Prince Caspian Cast: Ben Barnes in Title Role?

“Ben told everyone that he had been offered a three-film deal to play Caspian. It
’s the chance of a lifetime, but the National are furious at him for leaving them in the lurch and are thinking of suing him for breach of contract.”

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Narnia, More to Release on Blu-ray Disc

The Chronicles of Narnia, Superman Returns, Fantasia and more to release on Sony's Blu-Ray Disc format

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GK Chesterton Quote Day!

I don't know if very many of you know who GK Chesterton is, but please read these quotes. They are very true and/or very funny.

• Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.

• "My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober."

• A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.

• A room without books is like a body without a soul.

• An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.

• Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.

• By a curious confusion, many modern critics have passed from the proposition that a masterpiece may be unpopular to the other proposition that unless it is unpopular it cannot be a masterpiece.

• Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.

• Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.

• I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean.

• I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.

• I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.

• If there were no God, there would be no Atheists.

• It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.

• Journalism largely consists of saying 'Lord Jones is Dead' to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive.

• Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.

• The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.

• The thing I hate about an argument is that it always interrupts a discussion.

• There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read.

• To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.

• There are no wise few. Every aristocracy that has ever existed has behaved, in all essential points, exactly like a small mob. -G. K. Chesterton, "Heretics", 1905

• All slang is a metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry. -G. K. Chesterton, Defendant (1901)

• Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. -G. K. Chesterton, Defendant (1901)

• The rich are the scum of the earth in every country. -G. K. Chesterton, Flying Inn (1914)

• There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person. -G. K. Chesterton, Heretics (1905)

• Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. -G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

• The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums. -G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy; p. 14

• It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem. -G. K. Chesterton, Scandal of Father Brown (1935)

• He may be mad, but there's method in his madness. There nearly always is method in madness. It's what drives men mad, being methodical. -G. K. Chesterton, The Fad of the Fisherman (1922)

• But a somewhat more liberal and sympathetic examination of mankind will convince us that the cross is even older than the gibbet, that voluntary suffering was before and independent of compulsory; and in short that in most important matters a man has always been free to ruin himself if he chose. -G. K. Chesterton, What's Wrong With the World; p. 118

Let's Talk About Modesty

My friend Ashley posed this question in her blog:

Truly, what is the facination with girls who have these retarded pics of themselves half-naked or attempting to be sexy. I personally think they are making asses of themselves. You do not look sexy, my dear. You look silly.

Sexy is confidence. Sexy is chastity. Sexy is self-respect. Sexy is knowing that you are worth someone who will prove themselves to you. Sexy is knowing who you are. Sexy is being who you are and not trying to impress anyone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about arrogant. I'm talking about...being a child of God, and knowing it! That's attractive.

So, I thought I would respond. Little did I know, I'd write a lot...so here's my response:

Allow me to explain...no, there is too much...allow me to sum up:Buttercup is marrying Humperdink in little less than half an hour....

Okay, so: I am one of those gentlemen that believes that modesty is marvelous. That self-respect is sexy and chastity is an incredible way of saying "I love my future husband/wife, and respect everyone else's, so out of respect for you, I'm not going to give myself or take away from anyone."

The problem, I'd say, is two fold:

First, I'll talk about men:

We guys are wired into our eyes, what we see. What these girls are showing, is only part of what guys are longing for, because everything is deeper than the surface. Sorry if I'm not making sense, I just woke up. Anyway... those things are very very tempting when they are presented and many guys just don't have the self-control to look away, or to respect the ladies... to any guys reading this, wondering why it might not be okay for us to look at the ladies and admire God's captivating creations...it's not that it's NOT okay, it's that we were not created to look at EVERYONE. Let me put it another way... your future wife is out there somewhere, maybe not in the city you live in, but she's out there somewhere, right? Right. (Unless you're gonna be a priest or religious or are called to be single.) Anyway, your future wife is very beautiful, the most beautiful woman you've ever seen (she was made perfect only for you, so of course she is, and I'm not talking supermodel looks, I'm talking the whole package beginning with the fact that she should be like your best friend...personality, morals, etc.). But here's where the problem is: some other guy starts to notice her. Sure, you're going to be married to her, but right now, she's not yours, and some other guy is checking out her body, her body that he is starting to lust after (which is a sin) and that he just might go after, and who knows where it goes from there, any number of directions. Doesn't feel too good, does it? If that's not a problem to you, just imagine what it would be like, if they were sitting right next to you, and you were married to her, and you looked over at him and he was checkin' her out right in front of you saying "dang girl... look at you." I think I've proven my point.

Fellas, pray for custody of the eyes. That's very important, so that you've got full control. It'll save you a lot of discomfort later in life, and you'll have a happier marriage.

Okay, now, for the ladies:

Do dress modestly, and don't take the "latest fashions" and say "well, these new 6-inch wide skirts are all they've got" because that sure is NOT all that they've got. You've just gotta learn to shop a little better. I guarantee that modest clothes for girls are available in stores, because I see modestly dressed girls all the time at my youth group things that I help out with, as well as with my awesome church friends. Sure, you may not get to shop at the pricey stores at the mall or whatever. Who bloody cares, you're respecting yourself, your body, and every guy that walks by. You're also showing respect and love for your future husband, who by right is the only man that should see what you're showing the world.

