Blog Reboot

I’m not a blog guy, as you can see in my failed attempt last year. So I’m rebooting my blog and changing the rules. I will post 40 words every day. Thoughts, readings, dreams, ideas, challenges, whatever is on my mind.

The Top 25 Films of the 1920s

25. Orphans of the Storm (D.W. Griffiths, 1921)
2 things; D.W. Griffith and the Gish sisters. Ok, I guess that’s three but you can’t go wrong. This is one of Griffith’s most under seen films. Just like Griffith, this film is filled with epic sweeping drama, international intrigue, and romance.

24. The Phantom of the Opera (Rupert Julian, 1925)
Anyone that likes the story of the Phantom of the Opera needs to see this film. This is the definitive phantom of the opera film. Lon Chaney as incredible as always and It definitely holds up when viewed today.

23. The Cameraman (Buster Keaton, 1928)
The first of many Buster Keaton films on this list. This is a great example of Keaton’s ability to take a very simple boy after girl storyline and turn it into a comedic masterpiece. Boy wants girl, boy gets camera, boy empresses girl.

22. Ben-Hur (Fred Niblo,1925)
The classic story in it’s original form. This is some great silent film making. It combines furious action along with greatly acted drama. If you know about the Kirk Douglass version, do yourself a favor and check this one out.

21. Der Golem (Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, 1920)
This is a rather overlooked horror film. Partly because is a German silent film from 1920 and partly because it is slightly laughable in parts. But this film was one of the first major horror films to come out and was a pioneer in it’s field. It’s anything but subtle and has great imagery. It’s just very much overshadowed by another foreign horror film that came out the same year, which you’ll find way down my list.

20. The Man With the Movie Camera (Dziva Vertov, 1929)
So this isn’t the best movie you’ll ever see. It really isn’t a movie. It’s just a random collection of shots of things and place. It’s experimental film-making at it’s core and Vertov was way before his time with some of the techniques he used here. If you’re into the history of film check it out.

19. Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty, 1922)
This was a documentary that broke all boundaries. What an example of why I love the 20s and why I love silent films. It was brand new territory in film-making. With the limitations that these filmmakers had in the 20s Flaherty and his crew film in the actual arctic and capture some of the most amazing footage of indigenous life I have ever seen.

18. Our Hospitality (Buster Keaton, 1923)
Another Keaton gem here. He loves the girl, the only problem is that her family has vowed to kill his whole family. It’s like Romeo and Juliet and crack and with Buster and the middle man you can just imagine how zany this gets!

17. Big Parade (King Vidor, 1925)
A Couple other Vidor movies just missed the list, but I chose this to represent him on here. A World War One Love story as an American soldier falls in love with a French woman. This is one of the most romantic silent films out there.

16. Napoleon (Abel Gance, 1927)
Another war film, but this is entirely different. It’s a brilliant telling of Napoleon’s childhood and early military career. And it isn’t just a little silent film. This thing is a honkin’ 4 hours long.

15. Faust (F.W. Murnau, 1926)
The story of Faust meets Murnau, this is awesome. God and Satan war over the soul of a pious Faust. Symbolic, fantastic, and horrific.

14. Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
Chaplin finally takes his place on my list. This is probably the first of his films recognized as a masterpiece. A man in search of a new life and gold finds so much more than he ever bargains for. There isn’t a genre that Chaplin doesn’t touch in this.

13. October (Sergei Eisenstein, 1928)
A Eisenstein silent film is a rare and unique thing. It’s completely different than anything you’ve ever seen.  Filmed documentary style this follows the strategy of war that ended that Petrograd monarchy in 1917. Beautifully shot and an absolute visionary film.

12. Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
If all you know Murnau from is from his German horror films, you’re really missing something. This is a lyrical and moving love story. Well, okay, it’s is dark with some disturbing surface stories, but the love the shines through it all is meaningful.

11. The Last Laugh (F.W. Murnau, 1924)
Yet again a Murnau film. This was maybe one of the first films that felt truly cinematic. It’s a simple story told in a big way using arc, iron and the plot twist. It’s a story about loneliness, rejection, and revenge.

10. Greed (Erich Von Strohiem, 1925)
This is a big picture that spans so much ground and emotion. It is ultimately about what it says, greed. The final scene is one that sticks with me and I will always conjure it up when I think of the idea of greed. It’s a great visual.

