Spike Jonze' 'Her'

Tonight I went to the theater and saw *Her*, the recent movie from Spike Jonze. For those who might not be familiar with the film, here’s the trailer:

youtu.be/dJTU48_yg…

What an amazing film. So much to think about afterwards. How does our relationship with technology affect our relationships with people? Where do we find relational fulfillment? What is “real” in a relationship, anyway? Would a relationship that’s exclusively about my happiness really make me happy in the long run?

Joaquin Phoenix gives a fantastic lead performance; Amy Adams is great as his friend, and Scarlett Johanssen plays a prominent role with her voice even though you never see her on screen. It’s a beautiful film to look at, too - the use of colors, lights, and cityscapes is just lovely.

I came back to my hotel room tonight and turned on Lost in Translation, a 10-year-old movie also featuring Scarlett Johannsen and one that also leaves me with a raw inner yearning for relationship. The movies make a great pair.

My buddy Dan informed me tonight that the films are connected another way - Sofia Coppola, who wrote/directed Lost in Translation was married for a few years to Jonze, who wrote/directed Her. Maybe they’re both processing their breakup in similar ways?

I find myself thankful tonight for films that make me think, and even more, perhaps, for films that make me feel; not just the adrenaline rush of an action thriller or the sadness of a weepy drama, but the complicated ache of friendship, yearning, and love.

Where Are The Christian Daddy Blogs?

I had a passing thought in the midst of a blog post a few weeks ago that I want to explore a little more on its own. While writing about my podcast listening, I wondered this:

As an aside: it’s curious to me that while you’d find this kind of parenting discussion going on in the Christian blogosphere on mom blogs, you have to go to the secular arena to hear the dad’s perspective. What’s up with that?

I was sort of hoping that readers (of which I have at least a few) would chime in to let me know that I was just missing the Christian dad podcasts and blogs, but no. The only thing I heard in that regard was a note from my friend Mike noting that he’d been considering starting up that sort of podcast himself.

I did a little bit of Googling today for Christian dad blogs, and didn’t find too many. I came across one post from six months ago where someone on DaddyBlogger.com made a “definitive guide of Christian Dad Bloggers”, but if you follow the links,(and there are only about 20 listed) the blogs are for the most part either very sports oriented or seem to be basic guy blogs rather than focusing on parenting in any substantive way.

i <3 You

Sure, there are lots of podcasts and blogs out there targeted at men and fathers, but for the most part they’re focused around things like leadership, or legacy, or work/life balance.

Now yeah, it’s important for men to set a good example for their children, and to take responsibility for their spiritual development, and so on. Absolutely.

But why don’t we see blog posts for dads about other aspects of parenting? Is a dad’s realm of activity and advice limited to “make sure the kids develop a correct theology” and “make sure you’re around enough to go to their sports events” and “take your daughters on dates”?

Where are the Christian dad blogs talking about effective bedtime strategies for preschoolers, or how to handle discipline in public situations (or private ones!), or dealing with toddlers who don’t want to eat anything but hot dogs for weeks at a time, or how to not go insane when your four-year-old asks you to read the same My Little Pony book for bedtime for the seven-hundredth day in a row?

Or about encouraging healthy eating and physical activity, and about teaching kids how to enjoy entertainment in appropriate avenues and quantities? About how to make sure your kid doesn’t grow up with his nose glued to an electronic device for 25 hours a day even when your inclination is to jump for the iPhone in your pocket every time it beeps?

How about practical advice for using time-outs and other ways of defusing situations where kids have just lost it and need time to reset attitudes rather than just escalating a battle of wills forever?

OK, I don’t need to go on for another three paragraphs. And I’m sure that somewhere along the way somebody has written a dad-related blog post on most of these subjects. But what I’m asking today is why we don’t see posts focused that way on a more regular basis?

I’ve got three daughters and have been a dad for almost 10 years now, and I can say with assurance that there should be a lot more to being a dad than just family devotions and soccer games. Just because some of the more home-related topics tend to the focus of moms rather than dads doesn’t mean that they always should be.

So, my readers, any thoughts on why this disparity exists? Am I asking a question with such an obvious answer that I’m stupid for asking? Is the disparity simply a product of the fact that moms spend more time with the kids than dads do?

If you read this and know of good Christian dad blogs or podcasts, leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to find out that there are a bunch of them floating around that I just haven’t located.

The Unruly Beginning of the Muppets

I’m currently reading a biography of Jim Henson, creator of all my beloved Muppets. I’m learning all sorts of stuff I didn’t know, including how Jim started out creating 10-second ads for instant coffee. It’s amazing how even within 10- second skits he’s able to display the same sort of unruly mayhem that would characterize the Muppet Show a couple of decades later.

Check out the Wilkins Coffee ads here. The Wilkins character is clearly an early version of the puppet and voice that would become Kermit the Frog. In each ad Wilkins finds some way to bash on Wontkins because Wontkins doesn’t drink the coffee. Edgy, but when it’s puppets it’s amazing what you can get away with.

youtu.be/LmhIizQQo…

There's truth here

From today’s XKCD:

(Hover text: ‘Automating’ comes from the roots ‘auto-’ meaning ‘self’, and ‘mating’, meaning ‘screwing’.)

As one who has written my share of automating tools… yeah.

"I am utterly unworthy to offer any critique of these mysteries"

I love this confession from Catholic blogger Andrew Sullivan today:

If by doctrine, you mean the core tenets of the Creed I recite at Mass by heart… then I do not favor any changes in doctrine. I believe in what I say. Sometimes, of course, it is hard to believe something that is beyond my real understanding. I’ve thought about, meditated on, puzzled over and marveled at the doctrine of the Incarnation, for example – for me, the most radical of all Christianity’s improbable claims. I believe in it until I can’t, at which point, I embrace a mystery – what Pascal called “the use and submission of reason.” But I am utterly unworthy – morally and intellectually – to offer any real critique of these mysteries; and because I feel and know the living presence of Jesus in my own life, because that presence seems to me both human and divine, and because Jesus has rescued me so many times from myself and from the world, I accept what I cannot understand.

Sullivan is such a conundrum to me. British transplant to the States, gay Catholic, politically moderate, fairly serious about his theology, running a prolific blog that is equally delightful and at times infuriating. He went to a reader-supported format on his blog last year, and after a year of continuing to read it via the RSS feed and feeling like a moocher, I ponied up for a subscription this year.

Support the authors and creatives you appreciate, folks. Whether they’re musicians, writers, designers, whatever. There are great folks out there creating great stuff, and our support goes a long way towards keeping them around.

Ben Myers' Canon Fodder

Australian theology professor Ben Myers (@FaithTheology) has been tweeting a fantastic series of 140-character commentaries on each book of the Bible, one tweet per book, delightfully tagged “Canon Fodder”.

While it may initially seem dismissive to describe each book of the Bible as a one-liner, on the contrary Myers’ tweets are insightful, pithy summaries that provoke thought and also draw some smiles.

Some examples:

1 Kings: So, you really want a monarchy huh? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 2 Kings: I told you so.

Psalms: The invention of antiphony: when my heart broke in two, I taught both parts to sing. Zephaniah: Cry out with horror, for I will sweep you from the earth. Cry out with joy, for I will sweep you into my arms. Acts: Proof of the resurrection: the powers of this world submit to a handkerchief on which an apostle has blown his nose.

And probably my favorite:

Romans: Adam lost it, Christ found it, the Spirit gives it, faith holds it, creation yearns for it, death yields to it.

Go read the whole list.

A Cheap Pun for your Wednesday

Growing up in the church as I did, and appreciating wordplay and humor, I’m of course familiar with most of the Bible-related puns that float around such circles. For instance:

Q: Who was the shortest man in the Bible? A: Bildad the Shuhite (shoe-height!)

and

Q: What’s the only American state mentioned in the Bible?

A: Arkansas. You know, in Genesis “Noah looked out of the ark and saw…”

and the ever classic

Q: Did you know that Honda was mentioned in the Bible?

A: Yeah, in Acts it says they were “all together in one Accord”!

Yesterday I was listening to a recent episode of Nomad Podcast, though, and they in passing had a one that I hadn’t heard before and so as a service to my loyal readers I will pass along.

Q: Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?

A: Pharoah’s daughter. She went to the Bank of the Nile and collected a profit (prophet)!

You may groan now.

