by Emily Howsden | Jun 10, 2019
I am fresh off a week of “vacation,” and when I say fresh I mean it. I feel refreshed! I say vacation with quotes around it because I went to Falls Creek, a youth camp, with the church that my husband attended as a teenager. It’s not a typical vacation, but, with limited cell phone reception and almost no responsibilities other than taking care of my 10 month old, it was like a vacation to me.
How do you take time off? I think this is something that is so important but often overlooked. The business world almost frowns at taking time off. Even when on vacation, the emails don’t stop, and some people expect a reply regardless of you being off duty.
That’s how last week was for me. Being disconnected was mostly out of my control due to lack of cell phone service, but what a blessing it was to disconnect for about 95 percent of my day each day.
A wise person said last week, as we were talking about rest and the importance of it, “It’s a lot harder to focus on and hear God when your mind is blurred with being tired and needing rest.”
I had never thought of it that way, but once I thought about
our conversation more, I wholeheartedly agree with what my friend said.
Yes, it is our duty to make time for God, regardless of how busy we are; we should never be too busy for God. However, don’t you have an easier time carving that specific time with God out of your schedule when you feel adequately rested?
As a mother of a nearly one-year-old, rest can seem like a foreign concept to me at times. Long gone are the days where my husband and I sleep eight hours or more a night. But I asked myself, as I marveled at all the things I got to do that I don’t normally do during our time off, why don’t I normally get to do these things?
So, whether you get to go somewhere fun on family vacation, or you just take a long weekend with the family, some things I told myself that I could do to find rest in my daily routine are:
- Put my cell phone down. I know I’m not the only person with this problem, but especially late at night when I lay in bed, I’ll mindlessly scroll through social media newsfeeds that I’ve consumed enough of during the day. Without cell service inside the cabin where we were sleeping, I found myself spending more time with God, more time in prayer, reading more books and going to bed earlier.
- Get to bed. This one is hard, because many times, after I put my little one down for bed, I do house work that I don’t have time for while he’s awake. But admittedly, I could still get to bed earlier if I were more diligent with my time. Getting to bed earlier would do a lot to increase my day-to-day amount of rest.
- Turn off the television. Are all of these suggestions super “Millennial” of me? I’m not sure, but sometimes after a long day at work, and a full evening of caring for my son, I like to watch a show or two. Whether it’s a funny show that I have watched a million times through (The Office or Parks and Recreation) or a new crime-documentary, I would probably do better to shut the T.V. off and do something around the house or just go to bed.
- Read for fun. I did a lot of reading just for fun last week, and it was during times where, if I had had cell phone service, I would have been scrolling through my phone. Instead, I dove into one of my favorite fiction series and allowed my mind to explore a magical world full of fun and exploration. A lot of times I feel like I have to be reading something “productive” or some sort of book that teaches me something. That’s not always the case. Have some fun with your reading. You’ll find what I did, that you will reach for a book more often than you may reach for your phone.
These are just a few things I
noticed about why I enjoyed my time off last week. Of course, the biggest
source of joy came from spending time with my family, in a Christ-filled environment,
surrounded by friends.
I encourage you to try and do some
of the above mentioned things and see how it refreshes your soul and offers your
mind the chance to rest.
by Chris Doyle | Jun 7, 2019
Greetings!
Another short intro. Thanks for reading!
1. Platt and Trump
People are making too big of a deal about David Platt,
former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission
Board now pastor of McClain Bible Church in northern Va., praying publicly over
President Trump when the president made a surprise visit to Platt’s church last
Sunday.
This issue is starting to die down, but those who criticize
Platt for praying for our nation’s leader or criticize his explanation
afterward where he appears to be sympathetic to church members who had problems
with the Trump prayer (Platt did not apologize for praying as some incorrectly concluded)
are being foolish and look bad.
The best write-up I’ve read was offered by Owen Strachan,
titled “Pray
for Presidents: On David Platt and Donald Trump.”
