Those of you familiar with the “StrengthsFinder” test know what I mean when I say that I am a “maximizer.” A big part of that means I value excellence, and when I see it, whether in myself or others, I want to make the most of it; I want to promote it. Excellence is not a matter of taste or style, it is an inherent quality. We may not always recognize it (in the arts) except at the point where it touches our preferred tastes or styles, but it is there nevertheless. And it is something worthy of pursuit.
Paul the apostle taught us that “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Consider, for instance, the music of Zooey Deschanel. That’s right, I said music, not films, of the wonderfully talented actress. For those of you wondering, I’m talking about “She & Him: Volume One,” a collections of songs written by Zooey and performed by her and M. Ward on the Merge Records label. I had the opportunity to hear them perform live at the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles last April. Their concert schedule across the nation is quickly filling up as reviewers are raving and more and more people are discovering what a precious gem this simple and charming little album is.
My comments here are not intended to be an album review, per se. You can Google the album title and find numerous typical reviews on the music, vocals, arrangements, styles, etc. What I find interesting though is how God often chooses to reveal something about himself, ourselves, and our world, to us in oftentimes the most unsuspecting of places. In the Hollywood Club we always talk about “finding God in the movies.” Yes, he can be found there if our spiritual antenna are up and the quality of the film/story permits it. Here, we have a case of God revealing himself in the sentimental heart of a young artist’s music.
Immediately I hear the objection of those who would say that God could not possibly be found here because Zooey doesn’t sing explicitly about Jesus, exhort the church, or quote Bible verses to us. It’s the same argument I hear about certain movies whose message isn’t explicitly Christian. These are the arguments of those typically disengaged from the culture God has placed them in. They’re not only not of the world, they’re not even in the world sufficiently to engage their culture and to have an actual salt-and-light dialogue with the people around them.
But objections aside, let’s just consider for a moment one of Zooey’s songs entitled, “This Is Not a Test” (to hear the song, visit She & Him’s MySpace page). Though it’s probably not even my favorite song on the album from a musical standpoint, I find it to be packed full of messages we could take to heart. In this one song alone, for example, we can find the following life messages:
§ Worldly success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Success isn’t determined by whether you’ve made it to the “summit” (as defined by the world, or even perhaps by your own friends) or whether you’re still in the “valley.” Living a life of character along the way is what really matters.
§ An undeniable truth of life: those who have given up on their dreams will try to get you to give up on yours. They want you to be “forgotten” (i.e., remain insignificant) just as they have been.
§ Don’t dwell on the past. Remember the beautiful things, but don’t let anything good or bad hold you back from achieving all that God has made you to be and become.
§ A performance-driven life can keep grace from operating with its intended effect. It’s impossible to do better than your best, and perfection is an unattainable goal. Excellence should be the goal in everything we do (“as unto the Lord”), not perfection. God loves you for who you are, not for what you can do for him (or fail to do).
§ Though life contains many tests along the way which reveal our character, life itself is not a test – it’s not a practice run that you can do over if you fail the first time. It’s real life – make the most of it! Don’t settle for being just a number in the crowd. Life doesn’t happen to you – you happen to life!
It’s interesting that God chooses the simple things of the world to confound the wise (see 1 Corinthians 1). Though he is certainly all-wise and omniscient, he doesn’t speak to us in complicated ways that we need a Ph.D. to figure out what he’s saying to us. He wants to communicate with us, and he desires a relationship with us. So he can take the simple, nostalgic songs of a film princess and speak to believers and nonbelievers alike through them.
So I challenge you, if you aren’t already doing it, to begin listening to the messages in your music and movies and books more carefully. Are your spiritual antenna up? Is there a truth of life that God is speaking to you about, if only you could hear him? And when you find those precious God-encounter nuggets in your entertainment choices, hold on fast to them, and let your mind dwell on such things.
Paul the apostle taught us that “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Consider, for instance, the music of Zooey Deschanel. That’s right, I said music, not films, of the wonderfully talented actress. For those of you wondering, I’m talking about “She & Him: Volume One,” a collections of songs written by Zooey and performed by her and M. Ward on the Merge Records label. I had the opportunity to hear them perform live at the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles last April. Their concert schedule across the nation is quickly filling up as reviewers are raving and more and more people are discovering what a precious gem this simple and charming little album is.
My comments here are not intended to be an album review, per se. You can Google the album title and find numerous typical reviews on the music, vocals, arrangements, styles, etc. What I find interesting though is how God often chooses to reveal something about himself, ourselves, and our world, to us in oftentimes the most unsuspecting of places. In the Hollywood Club we always talk about “finding God in the movies.” Yes, he can be found there if our spiritual antenna are up and the quality of the film/story permits it. Here, we have a case of God revealing himself in the sentimental heart of a young artist’s music.
Immediately I hear the objection of those who would say that God could not possibly be found here because Zooey doesn’t sing explicitly about Jesus, exhort the church, or quote Bible verses to us. It’s the same argument I hear about certain movies whose message isn’t explicitly Christian. These are the arguments of those typically disengaged from the culture God has placed them in. They’re not only not of the world, they’re not even in the world sufficiently to engage their culture and to have an actual salt-and-light dialogue with the people around them.
But objections aside, let’s just consider for a moment one of Zooey’s songs entitled, “This Is Not a Test” (to hear the song, visit She & Him’s MySpace page). Though it’s probably not even my favorite song on the album from a musical standpoint, I find it to be packed full of messages we could take to heart. In this one song alone, for example, we can find the following life messages:
§ Worldly success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Success isn’t determined by whether you’ve made it to the “summit” (as defined by the world, or even perhaps by your own friends) or whether you’re still in the “valley.” Living a life of character along the way is what really matters.
§ An undeniable truth of life: those who have given up on their dreams will try to get you to give up on yours. They want you to be “forgotten” (i.e., remain insignificant) just as they have been.
§ Don’t dwell on the past. Remember the beautiful things, but don’t let anything good or bad hold you back from achieving all that God has made you to be and become.
§ A performance-driven life can keep grace from operating with its intended effect. It’s impossible to do better than your best, and perfection is an unattainable goal. Excellence should be the goal in everything we do (“as unto the Lord”), not perfection. God loves you for who you are, not for what you can do for him (or fail to do).
§ Though life contains many tests along the way which reveal our character, life itself is not a test – it’s not a practice run that you can do over if you fail the first time. It’s real life – make the most of it! Don’t settle for being just a number in the crowd. Life doesn’t happen to you – you happen to life!
It’s interesting that God chooses the simple things of the world to confound the wise (see 1 Corinthians 1). Though he is certainly all-wise and omniscient, he doesn’t speak to us in complicated ways that we need a Ph.D. to figure out what he’s saying to us. He wants to communicate with us, and he desires a relationship with us. So he can take the simple, nostalgic songs of a film princess and speak to believers and nonbelievers alike through them.
So I challenge you, if you aren’t already doing it, to begin listening to the messages in your music and movies and books more carefully. Are your spiritual antenna up? Is there a truth of life that God is speaking to you about, if only you could hear him? And when you find those precious God-encounter nuggets in your entertainment choices, hold on fast to them, and let your mind dwell on such things.
No comments:
Post a Comment