9. Un Chien Andalou (Luis Bunuel, 1929)
So this is only 16 minutes long and can only be called a short film, but it’s impact is still being felt today. There may be no more important or talked about piece of film history than this. It is the father of surreal and bizarre cinema. Made from the collective dreams of Bunuel and Salvador Dali it has storyline or sensical parts and is shocking, disturbing, and just plan weird. But it was groundbreaking.

8. Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924)
A lesser known Keaton film but one of my favorite. There are a number of scenes that I remember from this one. Keaton was so clever and was a non stop riot of physical humor.

7. Strike (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
The story of Russian Factory workers striking against the demands of the factory. Doesn’t sound great, but one of the first silent films that I saw that offered something different in the way it was shot and acted. It is really visual and really great.

6. The General (Buster Keaton, 1927)
Buster Keaton was a genius, pure and simple, and this is his masterwork. For my money Keaton wins out over Chaplin any day. The General is one of the greatest silent films of all time and for good reason. It’s amazing how funny it is for being a silent film and the stunts are something to behold. I don’t even know how many times Buster risked his life to get the shot in this one. If you haven’t been introduced into Buster Keaton cinema, this is where to start!

5. Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922)
A landmark in film. Nosferatu is so frighteningly real and terrifying it’s hard to believe it was made in 1922 Max Shreck is so completely brilliant as the famous vampire that he ranks as one of the most scary screen creatures in history. Murnau was a master at lighting and camera work with limited resources. And although he does even more impressive things with “Vampyr” this is his best film. See this piece alongside Herzog’s complementary remake “Nosferatu: The Vampyre”.

4. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Seisenstein, 1925)
Another landmark in film history following the story of a naval mutiny which brought on a police massacre in the streets. It’s scope is huge and the sets where amazing. IT was daring, provocative, and certainly visionary. The staircase scene is one you will never forget. It has also been stolen and used in countless other films.

3. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
Metropolis is the best science fiction film of all time. Period. Yeah, that sounds weird but it’s not. Considering the year in which it was made the special effects are absolutely amazing. Fritz Lang has always been a visionary director, but never more so in this film. It is a story of injustice, power struggle and the danger of unequal treatment. It is a powerful movie with a powerful message that is one of the most easily watchable silent films today. If I made a film about the future it may look pretty similar to how Metropolis looks. That’s how great Lang’s vision was realized here. It deserves its spot amongst the best of all time. It is also interesting to check out the 2002 anime version.

2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920)
This is the oldest film on my list and is the second best silent film ever made. “Cabinet” is a mesmerizing and very scary film about a man who has someone hypnotized under his spell in order for him to fulfill his murderous acts. It is German expressionism at it’s finest with its surreal and visionary settings. This film broke new ground for cinema world wide. I would credit it for being the first to truly capture the use of art in its story telling. The mood in which this sets is so creepy that the landmark that this film is, can be set aside to actually get sucked into a simply great movie watching experience. And p.s. this revolutionized the “plot twist”, sheesh.

1. The Passion Of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dryer, 1928)
This film is my 2nd favorite film of all time and it is spiritual and powerful. The Passion of Joan or Arc holds a special place in film history. This film was considered banned and burned when it was made. For years it was thought to have been destroyed but miraculously an original reel was found in a closet in an old institution. Criterion has done a marvelous job restoring it and putting it to the most amazing silent film score I’ve ever heard. It is the story of the trial of Joan of Arc and is told truthfully and beautifully. Dreyer is a master of lighting and camera angles and ‘Passion’ is his masterpiece. The close ups in this film are breathtaking and Maria Falconetti is amazing. She gives one of the best performance of all time as the tragic Joan of Arc. The death scene is one of the most impactful and perfectly done that I have ever scene. The Passion of Joan of Arc is simply an experience and film that you will never forget.

Top 25 Films of the 1980s

25. Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch, 1984)
Jarmusch is amazing at how he makes the mundane surreal. This is one weird and crazy and lazy journey on the road with the slacker losers. It is funny and touching  and strangely poetic.

24. Sans Soleil (Chris Marker, 1983)
A Documentary with some fascinating narration about a world traveler. It is journey through human thought, memory, and experience. This is one of the  greatest documentaries of all time.

23. Summer (Eric Rohmer, 1986)
There is something about Eric Rohmer’s films that always get me. They are so simplistic and unspectacular that it almost feels too real, but through that you find real emotion from real people. He has written and directed some of the most profoundly understated love stories of the last 30 to 40 years and this is one of them.

22. Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
The classic Vietnam war story about a young soldier facing some tough questions as he encounters the horrors of war. Dafoe is excellent as usual and it’s interesting to look back now and watch Forest Whitaker in this one after his recent success with the Last King of Scotland.

21. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
If this isn’t Allen’s best film it is at least in the top 3. It’s masterpiece of comedy and of drama. Very similar to his recent, and also very good Match Point, but back in 1989 this was an original and clever film.

20.  Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985)
Another war movie, this one, WW II. This is an awesome character study on as young boy thrown into a crazy war as he slowly begins to go crazy. This is a tough one to watch but is so starkly real that you begin to feel terro right along side the characters.

19. L’Argent (Robert Bresson, 1983)
Bresson’s films kinda grow on you, they linger on in your consciousness and you think about them for a long while after seeing them. L’Argent is a tragic story of an innocent man turned into a criminal and a murderer through a series of unbelievable circumstances. This is real, gritty, and thought-provoking.

18. The Singing Detective (Jon Amiel, 1986)
This TV Miniseries, although not technically a movie, is one of the greatest pieces of epic filmmaking over the last 20 years. 415 minutes of drama, music, mystery, and intrigue. You can’t really describe this, it is so unique and unlike anything I have ever seen. It’s contemplative, sincere, and beautiful.

17. Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989)
This may very well be the best true horror film I’ve ever seen. If you anything about Jodorowsky, you know that this is bizarre, freaky, and unusual. I’ve never seen horror be so beautiful and poetic, and yeah, that sounds weird even to me.

16. Shoah (Claude Lanzmann, 1985)
Yet another documentary! This is probably the one documentary that will stay with me for longer than anything I’ve ever seen. Are you ready? This is a 9 ½ hour long film consisting entirely of interviews of Nazi concentration camp survivors. This is some of the most important historical footage that I’ve ever seen, and it really rattles you.

15. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terrence Davies, 1988)
Pure drama. This is a sad sentimental film based on a true story. It’s a heartbreaking memoir of people lost that uses music in some of the best ways I’ve ever seen.

14. Blue Velvet (David Lynch ,1986)
Admittedly this is vulgar, dirty, and gruesome, I mean its David Lynch. But that also means it’s about surreal, strange, and visual as it gets. I first saw it in college when I was more liberal in my choice of movies, but  although it’s an incredible film, because of it’s content I won’t ever watch it again, and can’t recommend you watch it either. The story does actually has a powerful parallel to our sin nature and hypocrisy though. A startling discovery leads to a nasty underworld of crime right in their own back yard. It will leave your head spinning and asking, what just happened? I love it.

13. Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982)
Not only is this an absolutely astonishing film, the story of how it was made is equally unbelievable. This isn’t Herzog’s best, but without a doubt it is his most ambitious. They actually carried the freakin’ cruise ship over an island! Man this is one awesome movie. And Klaus Kinski is the most intense actor I have ever ever ever seen.

12. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
Mind Trip movies are either brilliant or annoying. This one is brilliant. Maybe it’s due to Gilliam and having De Niro at the top of his game in the mid 80s. Gilliam creates an entirely new and unique world. The future will never look like this but it’s awesome to watch.

11. The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986)
This has more spirituality and philosophy packed in it than all the Hollywood movies this year put together. Tarkovsky films his movies at an unapologetically slow pace which leaves you sitting there soaking up everything that is happening. What an awesome meditation on war, prayer, and ultimately a beautiful sacrifice.

10. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
Not many films are emotionally involving as this. This is one of the films that makes you laugh, cry, and stand up to applaud. At it’s core is a celebration of life, love, and the movies. I love this one and I’ll sure I’ll watch be watching it a few more times.

9. The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
This movies just oozes coolness and style. It revolutionized Asian action cinema and was one of the catalyst of the Asian extreme genre that is so big now. It is over the top violent and the action is ridiculously unreal, but it is so fast past and fun you can’t resist.

8. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
This is the perfect example that whatever Kubrick touched turned to gold. He tries his hand at horror and ends up making one of the all time best and enduring horror films. Nicholson is terrifying and the mansion couldn’t have been filmed any creepier.

7. Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983)
This film transcends time and even space. It’s a contemplative and introspective and heavily symbolic. I’ll never forget a scene at the end of the movie where the main character is trying to carry a lit candle about 30 across a empty pool. Walking very very slowly, it keeps getting blown out by the wind. So he walks back, lights it and starts again. This goes on for like 10 minutes. It sounds unbearable, but something about was mesmerizing.

6. Kagemusha (Akira Kurosawa, 1980)
This is a great example of Kurosawa’s mastery. It is funny and tragic. A King dies and a thief that looks like him is hired to stand in for him so they wouldn’t appear weak in the midst of war and tribulations. The thief quickly finds out, being a king during war is tough business.

5. Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
This film hypnotizes you as you follow an angels searching to be human again. Filled with beautiful scenery and a sensual romance that transcends our world. It makes you aware of your surroundings and feel apart of this world in which we live and yet at the same time long for the something more that it is out there. A beautiful meditation on earthly life.

4. Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985)
This may be Kurosawa’s most visually stunning and beautiful film. I remember the first time I saw this and the castle battle scene is so amazing and powerful that your jaw will drop. This is the best cinematography in any Kurosawa film. Yet again he adapts a Shakespeare into a samurai epic. This is King Lear and this story has never been better or more accessible. It is a testament to war and despair, showing that the human nature is not happiness and perfection. Therefore this film leads into its tragedy, but it’s wonderful art and great viewing.

3. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
The most shafted film of all time by the academy. I still shudder to think that Ordinary People beat this out for best picture. Raging Bull is a Scorsese’s greatest and most brave masterpiece. It is based on the life of boxer Jake La Motta with De Niro as La Motta. And he puts in one of the best performances of all time as this frustrated and self-destructive boxer dealing with his inner turmoil. When you watch the comparison between the two in the two disc special edition it is uncanny the way De Niro finds La Motta’s persona and style of boxing. He literally becomes the boxer. His physical transformation in the end of the film is the second most impressive of all time after Bale in the Machinist. Pesci also gives his best performance as Jake’s brother who only wants the best for him but seems to always get in the way. La Motta’s wife is played by Cathy Moriarty who is beautiful and superb. This film probably has the best editing I’ve ever seen and the fights are some of the best cinematography ever put on film. This film is physical, emotional and powerful. The final scene is profound and sad. Raging Bull is an awesome ride.

2. Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)
Fanny and Alexander is the definitive extravagant epic piece. I say extravagant, but only because of the sets and costumes which are marvelous and colorful and some of the best ever designed for film. But extravagant is a misleading word. This film, although originally a TV miniseries and very long, is quite a small and simple film. It is the story of a family through the eyes of the children. Never before has Bergman given so much attention to the children in his films and as much as he seems to grasp the interactions between adults, his sense of the world through children’s eyes is truly a vision. This film shines so bright and is such an honest and joyous one. It gets better with every scene and with every viewing. Make sure you see the TV version as it captures all that Bergman wanted to tell.

1. The Decalogue (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1987)
Once again I may be breaking to rules to include this ten hour epic as one film but hey, it’s gotta be considered that way. Although it is comprised of ten separate nearly one hour films you would be doing yourself a great disservice to only see some of them. This is film that defines pretty much what cinema is all about. Kieslowski went above and beyond any of his prior genius when he filmed the Decalogue. Each story is so simple and ordinary yet is shown in such an important and respectful way. As always he uses some incredible music and cinematography to really capture an incredible mood that weaves its way through every story. There are certainly stories that stick out as the best, I think of Decalogue 2 immediately. The final scene is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in any film. The Decalogue is just a masterful achievement that still just blows me away. If you care for film and see it as a form of art, then this is essential viewing. I wish more people would see this.

Be Devoted to Prayer

Tonight at our youth group I was on week 2 of our prayer series for April. We talked about 5 essentials for a devoted prayer life, which I adapted from a John Piper sermon. These have really opened up a new understanding and outlook on prayer in my own personal life so I thought I would share them with you. The acronym spells F.A.D.E.S. which Piper admits has no real meaning. But if you want to stretch it, without these your prayer life will fade…

F) Free & Formed
You must have both structured and unstructured prayer. If your prayers are only structured they will be unmeaningful and stuffy. If your prayers are only unstructured they will be shallow and trite.  Look at mealtime prayers. They have no meaning! They are unemotional and I promise God doesn’t listen to that junk. So pray freely and just pour out your needs and desires off the top of your head to God. But also pray structured using the Bible (Eph. 3:14-19), lists, books, and patterns in your prayer.

A) Alone & Assembled
Both places of prayer are absolutely necessary to the Christian. Piper said “I don’t think there is any Christianity in the person that doesn’t pray alone”. Personal, alone prayer is the heartbeat of every Christian. If you aren’t praying alone, you’re dead. Assembled prayer is the heartbeat of the body of Christ. A congregation that doesn’t pray is one that is going to die to the things of God very soon. By assembled prayer I don’t mean sitting in a pew while a deacon or pastor prays. It is important for us all to pray with others around us, out loud and quietly.

