Do you watch a lot of movies? I used to watch more of them than I do now, but one night out at a theatre every week or ten days seems to fit into my schedule quite well. Going with a friend is better than going alone. When I get asked about which movies are my favorites I am always stumped for the correct answer. What genre of movie? What decade? How many can I list? So what are your favorite flicks? Keep it to five...any genre. Tough to make that list, isn't it? I will offer five of my favorites (no planning ahead for this blog on my part, just naming five movies I really enjoyed over the years): The Music Man, Dirty Harry, The Natural, Young Frankenstein, Sophie's Choice. Are any of those on your list?
I confess that I sometimes find myself listening very carefully to the dialogue in a movie in the hope that there may be something said that would be worth repeating in a casual conversation or even a sermon. There are some movie lines that are just too good to not repeat: "Go ahead, make my day." "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." "Rosebud." "I"ll be back!" "If you build it, he will come."
Go see a good movie. Take your spouse, or your kids, or a friend. Talk about the movie after its over, see what was entertaining or important to each of you.
Remember to turn off your cell phone in the theatre!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Welcome, Welcome to our...
A good friend is by her job description in charge of helping to ensure that Bloomington, IN is a "Safe and Civil" city. The city wants to make its citizens feel they are welcomed, valued and respected. Good job, Bloomington!
The denomination I serve wants its churches to be places with "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors". Good job, United Methodism!
Probably not many of us could readily and clearly define in total words like "safe," "civil" or "open," but like the Supreme Court Justice said some time ago when attempting to rule on what constituted pornography, " I know it when I see it." We know what makes us feel safe. We know what it means to be civil and to be treated with civility. We know when we or others are being more open than closed. We've all been places where we knew from the get-go that we were welcomed; that our presence was more than tolerated, it was valued; that folks respected us for who we are. Those are good feelings. We've felt just the opposite, too. We know when hearts, minds and doors are open to us and when they are closed to us.
We know the positives and the negatives of these words and these feelings because we have displayed them in our behavior.
Well, I am soon moving to a city that wants to be known as safe and civil. I will take advantage of that, Bloomington. And I will return the favor, as best I can, as often as I can.
The denomination I serve wants its churches to be places with "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors". Good job, United Methodism!
Probably not many of us could readily and clearly define in total words like "safe," "civil" or "open," but like the Supreme Court Justice said some time ago when attempting to rule on what constituted pornography, " I know it when I see it." We know what makes us feel safe. We know what it means to be civil and to be treated with civility. We know when we or others are being more open than closed. We've all been places where we knew from the get-go that we were welcomed; that our presence was more than tolerated, it was valued; that folks respected us for who we are. Those are good feelings. We've felt just the opposite, too. We know when hearts, minds and doors are open to us and when they are closed to us.
We know the positives and the negatives of these words and these feelings because we have displayed them in our behavior.
Well, I am soon moving to a city that wants to be known as safe and civil. I will take advantage of that, Bloomington. And I will return the favor, as best I can, as often as I can.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Ode to...
This past Sunday it was my honor to preach at the morning worship services at Calvary UMC in Brownsburg. At the senior pastor's suggestion neither he nor I wore socks...and we asked people to bring some new socks to church with them so they could later be sent to some folks who would appreciate them as part of a mission team project.
You should also know that this senior pastor is a many-times-published author (some 20 books, I believe) and a very clever man with words. Following the Sunday services he wrote a poem about me! Now there is an honor I had never before received! He titled it "Man of Steele" and it is posted on one of his three daily blogs (www.toddoutcalt.blogspot.com).
I'm not sure where he got the picture he claims is me, but I'll take all the hair I can get.
You should also know that this senior pastor is a many-times-published author (some 20 books, I believe) and a very clever man with words. Following the Sunday services he wrote a poem about me! Now there is an honor I had never before received! He titled it "Man of Steele" and it is posted on one of his three daily blogs (www.toddoutcalt.blogspot.com).
I'm not sure where he got the picture he claims is me, but I'll take all the hair I can get.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Moving...again.
As an itinerant person I have moved 8 times to satisfy the location of my professional assignment. Soon it will be 9 times. I am in the process of contacting movers to see who can best relocate my daughter and me from Indianapolis to Bloomington. We are looking forward to the move...the church we are going to, the neighborhood we will be living in, the school Hannah will attend: these are all great places!
But packing up, and leaving behind, and saying goodbye are difficult things to do. Even when one is accustomed to doing these things, they are difficult.
It occurs to me that packing up, leaving behind, and saying goodbye can also be good things. Here comes the preacher talk. There are items that I do not want to make the move with me. Items, and patterns, and disappointments, and more. There are things very much worth leaving behind. Things, and mistakes, and words misspoken, and more. It will be good to say goodbye to work not done as well as it could have been, and good solutions arrived at too late, and stuff I intended to do but never got around to, and more.
A fresh start for both a ten year old daughter and a sixty-four year old dad is once again evidence that both life and God are always at work.
But packing up, and leaving behind, and saying goodbye are difficult things to do. Even when one is accustomed to doing these things, they are difficult.
It occurs to me that packing up, leaving behind, and saying goodbye can also be good things. Here comes the preacher talk. There are items that I do not want to make the move with me. Items, and patterns, and disappointments, and more. There are things very much worth leaving behind. Things, and mistakes, and words misspoken, and more. It will be good to say goodbye to work not done as well as it could have been, and good solutions arrived at too late, and stuff I intended to do but never got around to, and more.
A fresh start for both a ten year old daughter and a sixty-four year old dad is once again evidence that both life and God are always at work.
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