Bryan Thompson :: Blogged

So we've had our Yorkshire Terrier Gizmo for about four years now. Ever since we've been married. We rescued him from a bad situation when he was about five or six years old (we're not even sure how old he is - but he is old). He had been abused since he was a baby. He grew up being bred by a woman who had literally hundreds of dogs and he was apparently the runt of the litter. He was bullied and beat up by other animals for most of his life. He was also passed around by family after family and was traumatized through all of it. He also had bad arthritis in his legs and was often in pain.

We've given him a good life for the last four years, but his aging and his condition have progressively gotten worse. And now he is becoming somewhat aggressive with our one-year-old daughter (fortunately he has almost no teeth - but we still have to be careful). After a long and exhausting talk and discussion, we have decided it would be best for him if we put him to sleep. He is in pain almost constantly and it would be better for him - his condition is only going to get worse and we don't think he has much longer to go with that alone. He is very old and he has lived a good life these last four years.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a softie when it comes to animals and this has been pretty tough on me. Kristin tells me it probably has more to do with the fact that I have never lost anyone close to me in my family - and she's right. I've been very fortunate! I know it's the right - and really the only - thing we can do at this point, and more than anything, I want my baby to be protected. But, it's still not easy to think about. It looks like it will be the end of the week.

So, please keep me (us) in your thoughts and prayers. Just for emotional support. I would greatly appreciate it. Many of you may not think it's too big of a deal, but it's pretty tough for me.

Anyone else ever go through losing a pet? I'd love to hear your stories.

 
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If you live in the Springfield, Missouri area, join us for an authentic, organic, and missional alternative worship experience. Wednesday, June 7, 2006 at Schweitzer United Methodist Church at seven pm.

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Dan Kimball has some interesting posts about the origins of the terms "Emergent" and "Emerging Church" and their relation to the USA and Europe.

It's worth a look.

If you live in the Springfield, Missouri area, come join us on Wednesday night, May 3 at 8:00 pm at Schweitzer UMC. Be a part of a unique and authentic, interactive worship experience. Whether you've grown up knowing about Jesus or whether you're fed up with religion, come experience something deep. Something big.

I finally went out on a limb and saw Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong. It was my first time seeing the film and I thought it was a great cinematic piece of art. The film delivered on so many levels: action, thriller, romance. It also delivered on another level I thought: spiritually.

From the very beginning of the film, we see New York City during one of the darkest times in American history: The Great Depression. Life is hard, people are harder, and it's every man/woman for him/herself. From the get-go, we see the "what-can-you-do-for-me" filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) as he deceives his entire crew, cast, and producers to get just what he wants: the script he wants, the location he wants, and to some extent, the level of conflict he wants. He's just crazy and selfish enough to get it all. And in the process, he leads a crew of ship navigators, actors and actresses, and screenwriters into the most dangerous and frightening journey of their lives: the uncharted land of Skull Island.

As the ship crash-lands onto the primitive island and the crazy filmmaker and his cast walk onto the stony cliffs of what look like ancient ruins, they see a group of eerie, almost ghost-like natives who look like they have all been through hell and bought the tunic hides to go with it. These freaky people seem to be beckoning the travelers to go back to where they came from, but when the travelers (primarily Denham) refuse, they become violent and attack, finding their ship and attacking the crew as well.

When lead-actress Ann Darow (Naomi Watts) is captured and offered as "live bait" for the terrifying monstrous beast that rules the island - a twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla simply known as KONG, she finds that she is able to stand up to KONG, thus earning the beast's respect, and before long, his love. After facing many daunting insects the size of camels and dionasaurs that didn't take the hint of the Ice Age millions of years ago, hero and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) comes to the rescue, taking Darrow back to their ship. As KONG finds the "trespassers" and his beloved "prisoner" Darrow, he is attacked with chlorophorm and captured by the money-hungry filmmaker Carl Denham. We see the giant monkey as he looks in the direction of Darrow. Defeated, deceived, heartbroken.

When we next see KONG, he is being featured as "entertainment" on Broadway, making Denham a fortune by being placed on humiliating display. The once KING of his own land is now a PRISONER. Even as KONG escapes and rampages through New York, we feel such sorrow for this beast. We can sense his heartache, his confusion, and his rage at his attackers. As was once said in the theatrical trailer for the Bourne Supremacy, "They should have left him alone."

