"Why would they change math? Math is math!" Mr. Incredible
I took my family to see “Incredibles 2” this past Father's Day. We all enjoyed the first movie and had hoped to see a sequel. When Disney announced movie 2 we knew we had to see it as soon as possible. I also had an ulterior motive in going to see the film. After reading one or two critiques which said the film portrays dads (represented by Mr. Incredible) in a negative light, I wanted to see for myself if this was yet another bad dad film. Considering the movie takes place in 1962 when family roles were a lot different than today, I was pleasantly surprised by a realistic portrayal (at least in my experience) of what it's like to be dad.
For the record "Incredibles 2" is an entertaining, though somewhat predictable movie. The action sequences are a lot of fun and while this is a superhero movie, it does a great job of poking fun at everyday life. Incredibles 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, in the parking lot right after Dash's track meet. Though the supers once again save the day, the world would still rather they stay in hiding. Against this backdrop Elastigirl is offered a job where she can fight crime while changing perceptions about supers.
Mom's new job means a number of changes in the family, including Mr. Incredible taking on a new role as a stay at home dad. I doubt this was very common in 1962. Back then most dads worked and would have scoffed at staying home with the children. There would have been bruised egos and a lack of know how if they were forced to take on the task. When judged by 2018 standards of course Mr. Incredible looks bad. I also suspect fifty-six years from now we will look like we didn’t have a clue to those looking back upon history.
With a precocious super powered baby, a moody teen whose having boy troubles and a son learning elementary school New Math, dad is in over his head. And yes he does make some silly mistakes, in at least one case making matters worse. He loses sleep. Eventually he loses his temper. He has to turn to Edna Mode and Frozone for help. For most of the movie it looks as if he is failing at his job. And as he struggles to figure it all out his day begins to look very familiar.
As any parent will tell you, when you are running late something will come up missing. Once when we were running late for my older son’s football picture day, he couldn't find his cleats. As we searched for the cleats my younger son discovered a box of 1000 drinking straws. Unfortunately toddlers (which he was at the time) are not good at opening boxes. Somehow he ripped the box in half sending the straws all over the family room. The sight of my son surrounded by a sea of straws would have made for a good picture had I had time to get my camera. It also made for a good laugh, which I would have enjoyed if not for the sound of my dog throwing up in the dining room.
I now had missing cleats, straws on the floor and vomit to clean up. There was only time to take care of two problems. I left the straws knowing I could explain things to my wife when she showed up for the football game. There was only one flaw in my plan and boy was it a big one. Instead of going straight to the field, like she said she was going to do, my wife decided to go home where she discovered that we no longer had any clean straws. In hindsight I should have cleaned up the straws and left the vomit. I could have then denied having any knowledge of the dog throwing up, which would have kept me out of the dog house.
Like Mr. Incredible I have made many mistakes while taking care of my children. Yes at times the house turns into a chaotic mess but eventually everything gets cleaned up. We found the cleats and on other occasions the remote, or whatever other item becomes lost at inopportune times. The children forgive me when I mishandle situations with their friends. Eventually even my wife learns to laugh at things, that is after she cleans up after me (just kidding). The same was true for the Parr family in “Incredibles 2,” where the kids survive Mr. Incredible's mistakes. Eventually one even compliments the job he does being dad.
“Incredibles 2” is not a disparaging portrayal of a father. It is an animated telling of what it's like for real dads, both in the 1960’s and today. We do our best, which often is less than perfect. Eventually we figure some of it out and everyone survives. But I still don't know why they would change math!
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Is Your Faith Mature Enough to Move You Beyond Your Ability?
2 Kings 6:1-7
With a splash his contribution to the school's construction project came to a quick end. He was fortunate to have been admitted as part of "The Sons of the Prophets," a group of men who were cultivating their spiritual gifts under the teaching of the Prophet Elisha. Having outgrown their quarters the students headed off into the woods near the Jordan River in order to cut down trees for use in constructing a new home. These men figured if each cut down one tree they would have enough wood to build a space where they could comfortably continue their studies.
