checked God this season, and Dolly Parton sang “Jesus and Gravity”, but I would LOVE to know how it came to be that the Idol finalists sang a song about Jesus.

Moment 3 (Andrew Lloyd Webber week):

Syesha’s “One Rock and Roll Too Many”, which is still in my mind weeks later, showed her star quality and launched her toward her top 3 finish.

Moment 4 (Andrew Lloyd Webber week):

David Cook’s “Music of the Night”. I’ve pretty much loved everything he did since “Hello” in the semi-finals, and he’s the one I wanted to win it, but this was so beautiful it made me cry (and if you follow my articles you know that I reserve crying for something really awful that happens and episodes of Extreme Home Makeover). I’ve seen and heard multiple versions of Phantom of the Opera on stage, screen and recording; I’ve never heard it better. He’s known as rocker David, but this time, he just sang it straight from the heart – it was magical.

Moment 5 (Neil Diamond week):

This is where the lines were clearly drawn in the battle of the Davids. David Archuleta sang “Sweet Caroline” and “America” and David Cook sang rocked up versions of “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Need Is You”. It’s going to come down to what KIND of Idol you want: traditional, ballad singer or innovative rocker? And the question I’ve been asking myself all season is CAN a rocker WIN American Idol.

Moment 6 (Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame week):

Not all surprising moments are good. When Simon asked Jason what he was thinking when he chose to sing “I Shot the Sheriff”, Jason said, “I was thinking Bob Marley”. He also sang “Tambourine Man”, during which he botched the words. Just before he was eliminated, Jason admitted that a fan had told him that he’d Shot the Tambourine man! Classic.

Moment 7 (Hall of Fame week):

Once again, would you like American Idol lite (David Archuleta’s “Stand By Me” and “Love Me Tender”) or with a kick (“Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Baba O’Riley” by David Cook).

Moment 8 (Producer’s Choice):

David Archuleta sang “Longer”. I had hideous ‘70’s wedding flashbacks. Nuff said.

Moment 9 (Judge’s Choice?):

For Syesha, Randy picks the kind of song that the judges always say NOT to pick – a current hit by a top artist. He then goes on to say, “That’s why you’re standing here at number 3!” – not IN the top 3. Uh, could we please VOTE first?

Moment 10 (Judges, Contestants, Producer’s Choice):

Of the three songs David Cook sang (which were all phenomenal) the one that stuck with me was his own choice, “I Dare You to Move”. I haven’t wanted anyone to win this badly since the Ruben/Clay smack down (I’m still mad that Clay didn’t win).

 

David vs. David:

Other than the stupid boxing theme, this was one of the better finals in recent memory. They both sang really well; neither one clearly took the night. (Simon called it for Archuleta, but after viewing the TV playback, declared it too close to call). It all comes down to personal preference for type of artist and musical style.

 

The Finale Rocked!

Usually the finale is 2 hours of stuff you could care less about. This year had great duets and groupings. The 2 Davids sang “Hero” – brilliant (they should put THAT on a CD). Syesha sang with Seal. The Top 6 girls sang with Donna Summer! Carly and Michael Johns did a fantastic duet (they should hook up and form their own super group). The top 6 guys did a Bryan Adams tribute – with Bryan Adams! Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, David Cook jammed with ZZ Top. Brooke did a pitch-perfect duet of “Teach Your Children Well” with Graham Nash. David A. sang with One Republic, another good pairing. Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name” was hot. The night ended with the Top 12 doing George Michael medley – and a solo by George Michael!

Maybe my age is showing here – I loved Donna Summer, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top and George Michael back in the day. Maybe I’m predisposed to liking this finale. But the celebs chosen really DID match up with the Idols well.

And then, the most amazing thing happened. The Rocker, David Cook, WON American Idol. By 12 MILLION VOTES!!! My faith in the American Idol voters is restored. Turns out us rock fans CAN out-vote a bunch of tweens on speed-dial. And even better – MY tweens – ages 10 and almost 12 are now David Cook, rock n’ roll fans. Time to get out some CD’s (and cassette tapes – if they even still work) and teach them some tunes this summer. Class is back in session!

