At the Movies

As many of you all know, I am quite the movie buff. Especially when it comes to romance. REAL romance, not that sappy stuff you all call love.

This weekend my church group (a group compiled of girls in my grade who live in my area) went to go see Dear John. The basic premise of the story is boy (John) meets girl (Savannah), they fall in love, he chooses duty to his country and what is right over being with her immediately, and the drama ensues.

Caution: This post WILL contain spoilers, so for those of you who want to see it and don't want to know how it ends. DON'T READ.

I thought it was a good story, but Savannah made me furious. John decided to go back into the army after 9/11 because he thought it the right thing to do. And, of course, it is during this time that she writes him the real "Dear John" letter (which, for those like me who didn't know, is when a girl breaks up with a guy in the army). Now, it seemed to me that John had full intentions of settling down with her once he got back. But Savannah couldn't wait any longer. She married another man, and John was left in the dust.

She disgusted me. My dad pointed out to me that they were NOT in a marriage covenant or an engagement so they had no real commitment to each other. But, as John had intentions of marriage when he came back (or so it seemed), she could've at least talked about it before she made her decision. Yes, I can understand where she's coming from. If the man I loved was going to be away from me again, for another two years, I would be crushed. But I would stand by him because he was doing what he felt to be right.

John, however, was a very honorable man. When his father died (after Savannah had married) he sold his dad's coin collection and used the money to give Savannah's husband the treatment he needed for his cancer. That is love, right there folks. Even though she had betrayed him, used him, threw him in the dirt, he still sacrificed for her.

Autism was also shown in a very good light. Not as a bad thing, but as something special, something to be treasured.

I also saw Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief today. Truthfully, I don't know how they're going to be able to make the second one. The books are AMAZING. But the movie, for me, was not quite equal to it. They changed the plot so much that I don't think it's possible for them to continue. Standing on its own, it was a good movie, but compared to the book it was weak. The casting was good, albeit they were too old (they were 12 years old in the book). Percy - good but a little too "I'm-so-cool." Annabeth - great acting, especially her eyes (very intense eyes), although her hair was supposed to be blonde. Grover - GREAT! I never pictured him as African American, but I guess that's just because I'm white.

A Musical Journey

People always ask me why I love music so much. And I'm not talking about the average person, yeah-I-like-some-music kind of guy. I'm talking I love ANY music. I'll do country, hip-hop, classical, even opera. I love it all.

Because when I listen to music, I can hear God. I hear the different voices of God in different music. My favorite example of this is The Prince of Egypt soundtrack. So, today, I'm going to take you an a musical journey (no, I'm not being sarcastic or cheesy) through the different voices of God apparent in this soundtrack.

1. God of Joy - Listen to this. How do you not want to get up and dance and sing praises to Him? This clearly demonstrates that God is a joyful God who is happy to be with His children. I mean just listen! Joy leaks from this music!

2. God of Anger - When I hear this, I think that my God is someone not to be trifled with. He is not to be joked around about. He is not to be laughed at. He is God and He could strike you down at any point if He so wanted. Surprisingly this is one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack. Each chorus strike sounds like a blow of God's hand on a disobedient nation. "I send my scourge, I send my sword. Thus saith the Lord."

3. God of Children - God just loves the children. All of them. No matter what race, what mental capacity, whatever. He loves them all as if they were His own. Because they come to Him willingly, trusting that what He says is true even though they can't see it. They have a sweet innocence about them. In this song they are singing his praises! They sing: "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously. Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestial. Who is like You, majestic in holiness. In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed. I will sing, I will sing, I will sing."

4. God of Deliverance - God takes care of His people. He delivers him when they call out to Him. Do you hear them begging, pleading with God to save them? And then at the end, He proves himself faithful - and they sing His glory for it.

5. The Unfathomable, Indescribable God - When I listen to this, I just think, "Wow." To me, this describes God better than anything. But even this song can't describe Him. We just can't. We can never fully understand who He is. I think this melody captures some of that mystery and awe.

This is why I love music. Because that's what I can hear. I can hear God. I hope you all have enjoyed this musical journey! It's one of my all-time favorite soundtracks (and I like A LOT of soundtracks)! Thanks for listening!

Words of Wisdom

Let's just cut to the chase.

I get mad at God. Really mad. Like yelling at him during my prayer time (where I'm supposed to be thanking him.

