Contemplating an incredible passage from the Bible

It’s been a while since I’ve quoted one of my favorite Bible passages in this blog, so I wanted to today.  Philippians 2:3-4 reads, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather in humility, value others above yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  What an incredible passage of Scripture!

Right off the bat, I have to state that it would be arrogant, hypocritical, and patently untruthful for me to claim that I’ve arrived when it comes to perfectly obeying this Biblical admonition.  I’m not the embodiment of someone who always follows Philippians 2:3-4.  Even so, these are precious verses to me.  I do strive to live them out on a daily basis.  I try to take my eyes off of myself and put them on others.  I try to selflessly serve those around me, with no expectation of one day being paid back.

The short-lived TV show “Birds of Prey” first aired back in 2002.  It followed the exploits of Batman's daughter, Helena.  While it wasn’t particularly well received (it was cancelled after one season), I thought it was pretty good – I actually wrote a favorable review of this show at amazon.com.  In an episode entitled “Lady Shiva”, Alfred Pennyworth tells Barbara Gordon (one of Batman’s allies) that she has matured; she now possesses, as he put it, “a capacity to care more for others than you do for yourself.  Now, if that’s not a hero I don’t know what is.”  Sounds a little like Philippians 2:3-4 to me.

Kevin

Super Bowl 49 prediction

It has been my habit on this blog to make a Super Bowl prediction after the match-up has been set.  Before I get into this year’s actual game, I wanted to talk about my record for my Super Bowl prediction picks in this blog.  

In 2012, I made my first prediction for the big game (this blog did exist in 2011, but I didn’t think to make a prediction).  That year was the Giants and the Patriots in Super Bowl 46.  I predicted the Giants would beat the Patriots, and this is what happened.  The next year, 2013, I predicted the Ravens would defeat the 49ers in Super Bowl 47, and I even went so far as to declare that Joe Flacco would be the MVP, and I was correct on both counts.

In 2014, the Seahawks defeated the Broncos in Super Bowl 48.  I, however, predicted that the Broncos were going to win the game.  I have to quote my own words, because they are so funny in hindsight.  I said, “I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout.  My prediction for the score is Denver 28 Seattle 20.”  The result was a blowout, where the Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8 in a complete drubbing.  Obviously I was very wrong on that one.  So I’m 2-1.

Super Bowl 49 is the Seattle Seahawks versus the New England Patriots.  While I applaud the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks for getting back to the Super Bowl again, I am actually picking the Patriots to win.

No, I’m not looking primarily at that trouncing they gave the Colts in the AFC Championship game; I think the more telling story is actually their playoff game the week before against the Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens led for most of the game.  In fact, Baltimore led by 14 points on two separate occasions.  They had the Pats on the ropes, but they could never deliver that final blow to knock New England out.  The Patriots simply kept fighting and they found a way to win.  I suspect that New England will do the same in the Super Bowl.  It just feels like their year to me.

Kevin

"Encourage and build each other up"

Truett Cathy once wrote, “How do you know if a child needs encouragement?  If he or she is breathing.”  This is so true; and of course, it is true for adults as well as children.  Encouragement is incredibly powerful.  The Bible says, “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29; NLT).  1 Thessalonians 5:11 reads, “Therefore encourage and build each other up.”  The Bible makes it crystal clear that we are to speak words that encourage, edify, and build others up.

Let me tell you why I’m mentioning this today.  A few days ago, a coworker spoke encouraging and edifying words to me regarding my job performance for the position that I was working that day.  I wasn’t having a bad day, but her words encouraged me.  My attitude was lifted.  Her kind comments to me were the highlight of my day.  It was a vivid reminder of the power of encouragement.

It was also a reminder of the power of the words we speak.  Thankfully the popularity of this phrase has waned of late, but it used to be spoken all the time; the phrase is, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  This is wrong.  Words have the potential to hurt very deeply.  Words can be impacting in either a very helpful or a very harmful way.  In fact, the Bible says, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21).  I want to speak words of life; words that edify and encourage others.

Kevin

Celebrating the Broncos season

The season is over for the Denver Broncos.  The Indianapolis Colts recorded an unexpected, but impressive, victory yesterday over the Broncos in Denver by a score of 24-13.  I tip my hat to the Colts for coming into Denver’s stadium and winning.  The score wasn’t really even as close as the final score indicated.  Indy deserves to move on to the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots; the Broncos obviously do not.

