So Much to Learn and So Little Time. It's Greek to Me!

Time waits for no man. Someone said that. I am not sure who. It could be a Roman quote. It could be a Persian quote. It could be an Arabic quote. It could be a Hebrew quote. It could be a Chinese quote. Maybe it was Ben Franklin. Perhaps it was Rodney Dangerfield! But, you know, it could be a Greek quote! I am really into the Greeks ever since I saw and then reviewed the movie "300" about the Spartans taking on the Persian armies of Xerxes at Thermopylae. The score, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, was 20,000 warriors of Xerxes dead to 300 Spartans lost, lead by their King Leonidas. It was pivotal in turning the tide of conquest away from the Greek city states. Once at war with each other they united against a common enemy, the Persian King Xerxes, who dreamed of conquering all of Europe to The Pillars of Hercules, what we now refer to as the "Rock of Gibraltar." (I like "Pillars of Hercules" much better.) Anyway, Tempus Fugit, literally Time is a Fugitive, or Time Flies. That is so true with me. It is what you could call a "multicultural truth." Oh, by the way, Xerxes turned tail and fled back to Persia from whence he came. Europe was never conquered by the Persians though the Ottomans later came close.

In the next month or so I am going to read all of the books that I have on the ancient Greeks. I'll be reading Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Socrates, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Hippocrates. These books are part of my Britannica Great Books collection that I inherited from my father. I've seen this collection at the Half Price Book Stores on a number of occasions. The collection didn't change from 1952 to the year 2000. Then in 2001 they added six books that contained works from the 20th Century. Their thought behind adding them was that it takes time before something can be consider truly classic and great. The books that they included in the new edition go up to 1950. The editors are reticent to consider anything newer than fifty years as old enough to be classical. The edition I have includes works up to, but not including the 20th Century. When I see these sets at the store I discover that most of the books have not even been opened much less read. The gold gilding on the top, which acts as dust and humidity protection for the books, is still stuck to itself. This means that the books were never even opened...time flew for someone I guess. I have already made a significant dent in this collection as I have read Homer, Herodotus, Aeschylus, and much of Plato. Plato I have read sections only. I am going to start each of the other Greeks, and Plato, at the beginning of their writings and take them all the way through to the end. This should be interesting. I can't wait to get them all "inside my head" and see what that leads too. I've got perhaps six weeks of reading ahead of me. I am constantly entertained.

I listened to one of the great American literature critics one time on a television interview. His name is Harold Bloom. He noted to his interviewer, Charlie Rose, that we have just so many years, months, and days that we are allowed to live. His passion is the writings of the great men and women of history. He admonished anyone who was listening to not waste time. Don't read poor quality books. Rather, read that which (We) know is great and worthwhile. He reminded Charlie that some people are truly gifted and in differing ways. Some are great painters. Some are great authors and poets. Some are great scientists...and some are great readers. He said we should listen to those who are great readers. He humbly admitted that he was in that classification...he was not bragging. He just wanted to help those who want to know what to read with the finite time they have to read. "Read the good books!" was Mr. Bloom's admonishment, "Let me help you choose, please." Well, I am off on that journey and I hope you find a journey of your own.

I was raised in a church and in a family that valued The Bible above all other books. I trust that you have that same value. At our current church we value it so highly that we refer to it as God's Word. I am not sure that Mr. Bloom has that same value scale, but he does respect Scripture very much. I've spent years studying "The Bible" and I will not stop now. Lord willing, I'll be able to continue to teach from it. At the same time I believe that it is a mistake to think that God wants us to be exclusive in our studies. I believe He desires that we get to know and understand our fellow men/women as thoroughly as we can. In doing so we will be better able to walk in their shoes, understand where they are coming from, and better help them to understand how God has worked throughout human history to save us all through His grace. Don't neglect your Biblical studies. At the same time be curious about the world. There are great men and women out there who can teach us much about life and understanding them, too, helps us know ourselves and our Lord better.

Off I go to the deck and more Greek readings. Time is a wasting. What are you learning about God, your life, and the lives of others this week? Don't be bored. There is not excuse considering what is out there to read!

