S1E7 "This Is Your Boss"

     I once attempted to inform a little girl that she was a slave. She emphatically told me that indeed she was not! In her mind, the word "slave" conjured an image of days past - of bondage, inequality, the loss of individuality and humanity! What kind of Sunday School teacher was I to insinuate something so horrible!? However, I was not referencing an antebellum form of mastery! I was referring to a bondage that is irrelevant of nationality, age, well-being, affluence, place or time. This bondage is to sin.

"Is a slave a slave...?"

     The Editor in the episode "The Long Game" raises the hypothetical question, "is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" The Doctor unblinkingly replies with, "Yes!" Well then, reader, allow me to inform you that you are a slave! Whether you know it or not. That little girl was wrong. She was (is) a slave! We are born under the bondage of sin. And just like all of those people at Station 5, this horrible thing "is your boss, this has always been your boss - since the day you were born." Romans 6 puts it this way: "you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin which leads to death or of obedience [to God] which leads to righteousness." 

"This has always been your boss!"

     So we have two choices: slaves to sin - which we are born to - or slaves to God. One way leads to death the other to life abundant and life eternal! It's an obvious choice! Than why have so many chosen death? "There is a way that seem right...but its end is the way of death."Proverbs 16:25  For the same reason that Cathica believed that Floor 500's walls were made of gold and that a promotion was a good thing - ignorance. The Doctor hit it square on the nose when he said that a whole generation of "the human race had been bred that didn't bother to ask questions" - "the right kind of questions!" The Editor called humanity cattle; the Bible calls us sheep. Both are stupid and easily led astray!  Hosea says "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of God]." I could say the same thing!

     Is it time you started asking the right kind of questions? To whom (or what) are you bound? What is your end?  What is Truth? Where is Life? (I'll give you a clue - the Bible has all the answers!) This generation has more information -total- at their literal fingertips than has previously existed for the last 5,000 years! Yet the ignorance persists! Break free!
"Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, ...If the Son sets you free than you are free indeed!" John 8:34

S1E6 "Contaminated"

    What an assortment of thoughts and emotions in this episode - sympathy, empathy, mercy, hate, fear, love, obsession, conceit, disgust...! As a girl who routinely takes the Doctor's "side," I cannot help but despise the Dalek initially. After all, through the years I've seen the desolation that its kind are capable of and the pain they've caused the Doctor over the loss of his people. However, there are moments that give me pause to consider the worth of a Dalek - really, the worth of any life. Is it worthless because it's a Dalek and incapable of feeling and only of destruction. Or is it of worth - of more worth than 200 human lives - because it's the only one in the universe? Is it worth showing kindness to? Is it worth risking your life for? Is it worth giving a second chance?

The Dalek

     According to Rose, yes: yes, it is worth giving a second chance. Change is possible - if only briefly.
However, how many of us would have chosen the Doctor's response to kill it? Or would we have chosen Jesus's response to "love our enemies", to be "kind to the ungrateful and the evil"? Rose chose the higher moral ground in this episode (as she almost always does!) and lived out Proverbs 21:21, "whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honour." If not for her kindness and mercy she would have died. Yet, the Dalek died having met one human who was not afraid: not afraid to show kindness, to show sympathy, to set aside personal well being for the sake of another. That's our Rose! :) And that ought to be us! Indeed Jesus commanded it and Paul restates it: "repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all"(Romans 12:17). It may seem impossible in life to show love and abandon fear when we're staring down the eye of a hypothetical Dalek, but "God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love..." (2 Timothy 1:7). We may not change the world with our simple acts, but we may change the lives of those around us. Exhibit A - the Doctor! He'd be a lost cause without the humanity and simplicity of Rose. Let her inspire you!

"Are you afraid?" "No."

S1E4&5 Seemingly Insignificant

     I promised myself when I began this journey of a blog that I *would be faithful, that I *would write weekly, and I *wouldn't be trite. Well, I've failed at the first 2 and am about to fail at the last. These two episodes - "Aliens of London" & "World War Three" - I find absolutely awful! I found myself having minor flashbacks to the time I attempted to read "Twilight" and had to make myself finish it. Of course that is a heretical thing to say - comparing the most poorly written, shallow, and smutty book to the greatest Sci-fi show in history. But there you have it. I cannot abide the Slitheen: their melodrama and farts - "if you'll pardon the word" - are just too much!

     However, I do have these episodes to thank for introducing one of my favourite characters: Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. I love her spunk and her commitment to protocol. I love her impulsive self-sacrificing acts and her natural leadership skills. She just makes me smile! 

Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North

    So, after two hours of agony (actually 4, because I watched "World War Three" 3 times in a row), the only "deep" thought I had was the seemingly insignificant. At the end of the day, who was it that saved the world? The "life-long back-bencher" and "the idiot"! How many people around us - people we live with, work with, attend church or school with, or just people we pass routinely on the street - do we deem insignificant. In our own conceited eyes they are nothing. But only God knows how important they are to His plan. Or maybe you see yourself as the stupid one. Well, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And God wants to give you a hope AND a purpose! "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise." I mean, His handpicked group of disciples weren't exactly an A team! But look how they changed the world! 

