Some said it was a cute and a feel good movie as we casually wandered out of the theater holding onto our empty concessions and a few laughs.  I think the so called "Feel Good" hit some people more than they would admit. Others I am sure were able to be amused, but put on deaf ears to the message of the movie.  

I walked into the movie not expecting a whole lot, thinking as well that it may be cute, but  exhausted by the endless media to promote the film put in me doubts of its potential.  I entered the movie relaxed.  I left the movie engaged in the awe and wonder of an awesome God we serve.  I don't want to spoil the movie for you, but I will say this.  Kevin Baxter played by Steve Carel told God that he had all these plans and that now was not a good time to build an ark. God, Played by the Morgan Freeman who poise demonstrated the patience and peace of God, responded with an awe struck Laugh that enunciated the silliness in Kevin Baxters Plans. 

For Me it was a laugh that ministered life to my spirit.  We get so caught up in planning out life.  We make an outline of the beginning middle and end of what we expect.  We see a skewed perspective of our purpose and pursue it with tenacity as if nothing else more important. God Laughs! He has so much better. His will, will prevail in the end.  We need to stop fighting his calling and just run with him. He has so much more and wants to give so much more and everything he does is for his love for us.  Can we forget about our plans and consider for ourselves His.   Even for a moment the endless possibilities that he can do through us.   God is speaking.  He is saying I want you too.....  You will have to fill in the blank by listening to him.  My prayer is that I may surrender everything to his will and be embraced by his plan. Not my will but his. What freedom there is knowing that if it is his plan, If he is the project manager that he will make sure it is done.  it is not up to me. I don't have what it takes. But he does. He is not looking for ability but for the availability of the soul crazy enough to trust in him.

Do you ever feel like Jonah who life was literally being shipwrecked because of this fleeing and ignoring the call of God. In wisdom though instead of trying with the others to try by human standards to save the boat he was in said to toss him overboard into the sea.  He said there is no point struggling in my flesh against this life that is only happening because of my disobedience but throw me into the sea of the sovereignty of God.  Let God deal with me as he may.  Let me finally surrender and abandon myself into his loving arms. Its time to give up an give into him.

All I can say is God spoke to me through this movie, and this is only the beginning. There are many words of thought provoking wisdom throughout this movie that leaves you with more than just a few laughs.    Do I recommend this Movie?  Well I recommend you hear from God.  For me he chose to use a movie to grab my attention.  If the lord wills go see it and you will enjoy it, but if God has something else he is calling you too don't delay your peace any longer.

Pastor Jim Smith

The Gospel According To Paul?

Sir Paul Mc Cartney at 64 has for the second time in as many years recorded and produced a stellar recording. While "Chaos and Creation" was a fine work with many wonderful songs his new release "Memory Almost Full" is McCartney at his creative best.

This work kicks off with the fun little single, DANCE TONIGHT. While it took a couple listens, it has become the tune that plays continuously in the back of my mind. It's an expression of the joy in life. This track is as close to the fun Beatle singles as you are going to find. The second song, EVER PRESENT PAST reminds me of his work with Wings.  SEE YOUR SUNSHINE and Only MOMMA KNOWS are both fine in their own right, but they lead us to a reflective Paul who is examining life experiences in a beautiful ballad called YOU TELL ME. Paul's classical influence announces MR. BELLAMY. Like the Beatle songs which reflected real places and people of their Liverpool past, this contagious offering tells a tale, whether fiction or fact, it's a musical gem. GRATITUDE is my least favorite cut on the whole CD. In light of his current divorce, it is particularly sad. As McCartney extols his love for his wife, he also pledges enduring gratitude whatever the future may hold. His commitment to his love and his marraige is admirable. "Don't live in the past" is the advice that begins VINTAGE CLOTHES. This catchy ditty is a frank examination of his life. Without break the CD moves into perhaps my favorite tune on the CD, THAT WAS ME. This musical review of McCartney's life should be released as a single, while introspective, it highlights the full range of McCartney's musical and vocal genius which hasn't dimmed a bit since he was one of the Fab Four. (He still sings in the same keys as he did at 19 years of age). FEET IN THE CLOUDS is as good as Beatle track and yet is once again leading us to examine the value of a life lived. HOUSE OF WAX is a dark bit of angst that hints of McCartney's pain of recent years. Loss of his musical brothers, John Lennon, George Harrison and Wife Linda has left a sadder, if wiser Paul.  THE END OF THE END is as clear proclamation of our need of salvation as has ever been recorded.

