Month / November 2006

by Matt

“The Warrior Code” from Ronin

This is one of my favorite movie scenes ever. Jean-Pierre nails it with his comment on the warrior ethic and the masculine need to sacrificially serve a higher master.

Michael Lonsdale plays Jean-Pierre, a solitary, sagacious retiree who spends his evenings painstakingly painting and assembling a model reconstruction of the legendary battle of the 47 ronin.

Sam, played by Robert DeNiro, is a CIA operative now entangled in a high level scheme to recover a case and its mysterious contents. Sam is recovering from a bullet wound in Jean-Pierre’s home when he comes upon Jean-Pierre at work in his hobby room.

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by Matt

Chaplaincy Challenges: Early Thoughts

Last month I had my first full day of visitations at Vancouver General Hospital as part of a chaplaincy internship I am enrolled in. The program will last until the end of next April and requires one 8 hour day of rotations at the hospital along with an 8 hour teaching day each week.

I’ve been looking forward to this experience for some time now, not only for the value of gaining skills and experience in walking with folks who are grieving loss of health or life, but also because Continue reading →