I will admit, I've gotten to the point in this blog where I'm not 100% certain what I've covered in the past, and what still needs to be covered. So, if I covered freedom awhile back, please give this fellow a little bit of grace and love. I will say that this issue is really important, and I think freedom is something that we as the body of Christ need to understand and get correct. Here's what I got for a Christian perspective on freedom.
1) The Bible is concerned with freedom. Now, let me say this it is not the Bible's first priority. I would say that freedom is not the Bible's number one concern, but it is a very important concern for Christians. Let me be perfectly clear here, total freedom is never the goal for anyone at any time. Because our world is a sinful place that is in need of desperate redemption. But, the goal however, is freedom to do good, to choose to say no to sin, to run to Christ, etc. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Now, what Christ has done has freed humanity from the worst oppressor of all: sin. So, what Christ accomplished is that sin in your life no longer has the final word, you are free to walk away from sin, to begin caring about things and people other than yourself. You are not call to be free to such an extent that you are out of control or you are living however you want. You are called to be free from sin and the oppressive hold it can have on many people. The freedom we are discussing here is spiritual and to some extent physical freedom.
My advice: embrace the freedom. Let people know the change that has taken place in your life, live differently, speak more kindly, look for ways to give more, and pray for people that you normally wouldn't even consider praying for.
2) Oppression is never the answer, we must work hard for others to experience the freedom we have experienced. Freedom is something that is meant for all people to enjoy. The sad reality is many people don't know or aren't able to experience physical freedom like the rest of us. Let us take heart and commit to being people of change in our society as we desire to give so that others may be lifted up. Let's educate ourselves on the oppression of hunger, slavery, ignorance, and disease. Let's look for groups that support these causes, and let's be in prayer for those groups in their mission. Let's keep our ears and eyes open for ways we can be supportive and encouraging each other. Above let's never lose sight of the reality that we do all of this because Jesus loves us and we want to show His love to others.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
On Jobs (The movie about Steve Jobs)
Movie reviews are fun to blog about, I'm not going to lie. So, I usually am pretty amped to go see a movie or rent a movie to blog about. The new movie Jobs I will admit surprised me a great deal. This movie detailed the life and work of the late technology visionary: Steve Jobs. The movie showed the rise and fall of Apple computers under Jobs' leadership. The movie stars Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs and the rest of the cast are filled with people that you're sitting there saying, "I should know there name, I don't!"
The movie at times does feel slow moving, but the story is what grabbed me, and I will say it is a real, gritty look at both Jobs' troubles and triumphs with Apple Computers. The movie begins in the late 70s and we see a free spirited Jobs who is both brilliant but also hard to work with and uncompromising in his ideals and vision. The film does a great job of showing the early stages of Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's vision with Apple and how the company grew from their garage into the billion dollar company it is today. The film is intentional showing just how power and success do indeed affect people in both positive and negative ways. It is very interesting to see the evolution that happens to Steve Jobs the more he dives into creating the Mac computer and the many other products that Apple computers has created.
It was very interesting to see the amount of time, energy, personal triumph, innovation, and also personal heartache that went into creating the computer we know it as today. I really enjoyed the movie, and I think most of us know the end of the story, so I will just go out and say it: the Mac computer gets invented as well as the Ipod :). The movie at its heart doesn't really excite or thrill the viewer, but one thing it does do is inform the viewer and allow you to dive deep in the human psyche and see just what success can do to a human being. I would recommend the movie especially to young kids in high school and college.
In terms of family friendliness the movie doesn't have a lot of questionable material. There are some incidents of strong language and drug use. I would grade it a 3 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness. In terms of overall quality of movie I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness.
The movie at times does feel slow moving, but the story is what grabbed me, and I will say it is a real, gritty look at both Jobs' troubles and triumphs with Apple Computers. The movie begins in the late 70s and we see a free spirited Jobs who is both brilliant but also hard to work with and uncompromising in his ideals and vision. The film does a great job of showing the early stages of Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's vision with Apple and how the company grew from their garage into the billion dollar company it is today. The film is intentional showing just how power and success do indeed affect people in both positive and negative ways. It is very interesting to see the evolution that happens to Steve Jobs the more he dives into creating the Mac computer and the many other products that Apple computers has created.
