I got to watch The Incredibles last night with some fun friends of mine. It was definitely an incredible movie. Computer graphics have really improved over the last 15 years or so. I was really excited to see the concepts I learned in my Computer Graphics fleshed out on screen (no pun intended). The lighting was excellent, the resolution was amazing, and real-time interaction engines for all of the different elements in each scene blew me away. If God were to point me in a direction other than medicine, I would hope that He sends me in the direction of graphics.

As far as the actual content of the movie, I must say that I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. Pixar/Disney has a talent for creating funny movies. Of course, being the overanalyzer I am, I proceeded to break down the motifs and themes I saw in the movie on the trip back to the dorms (sorry, Mitch). I also thought about applications I could make to real life (good and bad).

1. We were created for something incredible. Each of us can sense that there is a greater purpose for our lives than mediocrity and anonymity. While I wouldn’t say that we’re super-heroes, but there really is something within us that resonates with the frustration of Bob Parr. For men, at least, we long to fight the battles, live dangerously, and use our strengths to help people. Being forced to sit at a boring desk job with no outlet for our God-given masculinity is frustrating. For similar thoughts, read books such as Wild At Heart and Waking The Dead, or any other books by John Eldredge.


2. Men and women are different. While this is not a surprise to me or many others, I think you can see this played out in how Bob and Helen handle situations. Bob, as the leader and protector of his family, believes that he needs to shoulder the burden of protection alone. I remember hearing something from a Men’s Frat session about how post-WWII men knew a great deal about sacrifice and protection, but very little about leading within a family. Bob was doing the best he could to provide for his family and protect them from evil. However, there was a clear rift between him and the children, because he was so preoccupied with work and protection that he didn’t relate to them. Helen then was forced to be the administration at home, having her advice and ideas usurped whenever the kids appealed to their dad. From this style of leadership came a great deal of disunity. Later, as Bob began to open up to his family and they see his weaknesses, they are able to work together as a team. On Helen’s side, she was a very capable heroine in her own right, before she married Bob. She’s strong, resilient, and flexible (I confess, that’s a stretch…okay, okay, enough of the puns). Seriously though, switching roles from being super hero to full-time mom was a challenge she willingly accepted. As a wife, she wanted to support and help her husband in any way she could. For all of the heart she had placed in her family, she was often trampled, contradicted, and disregarded by Bob and the children. Yet, her persistence and faithfulness to her family helped keep the family together. This one’s getting a bit long, so I’ll move on.


3. “I never look back, darling. It distracts me from the now.” C. S. Lewis wrote something similar to this in his book, The Screwtape Letters. If our thoughts are constantly stuck in the past, we will never fully appreciate the present. Since we only live in the present, the past is part of the Enemy’s arsenal of weapons to keep us from “making the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). For more reading, see Isaiah 43:18 and Philippians 3.


4. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders…” (Colossians 4:5). Mr. Incredible wouldn’t have had to deal with Syndrome if he had treated Syndrome’s younger self with greater respect and grace. Sure, Syndrome was a bit annoying, and got in the way of what needed to be done, but Mr. Incredible could have also seen the incredible influence he had on this kid (pun intended). Since it’s only a movie, I won’t analyze this one more, but it does make me wonder, are there younger people who consider me their role model? How do I treat them? How can I challenge them to “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1)?


5. Idol worship is bad. Hero worship is the same thing. We see this all the time in society – kids are enamored of celebrities and the “heroes” in their lives. Somewhere along the line, they become disillusioned because like every other person, these heroes and celebrities fall and show their human side. Honestly, I’m not sure how I’d explain this to my kids (assuming I have some when I grow up). I do know one thing: Jesus Christ should be center of all of our worship and affection. Only our perfect and righteous God will never disappoint us.

Perusing the blogs of my friends at 4:00 in the morning has motivated me to post something other than lyrics to songs I know or write. But my average of 3.5 hours of sleep per night over the last month prevents me from thinking of anything deep enough to be worth anything. I find it amusing enough to marvel at the incredibly long sentences of incoherent thoughts that seem to pour out of my mouth like eggnog from a carton.

Here’s an interesting anecdote: Due to my insomnia, I have fought the devil of sleep in virtually every class period since mid-October. In recent days, the battle being waged has fallen on the side of sleep. Let me elucidate. So I wasn’t able to keep my eyes open at all during my Database Management class. Aside from the funny images of me fighting the demons off, I was also trying to write down what the professor wrote on the board. As I copied down one of the definitions, I lost the battle for consciousness and roughly 3.7 seconds later, my eyes bulged open. Upon reestablishing equilibrium, I glanced at what I was writing down in my notes. It said, “Trivial FDs [Functional Dependencies] are automatically satisfied by all relations that are defined on the morning flight to Dallas.” I immediately recalled a brief dream-flash in which I was travelling to Dallas for some reason. I guess the words just flew onto the page while I slept.