For those of you who have lived in a bomb shelter for the last seventy-five years and haven't seen either of the three versions of King Kong, I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that if you go looking for God in the movies, you'll find God! And if there is anything that one can take away from this picture, it's a mirror that should make one examine him/herself. What are our motives in the things we're doing? And in so doing, are we being careful not to exploit someone? Animals? The planet?

In King Kong, we see the very best of humanity displayed in the heroism and compassion of Driscoll (Brody), and in the bravery (and compassion) of Ms. Darrow (Watts). And in the film, we also see the worst in human behavior, displayed in the selfishness and deceit of Mr. Denham (Black). We see the destructive nature of humanity that (isn't it just like God?) so often reminds us in these types of films. And if we look closely, we can see how intricately God set things into motion. God places human beings where they should be, where they can learn to cohabitate together and work together. We see that animals are placed in their environments as they glorify God through their very existence. We see how peaceful the very planet is when left intact the way God created it. And we see how when we as humans cross that line - discarding God's vision and seeking only to fulfill ourselves - we tear down and destroy and we insult God's vision for our lives and for our world. And that truth is revealed to us in a twenty-five foot gorilla named KONG and through a scraggly young hobbit-friend New Zealander named Peter Jackson.

Well, I hope you enjoy the new layout. I worked on this one early this morning and I like it so far. For one thing, there's the Flash banner at the top. (If you don't have flash, get it here.) I might tweak that a little more. Also, I switched the side panels and put my profile info on the left with the comment stuff on the right. Let me know what you think.

My brother Matt actually wrote the main part of this song and had a friend of ours help him with the lyrics. I loosely added a few lines, but most of the credit must go to Matt Thompson. He brought it up on his last visit and we recorded a simple demo version of it. I was just blown away by the sensitivity of the lyrics and the musical progression. It's a beautiful melody on an acoustic guitar. Matt played the acoustic guitar and I added a piano and the vocal to it. (I had only learned all of the lyrics five minutes earlier so excuse the raw quality here.)

You_Are_Still_God.mp3

Music by Matt Thompson, Lyrics by Matt Thompson, Chris Brannon, and Bryan Thompson

©2006 Matt Thompson, Chris Brannon, Bryan Thompson/Direct North Music

Me - Vocals and piano
Matt - Acoustic guitar

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Keep my daughter in your thoughts and prayers. A couple of nights ago, she started getting sick with some kind of stomach virus and had difficulty keeping anything down. We took her to the hospital and the doctor gave her some medicine that kept her from getting nauseated and from vomiting. She's been much better since and her fever is going down. Just keep her in your prayers as she gets her strength back.

Schweitzer UMC, where I direct the Young Adult Ministry, has laid out a labyrinth in the family life center (a.k.a. Gym) for the season of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday. People (not just members of Schweitzer) are able to come by the church at most hours of the day (until 9 PM) to walk this bodily prayer and to meditate on God. Although I've taken this spiritual journey online, I've never physically walked a labyrinth before. I came from a background where things like labyrinths are pretty much unheard of.

This afternoon, I decided to go into the gym and to pray in silence and contemplate as I walked through the maze-like substance. I had some naive idea that God was just waiting to pour out a startling revelation to me. Somehow, I thought that I would be mystically infused with a spiritual knowledge I had never known before. I was so looking forward to achieving a sort-of new state of awareness or something like that.

As I walked into the gym, I was disappointed to find that there were two elderly ladies already walking the labyrinth and praying silently. I admit, my first thought was, "Oh, great!" I had hoped to be alone for this experience. But, I decided to start walking anyway. When I "walk" the labyrinth online, I always take my shoes off as a symbolic gesture, and so I did the same for the real thing. And I began walking.

As I began slowly walking - perhaps expecting this revelation - I found myself becoming distracted with these ladies on the road ahead of me on this circular path. I looked down and tried to focus my thoughts on God, and suddenly, I could think of only one thing: how utterly impatient of a human being I was (am!). Wow, I didn't expect THAT revelation. But, I kept walking. And as I walked, I found my thoughts showing me all the times in my life when I'd been impatient with people. I thought about the times I've been unteachable and unmotivated. I thought about how often I had been guilty of seeking approval from others, and thus, failing to be authentic to who I am and who God created me to be.

