When Being Nice Instead of Good Hurts

Truth is truth- and you do not have to be a Christ-follower to appreciate and learn from the truths in this book. Author Paul Coughlin gives a detail and research filled analysis why men have been lead to live passive lives and the danger it creates. This isn't some kind of "lead your wife into submission" book. Instead, it is a call to take responsibility for our actions and to take a stand for what is right. It's about regaining passion for life and goodness- and how we sacrifice the vitality of life God intended and replace it with niceness. Reminds me a bit of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and the description of the main character Aslan:

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Grab this book now and discover a freshness and richness that's lacking in our current culture of selfishness and complacency. Like me, you may not agree with everything, but it is a most important read for anyone, male or female, who wants more out of life.

Notable and Quotable: C.S. Lewis

"If you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?"

C.S. Lewis

Humility First

Last week, I shared about one of the most common questions I get, "How do I hear God's voice?" Briefly recapping the four-fold answer: 1- From the Bible; 2-Personal Prayer; 3-Wise Counsel from Others; 4- Circumstances. All four should intersect but, it really begins with attitude. Let's start by taking a brief look at the need for humility.

Humility and a willingness to admit a need for direction from God remains a prerequisite to hearing His voice when we seek Him out. Just like Adam and Eve in the Garden, our pride builds a wall, keeping us separate from a creator who desires relationship. Yet, we are not without hope. God makes a promise to us that if we seek Him out, He will not turn away from us. In fact, in the book of John, Jesus says "...whoever comes to me I will never drive away."

Many of Jesus' words sting when we read them. The stinging comes from God telling it like it is, bringing us the truth about our nature and His character and standards, thereby cutting through all our reasoning and excuses as to why we don't come to Him. Unfortunately, our resistance also keeps us from His blessings and His life-giving sacrifice!

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were infuriated by him equating himself with God, yet verse upon verse, chapter upon chapter of the Bible shows this to be the truth. In fact, Jesus rebukes the religious leaders who would rather read and study about God instead of encountering Him personally. "You dilegently study the Scriptures because by them you think you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." Don't misunderstand. The study of the Bible is very important, but if our study of it consumes us and keeps us from an imtimate relationship with God, we've missed the entire point of the book! Isn't this like our culture today? We enjoy philosophizing and love finding the newest leader to follow, the latest self-help guru, the hottest book and trend? We're always learning, but how often are we able to acknowledge the truth- and then choose to live by it.

As you can tell, humility to seek God is the foundational step to hearing His voice. Thankfully, we don't just seek God, He chases after us as well. Jesus' words bring encouragement to us. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me." It's our choice, but He is there. Next time, we'll briefly cover the primary means of hearing God, how we can hear God's voice through the Bible.

Indy Disappoints while the Lion Roars

Having experienced both Indy and Caspian this weekend, the clear winner for most consistent presentation and execution of story and theme is Prince Caspian. Bluntly, it is just the better film. Clearly a surprise.

Couldn't wait for the lights to go down as I was absorbed by the big screen around me. Soon enough, my favorite fedora-clad action hero would be back in service...

Harrison Ford picks up wonderfully where he left off, older and wiser, but the wit and humor is still solidly in place. (The quicksand gag is perfect.) The action sequences are pretty good, with the villains holding up to their predecessors. The settings exotic, the sets extraordinary, the special effects great.

For all the special effects and whiz bang action, the Indy films are really about the character of Dr. Jones, his integrity and his loyalty to what is true and right. This is where Last Crusade shines. In the fourth film, this is mostly forgotten, certainly secondary. The characters and their interaction are very weak throughout the film. Karen Allen's talent and charm is wasted in her return. The dialogue does little in giving her room to stretch. Conversely, Mutt Williams surprises by being a decent character addition. His tough guy persona is a bit unrealistic, as Shia LeBouf doesn't bring much grit or edge to his role. Yet, once the real action starts with Mutt along for the ride, I found him to be a good and energetic sidekick for our aging hero. Silly plot aside, in the end, Dr. Jones remains true to form and true to his ideals, owning up to his own heart and to his relationships. In this, he is a real world hero.

So, what's my beef with Crystal Skull? The plot line is out of place with the rest of the series. I won't go into any detail, but once I understood where this was going early on in the film, all I could think was "Really?" By choice, I put my disappointment behind to enjoy what good was to be found. A viewer and a fan should never have to do that. I did enjoy the movie quite a bit, but I wanted to walk out loving it. Putting it in perspective, maybe Crystal Skull is just an expensive statement on the silliness that is Scientology. But it should have been more. Sure, I'll buy the film on DVD, especially for the behind the scenes featurettes, but it will sit beside Temple of Doom as one of the lesser movies in the series.

I did not have high expectations for the second Disney film based on the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia. Having not read the books and not knowing what to expect, my attitude was one of neutrality. In my humble opinion, the first film was well done, good but not wonderful. For this American, it was filled with very capable but mostly unknown actors. Tilda Swinton was the lone name actor, giving an absolutely mesmerizing performance as Jadis, the White Witch. In contrast to The Lord of the Rings, the simpler and subtler charms of this film eventually won me over. A film stuffed with child actors and talking animals is normally not a draw to me, yet the substance of the film- the inherent deeper meanings found in the allegory, was profound and overcame my prejudices.

Caspian is much darker in tone and far less subtle than the film before it. This is both its strength and its weakness, as it is easier to understand the plot, but the battle sequences slightly overshadowed the truths found in its dialogue. That said, the filmmakers did an excellent job in keeping me engaged. The environments drew me in, the nonhuman creatures were interesting, and the transitional element from London to Narnia was far more compelling than the similar device in Harry Potter. Regardless of the title, Prince Caspian himself is not the hero nor is he the central character. At this point in the story, he functions as a reason to propel the plot. Aslan, the true hero, whose wisdom and power was the pivotal centerpiece of the first film, its heart and soul, comes late into this one. I eagerly anticipated Aslan's arrival, and he did not disappoint.

I had no attachment to the Narnia story or its characters, and this was to the film's benefit and my enjoyment of it, allowing me the luxury of growing to understand and appreciate the characters versus having preconceived expectations of them. Conversely, my emotional and youthful attachment to the Indiana Jones series and its characters worked against my loving the fourth installment. Ultimately, Indy disappoints because it trades its consistency and soul for cheap sci-fi thrills. Caspian wins converts because it remains true to form, steady and solid in substance and execution.

Chronicles Continued

Prince Caspian opens today, the second Disney film based on The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Should have a great crowd waiting for it. Time and profit will tell if Disney will continue on making all the books into film.

Lewis had much to say, and it was not always in an alagorical form. In his "Dogma and The Universe" in God in the Dock, he writes,
"When any man comes into the presence of God he will find, whether he wishes it or not, that all things which seemed to make him so different from the men of other times, or even from his earlier self, have fallen off him. He is back where he always was, where every man always is... Do not let us deceive ourselves. No possible complexity which we can give to our picture of the universe can hide us from God... It may happen to us at any moment. In the twinkling of an eye, in a time too small to be measured, and in any place, all that seems to divide us from God can flee away, as if nothing but He and I existed. And since that contact cannot be avoided for long, and since it means either bliss or horror, the business of life is to learn to like it. That is the first and greatest commandment."