Tag Archives: Movies

Hats Part 4. The Peace Maker

Posted on by
Reply

How would you describe the word peace? Is it silence. Solitude. Tranquility. A breath taking sunrise or sunset. The absence of violence. The presence of justice. The eradication of war. What is true peace? While there are many definitions I like this one; harmony between two individuals or groups. This is what Jesus came to bring us. Before coming to Christ we had no peace for we were in conflict with God. But through Jesus death and resurrection the offer of peace is made to us all. We can now stand in right relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus wants this peace to be life-long in its effect (John 14:27) and his desire is that his follower be fellow peacemakers (Mark 9:50).

Yet just like peace was no easy thing for Jesus to obtain (it cost him his life). So peace often comes with a high price tag for his followers as well. Here are a few of the ways you and I are called to wear the hat of peace-maker.

Making peace with other Christian.

Perhaps one of the most challenging tasks for the Christian is to bring harmony back into a relationship with another Christian. Don’t forget we are fallen people serving a living God. Mistakes and offenses will happen…even in the church. Christians must be forgiving and reconciling people especially among one another. So many times the Christian community is lousy at the following forms of peace-making because we are war with one another.

Making peace with a world that hates us.

The Apostle John made it crystal clear that when we live for Jesus in the world we will not be liked. Don’t expect to get invited to all the great parties the world throws. The world stands against all the Christ stands for….so naturally they oppose Christ’s followers. But we must be people who forgive the wrongs done to us by the world. Remember, they need a Savior. They need to find peace themselves. Our part is to invite peace by refusing to hold onto and remember the wrongs done to us. Challenging but important. We are called to return harmony between ourselves and the world…and often this is done at our own cost.

Bring peace to a world that hates itself.

Be the Contradiction!

Watch the news for just a minute a day and that’s enough to know the world is imploding. People hating people. People killing and maiming people. There is no harmony to be found. As Christians who have harmony with God and with the world, we need to be the contradiction. We need to bring peace to a world of hate. It is possible to live differently. Don’t be afraid that one voice can’t make a difference; God calls us to bring peace. Perhaps this means that you intervene in a family fuede that is long standing. Perhaps you lead a prayer in the office for the unrest in the middle east. Where is God calling you to bring peace? I pray you find your place and let your voice be heard.

Community Questions:

How would you describe the peace that Jesus Christ has brought into your life?

Anyone know what movie the helmet hails from? Hint: Another cult classic.

Moved to Tears

Posted on by
Reply

I will never forget the very first movie that made the waterworks start flowing…for me it was Back Draft. It was so sad in the end that he lost his brother. I cried and I cried. (Guys are allowed to cry to and I was only 10!). Do you remember the last great movie that made you bawl? If we’re honest with ourselves, even us guys, we could probably write out a long list of movies that have made us cry over the years. A good story can really move us.

So why is it that we can cry for fictional stories but when it comes to lost people, those who do not know Jesus Christ, we never seem to be truly moved by their condition? Why is it that most times we shed more tears during a silly Nicolas Sparks movie than we ever do that lost people are dying and going to hell?

When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He calls us to take on His views, values, and to follow His commands. So how did He respond to the lost? Luke 19:42 “Jesus saw Jerusalem and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!”. Jesus said this before He was crucified. He knew the people of the city would reject Him and it broke His heart.

Jesus has the same heart as the Father. Ezekiel 33:11 “As I live! declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die”. The Father is equally heart broken for the lost.

What about the people we meet in the Bible? Look at Paul: “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.” (Romans 9:1-2) Paul wanted nothing more than for his fellow Jews to believe Jesus.

When Jesus saves us he takes from us the burden and weight of our sin, of our shame, of our past. He replaces all of this with peace and hope for the future. We like this. Yet he also asks us to shoulder a new kind of burden. A heart that aches for those who are lost. One that is never satisfied here on earth but longs for the time when Christ returns. This new burden is completely different than the old burden. The old burden of sin we once carried was not optional. It weighted us down to death. We were not strong enough to shoulder it. But this new burden is one that is shared. It is shared with Jesus himself. It is also shared with the community of those who follow Jesus. But this burden can also be laid aside but Jesus followers. Forgotten about and passed by.

To take on a burden for the lost is not an easy task, but if you are serious about following Jesus I challenge you to shoulder this burden. You will invite heartbreak and tears at times it’s true. But friends you will also walk side by side with Jesus as you help carry His message of grace to a lost and dying world. You will find a new closeness to the one you call Savior. You will experience grace all over again.