(I have a sister-in-law who calls these “Hubbs jokes”, and while I think the appreciation of cheap puns surely extends outside my family, I’m proud to carry on the tradition.)

My Podcast Listening circa January 2014

At the moment I’m subscribed to 14 podcasts. I do all my podcast listening on my phone - mostly in the car or (during the summer months) while running or doing lawn work. (This has a nasty side-effect where I get a really backed-up queue in the winter months, but oh well.)

For the purposes of organization I’ll group them into four rough categories: Tech, Entertainment, Theology, and Other. I’ll address them in that order.

Tech

Accidental Tech Podcast - OK, surely the guys like Dan and Geof who are actually reading this are familiar with ATP. A weekly podcast around Apple tech nerdery, it features Marco Arment, John Siracusa, and Casey Liss. Lately they’ve spent far too much time obsessing over the new Mac Pro - which I complained about on Twitter and Casey subsequently appreciated - but usually it’s an entertaining listen. Average Duration: 90 minutes.

Pragmatic - This is a new one on my list; in fact, I’ve only listened to the first half of the first (well, sixth) episode. It’s a weekly podcast which purports to address the “practical application” of technology. Average Duration: 60 minutes.

Entertainment

Filmspotting - A long-running public-radio-originated discussion of new films, punctuated with movie marathons highlighting overlooked titles from movie history. This is my first listen every week. Hosts Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen keep the discussion lively and provide many more good ideas for film watching than I will ever have time to keep up with. Average Duration: 75 minutes.

Disasterpiece Theatre - This one also has the virtue of being hosted by my friend-of-a-friend and sometimes acquaintance Stephen Granade. Imagine yourself in a Hollywood pitch room and pitching the most ridiculous movie ideas that (let’s all admit) could probably get made. Stephen and co-host Alex White are quick- witted and hilarious. Enjoyable stuff. Average Duration: 30 minutes.

The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith - This one is a little more of a niche, I guess. Goldsmith interviews movie screenwriters about their story, writing methods, and experiences in the entertainment industry. I find it fascinating to hear storytellers talk about the craft of writing a good story. Average Duration: 80 minutes.

WTF with Marc Maron - D-list comedian Marc Maron invites celebrities into his garage/studio and records hour-long interviews that range here, there, and everywhere. I almost gave up on this one until Don Chaffer reminded me that the 2-minute skip button could be put to good use. Skip the first 12 minutes of Maron plugging his comedy act and get straight to the interview. Maron asks really good questions, isn’t afraid to ask about God, religion, and philosophy on life. Average Duration: The interview portion is usually 60-70 minutes.

Theology

The Mortification of Spin - My buddy Mike set me on to this one a month ago. Comes out weekly or so, hosted by Carl Trueman. Besides winning the award for most cleverly-named podcast, this one does me good to remember that there are Calvinists on the internet who I can still agree with most of the time. (I said on the internet, friends. There are lots of Calvinists I agree with most of the time among my personal friends and acquaintances.)

Nomad - I think Randy linked this one a couple months back. Hosted by two British guys, this one is fairly emergent (is that still a thing?) or liberal evangelical. I don’t find myself agreeing with them too much, but I find it a valuable listen because it helps me identify the places where liberal evangelicalism starts to go off the rails and needs to be dialed back. And they’re right sometimes, too. (This may be the most backhanded podcast recommendation ever.) Average Duration: 65 minutes.

Then we come to two that have the distinction of featuring internet friends of mine:

The Pulpiteer - this one features the sermons of pastor Andy Croel of Carson City United Methodist Church in Michigan. I dig Andy’s sermons. He always points me to Jesus, has a good perspective on the text, and gives me something to chew on while keeping it under 30 minutes. Amazing. Average Duration: 30 minutes.

Trying Too Hard - This one also features Andy Croel in conversation with Arkansian UMC buddy Matthew Johnson. OK, I’ll be honest: they’ve only published two episodes so far and I haven’t listened to either of them yet, but they’re queued up on my phone and I’m looking forward to them. That’s worth something, right? Average Duration: 23 minutes.

