A great blog article about "My Name Is Earl"

[mac56]

http://emergingpilgrim.blogspirit.com/archive/2006/01/16/the-gospel-according-to-earl-hickey.html

The Gospel According To Earl Hickey

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and fix all of those terrible things you've always wished you never did? Well, this year, one man has undergone that task, and although he can't go back in time, he can make up for every bad thing he's ever done. And he does mean every...single...thing he's ever done.

Meet Earl Hickey. He's one of those ol' boys from Good Ol' Country USA who took advantage of everyone he ever met just to satisfy his own selfish wants. And after discovering the concept of Karma (or "What goes around comes around") and realizing that he kept being punished by jail time, auto accidents, and homicidal ex-wives for all of the chaos he'd put everybody else through, Earl's decided he's going to take his life and his future back. Not only has he decided to take the 'straight and narrow' from here on out. He's gone and made a list of every single bad thing he's ever done to anybody; and one by one, he's making amends for every last one of them.

NBC's "My Name Is Earl," if you haven't seen it yet, is taking the country by storm, and is one of the most hilarious, down-to-earth, and original pieces of comedy to hit the small screen. Played by Jason Lee ("A Guy Thing," "Vanilla Sky," and "Big Trouble"), Earl Hickey is one of the small-town prophets of our time. He isn't rich, powerful, or well educated. He lives in a motel room with his even more academically challenged younger brother Randy (Ethan Suplee - best known as the huge bully Frankie on the teen series "Boy Meets World"), and although every odd is against him, he is bound and determined to make wrongs right and to get the very spiritual forces of the universe on his side for a change.

I wonder how many people across America can relate to Earl Hickey. It's funny how even in such a big college town like Springfield, MO (where there are more than ten colleges), so many people still settle for mediocrity, ignorance, and apathy. And it only gets worse throughout the country. I come from a deep southern town in Florida where the mobile home lots exceed car dealerships and the career at the Department of Corrections is deemed "the American Dream." And with so many people settling for mediocrity, it's people like Earl who become heroes. And maybe if enough of those "good ol' boys" tune in on Thursday nights (NBC, 9/8 Central), we might just start changing this ol' world for the good.

And isn't this what Jesus calls us to do as well (I haven't been spiritual in a while - you knew it was coming sooner or later.)? As a result of His goodness, aren't we supposed to quite literally become agents of peace and justice in a world that has forgotten it? Think of what might happen if we flawed and ordinary human beings began making things right that we had made wrong so many times. We might just be able to start turning the tide on civilization, and truly make this world better.

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm excited. I've even made a list. Unfortunately, I think I lost it

[Heidi]

1. Kick.

I think Earl will earn some karma points for just _trying_. :kick:

[Duer 157099]

2. I just love that show

I've liked Jason Lee (is that his name) ever since Dogma, and the brother Randy is just sooo ... well, he does the part perfectly (I hope he's acting).

just love it!

[wallwriter]

3. I love the show, but...

It bothers me just a teensy bit that the message is that if you start behaving well, you will get palpable benefits right away. Just another form of instant gratification.

Also, it bothers me that the show makes fun of rednecks.

Nah. Maybe not.