Church Potato?

Donna took this picture Sunday. This is how I shared my "You may be a couch potato if" list. I didn't stay like this, though it's not a bad way to preach.
So after talking about couch potatoes, I transitioned into the idea of Church Potatoes. What are they? Remember my definition of a couch potato (see last blog)? "Mindless watching while neglecting more important things." Let's see, mindless watching...? And neglecting more important things...? That'll preach! It did. Here are some of the "not so funny" characteristics of a Church Potato. (This was all just my introduction to a lesson on Mark 1:35-45)
You May Be a Church Potato if...
* ...you're thinking "I'm here and don't ask me to do anything else!"
* ...you want to be entertained and not do any of that "one another stuff" - like love, encourage, forgive, etc. etc.
* ...you like predictable formats with no surprises or challenges! (Now what's the purpose of the assembly again?)
* ...you have no intention of doing anything like studying or praying until next Sunday!
* ...you'll spend more on lunch today than on your church family this whole week!
* ...you know what you believe, you just don't know why or where to find it!
* ...you look like church people, but you have no time to be a disciple of Jesus!
* ...you are already counting the minutes until you can get out of this place!
* ...you don't want spiritual meat, just comfortable milk! (see Heb.5:11-6:6)

Ouch! I'm not interested in picking on anyone or unnecessarily making anyone feel bad or guilty. I am very interesting in challenging all of us to be honest and, as I said Sunday, move from being a Church Potato to being like the Bread of Life.
I actually did have a joke about looking more like Jesus than Mr. Potato Head, but I didn't use it.

PS. FYI: If you don't get a message about our new email address, it's the same prefix but it's no longer charter.net it's gmail.com

A Spud Dud

On Sunday I introduced my lesson for the morning by talking about Couch Potatoes. It's a touchy subject because we're all Couch Potatoes at certain times in our lives and would probably like to be one at times when we have to do things we dread doing. But that was my point. I defined being a Couch Potato, not by time spent in front of a TV, but by a sedentary and negligent lifestyle. My actual definition is: A Couch Potato is the mindless watching of TV while neglecting more important things. I confessed to being an occasional or selective CP, but pointed out that watching educational channels, like the History Channel, doesn't count - because it's learning and that counts as work. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Anyway, in my usual desire to keep things light so I can later on "lower the boom," I came up with ten Jeff Foxworthy-type descriptions of a Couch Potato. The point of the lesson was challenging some to quit being Church Potatoes. I'll share some of those descriptions later. They're not funny at all. Until then, I hope you enjoy the following.

You may be a Couch Potato if...
1. ...you've learned to completely ignore your sore rear-end from sitting so long watching TV.
2. ...for you, every food commercial qualities as educational TV.
3. ...you've completely mastered football cheerleading from a recliner.
4. ...you've watch TV so long that you're starting to like the Becky's Carpet commercials. (If you're not from SL, just think about the most obnoxious local advertisement where you live.)
5. ...you've learned how to mute the TV when your spouse talks to you, but you're still reading the lips of everyone on the TV screen.
6. ...you know exactly when you will need a bathroom break during tomorrow nights TV viewing.
7. ...you call channel surfing - exercises!
8. ...if you blame an exciting golf or bowling show for making you eat more.
9. ...during a technical problem when your TV is not working, you start feeling the need to take up drinking, smoking, or using Valium.
10. ...a recliner, a TV tray, a bowl of popcorn, and a Big Gulp are all part of your funeral instructions.

Going For Gold!

