Memorial Day 2017 musings

Memorial Day is misunderstood.  For many, it’s just the unofficial beginning of summer; it’s a chance to have cookouts and barbecues; it’s a chance to take the day off from work and to go and find a good bargain at a retail store.  All of this stuff is fine and good, but don’t let the real meaning of the day get lost.  My dad - Mr. Organization we sometimes called him - left behind a lot of good information regarding the origins of Memorial Day.  He has a document titled “The History of Memorial Day”.  I’m not going to cite the whole thing, but here are the high points:

“It began in 1865, when Henry C. Welles…in Waterloo, suggested that honor should be given to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.  By 1866, the town of Waterloo had embraced the idea, demonstrating their dedication by making wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran’s grave.  Processions led by veterans marched to each of three local cemeteries, where formal services were held.

1868 brought the first official proclamation designating May 30 as a day of remembrance for the nation’s war dead.  General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic issued the order.  During that first celebration of Decoration Day, as it was then known, Civil War veteran General James Garfield, who later became the 22nd president of the United States, spoke at a ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery.  Following his speech, 5000 volunteers decorated the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

Memorial Day observances became widespread by the late 1800’s, and after World War I, the ceremonies began to include honors for those who had died in all of America’s wars.  In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday, to be observed the last Monday in May.”

I can’t leave this paragraph out; at one point, the document states, “Our nation reflects on the extraordinary sacrifice of heroes.  Heroes who have fought and died in defense of liberty – and heroes who safeguard that liberty today.  In those reflections of heroic sacrifice, the magnitude of Memorial Day becomes palpable [and] powerful.”  I say amen to that!  Such selfless heroism inspires me; it reminds me that there are not only things worth living for but there are certainly also things worth dying for.

Kevin

The Roger Moore James Bond films (part 2)

Even though Roger Moore played many roles, he was best known for playing James Bond; and he made an indelible impression on the character.  To honor the memory of the now sadly late Roger Moore, I have been giving my thoughts on his Bond movies.  Let me continue on now with where I left off last time.

“Moonraker” (1979)

First of all, I already shared my favorite scene from this film in the blog on May 25th that I titled “The iconic career of Roger Moore” so if you missed that, check it out.  Moonraker is generally panned as a disappointment, when in truth, for years Moonraker was the highest grossing Bond film ever made.  The critics want to shred the story; they ask, “What is James Bond doing in space?”  What the detractors of this film don’t seem to understand is the historical context.  The original “Star Wars” trilogy was taking the world of cinema by storm.  The James Bond producers incorporated elements of Star Wars into this story because it was something that everyone was interested in.  And, once again, this idea worked as Moonraker was a massive hit.

Personally, I don’t understand the unbridled hate that Moonraker receives.  The story is well crafted.  Not only is Roger Moore fantastic as 007 as usual, there is a memorable main villain; there is a competent love interest for Bond; there is the welcome return of Jaws; and there is an exciting conclusion where Bond saves millions of lives.  Am I suggesting that this film is a flawless movie?  No, I’m not saying that at all.  But it is not worthy of all the bad press it receives. 

“For Your Eyes Only” (1981)

This film – that was released the year I was born – is another top notch Roger Moore Bond film.  One of highlights of this one for me is the Bond girl, Melina Havlock (played capably by Carole Bouquet).  She witnesses the brutal murder of her parents; this event launches her into seeking vengeance.  Interestingly, it is Bond who repeatedly discourages her from this course of action.  He says to her, “The Chinese have a saying: “Before setting out on revenge, you first dig two graves.””  At the pivotal moment, when she has the chance to get her revenge, Bond speaks up, “No, Melina, that’s not the answer.”

This storyline of cherishing human life – even the life of someone who doesn’t deserve it and did something reprehensible – is a message that is regularly presented on superhero shows like “The Flash” and “Supergirl” but it is refreshing to see it presented in a James Bond film.  It reinforces what I highlighted in my comments on “The Man with the Golden Gun”.  James Bond has a license to kill when he has to do so, but it is a responsibility that he doesn’t relish or take lightly.

