I have not contributed any posts for a while, but I have not been idle. I have just finished a long, three part series on being single and our obedience in Christ in pursuing marriage that will be coming soon, so stay tuned. I am having others look at it right now to make their suggestions before going to press with it, but look for it sometime late next week (the last week of September).
In the meantime, I would appreciate your prayers as I write my resume and start applying for jobs.
Blessings,
-Nathan
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Come Thou Fount
This hymn is one of my favorites. The rich word pictures capture many of the longings of my heart. Singing it reminds me of the goodness of Christ and His sacrifice and reminds me of the deep joy and satisfaction found in His service.
Here are a few of the lines that I love most:
"Tune my heart to sing thy grace." I love this idea, of the Lord tuning our heart like an instrument; He is the perfect pitch and He tunes us until we resonate as He does, until His songs become ours and we can say truthfully that He is our all satisfying joy and that following Him fully is our greatest treasure in life, until we, like the One on the cavalry road, create that sweet, God magnifying, soul-satisfying melody of praise and humble obedience with our lives.
"He to rescue me from danger/Interposed His precious blood." I have been journaling through I Peter of late and have been given much to think about concerning the cost of Jesus' precious blood. In the first chapter he says "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1:17-19) Our salvation comes to us at a great price, the price of Christ's precious blood shed in order to rescue us from danger. God has been teaching me a great deal on fear recently, both re-evaluating my own life and the fears that I foster and understanding what it means to fear God. I have many thoughts on this, and it merits its own post, but for now this verse has convinced me that fearing God is not reverencing Him only. We are surely not to spend our whole lives quaking and fearing Him (for perfect love casts out fear), but to have a fear of Him that keeps in mind the high cost of his sacrifice. I must conduct myself in fear - Peter can hardly be more direct here - because:
He judges us according to our works and has redeemed us from a futile way of life.
Because to not do so would be to mock His sacrifice and abuse grace.
Because if we don't we will place ourselves under the wrath of Him who can not only destroy the body, but can destroy both the body and the soul in hell.
Because failing in this we will not treasure His mercy and may grievously waste our time on earth.
"Here I raise mine Ebenezer/Hither by thy help I'm come" "Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they routed before Israel. The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down... Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, (lit. the stone of help) saying, "thus far the Lord has helped us." (I Samuel 7:10-12) An Ebenezer is stone of help, as here, dedicated to God. It is a tribute thanking Him and testifying that He is our strength and help. Equally as important is its service as a reminder of all that God has done for us. As Ebenezer was raised, it served to remind those who would pass by in the future of God's faithfulness to His people. When we raise our Ebenezer we are lifting up our thanks offering to Him for His abundant mercies while girding up our souls in Him to rejoice in His strength. We raise an Ebenezer to glorify God and to remind ourselves of his never failing faithfulness. "Here I raise mine Ebenezer/Hither by thy help I'm come."
Take note of each line and let the truths tune your heart to sing His grace.
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed his precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.
Here are a few of the lines that I love most:
"Tune my heart to sing thy grace." I love this idea, of the Lord tuning our heart like an instrument; He is the perfect pitch and He tunes us until we resonate as He does, until His songs become ours and we can say truthfully that He is our all satisfying joy and that following Him fully is our greatest treasure in life, until we, like the One on the cavalry road, create that sweet, God magnifying, soul-satisfying melody of praise and humble obedience with our lives.
"He to rescue me from danger/Interposed His precious blood." I have been journaling through I Peter of late and have been given much to think about concerning the cost of Jesus' precious blood. In the first chapter he says "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1:17-19) Our salvation comes to us at a great price, the price of Christ's precious blood shed in order to rescue us from danger. God has been teaching me a great deal on fear recently, both re-evaluating my own life and the fears that I foster and understanding what it means to fear God. I have many thoughts on this, and it merits its own post, but for now this verse has convinced me that fearing God is not reverencing Him only. We are surely not to spend our whole lives quaking and fearing Him (for perfect love casts out fear), but to have a fear of Him that keeps in mind the high cost of his sacrifice. I must conduct myself in fear - Peter can hardly be more direct here - because:
He judges us according to our works and has redeemed us from a futile way of life.
Because to not do so would be to mock His sacrifice and abuse grace.
Because if we don't we will place ourselves under the wrath of Him who can not only destroy the body, but can destroy both the body and the soul in hell.
Because failing in this we will not treasure His mercy and may grievously waste our time on earth.
"Here I raise mine Ebenezer/Hither by thy help I'm come" "Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they routed before Israel. The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down... Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, (lit. the stone of help) saying, "thus far the Lord has helped us." (I Samuel 7:10-12) An Ebenezer is stone of help, as here, dedicated to God. It is a tribute thanking Him and testifying that He is our strength and help. Equally as important is its service as a reminder of all that God has done for us. As Ebenezer was raised, it served to remind those who would pass by in the future of God's faithfulness to His people. When we raise our Ebenezer we are lifting up our thanks offering to Him for His abundant mercies while girding up our souls in Him to rejoice in His strength. We raise an Ebenezer to glorify God and to remind ourselves of his never failing faithfulness. "Here I raise mine Ebenezer/Hither by thy help I'm come."
Take note of each line and let the truths tune your heart to sing His grace.
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed his precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.
Monday, August 06, 2007
An Ode to Skydiving
In honor of my adventures on the 5th of August I composed this tribute:
Plummeting through the azure sky,
Is today the day I die?
Lickety-sploosh, kablamo-splat.
Will I soon be pancake flat?
Looming larger, mother-earth.
I return to her who gave me birth.
From dust I came, I now return
Still many lessons left to learn.
But all is not dreary and dour!
I may yet survive this hour!
Gracefully soar, with confident purpose
Or in a spell be 'neath the surface'
Oh jubilant poem, oh sweet reprise
Doth this bard sing his own demise?
Tumbling freely and gayly falling,
But to thusly live is not man's calling;
The avian dynasty to defame.
No simply this: live for the Name.
So that He is lauded in life or death
Must be the tune in every breath.
All earth bears the Maker's mark,
Our joy in thrill is His own spark.
Live in His will and know no fear,
So jump and scream for joy so clear.
-NW
Plummeting through the azure sky,
Is today the day I die?
Lickety-sploosh, kablamo-splat.
Will I soon be pancake flat?
Looming larger, mother-earth.
I return to her who gave me birth.
From dust I came, I now return
Still many lessons left to learn.
But all is not dreary and dour!
I may yet survive this hour!
Gracefully soar, with confident purpose
Or in a spell be 'neath the surface'
Oh jubilant poem, oh sweet reprise
Doth this bard sing his own demise?
Tumbling freely and gayly falling,
But to thusly live is not man's calling;
The avian dynasty to defame.
No simply this: live for the Name.
So that He is lauded in life or death
Must be the tune in every breath.
All earth bears the Maker's mark,
Our joy in thrill is His own spark.
Live in His will and know no fear,
So jump and scream for joy so clear.
