Kingdom People

Whenever Simon Cowell gives a brutally honest assessment of an American Idol performance, all of America watches the response of the contestant.

What will they say?

Will they take the criticism in stride?

Will they incorporate the truth and become better?

Or will they lash out against Simon (who is usually right)?

For years, we have heard the common refrain from contestants: “Well, Simon… That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it.” Perhaps this reply showcases our culture’s resistance to seeing anything as objectively good or bad. Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder? Or are there transcendent standards of beauty and goodness?

This year, contestants have been more apt to admit that they might have performed badly. But they have often sought to justify themselves by saying: “But at least I had a good time.” Or: “Well, I was having fun up there.”

In other words: “It doesn’t matter whether or not I sounded terrible. It doesn’t matter if the arrangement stunk or if America and the judges thought the performance was lacking. What matters is that I had ‘fun’.”

It has been funny to watch Simon and the other judges respond politely, saying “Good for you” while probably thinking, America doesn’t care if you were having fun. Are you good enough to go on to the next round or not?

I wonder how many people in our society respond to the consequences of their bad decisions in the same way. “At least I had fun.”

I lost my job because I was looking at pornography at work, but at least I had a “good time.”

My wife left me because I was committing adultery, but at least the “affair” was “fun.”

My kids are rebelling because I have been an absent and distant parent, but at least I have had “fun” in all the extracurricular activities I was involved in.

However, people never really look back on their failures and think of how fun it was at the time. Equipped with 20/20 vision into their past, they see the whole picture and regret their failings. Sadly, those without Christ will race forward blindly lacking wisdom, discernment and direction and inevitably slam into more walls of failure and regret.

Our society believes that enjoyment of this life is the primary purpose of life. We are Epicureans now. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Negative consequences may come to us because of negative choices, but we can justify those consequences by appealing to “fun” and “pleasure.”

It is sad to watch people who appeal to the “good time” get voted off the next week. Real life comes crashing down. We face judgment for our choices. Perform badly for the judges on American Idol and the American public who is watching at home on TV and you will be sent packing, whether you had a good time or not.

The judgment of God is similar. Our performance before a holy and righteous God is sadly lacking. We have not reflected him rightly. We have not fulfilled the human vocation he gave us in the Garden. We have rebelled against his rule.

How many people will face the judgment of God in the same way? When those who refuse to bow the knee to Christ (the only one to offer God a perfect performance) will stand before his throne and hear the chilling words, “I never knew you,” how will they respond?

“Well, at least I had a good time…” could be the sad, last words of the sinner doomed to destruction.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2009 Kingdom People blog

The second book of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series, like many sequels, does not deliver the magic of the first. The movie version, however, is every bit as good, if not better than the first, perhaps because the filmmakers took a certain measure of creative license in order to make Lewis’ good book better.

Prince Caspian is a strong movie with relatively few flaws. I will list some of the film’s strengths and then speak to some of its weaknesses.

• The actors playing the four Pevensie children have aged gracefully over the past three years and it is good to see the cast back in fine fettle.
• The new characters are well-done, especially Reepicheep, whom I was glad to see portrayed as valiant and not merely “cute.”
• Trumpkin the dwarf provided some needed comic relief.
• The filmmakers were smart to begin the story with Caspian’s flight into the woods (an idea I was hesitant about at first).
• When Lucy first glimpses Aslan, the filmmakers choose not to reveal him, increasing our sympathy with the older Pevensie children’s unbelief. Good move.
• The castle attack in which a minotaur, while being shot with arrows, holds up the gate so the Narnians can escape is terrific – providing another powerful example of self-sacrifice.
• Keeping Aslan off screen until the latter part of the movie was another smart move. When he reappears, he is more majestic and mighty than in the first movie.

Even a good movie has its weaknesses. Here are a few.

