Loving Charlie Brown

Christmas is just around the bend now, and TV channels are already starting to play all those Christmas-themed movies and specials we know and love. With that in mind, I thought I would spend a few weeks talking about some of my favorites. Those who know me well may recognize some of this from a sermon series I did during the Advent season last year.

Today: A Charlie Brown Christmas

We all know the Christmas season is supposed to be a joyful one. We fill out cards, share a big family meal, exchange presents, and just generally have a good time. We decorate our trees and sing our carols as we reflect on the love we share. And for so many people, it's a season filled with smiles and laughter and gladness. But for so many others, it's not.

One person who struggles to find happiness this time of year is Charlie Brown, star of Charles M. Schulz’s popular Peanuts cartoon strip. Normally, we expect our heroes/stars to be brave, self-sufficient, strong, intelligent, outspoken, successful, good-looking, optimistic - but generally speaking, Charlie Brown is none of those things. Instead, poor little Charlie Brown is insecure, bald, and seems to have a permanent case of bad luck. He is what you might call a "born loser". His friends call him "Blockhead", his baseball team always loses, and Lucy always moves the football away before he can kick it.

And so, every year, when A Charlie Brown Christmas comes on (as it has without fail since 1965), it comes as no surprise that Charlie Brown has a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. While everybody else is happy and excited, Charlie Brown feels misplaced. In fact, these are his first lines in the special:

Click Here and Be Thankful!

Well, Thanksgiving is upon us, and you know what that means...

BLACK FRIDAY SALES! 

I heard someone say once, "Only in America can you have a whole day devoted to thanking God for what you already have, and then the next day go out and trample over one another in the name of a good sale for things you don't need!" But it seems to me that things are getting worse. I was already complaining when I saw that Walmart was gonna start their "Black Friday" sale at 8 PM on Thanksgiving Day - that seemed ridiculous enough - but then I saw a flyer announcing that K-mart's event begins at 6 AM Thanksgiving Day!

I think it's time to start a movement. We've heard so much over the past few years about "putting Christ back in Christmas". I think it's time we remind people to put the Thanks back into Thanksgiving! We need to remind people that Christmas is about more than presents and Thanksgiving is about more than just rushing out to buy presents! These holidays, for the Christian, ought to be times of reflection and celebration. Just as Christmas becomes the celebration of the greatest gift of all, when God sent his Son to live and die for us, so Thanksgiving is a time to remember the many gifts God has given each of us, especially the gifts of life and family and love. These gifts are greater than all the "stuff" we can ever buy in a store (Luke 12:23), and that's a lesson Adam Sandler's character learned the hard way in the 2006 movie, Click.

Lost Causes

The United States seems to be in the midst of a cultural "civil war" with Christians on both sides. Many of my conservative Christian friends are upset at the results of the presidential election, while some more liberal Christian friends see the results as a good thing. Believers on the "Religious Right" look at the Democrats' stances on abortion and gay marriage and see them as being in direct defiance of what the Bible teaches. Those on the other side look at the Republican plan and accuse them of neglecting the verses about caring for the poor and showing no favoritism to the rich. Even though we were meant to be united in Christ, the Church seems to be split over whether the letter of the Word or the spirit of the Word is more important. They are divided over interpretations and preferences. And if we look around at how many different denominations there are, it really shouldn't come to us as any big surprise!

Abraham Lincoln led America through some divisive years

At times, it can be downright depressing, as people on each side feel like they're fighting an uphill battle for the principles they hold dear. In addition to the presidential election, there are things like the vote to legalize marijuana in Colorado and Washington and the vote to allow same-sex marriage in more states that continue to spark debates and legal battles. These things polarize the population, and then we see the rise of atheist groups and the growing acceptance of other religions, and we see Christian symbols being removed from public places, and it can be easy to believe that fighting for our Biblical principles is a lost cause - especially when the Bible says things will only get worse!  Jesus says that when we hear about wars and rumors of wars, and when natural disasters are springing up all over the place, and when Christians are being persecuted right and left, these things are only "the beginning of the birth pangs" (Mark 13:8) - the first signs that the end of the world is coming. But in the same breath, he encourags us not to give up, for "the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:13)

Seen Any Monsters Lately?

As a general rule, a sequel is almost never better than the original film on which it’s based, but many would agree that 1935's The Bride of Frankenstein is a rare exception to the rule.

Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein

Some people point to the pacing, the quality of acting, the introduction of humor, the score or other aspects to explain why Bride is such a great film. For me, even though I still personally prefer the 1931 film, the reason I think Bride is so strong is because it makes use of several elements from Mary Shelley's original novel that had been overlooked in the first movie. The creature seeing his reflection in the water, the blind man in the lonely cottage, the creature learning to speak and the idea of Frankenstein creating a mate for his monster are all pulled from the pages of the book. This film also succeeds at painting Frankenstein’s fiend in a more sympathetic light, which - as I mentioned a few weeks ago - is true to the original tale.

To me, this is also a very visual story with rich symbolism everyone can learn from!

Don't Be Dazzled by the Devil!

"Discipline yourselves; keep alert. 

Like a roaring lion 

your adversary the devil prowls around, 

looking for someone to devour."

- 1 Peter 5:8

Back in 2000, Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley starred in Bedazzled, a remake of the 1967 British comedy by the same name. Elliott (Fraser) is a computer nerd who wants to be popular and win the girl of his dreams. He sells his soul to the Devil (Hurley) in exchange for seven wishes. But each time he makes a wish, something happens to keep him from happiness and he inches a little bit closer to eternal damnation.