May we be those who shed our tears for the things of God.

Knowing is still only half the battle

Posted on by
4

Far before it was a Hollywood hit GI Joe was a afternoon cartoon series for kids. I am proud to say that I was one of those kids…and so were many of you. I can still remember some of my favorite episodes where GI Joe and C0bra would battle it out. Do you remember the old Public Service Announcements they would run at the end of every show. These PSA’s reminded children everywhere not to take rides from strangers and to avoid playing with downed power lines. They were simple straight forward reminders of how to stay safe. But these PSA’s always ended with a very important phrase; do you remember what it was?

Now you know and knowing is only half the battle.

In other words they were telling us kids that knowing what to do is not enough. We had to do it too! That’s the other half of the battle.

Christians can learn something from GI Joe. Knowing is still only half the battle. I meet many people who know a lot of Bible verses but these same people have trouble putting into practice what they know. Have you ever struggled with this? Let’s get real practical. How many of us struggle with giving God a portion of the money we earn? You know that fancy word called tithe? Many of us know that God wants us to give yet struggle to actually give him anything. We come up with lots of excuses.

We need to understand that knowledge is only half the battle. Action is the other half. Knowledge without action leads to defeat. Consequently action without knowledge can sometimes lead to disaster. Let’s step up to the plate and line up our actions with our knowledge. GO JOE!

Community Questions:

What are some areas in our churches where we excel at knowledge but are deficient in action?

How are you going to put what you know into practice?

Rope Bridges, Alligators, and God…Oh My!

Posted on by
Reply

It seems as though every action movie has at least one scene where the hero is suspended over a large chasm on nothing but a shaky bridge! From classics like Indiana Jones to newer kids flicks like Kung Fu Panda, it seems as though movie goers love a good rope bridge scene. Perhaps it’s because there always seems to be more drama in this type of scene, or perhaps it because there are always alligators at the bottom of the chasm, who knows.

I’ve noticed a trend over the years though. Christians sometimes look at their relationship with God much like one of these rickety old bridges. They are on one side while heaven is on the other. The bridge they are crossing (which represents their relationship with God) is pretty shoddy. They take each step with care. But the problem is this is a bad view of our relationship with God. The Bible does not paint this tenuous relationship. When we trust Christ as our Savior there is no longer any question about it. We are on solid footing. When we act as though our relationship with God is like and old rotting rope bridge, we don’t live the way were free to through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Don’t believe me? Look up 1 John 2:1-2.

The next time your tempted to be timid, remember all that Christ is doing to keep you on solid ground. Our relationship with God is secure. We don’t have to fear falling from the span of the cross for there are no shoddy boards!

Community Questions:

How many movies can you name that have a rope bridge scene?

What are some signs in your life that you might be treating your relationship with God like an old rope bridge?

Finding The Source

Posted on by
Reply

No one wants to be him.

Did you watch The Band of Brothers? Then you know exactly who I am talking about…Captain Sobel. You see, when we are first introduced to Captain Sobel he is a tough no nonsense company commander who is responsible for shaping up one of the best companies of airborne troops to date. But as the series wore on he turned out to be inept in the field. In fact, he became so distrusted that his men refused to follow him. He was not welcome in the band of brothers.

Nobody wants to be Captain Sobel. Nobody wants to be left out.

But many of us come into church feeling like we are one vote away from elimination...why is that?

Why do we sometimes feel that we are on the fringe at church. And I am not talking about the clothes you wear, or the car you drive, or any of that stuff. I mean you just feel like you have nothing in common with the rest of these people in the room.

In 1 John 1:1-4 the apostle John is reminding his readers that there is only one way to have eternal life. It is through Jesus Christ. John says that when you go to the “source” of eternal life you will find real fellowship with others who also at the source. So the question is….are you connected to the source? Church may be a lot of things but at its core it really can be only one thing, a community of people who are trusting Jesus Christ for eternal life.  Don’t confuse the programs of the church for the reason the church exists.

You don’t have to be Captain Sobel. You don’t have to fear being cut from the team a few minutes before you are sent into battle. You can be part of the band of saints who follow hard after Jesus Christ. Just make sure you are connected to the source of eternal life.

Community Question:

How can churches engage those on the fringe of their church communities?