We share a lot of stories about people living in mainstream culture today who make an impact for God’s Kingdom. We love those modern stories, and they are important, but we must not forget the richness that stories from the past, especially Scripture, can hold for us today.
I recently read the book of Esther and was amazed by how much I enjoyed it. From a literature standpoint, Esther is incredible. It has a massive scale, is rich with irony, features a crazy evil villain, and the good guys win despite incredible odds. If you’ve never read the book, you need to. Here are five lessons from Esther that are relevant for all of us living today: Continue Reading…
*All this week we’re sharing #LiveFully thoughts and stories from writers around the web. Today we here from Joe Poe, a production intern living in Austin, TX and working for Global Short Film Network (a ministry of Cru). You can check out his blog or twitter if you want to connect with this movie buff.
It’s a Saturday evening and my whole family is sitting around the TV watching a movie dad rented. Each of us sits in our own designated seats that have been assigned to us over the years through repetition. In our hands lie plates full of those scrumptious treats that clog our arteries on the way down to our stomachs: pizza rolls, Bagel Bites, chicken wings, buttery popcorn (with a double dose of butter of course).
On this typical night, the movie playing may or may not be one any of us has even heard of. Dad has an uncanny ability to pick the most random movies out there. Trust me; I have seen my fair share of B-movies over the years. Continue Reading…
The Dark Knight Rises, one of the biggest movies of the year, opens today in the US. Since I live in New Zealand, however, where we’re 16 hours ahead, I already saw the movie!
First things first: The film is great and will certainly be talked about by audiences around the world. The great thing about this Batman franchise is the depth of plot and theme. These movies are not merely popcorn flicks. They have great action, but are rich in story.
If you plan on seeing the movie, you may not want to read on until afterwards. I’ll try not to spoil anything that wasn’t already in the actual movie preview, but sometimes it is better to go in without any hints. If you decide to wait, just make sure to come back after seeing it and share your thoughts. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to continue reading…
Literally millions around the world will watch tonight as ABC’s The Bachelorette continues, just one week from the finale. I will shamelessly be watching as well.
Like rats in a cage, the Bachelorette is analogous to a great sociological experiment. As outsiders peeking in, we observe what the human heart is capable of when thrown into the most romantic settings in the world.
I am not naïve to the fact that this “experiment” is highly controlled by the “scientists” of popular T.V. I’m sure many (or most?) scenes are produced, and there’s probably even paid actors within the group to create more drama. Yet we come back for more. Continue Reading…
Last year I read a simple, interesting book called “How Full is Your Bucket.”
I didn’t realize it at the time, but the book was extremely influential on me. Even now, rarely does a week go by where I do not think of the book’s simple message and see how helpful it is in living the full life.
The Argument:
Despite being based in decades of scientific research, the concept is so simple it could be in a kid’s book (actually, it is in a kid’s book). Everybody has an imaginary “bucket” and “ladle.” When you say something encouraging or positive to another person, you fill their bucket. Most of us realize this, but we fail to notice that filling another person’s bucket also fills our own bucket.
Conversely, when we say something degrading or negative to another person, we dip out of their bucket. Again, when we dip out of someone’s bucket, we also dip out of our own bucket. It’s ironic, because most people who say condescending things are trying to feel better about themselves, but ultimately it makes them feel worse.
Negativity breeds negativity, and positivity creates positivity. The book had several fascinating case studies. Businesses around the country with negative work environments or negative employees lose billions of dollars every year compared to those in positive environments. They also predicted marriage success rates incredibly accurately after observing couples positive and negative interactions for merely 15 minutes. Continue Reading…
Today Katy Perry’s movie “Part of Me” hits theaters nationwide. The film follows Katy on her tour across the world, as she performs songs from the album that boasts a record 5 number one hits (tying the King of Pop Michael Jackson for most all time).
I haven’t seen the film, but I was struck by the trailer that I saw before watching Madagascar 3 (parenting changes movie selections). The opening lines to the trailer were as follows..
Katy: “The atmosphere that I grew up in was completely, one hundred percent Christian”
Friend: “Katy got her first guitar through the church.”
“How do you find your voice, When you’re not allowed to sing your song?”
