by Michael Foust | Mar 15, 2019
‘Wonder Park’ is a film that outperforms its trailer. No, it won’t be the best animated film of the year, but it includes positive messages not seen in most family films.
June is a young girl with a big imagination and an even
bigger smile.
Each day, she and her mother sit in June’s room and design
an imaginary theme park that June “brings to life” through stuffed animals,
boxes and colorful toys.
In June’s imagination, families visit a park called “Wonder
Land” that is hosted by talking animals—Boomer the blue bear, Peanut the monkey
and Steve the porcupine.
And when June asks for creative help from her mom, she gets
a gentle rebuff.
“I like it when the ideas come from you,” her mom says, smiling. “Now, think.”
Her make-believe theme park covers the room. Occasionally,
she even designs a “real” outdoor roller coaster that stretches across the
neighbors’ yards and attracts dozens of friends.
For June, life couldn’t be better.
But then her mom gets deadly sick and has to visit the
hospital. Sad and depressed, June packs her stuffed animals and toys into boxes
and puts them away. Wonder Land, it seems, is closed for the season.
The animated movie Wonder Park (PG) opens in theaters this weekend, telling the story of a girl who loses her imagination when her favorite playmate—her mom—becomes ill. The film stars Jennifer Garner (Miracles From Heaven) as the mom, Brianna Denski as June, and Ken Hudson Campbell (Home Alone) as Boomer.
Wonder Park is a film that outperforms its
trailer. No, it won’t be the best animated film of the year, but it includes
positive messages not seen in most family films.
The animation is colorful, and the funny moments are truly
funny. It’s also (mostly) void of potty humor. That always gets bonus points
from me.
All of this makes up for a slightly disjointed plot.
Warning:
Spoilers ahead!
(Scale key:
none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Minimal. June accidentally rides her real-life homemade
roller coaster car through traffic. In her imagination, we see animals survive
a few harrowing moments on a roller coaster ride. The film’s most disturbing
scene involves hundreds of “Chimpanzombies” chasing her. They look like small
harmless monkeys.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity/Romance
None. One animal has a crush on another animal. At the end
of the film, he gets a kiss on the cheek.
Coarse
Language
None. An unfinished “son of a.” Three instances of “gosh.”
Other Positive
Elements
June’s mom and dad are role model parents. They love her
unconditionally. The dad also tells the mom that they’re not dating enough.
June’s friends and family try cheering her up when her mom becomes ill.
Life Lessons
The film’s lessons can be understood only by revealing the
plot (Spoilers ahead!). After the mother becomes ill, June’s father sends her
to summer math camp. But June runs away with the goal of hiking home through
the woods. It is there that she discovers a run-down theme park called—you
guessed it—Wonder Land. The animals tell her that the park was in operation
until “the darkness” arrived (The darkness is an eerie-looking swirling cloud in
the sky). June then works to bring Wonder Land back to life.
The symbolism is ripe. Wonder Land represents her
imagination—perhaps even her joy—while “the darkness” represents everything
that stole her joy. The darkness may even represent her.
The movie has multiple lessons: finding joy in the midst of
tragedy, re-discovering your imagination, and encouraging others who are facing
trials.
Worldview/Application
Wonder Park raises solid questions about
tragedy, even if its answers are incomplete.
June says her mother would not want her to be sad. “She got sick… and I got scared—so scared of losing her that I lost myself. She would hate to see how I changed,” June says.
The movie, though, doesn’t give us a remedy. It’s impossible
to find true hope during trials without the hope found in Scripture (Rom. 5:2-5).
Christians have hope during tragedy because they have an eternal perspective
that the world cannot provide.
Discussion
Questions
1. Have you ever experienced a trial that caused you to lose
joy?
2. What does the movie get right and wrong about finding joy
during trials?
3. What is the key to discovering joy during trials?
Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5
stars. Family-friendly rating: 4.5
out of 5 stars.
Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and action.
PHOTO CREDIT: Paramount Pictures
by Emily Howsden | Mar 11, 2019
Have you ever made a list of requirements when it comes to your future husband or wife? I definitely used to have one, and it ranged from “important” to “not important at all” in terms of content.
I used to have things like “plays the guitar” and “is taller than six feet.” Under more important things would be “is a Christ follower” and “loves my family.”
Somewhere along the way, our culture adopted the practice of making a list of “must haves” when it comes to dating. I think this has been a detrimental practice that has led to people missing out on someone who God may have picked for them to marry.
