A final word about the original “Star Trek” series: it was all about hope.

A recent episode of “CSI”, entitled “CSI: A Space Oddity”, celebrated sci-fi television and “Star Trek” with a respectful parody of the original series. While off duty, Hodges (Wallace Langham) attends a sci-fi convention, the 4^th annual WhatifitCon. He is surprised to meet co-worker, Wendy (Liz Vassey), dressed as Yeoman Malloy, a lead character from the cult sci-fi series, “Astro Quest” [read that as, “Star Trek”]. Wendy “stuns” him further by confessing that Astro Quest is her favorite show.

Mimicking the unique phenomenon of “Star Trek”, “Astro Quest” is revealed to be a popular sci-fi series from yesteryear, which spawned a massive fan base who practically worship the show. They don costumes and make-up to look like the Astro Quest starship crew and its various alien characters. They purchase facsimiles of the show’s high-tech weapons and equipment. Some of them even act out scenes and speak in character dialogue, speaking about their “mission” and protecting their “crew”.

As with real-life “trekkies”, their extreme devotion to the show’s fantasy world gets a little scary.

It threatens to become even scarier soon afterward. For the highlight of the convention, TV producer Jonathan Danson (Reg Rogers) addresses the crowd with the highly-anticipated sneak peek at his new series: a revival of the old “Astro Quest” and its heroic captain, Artemis Bishop. He builds up to his presentation by walking among the fans, and asking them directly, “Why don’t we see anyone like Artemis Bishop today? Are there any such heroes among us?”

He then shows his clip, in which the familiar heroes of “Astro Quest” are presented with a horrifying predicament. Captain Bishop faces off against a hostile alien who has taken a crew member hostage. The captain assures the captive woman that everything will be all right. But then the alien kills her, bringing Captain Bishop to his knees in misery. The alien tells Bishop that nothing will be “all right” ever again, as he dictates terms of Bishop’s enslavement.

The stunned crowd watches for a few seconds, as if unsure of what they have witnessed. Then an angry fan shout at the director, “You suck!” (Side note: the critical fan was played by Battlestar Galactica’s producer Ron Moore, who similarly “re-made” a darker version of that original series.) The rest of the viewers join in, building to a near-riot against Danson’s “vision”.

Stunned by their reaction, Danson tries to argue over their din. “Don’t you get it?” he demands.

Actually, it was Danson who never really “got it”. That became apparent when he started asking his rhetorical question about why there no heroes like “Artemis Bishop” today. He had based his question on a false assumption that no such heroes exist.

Danson had apparently never heard of Mahatma Ghandi, or Martin Luther King, Jr., or Abraham Lincoln. People who made sacrifices in order to fight for a higher goal or to free an enslaved people. Danson must have missed the reports of heroism that followed the devastating attack on New York City’s twin towers on 9/11. He also seems to have ignored all military history, that tells of soldiers who sacrificed their own comfort and risked their lives to rescue comrades and innocent bystanders. Since Danson failed to notice these obvious examples, he would probably never even consider the friends and family members who demonstrate personal heroism on a regular basis, by the way they encourage us, sacrifice their time for us, and inspire us by their example.

Like many cynics, Danson chose to study his own soul and the souls of those around him, and concluded that all of humanity is hopelessly selfish. So in his “Astro Quest” world, no heroes exist.

The reality is that no heroes exist in Danson’s soul.

Those heroes of history are not lofty ideals to which no one can attain. They’re all real people, and most of them never planned to become heroes, let alone legends. They simply did what they felt was necessary at the time. They became heroes by placing the needs of others above their own. The same kind of self-sacrifice that was demonstrated frequently in the original “Star Trek” series.

What is to prevent any one of us from doing the same things? By making small sacrifices for others in everyday life, we can prepare to make greater sacrifices when called to do so. No one can know if he or she will be called upon to do something that will impact history, stretching for centuries beyond our own lives. Any one of us can – and some of us will – be called on to become the next Lincoln, Ghandi, or King. But it starts with simply believing that you can make a difference, however great or small.

When Danson is found murdered a short while later, Hodges calls in to report the homicide to Captain Brass (Paul Guilfoyle), delivering Dr. McCoy’s classic line, “He’s dead, Jim.” Given the hostile response to Danson’s new version of the beloved “Astro Quest” series, the CSI investigators wonder whether one of the fans killed the misguided producer.

When asked if Danson’s alternate vision could disturb fans enough to provoke murder, Archie (Archie Kao) comments that “people don’t like it when you mess with their heroes.”

People also don’t like it when cynics claim that heroism itself doesn’t exist.

While struggling with his growing attraction to Wendy, Hodges re-thinks the way their team is viewing the evidence. He and Wendy work together to uncover a vital clue to unraveling the case, and they both feel a sense of pride in their accomplishment. A little bit of hard work, creativity and passionate commitment paid off, helping bring a killer to justice. But for Hodges and Wendy, it’s nothing heroic. Just another day of doing their routine job. It’s how they do it – their devotion to doing the job well for the sake of those counting on them – that makes a difference.