Over the last few weeks I have made an effort to watch the various interviews and television appearances with Katy. They confirmed what I suspected after watching the trailer. Continue Reading…
Depending on what study you check, humans see between 300-3,000 advertisements. That is crazy. Anytime you hear a certain message 300 times a day, you are going to start believing it, no matter how ridiculous it is.
But with 300-3000 different ads, surely we aren’t hearing the same message over and over again, right?
Actually, no. Almost all advertisements say the exact same thing: “Buy this product, and you will have the full life!” I say this for two reasons. First, it demonstrates that our entire culture craves the full life. We all want it, but few people know how to get it. If we knew how to get it, we wouldn’t need advertisement companies to tell us hundreds of times a day how to get it. Continue Reading…
The desire to write this letter was birthed months ago, as I joined millions in watching your movie “Never Say Never.” I was inspired in ways that honestly I just wasn’t expecting.
After watching, it was obvious to me that God has entrusted you with the metaphorical 10 talents of which the Bible speaks. Not 1, not 2, not 5. You possess raw musical talent like few we’ve ever seen, along with the charismatic personality and competitive drive to maximize it. You got the 10, and you are not burying it. This is why so many are deeply inspired after watching your film.
Your relationship with God is authentic, and I BELIEVE He is proud of the way you have used your influence thus far to serve people and make a difference in the world. I am sure that you have encountered some religious people that are not quite as optimistic as I am, and many completely against the music you are making. Continue Reading…
Movies have a tremendous impact on our culture. Stories can touch us in deeper ways than we realize, and the messages of those stories are often implanted into our hearts and minds. While many Hollywood Films do not contain messages that will add to the full life, there are many others that do.
One incredible way to engage with culture is identify the movies that we all love and identify strong spiritual messages in the film. If you keep your eyes open, you might be surprised at what you start to notice. The themes of God’s Word have tremendous appeal, and so they are frequently found in stories.
Here are 3 great examples from some timeless classics:
1) “Remember Who You Are” – The Lion King
Many of our insecurities in life would be taken care of if we remembered who we are. We are sons and daughters of the one true King! He lives in us, and therefore, we have tremendous value. We should never feel insignificant, incapable, or restricted because of our guilt. No matter what has happened in our past, God loves us for who we are and still desires to call us His children. We can go to Him no matter what.
2) “There’s Some Good in This World” – The Two Towers
This is my favorite speech in movie history. All of us know the feeling Frodo has in the beginning of this clip. “I can’t do this! It has gotten to hard!” The world can be a dark and difficult place sometimes, but Sam reminds us that there is always hope. We can persevere through anything, because we have something to hold on to and in the end, a new day will dawn. I love that he is willing to fight for the good in the world, but as believers in Christ we have something even greater. Jesus is the author of all good things, and he offers full life to those who persevere.
3) “You Already Have” – Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars is full of spiritual themes from different religions. The ones that resonate the most with us, however, are the ones we find in Scripture. Hope, redemption, victory of the unlikely hero, and more. In this scene, we see the final moment of the series’ main character. In the 6 films, we see the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of Anakin Skywalker. This scene is an important reminder that no matter how much you have sinned, you can still be saved. Christ’s death covers all of our sins, and therefore we never have to say, “I’ve done too many bad things to be accepted by him.” King David, Jacob, Nebuchadnezzer, Saul/Paul, and many other Biblical figures demonstrate this truth.
What’s missing? There are countless other movie scenes that illustrate key ideas from the Word. What are they?
#LiveFully is all about celebrating followers of Jesus impacting (not escaping) culture. Today we want to feature three musical artists that are doing just that by making great music full of truth about life and God. In no particular order, here are three CD’s we can’t get enough of right now by three artists (or bands) that are integrating their love for Jesus in mainstream music industry.
Owl City – All Things Bright and Beautiful
The musical artist behind Owl City is named Adam Young, and he is a devoted follower of Jesus committed to creating good art in the name of Jesus. If you would like to hear more about how his faith in Jesus inspires his music, I’d HIGHLY recommend reading his interview w/ Christian Post here.
The Dark Knight Rises, one of the biggest movies of the year, opens today in the US. Since I live in New Zealand, however, where we’re 16 hours ahead, I already saw the movie!
). Everybody has an imaginary “bucket” and “ladle.” When you say something encouraging or positive to another person, you fill their bucket. Most of us realize this, but we fail to notice that filling another person’s bucket also fills our own bucket.
