Well it’s November, you know the month before Christmas, and the month of Thanksgiving. And even if the advertisers skip Thanksgiving and start playing up Christmas, I love this time of year. And I love giving thanks. It’s important to stop and think about all that we have to be thankful for. So this month I would like to do a few posts about what I’m thankful for.
So here’s my first one.
I’m thankful for my cousin Lauren Hill. She was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer about a year ago, and it doesn’t look like she has much time left on this earth. But she has done so much with the time she has. It’s inspiring and I’m so grateful for her perseverance, her ambition, and how she’s living.
Well tomorrow’s election day, and if I didn’t remember before, I remember now. I didn’t make it to early voting this year, but I’m still planning on voting tomorrow.
I don’t really have much to say about voting… It’s a right we have in the United States, a right that many have fought for over the years. I know women especially fought hard for this right in the early 1900s. I know there are some Christians out there who don’t participate in voting, or who get really wrapped up in it. And there are a lot of people in general who don’t vote, I don’t know their reasoning behind that decision, but it seems to be a large portion of the population.
And I admit, there are times I really don’t feel like voting either. And I’ve definitely had the thought that my vote won’t make a difference one way or the other. But even if it might feel like that, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t participate. I’m not saying as a Christian you have a duty to vote, I don’t know how much God really cares about that. He probably cares more about your heart and why you’ve made the decision to vote or not vote, and I’ll leave that between you and God.
But I heard something from a friend the other day, and well, I’d like to quote him on it. “Don’t complain if you don’t vote.” I know technically you can complain, no matter if you vote or not, but I think it speaks to a certain truth. If you want change to happen, do your part to make it happen. Don’t just sit back and complain about something that you’re not willing to do your part to fix.
So be a part of the change you want; go vote.
Well there’s my little rant for the day. I hope you make it to the polls tomorrow, no matter what ‘side’ you’re voting for.
Have you ever had a bad day? I know I sure have. Most people do. There are some days where everything seems to go wrong.
Well, the other night I went to go see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Although the title seems a little over the top, this movie was actually quite good. It struck at something that most people go through in life, at least eventually: a bad day. A day when everything that could go wrong does, and you just have to deal with it. I enjoyed the fact that a lot of the things that went wrong in the plot of this movie were ordinary things, but when piled on top of each other, they turn into something that’s really hard to deal with. (Just like in my own life). I know I’ve had my days where it seemed like I was being overwhelmed with all the little things going wrong.
But this movie included a positive message, and I didn’t find it cliche. The message was not “be positive and you’ll automatically get what you want, or everything will work out,” but more like, “stick together through the tough stuff.” Bad days are hard, and your attitude may be able to help, but one of the biggest things that helps is going through it with someone else.
Oddly enough, this is also what stuck with me from my church’s sermon on Sunday. Our pastor mentioned the fact that we should have joy in suffering with Jesus, or in joining in His sufferings. I never really understood that before. How is both of us suffering a good thing? Why should I want that? Hasn’t Jesus suffered enough for the both of us? I always took it to mean that Jesus was with me when I was suffering. But then my pastor said, when you suffer together you’re relationship deepens. And it just clicked. Like of course! You have friends that will have fun with you, and stick with you on your good days. But the people who stick with you in the hard stuff, that’s who you’re really close to. And that’s how close I want to be with Jesus.
Just like in the movie, the family drew closer together through all the hard stuff. This realization brought to mind another show I had recently rewatched: Band of Brothers. This TV show follows the story of a group of men who served together in WWII and details all that they went through together. Even though it was horrible stuff, it made their relationships supper deep, to where they really felt like brothers; like family.
So, maybe this week, you’ve had a bad day, or several bad days, but maybe if you step back and look at the relationships you have, and remember what you have to be thankful for, those bad days, as Alexander said, “can help you appreciate the good ones.”
I’ve been learning a lot about joy recently. Partly because it keeps coming up at church as we read through Philippians, but also because of what I’ve been going through lately. I tend to be a happy person, and look for the positive in each situation. But when circumstances get hard, I feel like I have a right to be angry, upset, hurt, sad, depressed, etc. In essence I can throw myself a little pity party and I want everyone to notice and try to make me feel better.
But that is not right. Even if a lot of other people do the same thing, and there is a time and place to mourn and cry and be sad. At the end of the day, it’s not about me, what I want, what I don’t have, my feelings, or anything related to me. It’s really all about God. His plan for my life is what matters, not my own. And I know if I let go of my self pity, and focus instead on what God is doing, I will have joy. It’s more of a choice than I realized at first. And it’s a hard one to make. There’s something in me, probably in my selfish will that wants attention, wants other’s love, wants to be noticed, but even when I finally do get that attention I crave, it doesn’t make anything better. I’m still stuck feeling sorry for myself. It’s only when I stop looking at me, that joy, life, and peace shine through.