• The budding romance between Susan and Caspian was completely unnecessary.
• Peter and Caspian almost succumb to the temptation of the White Witch, and yet neither character exhibits repentance for this treasonous action.
• I have no problem with the filmmakers making Peter a flawed hero whose first decision leads to destruction. Yet it would have been nice to see Peter demonstrate repentance for his pride and not merely remorse for the consequences of his actions.
• The filmmakers substituted character development (especially Trufflehunter and Trumpkin) for elongated battle scenes.
• As I worried, the terrific celebration scenes from the first book are all but absent here. In the novel, the celebrations keep Caspian from being all about battle. More importantly, the Narnian joy provides the motivation for the battles. Without the celebratory dances and songs, the moviegoer is left wondering why the battle is necessary. So the Telmarines are bad and the Narnians are good. But why is Narnia worth fighting for? Lewis wisely incorporated scenes that were filled with mirth and happiness and freedom. The filmmakers left them out.

Minor quibbles aside, Prince Caspian deserves to do well at the box office. It is true that this series is becoming a junior version of Lord of the Rings, but the movie is still immensely satisfying on many levels. I am looking forward to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010.

Related Posts:
My Hopes for Prince Caspian
Easter: The Epic
Book Review: Inside Narnia

On April 9, at the end of the American Idol charity special “Idol Gives Back,” the Top 8 Finalists closed the show by singing “Shout to the Lord.”

What are we to make of this?

Why did they change “my Jesus” to “my Shepherd” at the beginning of the song, especially when other artists had no qualms about singing songs that explicitly mentioned Jesus?

Has “Shout to the Lord” arrived in the collective consciousness of our civil religion, much like “Amazing Grace” and other well-known hymns?

Are there Christians behind the scenes of American Idol who are promoting Christian songs?

What does it say to see Christians singing this song together with a Mormon as one of the contestants?

[Update: On April 10, the Top 8 sang "Shout to the Lord" again. This time, they sang Jesus' name. Watch below...]

Let the discussion begin! Comments are open.

Dear Dad and Mom,

I’d like to use this space to publicly thank you for being parents that were willing to take the hard road instead of the easy road.

Thank you limiting my access to computer games and Nintendo when we were growing up.

I realize it would have been much easier for you to let the Nintendo babysit us four kids. But you put our well-being ahead of your own comfort and taught us to read, write, make music, create radio shows, play in the backyard, and make movies. We’re the better for it today.

Thanks for not giving in to our whiny pleas for the newest video games that our neighbors had. Thanks for insisting that we would be better, happier, more well-rounded children by causing us to entertain ourselves instead of sit like zombies in front of Mario and Luigi.

Thanks for not being legalistic about Nintendo. We appreciate the rainy days in which you brought down the Nintendo from the closet top shelf and let us play our hearts out. But thanks even more for putting the Nintendo back up when the sun returned.

Thanks for allowing us to play educational computer games. But thanks also for the thirty-minute timer you set for us each time we played.

Thanks most of all for being involved, for caring about what we were putting into our minds. Thanks for giving us a childhood that some of our friends missed out on – the backyard romps in the clubhouse, the creek Kingdom, all the cassette tapes we made as we created our own sitcoms.

Thanks for the parameters and guidelines you set up for us. We didn’t understand or like them then, but they look like good parameters we want to set for our own kids now.

Love,

Trevin

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

If you enjoy the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, you will love this well-done music video that pairs clips from the movie with Faith Hill’s song “Where Are You Christmas?”

I’m not much for board games. My brother-in-law and I got into some serious Monopoly competition during my fourth year in Romania, but that quickly faded once we had a baby in the house who could choke on the little houses. I’ve dabbled in Checkers, been intrigued by Chess… but that’s about it.

Except for one board game that I’ve never grown tired of. STRATEGO.

Stratego is a strategy-based board game that resembles “Capture the Flag” – only the other player’s pieces are not revealed to you until you attack them. Winning the game requires a unique combination of psychological deception, strategic placing of the flag, and a balance between agressive and passive fighting.

I first began playing Stratego when I was in junior high school. Eventually, I became very good at this game – so good that today, only my dad can beat me, and even that is on a rare occasion.