It was very interesting to see the amount of time, energy, personal triumph, innovation, and also personal heartache that went into creating the computer we know it as today. I really enjoyed the movie, and I think most of us know the end of the story, so I will just go out and say it: the Mac computer gets invented as well as the Ipod :). The movie at its heart doesn't really excite or thrill the viewer, but one thing it does do is inform the viewer and allow you to dive deep in the human psyche and see just what success can do to a human being. I would recommend the movie especially to young kids in high school and college.
In terms of family friendliness the movie doesn't have a lot of questionable material. There are some incidents of strong language and drug use. I would grade it a 3 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness. In terms of overall quality of movie I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness.
Friday, January 17, 2014
On Innocence
This is not the easiest post to write, I must say as I begin, because innocence is a somewhat subjective term and certain people look at innocence and see it as a negative thing. It can be very easy to see worldliness and having all sorts of experience as a good thing. Well, I may be way off in the overall direction of this post, but I believe in the cosmic scale of innocence and worldliness we should seek to tip the scale in the direction of innocence. Here are a few reasons why:
1) Too many people lose innocence too early. Jesus states in Matthew 19 that we should let the little children come to Him for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Children are the most innocent people around. Let's face it their belief in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and many others proves that children are innocent and vulnerable. In my opinion that's the way it should be. Children in our society lose their innocence way too early. Children shouldn't have to fear to go to school. Children shouldn't have to fear that their parents' marriage may fall apart or that they'll be abused in this world. But, the reality is that too many people lose their innocence when they shouldn't.
So, the question remains though, now what? How can we as the Body of Christ speak into the sad reality is that our world is filled with brokenness and pain? Well, the unfortunate truth is that in our current world sin will continue to infect all areas, but we as Christians can pray for those who are hurting, be faithful in giving to the church and organizations that support the broken and vulnerable, and we can as the Body of Christ be consistent in living out our faith.
2) Innocence doesn't allow you to buy into the false narrative that something/someone is greater than Jesus.
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were completely innocent. They had no idea they were naked, of the existence of evil, death, and the list can go on and on. The serpent convinced them there was something greater than their relationship and innocence with God and everything changed.
Unfortunately, there isn't a way for us to go back to a time of total innocence. But, one thing we can do is to submit everything to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our thoughts, actions, words, conversations, time, and checkbook should all reflect who is Lord of our life. I would encourage you to find others who will hold you accountable for your spirituality, post notes all over reminding yourself that you are a valued Child of God, and I would encourage you to be very aware of the violence and depravity that our culture glorifies. This is a tough journey and together we can go journey on it together.
3) Innocence is what we're all heading for anyway, why not and embrace it now?
In the Kingdom of Heaven sin will officially be destroyed for good. Jesus will be everything. Our thoughts will be Jesus. Our words will reflect the glory of God, our actions will be praising and worshiping God. We will not have a thought or desire for anything or anyone else. If this is going to be the way it is for all eternity: why not begin now?
1) Too many people lose innocence too early. Jesus states in Matthew 19 that we should let the little children come to Him for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Children are the most innocent people around. Let's face it their belief in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and many others proves that children are innocent and vulnerable. In my opinion that's the way it should be. Children in our society lose their innocence way too early. Children shouldn't have to fear to go to school. Children shouldn't have to fear that their parents' marriage may fall apart or that they'll be abused in this world. But, the reality is that too many people lose their innocence when they shouldn't.
So, the question remains though, now what? How can we as the Body of Christ speak into the sad reality is that our world is filled with brokenness and pain? Well, the unfortunate truth is that in our current world sin will continue to infect all areas, but we as Christians can pray for those who are hurting, be faithful in giving to the church and organizations that support the broken and vulnerable, and we can as the Body of Christ be consistent in living out our faith.
2) Innocence doesn't allow you to buy into the false narrative that something/someone is greater than Jesus.
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were completely innocent. They had no idea they were naked, of the existence of evil, death, and the list can go on and on. The serpent convinced them there was something greater than their relationship and innocence with God and everything changed.
