March Break:

Travel In a Nutshell:

So here I am. I’m back in good old Pennsylvania. I am back in my home of insanity and slow internet, but at least I have an awesome family that I love to death that I can come home to. Let me start with the trip itself:

Driving is cool, but like anything good... too much of a good thing is an awesome thing... I mean too much of a good thing is a bad thing. The prospect of driving sixteen and a half hours from Arctic Circle Sussex, New Brunswick to Podunk, Pennsylvania (not too much of a change other than the weather) wasn’t exactly thrilling. I was in decent company, people I really don’t hang out with much, but friends none-the-less.

Somehow the trip ended up being shorter than the estimated 16.5 hours. Someone tell me how we pulled out of Sussex, N.B. at 7 AM (Atlantic Standard time) and I arrived in Potts Grove, PA at 7 PM (Eastern Standard time). This is with 3 stops for gas, a lunch stop, 2 drop offs and a phone call stop. It baffles me.

So here I am at home... well... at this second I’m on break at work, but that is a different story (my job rules). Anyway, the break has been cool, I’ve been able to do some shopping and ministry with the youth group. I got roped in yesterday to lead a small group and lead worship in Sunday School - that ruled. Anywho - break is over... more later.

What Happens When Cartoons *Censored*:

Ok, so that title presents a bit of a bad picture, but I had the biggest laugh the other day. So I am sitting at work and I’m sitting in our kitchen (which doubles as my office) and one of the employee’s kids were sitting in there watching the Public Television station. There are very recognizable shows on PBS like Sesame Street, etc. Today’s show at this time was Arthur: everyone’s favorite animated aardvark.

As we all well know from our years educational television, each show has a moral lesson that they teach. For example, a show might present the consequences of dishonesty or the importance of helping others. Today’s show as about swearing!

I couldn’t believe it! I’m sitting here listening to strings of profanities the were cut out by the *censored* bleep. What was even funnier is this: every time that the word was used, every background noise was cut out for a second or two and the silence was broken by someone dropping a glass or some from of breakable dish ware. I had all I could do to keep from busting up laughing! It was so funny. Being a person with a vivid imagination, I was about to fill in the blanks with different combinations of obscenities in my mind.

Why is it that the concept of educational television teaching foul language to our children entertaining? Maybe it’s just the shock value of Elmo dropping the f-bomb or Ms. Frizzle accusing one of her Magic School Bus patrons of being an illegitimate child. You’d never expect it! Cartoons of our childhood end up embodying that childhood innocence and when our beloved characters do something out of the ordinary that it rocks our paradigm of thinking.

The Controversial Christ:

Last night I saw The Passion of The Christ. This movie has been surrounded with controversy and accusations of anti-Semitism and graphic violence. I went in with an open mind and with the Gospels account on mind to see how well the suffering and death of Christ. The only thing that I can describe it in the word “Wow”.

To answer the claims of violence: the violence that was shown towards Christ was very real, but not excessive. Sure, while watching it, I wanted it to stop... but that was because I knew that He did that for me. I wanted to step in the the way of the rods or the whips. I deserved it, He didn’t. One of the criminals hanging next to Jesus said, “My punishment is justifiable, Lord. Yours is not.” I felt the same way... He bore the entire weight of the sin of the world on His shoulders.

The movie shows a lot from the perspectives of the other people involved: Peter, Mary, John-Mark, Mary Magdeline, Judas Ischariot... It was powerful. Sure, there was a little creative interpretation taken with the perspectives, but they were mostly flashbacks from different aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry.

As a student of the Word, I wouldn’t call it the Bible or a word for word account of what happened, but it is as it was. Gibson took interpretive liberty with the film, but he did not change anything that was. There was no heresy: they showed both the humanity and deity of Christ. The Trinity was not attacked, but shown through the representation in Jesus’ prayers and calling out to Father God as well as the comfort brought to Jesus by the Holy Spirit while on trial.

No greater love was shown to us than from He who laid His life down for His friends... He called us His friends. C.S. Lewis said that Christ had to either be a liar, a lunatic, or our Lord. Jesus is our Lord.

“Sheila, Nooooooo!”:

Like most women, vehicles are one of the most costly investment in a man’s life. (Please, ladies, if you’re reading this, know that guys do enjoy spending money on you because you are worth it, but you must also realize the expense of chivalry.) I’ve come the the conclusion that there is a vicious involving both work and vehicle expenses.

You see, in order to get a car, you need to have a job. Here is where the cycle starts. In order to get a job, you need to have a mode of transportation. The only time the cycle is broken is at the very beginning when your parents decide that it is a good idea for you to enter the work force to learn “how to be an adult”.

After this cycle is broken, you’re screwed. That little piece of plastic that every teen covets as their symbol of freedom is really like having a prison sentence handed down to you. Any paycheck that you might receive will be broken down into 3 sections: taxes, gases, insurance/ repairs. Any time that you’re not paying for one, you are paying for another.

For the longest time, my van has been acting up on me and being moody, sort of like a vehicular version of PMS. I tried a few things, but “Sheila”, my new loving nickname for the van, was appeased for a few weeks. However, on this trip, any time there was start and stop traffic, she would remind me that of how much she didn’t like it.

It was wise of me to have planned ahead for her to get a check up while I was home. It was a good thing too. Had I not, it may have gotten to the point of flaming vehicle of doom. Though this end would have been disheartening... what was also disheartening was that Sheila cost me $753 and some odd cents.

In the long run, the part will pay for itself with saving me gas money. However, there is now a deficit in the insurance/repair fund.

The Conclusion:

March Break was busy... it was great to get to see family and friends. It is also good to be back to see my other family: my BBC friends. Now it is back to the daily grind.