The "History Channel" has a miniseries going right now, simply called "The Bible." It seems like every few years Hollywood will put out movies or TV shows having to do with The Bible. A few years ago Mel Gibson produced the highly acclaimed "Passion of the Christ." Of course everyone remembers Charlton Heston as Moses in "The Ten Commandments." There have been lots of others, some better than others. I find it interesting that The History Channel's "The Bible" series drew a record 13.1 million viewers. The critics can't believe that it has beat "American Idol" in the ratings. I have no idea what draws different viewers to different programs. I can only speak for myself.
This particular miniseries focuses on many of the Bible stories that we are familiar with and learned when we were little. As far back as I can remember I have watched skits and seen flannel board portrayals of all of these Bible stories. The Creation, The Exodus, Abraham and Sarah, David and Goliath, Noah's Ark.......the list goes on and on. I have loved watching as this show threads these stories together on a sortof "timeline" leading up to the birth of Jesus. I think that the creators of this show somehow use these stories to show how God has always used ordinary people, who are going about their daily grind, for His eternal purposes and perfect plan. I can't say which part of last night's episode was my favorite because every story is such an important piece of the larger story. But, I was especially touched by the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were the three that were thrown in to furnace of fire that the King had ordered to be heated seven times hotter than usual. (As if regular fire isn't hot enough.) In fact, it was so hot that the Bible says that the soldiers who took these three men to the fire were killed as a result of the flame. Well, the movie shows these three young Isralite boys terrified and screaming as they are thrown to the fire and engulfed by the flames, yet they aren't burning. And here it comes...........the King looks and sees not three men, but four walking around in the fire. He also exclaims in something between anger and awe, "I see four men walking around in the fire, unharmed and unbound, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." WOW. I remember this story about the three in the fiery furnace and I remember Daniel in the lion's den from VBS and flannel boards but for some reason I am taken in by this new detail.
Another reason that I have loved watching this miniseries is that it causes me to want to get out my Bible and look deeper at the stories. Not to check every detail to make sure it's historically correct, but to know what the full story is. There is only so much that can be put into a two hour program and so many details that are only found in the truth of scripture. There is nothing so real as the way God speaks to His children as through His holy word, The Bible. Not only were these men not burned but they did not even smell like smoke. The Bible says that not one hair on their heads was singed. And the most amazing thing..........Jesus was right there with them. He was in the furnace walking around with them, in the midst of their fear He was really there. I have got to believe that these three young men were clinging to the promise of the prophesy that they had learned from the prophet Isaiah which says "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel; your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1) I am telling you, you can "watch the movie" all day long but the Word speaks to your heart.
The violence in the series has been a lot to watch. The killing of the babies, the lack of respect for women, the beheadings and stabbings. It is a lot to take in, and sadly, that's the way that it was. Brutal and bloody. Power against weakness..........Light against Dark. But the worst is yet to come. There was no death as brutal and degrading as a crucifixion. There were so many touching moments last night that I really could go on and on, but I loved when Jesus approached Peter in his boat to invite him to follow and become a "fisher of men." Again, I always thought that Peter just put everything down and followed him. But the Gospel of Luke says in the fifth chapter that Jesus did indeed get into the boat with Simon Peter and "talked with him and taught the people." Meanwhile, Peter is catching so many fish that he can't get them all in the boat. I don't know what people who are already in Heaven can see here on this Earth, but I thought of the thousands of people gathered in Rome this past week at St Peter's Square where it is said that Peter was executed and wondered what Peter would think if he could witness it. Jesus promised Peter that he would become a "fisher of men" and that is exactly what he became. I encourage anyone reading this to find time to read God's truth in the Bible. Don't believe everything you see or hear........search for yourself. It will bless you and you will be glad you did. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
God.....The ultimate "creative brain."
