Why I'll Miss Lost

I enjoy a good television show. I always have. For many in my circles, this is an abomination.

"What kind of a knuckle-dragging cave man watches TV when there are so many books to be read and people to talk to and work to be done!"

I love reading and being around people and preparing for sermons but I also enjoy watching television shows and movies that are well done and thought provoking. So count me in the cave man category. If you happen to be in the Kill Your Television crowd that sees something as tame as The Andy Griffith Show as work of Satan himself you should stop reading this now. Besides, what are you doing looking at my blog?

Television, like most everything else in our world, has its place in moderation. Moving in excess either way can lead to legalism or license. Too much of any electronic media will turn your brain to mush, remove you from the real world and lead to idolatry. There are many Christians who do not own TVs and that is good. However, these people must be on the lookout against isolation. There are many more Christians who enjoy TV and we have to be on the lookout against over-consumption. The pitfalls lie on both sides of the fence.

In our house, we are very selective about what we watch on TV. The TV is never just on for background noise. One of the shows that made it through our invisible filter is, in my opinion, the most well written character driven show on television - Saved by the Bell. No wait, I mean Lost.

The final episode of Lost aired on Sunday and I liked it. It did not end with all of our questions answered and it was a bit of a messy ending that created even more questions. But I think that this is where so-called Christian films need to learn a lesson. After sitting through Facing the Giants, I didn’t care what happened to the coach and his family and his team. There are two reasons for my apathy. First, the script was not compelling and the characters played more like points to a sermon than they did people. It was as if I had no investment in the characters so why should I care what happened to them.

Also, the end of the movie answered every single one of those questions. The multiple trophies on the mantle and the kids in the background and the new truck pretty much left us with no remaining questions. Ooops. I forgot to add the term spoiler alert at the beginning of this paragraph. My bad.

The great thing about the gospel is that when things end up messy and situations leave us with more questions than answers we know that all of our questions and searching and doubts find their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Of course, Lost did not come to that conclusion but it is interesting when a show with polar bears in the jungle hits closer to reality than one about football players or firefighters.

So as you can tell I enjoyed watching Lost. What follows are a few other reasons why.

My Wife

For the past six years I would spend an hour a week watching Lost with my wife. In that time, we’ve lived in three different cities, worked several different jobs and had two kids. A lot changed during that six year run but I am so thankful for the constant friendship I have with my wife. I’ll miss our conversations the next morning over breakfast where we try to figure out who Desmond represents or who the good guys are. I love my wife and I am thankful for all that we share together. We have only been married for not quite seven years but almost all of my favorite memories involve her. Lost is just one of those memories.

The Script

Lost was a weird show and there was a lot that did not make sense. I’ll never deny that. The show certainly isn’t for everyone. However, it is nice to see a show that was actually written and done so with some thought. Almost everything on television is a contest or a sneak peak into someone else’s so called reality. Lost was a story that didn’t pretend to be real. Yet somehow it seems more real than the song and dance competitions and high school romance documentaries that have taken over prime time television. On a side note, I still believe that most reality shows do have scripts. You just aren’t supposed to know about it. You didn’t hear it from me.

The Vertical

I watch and react to Lost sort of like I listen and react to U2. I don’t know Bono’s thoughts on the Trinity or atonement of Christ. I don’t even know if he’s a believer. I hope he is. But when I listen to U2 I can’t help but think vertically. There is something about their music that makes me wonder what it has to do with the gospel.

Lost is the same way for me. As you can tell from the final sequence of the final episode, the writers are not Christ-followers but the themes they included during the show caused me to think about and discuss with friends the parallel themes of redemption and grace and sin. Watching Lost made me think and talk about my thoughts.

The Worldview

Watching Lost reminded me that the world is full of people who are not like me and don’t think or believe like me. The final episode was sort of an all roads lead to home, new age view of the afterlife. I was sad when I saw that, not because it didn’t end the way I wanted it too but because billions of people actually believe that living a good life gets you a good life when your current one is over.

The gospel reminds us that none of us can live a good enough life to inherit eternal life. It is only through the perfect life of Christ, His death in our place as the subject of God’s wrath and his resurrection from the grave that we can enjoy eternal life. Our faith must be in Him through repentance, not in our friends and our efforts during the journey. Lost reminds me of the lostness of the world I live in.

