The House on the Left

Realization lies before you feet, this movie is real. The events that occur in this movie make you realize that things like this really do happen in our world. They happen so frequent and so rapidly they’re rarely mentioned in the news. It reminds us that there are crazy people out in our world and we need to be well protected and careful of every decision we make. We make them everyday and some are smaller than others but it is important we are aware of these types of situations. One thing it made me wonder is, why do people do this? We’re apart of the same country, we shouldn’t be fighting and killing eachother. We are brothers and sisters.

Mac vs. PC

A recent Microsoft ad shows how truly desperate they are to gain back the customers that they are losing to the superior Mac. The ad consists of a woman who has to buy a cheap laptop for under a 1000 dollars, and when she cannot find one at the Apple store, she says ” I guess im not cool enough to be a mac person”. Microsoft fails to show many things however. Like how apple computers run vista better than a PC, or how Apple computers process information with the ram given several times faster than an average PC. Perhaps the biggest error was that they didn’t say that the laptop that the woman ended up buying was the epitomy of terrible laptops in the PC world! Keep trying Microsoft . . . 

 

http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/03/28/how-microsoft-put-apple-on-the-defensive/

Too Much Wasted Time

As I think back on this last month, I realize I wasted a lot of time. I’ll be honest, I log onto Facebook every day. Once I get home from school, I open up my back pack, pull out my homework, and log onto Facebook. It just seems natural. For me its Facebook, but for you maybe its TV, magazines, your iPod, YouTube, or maybe just sitting around and thinking about how you are not doing anything (if this last one is you, check out this http://hotblogonastick.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/sleeping-vs-doing-nothing/).

I recently obtained a large amount of books, good books. I have a desire to read several of these books right now as I right this blog. By reading these books, most likely my knowledge and love for God and for people will increase. Instead, I often turn to the computer instead of reading these books. 

This might not be the most sophisticated and coherent blog you’ve ever read, but that’s not my goal in writing this. My goal is this: That you would evaluate how you spend your time, and consider if you are spending it in the most valuable and beneficial way possible. If you are like me, and waste a lot of time, change. Your time is limited and so precious. Do not waste it on pointless entertainment.

If you will excuse me now, I am going to go read one of those books.

 

Here’s a link to a blog that speaks of TV jobs:

http://entertainmentjobs.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/tv-jobs-4/

 

Peace out

live. laugh. love. = what God wants for us

live, laugh, love is a pretty common catch phrase of today. Those kinds of things usually really bug me, but once i thought about it, it actually has some depth to it.

This poem sums up the idea of those three things are what you need in life. I fill in the blank of love to mean loving God, but most people probably don’t. The “live” means to live your life to the fullest. Of course this doesn’t mean going crazy partying it up or whatever, but instead enjoying the things in life that God has blessed you with. “Laugh” meaning… well laugh. Its good for you in every way. God has given Christians the ability to be completely happy and content in Him, and He commands us to be joyful always. So why not live, laugh, love?

Show Me What I’m Looking For

Show Me What I’m Looking For is one of my favorite songs by the band Carolina Liar.

Wait, I’m wrong
Should have done better than this
Please, I’ll be strong
I’m finding it hard to resist
So show me what I’m looking for

Save me, I’m lost
Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you
I’ll pay any cost
Save me from being confused
Show me what I’m looking for
Show me what I’m looking for, oh Lord

Don’t let go
I’ve wanted this far too long
Mistakes become regrets
I’ve learned to love abuse
Please show me what I’m looking for

Save me, I’m lost
Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you
I’ll pay any cost
Save me from being confused
Show me what I’m looking for
Show me what I’m looking for, oh Lord

Show me what I’m looking for

Save me, I’m lost
Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you
I’ll pay any cost
Just save me from being confused
Wait, I’m wrong
I can’t do better than this
I’ll pay any cost
Save me from being confused
Show me what I’m looking for, oh Lord

I adore this song. It was pretty much my anthem this summer. It came to a point where I thought down was up and up was down. The part, “save me from being confused,” was a line I sung outloud frequently. I sat around waiting for direction while taking no initative to change things myself. I wanted Jesus to write on the walls what I should do. This song is just funny to me now because I see that so many Christians really are saying, “Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you. I’ll pay any cost. Just save me from being confused,” but don’t they see that God has been there all along? There is no need to wait for Him. He is there for to you to call on whenever you need to. He’s there for you to call on when, most importantly, you should. And some Christians are willing to do whatever it takes to “find the answer.” What answer are you exactly trying to find? Your purpose in life? I have an answer right here for you. Open your Bible and read. I hadn’t been much of a Bible reader my whole life. Not that I didn’t enjoy reading it, I just didn’t do it that often. I’m not sure when, but at some point in the summer it clicked. My answers are found in the Bible. There is no need for me to freak out over searching for an answer because I know exactly where to find it. This has really been true for me lately. I am no longer lost. I am no longer confused. I don’t need to be shown what I’m looking for anymore, because it has been made perfectly clear in God’s Word.

My Gripe With the Jonas Brothers.

Oh the Jonas Brothers. Everyone’s heard of the Jonas Brothers. If you haven’t, you’ve been living under a boulder in Antarctica. Their great success is due to partly to Disney’s insane, ridiculous marketing  and their infectious hooks and choruses. You’re also either a Jonas hater or Jonas lover. That’s how it goes. A great majority of 15 year old and under girls are raving mad and hold a disturbing, almost religious obsession for the brothers. Many websites and blogs have been created to follow the JoBros and their life, documenting even their clothes. If you hadn’t already guessed from the title of this post, I don’t like the Jonas Brothers.

Now I don’t have any particular beef with Disney. I grew up with watching those classic Disney movies. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and the lovable Goofy are all heroes in my book. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Snow White will always be held close to me.

No. The reason why I dislike the Jonas Brothers is this: their music, like all Disney music before them (and most likely after them) mean absolutely nothing.

Now the Jonas Brothers claim to be Christians. Yet none of the lyrics proclaim Christ or talk about God for that matter! Every piece of writing that the Jonas Brothers have put forward are all about girls and how they feel about that certain girls. They mix together drum beats, guitar strumming, and the distinctive Jonas “wail” and combine it with half-hearted written lyrics that mean absolutely nothing at all.

Simply, I believe that if you call yourself a Christian, your love for Jesus must manifest itself in some form. The three brothers have not done this yet. Yes they are pristine and clean. Yes they wear purity rings and vow to stay pure until marriage. Yet, are there not moral nonbelievers?I also hold this same view with bands that have Christians in them, such as Switchfoot.

I am told that they have written Christian songs. I have been informed that they are coming. So my question is: What are they waiting for? I understand that they may have needed some time to get famous and popular. But now the fans have come, the money is pouring in, and the ears are open. The three brothers have a great opportunity to spread the message of Christ’s love and salvation to Hollywood. Those fans that read this post will most likely stamp me with the red label as HATER. Yet, it is my conviction to add this and this goes way deeper than the Jonas Brothers, as already stated.

So bring it on Nick, Kevin, and Joe. There are souls waiting to be won.

P.S. I anticipate the hate mail.

Burnin’ Up the Charts

They’ve won an American Music Award for Breakout Artist of the Year. They’ve won two MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year and Best Pop Video. And they’ve been nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. They’ve been on two sold-out headlining tours, and gotten to play with musical greats such as Stevie Wonder. Yet, people still don’t take them seriously. They are still not taken seriously in the musical industry, and people just consider them a sound created by Disney. Yet, they write all their own songs and play all their own instruments. Just because thousands of young girls across America love them because of their looks as well as their music doesn’t discredit their musical talent. Their lyrics are real and heartfelt, and their sound is their own. Not Disney’s. Yes, they got their start from Disney, and I’m sure they will always be grateful, but it shouldn’t define them as musical artists. They have accomplished more than most artists, and the Jonas Brothers continue to succeed in the musical industry regardless of what any haters have to say.

NCIS

Every Tuesday night at 8:00 on Channel 2 (CBS) is one of my favorite television shows: NCIS. Agent Gibbs, DiNozzo, Ziva, and McGee try to solve mysterious deaths of fallen navy officers. With a forensic team of Doctor Mallard and Abbie no case is too difficult to solve. The team has been from aircraft carriers, to submarines, to even empty warehouses to discover the truth behind commited crimes. This captivating show will leave you guessing until the end, when an unsuspecting killer is discovered. It is a thrill that never gets old and keeps you wanting more, all the way through next week’s previews.

Employee Of The Month

This movie is talking about how a guy is trying to get with a girl by improving his work status.  Zack Bradley (played by Dane Cook) goes through a series of obstacles to gain her affection. The movies shows how the male thinking is predominently about women.  The thoughts that go into their heads just to get a girl.  As if they are playing a game and the girl is the prize.  Women do not like to be seen as objects.  Although the movie is comedic it sends the wrong message to men everywhere.

