Desperately Seeking Solace

In anticipation of the release of Tom Shadyac's new film, 'I Am', Mark Moring wrote about and conducted a thought-provoking interview with this successful movie director . . .

When budding film director Tom Shadyac hired a relatively unknown Jim Carrey in 1994 to make a silly movie called Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the careers of both men exploded—and so did their bank accounts. Shadyac, who went on to direct The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty—several of them morality tales that reflected Shadyac's spiritual beliefs—dove right into the lifestyles of the rich and famous with huge Hollywood homes and expensive cars.

Tom Shadyac

As often happens, it wasn't long before Shadyac discovered that wealth and the accumulation of stuff didn't buy happiness. It hit him especially hard on his last mansion upgrade when, after the movers left and he was standing in the foyer all alone, he had what he calls a spiritual epiphany: Materialism isn't working.

Shadyac heard but ignored that small voice inside for a few more years until a 2007 bike accident left him with a concussion and then post-concussion syndrome, where he suffered migraine headaches, a constant ringing in his head, and severe mood swings. When he was depressed, he even wanted to die: "I was done," he said. He wondered, "If I were to die, what did I want to say to the world before I left?"

Eventually, Shadyac turned a corner in his recovery, and in doing so, re-evaluated his life and priorities. He embarking on a quest for the answers to two questions: "What's wrong with the world?" And, "What can I do about it?" He grabbed a small film crew and traveled the world in search of the answers, then turned all that footage into a new documentary called I Am, now showing in limited theaters. 

(To read Moring's interview with Shadyac as well as a review of the documentary, go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/interviews/2011/seekingsolace.html?start=1)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Most Famous Poem

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a well-known German theologian and a leader of the German "Confessing Church" which refused to be co-opted by Hitler and the National Socialists.  He eventually was jailed and--ultimately executed--not long before the Allies successfully liberated Germany.

Bonhoeffer's best known books were The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together.  Although both of these have lots of food for though, it is his poem, "Who Am I?",  that haunts me.  It was published posthumously in his Letters and Papers from Prison.  Here is the best-known English translation of the poem:

Who am I? They often tell me I would step from my cell's confinement calmly, cheerfully, firmly, like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They often tell me I would talk to my warden freely and friendly and clearly, as though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me I would bear the days of misfortune equably, smilingly, proudly, like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of, or am I only what I know of myself, restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage, struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat, yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds, thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness, trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation, tossing in expectation of great events, powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance, weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making, faint and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the other? Am I one person today, and tomorrow another? Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others, and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling? Or is something within me still like a beaten army, fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.

Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine.

Your Brokenness Does Not Define You

John of Kronstadt, a 19th century Russian Orthodox priest, is credited with saying, "Your brokenness does not define you."  It's the newest of my favorite sayings.

At a time when his fellow-priests waited for the people to come to them, John actively searched in the streets for the alcoholics and other broken folk.  People said he would cradle foul-smelling gutter-dwellers in his arms and say to them, "This is beneath your dignity.  You were meant to house the fullness of God."

The singing group, Tenth Avenue North, has a song that says almost the same thing.  See what you think.
 

Thin-Slicing the Life of Faith

               Wow!  It's been almost two months since my last post.  Oh well, a breather every so often is probably a good thing, a "blog sabbatical," in this case.  However, I wanted to share some intriguing insights from Walter B. Shurden's journal.  Dr. Shurden was one of my church history professors and a life-long friend. . .

 

             In his national bestseller, Blink, (at last count on the NYT best list for 146 weeks) Malcolm Gladwell spoke of “thin-slicing.” “Thin-slicing,” he said, is “sifting through the information in front of us, throwing out all that is irrelevant while we zero in on what really matters” (pp. 34-35).

One day long ago in Jerusalem Jesus of Nazareth “thin sliced” two thousand years and 613 laws of his revered Jewish faith (Mk 12:28-31).  He cut through the density of theological history, the thickness of valued ritualism, the mass of doctrinal formulations and he went for essence. And he did not plead for more time “to think about it.” 

“Love God,” he said. “Love neighbor,” he said. In the blink of an eye, he thin-sliced Judaism and all genuine faith movements, including Christianity.

             In response to Jesus’ theological thin-slicing, the Pharisees, then and now, scream, “Theological reductionism! Doctrinal minimalism! Theology Lite! But what about the Sabbath and the hand washing?” 
 

And the Sadducees, then and now, retort, “But what about the work of the Temple? What about the liturgy? And the sacrifices?”  

And the Zealots, then and now: “Yeah, sure! Love neighbor! Tell that to the cross-building Romans!”

What do you think?  Was Jesus impractical?  Can we really follow him?