“President Trump,
however one sees him, is no different than any of us. He needs Christ. He needs
the Lord. He needs something more than this world can give. If we view praying
for God to work in his life as wrong, and view a pastor leading a church to pray
such a prayer as wrong, then we are in danger not only of disobeying a direct
apostolic command, but of losing the very essence of the mercy-drenched gospel
of Jesus Christ.”
2. Great ending, OU Softball
The University of Oklahoma
Softball team ended its season this week, falling to UCLA in the championship
round of the Women’s College World Series.
Yes, it’s disappointing the Sooners lost, but I appreciate
how they battled back after the Bruins cleaned their clocks in Game One, with
Game Two being decided by a walk-off single in the 8th inning.
The best part, though, is hearing how the team leaders praised God during the postgame press conference. Take a listen here:
http://www.soonersports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?clip=5913929&cid=1&db_oem_id=31000
3. OU softball
article revived on Messenger website
By the way, the Baptist
Messenger featured an article last year offered by the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes about OU softball head coach Patty Gasso’s Christian faith.
Check out “OU’s Patty Gasso focuses on winning souls more than games.”
The article made a resurgence this year, as I was told it
received around 13,000 hits on BaptistMessenger.com this week.
4. Way to go, Wendy’s!
I read a great story on the Decision Magazine website about fast-food chain Wendy’s making the
decision to emphasize adoption instead of abortion.
Check out the article here
4. CR and pro-life
development
The Southern Baptist Convention will be having its annual
meeting next week in Birmingham, Ala. I’ve been reading a lot of great article
that were written in preparation of the SBC meeting, but one of my favorites is
a historical piece about the Conservative Resurgence of the SBC and how this
movement invigorated Southern Baptists to be radically for the sanctity of
life.
Check out “Conservative
Resurgence foster pro-life stance in SBC” on the Missouri Pathway website.
5. Mohler on adoption
language
As you can tell, I’m being brief on my summaries this week.
But I hope you will still check out the content I’m sharing.
This includes Albert Mohler’s “The Briefing” from his Monday edition.
He takes on a heavy topic when he offers commentary on an article from the New
York Times regarding a women who is grieving without faith.
“It’s hard to read this article as a Christian,” Mohler
said. “Imagine how hard—hard is not even the word—how hard reading this article
would be for someone who isn’t a theist, who doesn’t believe in God, and
certainly one who doesn’t have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How then would
one read this article? How could one stand it?”
6. More Mohler
Once again Mohler gave excellent dialogue this week. I tried
to choose which Briefing was best, but all week, he gave challenging,
encouraging, educational commentary.
Three of his best were:
1. Abortion language – Wed., June 5.
2. 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre—Tues., June 4
3. Remembering D-Day—Thurs. June 6
by Michael Foust | Jun 7, 2019
Dark Phoenix (PG-13) opens in theaters this weekend, wrapping up Fox’s X-Men series with a family-centric plot.
Jean is a young woman who has always been a little
different.
She can read minds. She can move objects with her thoughts.
Such powers got her in trouble as a child, but as a teenager
and young adult, she learned to control them, thanks to Professor Charles
Xavier and his School for Gifted Youngsters, where she became a superhero
alongside her other “different” friends.
Jean and her friends are mutants (humans with genetic
superpowers) who travel the world to defeat the bad guys and rescue the
innocent. Most people call them the “X-Men.”
The year is 1992, and their latest mission is to space,
where the Space Shuttle is spinning out of control and NASA’s astronauts are
facing near-certain death. Their goal: pull the astronauts out of the Shuttle
and transport them back to Earth, unharmed.
The mission, though, doesn’t go as planned. The astronauts indeed
are rescued, but Jean is slammed by a mysterious space force that knocks her
unconscious.
At first she appears normal, but she soon realizes she’s
stronger than ever—in fact, stronger than anyone else on the X-Men team. She’s
also filled with rage and pain and a desire to destroy anything that gets in
her path.
Jean tries to control her emotions, but too often, they
overpower her. That’s especially the case when she digs into her past to
discover where she came from. She also uncovers a major fact about her
childhood that was kept secret.
