Category: All Mikey Blogs (Page 23 of 27)

This is the catchall to include blog posts from many different blogs into one category. Use this for an RSS blog feed link to places like Goodreads. This “Mikey All Blogs” category includes: 77 Reasons Why, Bible-Smart, Mikey Can’t Sleep, and NerdFans.

Conqueror, Exile, Missionary – Oh My!

/ Mike Nappa

Random thoughts, far from home...

It is not easy, this feeling of being far from home. After all, for so many decades “Home” to me was never a place, but a person. As long as Amy was there, I was “Home.” Well, cancer took that away pretty definitively, and now I find myself in some new “away” kind of place no matter where I am.

So tonight, while I watch the clock tick past 1:18 a.m., my thoughts have been churning over what it means to find “Home” when you’re far from home. I’m wondering about wandering, I guess you could say.

In Scripture, it seems there are three ways to live in an “away” place:

Conqueror
Exile
Missionary

The Conqueror

A Conqueror in the Bible displaces the foreign culture, forcing others to submit to his or her new way of life.

This is the “Joshua,” marching into a foreign land, seizing the territory, razing cities, destroying anyone who opposes him, subduing and enslaving whatever he doesn’t kill (see Joshua 1:10-11).

The Exile

The Exile in Scripture assimilates into the foreign culture, far from home, against his or her will, simply to survive.

This is the weeping “Jeremiah,” forced to serve the powerful, trying to follow God’s command to Israelite slaves in Babylon: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile … because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (see Jeremiah 29:4-7).

The Missionary

And there is the Missionary. This person goes far from home willingly. He or she adopts the foreign culture eagerly and voluntarily.

It’s the passionate “Paul” who pursues the calling to “become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

The Most Honorable Way?

My first inclination is to think of the Missionary as the only honorable way. Conqueror and Exile are certainly somehow less, right? Yet by Scriptural standards, I must face the fact that’s just not true.

Bloody Joshua is no less a hero than tentmaker Paul, and the defeated Jeremiah is just as lauded as any Missionary or Conqueror. All three men followed God wholeheartedly, and lived God-honoring lives in foreign lands.

What’s more, Christ himself incarnated into all three of those roles. He was an Exile in the world he himself created. He Conquered sickness, sin, and death. And he was a Missionary who brought news of God’s loving grace to us all. So I find myself thinking:

It’s been 2,173 days since Amy died. I am caught in this foreign land of “not home,” and it’s possible I’ll be here for the rest of my life. So…

Who am I supposed to be in this lonely, “away” place that is so far from home?

Looking for more? Check out these links:

If We Interpreted Email the Way Preachers Interpret the Apostle Paul

/ Mike Nappa

A Satirical Sermon

Good morning brothers and sisters. This blessed Lord’s day, we’ll take our text from the book of 2nd Fort Collins Email, chapter 4, verse 21. Let me read it aloud for you:

“Mike, let’s get together for coffee on Thursday at 11:00.”

Pause with me a moment for silent prayer. Lord help us understand the true meaning of the Apostle Greg’s words. Amen.

“Let’s get together for coffee,” the Apostle says to us today. I want us to dig into that Word this morning. On the surface it seems a fairly straightforward statement. Apostle Greg wants to meet his disciple Mike for a warm beverage. Ah, but there’s so much more to this command than is seen with only a passing glance.

First, notice that tiny little word, “get.” Sure, it has the implied meaning of a request to arrive at a specified place, but in 21st Century English, that word which we translate as “get” most often was used to mean “acquire,” or “obtain.” Or more accurately “to cause to be in one’s possession.”

Do you see what that means, brothers and sisters?

Apostle Greg isn’t simply asking for an appointment, but demanding possession, insisting on the acquisition of Mike’s presence and attention for some specified purpose. This is no simple request, no causal, optional obedience. The Apostle says he must “GET” together, Mike must submit to this holy unction that he and the Apostle “GET”—acquire, obtain—together. The Apostle doesn’t say “please” or “thank you” or “would you be willing?” He simply issues the command, knowing that his disciple will instantly obey, as is his expected response to the holy writ.

For what? To what purpose must the Apostle and disciple acquire together? The answer, dearly beloved, is in the next word:

“For.”

