The 00’s came to a close, so I decided to make a media decade in review list. Here we go with the TV shows of the decade list. This is my weakest of all of the categories, as I don’t care about television all that much. Shows that I’ve heard I should be watching but I don’t include: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad Men, The Wire, Dexter and The Sopranos. So maybe those could have made this list. My least favorites would have to include: American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. I apologize to all you that I just offended with that last sentence. On to the best television of the last decade.

10–The Office UK
9–Planet Earth
8–Pardon The Interruption
7–The Colbert Report
6–30 Rock
5–Lost
4–House
3–Survivor
2–The Office
1–Arrested Development

“My back hurts.”

We had just spent a night on the floor of a basketball court during an in town missions trip.  One of the guys I was with chimed in again, “My back really hurts.  But why do I feel more connected to Jesus because my back hurts from sleeping on the hardwood last night?  Like I am suffering for Jesus or something.”  This was a fascinating question.  Why did a tweaked back make him (us) feel more connected to Jesus?

During this trip, we had been serving the homeless at a downtown shelter run by the beautiful folks at Trinity Episcopal Church.  People would come in off of the streets for a hot meal, and we had the privilege to hang out with them and serve them breakfast.  I believe that my friend having an ailing back connected him (us) to Jesus by helping him to identify with the homeless people that we were serving.  Sleeping on the hardwood floors somehow helped him (us) to understand and be able to relate to those who had to sleep on the pavement the night before.  In a very small way, we could identify with the pain of being homeless, and that helped us to connect with the folks we were serving.  In do so, it also connected us with the person of Jesus.

I once heard Tony Campolo say, “We can’t just look at the Bible through middle-class American eyes, and try to fit it into our lives.  We have to identify with the poor in order to understand the message of the Bible.”

We need to identify and relate with the poor and the hurting.  We need to begin to put a face to pain–a face to suffering–a face to a statistic.  In doing so, does it also help us to better understand the gospel message of Jesus Christ?

“Compassion grows with the inner recognition that your neighbor shares your humanity with you.  This partnership cuts through all walls, which might have kept you separate.  Across all barriers of land and language, wealth and poverty, knowledge and ignorance, we are one, created from the same dust, subject to the same laws, and destined for the same end.  With this compassion you can say, ‘In the face of the oppressed I recognized my own face and in the hands of the oppressor I recognize my own hand.  Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their pain is my pain, and their smile is my smile.  Their ability to torture is in me, too; their capacity to forgive I find also in myself.  There is nothing in me that does not belong to them too; nothing in them that does not belong to me’…In the depths of my being, I meet my fellow humans with whom I share love and have life and death.”  Henri Nouwen; With Open Hands

The 00’s came to a close, so I decided to make a media decade in review list. Here we go with the movies of the decade list. My criteria for this list is less about the technical aspect of the movie and more about the story (which I realize the irony of that statement by placing Avatar and on my 2009 list, so no need to point it out). Did the story tap into some deeper truth about how our world works? Did the story help me realize something about myself or the about our culture? So, this is my personal top ten movies list, not necessarily the movies that I think should be up for the Academy Awards of the decade.

Honorable Mention
Castaway (2000)
The Incredibles (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Once (2007)
Up (2009)

10–Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
9–Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
8–Children of Men (2006)
7–The Dark Knight (2008)
6–Royal Tennebaums (2001)
5–Reign Over Me (2007)
4–About A Boy (2002)
3–Wall-e (2008)
2–Memento (2000)
1–Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

The last few years I have been doing summer mission in Ibiza, Spain.  Ibiza (pronounced Eye-bee-tha) is a small Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain that is often known as the party capital of Europe.  It is an intense environment to show the love of Jesus.  A small team from England decided to move there to help bring peace and love to the island through prayer and mission.  Here is a short video about these guys:  Prayer as Mission

Once while in Ibiza, I encountered a guy named Lee.  He asked me what 24-7 Ibiza was, as I was wearing a 24-7 Ibiza t-shirt.  I told him that it was a Christian organization that focuses on prayer and kindness.  He looked at me in confusion and after a long pause he said, “In Ibiza?  You’ve come to help a bunch of drunk people?  Why?  Why don’t you go to Africa and work in an orphanage?”  Half drunk himself, Lee continued, “People in Ibiza don’t deserve help.  They choose this lifestyle.  Why don’t you go help kids with AIDS?”