I've been especially mad lately about how long raising money for Evan's adoption has been. I don't get an immediate response to any ideas I have. I just feel like the entire fundraising process is taking entirely too long. And, what frustrates me, is that no one seems to have the sense of urgency I do. The way I see it, we don't get enough money, Evan doesn't come home. And I will NOT let that happen.

Many of you know how Lydia Hollis and her family raised over the amount they needed for their adoption in 9 days (For more info visit: http://the30dayjourneyforhope.blogspot.com/). I kept praying to God saying, "Why can't you just do that for us? We'd put in the effort! I'd put in the effort to get that done!"

I was watching the movie Prince Caspian the other day and this scene just really stuck out to me. It worked completely with what I was asking from God. There is a scene where Lucy finds Aslan (I think in a dream, but it wasn't exactly clear).

She asks him, "Why couldn't you come roaring in and save us like last time?"
And he replies, "Things never happen the same way twice, dear one."

That's what's happening here. For me, it takes more of my faith to be patient and wait for God. I feel like when I get an idea, or when I get a cause, I just start sprinting off, and God grabs me by the shoulders and says, "Slow down, there, Speed Racer." That's what's hard for me. Having to slow down, because its what God wants me to do.

Also, we have our in-home homestudy visit tomorrow, so be praying that that goes well. We've basically cleaned the entire house (closets and all) for this. So hopefully it will all pay off.

Gone

So the other night I wrote a new song. It's called Gone. I wrote it on a night when I couldn't sleep because a movie had completely freaked me out. At this point, I was getting very frustrated both with myself, my parents, and God.

Myself, because... let's just get this out of way... Sherlock Holmes freaked me out. It is so hard for me to see all of my friends completely LOVING a movie, and I can't even watch it without having a night without sleep like some toddler. And, I can't even discern when something's going to scare me. Right after Sherlock Holmes, I loved it! I loved the plot, the characters, especially the music. I thought it was the best movie ever - until I tried to sleep. And images of Lord Blackwood performing gross rituals on people came up. I hate it. I hate that I'm like this. I can't see anything except Disney Channel and Princess and the Frog without getting freaked out. It makes me feel like a complete and utter wimp.

My parents because they just don't understand. They keep asking me what I'm afraid of. Don't I know that it was just a movie and none of it was real? Yes, I absolutely know that it's not real. I don't pretend to understand why Sherlock Holmes scares me and Lord of the Rings doesn't bother me a bit. I don't even know what's scaring me, exactly. I just know what my body is feeling - I start shaking sometimes, my stomach is in a knot, and every time I close my eyes I see those horrible images. I don't even know why I bother to come downstairs and see them when I'm scared, they just don't get it, and they end up making me feel worse. I know they're just trying to help, but it doesn't work.

God, because he could take this all away with a snap of his fingers. Where is He when I need him? Two nights in a row I wasn't able to sleep for different movies. I NEED sleep. I start school tomorrow.

So that's the position I'm in as I'm writing this song. I feel like I'm alone and that everyone, even God, is just gone. I can't find any comfort anywhere. The song sounds very dark, sad, and dissonant at parts, because that's how I felt. I felt confusion, and pain, and like everyone was just gone. No one could help.

Faith Like Potatoes

My family watched the movie Faith Like Potatoes tonight.

It was a brilliant story about a farmer living in South Africa. I especially enjoyed hearing them speak the Zulu language. I don't know what it is about the African languages, but they are just beautiful to me. In the movie, this farmer becomes a Christian and is challenged to always trust in God even when others doubt or when tragedy strikes. All in all, it was a fantastic movie.

However, there was one seen in which a child is killed in a freak accident. Now, those of you who read my earlier post on sensitivity know that I can't handle things like that. Seeing a little child, covered in blood and a man trying desperately to save him, calling out to God for help. I almost had to excuse myself from the room I was crying so hard. Even after the movie, just visualizing it made me feel like I was going to vomit.

My dad still insists that this is a beautiful gift, and I still can't see it that way. But he did say that if I want to grow up and live in Africa with orphans, I will have to deal with things like the child's death in the movie and probably things worse than that. My only responding thought as I pondered his statement was:

God, help me.

I don't even know those people! It was a movie and I was sobbing like I was a part of their family! I don't have any idea how I'm going to deal with something like that happening to a child I know and have interacted with, even loved! I feel like God is building me up to handle horrors like that. It starts with sickness and hospitals and dealing with injuries and what not, and me being exposed to things like the scene in Faith Like Potatoes. I don't think I'll ever be ready to see a child die, though. So, I pray tonight that if God has that planned for me anywhere in my future that he help me. Because I couldn't go through that alone. I couldn't go through that without His help.