Yes, American Idol, Season 7 was full of surprising moments. In the Divine Service we have recently been hearing about the greatest surprising moments: God-in-the-flesh dying for us, and the tomb vacated by our Risen Savior. Surprising moments continued for Mary Magdalene, the Emmaus disciples, and others seeing the Resurrected Lord. Now the amazing ascension and the miracle of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost are joyous surprises ringing in our ears.

The Easter Season’s winners are more than the toss up between which David you like. The winners are you, and me, and all of the people who are baptized into Christ. We have survived the judgment of sin, death, and the devil. We have been made righteous! Our sins are removed! That is the most surprising thing for the world – we are redeemed and will join in the resurrection!

As you enjoy the surprising moments of this life, take time to ponder and celebrate God’s surprising moments for you! Amen.

Kim Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written Diary of An American Idol Junkie, Diary of An American Idol Junkie – Volume 2, and Diary of An American Idol Junkie – Volume 3

by Jonathan Kohlmeier

The current Chronicles of Narnia movie series began with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 2005. As of May 16, 2008, Prince Caspian, the second movie, is gracing a big screen near you! As the first words in the trailer state, the time has come to journey back to Narnia. Even with prices at the theaters being extremely high, this is a must see movie of the summer.

The movie begins in Narnia with the birth of an heir to the usurper, “King” Miraz, who killed his brother Caspian IX taking the throne for himself. With the birth of Miraz’s son, his nephew Caspian (the true heir to the throne) must be eliminated, so that his son will be able to succeed him as King. Prince Caspian’s tutor discovers this plot and helps him to flee before he is executed. Caspian runs to the woods where he stumbles upon true Narnians which scare him into the blowing of Queen Susan’s horn. Susan’s horn summons Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy back into Narnia. Through many trials Prince Caspian defeats Miraz with the help of Kings and Queens of Narnia, and the Narnians themselves.

For those of you who love the book and are leary of seeing the film, for the most part it follows the book very closely. There is one main place where the movie deviates from the book. Prince Caspian blows the horn when he first meets the Old Narnians because he believes they are there to hurt Him. Therefore the timing of the four Kings and Queens is much earlier than it is in the book. They did very well with this change from the book and kept the plot flowing smoothly. No, they did not follow the book as C. S Lewis wrote it exactly, but Prince Caspian is still a great movie for Narnia lover’s to see.

One of the main themes throughout the movie is time. One year has passed for Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, but hundreds of years have passed in Narnia. One of Peter’s first lines question how long it would be before Aslan brought them back to Narnia. We continually question the timing of God in our daily lives. We question when or even if he will answer our prayers. All Christians since apostolic times have questioned when Christ will return. We get bored when He seems to come to us for too long in Pastors’ sermons. Or we even try to make bargains with God in order to have something we want happen faster. In the end God always works in His own time, just as Aslan works in His.

Over the course of time the four children have grown quite a bit. They have grown older and have a greater understanding of things. One of my favorite parts from the book is when Lucy tells Aslan that he is bigger;Aslan responds that He just seems bigger because she is older. In the movie this is still there, but Aslan responds that for every year Lucy grows he grows as well.

In their first adventure to Narnia everything was pretty clear cut as to what was right and what was wrong. Even Edmund in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, knew deep down that his helping the white witch was wrong. Now things are not as clearly cut. Aslan is rather quiet for the majority of the film. He lets the children decide things on their own. In the movie this gets Peter into trouble and many Narnians die. When we are children things seem much easier than they do as we grow up. Things are clear cut as to what is right and what is wrong. As we are growing up the lines between right and wrong become harder to distinguish.

Of course, even when we seem to have a sense of right and wrong, our Old Adams desire the wrong . Like Edmund, we may know the harsh truth that we are siding with evil, yet continue to give in to that sin. And like Peter with his trouble, left to ourselves, our choices lead to death. We cannot choose the good, the holy, the things that lead to life. It is only through the saving work of Jesus and the Spirit He sends that rescues us and draws us to Himself. His work alone makes us co-heirs with the King of kings.

