Work and Leisure

After the work of the week is done, now that I work Monday through Sunday, the only day I rest is Sunday. But when Sunday afternoon comes I am knackered - it is my only rest day and it is also (usually) the only day Ican do something fun. So the battle decomes do I take a nap or do I indulge in all the 'fun' things that I would have done in my spare time if I had spare time...I hope the nap wins today.

All dusty...

I challenged my congregation to tell someone anything the Lord has been doing in their lives – last week I struggled to write my sermon, and as I prayed about it I began to wonder if I was being a faithful interim pastor. In my prayer time I was reminded of Ps 103:14, For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust. My sermon ended up talking a lot about an earlier verse in that Psalm – the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love…here is what the Lord has recently done for me: He reminded me that I am dust. That on my best days will not measure up to his standard, he knows all my shortcomings but still Jesus died for me and God calls me his son, I can call his Father.

Bizarre musings on my amusement

¹muse

 verb \ˈmyüz\

: to think about something carefully or thoroughly

: to think or say (something) in a thoughtful way

 noun 

:  a state of deep thought or dreamy abstraction

 

amuse

 verb \ə-ˈmyüz\

: to make someone laugh or smile : to entertain (someone) in a light and pleasant way

: to get the attention of (someone) in a pleasant way as time passes

transitive verb

a archaic :  to divert the attention of so as to deceive

b obsolete :  to occupy the attention of :  absorb

c obsolete :  distract, bewilder

 

I find it absolutely bizarre that I do not agree with the content of most of my entertainment yet it is a significant part of how I spend my life. I think that is a little crazy, strait-jacket-in-a-padded-room kind of crazy. I comprehend to some extent the feeding of my sometimes detrimental inquisitiveness: I wonder how drug dealers think and behave? How do they work, live and justify their occupation? so I watch Weeds. It is like going to the zoo to learn how animals live, but if the monkeys start slinging excrement or the camels spit enough times you pack it up and go home, right? Why remain then, when the Botwins, who are cheaper than a trip to the zoo, offend? The other option is when I want to punch the lights out of life, but you know I cannot, so I watch 300 (if I owned it), Unleashed or Resident Evil. I laugh at and enjoy the gratuitous violence but I do not agree with wanton killing. I am all for adventure and struggle of good and evil, but training orphans to become killers is wrong.  

The more I think about it…ok examples:

1. I am listening to a song entitled Love is blind, I do not agree with its content. Yes, love is somewhat blind, but the things the artist says are outside my core beliefs. Really enjoying Lana del Rey right now, I love her style and am smitten by her skill, but her content is off-color, I would not tell anyone that I listen to her. There are a hundred more examples in my music collection.
2. I watched all 4 seasons of Royal Pains, rich, entitled, promiscuous, witty, God-less people. Yes I am for medicine and Hank's obsessive care for his patients, but his motives are suspect – he is very self-centered; an accurate portrayal of humanity and many physicians but something that I guard against in my life. Why then do I ingest that? On the other hand, I loved How I met your mother once upon a time, but the level of promiscuity in the show was something I could not endure so I stopped watching it.
3. Nothing more to add on my love for depictions of killing/violence/wars especially with a whimsical banter!
4. Often the Lord's name is taken in vain and used as a curse I am not ok with that, sadly I am offended so little I get over it and do not stop the show, especially if it is really funny.

I know very well the need to decompress, cease the musing and amuse a while. I pray that the Lord would change my preferences, the most 'righteous' things found in entertainment I also find boring - once over with Mr. Monk was all I can do, even Johnny Test is a selfish brat, Batman is driven by vengeance...it is true: 500 channels and 20 service providers and nothing good's on. 

I learned today (something I knew but never expressed) a craving is intensified by the payoff and availability of the thing craved. I never crave mushrooms or shrimp because I find them disgusting, chocolate, on the other hand, different story. I crave biltong, but its acquisition requires logging on, buying, and waiting a week. After it arrives the craving kicks up and I can eat a pound of dried meat in a week (the cost of biltong is such that one hopes it lasts a month). It is simple to neglect a craving for Bo and Kenzi when I have watched every episode. The moment a new season comes out I end up watching the whole thing. Early on, I even skip the less savory bits, but in some episodes that gets old. I do not watch them for their poly-amorousness; I love the banter, the adventure, the fantasy. BUT it comes with things I do not agree with. If my garlic chicken comes with mushrooms (Royal Pains, Lost Girl), I pick them out and eat my garlic chicken. If it comes with shrimp (How I met your mother, Rock Jocks) I send it back – at least I am consistent; I endure some things and reject others. Is it ok to endure the mushrooms though? Now that my chicken is adulterated by 'shroom juice is my spirit is leavened a little (Gal 5:9)?

I wish musement was more amusing! More than that I wish my preferences were more consistent with my beliefs. I wish my resolve to turn my eyes away as stronger (Matt 5:29-10). I wish…I am leaning towards instrumental music these days. I can enjoy the noise and keep my own thoughts and ideas. I am trying to find simple God-centered vocalists, but it is tough to find the right stuff. I am more mindful of my TV/movie selection. I need to add to that, the ability to be offended by someone else's choice; I do not need to watch trash just because I am visiting while you have it on, do I?

I can never be always serious, everyone needs the 'shallow' things in life. Jenny Lewis and the Watson twins sing, "I think we are at our best by the flicker, by the light of the TV set" - that is my wife and me, slightly sad but true; we would rather watch Frodo than read about him even though we agree the books are better. Bizarre, isn't it?