The Conviction

Lost was a character driven show. It was impossible to consistently watch the show without becoming emotionally invested. You wanted to see Jack stop striving for perfection and Charlie get off of the heroin. But at the end of the day, Jack and Charlie are just characters.

I’m reminded that there are real people in my church and community that are seeking salvation through good works. I’m reminded that every week I preach to people who are being eaten alive by addiction’s empty promises. Shame on me for being more heart broken over a character on television than a real person in my city or church. Lost reminds me that the sin and brokenness represented by the island are only glimpses of the real pain and depravity in the world.

So if you missed out on Lost you may be glad that you did. But if you’re okay with TV shows that are different from the norm and make you think you should try Lost. I’m sure a box set of the entire series will be out in a few months. Start selling blood platelets now and by August you should be able to afford a copy.

"See you in another life."

Love: Easier Said Than Done

Here's a quote from Russell Moore.

Some Christians rattle on and on about “The Family” while neglecting their kids. Some Christians “fight” for “social justice” by “raising consciousness” about “The Poor” while judging their friends on how trendy their clothes are. Some Christians pontificate about “The Church” while rolling their eyes at the people in their actual congregations. Some Christians are dogmatic about “The Truth” while they’re self-deceived about their own slavery to sin.

Click here to read the whole thing.

The Beastie Boys vs Martin Luther

A while back, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (aka MCA) found out that he had mouth cancer. Things weren't looking good for a while but Yauch appears to be making a good recovery. Here's how he says he's dealing with his cancer.

"a few friends and i are meditating at the same time twice a day. 9:30am and 6:30pm eastern standard time, for about an hour and half.

we are picturing smashing apart all of the cancer cells in the world.

we are visualizing taking the energy away from the cancer, and then sending it back at the cancer as lightening bolts that will break apart the DNA and RNA of the cells. if you have the time, please join us in whipping up this lightening storm. mind over matter......

if you prefer to sit then sit, but if you are not used to meditating, or sitting quietly doesn't sound like fun, put on some music and dance while you do the visualization, and if you want to do it at some other time, or picture curing some other illness that's fine too. yoko will be joining the meditation by visualizing all of us dancing with joy to celebrate the world without cancer. all variations are welcome. this is really just being done with a wish for all beings to be cured of all illnesses and to find true lasting happiness. i'll also be saying prayers for the earthquake victims in tibet, so join in on that if you can too. please feel free to pass this onto anyone who you think may find it interesting.

with all my love,

adam yauch

An even longer while back, Martin Luther found out that his daughter Magdalena had the plague. He prayed ferverently for her healing. At her funeral, as men were driving nails into her coffin, this is what Luther said.

"Hammer away! On dooms day she'll rise again."

Although both of these quotes show faith, only one shows faith of any substance. Yauch is searching for "all beings to be cured of all illnesses" on this earth through human effort. It is as if he is saying, "If we could just get more people to meditate then we could all enjoy our nice utopia." Throw in Check Your Head as a soundtrack and you're set.

Luther knew that none of us can escape the painful effects of death on this earth no matter how hard we try. He finds his hope, not in greater works of meditation power or even in greater faith but in the work that has already been done by Christ. The Bible never promised that Jesus' followers would live lives free of disease and suffering on this earth but it does promise that they would live without those pains when Jesus returns to rule the earth that He will make new (Romans 8:18-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It is at this point that those who have repented and put their faith in Christ will be able to "dance with joy" over not just a world without cancer but the eternal and glorious and pure rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for Adam Yauch's mouth to be healed of cancer. More importantly, pray that Adam Yauch and the countless other people you know and don't know who are wasting their faith on hopeless sources that cannot save would repent and believe in the gospel so that their hearts can be healed of the damning effects of sin.

Marks of the Messenger

Last week I was at a conference for pastor's called Together for the Gospel. One of the perks of this conference is the massive amount of books they give away. I think I came home with 27. One of those was Marks of the Messenger by J. Mack Stiles.