So a) don't be so hard on yourself when you feel like a loser, and b) don't be so hard on the "losers" around you - they may surprise you! 

Ricky (Mickey) the Idiot

     And there you have it. You've waited a long time...for nothing! :) O but wait. Nothing = important...so BOOM! This is the most important thing you'll read all day! 

S1E3 "The *Real World Is Something Else"

     First of all I must apologize for the lapse in entries: I had some deep computer issues that - praise the Lord -  were eventually solved and resolved without expense (thank you, DIY YouTube videos!). SO, I'm back. Of course in the meantime, I've been enthusiastically watching the latest episodes featuring our new Doctor, Peter Capaldi. I have to say, that so far I like him very much: very much indeed. I find (maybe it's just me) that he has many Tennant mannerisms - could be the Scottish...?! Anyways, we'll get to those episodes *eventually, but for now, let's travel back to Christmas Eve, 1869, Cardiff, Wales.

December 24, 1869

     Dickens! Charles Dickens! Admittedly, the possibilities brought forth in this episode - the wonder of meeting the world's greatest authors - had me hook, line, & sinker! If you don't know, I'm a bit of a nerd. Just a bit. But on the flip side, I'm not into ghosts. or haunts. or zombies. or seances. (especially seances). As a Christian who believes every word of the Bible (in which such practices are forbidden), I have no place for such stuff & nonsense! However, I was intrigued by the Doctor's interpretation of talking to people from the other side - "other side of the Universe." Okay, for the sake of the show, let's go with it. After all, they weren't talking to the dead: these things were alive...just without a body.
     Putting all that aside, Mr. Dickens's monologue struck me as profound. Routing around the funeral parlour for strings and whatnot, for proof, evidence of a hoax, He finally had to pause and ponder: was he mistaken? "Can it be that I have the world entirely wrong? [...]The real world is something else. [...] I dedicated myself to [...] the great social causes. I hoped that I was a force for good. Now you tell me that the real world is a realm of specters and jack-o-lanterns. In which case, have I wasted my brief span here, Doctor? Has it all been for nothing?" What a place to find one's self. To question everything you ever assumed true. This great and learned man had spent his life uncovering frauds of society. Through his literature and life he aspired to unveil lies, to challenge the status quo, to question the self-righteous. Yet he found himself at a loss. All this time, had the wool been pulled over his own eyes? Was he truly the blinded man?

"Has it all been for nothing?"

     He isn't the only man in history who through his life-long quest for truth discovered the greatest Truth of all. Many a skeptical person with the intent of unmasking Christianity has found instead that Christianity wasn't the myth at all but the reality that they had been searching for. Men like Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell who set about to disprove Christianity discovered through their thoroughly academic hunt that they'd had it all backwards: the invisible (but very evident) God was the truth and the fluctuating wisdom of man was in error! "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18) The things of God cannot be understood by man - they are but foolishness to him: they can be discerned only with the Spirit's help (2 Cor 2:14).
     Eventually Dickens came to a point of decision: would he believe what he could not explain or try to explain what he could not believe?  Would he go back home and attribute his hallucinations to a bit of undigested beef or would he accept that he had been wrong, that the real world really was something else, that he had a lot more to learn.

"...even for you, Doctor"

     Obviously he made the right decision and came to the correctly profound conclusion that "There are more things in Heaven and Earth than the dreamt of in your philosophy - even for you, Doctor."
What a big world! What a big God!"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." 

S1E2 "Everything has its time, and everything dies."

     When I first began watching Doctor Who several years ago, this second episode was the clincher. I was honestly not impressed with the first corny episode, and I nearly gave it up altogether: what a travesty that would have been! However, I continued, and I was struck by the depth and wonder of the show. I guess, like Rose, the TARDIS got inside my head! The mystery of time, the enormity of eternity, the magnitude of the universe,  and the preciousness of Earth were all themes and realities that challenged my shallow, self-absorbed, and very safe ideas. My view of God (the most important thing about me, according to A. W. Tozer) was small because I had no appreciation for the wonderful, expansive Creation that I lived in and was part of! And when one sees what a tiny piece this planet is of the universe one can't help but marvel at the role its Creator chose to play upon it. And when one sees what a tiny bit of time one has upon said planet, the desire to make every moment count for eternity becomes consuming!

"The End of the World"

     This episode, "The End of the World," in particular develops the theme of everything having it's time that I found startling. I remember reveling at Rose's phone-call to her mother. I don't know why that brief conversation resonated so with me, but I think I realized at the same moment as Rose that life is short:"that was 5 billion years ago: she's dead now." 

"All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass." 1 Peter 1:24

"5 billion years later, my mum's dead."

"O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold You have made my days a few hand breaths and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow!"Psalm 39:4-6

"Hello, Mum."