Misc

Dads Being Dads - I’ve only listened to part of one of these so far; can’t remember who recommended them. But what I’ve heard so far has been good. It’s refreshing to hear dads talk about being dads. (As an aside: it’s curious to me that while you’d find this kind of parenting discussion going on in the Christian blogosphere on mom blogs, you have to go to the secular arena to hear the dad’s perspective. What’s up with that? But that’s a thought to be more fully formed in a separate blog post.) Average Duration: 60 minutes.

Fresh Air - OK, you’ve heard this show on NPR before, right? I don’t really need to say any more than that. I like that they split the show segments into separate feed items, so I can delete the bits I’m not interested in and keep the others. Average Duration: varies based on segment. 45 minutes max. Some as short as 6 minutes.

Song Exploder - I just subscribed to this one as well. It only has one episode so far. The goal is that they will interview a musician each time and have that musician play a track and then “explode” it - examining the different tracks, production, etc. This interests me as a musician, so I’m subscribing for now. Average Duration: 15 minutes.

The Thousand People I Tried To Be - This one has a feed but no episodes yet. I’m still waiting for my buddy Geof to edit and publish his first interview. I like the concept, and would enjoy it if he makes it a consistent thing. Average Duration: unknown.

On Selling Books

Yesterday I did something I’ve never done before: I took a stack of books and sold them at the local used book store. This was a major step for me. I’ve accumulated books for a long time - pretty sure I still have books on my shelves that I got in elementary school - and rarely let any of them go. My rationalization has been that someday maybe my kids will want to read them, or I’ll strategically want to loan them out or give them away to friends.

But when I was looking for a book a few weeks ago I did another assessment of my burgeoning bookshelves and came to a realization: those things aren’t likely to happen.

Sure, I’ll keep some of them. I fully anticipate my girls will want to read The Lord of the Rings at some point in the next decade. But The Hunt for Red October? Probably not so much.

And then there’s the piles of theology texts. Some floating around from college. Some freebies I got and reviewed on the blog. Some were gifts. Some I agree with a lot less today than I did when I bought them. Many I’d be hard pressed to recommend or want to gift.

So I sold them.

I didn’t get much - basically garage sale prices, but where you just carry in a bag and walk out 10 minutes later with money. Beats the heck out of having to hold a garage sale and hoping the right buyer shows up.

I managed to clean out one whole shelf. That’s enough room to move my recently-read pile from the top of my dresser down to the shelves. Then I can start attacking the to-read pile that sits next to my bed.

I think this is the year I’m going to fully embrace accumulating ebooks instead of hard copies. I like the ability to read, easily highlight and share text, and archive them someplace smaller than the dozens of feet of shelf space occupying my basement.

You know, I converted from CD buying to MP3 buying a couple years ago. I guess this is the next logical progression.

Books I read in 2013

Here’s my one year-end post: a little summary of what I read this year. I’m not gonna list ’em all - you can go check out the list on Goodreads if you’re really interested - but I’ll include some highlights.

I finished 57 books this year - about average for me over the past several years - and 27 of them were non-fiction, which is as close to fiction/non-fiction parity as I’ve ever gotten before. My non-fiction was mostly theology this year, which reminds me I need to pick up some more history, biographies, and the like in 2014.

Top Non-Fiction

I really need to write a full review post on Playing God. It was probably my favorite of the year, and the one that I then bought two copies of to give as Christmas gifts. I’m feeling a little bit better about my theological variety, too - it isn’t just all Anglicans on my list this year!

Top Fiction

It feels like a cheat to list Robinson’s book here, since she uses the fictional narrative to drive home a bunch of theological and philosophical points, but hey, it’s good stuff.

The worst I’ve gotten better at just putting books down if they seem like clunkers, so I have just a single one-star reviewed book on my list this year: The Panther by Nelson DeMille. Here’s what I wrote on Goodreads:

Plot is thinner than thin. Hundreds of pages and nothing happens except we get a tour of Yemen and page after page of insufferable narrative. It’s as if Mr DeMille had a quota of smart-ass internal dialog per page that he had to fill. If you cut out half of it, the book would shorten by 20% and still be just as boring.

I’m ashamed I wasted as much time on this one as I did. Avoid.

Plans for 2014 I’m likely to always be a theology, politics, and sci-fi geek, but I really would like to read some more history, some classic literature, and maybe even a little poetry. Hit me up if you have recommendations!