-NW
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Understanding Paul
I think that in a small way I can understand Paul's painful longing to visit the churches that he wrote to. I haven't started any churches as Paul did, but I have left one. I have spent much time thinking about Cement City Baptist and the people there since I graduated. I have been very impressed to pray for them and lift them up from across this nation. As fellow heirs of Christ's body we are all of us connected. Not as members of a similar organization are connected, but as those equally redeemed from our sins by His atoning sacrifice. A church body carries a specific lasting tie with it, also. It is more than a collection of saints in one place, as school was*, but it is a family sharing the joys and challenges of Christ centered living while here on earth. Unless one happens to be just a student passing through. It hardly felt like passing through though. The people did not treat me as just another stranger by the campfire. They took me in and loved me, and I loved them. I love Households dearly, but there is a care that a designated pastor can give which a board of elders cannot match; especially when that pastor is Pastor Drew. And what about youth groups? I don't see the foolishness of Pastor Kyle's love. Where are the dreaded traps of youth groups there? But I digress.
Heaven is our home and is a place of eternal reunion. Every goodbye among Christian's is no more than a "See you later," despite the pain we feel. Our lives here are united to those on the same narrow path, seeking to follow the dance that Christ taught us. We are helped on our way by the local body we are joined to. We are meant to be tightly woven, and a goodbye after three year's time can feel, appropriately, like losing a limb. But I cannot avoid this particular conundrum since I am suspended between two congregations. I am unable to be involved in more than one, and I'm not meant to be involved in more than one even if I could be. And thus I feel Paul's pain. Kind of. I have not started either church and I am only dealing with two of them, not the many that he was, but I have a glimpse into understanding the anguish that his letters begin with in wishing to personally visit the brethren there.
Until the reunion of heaven I am grateful to God for giving me a solid church family to help guide me through my time at school. I need fellow Christians to remind me that I'm not as strong as I think that I am, but that in my weakness, Christ is made perfect. I need to be reminded that my only hope and joy is in the Cross and Christ crucified. Cement City served to remind me of this many times. And so I am grateful for my time with that body and excited to worship Christ forever with my friends from school and the body at Cement City.
*I made a number of lasting friendships at school with those whose counsel and example will forever inspire me; yet, there is something about a church and the way God works through it that surpasses the abilities of Christians whose bonds are not found in a local body. For my friends though, I will eternally be grateful. There are many reunions in heaven that will be accompanied by long and rich embraces.
Heaven is our home and is a place of eternal reunion. Every goodbye among Christian's is no more than a "See you later," despite the pain we feel. Our lives here are united to those on the same narrow path, seeking to follow the dance that Christ taught us. We are helped on our way by the local body we are joined to. We are meant to be tightly woven, and a goodbye after three year's time can feel, appropriately, like losing a limb. But I cannot avoid this particular conundrum since I am suspended between two congregations. I am unable to be involved in more than one, and I'm not meant to be involved in more than one even if I could be. And thus I feel Paul's pain. Kind of. I have not started either church and I am only dealing with two of them, not the many that he was, but I have a glimpse into understanding the anguish that his letters begin with in wishing to personally visit the brethren there.
Until the reunion of heaven I am grateful to God for giving me a solid church family to help guide me through my time at school. I need fellow Christians to remind me that I'm not as strong as I think that I am, but that in my weakness, Christ is made perfect. I need to be reminded that my only hope and joy is in the Cross and Christ crucified. Cement City served to remind me of this many times. And so I am grateful for my time with that body and excited to worship Christ forever with my friends from school and the body at Cement City.
*I made a number of lasting friendships at school with those whose counsel and example will forever inspire me; yet, there is something about a church and the way God works through it that surpasses the abilities of Christians whose bonds are not found in a local body. For my friends though, I will eternally be grateful. There are many reunions in heaven that will be accompanied by long and rich embraces.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Greasy Hands
Working with my hands feels good. This week I have both replaced the window in my car and changed the starter in my dad's car. My window took me all day to replace. It was ridiculous that it took me so long, of course; I could do the same job in under an hour now, but the important things is that I didn't give up. I came so close to getting that window in but it just wouldn't quite fit and I was becoming very frustrated. You can't exactly force a window or it will break, and I was not about to break my window. So I kept trying new angles. I gave in when I started calling different window shops for quotes but since the average ran $90, I found new motivation became more creative. When my window was finally in and working properly and the tools put away, I felt a huge wave of accomplishment. I had finally won. My window kept defying me, but I beat it in the end and am very proud of my work.
The next day, Tuesday, I replaced my dad's starter. It wasn't a hard job, and the actual work only took me a little bit, but I really enjoyed it. Something about pulling a ratchet so hard that when the bolt finally lets go, you smack your hands into some hard part of the engine and give yourself cuts is really rewarding. Working on my car gives me both a physical challenge and a mental exercise as I exercise my problem solving skills.
Meanwhile, since graduating from school, I have been taking life pretty slowly, traveling and see friends while also being home and helping out here when the family needs it. This weekend my really good friends from school (Paul Mueller, Andrew Vanderput, and Joe McCleary) are here, so we are going to the beach and Multnomah Falls, and then hanging out with my family the rest of the time.
The next day, Tuesday, I replaced my dad's starter. It wasn't a hard job, and the actual work only took me a little bit, but I really enjoyed it. Something about pulling a ratchet so hard that when the bolt finally lets go, you smack your hands into some hard part of the engine and give yourself cuts is really rewarding. Working on my car gives me both a physical challenge and a mental exercise as I exercise my problem solving skills.
Meanwhile, since graduating from school, I have been taking life pretty slowly, traveling and see friends while also being home and helping out here when the family needs it. This weekend my really good friends from school (Paul Mueller, Andrew Vanderput, and Joe McCleary) are here, so we are going to the beach and Multnomah Falls, and then hanging out with my family the rest of the time.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
100: The Complete and Utter Failure
Thank you to those of you who kept asking me about my push ups and doing their part to keep me accountable: the Hubbs, Jonathan Walker,and mom. To the rest of you, thanks for making wagers on my failure. But who am I to be angry, I didn't exactly work all that hard, in fact, I failed miserably. I gave up after several weeks of consistent effort with little gain to show for it. My disgust with myself is not that I failed to reach 100 push-ups, but that I quit so easily. That makes me a quitter, and I'm not a quitter. I'm not. This revealed to me much about myself, though. It brought to light my inability to push myself when something is difficult, it brought to light how weak my resolve often is, and (duh!) what a lousy wimp I am. Now, I'm not fishing for your compliments or sympathy here, so just keep those mum. I'm simply saying that I've got some problems and this demonstrates that. Thank you to those who kept reading and were following my story. I am truly sorry to let you down so. I have other things to blog here, but I thought that I should write the concluding chapter of this sad saga.
Oh, and Lars was gracious in administering his punishment. After telling me that he knew I was going to fail, he said that I have to take that $100 and take a female of my choice out to dinner. If this is torture, chain me to the wall... ;)
Oh, and Lars was gracious in administering his punishment. After telling me that he knew I was going to fail, he said that I have to take that $100 and take a female of my choice out to dinner. If this is torture, chain me to the wall... ;)
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Back Home
What to say after so long a silence? Much has happened this last semester that has not been told, some of it will probably remain so. Much has taken place and I have changed greatly. I have tasted the bitterness of goodbyes, longing for a heaven where I never have to say 'goodbye' again. I have made deep and lasting friendships in my four years at Hillsdale that were extremely difficult to leave. I dreaded leaving and had no idea how to face departing. I wanted so desperately to hold on to every moment but they kept slipping by until every last one was gone, my friends went home, and I was left lingering in Michigan as I wondered at all that God might be purposing for me. I am part of a body there that I will no longer be able to closely fellowhip with. So many families took me in and were kind to me at my church there, and I love my pastors there so very much.
That God is purposing much for me I know, because the work that He has been accomplishing in me He has been working on for some time now, and has prepared me for the changes that are beginning to bear fruit.
