It’s the final day of 2009. Normally I wait too long to post my best-of lists and reflections on the year gone by. But this year, with a bit more preparation, I’ll reflect now while there are still a few hours left of the 21st centuries first decade.

So, here we go. A shotgun blast of my reflections on 2009.

Movies

I think 2009 was a good year for movies. I spent less money and time at the movie theater and instead was more careful in choosing what to spend my money on. That been said, however, I still directed most of my viewing to Hollywood blockbusters and less pursing independent works. Here were some of my favorites.

	1. Star Trek: I was never a Star Trek fan. Although, as a kid I did see a handful of the movies and TV shows. Just enough to get the gist of the characters and basic plot-lines. JJ Abrams blew me out of the water with his reboot of the series. He did it tactfully so as not to ruin the legacy of the series, but still create something appealing to newer audiences.
	2. Up: Pixar, in my opinion, hasn’t made a dud yet. And Up tugged the heartstrings like no other animated movie I’ve ever seen. It was funny and meaningful.
	3. Where The Wild Things Are: I loved just about everything about this movie. The tone, story telling, acting, writing, score—even the ending which seemed to put most people off.
	4. Avatar: Last minute, perhaps, but here’s another movie I’ve fallen in love with. While it may essentially be a retelling of Dances With Wolves set in a juiced up version of the world in Fern Gully, I have to say that I rarely see movies that can so skillfully orchestrate my emotions.
	5. Funny People: Judd Apatow has become one of those filmmakers that will pull me to the theater almost regardless of what he makes. Though his style is vulgar (to say the least) he’s about the only one making comedies worth listening to. Funny People surprised me on just about every count.

Other Notable Movies: Although I wouldn’t put them at the top of the list, there were a number of other movies I really enjoyed. The Watchmen, Terminator Salvation, District 9, Zombieland, The Road and I Love You Man were all really stellar flicks that I have every intention of watching again.

Movies I really hated: There were of course a couple moves I absolutely hated and wish I could get my 9 bucks back on. Most noteably, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Public Enemies—which had my hopes high and severely let me down.

Music

I love looking for new music. In 2009 I discovered the extreme usefulness of Last.fm in this endeavor. Their tagging system allows you to find music based on abstract ideas, like a word or feeling. Just try searching Last.fm for the word ‘happy’ and you’ll know what I mean.

Here are a few my notable discoveries from 2009.

1. Mika: Awkward, theatrical and painfully catchy pop-music from Europe. Mika is my favorite of the new music I’ve found, with what seems like an endless stream of addictive, well written music.

2. Iron & Wine: Okay, not new. But it was in 2009 that I finally developed a taste for Iron & Wine’s particular brand of slow-folk-rock.

3. Cinema Rock: Groups such as Corner Stone Cues, ES Posthumas and Globus were discovered in 2009 and I’ve fallen in love. Music that sounds like it should be in a movie, but is never officially attached to any particular theatrical release is right up my ally.

4. Rosie Thomas: In close collaboration with Sufjan Stevens, Rosie Thomas’s album These Friends of Mine is beautiful. It’s difficult to decide whether it’s solemn or simply melancholy, but either way it’s one of my new favorites. Especially worth checking out is her duet with Stevens titled Say Hello.

5. Damien Rice: Not a new name, but prior to this year, I’d never given him much attention. Damien Rice’s albums 9 and 0 are sweet and sad set on the backs of catchy, slow melodies, it’s a wonder I didn’t find him sooner.

Other Notable Music Stuff: I also rediscovered my love for the work of Pedro the Lion, Bright Eyes and The Rocket Summer.

TV Shows

I’ve spent more time watching TV shows this year that I normally have. In 2009, I watched the entire Friends television series, finally saw Freaks & Geeks, Entourage and It’s Always Sunny in Philedalphia.

But two stand out as most notable shows.

	1. Community. The new show on the NBC Thursday night lineup is about a hodgepodge group of students at a community college. It’s brilliant through and through. It’s self-aware and witty, but not without a cheesy charm.
	2. Dexter. No, this isn’t new, but it was in 2009 that I watched all four seasons and now eagerly await the arrival of the fifth in fall 2010. I have no hesitations in saying that Dexter is the best drama series I have ever watched. Even better than House.

Business

In 2009, Petruzzo Photography finally began to blossom. I shot nearly three times as many weddings in 2009 as I’d shot in my entire career leading up to that point. With referrals spreading and me honing my understanding of the business world, the possibilities are expanding fast and I’m excited to see what will happen in 2010.

In 2009 my business website was hacked and completely destroyed. Most likely as a result of a (since patched) hole in the Wordpress software, which the website is built on. The damage forced me to rebuild the site almost from the ground up. This time geared more toward my target wedding market.

The redesigned website also paved the way for me to begin accepting credit card payments.

Family & Personal Life

My niece turned 10 this year and is fast approaching teen years—for which I should leave the worrying to her parents—but I take the concern upon myself anyways. My nephew turned two just weeks after we all got the news that my sisters is pregnant again, so before he’s three there will be yet another niece or nephew in my life.

Hobbies & Personal Endeavors

It was this year that I discovered Hookah, or Nargile. A middle-eastern tradition of smoking a molasses soaked tobacco, called moassel, which is filtered through water. I’ve fallen in love with the social aspect of the hobby, but also found a perfect companion to private study and recreational reading.

In the end of 2009, I officially and finally took the plunge in to AT&T’s cell phone network which has finally allowed me to use the iPhone. It is by far the most valuable tool I’ve acquired since my Macbook Pro, or Cameras before that. No other piece of portable electronics even rivals the everyday  usefulness of the iPhone.

This year I also made a more pointed effort to learn to play guitar. I failed—perhaps to dust off and try again?

Church Life

In the beginning of 2009, church life was on rocky ground. By the end of 2009 church life in any official capacity is virtually non-existent. A combination of disillusionment with the institution of the American church and an uncertainty about which direction to go has left me, at the end of 2009, between ministries again.

It was this year, in 2009, that I also came to grips with the fact that I have no interest in serving the Church vocationally as a pastor or leader. Though I still find myself kicking against the goads of respected friends’ opinions. This one is to-be-continued.

In Conclusion

2009 was productive, yet not without it’s difficulties. I have a lot of new ideas on the docket for 2010, but to avoid clichés, I will avoid actually using the term “New Years Resolution” in a sentence.

But more on next year, next year.

I love Jesus’ parable of the Merchant and the Pearl. The parable goes that there was a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found an extremely valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he owned so that he could purchase the pearl (Matthew 13:45-46).

It doesn’t say anything more, except that this is a way we can understand the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thinking about the different elements of this parable there are, of course, lots of things we could come to understand. But for me, what stands out is that the person in search of the pearls is a merchant. Not an enthusiast or collector, but a merchant. Someone who’s livelihood relies on his acquisition of fine pearls. No doubt, he would find many pearls all of which he would turnover in trade to go about living his life.

But, when he comes across this particular pearl, he finds it more valuable than everything his hard work has acquired for him and he sells it all so that he can have this one very special prize.

In this case, the pearl can be compared to Jesus, or the Gospel of Jesus. In all of our searching and working to find significance and worth in this life, absolutely none of it can compare to the value and worth we find in Christ. All of our idols and little deities we collect come to nothing when held against the Pearl.

And, like the merchant, the Church discovers that she cannot keep all her little treasures and capture the Pearl as well. We must surrender—in some form—all of these things we prize so that there is room in our hearts for the only real Treasure: Jesus Christ.

With the new year just around the corner, the internet is abuzz with all the year-in-review thoughts (and mine are coming as well). But, being that we’re also at the end of a decade, there’s some really interesting looks back at the last ten years.

This video, which I saw for the first time tonight, was funny and insightful. I found it especially interesting to see all the things that debuted in the 00’s but really feel much older. Check out the video, The Decade in 7 Minutes:

(Can’t see the video? watch it on YouTube.)

Psalm 30:4-5:

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
   and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
   and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
   but joy comes with the morning.

I love this passage because it hits on at least three important points which I often fail to observe.

