Posted by Chris on Mar 17, 2011 in
Church,
Culture,
God,
Life 
Hint: It has nothing to do with snakes or wearing green or potatoes or beer.
…Well, maybe it has a little to do with beer…
In the fifth century a 16 year old British Roman named Patricius was captured and sold into slavery in Ireland. The next six years he spent in the freezing cold among the barbaric celts. Although he was eventually set free, Ireland never really released him. He trained as a priest and returned in what was likely the first missionary effort since the time of Paul.
Patrick wandered a land sparsely populated by a people most well known for stripping naked, painting themselves and screaming into battle. In that place, he built monasteries. Simple outposts where people could come, live a life of rhythm and grace. Crops were farmed, books were reproduced and, of course, beer was brewed.
Over time, these monasteries drew communities, which became villages, which became cities. These people were drawn into a sense of community and an ordered life. As they were drawn into community, they were drawn to Christ. When the Roman Empire fell, and the formerly civilized Europe started to look a lot like barbaric Ireland, the spiritual descendants of St. Patrick spread through the now barbaric continent, building monasteries and communities as they went.
In our world Christians are known for picketing funerals and cheesy t-shirts and legislating morality. Patrick stands as a shining example of how the lovers of Jesus are to live amidst the ruins of the fallen empire of christendom.
I post this every year, but it bears repeating. A quote from my favorite prayer, the Brestplate of St. Patrick:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
(Much of this story was gleaned from How The Irish Saved Civilization [text or audio], which I’ve previously reviewed.)
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Tags: Community, evangelism, How The Irish Saved Civilizaion, Jesus, liturgical year, liturgy, St. Patrick
Posted by Chris on Oct 7, 2009 in
Culture 
Here’s what I’m watching: It’s mainly stuff I’m “already committed to,”, which either means that there’s not much new of note, or I just haven’t found it.
Fringe With theme music lifted from the little known 90s revival of The Outer Limits and a plot line that is little more than a post-911 update of X-Files, I watched the show mainly out of respect for J.J. Abrams. After a slow start, the show started to get increasingly complex and climaxed with a cameo from Leonard Nimoy. Now the rough edges of the over-the-top mad scientist and stoic blonde FBI agent have been refined and show teetering between all out inter-dimensional space opera and CSI-style detective procedural. Despite some creative characters and intriguing plot twists, it lacks the fondness of Mulder and Scully, and the addictive questioning nature of Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Fringe has yet to find its stride quickly this season, and I hope it does soon.
Dollhouse Like with Fringe, I’m watching because I like Joss Whedon. Despite a disappointing start, the first season ended with some fascinating philosophical questions and the introduction of a fun bad guy. Now it has the advantage of starting with developed characters and a list of unsolved mysteries. It already stars Battlestar Gallactica‘s Helo, and Captain Apollo guest starred in the first episode. This alone, not counting the beguiling Eliza Dushku, is enough to keep me tuning in.
How I Met Your Mother One of the saddest moments in recent TV history was the opening episode of season 4 of Scrubs: what had been brilliant and out of the box suddenly became sill and cliche. Although I’m holding my breath, this has yet to happen to the best sitcom on TV. As long as Marshall keeps delivering lines like “Haven’t I met you…on a yacht?” I’ll keep watching.
Heroes Heroes started out as the comic book for everybody, a superhero story about normal joes waking up with superpowers. However, once Hiro saved the cheerleader, things lost their way. This season shows promise, with a fascinating new bad guy, and a truly twisted Sylar storyline. However, it has already become so self involved with its own mythology that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone but the hardcore comics fan.
The Office When will Americans tire of the cringeful British import? No time soon. Pam is pregnant, Jim is promoted, Dwight is delivering angry soliloques and Michael Scott never ceases to amaze. Watch it, even if you haven’t been following for years.
Community I had to give the show that combined the television return of Chevy Chase with The Soup’s smarmy Joel McHale a try. The show is a 21st century misfit Breakfast Club that takes place at a local community college. It focuses on McHale’s character, a lawyer and pathological liar forced to go to college after his fake degree is discovered. The characters still seem a bit stock, but great performances by all will keep me tuning in.
Flash Forward Touted as the new Lost, Flash Forward is a sci-fi detective thriller that shows a lot of promise. The show revolves around a mysterious incident in which all of mankind was knocked unconscious, and experienced a few minutes of a day six months in the future. I wasn’t terribly captivated by the first episode, but the fascinating premise is enough to make me give it a few more tries.
What about you? What are you watching?
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Tags: Chevy Chase, Community, Dollhouse, Flash Forward, Fringe, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, J.J. Abrams, Joss Whedon, The Office, TV
Hint: It has nothing to do with snakes or wearing green or potatoes or beer.