D) Desperate & Delighted
If you are devoted to prayer you will regularly come desperate to God for things. If all you ever do is come to God desperate and needy for Him to work in your life, you will be one depressed Christian. Go to God desperately but go to Him with delight and joy that He hears and will always answer!

E) Explosive & Extended
Short and long prayers are equally important and powerful. If you’re devoted to prayer you’ll pray without ceasing like Paul talked about and there will be dozens of times throughout the day that your mind explodes with 5 or 10 second prayers. We also need intentional times of praying for a long period of time.

S) Spontaneous & Scheduled
You need both, plain and simple. If you only have spontaneity, you won’t have it long. The fruit of spontaneity grows up in the garden of discipline. That’s why scheduled prayer is so important. When you are disciplined to schedule prayer it becomes easier and easier to pray spontaneously. You can’t leave it to chance or else Satan will make sure it won’t happen. If you don’t plan to pray, you won’t pray.

Bottom Line: Colossians 4:2 – Be devoted to prayer!

The Top 25 Films of the 1950s

Over the next few weeks I am going to be breaking down my favorite films decade by decade from the 1920’s all the way up to the 2000’s. I am starting with the 1950’s which I think is, if not the greatest film decade of all time, at least in the top 2. Here are my top 25 films of the 1950’s…

25. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
A profoundly touching masterpiece of family life in everyday Tokyo. Ozu is slow and poignant and captures the most subtle of human interaction.

24. Ballad of a Soldier (Grigori Chukhraj, 1959)
This is seeping with romance, and that’s saying something for a Russian film. In the midst of a bleak war with a neo-realist landscape you are introduced to one of the most unexpected and moving love story you’ll ever see on film.

23. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
This, not the Godfather, is Brando’s masterpiece. A great down and out story with heart the we all can find ourselves in. It probably has the best screenplay on this list, and some incredible cinematography.

22. The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
Kubrick’s list of masterpiece is a mile long, but this is one that rarely gets mentioned. It is one of the best film noirs I have ever seen. Witty, sharp, and about as exciting as can be.

21. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alain Resnais, 1959)
When I think of Resnais, I think… luscious, sensual, emotional. This is probably the most sensual film of the 50’s, and in a very good way. A strange and unique love story set against the horrors of the present day Japan. This is filled to brim with passion.

20. Wages of Fear (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)
Clouzot is the European Hitchcock and probably captures true suspense and terror even better. Wages of Fear does not let you blink.

19. The Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson, 1951)
I watched this before going to my first ministry and it had a profound impact on me. Bresson is a beautiful and spiritual filmmaker and ‘Diary’ is a great testament a man working out his own faith while trying to lead others into their own.

18. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
Many people put this on the top of Hitchcock’s list. While not quite there for me it is still a great film. It may have the best acting performances in any Hitchcock film. Grace Kelly steals this one.

17. The Earrings of Madame De… (Max Ophuls, 1953)
I remember just being enthralled with this film the first time I watched it. It’s a romantic story of love, deceit, and revenge. Ophuls is always intriguing and beautiful to watch.

16. The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
The Seventh Seal is a great allegory to Christianity and heavy with spiritual insight. It has imagery that I probably won’t forget. This is not Bergman’s best by any stretch, but it is a masterpiece.

15. Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini, 1957)
This is Fellini’s most enjoyable film. I am not considering it his greatest, as far as filmmaking, but Nights of Cabiria is a tragic and powerful story. Giulietta Masina is touching in this film about the human spirit and all that one can overcome. The ending touches you more deeply than nearly any film will ever do.

14. Umberto D (Vittorio De Sica, 1952)
This film is the probably the pinnacle of the Italian neo-realist films. It is heartbreaking and agonizing. It is study on the meaning of life and loneliness in old age. The last 10 minutes touches you in such a profound way that this film is actually life-affirming in the midst of the despair. De Sica is a beautiful film maker and this is his masterpiece.

13. Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
Bergman’s tale of the loneliness and suffering of a man who is at the end of his life is so poignant and graceful that it is hard not to fall in love with. Filled with sorrow and beauty in some great landscapes Wild Strawberries touches old age with a delicate hand.

12. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
While not Kurosawa’s best this a great film which defined so much of the samurai genre. Seven Samurai is truly an epic film coming in at a massive 3 hours and 30 minutes. It’s beauty and influence is still being felt today and will for years to come. It does go by slowly in some parts but only rarely and the rest of the film is unequaled and the film as a whole is unforgettable and inspiring.

11. Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
This is the film that inspired George Lucas to make star wars and there really are similarities. They are out for the gold, He is out for the princess, and the war is out for them. The samurai code and philosophy runs strong throughout this film which gives it that familiar Japanese heart and character. There are a number of heartfelt and often funny scenes as we follow these misfits on their journey. Although this isn’t Kurosawa’s best, it is a masterpiece and is one of Mifune’s best.

10. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
Vertigo is Hitchcock’s most full and well crafted film. It is so determined in its study of fear and obsession. You enter into the mind of James Stewart’s character and feel the insanity, betrayal, and the death that he feels. This is probably Stewarts best performance as Hitchcock pulls out a thrilling rollercoaster ride from him. It is a risky film, not just for its time but even for our day. Vertigo is truly a film that other filmmakers draw from but very few will ever come close to touching its perfection.

09. Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1958)
The Brazilian masterpiece from Marcel Camus is more alive and colorful than ever, as long as you see it on Criterion. This is a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice love myth which takes place around the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The back drop is luscious, romance is hot, and the music is some of the most memorable you will ever hear in film. A unique film to truly sit back relax and become engulfed in.

08. Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)
This is one of the most thrilling and terrifying films I have ever seen.This is the movie that Hitchcock once said he drew a great deal of inspiration off of to make Psycho. Diabolique is just about the creator of the ultimate plot twist. It will surprise you and you will never see it coming. Not only is this frightening it was very artistically made.

07. Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
Akira Kurosawa’s retelling of the classic story of Macbeth gives it a much more dark and fierce perspective. This is an extremely visionary work that is full of power. I think Kurosawa actually pulled some things out of a Shakespeare story that have never been done or realized before on film. It is about power, lust, and greed and is so layered and rich that this is one of Kurosawa’s most compelling films. It is truly poetry on film.

06. Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
Mizoguchi has made some of the most painfully real, tragic, and beautiful films I have ever seen. Ugetsu is a story of love and survival in a harsh world. It’s one of those ones that gets better and better as it sits and simmers and you let it’s images sink in.

05. The Apu Trilogy (Satyajit Ray, 1955,1957, 1959)
Yes, I may be cheating but I am including this trilogy of films as one choice. The Apu Trilogy is the most visionary and masterfully done piece of cinema that has ever come out of India. These films follow the life of a young boy all the way into his young adulthood. Ray has crafted a marvelously uplifting story that transcends time and culture even though it is very rooted in the Indian world. This is really just one for the heart. And make you sure watch them in order since they are chronological; Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1957), and The World of Apu (1959). This trilogy is one of the great masterpiece’s in film history.

04. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
Akira Kurosawa makes a larger than life film that has transcended generations and been an inspiration to countless directors and other films. Rashomon is one of those rare cinematic experiences that you always remember. It is a genre bending film with some of the most innovative story telling ever used. Kurosawa was more ahead of his time in this film than any other. We become witnesses to a crime from multiple viewpoints and get to determine what truly happened. We are left to examine the motives of each witness and decipher the meaning. A Truly remarkable film.

03. Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954)
Sansho the Bailiff is one of the most forgotten and astoundingly beautiful pieces of cinema history. This is one of the most compassion and caring films I’ve ever seen. It is all about mercy and compassion towards others and how beautiful that can be. It is about a man that learns that “without mercy a man is not a man”.  The final scene is intensely emotional and will break your heart. This is powerful and spiritual and will stay with you for a long time. Sansho the Bailiff may very well be the best film that you’ve never seen.

02. Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
Akira Kurosawa is most well known for his epic and larger than life samurai masterpieces. But his best film in my opinion is this quiet little humble film, Ikiru. It is about one mans meager existence and the life that he makes for himself leading up to his death. This is a story of generosity and kindness towards our fellow man and is one of the most uplifting and inspirational films I have ever seen. There is a great love and a sure passion that builds up within you as you view this. This is a type film that no one makes anymore. You won’t go to your local theater and see something Ikiru, but if only you could. It asks the hard questions about death and forces you to do the same. What kind of legacy do you want to live? What will people say about you after you die? Will you have changed a single life when you are gone? Ikiru is a film for the world to see.

01. Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955)
Ordet is a movie that can change your life. It is one of the most profound and striking films that I have ever seen. It is a sincerely told and quietly acted story about a man who believes he is Jesus Christ and becomes ridiculed by everyone he knows. Meanwhile, families and faiths collide as tragedy strikes their lives and a miracle bring them all together and gives us a beautiful look at the difference between traditionalism vs. the strength of personal faith. I once read an interview that said if every church in America took a break from preaching one Sunday and showed this film instead it would cause the greatest revival we’ve ever seen to sweep across the country. And I fully agree with that. This film challenges and uplifts your faith and causes a serious self examination. Yet this isn’t a Christian film or religious propaganda. It isn’t shoving anything down your throat, it is done eloquently and compassionately and if you’ve seen other Carl Dreyer films than you’ll know what I mean. Someday I would love to see the play that this was based on. Ordet is a breathtaking masterpiece that will affect you in an enormous way.

Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll

I have recently been turned on to Mark Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle. Mars Hill is now like 7 congregations with 20 weekly worship services. Mark’s blog has been giving me abundant encouragement and insight in a number of different areas. I would encourage everyone to check it out…

http://blog.marshillchurch.org/

On the church website you can view tons of sermons and notes and resources on everything they do.

One of the reason’s why I like Driscoll is because he is young, cool, funny, relevant, sarcastic, and real. And at the same time he is doctrinally very conservative and unflinching. He is straightforward and uncompromising. It gives me great hope to see someone that holds so strongly to literal Biblical doctrine be so impactful and relevant to scores of young adults. To the point that Mars Hill combined attendance is over 8000 people now.

As ministers and simply as Christ followers we can be relevant, trendy, and cool without giving up doctrine. We can still have strong doctrine and reach the younger generation. To be doctrinally strong we don’t have to be stuffy old guys who never have fun. It doesn’t have to be either or. There need not be any compromising.

Revivalism

Today our church began our Spring Revival. Let me first begin by defining what “revival” means. A revival is a specific period of increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or many churches, either regionally or globally. How do we have an increased spiritual interest of renewal in our walk with Christ? Not with stuff that’s for sure. I’m just saying a potluck and a Rick Warren telecast probably won’t start a new great awakening. This can only come about by a bathing of prayer. A revival does not happen because it is placed on the church calendar and an evangelist is brought in. A revival happens because for days, weeks, and months, God’s people are devoted to prayer over their lives and the people of their congregation.

My prayer is, like the Great Awakening, we would see revival begin out of prayer groups, and the powerful preaching of God’s word. The greatest revivals in our history weren’t planned and that gives us an important reminder that it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God. I believe this is the first step to revival.

Let me pose this scenario. Tomorrow night as I pull into the parking lot for our revival service I notice that the side of our building is caving in. As I get inside I discover the lights and the sound system aren’t working. Added onto that, our speaker has gotten sick and just called to say that he can’t make it. Most of us would be thinking, how in the world our we going to have a revival service? It would feel like total chaos for just a little while as we figured out what to do. I mean if this really happened people would be seriously freaking out. Now what if we all showed up and I asked, “Who has prayed for our revival service tonight?”, and we all realize that we had neglected to pray for God’s spirit to move. Would people be freaking out and running around trying to figure out how we are going to hold revival? Probably not, but which is more important for God to begin a revival in our hearts and churches, a building, sound system, and a great speaker – or an outpouring of prayer?

The moment we let prayer slip away from our life or we turn our prayers into monotonous jargon the chance of revival dissapears. A great man once said “God does nothing, but in answer to prayer.” And surely this is true in every revival this world has ever seen. O God, let our revival begin, not on the calendar, but in our hearts and prayers.

Cleaning a Burning House

A couple weeks ago we bought new garage doors and openers to replace our dilapidated and nasty old doors. The door and opener for my side of our garage went up basically without a hitch. I have spent the last three days working on Ashley’s side. The stupid door just wouldn’t fit! It was to tall, it didn’t close properly, and it left a big gap around the top of the door. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure it out. I tried all sorts of jimmying with wood blocks and spacers to get the door to fit the tracks and the opening, but nothing.  So finally, I sat there without anymore ideas and, being the smart cookie I am, decided to do some measuring to see what is so different than the old door that used to be up there. Well, the door I was putting up was 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall, just like the one on my side that fit perfectly, but when I measured the old door I was replacing it was only 6 1/2 tall.

I spent three days trying all sorts of thing to get this stinkin garage door to fit and to work when all along it was to big for the space. The garage needed a smaller door so no matter what I tried to do to make it work, it wasn’t happening.

Boy, how many times does this happen in our Christian life. We spend a lot of time trying to be “a better” Christian and fixing little things about our life thinking that they will make our life more full,  fit better with what God wants, or help us find our purpose. Maybe we should first focus on the bigger picture of what God wants to do with our life. If our relationship and devotion to Christ is wavering no amount of fixing and cleaning up is going to fix that. Let us first focus on what we were designed for… to love, worship, and seek after Christ. Seek first the kingdom of Heaven, and then all those little things will follow after.