I still think about this encounter.  What struck me was how hard it was for Lee to accept that 24-7 Ibiza wanted to help those that “didn’t deserve it.”  He was all right with people receiving help if they warranted it, but not those who chose wrongdoing purposefully.  He was begging to ask these questions, “Is help only for those who deserve it?  Is mercy only for those who warrant it?”

Oftentimes, when you walk someone to their hotel that has had too much to drink in Ibiza, they will offer you money to compensate.  The response is always no.  When they persist and persist, the team will say, “Hasn’t anyone ever done something nice for you without asking for something in return?”  Mercy.  Shown in the simple act of walking somebody home.

I recently went to a benefit concert in Tulsa that financially supported a cause called Falling Whistles. After a few bands had played their set, an energetic twenty-something from Falling Whistles beautifully shared his heart about what the cause was all about. It went something like this:

“The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to the world’s largest and most deadly war. During the past 10 years, roughly 6 million people have died, and nearly 1,500 people continue to lose their lives daily. Sexual violence is more rampant here than anywhere else in the world, and thousands of children are involved in the war. Why?

There are a number of reasons, dating back over a century. However, most of the conflict is tied directly to the country’s vast natural resources. They are both a blessing and a curse, making Congo a country of great potential and a frequent victim of exploitation. The minerals found in Congo are used in consumer electronics, including laptops and cell phones. While many benefit from the mineral trade, it is the Congolese people who bear the consequences of a conflict that sustains profitable mining enterprise.

A combination of unstable governance, a history of bitterness between local groups, and international interest in Congo makes this situation one of the most complicated on the planet. It is this complexity that has left the current systems in place largely ineffective. A new approach is needed.”

This struck me with a deep sense of ache for the people of Congo but also left me feeling strangely debilitated. I talked about this jumbled feeling of both compassion and helplessness with some friends after the show. As wealthy Americans we are confronted with the great contrast of our comfort and the tragedies of situations like the one going on in Congo. We are oftentimes faced with these huge global realities on a consistent basis. It could certainly have a numbing effect on us if we are not careful. The more that we hear about the massive sweeping injustices in our world, the more it could leave us feeling both compassionate and helpless but also possibly apathetic. I have had these dichotomous feelings after hearing many awe-inspiring causes. Maybe you have experienced these same feelings?

The question that I would like to pose to us is…
How do we stop from feeling half-hearted about our substantial comfort and the number of serious world causes that we encounter customarily?

The 00’s came to a close, so I decided to make a “Media Decade in Review List.” We will start out with music albums from the last decade. My criteria for making this albums list came down to what albums have a significant meaning to me, what have I listened to the most, and which albums will stand the test of time. I find it hard to put anything from 2009 on my decade in review list because who knows if it will stand the test of time. Five years from now, will I still like Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective? Not sure. I am too close to it right now to be able to tell. I have obviously thought about this a little bit too much. Here is the list (in reverse order for dramatic effect).

Honorable Mention
Coldplay, Parachutes (2000)
Wilco, A Ghost Is Born (2001)
Interpol, Turn On The Bright Lights (2002)
Death Cab For Cutie, Transatlantism (2003)
David Crowder Band, A Collision (2005)
The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (2006)
Feist, The Reminder (2007)
Radiohead, In Rainbows (2007)
Kings Of Leon, Only By The Night (2008)

10–Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
9–Swell Season, Once Soundtrack (2007)
8–Travis, The Man Who (2000)
7–Pete Yorn, Music For The Morning After (2002)
6–Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (2007)
5–Postal Service, Give Up (2004)
4–Sigur Ros, Takk (2005)
3–Coldplay, A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)
2–Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (2005)
1–Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)