People who commit their lives to a higher purpose, living for the benefit of others, bring us hope for creating a better tomorrow. The same ideal that fictional TV series like “Star Trek” presented. The same ideals that inspired future poets, astronauts, rescue workers, doctors, and many other real-life heroes. Believing in heroes, and heroism itself, inspires us to create a better world for future generations.

Whether it’s on the job, at home, or out with friends, there actually are heroes like Artemis Bishop today.

One of them could be you.

This must end.

On Wednesday night, final votes were counted for Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, the last two contestants on “American Idol”. Judges and fans had anticipated a landslide victory for Adam, who amazed viewers with one performance after another, dazzling them with his creativity and incredible vocal power. Kris had been painted as the “dark horse” who kept miraculously moving forward to the finals. Simon Cowell had predicted that soulful singer Danny Gokey would join Adam in the ultimate final round, and even remarked Tuesday night that he thought America had made the wrong choice with him, until Kris surprised everyone with a stirring version of “Ain’t No Sunshine”.

Kris’ easygoing, natural charm and sincere crooning made him far more approachable than Adam’s over-the-top presentations, characterized by Adam’s high-pitched wail toward the end of most songs. Ultimately, Kris’ down-home charm and laid-back singing style won the crowds over, in what is likely the biggest upset in “American Idol” history.

At our house, our (nearly) three-year old daughter, Abby, started watching the show for the first time this year. She loves music and dance so much that Nicki and I have let her stay up past her usual bedtime on the nights when her new favorite show, “’merkin’ Idol”, is on.

We all had different favorites. I liked Adam Lambert, Abby liked Allison Iraheta, and Nicki liked Danny Gokey. Abby had several conversations with us about our preferences, remembering in particular that “Mommy likes Danny Gokey with the glasses.” By the time it came down to the final four, Abby could identify each contestant: Allison, Adam, Kris, and “Danny Gokey with the glasses”.

The judges’ effusive praise of Adam Lambert’s wild performances led many people to believe that he was “robbed” of certain victory at the end. Even the winner, Kris Allen, stunned by the final result, said, “Adam deserves this.” Frankly, although I believe that Kris outshined Adam in the final night’s performance, both contestants struggled at times, and judges insisted on judging Kris and Adam for their performances throughout the season, not just for the final night alone. So it seemed doubtful that the final votes cast were truly based on talent. Instead, it appeared that votes were based on viewers’ style preferences, and perhaps on some other things.

Those are the things that concern me.

Before the final votes came in, I heard a Christian radio station DJ say, “We’re pulling for you, Kris.” I didn’t hear why, but the answer seemed clear. Kris Allen is a Christian, and Adam Lambert is not. After the final result, another DJ was glad that the “clean-cut” kid from Arkansas won in a national contest. He apparently viewed this as a victory for the church.

It was not. In fact, if that is what influenced people’s voting, this was actually a major defeat for the church.

But let’s define the term first. Many people – even those who attend church – don’t know what the church actually is. Although we speak about “going to church”, the Bible defines church as a people, not a building. Specifically, it’s the body of people who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation from God’s righteous judgment of sin, and for eternal life with Christ. Stretching across continents and language barriers, the church is composed of all different skin colors, cultural backgrounds, and styles of clothing.

However, when many people think of “the church”, they think: “Republican”; “family-friendly”; “conservative”; “traditional values”; “the ‘Religious Right’”. Why do they think that, when the Bible uses no such definitions of the church?

Sadly, the main reason is that many church people define themselves that way. They state that they will only watch G- or PG-rated “family-friendly” movies. They will only support for Republican candidates who promote “traditional values”.

And some of them will only vote for Christian singers.

Personally, I don’t think that ‘Christian votes’ ultimately determined Kris Allen’s victory. I think a large number of “conservative” voters simply preferred Kris’ style to that of the flamboyant Adam, with his hard rock music and theatrical eyeliner and nail polish. Not to mention the suggestions that Adam might be gay.

Of course, none of that has anything to do with singing. It has to do with style, and what some consider to be “good music”. One caller to a Christian radio station said he couldn’t stand Adam’s “screaming”, saying that he “might as well be listening to one of those bands like Aerosmith.”

I guess if Aerosmith were competing on “American Idol”, they wouldn’t have won this man’s vote, either. That’s simply a matter of personal taste, not a qualified judgment of someone’s talent. The “American Idol” judges said that some contestants could “sing the phone book” and it would be entertaining. However, that doesn’t go over with people who just “don’t like” phone books.

Before the final results, my brother, Robert, theorized that Kris Allen would win because of a split vote. People who liked Danny Gokey would switch over to Kris, who had a similar conservative style. I believe Robert was right.

However, I’m very concerned that some Christians voted for Kris solely because of his faith, rather than his actual talent. If you’re a Christian and you voted for Kris Allen, I’m not saying that you voted for him because he’s also a Christian. However, I know there are people who did. When callers and DJ’s on the Christian radio station discussed the qualities of either singer, their preferences never mentioned anything that related to actual singing. One caller felt certain that Kris was really singing one of his final songs to God, as an act of worship, because of the way Kris looked upward during the performance. This may or may not have been true of Kris, but why should that impact the vote?