Kind of seems like I'm beating myself up here, doesn't it? I wasn't expecting to have those thoughts, but the more I walked, the more I began thinking about how unworthy I am to even be here, communicating with God, but how God has brought me in here in spite of all that. And I began to realize how truly blessed I am. I began feeling the urge to slow down along the journey and to take in all that God was teaching me. And before I knew it, I looked up to see that the elderly women had long left the building. I hadn't even noticed.

As I made my way to the center of the labyrinth, I picked up a Bible that had been placed at the center. I closed my eyes, asking God to illuminate something. And I opened to Psalm 106. The Psalm talks about the sins of Israel, becoming infused with the sinful ways of the Egyptian culture and thus, becoming enslaved by that very culture, and how even still, God heard the cries of Israel.

I placed the Bible down and began my journey back into the world again. I began to think about the very sins I was being dealt with about on my journey into the center. I thought about how those things - though not what I would consider to be as big of a deal as the Israelites' sins mentioned in Psalm 106 - were still limiting who I was and what God was wanting me to be. I thought about how critical I've been of others. And as I made my way out, I recited the Jesus Prayer along with The Lord's Prayer and other Psalms I had memorized. And the neatest thing happened to me: suddenly, I began to feel an indescribable peace as if God were walking behind me and guiding me through the labyrinth. I stopped at the exit/entrance and gave thanks to God. I didn't want the journey to end.

I share this with you because if you haven't experienced it, I would encourage you to take this journey. Allow God to mold you as you walk this Medieval bodily prayer. It's an experience you won't forget. And it's one I will take again soon.

NOTE: The labyrinth in the photo is NOT the one at Schweitzer. I'll post that one as soon as I can take a photo of it.

Some of you who have followed this blog for a while may remember my "Gospel According to Earl Hickey" post. I decided to continue the series "The Gospel of..."

Meet The Roloff family. They're a typical American family living in suburban Oregon. Matt and Amy Roloff are the proud parents of four kids: twin sons Jeremy and Zach (15), Molly (12), and Jacob (8). Matt has lived what would seem to be a dream life. He was a rising salesman for some of the top software companies in the Silicon Valley, he has a meaningful marriage, four wonderful kids, and a gigantic 34-acre farm complete with a western town, pirate ship, and underground passageways for the kids to have a fun and anything-but-mundane childhood.

There's just one thing: Matt and Amy are both "little people." Standing at four feet tall, Matt and Amy have risen above what many of us would consider incredible odds to secure a "normal" life in a world that's not always kind to people who are different. Matt suffers from a condition (one that's related to his height) that affects his neurology and is forced to use crutches to get from one place to the other. What's worse is that when his well-to-do employer laid him off a couple of years ago, housewife Amy was forced to take on two jobs to help support the family.

TLC has recently launched the reality television show "Little People, Big World," which features the Roloff family as they experience life with financial stress, raising four kids (three of whom are teenagers), and jobs that aren't always fun. If this sounds like most American families, it's because it IS like most American families.

I admit, the premise is what first attracted my wife and me to this show, but after watching ten minutes of it, we realized that this was like watching any other family we had ever known...if those families happened to be four feet tall. The stories of Zach and Jeremy, the twins that most people would never believe (Jeremy is an average height teenager while Zach, like his mom and dad, happens to be a little person, standing less than four feet tall himself.) are captivating and I'll admit, make me miss youth ministry in a lot of ways.

The neat thing about this amazing and inspiring family is that they've never let their "disadvantages" stop them from fulfilling a life of possibilities and accomplishment. They have something far greater than height: they have each other. They stand by each other (with Jeremy, Molly, and eight-year-old Jacob being average height) no matter what each of them face. And one look at the program and you'll agree, it's definitely inspiring and causes you to look at your life differently.

Am I complaining about things I can't do anything about in my life, and thus, allowing those complaints to hold me back? Or can I use my inspiration from this family and know that life is what I make it and work as hard as it may take for me to get there? Those are some interesting things to think about. And the Roloffs have posed the questions. Thanks, Roloff family.