Soul Renovatus

Okay...this is one of the cutest videos ever...

Well, I have to say that because I'm her dad.  Grace put on a classic show for us last night. She's going to be a handful when she gets older.

I hope you enjoy it. This song was one she sang at her school concert last night.  Enjoy!

An encouraging review of NOOMAs...

Ben Witherington, professor at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, has a very encouraging and thoughtful review of the latest 7 NOOMA's from Rob Bell.  Definitely go check it out.

NOOMA's are by far the best tools in reaching this post-Christian, post-modern society.  It provides a great on-ramp to discovering the joys of the Christian faith.

NOOMA "Tomato" [022] on Facebook...

I'm guessing until Wednesday at noon, but not sure.

Here's the link.

Just a reminder I need to vote Tuesday...or this will happen...

The fad/cult that is High School Musical…

 

Let's just say I like High School Musical...to a point...for the sake of some kids...but the cult has hit full swing...in the tune of 42 MILLION DOLLARS this weekend at the box office for their opening weekend of High School Musical 3.

Click here for the story.

I'm still waiting for it to come out on video before Grace goes bonkers…or until she or Jim Kast-Keat pressure me hard enough to take her.

NOOMA Preview She [021] on Facebook...

For the next 2 days, go see it now on the NOOMA Facebook page.

Preview NOOMA: Shells [020] on Facebook...

NOOMA Shells is now on preview on Facebook till Wednesday.  Go check it out.

We also got to preview another NOOMA, "She" during Mother's Day on the feminine qualities of God.  Really well done, and looking forward to when it comes out.

This one is great too, I remember the message when he preached it.  Hard core on when you say, "I'm too busy."

A great movie for how parents should react to their teen getting pregnant...

Just saw Juno last night.  Incredible movie. It was pretty much like Gilmore Girls on steroids.  I laughed so hard much of the time!  In case you don't know, Juno is about a 16-yr girl who gets pregnant, then decides to give her baby up for adoption.  It's a great journey all the way through, with some great dialogue and hilarious one-liners. 

Anyway, what Julia and I were talking about last night is how Juno's parents reacted to her telling them she was pregnant.  We were saying that the her parent's acted should be an example of how all parents should approach their child.  It was honest, yet affirming, and extremely supportive.  It's one of those moments where I know I would show at some parenting seminar regarding those types of things. 

Go watch the movie if you haven't.  It's a lot of fun to watch.  One of my favorite lines when Juno's about to have her baby and she wants an epidural (I'm paraphrasing right now):

Juno: I want the spinal tap man!

Stepmom:  No, honey, the doctor said he can't give it to you because you're not dilated enough yet.

Juno: I thought doctors were supposed to help people!

Stepmom: No, doctors are sadists who just want to see lesser people suffer.

"Once..."

Just saw the movie "Once" Friday night on DVD.  Holy Scriptures what an incredible movie!  It's tagged a modern-day musical, and the music is unbelievable!  The story itself is about an aspiring musician who was dumped by his girlfriend (who went to London), and now lives with his dad fixing vacuum cleaners part time.  He plays in the street during the day with cover songs, and plays his own songs at night, which most people aren't listening to.

Enter in a girl from the Czech republic, who has some demons of her own (I don't want to reveal too much).  They collaborate on some songs together, and at the same time start hanging out a lot more together.  However, there are some complications.  The ending is incredible and very authentic.  The movie itself is very raw, inspiring, letting the music itself tell the tale of the complex feelings and thoughts going on with each of the characters.

Surprisingly enough, it is only about 85 minutes long, and took $100,000 to make.  It's one of those movies I can watch over and over again.  Seems like a "chick flick," but the music makes this worth its weight in gold.  Go watch it now!

The "controversy" of The Golden Compass...

I've been wanting to see the film, but more than likely I'll have to wait till DVD.  I'm seeing I Am Legend tonight with some friends, and really looking forward to that.

With this film, there is much controversy over the debate the book series is written by a very outspoken atheist.  Our local paper here had a great article in relationship to the controversy.

Here was one of my favorite quotes from the article:

"Daley, who regularly preaches a series of sermons on popular movies and music, said cultural criticism of religion often is "not so much anti-God as it is anti-church." So "The Golden Compass" may pose an opportunity for dialogue about why culture is anti-religious, and how the church has played a role in creating that hostility, he said.

"When we respond in that 'These are bad people and need to be stopped' way, it reinforces this idea that's out there that we're narrow-minded and we're not willing to engage in conversation," Daley said.

"I guess the way I look at it is this: Jesus said not even the gates of hell will prevail against his church and kingdom. I'm not really concerned that a single movie is going to bring down the Christian faith."

I haven't seen the film so I cannot comment on it's contents, but much like Lord of the Rings, many of the anti-God references aren't as explicit as they are in the books.  Regardless, it feels like the same arguement from my more conservative friends on why I shouldn't see or read Harry Potter.  Like I said, I'll hold my take until I see the film, but I think Andrew Daley's comments we're spot on.

Fire away.