1. Regardless of our experience, we the church have cause to praise God and take comfort in his holiness always.

2. No matter what hardships we are experiencing we can remember, and count on them being not even a fraction of the goodness we’ll enjoy when our life in him comes to real completion. And,

3. While it is tempting to give in and succumb to absolute despair in the face of God’s chastisements, we should hold fast, in a practical way, to the very real emotion of Joy that is God’s alone and awaits us when He sees that we are ready for it.

When the Passion of the Christ was released back in 2004 I don’t think I knew a single Christian who wasn’t moved by it. Christians flocked to the movie theater in groups and watched the movie together.

But since then, the movie has become something of a punch-line in the church. Especially among younger Christians.

This is probably in part because the secular world found it funny how Christians bought so hard into the commercial product. And Christians not liking being the butt of a joke joined the laughter. I’ll admit, that the slew of Passion related merchandise that hit the Christian bookshops was a bit sickening to me, and still is.

But I think another reason Christians have, over time, responded to Passion in jest is because there’s a certain and real discomfort associated with it. Just look at almost every other depiction of Jesus’ crucifixion in our culture. It’s extremely tame. When we are accustomed to movies like Saw, Jesus’ crucifixion, the way the church has painted it, really doesn’t seem so bad.

Growing up I remember thinking to myself, “Yeah, that sucks, but I can think of worse”. And certainly, there is worse. The degree isn’t the point. But we’ve brought the temperature so far down it’s barely even noticeable.

So when Passion was released, though not without its flaws, we were given the most realistic depiction of Jesus’ last day we’ve ever had in modern culture. Compared to the way we’ve grown up looking at Jesus’ death, Passion cut our hearts like a hot knife in soft butter. The difference is vast. And while we don’t seem to have a problem watching the gore elsewhere, when we see it like it probably really happened to our savior, I think we get pretty uncomfortable with it. (Perhaps even an indication of our guilt in enjoying the gruesome entertainment we do; if this were true, one would have to go).

In response, the movie becomes a joke and thus, impossible to hurt us. And I think this is tragic.

1. The Passion of the Christ was an excellent movie on it’s own. Regardless of what my faith says, assessing the film itself, it was done with real excellence. (Though I don’t recommend watching it as form of entertainment.)

2. A cornerstone of our faith is in remembering what Christ did and why. For Christians in the first century, Matthew simply saying the word ‘crucifixion’ was enough to invoke understanding in the hearer. We have no such connection to that word. Passion helps bridge that gap.

3. If we harden our hearts to the most basic realities of Jesus’ suffering to defend ourselves from discomfort, how can we have any confidence in our own belief and faith in those sufferings?

It may not be anywhere near Easter, but I think Christians—especially those in my generation—should reconsider their attitude toward this film. Perhaps even set a time and watch it alone and consider some of the realities of Jesus’ sufferings on our behalf.

Sufjan Stevens recounts Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain in the haunting song by the same name—The Transfiguration. iTunes shuffle played the song tonight and I remembered how beautiful it was.

When he took the three disciples
to the mountainside to pray,
his countenance was modified, his clothing was aflame.
Two men appeared: Moses and Elijah came;
they were at his side.
The prophecy, the legislation spoke of whenever he would die.

Then there came a word
of what he should accomplish on the day.
Then Peter spoke, to make of them a tabernacle place.
A cloud appeared in glory as an accolade.
They fell on the ground.
A voice arrived, the voice of God,
the face of God, covered in a cloud.

What he said to them,
the voice of God: the most beloved son.
Consider what he says to you, consider what’s to come.
The prophecy was put to death,
was put to death, and so will the Son.
And keep your word, disguise the vision ’till the time has come.

Lost in the cloud, a voice. Have no fear! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign. Son of man! Turn your ear.
Lost in the cloud, a voice. Lamb of God! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign. Son of man! Son of God!

Listen to it on YouTube for free.

For the first time that I can remember, there is actually a substantial amount of snow on the ground on Christmas Day! It’s a special novelty in our culture and one that I’m only now able to experience for the first time.

Very cool. Merry Christmas, everyone!