Again, in 21st Century English, that word “For” was used almost exclusively to mean, “in the service of,” or “suiting the purposes or needs of.” It was common in that culture to say things like, “I work FOR Microsoft,” meaning “I apply my time and effort to suit the purpose or needs of Microsoft.” Or to say, “She bought lunch FOR me,” meaning “She paid the cost of lunch in generous service to me.”

And again, we see the Apostle Greg revealing so much more than what we initially thought. “Let’s get together FOR coffee,” the holy man says. It’s not time to be spent for ourselves or even time to be invested in helping others. No! Read what the Scripture says! It’s time “FOR COFFEE,” a dedicated, specific obligation of our Christian lives to be in the service of coffee.

Pay attention, now church. The Apostle is saying to us: We must, on Thursday at 11:00, devote ourselves to meeting the needs of the coffee grinds in our lives. This is both our spiritual duty and our physical purpose.

“FOR coffee!” he said to his disciple Mike, and “FOR coffee” he shouts to us today. Let’s “GET” “FOR” coffee!

Somebody say Amen, because it’s awful quiet in here this morning!

Lastly, we can’t ignore this seemingly innocuous statement: “at 11:00.”

It’s important to notice two things here, beloved. First, in 21st Century American culture, that clock reference “11:00” could indicate either a time in the morning, or a time late at night. When they wanted to differentiate between the two, in that culture, they’d add a notation that was either “a.m.” or “p.m.” In that context, “a.m.” meant morning, literally anytime between midnight and noon, and “p.m.” meant night, or literally anytime between noon and midnight.

So why did the Apostle Greg delete that notation in this verse? Was it simply an oversight? An accident in the Holy Scripture? Of course not.

The answer here is obvious, and it doesn’t take a seminary degree to see it. This is something that his disciple Mike would’ve immediately understood. Apostle Greg was commanding that, every Thursday, Mike dedicate BOTH his morning AND his nights, at 11:00 exactly, to the service of coffee.

It’s that simple. And that profound. That’s what the Christian life commands for us today.

If giving our lives in service to coffee twice a day on Thursdays, at 11:00 exactly, was good enough for the Apostle Greg and his disciple Mike, then it’s good enough for you and me too.

[Dramatic pause.]

Brothers and sisters, today let’s take to heart the Word of God, spoken through the Apostle Greg to the world. From this day forward, may we be the kind of people who wholeheartedly, uncompromisingly, dedicate EVERY Thursday, at BOTH 11:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., to allowing God to “acquire” and “obtain” our time as we spend it in whole-hearted service to the needs of coffee.

Let’s bow our heads in prayer to close our meeting today. And, as the Apostle commands, “Let’s GET together FOR coffee on Thursday at 11:00.”

Amen!

Looking for more? Check out these links:

Greg Pak is Afraid of Stuff

/ Team NerdFans

A DC Comics Writer Talks Superman, Teen Titans, and What Scares Him Silly.

In case you’re wondering, yes, there’s a reason why acclaimed DC Comics writer Greg Pak wears glasses and not contact lenses:

Fear.

Yep, the guy who creates the most dangerous adventures of courageous heroes like Superman and the Teen Titans is afraid to do something millions of junior high kids do every day: Touch his eye. In fact, that kind of thing is his greatest phobia. “Things in my eye,” he admits with a shudder. “Ugh!”

Still, when a writer is as talented as Greg Pak is, he can be forgiven for a certain level of ocular squeamishness.

After all, he sees the stories that mere mortals like us can’t even imagine—and he brings them to life month in and month out in the pages of our favorite comics.

Here’s just a glimpse of his (impressive!) bio:

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker known for writing Kingsway West for Dark Horse Comics; Batman/Superman and Teen Titans for DC Comics; and The Totally Awesome Hulk for Marvel…Pak’s run on Marvel’s “Incredible Hulk” was named the Best Ongoing Series of 2007 by Wizard Magazine, and he created the character of Amadeus Cho (The Totally Awesome Hulk), who won a 2005 Marvel.com fan favorite poll and co-starred for four years in “Incredible Hercules.” Pak’s “Magneto Testament” was named the Best Miniseries of 2008 by IGN, and he wrote the “Battlestar Galactica” series for Dynamite and the latest “Eternal Warrior” series for Valiant…

As the writer, I don’t generally try to influence that conversation through anything but the story itself—that’s the reader’s glory and fun. The same story can be enjoyed and interpreted in multiple ways by different readers; for the writer to indicate how it should be read ahead of time spoils that joy.

But I just love the idea that parents and kids might actually read the book together and talk about it. This is a story about a girl trying to figure out who she is, searching for answers about the restless power she feels inside of her, grappling with responsibilities towards friends and family. There’s a lot there—but it’s entirely up to each individual reader to find what speaks to him or her.

Us:

What would you say is the most important thing in life—and how does that show up in your work?

Greg Pak:

This will vary over the years. But at the moment, it probably boils down to the struggle to do the right thing. And how hard it might be to figure out what the right thing actually is. And taking responsibility for your choices no matter what.

That’s certainly played out in all my Superman books—Superman will always, always try to do the right thing. So the biggest challenges for him are when the world is so complicated that exactly what the right thing is becomes very murky. All that power… all that heart… all that heroism gets put to the real test when there are no easy answers.

—MN

8 Questions About Movie Ratings

/ Team NerdFans

A Parent’s Peek Inside the MPA Movie Ratings System

Do you have questions about movie ratings? How much do you really know about the way the MPA (Motion Picture Association) assigns ratings to films? Test yourself with these questions to find out:

Are movie ratings governed by law?
Who decides a movie rating?
Do raters accurately represent me?
Why are 13 and 17 key ages for movie ratings?
Is “G” a certificate of approval?
How do films get rated PG or PG-13?
How do films get rated R and NC-17?
So, what’s a parent to do with movie ratings?

If you hesitated on any of the questions above, then read on! In here you’ll find answers to many of your questions about movie ratings. You may be surprised by what you discover…

1. Are Movie Ratings Governed by Law?

No law requires a movie to be rated, nor is it law that a movie rating must be enforced by a local theater. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) and the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) partnered to create and implement Movie ratings as a “voluntary system” in their industry.

In other words, the film industry is responsible for rating itself. Recognizing that conflict of interest, MPA and NATO created the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) which operates as an independent division of the MPA.

2. Who Decides a Movie’s Rating?

A “Rating Board” assigns a film its rating. This is a small group of up to 10 people appointed by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA). Each group includes a Chairperson, Senior Raters (selected by the Chair), and Raters. The rank-and-file Raters retain their appointments for up to seven years, depending on the preference of the Chairperson.

Once appointed, Designated Raters, including at least one Senior Rater, view every film submitted. A preliminary vote follows, along with lively discussion, and then a final vote. After the committee’s final vote, the rating process is complete.

This small group, in various combinations, takes responsibility for assigning ratings to practically every movie made for commercial distribution. They assign ratings in every genre, in every style, from the newest animated Disney movie to the latest horror film and everything in between.

3. Do Raters Accurately Represent Me?

The stated purpose of the ratings system is “To provide parents information concerning the content of those motion pictures to help them determine each motion picture’s suitability for viewing by their children.” To that end, CARA requires that Raters who join the board are parents of 5- to 15-year-olds. Raters must resign when their kids turn 21—though the Chairperson and Senior Raters are exempt from that.

Some argue that proximity demographics hinder CARA’s goal of truly representing American parents, though. Out of the necessity, Raters are mostly affluent residents of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Does that make CARA out of touch with parental concerns in more conservative and/or rural areas of the United States? Some make that complaint.

Others cry foul because different membership standards apply to the system’s most influential people, namely the Chair and Senior Raters. Does that mean CARA’s representational ability is unfavorably skewed? Again, many would say yes.

4. Why are “13” & “17” Key Ages for Ratings?

No one offers deliberate reasoning for how ages 13 and 17 became the benchmark ages selected for movie ratings. The movie industry assumes that everyone already knows and accepts why those ages were chosen.

Cultural norms suggest that the age of 13 is the beginning of adolescence, so that seems to be the logic behind separating those kids from younger ones. Assigning adulthood status to a 17-year-old high-school student is a little harder to explain.

In virtually every other legal and social context, 18 is the age of adulthood, so CARA ratings veer from the norm in this respect. In practical terms, that means CARA expects parents to accept the idea that their high-school children are adults who need no parental supervision in regard to movie-going—something that’s patently untrue. The unstated motivation here appears simply to provide a larger audience pool for R-Rated and NC-17 films.

5. Is “G” a Certificate of Approval?

According to the Rating Board, a G rating is appropriate for “all ages.” They explain:

“A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a ‘certificate of approval,’ nor does it signify a ‘children’s’ motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.”

6. How Do Films Get Rated PG or PG-13?

According to the Rating Board, “A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents…There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity… [but] There is no drug use content.”

Additionally, “A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category….Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity… generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie.”

Parents should also be aware that PG-rated films released before 1984 more closely reflect the standards present in today’s PG-13 rating.

7. How Do Films Get Rated R & NC-17?

“An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes,” says the Ratings Board, “adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements…Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.”

Further, “An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under … NC-17 does not mean “obscene” or “pornographic” in the common or legal meaning of those words… An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.”

8. So, What’s a Parent to Do?

Experts offer three principles for parents in regard to using movie ratings for their families:

A) Recognize film ratings for what they are. MPA ratings deliver a general guideline created by people who may or may not share your entertainment values. They’re NOT the final authority on a movie’s content or appropriateness for your kids. YOU are.

B) Always, always refer to the “Reason for the Rating.” Visit the website, http://www.filmratings.com for reference when making parental decisions about whether a movie is acceptable viewing for your family. Here you can look up most movies (past and present) to discover why they earned their ratings.

C) When in doubt, talk it out. If you’re unsure of a movie’s content, discuss it with your kids. Examine themes, artistic appeal, your values, and reasons for the rating. Then you can make an informed decision together—and help your kid learn to discern for themselves what is, or isn’t, appropriate viewing for them.

Showrunner Spotlight: Lesley Wake Webster

/ Team NerdFans

Lesley Wake Webster Spills Secrets about Perfect Harmony on NBC

Here’s a hard sell:

Go into a network TV pitch room and say, “I want to do a show about rural Christians in a church choir.” Chances are slim you’ll walk out with a development deal—yet that’s exactly what Lesley Wake Webster did at NBC Television. The result is Perfect Harmony, a fresh, family-friendly comedy that’s become a surprise success.

The premise for Perfect Harmony is this: “When former Princeton music professor Arthur Cochran unexpectedly stumbles into choir practice at a small-town church, he finds a group of singers that are out of tune in more ways than one. Despite the ultimate clash of sensibilities, Arthur and his newfound cohorts may just be the perfect mix of individuals to help each other reinvent and rediscover a little happiness, just when they all need it most.”

Recently we caught up with Webster during a break on set. We asked her to spill a few secrets with readers about her hit show. She was happy to oblige.

Secret # 1: Perfect Harmony Writers are No Strangers to Church or to Choirs

Lesley Wake Webster is the creator, executive producer, and showrunner for Perfect Harmony. Her comedy pedigree is equally impressive: minted by the legendary Princeton Triangle Club (Ivy League degree included), she spent years working on hit shows like Speechless, Life in Pieces, and American Dad.

But…what does this “media elite” know about singing in a small-town church choir? Quite a bit actually. “I was hoping you would ask me whether I had sung in a choir!” she says happily. “And the answer is yes. I grew up singing in church choirs and I come from a family of singers, particularly, church singers.”

Additionally, a good percentage of the 12 writers on Perfect Harmony are also church choir veterans. Webster reports, “We have three current, active church members—that’s a big part of their lives. And then we have multiple former church choir singers in various states of faith.”

Secret #2: Perfect Harmony was Created by an Agnostic

Ask Lesley Wake Webster if she sings in a choir now, and she’ll tell you the truth.

“I don’t anymore. I would currently describe myself as a person of faith as ‘agnostic.’ But I would say that my experience in church choir—my connection to faith and spirituality—I feel like music is a huge part of that.

“It’s very meaningful to me and I sang from a little wee kid all the way up through being in the Princeton Glee Club. I sang in choirs, and my father has a beautiful voice. He is a lovely tenor. He and my mom are still very active church members.”

Secret # 3: An Agnostic Wanted to Create a Show about—and for—Christians

“Growing up I went to church and I had a very powerful experience in my teenage years.” Webster says. “I was a member of a Southern Baptist church. It was really the defining event of my teenage years—in a great way. It was a place where I found community and identity, and the strength to speak my convictions.”