  

“Octopussy” (1983)

First of all, I am ashamed of this title.  I think the original Ian Fleming book that this film was loosely based on was titled “Property of a Lady” and that is a much better title.  I feel like a parent should have pulled whoever decided to call this movie what they did aside and say, “We don’t use words like that.”  It’s certainly not fitting of the dignified, sophisticated James Bond.

However, even though I don’t like the title, I love the film.  I think this is one of Roger Moore’s best performances as James Bond.  One of the memorable scenes is when Bond finds a bomb at a circus.  To find it, he has to dress up as a clown.  He finds the bomb, and he disarms it while still dressed as a clown.  This scene could have come across as ludicrous and comical, but it is actually tense and humorless.  Some want to criticize Moore for not being serious enough as James Bond.  I don’t agree with this criticism.  I would point them to the bomb storyline in this film to give just one example (and there are many other examples as well); while Moore’s Bond may have cracked jokes, when things got serious, so did he. 

“A View to a Kill” (1985)

There’s no other way to say it: in Roger’s last Bond film he was overshadowed.  Christopher Walken performance as the main villain, Max Zorin, is just off the charts.  Zorin is so insane, unpredictable, and maniacal that he just makes the audience shake their head in disbelief.  I think Zorin is the most monstrous, unhinged, and deranged Bond villain in the Roger Moore era. Bond and Zorin’s battle reminds me of a battle that Batman might have with the Joker.  Just how far is the Joker going to go in his mayhem before Batman finally stops him?

Bond, somewhat uncharacteristically, can’t hide his obvious contempt for Zorin.  In one scene, after Zorin lays out his plan, Bond sarcastically states, “Brilliant, I’m almost speechless with admiration.”  The disdain for the madman clearly etched on his face.  At one point, he calls Zorin a “psychopath.”  True enough.  But in the end, Bond saves countless lives by sabotaging Zorin’s mad plan, and finally defeating him on the Golden Gate Bridge.  In fact, Zorin is so memorable that he is referenced in the 2004 James Bond video game “Everything or Nothing” (a game where Pierce Brosnan actually gave his voice to the project, effectively providing a final performance as 007).  Bond remarks that the two of them “once played bridge together; he lost.”

In conclusion to all this, Roger Moore is an important part of the legacy of James Bond – and vice versa.  In a pamphlet of the special edition DVD for the film “Live and Let Die” it reads, “For an entire generation of moviegoers, Roger Moore is the Agent 007, he…anchored many of the series’ greatest successes.”  Well stated.  For many, to paraphrase Carly Simon, “nobody did it better” than Roger Moore.

Kevin

The Roger Moore James Bond films (part 1)

To give my honor to Roger Moore, who sadly passed away on Tuesday, I wanted to share my thoughts regarding each of Moore’s Bond movies.  Because he was in a whopping seven films, I have decided to separate this content into two blogs.

“Live and Let Die” (1973)

While Roger Moore is excellent in his initial appearance as James Bond, I have to admit that “Live and Let Die” is not my favorite Bond film.  Kananga, the main villain, regularly consults Solitaire (Jane Seymour), a mysterious woman who can see the future through the use of Tarot cards.  Bond convinces Solitaire that they were destined to be lovers (one could argue that this was technically true; Solitaire had already seen “the lovers” card twice in reference to her future with Bond, however, as James himself later confessed to her “the deck was lightly stacked in my favor”).  With this news, they have sex.  She discovers that her ability to see the future was dependent on her being a virgin.  Kananga is ticked off and spends the rest of the movie trying to make Bond pay for what he did.  There is more that I don’t like about this film’s plot, but you get my point.  This kind of story is not my cup of tea.

Despite the silly narrative, there are some excellent scenes.  One of the memorable characters in the film is Kananga’s henchmen, named Tee Hee (played well by Julius W. Harris).  He is the scene stealer.  Tee Hee, as he explained to Bond at one point, has to wear a metal hand because he had lost his real one after an unfortunate run-in with an alligator.  In a riveting scene, Tee Hee appears in Bond and Solitaire’s room on a train to end Bond.  After an epic fight, Bond finally unhooks the wires connecting the villain’s metal hand with his body, and proceeds to throw Tee Hee out of the window of the speeding train.

Meanwhile, Solitaire is completely oblivious to any danger (because the bed could be pulled out from the wall, and Tee Hee had shoved the bed up into the wall with her still in it for the entire fight).  With the threat gone, Bond pulls the bed back down.  “Well, that wasn’t very funny.”  She says.  Bond gives her a love pat, and walks away.  “Now what are you doing?”  She asks, impatiently.  The metal piece of hand that was once on Tee Hee was still connected to the window; Bond dislodged it and threw it out.  Then Roger Moore gives this witty line: “Just being disarming, darling.”

“The Man with the Golden Gun” (1974)

This film is a mixed bag.  Roger is, once again, sensational all the way through.  But, unfortunately, some elements of the movie are not.  For one thing, Bond’s love interest in this film is a dumb blonde in every sense of the word.  I don’t necessarily buy into that old stereotype, but in this case it is valid.  For example, at one point, she inadvertently activates a console because she bends over and hits a button with her behind!  Even the calm and composed James Bond seems to constantly lose his patience with this girl.

One of the highlights is Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Francisco Scaramanga (AKA, the man with the golden gun).  Lee is excellent.  One of the enjoyments in this film is the banter that Bond and Scaramanga share.  In one memorable scene, James Bond makes a statement that reveals a lesser known fact about the world's most famous spy: namely that he doesn’t revel in killing as one might expect.  He simply does it because it needs to be done.  Bond says to Scaramanga, “When I kill it’s on the specific orders of my government, and those I kill are themselves killers.”

Incidentally, this notion about Bond is strongly implied in a scene in Daniel Craig’s first Bond film “Casino Royale”.  In that scene, Vesper, Bond’s love interest, insinuates that killing actually has a psychological effect on Bond.  He denies it by saying, “I wouldn’t be very good at my job if it did.”  But the entirety of the scene made it abundantly clear: despite his protests, Vesper was absolutely right.  

“The Spy who Loved Me” (1977) 

Roger Moore has said that of all the Bond films he did, “The Spy who Loved Me” was his favorite.  I can see why.  This movie is fantastic from start to finish.  I think this is Moore’s best performance as 007.  In the film, Bond teams up with a female agent who is if not superior to him is at the very least his equal (unlike the girl in the last film); he battles a powerful enemy named Jaws (who is so effective they actually bring him back in the next film); the main villain has a plan so dastardly that is certainly warrants Bond’s undivided attention.  The music is also a resounding success.  It features Carly Simon’s song “Nobody Does it Better”; this is one of my favorite James Bond theme songs of all-time.

I think my favorite sequence of the film is a chase scene.  Bond and Anya, the female agent James teams up with, are talking until she abruptly says, “James, that motorcycle…” Bond finishes her sentence, “has been following us for the last mile.”  Someone wants the two of them dead.  After James does some fancy maneuvering, the motorcyclist is defeated.  But it is far from over, another car with henchmen (including Jaws) appears.  Anya begins to warn James, but once again, he is well aware.  “Yes, I know,” he says.  “Don’t tell me.”  He begins to showcase the gadgets that Q had built into their car.  As a result, the car filled with henchmen falls off the road, and after a large drop, crashes into the roof of a house (no one except for Jaws survives the fall).

But the assailants still don’t stop.  Another vehicle makes its presence known; it’s a helicopter with a built-in machine gun.  “Do you ever get the feeling someone doesn’t like you?”  Bond asks.  He tries to evade the attack with fancy driving, and when he realizes that’s not working, he simply decides to drive the car right into a river!  “Can you swim?”  He asks Anya, calmly.  Anya freaks out, but the car simply converts into a submarine (it’s Q’s car after all).  “It’s time we said goodbye to an uninvited guest,” Bond announces and he fires a torpedo that destroys the helicopter.  “Alone at last,” Bond remarks.  What a dazzling, entertaining, and riveting scene!  What a movie!

 

I’m going to wrap it up here for today.  I plan to cover Roger’s remaining Bond films in the next blog, so stay tuned for that.  To be continued!

Kevin      

The iconic career of Roger Moore

On May 23rd, I heard the sad news that Roger Moore had passed away; he was 89 years old.  I have enjoyed Roger Moore’s work for many years.  He, of course, played James Bond, and he played him well, but he played many other roles as well.