Jean—now known as the Phoenix—is very angry.
Dark Phoenix (PG-13) opens in theaters this
weekend, continuing the current X-Men series and giving moviegoers a second
adaptation of the Phoenix story (X-Men:
The Last Stand in 2006 also had a story about Jean Grey/Phoenix).
It stars Sophie Turner as Jean/Phoenix, James McAvoy as
Professor X, Tye Sheridan as her romantic interest Scott Summers/Cyclops, and
Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique.
It is being billed by 20th Century Fox as the “most intense
and emotional X-Men movie ever made,” although that likely will change in the
future since Disney now owns Fox. Yes, a reboot is likely.
The X-Men series never achieved the popularity and box
office success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—even though these are Marvel characters—but that doesn’t
mean Dark Phoenix isn’t enjoyable. In
fact, thanks to an entertaining angle and solid message about the importance of
family, it’s pretty good.
The film follows the story of Jean/Phoenix but also of the
shape-changing D’Barie aliens, which look like humans and want Jean’s powers in
order to populate Earth with their own race (This would result in the rest of
us dying).
Warning:
minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key:
none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Moderate/extreme. We watch a car crash in slow motion; some
of the occupants are killed. In space, Jen fails to get out of the way of the
cosmic force; her colleagues assume she is dead. Phoenix and the X-Men battle
one another. One major character is impaled and dies (We briefly see the
character’s bloodied torso). An alien tortures a human (apparently killing him).
Phoenix destroys police cars and military helicopters. She crushes Dr. X’s
wheelchair and makes him “walk” by cruelly using her powers. A group of
citizens are placed in internment camps; we see them dragged away and placed in
vehicles. The film, like all superhero movies, includes a final act with tons
of fighting and explosions. One of the film’s most disturbing moments involves
aliens being shot hundreds of times by machine guns but not dying (We see it
multiple times).
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
Minimal. Jean and Scott kiss while alone.
Coarse Language
Moderate. About eight coarse words: S–t (2), d–n (2),
f-word (1), GD (1), JC (1) and misuse of “God” (1).
Other
Positive Elements
Jean’s powers as the Phoenix result in her remembering
painful emotions from the past, such as her parents apparently dying in a car
crash when she was eight. But Jean then learns her father survived the crash
and placed her for adoption with Professor X. Her dad didn’t know how to raise
a superhero daughter
Jean then goes on journey to answer a major question: Who is her family? Raven/Mystique
answers: It’s the X-Men: “I’m not giving up on your, Jean. This is what family
does.” We also see Professor X reassure Jean’s biological father that Jean is
unique and will be loved.
Other Stuff
You Might Want To Know
Children who are adopted or who come from abandoned homes
may be troubled by the plot. We see Jean’s biological father blame her for the
car crash. We also watch her struggle with the feelings of being abandoned. The
film has a happy ending, though.
We see the X-Men drink during an outdoor party.
The head of the alien race discusses a “spark” that gave the
universe life.
Life Lessons
Family is
the foundation: Jean
doesn’t remember her biological parents (her memory was erased), but she still
grew up in a loving environment. The film underscores the importance of family
and even provides a positive message about adoption.
Temptation
is powerful: Jean
is told she is powerful enough to control the universe—if she gives in to her wicked
desires.
Different
can be good:
Jean and the other X-Men are different—“special” in the modern vernacular. But
they learn different can be a good thing. Such a message is much-needed in a
culture where peer pressure is the norm and people often follow the crowd.
Emotions can’t
be trusted: Jean
has trouble controlling her anger. In fact, she wants to stay away from friends
so she won’t accidentally harm them.
There is
always hope: The
movie, not surprisingly, ends on a happy, forgiving note. Jean learns the X-Men
truly cared for her.
Worldview/Application
The X-Men worldview is one where certain humans have special
genes that give them powers—including the ability to reach minds, teleport, and
move objects by thinking.
