Tiger vs. McGwire

Too much going on over the last few weeks to post, though much I wanted to post about … John Stewart vs. Bill O’Reilly, the Tea Party Convention, Elton John’s statement concerning Jesus being gay, global warming supposedly disproved by snow in the winter, etc. … but alas, I was distracted by more important matters such as my wife and my ministry. 

This morning all the major networks, along with numerous minor networks will be carrying a 5 or so minute apology from Tiger Woods for his “transgressions.”   Let me just start by saying, I don’t believe Tiger Woods owes me anything … He owes his wife a confession/apology.  He owes his family a confession/apology.    He owes his sponsors a confession/apology. Most importantly, he owes YHWH a confession/apology… but not me, nor anyone else that I can think of.  

In fact, it is us who owe him an apology.  I find it interesting that Tiger has been vilified for the type of behavior our culture shamelessly promotes … (maybe I’m cynical, but I just assume that a good number of people with fame and opportunity are involved in such things) … and for the Christian, we believe that Christ has exposed our own sin lying within the depths of our hearts.  Certainly, the reality of the indwelling sin of humanity does not excuse Tiger’s acting upon those inclinations. However, being forced to air out his dirty laundry to a people who use his fall to distract from our own failings is just as telling of the depravity within our culture as Tiger’s deviant behavior.  Simply put, my challenge is to resist the temptation to watch this circus.

On the other hand, another public figure who recently confessed his sin, Mark McGwire, does owe me an apology … Tiger’s actions were not directly tied to how he performed on the course, but McGwire’s behavior was.  It is no secret that I love the St. Louis Cardinals.  I actually witnessed the hoax of McGwire tying Roger Maris’ record of 61 HRs in a season in 1998.  I drove to St. Louis.  I paid money for the seat.  And in the aftermath, I regret it.  McGwire, along with the rest of the juiced era, caused extensive to our national past time, and now, after having offering what was either a dishonest or disillusioned apology, only as a means of entering  back into the baseball realm, we are to simply hear the confession and move on.  Pitchers and catchers reported yesterday to Spring Training, and thus baseball has begun again.  However, rather the focus being on what should be a great upcoming season for my St. Louis Cardinals, focus will be on Big Mac … and understandably so.  We are still waiting for a real apology.

The Thrill is Gone

Tuesday night I sat down in front of the television for something I had been anticipating for years … the beginning of the conclusion to the epic tale that is Lost.  When we last saw those left from Oceanic 815, along with all the other ‘passengers’ they picked up along the way, a hydrogen bomb had been detonated by our friends, leaving us with the cliff hanger of whether they had stopped the ‘incident’ that ultimately lead to their presence on the island, or whether they themselves had caused the ‘incident.’  But, instead of getting resolution to this question, what I got was … well … I really don’t know what I got. 

During the Lost hiatus, after having heard rave reviews about it, my wife and I sat down with the first season of Fringe.  Immediately, I knew I didn’t like it … it was just a little too sci-fi for me personally, though my wife (the daughter of a scientist) loved it, and continues to watch.  But, whereas with Fringe, I knew what I was getting and just opted to pass, the writers of Lost seemed to have pulled something akin to a bait and switch.  Lost was a character show playing brilliantly off the philosophical themes of faith versus reason, free will versus determinism.  While there were initially a few spooky elements that raised one’s curiosity about the mysterious island, elements that in all fairness did increase as the show progressed, you were essentially getting diet sci-fi, and thus it was palatable to a much larger audience. 

However, though season five began to cheat on the diet with the entrance of time travel into the equation, season six has abandoned restraint completely, embracing some sort of binge indulgence of island spirits inhabiting other bodies and multiple life scenarios simultaneously existing … and you thought time travel was complicated.  I’m sure I should have been prepared for this, given ‘Locke’s’ efforts to kill the mysterious Jacob and at the same time laying on the beach in a box. However, all in all, the first episode just left me confused and disinterested.  I don’t know why we spent 30 minutes killing off a character I assumed to be dead.  I don’t know why there are even more inhabitants on what must actually be a fairly large island … (maybe they landed back in Australia).  I don’t know why Desmond is on the plane with Jack, while missing are Mr. Eko, Anna Lucia, Shannon, etc.  But what’s worse is I don’t know if I care. It would take something drastic for me to give up on this show after my commitment thus far, but the fact that it even crossed my mind points to a very disappointing premier. 

