Red One: "Let's Go Save Christmas!"

 

Having joined Amazon Prime for a week (for only $1.99) to get free shipping on our last-minute Christmas shopping, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could watch the Christmas action-comedy Red One on Prime Video even though it's still in movie theaters.

J. K. Simmons is the buffest Santa you'll ever meet, but he spends most of this movie passed out as his special Santa power is stolen by a Christmas witch (who knew?) to be used to entrap all the people on the Naughty List in magical snow globes forever. And since Dwayne Johnson's chief of security mentions early on that, for the first time ever, the Naughty List has more names than the Nice List, there stands to be a decided decrease in the surplus population. [Bonus points for anyone reading this who recognizes that nod to Dickens' A Christmas Carol.]

The action is fun and sometimes fierce. The comedy is humorous enough to warrant smiles and a few giggles. But here's my question...why the foul language? Maybe it was going to be rated PG-13 anyway because of the violent action, but that doesn't mean they HAD to have Santa calling something bull$#!t, etc.

All in all, it hit the expected notes of redemption for Chris Evans' steals-candy-from-a-baby scalawag, the horrifying prospect of Christmas being cancelled, and a disenchanted elf returning to the fold.

It's a holiday-themed trifle that will stick with me as long as the candy cane I ate while watching it.

Have an Awe-full Christmas: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XXV

 

TOUCHING WONDER: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas
John Blase

In this collection of short readings for Advent, John Blase helps us encounter the Christmas story ... with dirt beneath its fingernails. This is the incarnation as real as it gets, God-with-us in all our fleshly despair and hope. Smell the hay in the Bethlehem stable, soaked with birthing blood. Hear Mary's pants and cries as she pushes the living God from her womb. Look over Joseph's shoulder as he watches his beloved bear the child of Another, the Son he will raise who will raise all humankind. Read [this book] and remind yourself once again of the absurd, unexpected, unfathomable glory of God's arrival in our world.

It was a meandering path that brought me to this book. Carolyn Arends posted a poem written by Blase that I really liked, so I did a little research on who he was. On his website, I saw the other books, etc., he has written and the descriptions of this book really captured my attention and sparked a desire to own it. A few mouse clicks later, it was on its way to my mailbox. And let me tell you, the reading of this book lived up to every high expectation I had.

First Line: The author David James Duncan described the plastic shepherds from those Christmas dioramas of his youth as having "slack-jawed expressions of wonder."

Page 56 / Line 5: Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: [Zachariah speaking of his son, John the Baptizer] He seemed to live in the margins, somewhere between this world and the next.

Last Line: Remember, the Mighty One's favor comes in unexpected ways.

Another Solved Longmire Mystery: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XXIV

THE HIGHWAYMAN: A Longmire Story
Craig Johnson

When Wyoming highway patrol officer Rosey Wayman is transferred to the beautiful and imposing landscape of the Wind River Canyon, an area the troopers refer to as no-man's-land because of the lack of radio communication, she starts receiving "officer needs assistance" calls. The problem? They're coming from Bobby Womack, a legendary Arapaho patrolman who met a fiery death in the canyon almost a half-century ago. With an investigation that spans this world and the next, Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear take on a case that pits them against a legend: The Highwayman.

I was a little excited when I read this novella's description because I have visited the canyon Johnson writes about and gone through the tunnels on the winding road Longmire drives on. I've been to Thermopolis and Worland and Shoshoni and know the barren loneliness inherent in the landscape. This is a good, compact tale with a true sense of place...you know, just like all the Longmire books. It's not as spooky as the description would lead you to believe and I think that's a good thing. It keeps Longmire realistic and believable, but still exciting.

First Line: There is a canyon in the heart of Wyoming carved by a river called Wind and a narrow, opposing, two-lane highway that follows its every curve like a lover.

Page 56 / Line 5: "Do you think you have to be crazy or Indian to willfully do that sort of thing?"

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: I didn't have to wonder long, however, as I plunged into the Wind River and it seemed as though the 640 muscles in my body contracted to the point of breaking all 206 bones.

Last Line: At least that's our story, the owl and me.

What If You Feel You Were "Born in the Wrong Body"?: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XXIII

 

EMBODIED: Transgender Identities, the Church & What the Bible Has to Say
Preston Sprinkle

In [this book], New York Times-bestselling author Dr. Preston Sprinkle helps us understand and engage in the conversation about transgender identities. Drawing on scripture, real-life stories, and careful research, he explores:

• Why more and more teens are questioning their gender
• What it means to be transgender, non-binary, or gender-queer
• Moral questions surrounding medical interventions such as sex reassignment surgery
• Why most stereotypes about men and women come from culture, not the Bible
• How being created in God's image as male and female relates to transgender experiences

I started reading this book as an assignment for a long-form discussion the Valley Christian Church elders have been having about sexuality and gender identity. I finished reading it because of its humble and empathetic tone and its well-thought-out use of science and Scripture in coming to conclusions. I recommend this book if you want to increase your understanding of people who experience gender dysphoria and/or consider themselves trans or non-binary. It is also a wonderful example of being Christian without being judgy and self-righteous.