I have been so busy at school that, perhaps ironically, I have had no time to think. And I must think. I must take time to let the dust settle and wait patiently upon the Lord for guidance. He works on behalf of those who wait for Him (Isaiah 64:4), and so I will wait. I need time to think, and time to write. To read, to pray, to store up scriptures in my heart so that the Holy Spirit may prompt me with them and give me strength through them. I need time to seek His guidance for the future, and so though I am home, I will remain aloof for these first six months, living with and serving my family. This may be a selfish decision, I will not be very social during this time, but I must take time to orient my life properly.
I will be doing a good deal of thinking and I hope to post weekly on this blog. Thank you to all who read it. I am sorry that I have left you all for so long. I am back now.
That God is purposing much for me I know, because the work that He has been accomplishing in me He has been working on for some time now, and has prepared me for the changes that are beginning to bear fruit.
I have been so busy at school that, perhaps ironically, I have had no time to think. And I must think. I must take time to let the dust settle and wait patiently upon the Lord for guidance. He works on behalf of those who wait for Him (Isaiah 64:4), and so I will wait. I need time to think, and time to write. To read, to pray, to store up scriptures in my heart so that the Holy Spirit may prompt me with them and give me strength through them. I need time to seek His guidance for the future, and so though I am home, I will remain aloof for these first six months, living with and serving my family. This may be a selfish decision, I will not be very social during this time, but I must take time to orient my life properly.
I will be doing a good deal of thinking and I hope to post weekly on this blog. Thank you to all who read it. I am sorry that I have left you all for so long. I am back now.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Philippians 4:6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Saturday, February 24, 2007
And the results are in...
This is definitely my favorite shot from our excursion.
Probably a close second. Both of these photos and the next one were from this huge abandoned church building. It was completely gutted.
Out of Service
The Unflappable John Thompson. John and I had a great time shooting and driving throughout south-central Michigan/Northern Ohio. We stopped at this tiny looking diner called "Feed Mill" for a lunch-time breakfast. We each got omelettes that were just fabulous and most filling. A definite recommended stop in my book. The "Real America."
The tree was actually growing out of this silo. We could have gotten some great shots had we disregarded the fact that it was someone's private property. Oh well.
This run down barn doesn't actually go with the above photos. This was behind a burnt out house on the side of the road. Again, many tempting shots were passed up to respect private property.
Art in the Making.
We roamed around on Lake Baw Beese for about twenty minutes (the ice was near a foot thick). I didn't put any of the pictures up but this one because I didn't really like any of them. One was a little comical though, it was a sign sticking up out of the ice about a foot that read "No Wake". Nice.
John and I had a great time. We'll have to make one more trip out before our time here at school runs out. Once it warms up a bit and some life starts popping up we'll head in another direction. Thanks for checking my site out.
-Nathan
Probably a close second. Both of these photos and the next one were from this huge abandoned church building. It was completely gutted.
Out of Service
The Unflappable John Thompson. John and I had a great time shooting and driving throughout south-central Michigan/Northern Ohio. We stopped at this tiny looking diner called "Feed Mill" for a lunch-time breakfast. We each got omelettes that were just fabulous and most filling. A definite recommended stop in my book. The "Real America."
The tree was actually growing out of this silo. We could have gotten some great shots had we disregarded the fact that it was someone's private property. Oh well.
This run down barn doesn't actually go with the above photos. This was behind a burnt out house on the side of the road. Again, many tempting shots were passed up to respect private property.
Art in the Making.
We roamed around on Lake Baw Beese for about twenty minutes (the ice was near a foot thick). I didn't put any of the pictures up but this one because I didn't really like any of them. One was a little comical though, it was a sign sticking up out of the ice about a foot that read "No Wake". Nice.
John and I had a great time. We'll have to make one more trip out before our time here at school runs out. Once it warms up a bit and some life starts popping up we'll head in another direction. Thanks for checking my site out.
-Nathan
Friday, February 23, 2007
Please go see this movie
Dear all, I hope that you are reading this post soon after I put it up. It is nearly
7 PM Friday evening and I am writing to beg you to go and see "Amazing Grace" (the God honoring story of William Wilberforce) this weekend. Not next weekend, THIS weekend. You see, the first weekend of a movie has much to do with how the movie fares for the rest of its running. Right now, Amazing Grace is in a limited number of theaters, but the numbers from its opening weekend have the ability to change that, prompting other theaters to order the movie and show it in their theater. Here is a Ted Baehr's review from the Christian Movie review organization "Movie Guide".
I am driving two hours on Sunday to go see it because I believe in supporting movies that are both well-made (ie, not Left Behind) and Christ honoring. On my docket to see VERY soon: "Bridges to Teribithia" - click here for Ted Baehr's review (showing here at the theater in town,) and "The Last Sin Eater" - review here (showing half an hour away).
We have seen a rise in mainstream, Christ honoring films of late, and the only way to maintain this trend is to mobilize those who cry the loudest for decent movies, let go of some of that cash and time we're so loath to lose, and support Christ(ians) in the arts.
Please. Go. See this movie.
-Nathan
7 PM Friday evening and I am writing to beg you to go and see "Amazing Grace" (the God honoring story of William Wilberforce) this weekend. Not next weekend, THIS weekend. You see, the first weekend of a movie has much to do with how the movie fares for the rest of its running. Right now, Amazing Grace is in a limited number of theaters, but the numbers from its opening weekend have the ability to change that, prompting other theaters to order the movie and show it in their theater. Here is a Ted Baehr's review from the Christian Movie review organization "Movie Guide".
I am driving two hours on Sunday to go see it because I believe in supporting movies that are both well-made (ie, not Left Behind) and Christ honoring. On my docket to see VERY soon: "Bridges to Teribithia" - click here for Ted Baehr's review (showing here at the theater in town,) and "The Last Sin Eater" - review here (showing half an hour away).
We have seen a rise in mainstream, Christ honoring films of late, and the only way to maintain this trend is to mobilize those who cry the loudest for decent movies, let go of some of that cash and time we're so loath to lose, and support Christ(ians) in the arts.
Please. Go. See this movie.
-Nathan
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Coming Soon...
I am going shooting with John Thompson this weekend, so stay tuned for more photos. Also, there are many things on my mind right now that are blog worthy, but for which I do not feel like composing a full blog just yet.
Instead I shall give you a preview of coming attractions. I am characterized by some very passionate and strongly held views on things, I am not always sure why, but that I hold them I know.
1) What is masculinity?
2) The powerful role of movies in our culture.
Other topics are milling around, but these two are definitely at the forefront. For now I'll say "Go and watch the Nativity as soon as you can!" I meant to say that months ago when it was in theaters, but I am saying it now because I really like that film a lot. If you have seen it, leave a note and let me know what you thought.
Stay tuned... pictures following shortly,
Instead I shall give you a preview of coming attractions. I am characterized by some very passionate and strongly held views on things, I am not always sure why, but that I hold them I know.
1) What is masculinity?
2) The powerful role of movies in our culture.
Other topics are milling around, but these two are definitely at the forefront. For now I'll say "Go and watch the Nativity as soon as you can!" I meant to say that months ago when it was in theaters, but I am saying it now because I really like that film a lot. If you have seen it, leave a note and let me know what you thought.