In this book, Stiles writes, "Te be a healthy evangelist means to love brothers and sisters. This is a spiritual reality that has huge ramifications, so if you have any desire to be a healthy evangelist, move beyond thinking of our Christian community as a self-help tool and move toward what Jesus desires in Christian community: observable love and unity among true believers."

Stiles point is clear and simple. If you want your church to reach the lost, your church has to love each other. Stiles goes on to give 16 ways that churches can reach the lost through love and unity within the body. They are paraphrased below.

1. Go to a church that takes the gospel seriously and presents it clearly (Hebrews 10:25).

2. Take membership seriously.

3. Read Humility by C.J. Mahaney.

4. Even if they pay more, turn down jobs that will compete with your devotion to the church.

5. Plan family vacations around your church's schedule. Perhaps consider using a vacation to do a short term missions trip with another family.

6. Develop a church covenant that expresses the love and devotion that must be present.

7. Use your house as a hospitality extension of the church building.

8 Practice church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17).

9. Respect the authority of the church (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

10. Be quick to ask for and receive forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 5:23-24).

11. Take care of those with physical needs in the church (Romans 12:13).

12. Pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18).

13. Have sympathy for other believers (Romans 12:15).

14. Disciple one another. Don't be afraid to ask each other, "How are things spiritually?"

15. Do evangelism together (Philippians 1:27; Acts 2:42-47).

16. Read 9 Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever.

Some of these may seem quite a bit unusual but I think that they are more faithful to the Bible than telling strangers on the street, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" or, even worse, doing nothing at all.

Random Thoughts

I'm a pretty random kind of a guy. Here are some of my random thoughts from the week.

Signs That This Aint Your Grandpa's Easter Egg Hunt

1. It's your responsibility to hide the eggs and you don't see fit to remember how many eggs you hid. Check.

2. When the lady in charge asks you at the end if all the eggs have been found you hope for the best and give her the thumbs up. Check.

3. After the kids find what appears to be all of the eggs, they have to gather all of the eggs into a pot to be distributed evenly among everyone. Check. Joseph Stalin would have loved this Easter egg hunt. It'll take me a year to deprogram my son after this one.

The sight of next years hunt

4. You leave early and upon backing out of your parking space hear the sound that happens when a truck tire rolls over a forgotten and uncounted Easter egg. Check.

Reality Television?

I affectionately refer to one of my wife's favorite shows as "The Worst Show in the History of Ever". You might be more familiar with it's given name, The Biggest Loser. In case you're not here's the synopsis. Ten or so morbidly obese people spend a few months on some ranch with over the top personal trainers and try to get down to a manageable size. Each week, one person is voted off the show. The last one standing wins a big bag of money that he can then take home to spend on a doughnut hamburger at the state fair so that he can be invited back for next season. It's not irresponsibility, it's job security.

"It's my off day."

When The Biggest Loser is on TV it's sort of like driving by a train wreck or being in a room with Saved by the Bell reruns on. You know it's going to be bad but you just can't make yourself look away.

Here's one scenario that seems to happen on each episode. One of the contestants has such a hard time getting past that 2 minute wall on the treadmill that they have an emotional breakdown. At this point, one of the trainers rushes over to trade in the physical therapy for the emotional kind. It's at this moment that every contestant says the exact same thing.

"I've just been putting others first my whole life. It's time for me to start thinking about myself first."

What happens to you if you think of others too much

Oh really? So let me get this straight. You've spent your whole life going to nursing homes, helping orphans, volunteering with some adult literacy program and low and behold, the next thing you know you tip the scales at 714 pounds. Man, who knew that a life of servanthood could take such a toll on the body. Lottie Moon and Mother Theresa must have weighted 1000 pounds each.

Communication Breakdown

Some lady called me this week and left the following message.

"Well, I'm gonna hafta go head and cawl you back."

That's it. No name and no number.

I can't wait for her to call back.

Most likely candidate

That's enough randomness for now.

Southern Baptists and Country Music

In an interview in The Towers, Russell Moore explains the link between Southern Baptists and country music.

"The difference between Cash and Rascal Flatts is the difference between a prophetic, marginalized Baptist witness and the slick packaged product of Southern Baptist success."

Read the whole thing here.

How Christians Should Respond to Tyranny

Douglas Wilson gives 21 biblical principles.