Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Tangled, more than a review.

I'm a person who tends to see more than what's in the movie. Take the movie Tangled. As I see it it's more than another long hair story. The gospel story is woven into it. So you've seen the movie? Where is the gospel story? Movie: Girl is kidnapped from the palace and raised as a child of someone else. The gospel story: Sin entered the world and our identity as children of God was stolen. Movie: Every year on her birthday she would see lights floating in the sky and think to herself that somehow those were meant for her. Also she saw the picture of the sun flower and in her tower she saw the sun flower. The gospel story: God has placed eternity in the heart of man. God has given witness to us through nature that He is there. He calls to us by the Spirit of God. Are you keeping up? Movie: She realizes who she is and longs to return home. To get there a sacrifice is made, a man dies and is raised back to life. The gospel: In order for us to "return home" and claim our identity as children of God, Jesus dies and is raised back to life (the character is hardly Jesus, or sinless, but dies and is brought back) The movie: She returns home to a mother and father who have desperately missed her. The scene is quite moving... what was lost is found! A party ensues! The gospel: Just that, what was lost is found. Our return home is celebrated by heaven throwing a party!
For me personally, when the father and mother were reunited with the daughter, I was transported in my thoughts to the day that I see Jesus face to face. The joy that fills my heart.
I liked Tangled for the story line, humor and the fact that the bad lady loses (oh... another biblical factoid: the devil loses!)
So there you have it. Tangled, more than a review. THE Message within the media.

Friday, April 1, 2011

At the crossroads...

I'm reminded in this season of my life of the words of Jeremiah 6:16 "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’"
What I see here is that God invites us to stand at the crossroads and look. We need to be observant. God then says, "Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is..." God calls us to pray, to seek and listen. Do you know where you are going... standing at the crossroads... wondering what's next. God wants to reveal things to us... to show us His path, but He says, "Walk in it..." We have to determine the course and then stay the course! It's easy to read the bible and then say, "Well, I don't know if I agree with that." But that is exactly what God calls us to do... agree with HIM that His path is the right one. You know when you have gotten on the wrong path? When you lack peace. God's promise is that as we pray and go that we will find rest for our souls. We will find peace in the midst of anything happening because we are where He wants us. The question is "will you"? Sadly many have said, "We will not walk in it." Choose to discover and "walk in it"!