I wanted to be a dinosaur

Last night, I posted a powerful passage from Isaiah. It is loaded. I want to eventually share some reflections on the Chronicles of Narnia as they relate to this and a few other passages (at least in my goofy mind).

However, there is something much more pressing to share tonight. That's right. You guessed it. - the latest movie in the Will Ferrell series. So I went to the movie, Step Brothers, last night with a good friend from college. Although this movie didn't totally meet my expectations - it is not Talladega Nights - I enjoyed the movie. (It lacked the memorable quotes of Talladega nights. "If you're not first, you're last," "Shake 'n' bake," "Dear eight pound, six ounce, little baby Jesus.") Out of curiosity, I checked out Roger Ebert's review and he did not like it much at all. As I read his commentary, I actually pretty much agreed with him. The movie is very crude, filled with some really mean actions - hitting people with cymbals and shovels, trying to bury people alive, rubbing "something" on the drum set, and quite a bit of foul language. However, at the end of the movie, the father/step-father of the 39/40-year-old son and step-son made an interesting comment, "I wanted to be a dinosaur." He told the guys this to encourage them to get up on the stage and fill in for the band that flopped. Most of the movie, the dad/step-dad lamented that the two guys were not amounting to anything. They lived at home, wanted to make bunk beds, and went up to the tree-house. He wanted them to move out, "grow up," and get jobs. However, when the new family collapses and the guys end up doing just that, the dad/step-dad comes to the realization that he misses the original guys. He tells them to get up on the stage and pursue their dream - Prestige International. To say that they wow the crowd is an understatement. Okay, so I'm probably weird, but I started thinking about a passage from the Bible. (Is this normal at a Will Ferrell movie?)

Matthew 5:48 (The Message)
"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

What is this "growing up?"

What is this "God-created identity?"

I ask myself these questions a lot. While the two step-brothers are probably not folks to emulate, I have to wonder how compatible our social "norms" are with the Gospel.