Well it’s a lesson I’ve had to learn again and again, and I’m not done learning it. Each day I have to choose not to focus on me, and instead focus on Jesus. But I know it’s better. And I’d like to ask you to do the same thing with me today.
So, I came across this video the other day, and it really got to me. I started wondering how I would act if I was forced to feed myself and my family like these little kids. I would probably be complaining, crying, and feeling sorry for myself. Here’s a link to the video so you can see it for yourself:
Now I don’t want to make people feel guilty, but I do wonder if something stirred in you when you saw these kids picking up crumbs. I know it did for me. The world is hungry, and when we see that hunger, something in us feels compelled to help. Or at least that’s what happens to me. But this feeling isn’t restricted to just physical hunger.
When I see someone who feels lost, like their life has no meaning or purpose and they’re hungry for something, that also compels me to help. People try to fill this other hunger with all sorts of things, even actual food. I usually try to fill it with entertainment, comedy shows, and You Tube videos. But I know, it won’t go away. I can’t watch enough funny things to make me happy or satisfied. It’s like trying to pick up crumbs to satisfy a deep hunger, it will never make that hunger go away.
But there is someone who can fill it, and that’s Jesus. He says “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” John 6:47-48. He is the only one that will fill this other hunger; this spiritual hunger. Maybe you already believe that, but there’s someone you know who is still hungry. I’d encourage you to point that person to the One who can satisfy.
Or maybe you feel compelled to help children who don’t have anything to eat, like the ones in the video. Here’s an organization I use to help people in other countries. Feel free to check it out. The link will take you to a page where they are asking for donations to help with the crisis in Iraq.
But whatever you do, don’t ignore the hunger in the world. Whether it’s your own, or someone else’s, it does matter. Hunger points us to where there is a real need. So be a part of the solution.
I’ve been doing more reading recently, and one book that I finally got around to reading that I really enjoyed is Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I’ve heard that it was a really good book, but reading it now has made it more significant to me.
The book is an allegory, it follows the tale of Much-Afraid as she journeys to the High Places and tells of all the sacrifices and suffering she must go through to finally get what she desires and become the person she longs to be. But it also reflects what many people go through in life, including the author. I read the autobiography at the end of this book about how Hannah had her own journey to the High Places. It really resonated with me.
In my own life, times have been hard recently. There have been deaths in the family, funerals, memorials, and a lot of emotions swirling around. But as I’ve seen in my own past, and also clearly in this book, God doesn’t leave us alone in the hard times. And He ends up using them to shape us and make us more like Himself. It is still hard to go through those valleys, those lonely places, the storms, deserts, and wastelands of life. But I have a hope and I know that God is still good, still in control and still at work, even in my own heart.
So I don’t know what’s going on in your life today, if everything is running smoothly, or if it’s just been one of those days. But I want to encourage you that whatever you face, put your hope in Jesus. And if you’ve never read Hinds’ Feet on High Places, check it out.
So on this blog I often write about movies, or the novel I wrote, and occasionally other things that are on my mind. But I also read books. Now I’m not one to recommend books very often. I’ll tell you what I like about a book, but usually just stop at that. I mean I don’t know what kind of books you like, maybe you’re not into youth fiction or historical fiction or whatever. But today, I would like to recommend a book. Because it really made me think, and got me excited and well I just want to share it!
The book is Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis. I received it for my birthday about a month ago, and finally got it off the bookshelf a couple days ago. From the minute I started reading, I was hooked. Carl does a great job of engaging his audience with short stories from his life and giving real life examples of what he’s talking about. He’s also quite funny.
But the biggest reason I liked this book, is because what Carl talked about is something I’ve struggled with all my life. I grew up Christian, went to church, learned about God and Jesus and read my Bible. But I always felt awkward trying to share my faith, or share the gospel, or ‘evangelize.’ It wasn’t comfortable, wasn’t easy, and just never felt natural to me. I kept thinking, well God is just going to have to help me grow in this area, because it is not where I’m gifted.
But almost ironically, I loved talking about Jesus, at least with other Christians. I would get so excited that I’d start shaking when the subject came up. I love hearing stories of how Jesus is working, what He’s doing for people, how He provides, brings love and hope to dark and scary circumstances and just does what He does.
Well, in his book, Carl suggests that ‘evangelizing’ really isn’t what Jesus did, or wants us to do. We’re not supposed to go around telling people you’re wrong, I’m right. Now believe what I believe, repeat this prayer and become a ‘Christian.’ Instead Carl just talks about Jesus, tells people about what Jesus is doing, who Jesus loves, what He cares about and he avoids the word “Christian.” Instead Carl says he’s just trying to follow Jesus.