Stay tuned... pictures following shortly,
Sunday, February 18, 2007
2/18/07
You know what? A hundred push-ups is really quite a few push-ups. This weekend I was at a retreat for Christian men here at Hillsdale and one of the contests in a series of physical feats was a push-up contest. Each team selected one member to represent them and do as many push-ups as possible. Paul Mueller took the cake at 64 push-ups (keep in mind that other physical feats had already been accomplished, and thus many of these men had already been taxing themselves,) and as I stood watching these men do their push-ups, I realized that one hundred push-ups is a whole lot. All this to say that I don't think I can make that number. I hope myself to be able to to do sixty-ish by the end of the semester. I would be pretty happy with that number, since that would still be a sizable improvement for me; but a hundred? I don't think so.
In the meantime, it has been a while since I posted regarding my own progress, and I pretty much lost hope right after my last post. Every time in the past when I have attempted push-ups, the same thing happens, I get to around thirty and I just can't break through. I mean I really can't. I try and try, and I actually regress a little bit, seemingly completely unable to break that barrier. So, that is where I am at right now. I am pretty discouraged with the whole thing; if I was able to increase my numbers consistently, that would be one thing, but I'm not, and it is hard to motivate myself to push as hard as I can when I'm not even going to be able to do as many as the day before.
In other news, we have called the rally off due to overwhelming opposition. I appreciate your prayers, but when we are seeking to unite Christ's body on campus, and the means through which this is going to happen is actually going to divide Christians more than it will unite them, then it is no longer serving the purpose intended for it. Much has been accomplished in the way of unity already, though. Discussions have begun among the groups of Christians as to what can be done that each group would be willing to do. With most of the groups, it's not that they are outright rejecting the entire idea of unity, they just aren't willing to participate in religious practices with Christians of other beliefs because they feel it too liable to a watering-down of the distinctions that make each sect different. Thank you all so much for your prayers in this, they have not been to no avail.
-Nathan
In the meantime, it has been a while since I posted regarding my own progress, and I pretty much lost hope right after my last post. Every time in the past when I have attempted push-ups, the same thing happens, I get to around thirty and I just can't break through. I mean I really can't. I try and try, and I actually regress a little bit, seemingly completely unable to break that barrier. So, that is where I am at right now. I am pretty discouraged with the whole thing; if I was able to increase my numbers consistently, that would be one thing, but I'm not, and it is hard to motivate myself to push as hard as I can when I'm not even going to be able to do as many as the day before.
In other news, we have called the rally off due to overwhelming opposition. I appreciate your prayers, but when we are seeking to unite Christ's body on campus, and the means through which this is going to happen is actually going to divide Christians more than it will unite them, then it is no longer serving the purpose intended for it. Much has been accomplished in the way of unity already, though. Discussions have begun among the groups of Christians as to what can be done that each group would be willing to do. With most of the groups, it's not that they are outright rejecting the entire idea of unity, they just aren't willing to participate in religious practices with Christians of other beliefs because they feel it too liable to a watering-down of the distinctions that make each sect different. Thank you all so much for your prayers in this, they have not been to no avail.
-Nathan
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thoughts
Current Time: 10:24 PM Sunday
Current Temp: 7 degrees
I've been able to watch a ballad of vehicles all today as I've been studying. Here is a picture from my window (taken with my macbook) of the parking lot down below. The slight hill on the right has given many vehicles difficulties, all for my general amusement as I take breaks from Aristotle to watch the ensuing dance.
It's good to be back at school. I love Pastor Woods and his family so much. He truly has the heart of a pastor. Today he preached on Romans 3:19-20, reinforcing the understanding that we are not saved by any works of our own.
If you would be so kind, there is a deal of no small significance coming up here at school which I am playing a key role in and would appreciate your prayers for. The leadership of Hillsdale Christian Fellowship (The Christian organization on campus) decided to put on a rally for all who profess belief in Christ. The purpose is to have Christ's entire body come together and magnify Him as Lord of our lives and of this campus, committing ourselves to radical change here in this, our temporary home. The belief is that God has brought quite a few Christians to this campus for a specific reason, and until we surrender our lives in obedience to Christ for the sake of seeing His name magnified in the hearts and lives of our fellow students, then we are missing our point in being here. When I heard about the rally and that they were asking for volunteers, I immediately signed up, and have become the point man for making it happen.
We are seeking to draw out all who profess belief in Christ on this campus, an event of a magnitude never before witnessed on this campus. Thus I seek your prayers and counsel. I require great wisdom and tact as I seek support and gain the help from the many scattered parts of Christ's body here at Hillsdale. We are shooting for a date sometime in the week before easter for this rally. Please remember me in your prayers as I talk with fellow followers of Christ and build a team of people committed to making this happen. Pray that we might have peaceful and unifying discussions, with each representative being willing to discuss matters calmly, and for the glory of Christ.
Current Temp: 7 degrees
I've been able to watch a ballad of vehicles all today as I've been studying. Here is a picture from my window (taken with my macbook) of the parking lot down below. The slight hill on the right has given many vehicles difficulties, all for my general amusement as I take breaks from Aristotle to watch the ensuing dance.
It's good to be back at school. I love Pastor Woods and his family so much. He truly has the heart of a pastor. Today he preached on Romans 3:19-20, reinforcing the understanding that we are not saved by any works of our own.
If you would be so kind, there is a deal of no small significance coming up here at school which I am playing a key role in and would appreciate your prayers for. The leadership of Hillsdale Christian Fellowship (The Christian organization on campus) decided to put on a rally for all who profess belief in Christ. The purpose is to have Christ's entire body come together and magnify Him as Lord of our lives and of this campus, committing ourselves to radical change here in this, our temporary home. The belief is that God has brought quite a few Christians to this campus for a specific reason, and until we surrender our lives in obedience to Christ for the sake of seeing His name magnified in the hearts and lives of our fellow students, then we are missing our point in being here. When I heard about the rally and that they were asking for volunteers, I immediately signed up, and have become the point man for making it happen.
We are seeking to draw out all who profess belief in Christ on this campus, an event of a magnitude never before witnessed on this campus. Thus I seek your prayers and counsel. I require great wisdom and tact as I seek support and gain the help from the many scattered parts of Christ's body here at Hillsdale. We are shooting for a date sometime in the week before easter for this rally. Please remember me in your prayers as I talk with fellow followers of Christ and build a team of people committed to making this happen. Pray that we might have peaceful and unifying discussions, with each representative being willing to discuss matters calmly, and for the glory of Christ.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Thank You, Tortoise
I owe that diminutive, struggling-yet-consistent reptile so much. If were not for him and his victory against the evil hare, I wouldn't have a hope of reaching those hundred push-ups. He is my inspiration. Hang in there little buddy! I'm chugging along. I'm the little engine that could! How bad is it, you ask? I am making progress, just slowly. Here is my (ahem) progress thus far:
1-15-07
15 + 15 (I did it wrong this day though, because I gave myself several hours between sets)
1-17-07
15+15+15+15 (Much shorter rests, but still a little too long, five minutes or so)
1-19-07
15+15+15+15 (This time with rests of no more than three minutes a piece, as with my sets from here on out)
1-22-07
20+20+19+14 (+6 girl push-ups (trust me, when your muscles are done for, even girl push-ups are tough))
1-24-07
20+20+16 (+4 girl push-ups to hit twenty) + 7 (+ 6 girl push-ups)
1-27-07
20+20+20+9 (+2 girl push-ups)
I am sticking to a schedule of push-ups on MWF, but I think that I am going to start doing different push-ups on T-Th-Sunday that will work different muscles. We'll see how that works, I know that my T-Th-Sunday push-ups will be quite a bit more difficult, so I'm not going to be able do that many. You've been forewarned, so next post, when I only have sets of ten (or somewhere around there,) you can know that it is because I am doing more difficult push-ups.
