Movie Duds

Posted on June 16, 2008 by Jason

Well, I should’ve listened to my friends. We saw Indiana Jones Friday night and it was terrible. Aliens? Really??

But I saw The Happening last night with some friends and I thought it was a little better. Of course, considering how putrid Indy 4 was, that’s not saying much. Actually, I thought both movies suffered from lack-of-plot-itis. Throw in Mark Wahlberg’s wooden acting and plenty of gratuitous violence, and The Happening just doesn’t click. The best part about it for me was that, due to a movie listing typo in our local paper, my buddies and I were treated to a private showing of the film for free. So…it had that going for it.

All of which leads me to ask: what’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen? When I was in high school, I went with some friends to see Joe vs. the Volcano and we pretty much agreed it was the worst movie ever. But I went in with minimal expectation and that has to count for something. I had high expectations for the Matrix sequels, but they were both terrible. As for ruining an otherwise flawless series, The Godfather, Part III has to rank at the top of the list. I watched The Phantom Menace the other day with Joshua; I’d forgotten what an awful movie it is (Jar Jar Binks….ugh.) Thankfully, I never saw Ishtar, so I can’t speak from experience there.

Of course, there’s “so bad it’s good”, which is a different category altogether. Battlefield Earth takes the cake there.

Posted in Movies | 11 Comments

All Heart

Posted on June 12, 2008 by Jason

I can think of a few major leaguers who could learn a lesson in “hustle” from this kid. My favorite part is the slide into second. And how about the Mike Scioscia plate-block, too? Awesome.

Posted in Baseball, Video | 1 Comment

Jackson’s Birthday!

Posted on June 11, 2008 by Jason

Jackson Cash Bybee

One year ago today, our family received a precious gift of grace from God. Jackson Cash Bybee came into the world and came into our lives and today I want to give thanks to God for my youngest.

We named you Jackson because it means “God has been gracious.” And that’s what we feel when we look at you, Jackson. God knew our hearts to have another child and you are His gracious response to that request. Not only are you a constant reminder of God’s goodness, you teach me that His goodness is lavish. You are grace to me, son.

We named you Cash after the great Johnny Cash, the long-time bard of the Bybee family and a figure that represents the myriad ways we struggle toward redemption. But your middle name also means “peace” and you’ve certainly lived up to that name. Your mother’s pregnancy was a little turbulent and we had a couple of scares along the way. But since you’ve been with us, you’ve been nothing but a peaceful baby. Your laid back and even keel disposition has been such a blessing to me. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a happier baby. You are peace, son.

Look what I found, Daddy!

Finally, I’m proud that you carry my last name and the last name of your grandfather and your great-grandfather. I look forward to teaching you what it means to be a Bybee just as my Dad taught me. You are mine, son, and for that I am so very thankful.

All your days, 1 Kings 2:2-3 will be my prayer for you, son: So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires. As you grow, I hope you’ll come to know that your life is bound up in the LORD your God. You’re already a strong little boy and it’s a joy watching you grow into the man God wants you to be.

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Posted in Blessings, Kids | 7 Comments

Media Roundup, June ’08

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Jason

I haven’t done a books / music / movies post lately, so here are my random thoughts about my latest media consumption.

Books
I read two books last week: William P. Young’s The Shack and Three Nights in August by Buzz Bissinger. The Bissinger book takes an inside look at baseball from the perspective of a manager, specifically the skipper of my beloved Redbirds, Tony LaRussa. The narrative centers around a critical three game series the Cards played against the Cubs in the stretch run of the 2003 season. I try to read at least one baseball book every summer and this one didn’t disappoint. Since Bissinger writes about my favorite team, I probably enjoyed this one more than most people would. But I think even the casual fan would have a greater appreciation for the strategic moves that are a part of managing. (Well, at least in the National League anyway.) I highly recommend Three Nights in August to fans of the game. Even Cub fans.

As for The Shack…well…my review is less favorable. I’d heard several people rave about this book so I was excited when a member of our Honduras mission team let me read her copy on the way home. But I have to say…I don’t see what the fuss is all about. Maybe I shouldn’t have read it when I was so tired. I dunno.

Music
Lately, I’ve been in this acoustic / bluegrass / country mood. Actually, that’s pretty much all I’ve been listening to for the last 3 months. I’ve been absolutely wearing out my playlist of Old Crow Medicine Show and The Avett Brothers. I’m still kicking myself for not going to see them in concert when they were in Huntsville a month or two ago (although I’m seriously eyeing the Old Crow show at the Ryman on October 9). “Go To Sleep” by the Avett Brothers has quickly become my favorite song of the year. If you’re into that kind of music, I’ve come across another great band called

I’ve also been listening a lot to a band called The Two Man Gentleman Band. My friend Scott told me about a free download of their album a few months back; I got a copy but I didn’t have the chance to really listen to it until recently. It’s really quirky stuff, but it’s right up my alley. I particularly like “William Howard Taft” and “The Square Root of Two”.

I’m stoked that the new Coldplay disc will be out next Tuesday. I know it’s either love-’em-or-hate-’em with Coldplay, but I love ’em. I love “Viva la Vida”. I’m a sucker for anything “new creation”, though.

Movies
I haven’t seen anything at all lately. Sunny and I are thinking about seeing something on Friday. I would go see Indiana Jones, but everybody I know says it’s just awful. (How smart does Sean Connery look now for turning down the opportunity to be a part of this trainwreck?) I’d love to see The Happening, but no way does Sunny go for that. The movie I’m really excited about this summer is The Dark Knight, but it doesn’t come out until July. So, any suggestions? Help me out, movie buffs, or I might be stuck seeing Kung Fu Panda.

Posted in Books, Movies, Music | 8 Comments

Long Time No Blog

Posted on June 9, 2008 by Jason

Well, long time no blog, right? I was on a mission trip last week in San Marcos, Honduras, so I haven’t really been around the computer for the past 10 days or so. Our group spent the week working with the folks at Mission Lazarus. Our church has been working with Mission Lazarus for the past 4 or 5 years, but this was the first time I was able to be a part of this mission effort. We had an awesome week. At some point, I’ll probably post a few of the stories from last week. Suffice it to say, it was an incredible week, probably the best mission trip I’ve ever been on. I’ll have plenty more to say about that later.

Here is one of my favorite pictures from last week. These children attend one of the ECDC’s (Early Childhood Development Center) sponsored by Mission Lazarus. I think this little girl’s eyes are captivating.

Posted in Faith, Missiology, Poverty | 2 Comments

Justice and Righteousness

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Jason

In Deuteronomy 16, corporate Israel receives a charge from Yahweh to be devoted to justice:

“You (Israel) shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.“

Our notions of justice are perhaps incomplete compared to the biblical concept of the term. We think of justice in terms of perpetrators being caught and being “brought to justice” for their crimes. A society where crime is punished is considered a just one; where crime goes unchecked, injustice runs rampant.

While that certainly hits on one element of biblical justice, the term is used in a much broader fashion and is often synonymous with the notion of righteousness. The society God wills is not so much a culture of retributive justice but one that hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). In the kingdom of God, this hunger for justice and righteousness will be fully realized. It is the world Amos imaginatively conjured when he wrote, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream,” (5:24).

What is surprising to many is the revelation that justice and righteousness are not reserved for some ethereal, immaterial, “spiritual” afterlife experience. The biblical testimony is clear that God wills for justice and righteousness to break into the present, infiltrating every nook and cranny of this world NOW with activity that bears witness to the One who truly embodies righteousness and justice. The injustices of our present experience seem to leave us with the impression that we can do little to stem the tide of disorder and unrighteousness in our world; the testimony of Scripture illumines another path and imagines an alternative way of being. In the stream of the great prophetic voices in Israel’s history, this path is the way of justice and righteousness.

May He continue to empower us to be His conduits of justice in the created order.

Posted in Scripture, Theology | Leave a comment

I Love This Picture!

Posted on May 28, 2008 by Jason

A pic of our family (sans Daddy) taken by our friend Amber at the beach.

Posted in Kids | 2 Comments

Congrats!

Posted on May 28, 2008 by Jason

Congratulations to my buddy Lane and his wife Kristen on the birth of their daughter, Josie Layne Widick, yesterday. She’s a beautiful little girl with dark hair, blue eyes, and long fingers and toes. Her Mom says she’s already grooming her to be a volleyball player!

Lane is my oldest and best friend; we’ve known each other for nearly 20 years. It’s been a real joy watching him prepare for fatherhood. I’ve been thinking all day of the phrase from Psalm 2:7, “Today I have become your Father.” I know Lane will be a great Dad because he keeps his eyes on the Heavenly Father. Blessings to you, man. 
Posted in Blessings, Friends | 1 Comment

Underage Drinking?

Posted on May 26, 2008 by Jason

Sunny and I and the kids have spent the weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We’ve had a great time hanging out with some of the families from church and enjoying the beach and some great seafood. We’re going to try to leave early tomorrow morning, so tonight we decided to get a leg up on our packing. Sunny and I were in the bedroom of our condo, putting clothes in the suitcase, when we noticed that Jackson wasn’t with us. We figured he’d crawled into the kitchen to see what Joshua and Abby Kate were doing. So I called out, “What is Jackson doing?“

From the kitchen, Abby Kate replied, “He’s in here having a beer.“

Turns out he was sitting on the kitchen floor working his way through a bag of Goldfish. How that was interpreted as “having a beer“, I’ll never know.

What happens in Gulf Shores, stays in Gulf Shores.

Posted in Humor, Kids | 2 Comments

Indy 4?

Posted on May 25, 2008 by Jason

Anybody seen it yet? At first, I was excited; then I saw the previews and it just didn’t seem right (that and the lousy title); but then I think, “It’s Indiana Jones. It’s gotta be worth seeing.” I’m wondering if anybody caught it over the weekend. If so, what were your thoughts?

Posted in Movies | 4 Comments