I was listening to the “That sounds fun” podcast hosted by
Annie F. Downs last weekend when she touched on this subject as she sat down with
a newly married couple. The bride pointed out that while the groom checked all
of the boxes on her hypothetical list, she didn’t technically check all the
boxes on her groom’s list.
The groom went on to say that if he had been so close minded to only look for a woman who met every single requirement he made, he would have missed out on the woman God planned for him to marry.
This is something I see so much in people my age. We’re told
to have high standards when it comes to dating, but some misunderstand that as
having impossible standards that people cannot meet.
It’s almost comical to me that we, such flawed people, think we know what’s best for ourselves.
Don’t get me wrong, there are things of which you should not compromise when looking for your future spouse, such as being equally yoked, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14)
But all too often I see people my age, in their mid-20s or older, absolutely mystified as to why they can’t find anyone that meets ALL of their requirements.
This is hypocritical behavior. Take a look at yourself and ask yourself, would you want to be held to such a standard? When God sent his Son to the earth to die for our sins, did he say, “Only under these conditions will my Son die for your sins?”
No, he poured His grace out on us, an undeserving human
race. I’m not saying you need to date someone who isn’t good for you, don’t
misunderstand me.
What I am saying is that maybe you should take a look at your list of “requirements” and evaluate for which reasons you made the list. Are some of your requirements superficial and fleeting?
Will some of these things matter 20 years down the road when you’re nearing retirement, and you’re looking at spending all of your time with this one person? Will they matter when it’s three in the morning and the baby is awake again and you’re exhausted? Will they matter when it comes to life’s big moments?
We need to simplify. There is one thing that should be of the utmost importance to you, brother or sister in Christ, and that is: If you look for Jesus in your future spouse and there is evidence of Him in their life, you’ve already met the single most important requirement of all.
Proverbs 31:10 says, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
This passage of Scripture is usually only used in reference to women. I think, however, it can be applied to men as well. No one is going to be their cute, 20-year-old self forever. However, their heart and what or whom they serve will remain the same.
I encourage you in this time of your life to remove the blinders that you may have worn until this point and look for whom God has chosen for you, rather than what you’ve imagined for yourself. He knows what is best for us. Trust Him when it comes to your future.
by Chris Doyle | Mar 8, 2019
Greetings!
I’m going to be brief. Here are six quotes I read or heard this week.
I’ll let you mentally “munch” on these.
1. “By casting all disagreement as hate-based — and by destroying those with whom we disagree on a character level — we worsen both hate and politics… Enough of the moral cowardice. It’s just fine for Joe Biden to think Mike Pence is a decent guy. And it’s pretty indecent to disagree”—Ben Shapiro
2. “For the distinct minority of Democrats who describe
themselves as pro-life, the party and its presidential candidates offer a bleak
picture”—Tom
Strode
3. “On the issue of same-sex marriage, most conservative
Christians are simply interpreting Scripture faithfully. It’s not that we’re
allowing our prejudice against homosexuality to change how we interpret
Scripture, but rather that we are merely refusing to follow the culture’s lead
in twisting Scripture to claim support for what God’s Word clearly opposes”—Joe
Carter
4. “Words are not nearly as useful as silence. Social media
is a useful medium for some things, but anger is not one of them”—Justin
Earley
5. “I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy for three more years!”—Alex Trebeck
6. “I would boo me too if I were the other team”—Russell Westbrook
by Michael Foust | Mar 8, 2019
The much-anticipated Captain Marvel opens this weekend. It’s a fun ride, but it includes a few content problems that will concern some parents.
Her name is Vers, and she’s a Starforce soldier from Hala,
the capital planet of the alien Kree civilization.
At least,
that’s what she’s always been told.
She remembers little about her past, but she often has
flashbacks to a more peaceful time when she was a happy child and then a
free-spirited teenager on another planet—a planet that had beings that looked
just like her. You know, human beings.
But enough with the reminiscing. She’s currently on an
intergalactic mission against Kree’s long-time alien nemesis, the lizard-faced
Skrulls, who have the ability to change into any shape they desire. Vers has
her own powers. She has super strength and can fire energy projectiles—think,
“laser balls”—from her hand.
She’s nearly unstoppable. Yet during a spaceship battle with
the Skrulls, she is forced to crash land on planet C-53—Earth—and continue her
search for the bad guys. Pretty soon, our planet is caught up in a cosmic fight
we didn’t expect. And Vers—better known as Carol Danvers—starts to realize she
formerly lived on this strange rock.