Oh no.......the conversation in my head is going again. During the past few weeks I have paid special attention to the word "creative." All of the sudden it keeps appearing. I know that it's always been there and I have said it thousands of times, but something is going on that has my wheels turning and my senses heightened to this word. I have a special place in my heart for "creative" personalities. Those personalities that take the mundane to the next level. They see things in art that the rest of us don't see. They hear things in music that the rest of us might not hear. They put together foods and ingredients and taste things that the rest of us don't taste. They write poetry and essays in the most beautiful and insightful ways. Dancers, writers, musicians, photographers, artists, chefs, actors, the list goes on and on. It is truly amazing. In the past week I have seen so many works of art that it challenges me to experience more of it. Many of us can "appreciate" the creativity of others but those that actually have the creative brain and abilities are, well...... one of God's greatest creations. They give our world color. They help us "escape" the literal world and go to the world of imagination and dreams. I love creativity. I love the kinds of clothes they wear, I love the way they aren't afraid to express themselves, and I love and triple love what they bring to my world.
I was at church the other day and found myself enveloped by the beautiful music but, I must admit, for a few minutes I was actually entranced by the guy conducting the huge chorus and orchestra. The choir members were following his lead to a "t." The way all of these instruments and voices were blending perfectly together was just mesmerizing. There was a moment when my own "creative brain" was on overload. I can't really think of an appropriate word to describe how, in my mind, all of the sounds were blending together. Absolutely beautiful might do it justice. Another beautiful part of this picture was that all of these musicians were using their God given gifts in their ministry of music. And to watch the gifted conductor and how they responded to his direction was just an extra blessing. While music touches the deepest parts of me, all kinds of artistic expression does the same for others. I watch with disbelief when artists just "whip" out a painting or a cartoon or any kind of creation. That is a gift given to them that they had no control over. Those who can walk into an empty room and then make it feel like a home........gifted. Those who can take ingredients and vegetables and form them into a beautiful plate of tasty color.........gift. Someone who can take a white canvas and paint a beautiful barn with bales of hay.......gift. Those who see treasure in someone else's trash.......rare. And those who can take a group of words and turn them into a song that touches hearts everywhere.......gift.
Creative brains sometimes have trouble staying focused. Our thoughts are going haywire and we are seeing, hearing and pondering very quickly. Sometimes it comes off as "spacey" or "ditzy." But really it's an "overload" of how to express all that's going on in that head of our's. Sometimes we have trouble "staying in the lines" or "following the rules." If there are cones in the road, we do not want to stay within them. If our tags are expired, we really want to see how long it might take to get caught. Sometimes we carry our new ones in the glovebox just in case we get pulled over, but that little part of us just wants to see how long we can get away with it. Some of us don't get paid for our creativity because there aren't jobs out there for our particular flare of creativity. We have to deal with our "out of the box" tendencies just like those who are "rule followers" have to deal with their issues.
This week there have been two TV shows that have really impacted me and made me think. Last Sunday the series on the Bible began on the History channel. The show explained how God created the world, how He parted the sea for the Hebrew slaves to escape Egypt, and how He destroyed the wicked, perverted city of Sodom. I was barely "coming off" of watching the show before I watched the Bill O'Reilly show where he was questioning the "literal" validation of the Bible vs some of the "stories" being allegorical or symbolic. Please know that I am like Bill O'Reilly and have read two of his books, but I watched in amazement as he questioned a pastor about how the "story" of Jonah in the belly of a well could be taken literally. He actually quesioned the pastor is this way, "Do you really believe that Jonah lived in a condominium in the belly of a fish for three days?" At this point my brain is screaming.........I want to call Bill and have a personal conversation with him.........I know he deals in facts, being that he is a "fair and balanced" talk show host........so here is what I would say to him if I could talk to him............"God is the ULTIMATE creative brain. He, alone, created everything from nothing. In fact, He is so creative that He made every single person ever born with their own unique DNA and their own unique story. As hard as it is to comprehend, every person, plant, and animal was carefully and wonderfully created. When one knows that God is the Creator of the universe and we can see unbelievable sunsets and see the change of the sesasons, why in the world would we think that the story of Jonah is allegorical? Why would we believe in the miracle of birth and the miracle of a sunrise and not believe that God can control a fish for his purposes?"
