Freedom, For the Good of the Order

Get it!  Read it!

This post will have limited quotes from the recently released A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller.  There are just a few words form the book, and they are in no way a spoiler to the story (which I myself haven't even finished yet).  However, if you want to finish the book first, remember to come back to this post immediately afterwards.

If there is anything that strikes your fancy within the Star Wars universe, it does not take much time to find an answer.  You can check out the venerable and precise Wookiepedia, ask your local aficionado with geek cred, or many questions can be answered by a simple man on the street interview due to the saturation of our society by the great mythology.

Guest Blog on Coffee With Kenobi

One of the deepest and nicest podcasts out there is Coffee With Kenobi.  I eagerly await each new episode.  And they also host a ton of other good material at their website.  Book reviews, blogs and great discussion.  Last week they hosted a guest blog from me, and I hope that it turns into a long term relationship.  Check out the post after the jump.

On Suicide and Our Love for Its Victims

When there is a death in the public sphere, society and social media tend to center around it and feel a personal sense of loss.  And that sense is very much real.  I have spent more time with Robin Williams' work in my life than with some of my extended family.  I have spent more time reading Star Wars books than biology books.  This shows us that there is some real loss in our lives, even if we have never met the deceased in their lifetime.

            Also, I work hard to not get excited about celebrities.  I had a very short stint in the theatre as a kid and worked with a few people who are notable.  I saw the chinks in their armor and how they had to take one day at a time. 

Are the Sith Admirable?

Here is a conversation I had recently on Facebook with a friend.  It was a lot of fun, and I hope you find some benefit in it.  These Sith lovers, sheesh. 

Darth Jersey:  The Sith Empire has a lot of good to it.
1. Structure
2. Discipline
3. The ability to feel.
4. Jedi deny human emotion and the ability to love.
5.Respect for Authority
6.All teachings out of Sith Teachings are anathema
7. There is a judgment day for those who are loyal and unloyal.
8. Love of Empire above all else.
9. Master/Apprentice relationship. One must learn while finding his/her own path. The ways of the teacher at times are always not correct, so the student must come to realization on his own to become his master and to excel beyond.

Luke Skywalker: From Farmboy to Student to Hero of the Rebel Alliance, Part II

            In Empire Strikes Back, we find our heroes on the run.  Having found a base on Hoth, they are now living solely for the opportunity to survive and spread their message.  Luke receives the message that he needs to leave his friends for a little while to receive training in the Jedi arts.  After the evacuation of Hoth, he leaves for Dagobah without any reservation.  It is there that he is given knowledge that he never even knew to ask for before.  He is illuminated with a knowledge that was kept safe from all harm.  It is a knowledge of the deeper mysteries of the universe.  For the Church, " Only in the state of illumination does divine grace makes possible the contemplation of the divine light. The hidden truths of Holy Scripture are not revealed to everyone, since illumination comes through the special divine gift of revelation. For this reason in the early Church, the holy Bible was read only in the Church and only by a charismatic person. In the Orthodox Church, we have never experienced "bibliolatry" or "worship of the Book," as in some sects. The Church holds fast to the unadulterated spirit of the Bible as it was delivered to the Saints, and through them, to us (An Introduction to Orthodox Spirituality at www.goarch.com)."

Luke Skywalker: From Farmboy to Student to Hero of the Rebel Alliance, Part I

This post has to be written in the next 499 days, in order for it to make sense (assuming the saga of Luke will continue in Episode VIII).  In the life of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, we see a growth from farmboy to hero; from innocent child to mature adult.  The unspoken thing in each of those phrases is the path in between.  Luke went from moisture farmer to student to hero pilot.  He went from his innocence, through an awakening of cause which resulted in a mature Jedi.  This progression is a good way for us to talk about the Christian teaching of theosis. 

Good Morning! Nice of You to Drop By!

Some things have an odor from the outside - and you find out that the stink even more on the inside.  Every relationship has ups and downs.  If you think that any relationship - marriage, family or friendships - is all fun and games, you are kidding yourself.  True and lasting relationships are built on hard work and the willingness to stick with the other through the worst of times.  Through this, the best of times are even better.