Operation Christmas Child 2010

I'm sitting at my desk late Sunday night (early Monday morning?) after what has been a very satisfying day. We finished our stewardship series of messages this morning in worship at both churches. I followed that up with a short nap with my ten month old foster son and then went on to the Quinton church to begin setting up for our Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing party. I was ecstatic to find that a lady from the Hancock's Bridge church had spent the early part of the afternoon bringing all the supplies down from the sanctuary and organizing everything. This made set-up very easy and saved me a lot of time (Thanks Kathy!). At 6PM folks started showing up and packing boxes. In 2007 we packed 89 shoe boxes - a great number for our first time. The following year we upped the ante to 139 boxes - amazing! Last year we were off a bit with only 96 boxes, but we've hit our stride again this year with 134! It warms my heart to the core to see so many people from these two communities respond to a ministry that is as wholistic as OCC. You see, every kid who receives a shoe box gift also gets the Gospel story in his or her native language. Evangelism and service working together - just like it ought to be. Anyway, big thanks go out from me to all the Quinton youth members and all the adults and children who came out to pack shoe boxes tonight. Your service is a blessing and will continue to bless people through these gifts for months and years to come. Thanks also to everyone who donated shoe boxes and items to pack in the boxes. Check out the Hancock's Bridge or Quinton church facebook pages for pictures from tonight's packing party. I personally feel blessed to be called your pastor today.

Oh yeah, and the Eagles beat the Giants to take first place in the NFC East. Life is good today.

Been a little busy

OK, it's done... for now.

I've been really busy the last few months with some serious paperwork. Finally turned everything in on the 1st and spent the last couple weeks just deflating. The next big step in that process is a couple days of interviews in March so keep me in your prayers for that.

Right now I'm starting to gear up for Advent and Christmas, preparing for church conference, planning the Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing party and doing a little pleasure reading. If you happen to like suspense/action stories, Ted Dekker is one of my recommendations. He writes Christian fiction and reminds me a lot of Dean Koontz. Right now I'm in the middle of ADAM by Dekker and it's very good.

I have seen a couple of movies over the summer and into the fall and I'll try to blog a little about them if I get a chance in the next couple of weeks.

A Two-fer! Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me - Fun for all!

There's a wonderful advantage to having small children when you're a big kid. You have a built in excuse to go see kid movies! Of course, kid movies aren't just for kids all that often, nor should they be. there ought to be something in any family film to entertain anyone in the theater. Both of the films that I've taken my little ones to recently have family entertainment in spades.

Toy Story 3 is exactly what the title tells you it is - the third (and likely final) installment in the Toy Story/Pixar movie franchise. Toy Story 3 is easily the best of the three films as it deals with all of the biggest issues that face us today - loss, desperation, loneliness, uncertainty and even death. All of this is accomplished through the plastic eyes and the synthetic fur of children's playthings. This Rev is inclined to call this film a can't miss. There are occasional scenes of peril that might be disturbing to children under five or six, but this is the best of what Hollywood has to offer as far as family films go.
Spiritually, there is depth here as well. In the beginning of the film, the toys feel rejected and/or neglected by Andy their owner and find a way to provide for themselves. Unfortunately, their provision turns out to be worse than ending up in the attic. In trying to escape, they almost end up incinerated (Hell?), before being reclaimed and recycled by Andy. This entire adventure could be considered as a metaphor for our experience with God. We feel ignored or neglected. We blame God. We strike out on our own only to find that our solution only leads to destruction. But God is gracious and finds an everlasting place in His heart for us, a place where we will always feel valued and important.

Despicable Me is a Universal Studios animated film about a villain trying to hold onto his status and dealing with three adopted little girls at the same time. It's cute. It's very funny. And, it's predictable. But that's OK. My kids liked this film more than Toy Story 3. I didn't think it was quite that good, but it is well worth the price of admission and suitable for all ages.
Spiritually, Despicable Me is all about love - the love of family, the love of friends, and the change that unrelenting, unconditional love can bring. It's familiar movie territory for children and adults. The curmudgeon who is transformed by the love of a child. Perhaps we've lived it; I have. Maybe that's why I enjoyed this film so much. It reminded me of many of the experiences that I've had as a foster parent. I also could not help but notice how this life-changing love from a child is so much like the love of God. God is often referred to as "the hound of heaven," pursuing sinful human beings with an unrelenting, unconditional love. This certainly appears to be the paradigm for Gru the film's main character. He adopts three little girls with the intention of using them to infiltrate his arch enemy's fortress. He ends up caring more about them than about any evil plans that he has. Ultimately, the girls change Gru's heart. Indeed, how much is the love of God like the love of a child?

So if it's raining or too hot or you're just looking for a little family entertainment this weekend, take in one of these two films. You won't be disappointed.

Father's Day

Father's Day has been a special day for me for the last few years now. I've been a dad for much longer and I truly cherish the special bond that I have with my oldest daughter Trista. She is a beautiful, bright, hard-working and special young lady. I couldn't love her more if I tried. But for the last several years I've had the honor and the privilege of being a foster dad. Bonnie and I have had a total of 18 foster kids under our care since October of 2007. One of them is now our second child; we adopted Delylah in November of last year. Father's Day has become more special because it is a yearly reminder of the special ministry and the extraordinary responsibility that God has blessed Bonnie and I with. This year my family gave me my Father's Day gifts a day early because we're leaving for vacation on Father's Day. I'm overwhelmed. Perhaps the most beautiful gift I've ever received is the framed portraits of my kids. Bonnie took the kids to have pictures done last weekend and Trista had them framed. Brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Lord. Thank you for blessing my life with these children. Thank you for letting me be a vessel of your grace to children in need.

Oh and by the way, I got to see Toy Story 3 this week and I'll be trying to blog about it while I'm on vacation. Suffice it to say for now, it's well worth your time to try to get to see it in a theater with your children.

Splice - A cautionary tale (tail?)

Splice is a newly released horror film starring Sarah Polley and Adrian Brody. In its most basic form Splice is a retelling of the Frankenstein story except these scientists create the monster with gene splicing rather than resurrecting the dead. The resulting creation is part human, part... well, lots of other creatures. Of course, Clive and Elsa (Brody and Polley, the scientists that create Dren, the monster) are ultimately unable to hide or contain their creation. And while Dren never goes on a rampage like Frankenstein's monster, she does become more and more uncontrollable until she must be destroyed. I could say more but would reveal elements of the story that are better discovered by one's initial viewing of the film.

I've subtitled this blog "A cautionary tale" because Splice has many elements in common with similar monster/horror movies. It poses questions like "what are the boundaries of scientific discovery?" "If we are able to do something that would be a scientific breakthrough, do we have a moral imperative to do said thing?" And, "When does tampering with genetic makeup become playing God?" Of course, this angle of playing God is a major theme for me as a pastor, but I'll get to that in the next paragraph. I should caution potential viewers that Splice is rated "R" and for good reason. There are several scenes that include nudity, graphic violence, foul language, and sexually suggestive situations. There are also at least two scenes that I found deeply disturbing and would caution anyone about.

Even with all the troubling elements in this film, there are still solid themes related to Christian faith and life to be found here. When Clive and Elsa have come to the realization that Dren must be destroyed they discuss what they did wrong to begin with. Clive says. "Wrong? We blurred the lines between right and wrong. How do we know right from wrong anymore?" Undoubtedly, many of us have been in a similar situation. When we chose to do something that is unethical or even despicable, where is our moral compass? We may try to rationalize what we do (in the name of science/progress/etc.) but are there no solid standards of right and wrong anymore? Are there not things in this life that are wrong simply because they are wrong? When we begin to blur the lines between right and wrong by offering rationalizations, where do we stand?