Consider these lyrics;

At the end of the end
It's the start of a journey
To a much better place
And this wasn't bad
So a much better place
Would have to be special
No need to be sad

On the day that I die I'd like jokes to be told
And stories of old to be rolled out like carpets
That children have played on
And laid on while listening to stories of old

At the end of the end
It's the start of a journey
To a much better place
And a much better place
Would have to be special
No reason to cry

[Whistling]

On the day that I die I'd like bells to be rung
And songs that were sung to be hung out like blankets
That lovers have played on
And laid on while listening to songs that were sung

At the end of the end
It's the start of a journey
To a much better place
And a much better place
Would have to be special
No reason to cry
No need to be sad
At the end of the end

A journey to his website photos  also show a recent painting by Paul of the three crosses of Calvary. I was encouraged when I heard COME FOLLOW ME on Chaos and Creation, but these lyrics leave little doubt that McCartney has been considering the meaning of our existence. I do not mean to suggest that McCartney has become a Christian, perhaps he has, perhaps not, but I do mean to suggest that he has certainly been examining the possibilities. The album closes with NOD YOUR HEAD. This is a thoroughly modern offering that will be embraced by his live concert audiences as a reason to sing and nod along.

If you aren't afraid to explore the creative; give this work a listen! MEMORY ALMOST FULL   by Paul McCartney is burning-up my ipod right now and probably will for a long time to come.

 Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real with God
Craig Groeschel
Released 9/30/2006

From: Multnomah
ISBN: 9781590527207
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224

The Dark Side of a Pastor's Life A Breath of Fresh Air Are you tired of pretending? Living walled up? Going only skin deep? Craig Groeschel , pastor of the thriving LifeChurch.tv, sure was. And in his refreshingly raw and real book, he comes clean. Not that he has anything other than typical, human stuff to confess. Check out a few of his musings: I have to work hard to stay sexually pure, I hate prayer meetings, sometimes I doubt God , and I can't stand a lot of Christians . Through his incredible honesty, he opens the door for you to follow suit. Are you ready to dig deep and let God shine through the genuine you? No more living just to please others. No more hiding. You can be who God called you to be. You can live for an audience of One

This book is a must-read for any serious Christ-follower who is ready to mature in Christ. It ought to be required reading in every Bible College, but it won't be because it is too honest and too real about what Pastors ought to be rather than what they are taught to be. Pastor Craig is brutally honest and challenges all of us to be as well. Are you up to the challenge of being the church rather than just going to church?

Buy this book and buy one for a brother or sister in Christ!

 Ragamuffin
The patched-up life and unshabby message of Brennan Manning.

In a review back in 1994, Agnieszka Tennant wrote,
"The first time the late singer-songwriter Rich Mullins heard former Franciscan priest Brennan Manning on tape as he drove through the edge of the Flint Hills in Kansas, his eyes filled with tears. He steered the truck to the side of the road. There, as he later wrote, the message "broke the power of mere 'moralistic religiosity' in my life, and revived a deeper acceptance that had long ago withered in me."

Dallas Willard, who penned The Divine Conspiracy and Renovation of the Heart, once wrote that Manning's writing "throws firebrands into your soul."

Singer and writer Michael Card calls Manning when he's "in a bad place" and has named his oldest son after him. The priest's book Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus "healed my image of God," Card told Christianity Today.

