The Lord Will Provide

Though troubles assail and dangers affright,
Though friends should all fail and foes all unite;
Yet one thing secures us, whatever betide,
The scripture assures us: the Lord will provide.

The birds without barn or storehouse are fed,
From them let us learn to trust for our bread:
His saints, what is fitting, shall ne’er he denied,
So long as ’tis written, the Lord will provide.

We may, like the ships, by tempest be tossed
On perilous deeps, but cannot be lost.
Though Satan enrages the wind and the tide,
The promise engages - the Lord will provide.

His call we obey, like Abram of old,
Not knowing our way, but faith makes us bold;
For though we are strangers, we have a good Guide,
And trust in all dangers - the Lord will provide.

When Satan appears to stop up our path,
And fill us with fears, we triumph by faith;
He cannot take from us, though oft he has tried,
This heart–cheering promise: the Lord will provide.

He tells us we’re weak, our hope is in vain,
The good that we seek we ne'er shall obtain,
But when such suggestions our spirits have plied,
This answers all questions: the Lord will provide.

No strength of our own, or goodness we claim,
Yet since we have known the Savior’s great name;
In this our strong tower, for safety we hide,
The Lord is our power; the Lord will provide.

When life sinks apace and death is in view,
This word of his grace shall comfort us through:
No fearing or doubting with Christ on our side,
We hope to die shouting: the Lord will provide!

John Newton, 1779
Public domain

LOST: One year Later

LOST finished exactly a year ago today.

It was my favourite show while it was on. It had this strange ability to double as an intellectual, subtext-laden high-concept show, as well as a brainless popcorn-munchin' guilty pleasure. Crazy plot twists, double-crossings, dramatic love triangles, explosions, cheap cliffhangers... mixed with thematic, sophisticated character-based storytelling, with no end of religious, philosophical and literary references? Count me in. From the outside it seems like trash, but when you get into it you realise it's a really smart show.

It is the worst victim of the 'paying out a show you've never seen' phenomenon. I will defend this show forever from all undue criticism made by people who haven't even watched it. It had a reputation of raising 5 new mysteries per episode and never ever answering any of them. This is a fair criticism, though a lot of the questions were kind of self-answering as the series went on. Sometimes you needed to put a bit of thought into it and come to the conclusions yourself. But it is ultimately disappointing when things that seem like a big deal at the time turn out not be a big deal at all.

LOST is overall a great piece of work, but its flaws are very, very apparent. I think that a lot of burden fell onto the final season of the show, having the end date announced three years in advance.The first five seasons were totally awesome but then it seemed to choke on the final one. Maybe it was starting to unravel behind the scenes for a while. Still, as late as season 5 each episode was very tightly written and stuff was happening! Season 6 was definitely below the standard.

By the end, I was both satisifed and dissapointed.
The way the finale season, and indeed the finale, closed Jack's series-long character arc was superb. "Ab Aeterno" (the long-awaited Richard episode) was one of the best in the series. I found the background myth of Jacob and the "smoke monster" to be really good, although their centric episode "Across the Sea" didn't seem to be executed quite right.
The finale itself was a great epsiode of TV. I laughed. I cried. Yeah, I cried an awful lot. I was satisfied by the emotional renions of the characters (the one between Sawyer and Juliet was the best one). The finale gave me a heavy emotional feeling that left me feeling touched for days. 
The solution to the 'alternate timeline' (that it was a place the characters went to after death to sort out their lives' issues) was more interesting and satisfying than the parallel universe idea.

What disappointed me?
I wasn't disapointed by the lack of answers in the final episode. I could tell big explanations weren't coming as season 6 kept going at its slow pace, and I wasn't expecting a big twist that would magically clear up every tiny unresolved thing over the years. The biggest question for me was simply how the series was going to end.
New characters were useless and unlikeable (I'm looking at you, temple guys, and Zoe!) existing characters were ruined (Sayid! Claire! What did they do to you?) and the whole season just wasn't that enjoyable to watch.
Also, the ending of the show explicity endoresed a politically correct, multi-faith worldview - sappy ideas about love and community as the way to eternal peace - it was heaven without God. And while no-one said the 'h' word, it was kind of implied. I don't appreciate fiction that preaches at me and tells me what to think. But it is admirable that it actually addresses matters of faith. Most shows aren't brave enough to go there.

It is a great show that I would recommend to people, it's just disapointing that once you finish season 5 you don't really have anything to look forward to, as you've already seen the best stuff. It's kind of like:
Season 1-5: distinction+
Season 6: pass
Seems kinda harsh, but you know, it's pretty much how I feel.

I still count it as one of my all-time favourite shows, though Breaking Bad has since taken over its spot at no. 1. I look foward to forgetting about it and watching it again in 20 years and re-living the magic.

#OBL

Osama bin Laden is dead.

The good news is this mass murderer is no longer at large. Today is a big, culture-changing day. But it is right to celebrate death? I am reflecting on what the Christian response to all this should be.

I was disturbed when I read this tweet by influential church leader Mark Driscoll:
Finished long day of gospel preaching to hear the glorious news that bin Laden is now dead, killed by CIA! Thank you soldiers who tracked him for a decade. Thank you Jesus for being His JUDGE

There is justice in Osama's downfall:

When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
-Proverbs 11:10

While it is right and just that he died, I can't bring myself to celebrate the way that the people outside the white house and ground zero are. The news that a soul has gone to hell is not something to be glad about.

‎For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
-Ezekiel 18:32 

The downfall of a wicked person is nothing compared to a wicked person turning around and giving their life to Christ. That is cause for celebration, not this! Osama was an evil man who committed atrocious acts, took the lives of many, severely damaged the lives of even more. He never knew God. He will spend eternity in hell. I'm not seeing anything happy in this story.

I'm not trying to preach anything other than my own (somewhat conflicted) opinion. I don't claim to understand what it would be like to have lost anyone because of terrorism. On September 11, 2001 I was a child, and maybe because of that I wasn't struck by the horror of terrorism and maybe I never earned the same anger that others have been feeling for the past 10 years. But where does righteous anger end and revenge begin? I feel it's not my place to be bloodthirsty. God is the one who delivers out judgement:

Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
-Romans 12:19

I understand justice. Osama was given what he deserved.
As for me, I am in Christ, which means I'll be spared from what I deserve. The death of someone who is not in Christ, who never repented of their evil, is a tragedy in my eyes. It just makes me remember how much the world needs Jesus, who conquers sin and death.