But, perhaps I'll be like the man in the movie. Because of what happened, I will go on to do even greater things for the glory of God.

I Love You, Evangeline

So I went and saw The Princess and the Frog last night for a friend's birthday - dressed up like a princess. Yep, I was Anastasia. Sure, people stared at us and some even asked what was going on, but it was tons of fun! And, I LOVED the movie. Now, THAT is a love story! I'd rather see that than New Moon any day! I loved how the characters transformed - they both had flaws, but they helped each other overcome them. And Prince Naveen, at the end, he would give up everything he ever wanted for Tiana. That's love. 100% devotion on both sides, with neither expecting anything in return.

In the movie, the little firefly Ray had fallen in love with the north star, whom he called.... Evangeline! It just made my day! He even sang a song about her! I am going to learn this and sing it to Evan every night before she goes to sleep! Here it is:

New Moon

I was never a big Twilight fan. I have friends that absolutely LOVE it, and friends that hate it with a burning passion, but I'm kind of lukewarm.

I think it's a brilliant story and incredible character ideas. Like the vampires' human talents being magnified? That's a magnificent idea! That makes for a great story. But all this overly-dramatic romance? I could do without it.

Since when did, "I love you so much I would die for you," become, "I love you so much I won't kill you,"?

My parents won't let me read any of the books except the first one, and they were hesitant to let me see the movie. This made me angry at first, but now I'm beginning to understand. Twilight is presenting girls with a romantic relationship that's just not real, and not healthy. Bella and Edward don't really LOVE each other so much, they are absolutely INFATUATED with each other. Girls today say, "I want a boyfriend like Edward." I can tell you right now, I don't.

He leaves to protect you, and then tries to kill himself when he thinks your dead. That's not heroic, that's called feeling sorry for yourself and not moving on with your life. He stalks her at night and watches her when she sleeps. That's not romantic, that's creepy and unethical.

I like the story, it's a good concept, but you need to be careful that you guard your heart while you're reading/watching it. They're setting girls up for relationships that don't work, and don't happen in real life. Be careful that you don't get sucked in, because it's dangerous. It's dangerous to focus on relationships like that, instead of your relationship with God and others around you. God will bring you to the right person, and he probably won't be like Edward.

Boys, don't kid yourself into thinking that girls will like you more if you act "cool" like Edward. Good, strong, Christian girls aren't looking for Edwards, they're waiting for disciples of the Lord to come to them.

What Is It Really All About?

What is Christmas really about?

Most of the modern-day world will tell you that it's about the spirit of giving, about being thankful and being cheerful, about kindness and goodwill. While all of that is true, it really all comes down to Jesus - just like every other aspect of our lives.

I tend to forget this quite a bit. I get caught up in the holiday spirit of Christmas music, winter coats, Santa Claus, and gift giving. All of that is just fine, but we have to make sure that Jesus is our priority this season. Without Jesus, there would be no Christmas.

Even the dictionary says that Christmas is "the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth," so shouldn't we, as Christians, be the ones who set this example?

My family has 20+ nativities set up all over our house. The picture above is one of my favorites. It just seems so humble compared to all the other fancy, elaborate ones - just like Jesus.

And did you ever think about how incredibly faithful and brave Mary and Joseph had to be? Mary was only 13 or 14 when the angel came to her. I find it insanely awesome that she trusted God through her family not believing her, and her fiancé threatening to reject her. That is one amazing young woman. And Joseph, he led his wife, pregnant with a child that he knew to be the Son of God only by faith, across 100 miles of desert and rocky terrain. All I can say is, "Wow."

A movie I suggest watching is The Nativity Story. Probably not great for younger kids, it gives whole new depth to the old story that everyone's heard. You walk through the journey with Mary. One thing I love about it too, is that the people are portrayed as Middle Eastern (probably Pakistani or Israeli descent). That is the way they really looked. They were not Caucasian. I watched it earlier today and was just blown away by the amazing way that God works and his people showed faith to Him. It came out in 2006. It should be at your local Blockbuster. Please do take the time to watch it with your family, it will change your perspective on Christmas.

Because we all need a wake-up call. It's not about the "holiday spirit." It's about Jesus - it's always been about Jesus.