A Moment

Well, yesterday I had one of those parenting moments of which that my wife often accuses me. I was working on my computer and deep in thought when one of my boys came and asked if he and his brother could go and do something. I remember thinking that it sounded fine and so I said "sure." Soon after, however, I was back to work, deep in thought and absolutely forgot about what and where the boys had asked about. What I had also forgotten is that I had an early afternoon appointment and so needed the boys to be home at a certain time for lunch before I left. So as the lunch hour approached I took my youngest daughter with me and I headed to the creek just down the street, which is most often where the boys go, hoping to be able to see them and call them for lunch. As I walked down the path beside the creek in the heat of the afternoon with my youngest daughter skipping just ahead of me I had a moment (a different moment then the one earlier mentioned...a better moment.) It was a moment of awe and inspiration, of praise and worship. I looked toward this tiny creek, right in the middle of suburbia with streets and houses encroaching on either side and I was amazed at the nature that I saw. Even in this small fragment of wilderness there was an amazing amount of diversity. There was a lush, thick density to the vegetation that I could not even see through, a collage made of a vast array of green tones highlighted by numerous splashes of vibrant colours. The sounds and sightings of birds were beyond numbering and the life within that little swatch of land was astounding. It was dense, vibrant and untamed. And although untamed, it was not chaotic. There is an interconnectedness and an interdependency in creation that is just incredible. And that was my moment. A moment of wonder as I encountered this unexpected experience of the untamed power and beauty of creation. What an amazingly complex and creative God we worship!
And yes, I found the boys eventually. They had headed to the creek but then were following the great blue heron from pond to pond. We connected at the street corner, both on our way back home.

Splice

At the end of the film Splice I was the first one out of my seat and heading to exit the theater. I was heading down the dark hallway toward the exit door light as the ominous sounds from the film soundtrack still hung in the air. As I walked through the theater door there was a moment of overlap where two completely different experiences bled together. With one foot in the dark theater and the dark mysterious music still ringing, the other foot was in the well lit hallway where the chorus to the Traveling Willbury's tune "End of the Line" (perhaps the most upbeat, bouncy, happy go lucky sounding song there is) played through the hallway speakers. While reflecting in the washroom (the reason I was the first to exit the theatre) I recognized that this weird moment of conflicting realities sort of summed up my experience with Splice.
Last week I mentioned that my brother was in Splice and that I saw no reason that everyone would not go right out and see it. I now see a reason...it was creepy...intensely creepy. If that bothers you then you probably do not want to experience this film because it does creep really, really well and the experience won't leave you anytime soon. And here is where I find that overlap of realities I was speaking about. On the one hand it was pretty cool to see my brother on the big screen and I was exited. On the other hand it was one of the creepiest movies I have ever seen and it really haunted me. So there they were, two conflicting experiences, being excited and absolutely weirded out at the same time.
I knew the premise of the film in which two brilliant young scientist make some decisions to cross ethical lines (and laws) to do genetic experimentation. That was certainly the foundation of the film's plot. What I was not expecting was the way the film investigated not only these scientific ethical questions, but a whole gamut of ethical and moral decisions that the two characters would make and the consequences of those decisions. It investigated scientific questions of ethical boundaries in experimentation but also questions of blurring objectivity, personal attachment and psychological baggage as the relationship between the female scientist and her creation develops. There are also investigations into moral failures in particular infidelity and...incest (is it incest when one has such relations with something one has created in a laboratory?) It was these investigations that I found to be the most creepy and haunting (and overly graphic in my opinion). It was an intense experience to say the least.
Here is where I have the biggest dilemma. It may sound like I didn't appreciate the film but the honest truth is that I am conflicted. It made me extremely uncomfortable, but is that a bad thing? After all, that is what it was supposed to do. It was exploring some interesting questions and trying to provoke thought and dialogue. If it was not so creepy, would it have done it's job? If I had walked away unaffected would it have sounded any kind of warning to me to truly consider my thoughts and actions? I do think that some scenes where more graphic than they needed to be to get me to think (and they are still turning my stomach) but I am still conflicted about what I think.
I had another thought after the film that I am not conflicted about. There is one very emotionally charged scene during which the two scientist are lamenting, grieving and reflecting over the sum total of their actions that had brought them to such a terrible place. He comments that they had changed the rules, that they had crossed a line and that they had crossed the line between right and wrong. After thinking about it, I came to realize how significant it is to have something on which to base ethical and moral decisions. The characters in the movie had no particular source of guidance that they trusted or where invested in on which they based their decisions. What started as one decision to break an ethical scientific law with which they did not agree then revealed a whole assortment of other decisions and issues, and led to a number of new ones that the characters then had to face without any particular guideline to help them keep their bearing. For me, I have come to recognize scripture as one such guide. It functions as a plum line if you will or a compass on which to rely on when making life decisions and has proven to be a trustworthy guide. Of course, it presupposes the existence of God and that He has revealed much about himself and His expectation through the scripture. It also presupposes that He is the creator of the universe and thus is in a place to offer such guidance and that He has our best in mind and at heart and so will lead us to what is best. But having come to such conclusions, I then have a source upon which to lean and seek guidance even in times that are unclear, uncertain and trying. I don't mean to give a simple Sunday school answer to life (which is always either Jesus of the Bible). I don't mean to say that we will not have to wrestle with, dig through and work to properly interpret scripture. But as we engage with the Word of God in such a way, and as His Spirit opens our eyes and hearts to what scripture has for us, then there is hope for such guidance.
So there are some reflections that I have managed between bouts of being creeped out!