When we are children we are blessed with the necessary, saving faith in the waters of Baptism. As we grow up, our knowledge and understanding of God increase. We understand some things more as we study them. Relying on our own study and increased knowledge can be deadly for our faith, as trust in our own intellect or “believing in our belief” will create new idols. Yet the Holy Spirit is working on us. The faith given to us at any age is continually being strengthened through Word and Sacrament.

The Chronicles of Narnia Series is great. If you haven’t read them all I highly recommend you do, even before seeing the movies. If you have read them, go see Prince Caspian. The film is very well done in everything from music, to acting, to effects and everything in between. Christians will be able to find many theological parallels throughout the movie. This movie should definitely be on your list to see this summer.

Jonathan Kohlmeier has just completed his Freshman year at Concordia University – Wisconsin. He works with Higher Things Internet Services serving as Front Page Content Manager. Jon is a huge fan of C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia Series and tries to read through them at least once a year. 

by Kimberly Grams

Let’s be clear here. My husband is a pastor and I’m a writer. As a children’s author, I have one published work, “Smedley and the Sprinkle Machine.” Right now, I make a small amount on book sales, and an infinitesimal amount on royalties. I make enough to cover the cost of writing and my writing related expenses. But going in we knew that we weren’t going to be making a lot of money with our career choices. We pretty much run every paycheck right down to the wire, and have a very small amount of savings for major emergencies. But every Sunday, I sit down and write our offering check – and I do it joyfully. It doesn’t matter how low our checking account is, how close we’re cutting it, or that we don’t get paid until Tuesday. I have learned to trust God that we will not overdraw on the offering check. I also trust that somehow we will meet all of our essential expenses. And when we’ve been truly desperate, unexpected money came from somewhere. We give of our time and talents too, but on the money front, we don’t have much to give, but like the widow’s mite, it doesn’t matter in God’s eyes.

Now that you have a synopsis of our financial story, we can move on to the topic at hand – Oprah’s recent show, “The Big Give.” I was asked to watch it for this column. I DVR’d it, and started watching it when it was down to five out of ten competitors. I kind of had to force myself to watch it – I had a feeling that I wouldn’t like it, but I had to give it a fair chance. Now I REALLY don’t like it. Here’s why:

Giving shouldn’t be a competition. The point of the show is for each competitor to “Give Big or Go Home”. They are given the standard challenges, like in any reality show, and a time limit. Each person tries to give bigger than the other people. Now I’m not saying that they didn’t help people, but there was also a LOT of talk about winning, or giving more, or being better than the other competitors. “I’m the biggest giver”. “No, I’M the biggest giver.” It kind of turned my stomach.

Helping others should be selfless and joyful – this was definitely not. Many times it seemed it was more about the competitors and who had the best idea, than it was about helping people. And don’t get me wrong – sometimes a little rivalry is OK – like when your school has a “penny war” to see which class can raise the most for a project, and you sabotage each other by putting in dollar bills that get subtracted from their total. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of good-natured humor in giving. But this show felt like a completely different vibe.

Giving shouldn’t have rules. Some of the giving was monetary and the competitors were given a “budget” from which they could give, and sometimes the challenge was the pitching-in-and-helping kind. In an effort to be creative and win the challenge, people didn’t always give where it was needed most. Example: one guy helped a family with 28 children – the majority with Down’s syndrome or other special needs – by cleaning their garage and spending $500 on Chinese food for a party. When you saw how much they struggle through the day to day (and the mother’s reaction to the cost of the food) it almost made me sick. Why couldn’t the “big give” be just that – go and give? Send people out to help people – no rules – and film the results. Now THAT would be a good show.

It wasn’t that big. On a show called “The Big Give”. I expected the giving to be bigger. A few of the things they pulled off were really big in life-changing ways for the people they helped. But a lot of the giving was what I call drop-in-the-bucket help. It might help those people for about 5 minutes, but not for the long haul. If you’re going to put the show on right after “Extreme Home Makeover,” you better be up to that standard of giving – every single time. Again, I’m not saying they didn’t help people, but in comparison to its companion show, I wasn’t impressed.

