King Kong

Awesome special effects! If you enjoyed Jurassic Park then you will like this movie. However, it was long (over 3 hours) and kind of preachy. They could have taken about 30 minutes out of the movie, and the story would have been fine. It was preachy in that King Kong seemed to be more noble and moral than humans. The movie seems to make it clear that rich people use and throw away both animals and people in pursuit of profit.

The movie was fun and entertaining, however I would not take children under the age of 10 to see this movie. It was pretty rough at times.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Why He Wrote 'Narnia'C.S. Lewis "almost certainly did not want his readers to notice the resemblance of the Narnian theology to the Christian story," says biographer George Sayer. "His idea, as he once explained it to me, was to make it easier for children to accept Christianity when they met it later in life. He hoped that they would be vaguely reminded of the somewhat similar stories that they had read and enjoyed years before. [He told me,] 'I am aiming at a sort of pre-baptism of the child's imagination.'"
Breakpoint Worldview, 11/05

Thoughts on Prayer

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Dear God, help me to be an air force pilot, and an astronaut, a preacher, and millionaire. Help me to be smart like the really smart kids in school. Help me make all A’s & B’s and no F’s. Help my mom and dad to get me Star Wars & GI Joe toys for my birthday. Be with my mom, dad, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, my friends, our cats, and our dog Spot. Help them all go to heaven. Be with the hostages in Iran, and bring them home. In Jesus Name, Amen. … oh PS. Keep all the monsters away.”

A prayer by Vic Pruett, age 7, September 1980

Over 25 years have gone by and I still remember those prayers like they were just the other day. Why is that? I have always wondered why I still think about those prayers I prayed so many times. They were not amazing prayers, in fact many seven year olds have prayed much better prayers. But for some reason this prayer more than all the others is burned into my memory. Sure I said it over and over again, but I have prayed many repetitious prayers all my life. Why did that one stick?
One day while reading 1 John 3:11-22, I read this verse, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” NIV. It hit me, the reason that prayer in 1980 is so powerful to me is because I really believed God was listening and that He would give me what I was asking for. Prayer by faith is powerful, prayer with doubt is weak and forgettable. If we have a hard time remembering our prayers, especially the recent ones, maybe it’s time to take them more seriously. To know that we are not just speaking to air, but that we are speaking to the Creator and our Father. He asks us to be faithful to Him, and promises to give us more than we need or imagine.

49 pounds and counting!

49 pounds and counting! That's right, I can't believe it. I have been on the weight watchers plan for about 4 months now and have gone from 236 to 187. I haven't been down to this weight in more than 11 years. I have been in the 230 range for about 3 to 4 years, sometimes weighing in the 220's because of some lame diet that never really stuck. My goal weight is 170, which I think I will be sometime in early Spring. It has been the easiest diet ever, actually it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. People from church have been amazed at the results and some have started weight watchers because of me. I am really proud of Stacy, she has lost a lot of her pregnancy weight since she has been on the diet. Together I think we have really helped each other stay disciplined. I am so glad I did this and I plan to keep eating healthy for the rest of my life, because I do not want to ever be over 200 pounds again.

Hollywood Values

I will first make you aware of the fact that I am a movie nut. My wife and I love to watch movies. With that said, I find myself becoming more skeptical and picky about the movies we will see. For example, I see Hollywood marketing a movie about a love story. Two young people in love in the mountains of Wyoming in the early 60's. They happen to be two young cowboys. Yep two guys. I am sure the movie is well directed, acted, and written. In fact before most anyone has even seen it, Heath Ledger is already been given a lot of praise for his potential Oscar winning performance. I think he will win, not because He will have best performance of 2005 but because this is a message movie that Hollywood wants to send out to the world. What is the message? Our society should bend over backwards to accept gay love, gay values, and gay marriage. Many in Hollywood believe Jesus and His teachings get in the way of such a message. They are right. As a Christian I am not going spend money or time on this Hollywood sermon (opps, movie). I don't hate gay people, in fact I do my best to respect all people including anyone who is gay. However I don't have to agree with or condone their sinful lifestyle decision. I hope "Broke Back Mountain" flops, and that America will show Hollywood just how out of touch it is with the rest of the country. We'll see.