As Close or Closer than a Brother

"After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt." I Samuel 18:1-4 NIV

We have covered the biblical story of the relationship of Jonathan and David a number of times from multiple angles in both our Sunday school class and in small group. I have added a picture of a fellow by the name of Tim (Timothy) and his sister Vickie (Victoria) to the blog. I did so to illustrate a point and also make a statement. I have known Tim and his sister for 45 years. I met Tim when we were going into sixth grade. One fond memory I have of him was that he had a lead part in a sixth grade school play. He was a little Dutch boy and was the hero. He got the girl! The title of the show (I think) was Windmills of Holland. He sang a solo whose lyrics went something like this: "Windmills of Holland are turning, round and around and around. Slowly, sedately, majestic, and stately, around they goooo." I find it interesting that I remember that little play and can sing that song to this day...forty-five years later.

Tim and I continued to grow, we went to high school together, he came to know the Lord as his personal savior there, he and I were involved with Campus Life (he more than I), we played football at school, were for a time on the gymnastics team together, he graduated from Trinity University (the Evangelical Free Church's university in the Chicagoland area), we both found girl friends, we were in each others weddings, and for the most part we have stayed in touch with each others lives over the years. There have been trials and tribulations for both of us, but we have weathered them. There has been a time of separation from each other, but we were, by the grace of God, reunited. His sister Vickie is about ten years our senior and she was well on her way to being an adult, married with children, before I realized that I was in love with her. Actually, I had a little guy crush on her. She had and still has the most beautiful eyes. They make Betty Davis's eyes look common. (If you don't understand that reference talk to your grandparents.)

There is something special about Tim to me. It is hard to put a finger on it. It is as if he is always there. Even during the period of separation...he was always there. I would think of him as often as I would close friends that I would see in church every weekend. I don't want to sound mystical or New Age, but there were times when I thought of Tim and knew, in my heart, that he was in trouble or going through hard times. I just knew. I can not prove this to you, you may not believe me, but I know it is true and I am willing to testify to you that it was so. One night, after a very long separation, I felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to look Tim up and then to write him a long and sincere letter. When he received it he called almost immediately. We just picked up where we had left off. I loved his mother, I loved his father, I loved his entire family. What is this feeling I have for Timothy?

I think it is what the Bible says about Jonathan and David. "Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." That is it. I became at some point "one in spirit with Timothy." I can not remember when it happened, it just did. He and I have another mutual friend Jeffrey, and I can say that about him too. The three of us are in some way "one in spirit." Read the book of I Samuel all the way through. Get a flavor of the times in which David and Jonathtsan lived. You will find that it was harsh and dangerous. You will read stories of God choosing men because of their hearts and not their appearances. You will read stories of political intrigue, jealousy, hatred, conspiracy, joy, treachery, mental illness and more, but through it all you will find a bond between these two men that God honored and whose story He preserved, so that we could have a good example of how full of love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, and wonder God is. He gives us these things very often in the form of a friendship between two men that become one in spirit.

I mean this following statement literally. I would gladly die for Tim and/or Jeffrey. I also know that they would rather sacrifice themselves than let me die in their place. I am sure if one of them read this posting he would make some sort of joke about, not being willing to die for me, but happy that I would be willing to die for him. After all we are friends and humor has been a big part of our relationships. However, in my heart I KNOW IT IS TRUE FOR ALL THREE OF US.

I don't use the term "best friend" for it causes all sorts of trouble. My love for my fellow beings knows no limits as it is grounded and supplied by our Lord Jesus Christ. I do not need to qualify my relationships in this manner. I have multiple friendships, many here in our little town and church, that are as one in spirit with me as my relationship with Tim. Tim...I've just been united with him in spirit the longest...that is all. That, my friends, is a blessing beyond the words of this post.

Friends should and can last a life time. Be aware that they are precious gifts from our Lord. Be aware that you have an obligation to be a friend like that to someone, it isn't about just you, it is about the other as Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. Work at it. You have to give yourself away. You have to take a chance. You have to love. You have to accept hurts. You must be willing to forgive and be forgiven. Friendship is a wondrous thing. And friendship of friendship...is Jesus a friend to all of us? Wasn't He willing to die in our place? Are you one in spirit with Him? If not...let's talk.

