"SPOILER ALERT!" If you have not seen the Lost series finale and intend sometime in the near future to do so, I'd suggest taking a look at some of our previous blog entries. Those who are fans of Lost know that being unspoiled is the best way to watch the show. Now that I have given you fair warning...
Hello All,
Last night was an epic night of television viewing for me. It was the final episode of Lost, my favorite show. This show was epic, in terms of time. It felt like a genuine movie, aside from the numerous commercials that interrupted the action. At the end of the show, I sat alone, my wife having given up the ghost, and enjoyed the final dramatic ending of this stirring series.
The inevitable occurred, many fans found themselves confused or unsatisfied with the ending. That happens with everything that we love. It is rare in life to be able to engineer an end that satisfies all involved. The questions that we are all left with will always keep Lost alive in our minds and the potential for discussion and spirited "alternate realities" among the fans of this show will likely emerge.
For me, there is a much more personal set of reasons that I find myself endeared to this show. I began watching this show in the very home that I currently sit in. I watched the pilot and was riveted. During that first year, I was unable to watch consistently and just gave up because when I did get the chance to watch, ABC kept playing "The House Of The Rising Sun" (The first Sun and Jin episode, complete with Korean dialogue and English subtitles) over and over again! It was disappointing to not be able to progress with the show.
Then, I was about to move to Spain and figured that there would be no way to follow the show. This is when my trusty friend, Attila Juhas, shared some great news with me: iTunes would be carrying each episode the following day for 99 cents! I was stoked! But that meant that I was going to have to catch up with the whole first season and I was leaving just after the first show of season 2 had aired. Attila recorded it for me and I began watching the DVD's from season 1.
Here's the catch: I was in the middle of moving out of my house! I was literally watching Lost while I was feverishly packing clothes and moving furniture. At one point, I was so enthralled that I was driving to a from the dump, while watching an episode on my laptop WHILE DRIVING!!! Kids, don't try this in your car!
Little did I know that our family would move several more times in the course of the next 5 years of our life. In every place we went, "my constant" companion was this show. Whether it was Spain, the Lowry house, or Ladera Ranch, Lost was part of each season of time.
Fast forward to the end, and I am indebted to the show for such great storytelling and character development. I applaud the cinematography and the haunting soundscapes. I loved that and them (the characters) more than I cared about the elusive answers!
The actual finale event, called "The End" really left me with a few poignant thoughts. I do not and have never endorsed any spiritual or theological information that emanates from this program. The shows writers claim no Christian framework and while they borrow from biblical themes, it is only done so to serve their relativistic "spiritual" viewpoint.
The end of Lost is the discovery that the "Flash Sideways" was in fact the relativistic view of the afterlife. In the final season, each character awakened to the reality that they were in fact dead. The joy that they found was in rediscovering each other and in effect, moving on from their temporal nexus into enlightenment. This is not the official statement from the writers. It is simply my deduction of their intention. It may not be spot on, but I feel it's fairly close.
I don't think that I need to tell you how much I disagree with this spiritually. Our lives and the afterlife does not hinge upon what happens between me and a bunch of friends. That is not the defining moment of any person's life. What a person does with Jesus, how He or she answers the call of Christ, whether or not a person believes in, trusts in Christ for their salvation is the true hinge point! In the afterlife, men and women are either embraced in heaven by their Savior Jesus Christ, or continue their rejection of Him in hell. That is the biblical truth and the authoritative statement given to us from the Word of God.
Additionally, we know and are known in heaven. I won't be walking around trying to figure out whether I am alive or dead. I will be more alive then than I am now and each sense will be fully aware. I will knowingly enter the joy of heaven and the fullness of a relationship with Christ that will be a continuation of what I have experienced here on earth. Those who reject Christ will knowingly enter the torment of hell. I say these things to affirm that Lost, while a welcome diversion and a well produced drama, is no authority on things relating to the afterlife, nor are they claiming to be. Their world view is from a world that is anti-God, and anti-Christ. I did not expect anything else from them.
THAT BEING SAID, the writers told a story that remains moving and beautifully poetic, regarding our effect upon one another and how meaningful and wonderful that is. These survivors impacted each others lives in a profound way that changed their characters and maybe even affected their destiny.
I thought at the end of this of so many friends and epochs of time. I looked back and thought about "surviving" through major events and musical journeys that changed me and made me what I am today. For example, one of the best musical experiences of my life happened when I played for the Saturday Night Life worship band. That was the best music and the best fun as a drummer that I ever had. As a worship leader, I will never forget Brad San Nieves and the Packinghouse, which was a significant period of growth for me as a leader. My time on staff at the Packinghouse will also go down as a giant step in my progression as a Pastor. My time on staff at Kingsfield, produced a giant step in my development as a teacher. My time on staff in Jerez, albeit short and duty reduced, was a giant step for me as a Christian.
The end of Lost made me thankful for my friends that have made a tremendous impact upon my life. I will caution us all to look around today, as this may be the best time of each of our lives to date. Unlike Lost and more like Christ, I will say truthfully, that even though we leave our friends and have to move on, the adventure continues and He always brings new brothers and sisters, born from adversity, that fill out the adventure that lead us to Him.
The end of Lost reminds me that the relativistic, humanistic, "Coexist" viewpoint, can only look back and be as thankful as possible for what happens in that moment of time called the Past. Christ calls us ever forward, being thankful for our past, but just as hopeful and excited for our future together, and with Him.