The film Captain
Marvel (PG-13) opens this weekend, telling how Danvers discovers who she is
and then becomes the most powerful female superhero in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe. It is a film that reveals the origins of Captain Marvel but also the
origins of other Marvel elements, including Nick Fury, his famous eyepatch and
even the word “Marvel.” It also quickly answers the obvious question: Why is
Captain Marvel void of emotion in the trailers?
“There’s nothing more dangerous to a warrior than emotion,”
she is told. “Humor is a distraction.”
It stars Brie Larson (Room)
as Danvers/Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson (Avengers series) as Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, the leader of
the Skrulls.
Set in 1995, Captain
Marvel is the first Marvel movie with a female superhero in a film to
herself and the first Marvel film with a female director, too (Anna Boden
co-directed with Ryan Fleck).
It differs in other ways. It relies less on CGI (the Skrulls
are actors with masks and makeup) and it includes a few Star Wars-like space
battles. It has no romantic angle.
Those are acceptable (and even fine) changes, but there’s a
lot else to like. Larson’s character isn’t sexualized. She has role model qualities.
In many ways, she’s someone you wouldn’t mind your daughter emulating (minus
the fact she mixes it up often with the bad guys).
Still, Captain Marvel
is rated PG-13, meaning it has
content that will concern some parents.
Warning:
minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key:
none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Moderate. Captain
Marvel has plenty of violence, but it’s less than that of the popular Avengers films. It’s mostly bloodless,
too. Danvers spars with a male partner (She wins by blasting him with a
projectile). We see a battle with laser guns. Someone is shot and dies. A
somewhat disturbing scene shows Danvers suspended upside down as Skrulls
extract her memory (It’s a lightweight form of torture). On multiple occasions,
she whips 10 or more people by punching, kicking and using her super-energy
powers. We see an autopsy performed on a deceased Skrull. The Skrulls’
transformation from alien to human being is impressive movie magic but could
give children nightmares. A plane crashes.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
None/minimal. Danvers’ suit is form-fitting, although the
camera doesn’t ogle her figure. In fact, for much of the film, she’s in regular
clothes. A young woman is seen in short shorts at the beach. Two men, at the Skrull
autopsy, make it a point to find out what sex the Skrull is (We don’t see what
they see). We see a nude female mannequin.
Coarse
Language
Minimal/moderate. About 16 coarse words: h-ll 5, d–n 3, a–
3, s–t 2, OMG 2, b—-rds 1.
Other
Positive Elements
It’s refreshing to have a lead female in a PG-13 film who
isn’t scantily dressed and sexualized. If only Hollywood held to that standard
for every film.
Other Stuff
You Might Want To Know
Captain
Marvel
doesn’t include the phrase “girl power,” but the concept is woven throughout
the film. During a flashback scene (which we see twice), she is told by a male
pilot that flying isn’t for women. She is told (by men and women) to control
her emotions. Then, in the movie’s final minutes, she beats up the bad guys as
No Doubt’s Just A Girl plays in the
background.
Life Lessons
Carol Danvers, like most superheroes, clings to what is good
and fights evil. She says early in the film: “I want to serve.” Later, we see
her put generosity and integrity on display. She’s courageous.
The Skrulls teach us that looks can be deceiving, especially
when it comes to friends, acquaintances and strangers.
The film’s primary theme—discovering who you are—can teach
us a few lessons, too, even if we don’t have amnesia. As Christians, our identity
is in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17, 1 Pet. 2:9). He has a plan for each of us (Jer.
29:11).
Worldview/Application
“Control your emotions.” It has a negative ring in some
circles. It’s what Captain Marvel is
told, over and over, at the outset.
Yet Scripture tells us to control our emotions. We are to be
“slow to anger” (Prov. 16:32), to guard against fleshly impulses (Gal.
5:16-24), and to display self-control (1 Pet. 1:5-6). Perhaps Captain Marvel’s
mentors were onto something.
Finally, Marvel itself deserves applause for giving us a
female superhero who gets attention for her talents, not her looks. Hollywood’s
history is filled with films that did just the opposite. Young girls need the
former message, not the latter.
Partners
Hertz, the WNBA, Dave & Busters, Citizen, Alaska
Airlines, Synchrony and Visible are partnering with Captain Marvel.
What Works
Rediscovering the 1990s. We experience slow-as-molasses
Internet, UNO cards and a Blockbuster store. Marvel even set up a retro
1995-like Captain Marvel website: Marvel.com/CaptainMarvel. It’s a
hilarious step back in time.
What Doesn’t
The first half hour gets lost in science fiction detail. The
last half hour has one or two plot holes.