Sponsors
Carl’s Jr/Hardee’s, T-Mobile, Boulevard Brewing Company,
Gilt, Box Lunch, BSN.
What Works
The family-centric angle.
What Doesn’t
The X-Men story arc is often convoluted—as is the case with
the Phoenix story. This is the second film iteration of Phoenix (She went on a
rampage and died in the 2006 movie X-Men:
The Last Stand and then was brought back to life in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past).
Discussion
Questions
1. Define family. Why is family important to a child’s
upbringing?
2. Why did Jean have trouble forgiving? Why is forgiveness
sometimes hard? What is the key to forgiving?
3. Can you always trust your emotions? Do emotions make you
weak … or strong?
4. Describe a moment you faced peer pressure. What is the
secret to following God when you’re facing temptation to follow others?
Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5
stars. Family-friendly rating: 2.5
out of 5 stars.
Dark Phoenix
is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action including
some gunplay, disturbing images, and brief strong language.
by Michael Foust | Jun 7, 2019
The animated film Secret Life of Pets 2 (PG) opens this weekend, continuing the story of Max, Duke, Gidget and Snowball.
Max is an opinionated dog who hates children. Well, sort of.
His views on kids began to change when his owner, Katie,
married a man named Chuck and they had a baby, Liam.
At first, Max wasn’t impressed. Liam slept. He ate. He slept
some more. But then Liam began to talk. And then he began to crawl. And then he
began to play with Max.
And then Liam said the words that melted Max’s heart.
“I love you Max.”
From then on, everything was different. Max and Liam became
friends. They played a lot. They laughed a lot. Most of all, Max became his
guard dog.
“He’s perfect,” Max says, “and I’m never going to let
anything bad happen to him.”
The animated film Secret
Life of Pets 2 (PG) opens this weekend, continuing the story from its 2016
predecessor about Max (Patton Oswalt) and his animal friends, including the
dogs Duke (Eric Stonestreet) and Gidget (Jenny Slate), and the rabbit Snowball
(Kevin Hart).
The 2016 film Secret
Life of Pets showcased the relationship between pets and their owners,
while the newest film spotlights the unique and even adorable bond between pets
and children.
Secret Life
of Pets 2
adds another layer to the story when Max, Duke and their owners (and, of
course, Liam) visit friends on a farm, where Max and Duke interact with sassy
cows, a kooky turkey and a no-nonsense dog named Rooster (Harrison Ford).
The film is nearly the perfect family-friendly film thanks
to an engaging story, the right type of humor and great lessons for parents and
kids. It’s a celebration of childhood, parenting and, of course, pets. It’s
also better than its predecessor.
The movie includes three primary plots: 1) Max’s trip to the
country, 2) Gidget’s search for a lost toy (it belonged to Max), and, 3)
Snowball’s attempt to free a tiger cub from an abusive circus owner.
Warning:
minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key:
none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Minimal. Two spooky-looking cats in a vet’s office say, “We
start fires” (It’s played for laughs). Gidget sneaks into an apartment to
retrieve Max’s toy; she sees cats in the dark with eerie eyes. We see Snowball
dreaming about being a superhero and beating up bad guys. The most disturbing
scenes for children may involve the tiger cub being whipped by a cruel owner.
It’s not over the top but may trouble children who love animals (He threatens
to turn animals into coats if they don’t obey). Wolves chase an animal through
the city.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
None. Gidget dreams she and Max are married, taking care of
his toy, “Busy Bee.” They nearly kiss in her dream (she wags her tongue).
Coarse
Language
Minimal. P—ed (1). That’s still a bad word in my house. We
also hear “stupid,” “idiot,” “turd,”
“butt” and “holy cheese and crackers” once each.
Other
Positive Elements
Snowball and several animals free the tiger cub. Rooster
acts like a bully at the beginning of the film, but we see his heart soften by
the movie’s end.
Other Stuff
You Might Want To Know
A cat coughs up a hairball. A cat is given catnip and
becomes high, and then acts like a human who has smoked marijuana.
Gidget performs a trick that leads a group of cats to think
she’s supernatural. “She is the chosen one,” one cat says. They then say, “All
hail” the queen.
Life
Lessons/Worldview
Children are
a blessing:
We watch a character, Max, transform from hating children to loving them,
simply because he experienced the joy of being around a kid. Psalm 127:3 tells
us “children are a gift.” That’s the message, minus the Bible verse.
Parenting is
a blessing:
We watch Katie and Chuck lovingly care for Liam. But the parenting lessons are
best learned through the eyes of Max and Duke, who act like the parents. They protect him. They love him. They see their
view of the world transformed. (An exasperated Max says: “Was the world always
this dangerous?”) But Max and Duke wouldn’t have it any other way. They are
selfless and want what is best for Liam.
Pets are a
blessing:
Who wouldn’t want Max or Duke in their home?
Enemies can
become friends:
Rooster and Max don’t get along at the beginning but learn to be good buddies
before the credits roll.
Courage is
obtainable:
With one action, Max learns to be brave.
Sponsors
McDonald’s, CapriSun, Drybar, Furbo, Blue Dog Bakery, FAO
Schwarz, Petco, Progressive, Puffs, Tile, Wisdom Panel, Quaker.
What Works
The plot. The humor. The message.
What Doesn’t
It could have been a perfect film without the edgier stuff
discussed above.
Discussion
Questions
1. Why do children and pets get along so well? What could
adults learn from watching pets and children play?
2. What can parents learn about parenting from Max, Duke and
Rooster?
3. What does caring for a pet teach children? What does it
teach adults?
4. For children: Why didn’t Max and Rooster get along? What
changed?
5. What is different about caring for a pet and caring for a
baby?
Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5
stars. Family-friendly rating: 4.5
out of 5 stars.
Rated PG for some action and rude humor.
Photo credit: Illumination
by Caleb Gordon | Jun 6, 2019
In city after city, proclamations are being made in affirmation of
“Pride Month.” There are people I’ve talked with in the last several days who
say things like “What is going to happen now? How do we respond?” Well
here is what I think should be done.
1. Don’t freak out. God’s not freaking out, so we should not either. This
may have caught us off guard, but God was not shocked by what
happened. Our sin is not surprising God. He saw this coming thousands of
years ago. This is all under the sovereign control of our King. Don’t
worry about it. He’s got this!
2. Clean up your house. Start today by looking at your own life, and repent of the
sins that are going on in your heart and life. We are quick to rip apart
homosexuality as an awful sin (which it is), but so is your angry bitter
heart. So is your unforgiving attitude. Your sin is just as awful as
their sin. It all needs to be redeemed. We start by leading out in
the area of repentance. We bow our knee to the King of the universe and
repent of our sins. “Remember
therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did
at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from
its place, unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5).
3. We pray. The reason we have such horrible things going on in our nation is
because the Church has not been on its knees praying the way it should. Yes
that even includes me. I’m guilty of a lack of prayer. Revival starts in
the House of God, not in the halls of congress. “Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God”
(Phil. 4:6).
4. Stay focused on sharing the Gospel. The only thing that changes people is the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, not pushing them to try to live out some type of moral
standard. Because, in all reality, we can’t live out that moral
standard. We’ve all fallen short (Rom. 3:23). Jesus has to live
this thing out for us. The Gospel has the power to transform (Rom.
1:16). Proclaim the Gospel boldly in the cities and towns you are in.
I know it’s easy to jump onto the worry train and start saying
everything is lost, but this is when the Gospel can and will shine the
brightest and best. The Gospel invades dark spaces and brings light. What
we need to be focused on is not the issue itself. We need to be focused on
Jesus, and as a result of being focused on Him, we become salt and light to a
dark and dying culture.
Go and show off Jesus to the world!
by Chris Doyle | May 31, 2019
Greetings!
Beautiful weather, at least for the moment. Enjoy it while
you can!
Here’s another edition of my thoughts on six timely topics.