Singing in the Rain

It’s been a crazy week, so I am just now getting a chance to post.  Last night, I traveled for five hours while it rained constantly … though safety may be a concern, I actually enjoy driving in the rain very much, especially when I can DJ the music I often associate with the rain.  So, in posting today, my thought was to search the depths of my iPod, and in honor of the movie High Fidelity, list my top five songs to listen to during the rain.

5.  Wonderwall – Ryan Adams

Though this subdued cover of the upbeat Oasis classic has nothing to do with rain whatsoever, it is as appropriate for a dreary day as anything out there.

4.  Everything in its Right Place – Radiohead

In actuality, there are numerous Radiohead songs that could have made the list, but this is one of my favorites, and I find myself searching for it each time the forecast looks rough.

3.  Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

This is an easy one because of the refrain ‘thunder only happens when it’s raining,’ but Stevie Nicks’ beautiful, yet haunting, voice is what seals the deal here.

2.  Raining in Baltimore (Live in New York – 1998) – Counting Crows

The pain in Adam Duritz’s voice as he grapples with loneliness and depression is extremely moving, with the motif of rain being present throughout.  I can listen to this song on repeat, over and over, that is, until I either fall asleep or start crying.

1.  Riders on the Storm – The Doors

There is actually the sound of rain as the song begins and ends.  Though Lester Bangs says that Jim Morrison is “a drunken buffoon, posing as a poet,” it is this song that leads me to believe there is some actual talent there.  This is my go-to song if I am traveling long-distances in the rain.

Honorable mentions include:  November Rain, Guns and Roses;  To Shelia, Smashing Pumpkins;  Fool in the Rain, Led Zeppelin,  No Rain, Blind Melon … and yes, ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ was left off the list intentionally. 

Rather than my list being the final word, may it be a conversation starter.  Would love to hear other suggestions.

The Lovely Bones

Once again, a little late on the movies, but I thought I would go ahead and review this one as well.

First a best-selling novel plugged by Oprah, The Lovely Bones tells the story of Susie Salmon, a 12-year girl who is brutally murdered at the hands of a serial killer living next door.  Upon her death, Susie enters into a realm referred to as ‘the in-between,’ where she is able to watching her family and friends cope with the reality of her disappearance, along with the police investigation surrounding her death, and the paranoia that plagues her captor.  As far as the acting went, Mark Walhberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Stanley Tucci, are all seasoned performers who played their parts well, though it was Saoirse Ronan, the 15-year old actress who first appeared in Atonement, stealing the show in her starring role as Susie.  However, despite their valiant efforts, I felt like this story had been told before.

In 1944, C.S. Lewis published a short story entitled The Great Divorce based on a similar premise to The Lovely Bones.  In Lewis’ tale, the narrator finds himself riding on a bus with what he eventually learns are fellow ghosts traveling towards heaven.  Throughout the story, the characters accompanying him are engrossed in the unfortunate incidents, missed opportunities, destructive relationships that existed throughout their lives.  However, rather than choosing to get off the bus and enjoy the heaven that awaits them, the ghosts continue riding and reflecting on the events of the past.  Here Lewis was not portraying his beliefs on the afterlife, but was pointing out that our attachment to a broken world keeps us from enjoying all that God has to offer … Hell, for Lewis, is essentially those in rebellion getting the separation from God they desire. 

However, in The Lovely Bones, the inability to move beyond a life gone wrong is seen as virtue rather than vice.  Susie is not able to enter ‘heaven’ until she is able to assist in resolving all aspects of the tragedy of her life, including an incredibly strange resolution at the end.  Sadly, the movie points to a longing within a contemporary worldview to make sense of tragedy when there is no longer a God capable of redeeming the situation.  Susie must create her own redemption before moving on to something seemingly secondary to the here and now.  But, for the believer, though we are not to make light of the present, we are to recognize, in the words of Paul, that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”  The movie is a very muddled attempt at providing hope, and ultimately, in my humble opinion, falls flat.