The Greatest Game Ever Played

Mark Frost has adapted his novel The Greatest Game Ever Played, to a screen play of the same name produced by Disney. It's the story of how a 20-year-old golf amateur beat British champion Harry Vardon at the 1913 American Open.

It's a very American movie, meritocracy good, aristocracy bad. The movie drives that point home like a punch that repositions your nose. To top it off the reporter covering the story is named Darwin, subtle touch that. Now don't get me wrong, I prefer living in a meritocracy over living in an aristocracy I just don't get all sentimental about it. At least the movie takes a critical look at both American and British aristocracies.

I really enjoyed how the mental aspect of the game was worked in. There are dramatic visualizations showing us how the players tune out the world around them and focus on the hole while fighting their mental daemons. In fact the visualization of the game is one of the strongest parts of the movie. A video game that combined the mental aspect of the game and followed the ball the way it was shown in the Greatest Game Ever Played just might live up to that title, at least for the the golf genera.

Other than those two points the movie is about what you'd expect from a Disney sports movie set in 1913. Underdog takes on champion, wins the girl. There some genuine humor and very touching moments. It would work as a non chick flick date movie if your date is a sports fan.

You can read other reviews at Rotten Tomatoes

Disclosure: I was given two free tickets to see the movie.

- Peace

It Moved

Searching for the Joy - 26

1Ki 4:20 - "Judah and Israel were as great in number as the sand by the seaside, and they took their food and drink with joy in their hearts."

Background:
This is part of the introduction to Solomon’s reign. The people were happy because it was good times and Solomon was a wise king.

Where’s the Joy:
In the story The Last Unicorn, King Hagred became obsessed with the unicorns because they were the only thing that made him happy. Sometimes the secret to happiness is simply to know when you have it good.

Peregrinations anyone?

LT, Mike Fox and I will be heading up to Len's Peregrinations: An
Emerging Church Forum Event the first weekend in November.

LT is going from Saskatoon to Edmonton to pick up Mike and arriving in
Calgary November 3rd, staying over at our place and the three of us
will head out to Kelowna Friday Nov 4. in my Honda Element.

The Element seats four, we have an extra space. This space is for you if:

• you're headed to Peregrinations or just want to spend the weekend in Kelowna
  
• can stand up to 12 hours with three computer geeks
  
• can stand being forced to listen to the Lost Dogs and related bands,
  
• mp3s from a Pink Floyd tribute band and what ever other odd selections
  
• I add to the play list (One Bad Pig to Maesha Brueggergosman)
  
• live somewhere along the path from Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna
  
• don't mind sharing gas costs

Just drop me a line.

- Peace

Shane Blake's Review of Serenity

Loved it. Absolutely loved it. First, about the fact that the movie is an extension of a failed television series: On the ride home I wondered aloud how it would be received by someone who'd never seen the episodes of the TV show. Jennifer informed me that she'd forgot most of the characters and almost all of the plot lines, so I'd guess it won't be much of a problem for anyone else.

The movie is nothing if not intense to watch. By the time the credits started to scroll and the house lights faded up, I was experiencing the rather odd mix of exhaustion and adrenaline. The pace is even and quick and the transitions from side splitting humor to absolute shock and/or disbelief are sudden and often jarring. Make no mistake; this movie is absolutely exhausting to watch. Probably a few too many of the boogie-man type gotcha's for my taste, but just as many of those shocking moments are from unexpected plot twists that will have you elbowing the stranger next to you asking "did that really just happen?"

In summation: well written dialog, both witty and sincerely human, coupled with exciting action in a quick paced story line, make for a Grade A movie going experience. Whether or not you were a fan of the TV show Firefly or completely new to its characters and worlds, Serenity will have you wanting to join the crowd of fans begging for the return of the series. My suggestion? Go see it on the big screen.

[link]

On my list of things todo this weekend. That and the Western Canada Java Software Symposium.

- Peace

The question?

Been wondering if we're asking the right questions lately, but it hasn't crystalized into a blog post, but it did while talking to LT on google talk. So here's it is with some [minor edits].

leightontebay: Are you still thinking of going to len's conference in Kelowna?
[deleted details]

Dave: is there a link?

leightontebay: http://www.nextreformation.com/forum.htm

Dave: Peregrinations: An Emerging Church Forum

leightontebay: yes

Dave: he does love big words

leightontebay: He does

Dave: you know I think it comes down to the fact that we don't love people
we get all up tight about marketing, post this or that
structure
if we were loving people the church would be growing
all the rest would follow
I think there's a real danger of using all this to avoid asking the hard questions
why aren't we loving people

leightontebay: You make a good point
I'd also say that we have redefined Christianity in such a way that it doesn't mean following Christ anymore.

Dave: I wonder if the PoMo thing is the same avoidance as the church growth movement
Yeah I'm reading Dallas Willard and he's making the same point
I wonder if the whole PoMo storm has ripped away what was rotten
but we shouldn't be looking to replace it
cause it will just rot the same way

leightontebay: You have been doing some thinking

Dave: The fact that we haven't weathered the PoMo storm well means we're not built on Jesus
It's not about adjusting to the storm
but getting back to Jesus
But that hasn't been modeled for a really long time
or it has but it's not what we've been paying attention to

leightontebay: You are right
I'm part of something that has totally stripped away most of the structure

Dave: yeah, need to blog this stream

leightontebay: In the end we are left with ourselves and we find that we are part of the problem

Dave: The problem with the world is me [I think I quoted GK Chesterton]
Mind if I blog this rant as is?

leightontebay: I'll say that I really like being part of a house church, I do find it better than regular churches (and I attend one with my wife off and on now) but if we stopped there we wouldn't be much further than we were when we started.
Feel free to blog this

Dave: thanks
need some sleep if I'm going to hit my mile stone
- Peace

leightontebay: ok
good night

I should note that I was talking to LT without reading all that Len has posted about the forum. I think there's some great stuff there, I just worry that more basic things can get lost in the larger PoMo church coversation.

Update: having had a chance to sleep on it I realized I should post the links that got me thinking along these lines. Jordon posted a link to Earl & the AG Pastors and Jason posted a link to Rick Warren's Turning attendees into a part of the family. Now there are great things in both articles , but it struck me that both make church all about me, what you need to reach me as a potential church member. Neither article makes the hard work of loving one another key.

John 13:34 & 35

Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other

Jesus still has great appeal in the world, it's the Church people are leaving. It seems clear to me it's because we're (I'm) not living this command. We can avoid the issue by focusing on all the secondary issues of how we reach modern/post modern culture but with out knowing and living in God's love it's waste of time.

- Peace

3000km down 500 to go

Passed the 3000 km mark on the way to church this morning. 86% of the way there!

That puts me at least five days ahead of schedule, I was't planning on hitting 3000 till sometime in October. It's a nice change, I've been behind most of the year.

- Peace

Mat & Lisa

Had a great time taking pics of Mat and Lisa. Though it seems to have gotten to Mat.

- Peace

Is Evolution a Creation Myth?

Is Evolution a Creation Myth? It depends on how you define the words "creation" and "myth." Sometimes the word creation implies the existence of a creator. In other contexts, however, the word creation implies the thing has come into existence or been created and how it came into existence or was created. Perhaps it would be better to say, therefore, "Evolution is a myth about origins -- about the universe, how it came to exist and how it came to take on the attributes we now observe."

[link]

- Peace