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July 24, 2007

Here's to Lloyd & Heather!

Lloyd and Heather!

Congratulations on the big day! For those of you who do not know...Lloyd Jackson and Heather Johnson are now Lloyd Jackson and Heather Jackson...they got married this past weekend. As you can see from the picture above, the love that these two share for each other is nothing short of a soap opera...one filled with passion and romance. All jokes aside, their wedding was beautiful, sweet, fun, funny, affectionate (for them), and just a great celebration of two people coming together in a covenant made with God!

I'm so excited for you both! As I have already said, I look forward to coming into your home and experiencing the ministry that you will have together. You two are hospitable and welcoming, warm and genuine. I am blessed that I can call both of you 'my people.' I also said that I look forward to coming over to your house and having frozen pizza and PBRs together...hope that happens real soon...because I'm moving to Hawaii next weekend. HA! I punked you...I'm not moving to Hawaii. Welp, God bless my friends.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 8:09 PM | Comments (5)

July 13, 2007

Operacion Triunfo!

So I was bored and thus decided to watch YouTube one night and came across a beautiful gem along the way...Operacion Triunfo de Espana. It's a lot like American Idol except with perfomances that are filled with an amount of passion that only Spaniards could provide. When I lived in Zaragoza my American friends would get together and watch. Every Monday night we would wonder who was going to do really well and who was going to bite it. It's funny how much we got into it all. The program lasted 2 and a half hours...but was so much fun. We would laugh as the back-up dancers/singers would add so much intensity to the whole thing...I must say, they are quite comical. The show was so popular that when it got down to the final 3, more Spaniards watched it then the last time Spain was in the finals for the World Cup! That's saying something people. Anyway, I hope you enjoy a performance from one of our favorites...Dani Ubeda. Sit back and enjoy the wonder of it all...oh ya, and don't forget to keep an eye on those incredible back-up singers/dancers!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 2:18 AM

July 10, 2007

Tivoli Happenings!

I just got a calendar for the REEL LATE movies showing at the Tivoli on the Loop. These are movies that show at midnight on the weekends. I am very excited about what's to come!

Sept. 14-16: This is Spinal Tap (a Christopher Guest classic)

Sept. 21-23: Spice World (a Ginger, no wait, a Sporty, no wait, a Scary classic)

Sept. 28-30: Donnie Darko - director's cut (a classic for our generation)

Oct. 5-6: The Buffy Musical: Once More, With Feeling (a classic with bite)

Get your voice lessons on...this one's interactive...there will be BUFFY-OKE & giveaways!!! That's right, they're showing the episode that brought Joss Whedon fame from those other director's in Hollywood! We're talking Emmy nominations people!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:04 PM | Comments (2)

Once

I just saw a movie that has me thinkin'. The movie was 'Once'. While I'm not one for love stories...this one was incredible. I would describe it as Garden State-esqe, yet really low budget and with music.

It must be nice to finally come to the realization that you've found 'the one'. How exciting that must be. There have been times in the past when I thought I might be in love...those were college days, I even had a relationship of this nature in high school. Now that I'm 30 I feel like I know myself more and I'm not as free as I was then to go to the happy, even blissful, if you will, part of a dating relationship. Now there's the, "but they aren't this" thing or there's the, "I really want a girl that..." Anyway, I'm sure that day will come. See how bad these movies are?! I am not a person that dwells on hopes of finding a 'special someone' as they say, yet, this film brought up those longings.

Have you ever thought that you found a great person, and even though you spend time together, they still seem so far away? Is it possible to meet a person that fits...not necessarily like a glove, but, like a scarf? They may not match completely, but, somehow they fit together. Anyway, I look forward to how that whole thing will come about.

There's a part of me that wonders whether I'm too picky. What can I say? I like women that enjoy a good movie, that appreciate art and music, that are refreshed from a walk in the woods...oh, and of course, that have a corky sense of humor. That's not too much to ask, right? It's just that...you meet 'the one,' well, once...so you have to make it a good one. OK, I have officially written the blog entry that will bring me shame for years to come. Later. If anyone is still actually reading this...have a great day!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 10:45 PM | Comments (9)

July 9, 2007

Did I ever mention that I live with a Hobbit?

