Reflections of a Lemonhead

If you were a young man in your early twenties, and actually locked lips with Angelina Jolie, do you think you would know it? I know that seems like a ridiculous question, but after you scan through this story you might not think so. This week’s cup from a highly caffeinated Christian comes freshly brewed with off the wall reflections on how easily we miss really big things.

Evan Almighty

Fifteen years ago, Evan Dando headed up a band called the Lemonheads and gained wide recognition for its 1992 cover of “Mrs. Robinson.” He was the good looking son of a fashion model and fit in well with the Hollywood A-list. He moved into a house owned by Johnny Depp. People magazine listed him as on one of the top 50 dishiest people, whatever that is. His album, It’s a Shame about Ray took off, selling millions.

Dando saw his dreams come true and then, predictably, saw nothing but a blur. The fast lane of superstardom turned on him like an evil genie, and the next fifteen years were full of drugs, breakups, scandals, failures and disappointments.

Sometime around 2005, Evan emerged from his fog and started recording with the Lemonheads again. It was a bonafied comeback, and Evan’s heart began to come back to life. His new success sparked a string of live performances and interviews, and that’s when I caught his story in an American Airlines magazine.

When I got back to the house, I looked him up on the World Wide Waste of time and saw this side note in an interview. He said recently someone had asked him if Angelina Jolie was a good kisser, and he replied, “You would have to ask Brad Pitt”. The interviewer informed him that Angelina was seen kissing him in one of his music videos. He went back to watch it, and sure enough—he had spent an entire afternoon in 1992 filming kissing scenes with the now famous movie star—and didn’t even remember it.

Pucker up

The blur and the busyness of our fast-paced lives can make us miss a lot of things. Extraordinary things. I think the condition of our heart determines a lot of what we do and do not see in the lives around us. Evan was so miserable with the life he was living; he completely missed the experience of what was right in front of him. All of us have been Evan at one time or another. Many of us are doomed to forever be lemonheads.

Not me. I believe in curses and blessings, and a common curse is when somebody misses their marriage because they want to be single, or they miss single life because they want to be married. A lot of people hate getting up in the morning because they want to be retired and then hate retirement because they want to go back to work.

Deuteronomy 28 defines this internal affliction in verse 67:

In the morning you shall say, Would that it were evening! And at evening you shall say, would that it were morning! --Because of the anxiety and dread of your [minds and] hearts…

You don’t have to have a Caribbean witch shake a dead rooster at you. All you gotta do is miss the moment. This curse is about the inability to see and enjoy the right now of life. A humble heart and a right mind will cause you to see the things that really matter when you are supposed to see them.

As you get about in your busy day, I encourage you to learn to be happy with what you already have. Don’t be a lemonhead. Consider where you are with a grateful heart and you just might find you are a lot better off than you give God credit for.

Contact the Brewer @ www.Freshfromthebrewer.com