Movie review: Penelope - Fun for all the Family

If you want to see a good film this week at the dollar movies, go and see “Penelope.” It’s a great family movie, highly entertaining, and you’ll come out of the theater feeling much happier.

Christina Ricci is absolutely gorgeous in the movie, which is all about a young heiress who is under a family curse. Her piggish features leave her isolated in her home, whilst her parents try to find a willing husband for her.

Catherine O’Hara plays yet another quirky and obsessive mom, whilst current Scottish heartthrob James McAvoy plays a drifter who falls in love with Ricci’s Miss Piggy.

Reese Witherspoon plays a comical role as a UPS dispatch rider and she has some of the best one-liners in the movie.

The film has a talented cast and I would give it five stars for great family entertainment and its happy ending. It may not have been big at the box office, but this has the potential of becoming an annual TV movie classic.

And after the movie, the kids can go to the official website at http://www.penelopethemovie.com/ for more interactive fun.

The Good Old Days

We call them the good old days – times past when life was less stressful and people were more innocent. We remember them fondly in our hearts and for every generation, the good old days is a different decade, a different culture, a different society.

Podcast version here

I find myself revisiting the past by watching old movies, or viewing old TV programs from my childhood, or listening to classic songs and real singers from the past in my car. As I do these things, I find myself wistfully transported back to the days of old and sometimes I wish I was back there still. But time moves on and waits for no one. Eventually, I am brought back to my responsibilities and present day circumstances.

Bible verse of the Day

Deuteronomy 32:7 Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.

Old hymns cause me to experience the same. Last night, I was preaching at a senior citizens’ assisted living center where we sung hymns that I hadn’t heard in years. I also read from the King James Version of the Bible and felt the tangible faith of the people present as I intoned the old “Thees” and “Thous”, “heareths” and “leadeths” ( the word check on my computer is now having a fit because it doesn’t recognize any of those words). It was very comforting to feel that some things never change, and that the good old days of the Bible can still penetrate the hearts and souls of people.

Like me, you’re probably facing another busy week. Perhaps you have deadlines to meet or projects to accomplish or targets to achieve. In the midst of all our busy-ness and the stress of trying to keep up, it’s good to know that God never changes, that His words are always relevant, and His love endures forever.

Prayer: Lord God, You know what kind of week that I have before me. You already see what things I must do and paths I must take. Help me and hold me; guide me and lead me; comfort and embrace me, step by step and day by day. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Looking Back & Glancing Forward

I watched one of my favorite movies recently that I haven’t seen in decades. It’s called “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and stars Alan Arkin as a deaf mute, and Sondra Locke as a teenager. It’s a precious movie which deals with loneliness, mental illness, injustice, racism, love and life all at the same time. I would heartily recommend that it be viewed by parents of High Schoolers, as well as teenagers themselves.

It’s a beautiful story that has a sad ending. It evokes a lot of emotions, but what captivated me when I watched it this time, was the Americana throughout the movie. It was filmed in 1968 in Selma, Alabama, and watching it was like going back in time. The buildings, the stores and the streets were attractively small town America; the people, their hairstyles and clothes were all Southern mid-sixties styles - the likes of which we shall probably never see again.

Sondra Locke’s character, Mick, is a young girl who wants to learn to play music. Sadly, her dreams are shattered when her father cannot work due to disability. In a poignant moment, she pleads with her mother to let her stay at High school: “I feel as though I’m going to be somebody, momma. I want to do something with my life.” Stoically, her mother responds, “Well, you’ll soon grow out of that.”

It’s at that moment that Mick realizes she will have to give up her dreams and work for the sake of her family.

Verse of the Day

2 Corinthians 12:14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

Most of the time, parents try to work hard for the sake of their children. They make sacrifices and save up, so that their kids can start off on the right foot when it comes to establishing themselves, their careers, their hopes and dreams. Paul mentions this when he is writing his second letter to the church at Corinth. He feels like a parent to them, and is willing to expend his resources of time, talents, and money so that the church will grow. He sees it as his gift to them. He wants them to grow strong in faith, in numbers, and influence. Happily, his work and devotion, sacrifice and blessings enabled the church to fulfill its potential.

So, how do we apply this lesson today? Firstly, if we are parents, we should remember that we brought our children into the world, therefore we need to support them when they seek to find and fulfill their dreams. Secondly, we should be thinking about the future of the churches to which we belong. Instead of looking for what we can get from church, we should be investing in its future. That way, we allow future generations to benefit through the blessings and gifts we bestow today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray for our children. We ask that You will enable and empower us to love and support them, to honor and encourage them. We pray that they will find and fulfill their dreams. We also pray that they will find faith in You and seek to serve You through Your Church. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Devotional : Mysterious Island

Podcast version here

How a Jules Verne story captivated the heart of a five year old and helped him to acknowledge Christ as the complete revelation of the mysteries about God.

One of the best movies that I ever saw as a child was called “Mysterious Island.” It was a marvelous adaptation of a book that Jules Verne, the great French science fiction writer, wrote. Verne wrote it as a conclusion of his story of Captain Nemo and his submarine the “Nautilus.” Most people remember that cantankerous character from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

In “Mysterious Island,” Nemo sacrifices himself and his submarine to save a motley crew of survivors, who have been marooned on the island, after crashing a military balloon. The island is full of giant monsters and intriguing mysteries. When I saw it for the first time as a five year old, it captivated me completely. It’s one of the few movies that I watch as a re-run on television. It also helps that the special effects were created by Ray Harryhausen, the greatest “stop and go” clay animator in movie history.

Ephesians 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.

Most of us find mysteries attractive. Whether it’s the plot in a whodunit play or a sequence of numbers in Sudoku, we just love the element of surprise and the satisfaction of a completed solution. When Paul writes about “mystery” to the Ephesians, he’s expressing it in spiritual terms because “mystery religions” were predominant throughout the Mediterranean. People were constantly anxious about life and fearful about death. These “mystery religions” of the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians promised their adherents and devotees secret messages, signs, and rituals that would expedite their journey to heaven after death. As long as they knew the right words, performed the prescribed ceremonies, and spent their resources at the temple, everlasting life was guaranteed.

But then Christ appeared and, as Paul writes, God made known to us these mysteries through Jesus. The old cultic religions and secret rites were no longer effective or required. All that was necessary for everlasting life was to believe in Jesus. He would guarantee the Way to heaven, the truth about God, and show people the path to eternal life. There was no need to be anxious anymore; there was no need for any other religious beliefs.

Today, we live in anxious times that try the souls of people everywhere. Paul’s message is as relevant now as it ever has been. The mysteries of God are fully made known to us through Jesus Christ. When we accept Him and reject the world, we are given a true and everlasting hope that we can cling to, throughout this life, and into the next.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have many questions and anxieties, worries and concerns. We experience problems and wrestle with suffering. At times, we can be overwhelmed by fear and perplexed by life itself. During those moments of doubts and worry, grant us faith and assurance. Let us know that our dependence upon You will become our path to eternal life and everlasting love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.