Of course, that’s not the only instance. Yesterday in my Software Engineering class, I was trying to work on my program in that class (due Thursday). My eyes lose focus, and as I regained composure I reread the comments I was making in the program. It said, “Searches for an ACL2 symbol in the tree. If a symbol exists in the tree, add the body count and go to the Kelsey’s house.” It appears that I am quite fond of travelling in my subconscious.

But enough talk about my dreams. I figure I just need to pull off another month of this stuff. As long as people don’t expect me to make sense when I talk, or drive heavy equipment or carry a car, I’ll be fine.

God, I’m frustrated with my homework
I feel like nothing’s getting done
So please let the TA’s e-mail me back
So I can have something done before the game

(Chorus:)
‘Cause I don’t want to be lazy
And sit here playing my guitar
But if that’s where You want me
I’ll joyfully sing out loud

Well, it definitely has been a while since I last journaled. Much has happened since the beginning of the semester. Between planning for the BSU spring break conference, serving as lead worshipper, taking 2 senior-level programming classes, and getting ready for medical school, I have been stretched about as far as I can go. In the waning effects of the semester, I’m still flooded with things to do – e-mailing medical schools, buying a laptop bag, writing a program, responding to and grading 4 communication journal entries, etc, etc.

Looking back at how I fared, I see that God has taught me several things.

1. God graciously prepares us for the events in our life in a specific way so that we are uniquely equipped to handle the situations in life we are facing. To God be the glory! Had I not been at home last summer; had I not strived to be disciplined last semester, I would not have survived in juggling so many activities at once. God really has taken me a long way since I graduated from high school.


2. Positions of leadership are extremely lonely, and leaders are under constant spiritual attack. I don’t think I had a genuine respect for those in leadership positions until I took on a very small portion of leadership this semester. I don’t know how many times I’ve stumbled and fallen this semester, nor do I know the number of times I’ve stood firm and weathered the storms, but I do know that when your heart desires to honor God and you’re in leadership, you will be under attack from virtually every side of life. I don’t envy my pastors, ministry directors, or any other leader for the constant onslaught. I pray that God will forgive me, because my character is not yet where it needs to be in order to stand true as Jesus did in the desert, or the great “heroes of faith” did. I’m reminded over and over that a righteous man stands back up when he falls down, which means that a righteous man will fall down sometimes, but he will always stand back up. I pray that I will have that perseverance, and that I will be a man of a pure heart and sincere integrity – not simply for the sake of others, but out of the love and obedience I want to have in Christ.


3. Free time is a precious commodity – but we need to be extremely wise in how we use that free time. I didn’t have much free time this semester – there might not have been something immediately due at many points throughout the term, but I usually always had something to do. God provided me points of rest exactly when I needed it. Sadly though, I wasn’t very faithful in abiding in the Word, nor using the free time God provided to spend extra time with Him. I remember Paul’s quote about how even when we are unfaithful, God is still faithful, because He cannot deny/disown Himself. How awesome is it, that I can trust in God because He is always faithful, even when I am not. I pray that God will continue to work in me so that I will be more faithful. This faithfulness is to Him, to pursuing a relationship with Jesus, to others, to my commitments, to my parents, and many other people and things.


4. Fantasy books – especially those written by Christians, show great insights into the nature of the spiritual battle we fight on a daily basis. Between C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, I’ve gleaned so much insight into the truth of Scripture that it’s given me a greater desire to know the God of the Bible. After reading the Bible through so many times, if your heart starts leaving the essence of the life of Christ, who God is just gets muddied into the verses that you’ve read hundreds of times through. But just from looking at the big picture and the purpose of the Scriptures and the purpose of the life of Christ, you start to regain the passion for the Word that was there when you first accepted Christ. For me, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Simirillion, The Lord of the Rings, and The Space Trilogy all helped me remember that there is a greater cause outside of our lives that we fight and pursue. I pray that I would love the Scriptures even more because of the insights shown to me through the writings of Christian authors, and that God would be revealed more to me.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
- Psalm 1 (NIV)

Your Word is what I live for,
Your law is my delight,
I want Your word to change me,
So I reflect on it day and night.

I want to be fruitful, oh Lord
To be a tree planted by water
To be prosperous and holy
And never shall I wither

And I will not follow evil men’s advice
Condone wicked actions,
Or laugh at someone’s plight
For my heart’s desire is to pursue You alone
And be blessed because You watch over me.

Those who choose the path of darkness
Won’t stand in the judgment
Their lives get blown away
As they are cast away from the light

Their ways won’t last forever
The pleasures of sin fade quickly
So I choose to follow You, my God
And go where You will lead me.