In the past few weeks, one of the deacons from our church (and my back-yard neighbor) has been coming over to the house and he has slowly begun to chip away at my long reign as “Stratego” Champ. No, he has not beaten me yet. But he’s gaining on me. And I’m starting to bite my nails.

Are there any other Stratego fans out there? Anyone know of a place to play Stratego online?

I learned cursive handwriting in elementary school like everyone else, but by the time I was in high school, we were being asked to type essays and other papers. I confess… I can barely write in cursive now. Writing in print became the norm and I’ve just never felt the need to write in cursive.

Yes, I even sign my checks in print.

When I had special book signings upon the release of Red Letters in 2004, I was embarrassed to sign books and write notes to people in print. So, I fancied up the print style and made it something like a go-between cursive and print. (Is that lame or what?)

But then, last year, I met C.J. Mahaney at Southern and he signed two of his books for me. His message to me in both books was written in print! Ha ha! If it’s good enough for C.J., it must be good enough for me.

What about you? Do you write in cursive anymore? Do you write in print? Do you do a fancy go-between?

One of the ways that Corina and I like to wind down in the evenings after we’ve put our little one to bed is by watching a TV show on DVD. Recently, we picked up the 1994-95 series Christy which starred Kellie Martin and Tyne Daly and was based loosely on Catherine Marshall’s novel.

Christy is a great drama. I’m not much for the Hallmark-styled sappy entertainment that women love and men hate. But I have to say… Christy was a pleasant surprise. I caught the two-hour premiere 13 years ago when it first aired and I remembered how good it was. Does the rest of the series live up to the pilot? In short, yes. And unfortunately, this is a show that should have been on for 5-6 years, but was mercilessly canned after just one season (21 episodes). Part of the problem was CBS’ schizophrenia with scheduling. The bigwigs at CBS moved this show around so much that no one knew when it was coming on. It’s a shame, really. Christy is one of the best family dramas out there. Tyne Daly is so convincing in her role as Alice Henderson that you feel you know her. The acting, scripts, and sets are superb. There is enough action to keep male viewers interested and enough romance to woo the females.

(more…)

I like Alfred Hitchcock movies. They are well-made. They make me think. They offer insights into the condition of fallen humanity. And best of all, they are memorable. Here is my list of favorite Hitchcock films. (Four out of the five feature James Stewart, so I guess you can tell who I like as an actor.)

#5. TORN CURTAIN

This 1966 film was a departure from Hitchcock’s standard fare. It features espionage and political thrills instead of his usual suspense. Julie Andrews and Paul Newman are fantastic in their roles. The jazzy soundtrack is memorable also. I like this one because it is pro-American, anti-Communist, and filled with political intrigue.

#4. REAR WINDOW

Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly are terrific in this movie. Their acting is so effortless that it is a pleasure to watch them. Rear Window is a movie that takes place in one single room. You can “feel” what it is like to be an invalid. The suspense builds and builds and climaxes with an unforgettable scene.

#3. THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

Hitchcock made two versions of this movie. One came out in 1934 and the other in 1956. I prefer the later version, probably because it stars Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. This is a movie that is beautiful to watch. The scenery and colors are great, and Jimmy Stewart does a great job, as usual.

#2. ROPE

This is not a movie that one “enjoys” in the normal sense. But I love how the truth that “Ideas Have Consequences” comes through so loud and clear. From a technical standpoint, the movie is of interest because it is filmed with one camera and the camera never breaks away. It is in “real time.” This was based on a true story. I especially love the moment when the teacher (played by Jimmy Stewart) realizes that the ideas he has taught his students have resulted in a senseless murder.

#1. VERTIGO

Vertigo is Hitchcock’s masterpiece. From start to finish, it is a classic work of art. Kim Novak’s talent is displayed by her dual role. Jimmy Stewart is older, but he is as talented as ever as he conveys his character’s insecurity and fear of heights with subtle intensity. The film features a twist that is more surprising than those in M. Night Shymalan’s movies. If you pick one of these five to rent, choose this one!