Discussion
Questions
1. How are female superheroes different from male
superheroes? Should they be different?
2. Captain Marvel is told to control her emotions. Is that a
good or a bad thing?
3. Name three positive characteristics of Captain Marvel.
Can you think of any negative ones?
Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5
stars. Family-friendly rating: 3 out
of 5 stars.
Rated PG-13
for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language.
by Emily Howsden | Mar 4, 2019
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I am not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I am not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I am not a Jew.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”
—Martin Niemoller
I am reading “The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler.” If you are a big fan of history, especially with the time period of WWII, this book is a must read.
I am 75 percent of the way through the book, and last night as I read, a quote from one of Bonhoeffer’s esteemed colleagues made me stop and put the quote in a note on my phone.
Maybe you’ve heard the quote before, I know I had, but as I read about the gross injustice that was the Holocaust, I see eerie similarities with our world today. Even people who proclaim themselves to be Christians, have turned their backs to the gross injustices going on all around them. This was something that Bonhoeffer struggled with as leaders of the Church blindly joined the Reich Church under Hitler’s leadership.
The same goes for today. There are people groups that are under constant persecution that I won’t specifically name just for the reason of leaving politics 100 percent out of this blog post, because I don’t think this is a matter of politics. I think it is a matter of humanity.
Just as the Holocaust had aspects of politics involved, it was not just political. It was 100 percent a crisis of humanity.
Have you ever asked yourself the questions “how would I respond if I were living in the time of the Holocaust?” or “How would I respond if I were living in a time where slavery was accepted?”
Unfortunately, our world today mirrors the world of the past that allowed such atrocities to mankind. Do you find yourself advocating for the victims of these horrendous sins?
Bonhoeffer said,
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.”
I challenge you today, friend, that when you see injustice to your fellow man, speak up. Don’t think that if an issue doesn’t pertain to you that it won’t affect you or even your children in the future.
James 1:27 says this, “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (HCSB)
Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and the needy.” (HCSB)
When I was growing up, my mom would always say “Delayed obedience is disobedience” taken from the scripture Psalm 119:60 which says, “I hurried, not hesitating to keep Your commands.”
He commands us to take action and speak up for the oppressed, without limits. He doesn’t say speak up for the oppressed who were only born in America or look like you. He doesn’t say speak up for the oppressed when it’s most convenient. He doesn’t say speak up for the oppressed only when it won’t put you in danger. He says speak up for the oppressed, period. Have you done so lately?
by Chris Doyle | Mar 1, 2019
Greetings!
Much has happened this week involving the cultural climate
of our country. I’ll give my take on some of the bigger stories, as well as
offer some interesting articles that I recently read.
Here we go!
1. ‘Culture of Death’
proceeds to influence U.S. Senate, society
In 1995, Pope John Paul II used the term “Culture
of Death” in an address, presenting concerns of abortion as an
individual right.
He declared, “Choices once unanimously considered criminal
and rejected by the common moral sense are gradually becoming socially
acceptable.”
“Gradually,” the former pope said 14 years ago. Fast forward
to this week and see where the accepted view of abortion progressed to
basically include a true form of infanticide.
I’m specifically talking about this week’s U.S. Senate
ruling against the Born Alive Abortion Survivor’s Protection Act. The bill was
described as requiring the healthcare practitioner “To exercise the same degree
of professional skill, care and diligence to preserve the life and health of
the child, as he or she would to any other child born alive at the same
gestational age.”
This all has to do with mindset. Want to know why it’s so
difficult to eliminate entirely the practice of abortion? Because there are
those in society, especially among elected officials, who believe the reason
for opposing abortion is to “control women.” These misguided people will aggressively
defend this flawed view to the point of defending the practice of putting to
death a baby who overcame a failed abortion.
National Review’s Alexandra DeSanctis summarized
the Senate’s ruling correctly: “To oppose the bill would reveal the ghastly,
consistent principle of the abortion-rights movement — that a child’s rights
depend not on her size or location, but on whether she is wanted by her mother.”
It’s that simple, yet it’s not that easy to overcome. Albert
Mohler’s opening point on the Feb. 26 edition of The Briefing
is an excellent dialogue.
“The pro-abortion movement is
actually becoming an extended satire on Alice in Wonderland,” Mohler said. “Words
don’t matter. Arguments are thrown at the air. It is simply a matter of making
every desperate argument against a pro-life bill imaginable. Even in this case
when we’re not talking about pre-natal life, we’re not talking about human life
in the womb, we’re talking about a baby that has unquestionably been born
alive, even in the context of a botched abortion.”
