Tag: Hero

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Sometimes You Get Your Butt Kicked

Blood on Ground

I love Stallone’s movies like Rocky & Rambo. Both characters have great tenacity; an attitude that says, “You’ll have to kill me to stop me!” Acts 14:19-23 has always been one of my favorite passages; I see this same tenacity & attitude in Paul: Paul gets his butt kicked for doing ministry: he’s stoned & left for dead; but the next day he gets up & re-enters the city, preaches the gospel, strengthens & encourages the believers & allows his tribulation to inspire others to remain faithful during their own tribulations for the gospel work – “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” ‪#‎Heroes‬ ‪#‎TheGospel‬ ‪#‎KeepGoing‬

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CAPTIVE Movie Review

Captive ReviewCaptive is a great movie that shows anyone HOPE is possible, even in their darkest hours. Here are a few spoiler free things I enjoyed about the movie. After reading my thoughts, make plans to go see #Captive on opening night, Friday, September 18, 2015.

  • Captive is NOT God’s Not Dead and that’s Okay: If you’re looking for a movie with an overtly evangelical, “Go get saved now” message, this is not that movie, and that’s okay. The movie is effective as it shows how two people in seemingly hopeless situations discovered hope was possible, even in their darkest hours. The movie is based on a true story & does a good job, in the limited time available, portraying what took place with the Atlanta court escape by Brian Nichols, the murders he committed, along with his eventual kidnapping of Ashley Smith [Robinson], and how Ashley became a hero in the midst of the crisis.
  • A Powerful Conversion Story: Although there’s not a highlighted moment showing someone place their faith in Jesus for Salvation (Ashley was already a Christian), there is a very powerful conversion that takes place when Ashley decides she’s not using drugs again, even under the threat of death. It was one thing to read about this moment in her book, but even more powerful to see it on screen. Kate Mara did a great job reflecting Ashley’s struggle and eventual resolve.
  • Captive is Not What You Think: Captive, what a great, unoriginal title for a movie about a hostage situation! You may think that before watching the movie, but you’ll find Captive is actually a deeper story than that. The underlying story is about two individuals held captive by their own personal demons, constantly haunted and unable to find freedom, until forced to finally decide how they would find their own freedom, would it be through choosing life or death?
  • God has a Purpose for Everyone: Can God use an addict to get a murderer off the street? Can God use a murderer to get an addict clean? Can God use the sacrifice of a hero to bring peace to a city? Although it may not be overt, the message of the gospel and God choosing to use whom He pleases is weaved into the movie. God has a purpose for everyone, but not everyone sees it. Blinded by personal choices, failures and even successes, people will write off God, even though God hasn’t written them off.  Ashley’s boldness to share the Purpose Driven Life with Brian brings God’s redemption to the forefront of the story.
  • Take the Next Steps: Captive provides a great opportunity for churches to take their congregations to see the movie together and then provide follow up discussions to discuss such topics as substance abuse, mental health issues, God’s purpose for each of our lives, the gospel, second chances, and many of the other themes presented by the movie. It doesn’t have to be churches, it could be small groups, or friends; just don’t miss the opportunity to take the next step by following the movie up with quality dialogue.

Helpful Resources:

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Anderson Cooper is My Hero

I’ve always enjoyed Anderson  Cooper’s reporting. I don’t particularly like CNN as a network, but Anderson Cooper always seems to shine in the midst of the toughest turmoil and crisis. I hate that much of his recognition is rooted in situations like the horrific earthquake in Haiti, or in Katrina. Today, in Haiti, looters were attacking each other for their stolen goods. Anderson Cooper was at the scene shooting video, when a young boy was apparently struck in the head with something. This video is graphic, so if you cannot handle a lot of blood, do not watch. It is impressive how Anderson drops his camera in the midst of a sea of looters to care for the wounded, bloody boy, and to carry him to safety. That is a true Hero, and you  don’t see that from reporters (typically). They are usually more interested in the story, not the people:

For the entire story, Click Here.

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Hero

This is video of, Jasper Sheranga (sp?), the hero who immediately reacted when a terrorist tried to blow an airplane up over U.S. soil on Christmas day as it was descending into Detroit. This is an amazing story of a real life hero. If I was ever in that situation, I’d want to be like Jasper, where I act to stop the situation and not sit paralyzed in my seat while watching myself and all others blow-up. Others who have been interviewed say that Jasper was several seats across and behind the suspect. What an amazing story!

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