We had a pretty big ice storm, so I snapped a few pictures. I had a difficult time setting up shots I liked. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. I have much to learn.
I took this picture from my bedroom window, not a bad sight to wake up to, huh?
We have these berry bushes around campus, its about the only color we get for half the year.
Frigid Conversation
Defiance
1-15-07
15 + 15 (I did it wrong this day though, because I gave myself several hours between sets)
1-17-07
15+15+15+15 (Much shorter rests, but still a little too long, five minutes or so)
1-19-07
15+15+15+15 (This time with rests of no more than three minutes a piece, as with my sets from here on out)
1-22-07
20+20+19+14 (+6 girl push-ups (trust me, when your muscles are done for, even girl push-ups are tough))
1-24-07
20+20+16 (+4 girl push-ups to hit twenty) + 7 (+ 6 girl push-ups)
1-27-07
20+20+20+9 (+2 girl push-ups)
I am sticking to a schedule of push-ups on MWF, but I think that I am going to start doing different push-ups on T-Th-Sunday that will work different muscles. We'll see how that works, I know that my T-Th-Sunday push-ups will be quite a bit more difficult, so I'm not going to be able do that many. You've been forewarned, so next post, when I only have sets of ten (or somewhere around there,) you can know that it is because I am doing more difficult push-ups.
We had a pretty big ice storm, so I snapped a few pictures. I had a difficult time setting up shots I liked. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. I have much to learn.
I took this picture from my bedroom window, not a bad sight to wake up to, huh?
We have these berry bushes around campus, its about the only color we get for half the year.
Frigid Conversation
Defiance
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Oregon the Beautiful
A Gullible Model
Newport Beach
Discovery at the Ocean
The Horizon a'flame (I thought that I had fixed the sideways picture problem.)
Beached Log (Taken at night with a tripod with a 30 second exposure.)
Experiments in Black and White
Newport Beach at Sunset
Mt. Hood Foothills
Early Morning Goals
Mt. Hood at Sunrise
Monday, January 15, 2007
Starting Line
As a starting point, I can do 25 push-ups, and that's pushing it. My roommate prescribed workout for the first week is to do 15 push-ups M-W-F-Sat four times each day, and then rest the other days. Each week I'll increase the number of push-ups I can do by 5, more as I gain strength. Maybe I'll post once a week, on Sundays or around then, my max number of push-ups. I've got to say though, 25 (as the maximum) is a long way from 100, and I hate doing push-ups. Perhaps I'll enjoy them more when I am able to do more than just a few. I hope so.
The Quest
I have always been small. Not short, small. Whether it's playing football, basketball, or ultimate-frisbee, my playing has been marked by furtive movements at key moments to avoid being crushed. When heavy lifting must be done, I strain with my entire body to accomplish what the average male should only mildly struggle with. The goal for me is to show as little strain on my face so that if I can do something others can do as well, I simply must do it in such a way that they will not be able to tell that I am trying my hardest to do what they can effect with little effort.
Enough, I say. Well, actually, that's what Lars said. Oh Lars. No one can push me like that man. You work with someone for half a summer and next thing you know, they're making you strive for higher goals. We all need these friends. Why Lars, though? I don't know, exactly, except that I think he understands me like few do, and his honesty is so plain that I know I can trust it. I would say it is at times maybe even cruel, but the thing is he knows me and means well in his *ahem* constructive criticisms.
So here's the deal. I have changed the name of my blog, because you, the reader, are joining me on a journey to reach one hundred push-ups. Lars witnessed a pathetic attempt of mine at push-ups, and thanks to his challenge to bulk-up, I made him a deal. At the end of this semester, I'll be able to do 75 push-ups pat, or I give him $100. No deal, he says. One hundred push-ups. Fine. And I don't want your money, he says. "?" Now I do one hundred push-ups, or I have to spend that $100 however he tells me. That's real motivation. I imagine that Lars could exercise his genius to think of many, er, creative ways for me to spend that hundred dollars, none of which I want to experience. Thus this blog will be an honest update on my quest for one hundred.
Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!
Enough, I say. Well, actually, that's what Lars said. Oh Lars. No one can push me like that man. You work with someone for half a summer and next thing you know, they're making you strive for higher goals. We all need these friends. Why Lars, though? I don't know, exactly, except that I think he understands me like few do, and his honesty is so plain that I know I can trust it. I would say it is at times maybe even cruel, but the thing is he knows me and means well in his *ahem* constructive criticisms.
So here's the deal. I have changed the name of my blog, because you, the reader, are joining me on a journey to reach one hundred push-ups. Lars witnessed a pathetic attempt of mine at push-ups, and thanks to his challenge to bulk-up, I made him a deal. At the end of this semester, I'll be able to do 75 push-ups pat, or I give him $100. No deal, he says. One hundred push-ups. Fine. And I don't want your money, he says. "?" Now I do one hundred push-ups, or I have to spend that $100 however he tells me. That's real motivation. I imagine that Lars could exercise his genius to think of many, er, creative ways for me to spend that hundred dollars, none of which I want to experience. Thus this blog will be an honest update on my quest for one hundred.
Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Studying
So here is a look at my life as a student through mainly two weeks of intensive study. Let me warn you, it's not pretty. Oh, and it is in reverse chronological order, so until I fix it (I never will,) scroll to the bottom and work your way up.
I love Christmas break. Did I say BREAK!
Word to your mother. Foo.
When you are sitting in one place all night, you get cold. I was cold and the power was out. I love my sweater. A lot.
Yeah, I'm tired.
Why do I do this to myself?
I was tired of taking pictures where I look like a zombie, so I smiled for the camera. How cheesy.
Hmmm.
Lovely, I know, but sometimes, you just feel like being crazy. I think I feel that way more than usual.
So what did I do about it? Well, naturally I had it cut!
I love my hair at that length. It really is my favorite length of hair. It just falls so nicely.
So this doesn't fit in chronologically, but this was after I had been on a "sleeping two-hours a day" program where you starve your body for sleep, and then only let it sleep twenty minutes every four hours and you are able to get all the rest you need. I had a difficult time adjusting. I felt aweful when I took that picture.
Back at school, I got up super early (actually, it was more like taking a nap at midnight) and had some pretty awesome bed-head.
Mmmm, hot drinks. I love hot drinks, which means tea, since I don't do coffee. That's right, a college senior and I have stayed drug free the whole time.
Same coffeshop, I just let the camera focus on the outside light.
Day two at the coffeeshop. It was nice to be working in the morning, and not at night.
I was there for a while, and ended up getting really tired of studying. Can you tell?
I finally got work done at a coffeeshop in Ann Arbor. I spent two days there and wrote one of my FOUR paper's there.
This is in the Smith's guest room. I didn't get much studying done there, but I guess I wasn't actually planning on it.
That was the first night of Thanksgiving break (the Tuesday before) and I spent it with Brandon Irish, an art/music major with a phenomenal voice. A swell guy. We had a good time.
Here I am that same night at a ("a"? I mean "the") local coffeeshop.
So. It didn't take long before reading book upon book and article upon article filled with legalese left me looking for a distraction. Why not take pictures of my eyes poking out through my fingers?
