Empty Hope

I went to see “The Great Gatsby” tonight with a co-worker and found myself strangely drawn to Fitzgerald’s tale. When I read the book several years ago, my relative youth and inexperience added little to the novel, leaving me disappointed. Now, an active participant in a society that in many ways reflects the carelessness, disillusionment, and endless striving after “happiness” seen in Fitzgerald’s depiction of the 1920′s, I find myself reconsidering my previous judgment of The Great Gatsby. 

The narrator, Nick Halloway (Tobey MacGuire), repeatedly describes himself as being “both inside and outside” of the endless cycle of alcohol, shallow women, and secrets. Depicted as a distant, thoughtful observer, Halloway provided an avenue through which the other character’s lives unfolded in tragic disillusionment. Aside from my own repeated flashbacks of MacGuire as Peter Parker of Spiderman 3, he executed the role of Halloway with precision, clearly displaying the internal conflict between Halloway’s own moral compass and his loyalty to various other characters.

Perhaps what struck me most about the film was Halloway’s final judgment of Gatsby: that “he had hope.”  Fitzgerald presents the world with a man whose entire life is built around a dream. And in the getting of this dream, Gatsby falls in love with a girl who changes his dream forever. No longer is his achievement of the “American Dream” about him. Now, everything Gatsby does is built around Daisy and his hope in and for her love. In the end, at Gatsby’s death, when Halloway and Gatsby’s father are the only ones mourning, it is clear just how disillusioned Gatsby was. Daisy turned on the one person who tried to protect her, and society turned on the man once loved unconditionally.

But perhaps most disappointing is that the hope that drives Gatsby and for which Halloway remembers him, is a failed hope. And, amongst the numerous parallels and themes of the story, themes of a father’s love for his prodigal son, the depth of wealth’s insignificance, and of loyalty vs. morality, Gatsby’s tragedy shines as the crowning point. Because in the tragic disillusionment that drove Gatsby, I see the gloriousness of the opportunity that I have for hope.

As a Christian, I have chosen to place my hope on Jesus Christ, the one thing that will not fail. As Gatsby’s tale so aptly reminds, fame, fortune, and even love will fade. What a tragedy then, that I so often take my eyes and hope off of Christ and look to the charms of this life. Charms, that like Gatsby’s hope in Daisy, cannot fulfill my emptiness. It does not matter how fast of a motorcycle I drive, or how athletic I am, or how much wealth I accumulate. All. Of. It. Is. Empty.

While this is not the accepted or popular interpretation of Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, for the Christian, I believe it can stand as a reminder to set our eyes firmly on the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus, as well as a sobering reminder of where all other hope leads.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

“The Solid Rock”
                          by Keith W. Ward

Inside a Brothel: Video from The Exodus Road

Ever wonder what the inside of a locked brothel looks like? In this short video, covert footage captures investigators with The Exodus Road and Indian Rescue Mission entering a brothel searching for victims of sexual slavery. These brave men consistently gather evidence in the darkest of places, for the sake of raids, rescues, and prosecutions of criminals. Visit The Exodus Road or like their page on facebook to find out more. 

Exodus Road Covert Footage. MUST WATCH. from The Exodus Road on Vimeo.

The India Raid that The Exodus Road funded was a huge success! It took place just this morning with the local police. 100+ girls were pulled from the brothel and an estimated 30 have been identified as minors. There will be more information as they move forward and victims are identified…connect with the Exodus Road on Facebook or Twitter for future updates? You can check out the Facebook page for pictures of the girls, right after the raid. http://www.facebook.com/theexodusroad

Book Review: Thrive

Thrive: The Single Life as God Intended by Lina Abujamra brings Scripture and truth to the topic of singleness like a cold drink of water after an exhausting run. Lina merges careful study with personal experience as she exhorts her readers to join her in thriving, rather than just surviving, as a single Christian. She meets readers where they are, battling lust, loneliness, fear, self-pity, or idolatry, and opens the pages of Scripture to reveal the true love of Christ that is often missed. Recognizing the freedom and joy of singleness, this book is full of practical steps to embracing holiness and finding gratefulness for the grand gift of singleness. In short, if you are a single Christian, reading Thrive will leave you motivated and ready to climb off the couch of self-pity and get out on the track and run the race that God has set before you!