Unfortunately, there isn't a way for us to go back to a time of total innocence. But, one thing we can do is to submit everything to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our thoughts, actions, words, conversations, time, and checkbook should all reflect who is Lord of our life. I would encourage you to find others who will hold you accountable for your spirituality, post notes all over reminding yourself that you are a valued Child of God, and I would encourage you to be very aware of the violence and depravity that our culture glorifies. This is a tough journey and together we can go journey on it together.
3) Innocence is what we're all heading for anyway, why not and embrace it now?
In the Kingdom of Heaven sin will officially be destroyed for good. Jesus will be everything. Our thoughts will be Jesus. Our words will reflect the glory of God, our actions will be praising and worshiping God. We will not have a thought or desire for anything or anyone else. If this is going to be the way it is for all eternity: why not begin now?
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
on Anchorman 2 The Legend of Ron Burgundy
As I begin this movie review, I will begin by saying make sure that you have the right expectations going into the movie. If you think that Anchorman 2 will be a movie that has an Academy award winning story, cast, or musical score then I will say your expectations aren't realistic. However, if you go into Anchorman 2 looking for a humorous, unrealistic story and a few laughs than those expectations are a tad more realistic. I saw Anchorman 2 recently, and here's what I thought.
Anchorman 2 continues the story of newscaster, Ron Burgundy. To pick-up where the first movie left-off Ron marries his love: Veronica Corningstone, moves to New York, has a kid, and the two of them receive a job reporting the nightly news. Well, early in the movie the head news anchor, (I forget his name, but he's played by Harrison Ford, let's just say his career is heading in the right direction). Anyway, the head anchor gives Corningstone the job, fires Burgundy, their marriage falls apart, and Ron moves back to San Diego. A lot happens early on, I will say. Anyway, a producer for a new 24 hours news station finds Ron in San Diego and wants to bring him with his news team to host a segment on GNN the new 24 hour news station. The movie takes off when Ron challenges the prime time, anchor Jack Lime (played by James Marsden), to see who can win a ratings battle. Ron and his crew have the 2-5 AM slot, anyway that gets things going in an exciting manner, and I will say similar hijinks to the first movie abound in the sequel. Without spoiling any major pieces, the movie in terms of intellectual stimulation is below average. But, you will get a laugh or two, and you don't need to see the first one to understand the sequel.
In terms of family friendliness the movie is rated PG-13 for a reason. There are incidents of foul language and crude humor. So, be very cautious if you take your children. I give the movie 2 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness. Overall quality of the movie I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, don't expect an amazing story, but expect to chuckle along the way. If you really like Will Ferrell or Anchorman then it's worth a trip to the theater, but if you're not sure then just make this a Redbox movie.
Anchorman 2 continues the story of newscaster, Ron Burgundy. To pick-up where the first movie left-off Ron marries his love: Veronica Corningstone, moves to New York, has a kid, and the two of them receive a job reporting the nightly news. Well, early in the movie the head news anchor, (I forget his name, but he's played by Harrison Ford, let's just say his career is heading in the right direction). Anyway, the head anchor gives Corningstone the job, fires Burgundy, their marriage falls apart, and Ron moves back to San Diego. A lot happens early on, I will say. Anyway, a producer for a new 24 hours news station finds Ron in San Diego and wants to bring him with his news team to host a segment on GNN the new 24 hour news station. The movie takes off when Ron challenges the prime time, anchor Jack Lime (played by James Marsden), to see who can win a ratings battle. Ron and his crew have the 2-5 AM slot, anyway that gets things going in an exciting manner, and I will say similar hijinks to the first movie abound in the sequel. Without spoiling any major pieces, the movie in terms of intellectual stimulation is below average. But, you will get a laugh or two, and you don't need to see the first one to understand the sequel.
In terms of family friendliness the movie is rated PG-13 for a reason. There are incidents of foul language and crude humor. So, be very cautious if you take your children. I give the movie 2 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness. Overall quality of the movie I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, don't expect an amazing story, but expect to chuckle along the way. If you really like Will Ferrell or Anchorman then it's worth a trip to the theater, but if you're not sure then just make this a Redbox movie.
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