This is the near the beginning of my time, I read for two days straight. I didn't leave the suite, I didn't go to classes, I just read.
I love Christmas break. Did I say BREAK!
Word to your mother. Foo.
When you are sitting in one place all night, you get cold. I was cold and the power was out. I love my sweater. A lot.
Yeah, I'm tired.
Why do I do this to myself?
I was tired of taking pictures where I look like a zombie, so I smiled for the camera. How cheesy.
Hmmm.Lovely, I know, but sometimes, you just feel like being crazy. I think I feel that way more than usual.
So what did I do about it? Well, naturally I had it cut!
I love my hair at that length. It really is my favorite length of hair. It just falls so nicely.
So this doesn't fit in chronologically, but this was after I had been on a "sleeping two-hours a day" program where you starve your body for sleep, and then only let it sleep twenty minutes every four hours and you are able to get all the rest you need. I had a difficult time adjusting. I felt aweful when I took that picture.
Back at school, I got up super early (actually, it was more like taking a nap at midnight) and had some pretty awesome bed-head.
Mmmm, hot drinks. I love hot drinks, which means tea, since I don't do coffee. That's right, a college senior and I have stayed drug free the whole time.
Same coffeshop, I just let the camera focus on the outside light.
Day two at the coffeeshop. It was nice to be working in the morning, and not at night.
I was there for a while, and ended up getting really tired of studying. Can you tell?
I finally got work done at a coffeeshop in Ann Arbor. I spent two days there and wrote one of my FOUR paper's there.
This is in the Smith's guest room. I didn't get much studying done there, but I guess I wasn't actually planning on it.
That was the first night of Thanksgiving break (the Tuesday before) and I spent it with Brandon Irish, an art/music major with a phenomenal voice. A swell guy. We had a good time.
Here I am that same night at a ("a"? I mean "the") local coffeeshop.
So. It didn't take long before reading book upon book and article upon article filled with legalese left me looking for a distraction. Why not take pictures of my eyes poking out through my fingers?
This is the near the beginning of my time, I read for two days straight. I didn't leave the suite, I didn't go to classes, I just read.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
How an Old Dog Learned a New Trick
Or
What I Missed While Saving the World
Or
[How I Hope to Develop My Prose Style]
A typical boy, I worshipped GI Joes. They made possible gravity defying leaps and secretive missions in the backyard jungle. GI Joes allowed me to channel all of my male warrior bravado through ranks of plastic figures, living out dreams of heroism and bravery. When not preserving the world, I would read books, which only enjoyed a short season of favor at one time during my youth. Once the Boxcar Children ceased to fascinate, and I had finished Tolkien’s Middle Earth series, books were a decidedly un-masculine distraction from more competitive ventures, be it GI Joes, basketball, army, or a computer game challenging ones tactical genius against a friend.
For one so uncultured, Hillsdale has been a literature-appreciation boot camp. To my elated astonishment, people have been reading books all this time because they captivate and wield power absolute: to perplex, to delight, and to persuade. This discovery has re-opened my eyes to the joy in reading and the realization that I have squandered much of my life in utter futility. I have missed out on so much, and to increase my insult, the universe seems to laugh at its joke on me for being so long in this discovery. I am heartened, though, in my remorse, by wisdom imparted to me from the GI Joe cartoon: knowing is half the battle. As a possessor of this knowledge I hold a great power that demands great responsibility.
One of the courses in the boot camp of Hillsdale has been in understanding the mechanics of language and the power of words when arranged in that peculiar manner –elusive, and difficult to mimic, yet easy to perceive – which bestows upon prose a supernatural persuasion. This course has taught much, and indeed continues to teach, but its greatest contribution has been to direct my attention to the authors of literature throughout history who merit reading, and who alone are the true masters. Thus, my path to improvement requires an apprenticeship with these. Observing their strokes. Learning their craft. Under their tutelage, my appreciation for the diversity of prose will continue to increase as I learn to imitate them. I had hoped that this journey would begin immediately during my conscription at Hillsdale, but the masters require patience of me, waiting until I can promise them my undistracted attention.
Essayists, too, desire to teach me much. Not until this class had I taken any interest in the wit and superb style of the Epsteinian author. Joe beckons the inquisitive to take and read, take and read, filling their minds with his divining logic. He does not stand alone though; he writes in a field of outstanding authors awaiting my discovery.
In order to apply the lessons of my tutors, I will continue to write essays similar to the ones assigned in this class. Though professional essayists have long laid hidden from my sight, history texts have afforded numerous examples of essays commenting on the times. From these essays I have learned the value of collecting my perceptions and writing them down. Already this semester I have written one such essay for my parents, looking at family and containing the observations of a son who’s moved out. Forthcoming are essays both for my church back home and the one I attend here with observations on the health of the church. Personal essays too await further attention, fleshing out my beliefs and philosophies on a number of relevant topics.
Once these essays are finished, more will no doubt have grabbed my attention, but they will wait, for a number of the papers completed here at school deserve greater attention. One, even, is published in the recesses of the schools database, allowing me to boast proudly that a google search of my name, along with Jonathan Edward’s, will produce my paper. I have added to it some already, but I look forward to re-examining my thesis and giving fresh vigor to thoughts that have lain dormant for a year.
I seek to further improve my skill by taking up the long forgotten art of letter writing. I have never practiced writing letters with any consistency, but I have intended to for long, and the deep friendships formed here at school provide the impetus to apply my skills and continue these friendships after I graduate in May. During my freshman year I wrote mass e-mails to friends and family and I enjoyed looking at life in terms of events that I could describe in narrative. By writing letters I will be able to practice chronicling the events of my life and additionally, writing in pen and paper forces one to contemplate the formulation of sentences before even the first stroke graces the page. Computers invite hastily writing whatever comes to mind without forethought; letters demand at least enough care for the rhythm and organization of sentences to avoid mass deletion.
The course ahead of me is clear and simple. It does not require magical incantations or the possession of esoteric knowledge, only the fortitude to continue reading consistently and the time to write periodically. If I follow this course, I might, one day, be lauded, a learned man of letters. Or not.
What I Missed While Saving the World
Or
[How I Hope to Develop My Prose Style]
A typical boy, I worshipped GI Joes. They made possible gravity defying leaps and secretive missions in the backyard jungle. GI Joes allowed me to channel all of my male warrior bravado through ranks of plastic figures, living out dreams of heroism and bravery. When not preserving the world, I would read books, which only enjoyed a short season of favor at one time during my youth. Once the Boxcar Children ceased to fascinate, and I had finished Tolkien’s Middle Earth series, books were a decidedly un-masculine distraction from more competitive ventures, be it GI Joes, basketball, army, or a computer game challenging ones tactical genius against a friend.
For one so uncultured, Hillsdale has been a literature-appreciation boot camp. To my elated astonishment, people have been reading books all this time because they captivate and wield power absolute: to perplex, to delight, and to persuade. This discovery has re-opened my eyes to the joy in reading and the realization that I have squandered much of my life in utter futility. I have missed out on so much, and to increase my insult, the universe seems to laugh at its joke on me for being so long in this discovery. I am heartened, though, in my remorse, by wisdom imparted to me from the GI Joe cartoon: knowing is half the battle. As a possessor of this knowledge I hold a great power that demands great responsibility.
One of the courses in the boot camp of Hillsdale has been in understanding the mechanics of language and the power of words when arranged in that peculiar manner –elusive, and difficult to mimic, yet easy to perceive – which bestows upon prose a supernatural persuasion. This course has taught much, and indeed continues to teach, but its greatest contribution has been to direct my attention to the authors of literature throughout history who merit reading, and who alone are the true masters. Thus, my path to improvement requires an apprenticeship with these. Observing their strokes. Learning their craft. Under their tutelage, my appreciation for the diversity of prose will continue to increase as I learn to imitate them. I had hoped that this journey would begin immediately during my conscription at Hillsdale, but the masters require patience of me, waiting until I can promise them my undistracted attention.
Essayists, too, desire to teach me much. Not until this class had I taken any interest in the wit and superb style of the Epsteinian author. Joe beckons the inquisitive to take and read, take and read, filling their minds with his divining logic. He does not stand alone though; he writes in a field of outstanding authors awaiting my discovery.
In order to apply the lessons of my tutors, I will continue to write essays similar to the ones assigned in this class. Though professional essayists have long laid hidden from my sight, history texts have afforded numerous examples of essays commenting on the times. From these essays I have learned the value of collecting my perceptions and writing them down. Already this semester I have written one such essay for my parents, looking at family and containing the observations of a son who’s moved out. Forthcoming are essays both for my church back home and the one I attend here with observations on the health of the church. Personal essays too await further attention, fleshing out my beliefs and philosophies on a number of relevant topics.
Once these essays are finished, more will no doubt have grabbed my attention, but they will wait, for a number of the papers completed here at school deserve greater attention. One, even, is published in the recesses of the schools database, allowing me to boast proudly that a google search of my name, along with Jonathan Edward’s, will produce my paper. I have added to it some already, but I look forward to re-examining my thesis and giving fresh vigor to thoughts that have lain dormant for a year.
I seek to further improve my skill by taking up the long forgotten art of letter writing. I have never practiced writing letters with any consistency, but I have intended to for long, and the deep friendships formed here at school provide the impetus to apply my skills and continue these friendships after I graduate in May. During my freshman year I wrote mass e-mails to friends and family and I enjoyed looking at life in terms of events that I could describe in narrative. By writing letters I will be able to practice chronicling the events of my life and additionally, writing in pen and paper forces one to contemplate the formulation of sentences before even the first stroke graces the page. Computers invite hastily writing whatever comes to mind without forethought; letters demand at least enough care for the rhythm and organization of sentences to avoid mass deletion.
The course ahead of me is clear and simple. It does not require magical incantations or the possession of esoteric knowledge, only the fortitude to continue reading consistently and the time to write periodically. If I follow this course, I might, one day, be lauded, a learned man of letters. Or not.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
A Movie Worthy of It's Name
The Incredibles, directed by Brad Bird and produced by Pixar Studios (2004), exemplifies what films can be when they receive the attention and thought of a keen mind. Bird’s film tells an engaging story while inspiring many laughs and teaching the observant audience a number of lessons.
Many, even most, will fail to realize the potential of The Incredibles primarily because few will expect to find thought provoking themes in a children’s movie. Brad Bird proves himself a true craftsman here, recognizing the potential of his art and carefully measuring each step to create a work of surprising depth.
The movie follows the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Parr, Bob and Helen, who were once superheroes and who now spend their energies raising their three kids Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. When the villain learns that Bob Parr is the retired superhero Mr. Incredible, he seeks to destroy Mr. Parr and his family so that he can gain power without any to stop him.
The Incredibles is so refreshing as a film largely because of Bird’s willingness to openly promote family values. One must watch his work numerous times to fully appreciate it though, for like the author of a good book, he is not content to advance only a single theme. Multiple viewings expose a number of thoughtful ideas. Syndrome, the evil genius, lives on an island named Nomanisan Island –No Man Is An Island – suggesting that Mr. Incredible can’t succeed on his own, and possibly even the idea that secluding oneself from the stabilizing influence of family, such as Syndrome has done, can be destructive. Self-sacrifice too is often lauded, with the parents frequently shielding their children from danger, and in one scene, the daughter throws herself in front of her brother to save him from the enemy’s bullets. On the issue of gender roles, Bird paints a picture of how a husband and wife can work together in a way that affirms and embraces the value of each without being demeaning to either. This, it seems, is especially interesting because Bird’s idea on this avoids both the chauvinistic domineering male error and the empowered feminist trap; it shows the wife as supportive and affirming of her husband as the bread winner and leader in the family, while also being able to assert herself and step in where her husband is wrong. More still is tucked away: statements on the nature of evil, a frankness about the consequences of ones actions rarely seen in children’s movies – people actually die, and even a jab at mediocrity in education.
Brad Bird encourages unity in marriage and makes a case for the value of family. Perhaps one of the strongest cases for this never even made it into the movie, though. In a deleted scene from the DVD, one can watch an alternative opening to the movie where Helen and Bob are having a neighborhood barbecue to introduce themselves. Helen overhears one of the neighborhood women ridiculing stay-at-home mothers for throwing their lives away. While concealing details of her past, Helen angrily defends motherhood, saying that she left a job saving peoples lives to raise a family; and, she says, “nobody’s going to tell me it’s any less important.” Bird wrote this scene because he loved the idea of a superhero defending being a mom; something his own wife struggled with when she left a lucrative career in film editing to become a homemaker. This scene reveals much about the movies author: not only is he actively promoting the family in this film, but he himself places a strong emphasis on family in his own life.
When he is forced to retire from his work as a superhero, Mr. Incredible does not handle his transformation into Bob Parr well. He grows restless in his cubicle job and only manages to keep his sanity by listening to police scanners at night so he can play the vigilante hero. This grasping for purpose sets up the importance of family in Bird’s film. Helen Parr, formerly Elastigirl, makes the transition without difficulty because where she once found purpose in saving people’s lives, she now finds purpose in the home. While exchanging vows at the altar, she tells Bob “I love you, but if we’re going to make this work, you’ve got to be more than Mr. Incredible, you know that, don’t you?” The Incredibles follows Bob Parr’s journey to discovering this truth: that his family is a priceless treasure.
Syndrome sells weapons of his own design to tyrannical governments and tests them on superheroes he lures to his island. He draws Bob to his island under the pretence that he will be generously rewarded for helping a secret government agency recapture a killer robot that has gone missing. Bird plays heavily on the theme of purpose here. Bob has a gift and he cannot forget it, even to the point of forcing his family to relocate each time that he reveals his super strength. This makes him distracted while at home and apathetic towards his family as he searches for opportunities to play the hero. When he returns home from a late night adventure early in the film, Helen is waiting for him and scolds him for threatening to blow their cover again so he can relive his past. Helen pleads with Bob to make family a priority, saying of their superhero days that “Yes, they happened. But this, our family, is what’s happening now Bob, and you’re missing this.” In contrast to his distracted searching, when Bob comes home after successfully defeating Syndrome’s robot, he again feels satisfied after fulfilling his purpose and spends time playing with and helping his children, while being attentive to his wife and even reviving a playful flirtatiousness in their marriage.
