Just When You've Got It All Figured Out...

Mark 16
(4) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. (5) As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
(6) "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. (7) But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

This passage describes when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were going to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body with spices -- an act we can assume would have been appreciated by Jesus -- since it was an act of love and of admiration, much like the woman in Bethany pouring the perfume on Jesus' body pre-crucifixion.

Now here these three women were, following their hearts, loving their saviour -- they had a great plan -- but imagine how shocked they must have been to find the stone rolled away and Jesus' body gone! And since God knew they would be coming by that way, He left an angel (the "young man dressed in a white robe" in this gospel) to explain what had happened -- to tell them there was going to be a change of plans. Instead of glorifying God in the way they had intended to: pouring spices on the body of Jesus, they would be participating in an exciting new plot twist: they would get to be the first human beings to pass on the good news of the resurrection!

I think that's one of the many beautiful ways God works -- He keeps the big picture to Himself -- allows us to think we know what's going on, and then BAM! God says "I am SO MUCH BIGGER than your plans!" Even if your plans are good ones -- many times God has bigger and better things planned. There are so many twists and turns in life -- a lot of them seem to be bad ones -- but God will always have the capacity to blow our minds, bless us more than we were expecting Him to, and to take things to a whole 'nother level...

And just because God changes our path sometimes, it doesn't mean we were headed in the wrong direction -- Mary, Mary, and Salome were right where they were supposed to be...the angel was right there waiting for them...God likes to keep life interesting that way. We can never put Him in a box, no matter how much we know or how wise we become.

God, thank you so much for being in control. We can't wait to see what You're gonna do next in each of our lives!

Dharma Sharks in Lala Land

It's been a while since I've written, but now, after much anticipation, I bring you the return of Nate-dog's Blogs.

(I'm not really that full of myself. I know you could care less. But thanks for reading anyway.)

So I'm blogging about similarities between L.A. and the island in Lost. It seems to me in both cases, people have certain demons that brought them where they are. Everyone who has moved to L.A. has certain issues they are trying to run from, just like the people in Lost. And I've talked to a great many people that moved to L.A. not wanting to stay here really -- not wanting to rent an apartment and live in a crazy, dysfunctional, non-family oriented town for the rest of their lives. Many people planned on returning to the suburban paradises from which they originated. And of course the people on the island didn't expect to stay there as long as they have. They thought it was just a little detour. But people seem to get stuck in both places. A lot of people think they'll just come to L.A., make it big, and then move somewhere else -- returning to L.A. just for work once in a while.

But people in both cases are forced to work out their demons in ways they didn't expect. They may have had certain dreams -- and they aren't playing out the way they were supposed to.

But, sometimes a loser in a small-minded small town can be crippled in some way. Suddenly, he finds himself in L.A. or on the island, and he is a leader -- and a hunter -- his disability is gone, miraculously. Hunting wild boar...or hot L.A. women -- or just helping his fellow man through the jungles.

People see crazy things they weren't expecting to see along the way. Polar bears on a tropical island, wild horses, dead relatives...or men dressed up like devils or giant rabbits, transvestites, super-heroes.

But, you know, I've felt like the show has been stuck lately -- stuck in a rut. The main characters have been captured by the Others up to this point in the third season, and it looks to me like the writers haven't quite figured out what they're gonna do. Well, my "Others" have me hemmed up in a rut, too. Where is the story going?

Sadly, I have come to the realization that I am the writer of my story. Even Almighty God doesn't have as much control over my story as I do -- because He has given me free will. I just need to think "What do I want out of life?" No matter what it is, if I give it to God, dedicate it to Him, He'll bless it ... whatever it is, as long as it's aligned with His Word.

So I guess it's time to write myself out of a corner. I must free myself from my "Others."

But the question is...how do I get back to the main island?

It's a two-mile swim through shark-infested waters...

The Reprise

i used to believe in cremation. my body, an empty shell, would burn, and my ashes would be scattered to the four winds. riddance to a rigid cage.

my father said my view would change. he said i would come to love my earthly body and grow attached to it over time.

i still despise my carnal prison. i still want to shed it.

but i love this concept of resurrection. that which dies . . . changes, lives again. new. different. better.

and someday, when my Christ returns, i want my cells and systems to regenerate. something out of nothing. miraculous creation of matter -- a process? maybe -- but miraculous: life from death -- flesh will grow over dead bone like ivy through an arbor. veins like vines. and blood will flow from nowhere to nevermind.

and then, strong, my fists, and fists of others will beat their way through pine and oak, clawing through six feet of moist topsoil, sprouting forth from the earth like spring flora, and my body will stand again. like oak from acorn. rebirth. phoenix out of ash. the dawn after dark.

i have just woken up. i dreamed what could have been and saw what really is. i have stood outside of time and seen each choice i have made and i saw

how we are destined to fail and succeed and fall and rise and die and live

from the largest to the smallest, it echoes this one great story, from the greatest to the least, we all suffer undeservedly and reap a humble reward

and emerge

Inexpressibly Victorious

just to understand Him better.

--Nathan MacFarland Rodgers

On Strange Coincidences

during a lecture in a college film theory class, the professor challenged us with a new idea. as we attempted to make sense of a bizarre experimental film by asking ourselves what each scene meant, our prof told us:

"when it comes to film, and art in general, it has never been about 'what does it mean?' . . . it's about 'what does it do?'"

meaning: what does it do to you, the viewer? how does it make you feel? often times art is not meant to convey a specific message, but it is meant to convey an emotion or feeling or a new perspective on life -- something that can't be articulated in words -- which is precisely why film or photography or painting or sculpture or song was the medium of choice. if what the artist was trying to communicate could easily be expressed in ordinary prose, they probably would have just written it in their journal!

artists save these unusual, inexpressable notions for their particular medium.

when strange coincidences happen to me in life -- when i meet people who are good friends with my good friends from back in pennsylvania, when i wind up on an airplane flight next to a complete stranger who grew up with people i take classes with, when people from my hometown pop up on the other side of the world, when i run into people i know from penn state and north carolina in hollywood on half a dozen different occasions, when people i know show up at diners, starbucks', runyon canyon, the egyptian theater, venice beach, gordon biersch, quizno's on sunset blvd . . . the temptation is to ask "why did this happen? what are you trying to say? what does this mean? everything happens for a reason, right?"

but when i ask myself "what does this do?" the answer is clear: these situations give me a vague notion that the world is small. they remind me that God is always in charge, that nothing is left to chance, and that, although i am far, far away from my home, God will never allow me to be completely alone -- the great Artist's love is woven into the fabric of His masterwork; us.
we are His medium; we are the screens upon which He projects His love. and we are also His audience.

God is an avant garde artist. when life is strange, don't ask what it means -- ask yourself what God is trying to do to you. how is He trying to change you? how is He trying to make you a better person?

and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
--Romans 8:28