The Movie "300"

After the many enthusiastic comments in small group about the movie "300" I could not help myself. I had to watch it. Needless to say it was quite unique in its over all visual effect. I found it remarkable. This begs the question, "What remarks do you have?" Well, here goes.


The story of the 300 Spartans holding off the hordes of Persians is as old as antiquity. It has survived for a few thousand years because the tale bears with it profound truths that resonate with each and every successive generation and resonates without fail. That is what makes classics... classics. Multiple motifs appear in the story line; the few against the many, strength confronts weakness, might for right, passion over coming apathy, power corrupting absolutely, corruption resisted by righteous power, the pain of rejection, the pain of betrayal, the sacrifice of the few for the many, beauty and the beast, love and hate, the brave opposed to the cowardly, mind over matter, the mind and matter combined, man made eternal in death, man transcending death by valor. There are perhaps more, but for our purposes these should be adequate.


One of the points of discussion had to do with the question, "What was a bad scene and what was a good scene?" Initially some of us suggested that it was a great movie, but that at the beginning it had some bad scenes, which happened to be sexual in nature. The suggestion is that the portrayal of sex is bad. However, we also noted that some could think that the balance of the movie had bad scenes in it as literally thousands of stylized homicides are portrayed with graphic images of dismemberment, disemboweling, impaling, mutilation, blood spewing, and more. So, we revisited the issues of good and bad in the movie and came to a quasi conclusion that at some mysterious level "good and bad" was perhaps in the eye of the beholder, at least as it had to do with this particular movie.

Let us look at the sexual scenes. First you have the oracles. They are the most beautiful young virgins of Spartan society. They are drugged and sexually abused by stylized priests of the Spartan religious order of the time. Visually you see the oracles naked in different stages of eroticism or drugged confusion. There are close ups of their faces, you see their breasts fully exposed, but there is no exposure directly of genitalia nor are they seen actually having sexual relationships with the priests. The priests are grotesque, diseased, and their rape of the girls is suggested, not displayed. The horror of the priests and their systematic abuses of spiritual power are dramatically juxtaposed to the innocence, beauty, submissiveness, and vulnerability of the young girls. Your skin crawls! This, I think, is the intent of the director's efforts. To show the depravity of the religious order of the time. This theme can be quickly applied to all times, and in light of the abuses uncovered in the Roman Catholic Church regarding homosexual attacks on young boys, the outing of evangelical leaders such as the pastor in Colorado who hired a homosexual male prostitute and enhanced his sexual experience with methanphetamines all along lying to his flock, our current times are legitimately up for consideration and scrutiny. Beware the wolves in sheep's clothing. Sin...it is ugly! It makes your skin crawl...or it should. Were the images of the oracles sex scenes? Personally I think not. To this observer they were scenes of absolute depravity, sin, and abuse. Note that the hero, Leonides, sees through this and rejects the will and opinions of the religious order. He is heroic in this, his purity.


The second scene with sexual overtones is in the bedroom of the king and the queen. They are married. They are speaking in the privacy of their own sanctuary. The king looks out into the night and is fully naked and all of his body is shown with the exception of his genitals. His wife is reclining in bed and is partially clothed and her breasts are exposed slightly. They are considering the future of Sparta, whether to be obedient to the will of the gods and the law, contemplating the worries of leadership, and their relationship with each other. The wife asks whether her husband's worries are so great that he no longer can have desire for her. From a literary standpoint what she is actually doing is offering her love and pleasure to him as a gift to salve his deep emotional and spiritual burdens and pain. He accepts her gift and what follows is a few moments of stylized love making including the vivid, though suggestive images, that they are actually having full intercourse. This scene has heat in it for sure. This scene is about love in the face of crisis and unconditional love between lovers leading to an ultimate and intimate expression in the form of sexual relations. The scene is about one lover giving to another. The director links suffering, power, beauty, physicality, and sexuality together to portray what he considers to be a holistic portrayal of an idealized heterosexual relationship in all of its complex levels. To my eye...he succeeded. Caution though in that I am not willing to suggest that this scene was representative of a healthy, biblical model of marriage. However, the characters remained within some universally accepted ethical contexts; privacy, marriage, intellectual unity, the marriage bed. Not at all in conflict with biblical principles.


The third scene containing sexuality is of the rape of the queen. This is the singularly least vivid image. The queen and her tormentor have political agendas. Each is struggling to win the other over though the villain is willing to force capitulation, his will at all costs. The queen is clearly good, her tormentor is clearly evil. What the queen does metaphorically is "March into hell for a heavenly cause." She attempts to win at all costs too. The scene of her rape is more verbal than physical and the intent of the director is to de-sexualize it so that it can more clearly be seen totally divorced from love, sex linked only to power and greed. The queen's betrayal before the senate and her subsequent triumph in her stabbing her tormentor to death are parallel and reverse images. This inversion serves the director well communicating the depth of human experience and thought that is behind, or covert, in political intrigues. Again, I have to say that the director succeeded in communicating this concept well.

So, are these scenes bad? From an artistic standpoint I think that it can be argued that they are anything but bad in that they dramatically (pun intended) portray complex realities of the over all human experience. Certainly there is beauty. Both the women portrayed and the men are ideals of what human beauty is. Also, there is the ugly, this too is stylized and the ugly is as beautifully horrible as is the ultimate expressions of true beauty. The polarity makes the points really stick to the viewer...if the viewer is paying attention, or is trained in classical literary criticism.

Can the scenes portraying sexuality for differing purposes be bad? Let us suggest that when you see the vision of the beautiful oracles you allow yourself to freeze frame them in your mind's eye. Instead of them being a motion picture in the context of a story line they become merely photographs in your mind of a naked girl. If one then focuses on that image and allows sexual arousal to occur and that arousal develops into lust, and subsequent acts of sexuality divorced from real relationships, then we are talking about what Christ would call adultery in the mind. This is sin and this is bad. If one takes the king and queen's love scene and takes it out of the context of the story this too can become problematic. If one plays this scene over and over on ones mind, if one substitutes it for real relationship, if one uses it for sexual pleasure and not instruction, if one meditates on it for the sole purpose of personal pleasure, then again, we are viewing what Christ would call adultery in the mind, lust of the heart, idolatry of image instead of the worshipping of the one true God. This is sin and this is bad. No doubt! If one views the rape scene, links it to the love making scene, and freeze frames it we can have a problem. If one feels inadequate and sees fulfillment in the power expressed by the bad guy in rape, confuses rape with sex, sex with pleasure, pleasure for the self as good, and power as a right or entitlement then we are looking at a recipe for sin from the pit of hell. This is what Scripture would consider a wicked, deceitful, and depraved heart. There is no room in heaven for such a heart.

Systematic killing then comes to the forefront and we can not honestly evaluate the movie, and our critique of it, without considering the ramifications of the visual images of brutality portrayed in "300". Walls of dead bodies, bodies nailed randomly to a crooked tree, severed limbs, gushing blood, heads rolling, bowels spewing, eyes plucked and arrowed, flies lighting on rotting corpses, heads and bodies split with one blow of a sword, spears thrust through and through with a sense of victory and satisfaction on the face of the impaler are all part of this film. Now, these were our initial good scenes! What shall we say of this? Frankly speaking there is less to be said here than about the scenes of human sexuality. Can such scenes be socially redeeming at any level?

We live in a post modern world that has come to appreciate what is real. Art of ages past has always been focused more on beauty, metaphor, and suggestion. In the 2oth century romantic style both literary, visual, and musical gave way to the real. Instead of literature with hints of love making we find graphic descriptions. Instead of dreamy music we hear directed music with concrete emotional themes. Instead of stylized portraits of what people wished they looked like we get the close up photograph with warts, pimples, and pores fully exposed. You see the hairs growing out of my aging ears! Saving Private Ryan is a classic example of how war can be, in the modern world, communicated in a real way with legs being blown off, the wounded screaming in agony, blood gushing into the sand, supersonic bullets cracking around the soldiers randomly picking their next victim so as to explode their head. Another expression of this trend is virtual reality.