Okay, I've always been a sucker for all the hype about the Olympics. I love watching highly trained competitors, who have spent years preparing for this one chance to win gold and nearly always overcoming some set-back or obstacle, throw all caution to the wind - beating all the odds - and crossing the finish line or completing their run or routine one-one-hundredth of a second or point ahead of the rest. I love it, but it really stresses me out! My stomach gets tense as I watch them compete, hoping they don't have that one slip, fall, or accident that will totally destroy all their hard work and years of preparation.
I love the passion of the Olympics too. Their desire to do their best, to represent their team, family, and country, and to stand on that metals platform is so strong that it brings out seemingly super-human performances. And when they win - wow - the joy, the screams, the cheers, the tears, and the emotions that are so strong they can't give a coherent response to the reporter who always asks the same crazy question, "What does it mean to you to win a gold metal?" Duh! They're crying and too choked up to talk! What do you think it means?
Wouldn't it be fun if Children of God showed the same passion about our victory, that means eternal streets of gold, as the Olympians show about a little gold metal on a ribbon? Someone groans, "Salvation is a lot more serious than an Olympic game." I wish more of us where even half as serious about running our race as those Olympic competitors are about theirs. And where is it written that salvation is so "serious" that outward expressions of passion are inappropriate? We've got "joy unspeakable" and "peace that passes comprehension" not to mention the fact that we "rejoice always".
I've mentioned to my church family several times that I think we're all going to be surprised to see how angels rejoice in heaven. Our reaction when someone is "born again" and added to the Kingdom of God looks like a funeral wake compared to the singing and dancing God's angels are doing in heaven.
I love to see people who are passionate about what they believe and what they do. I like to see people who are emotionally connected to God and who are emotionally overwhelmed by his grace and love. Truth be known, our inhibitions come from our traditions and peer pressure. If winning an Olympic metal makes celebrations and tears expected, how much more should victory in Jesus and receiving an imperishable crown bring out a passionate response in us?
Next time someone asks you what you're doing, tell them "I'm going for the gold! Want to join the team?" Just say it like you mean it!

Rust Doth Corrupt!

One of the saddest things that I have seen through the years is spiritual leaders who stop learning. While it's sad to see that in any Christian who claims to be growing, it is especially sad when it is someone who is guiding others, setting the example, and supposedly growing in wisdom. On the other hand, it's thrilling to see "older" Christians who seek out new ideas, read mind-stretching books, and go to things that will challenge and enlighten them. Show me a church leader who constantly reads good spiritual books, and I'll show you a man or woman of God who has something to give and share with others besides more tomb paint.
My son-in-law's father is an incredibly busy doctor with patients, staff, facilities, and hospital work that demands a great deal of his time, and he's also a shepherd for his church family. One of the things I admire most about him is his thirst for knowledge. He reads and studies constantly! He reads new and old books, text books, and theology books that would have me snoring in five minutes. And you know what? All their children are the same way. He knows the values of keeping his mind growing, learning, and stretching!
I share him as an example because I've always believed that the mind is like any other organ of the body. When it comes to our bodies, especially as you age, the old axiom is true - "Use it or lose it!" I recently read a great article in the latest AARP Magazine (I'm barely old enough) about fending off aging problems like Alzheimer's and other problems of dementia. Recent studies are proving, "The more you work your mind, the greater your cognitive reserve. And the greater your reserve, the greater your ability to withstand the inevitable challenges of aging." (p.48 "Boost Your Brain Health")
I especially like the statement, "...the healthy brain gets stronger with age." That says it all when you're trying to figure out why some people become smarter, sweeter, and changeable with age, while others become grumpy old men or women. What is it they say in that commercial? "The mind is a terrible thing to waste." It's even worse to let it get rusty with age!
Use it or lose it!

I Said It, I'll Do It!

There was a guy in the Bible who made a pretty strong declaration of dedication, but shortly after that, when it came time to follow through with consistent choices, he caved in like a stepped on aluminum can. I don't think for a moment that he was exaggerating or lying when he made the declaration, but he obviously wasn't speaking from where his true level of commitment was. Peter was like all of us. He though he was ready to follow Jesus even to death, but, well - like Jesus said that same evening, "The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak."
Here's the principle I'm thinking about: A dedicated decision, can and should remove the challenge of choices. Once you decide where you stand and what you will and won't do, the choices are made - or should be.
For me, the highlight of each day on our recent cruise was sitting down to that first class dinner with Five Star cuisine, and being surrounded by good friends to share it with. It doesn't get any better than that! (Within reason - of course!) For the first several evenings, one of the first things that happened involved one of the stewards offering us a choice of wines from the ships huge inventory of wines. I'm not anti-wine, a prohibitionist, or even a religious prude when it comes to any Christian's right to have a drink of any alcoholic beverage. For some people in some cases it might even be a good idea, but I don't need it, want it, or like it. Give me ice tea every time over sour grapes, slurred speech, and all the potential wrong things that can happen. The larger decision was made long ago, so there was no need to turn it into a choosing situation. Before long they didn't ask, the wine list was removed, and the wine glasses weren't even put on the table.
On the other hand, why is it that at every meal, and often times between meals, I find myself calculating, rationalizing, and justifying the consumption of massive amount of calories that I know I don't need and that will ultimately hurt me? And, by the way - like Peter, I've made declarations of dedication to healthy living that didn't last anywhere near as long as his did before I totally caved in. I hear the words of Paul, "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from" making declarations that come from wishing rather than true commitment.
Truth be know, we're all probably better at making declarations than we are at committed living. I guess that is why God wants us to understand His love, His patience, and His forgiveness. With His help and forbearing nature, being a child of God and deepening our relationship with Him may be as much about "get up and keep moving" as it is "running the race set before us". As we grow in Him, the divergent lines of declaration and dedication come together, and His peace that is greater than words truly begins to take hold of our life.
Why did I write this right before lunch?