First Line: The idea for this book was sparked in 2014 on a chilly October evening in East Chicago.

Page 56 / Line 5: If a teenager has OCD and is on the autism spectrum, for instance, and if this teen has an ongoing obsession with the idea of becoming the other sex, is this obsession rooted in a trans* identity?

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: Jesus is building an upside-down kingdom where outcasts have their feet washed, the marginalized are welcomed, and dehumanized people feel humanized once again.

Last Line: Will you?

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Accidentally Seen and Positively Enjoyed

 

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER
Director: Dallas Jenkins (of The Chosen fame)

Nobody is ready for the mayhem and surprises that ensue when six of the worst youngsters disrupt the town's yearly Christmas performance.

*  *  *

Beloved and I saw this yesterday and are both giving two enthusiastic thumbs up.

I have to admit that it started off feeling a little like a made-for-television, Hallmark blah-blah-blah because of the heavy dose of narration (provided by Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham). But then the humor started kicking in and it became more fun and engaging.

Little did I know that by the time it ended, we would both be wiping tears from our faces. And I don't want to say anything more about it except that y'all should go see it.

Behind-the-Scenes Footage: We had gone to the theater with tickets in hand for the Tom Hanks/Robin Wright film, Here, but there was a technical issue with the projector and it couldn't be shown. The managerial apology not only included passes for a movie of our choosing in the future and free popcorn and a soda, but we were allowed to trot on over to another movie in the multiplex...which is how we ended up seeing this gem yesterday instead. Great deal!

Previously Untold Stories and Positively Unpronounceable Names: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XXII

 

STAR WARS FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: The Empire Strikes Back
Various Authors

In honor of the fortieth anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, forty storytellers recreate an iconic scene through the eyes of its supporting characters, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. [This book] features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists: Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo. Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth. Tracy Deonn delves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision. Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City. Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa's tragic tale of loss and survival. Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship. Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales.

I was hooked from the first story. (The tale of one of the humanoids sifting through the visual data from the thousands of viper droids the Empire sent throughout the galaxy in search of rebels. You know...those floating probe thingies that found Han and Luke on the ice planet Hoth?) Some were better at incorporating dialog and scenes from the film into their own protagonist's POV than others, but each one offered insight into previously unexplored feelings, motivations, and connections. And yes, I have placed the other short story collections based on A New Hope and Return of the Jedi on my "to be read" list! Point of interest: in one of the stories, a bounty hunter identifies Chewbacca as the pilot of the Millenium Falcon and Han Solo as "his smart-mouthed sidekick." Point of frustration: The standard Star Wars practice of spelling names in ways that make it impossible to know how to pronounce them is rampant and earuhteighting (e.g., Seitaron, Tian Karmiya, Kashyyyk, etc.).

First Line: Pick any of the last ten transmissions you've looked at.

Page 56 / Line 5: She's been captured, corralled, tamed.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: In any given situation, he knew, there were men who believed they were in charge, and there were men who truly were.

Last Line: The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space....

Freedom to Control Your Own Body

 

Not wanting my inspirational blog, Truth Is..., to become saturated with personal rants, please allow me to use this outlet to blow off a little steam.

I am grieved at the current political ads that use the phrase "the freedom to control your own body" as the patriotic-sounding code words for "the ability to kill an unborn human."

This is not a matter of religious faith, but of basic biology:

Some may say, "That's right, and I have the right to say whether I want to incubate someone else with my body."

Yes, you do, but the time to make that decision is before you get pregnant. Because the minute you conceive, you are now dealing with another person's rights, not just your own. You have every right in the world to flail your arms around at random, but that right ends at the point where your arms come in contact with someone else's nose.

You do not have the right to harm someone else, and that pre-born human is someone else, with their own DNA, fingerprints, and heartbeat.

Calling abortion "personal reproductive rights" does not change the fact that it ends a human's life.

Some may say, "But it's just a blob of tissue...a product of conception. It's not really human, is it?"

Again, I'm not espousing a religious belief, but basic biology. When two humans have sex and the female becomes pregnant, the product of that conception is human; no different from you or me except for their size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

So, my dear political candidate, when you smile into the camera and tell me I should vote for you because of your plans to uphold a woman's freedom to control her own body...it makes my stomach churn, my eyes water, and my heart grieve.