Gen Con - part 2

Did I mention the Hall was enormous? 24 rows filled on both sides of each row, 5 colums deep. We walked forever to the back corner of the space to where the Author's Alley was tucked. Most everyone had set up, but Dylan Birtolo (The Bringer of War)stuck out a friendly hand and welcomed us, told us very good to know things and that his booth was just around the corner.

Next day we got in place with 1/2 an hour to spare before the VIGs came in. The VIGs, whoever they were, did not get back to where we were and as the minutes ticked we could hear an occasional shout from outside the entrance doors closest to us, which were the most remote doors from the main entrance into the convention center. Even with the remote distance, the guards opened the doors once or twice and swarming behind them was a mass of humanity, crowding to get first glimpses. At the hour doors opened and people ran in, most turning down aisles way before they could get to us, but we could see them across the open space where the cashier booth was set up for artists and authors.

During the show thousands pointed down the aisle at our glossy oversized bookcover of Star Wars Jesus hung on the back panel. Hundreds came back over the 4 days and most of them said, "Ok, I just have to ask: What is this book about?"

I did say in part 1 that I would write about crazy con coincidences. Next post. Promise.

Gen Con 09 - part 1

Gen Con 09

As soon as we rolled into Indy we checked into the hotel, but did not even go up to the room. It was 7 p.m. on Wednesday and we had one hour before the Exhibit Hall closed to the vendors, artists and authors all setting up their booths for the next day's crazy. The hotel (keyword Hustle) can be a subject of future blogging. The hotel is directly across the street from the Indianapolis Convention Center, so we decided to try to sign in there so that the next day would not be a rush to get things set up in time.

We were only setting up books on a table and mounting posters on the panels behind the table, but you want to get the lay of the land, want to find if there are any things you need to get last minute to hang posters or whatever. Best to be prepared, we thought. And that was pretty good thinking. We have a hand-truck for my wife's art supply store and brought it along, which turned out to be a great idea. We did the transformer move on the hand-truck to make it a 4-wheeled contraption, loaded a couple boxes of books, the pretty, and the posters.

The pretty consisted of shiny post-cards and business cards with the cover of my book on it. Those were to give away to potential clients. The pretty is essential, especially in the Con world not only because it reminds people who look at dozens of books, hundreds of pieces of art and untold thousands of t-shirts, leather-ware, games and all kinds of material madness about your book, but it also constitutes SWAG, which are the doodads folks hand out that can become collectible things that con goers like to hunt for. Even if you don't like the idea behind the book, Star Wars Jesus cards can be great swag - and did I mention they are shiny?

We wheeled the stuff across the busy street, which was really a four-lane highway in the middle of down-town Indianapolis, and into the convention center. The first thing we note was lots of registration booths off to the left. These booths stretched for a football field's length and were all packed with folks getting their passes for the next day. I asked Leslie to stay in the quiet corner we picked and wait for me to get our badges. I did remember something about receiving an email saying authors could go to some other location to get their badges, but I could not remember where it said to go. And, of course, I had not printed out the email.

So I ask at the volunteer desk, and they say go over to this other booth right next door. I'm thinking, "Great, I know how this goes." But no, I did not get perpetually handed off. In the next line some one came up to me before I could get to the desk, and asked what I needed, and confirmed that this desk could help me out. After a very short wait I found that no, I could not get my badge there, but they found out where I could go, which was right before you go into the Exhibit Hall itself. Whew. We chugged down there, Leslie watching the back of the ship for any of our load that might fall off, and I pulled. The line there was shorter than short, they gave me the badges and we waltzed into the Exhibit Hall with the guards giving the nod to us. We felt special.

And that was the beginning of a well-organized con. Thanks to all the con staff, especially Jaimie, for quite an experience.

Next post: Crazy Con Coincidences.

Anxiety

Star Wars and Spirituality email from 052508:

One of our readings for the day, at church, was Matthew 6:24-34. Because Jesus says we cannot serve both God and Money (v24) we therefore are not to worry about your life, what you will eat and drink, wear, etc. This is a little confusing to me. I am not sure I see the direct correlation about not serving God and Money so don't worry. However, I take it that if we serve God we do not need to worry about anything.

In the BBC radio version of A New Hope Obi Wan Kenobi asks Han Solo if he has ever seen a credit enter or leave his hand, and yet he wants for nothing and is even getting a trip to Alderaan.

The active pursuit of not being anxious about things, not getting wrapped up in them, is an important truth. Old Obi Wan is the best example of this in the SW series Yoda a close second.