Parable of the Master Mechanic

The young couple had heard all about how good and dependable the mechanic was at the little garage/gas station down the street, so they felt comfortable about leaving their car to be repaired while they shopped at a nearby store. When they returned, the smiling mechanic met them out front, and pointing to their car parked beside the station, he told them it was fixed and running beautifully. They were overjoyed and felt strongly that their faith in the mechanic was well founded. It's nice to have a Master Mechanic taking care of you. Like we've all experienced, he asked them to follow him back into the office so they could settle the bill.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so he led them through the garage area to get to the office. Once in the garage, however, they stopped as he walked on into the office. "Wow," they exclaimed as they looked at the garage. "What an amazing facility!" They just couldn't take their eyes off of the neat machines, colorful pipes, and shiny tools all around. It's like their feet were glued to the concrete floors. They were really taken with the magnificent edifice to auto repair. And then they really started noticing the tools even closer. All kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. They could only stand in amazement thinking about how those tools could and should be used. They touched them, they were in awe of them, and they discussed, and even argued about, how they were supposed to function. They were totally happy and content just focusing on the tools and the facility. They were so enthralled that they forgot all about following the Master Mechanic. He was sadly waiting for them to get back to their task of following him. Tools and facilities are great - when used to carry out their purpose, but they are nothing when they're not used by the Master Mechanic.
Verily, verily I say unto you, to let any tool become more important than the Master Mechanic is to miss the purpose of tools. That will always make Him sad and cause the competition to cheer.

It's Not About Numbers!

There are very few things in my spiritual and professional life, which to me are the same thing, that has evolved and changed more than my view of church growth. I have written a lot about that in the past and I don't want to rewrite it all here, but the bottom line is, I concluded several years ago that we have been seriously infected by a virus known as "the world's view of church growth." We still define success by numbers and try to rationalize it away by spiritualizing it with "we only care about numbers to the extent that it's talking about souls." That's church-speak! If we aren't adding numbers to our attendance and contribution, we feel like we're failures or uncommitted, or if we want to soften the judgement, we say we're "stuck at a plateau" and need to come up with something to "get us over the hump." We didn't get those words or evaluations from the Word of God. In fact, just writing a blog like this will cause some people to say or think "he must just be making excuses for not growing."
No, I see growth in my spiritual family like I've never seen it before because I'm looking at something different than attendance and contribution charts. I'm looking to see who and how many in my church family are becoming more like Jesus. Becoming more like Him is the ONLY church growth challenge the Holy Spirit gives us! In Eph.4:15, our job is to grow in Christ, and Peter called on us to "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet.3:18) Too many of us have been trying to grow churches with little interest in helping individuals grow in Christ. We want to attract more than we want to guide. We want to invent gimmicks rather than build godliness. We want to know the secret formula that will impress others rather than follow the simple formula of loving one another!
This is what I believe causes real church growth. Four principles that are probably best seen as a cycle.
* Growth is directly related to, and determined by, congregational morale.
* Congregational morale comes from a spirit of love.
* A spirit of love comes from building relationships.
* Love is the singular quality that Jesus said identifies us as His disciples.
So, what are you doing to foster church growth? Just ask yourself, what are we doing to help our members love one another?

From Cabo to Chilly

From this...

...to this - in just hours. Quite a shock to the system to step out of the airport in St. Louis into cold, wind-blowing snow after spending all those days in summertime temps. But, the BIG WINTER BREAK was everything we hoped it would be. It's nice to back, even if it's sixty degrees colder.

By the way, the top picture is at Cabo San Lucas and it is the REAL "Land's End" at the tip of the Baja Peninsula.

Normal blogs to follow starting next week.

Last Full Day at Sea

It's the last full day of the cruise, so we are relaxing, buying the last of our ship-taken pictures, and getting ready to pack this afternoon so we can literally hit-the-deck-running tomorrow morning. The above pic was yesterday morning just after we anchored off Cabo San Lucas. It's a beautiful place, with incredible beaches and lots of water wildlife. We saw whales, dolphins, and seals, and tons of pelicans. It was so much cooler and dryer there. It's dessert all around Cabo and it's literally at 'lands end'. We really enjoyed it. Isn't she good looking?

While some of our group was on a whale watching tour, this group walked the town looking for good shopping deals. Donna, of course, is taking the picture. It was the most enjoyable place to walk and shop in on the whole trip.

This is Donna and I and a thorny friend we found in town. Speaking of whales, have we mentioned how much we've been eating? Oh my, it's been so good, but we must pay for it with exercise and diet when we get back.

Donna is not this white! In fact, she is a little sunburned. Our waiter is de-shelling her lobster and prawns - allows us to dip it in the butter faster. It was sooo good - non-fat too - NOT! Lord willing we will arrived back in St. Louis about 7:45 tomorrow night. I hear they're expecting snow and rain there tomorrow - ouch! Have I mentioned how nice the mid-winter vacation to a warm place is? We're already planning the next one for 2012 - believe it or not. It will take that long to pay off this one and save for the next, but it's worth it!

God bless. Next week I'll be back to the usual blog-grind.

PS. Spell check isn't working so all mis-spelling is the fault of Blogger - Ha!

Huatulco & Acapulco

This was right after we finished doing the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k on the ship this morning. It was neat. A very different way to do this great cause than we've ever done it before. It's been a nice & easy day at sea today.

This is the harbor at Huatulco, Mexico. It's a little resort town with a beautiful beach. We did a tour their that was interesting, but not much history. Still, what a beautiful place.

Yesterday we were in Acapulco and ended a long, rather boring tour by getting to see the famous cliff divers. This is just one of our pictures of the seven guys who dove off the cliffs. It was worth the price of the tour to just see this. Awesome. Two dove from the top at 130 feet. Like I said, we were hoping for a splash and not a splat!

This is the whole group leaving for yesterday's tour -minus Don Rose who is taking the picture. It's has really been a fun group to travel with. We are in Cabo San Lucas tomorrow, so I'll try to do one last blog w/ pics on Thursday. It takes so long to down load the pictures that this blog will be one of the most expensive parts of the trip. Ha! Who cares! God bless.

This is at a small town in the mountains of Costa Rica yesterday. It was an awesome tour of the country-side and small towns with lots of information given about the country. Here we are eating empanadas made by locals after a dance performance by some children in the town. They got to do the show because they had good grades. It's their Summer break now. It was lots of fun. My favorite so far.

This is the beach were we docked at Puntarenas. All through those trees are dozens of little shops selling everything you can imagine. Pretty beach, but really a very hot day. Upper 90's again. I heard there was a snow storm in SL!

This is the children doing one of their dances. I'll try to do another blog after Acapulco tomorrow. God bless.

South and Central America

Theses are three quick picks from over 250 pictures of the last three days. Wish I could put more up but the cost is high and the downloading is sooo slow. This is Donna with the port of Cartagena around us. Neat tour. Temps where 98 & we both got sunburned. I know, you really feel sorry for us.

The Panama Canal transit was incredible - to say the least. There is no way the pics do it justice. We started at 5 am and finished about 3 pm. We watched it all! It was really amazing to see it work especially when you remember it was build over 100 years ago. We have tons of pics and even this one is hard to appreciate because you can't imagine how huge it is.

Yesterday we did a tour of Panama City. We saw both the old and the new. The high rise buildings in new Panama City is unbelievable. It was a neat tour, in the 90's again but not nearly as tiring a hike as Cartagena was. We are at sea today and will be in Costa Risa tomorrow. It's been a wonderful trip so far, but, as usual, we've been eating way too much. I feel a long diet coming on when we get back.

Next pics in a couple days. God bless.

Aruba & More

Okay, just few words. That last blog cost eleven dollars! Out our balcony we are watching the coast of Columbia go by. Wow! Yesterday we were in Aruba and it was pretty neat. The above and below pics are of our short communion devo we had in our room yesterday afternoon - after the Aruba stop. 13 in a small room, but it was a lot of fun.

This is Donna, my sister Becky (left) and Vickie Lipham on the beach in Aruba. Most of the time was spent shopping, but we felt like we just couldn't go to Aruba and not walk on the beach. We did A LOT of walking.

This is Donna, Becky, and me posing during our shopping/walk on the beach trip. It was a beautiful place. We are in Caragena today so I'll try to do a blog in 2 or 3 days. Maybe after the Canal trip. God bless.