     The idea of everything having an end continues in the Doctor's conversations and ethics. He says he's not there to save the Earth because "its time is up." He alludes to his planet, Gallifrey, as having been destroyed "before its time." He refuses to moisturize Cassandra because "everything has its time; everything dies." He sounds a great deal like King Solomon with his human wisdom in Ecclesiastes: 

 "Vanity, vanity [...] what does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes. [...] For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die."

The author of Hebrews says much the same but with a startling reality: "It is appointed for man to die once and after that the judgment."

      In summary, life is short! In less than 5 billion years you'll be dead - that's a guarantee! 

Then what? Are you prepared for the judgment? 

And for the time that remains...: "Who knows whether you have not come [...] for such a time as this?"  Esther 4:14

S1E1 "Eat chips, go about, and watch telly"

     What person doesn't dream of adventure in a blue box? Doesn't imagine the wonder of flying through time and space with the last of the Time Lords? Doesn't long to hear those four most brilliant words, "Hello, I'm the Doctor" (followed closely by "RUN!")? If you can't relate, there's something wrong with you! Or you've never watched the show which is an even greater crisis (read on at your own risk, but beware: SPOILERS!). Unfortunately, reality tells me I'll be waiting a long time for that iconic engine revving noise to come from my street! But, that doesn't mean that my life is "filled with work, food, and sleep." I've signed up for the greatest adventure offered to mankind. My Saviour didn't say, "RUN!" But He did say, "Follow me!" with no questions asked. When asked, "is it always this dangerous?"  He responded with, "In the world you will have tribulation, but behold, I have overcome the world!"

The 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) & Rose (Billie Piper)

     Today as I re-watched the first episode of the new series, I was struck again by something the Doctor said that is resoundingly true:"You lot, all you do is eat chips, go about, and watch telly, while all the time underneath you there's a war going on!"  The apostle Paul says basically the same thing (minus the fried potatoes) in Ephesians 6:11-12. "Put on the whole armour of God [...] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."  All the time, all around us, there's a war going on - of which we're typically oblivious! We eat chips (or "fries" if you prefer), go about (chase the American dream), and watch telly ("TV"), all the while there are life and soul-threatening battles - wrestling matches - waging. How can people say the Christian life is boring?! My mum always said that boring equaled selfish! How true. If life is boring you, it's because you're focused on yourself! You're not engaged in the cosmic battle of light and darkness, the ever intense war for souls. It's because you haven't donned the whole armour of God in preparation for a fight against the Devil who's roaring and roaming! It takes little to no imagination to equate (exceed actually) the thrilling tales of Doctor Who. We may not have 50+ years of air-time, but we have the eternal God who is I AM - the beginning and the end!  And the best part? He's already won the war!
     We all like to feel like we're a part of something bigger - like our life matters! Why do you think Rose jumped into an old phone box with a nutter?! Hello! Stranger Danger! It's because she couldn't bear to go back to a life of routine, a life of eating, sleeping, and work! She wanted a life of adventure and danger! A life of purpose. Don't we all - deep down? Well, that's what Jesus offers. So, will you join those who, by faith, lead a life of adventure: "conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection." And danger: "Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in caves of the earth." (Hebrews 11:33-38)? Or will you go back to the shop, back to your dead-beat boyfriend, back to sipping tea and watching telly? Your call.
    "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go... Anywhere!"

Not Another Fan-Girl Blog!

     For those of you who know me or follow me, you know that I already struggle with maintaining my "real" blog. So why another? And for those of you who are wondering if I've gone off the deep end of fandom and are concerned for my soul, don't worry: I've not *completely lost my mind. It's just that after watching (and re-watching) 9 seasons + of the longest running science-fiction television series in history, I found myself making connections, imagining the unimaginable, and thinking outside the box (and not just the blue one that's bigger on the inside). My omniscient and omnipresent God somehow seemed bigger when I realized the depth of space and the unfathomable concept of time. My LORD - who created the entire universe - grew inconceivably loving for his actions in saving humanity - aka dust - through his death and resurrection! The difficult to perceive or imagine in the Word - most of Revelation and bits of Daniel & Ezekiel for example - became that much easier to grasp having seen Oods, Reapers, Silents, & a Racnoss. 
     My hopes and purpose for this journey of a blog  are not to make corny analogies or blasphemous comparisons. I don't want you the reader to become a bigger fan of the show, but I want you to become a bigger fan of my God! It isn't possible to make too much of Him. It isn't possible to over exclaim His greatness. So, I hope, as I systematically work my way (slowly no doubt) through the many available episodes of Doctor Who, that a) I'll make sense, b) I'll challenge you to think bigger, c) I'll change the way you watch television shows for the rest of your life, and most importantly d) I'll glorify my God!
     However, don't look for sermons (just ask my youth group about those 2 attempts...), or poetically and perfectly composed epics; you'll more than likely be finding raw responses, transparent thoughts, and incomplete imaginings. But now that you know... You won't be disappointed! :) Not to say some of my points won't preach! :) Okay, well, Allons-y!