A Good Year is a movie about a rich stock trader, Max Skinner, who has learned to love nothing and no one but money. In his childhood, he spent summers with his Uncle Henry in

Did you ever experience one of those periods of life when it seemed you were waiting for something to happen that would move life forward somehow. You looked down the road of your life . . . looking for a sign you couldn’t name or an answer to a prayer you dare not ask. Jackson Browne starts out the song, Lives in the Balance, with these words, “I’ve been waiting for something to happen, for a week or a month or a year…”   It seems that many of us live in the expectation of “something”. I told my sister Jodi this morning that my days of respite in the worlds of close friends, politics and sports seemed to have passed for now. So what is the way of living in the world when we are waiting for that illusive something? Not sure I have all the answers but I found one recently. In I Samuel 23, there is a story about David during the days when he was running from Saul. Jonathan is a great figure in scripture. Sometime I’ll tell you why, but note this. “While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” 1 Samuel 23:15-16  In recent times, I’ve reconnected with an old friend. Talking about old times, finding out what happened in their life and the lives people you used to know, finding joy in grand memories and realizing that years don’t diminish love or appreciation for those who used to bring a smile, these help us find strength in life and in the Lord.   I realize that in my life and my friends, there have been some tough days… still are. But we live in the context of God’s plan and his love. He leads us back to places of refreshing and joy. There we find strength while we wait for something to happen. telemicus out

I had been wanting to watch this movie since it came out, but it just didn’t make the top of the list… until last Friday. On the way home, I stopped at the DVD store and picked up 16 Blocks. It’s a good movie about police corruption. Jack Mosley, (Bruce Willis) is a beaten down alcohol driven cop who is given the assignment to take the witness, Eddie, (Mos Def) to testify before the grand jury. The dirty cops intend to make sure that he never makes it the 16 blocks to the courthouse. Eddie is a low level criminal who is annoyingly likable. But he has come to a junction in his life and has determined to make a change. Jack is sure that people don’t change. We learn in the course of the film that Jack is one of cops that Eddie’s testimony will take down. While they are in a hostage situation, Jack manages to help Eddie escape. As he contemplates what is about to happen to Jack, Eddie turns and goes back to convince him that people can change.  

The Old Book says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (II Corinthians 5:17).   Although Jack was a corrupt cop, he was noble in heart. Through his encounter with Eddie, he also resolved that he would stand up and do what was right. Eddie taught Jack– or reminded him, that people can change, that it is never too late to do the right thing.  

You will meet someone this week that needs to change. They’ll need to know that you’re pulling for them. They’ll need your support. They’ll need assurance that people can change. I’m counting on the truth that people can change. A year ago, I determined that I needed to change. I did some hard work and faced some hard truths, and I’m not finished, but make no mistake, by the grace of God, people can change. telemicus out