Psychotherapist and spiritual director Larry Crabb turns to Manning for advice.

Eugene Peterson, who wrote The Message, describes Manning's Reflections for Ragamuffins as a "zestful and accurate portrayal that tells us unmistakably that the gospel is good, dazzlingly good."

Members of U2 read Manning's books.

Singer Michael W. Smith "can't even remember" how many copies of The Ragamuffin Gospel he has given away. Author Philip Yancey considers Manning a good friend.

What is it that the shapers of evangelical consciousness find so enchanting about the 70-year-old Catholic who confesses in his writings to "boasting, the inflating of the truth, the pretense of being an intellectual, the impatience with people, and all the times I drank to excess"?"

Perhaps it is the lack of pretense within the man or the exaltation of the grace of God. I found this book to be life-changing as few others that I have read. It challenge me to understand my own humanness and God's glorious grace as I have never considered before.

There are a lot of critics of this Author and book and somewhere in each critical review they make certain that they remind us that Manning is a "former Catholic Priest", has been divorced and is a self-proclaimed recovering alcoholic! (For Shame) Certainly Jesus didn't come to redeem such men as that!

There is much talk about too much grace and to much emphasis around the "mercy of God", but we who are honest realize that we need all the mercy of God that we can get. The fact that his distracters call his teachings heresy put him in good standing - they said the same about Jesus and for the same reasonS! How dare he not allow them to stone the prostitute!

We love religion, don't we? We hate to see our sins as they really are and we hate to admit that stop at the alter is just the beginning of our journey and not the end.

This book may challenge you need to condemn others, but it will allow you to feel better about what is doing in your life. Good stuff!

Premonition

Who's in It: Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon, Nia Long, Kate Nelligan, Amber Valletta

Offered as a thriller, Premonition is a strange tale that leaves you thinking. I have seen much worse and some better. It's a decent date movie - you men still date your wives don't you?

The critics hated it and the fans loved it - what does that tell you? I can't think of anything objectionable in this film. So if you're old enough to drive to the theater, enjoy!

THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD BROTHER LAWRENCE

Here is a classic work written by a humble 17th Century Monk. This tome reveals the value of living moment by moment in communion with God. Brother Lawrence was a humble servant who so learned to experience God amidst the mundane responsibilities of the monastery kitchen, that he found organized prayer times as a threat of interruption of his communion with God. In this age of formulas and schemes, it is refreshing to be reminded that all that is necessary to experience God is a deep enough desire to pursue Him. This book belongs in the library of every Christian family. It needs to be read regularly and often. The depth of this Brother's relationship to God will both challenge and encourage you to find your own practice of living in God's presence!

Zodiac

Who's in It: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, Chloë Sevigny

I think I should have read the review that cautioned, "Make sure you get plenty of rest before you see this one - you will feel lik you have worked an eighthour day by it's end!" My wife and I both slept through most of this highly rated film in spite of the early graphic killings.

I am certain that it was a well-made movie. I am certain that it would have been entertaining, if somewhat educational, if I could have stayed awake long enough to see it.

In all fairness, my wife and I had both experienced a long week before going out to see this on a Friday night, so you might be better served to see it earlier in the day. I may rent it when it gets to video, but then again it's already cost me $ 16.00 and I know what happened.

Pastoring Without Tears
Pastor Sunday Adelaja

Pastor Sunday Adelaja is the Pastor of the largest Church in Europe with over 20, 000 members. Is it possible to have a Pastor's heart and yet Pastor without tears?

Pastor Sunday, not only assures us with his words, he instructs us with his life. If it is possible to found and Pastor a church of  20,000 people, while beginning another 500 churches during a single decade, without worry or fear than certainly it is possible to do the will of God with the heart of God by the strength of God, without tears.

This book is a tresure that belongs upon every Pastor's desk. Get one for your Pastor and make certain that he passes it on to his Wife as well.

REIGN OVER ME