For instance, I enjoyed watching him play Simon Templer on the TV show “The Saint”.  What struck me is Templer seemed to always be a step ahead of everyone else.  Like Batman, Sherlock Holmes, or MacGyver, his greatest asset is his keen mind.  That sort of character is intriguing to me.  Moore played Templer more than capably.

I’m planning on writing a second blog about Roger Moore later on that is devoted exclusively to his James Bond films.  But for today it’s sufficient for me to state that Moore played James Bond with class, charm, and sophistication (not to mention longevity; he played Bond for 12 years!).  

One of my favorite Moore as Bond moments was in the film “Moonraker”.  The main villain invites Bond to participate in pheasant shooting.  As Bond prepares to do so, we see that an assassin is hiding in a tree, with his sights on murdering James.  A group of pheasants fly over and Bond fires his rifle.  “You missed, Mr. Bond,” the villain responds.  “Did I?”  Bond replies.  The assassin falls out of tree, dead.  Bond knew about the assassination attempt all along and took care of business with his typical unflappable style.  It was a classic Bond scene, and Roger’s performance in it was excellent.   

Roger Moore worked after he retired from the role as James Bond also.  In 2002, he played a memorable character in an episode of the spy show “Alias”.  Arvin Sloane, the main villain of the show – particularly in the first two seasons – was a master manipulator.  But Moore’s character did what few could do: he actually manipulated Sloane!  This manipulation led to the murder of one of Sloane’s friends.  When Sloane finally realized what had happened, he angrily seeks Moore’s character out; he states that he knows that he was used and bamboozled.  But the character responds, “I haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about.”  But he did know.  And yet again, Moore played his role very well.

My heart goes out to Moore’s family and friends.  He is survived by his wife and three children.  Regular readers of this blog are aware that I know what it’s like to lose a family member; writing a blog like this affects me differently than it used to.  Because my dad passed away, I know very well the pain, sorrow, and grief that tightly grips you.   I’m sure that Roger would have wanted us to focus on the characters that he had the opportunity to bring to life, and the enjoyment that he was able to bring to millions of people. 

Kevin

God Most High

It is fascinating to contemplate the names of God as they reveal an intrinsic part of His character.  For example, in Genesis 22, we read that one of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide.  In Judges 6 (verse 24) we are told another name: Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is peace.  There are many more, I’m just giving you these to introduce my topic.  I recently heard a name of God that I was unaware of, El Elyon.  El means God, “Elyon literally means “Most High”…It expresses the extreme sovereignty and majesty of God.”  I’ve just quoted from blue letter Bible.com.  Here’s the link, if you are interested.      https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/name_god.cfm 

One of the passages where God is referred to as El Elyon is in Daniel 4.  In this passage, King Nebuchadnezzar, after God had humbled him, says, “I blessed the Most High [there it is; El Elyon], and praised and honored Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation” (verse 34).  

In Acts 17, Paul says that God has “determined the times set for them [humanity] and the exact places where they should live” (verse 26).  Psalm 103:19 says, “The Lord has established His throne in the Heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.”  I like this definition of God’s sovereignty from navigators.com: “God presides over every event, great or small, and He is in control of our lives.  To be sovereign, He must be all-knowing and all-powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules His entire creation”   (https://www.navigators.org/Tools/Discipleship%20Resources/Tools/30%20Days%20of%20Praying%20the%20Names%20and%20Attributes%20of%20God)

I would be remiss if I didn’t at least briefly mention that some vehemently disagree with the notion that God is in control.  The question they would want to ask is, “If God is in control, why does God seem to allow evil to flourish?”  Or why do the good ones seem to die young?  Or you could list whatever other situations come to your mind.  I've bitten off much more than I can chew on this one.  The format of this blog won't allow me to adequately answer this objection.  But I can certainly understand why someone would ask such questions.  I wonder why God has led me to my station in life.  His plan for my life has been vastly, vastly different than mine.

 

Let me say this: just because God seems to go off script, so to speak, this doesn’t somehow negate His sovereign control.  If anything, it confirms that His thoughts, ways, and plans are much bigger than anything we humans can wrap our minds around.  Frankly, I like that.  I like serving a God that I can’t fully explain.  I like serving a God who is bigger than my comprehension.