Many Bronco fans have (understandably) been upset about this outcome.  But lost in this disappointing result is the fact that Denver once again had another good year.  Denver was 12-4; they won the AFC West, and they earned a first-round bye and #2 seed in the AFC.  That’s not a bad season by any stretch of the imagination.  Someone said that Denver Bronco fans are spoiled; this person was right.  The expectations have been set so high that some fans don’t stop and appreciate that the team did still have a good year.  Here’s some perspective: both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans only won two games this year.  So thank you, Broncos, for an exciting year!

Because of the high standards that I mentioned, today, the Broncos and Head Coach John Fox “mutually agreed” to part ways (by the way, I’m not a fan of that term; for all intents and purposes he was fired, at least as I see it).  I really want to thank John Fox for all he did in his tenure in Denver.  Consider this: the Broncos won the AFC West in all four years that Fox coached the team, and he helped Denver return to the Super Bowl last year.  Fox was an impressive 46-18 as the Broncos coach.  I, for one, am very sad to see Coach Fox depart.  He deserves a lot of praise for his era in Denver.  Therefore, I say thank you, John Fox!

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank Peyton Manning.  I am not a prophet, so I could be wrong here, but if someone were to ask me what I think Peyton is going to do this off-season, I suspect that he is going to retire from the game.  My perspective is that Peyton Manning’s legacy will be one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever played.  What he was able to accomplish in his career was astonishing.  He was sensational in chapter 1 of his career with the Colts; he was just as sensational in chapter 2 of his career with the Broncos.  It was an absolute joy, pleasure, and delight to watch him play quarterback at such a high level for so long.  Thank you, Peyton!

Kevin

An absolutely incredible song

I recently heard a song from the old TV show “Animaniacs” that actually inspired me to praise and worship God.  I marveled afresh at the greatness of God as I was listening to this song.  Why?  Because it spoke of the vastness of the universe we live in.  But let me back up. 

For those of you that don’t know, “Animaniacs” was a cartoon show that ran in the 1990’s.  The main characters were the Warner Brothers, Yakko, Wakko, and their sister, Dot (what species are the Warner’s?  No one really knows).  The spokesman of the siblings is Yakko.  Yakko is voiced by the extremely talented voice actor Rob Paulsen.  Paulsen performs the song I’ve brought up which is entitled “Yakko’s Universe.”  Once again, this is such a fantastic song.  Not only does it move me to praise the Lord, it’s also very catchy (it’s been stuck in my head for days).  I’m including a you tube link of this great song.

Let me clarify something.  There are some people who listen to this song and they can’t see the actual forest because they get stuck on a particular tree, so to speak.  For instance, one person essentially said, “The interplanetary system doesn’t stretch seven hundred billion miles long, as Yakko claims; that figure is wrong.”  I say three things in response: #1: Only God knows the exact measurements of the intricacies of the universe; we humans don’t really know.  #2: By sharing this song with you, I’m not proposing that I agree with every word, insinuation, and figure presented in this song. 

#3: Don’t let the song’s inaccuracies distract you so that you effectively miss the whole point altogether.  The main point of this song, in my opinion, is the chorus; which is as follows: “It’s a great big universe and we’re all really puny.  We’re just tiny little specks…we are small and dinky.  It’s a big universe and we’re not.”  I think that God created such a vast universe to relay the lesson to us that it’s not all about us.

I hope you enjoy the song. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqzRKDlmEhI

Kevin

Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger?

In 1989, Jack Nicholson played the role of the Joker in the film known simply as “Batman”.  Almost twenty years later (2008), Heath Ledger played the role of Joker in the movie “The Dark Knight”.  Subsequently, an interesting debate emerged and rages on to this day.  The question presented is which actor was the better Joker.  Was it Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger?  There are passionate camps for each actor’s depiction.  Let me start with Ledger.

I remember hearing all sorts of positive buzz about Heath Ledger's performance in the months leading up to the release of “The Dark Knight”.  This anticipation was elevated when the sad, tragic news was released that Heath Ledger had died shortly after filming.  Heath left us with an absolute gem.  Ledger was absolutely phenomenal.  He was gripping, haunting, and the thief of every scene he was in.  If you ever want an illustration of what it means for an actor to completely dissolve into a character, it is Heath Ledger as the Joker.  You didn’t really think about the actor; you thought about the character he was presenting.  He brilliantly showcases the Joker’s menace, his evil, and his homicidal ways.  What a performance!

