kids are funny

So this weekend I was down in Hewitt visiting Marc's Granny (who recently had surgery) and my sister-in-law and her kids were there as well. One night we were eating dessert - pound cake with whipped cream and berries. Melissa (sister-in-law) said something about the "white puffy stuff" and her 3-yr old son turns to look at her and says "THAT is cream" in his little tiny 3-yr old voice, complete with eye-rolling inflection. Ah, it was a good moment. Kids make me laugh : ).

movies: more than meets the eye?

Marc and I went to a thing called "Culture & Theology" at our church (www.thevillagechurch.net) last week and the topic was how to engage movies, since we are a culture of movie watchers. The speaker encouraged us to engage the movies we watch by asking questions about 3 different topics: Purpose, Spirituality, and Experience.

In terms of Purpose, what was the purpose of the movie? What question(s) is the movie asking me?

Questions about Spirituality might include What do the characters value? What does the film suggest is meaningful in life? What assumptions does it ask me to make about the world? Does the film illustrate or conflict with the gospel (or both)?

And then Experience questions could include Did you find the film worthwhile? How did it make you feel (for example, if it was an action flick, do you feel like you need to drive faster when you leave the theater)? What does it make you think about? Did anything resonate with you or remind you of some detail in your own history?

After outlining all that, the speaker had us watch a short film called "Most" and then we discussed some of these questions with the people around us and then as a whole group. I found the discussion really interesting and I certainly felt like I gained much more from the movie than I would have if I'd just watched it. A couple of the people around me said that they thought deeply about the movies they watch on a regular basis, but these questions were a very new idea to me. I guess that I just watch movies and then don't really think about them again, unless something in them resonates with my life or something scares me. I don't watch scary movies if I can avoid them in fact because they stay with me. Otherwise, movies are in and out for me. It makes a lot of sense to me that I need to work at engaging movies though, seeing the amount that I watch (a lot), and how I might be able to use an intelligent conversation about a movie with a friend to point to the gospel, or to some aspect of truth. I also would benefit from thinking about the movies I see in terms of affirming that which is truth in the movies, and rejecting that which isn't. Movies can easily sway our thinking and I don't want to unknowingly be swayed by what the world says is right that isn't.

All that said, three movies that we've seen recently are Once, Wall-E, and the Dark Knight. Putting these questions to these three movies makes for a whole new movie watching experience! Marc and I talked about Once in terms of the questions, and I enjoyed the discussion quite a bit. He had a lot of insight that I hadn't seen in the movie. I've only been thinking about Wall-E and Dark Knight...Wall-E is an easier one to analyze. Dark Knight...well, still thinking about that one. I recommend all three movies. Once is an Irish film about a couple of musicians - I loved the music. Wall-E has an amazing ability to make the audience (or at least me!) emotionally attach to a couple of robots whose entire vocabulary is either "Wall-E" or "Eva." Dark Knight is incredible - Heath Ledger is unrecognizable in the Joker, probably the best villain I've ever seen.

a question

Lately I've been thinking about the promises in the Bible as they're related to the context in which they're given...in other words, how do we know when the promises are for everyone (believers) and when they're just for the people written to? I've been reading Jeremiah lately and recently came across chapter 29, probably the best known Jeremiah passage, especially verse 11 ("For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.") I would say that throughout my life as a christian, this verse has been quoted as applying to all believers. There might not be anything wrong with that - it might be a promise to all of us. God does in fact have a future for us, and a hope that endures all trials. In terms of the context though, God is speaking to the Israelites who are in exile in Babylon. Jeremiah sends a letter to these Israelites in Babylon, telling them to settle down because they're going to be there awhile, but that God will come for them after a time to bring them back to Jerusalem. Vs 10 starts: "For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." (that was 10 - 14) So basically, Israel has been attacked because the Israelites would not repent from their wicked ways. Some are spared and taken to Babylon, and many are killed. At that time, it must have seemed like God had abandoned them, as King Nebuchadnezzar saw great success in conquering them. Jeremiah sends a letter to those despairing though, a letter of hope and encouragement, a promise to save the remnant of Israel.

So, is it acceptable for us to "claim" this promise as our own? Or was it written just to the Israelites at that time? I tend to lean towards it being a promise to each of us, because often I find that the words Jeremiah wrote to the Israelites could have been written to my wandering heart. "Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare..." (vs. 5 - 7) No, I've obviously never been in exile, but I often fight with my heart for contentment, and these verses remind me to settle down because God has placed me where he has for his good will. I suppose that learning from what God tells the exiled Israelites is a little different than taking a promise meant for them for myself though. Hmm, does this make any sense? I hope so. All I'm really asking is how do we know when a promise is aimed at all of us, and how do we know when it's aimed at a specific person or people (and not us)? How do we use the context of verses to discover whom the promise is meant for? What are your thoughts?

pretty awesome physics

This is oobleck (cornstarch and water) on a metal pan on a subwoofer. Ingenious : )
(Turn up your sound!)

ran out of room

this is a continuation of the last post - didn't have room for any Abq pics... (none of these are actually in Abq, rather in the Jemez mountains and Santa Fe)

Galavanting

Sorry for my lack of posts of late...and before the lack of posts at all, for the lack of posts of substance. I've had a lot of ideas rolling around my head to write about, but I haven't decided which to post on just yet. So, in lieu of a post of words, I'll give you a post of pics. We've been traveling for the last couple weeks - first to Florida for a trip to Disney World and Destin with Marc's family, and then to Albuquerque for some soul refreshment in the mountains and with my family. Here are a few of my favorite pics...

scadoosh

Pepes, Kung Fu Panda is hilarious. I heard some reviews that said that it wasn't that funny...well, my friends, those reviewers were crazy! I laughed to tears more than once... I wholeheartedly recommend it (if you like silly comedy). If you want, I will even go see it again with you : ).

Hallelujah, it's SUMMERTIME!!