And, even better, the Kindle edition of Thrive is on sale at Amazon for only $1.99 for a limited period of time (through May 8)! Also, check out Lina Abujamra’s blog, one of the sites I read faithfully for a fresh and honest look at living the daily Christian walk.

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for a sincere review of its contents. This review is my honest and personal review of the book and was not edited or changed by the author or publisher in any way.

We the People…

…of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

In my high school days, I was extremely interested in politics and constitutional law. My involvement has waned in recent years, but my mind starts blazing anytime I see constitutional rights being blatantly ignored. Rarely does it provoke enough anger for me to write about it, but the recent proposal prohibiting Christian members of the military from sharing their faith irks me. It more than irks me. It infuriates me.

The last time I read the Constitution, the very first Amendment went something like this: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Whether or not I like the fact that I share this right with other religions, something tells me that sharing one’s faith is a part of the free exercise of religion, whether one is a Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, or Atheist (yes, its a “religion” too–but that’s another story for another time). Regardless of religious preference, in the United States, I have the Constitutional right to make that an integral part of my daily life. And, like all things that are important to me, I am probably going to talk about it.

Certainly, if I do something (for religious purposes or otherwise) that threatens the life or safety of another human beings, my violent actions should be restricted and punished accordingly, but that discipline should be exempt from religious influences. A Christian who breaks the law should be subject to the same treatment and punishment as a Muslim or Atheist who breaks the law. It is no different than racism. The nation goes into an uproar when two people who commit the same crime are sentence differently based upon the color of their skin. Yet, differentiating based on religion is okay? If I murder someone, then I should receive appropriate sentence for that murder, and, all things considered, it should be the same sentence as an individual of any other religion who commits the same crime. It is not for me to create a religious profile for people and say that “all Christians are murderers,” or that “all Atheists steal.” People make individual choices and they should be judged according to their choices, not according to their religion.  That is justice.

Typically, I prefer to keep my political thoughts to myself, believing that they often lend only to worthless debates. But there are times when one must speak up. There are those things worth fighting for. I think this is one of them. Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I believe that my right to be a Christian is protected by the Constitution. But I also believe that when the government starts picking and choosing among religions, that it is treading on historically dangerous ground. The best way to prevent repeating the mistakes of the past is to nip the spreading branches of government-driven racial or religious selection in the bud. Genocide is defined as “the deliberate and systematic destruction of, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.” Government-driven genocide is no stranger to world history, and each time, it began with the governmental and media-promulgated generalization of a chosen race or religion as a threat to society. I would like to believe that I would fight as fiercely to protect innocent Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, or other religious groups from such selection as I would Christians. The Constitution protects us all equally–if, of course, the government adheres to the checks and balances designed to prevent such a genocide from occurring.

Now is the time to remind the government that the people of America, rather than being divided over religious and moral differences, can stand united against a government that has clearly overstepped its bounds and is violating the very principles that brought its founders to this country in the first place.

A Relaxing Weekend

In the last two months of my time here in the U.S. before moving to Tanzania, I know that my priority needs to be on relationships. Because of that, I took Friday and Saturday off work to be able to join my family and the Keefer Creek Baptist Church family on their annual camping trip, this time at Turkey Run State Park in southern Indiana. I drove down late Thursday night after work and enjoyed a relaxing weekend full of hiking, volleyball, good friends, and good food. I’ll let some pictures from the weekend tell the rest.

Loving the Sunshine

Big Spike

Homemade Donut Holes

All Smiles

Volleyball Fun

A Sister’s Smile

 

A Little Light…

I spent this weekend at Miracle Mountain Ranch for their Media Summit and had the opportunity to learn from several incredible photographers, including Nate Weatherly (of Nate Weatherly Photography). Many of the sessions focused on the importance of light, which has clear application to Scripture’s identification of Jesus as the light of the world.

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.

                       - Isaiah 9:2

I’m with Lincoln

150 years ago, Lincoln freed the slaves. Today, however, there are more slaves on our watch than at any other time in human history. Let’s be the Lincoln to our generation.

Check out the producers of this video, MadeinaFreeWorld, and their campaign to take slavery issues to congress or visit The Exodus Road today. Consider subscribing to the newsletters from these two organizations, so you can stay informed of the issue and can be given action steps for becoming a modern day abolitionist.

I’m with Lincoln. You?