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog

It looks like my days as a waiter have come to an end. During my year-and-a-half stint as a Cracker Barrel “server,” people often asked me about the difference between a normal tip and a good tip. Since we represent Jesus Christ wherever we go, even a restaurant, I assume that all Christians want to faithfully represent the Savior through their generosity. Here are several tips to becoming a good tipper.

1. Realize that your waiter/waitress probably knows you are a Christian.
     Think about it. Did you pray before the meal? Are you attending just after church, dressed up and looking nice? Do you know other people in the restaurant (who are coming from church too)? Have you mentioned your faith at all during your conversation with those at the table?

2. Remember what your waiter/waitress is making an hour.
     Most servers make around $2 an hour. Virtually all of the money they make comes from tips. The money they need to bring food home to their families hinges on the generosity of the people they serve.

3. Remember that you are not usually a server’s only customer.
     During peak times (and sometimes during an unexpected rush of business during an off time), a waiter/waitress might have anywhere from three to five tables. Put four people at each table and you are talking about serving 12-20 people at one time. If you aren’t getting good enough service, before you blame it on the waiter, consider how many tables the server is waiting on.

4. If you leave a tract, PLEASE leave a tip too!
     The most frustrating tip is the one that comes in the form of a tract, without any cash at all. (The worst ones are those tracts that look like a $20 bill and are actually just a tract!) I am thankful for people who want to share their faith with their server, but if you don’t leave a good tip, just keep the tract. Don’t undo the evangelistic efforts of your waiter’s Christian co-workers by being such a terrible testimony.

5. Astound the server with your generosity.
     If the service was acceptable, leave 15%. If it was good, leave 17-18%. If it was fantastic, consider leaving 20% or even 25%. Reward good service. But don’t figure a tip by looking only at the bill. Consider the amount of work your server did. Did you have salads? Hot drinks like hot tea or hot chocolate? Did you ask for extra bread? How many Diet Cokes did he/she refill you? And please! If you share the Gospel at all with your server, make sure you astound them with an extra-generous tip.

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog

The Associated Press reports that TV tastes are so different in some homes that husbands and wives hardly ever watch TV together anymore. She likes Ugly Betty. He likes Star Trek. She watches Grey’s Anatomy. He’s into House.

Television has long been criticized for its contribution to the fragmentation of society. After all, before TV, families created their own entertainment, often gathering around the fireplace for stories or around the piano to sing some favorite songs. The front porch was a staple of American society, for it was here that neighbors came and visited and caught up on the latest news.

TV changed all that. Front porches quickly disappeared. The living room was no longer the “sitting room,” but the main hub of entertainment. Televisions became the main feature of many living rooms. And thus the the fragmentation began. Families isolated themselves from their neighbors, choosing to enjoy the banter of neighbors on TV sitcoms than to enter into conversation with neighbors of their own.

But even then, watching TV was a family event. Families gathered around to watch the best comedies and variety shows. Sunday night movies were a highlight of a family’s week.

As television variety increased, so did the number of televisions in a home. Now, many homes have more than one television, often one for each room. Preteens have Disney on TV in their rooms; teenagers live on MTV. Parents watch TV in bed before retiring for the night.

In our television saturated society, how can we avoid this fragmentation? Some Christians have decided to toss the TV all together. Not a bad idea, actually. Others (like myself) decide to hang on to TV, but to watch intentionally. We do not have cable (on purpose). We buy the DVDs of television shows we enjoy, and Corina and I watch them together. It seems silly to me to even think of buying a TV show that only appeals to one of us. The best part of watching a TV show is watching it together, sharing the experience and being able to discuss it.

But now, the AP reports that the husbands and wives aren’t watching TV together either. The fragmentation from television is complete. There’s something to appeal to everyone. And I guess that means, everyone wins! Or maybe, everyone loses.

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog