There's so much to talk about since my last blog: The Gulf Coast Writers Conference, my housesitting trip to Birmingham which was rained out, helping my mom prepare for her trip to Mississippi. But since today is the Day of Atonement I would like to share some thoughts:
What does the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) have to do with Believers in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ? It is one of the Feasts of the Lord mentioned in Leviticus 23. In Hebrew, Feasts is moedim, or “appointed times.” The seventh month is called Tishrei (Tish-RAY). Yom Kippur literally means Day of Covering. It is a day of atoning for sins, to cover them, to put them in the past, and to remember what our Savior did for us.
Three things that are commanded on Yom Kippur:
1. “Afflict your souls”
2. “Do no manner of work”
3. “Offer an offering of fire”
1. What does it mean to “afflict your souls?”:
According to Jewish tradition the phrase “afflict your souls” means to fast. How do we get “fast” from “afflict your souls”? From the Bible, of course! See Isaiah 58: 3-7.
2. “Do no manner of work”: This day is a day of rest, to focus on God and his redeeming work, to purge the sin from our lives and begin the next year focused on Him.
3. “Offer an offering of fire”: This part was designed for the tabernacle and temple worship when the people would bring a fire offering. Since there’s no temple, and we have a better sacrifice, we cannot bring an offering of fire.
A better sacrifice?
"Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year [only on Yom Kippur] with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."--Hebrews 9: 23-26
Jesus is our High Priest AND our sin offering.
"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool." -- Hebrews 10: 11-13
Happy Yom Kippur!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Quick bug story
This is a little too much to post as a Facebook status, but the website is experiencing trouble and won't let me post this as a Note. So here it is on the blog:
Just a little while ago I took some trash out to the garbage can. The corner of the house is dark and when I opened the lid I felt two bugs hit me. I thought "Uh-oh! I ran into a spider web!" I went back inside and immediately told Ellen what happened, that I think I ran into a spider web, is anything on me?
Okay, first of all let me say that Ellen is terrified of bugs and I am the designated bug killer in the family. I wear size 14 shoes so I have no problem with squishing the little guys and hearing the little "pop" underneath my sneakers! (Too graphic? Sorry...)
So when I ask her if she sees anything, she starts screaming! After 11 years I know it's not fake play screaming, but the "There's something there" screaming! She's doing the typical girlie screaming where she's fanning her hands really quickly as if she's trying to shake something off them, and she emitting a high-pitched yell! I take that as a yes.
But now I'm starting to panic! And it's all in sloooow-motion. It only lasted about a second: One thousand one; one second. But of course, it more like: What is it? (One...) A Black Widow? A Brown Recluse? (Thou...) Is it going to bite me and inject me with it's venom?! (...sand...) What is it?! Why won't you get it off?! Is it going to bite me now?! (One...) Don't just stand there! Help me!!
Ellen got her bravery on and slapped my arm a couple of times knocking the critter off. "Step on it! Step on it!" You don't have to tell me twice! I stepped on it, and then I asked her, "What was it?"
"A praying mantis."
A praying mantis? That's it? I could have released the thing back outside. After all, it's not like it was going to try to mate with me and bite my head off. But still I didn't know what it was; I stepped first and asked questions later like any man would do.
But Ellen did a very brave thing. She swiped at the bug with her bare hands, alleviating the threat. Way to go Ellen!
I hope she responds to this because I would like to hear her version of events. One thing she said was that right before she swatted at it, it turned it's head and looked at her. Yeah, that would be kinda creepy...
Just a little while ago I took some trash out to the garbage can. The corner of the house is dark and when I opened the lid I felt two bugs hit me. I thought "Uh-oh! I ran into a spider web!" I went back inside and immediately told Ellen what happened, that I think I ran into a spider web, is anything on me?
Okay, first of all let me say that Ellen is terrified of bugs and I am the designated bug killer in the family. I wear size 14 shoes so I have no problem with squishing the little guys and hearing the little "pop" underneath my sneakers! (Too graphic? Sorry...)
So when I ask her if she sees anything, she starts screaming! After 11 years I know it's not fake play screaming, but the "There's something there" screaming! She's doing the typical girlie screaming where she's fanning her hands really quickly as if she's trying to shake something off them, and she emitting a high-pitched yell! I take that as a yes.
But now I'm starting to panic! And it's all in sloooow-motion. It only lasted about a second: One thousand one; one second. But of course, it more like: What is it? (One...) A Black Widow? A Brown Recluse? (Thou...) Is it going to bite me and inject me with it's venom?! (...sand...) What is it?! Why won't you get it off?! Is it going to bite me now?! (One...) Don't just stand there! Help me!!
Ellen got her bravery on and slapped my arm a couple of times knocking the critter off. "Step on it! Step on it!" You don't have to tell me twice! I stepped on it, and then I asked her, "What was it?"
"A praying mantis."
A praying mantis? That's it? I could have released the thing back outside. After all, it's not like it was going to try to mate with me and bite my head off. But still I didn't know what it was; I stepped first and asked questions later like any man would do.
But Ellen did a very brave thing. She swiped at the bug with her bare hands, alleviating the threat. Way to go Ellen!
I hope she responds to this because I would like to hear her version of events. One thing she said was that right before she swatted at it, it turned it's head and looked at her. Yeah, that would be kinda creepy...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Embracing Evil
Today I have a few thoughts regarding vampires. I do not have a lot of time or space to say everything I'd like, but just a few things. For one, ever since I was a little kid I enjoyed vampire movies (please follow me here and reserve any judgment until the end). There are several that even today stand out in my mind: Dracula, Fright Night, The Lost Boys, Nosferatu (both versions). But the I can't get into the newer stuff particularly Twilight and Sookie Sackhouse (True Blood), which I believe were ushered in by the Interview With The Vampire movie adaptation in the 1990s. Some people would say that Believers shouldn't watch anything with vampires, period. But there's something about people fighting a diabolical creature, an epic struggle of good versus evil, and seeing the seemingly invinclible monster defeated.
That's it! Film critic Leonard Maltin calls the vampire in 1922's Nosferatu "the ugliest vampire in film history." This first (and unauthorized) film version of Dracula scared many people because of the rat-like creature. He is thin, bald, has two long sharp close-set fangs jutting out from his mouth, and long, claw-like fingers with sharp nails. In fact, the 1979 German remake explains the vampire's arrival as the cause of the great Plague. (Okay, stay with me here.)
That's what's so wonderful about Dracula, that eerily filmed 1931 Universal classic starring Bela Lugosi. Who can forget that accent? "I don't drink... vine." The movie still knows how to hold an audience, and imagine what it did to those post-Depression moviegoers investing their hard earned coins to see this charming deceptive creature prey on the unsuspecting! They probably wanted to yell at Renfield (Jonathan Harker in the novel): "Get out of there! He's going to bite you!"
And that's the difference. The vampires of old were threats. Death incarnate. Evil personified. Countless works have been written on the Christian symbolism in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, the book that popularized the vampire myth. The power of the Cross, the burning of holy water and sunlight, and of course, the drinking of blood. The Bible cautions us not to drink blood because the blood is the life. The vampire is a symbol of the devil. He gets his strength from people not believing he is this evil thing. He is undead. There is no life for him, but he is immortal; however, he can only retain his immortality by taking the lifeforce within the living. He can take an unsuspecting life walking outside among the world, but must be invited into one's home before he can attack there. And once the invitation is given it cannot be revoked.
Today's vampire culture is the exact opposite of Stoker's original vision. The vampire is a misunderstood outcast who only wants to find a place in this world. The vampire protagonist is not evil, although his enemies are and usually for personal reasons. Crosses have no effect. Holy water only makes him wet. He will attack in someone's home if he so chooses. Sunlight seems to still be a factor, although some modern stories have "daywalkers," vampires who are not even affected by sunlight.
In other words, they are saying the devil is not really evil. The great vampire stories of old contain innocent people whose lives are threatened by demonic beasts. Today, these creatures are the innocent victims, who only want acceptance and love... and blood. Do not invite them in! There is a wonderful new novel addressing the idea of a vampire who does evil, but thinks he's doing good. Unlike most stories today, this one does not shy away from this troubling issue, but tackles it head on in a grippingly suspenseful way: http://www.thejudgingnovel.com/.
That's it! Film critic Leonard Maltin calls the vampire in 1922's Nosferatu "the ugliest vampire in film history." This first (and unauthorized) film version of Dracula scared many people because of the rat-like creature. He is thin, bald, has two long sharp close-set fangs jutting out from his mouth, and long, claw-like fingers with sharp nails. In fact, the 1979 German remake explains the vampire's arrival as the cause of the great Plague. (Okay, stay with me here.)
That's what's so wonderful about Dracula, that eerily filmed 1931 Universal classic starring Bela Lugosi. Who can forget that accent? "I don't drink... vine." The movie still knows how to hold an audience, and imagine what it did to those post-Depression moviegoers investing their hard earned coins to see this charming deceptive creature prey on the unsuspecting! They probably wanted to yell at Renfield (Jonathan Harker in the novel): "Get out of there! He's going to bite you!"
And that's the difference. The vampires of old were threats. Death incarnate. Evil personified. Countless works have been written on the Christian symbolism in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, the book that popularized the vampire myth. The power of the Cross, the burning of holy water and sunlight, and of course, the drinking of blood. The Bible cautions us not to drink blood because the blood is the life. The vampire is a symbol of the devil. He gets his strength from people not believing he is this evil thing. He is undead. There is no life for him, but he is immortal; however, he can only retain his immortality by taking the lifeforce within the living. He can take an unsuspecting life walking outside among the world, but must be invited into one's home before he can attack there. And once the invitation is given it cannot be revoked.
Today's vampire culture is the exact opposite of Stoker's original vision. The vampire is a misunderstood outcast who only wants to find a place in this world. The vampire protagonist is not evil, although his enemies are and usually for personal reasons. Crosses have no effect. Holy water only makes him wet. He will attack in someone's home if he so chooses. Sunlight seems to still be a factor, although some modern stories have "daywalkers," vampires who are not even affected by sunlight.
In other words, they are saying the devil is not really evil. The great vampire stories of old contain innocent people whose lives are threatened by demonic beasts. Today, these creatures are the innocent victims, who only want acceptance and love... and blood. Do not invite them in! There is a wonderful new novel addressing the idea of a vampire who does evil, but thinks he's doing good. Unlike most stories today, this one does not shy away from this troubling issue, but tackles it head on in a grippingly suspenseful way: http://www.thejudgingnovel.com/.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Minors allowed!
For some thoughts on minor characters I would like to begin by quoting James Scott Bell*: "Supporting players should serve one of two purposes in a story. They either help or hinder the main character. They are allies or irritants."
Mr. Bell hit the nail on the head particularly referring to them as "supporting players". Think of the Academy Awards, affectionately called "the Oscars." There's a category for Best Supporting Actor (or more precisely, Best Actor in a Supporting Role). Let's take a look at last year's winner Heath Ledger for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. What would the story be without the Joker? Pretty boring, right? The Joker was an "irritant" (and that is an understatement). But then again consider the character of Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart. Dent is a minor character who begins as an ally who helps and then becomes an irritant that hinders. (According to http://www.imdb.com/, the film grossed $533,316,061 so I'm taking a chance that you've seen this movie). Minor characters do not have to stay one way or the other.
What about Sam Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones (another Academy Award winner for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), the relentless U.S. marshal who pursues Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive. Is he an ally or irritant? To Dr. Kimble, he is an irritant. Remember that the minor character must help or hinder the main character. That he is a law enforcement officer chasing an escaped criminal does not matter. The story is about a wrongfully accused man trying to find his wife's killer and prove his innocence.
Minor characters who are an ally can add something special to a story, too. Take Sam, the hobbit from The Lord of the Rings who stays with Frodo from the lush green Shire to the rocky fires of Mount Doom. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo agrees to destroy the One Ring. By the end of The Return of the King, Sam is just as much as part of the journey as his master. Frodo would not have made it without Sam, who ends up literally carrying him.
And what would Casablanca be without Sam (Dooley Wilson)? Sam keeps Rick (Humphrey Bogart) in check. He was with Rick in Paris and he went with him to Casablanca. He remembers Ilsa, when the Nazis invaded Paris and when Rick stood in the rain reading the letter that Ilsa wrote telling him she would not be leaving with him. Sam is Rick's partner, confidant and friend. Without Sam, Rick's Cafe Americain would just be another saloon.
Have fun with your minor characters! To quote Mr. Bell one more time regarding allies and irritants: "If they aren't one or the other, what are they doing in the story except taking up space?"
*James Scott Bell, "Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing", Writer's Digest Books
Mr. Bell hit the nail on the head particularly referring to them as "supporting players". Think of the Academy Awards, affectionately called "the Oscars." There's a category for Best Supporting Actor (or more precisely, Best Actor in a Supporting Role). Let's take a look at last year's winner Heath Ledger for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. What would the story be without the Joker? Pretty boring, right? The Joker was an "irritant" (and that is an understatement). But then again consider the character of Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart. Dent is a minor character who begins as an ally who helps and then becomes an irritant that hinders. (According to http://www.imdb.com/, the film grossed $533,316,061 so I'm taking a chance that you've seen this movie). Minor characters do not have to stay one way or the other.
What about Sam Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones (another Academy Award winner for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), the relentless U.S. marshal who pursues Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive. Is he an ally or irritant? To Dr. Kimble, he is an irritant. Remember that the minor character must help or hinder the main character. That he is a law enforcement officer chasing an escaped criminal does not matter. The story is about a wrongfully accused man trying to find his wife's killer and prove his innocence.
Minor characters who are an ally can add something special to a story, too. Take Sam, the hobbit from The Lord of the Rings who stays with Frodo from the lush green Shire to the rocky fires of Mount Doom. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo agrees to destroy the One Ring. By the end of The Return of the King, Sam is just as much as part of the journey as his master. Frodo would not have made it without Sam, who ends up literally carrying him.
And what would Casablanca be without Sam (Dooley Wilson)? Sam keeps Rick (Humphrey Bogart) in check. He was with Rick in Paris and he went with him to Casablanca. He remembers Ilsa, when the Nazis invaded Paris and when Rick stood in the rain reading the letter that Ilsa wrote telling him she would not be leaving with him. Sam is Rick's partner, confidant and friend. Without Sam, Rick's Cafe Americain would just be another saloon.
Have fun with your minor characters! To quote Mr. Bell one more time regarding allies and irritants: "If they aren't one or the other, what are they doing in the story except taking up space?"
*James Scott Bell, "Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing", Writer's Digest Books
Monday, September 14, 2009
Legend
Here's something I wrote last year I thought I'd share. Some thoughts on the 1985 movie Legend:
Some movies stand the test of time. Some do not. As a teenager growing up in the 80’s, one of my favorite movies was 1985’s Legend with Tom Cruise and Mia (Ferris Bueller’s girlfriend) Sara. Maybe it was the way director Ridley Scott brought his fantasy world to life with real unicorns and magical creatures. After all, I had been a fan of Scott’s since Alien, who went on to direct one of the all-time scifi classics, Blade Runner. Maybe it was seeing an unrecognizable Tim Curry as the devil-like Darkness. Or maybe it was just seeing Mia Sara grace the screen again (sigh).
So imagine my excitement when it was announced several years ago when Legend was coming to DVD. What a great way to relive a little nostalgia! So when I finally rented it, I wondered one thing: Did the movie really suck that bad when it was first released? Seriously, this movie reached such a state of suckdom that this viewer had never seen! What happened? Had my tastes changed so much? Were other movies of the 80’s that bad? Was Blade Runner not the apex of cinema I thought it was? Was Amadeus all pomp and no circumstance? What about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? What did all of this mean?
Maybe it means that people’s tastes change. After all, the movie did not do well at the box office. But could it have changed that much? I watched the movie on VHS over and over as a teen, and never got tired of it. I watched it on DVD as an adult and couldn’t stand it. I don’t think I finished it! What happened to the great fantasy movie I loved? I understand that every fantasy movie cannot be on par with The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, but I would almost watch Quest of the Delta Knights without the MST3K gang before sitting through Legend again.
In case you’ve never seen it the movie is basically about who can have the longest and silkiest hair: Tom Cruise or Ms. Sara. Tom Cruise seems like he’s going to win the prize since he’s Tom Cruise (even in the 80’s), but of course, my vote is for Mia Sara since she already played the part previously in the aforementioned Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
And the versatile Tim Curry wears more makeup here than he did in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which should tell you immediately that you’re going to be in for a bumpy ride. And to make matters worse, he does not even sing. There’s also some unicorns, which will make a brief appearance a few years later in Ridley Scott’s older film Blade Runner (?). [Note: Scott added some stock footage of Legend into the “Director’s Cut” and “Final Cut” of Blade Runner because it was cheaper than taping those horns onto new horses]. There’s also some ugly dwarves running around like demented munchkins doing some… demented munchkin stuff. As a matter of fact, Billy Barty did play one of the dwarves…
The movie also had some interesting music by Tangerine Dream. Or Jerry Goldsmith. Actually, it depends on which version you see. Tangerine Dream did the score for the American version while Goldsmith did the music for the European version. They actually did the same thing with the actors. In the United States, the film Legend starred (just in case you forgot) Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry while in Europe the film starred Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley Kilmer and Warwick Davis and was called Willow. And actually, it too starred Billy Barty. Really.
The DVD is billed as Legend: Ultimate Edition. What’s ultimate about it? It takes an 89 minute film and drags it out to 114 minutes (that’s 25 extra minutes!!). Recap: Good versus evil, Darkness loses, Tom Cruise is the star, Mia Sara has the hair.
Some movies stand the test of time. Some do not. As a teenager growing up in the 80’s, one of my favorite movies was 1985’s Legend with Tom Cruise and Mia (Ferris Bueller’s girlfriend) Sara. Maybe it was the way director Ridley Scott brought his fantasy world to life with real unicorns and magical creatures. After all, I had been a fan of Scott’s since Alien, who went on to direct one of the all-time scifi classics, Blade Runner. Maybe it was seeing an unrecognizable Tim Curry as the devil-like Darkness. Or maybe it was just seeing Mia Sara grace the screen again (sigh).
So imagine my excitement when it was announced several years ago when Legend was coming to DVD. What a great way to relive a little nostalgia! So when I finally rented it, I wondered one thing: Did the movie really suck that bad when it was first released? Seriously, this movie reached such a state of suckdom that this viewer had never seen! What happened? Had my tastes changed so much? Were other movies of the 80’s that bad? Was Blade Runner not the apex of cinema I thought it was? Was Amadeus all pomp and no circumstance? What about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? What did all of this mean?
Maybe it means that people’s tastes change. After all, the movie did not do well at the box office. But could it have changed that much? I watched the movie on VHS over and over as a teen, and never got tired of it. I watched it on DVD as an adult and couldn’t stand it. I don’t think I finished it! What happened to the great fantasy movie I loved? I understand that every fantasy movie cannot be on par with The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, but I would almost watch Quest of the Delta Knights without the MST3K gang before sitting through Legend again.
In case you’ve never seen it the movie is basically about who can have the longest and silkiest hair: Tom Cruise or Ms. Sara. Tom Cruise seems like he’s going to win the prize since he’s Tom Cruise (even in the 80’s), but of course, my vote is for Mia Sara since she already played the part previously in the aforementioned Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
And the versatile Tim Curry wears more makeup here than he did in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which should tell you immediately that you’re going to be in for a bumpy ride. And to make matters worse, he does not even sing. There’s also some unicorns, which will make a brief appearance a few years later in Ridley Scott’s older film Blade Runner (?). [Note: Scott added some stock footage of Legend into the “Director’s Cut” and “Final Cut” of Blade Runner because it was cheaper than taping those horns onto new horses]. There’s also some ugly dwarves running around like demented munchkins doing some… demented munchkin stuff. As a matter of fact, Billy Barty did play one of the dwarves…
The movie also had some interesting music by Tangerine Dream. Or Jerry Goldsmith. Actually, it depends on which version you see. Tangerine Dream did the score for the American version while Goldsmith did the music for the European version. They actually did the same thing with the actors. In the United States, the film Legend starred (just in case you forgot) Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry while in Europe the film starred Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley Kilmer and Warwick Davis and was called Willow. And actually, it too starred Billy Barty. Really.
The DVD is billed as Legend: Ultimate Edition. What’s ultimate about it? It takes an 89 minute film and drags it out to 114 minutes (that’s 25 extra minutes!!). Recap: Good versus evil, Darkness loses, Tom Cruise is the star, Mia Sara has the hair.
We are live!
Well, after much time and deliberation the blog is up! I'll be writing about my novel Shadow Man, about writing in general, about movies, about pretty much anything. If you have comments, I'd be interested in reading them!
I'm working on finalizing my proposal for Shadow Man. And there's just FOUR more days until the Gulf Coast Writers Conference!
I'm working on finalizing my proposal for Shadow Man. And there's just FOUR more days until the Gulf Coast Writers Conference!
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