Remembering Brian Brickner

I had another post in the works, but after the recent and tragic passing of Brian Brickner, I felt moved and compelled to do this post instead.

For those who haven't been following my blog, or have missed some posts, 2014 has been a little rougher on me than usual. Ignoring all my school issues, Mr. B. is the 5th person in my life who has passed this year and the third under the age of 55. A week ago I received a message that threw me for a loop because I thought someone else I knew (who is around Mr. B's age) had passed, but it turned out to be that person's father who was 96 years old. I felt relief that it wasn't someone I knew well who played a small part in my growing up in the church, but still a loss of life is still hard to take. Just as I was getting my bearings straight, I got the news that Mr. B. had passed in a car accident. Let's just say my emotions have been like a roller coaster and I can't even begin to imagine what his wife and kids are going through. Before I get any sadder, I want to remember a man who even though I only knew for four years, had a profound impact on many lives including mine. Kenny Chesney once said "I think we all have somebody in our life that dies young, and it's hard to figure out why, and that can make such an impact that no matter how busy you are and what you're doing in life, it can stop you in your life and change you."

I first met his oldest daughter about seven years ago at a young people's event and saw this young christian full of life and full of Christ. I met her older brother a few years later and then her younger sister a year after that. Each one holds a place in my heart and life and I'm proud to call all three of them friends and even family in Christ. Knowing Mr. B's kids really made me want to meet the man who produced three wonderful children, now lovely adults. I finally got the privilege in the fall of 2010. We were hosting a young people's event by taking the kids paint balling. Mr. B. came with the group from Mansfield and I thought that he was there to drive the kids. Little did I know that this almost 50 something was going to be out on the field shooting and getting shot with paint. For those who haven't played paintball, it requires energy and a certain level of pain endurance because paint balls sting. During the last battle, it was a free for all/every man/woman for themselves. I made an early alliance and used that alliance to pick off three people. Then, I went lone wolf and crept around a corner. As I peered around it, I saw Mr. B. trying to camouflage himself. Being in the heat of the battle, I started firing and didn't stop until I saw his hands come up (which in reality was four shots) and two got him. Later I felt bad and went to apologize for being aggressive. He just laughed said don't worry about it and we introduced ourselves, talked and joked for awhile, before heading back to our respective cities.

As the years rolled on, I saw him on and off at a few church events, but didn't really have any interactions again until July of 2013. His daughter Sarah was hosting a birthday party for her then fiance and now husband Paul at her parent's house in Lexington. Mr. B. was more than happy to open his home to a bunch of college and graduated kids as well as take a handful of us out on his pontoon boat. I believe one of his greatest joys was making others happy and feel welcome. At one point during the event, he asked for some help to carry a grill across the neighborhood because theirs wasn't working. He cracked a few jokes about four strange men "stealing" a grill, but the neighbors knew we were borrowing it. Being a fisherman myself, I was also able to swap some stories with him about our passion.

One of the last times I saw him, was my most memorable of all. He was with us when we went camping for Paul's bachelor party. On our first night, while we were hungry and waiting for the food to arrive, he grabbed his fishing pole, went straight to the creek, and began hauling in little pan-fish to immediately put on the fire. He was hauling them out faster than we could cook them. Throughout the weekend, he was telling us everything about Mohican Park, sharing stories of past trips, and even took us on a nature hike to some of the most spectacular views the place had to offer. I had the opportunity to talk with him a little about life, fishing, his future son-in-law and how he wouldn't allow Paul to call him "Dad" until he officially married his daughter, and so much more.

By the end of the trip, before we all left, he brought us all in a circle to pray for each other, the time we shared, and our lives going forward. He then wanted to acquire everyone's contact info to get the gang back together in the near future.

I saw him three more times after that and each time was as special as the first. He was filled with joy pride, and mirth at his daughter's wedding, he personally thanked me at the labor day conference for writing about Paul and Sarah's wedding and told me I had talent, and he was all smiles and upbeat working at Ashland woods three weeks ago after hours of hard manual labor. That was the last time I saw him.

Even though I knew him for a mere four years, his life impacted mine more than he'll ever know. Just looking at him was an inspiration in its own right. Mr. B. was a man who by my standards had everything he ever wanted. He had a loving wife and three amazing kids, a heart fully for Christ, a life where he embraced the joys more than the pain, a life that impacted so many around him, and took each day as it came, refusing to miss out on the pleasures that came with it.

For me, I want to strive to reach this standard. Sure, I really want to get married, have kids, grandkids, and die in old age. But that's not up to me. That's up to the God who created me, who gave up everything for me, and would do it again and again, and again no matter how many times I would spurn him and walk away. To be able to say I lived for Christ, to have saved people from eternal death, to be someone, like Mr. B., who made an impact on the lives of those around me, would be enough to say I lived life to the fullest. I have zero doubt that the Lord will carry us all through this difficult time. For now the tears may come, but the joy will one day return, knowing Mr. B. lived a happy and full life and is now in the best place anyone could ever be; in the arms of our Savior.