At the root of this problem, is that females are wired into their ears. The like what they hear and want to be told nice things about themselves and how they look and all of that. So they'll do what it takes to get to hear those things, because it makes them feel valid, or noticed, or loved.. and for some, if they aren't receiving that kind of attention, then something must be wrong. But I'm telling ya, there's nothing wrong with you. All females should be Princesses of God. And that, more than anything else, will not only bring around the right attention, but also the sort of attention that will love you when you're not as physically attractive, and will be with you to grow old together, and you will still be more beautiful to him than anything.

Protesting and petitioning the stores you shop at to get better, more modest clothes, does work, as a group of girls got something like 500 signatures from girls all over their city about one store's prom dresses, and that store asked those girls to be in charge of their incoming clothes for women. You do have the power to change things.

In closing:
It's both ways, but the change has gotta start somewhere.

For more information, Read this editorial... it's letters that I was a part of the creation of back in 2001 about modesty.

About My Friends Part 2

I've gone through all the people. Was that ever hard! Thanks to all those that took part and best of luck to you! I'm officially done with this! Wooooo! No more.

Here's the corresponding questions for the answers below:

1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
4. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
5. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
6. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
7. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.

Rowan:

1. You've got an awesome taste in movies and stuff.. Rock on!
2. Definitely Lord of the Rings, whenever I look at my Trilogy Tuesday pass!
3. Wow... um.. HI! lol... I don't know if I can think of anything that would.
4. That's tough, because I've had limited times when I've met you, and all of them I've been impressed with your eagerness to learn and just how courteous you are with everyone.
5. Toughy... probably an owl though because you seem rather intelligent.
6. Are you planning on writing a book at some point?

Mary:

1. You're a great friend, with awesome morals, and even though you don't know where you want to go as far as a career, you're not afraid to try things out until you get there.
2. Anything by the Beatles. Take pride in that!
3. You're Average hating. haha
4. When I told you about the Eucharist in Rick's basement.
5. Some type of Marsupial, I think.. I don't know, I don't even know what a Marsupial is at the moment.
6. Why do you have to eat all the time, really?

Jenny:

1. You're a basketball star, a movie queen, and an all around nice girl.
2. I'm going to have to say, any movie that I go to at Celebration, because I'm like "Jenny works here!"
3. I dunno, that's a good question, maybe you'll have something when YOU do this for ME! HAHAHAH
4. First time I met you at Antioch in Caledonia, I seem to remember just thinking "oh, she's another Richards, probably as nice as they are, too! Awesome!"
5. A basketball playin' rabbit or something. Because you're fast and stuff. I got nothin'
6. What is it that makes Jenny Richards tick?

Courtney:

1. You're an awesome friend, a person of character and logically grounded but illogically random at times.
2. Probably Garden State at the moment, but also when I listen to my Ipod, I think "Courtney probably has this song, too!"
3. "Do you know what [insert name here]'s going on about?"
4. Wow, this is a hard one. I can't seem to remember any specific time. I just remember that over time we just started talking more and more.
5. A Dragon! I don't think it's based on looks or anything, but I am reminded of them. Maybe it's your old screen name or something like it.
(Here's the picture I tried to put in my comment but didn't show up, and yes, I did draw that:)

6. Where did the fascination with Tim Burton's crazy ideas and things come from?

Nicole:

1. You are a crazy ninja, an intelligent person and a fun member of a retreat team.
2. Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting or RealUltimatePower's theme music.
3. Is there anything that would make sense ONLY to you and me?
4. When you ran into Antioch and were louder than I am. Wow, I thought, she's louder than I am.
5. A lion.. or a bear.. I don't know, maybe a WALKING STICK BUG, because they can disappear into trees like ninjas.
6. What is so fascinating about Ninjas? Is it because of Samurai Jack?

Sarah D.:

1. You're a silly goose, a caring person and a good listener.
2. I don't know if I can answer this one.. it's not that there aren't any, it's that I haven't found it yet. Darn!
3. oh boy, there she is... umm... you're insane.
4. Sliding down the snowy streets during caroling.
5. A mouse I think.. don't ask me why, but that's the answer.
6. Are you enjoying your time at Subway? (and is it really fresh stuff that they use?)

Justine:

1. You've always impressed me with your confidence in your singing abilities, which are excellent. And you've got very clear eyes that are very emotive.
2. Robin Hood: Men in Tights. "Oh Lord, if I could have but my one true love..."
3. Presenting PAGES: The MUSICAL... a new musical comedy based on the hit songs "That doesn't go there!" and "Get back to work!"
4. Definitely working in the A/V rooms for hours and hours and the utter boredom that followed when one of us wasn't in the room.
5. A turtle.. no.. a dove.. no a turtle dove. What's a turtle dove and why did I pick that? The world may never know.
6. Why, after all these years, do you still work at the library? Nevermind...I worked there for at least as long as you have. How about this one: What is your all time favorite memory of when we worked together at the library and do you remember the specifics?