First Full Day at Sea

Any time to eat! It's what we do best. We are having a blast with lots of great friends and the constant challenge to enjoy every moment to eat good food. Here we are eating lunch today in the Horizon Court Buffet. Ummm breakfast was not too long ago. Anyway, this Buffet is at the front of the ship but you can't see that out these front window. Take my word for it - it's beautiful! And did I mention it's in the 80's outside!

Don Rose and I were waiting for the computer geek to show up at the Computer Cafe so I could get hooked up to the ships wifi service. This string trio were playing down in the atrium and it was so beautiful. Have a great day! We will. These posts will be short on writing and long on pics - it's .75 cents a minute to be online. God bless.

Just Wait!

FYI for those who check this blog out regularly and wonder when the next one will appear. We leave on vacation in the morning, but since I'm now the proud owner of a lap top computer and know, I think, how to download pictures from my camera onto the computer, the plan is to do a blog every day or so about our vacation. So - stay tuned and see what happens. The first one will probably be on Friday sometime.

May God bless you with a wonderful day!

"I need to be baptized by you...!"

I'm pretty pumped! In two days we leave for our first ever vacation to a warm place in the middle of winter. The only time every year that I even remotely think about being on a sunny beach is during a long cold winter when it sounds so good. It's gonna happen, Lord willing, and for fifteen days! It's been a long time since I was so excited about traveling and taking a long vacation. I have been looking forward to this for a good while now.
The last couple of Sunday's we have been in Mark 1 looking at John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. Talk about longing to see something - have you ever wondered how John must have felt as he looked up and saw Jesus walking toward him to be baptized? He'd spent his life preparing to be a preparer! He had a clear sense of purpose as he proclaimed that the Messiah was coming and he was preparing the way for him. He knew Jesus - they were related, and probably spent time together on many occasions during their thirty years of growing and waiting for the right time to start their ministry. To carry out his task, John lived a life of self denial and hardship. Once he began his ministry there was total commitment and focus, even to the point of disregarding food, clothing, and political pressure. He longed to see the Lamb of God step forward and begin his ministry of saving the world.
Can you imagine John standing waist deep in the river Jordan, urging people to change their lives and get ready for the coming of God's Kingdom, and then finally seeing Jesus standing on the shore, waiting his turn to be baptized by John? John knew who he was and he felt unworthy to be baptizing Jesus. He'd already said he was unworthy to tie his sandals, and now he was supposed to baptize him - the Lamb of God?
Talk about a mixture of emotions? John was filled with excitement to see all his dreams taking place. Then there is the thrill of seeing God's plan coming together, and the satisfaction of knowing he had done his job. But there is also the humility of knowing he must decrease.
The joy of seeing Jesus changes how you look at everything. One of these days Jesus will be meeting us at the river Jordan - the one we have to cross to be with him. I hope we will all be as excited to see him as John was.
Now that's a trip truly worth looking forward to!

Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta...

Okay, my church family won't even see this until tomorrow, so don't tell anyone that I gave my blog readers a sneak peak. This is the logo for this year's Bible Action Musical. The story of Esther is really much more complicated and multifaceted than most of us think it is. That makes writing a play/musical about it very difficult. Lot's of scene changes, which is a killer for stages without curtains or a real backstage. Still, I finished the script just before Christmas and the music has been picked out since the Fall, and I really feel good about it. I think it will be the best musical yet. It's number five for Florissant, and it will be a fun experience for all of us who put it on and everyone who sees it. There are a lot of new things in terms of format and casting, and it has the highest number of songs of any play we've done (24). We have my usual mixture of Oldies R&R, Broadway tunes, and Praise songs. I had a lot of fun writing all new lyrics for all the Broadway tunes and most of the Oldies songs. It has some of the funniest use of songs that we've ever had. It will be fast moving and extremely entertaining, but still tell a very moving story about a simple Hebrew girl becoming queen of Persia. We've got a HUGE critter that will appear, but no official narrators! Told you it was different.
I'm introducing it tomorrow morning after our assembly time, we will accept applications to be in the cast until Feb.7th, casting will be done by Feb.14th, and our first read through will be on the 21st. Our rehearsals start March 3rd and we have three months to pull it all together.
Love to have you here! As always, it's the first full weekend in June. Four shows: Thursday the 3rd through Sunday the 6th.
Isn't that logo cool? I can't wait to order our T-shirts!

My Personal Paul

I like Paul. That may sound weird to some, because aren't we all suppose to like the great missionary apostle who wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament? Yes, of course, but it took me a long time to personally like Paul. Respect, admire, and diligently study? Absolutely, but I had a hard time really identifying with him as a real person - a struggling saint like the rest of us, because after all, he was the ultimate teacher, the super apostle, the mega-Christian whose feet didn't really touch earth - he just floated a couple of feet off the ground. He was INSPIRED! He was the source of most theological exegesis, discussion, and debate! He was the Man-With-The-Plan and what he said was Gospel! It didn't help that for a long time I didn't fully understand many of the things he wrote about. Hey - some of my favorite professors and mentors couldn't agree on what Paul was saying, who am I to think I have him figured out?
Like I said at the beginning, I like Paul. It took a lot of digging and meditating on his personal letters to churches and co-workers to truly, and finally, see the man, but now I do. I had to quit shredding his flow of thought while looking for proof-texts and patterns. I had to stop thinking of his writings as his input into the Bible. I also had to force myself to cease my relentless pursuit of his work looking for all the "do's & don't's" of self-righteousness and legalism, which I had been trained to look for. Once I started seeing a real man of God, with weaknesses, struggles, and faults of his own, who wasn't holding himself up as the "ultimate," the most dynamic, or even the top anything. He was driven by only one thing, telling people that Jesus was the Son of God and He rose up from the dead to prove it! When you stop reading his letters like they were theological treatises and start seeing his passion for the Gospel and his love for his brethren, they become beautiful shared gifts, full of the spirit of Christ. I don't skim through those closing verses with names, requests, and challenges any more. They show us how personal his letters were as he shares his victories, struggles, and plans. In turn, that helps me see his pleading, pointing, and pushing in the rest of his letter as shared love not laying down the law. It's impossible to understand 1 & 2 Timothy if you don't sense his concern for Timothy and the predicament his young son in the faith was in. Corinth would have been written up and written off by every church in the brotherhood today, but Paul lovingly guided and challenged them to stay focused on Jesus. No other author of scripture shared a list of physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles like Paul did in 2 Corinthians 11, and then in the next breath confessed to a "thorn in the flesh" to keep him humble and trusting in God.
Yes, I like him, and I feel like I'm finally starting to "get" what he was writing about in his letters. I can't wait to talk to him face to face or spirit to spirit.

If You Really Want It...

I know everyone is not intrigued by what happens behind our house, but I knew the family would get a kick out of seeing this picture from yesterday afternoon. I had a picture of the kids playing hockey last week, but I thought this says a lot about their dedication and determination to play. Before they could play, they had to shovel off about four inches of snow on the ice. Their shovels are hard to see, but they're laying in the snow just behind their goal. That was a lot of shoveling. I couldn't get all of their homemade rink in the picture. I thought it was neat that they even brought along chairs, snacks, and spectators. It was about 25 degrees yesterday afternoon. Hey - that's a heat wave compared to the last week. There's a lesson there somewhere about if you want to do something badly enough - you'll find a way to make it happen.
That reminds me - this is the last week of bow season...

I had to laugh at a short report on one of the national TV news programs talking about "Are there hidden meanings behind Avatar?" Duh. Maybe double Duh! What made me laugh was the discussion about the "hidden meaning" of capitalism vs. ecology. I guess maybe it's easier to talk about philosophies than history, but anyone with even a trace understanding of American History could see the parallel between Avatar's plot and the sad fate of the American Indians. I think any college or even graduate class in the world could show Avatar and use it to explain "Western Expansion," "Manifest Destiny," or Turner's "Frontier". In a nutshell, "You've got it. We want it. Make a deal or die!" That pretty much sums up our dealing with the original Americans and the victims of "capitalism" in Avatar. From details, like bows & arrows and loin cloths, to non-traditional spiritualism, and a different skin color, just to name a few, it was the story of our story from Plymouth to Wounded Knee. The big difference is that we had little problem cheering for the defeat of corporate mercenary Marines, but we wouldn't dare think of Custer or Sherman in the same light.

Setting the history lesson aside, Avatar is an amazing movie. It has the same visual grabbing power, maybe more, as when I saw Star Wars the first time, then a Jurassic Park, and more recently, Lord of the Rings. You are lifted into another world that is so spectacularly interesting, with new vegetation, new bugs, new animals, new people, new language, and new culture, that it become the fastest two and a half hours you've ever spent. Yes, its got violence, but it's not really very gory, just lots of explosions and noises, and yes, I wish they'd left off the vulgar words - though I know some Marines use it. It's an experience, a real escape, and it involves you in a story that feels real - and after all, isn't that what you go to the movies for? Oh yeah, ladies, it really does include a love story. I guess it's true - love is blue.