Unexpectedly, the postlude to OneLife Community Church’s midnight Christmas service was Mumford and Sons’ “After the Storm” and it was quite apropos. Odd to be crying at the end of a Christmas service, but listen to this:
I won’t die alone and be left there.
Well I guess I’ll just go home,
Oh God knows where.
Because death is just so full and man so small.
Well I’m scared of what’s behind and what’s before.
And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
THAT is the WHY of Christmas.
As the magician explains in Lewis’ The Last Battle, “It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which has always been here and always will be here… you need not mourn over Narnia, Lucy [as it had been destroyed]. All of the old Narnia that mattered, all the dear creatures, have been drawn into the real Narnia through the Door. And of course it is different; as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as waking life is from a dream.”
“The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”
I am going to provide you with a list of songs of the Christmas nature that I deem a necessary listening experience (Amy Grant didn’t make the list this year). You can thank me later.
Be sure to take a listen to the full Christmas albums of these fine artists, you won’t be disappointed. I know there is lots more good stuff out there, but these are some of my favorites.
Tough Mudder events are hardcore obstacle courses designed to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, over one million inspiring participants worldwide to date, and more than $5 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.
We ran an 11 mile course (here my MapMyRun course) with a number of obstacles of varying degrees of difficulty. I definitely couldn’t have done it alone and was greatful to have help getting over various walls that are somewhat challenging for the vertically challenged. The obstacles that I failed miserably at were the monkey bars and the swinging rings, next year I need to actually practice on those to have a fighting chance. Some of the pictures below I took before and after, some David took during, some were from the official photographers, and some are just of a few of the various obstacles. One of the very last obstacles was Mount Everest, a big curved wall you have to run up. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do it, but after failing the first time, I made it up (with some help of course!).
Greg wore his GoPro camera and made a video of some of the obstacles:
It is almost the end of January (wow, how did that happen??) so I figured I should actually get my New Year’s Resolutions down on paper. Well, e-paper anyway. This year I resolve to watch less tv and read more. Simple enough, yeah? I think so. This has already been made easier with my new Kindle. Now it’s just a matter of following through and making good decisions. Cheers to the New Year and your resolutions!
It is fairly ridiculous, but I have read more this week than I have in quite a while. I have lots of books, many of which I haven’t read before, and yet I get the Kindle and I am actually reading again! Strange, but true. I have used the Kindle App on my phone, but it’s a smaller screen and there is something about reading with a back lit display that I don’t really like. I can stare at a computer all day, but when I am reading, I don’t like the strain on my eyes. This is especially true when reading before bed, it is hard to wind down by looking at a screen. It is somewhat embarrassing to admit, but I have actually thought about trying to turn the page…
No, I don’t get the authentic book smell and feel, but it really is a pleasure to read on the shiny new piece of technology. It also helps to be able to share books with my fam. Yay for books!
This year on Christmas my mom and Bob came up to Seattle, it was nice to have them up but a strange change from our usual Christmas festivities. While here we decided to go see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis in general and of the Chronicles of Naria in particular (you can see some of my reviews here). I have enjoyed the modern films; they are fun and exciting and have captured much of the story of Narnia. That being said, they definitely lack some of the finer theological points that Lewis infused in his writings. Prince Caspian was definitely not as good as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which did include more of the theological underpinnings like Christ’s sacrifice, the conquering of death, and the destruction of the temple…) so I wasn’t expecting much from Dawn Treader but a fun movie. I was pleasantly surprised. While there was some that was taken out ( for example, one specific point at the end – I don’t want to spoil anything, but I can comment on that if you are curious), I was happy to see two of my favorite scenes done very well. It turned out to be a very good Christmas movie to see. You should go see it. Oh, a PS: the kid who played Eustace was brilliant.
Here is my original review of The Dawn Treader. (The review and the following quote have spoilers!) One of the most stirring moments for me is when Eustace is changed from a dragon back into a boy by Aslan:
The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart…. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off…. Then he caught hold of me… and threw me into the water…. After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me… in new clothes.
Brings me to tears just reading it, every time (and it was very moving in the film). That is transformation. It hurts and it cuts deep. But it is done by the one who isn’t quite safe:
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) believes the United States has become a nation of regulations. And although Congress was historically unproductive in 2013, according to certain media outlets, most notably MSNBC, the folks responsible for drafting the nation’s federal regulations were plenty busy. How busy? Take a…
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