Highlights of the Week: First family Christmas! We loved taking Nathan to see Santa, enjoyed Christmas-shopping for him, and loved taking him to our church’s family Christmas Eve service. Another highlight for me was preaching at the 10PM Christmas Eve service. Seemed to go well and was grateful that my sr. pastor asked me to do it.
Disappointment of the Week: Not really sure who gave my the fruitcake. I think it was re-gifted from last year. If I ever find out, they’re off the prayer list. (Didn’t really happen; it’s been a real good week).
Listening to: Christmas music. This was the first year that I can remember that I didn’t get tired of listening to it. Maybe I’m getting old but I think it’s also due to better playlists, no radio, and Sufjan releasing a 5 cd set 2 years ago.
Just Watched: No Country For Old Men. I’m a year late and I need to watch it again. Really liked it though it was more violent than I was expecting. Great acting and there are too many subtle moments that I need to see again.
Reading: Been a crazy week so same as last week but I am enjoying Metavista.
Looking Forward to: 2009 and Joe & Denise’s new baby. (Praying for you.)
Procrastinating On: Making resolutions and making best of 2008 lists.
i think No Country for Old Men might have been my top film for ’08. technically it came out at the end of ’07 but i pretty much never see movies first run in the theaters. Into the Wild was up there, too (though also a late ’07 release).
Hey Joel,
Good to see another youth pastor on here. Hope you’ve been well.
Regarding No Country … here are my questions:
* These are spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie*
Why does Llewelyn go back to the scene where he found the money? If I found a ton of money, I wouldn’t have done that.
Where is Chigurh hiding when Tommy Lee Jone’s Sheriff character comes back to the hotel where it all ends? Someone told me that he let him go and that’s why he feels so guilt afterwards. While I can see that consequence and appreciate where that leaves me at the end of the movie, how did he let him go? He went into the motel room, checked the bathroom, and then sat on the bed? After that? Then where was Chigurh hiding?
Appreciated the movie but left with too many questions (which I understand to be part of the intent of the conclusion).
it’s been awhile since i’ve seen it, but as best as i can remember…
-he went back to the scene because he felt guilty for not giving the guy who was still alive any water. sort of a delayed conscience sort of thing.
-I don’t think that Tommy Lee let Chigurh go…he was hiding behind the door, was my understanding.
-it was really helpful to me to think of the whole movie as an allegory about good and evil and how evil is always present and (under our current sinful world structure) always wins out. Chigurh represents evil incarnate, basically. all sorts of cool thoughts related to that then, like how evil will use any vehicle to accomplish its purposes (ie the many random cars used by Chigurh throughout the movie), how evil seems to choose its victims at random (the whole coin toss thing), etc.