1. Cultural cartoons
A Facebook friend shared an article that was released two years ago, but since I never read it previously, it was new to me.
Annie Holmquist wrote “How
Classic Cartoons Created a Culturally Literate Generation,” and I couldn’t
agree more with her conclusions.
She shared an experience with her father, how she picked up a classic novel and asked him if he ever read it. He had not, but when she started sharing the premise of the story, he already knew many of the plot elements. Though he never read the book, by watching the short film cartoons of his youth, he had an understanding and even an appreciation.
Think about those classic Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry
cartoons that had plots based upon classical music, opera and even classic
literature. Holmquist elaborates more in her article, and then she ends with
this commentary:
“…neither schools, nor Saturday morning cartoons seem to be
passing on the torch of cultural knowledge and literacy. Could such a scenario
be one reason why we see an increased apathy and lack of substance in the
current generation?”
Holmquist has a point, and Ryan Smith offers another
perspective involving current television programming for children in his
blog that was featured this week on WordSlingersOK.com.
2. More educational
thoughts
Another Facebook friend shared an article offering educational tips for children. The article is titled “Let’s Stop Stealing Time From Children,” and it offers some thought-provoking suggestions that encourage children to learn and develop on their own, instead of through controlled, regimented days that involve extensive class time, homework and extracurricular activities during the primary and elementary years.
I welcome feedback.
3. Mohler on SBC
Future
Just today, Albert Mohler posted an article titled “The
Future of the Southern Baptist Convention: The Numbers Don’t Add Up.”
The SBC will meet in a couple of weeks in Birmingham. Ala. for the convention’s annual meeting. Many of the conclusions Mohler offered in his article will surely be among the major talking points in Birmingham.
One of his conclusions involves how families and especially children and students are no longer as active in church activities. He references a researcher who found out that one of the distinguishing marks of a young person continuing to be involved in church as an adult is having a trusting relationship or a mentoring experience with at least one adult in church, outside the parents.
“How many young people in middle school, high school or
college have that experience today?” Mohler wrote, regarding children having
church mentors and being involved in church activities. “For many children
growing up with Christian parents, the priority of the family is told
otherwise. Many Christian parents have bought into the larger culture’s
portrait of the good childhood, complete with incessant sports activities,
violin and ballet lessons, and activities perceived to boost a child’s eventual
college admissions application. When it comes to church activities with
children and teenagers, the scariest words might well be ‘traveling team.’
Priorities become clear, both on the part of the church and of parents. Parents
can hardly claim shock when their kids grow up and leave what they have never
really known. At that point, the opportunity is lost.”
4. More from Mohler
Dr. Mohler had great commentaries this week on his daily podcast The Briefing. He was a great help for me in understanding what happened in Israel involving the recent elections. I feel sad that Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer in office. He has been one of the world’s greatest political leaders in my lifetime.
Mohler also gave great analysis on the movie companies and
their response to Georgia’s potential abortion ban law. He discussed it on
Thursday and Friday, and it is a great perspective.
Do yourself a favor and at least read the transcripts from
the last few days of The Briefing.
5. Oklahoma Disaster
Relief
This week had its full of weather warnings. In fact, it was an overload of watching weather analysts and stormchasers almost every night.
Oklahoma was affected quite a bit this week with tornadic
activity and flooding. But what this also means is it’s a time for Oklahoma
Baptist Disaster Relief to serve. Many trained and equipped volunteers were
sent out to help those affected by the storms. Read more here.
If you or someone you know has property that has been
affected by the weather, visit www.okdisasterhelp.org
and click on the “Request Assistance” link to receive service from Disaster
Relief.
6. Chris Rice
appearance
Finally, I share an article of a Christian music artist who
has disappeared in the last decade or so.
Chris Rice is not that well known, but you may be familiar
with his song titled “Untitled Hymn” but known as “Come to Jesus.” He also has
some unique songs like “The Cartoon Song” and “Smell the Color 9.”
If you are familiar with Rice and his music, you might enjoy
reading this Billboard
article about Rice coming back on the scene (sort of).