So, no Bill, I believe that every story in the Bible is true and every story happened just as it was written. I believe that God, in His wonderful creativity, created people to be different......some right brain, some left brain. I believe that we should all value the creativity that gifted artists bring to our world and I believe that these people should be congratulated and applauded for using their gifts for His Glory, just as He created them to. And to all those creative brains who dress or act or think differently........GO FOR IT!!!! That's how you're wired. That's my story and I'm stickin to it..........
I was at church the other day and found myself enveloped by the beautiful music but, I must admit, for a few minutes I was actually entranced by the guy conducting the huge chorus and orchestra. The choir members were following his lead to a "t." The way all of these instruments and voices were blending perfectly together was just mesmerizing. There was a moment when my own "creative brain" was on overload. I can't really think of an appropriate word to describe how, in my mind, all of the sounds were blending together. Absolutely beautiful might do it justice. Another beautiful part of this picture was that all of these musicians were using their God given gifts in their ministry of music. And to watch the gifted conductor and how they responded to his direction was just an extra blessing. While music touches the deepest parts of me, all kinds of artistic expression does the same for others. I watch with disbelief when artists just "whip" out a painting or a cartoon or any kind of creation. That is a gift given to them that they had no control over. Those who can walk into an empty room and then make it feel like a home........gifted. Those who can take ingredients and vegetables and form them into a beautiful plate of tasty color.........gift. Someone who can take a white canvas and paint a beautiful barn with bales of hay.......gift. Those who see treasure in someone else's trash.......rare. And those who can take a group of words and turn them into a song that touches hearts everywhere.......gift.
Creative brains sometimes have trouble staying focused. Our thoughts are going haywire and we are seeing, hearing and pondering very quickly. Sometimes it comes off as "spacey" or "ditzy." But really it's an "overload" of how to express all that's going on in that head of our's. Sometimes we have trouble "staying in the lines" or "following the rules." If there are cones in the road, we do not want to stay within them. If our tags are expired, we really want to see how long it might take to get caught. Sometimes we carry our new ones in the glovebox just in case we get pulled over, but that little part of us just wants to see how long we can get away with it. Some of us don't get paid for our creativity because there aren't jobs out there for our particular flare of creativity. We have to deal with our "out of the box" tendencies just like those who are "rule followers" have to deal with their issues.
This week there have been two TV shows that have really impacted me and made me think. Last Sunday the series on the Bible began on the History channel. The show explained how God created the world, how He parted the sea for the Hebrew slaves to escape Egypt, and how He destroyed the wicked, perverted city of Sodom. I was barely "coming off" of watching the show before I watched the Bill O'Reilly show where he was questioning the "literal" validation of the Bible vs some of the "stories" being allegorical or symbolic. Please know that I am like Bill O'Reilly and have read two of his books, but I watched in amazement as he questioned a pastor about how the "story" of Jonah in the belly of a well could be taken literally. He actually quesioned the pastor is this way, "Do you really believe that Jonah lived in a condominium in the belly of a fish for three days?" At this point my brain is screaming.........I want to call Bill and have a personal conversation with him.........I know he deals in facts, being that he is a "fair and balanced" talk show host........so here is what I would say to him if I could talk to him............"God is the ULTIMATE creative brain. He, alone, created everything from nothing. In fact, He is so creative that He made every single person ever born with their own unique DNA and their own unique story. As hard as it is to comprehend, every person, plant, and animal was carefully and wonderfully created. When one knows that God is the Creator of the universe and we can see unbelievable sunsets and see the change of the sesasons, why in the world would we think that the story of Jonah is allegorical? Why would we believe in the miracle of birth and the miracle of a sunrise and not believe that God can control a fish for his purposes?"
So, no Bill, I believe that every story in the Bible is true and every story happened just as it was written. I believe that God, in His wonderful creativity, created people to be different......some right brain, some left brain. I believe that we should all value the creativity that gifted artists bring to our world and I believe that these people should be congratulated and applauded for using their gifts for His Glory, just as He created them to. And to all those creative brains who dress or act or think differently........GO FOR IT!!!! That's how you're wired. That's my story and I'm stickin to it..........
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