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Oh, I know where to find some amazing coffee, it's not the politics of Utah, it's the people and the fact that it's almost all city. Everybody drives me up the wall, because they're all "in-your-face" type people. Even the ones who aren't trying to be in your face, are in your face, because they live too close for comfort. I don't even have a yard here, because I live in an apartment. I always had a yard to play in when I was growing up. Here, I'm scared to let my daughter out to play without me, and with my newborn son, I'm not going to go outside with her all the time. I'm not even joking here, at any point, you can look at the Utah news, and find that someone has killed another person, or there's someone who's taken hostages somewhere. Countless times, there have been husbands who come home and kill their whole family, before committing suicide. No way am I letting my little girl out to play, where she could be picked up or killed at any given moment. Just two days ago, a teenager in my neighborhood lit the playground on fire.
Home is Wyoming, where I could walk miles and not see another person. I could go out in the yard, and my parents weren't scared someone was going to pick me up and haul off with me. Even when we lived in town, they didn't have to worry about that. I had a dog, and I had a garden, and chickens, and goats, and ducks. I have literally lost touch with all of my friends, since moving to Utah; so much that every once in a while, I wonder if I even have any real friends anymore. Home is not Utah, and never will be. Mark my words; when the end of times comes, Utah will be one of the first places to "go up in flames".
Home is Wyoming, where I could walk miles and not see another person. I could go out in the yard, and my parents weren't scared someone was going to pick me up and haul off with me. Even when we lived in town, they didn't have to worry about that. I had a dog, and I had a garden, and chickens, and goats, and ducks. I have literally lost touch with all of my friends, since moving to Utah; so much that every once in a while, I wonder if I even have any real friends anymore. Home is not Utah, and never will be. Mark my words; when the end of times comes, Utah will be one of the first places to "go up in flames".
It's about a "picture-perfect" couple with a rocky marriage. She learns how to pray, and everything is magically all better. I find it to be an ignorant portrayal of actual difficult marriages, disrespectful of all of us who prayed incessantly for unrepentant spouses, and judgmental of those of us who have wisely chosen divorce or been forced into it.
The thing is, God loves everyone. Salvation is free to whomever asks. But it's not that Jesus will make your life 'happy", though sometimes He will. The promise is that He will never leave us. He will walk with us through the unspeakably awful times and through the joy. I'm not at all advocating that we do not pray or hope for repentance, healing, and restoration. Rather, that those preaching the power of prayer will actually present a balanced, complete view of it.
Absolutely, we should pray frequently and with fervency. But do not mistake prayer for a magic wand. Sometimes God answers our prayer by bringing us through something rather than solving our problems. Sometimes the loved one isn't healed. Sometimes the marriage isn't saved, and the scary monsters don't go away.
And that's what my problem is with these kinds of teachings: they are unrealistic. Complicated problems are not solved overnight. Pain doesn't heal without scars. And not every relationship can or should be "fixed." For once, I would love to watch a Christian movie that shows a person being counseled to leave and shows that sometimes life can be better--even more holy--after divorce.
Reducing prayer down to "bippoty-boppity-boo" is sacrilegious. It's like the Gospel as told by Disney.
(If you're on FB with me, I'm sorry that this is a bit repetitious.)
The thing is, God loves everyone. Salvation is free to whomever asks. But it's not that Jesus will make your life 'happy", though sometimes He will. The promise is that He will never leave us. He will walk with us through the unspeakably awful times and through the joy. I'm not at all advocating that we do not pray or hope for repentance, healing, and restoration. Rather, that those preaching the power of prayer will actually present a balanced, complete view of it.
Absolutely, we should pray frequently and with fervency. But do not mistake prayer for a magic wand. Sometimes God answers our prayer by bringing us through something rather than solving our problems. Sometimes the loved one isn't healed. Sometimes the marriage isn't saved, and the scary monsters don't go away.
And that's what my problem is with these kinds of teachings: they are unrealistic. Complicated problems are not solved overnight. Pain doesn't heal without scars. And not every relationship can or should be "fixed." For once, I would love to watch a Christian movie that shows a person being counseled to leave and shows that sometimes life can be better--even more holy--after divorce.
Reducing prayer down to "bippoty-boppity-boo" is sacrilegious. It's like the Gospel as told by Disney.
(If you're on FB with me, I'm sorry that this is a bit repetitious.)
M
I agree with you, sometimes Christian movies are a little too happy and "oh we have to finish a whole story in 90 minutes to dig deeper!" Like the movie, "Do You Believe?," was a little cheesy for me. I liked the story, don't get me wrong but the delivery wasn't great. I felt it was rushed.
That's why I liked the movie "Courageous." Without giving anything away, I remember that one of the cops went through something most of us would have nightmares of. It's really one of the worst things that could happen to a human being. Anyways, this cop goes through the pain and struggle of coming to terms with the situation and leans on God to heal him. It's not a picture perfect movie. I remember there was another incident that eventually leaves some of the families broken forever. You should check that movie out!
Ironically another really good Christian movie is "The Prince of Egypt." It's an animated movie by DreamWorks that tells the story of Moses. I HIGHLY recommend that film. It's meant for kids but oh the delivery and the music will leave you breathless. I love it! Anyways, I saw it about 15 years ago as a child and of course it does have some murder in it. It doesn't gloss over the hard stuff, which is why I find it ironic, seeing it's a children's movie. It has so much depth and beauty, the scene where God talks to Moses through the burning bush makes me tear up every time. It's beautiful!
So yeah, if you haven't seen those two: "Courageous" and "The Prince of Egypt", please do!
Also, did anyone else think "Heaven is for Real" was kind of boring?
That's why I liked the movie "Courageous." Without giving anything away, I remember that one of the cops went through something most of us would have nightmares of. It's really one of the worst things that could happen to a human being. Anyways, this cop goes through the pain and struggle of coming to terms with the situation and leans on God to heal him. It's not a picture perfect movie. I remember there was another incident that eventually leaves some of the families broken forever. You should check that movie out!
Ironically another really good Christian movie is "The Prince of Egypt." It's an animated movie by DreamWorks that tells the story of Moses. I HIGHLY recommend that film. It's meant for kids but oh the delivery and the music will leave you breathless. I love it! Anyways, I saw it about 15 years ago as a child and of course it does have some murder in it. It doesn't gloss over the hard stuff, which is why I find it ironic, seeing it's a children's movie. It has so much depth and beauty, the scene where God talks to Moses through the burning bush makes me tear up every time. It's beautiful!
So yeah, if you haven't seen those two: "Courageous" and "The Prince of Egypt", please do!
Also, did anyone else think "Heaven is for Real" was kind of boring?
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I wanna get drunk... or high. But my religious peers will judge me if I do. Because THEIR feelings and thoughts are what matters in my life. I'm just the guy who has to get dumped on. I'm the one person who has to listen to their drama and personal opinions on every stupid thing that pops into their heads.
Mimics girl voice: Jesus had feelings too. Did you know that?
Ummm. Yeah, kinda did. There is an entire 2 word verse that points it out.
This is why I like hanging out with nonbelievers or seculars. Having Christian friends is just too weird. I can't sync up with how they believe or how they're approaching life or how they "walk" with Jesus.
And when I stray away from the way they do things, I get the concerned "spiritual" stink eye.
It's kinda like the regular stink eye... but it has that "I'm gonna pray for you." vibe behind it.
I dunno.
Maybe I wasn't meant to walk with Jesus. The bible does say there are only going to be the select few that will make it.
I dunno. I just needed to vent. Sorry if I typed something offensive.
Mimics girl voice: Jesus had feelings too. Did you know that?
Ummm. Yeah, kinda did. There is an entire 2 word verse that points it out.
This is why I like hanging out with nonbelievers or seculars. Having Christian friends is just too weird. I can't sync up with how they believe or how they're approaching life or how they "walk" with Jesus.
And when I stray away from the way they do things, I get the concerned "spiritual" stink eye.
It's kinda like the regular stink eye... but it has that "I'm gonna pray for you." vibe behind it.
I dunno.
Maybe I wasn't meant to walk with Jesus. The bible does say there are only going to be the select few that will make it.
I dunno. I just needed to vent. Sorry if I typed something offensive.
V
Pharisees and religious extremists are a total drag. Why do you think Jesus walked with sinners and called them, "friends"?
I hope you know Jesus is not condemning you. Perhaps you're basing your relationship with the Lord on what others think and say, and not on the reality of Christ in you.
Peace, my friend.
I hope you know Jesus is not condemning you. Perhaps you're basing your relationship with the Lord on what others think and say, and not on the reality of Christ in you.
Peace, my friend.
Some days I do wish I would have fund Jesus for myself rather than being raised with Jesus being around every corner and behind every bush. I want to be able to relate with people, and I can't. In some ways I guess it's a good thing I can't relate, but in other ways it's like, how can I relate to people? How can I tell others about the hope I have in me? I can give them intellect, I could potentially give them science. I can sort of give personal experience...but I dunno. I feel such a disconnect from the world. Not that I want to be a part of the world's shenanigans, and to some extent I'll always feel that disconnect and I don't completely mind that. But you guys know what I'm talking about, right?
T
I really have no time for Christian movies. Their biggest sin, besides the acting and writing, is that they're just not authentic. They're not honest about the struggles of life and faith or about anything really. And they treat God like some cosmic genie. My faith walk has been like a big, painful wrestling match and it seems most of my prayers go unanswered (at least in the physical), but I continue to follow Christ, because He's the only one who makes sense in this fugged up world. He doesn't help me win the big-game (whatever that means), but He does give me true identity, purpose and authority.
If I think great Christian movies, I think the likes of The Passion of the Christ (heart-wrenching and very difficult to watch) and Prince of Egypt. Luther is also decent.
If I think great Christian movies, I think the likes of The Passion of the Christ (heart-wrenching and very difficult to watch) and Prince of Egypt. Luther is also decent.
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