Inked

So, I've often talked about getting a tattoo someday. It's one of those things that I have always thought would be a cool thing to get and have and all that. A good number of my friends have tattoos -- especially my friends from seminary! One gal, who is now serving as an Episcopalian priest, has a super stylin' tattoo of a dragon on her shoulder blade -- she designed it herself, so it really has a unique look. But, being the "good girl" that everyone says I am, I have never actually gone out and gotten one. Perhaps I have been held back by the fear that my parents would kill me if I ever got one...

I actually tried to tattoo myself when I was in High School, I think... I cut the design with a sterilized safety pin, and then rubbed ink in the wound. Burned like hell! The design - which was a small cross on the top of one of my toes - only lasted for about a week, and you could barely see it anyway. Clearly, I didn't cut deep enough... and I have no intention to ever try that again. If I'm going to get one, I'm going to let the pros do it!

In any case... I have been thinking about getting a tattoo pretty seriously for the last few years. And now, I have even been dreaming about getting one. The dream has been incredibly detailed, and it has been the same dream each of the three times that I've had it. In my dream, I am getting a tattoo of the word "Shalom" (written in Hebrew Script) on my wrist in honor of a particular even that is going to take place (which I won't spell out here, as not to jinx it or whatever). So, I'm fairly certain that there is a visit to a tattoo parlor in my future... although I'm not entirely sure when or where.

Movie Review: The Last Mimzy

We took the Youth Group to the movies on Sunday. Originally, we were hoping to see Bridge to Terabithia, since the Young Adult Class has just finished reading and discussing it. But... it was no longer playing at the theater, so we had to find another movie to watch that was appropriate for Jr. & Sr. High School students.

The result: we watched The Last Mimzy. Now, I should warn you that if you have not yet seen the movie, and you don't want any hints as to what happens... you may want to skip the following paragraphs. (Consider this to be your "Spoiler Warning".)

Two seemingly ordinary children (a brother and sister) find an odd-shaped box floating in the ocean while on vacation. After bringing it ashore, it opens and they find a strange glowing rectangle of glass (or something) that seems to "hum" in an other-worldly sort of way. They decide to keep their discovery a secret and take the box and its contents inside. Eventually, the girl discovers other objects inside the box (that seem to reveal themselves only to her), and the adventure truly begins.

"Mimzy", as it turns out, is the name of an adorable stuffed bunny that the girl finds in the box. The girl and rabbit communicate with one another, and the children find themselves learning about another world (or, perhaps their own). They also seem to suddenly discover fantastic abilities and scientific knowledge. The government catches wind of the strange goings-on, and the plot, as they say, thickens...

Now, I'm not going to completely ruin the movie for those of you who have not yet seen it, but I will say this: Mimzy is no ordinary stuffed toy, Emma (the girl) is no ordinary girl, and you may never look at a picture of Lewis Carrol's real-life young friend Alice in the same way ever again. I really don't want to spoil the ending, since I do think that this movie is worth seeing. Still, I do want to mention a few of the thoughts that I had as I pondered the movie after seeing it.

I found that this movie has some very interesting Christological implications that are worth exploring. I found myself wondering how particular characters could be compared to Christ -- especially in terms of the salvific work of Christ. How did God reach into our time from out of God's timelessness (eternity) -- and how is that similar to how Mimzy comes to the children? What was so special about Christ (or the girl, Emma) that was so different from everyone else? How does Christ (or the girl, Emma) bring about a "new creation"?

As the movie ended, a verse from Isaiah immediately came to mind: "...and a little child shall lead them" (Isaiah 11:6). As this season of Lent draws to a close, let us all remember that the man who was nailed to the tree was once a baby in a manger. A little child named Jesus came to lead us into hope... so let us enter into this Easter season with hope and joy in our hearts.

Spring Cleaning

So, Spring has officially arrived! And, of course, with Spring comes "Spring Cleaning"... and, in the case of my desk at work, not a moment too soon! Really, it was less like spring cleaning and more like an archaeological dig. I found catalogs that I hadn't seen since last Easter and sermon notes from about six months ago. Thankfully, no petrified PB&J sandwiches or anything...

It got me thinking of how the Lenten season is sort of like spiritual spring cleaning. We study and pray and fast and ask God to wipe away all the cobwebs and junk that clutters our spirit and dulls our Christian lives. We may discover gifts and talents that we forgot that God had given to us. We rediscover ourselves and our relationship with God.

So, happy spring cleaning to you all -- and blessed Lent, too!

Let the Blogging Begin!

Ok, kids... I have officially thrown my hat into the blogging ring! It seemed that everyone that I know (as well as about 10 billion people that I don't know) created blogs of their very own. And as I surfed around the blogosphere, I thought to myself...

I could totally do this!

Not to mention, this whole blogging thing could be the kick-in-the-pants that I needed to start writing on a more regular basis again.

So, here we go, my friends! Let the blog-related fun begin!