Elliott is Bedazzled until he sees the Devil's true colors!

The amount of language and sexual innuendo, along with the final message of this PG-13 flick, make it something you would probably never want to show in a church setting. but the Biblical truths below the surface are still worth our consideration.

This movie actually has a lot to say about the nature of the Devil and of temptation.

Worth Fighting For

Recently, Amber and I went to see Here Comes the Boom, the new movie starring Kevin James and Henry "the Fonz" Winkler as teachers at a school facing budget cuts. Biology teacher Scott Voss (James) was Teacher of the Year a decade ago, but seems to have lost some of the fire that once made him great. Still, when he learns that the school will soon cut the music program and force Marty Streb (Winkler) out of a job, he knows he has to do something to raise the $48,000 necessary to save the program, inspire the students and help his friend in need. The solution he finds: mixed martial arts fighting in the UFC!

It's hard to imagine Doug from The King of Queens as an inspirational athlete a la Rocky Balboa, yet I think the fact that nobody expected it is part of what makes this action-comedy work so well! And don't worry: you don't have to be a UFC fan to enjoy the movie - I'm not, and I loved it!

Despite the violence or anything else, there is a lot for Christians to like, and I put this on my "Highly Recommended" list! I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet and intends to, though, so be warned that while I'll try not to give too much away, this post does contain some spoilers!

The Monster Within

With Halloween around the corner, I felt inspired to write a little about one of my favorite monster stories. When I was in college, for a literature class, we read Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Originally subtitled "The Modern Prometheus", everyone knows this is the tale of a scientist who pieces together a body from dead tissue and brings it to life, but the miracle he hoped for ends up in tragedy. Everyone also knows the famous face of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster in the classic 1931 horror film (Note: "Frankenstein" is the name of the scientist; his creation has no name).

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster

What I didn't know until I read the novel, though, is that the book and the movie are worlds apart. For one, the movie blames the creature's behavior on the fact that Dr. Frankenstein mistakenly gives it an "abnormal brain". In the novel, there is no hint to this, and there are very few details given about the actual creation process. The creature in the book speaks and is intelligent, unlike the movie monster. And the creature in the book is much more sympathetic than its cinematic counterpart: largely because of its appearance, the creature is abandoned by its creator and hated by society, which forces it into solitude and drives it to seek revenge. The movie touches these themes, but still portrays Frankenstein's creation as a monster, while the novel clearly claims that despite the creature's actions, the real monster is man.

007 Lessons from 007's 007th Adventure

What boy didn't grow up wishing to be a spy/detective? When I was little, my grandparents would buy me "Spy Gear", which included things like fingerprint kits, toy passports, toy motion detectors, and tips on how to tail someone. Then and now, I could never get enough of mystery stories, and I still love to watch a good thriller - whether it's something serious or a spoof like Get Smart. But everybody knows the ultimate secret agent is one Mr. Bond...James Bond!

50 years ago today, Sean Connery introduced us to James Bond, MI6 Agent 007, in his first big screen adventure, Dr. No, and now we await the release of the 23rd official installment in the series. Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig (the 6th actor in the lead role) will open in the US on November 9, 2012. (For release dates in other countries, see the list here.)

Gearing up for the new movie, I decided to watch some of the classics. To be sure, James Bond is a character with many vices, so I wouldn't recommend him as a role model; but as I watched Diamonds Are Forever this week, I noticed "007" truths every Christian on a mission should remember.

If Only All Days Were Mayberry Days!

Every time you turn on the TV, it seems, people are fighting. Court shows give us stories of neighbors fighting neighbors and co-workers fighting co-workers - even family members going after each other! Whether you're watching daytime soaps or talk shows or prime time programming, it seems like almost everything is filled with people insulting each other and stabbing each other in the back. On the news, we see conflicts between nations, or we see images of protests, political bickering, and Muslim riots.

What's sad is you don't even have to turn on your TV to see similar things. There are plenty of real-life families where people have fought to the point they're no longer speaking to one another, and sometimes office politics can get downright vicious.

I don't know about you, but it makes me long for a simpler time. That's one reason why I love The Andy Griffith Show. Though it was born in a decade marked by civil rights protests, the assassinations of JFK and MLK, an increasing drug culture and the Vietnam war, the show reminded America that there could be a better way.

It's not that life was always peaceful in Mayberry - folks there had their share of problems, too - but with the good Sheriff Andy Taylor on the job, there was no conflict that couldn't be resolved in 30 minutes or less, and there was always time to relax on the front porch or go on a little fishing trip. The great thing about The Andy Griffith Show, though, is that not only does it paint an ideal world, but when conflicts arise, it also often explains why and then shows us what to do about it.

What Would You Do?

What would you do if you witnessed poverty and injustice firsthand? Would you look the other way? Would you kick someone while they're down? Would you laugh at their misfortune? Or would you be moved to compassion and stand up for what's right? This was the question posed in a segment last Friday on ABC's program, "What Would You Do?"

When you first hear the question, I hope your initial response is that you would step in to help, but the point of the show is to place people unexpectedly in situations and see what they would really do. The show asks unwitting people to give not a hypothetical answer, but a practical one. The scenario is that a Good Samaritan brings a homeless man into a restaurant, seats him at the bar, gives him $20 to buy a meal and then leaves, but the bartender refuses to serve the man and even confiscates his money. While the homeless man, the Good Samaritan and the bartender are all actors, the people seated nearby are not. As the scene is played out over and over again, the question is: if you were sitting next to the homeless man, what would you do? The answers may surprise you.

For those who missed it, here's the segment I'm talking about: