Matt's Musings

Thirty years ago in Lake Placid, the United States Men's hockey team came out of nowhere to win the Olympic gold before home fans at Lake Placid. Today, it almost happened again. No matter who you were rooting for, you'd have to agree today's gold medal match was an instant classic. Coming into these winter games, Canada made the bold statement they planned to "own the podium." In other words, they were gunning for the overall medal lead on home soil. But, if they couldn't do that, they at least needed to win the Men's Hockey gold, their national sport. Last Sunday, it didn't look like either would happen. After a week of watching the Americans dominate, often at the expense of the Canadian competitors, Team Canada and Team USA faced off in a preliminary battle on the ice. Team USA won, 5-3, and a nation was in shock. According to reports, downtown Vancouver, which had been jubilant for more than a week, was like a ghost town. It seemed disaster was wh...

"My mind tells me I will never understand God...[my heart] tells me I wasn't meant to. Faith is a gift I have not yet received." — Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), "Angels & Demons" That is one of my favorite quotes from recent film because it is a great example of a seeker. Dan Brown's books, and the film's based upon them, are by no means Christian works. But the openness to faith displayed at times in "Angels & Demons" was fascinating. When I first saw the scene where the quote above was given I was moved. Langdon is not a believer, but he seems to understand what it means to have faith. As it says in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Langdon refers to faith as a gift, one which he has not yet received. I might put it that it's a gift he's not yet ready to receive the gift of faith. I couldn't help but think of that quote Wednesday night as the Click group ...

Here's a look at this week's new reviews. Next week I'll be making my annual Academy Award predictions in anticipation of the big show, set for Sunday, March 7. It's the Super Bowl of entertainment and Must See TV for film nuts like myself. An Education Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina and Olivia Williams. Quick Take: This is one of the 10 Best Picture nominees. A British import, the film is set in the 1960s and is the story of a young girl (Mulligan) coming of age and caught up in an affair with an older man (Sarsgaard). The film is crisply shot and well-acted. It's a nice example of the seductive power of sin and the importance of making good choices and following your conscience. The story probably has too happy an ending for some, and isn't as good as some of the best films in the Best Picture race, but it's solid. In addition to Best Picture, the film earned a nomination for Mulligan in the Best Actress race and for Best Adapted ...

Those watching the Olympics have seen a lot of variety in the sportsmanship displayed. Winners have experienced the "thrill of victory" and others have experienced the "agony of defeat." Then there have been responses you wouldn't have expected. By now most have heard about the American snowboarder who had to leave the games early after a few compromising photos popped up. Then there was the controversy surrounding American skater Evan Lysacek. Lysacek had the skate of his life last Thursday, capturing a gold medal in the Men's Figure Skating competition. It was a moving, strong and graceful performance. I'm not a figure skating expert — or even really a fan — but I watched Lysacek and the other contenders skate Thursday and was pretty confident his skate was the best. So were the judges. Russian skater Evgeni Plushenko felt differently. Plushenko, the reigning gold medalist, took silver Thursday but felt his signature move — something only he performs —...

"Do you believe in miracles?!" That phrase was all sportscaster Al Michaels could shout 30 years ago when the United States ice hockey team upset Russia during the winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Somehow it seems fitting that, during a weekend where Michaels and some of the members of that gold-medal-winning team reflected on the experience, the United States ice hockey team pulled another upset, this time upending Canada 5-3 in an early round game Sunday. Of course the win over Canada, though unexpected, wasn't as shocking as the win 30 years ago. It also isn't the big win, in fact it didn't even eliminate Canada from gold-medal contention. But it did deflate a nation. The Canadian team — filled with National Hockey League All-Stars like captain Sydney Crosby — is a heavy favorite to win the gold. The U.S. team, on the other hand, is known for its youth and inexperience. But the U.S. group played as a team and earned the victory. That's the way it goes in spo...

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." — Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), "The Usual Suspects." Yesterday, sitting through the message, that quote came to mind as Graham talked about loneliness, isolation and how that prevents us from getting the gold. The line, uttered by Kevin Spacey as part of his Academy-Award-winning performance, was a classic part of "The Usual Suspects." Verbal Kint weaves a tale about a group of criminals that were undone by a powerful villain. There is even some speculation one of the men was the villain. In reality, they were undone because their own fear, paranoia and self-reliance made them vulnerable. That's what isolation does. Sometimes we have to endure times of isolation and loneliness before we can truly appreciate the warmth and fellowship community can bring. A show I like to watch is "Burn Notice" on USA. It's about a spy, Michael Westen, ...

One of our jobs as Christians is to spread the gospel. When I was younger I thought it was enough to lay out logical arguments and to really confront people with the truth of the gospel. But recently it's occurred to me there might be a better way. Knowing the scientific miracles that show the existence of the creator and knowing what happens to those that don't turn toward Jesus are important, but that's not always the most effective way to reach people. It's also not the most important reason why people should have faith. Some people just can't see the truth, and that's always made me feel profoundly sad. Last spring the film "Watchmen," based on the graphic novel, really struck a chord with me. It depicted a world full of lost, hopeless people that had lost all sense of faith. Really, it was the film's writer that had lost faith. His worldview is best expressed by Dr. Manhattan, a powerful man who came to see no greater purpose in life. At one p...