And of course there is the very idea of playing God that piques the interest of this pastor. I posed the question earlier but it bears repeating, "If we can do something, regardless of the reason for doing it, are we obligated to do said thing in the name of science or human progress?" Human cloning is one concept that has come under this scrutiny in recent years. As of right now we are scientifically unable to clone a human being, but it appears that we will be able to do it sooner rather than later. If we develop this technology, and if it could potentially save human lives from any number of wretched diseases, should we clone people? Is it ethical to create humans in a laboratory as opposed to naturally? Would said human clones have souls? I am a firm believer that it is unwise for humans to play at being God. I know that there are many scientific advances that are common practice today that would have been considered "playing God" as little as ten years ago. But I still must wonder where we are willing to draw the line. I heard today on the radio that a prominent ethics professor at Princeton University has suggested that birth parents ought to have the right to retroactively abort (kill) their child up to 30 days after birth due to chronic disease, poor quality of life, or simply because the child is unwanted. If this kind of utilitarian, secular humanist thinking is what passes for scholarship in our universities today, we are in a world of trouble friends. Maybe it's better to leave playing god to the one true God.

LOST - or maybe not so lost

I've spent the last six years watching the ABC show LOST. I've followed all the story lines. I've re-watched the reruns. I've even begun to purchase the DVDs. Basically, I've invested a lot of time in a television show. Last night was the series finale. LOST is done. And some people are really upset. Those who are upset over last night's final episode seem to fall into two camps - those who are sad and will miss the show, and those who are angry that it didn't answer all the questions that they had. I'm in a slightly different place from either of those two camps. I'm satisfied with the show and how it ended. No, it didn't answer all my questions (and I probably had as many as anyone else). Yes, it was melodramatic (and yes I did shed a few tears). But overall, I think that the writers got one important point right (I'll get to that). For the first five seasons we were given back story on the main characters through flashbacks, flash forwards and flash sideways. We were introduced to the mysteries of the island (electromagnetism, "the button," "the rules," Jacob, the smoke monster, the light, the others, the Dharma project, etc.). All of this story was interwoven with symbolism and ideas that sounded familiar to all of us. They sounded familiar because we know them from church, Sunday School and just general knowledge of Christian things. But the ending of the show left people speculating as to what was real and what was "someplace else." I've heard the theory that everyone died in the plane crash and the island was purgatory. I've heard some say that they were all dead and the island was hell. I even heard one person speculate that the entire series was a dream in the mind of Vincent the dog. Unfortunately, I think all that speculation may miss the real point that the writers were trying to make, a point that truly resonates with Christian theology.
Let us assume that everything but the flash sideways in season six was real. It leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions about the island - why does it exist? what is the light? etc. The flash sideways in season six and the final episode focus on the relationships between the survivors and on something spiritual. The way that I see it the writers are saying, what is important in life is not the details of this world. We don't need to, and probably never will know all the secrets of this world that we call reality. What is really important is the relationships that we build and knowing that God has a plan, a design, a destination for each of us.
Anyway, that's what I got out of it. Maybe I'm completely off base with the intention of the writers and maybe I'm over-spiritualizing the thing. Maybe I am lost. Then again, maybe I'm found.

The Marriage Ref

I've said all along that I will sometimes look at TV shows or other media in this blog, not just movies. Well, I had a chance this last week to see a rerun of the first episode of the new show being produced by Jerry Seinfeld called "The Marriage Ref." In short, don't bother. Firstly, it's just not funny. It's actually rather sad and a depressing commentary on who we are as a society. I am perplexed that a married couple would have the kinds of communication issues that these couples do, and choose to have them settled by a television show and celebrities rather than seeking professional counseling. Are we that shallow as a society and as human beings that we would rather be on television than get real help? Truth be told, I couldn't watch more than one segment of the show. I found it to be so troubling that I had to just switch it off. Rather than seek the help of God in prayer, rather than seek the help of a pastor for marriage counseling, rather than seek a real trained professional who understands human behavior, these couples choose to air their marital communication issues on national television for the whole world to laugh at? Lord help us.