It seems so simple, yet it’s so freeing. I don’t have to explain all of the problems with Christianity, or make excuses for all the messed up people who called themselves Christians but didn’t live like Jesus at all. Instead I should just point people to Jesus and what He did and said, and try to do likewise.
Carl does a much better job of explaining it than I do, so I highly recommend reading his book, and I hope whoever reads it enjoys it as much as I did.
So I know I’ve been silent for quite some time, I guess the laziness of summer is kicking in a little early. But I have had the chance to watch several movies recently. So I’ll be giving a quick review for each one to make up for all my laziness. Enjoy!
The first movie I want to review is The Railway Man. I really wanted to review this movie because it’s not produced by a large studio and has not been advertised as widely. Plus it’s R rating will scare off most people, so I want to give it some attention, as it deserves.
This movie is a great example of the power of courage, honesty, and forgiveness. It tells the compelling true story of a Prisoner of War confronting his torturer and in the end forgiving him resulting in the two of them becoming good friends. A lot of references to faith and the Bible were woven into the film and though it was rated R, it really should have only been a PG 13. There was not too much language and even the intense scenes were not too graphic.
Colin Firth does an excellent job playing the elder Eric, as does Jeremy Irvine playing the younger. I was caught up in all the emotional turmoil of this man and deeply happy when he chose to forgive and live, not keep letting the past haunt him.
So if you want to enjoy a good movie, go support this film. It’s well worth it.
I’m happy to say that a lot of Christian films’ quality are getting better. In the past, most of these films would be released directly to DVD, or would be in select theaters for no longer than a week. But as the quality goes up, the success has also increased. The same goes for “God’s Not Dead.”
If you haven’t heard of this film, here’s a preview of it.
I was excited to see this movie when I heard the premiss. I didn’t go to a religiously hostile university, but I definitely felt the pressure to agree with whatever a professor said in order to get the best grade possible. So seeing a movie about a student standing up for their faith was exciting to me.
I finally got to see it this past weekend, and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed how the plot-lines of several characters were all weaved together. It wasn’t simply a story about a student standing up to a teacher, but also about their lives outside of school, and there were several other characters, including a successful businessman, foreign exchange student, pastor, and a Muslim Christian.
This film did a good job of showing the various ways people encounter God and why they act the way they do. There were also a few fun little jokes throughout the movie so that it wasn’t serious the whole way through. I found it quite enjoyable.
I also really liked how it showed the peer pressure that everyone feels, whether it’s from friends, significant others, family members, or peers. And how in the end, the only thing that can free us from this pressure is God. He already loves us, we don’t have to earn his approval.
So, if you have a free evening this week, I’d encourage you to check out this movie. Because of it’s success, a lot more theaters are showing it now, so hopefully there’s one near you.
Recently a new movie about Jesus was released into the theaters. When I saw the preview I was intrigued. I’ve grown up as a Christian, and let me tell you, I’ve seen my fair share of religious films, documentaries and other such media.
Usually the quality was a little underwhelming, even if the content was pretty good. The only movie I remembered that had actually made it to theaters and done well was The Passion of the Christ.
But this new film looked different, it reminded me a lot of a book I read a couple of years ago: “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey. The book tried to take an honest look at the gospels and get an idea of what Jesus was really like, not all the things we’ve been told about him from media.
When I read the book, I discovered a Jesus with a personality, one who really cared about people, wasn’t afraid to offend people with the truth, and really enjoyed getting to the heart of an issue. He wasn’t distant and superior, talking in an elevated tone, he was down to earth, making complex things simple, and taking time to talk to anyone, no matter what society said about them.
So when I saw the preview for Son of God, I was intrigued, and wondered if this film actually would give a clear picture of who Jesus is?
Here’s a link to the preview in case you’re interested as well.
I finally made it to the theaters this past week to find the answer. And I can say that I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the film, and the message it tried to get across that Jesus really is the Son of God. I was glad to see how closely the script stuck to the gospel accounts, even though a few changes were made.
I didn’t mind the changes because they often helped save time, and create a better story arc for a film version, and I didn’t see them as vital to the message. But if you want an exact replication of the Biblical text, you will be disappointed and will be able to spot some errors.
All in all, I loved the way this movie was set up. The filmmakers used some scenes from the Bible Series that showed on TV this past year, which was pretty cool. They also set up a good background of the events surrounding Jesus’s life, showing what was happening in Israel at this time in history.
In conclusion, I would encourage anyone interested in Jesus to see this film. I think it was well done, and showed a fuller picture of who Jesus is, what He did, and why He did it.
NovelSisters 