Downton Abbey Speculation

Well, DA fans, it's two hours till the premier of season three, and since I viewed season two earlier this week I'm not taking advantage of the reruns playing all day today. So, instead of twiddling my thumbs while waiting, let me indulge in a little speculation.

The story of Bates is, of course, on nail-biting hold as he awaits the appeal of his murder sentence, just reprieved from a death sentence. I'm wondering if this wouldn't be an excellent time for Anna to show up pregnant, just to add a little fuel to the fire, and a bit of motivation for everyone to care even more.

Sybil's pregnancy may feature as well, but I think it'll be relegated to the background.

Thomas will, I predict, still be Thomas, and as the sneak preview suggests, do some thug-like threatening.

The marriage between Robert and Cora is not as strong as it was in the first season, and as Cora knows nothing of the brief liaison Robert had with housemaid, Jane, his guilt may continue to cause a strain, as may the arrival of the mother-in-law.

Matthew and Mary are, we presume still engaged, but their love affair never did run smoothly so I'm predicting we'll be still hanging over the cliff with that.

I'm hoping to see a lot of Thomas and O'Brien and perhaps hear some of their backstory as I believe the two of them create a dramatic tension that adds a great deal to the lush, privileged background of the primary family, and the compliant nature of the other servants.

Carson, I hope, will not have another health crisis. But if he does, the entire atmosphere of the upstairs and downstairs will change. Indeed, without Carson, the glue between the up and down cast wouldn't stick.

The roaring twenties are approaching, and I wonder just how much cultural change Granny can withstand, and how long she can continue to wear Edwardian clothing well into the twentieth century! Edith may well create a scandal all her own. I did catch an inkling of a change (for the worst) of family fortune, which would affect everyone.

One of my readers has made a  guess that Matthew will be killed in a car crash.  Goodness, that would be tragic!

Well, I've used up thirty minutes. Any other ideas while we're waiting? And please no spoilers if you've seen it already!!

On Spending Leisure Time

Perhaps God knew that unless He legislated a day off every week, we humans would continue the endless treadmill of work and never take a break. In case you weren't aware, God did invent the weekend. It began with the Sabbath, and over the centuries morphed into Saturday and Sunday, the infamous weekend, of which most people use only the evening portion of said days to truly relax. The bulk of the time 'off' is used up in doing projects we never seem to get to during the 'work week'.

I'm a great fan of leisure. But I'm not without my own guilt when engaging in it. I suspect I'm not alone.

For example, during the Christmas vacation I enjoyed off with my children and my piano students (I didn't teach lessons for three weeks) I lay awake in bed each morning, justifying the delicious freedom to just lie there. Didn't I get up at six sharp every other morning? Didn't I keep a studio nearly full with students the other weeks of the year? Didn't I have a very busy week before the holidays? All of these deliberations ran through my mind, and it took me a couple days to stop the tape and just be thankful.

This morning I was full of thankfulness as I dozed off after getting up to make my husband a sandwich to take to work (alas he has less of a vacation than I). I relished the warm feeling under the covers, and the knowledge that no one would be expecting anything from me for the day. Well, at least until the dog got up, expecting her walk. That's leisure though, right?
And there is the kitchen, which expects to have her counters cleared at least once a day. And then, there is this Green Room, my ruminating space that I have neglected during all this leisure.

And so, I begin another day of leisure. Hope you're enjoying yours. Work will be back before we know it!

What Your Husband Isn’t Telling You by David Murrow

Despite the societal push for gender blurring, this book presents a rather black and white picture of the male mind and heart vs the female mind and heart. David Murrow has after all, only the male mind and heart by experience, but I am a female, and consequently the book brought this contrast to me as Murrow’s painstaking honesty about what was going on inside gave me a window through which to view it.

Males, he asserts have fears that are often unspoken. These fears drive the behavior of most men. By stating them, Murrow tears down the formidable wall that often separates men from their wives. His goal isn’t division, but rather understanding. There’s a bit of pop psychology thrown in for good measure, and virtually no scripture, although Murrow is at the forefront of the movement The Church For Men. Picture a mechanic-style preacher, and you will have pegged Murrow, practical and tool oriented-no platitudes. It’s what you should expect for the author of Why Men Hate Going To Church. He puts is all on the table. I found it refreshing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House in return for my honest opinion of it.

Two Tales in One

Three Mexican fishermen adrift at sea, fishing over the side of the boat to survive, with little hope of rescue. A former high ranking American businessman for a major motion picture company with a severe addiction problem, now jobless, with a failing marriage. The author weaves an almost unbelievable tale of connection between these two unlikely entities. He should know the story well. He was the businessman who met the fishermen and interviewed them after their miraculous rescue, which became a part of his own personal rescue.

With painstaking detail and a stranger-than-fiction quality this true story brings the reader to the realization that God is Sovereign in all of our paths, the good and the bad, and that He is in the business of rescuing.

I was given a complimentary copy of The Fourth Fishermen from Multnomah Press in exchange for my honest opinion about the book.

Skyfall: A Review

One can't help but think of A Series Of Unfortunate Events, for more than one reason, when watching the new 007 blockbuster, Skyfall.  Daniel Craig and Judi Dench play a complex version of employer and employee in what must be the world's most intriguing and formidable foreign intelligence agency.