The book of James warns against judging others by their appearance. It states that if someone walks into your midst wearing fancy clothes and you give him a nice seat, but then another person enters wearing shabby clothes and you give him a less honorable place, you’re being prejudiced against the man who looks poor. Jesus also warned the Pharisees that their outer appearance – which would have been classified as “clean-cut” – was meaningless, since their hearts were corrupt.

If two men applied for a construction job, would we choose the less-qualified Christian applicant who looked more “clean-cut”, over the stronger, more experienced guy who painted his nails? I have not yet heard confirmation as to whether Adam Lambert is a homosexual, but it hardly matters. The Bible makes it very clear that homosexual practice is wrong. But that does not mean that a homosexual – or someone who dresses differently than I do – should be denied a job, or a home, or a vote? I can disagree with a man’s lifestyle choice without denying him his rights and his due credit. A person’s music style, clothing, faith or lack thereof, and sexual orientation have nothing to do with their ability to sing or perform well. Shouldn’t we judge people on what they bring to the table, rather than just on the clothes they wear when they bring it?

I’m very concerned that, for many people, what started as a singing competition deteriorated into a popularity contest and a culture war. I’m far more concerned that some people from the church not only got swept up into it, but took sides to promote one set of values over another’s, and made Kris Allen their poster child.

Making matters worse, the values they promoted didn’t simply involve Christian faith, but they lumped “Christian faith” into a package that included style choices of haircut, clothing, and choice of music.

Is short hair and conservative dress a requirement of Christianity? Does someone need to dress this way before they can even be invited to let Jesus transform their life? Adam Lambert would be welcomed into many churches in this country. But would he be welcomed into yours? Or would you be too uncomfortable to have “that kind of person” sitting in the next pew? Would you presume to know, by the way he dresses and wears his hair, whether he’s already a Christian? I hope not.

The church is not a social club, which votes certain people in and excludes others, based on the way they look, dress, or sound. The church is not a political machine, that seeks to gain ground by voting in certain candidates and voting out others.

Too many people outside the church think that the church is nothing more than a political entity or an exclusive club that rejects “certain people” outright. Sadly, too many people within the church keep proving them right.

This must end.

Relive the final night, first auditions and more at americanidol.com!

I was glued to my TV

When it looked like he looked at me

and said, “Best start putting first things first.”
‘cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can’t flip it over and start again.
Take every breath God gives you for what it’s worth.
Don’t blink.

I don’t listen to country music much. Honestly, I avoid it whenever possible. But I happened to catch Kenny Chesney’s song, “Don’t Blink”, while I was flipping through stations and the words caught my attention.

I feel like I’m a very busy person. That is, I do a lot of stuff. It may or may not be that important, but it certainly keeps me busy.

I had some of that “stuff” to do when I came home one night, a few days after hearing this song. It was one of my nights to put Abby down for bed, but I entertained the idea of begging off. I had all this “stuff” to do and I was feeling behind. Getting my two-year old daughter ready for bed, then cuddling with her and reading her stories, would take a good hour. After that I would eat a late dinner and then – hopefully – get back to that important work waiting for me in the den. If I was lucky, I might get to spend a full hour on it, which didn’t seem like enough.

But while I watched one of Abby’s favorite TV shows to help her quiet down, while my wife worked on dinner, I recalled the words of this song.

Don’t blink.
Just like that, you’re six years old and you take a nap

And you wake up and you’re twenty-five

And your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.
Don’t blink.
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did,
Turning into moms and dads.

Next thing you know your better half
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you’re praying God takes you instead.
Trust me, friend, a hundred years goes faster than you think.
So don’t blink.

I realized that this moment of cuddling with my little girl in front of the TV would never come again. Sure, I would probably have another chance to do the same thing, but how many chances would come before she stopped wanting to sit in my lap? How long would it be before another year ended, and Abby had turned three? Then on to start Kindergarten, and soon she would be driving a car and getting ready for her senior prom. My niece and nephew, whom I watched grow up, are nearly adults ready to start college. And once they do, my chances to see them will be fewer and farther between. Ten or twenty years isn’t really that long, when you look back on your own life. But that’s how long it takes for a child to grow up and leave your home. Those moments – whether they’re two years old, or twelve, or eighteen, or thirty – will never come back again once they’ve passed.

Naw, don’t blink.
Life goes faster than you think.

Remembering this, I resolved to enjoy the time I had with my daughter. I would have time for work and catching up later, but the moment I had with Abby was too fragile to surrender.

I would never encourage anyone to live in the moment. But I would hate for any of those moments to pass me by.

Don’t blink.

Find more reviews of Kenny Chesney’s Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates at amazon.com!

No Blog this week. Just my favorite Mother’s Day picture.

Nicki and I are celebrating Abby’s very first Adoption Day this month – we finalized her adoption in May 2008, just before she turned two years old! This is an early photo from our first few months with her.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, EVERYBODY!!!