A Curious Case, indeed

My five year old nephew watched Bridge to Terabithia recently. When it was ending, he said to his mom, "Mom, my eyes are watering and I don't know why." I said the same thing at the end of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Most critics are complaining that the movie holds you at an arm's length emotionally, refusing to let you close. I agree with what they're saying, and yet the movie somehow, for some reason, really affected me.

It's something about how we always remark of certain baby boys looking like old men, and certain old men functioning as baby boys as they go out. The beginning and the end were really no different for Benjamin Button, but the order in which things progressed was. And it's how when we're young, we wish to be old, and when we're old, we wish to be young.

It's something about the imagination of the tale and the beauty with which it's told. Such a unique anomaly, the story of a special man, you feel so fortunate for being let in on the secret.

It's something about the heartbreaking consequences of these circumstances, particularly in the relationship of Benjamin and Daisy, and the wisdom Benjamin seems to acquire from early on by listening to those around him, which he carries with him throughout his younger (or older?) years.

It's something about the short sequence on the chance of accidents, the intersection of lives, that captures a grand idea in two minutes so much better than many full-length movies that have attempted to do the same.

It's something about the progression of history between WWI and Hurricane Katrina and the crazy world we're living in, the change we've encountered, or simply just watching the entire life of a man rise and fall before your eyes. While some will complain of the film's length, I'm grateful that no part of his life felt rushed. Where some movies would find some special effect to show the passage 20 years of time in 10 seconds or less, we get to know Benjamin Button just enough at each stage. (Not to mention the filmmakers very carefully and no doubt painstakingly made Pitt look just the right age at each moment. I imagine it took great restraint to not rush the aging [or deaging] process.)

It's something about "God keeps remindin' me I'm lucky to be alive," and no matter what the circumstances, life here is precious, as are the people who come and go around us. The movie loved each and every one of its characters, no matter what their strengths or misgivings. I'm inspired to love each and every one of the characters in my own life.

Resolutions

I can't believe I've turned into someone who, at least to some degree, pursues some sort of New Year's Resolutions. But it seemed to be a decent exercise this past year, and hey, setting a few goals has never hurt anybody.

So here's a look at last year's, with a cumulative grade on my success. While I can't say they were on the forefront of my mind except for the first few months (weeks? days?) of the year, I managed to make a little bit of progress, mostly by coincidence, or perhaps just illustrating the necessity or urgency of each one. To be honest, I was quite surprised when I looked back at these the other day, finding I was somewhat successful.

-Grow in Biblical literacy.
Studied and taught Isaiah, Benefited greatly in studying and teaching Hebrews, started a Bible reading plan in October. B

-Read at least one of the books that has been sitting on my shelf unopened for far too long.
Hmm...I think I might have missed this one, at least from what I can remember. F

-Conquer social anxiety.
Let's just say we're gonna have to keep this one going in 2009. D-

-Be a tad more active.
Been biking and walking to work (more out of necessity than self-motivation), and did a little bit of exercising pretty consistently for four months out of the year or so. B

-Find some sort of consistent artistic and creative release.
Started UrbanCottageCoalition! A

-Pursue seminary and France.
Became appointees with World Team, which progressed with France plans and postponed seminary for the time being. A

-Explore the possibilities of becoming a published writer.
Not much, other than submitting anecdotes to Reader's Digest that never paid off. D

Average Grade: C+ ...I'll take it.

I'll spend the last few days of my break thinking about what needs to be done in 2009.

We've trained Big Tuna to use Photo Booth all by himself.

He's a very tech-savvy kitty, strangely attracted to our MacBook.

(Big Tuna's my vote for a name...Erica's not so sure.)

**I hearby do solemnly swear to not take or post any more photos of this cat or personify him at an excessive rate. You can hold me to it.**

Bullets

• Was your Christmas as good as mine was?

• My Christmas present is providing you with this link to new unreleased top secret Sufjan Christmas jams!

• Speaking of top secret things being released to the world via cyberspace, my dad has made his WWW debut! That makes it sound like he's a wrestler or something, but what I mean is he has two sermons on the worldwide web now. A ministry milestone, for sure.

