#LiveFully | Author ArchivesEvan Forester, Author at #LiveFully

The #LiveFully Hobbit Review

Evan Forester — December 14, 2012

It is no secret that I love Lord of the Rings and the rest of Middle Earth. One of my earliest memories is reading The Hobbit with my dad before bed. I’ve seen the original trilogy dozens of times, and so I have eagerly awaited this new trilogy.

(c) Warner Brothers

That being said, I was fairly skeptical about The Hobbit. I’m not sure why, perhaps it was Star Wars Episode 1 syndrome, or perhaps I loved Lord of the Rings so much that I thought nothing could compare. Having seen the film a couple of days ago, however, I can honestly say my skepticism was ill placed. The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey, is an incredible film.

Is the Hobbit better than Lord of the Rings?

This is the big question many will ask. While it is hard to answer after one viewing, I believe the answer is no. That being said, this film is definitely in the same league as the original trilogy.

I would probably give the original movies all 10/10, and the Hobbit is at least a 9/10. Continue Reading…

In #culture

Rebranding the Church: Unity

Evan Forester — December 12, 2012

You’ve found yourself in a mini-series on Rebranding the church. If you missed it, then I recommend reading the introduction. Essentially, we believe that followers of Jesus should be most recognized for what they contribute to the world instead of what they are against in the world. Each week we tackle something the church must demonstrate they support.

What Would Jesus Say?

If you asked Jesus what he believed the church needed to do, in order that the world might know that he was the truth, what do you think he would say?

Is it just me, or are church signs the original twitter?

One of the most fascinating passages in the Bible is John 17. Jesus prays for the church before he dies on the cross and reveals his incredible compassion for us.

The words he prays should be well known in all of our hearts, and yet his prayer is one of the things the church struggles with most. In this prayer, he explains the unbelievably important key to how the world will know Jesus is from God and that God loves the world: the church’s love for each other. Continue Reading…

In #culture

The Fave Five 12.7.12

Evan Forester — December 7, 2012

1) Favorite Football Play: 109.9 yards

2) Favorite Home Theater Ideas: Unique Home Theaters

3) Favorite Story: The Story of God, as told by Matt Papa

4) Favorite Blog Post: 44 Actions you can take to boost your Energy by Michael Hyatt

5) Favorite Bagpipe Player Riding a Unicycle: Gandalf the Grey

In The Fave Five

Does the Church Need a New Brand?

Evan Forester — December 3, 2012

I recently took a Marketing position and have learned much in my first 4 months. One word that constantly gets tossed around the office is “brand.” Thanks to people like Seth Godin, the term has also gained increasing popularity around blogs and the rest of the web.

Now, I tend to avoid and shun overused terms like “brand” as much as possible. But sometimes, a buzzword actually gets the job done, and in this case, I think it is quite necessary.

What is a Brand?

The best definition I’ve heard comes from Richard Branson, founder of Virgin. He says, “Your brand or your name is simply your reputation, you have to fight in life to protect that as it means everything.” Continue Reading…

In #defined

The Fave Five 11.30.12

Evan Forester — November 30, 2012

1) Favorite 5,000 Mile Walk:

2) Favorite Behind the Scenes Video: The Hobbit – Post-Production

In #culture

The Dirty Truth About the Lies We Believe

Evan Forester — November 26, 2012

From the outside looking in, my life was great during my Junior Year of High School. I made good grades, was well liked, my girlfriend was on homecoming court, I was a leader at church, and had a very close group of friends.

But then one day, during class, a rather heavy lump planted itself somewhere between my stomach and chest and refused to leave. I had a feeling of anxiety that I couldn’t shake, and I had no idea what was causing it. I walked with it for days, and the feeling came and went without warning. Continue Reading…

In #defined

5 Creative Ways to Remember God’s Goodness

Evan Forester — November 19, 2012

Let’s face it, we all have good times, and then we all have bad ones. The trouble is, those good times can be really hard to remember during the bad ones.

During the dark moments, we tend to doubt God. I’ve personally struggled over illness, job loss, and the death of loved ones; others have experienced far greater trials. Those times can cause us to question, “Is God good? Is He even real?” In our pain we easily forget the incredible promises God offers us and often exchange them for temporary pleasures of this world. Continue Reading…

In #defined

The Fave Five 11.16.12

Evan Forester — November 16, 2012

1) Favorite Dose of Positivity: Jessica’s Daily Affirmation

2) Favorite Image: Brand Ingenuity (Lacoste)

3) Favorite Montage: Best of “This is Sports Center”

4) Favorite Test Question: Deja Vu

5) Favorite Movie Trailer: Les Miserables (although, to be honest, the trailer from a few months ago is better)

In #culture

Why You Might Be Acting Like a Sheep (and how to avoid it)

Evan Forester — November 12, 2012

Our name, “LiveFully,” comes from John 10:10. When you look at that Bible verse in context, you quickly realize that Jesus identifies himself as a shepherd, and we are his sheep.

Some sheep try to act like people too…

There are several ways that we are similar to sheep, but the video below is my new favorites. My wife, Morgan, teaches at a rural New Zealand school. They recently hosted Pet’s Day, and students brought their cats, dogs, chickens, cows, horses, and of course, sheep.

The highlight of her day was lamb calling, in which the children call their sheep by name. The sheep, who are being held by the parents, are then supposed to run to the kids. Students even have milk bottles waiting at the finish line, in order to help encourage the sheep to reach the prize. The first sheep to cross the finish line wins!

Here is what happened (be prepared, it’s hilarious): Continue Reading…

In #defined analogy, Bible, God, people, Philippians 4, sheep

The Fave Five 11.9.12

Evan Forester — November 9, 2012

Welcome to our new weekly post! The Fave Five: Each week we’ll post our five favorite links, videos, and photos from around the web. If you have something you want to submit or share for the Fave Five, send it our way at [email protected]

1) Favorite 90’s Commercial: Think Different (History lesson: before this video, Apple was written off as a “toy” company on the verge of collapse. This changed things…)

2) Favorite Perspective on Life: Mark Richt shares about his faith and the priority it plays in his work – “My identity is in Christ. I am a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. I know that he died for my sin and I am going to heaven when this is all said and done, forever. That gives me peace, no matter what happens here. So what am I willing to do? Do my work heartily, unto the Lord. There is no higher accountability in life than to do something for God. So that’s kind of how I operate.”

3) Favorite Education video:

4) Favorite Election Tweet: “BREAKING: CNN reporting that Ohio is 75% vowels.” by Bryan Allain

5) Favorite Picture: Darth Vader tells Disney characters he is their father (via Patbird and Galesaur)

In #culture

Archives For Evan Forester

Is the Hobbit better than Lord of the Rings?

What Would Jesus Say?

What is a Brand?