MEDIA REVIEW 2009
MUSIC
1–Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
This was an easy number one choice for me. By far my favorite album of the year. Some of their other stuff can be a little bit weird, but they pulled it all together for this album. The whole album is brilliant.
2–Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Very electro-pop. But really good pop songs. This album is not just Lisztomania and 1901. Its a great album to listen to from start to finish. I especially like the instrumental songs.
3–The Swell Season, Strict Joy
I am not a hardcore The Frames fan, but since the Once Soundtrack and seeing The Swell Season in concert, I have found myself listening to these guys non-stop. They played the majority of this album when I saw them in concert. It left me in great anticipation of the release of Strict Joy and it didn’t disappoint.
4–Andrew Bird, Noble Beast
I saw a live concert on OETA of Andrew Bird and it gave me a greater appreciation of Bird and his music. He plays like nine different instruments. Really like this album.
5–mewithoutYou, It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright
This was a tough choice between mewithoutYou and Pearl Jam. I landed on this album because their lyrics are so fantastic. Every Thought A Thought of You, Timothy Hay, and Cattail Down are great tracks.

Honorable Mention
Pearl Jam, Backspacer
Pete Yorn, Back & Fourth
Matisyahu, Light
U2, No Line on the Horizon

MOVIES
1–Up
Pixar does it again. Up was funny, insightful, and moving. Interestingly, my top three movies of the year are all kids movies. Not sure Fox is considered a kids move, but still animated. Up took number one of those three. Also, interesting that both Up and Wild Things deal with a idealism.
2–Where The Wild Things Are
This isn’t really a kids movie either. I thought Jonze did such a good job visually and with the story. The story was great on the surface and also incredibly deep. I found it to be deeply profound on lots of levels.
3–Fantastic Mr Fox
One critic said, “Proof that Pixar doesn’t have a monopoly.” I like that.
4–Avatar
It was tough for me to put this here. But I was dazzled by the 3D cinematography and by world that Cameron created. The story was lacking, but I was so impressed with everything else. It was either this or Star Trek here but the special effects of Avatar seduced me.
5–Sherlock Holmes
This movie was very enjoyable. I like Guy Ritchie’s other movies as well, but I think what made me like this movie so much was that I like the show House so much. After watching this movie I saw so many parallels between House and Holmes. Actually, House is Holmes and Wilson is Watson. I love House and that’s why this movie makes it here.

Honorable Mention
Star Trek, The Soloist, 9

TELEVISION
1–House
The two hour season premiere was so incredible. I grew a greater appreciation for House this season, and I already had high appreciation for this show. The writing is not matched by many other shows on TV right now.
2–Survivor
Great season. Survivor is my guilty pleasure.
3–Modern Family
The dad, Phil, makes the whole show for me. And any show involving Al Bundy has got to intrigue you.
4–30 Rock
I am jumping on the bandwagon late here, but I now have an appreciation for the writing and the characters on 30 Rock.
5–Important Things with Demetri Martin
This only aired for six episodes but I still laugh at the thought of some of the characters on the show.

Honorable Mention
Community, FlashForward

BOOKS
1–Flickering Pixels, Shane Hipps
At some point during this year I was promoting this book to so many people, it was as if Hipps was paying me to spread the word about his book. I heard Hipps speak in Michigan during the summer and instantly got Flickering Pixels. The book is about technology but is also a great commentary on our culture. I kept saying as I was reading this, “I can’t believe I never knew this stuff.”
2–A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller
Someone forwarding Miller’s book said, “This book read me more than I read it.” I like that.
3–Orthodox Heretic, Peter Rollins
Rollins is a genius. This is a very insightful book. He sees the angles that other people don’t.
4–Follow Me To Freedom, Claiborne & Perkins
I really liked the banter back and forth conversational format of this book.
5–The Book Of Basketball, Bill Simmons
700 pages. On the NBA. Who writes a 700 page book on the NBA? Better question, who reads a 700 page book on the NBA? He is actually a hilarious writer and has great sports knowledge. He does go by the Sports Guy. This was an enjoyable book.

Honorable Mention
Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell

That is all for 2009. Thoughts on this review? What are your picks? More reviews to come…