"That's my crackpot theory and I'm sticking to it!"
Blessings... To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez
Hello All,
Last night was an epic night of television viewing for me. It was the final episode of Lost, my favorite show. This show was epic, in terms of time. It felt like a genuine movie, aside from the numerous commercials that interrupted the action. At the end of the show, I sat alone, my wife having given up the ghost, and enjoyed the final dramatic ending of this stirring series.
The inevitable occurred, many fans found themselves confused or unsatisfied with the ending. That happens with everything that we love. It is rare in life to be able to engineer an end that satisfies all involved. The questions that we are all left with will always keep Lost alive in our minds and the potential for discussion and spirited "alternate realities" among the fans of this show will likely emerge.
For me, there is a much more personal set of reasons that I find myself endeared to this show. I began watching this show in the very home that I currently sit in. I watched the pilot and was riveted. During that first year, I was unable to watch consistently and just gave up because when I did get the chance to watch, ABC kept playing "The House Of The Rising Sun" (The first Sun and Jin episode, complete with Korean dialogue and English subtitles) over and over again! It was disappointing to not be able to progress with the show.
Then, I was about to move to Spain and figured that there would be no way to follow the show. This is when my trusty friend, Attila Juhas, shared some great news with me: iTunes would be carrying each episode the following day for 99 cents! I was stoked! But that meant that I was going to have to catch up with the whole first season and I was leaving just after the first show of season 2 had aired. Attila recorded it for me and I began watching the DVD's from season 1.
Here's the catch: I was in the middle of moving out of my house! I was literally watching Lost while I was feverishly packing clothes and moving furniture. At one point, I was so enthralled that I was driving to a from the dump, while watching an episode on my laptop WHILE DRIVING!!! Kids, don't try this in your car!
Little did I know that our family would move several more times in the course of the next 5 years of our life. In every place we went, "my constant" companion was this show. Whether it was Spain, the Lowry house, or Ladera Ranch, Lost was part of each season of time.
Fast forward to the end, and I am indebted to the show for such great storytelling and character development. I applaud the cinematography and the haunting soundscapes. I loved that and them (the characters) more than I cared about the elusive answers!
The actual finale event, called "The End" really left me with a few poignant thoughts. I do not and have never endorsed any spiritual or theological information that emanates from this program. The shows writers claim no Christian framework and while they borrow from biblical themes, it is only done so to serve their relativistic "spiritual" viewpoint.
The end of Lost is the discovery that the "Flash Sideways" was in fact the relativistic view of the afterlife. In the final season, each character awakened to the reality that they were in fact dead. The joy that they found was in rediscovering each other and in effect, moving on from their temporal nexus into enlightenment. This is not the official statement from the writers. It is simply my deduction of their intention. It may not be spot on, but I feel it's fairly close.
I don't think that I need to tell you how much I disagree with this spiritually. Our lives and the afterlife does not hinge upon what happens between me and a bunch of friends. That is not the defining moment of any person's life. What a person does with Jesus, how He or she answers the call of Christ, whether or not a person believes in, trusts in Christ for their salvation is the true hinge point! In the afterlife, men and women are either embraced in heaven by their Savior Jesus Christ, or continue their rejection of Him in hell. That is the biblical truth and the authoritative statement given to us from the Word of God.
Additionally, we know and are known in heaven. I won't be walking around trying to figure out whether I am alive or dead. I will be more alive then than I am now and each sense will be fully aware. I will knowingly enter the joy of heaven and the fullness of a relationship with Christ that will be a continuation of what I have experienced here on earth. Those who reject Christ will knowingly enter the torment of hell. I say these things to affirm that Lost, while a welcome diversion and a well produced drama, is no authority on things relating to the afterlife, nor are they claiming to be. Their world view is from a world that is anti-God, and anti-Christ. I did not expect anything else from them.
THAT BEING SAID, the writers told a story that remains moving and beautifully poetic, regarding our effect upon one another and how meaningful and wonderful that is. These survivors impacted each others lives in a profound way that changed their characters and maybe even affected their destiny.
I thought at the end of this of so many friends and epochs of time. I looked back and thought about "surviving" through major events and musical journeys that changed me and made me what I am today. For example, one of the best musical experiences of my life happened when I played for the Saturday Night Life worship band. That was the best music and the best fun as a drummer that I ever had. As a worship leader, I will never forget Brad San Nieves and the Packinghouse, which was a significant period of growth for me as a leader. My time on staff at the Packinghouse will also go down as a giant step in my progression as a Pastor. My time on staff at Kingsfield, produced a giant step in my development as a teacher. My time on staff in Jerez, albeit short and duty reduced, was a giant step for me as a Christian.
The end of Lost made me thankful for my friends that have made a tremendous impact upon my life. I will caution us all to look around today, as this may be the best time of each of our lives to date. Unlike Lost and more like Christ, I will say truthfully, that even though we leave our friends and have to move on, the adventure continues and He always brings new brothers and sisters, born from adversity, that fill out the adventure that lead us to Him.
The end of Lost reminds me that the relativistic, humanistic, "Coexist" viewpoint, can only look back and be as thankful as possible for what happens in that moment of time called the Past. Christ calls us ever forward, being thankful for our past, but just as hopeful and excited for our future together, and with Him.
"That's my crackpot theory and I'm sticking to it!"
Blessings... To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez
