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Lost Fathers
“Father issues are a big part of the show thematically,” says Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse. Several characters on the show have “issues” with their family, especially with their fathers. Locke experiences betrayal from his father, Aaron was abandoned by his father, Jack has an uneasy relationship (at best) with his father, Sun’s father is a criminal, and it’s apparent that several other characters’ fathers are dead.
Over 50% of children in North America will grow up at some point in a single parent home. What significance could fatherly absense or failing hold for our own personal lives? If we have grown up in a hostile parental environment, we may still hold negative attitudes to parental figures. Could this be a reason why accepting God as Father, and not just an impersonal deity, is so difficult? If God exists, would He really be like our own fathers, or would our own fathers, as wonderful or dreadful as they can be, really be pale imitations of our heavenly father?
Superbowl
It’s curious to me how sensitive the subject of religion is in the media and how reluctant popular media is to discuss things religious, especially Christianity. All other topics seem to be fair game, including sexual preference, whom someone is dating, racism, political affiliation, and so on. One exception I heard last night though was during, of all things, a sports recap. Bound for Superbowl XLI, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy, made a comment on him and his friend Lovie Smith, coach of the Chicago Bears, making it to the Superbowl. He said that it was great to see a fellow Christian reaching this level of competition, to be able to show that this game can be played well without the profanity that often goes along with the game (not an exact quote). Today, I went online looking for this interview. Sadly, I could not find it…however, featured prominently on the official Super Bowl website, a story on the first “black head coaches in a Super Bowl???.
Has being a Christian become a bad thing? Tell us what you think.
Heroes
Heroes is my favorite new show of the season. I don’t know what it is about the show…maybe it’s the thought of having some sort of super human power, the mystery of finding out who’s on the list, or just the variety of characters that keeps drawing me back. You wouldn’t think that people who can fly, stop time, or cheat death would have so many problems…but I guess some powers are more curses than blessings. Last night’s episode ended with one of the characters in trouble and deep despair. Nicki’s ‘power’ is her alter ego – her dead twin sister Jessica, who has a violent streak and super strength. Nicki is thrown in jail for various crimes committed by her sister, and as she lay on her cell floor, she cries out, “God, help me???. Jessica then replies, “You don’t need God, you have me???. How many times have we in times of despair and desperation cried out for help from God, yet turned our backs on Him before He has a chance to help us? Why is it that people have a tendency to call on God for help even if they don’t believe in Him? And why do we rely so much on our own strength and ability despite being shown time and time again our shortcomings? Why is it so difficult to loosen the death grip we have on our lives and give up control?
Children of Men
The world’s youngest citizen has just died at 18, and humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set in and around a dystopian London fractious with violence and warring nationalistic sects, Children of Men follows the unexpected discovery of a lone pregnant woman and the desperate journey to deliver her to safety and restore faith for a future beyond those presently on Earth. (IMDB summary of the movie)
As one commentator describes it, the movie “draws us into a world that bears a striking resemblance to our own”. The movie’s tagline summarizes the plot in this way: “No children. No future. No hope.” In this not altogether improbable vision of the future, no children have been born in the last 18 years. But a faint glimmer of hope appears when Kee, an African refugee, is miraculously found to be pregnant. The child becomes perhaps the last chance for humankind.
The parallels to the birth of Jesus in the Bible are striking: a child will become the savior of the world. In a brief exchange between Theodore Faron (the movie’s protagonist) and Kee (mother of the child), they discuss the circumstances of Kee’s pregnancy:
Theodore Faron: Who’s the father?
Kee: There’s no father. I’m a virgin. … Nah! Be great, though, wouldn’t it?
Although the movie doesn’t give much detail about how the world has become so messed up, it certainly insinuates that it’s humankind’s own fault. The overall message seems to be that, barring a miracle, humankind is doomed to bring about its own destruction.
Is humankind really destined for a future drenched in despair like this movie predicts? When we honestly look around our broken world, can we really see things getting “better and better”? If not, where can we find hope?
The 6th Day
I’m not that proud of it, for the movie had more swearing and violence than I typically watch…but The 6th Day staring Arnold Schwarzenegger did bring some intriguing questions to my mind.
If you haven’t seen it, The 6th Day is a futuristic movie that deals with the concept of cloning. Arnie finds himself in the unfortunate situation of being cloned while he himself is still alive. The movie is the rather typical car chasing – gun –toting – blow buildings up movie…but at under the surface of all the noise there are some deep seated questions…
The movie brings forward ethical questions…is cloning right? Is it ok to clone animals and not humans? Do animals have a soul? Do cloned animals have a soul? If humans were cloned, do they have a soul? Should humans be cloned?
Even more fundamental….
“Who decides “life????
What do you think?
The Passion of the Christ
The Two-Disc Special Will Be Available To Own On January 30, 2007
For the first time ever, one of the most popular and enthralling movies of all time and the only mainstream release that bears witness to the powerful final hours of the life of Christ, is being made available in a feature packed version entitled THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST – Definitive Edition. Debuting on DVD only January 30, 2007 and a must have item for any PASSION devotee, the two-disc Definitive Edition includes several commentaries including a first ever one with Director Mel Gibson. The set also includes an alternative version of the film, Passion: Re-Cut.
Have you seen The Passion of the Christ? Has the powerful movie changed your life? If so we want to hear your story. Leave a comment.
‘The Nativity Story’ trailer banned
The city initially disapproved the showing of promotional clips from “The Nativity Story” at the traditional German Christkindlmarket because it represented paid advertising that could offend non-Christians.
New Line Cinema, the makers of the film, had agreed to pay $12,000 to Christkindlmarket organizers to continuously play the movie trailer at the bazaar.
Responding to the city’s concerns, the organizers and movie studio canceled their deal.
Read the rest of the article
As Christmas tree’s are being banned from airport and courthouse lobbies and now a movie trailer banned from being played during a Christmas festival people are asking
” Is the world trying to replace the true meaning of Christmas with a more watered down, politically correct version? ”
We want to hear from you, let us know your thoughts!
The Meaning of Christmas
The Nativity’s telling of Christ’s birth opened with scripture from Jeremiah scrolling down the screen. With the exceptions of minor changes in timeline, and necessary character and dialogue elaboration, Catherine Hardwicke’s film stayed remarkably true to the Biblical account of Christmas.
Hardwicke managed to paint a picture of the turbulent, dangerous world of first century Bethlehem and Nazareth under the thumb of King Herod and Rome. From the bedlam of the streets of Jerusalem, crawling with entranced snake charmers and menacing soldiers to the poverty-stricken village where Mary’s family struggles to survive selling goat cheese, there is a tangible sense of the constant struggle to survive…. Read the rest of the review
A heart warming family film
OPENING DECEMBER 1St 2006
The Nativity Story chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary and Joseph, a
miraculous pregnancy, and the birth of Jesus. This dramatic and compelling story comes
to life in a heart-warming film starring Academy Award nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes
(Whale Rider) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (Guerilla) as Joseph, Ciaran Hinds as King Herod
(Munich, Rome) , and Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and
Fog) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
Exploring the relationship between Joseph and Mary in the two years preceding the birth
of Jesus, The Nativity Story is a beautifully uplifting film which is biblically faithful,
historically authentic and visually stunning.
The Nativity Story is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) from a screenplay by
Mike Rich (Finding Forrester, The Rookie) and produced by Wyck Godfrey, with
production designer Stefano Ortolani bringing to life the authentic look and feel of the
film.
The Nativity Story is released through Entertainment Film Distributors and opens
nationwide on December 1st 2006.
www.thenativitystory.com
Did the Nativity happen on Dec. 25th?
It is doubtful that Jesus was truly born on December 25th. Some early church fathers believed it to have been December 25th, but the Bible does not say when Jesus was born. The Bible does not even really tell us what season he was born. The early church declared December 25th to be Jesus’ birthday in order to replace a pagan Roman holiday….Read moreStart a Conversation
Media
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Destiny? Is this really me? Was I really born for great things?
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