How the mighty have fallen

There haven't been any particular press releases it seems, on the details of Tony Scott's suicide. Maybe reporters are actually being respectful of his family's wish for privacy.

This is a phenonemal story of sadness nonetheless. It is surprising to see how many people knew about Scott and his movies, and also how many didn't know he'd directed some of their faves, or that he was Ridley Scott's brother. I was having a conversation with a friend about him just a month ago. I must say, his IMDB list of movies reveals some pretty awful productions, but it also reveals his presence in a plethora of movies and series. For people older than me, he's the director of Top Gun, with that scary monkey faced woman. For me, he's the director of Man of Fire, one of my all-time favourites, just one of the best revenge movies ever, with a brilliant casting, script, music, overall production and underlying themes.

I seems to me that he intended for his death to be a parable. Indeed, for once, it's not a mixture of pills that kills a famous person, in uncertain circumstances, not to disrespect Heath Ledger, but it was all very odd. This was a clear and open statement. Indeed, it looks like an intentional declaration. He didn't take his life with a gun, didn't overdose, didn't have a weird accident. Some say he may have had an inoperable brain tumor. If this is true, he chose to go out with a bang. But whether it is or isn't true, the power of this image stays.

It speaks out: "Look at me, look at my life. Look at the people I know, look at the money I have, look at the things I've achieved. I may still have twenty years of life in me, or just 6 months, which could be well lived, but I don't see anything else worth doing. I embrace death over life. I will make my body go to where my mind is already. It will join countless others, who are just like me. I will show you how I fall."

It's a story we all know. I'm not trying to be funny here, his death is a tragedy, I can't even imagine how his close ones feel. But this is a statement he made, in a world which still doesn't GET it! There are still people who believe what this stupid R'n'B/pop culture is preaching at them: that they can be happy if they rise to the heights they can imagine for themselves. Money, fame, power, artistic achievement, adulation, sexual satsifaction, self-realisation. Ultimately, it doesn't free you from your hell, this lack of inner peace, it just makes it more evident. The problem is not in aiming high. It's that people don't aim high enough.

The only true height from which we cannot fall, the love of God, expressed in Jesus' fall for our redemption. We aim for man-made heavens instead of the true heaven. And THAT is tragic for ALL of us.

Quintessential theology

"For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone."¹

1	John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 160.

Lyrics that shake...

Was singing Be Thou My Vision, the great classic Irish hymn in my room last night, having a great jam (yes, I sounded great for those who were wondering), and as I reached the 4^th stanza, was particularly struck by the lyrics I was singing. As I've been trying to prepare mentally, spiritually and practically for marriage, I have caught myself thinking a lot about money, even worrying about it, thinking “Am I going to be a good provider?”. I've been trying to project my earnings, working harder to reach a higher revenue, and yet, I see that expenses just get higher, as life becomes more serious, and things I never wanted to pay for I find myself having to accept. I guess it's part of growing older and part of getting married. However, it is easier to start losing sight of things and starting to think more about material things as you dive further into the material world. Thank God I'm not marrying a material girl! Just to allay any suspicion from readers: she's real, not fake, I haven't made her up after all, just, not materialistic.

And then I pronounce these verses:

Riches I need not, nor man's empty praise (can I really say that?)

Be thou mine inheritance, now and always (is that enough?)

Be thou and thou only the first in my heart (yes, yes I get it!)

O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure Thou art. (I wanna cry...)

And this is my creed. I have never loved money greatly, but it is still such a draw. Such a tension between needing to work in order to live and needing to work in order to amass wealth. Between putting money aside wisely for the future and for enjoyment, and worrying about future needs to the point that you work yourself to death. Not that I'm remotely close to either of those cases right now, but I have seen my thoughts wander in that direction.

And then I meditate these words: Riches I need not, […] my treasure Thou art.* What can take the place of money? Love, sure. But earthly love produces needs which generate activity in order to supply those needs. The infinite, heavenly love of God fulfils needs, supplies want, eliminates fear. I believe in God's provision for me. I have to, because I know how weak and lazy and incompetent I can be. Christ gave himself for me. How can I not trust him for everything else? (Romans 8 ref.)

*: This also strikes me as to the quality of old-school worship songs. There was a true care lyrically, as well as musically, to produce songs which speak powerful biblical truth to its listeners and singers. I find it sad how nowadays, even some Christian groups seem to be worried about novelty over quality, going along with this world's musical trend. It's no conundrum as to which of these songs are going to stand the test of time. In 100 years, people are still going to be singing and touched by Be Thou My Vision, while many of today's “Get up and be cool for Jesus” tracks will be long since forgotten.

ADD society

One of the worst examples of our ADD society landed on me yesterday, as I was in the car with my brother. We're in Italy, jamming along to a Snap – I've got the power on the radio, when suddenly the song fades into ads and into a new song. Confused, we get into the next song and it suddenly changes again after a couple of minutes. Now people should know that I pretty much hate the radio and the music on it, so it was a miracle that they were playing tunes I was enjoying. But we realised that they were only playing half songs. Do you realise that some consider people's attention spans to be so bad that they can't even listen to one listenable song on the radio anymore??? That is so messed up that it almost trumps the fact that songs about oral sex make it on the radio for preteens to sing along to!

Screw that, Stu and I are beatboxing and rapping Snap in the car for the kids from now on. They love it.