“I feel like sometimes, right now, church and Christianity is being portrayed as this very narrow, conservative thing. I suppose there are some branches of Christianity that certainly are, but I feel like it’s important that we portray the richness and the vastness of the Christian experience. For me, that was one that was really celebratory, where I felt like I came together with different people.”

Webster adds, “I just feel like there are a lot of people who have an experience with faith, whether they’re current churchgoers or not, and it would be nice for them to see themselves reflected on TV in a way that isn’t just making fun of them.”

Secret # 4: Perfect Harmony Jokes about Christians, but Not about Christ

Though not a churchgoer at present, Lesley Wake Webster still expresses deep respect for Jesus. “The first word that comes into my mind when you say ‘Jesus’ is forgiveness,” she says.

“The idea of Christ’s love as self-sacrificing, forgiving, absolving. To me that was one of the most powerful lessons of growing up in the church—the idea that there is forgiveness no matter what a person does or says. If they’re seeking to be forgiven for it, there is grace and forgiveness.”

She adds, “I would say now, as I said, I’m agnostic, so my relationship with the Judeo-Christian tradition has changed a little bit. But I still think of Jesus as the epitome of forgiveness and grace, and honestly how we should all treat each other.

Secret #5: Writing Jokes for Perfect Harmony is Hard Work. Sort Of.

Moving to lighter topics, Webster happily gives a glimpse of what it’s like to work as a writer on her show. “We roll into the writers room about 10:30 a.m., which I know sounds scandalously late! The traffic is so terrible, you either have to start at about 6:00 a.m. or around 10:00 a.m., one way or another, or else you’re just going to sit in rush hour traffic.”

“After that,” she laughs, “we do the very important job of deciding what we’re going to order for lunch, which is no small part of our morning. We actually, just for fun, we have a wheel that we spin to decide who gets to pick the lunch place. That brings a little fun and whimsy into the room.”

Continues Webster, “Then our days are divided between pitching story ideas for upcoming episodes, and rewriting and punching up scripts that are currently in the pipeline … This morning a small group of us were sitting around talking about what’s going to be the story in the finale. How do we see that unfolding? Later this afternoon we will switch over to polishing a script that is the next script to be read. We keep a good amount of variety.”

Then, says Webster, “our day in the writer’s room ends somewhere between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. depending on how industrious we’ve been or how far behind we are.”

Secret #6: Lesley Wake Webster is an INFP on the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator

According to Webster, “I am pretty good at guessing someone’s Myers-Briggs [personality] type!” One might even call it her hidden talent. Webster herself is an “INFP,” which is an inherently creative personality driven by high values and typified as an Idealist and a Mediator.

“INFPs are like, 80% writers,” she laughs, and it’s easy to see how this personality influences her work on Perfect Harmony. She says, “Comedy [is] not only what I want to do for my living, but also…something that is uplifting. It can be a life-changer for people. So even though sometimes it’s very silly to work on a sitcom, I like to think that we’re making the world a little bit easier to bear for people.”

She adds, “When someone tells me, later, that something I said or did helped them through a hard time, that is the most meaningful thing to me.”

Secret #7: Lesley Wake Webster Worries about Disappointing You

Perhaps because she’s an idealist, and a mediator-type, Webster’s final thoughts during our interview are about you, the PopFam.com reader.

“I hope it’s not a disappointment to your readers that I am not an active churchgoer,” she says, almost apologetically. “I’m sure that would’ve made a better story. But I felt like I should be honest.”

“I guess I’m currently in the place of feeling like I want to connect with what is great in the world. I believe there is something divine out there, but I think that divinity might show itself to us in more ways than simply the traditional religions, the traditional monotheistic traditions even. So I guess I’m in a place of embracing not knowing, if that makes sense.”

Secret #8: You Can Contact Lesley Wake Webster on Instagram

If you’d like to send a note to Lesley Wake Webster and the writers of Perfect Harmony, Webster gives this advice:

“A great way for people to contact me is through the PerfectHarmonyWriters Instagram. Several of our writers actually read it every day, and they will tell me, ‘Hey, you should respond to this.’”

–MN

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