Thank you Lord

Thank you that all this rain isn't snow. I heard that if it were it would have been 36 to 60 inches! Thank You Lord!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief must win some kind of award for having the longest movie title this year. And, for being long on title this film is a little short on imagination. Percy Jackson is the story of a teenager who discovers that the Greek gods are real and that Poseidon is his father. After Zeus accuses Jackson of staling his thunderbolt, Percy goes on an adventure to recover the stolen item and prevent a war between the gods.

I went to see this movie with my 25y/o daughter and the two of us were overwhelmed with how much the film wanted to be Harry Potter. There were obvious parallels between schools, characters and situations throughout the film. In fact, it became a joke between the two of us as we competed to identify each person of thing in this movie with their parallel in the Harry Potter universe. In all, that's not a very good testimony for a film. Nonetheless, we did find Percy to be a decent diversion for a Saturday afternoon. The special effects were good and the storyline wasn't horrible.

From a Christian perspective I didn't find a whole lot to speak of. Obviously, we're dealing with the Greek pantheon of gods and that mythology here. As so many of us have studied Greek mythology in grade school there's not much to say on that other than they're not real. There a couple of things to be said in reference to character statements in the film. Annabeth Chase is the daughter of Athena and immediately befriends Percy. At one point she says to him: "I definitely have strong feelings for you. I just haven't decided if they're positive or negative yet." This could be a statement made by any secular person in reference to God or the church. They seem to have strong feelings but it's never completely obvious whether those feelings are positive or negative. Near the end of the film Annabeth has grown close to Percy and we're led to believe that she might kiss him. Instead, she disarms him and says: "First rule of battle strategy. Don't ever let your opponent distract you." Good advice for Christians, especially those who have felt subject to spiritual attack. The adversary is always willing to distract you, always willing and trying to deceive you. As Christians it is always wise to be on our guard.

So if you enjoyed the Harry Potter films then there's probably something in Percy Jackson that you'll find interesting. If not, it's still not a bad diversion but you'd likely do better waiting for a DVD release.

More Snow?

Gosh I'm just starting to feel like I'm not snowed in anymore and they're calling for more snow? Will this winter never end?

Bonus Blog - The Princess and the Frog

I had the privilege of taking my four girls and MrsRev to go see Disney's newest hand-drawn animated film Friday night, The Princess and the Frog. It is a somewhat different take on the old story of The Frog Prince that many of us remember from our childhood. The Princess and the Frog is "A fairy tale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans and centered on a young girl named Tiana and her fateful kiss with a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again."*
My first reaction to this film was, "Wow! Disney is back." It's been a long time since the Disney company has put out an animated film that wasn't a Pixar production that was this good. I'm in my mid forties and I was a child when it last happened, so do the math. All four of my girls (5y/o and under) were completely enthralled. They didn't fidget, they didn't fuss, and they didn't even have to get up to go to the bathroom.

"Ah," you say, "but where are the theological perspectives?" Well if nothing else, this is a feel good movie. And there is always something of God in just being happy, at least until we human beings pervert it in some way. I did notice one really excellent point about the things that we wish for. Throughout the film we find different characters wishing on the morning star for things that they want. For Christians we don't wish, we pray. But often we pray a lot like the characters in this movie. We ask God for things that we want or things that we want to happen. During the course of the story, Tiana and Naveed learn to wish for what they need instead of what they want. Imagine how pleased God would be if we were to start praying for what we need, and what others need instead of what we want. Imagine how much more God would answer prayers for the needs of the people and ministries around us if we only prayed for those things and not for ourselves. Maybe more of the events that we experience on a daily basis would be happy endings, like every Disney movie that we all know and love.

So if you have small children, especially little girls who love Disney princesses like mine do, go see this movie. And while you're at it, lift up the needs of someone else this Christmas season. Think of the good we can all do this world with a little more selfless prayer.

Oh and BTW, I will be blogging another Christmas movie next week but I also have plans to go see Avatar next Friday. So don't be surprised if you get the double bonus two weeks in a row.
Grace and Peace!

