Indiana Hess

I just finished watching "National Treasure." I wasn't even planning on ever seeing this movie, but one of the guys I work with told me that there was a guy in it that reminded him of me. Of course, it turned out to be the awkward, annoying, comic-relief guy. But despite this slightly disheartening discovery, I really enjoyed the film. Nicolas Cage's acting aside.

For anyone who has been living underneath a rock, in a cave, on Mars for the past few months, the movie is a about a supposed secret treasure hidden by the founding fathers, most of whom were known to be members of the Freemasons. Nicolas Cage belongs to a long line of failed treasure hunters who dedicated their lives to finding the treasure. He's the one who starts bringing all the clues together, with the biggest piece of the puzzle a map hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. It can only be read with Ben Franklin super x-ray glasses. Very high tech.

SPOILER ALERT!!! WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT!! I'm about to give away some of the movie. Though it's out on video, so I consider it fair game. They trace the horde to a catacomb-like area in the bottom of...a church? Hmm? That sound familiar? What, like a certain earlier intrepid adventurer whose father also happened to be a treasure hunter? Yes, they did rip off Indiana Jones a bit. But I think it all was worth the copy-cating, for the dramatic unveiling of the treasure at the end was incredible.

I think why I'm so fascinated by that part of the movie is because I always wanted to be an explorer/treasure hunter. To be in a place that no one has entered in hundreds, maybe thousands of years...I just think to experience that would be like nothing else on this planet. You know, as far as occupations go. Or maybe I just want to swing around on a whip, beat up Nazis, and get the beautif-um...slightly better than ugly looking girl. What was with that, anyway? Were they completely out of attractive actresses? Sheesh, you'd think that Indy would have had better taste. I guess with a life on the run, you've settle for what you can get.

I think that if there was any place I could imagine that I could find, I would want to find an old stone tomb where one of the Apostles was buried. It would be filled with ancient embalming tools and ancient copies of the Old Testament...maybe a few original copies of the letters that were later compiled for the New Testament. To get a glimpse into the life and death of one of the twelve who walked with Christ...sounds amazing.

I know there is a tomb just outside Jerusalem that they believe is Christ's tomb. It's a huge tourist attraction. I would never want to see it. With all the hype all around it, saint medallions and whatnot...it'd be upsetting to say the least. I really don't think that Jesus really would have thought it was that big of a deal, either. It's not about where He was laid after He died, it's about the resurrection! His triumph over death, and the fulfillment of the prophesy foretelling the Christ. We're so fixated on the tangible things that sometimes we forget what really matters. All of us have "treasures" that can take us away from our pursuit of the Lord. Whether it's sports, the computer, TV, drugs, money, Inca gold, whatever, we allow these things to infiltrate our minds until they're all we search for.

Treasure hunting, while exciting, should take a back seat in our lives to the greatest goal of all: seeking God with all our heart, mind, and soul. The joys of discovering Him blow away any human relics, and certainly hold more meaning and relevance. We need to make sure that we're not caught up in the things of this world, wrapped up in the trappings of this fleeting life. We'll be done here before we know it, and the only treasure that will matter will be the ones that we've stored up in Heaven.

MAT 6:20
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal..."

While the good deeds we do here on Earth with earn us glory in the next life, the joy of serving He Who Serves should be the treasure we all seek.

God bless
-Matthew

Or Else They'll Stop Coming!!

I told Scott that I would post again, because he told me that you all would stop coming here to check if I didn't put something up soon. Was he right? Am I simply writing to myself? That's fine if I am, I often crack myself up.

I am a huge geek. I have been for my entire life. I think that even as a baby, as much as a baby can be a geek. I used to get picked on when I was in elementary and middle school. I spent a lot of time by myself reading and imagining things. I guess that's where my huge fascination with fantasy/science fiction stuff comes from.

I remember the first adult fantasy book I ever read. My older brother Todd, in a rare display of generosity, gave me his copy of the Dragonlance Chronicles. That book became, and remains to this day, my favorite trilogy of all time. You know, second to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then came the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and countless others. Not that I only read that stuff, I read pretty much everything. (Interesting note: read (reed) and read (red; past tense) are the exact same word. Spooky.) I still love that stuff today.

Case in point, I'm currently building an army. It's for a science fiction strategy miniatures game called Warhammer 40,000. You buy these models to represent your army, put them together, paint them, and then go and play with a bunch of other geeks to prove your geeky superiority. And I love it. I must have already spent at least 40 hours working on these guys. Some of them look pretty excellent; unfortunately my digital camera sucks at close-ups so you'll have to come to California to check them out. Or buy me a better camera. BUY ME A BETTER CAMERA!!

There really isn't any point to all this. I just wanted to let everyone know what I've been doing, and, in case they've forgotten during the time we've been apart, that I'm an enormous geek. And proud of it. I know you love me for it, so I'll keep at it. And now, a joke:

"What's funnier than a zombie baby?

A zombie baby dressed as Dan Rather."

PSA 139: 8-10
"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."

I am coming closer every day to being satisfied with my life not with people, but simply reveling in the company of my God. He's so good to me.

-Matthew