Jaci Mae:

1. You're an amazing woman of God, an inspiration to your friends, and stronger than you realize.
2. Anything from Steubenville... (amen...Amen...AMEN!)
3. This is my wife.
4. At Steubenville, when you were talking to Doug about the infinite love of God.
5. This is a tough one, but I'm going to have to say a puppy or a bunny.
6. What is it that makes Jaci Mae so very cool?

Simone:

1. You're a punk-rawk princess with a fun taste in music I've never heard of and a style like no other, except for most of the people at Blues on the Mall in Grand Rapids every summer. :D
2. Anything by Green Day. But also The Hives.. I don't know why, because I couldn't name a song of theirs if I wanted to..
3. I don't trust you either. (Regarding the tickling)
4. When I first talked to you for a few hours at Rick's. I'm not sure of the order of events but that was the first time I got to know you very well and I was like "dang, she's pretty cool."
5. A cat. I don't know why.. but something like.... hello kitty...
6. How did you learn to do all those awesome things with your hair? Would you punk rock out my hair? lol

Sarah H.:

1. You are a cross-dressing (King Arthur) crazy person with a crazy way of watching stuff like Pocahontas and Mulan when there's stuff like Beauty and the Beast to be watched.
2. Pocahontas now. geez.
3. *Makes a face*
4. When you were on the retreat and I started to make faces at you, and you laughed at them and then started making faces back.
5. Some kinda bird thing. I never promised that these answers would be normal-ish.
6. Do you play World of Warcraft often?

Paula:

1. You're a smooth operator, a Hermione lookalike and a Child of God. Put them together and you've almost got a weird 90s hybrid of the 80s.
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Sorcerer's Goblet of Azkaban's Chamber of the Pheonix
3. Random! um.. this one's hard :(
4. When I first met you and you looked like Hermione and one of the first things I learned about you was "YOU LOVE HARRY POTTER AND ARE GOING TO THE PREMIERE IN NEW YORK!"
5. I'm going to say a Koala Bear. I don't know why, maybe it's because of a cartoon that I used to watch that had Koala's in it.
6. How do you keep your hair so curly and nice?

About My Friends Part 1

Okay, My friend Justine just did this, and did a phenomenal job of it, too. I couldn't believe it, but wow, that was awesome. Now I'm obligated to do this myself..so in response to what she said:

1. Your cousin is Brian Martin, whom I know!
Yes indeed! That's awesome! I didn't know that you knew him.

2. The Fhwqugtsn Everybody to the Limit song...
Strong Bad Rules!

3. Pages: The Musical
Wow! And won't that be a fun musical to create.. someday... someday...*dreams*

4. Hm...How bout the two of us making up songs in the CD room?
Holy cow! I can't believe it! We certainly did do that! That's so funny! Those were some good times! I wish I could remember the songs.

5. I think a cartoon cat like from Heathcliff or something
Wow.... I remember Heathcliff... I don't know whether to be honored or disgusted. haha

6. When do I get my share of your wealth??
When I finally make my movie.

7. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.

Here goes:

Leave your name and...
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
4. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
5. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
6. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
7. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.

Concerts and Dates

Thursday: I went to the Chris Tomlin / Matt Redman concert. Beth, Scott and I had our picture taken by someone before the show, and during the concert, they showed a ton of pictures they had taken, and ours appeared. It was awesome! What a great picture, too. It's too bad they delete the pictures after the show.

Friday: Went to Subway with Courtney and Mary. They were playing country music and I mentioned that I don't really listen to country music, ever. And Mary said that she can barely stand it, or something of that nature. Anyway, there was a lull in the conversation, and suddenly I noticed Mary was swaying back and forth very slightly. And when I looked at her, she stopped and had this big smile on her face. I leaned over and "whispered" to Courtney: "Mary just realized she was dancing to country music." Mary started laughing so hard she left the room.

We played some tennis and went went to Rick's for the Cornhole tournament and Movie night. Courtney, Mary and I built a fire in the backyard, and the movie for the night was Tommy Boy.

Saturday: Adoration, Mass and Confession at St. Francis de Sales, followed by an evening at Topo's and watching Garden State and some of The Office.

Dwight:"Let me describe the perfect date: I take her out to a nice dinner. She looks amazing. Some guy tries to hit on her..eh.. Now he wants to fight. So I grab him, I throw him into a jukebox. Then the other ninja's got a knife. He comes at me, we grapple, I turn his knife on him, blood on the dancefloor. She's scared now, I take her home, I'm holding her in my arms. I reach in for a kiss, I hear something in the leaves..I flip her around, she gets a poison arrow right in her back. She was in on it the whole time..but I knew."
Listen to Dwight tell it!

Sunday: Went to Antioch, the talks were pretty amazing. It'll be great to see how Joe's and Pat's both come together on the retreat. Kari's was outstanding, as were Paula's and Ashley's the week before. I'm looking forward to all the rest as well.