Late in the 20th century and now in the early part of the 21st we find art becoming what I like to call metaphorically real. This is "300". The scenes of killing and death are "impressionistic" and not "vivid" as they are in Saving Private Ryan. In this respect the Spartan movie is much, much more artistic. It is in some way retro. This style divorces us a bit from really relating and we see the violence as more secondary to the themes of conflict and the quest for immortality. Artistically this is called using the violence as a medium or vehicle for communicating the real message.

Another aspect of "300" that is of great interest with regard to the violence is the images of the enemy. Without exception the enemy on the battle field is portrayed as sub-human. Also, all of the enemy warriors are seen as dark, ugly, mysterious, bestial, and most interesting and commonly all Arabic. Wow! The exceptions seemed to be the mutants who were almost universally European.

Nothing in art is an accident. Nothing. Commercial success may be unexpected, but the work itself is 100% intentional. And, particularly in the movie business, Timing is everything. Does anyone see anything interesting in the timing of this movie and its subject? Can it be a metaphor for The War on Terror? Can it be a metaphor for The War in Iraq? Can it be a political statement? If the answer to these questions is yes then "300" in a very real way is one of the most eloquent examples of political/war propaganda that I have ever seen. One does not come away from this movie with a sober and reflective concept of war. One, if he is a red blooded, patriotic, American male comes away with a strong passion for victory and glory! This should be a chilling thought. It is worth reflecting on. Since 2001 we have been continually bombarded by ever more sophisticated video war games, mixed martial art fights with blood everywhere, repeated viewings of Braveheart and Glory and Pearl Harbor. We need to think and think hard on these things. Where do these images lead us? How do they help shape our image of ourselves as men? Are we being desensitized to brutality? Are we becoming callous to the destruction of our fellow human beings and seeing this as a justifiable end to our political, economic, and cultural goals regardless of the means? Are our enemies not made in the image of God? Are we being trained to be rapists?

So, what do we conclude? Nothing. That is not my job nor the intent of this blog. I want you to think these things through. Are you able to control your mind so well that you do not fall into the snap shot syndrome when it comes to viewing sexuality on the big screen? Do you understand human sexuality and art well enough to not fall into lust? Are you able to see the nuances of stories and seek out and understand the hidden meanings? Sex and violence have gone hand in hand throughout human history. It certainly was displayed in "300." Can sex and violence be portrayed artistically to communicate truths? Certainly. Just because truths were communicated successfully does that justify or make good each and every artistic endeavor to express truth in this way? Hummmm.

"300" was visually captivating and beautiful. It was unique to the extreme. It had many motifs and it dealt with human experience in love and war on many different levels. It is a complex movie. It can be a stumbling block to some. It could very well be a sophisticated work of political of propaganda. These are things to consider deeply when you choose to see a movie, when you choose to recommend it to someone else. What is the movie about? What is it trying to teach or communicate? How does it communicate its lessons? Who is it that you are recommending the movie too? What is their spiritual level of maturity? What is yours? Things to consider and to grow through.

Amana=Believing Faithfully

The hotel was on the tacky side. It was a long ride (almost seven hours) before I got there. I've been on I 80 many times over the years. I've never had the opportunity, nor strong desire to stop at the Williamsburg exit. Most times I was coming from Chicago and heading to Denver. One never wants to stop in Williamsburg as it is important to get to Kearney, Nebraska on your first day of driving. If you stop along the way you may not get to Omaha and that leaves a long ride the second day before you see the Rocky Mountains on your horizon. It can be tough getting rooms if you get in too late to either Omaha, Kearney, or Denver. On that first day you just simply have to keep moving, so I've never before had the opportunity to visit the Amana Colonies. This weekend, due to a business meeting that was held there, I was forced to stop. I got to see the colonies for the first time in my life.