The Bishop's Wife - The power of love and prayer

The Bishop's Wife is a romantic comedy starring Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young originally released in 1947. Here is what the DVD cover says about the movie: "Heavenly bells are ringing, jubilant choirs are singing and Christmas joy is blanketing the world like freshly fallen snow. But the Yuletide spirit has yet to warm Bishop Henry Brougham's Victorian home. Struggling to raise funds for a new cathedral, the preoccupied young clergyman has neglected his loving wife Julia, and now only divine intervention can save their marriage! But the powerful and handsome angel sent from above has a mind of his own... and teaching mortal Henry an immortal lesson in romance isn't all he's got planned."
Aside from the obvious theological implications of angels, clergy and cathedrals, there are several good messages in this film. Dudley the angel only appears in answer to prayer. Later he suggests that he can only be dismissed by prayer but remains when the Bishop's prayer is offered for the wrong reasons. This is a nice example of the fact that God knows and answers our needs rather than our wants, no matter what we've asked for.
Another thread of the story involved a rich woman who will donate enough money to build the cathedral, but only if it carries the name of her late husband in very prominent places. Dudley comes along later in the story and simply listens to the woman's expression of grief and loss over her late husband. She later decides to donate the money to missions and charity instead of building the cathedral. This idea perfectly reflects James' words when he wrote, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) While there is certainly nothing wrong with churches and church buildings, there's something to be said for directing our money toward ministry.
The Bishop's Wife is one of those wonderful movies made when stories were more important than eye-candy and flash. While not quite on par with the best Christmas movie of all time (It's a Wonderful Life), it is well worth your time as a pleasant Christmas diversion.

The Muppet Christmas Carol - Fun with a Message

I have to admit up front that I am a big fan of the Muppets. I used to watch The Muppet Show and own several seasons of the show on DVD, The Muppet Movie is one of my favorite films and this is one of my top Christmas movies. The Muppet Christmas Carol is a pretty standard Dickens Christmas Carol interpretation with one interesting twist. Gonzo plays the role of Charles Dickens who narrates and provides comic relief in some of the more sinister parts of the story. Michael Caine portrays Ebeneezer Scrooge adequately enough and Kermit the Frog is the perfect foil as Bob Cratchit. As this is easily one of the most well-known Christmas stories I don't feel a need to give a synopsis. There is little here that deviates from the story that we all know and love. What is different is how much fun this version of the classic turns out to be. There are numerous asides, in-jokes and comedic liberties taken by the Muppet characters while the human characters play straight man every time. Without question, this is one of the best family Christmas movies out there. It comes highly recommended by this rev.

But The Muppet Christmas Carol offers more than just wholesome family fun. There is a message to be found in this picture as well, in fact, several messages. The first message comes across in one of the opening songs. We meet Scrooge walking through the streets as the numerous Muppet characters sing about how bad a person he is. In the song it is implied that he is this miserable because of his self-imposed isolation. Of course we learn later on that his isolation was not always self-imposed. What I find interesting is that if lonliness creates misery then the converse must also be true; presence and fellowship creates joy. As a pastor I find this to be especially true. Being present for people in their time of need brings joy to the person I visit and to me as well. I also find that church people are never happier than when they are in the company of fellow minded folks. Worship time is always a time of joy. And joy always seems to be found where people gather together.

A second message became apparent during another song. When Scrooge is haunted by his dead partners, Jacob and Bob Marley (told you there were inside jokes), they sing to Scrooge about the chains he'll wear in the afterlife. One of the lines in the song says that Scrooge must "change to lose his chains." This might be one of the most compact salvation statements ever put on screen. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus put it this way, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." To repent literally means to turn around. Scrooge is told to turn around from the way he is going in order that he not have to wear the chains he is forging in this life in his afterlife. We are all called by Jesus to change our ways and choose His ways. The Muppets might put it a little differently, but it's a message of salvation none the less.