Jack Nicholson’s depiction of Joker is more overshadowed, minimized, and undervalued than it should be as a result of Ledger’s representation.  But I love and appreciate Nicholson’s characterization of the Joker as well.  Those who criticize Nicholson and assert that he isn’t as convincing as Ledger’s Joker need to take a fresh look at Jack’s depiction.  Somehow they missed the exquisite genius of his portrayal.  They somehow missed how fantastic a job Nicholson did.  Jack Nicholson’s Joker is just as menacing, lethal, threatening, and murderous as his counterpart.  Like Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson is genuinely riveting, mesmerizing, and gripping in every scene he is in.

 

So, as I conclude, who gets my vote: Nicholson or Ledger?  My answer is why can’t we appreciate both portrayals for what they were?  You may think this is an evasive, cop-out answer but I don’t think it is.  If you were to come up to me and say, "Kevin, Heath Ledger’s Joker was amazing," I would wholeheartedly agree with you.  Similarly, if you were to come up to me and say, "Kevin, I really like Jack Nicholson’s Joker.  He was just incredible," I would wholeheartedly agree with you as well.  It’s like both were famous painters who painted a masterful work of art.  Like art, individual tastes vary, so some will prefer one over the other, and that’s okay.  But each is undeniably fantastic.  They both succeeded in what they were trying to do: present us with a gripping cinematic depiction of Batman’s greatest villain, Joker.

Kevin

Every film has its message

I have previously been vocal in this blog about why I enjoy the 2007 film Spider-Man 3.  But it came to my mind again recently, and I want to bring it up today.  Before I do, I have to ask and answer a few questions.  Is this film flawless?  Of course not.  Does this film have moments that are just flat-out bad?  The answer is an undeniable yes.  Honestly, I have to skip certain scenes because they are so cringe-worthy.  So please don’t accuse me of not seeing this film’s glaring shortcomings.  I’m well aware of them.

But, having clearly stated this, the truth of the matter is this: there is a wonderful overall message in the movie Spider-Man 3.  Sadly, it doesn’t get talked about too often because people get hung up on some of the other negative aspects of this Spider-Man caper.  The whole message of the film is this: harboring unforgiveness and inwardly desiring revenge towards someone else isn’t worth its high price; it is much better to choose to forgive them instead.  The power of forgiveness is shown in scene after scene as the movie nears its conclusion.

For example, Peter Parker harbored unforgiveness, bitterness, and a desire for revenge for most of the film.  In a poignant scene, Peter hears a deeply contrite and remorseful Flint Marko explain how Ben Parker had died.  Flint explained that while Ben did indeed die at his hand, he didn’t maliciously attack and murder Ben in cold blood, as Peter had previously thought.  Marko sums it all up by saying, “I spent a lot of nights wishing I could take back what I did.  I’m not asking you to forgive me; I just wanted you to understand.”  Peter responds with three powerful words: “I forgive you.”   Upon Peter’s declaration, you can practically see Marko being released from the inner shackles of guilt he was carrying.

In another scene, shortly before his death Harry Osborn, Peter’s best friend, is on the brink of death.  While fighting by Peter’s side, Harry gave his life to save Peter.  Harry lay mortally wounded, his life ebbing away.  Peter tells him that he never should have hurt him, or said the mean things he did.  It’s true.  Earlier in the movie, Peter had hurt Harry both physically and emotionally.  Yes, Peter was wearing a black alien symbiote suit that made him darker and angrier at the time, but this fact doesn’t exonerate Peter for his actions.  But Harry responded by saying: “None of that matters Peter.  You are my friend.”  Harry chose forgiveness, not retaliation.  Moments later, Harry died.

  

The final scene of the film always makes me cry.  In the very last scene, Peter and Mary Jane reconcile.  Peter walks in to Mary Jane’s workplace; he approaches her and reaches out his hand, wordlessly asking for forgiveness and restoration.  She takes it and the two of them share an intimate embrace.  One of the trailers of this film has Mary Jane saying, “We have to forgive each other.”  I like to think that’s what Mary Jane said to Peter, even though this line inexplicably never appears in the film.  In the end, they chose forgiveness over revenge.  Once again, this was the overall message of the film.

We are obviously not far into 2015.  Many of us make resolutions for how we can improve ourselves.  Why not resolve to let go of that grudge, bitterness, and inner desire for revenge and choose instead to forgive that person that hurt you?  If you are new to this blog, let me just tell you, I know what it’s like to hold on to anger, resentment, and bitterness; I know what it’s like to secretly desire that the guilty party would intensely suffer for what they did.  But thankfully, on more than one occasion, I also have experienced the incredible power of forgiveness in my life.  God has taught me that the only way to ever truly be free is to choose to extend forgiveness.  Spider-Man 3 also teaches us this very important lesson.

Kevin

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you” – Colossians 3:13