He just smiled at me and set the house on fire.

I watched the new Bond movie again last night with my family.  Round three I guess.  Every time I’ve watched Quantum of Solace I’ve taken something different out of it, so here’s what I’ve got this time….

 

Camille Montes, the new Bolivian Bond girl played by Olga Kurylenko, is out for vengance in the movie just like Bond.  I think she’s a great character, nothing like the classic Bond girls who are all body and no brain.  She has a crazy story-line and all kinds of motivation that are wrapped up well by the end of the film. As the story goes, her father was an officer in the Bolivian Army until the Bolivian General, Medrano was sent to kill him.  Medrano also kills her mother and sister after raping them.  She was “Too young to cause any trouble, so he just smiled at me and set the house on fire…”, she says.  Not a fun story.  So the girl is out to kill General Medrano. Brief summary of the story for you.

 

One of the first things you notice about her is the scar on her back from the fire, and throughout the film whenever you see her, she’s wearing a dress or a shirt low enough in the back to see the scar. This is interesting because though most girls would hide something like that, she sort of shows it off.  It’s part of her story.  Part of the heartbreak that gives her so much drive and passion.  I like the thought of this.  I feel like we all need to bear the scars that make us so motivated to be like Jesus.  I don’t mean that we need to get tattoos on our arms that say “Former Alcoholic” or “Abused by my father” or anything, because the past is something God has delivered us from.  What I’m saying is that instead of hiding our scars and pretending they never happened, why don’t we live by them instead and claim victory over them, through Jesus, for the world to see?

 

I don’t pretend to understand what you’ve gone through, and I know my afflictions have been light compared to most people, but if you believe in a loving God you must believe that hardships and trials exist to bring glory to the Father by making you stronger and wiser.  Is this true or not?

 

My dad and I have stuttered our  whole lives.  Some genetic disorder.  You may or may not have noticed that about me, either way no big deal.  It doesn’t freak me out anymore and I don’t let it slow me down.  I don’t stutter as much these days, but It’s by hours and hours of therapy and humbling flash-card repetition as a kid that I’ve gotten to this place. Now and then I’ll stumble over a word, but it’s not half as bad as it was.  It’s been a unique and difficult trial,  and one in a hundred people face it, most of which outgrow the disorder’s effects by age ten.  A few of us, however have such a bad case of it that we will fight it our whole lives.  As God would have it, I was dealt that card.  Ok.  Could have been Cystic Fibrosis.  

 

What I’m saying is that I fought with God for years about why I had this problem talking, but eventually came to the realization that it’s been a blessing.  God has used this weakness to make me stronger, even though it hurt as a kid to be ridiculed mercilessly for it.  I also know that He said to me in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “’My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  I love this and stake my life upon it.  Another blessing is the way I can relate to stutterers better than anyone else.  Moses and I would have been best friends I think.  What used to torment me I now take a bit of pride in.  I am HONORED that my Lord and Savior viewed me as worthy of this trial.  He cares enough about me to put time and effort into refining my faith and my trust in him.  Why would I hide that?

 

I’ve dealt with my scar a little differently than Camille Montes from Quantum of Solace.  My mind has not been on revenge as much as it’s been on healing.  Read 2 Corinthians 12:9 again and pray about it.  Satan wants those scars to cripple you and take your joy away, but Jesus came so that those scars could bring you life like his scars brought you life.  That’s all.

Quantum of Solace and the Great Plains.

This weekend I drove to Olathe, Kansas with three of my friends to tryout for the DCC band.  Every year Campus Crusade for Christ has a gigantic Christmas conference where 1400 or so kids come to worship God and grow in their faith together.  Usually they book some big name band to do worship (usually a group my old band opened for at some point, i.e. Foolish Things or Tifah), but this year they want a student-led band.  That’s exciting.  So tryouts were on the Eastern edge of Kansas and we drove and drove to get there, finding the church finally after ten hours on the road and about nineteen bathroom breaks for Courtney.  The tryouts lasted all day Saturday, and I feel like all of us played really well.  On Wednesday we find out who made it, and I can’t wait.  I could be totally wrong, but I feel like all four of us (Dan, Jeremy, Courtney, and I) have a great chance of getting picked.  So that’s fun.

 

The only regret I have about the weekend is that the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, came out on Thursday night.  Phil, Dan, and I dressed up in 007-esque suits and went to the midnight showing after Crusade and the Roe CD-release show (pretty awesome, way to go Dave ).   Consequently the next day’s drive was made on a compromised number of sleeping hours.  

Dan took it like a man and got us there. I thought about the movie a lot throughout the drive.  Not just because I’m a shameless Bond fan, and not just because the Bolivian Bond girl was incredible.  I thought about the movie all day because it made me think of my life in a different way.  Sorry to take this blog in a thoughtful direction again, but this is worth hearing I think!  James Bond has a hopelessly unrealistic life, but I still want a life like that so bad.  He goes form country to country defeating countless bad guys and driving Aston Martins for her Majesty.  Never stays in the same room for more than a night, and never sleeps alone.  Always knows what his plan is, and never makes a mistake he can’t fix with his handgun.  I know God’s plan for my life probably doesn’t involve jumping from airplanes and sleeping with women to gain information.  Those are not good ideas.  I do however, have hope that God’s plan involves something as exciting and fulfilling for me.  I want to die having lived a life worthy of a movie series, but tonight, like most nights, I find myself sitting on my green couch with Kyle and Phil blogging on my computer instead of fighting global terrorism.  But it’s fun and I love it.  Even though my car is a 1997 Camry, and my coolest gadget is an iPod, I love my life after all.

 

It would have been cool if we learned from our mistake, but we watched Quantum of Solace again the night before we drove home from Kansas, again making the drive home on less than adequate sleep.  So worth it though!  The experience of the weekend was great.  Even if we don’t get “picked” for the DCC band, I really got to know just about every person who tried out.  This means I’m going to be connected to every member of the band this year regardless.  I love that.  I met some great kids this weekend and grew much closer to Dan, Courtney, and Jeremy.  For those of you who aren’t involved in a worship ministry, allow me to apologize, it’s a really wonderful thing to be a part of.