Alana and Matt left for Newfoundland Thursday morning to attend a wedding this weekend, leaving Murphy in our care. Not being dog owners, we requested lots of written notes and instructions about walks, food, treats, medication, and general well being.
Murphy is only 4 weeks out from having surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his abdomen (as well as pieces of two ribs!). I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how a dog is supposed to get along having undergone such a major intrusion. He had a pretty rough week immediately after his surgery, but is now doing remarkably well. Even jumping up onto the bed and couches when allowed.
The pictures show both sides … one shaved, with his coat just starting to grow back, and the other not. Needless to say, he needs an extra layer when he goes outside these days.
In other news, our kids know us well.
They chipped in and bought us a certificate for a movie a month for a year at Cineplex for Christmas.
You know by now that I am an avid consumer of popular culture … all things movies, TV series, music, art, books. I like to think I have a somewhat discerning taste … but that may be wishful thinking. It is certainly not a very objective opinion.
As I said in my very first blog last summer, you will find that some of my reflections on popular culture find their way into my sermons.
I don’t believe that as Christians we can make sense of our ancient story unless we can apply it to our everyday lives – and most of us are consumers of the culture around us in some way. I find that elements in popular culture often help us connect with the biblical story in new ways. It is all about helping us to make meaning in our lives.
Examples from books, movies, art, poetry, childrens’ stories are often referred to in the spiritual direction community as “third things.” Third things help us name our own experiences.
The term third things refers to the idea of using something else to open up a deeper understanding. Author Parker Palmer describes third things in his book, A Hidden Wholeness:
“In Western culture, we often seek truth through confrontation. But our headstrong ways of charging at truth scare the shy soul away. If soul truth is to be spoken and heard, it must be approached ‘on the slant.’ I do not mean we should be coy, speaking evasively about subjects that make us uncomfortable, which weakens us and our relationships. But soul truth is so powerful that we must allow ourselves to approach it, and it to approach us, indirectly. We must invite, not command, the soul to speak. We must allow, not force, ourselves to listen. Palmer says: I call these embodiments ‘third things’ because they represent neither the voice of the facilitator nor the voice of a participant. They have voices of their own, voices that tell the truth about a topic but, in the manner of metaphors, tell it on the slant. Mediated by a third thing, truth can emerge from, and return to, our awareness at whatever pace and depth we are able to handle — sometimes inwardly in silence, sometimes aloud in community — giving the shy soul the protective cover it needs. Rightly used, a third thing functions a bit like the old Rorschach inkblot test, evoking from us whatever the soul wants us to attend to. Mediated by a good metaphor, the soul is more likely than usual to have something to say. But the fact will count for nothing if we fail to recognize that the soul is speaking or fail to pay attention to what it says.”[1]
Sometimes, the truth is just too hard to bear. And so we have to come at it gradually, like through an out of focus lens that slowly gets clearer. Or through a story.
This is the time of year, I get particularly excited about movies. In the first months of the year “awards” season begins, leading up to the Academy Awards in March.
This Sunday evening, the Golden Globe Awards are on TV. That’s the first award show of the season, and celebrates “excellence” in both television and movies.
We try to watch many of the top contenders in the best picture category. So far I would highly recommend, in the Golden Globe best movie category:
Conclave - a 2024 mystery thriller, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. It stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini. (Rossellini and Fiennes are nominated in the actor and supporting actor category). The story is about the papal conclave to elect the next pope, and the Cardinal in charge who finds himself investigating scandals and secrets about each candidate. Conclave is streaming on Apple TV and for those who can rent movies On Demand it is available.
Also in the best movie drama category is A Complete Unknown, which is what we saw at the theatre Wednesday. (It only took us about a day and a half to figure out how to work the online coupon/gift certificate … sigh …)
The movie is a 2024 American biographical musical drama film based on the book Dylan Goes Electric! By Elijah Wald. It portrays Bob Dylan through his earliest folk music success until the controversy over his use of electric instruments at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. For those of us of a certain age, it’s hard not to sing along, For me the songs are on automatic tape in my memory and are the soundtrack of my teenage years. The acting by Timothy Chalomet and Edward Norton (both who are nominated in their categories) is superb. I’m pretty sure that the movie is only playing at the theatres.
We have also seen Anora, and Challengers. So this weekend, when I’m not writing my sermon, I will be curled up with Murphy on the couch catching up on some of the other nominated movies on my “to watch” list … A Real Pain, Wicked, Emilia Perez, and Nickel Boys.
What movies have you seen lately? Any recommendations?
[1] A Hidden Wholeness by Parker J. Palmer | Book Excerpt | Spirituality & Practice (spiritualityandpractice.com)