Bill Oudemolen, in a sermon, once stated, “God is in charge, no matter what is happening in your life.  No matter what you’re experiencing; no matter what you’re going through; no matter how difficult things are; no matter how heavy the burden is in your life, do not deny God’s power, accept His sovereignty.”  Amen to that!  God, El Elyon, the sovereign, majestic, Most High is in control.  That is incredibly comforting.

Kevin 

The righteous will be "remembered forever"

I’ve been thinking about Psalm 112 of late.  This is a Psalm that speaks of the blessings of being a godly man.  Verses 3, 6, and 9 all speak of how the upright man will always be remembered – and this is true even if the person has passed away.  Verse 9 says, “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”  Interestingly, this verse is actually quoted in the New Testament.  Specifically, it’s in 2 Corinthians 9.

I love Psalm 112:6: “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.”  What a great verse!  What a grand truth!  First of all, the dictionary defines being righteous as “acting in a just, upright manner; virtuous.”  I could give several examples to illustrate this notion.  I could cite Biblical characters who are remembered for their righteousness; such as Daniel, Joseph (from the Old Testament, although kudos to Joseph from the New Testament as well), and Job.  Or I could cite more contemporary men like Charles Spurgeon, Adrian Rogers, and Rick Ferguson.  But I want to bring up my dad on this one.

 

To be clear: all of the men that I’ve alluded to were flawed and imperfect, and that includes my father, but what a great example of the truth of Psalm 112:6.  I was going to say this on Father’s Day, but why put off to tomorrow what you can say today?  Dad’s righteousness still endures, even today.  It was a blessing to go through the personal effects he left behind.  It was a window into the heart and soul of my dad.  There were no surprises that would cause him shame or embarrassment.  No skeletons in the closet, so to speak, were uncovered.  All we found were indications of how much he loved God and his family (for example, just consider all his prayers that I’ve shared in this blog).

In conclusion, my dad lived in dignity, and he also passed away in dignity.  Dad finished well.  He left a legacy of integrity, faithfulness, and righteousness.  Hebrews 11 says that Abel still speaks today, even though he has passed on (verse 4).  This is true of my dad as well.  He says to live a life of faith and trust in God, because ultimately it’s well worth it.  Putting all this together for today’s blog has inspired me afresh to stay on the path of the righteous, no matter what.  “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.”

Kevin

“Give ear to my prayer, O God” - National Day of Prayer, 2017

In 1983, Ronald Reagan proclaimed, “Prayer is the mainstream of the American spirit, a fundamental tenet of our people since before the Republic was founded.  A year before the Declaration of Independence, in 1775, the Continental Congress proclaimed the first National Day of Prayer as the initial positive action of every colonist” (you can find these words in their entirety at this link:) 
https://reaganlibrary.archives.gov/archives/speeches/1983/12783h.htm

Despite all of this history, something has happened to us as Americans.  We don’t value prayer as we ought.  We don’t realize just how desperately we need God.  Today is the National Day of Prayer, and yet the vast majority of the citizens of the United States of America will go through this day without thinking of God or the inclination to say a prayer of thanksgiving to Him.

Abraham Lincoln, in the year 1863, said these haunting words:

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven.  We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity…But we have forgotten God.  We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace…and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become…too proud to pray to the God who made us!  It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for…forgiveness” (his words are available at this link:)

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fast.htm 

I can't think of a better and more fitting way to conclude than with a prayer from my father, Jerry Bauer.  Dad was a man of prayer.  Not only did he pray regularly at home with his family, he also prayed numerous prayers on the air for his vocation as a Christian radio announcer.  Here is a portion of one of the prayers he gave on a National Day of Prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to You today in praise and adoration – for You are the Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, and we love You so much.  Today, we pray for our nation on this National Day of Prayer.  Thank You for the opportunity we still have in our land, to pray, openly, to You – the Almighty God.  Father, You know that America has no hope without You.  And it appears that just a few want Your blessings, Your protection, Your way of living.  We pray for a spiritual awakening of the United States of America.  We pray for revival and a return to the values on which this land was founded: one nation under God.”

Kevin

“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!” (Psalm 55:1)