Children of Men

I think John Paul the Great would have been pleased with the new movie Children of Men:



One reviewer (Lisa Schwarzbaum) calls it a 'prophetic dystopian dazzler' and suggests it's one of the most important films of the year... she only laments it's release date and the reality that it will get tossed out for not being 'glam' enough for the hollywood crowd.

I think it puts John Paul's warning to the next generation on the big screen...

Some of the stuff worth talking about after you see the flick: (feel free to use as a discussion guide for a God at the Movies time with a friend).

1. How do we value life in our society? and in our own lives?
2. What are the risks of rejecting life - to our world? (what were the results in the movie - and do you see that happening in our world now? if so, how).
3. How we respond to people in need suggests our value on life itself (a gift or a hassle)... how do we (personally) respond to people in need?
4. Why do catholics have issues with birth control - and does it relate to valuing life?

That's to get you started... I'd love your comments after you've seen the film.
Warning: IT's VERY VIOLENT.

The $10 solution

Malaria kills 2 million African children a year. Here's a simple plan for saving their lives:

"New citizens' movements, including Malaria No More (malariannomore.org) and Nothing but Nets (nothingbutnets.net), have been established to achieve the needed breakthrough. We can each contribute $10 for a bed net. We can each learn more about the disease and become antimalaria leaders in our communities, schools, and churches and businesses." - Jeffrey D. Sachs

Here's the link: go ahead and donate $10 and help out an extremely poor family fight against death.

The Greatest Threat

"The greatest threat to the next generation is excessive capitalism and the death of persons not yet born."
Pope John Paul II (or as I like to refer to him: John Paul the Great - check out Penny Noonan's bio on the champion!)

Why do you figure he picks those two?

Offense

So, I've been at a Leader's Conference - thus the lapse in my blogging - sorry.
Our guest speaker has been on about Unity - the purpose and power of it for mission. I'm sold.
If you haven't checked out the Transformation series of DVD's - they are powerful evidence of unity being a means of winning whole people groups to Jesus.

Today was about offense - and it was a good word. Worth sharing:

The reality of OFFENSE:
1. We give offense - we try not too but it's inevitable really - we are all people and we are all different... we give offense.
2. We take offense - this is where some choices come in - we don't have too but we often TAKE offense. Justyn Rees (the speaker and reconciliation expert) suggests that offense is a bait that satan uses to trap US... that's the rub - we think taking offense will 'get' the other person back but in the end it is a trap for us. It's satan's way of ensnaring us.

So what to do?
3. Be QUICK to forgive offenses... don't let the sun go down/love keeps no record of wrongs/forgive one another and bear with each other in love/ etc... (you get the idea).... scripture is clear that the way we battle offense is to forgive it QUICKLY and COMPLETELY.

easier said than done. I want to live offense free. Not in some weird reality where I think I'll never be offended or ever cause offense... but I want to be like teflon - where the offense is given but not taken... I don't want to fall into the trap of take the bait. Want to join me?

Weapons of Mass Salvation

Here's a link to a brilliant article by Jeffrey Sachs published in the Economist shortly after 9/11... he suggests a two pronged approach to defeating terrorism...



it struck me that although this article is secular in nature - there is a spiritual truth for the Salvation Army... dig in, I'd love to hear what you think it is.

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Stephen confessed today to identifying with 'slackers' - more details to come... stay tuned. ;-)

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Thank You God for my 'owies'.

I was praying with my son at bedtime tonight. We have a tradition of spending our prayer time at night with thanksgiving... we each take turns thanking God for family, friends, things that have happened that day (and many animals of course!).
Tonight the first thing he thanked God for was his 'owies'. That's cool.
I wanna live that kind of thanksgiving all the time... reminds me of the fullness of life I'm looking for - here's another quote to that effect:

Time lost is time when we have not lived a full human life, time unenriched by experience, creative endeavor, enjoyment, and suffering.-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

redeem the time.

Drum beat of eternity.

Thinking of the New Year... here's some meat to chew on...

"We must make a choice. Will we continue to march to the drum beat of conformity and respectability, or will we, listening to the beat of a more distant drum, move to its echoing sounds? Will we march only to the music of time, or will we, risking criticism and abuse march to the soul-saving music of eternity? More than ever before we are today challenged by the words of yesterday, "be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Reminds me of some lyrics in a song by Nathan Rowe called Let Justice Roll...
"Will you live untainted by this world?
Will you die, for the gospel of our King?
Will you hear the weeping of our Lord? He calls...
Will you be my hands and feet - to the lost, the last and least - will you stand? will you go?
Will you burn and show my light? Will you break the chains and fight? Will you stand, will you go?
LET JUSTICE ROLL.

Bring it on Jesus... we are ready.