Author: Wick

Giving up movies for Lent, I have allowed my wife to make me watch any movie with her that I normally would not want to watch….she just gave birth to our daughter, it’s the least I could do.

So earlier this week, we watched “The Jane Austen Book Club“. Not a movie I’d ever wanted to see. Still not a movie I’d openly recommend. But Sarah is really into those “Pride and Prejudice“, and “Emma“, and “Sense and Sensibility“…etc…all written by this lady. And we’d just watched “Becoming Jane” not too long ago…so I figured, I’ll endure this movie. For my wife.

Watched it. Didn’t really like it during the movie. Didn’t really like it much directly after the movie either. But something about it stuck. Slowly, I’ve decided I kind of like the idea of the movie.

A group of women who have been disenchanted with smacks of reality from life, who want to escape. They commit to meeting together on a regular basis, through whatever else life throws their way, and share their struggles, and joys. They support each other, and eat together often. They find comfort in connecting with this woman, Jane Austen, through the stories she tells….and even though her stories also contain smacks of reality….they accept it as a greater “thing” that’s going on. Through the words she’s written, they attempt to try and connect to Jane herself, and learn more about her character, who she is as a woman and an author, and it helps them through the realities of their own lives. They also begin to realize how much their personal stories echo those found in the books.

At this point, I can hear my wife saying “stop over-analyzing, and just enjoy the movie!!”. Sorry – I’m a corny youth pastor. It happens.

So yeah….people sharing life and community together, because they realize the need for something and someone “other” in their lives. Breaking bread together, not because a book or a technique of community was asked of them, but because they want to. Reading words, discussing them passionately, diving into the depths of the life that lies within them. The words becoming flesh. Leading us to who “the author” truly is, and realizing how our stories are connected to those stories we read.

It might just be a decent movie.

(minus the lesbians and the high school teacher making out with a student…but the fast-forward button still allows you to get the message)

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter’s on it’s way…So while we’re in Lent…still preparing to celebrate together at the end of these 40 days, I thought it apropos to mention something about this holiday. Watching a Wal-Mart commercial the other day, it brought up a topic I never really gave much thought to before being a parent of a child who can semi-understand what’s going on around her.

In the Wal-Mart ad, a mom says something to the effect of: “With Wal-Mart’s prices, I can afford to put more in their Easter Baskets this year!”

As excited as I am that she’s saving money, it also made me wonder how many kids turn to their parents, and ask if she’s somehow “helping out” the Easter Bunny, who we all know is the one who actually fills those baskets. Surely no child will watch that commercial, and have their dreams crushed….right?

I’m sure we have friends who believe it’s “lying” to tell your children fanciful tales such as Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny. And I’m sure we probably have friends who will obsess and stress over it to the point of being really disappointed when their child somehow figures out the truth.

(not having discussed this with my wife much, really)….I think we’re somewhere in the middle. It’ll be fun, playing along and pretending. But when they figure it out, we will have great discussions on the true meanings and stories behind these holidays, and still have some fun pretending. I’m at peace with this. But Wal-Mart…is it too much to ask that you at least say something like, “With Wal-Mart’s prices, the Easter Bunny (wink) can put more in their baskets this year!”

Also, side note….as Wal-Mart’s cheap prices on cheap chocolate continue to cheapen….is it really better to continue buying more chocolate to fill up those baskets? I think their diets are already bad enough. Give your kids some fruits and nuts with their Marshmallow Peeps this year, and make some sort of “baked” product together as a family….giving you time to talk about Christ rising (maybe even while the dough is rising…cause Christians are cheesy like that).