Having found a good sized tree, one of the men took aim with his borrowed ax. With both hands on the handle he swung. Instead of the sound of splintering wood his efforts were rewarded by a loud 'Splash!' To his dismay the ax head had come off of the handle, launching itself into the rushing waters of the Jordan River. I wonder if he stood for a moment, staring at the handle in disbelief. Perhaps he took a moment to give thanks that no one was hurt. At some point reality set in and he realized he had a problem. He now had to find a way to replace the ax he had borrowed...and broken.
Being a man of God he knew he was required to make amends to his neighbor for the lost ax head. He likely considered himself bound, if not simply by honor, then by the principle behind Exodus 22:14:
Though the command specifically applied to borrowing work animals, the idea of compensating the owner also applied when a tool was lost or broken. For Jews this was (and likely is) an issue of character. As written in Psalm 37:21:
Being under conviction the young prophet knew he needed to replace the ax. Based on his reaction he did not seem to have the means to buy a replacement and unlike today's students he could not text his family to ask if they could load up his PayPal account. He was unable to replace the ax and without it he was unable to keep his pledge to his fellow students. Fortunately the prophet Elisha was more than willing to help.
The prophet could have responded in a number of ways. He could have promised to pray about the situation, sending his pupil away to wait for a word from God. Likely no one would have argued had this been his response nor would anyone have blinked had the prophet taken up an offering in order to replace the broken ax. Either response would have been acceptable, a normal human response from a believer. Instead the prophet chose to do what was not humanly impossible. Instead of being limited by his own ability, Elisha allowed God to do the impossible in order to help the young student meet his responsibilities.
Our natural tendency when we see others in need is to do what we can. Often, at least here in the states, what we can do involves money. Of course there is nothing wrong with giving money or time or anything else we can give in order to help our neighbor. In fact Jesus calls us to go the extra mile. But are we, by faith, going as far as God wants? Are we limiting ourselves to doing just what we can or our we open to doing the extraordinary by the power of God?
As the body of Christ, God's church are His hands and feet here on earth. Around us are people dealing with a multitude of problems and needs. Here in the United States we have food deserts where people do not know where their next meal might come from. Some of these deserts exist on our college campuses along with the need for protection from bullying. We are seeing an uncomfortable number of school shootings, leaving children with a feeling of insecurity and stress. Who knows how this will affect their future.
Elisha tossed a piece of wood into the water, causing an iron ax head to float. In so doing not only did he help his student return the tool, he provided a lasting impression of the power of God. By allowing God to work through us, we will have opportunities to demonstrate extraordinary love: love that comes from and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Is your faith mature enough to solve problems in extraordinary ways? Are you responding to your neighbors in your own ability or in the ability and calling of our Father in Heaven?
With a splash his contribution to the school's construction project came to a quick end. He was fortunate to have been admitted as part of "The Sons of the Prophets," a group of men who were cultivating their spiritual gifts under the teaching of the Prophet Elisha. Having outgrown their quarters the students headed off into the woods near the Jordan River in order to cut down trees for use in constructing a new home. These men figured if each cut down one tree they would have enough wood to build a space where they could comfortably continue their studies.
Having found a good sized tree, one of the men took aim with his borrowed ax. With both hands on the handle he swung. Instead of the sound of splintering wood his efforts were rewarded by a loud 'Splash!' To his dismay the ax head had come off of the handle, launching itself into the rushing waters of the Jordan River. I wonder if he stood for a moment, staring at the handle in disbelief. Perhaps he took a moment to give thanks that no one was hurt. At some point reality set in and he realized he had a problem. He now had to find a way to replace the ax he had borrowed...and broken.
Being a man of God he knew he was required to make amends to his neighbor for the lost ax head. He likely considered himself bound, if not simply by honor, then by the principle behind Exodus 22:14:
"And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall surely make good."