Being shot by your own co-worker and falling off a moving train only to tumble into a gorge which holds a foaming river culminating in a rapid waterfall is just a part of Daniel Craig's very bad day.  Any day that  begins with the death of your partner has only one direction to go, but in true 007fashion, more peril awaits. There are damsels in distress and dragons to fight in Shanghai, among other things.

Bad guy Javier Bardem plays a close second to best villian ever (it's hard to beat Heath Legend's Joker in Dark Knight).  Yet, even more fascinating than a day in the life of 007 is creative directors  fantasmagorically brilliant opener, featuring graphics and music that still linger in the memory, long after the gunfights, fistfights, and explosions are over. The Lemony Snicket credit roll, another work of brilliance, had the same feel.

So as not to spoil it for you, I will only divulge that the ending is another very bad day for 007 in more ways than one. Still, why does it leave you with the feeling that you somehow envy his life?

And his first name? James. Still one of the most popular boy's names of all time. Coincidence? I think not.

Not Sure If…Downton Abbey, Gunsmoke, or the Gospel?

What do Western reruns, PBS, and the 700 Club have in common? At first glance nothing but non-prime time channels. But a deeper look reveals much more common ground than you might expect.

Elements of the Christian gospel story are threaded into the popular PBS serial drama Downton Abbey and   the same archetypes can be found in the good old weekly western. If you haven’t ever watched Gunsmoke or Downton Abbey pull up a chair and I’ll explain myself. 

Marshall Matt Dillon is the strong silent type, a fair-minded, expert gun-slinging law man in Dodge City during the days of the American Wild West (yes, the ‘get out of Dodge’ Dodge) The local saloon is run by Miss Kitty, a mature but sparkly-eyed, seasoned red-head who runs a tight saloon, mostly with those eyes. Miss Kitty is a woman of principles, but somehow you know that somewhere along the line, some of her principles have taken the practical low road. The thing that promises to redeem Miss Kitty (she does run a brothel, after all)  is Dillon’s regard for her, which is obvious in every episode.  The hour long segments include a sideshow from deputy Festus, a Barney Fife- like character with a southern twang, and Doc Adams, a crusty old country doctor who does most of his procedures with the anesthetic of a good stiff drink, one for the patient and one for him, afterwards. Festus and Doc put up a good show of hating each other, but no one really believes it. The TV series had a 20 year run, after quite a bit of popularity as a radio show, and ended in 1975, and as far as I know, with no overt romance between Dillon and Miss Kitty.

Across the pond, but not too far away in time, the British household of Downton Abbey is finding its way in a changing world. The head of the house has three daughters, neither of whom can legally inherit his estate. Mary, the eldest, has a secret concerning her virtue that keeps her from the obvious choice, the heir apparent, Matthew Crawley, a man of honor and humility who desperately wants to do his part to save the family fortune. Shame keeps Mary from Matthew, but his regard for her is obvious, and the viewer feels that if he were privy to the incriminating information, he would still love her. The many sideshow characters include the ever proper butler, Carson and prim housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes, cook Mrs. Patmore and scullery maid Daisy, all servants in the ‘downstairs’ storylines. Rising above the tapestry of this intertwining drama is the redemption of Mary. It is Matthew’s love for her which imparts to her the worth she cannot see in herself. At the end of the second season, Matthew and Mary are still in romantic gridlock. Although the previews for season three are out, they show nothing of the culmination of Matthew and Mary’s predicament.

The real corollary I see in these two cinematic creations is in the male savior figure (both named Matthew, incidentally) and the female in need of redemption. Nowhere is this story more poignant than in the New Testament narrative of Christ the bridegroom and a broken world-the church as His bride. I believe it is our knowledge of the reality of our own personal redemption that causes stories like these to resonate and capture our attention. Nor is their appeal gender-specific. Gunsmoke had wide appeal among men, and Downton Abbey has primarily female followers.

“God made Man because He loves stories.” said Elie Weisel. Indeed, we are His story. But it’s not the final season. Never have we needed redemption so much. Never has a story been in such need of a happy ending.

In Hope of a Better America

I have a dream.
It is a faintly fading dream, but it is by no means dead yet.
I dream of parents patiently explaining or calmly restraining their small children in public instead of verbally abusing them through the grocery aisles.
I dream of schools where students use praise for each other and their teachers instead of profanity.
I dream of teachers who are involved with the students lives and work in tandem with parents to educate the whole child, instead of using 'homework' which masquerades as rigorous teaching to cheat the students out of a home life.
I dream of an America where it is acceptable to speak openly about your personal faith, and where judgement is directed inward, instead of  towards those who may disagree.
I dream of politicians laying down acrimonious accusations and instead taking responsibility for their actions and expenditures.
I dream of businesses honestly offering services and products made locally for a decent profit, instead of bilking the public by promising more than they actually deliver and abusing people in other countries to turn a cheap trick on their customers.
I dream of  banks and financial institutions who use George Bailey as a role model rather than Mr. Potter.
I dream of charity organizations whose CEO's aren't embarrassed to report their earnings instead of making a killing off the heartstrings of America.
I dream of consumers who live within their means instead of blaming their high personal debt on the economy.
I dream of a place where winning the lottery isn't the total sum of the American Dream.
I hope I'm still sleeping, because I haven't seen it yet.