Verse 33 is a big verse that even those who have not had more than one time in Sunday School might recognize. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given you as well." Very Jedi. And also the reason why I have a palace with a Porsche in the driveway.

That was a joke.

A Jedi does seek the truth of the universe and allow that truth to govern her, come what may. And very plainly I would say righteousness and God's kingdom is what a Jedi not only seeks, but also what a Jedi finds. At the end of Return of the Jedi Luke comes to understand that even Darth Vader has a good side, that even the power of the dark side is in truth alluring and very powerful, and at the same time a power to be avoided at all costs. He seeks to do what is right, "I am a Jedi, like my Father before me," he says in the face of impossible odds and guaranteed failure. And all these things were added to him.

Amen, and thanks for reading,

Caleb
ps-you may have noticed that these emails are not so weekly any more. For those junkies out there, I am sorry. It was too much to keep doing one every week, though an excellent discipline at the same time. These emails will be more like every two weeks from here on, and I do not anticipate doing them for forever. If you are tired of them, shoot me an email and I will take you off of the list.

Gen Con

Another quick note. I am going to Gen Con to sell and sign my book! Check out the link to the incredible convention in Indy this, and every, August. I hope to see you there!

YouTubing

Just a short FYI that I am going to post a YouTube video in the next week or so about Star Wars and spirituality.

Peace,
Caleb

Authority, Jesus style

- Star Wars and Spirituality email of 050708

Even he who was all did not act proud and egotistical. I think for most of us that is pretty unfathomable. If we had mad jedi skills many of us, I certainly would feel this temptation, would flaunt it and show it off every chance we got. Kind of like Anakin.

As Anakin grew he became full of himself, trusted in his own power instead of relying on the force to flow through him and to guide him even with he felt guided in a different direction than he himself wanted to go. Very Lucifer, I imagine.

It is mind blowing to think of Jesus with all this power that he did not use, opting instead for restraint and humility. And I do not think this was because God is such a great guy. Well, maybe partly. Jesus was the character we read about, I suspect, because he was tipping us off to the best way to tap into the incredible power that he can give us. And I know this gets a lot of air play from me, as the Jedi do embody this attitude so very much, but it is astounding because, if you accept that the Jedi way, the Jesus way, is the right way, then the impact of the wisdom of that truth seems to sink down deep, deep into the fabric of what is true in this world, our world, and what is right and just.

I titled this meditation, “Authority, Jesus style,” because the quiet nature of who Jesus was, and the emulation of that style in the Jedi, results in a sort of default authority. It is not authority for power’s sake (unlike the duplicitous mass of pudu (aka the Emperor)’s statement in front of the Senate, “I will lay this power down”), it is the power of God that has authority as a side effect.

Amen, and thanks for reading,

Caleb

www.starwarsjesus.com
http://starwarsjesus.blogspot.com

There's no place like home

There's no place like home (from Star Wars and Spirituality email 4/22)

In the stories of our world, spanning the course of history, heros have homes.

Seems like they are always being taken away from their homes, or on their way to home, or their mission causes them to leave home. The super friends had the hall of justice, super man had his ice palace the "Fortress of Solitude," Batman had his bat cave, Odysseus had Ithaca, etc. The Jedi have the Jedi Temple. It is at once a spiritual and a physical place.

Lately I've been missing home. For humans, earth is our home, and yet there is something missing here, something is not right, something off kilter. It is like we are home, but in a different place entirely. You may expect that I am going to say Jesus is our home and we can be settled with him. Perhaps.

What is on my mind more than that, is the tension of longing for home – of wanting it really badly, but not being home that brings our human condition to myth.

Luke stares out at the binary sunset, Yoda walks with a cane, and Obi-Wan's quiet energy are respective, and I would argue unconscious except for Yoda, expressions of the longing each of those characters have for the Force. They are not fully part of the Force, and they are not fully separate from the Force. Heaven to a Jedi is to be united with the Force in the same way we long to be set free from our current hard times and get to the place of great rest and care. At the same time, the idea of being united with the Force in a non-physical manner seems a little unsettling.

I find myself longing for Jesus to come back. I am impatient for his return. I wonder what this current life, this current earth would be like with him ruling us and being present with us in a greater capacity than his spirit can be now. Would it be different, fuller than now? Again as always it is difficult not to think of a Jedi slowing down, breathing, being quiet – at peace and asking the Force to be with him or her. In that endowment of the presence of the Force soothing, guiding, making a Jedi powerful they are also given a relief from the tension of being apart from the Force. In this way we long for the home the Messiah has promised us, and take respite by his spirit and his words.

John 14:23, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

Amen, and thanks for reading,

Caleb