One last message came out, and this one in a song as well. When Scrooge is traveling with the ghost of Christmas present, the spirit sings a song about the feelings we all experience at Christmas. One of the lines in the chorus says, "Wherever you find love it feels like Christmas." What a wondeful way to express the true meaning of Christmas. This blessed season really is about love more than anything else. It's about the love of families gathered together over a festive meal. It's about the love of friends for one another. It's about the agape love of anyone who gives of themselves to others. But most especially, Christmas is about the love of God for humanity represented in the gift of a Savior in the form of a little child. So indeed, wherever you find love it certainly does feel like Christmas.

So take a little time this Christmas season and enjoy The Muppet Christmas Carol with your family. Share the love. Merry Christmas.

Thinking about what films to blog for the next few weeks...

I've been thinking about what movies to blog about in the next few weeks and it just seems so obvious. I guess I have to look at Christmas movies. I have a few on my shelves, ones that I truly enjoy. But I was wondering if there are any that you really like that you'd like me to take a look at. I'm going to do one today or tomorrow, but the next couple weeks are open to suggestion. Thoughts?

Inkheart - Incarnational reading

Inkheart is another movie based on a series of popular youth novels and follows in the footsteps of the Twilight series and the Harry Potter books. It is the story of Mo Folchart, a "silvertongue" and his daughter Meggie, both with the ability to read characters and items from a book into existence by reading out loud. Inkheart was released in 2008 and stars Brendan Fraser and Helen Mirren along with Andy Serkis who is most well known for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The storyline follows Mo as he attempts to right a wrong he committed twelve years previous by reading a villian out of the book of the same title as the movie. Mo is helped along the way by characters both real and read out of fiction.
This film is very family friendly with only a few objectionable words and several scenes that might be frightening to little children. Inkheart is rated PG and is suitable for family movie night.
I couldn't help but play a little "what if" with this film. What if Mo read the Bible out loud? Would he be able to bring Jesus to life? Would that count as the second coming? What about God? The prophets? Historical figures? If these people were real before, rather than fictional characters, could Mo make them appear?
The reality though is that it wouldn't matter. As Christians we believe in an incarnational Jesus Christ. He came to earth in the flesh. His presence among us in the flesh demonstrates how God cares about our physical bodies and that we should too. Because Jesus is present with us even now, we become "silvertongues" when we read His word. He becomes more real to us as we read about him in the Bible, and whether we read to ourselves or out loud doesn't matter.
I enjoyed this film much more than I expected considering that critics panned it. It's worth a look and a little wondering, but Jesus has already promised to be with us no matter where we are (Matthew 28:20).

That day has come...

Bonnie and I have been anticipating the adoption date of our little girl for quite a while now. For some time we've felt like the day might never come. It has arrived! Today (Tuesday November 17, 2009) we appeared in Family Court in Salem County and officially became parents again. Our new little girl is Delylah Rose Stevens and she is probably happier than we are to have been adopted. She is now three years old but will be turning four next month. We're now planning her baptism and looking forward to many years of happiness, joy and love. Thanks go out to all who have been in prayer for us in this process. We know you've been praying because we've felt your support. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! AMEN!

Need to share a blessing

Yesterday one of the DYFS nurses was at our house to talk to us about three of the little girls that are living with us now. She also happens to be the nurse for the little guy that was with us back in Feb/March. Just so you don't have to look up my post about it, he came to us at 18 days old and was with us for about four weeks. I was very nervous about having an infant in the house but he became one of the biggest blessings for us and it was very difficult to let him go. Anyway, when we found out that this nurse knew him we had to ask how he's doing. She informed us that he's doing really well, walking around a little, putting on weight, and that he's really attached to the daddy in his household. This news made me realize that even though he was very little, we made a difference. It's not often that you get to know how you've helped as a foster parent. It's a huge blessing to know when you've made a positive impact. Thank you God. Thank you.