Amana brings to mind kitchen appliances to most people. To me it does that, but it also brings to mind the Amish. I don't know why, but I've always assumed that the Amish had something to do with "The Colonies." To my great surprise they had absolutely nothing to do with those who created the Amana Colonies. I like surprises. I went from the hotel across the parking lot to a gift shop and purchased a book entitled Amana-The Community of True Inspiration by Bertha M. H. Shambaugh (1908). Having the ability to read at the speed of thought has its advantages, as I have shared with you guys before. So, by about 10:30 that evening I had read the entire history and knew quite a bit about my new environment. Off to sleep I went and then in the morning off to breakfast for coffee and an omelet. The food...not so good. This Holiday Inn needs some serious improvement. The folks working at the hotel were nice. The facility is not associated with the colonies at all, rather it is simply at the exit on I 80 which leads to a road that, if taken north ten miles, will place your in The Amanas.

The Amana Colony was established in Iowa in 1855 by approximately 1200 people of Germanic and Lutheran heritage. They left Europe after substantial persecution for their religious beliefs. They came into being in 1714 under the leadership of two men by the names of Eberhard Ludwig Gruber and Johann Friedrich Rock who are regarded as the group's real founders. They were displeased by the Church/State alliance that existed in Germany with the royals and the Lutheran hierarchy. So, they broke way and started their own church and community. It grew to almost 2000, but it started to fade after Gruber's death in 1728 and Rock's death in 1780, both from natural causes. In the absence of strong leadership organizations have a habit of declining. In 1817 a man by the name of Michael Krausert started a revival of sorts and the community again began to grow and flourish. Persecuted as were the Amish, Mennonites, and Puritans they felt God's calling to move to the United States and in 1842 they arrived in New York State and founded, in what is now Buffalo, the Ebenizer Society on property they purchased from the Seneca Indian Tribe. Soon they determined that they lived too close to Buffalo as it was growing rapidly. Elders of the community searched for land in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Iowa. They found and purchased the Iowa property in 1855 and in five years they had moved completely from New York to their final location. The community was legally chartered with the State of Iowa and was called Bleibtreu which is a German word that meant Remain Faithful. Due to its difficulty in being understood in English it was changed to the Biblical name Amana, which signifies glaub treu [believing faithfully].

So, there I was in this tacky hotel just off of I 80 in the middle of No Where. AMANA was every where. Amana bread, Amana roasted corn nuts, Amana turkey, Amana roast beef, Amana cups, Amana saucers, Amana jellies and jams, Amana beer, Amana wine, Amana cheese, Amana jerky strips...you get my point. Capitalism at its worst. I decided to do a sociological test. I went up to four members of the staff of the hotel and restaurant. I asked politely if they knew what Amana meant? All four members of the staff admitted that they had worked and or lived in the area all of their lives and none, none of them knew that Amana meant [believing faithfully]. Isn't that interesting...sometimes people can be too close to something wonderful and never realize that it is there.

There is a lesson in all of this for us. I have to think it out some more before I make some type of application. However, I know that all we have to do is turn around and the Lord is right there with us. I know that all we have to do is say the simplest of prayers in faith and He listens. But, what about that wonderful thing in our lives that we are so close to that we can not see it? Could it be the person right next to us? Could it be the message preached on Sunday? Could it be your closest friend who doesn't know the Lord as his or her savior? Could it be your parents? Oh, my...could it be your siblings?! Let's think on this matter. I am going to go to God's Word and see what He has to say on paying attention to the life He has given us.

Amana...talking the walk and walking the talk hand in hand with Jesus every minute of every hour of every day. Quite a challenge The Community of True Inspiration took on.

The word Amana is found in The Song of Solomon Chapter 4, verse 8.

"Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the summit of Amana
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards."

Believing faithfully these 19th Century followers of Christ left the evils of their European culture to set up a place where they could better be obedient to the Word of God in their lives. I do not find Amana any place else in the Bible but here, at least in an English translation. That they found this place mentioned in the Old Testament, that it is so obscure in its usage, that it was so perfect in its representation of their vision, that it came from the love poems of Solomon, tells me...these folks really knew their Scripture.

Here is a link to more information: http://www.amanacolonies.com