• My mom thinks I should publish my advent reflections. Trouble is, I told her, most of what I wrote has already been published in this really fancy book. It's called the Bible. But Dan, maybe it'll be a good starting point for me the next time you compile a little something. 1--2--3--4--5--6

• The big Christmas surprise was the kitten I gave to Erica. New addition to the family. He's cute and well-behaved so far. If you have any suggestions for a good name, we could use all the help we could get on helping Erica to pick one.

• This morning was our "last" service at the church I've attended for 22 years (minus the four I was away at school). Next Sunday we'll start attending and helping out at a nearby church plant, attempting to get our feet a bit wet for future church planting ventures. There was a little send-off which got everyone all emotional and stuff. It was good and exciting to see our church sending people. Very good.

• We leave early tomorrow morning for a quick trip to Pittsburgh. Erica's working, I'm tagging along. We plan on visiting the Su family on the way home! Woo!
  

Advent 6: We need.

Maybe the most important part of my advent reflecting is that it focuses on a need.

Immanuel, God with us, is not just a nice thing that makes our quality of life a little more pleasant. It's not optional, it's not bonus, it's not extra. It's not "inspirational" fluff as some Christian bookstores suggest. It's not quaint tradition as my city of Bethlehem might suggest. No, it's a desperate need, without which we are doomed.

Without an arbitrator, we stand fearful and condemned, unable to face the Almighty God.

Without a husband, we are alone and worthless.

Without a ladder, we're stuck here on this mess of an earth, unable to get home.

Without a shepherd, we are harassed and helpless, stupid, wandering, distracted, lost.

So praise God with me for the gift of an arbitrator, husband, ladder, shepherd, and much more.

"Christ meets our need."
Hebrews 7:26

Have a peace-filled Christmas, resting in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas from the Shorbs!

Advent 5: We Need a Shepherd!

Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way.

Ezekiel 34

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Matthew 9:36

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

John 10:11

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

humbug

This season has been absolutely pathetically full of completely unsuccessful shopping trips. Let the retailers know that the reason I'm not buying isn't because we're in a recession; it's because not one of them is carrying the things I need.

And I'm not asking for things that should be hard to find.

I'll tell you more after Christmas. But seriously. It's absurd.

Advent 4: Immanuel

Immanuel by Joshua Stamper.
Probably a little long and repetitive for most people, but something about it draws me into reflection.

A little more explanation

In case you don't know who I'm talking about with this Bon Iver guy, here's his performance on Letterman a few nights before we saw him:



Thank goodness he was wearing a hat, because without it, he looks a little bit more like this guy:
The guy--named Justin something-or-other, by the way--has had an amazing year. He went from unexpectedly recording an album by himself in a hunting cabin in the backwoods of Wisconsin (this alone has become a myth of sorts adding to his stardom, who knows how much of it is true), to finding some help with his band in a few of his lumberjack buddies, to having a critically acclaimed album on his hands and touring the world incessantly this year. Just a friendly unassuming Wisconsin boy with a dry sense of humor like mine. It's an indie-rock Cinderella story. I'm pretty sure he's the first rock star to come from Wisconsin, actually.

I was much more impressed with his live show than I thought I'd be. It was really good. But I continue to be baffled about what it is that has made him so popular. His songs are incredibly simple and minimalistic, he sings like a girl, and they look like lumberjacks for goodness' sake! Is this really what's cool?

But the four-guys-on-vocals thing sounds sooo good live, as does the three-guys-on-drums thing.

He's definitely doing something right, but I think it's fair to say he had a good bit of luck on his side in 2008 too. Good for him. He seemed genuinely surprised by and appreciative for it on Monday night, recognizing it will never happen again. It's always nice when Cinderalla stories happen to guys like that.

These guys were really good, by the way.

I drove home, wasn't sleepy at all, and woke up alright this morning, wasn't even all that tired today. It was well worth it all the way around.

(pics stolen from Flickr.)