Bob has still not learned his lesson, though. His family continues playing second fiddle to his thirst for purpose. He has been lying to his wife about his mission to Syndrome’s island, and instead of going to work each day, he heads off for a secret workout routine to get back into shape. This lie places his family in danger as they track Bob back to Nomanisan Island for his second mission. Only when he thinks they have been killed does he realize his error: ignoring his family so he can pretend to live in the past. This prompts Bob to confess to his family, on discovering their survival that he was “so obsessed with being undervalued that” he undervalued all of them, “you,” he continues, “are my greatest adventure and I almost missed it.” He has seen the value of his family, but he must also learn to trust his family and to rely upon them for help. He realizes this when he and his family face Syndrome’s ultimate weapon, the omnidroid. Upon confronting the machine, Bob asks Helen to stay behind while he attacks the robot. When she disputes this, wanting to help, Bob say’s that he’s not strong enough to lose his family again, and that he has to fight alone. Helen, moved by this honesty, tells him that if they fight together, he won’t have to lose them. No man is an island. Bob, though strong, must be more than super and allow his family to support him.
Within this theme of family, Bird takes several opportunities to focus in on the centrality of marriage. In a scene on the island where the children are hiding, Violet explains to Dash the gravity of their situation, saying “Do you think we’re on vacation or something? Mom’s and Dad’s lives could be in jeopardy, or worse, their marriage.” Though a little contrived sounding for a fourteen-year old, Bird prefers being over handed in this instance in order to reaffirm values that have long been losing ground. Later, in the scene where Bob wishes to fight the omnidroid alone, Helen tells Bob that he is her husband and she is sticking to him no matter what, reminding him of their vow “’til death do us part.” She will not leave her husband; they must face adversity together. This brief moment in the midst of the action is easily missed, but its seeming triviality even further emphasizes the point that vigilant attention is required in even the smallest moment to preserve a strong marriage.
Many, even most, will fail to realize the potential of The Incredibles primarily because few will expect to find thought provoking themes in a children’s movie. Brad Bird proves himself a true craftsman here, recognizing the potential of his art and carefully measuring each step to create a work of surprising depth.
The movie follows the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Parr, Bob and Helen, who were once superheroes and who now spend their energies raising their three kids Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. When the villain learns that Bob Parr is the retired superhero Mr. Incredible, he seeks to destroy Mr. Parr and his family so that he can gain power without any to stop him.
The Incredibles is so refreshing as a film largely because of Bird’s willingness to openly promote family values. One must watch his work numerous times to fully appreciate it though, for like the author of a good book, he is not content to advance only a single theme. Multiple viewings expose a number of thoughtful ideas. Syndrome, the evil genius, lives on an island named Nomanisan Island –No Man Is An Island – suggesting that Mr. Incredible can’t succeed on his own, and possibly even the idea that secluding oneself from the stabilizing influence of family, such as Syndrome has done, can be destructive. Self-sacrifice too is often lauded, with the parents frequently shielding their children from danger, and in one scene, the daughter throws herself in front of her brother to save him from the enemy’s bullets. On the issue of gender roles, Bird paints a picture of how a husband and wife can work together in a way that affirms and embraces the value of each without being demeaning to either. This, it seems, is especially interesting because Bird’s idea on this avoids both the chauvinistic domineering male error and the empowered feminist trap; it shows the wife as supportive and affirming of her husband as the bread winner and leader in the family, while also being able to assert herself and step in where her husband is wrong. More still is tucked away: statements on the nature of evil, a frankness about the consequences of ones actions rarely seen in children’s movies – people actually die, and even a jab at mediocrity in education.
Brad Bird encourages unity in marriage and makes a case for the value of family. Perhaps one of the strongest cases for this never even made it into the movie, though. In a deleted scene from the DVD, one can watch an alternative opening to the movie where Helen and Bob are having a neighborhood barbecue to introduce themselves. Helen overhears one of the neighborhood women ridiculing stay-at-home mothers for throwing their lives away. While concealing details of her past, Helen angrily defends motherhood, saying that she left a job saving peoples lives to raise a family; and, she says, “nobody’s going to tell me it’s any less important.” Bird wrote this scene because he loved the idea of a superhero defending being a mom; something his own wife struggled with when she left a lucrative career in film editing to become a homemaker. This scene reveals much about the movies author: not only is he actively promoting the family in this film, but he himself places a strong emphasis on family in his own life.
When he is forced to retire from his work as a superhero, Mr. Incredible does not handle his transformation into Bob Parr well. He grows restless in his cubicle job and only manages to keep his sanity by listening to police scanners at night so he can play the vigilante hero. This grasping for purpose sets up the importance of family in Bird’s film. Helen Parr, formerly Elastigirl, makes the transition without difficulty because where she once found purpose in saving people’s lives, she now finds purpose in the home. While exchanging vows at the altar, she tells Bob “I love you, but if we’re going to make this work, you’ve got to be more than Mr. Incredible, you know that, don’t you?” The Incredibles follows Bob Parr’s journey to discovering this truth: that his family is a priceless treasure.
Syndrome sells weapons of his own design to tyrannical governments and tests them on superheroes he lures to his island. He draws Bob to his island under the pretence that he will be generously rewarded for helping a secret government agency recapture a killer robot that has gone missing. Bird plays heavily on the theme of purpose here. Bob has a gift and he cannot forget it, even to the point of forcing his family to relocate each time that he reveals his super strength. This makes him distracted while at home and apathetic towards his family as he searches for opportunities to play the hero. When he returns home from a late night adventure early in the film, Helen is waiting for him and scolds him for threatening to blow their cover again so he can relive his past. Helen pleads with Bob to make family a priority, saying of their superhero days that “Yes, they happened. But this, our family, is what’s happening now Bob, and you’re missing this.” In contrast to his distracted searching, when Bob comes home after successfully defeating Syndrome’s robot, he again feels satisfied after fulfilling his purpose and spends time playing with and helping his children, while being attentive to his wife and even reviving a playful flirtatiousness in their marriage.
Bob has still not learned his lesson, though. His family continues playing second fiddle to his thirst for purpose. He has been lying to his wife about his mission to Syndrome’s island, and instead of going to work each day, he heads off for a secret workout routine to get back into shape. This lie places his family in danger as they track Bob back to Nomanisan Island for his second mission. Only when he thinks they have been killed does he realize his error: ignoring his family so he can pretend to live in the past. This prompts Bob to confess to his family, on discovering their survival that he was “so obsessed with being undervalued that” he undervalued all of them, “you,” he continues, “are my greatest adventure and I almost missed it.” He has seen the value of his family, but he must also learn to trust his family and to rely upon them for help. He realizes this when he and his family face Syndrome’s ultimate weapon, the omnidroid. Upon confronting the machine, Bob asks Helen to stay behind while he attacks the robot. When she disputes this, wanting to help, Bob say’s that he’s not strong enough to lose his family again, and that he has to fight alone. Helen, moved by this honesty, tells him that if they fight together, he won’t have to lose them. No man is an island. Bob, though strong, must be more than super and allow his family to support him.
Within this theme of family, Bird takes several opportunities to focus in on the centrality of marriage. In a scene on the island where the children are hiding, Violet explains to Dash the gravity of their situation, saying “Do you think we’re on vacation or something? Mom’s and Dad’s lives could be in jeopardy, or worse, their marriage.” Though a little contrived sounding for a fourteen-year old, Bird prefers being over handed in this instance in order to reaffirm values that have long been losing ground. Later, in the scene where Bob wishes to fight the omnidroid alone, Helen tells Bob that he is her husband and she is sticking to him no matter what, reminding him of their vow “’til death do us part.” She will not leave her husband; they must face adversity together. This brief moment in the midst of the action is easily missed, but its seeming triviality even further emphasizes the point that vigilant attention is required in even the smallest moment to preserve a strong marriage.
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