Little Brother on the Big Screen

Ok, not so much of a devotional thought this week as a shameless plug. This week a new movie was released called Splice that stars Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody. Third billing in the film goes to my little brother Brandon McGibbon. The film seems to be doing well and is getting great reviews so I see no reason that you should not go out and see it! (alright shameless plug over). I hope to see it early next week. The film revolves around questions of ethical and legal boundaries of DNA experimentation (and by questions I mean a crazy half human winged creature that turns deadly) so maybe there will be some thoughts for my blog next week.

Have you shared your faith lately?

Yesterday I was working a shift in a logistics warehouse, unloading hundreds of boxes of Chinese candy from a 53' trailer when all of a sudden the guy next to me asks, "If you had two buttons, one saying earth and one saying humanity, and you had to choose to save just one, what would you push." He quickly added "and none of this religious hope stuff"(he knows I am a pastor). I paused and was thinking as he continued to talk and share thoughts etc. Part of me was going to just let it go but another part of me was thinking about the verse that says "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have."(1 Peter 3:15) It was a bit weird because he specifically asked me not to share about hope but none the less I still felt like this is one of those opportunities I should not just let go. As I was listening to him however, I came to recognize that what he thought I would mean by hope was some sort of warm and fuzzy notion about humanities goodness or something. I listened as he expressed disillusionment with humanity, all the mistakes that are made and just what evil humans are capable of. It is here that I actually got to explain what I thought, what my faith teaches me, and Christianity recognizes and addresses many of his observations. I shared about sin and the human condition, about God having a plan and that Jesus came and died not just to turn a blind eye to evil but to bear the consequences for sin. Grace comes in the fact that he bore the punishment for us and that those who put their faith in Him are covered by his self sacrificial actions. I also shared that hope was based not on a warm and fuzzy feeling but that there is a time in the future when Jesus will return, that there will be a judgment day and evil will be dealt with once and for all and that there will be a new earth in which all the effects of sin will no longer exist (and I may have done so in an even more coherent manner than the summary I just gave!)
Anyway, the whole thing has reminded me to always be prepared. We never know how or when an opportunity may arise. So how about you, are you prepared? Here are some things you may want to think about so that you are prepared if an opportunity arises:

1) How you came to faith - your testimony. Sharing your own story may be a great way to start in a non-threatening way.
2) A story about what God has done in your life lately.
3) Gospel particulars - do you know and can you articulate the gospel message? Try studying 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 to get you started.

Those are just a few suggestions to get you started as you seek to always be prepared. I would love it if you would share any other suggestions you have.