I know the show had in mind to start a pay-it-forward revolution. A lot of people watch Oprah, and she has a lot of clout. But I found out some interesting things while working on this piece. My husband, Pastor Jeffery Grams, made a comment about Oprah’s misguided belief system – which I wasn’t aware of – and I asked him to write about what he told me, as follows:

Oprah is an icon of American culture. She is admired by many due to her:

kindness and generosity toward others. The story of her life, and her many triumphs over

adversity, serve as an inspiration to people throughout the world. Unfortunately, thisplaces her in the position of one who offers spiritual counsel to millions of people.

 

While still claiming to be a “Christian”, coming from Baptist roots, there is little doubt

that Oprah has departed from the One True Faith, and has every intention of leading

others into the darkness as well.

 

In a recent interview she praises a quote from Eckhart Tolle’s book “A New Earth” 

where he writes (p. 15); “Man made “God” in his own image. The eternal, the infinite,

the unnameable was reduced to a mental idol that you had to believe in and worship as

“my god” or “our god”.” She then says, “Even as a Christian, I don’t believe that Jesus

came to start Christianity.” She also says “There couldn’t possibly be just one way!” For

her – and many others in our current culture – there is no need for belief in Jesus: all

paths to enlightenment lead to the same destination.

The show’s over now, the finale has premiered, so you can’t watch it. I wouldn’t recommend it anyway. Personal stewardship should be a priority in every Christian’s life. This show at best showed giving as a contest (which I obviously have a problem with, just on principle); at worst, it leads people to think that works on earth are necessary to “be a good person” and get you where you want to go – in life, and after.

 

Kimberly Grams is a pastor’s wife and writer. She is a member of Saint John Lutheran Church in Scott’s Bluff, Nebraska, where her husband Jeffery is pastor. 

by Stan Lemon

You will never see this movie in school, not in High School and especially not in College. It doesn’t matter if you go to a state University or a Christian University or even a Lutheran one…you won’t see this movie.

So what is this movie all about and why won’t you ever see it? First of all, it’s a documentary, but not like the kind you’re used to watching on reel slides in Chem class. It’s not even like that other recently popularized documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. This documentary deals with the suppression of freedom in the science world. Sounds boring? Don’t give up on me yet…

You’ve probably sat in Biology class and heard the teacher talk about Evolution, the Darwinian notion that all life evolved out of a single form of life, and that form of life itself has occurred by pure random chance, dumb luck you might say. Thus, humans descended from apes which descended from something else which descended from primordial slime or crystals or are perhaps just a random act of electrical farting or some nonsense like that over billions of years.

What you heard in Biology class contradicted what your Pastor taught you in Confirmation, that God created you individually and personally to be a unique and wonderful creature in Him. Furthermore, it contradicted your very senses! How can something so complex and amazing as humanity be by dumb luck? You might have spoken up in that Biology class, even called into question the proposed theory of humanity’s origin and if you did, you were likely told, “I’m not covering creationism in this class.” or “We’re not going to talk about religion, this is science.” You were silenced, shut out and maybe even got into a little bit of trouble for opposing the teacher…and that, is what this movie is about.

The documentary begins with a scientist working as the editor of a periodical for the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History who lost his job and was ostracized from the world of science for printing an article that addressed the idea of Intelligent Design. The idea, discussion and possible dialogue were completely suppressed. Ben Stein goes on to show that this suppression is symptomatic of the science world as a whole. He shows instance after instance of the science world lashing out against those who question the validity of Darwinian Evolution and how their intolerance is not scientific at all, but rather the snuffing out of personal freedom.

At this point we should pause for a minute and explain what Intelligent Design means in the film. Ben Stein doesn’t concern himself with the particulars of creation, nor do the scientists whom he interviews supporting Intelligent Design. Time and again he and those in support of Intelligent Design emphasize that this does not have to be a religious issue, it boils down to causation in the origination of life. That means that the information contained within our cells came from somewhere. Where it came from is not the issue at hand, but whether or not cellular life is totally random or perhaps created by a creator is.

The movie equates the suppression of differing ideas in the science world to that of the Berlin wall and he urges everyone to participate in the dismantling of this wall. He shows how Darwinian ideology has influenced some of the atrocities of our time. For example, Nazis extermination of the handicapped, mentally ill, elderly and the Jews is nothing more then an attempt to escalate the process of natural selection – and the Nazis even said so! Or, look at the aborting of babies because they’re genetically predisposed to sickness and disease or even euthanizing the cumbersome and costly elderly. So long Grandpa and Grandma, gotta make room for Darwin as we help natural selection move right along!