Zombieland - Why the rules are good

Yes, I know I just wrote about a horror film last week but it's almost Halloween. One more and then I promise to go back to family films. Zombieland is a horror/comedy (horrordy? comedorror?). Anyone who thinks that blending horror and comedy is a new concept hasn't seen Arachnophobia. And if you think zombie horror comedy is new then you haven't seen Shawn of the Dead. Both of those are worth a look and a laugh by the way.
Anyway, here's what Columbia Pictures writes about Zombieland - "The horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss -- but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies."
Before I say anything, I have to admit two things: I'm not a big fan of Woody Harrelson and I am a big fan of this little sub-genre of horror/comedy. That being said, this film was a pleasant surprise for me. Like any good zombie film there are many many creative scenes of zombies being put to their final rest, lots of splatter and quite a bit of gore too. But there is also a good story here about four people, maybe the last four non-zombies on earth, trying to survive the flesh eating menace and their mistrust of one another. If you like your comedies gory or your horrors funny, this is the film for you.
Theologically there is more in this film than you might think for a film of this sort. First - zombies. Zombie movies tend to be commentaries of some sort. George Romero has mastered the technique of commenting on the ills of society through his zombie movies. Zombieland tends to comment on the human condition (our ability or inability to trust, need for companionship/fellowship, wants and needs, etc.) more than society but the commentary is present for those who care to look.
More importantly, there is a wonderful message about rules in Zombieland. The main character, Columbus keeps a list of survival rules for himself that get flashed on the screen throughout the movie. Rule #1: Cardio - because then you can outrun the zombies. Rule#2: Double Tap - because this is no time to preserve your ammunition. Rule #3: Beware of bathrooms - because the zombies got smart and learned to attack us at our most vulnerable moments. The rules are not limiting, they are freeing because they are life preserving. The rules are for Columbus' benefit not his punishment. This is a direct correlation to God's rules for humanity. I cannot say how often I have heard about Christianity being about rules and regulations from God. Part of this is certainly true. God gave us the Ten Commandments and Jesus said that there are two important rules - Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. People outside the faith seem to think that these rules are limiting. But those of us who listen to God understand that the rules are for our benefit, for our good, for our protection and for our freedom. God's rules are not punitive, they are life giving. Columbus' rules are not punitive, they are life giving. In fact, it is only because of his rules that Columbus has survived to that point. God wants us to live and thrive too, that's why God gave us rules.
Anyway, if you go see one horror film in theaters this Halloween season, make it Zombieland. And if you go see one comedy in theaters this Halloween season Zombieland fits the bill too. If you don't mind the gore, this one is well worth seeing.

Our Two Year Fostering Anniversary

We took in our first two children on October 26, 2007 - Two little brothers who had been in the system for a while. Monday was our two year anniversary as foster parents and we celebrated by taking in two little sisters, 4 and 5 years old. They are two very happy, outgoing ladies and they are also loud! But I can live with the noise because it's a joyful noise. This brings us up to fourchildren at presnt (that's capacity for us), all girls ages 3, 3, 4 and 5. It also brings the total number of children to come under our care to 16. Sixteen in two years! I think that I'm truly coming to understand what it means to be blessed in order to be a blessing. God blessed the nation of Israel so that they could be a blessing to the world. We have been blessed with the heart and the resources to be able to care for little children in need. In turn, we reap the blessings of seeing children happy and healthy. God is good.

Adoption Update

Just to keep you all informed about how the adoption is progressing, we got a letter from our lawyer yesterday and a phone call this morning. DYFS has signed the consent for us to adopt our little girl, so both contacts were to set up a meeting with him for next week so that we can sign the forms and petition the court to set the adoption date. We've gotten conflicting reports from different people about when they'll be able to schedule the hearing. One judge likes to do a lot of adoptions on National Adoption Day (or as close to it as the court schedule allows) which is Nov. 20th. Family court that week is Nov. 17th. Both of those dates have been tossed around, but the lawyer says that the person that does the scheduling (surrogate?) isn't that efficient and we may not get a hearing that soon. All of this can certainly get a little frustrating, but it is progress and we are excited to be moving forward instead of sitting still.

Also, we were joined last week by another little one. She is also three years old but unlike our long-term little girl, she is very, very quiet. She's probably spoken 20 or 25 words to me in just over a week. We've been told that she's a short-term placement, but they don't have a realistic time frame just yet.

So keep us all in your prayers. And thank you for your support!