goodbye to good friends

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Boyz II Men was right when they jacked that Beatles song back in the 90s…it’s hard to say goodbye to yesterday. Yesterday, without even realizing it, I walked into an emotional trap. I was forced to say goodbye to some very good friends earlier than expected. There were several people involved, all of them real characters, but it was most difficult to say “see ya later” to a couple of guys who could always get me to laugh – even if I wasn’t having a very good day. That’s probably what made them such good friends, they knew how to cheer me up. Their names were John Dorian and Chris Turk, and for the last few years they’ve been my best TV friends.

Yesterday, as I sat on the couch to hang out with them, I assumed it was like any other week, but somewhere near the middle of that hour (44 minutes not counting commercials) I realized we were about to say goodbye, whether I liked it or not. And although I’ll miss Elliot, Carla, Ted, Todd, Bob, Perry, Janitor and the others – like Snoop Dogg intern/resident – it was Turk and J.D. who I was closest with, and they are the guys I will miss hanging out with the most on Thursday or Wednesday nights, depending on what year/channel I’m looking back on.  And sure, I realize I could hang out with them four times a night on several different channels (reruns), but that’s just not the same. It’s like looking at a photo album to revisit past memories compared to doing things that are photo-album worthy and making new memories. Remembering is never the same as experiencing something new.

So, although I’m not quite ready to say it…farewell friends, thanks for all the laughs (mostly in seasons 1-6).

Bono’s question: where is your soul?

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bono2A co-worker sent me the link to an article today from the NY Times. It was an op-ed written by guest columnist Bono titled “It’s 2009. Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?” The title asks an interesting question; one that could take a conversation (or article in this case) in several different directions, depending on who was doing the talking or writing. (Note: Bono is a Christian–of the Catholic variety, I believe.) The column was published a few weeks ago, which doesn’t make it any less relevant today (or whenever you’re reading this…which I suppose will always be a “today”), but it’s worth noting when it was written because the article was written from the perspective of someone who just recently journeyed through Lent and celebrated Easter.

Here’s an excerpt from the column, but to read the entire thing you’ll have to jump over to the NY Times website.

Christianity, it turns out, has a rhythm — and it crescendos this time of year. The rumba of Carnival gives way to the slow march of Lent, then to the staccato hymnals of the Easter parade. From revelry to reverie. After 40 days in the desert, sort of …

Carnival — rock stars are good at that.

“Carne” is flesh; “Carne-val,” its goodbye party. I’ve been to many. Brazilians say they’ve done it longest; they certainly do it best. You can’t help but contract the fever. You’ve got no choice but to join the ravers as they swell up the streets bursting like the banks of a river in a flood of fun set to rhythm. This is a Joy that cannot be conjured. This is life force. This is the heart full and spilling over with gratitude. The choice is yours …

It’s Lent I’ve always had issues with. I gave it up … self-denial is where I come a cropper. My idea of discipline is simple — hard work — but of course that’s another indulgence.

Then comes the dying and the living that is Easter.

It’s a transcendent moment for me — a rebirth I always seem to need. Never more so than a few years ago, when my father died. I recall the embarrassment and relief of hot tears as I knelt in a chapel in a village in France and repented my prodigal nature — repented for fighting my father for so many years and wasting so many opportunities to know him better. I remember the feeling of “a peace that passes understanding” as a load lifted. Of all the Christian festivals, it is the Easter parade that demands the most faith — pushing you past reverence for creation, through bewilderment at the idea of a virgin birth, and into the far-fetched and far-reaching idea that death is not the end. The cross as crossroads. Whatever your religious or nonreligious views, the chance to begin again is a compelling idea.

Interestingly enough, I will be attending a forum at Luther Seminary this Thursday, May 7 titled “Pop Culture, Worship and the Work of Justice: why Bono keeps trying to save the world.” It’s part of a year-long series of forums on “Mission and Ministry” and the presenter this week will be Dr. Chris Scharen, assistant professor of worship at Luther Seminary. I believe the forums are open to the public, so if you don’t have lunch plans feel free to stop over to the Olson Campus Center, Thursday at noon.

compassion

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My good friend (and fellow Haiti Mission Project team member) Danielle Tietjen spoke at Journey last Sunday. As always, she was challenging and inspiring. You can listen to the message by clicking on the little media player below, but in case you don’t have 35 minutes I wanted to share my favorite quote: “compassion is giving of yourself without judgment.”

The Soloist

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My dad reads, a lot. When he was in Tanzania for three months last year he read something like 12 or 13 books. Put simply: the dude likes to read. One of the great things about knowing someone who reads this much is that they often tell you about the books they’ve recently read, and in the event that any of the books sound interesting, you can usually borrow them. Several months ago my dad told me about a book he had just read about a newspaper columnist in L.A. who met a homeless man who was a former Juliard music student, and thanks to their friendship and the power of the press (the man wrote about his new friend in the Los Angeles Times) the homeless man slowly got back on his feet…kinda — it’s a true story, so it doesn’t have a perfect/happy Hollywood ending (even though the events transpired in the shadows of the Hollywood hills).

The book is The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, and it’s on sale at Amazon right now for only $3.99. If title or the storyline sound familiar, that’s because it was recently made into a movie (starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr.) and it comes out this Friday. Here’s the trailer:

The real stars of the story – Nathaniel Ayers (mentally ill musician who has lived on the street of L.A. for years) and Steve Lopez (columnist for the L.A. Times whose articles about Nathaniel — and the response they received — inspired him to write the book) – were on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago.

what’s happening now

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Interesting new commercial from Sprint. I’m not sure if their statistics are accurate, but they’re certainly believable. This might sound crazy, but I feel like this ad is a collage of our culture right now. It’s obviously a very limited collection of snapshots, but it definitely says something about the life-trends of many people in our world today. I’m not sure if the progressive reality represented in the commercial should evoke more hope, fear or caution, but watch it for yourself and see what you think. Then google “miracle banana diet.” But don’t forget your phone in a cab!