Here's to Brian Brickner, husband, father, friend, uncle, brother, and so much more, and the Christ-filled life he lived, knowing that we will see him again one day. May the grace, mercy, and peace of the Lord be with you all.

Hollywood's Noah: A False Portrayal

Being a Christian and growing up knowing the classic stories of the Old Testament that every kid who went to Sunday school classes should know, naturally I wanted to watch Hollywood's take on Noah. Now I knew going into it that it wasn't going to be completely accurate and that Noah's character was going to be on the extreme side, but I was in for a shock at how much Hollywood skewed the story. As I sat there watching it, I cared less and less about how well the movie was made, how well the actors performed, or how well the dialogue was written. I became livid at just how wrong Hollywood was. With all that being said, I am going to spoil the heck out of it by pointing out all the inaccuracies and my thoughts on their portrayal. If you really want to waste your time like I did, stop reading now.

SPOILER ALERT: (Hollywood's take) 1. The whole movie is set at a much earlier setting than the Bible records. None of Noah's three sons have wives, Shem has a girlfriend, Ham is barely of age, and Japheth is just a young boy.
2. The Watchers (cursed angels that tried to "help" man) were enslaved by mankind and were convinced by Noah to help him build the ark.
3. Shem's girlfriend can't conceive and is miraculously healed by Methuselah.
4. Ham tries to take a young girl onto the ark, but she is abandoned by Noah and killed by an angry mob trying to kill Noah and his family.
5. The Watchers are "defeated" defending the ark and released back to heaven.
6. Noah's family makes it onto the ark and Noah shuts the door.
7. The leader of the mob successfully gets on the ark and is hidden and cared for by Ham.
8. The mob leader starts eating the animals to survive.
9. Noah looks at his situation, seeing that there are no wives for his sons and Shem's girlfriend is barren (he doesn't know she was healed yet) and believe's God spared them so they could die a natural death and that God really wanted mankind to ultimately end.
10. Noah finds out that Shem's girlfriend is pregnant and determines that if the baby is a girl, he will kill her so she can't become a wife for his sons.
11. Shem's girlfriend produces twin girls, which is exactly what's needed for Ham and Japheth to have a wife. Noah still wants to kill them.
12. Ham and the mob boss conspire to kill Noah (Ham wants revenge for the girl Noah abandoned). But as Noah and the mob boss struggle, Ham kills the mob boss.
13. Noah goes to kill the twins in their mother's arms, but drops the knife and walks away.
14. They include the drunken Noah scene. He is passed out in a cave and does not curse or bless anyone.

Biblical Truth: 1. When they enter the ark, all three sons have wives. Gen 7:7  "And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood."

2. There is no mention of Watchers anywhere in the Bible. The only thing that comes close are the Nephilim and there was no mention of them helping or being enslaved by man. This is all that the Bible says on them: Gen 6:4  "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown." This is a harder topic to understand, but the clear thing is there were no watchers.

3. Point one refutes this because Shem had a wife and there is no mention of her being injured or being healed by Methuselah.

4. Again point 1. Ham already had a wife and she was brought on the ark.

5. See point 2.

6. Noah did not close the door. Gen 7:16  "And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in."

7. No one other than the animals, Noah, and his family were on the ark. Gen 7:13  On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark." Gen 7:23  "He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark."

8. The Bible makes no mention of eating the animals, but rather to keep them alive.Gen 6:19  "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 

Gen 6:20  Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 

Gen 6:21  Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." 

9. This was the part that made me the most angry. Noah knew from the beginning that God was sparing him and his family to start over. If not, why save them? This was an awful Hollywood concoction. Gen 6:17  "For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 

Gen 6:18  But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. Gen 9:1  "And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." 

10. The Bible does not mention babies being born on the ark. And Noah was not a baby killer.

11. See point 10.

12. See note 7

13. If you want to compare this to God asking Abraham sacrificing Isaac, the difference is God told Abraham to do it and then stopped him. In the movie, Noah get's the revelation on his own and stops himself. I absolutely loathed this part of the story line.

14. They even slipped in the only sin mentioned about Noah and they couldn't even get that right. He had vineyard and passed out in a tent, not on a beach in a cave. Gen 9:20  "Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 

Gen 9:21  He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent." Also he didn't curse Canaan or bless his sons in the movie, but the Bible tells us that he did. "Gen 9:24  When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 

Gen 9:25  he said, "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers." 

Gen 9:26  He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 

Gen 9:27  May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant." 

So there you have it. Now you know why I hated it. But in all of it's flaws and garbage, there is a blooming flower. It may get Christians to dust off the Bible to find the flaws on their own by causing them to read it. It also may make unbelievers curious and cause them to read the Bible as well. 

Verdict: If you know the story of Noah inside out, don't watch the movie. It's a waste of your time.

If you are going to read the Bible to find the flaws on your own, then by all means watch it.

If you want to watch it for fun...well, with all the inaccuracies aside, the movie wasn't well done in terms of filming, dialogue, etc. So it's your loss if you chose to watch it.