Darwinism is utterly opposed to Christendom, you can’t believe in evolution as an origin of life without first taking Christ out of creation. Once you do that, you disarm Christ of life and disarming Him of that makes His death no more different than yours or mine. Jesus is a creator so intelligent that He is the Author and Perfector of our faith, and in Him was life and the life was the light of men. This idea, this light of men must be persecuted. It must be persecuted all the way to the Cross on Good Friday and there it must die for the salvation of the world. Unlike Ben Stein, it’s no surprise to those Baptized into Jesus that the world is busy trying to shut out any notion of God, especially in science! After all, what is truth?

The world does not know what truth is. Since the fall into sin, we children of Adam have been trying to strip God of His divine authorship and authority. We strip Him of these things. Then we beat Him and give Him a crown of thorns to wear, because that is exactly what we think of His authorship. Yet, despite our denial and defamation of God, He lets us nail Himself to a cross so that He might re-create what He first created. There is nothing random when something happens twice. God is such an intelligent Designer that He creates us in our mother’s wombs and then re-creates us in the Church’s womb at the font of Holy Baptism!

You won’t see this movie at school, I guarantee that. It may be a documentary, but it’s worth your time. You can sit there in the theater knowing the answer to the question before the credits run. It’s a great film, well done and satirical and enjoyable to watch. I highly recommend it, and I give this movie four out of four lemons!

Stan Lemon is the webmaster of Higher Things and resides with His wife Sara and dog Ivan in beautiful Western Pennsylvania. He’s also a Pirates fan, Go bucs!

(The Front Page Content Manager is quick to point-out that the Cubs recently swept the Pirates.)

by Kimberly Grams

Haven’t caught Season 7? It’s not too late. Let me catch you up. Read on!

3/18/08, 6 p.m.

Can’t. Stop. Watching. Must. Vote. American-Idol-is-on-from-7-to-9-and-Dancing-With-theStars-is-on-from-8:30-to-9:30-and-I-don’t-know-how-I’ll-be-able-to-watch-it-all-and-vote-tonight!!!

OK, last two weeks (end of Top 24 rounds AND 1^st week on the big stage with Top 12) . . .

Biggest change: David Cook and Brooke White came out of NOWHERE. I thought they were mediocre for the group this year. I take it back. David C. rocked up two really dated songs: Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and the Beatles, “Eleanor Rigby”. Brooke did emotional renditions of Pat Benetar’s rock anthem, “Love is a Battlefield” and the Beatles “Let it Be”. A-mazing.

Another surprise: Chikezie, all not boring. Who knew?

Not as good as I thought: Michael Johns (bring it!); David Archuleta (big stage – big nerves).

 

Still holding: Jason Castro, Amanda Overmyer

Still Rockin’: Carly Smithson

Could care less: Syesha (personality-disappearance disorder), Ramiele (Zzzzz), Kristy Lee Cook (Two weeks of “country on crack” got more votes than Danny Noriega or David Hernandez? Journey is NOT country!)

Still depressed over: Danny Noriega. Sniffle.

My NEW final four: David Cook, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta

 

3/19/08 – The Day After (Top 11), before the Results Show

Anti-climactic. Two weeks of Beatles? Bad idea.

Best Performances: David Cook’s “Day-tripper”, Amanda Overmyer’s “Back in the USSR” (and her “ballads are boring” statement), Carly’s “Blackbird” (I love her rock vibe, but if you’re doing a ballad, THIS is how you do it), Syesha’s “Yesterday” (I was prepared not to like it, but did).

Still holding: David Archuleta (“Long and Winding Road”).

Two people who NEED their instruments or they’re TOTALLY awkward: Brooke White (“Here Comes the Sun”), Jason Castro (“Michelle”).

Can’t these people go home already: KRISTY LEE COOK (Queen of the bottom 2), Chikezie, Ramiele.