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 1:49 AM | Comments (4)

Beauty.

I went to the Missouri Botanical Gardens yesterday and saw some of the most beautiful flowers I think I've ever seen. It's refreshing to see beauty in nature. There is always beauty at hand through our everyday walks, whether that be in a song, or books, or artwork...which are all man-made, yet, there is something about flowers or trees that grow just as God intended them to that is beautiful. I really like that they are not perfect in the way we think of them...some grow straight up, some fall over, some are just opening while others are in full bloom, and some are only opened during the day. I also love the colors and different shapes that come with plantlife as well.

While I was at the gardens I got to sit under a tree and do some scripture time. I've been reading through Deuteronomy, a book in the Old Testament that tells of the instructions that Moses gives the Israelites before crossing over to the land that was promised to them. They were promised a good life 'flowing with milk and honey.' They were promised a land to call their own, they were promised a name, and many generations to follow. Ultimately, they were promised redemption from horrible situations that shouldn't have been the way they were.

At one point in the story there is a time of anger and dissention between Moses, his brother Aaron, and Mirium, their sister. Aaron and Mirium questioned the wisdom of Moses, as well as his faithfulness. The Lord calls each of them together and works to bring reconciliation between them. There is a punishment handed to the couple and then they are brought back into the community so all the people can move on to where they are headed.

It seems that sometimes we have to take time out to work on reconciliation in our relationships so that we can continue through life. I have some friends in my life right now who are in a hard place...they feel betrayed by someone, and it hurts. Ultimately they feel abandoned, and, well, they feel like this is not how it's supposed to be. It's in times like this when I'm sad for my friends or family that I am thankful for Jesus who's grace is so wild and extrodinary. I think, "How could I forgive this person that has hurt someone I love?" Then I'm reminded that God demands forgiveness, and rightfully so, He has been so forgiving to me. What God had in mind was a world where we loved each other well and treated each other with dignity...we messed that up.

To say that I am frustrated with this person who hurt my friends is an understatement. I hope and pray that God's comfort will come to my friends and that they will receive His words of peace. While it may not be some time soon, I do pray for reconcilition, which is the most beautiful thing in the world. Thank God we don't have to accept this world we live in as the end...well, the location will be the same, but our relationships will be sweet and pure and selfless. Like the flowers I spoke of before, our relationships will be different, yet, perfect as God intended them to be.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 1:32 AM | Comments (1)

July 7, 2007

Buffy is like, a Theologian

There are many things that should be in our Christian worldview: Christ is the One who brings salvation to all mankind who believe in His finished works on the Cross, and it is only for His finished and saving works that we are able to live in this world to begin with, also, we we're created for relationship with God, with each other, and with our world, and finally, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a modern-day theologian who brings God's truths into our homes...even if it's in reruns on FX.

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy, grew up in a strict Mormon household and although he now claims Agnosticism as his ideology for the spiritual realm around us, he has questions about God and Heaven. Although he is not a believer, he found creative/poetic ways to communicate God's truths with concern to the human condition. It is clear from the inaugural episode that this group of friends which were centered around Buffy were going to be devoted to life with each other, even when they didn't want to be.

As one of the greatest TV shows of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer started out covering the basic issues that address the demographic it was trying to reach, teen-agers. There was trouble fitting in at school, longing for freedom from their parents, dissapointment from parents who abandoned their kids for their work, popular kids being mean to the 'nerds/outcasts' of the school, etc.

As the show continued over the years the audience became more and more drawn to the continued struggles and even sin that each character dealt with. They were living life together and as in life there were insecurities and old patterns that continued througout. It seems that Joss Whedon had in mind a community of people in which we could look at to be reminded of how life goes. Slaying vampires and the like was the reference for the show, but the topics went much deeper.

The reason I believe Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, to be some sort of theologian is because she had wisdom of our world. Vampires were to be killed, but not humans...simply because they were human. Heaven was a place of peace and contentment, even in our happy times there is still anger, bitterness to be dealt with.

The next time you are flipping through the channels, change it over to FX and watch an episode of one of the most spiritually driven shows on television...not to mention that it's also one of the most creative and funny shows as well!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 6:09 PM