Though the command specifically applied to borrowing work animals, the idea of compensating the owner also applied when a tool was lost or broken. For Jews this was (and likely is) an issue of character. As written in Psalm 37:21:
"The wicked borrows but does not pay back..."
Being under conviction the young prophet knew he needed to replace the ax. Based on his reaction he did not seem to have the means to buy a replacement and unlike today's students he could not text his family to ask if they could load up his PayPal account. He was unable to replace the ax and without it he was unable to keep his pledge to his fellow students. Fortunately the prophet Elisha was more than willing to help.
The prophet could have responded in a number of ways. He could have promised to pray about the situation, sending his pupil away to wait for a word from God. Likely no one would have argued had this been his response nor would anyone have blinked had the prophet taken up an offering in order to replace the broken ax. Either response would have been acceptable, a normal human response from a believer. Instead the prophet chose to do what was not humanly impossible. Instead of being limited by his own ability, Elisha allowed God to do the impossible in order to help the young student meet his responsibilities.
Our natural tendency when we see others in need is to do what we can. Often, at least here in the states, what we can do involves money. Of course there is nothing wrong with giving money or time or anything else we can give in order to help our neighbor. In fact Jesus calls us to go the extra mile. But are we, by faith, going as far as God wants? Are we limiting ourselves to doing just what we can or our we open to doing the extraordinary by the power of God?
As the body of Christ, God's church are His hands and feet here on earth. Around us are people dealing with a multitude of problems and needs. Here in the United States we have food deserts where people do not know where their next meal might come from. Some of these deserts exist on our college campuses along with the need for protection from bullying. We are seeing an uncomfortable number of school shootings, leaving children with a feeling of insecurity and stress. Who knows how this will affect their future.
Elisha tossed a piece of wood into the water, causing an iron ax head to float. In so doing not only did he help his student return the tool, he provided a lasting impression of the power of God. By allowing God to work through us, we will have opportunities to demonstrate extraordinary love: love that comes from and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Is your faith mature enough to solve problems in extraordinary ways? Are you responding to your neighbors in your own ability or in the ability and calling of our Father in Heaven?
Also read: Yes, We Should Pray Following Tragedies
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Scaffolding: Who Knew?
Over the last several days I have watched as a construction crew built scaffolding in front of the building across the street from my job. Before now I thought of scaffolding as something simple to make, like a giant Erector Set suddenly appearing usually blocking the sidewalk right where I want to walk. Now I see so much more. A mixture of metal and wood, a good sized scaffolding takes many work hours to build. This one is almost a block long and about four stories tall, taking its builders more than a week to complete. I suspect it a foolish and dangerous move to rush such a project as those who put it together have the lives of the coming construction crew in their hands. So for the sake of safety, taking the time to build scaffolding right is a very important investment.
Having lived and/or worked in major cities most of my life I had come to take scaffolding for granted. I walk right by rarely taking notice of the project at hand, ignoring the effort it takes to maintain and even improve my urban surroundings. Having recently committed to making major changes to my own humble abode, I have become aware of what others are doing in order to improve upon an old building or even to create something new. Granted my projects only involve the use of an "A" shaped ladder, not a block long section of scaffolding but there is still an investment of time: one I hope pays off with something spectacular.
Home improvement is not the only project taking up a lot of my time. Being a husband and a father takes up time that is measured in years, along with a high level of sacrifice. Writing takes quite a time commitment. On my old blog I tried to take shortcuts which in the long run took me places I did not want to go. I'm guessing you also have a list of things that require a commitment of time in order to achieve your best. (Thank you for investing some of your time in reading this post.)
Like scaffolding those around you may take what you build for granted. You may find it difficult to get anyone to notice but not being noticed is better than being known because a shortcut lead to a huge incident. Put in as much time as you need in order to build your own masterpiece. You never know how many people your work might touch. True you may feel like your work simply blends into the background, like the forgotten but greatly significant scaffolding. Keep building. In the end what you do may impact culture in ways we cannot predict today.
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