Sometime in March, the week after the 3/19 results show:

CARLY SMITHSON IN THE BOTTOM 3!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I’m disappointed that Kristy Lee Cook got more votes than Amanda and, once again, squeaked by at number 2 (and Amanda would’ve rocked the tour), but CARLY? But I’m so mad that I can’t even discuss it.

3/25/08 – Top 10

I’m leaving to go out of town and was REALLY short on time, so I skipped ahead a lot. Since the vote lines for my faves are busy . . .

Snoozefest: First four performers – Ramiele, Jason, Syesha, Chikezie.

Hey, the show’s finally worth watching: Brooke White’s take on “Every Breathe You Take”. Should be “Every Note You Sing”. Even with a slight mistake at the start, she feels everything she sings, and it shows.

Amazing moment of the Night: Michael Johns and his blend of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”. Finally lived up to his hype and made me like him again.

Holding: Carly Smithson. She’s brilliant and her “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was OK, but I think being in the bottom three rattled her. Chillax, Carly. Your vote line is SO busy – your fans will save you.

Getting bored of: David Archuleta. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon, but I like other people better.

I actually liked: For the first time, Kristy Lee Cook wasn’t terrible! She picked the right song (God Bless the USA) and sang it well. As Simon said, “Best song choice in years.” She won’t be bottom 3 this week.

I want an MP3 player because: I need my David Cook fix. I want to download everything he’s done since “Hello” a few weeks back. Tonight’s “Billy Jean” seemed fresh and like something I’d buy. I like him more each week, and he is now my official favorite.

Are you listening? DAVID COOK SHOULD WIN. VOTE FOR HIM.

3/26/08

Leaving at 5 a.m. tomorrow for sister’s baby shower in Ohio. Will have to catch the results and write later.

3/26/08, later that night

Finished packing early and I had to know. But I skipped to the end to find out bottom 3 (Jason Castro, Syesha, Chikezie). Chikezie, rightly, went home. Syesha is better vocally, and Jason is more interesting, even though it wasn’t his best week.

4/2/08, The day after Dolly Parton night

Best performances: David Cook’s “Sparrow” was a smart choice –his own arrangement (after the “that’s someone else’s cover” brou-ha-ha; hel-LO, that’s what you DO on AI). Plus it reminded everyone of his vocal range. Michael Johns (“It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right”). THIS is the guy we’ve been watching for all season. Syesha, who did a split between the Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston’s versions of “I Will Always Love You”. I thought BOTH parts were brilliant, not just the Dolly part (judges).

Rising: Jason Castro’s “Travelin’ Through” was his best in week’s, and Carly was back to form with “Here We Come Again”.

Holding: Brooke White (“Jolene”) – she’s done better, but it was OK.

Still bored: David Archuleta . . . some song about mountains. Zzzzz.

For the love of Idol, why are they still here: Ramiele and Kristy Lee Cook. I refuse to write more, except that ONE of them better be going home tomorrow!

4/3/08, Post results

Ramiele goes home! How many times did she wrinkle her nose or pout? Kristy Lee Cook was bottom 2 (I think that’s a record for most times in bottom two, but the other person leaves). Brooke was bottom 3, but safe.

My next problem – after Kristi Lee leaves, I pretty much like everyone who’s left! (Except for little David – but I have 2 kids and a Musical this month – I can’t out-vote that many tweens).

I’d love to see David Cook, Michael Johns, and Carly Smithson duke it out in the final 3 (David Cook has to win though).

4/8/08, before the show

Tonight: Top 8 and it’s “Idol Gives Back”. The song-choice dilemma – don’t be boring (or schmaltzy), and still pick something that’s sensitive to the theme. It will be interesting to see what happens next!

So why do Christians even care? For one thing, God gives us the blessing of talent and entertainment. We gratefully receive these gifts and use them as stewards. Secondly, as with Sanjaya, Kristy Lee is giving us an object lesson in grace; she does NOT deserve to remain on the show, but the compassion and mercy of voters keep her there. Thirdly, “Idol Gives Back” provides opportunity to be agents of mercy, helping the less fortunate.

You might or might not appreciate Idol as much as others. Even if you are not a “junkie,” it can be helpful to know what many others are talking about at their lockers or in the cafeteria.

Kim Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written Diary of An American Idol Junkie.