Doing it the other way around is ridiculous. It’s kinda like running back into a burning house to clean the living room. What’s the point?! It would probably be wise to focus on the fire that is burning your house to the ground first!

Don’t be a 7 foot tall garage door in a 6 1/2 tall garage, run after God!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Tomorrow is my wife Ashley’s 26th birthday. This will be the 5th birthday that she has shared with me since we’ve been married. At this point I should probably tell you something, I love her, I love her, I love her. We have spent 5 amazing years together. We’ve had 3 homes in 2 towns, 2 dogs, bought a new car, and a used van, put 20% down on a home, and had 3 children (well, almost). My life is 100% different than it was 5 years ago and it seems like birthdays are a natural time to reminisce about such things.

About 5 1/2 years ago, before Ashley and I began dating, I wrote a poem about what I envisioned my life to look like about now. It’s worth looking back at and sharing with you…

in 5 years I will be a new person

in 5 years I will have a house
of my own
to roll around on the floor
like a 2 year old with a puppy
and jump up and down on the bed
till someone falls off and bumps their head
without anyone telling me to stop
a whole house as a playground
for my wife and i
to run and chase and hide
and stay up all night
experiencing wild rides

in 5 years I will be married
to the love of my life
to the girl that *will* steal my heart
and take it for captive
too beautiful for me to ever ask for it back
I will celebrate every day with her
and discuss our future
in bed late at night
just before we turn out the lights
we will laugh so hard
at how stupid we will be
when no one is looking
that we will get rug burns
from rolling, belly-up on the carpet
and our eyes will hurt
from staring
and our hands will hurt
from touching
and our heart will hurt
from loving
a please-don’t-ever-stop staring, touching and loving

in 5 years I may just be a dad
I may just be teaching someone to walk
and talk
and eat
and catch
I may just be learning new things
like protecting
and serving
and sacrifice
I may just have someone sleeping in between my wife and i
tucked under my arm in a i-love-the-warmth-you-give sort of hold
and I wouldn’t want it any other way
I may just be kissing a little chubby baby
until my lips are raw
but not enough that I couldn’t still smile

in 5 years things will be better
the valleys will simply be a distant memory
and I will have started my life
a colorful, loving, can’t-wait-to-get-home kind of life
which is something that I can’t have yet
I will lay in my bed at night staring at two little precious faces
sleeping
and just
…smile myself to sleep

in 5 years I’ll be happy

…and I am happy. And Ashley, I love you, have a wonderful birthday.

Are Blogs Unbiblical?

Yesterday I was at a conference on ministering to young adults at Western Hills Baptist Church in Topeka, KS. While there, I was talking with their pastor Grant English about blogging. I check in on his blog (grantenglish.com) from time to time and he suggested that I start blogging. I’ve never had any interest in blogging. In fact, it goes against the fabric of my being. I’ve always loved the words of Solomon and Paul as they describe the empty chatter of the world and urge us to lead a quiet and tranquil life before God. I think anyone that knows me would agree. That describes me to a tee. Hey I’ve got as many shortcomings as the next person but this is one area that has God blessed me. I don’t like small talk. I would even describe it as a pet peeve of mine.

A few weeks ago during a youth guys small group we were talking about 1 Timothy 1 and we read verse 6 out of the KJV. I’ve never laughed harder, I think, at a Bible verse. It talks about how some have turned aside from the pure faith to “vain jangling” (in other versions it subs the hip and cool “jangling” with the drab “discussions”). I love that phrase. Our entire world is full of vain jangling. What a way to follow Christ and set ourselves apart from the world! Let’s not participate in all that stupid, useless, vain jangling.

Blogging: typing words, almost entirely, about nothing of true importance out into some virtual internet directed at no one in particular. This is starting to sound like what Paul warned us about! So I raise the question; Are blogs unbiblical? Unfortunately, probably 99% are. However, There are some truly inspiring and God honoring blogs and bloggers out there. As Christian bloggers we must be very intentional about our words so we can be salt and light for the internet and for our world.

And yet blogs are innately personal and intimate… there’s no better way to share Christ’s love than in a personal and intimate setting.

So my blogging covenant is to honor Christ by sharing laughs, love, encouragement, challenges, ministry insights, prayers, lessons, and myself with you, the non-specific no one in a this virtual world. My covenant to my wife is that this blog will not replace or take away from any time I may spend with her or our children.  So I hope this blog edifies and entertains you and that you check back often.