2. Russ offers parental advice to Denver dad
This topic is a little deflated considering the Oklahoma
City Thunder are not doing well at this point. But I will still give credence
to Russell Westbrook who took a moment during the Thunder’s game at Denver this
week to help a dad sitting courtside with his son. The young boy intentionally
made contact with Westbrook in the middle of the contest, so the Thunder point
guard stopped to tell the dad he needed to take better care of his son and not
let him interfere with the game.
A few critics bashed Westbrook (the same ones who criticize
him about everything), but many commended him. I don’t know exactly what he
said to the dad, but you could see he offered a friendly handshake to the boy.
I also noticed that ushers came up after Russ’ little talk to confront the
courtside fans, so it appears he wasn’t the only one who was concerned about
the incident.
Westbrook has his issues, and they are well documented.
There are things he does I wish he would not do, but I do know he intends to
come across as a family man, and he cherishes his children.
Videos are shown of Russ bringing his little man, Noah, with
him to pre-game workouts. I saw him with Noah in the stands during an Oklahoma
City Blue (Thunder’s G-League team) game. He also teared up during an interview
when he was asked about his newborn twin girls.
His critics have legitimate arguments to make about Russ’
flaws. But to find fault in him offering constructive criticism to a
father—especially while he is in the middle of a game and when he is in
ultra-competitive mode (meaning, I think he showed some restraint)—I think that
reveals the flaws of his critics.
3. More parental
instruction
WordSlingers blogger Ryan Smith has a great post this week
on how to have family worship time with young children. Check out “Family
Worship Is Hard—And Worth it.”
One of my favorite lines in Ryan’s blog is about a parent
singing worship songs with kids. “You may not be able to carry a tune but don’t
worry,” he said. “Your kids don’t need you to be a great singer; they need you
to be a faithful parent.”
4. Historic Methodist
moment involving homosexuality
I learned a lot about the history of the Methodist Church
this week. This is due to what is considered “Church
History Made Before Our Eyes,” as Mohler wrote in response to a monumental decision
made during a special General Conference of the United Methodist Church. A rather
close vote among UMC leaders determined that the denomination will uphold the
biblical teaching of the church regarding marriage and sexuality. The final
vote, as Mohler reported, was 438-384 or 53 percent to 47 percent.
Obviously, this is contradictory to how society is trending.
Also, this undoubtedly will lead to a major split among the denomination. One
fascinating observation was how church representatives outside the United
States, specifically from Africa and the Philippines, greatly factored in the
voting result.
Regarding the social trend, I blogged about this five
years ago, how we as a society have gone from tolerance to approval to
acceptance as far as the expected way to view homosexuality. If you are not in
the “acceptance” camp, you are considered a hateful person.
Not only is the UMC’s vote to uphold the teaching of
biblical marriage and sexuality historic, it is also counter-cultural by today’s
standards.
5. A New Day with
Greenway at Southwestern Seminary
Adam Greenway was approved this week to be the new president
of Southwestern Seminary. Board members elected the former dean at Southern
Seminary on Feb. 27, and Greenway, according to Baptist
Press, does not intend to make a replica of his former workplace.
“I have no intention of
trying to come and trying to create a miniaturized version of Southern or a
caricature of Southern here,” Greenway said. “I do not believe that
Southwestern needs to import another institution’s legacy. We simply need to
reinvigorate and retell the great legacy and history of this seminary for a new
generation.”
He pointed out that
Southwestern has a heritage of bringing people together who may have
differences of opinion on secondary theological matter but are committed to fulfilling
the Great Commission and supporting the local church, missions, evangelism,
preaching and pastoral ministry.
It sounds like Greenway knows
how to lead well in his new post.
6. International packing
For three consecutive years I
made travel excursions outside of the United States. This was quite a big deal
for me considering I’ve never left North America (except for one trip to Mexico
in high school) until I was 44.
In 2016, I went on a mission
trip to Paris, France (no, not Texas). In 2017, my wife and I celebrated our 10th
anniversary by visiting Ireland, which was one of my favorite trips of my life,
and I hope to return there some day and spend a week in Killarney.
Last year, I made a rather
impromptu visit (meaning it was decided in less than three months) to South
Africa to work the NBA Africa Game. This whirlwind experience lasted less than
three days, but I can now say I’ve been to Africa.
Since I’m such the world
traveler, I found a great
read about how to pack with safety in mind for international travels. Many
of these tips I’ve heard before, but they are great suggestions to consider. If
you are planning to travel abroad for your first time, consider this blog a
good resource.