Fight Club

This is a controversial movie that came out quite a few years ago. You have people with views on both sides of the spectrum. Some people believe this movie is filth and is full of coarse language and sex. They are correct. Others view this as a cinematic masterpiece which is full of detail in the story, and great action. They are also correct. Both sides are equally right. This is a movie full of sex and cussing, it is true. To a degree, the sex was needed for character development. It wasn’t sex for the sake of sex, but some may argue me on that. I do not agree, however, with the detail shown of these things. Alas, this is not my argument. My argument leans more towards the second of our two groups. The attention to detail in the storyline so that the end matches the beginning is uncanny. The story as a whole has such a great twist, I compare it to that of Sixth Sense. Fight Club has its faults, mainly the cussing and some choice scenes, but overall the movie was an amazing work of great minds fit with the perfect actors for the job. Its themes and messages are to teach the generation lessons, whether they are beneficial or not. It is full of amazing arguments that boost people to think about what they are watching, and if there is any truth behind it.

Radiohead – Videotape

One small, overlooked song on Radiohead’s new album In Rainbows is an amazing piece of art. The lyrics are few, yet many. The singer, Thom Yorke, tells of a story of a man who has just died. This is seen in the lyrics “When I am at the pearly gates.” He is talking about looking back on his life, he has it all on videotape. Mephistopheles is Lucifer, and he is just below trying to grab this man down from the gates of heaven.  The words are beautiful, Thom Yorke does not simply say what he means, he uses different terms to get his point across. Not only does he use Mephistopheles instead of Satan, he says “red blue green” which is RGB or a color set for electronic devices. He is referring to his videotapes, but uses clever language to say it. The rest of the song talks about the peace he finds in death. He is not afraid, he is at peace with himself. This song definitely has some spiritual overtones, but is not in any way Christian although it can be taken that way.

When I’m at the pearly gates
This’ll be on my videotape
my videotape

When Mephistopheles is just beneath
And he’s reaching up to grab me

This is one for the good days
And I have it all here
In red blue green
Red blue green

You are my centre when I spin away
Out of control on videotape
On videotape

This is my way of saying goodbye
Because I can’t do it face to face

No matter what happens now
I won’t be afraid
Because I know today has been the most perfect day I’ve ever seen.

Crank That

I spent a lot of time trying to analyze deeper meanings in The song “Crank That” by Soulja Boy Tellem, but I couldn’t possibly find anything. The song consists of a few  repeated sayings like ” Crank That soulja boy” with a few people in the background yelling “YOU” at me every five seconds. The rest of the song consists of stereotypical rap lyrics that have no substance. The song goes hand in hand with a dance though, so that is probably why it is so popular. The song also has a few sexual references which makes it even worse to listen to.

Smallville

Every Thursday night at 8:00 on Channel 5 (CW) one of my favorite television shows is on: Smallville. It is a show about the coming to manhood of the comic book legend Clark Kent, otherwise known as Superman. For the past 8 years I’ve been watching this shows seeing this high school freshman, Clark Kent, turn into a reporter at The Daily Planet.  While Clark is unlike the rest of us in his superpowers such as super-speed, super-strength, super-hearing, x-ray vision, heat vision, and simply human invincibility, he constantly faces struggles similar to ours. With these powers he saves lives, fights bad guys, and always does the right thing. But there is only so much he can do. Loved ones still die, friends still become enemies, and things or people he holds close to his heart still change all around him. Even the man of steel has a hard time dealing with emotional pain. No matter how strong we are, or what we can do, everyone will suffer at one point. Though kryptonite may be his only weakness, I think Clark most definitely has another one, just like the rest of us: his heart.

ANTM

Reality TV shows are a funny thing. They take ordinary people and make them into stars. American Idol has given seven people, soon to be eight, record deals, and they would have never even been discovered if it weren’t for this show. The Biggest Loser also gives people the chance of a lifetime – be on TV and loose weight. All of these shows harm no one and are good entertainment, but there is one to bother me quite a bit. America’s Next Top Model. Tyra Banks seems to have the power to make one of these girls a super model. She has power over these once nobodys, who are now faces known by millions across America. Not only does she have the final word over who stays and who goes home, but she also has the power to do whatever she pleases to these girls. Yes, I admit to watching it, but the last episode I saw really disturbed me. Tyra got to give makeovers to the girls, and she got to decide who was getting all their haircut and who got to keep theirs. Some girls got very emotional over losing their hair, all just to stay in this competition. And if I might add, a competition that is based solely on the outer appearance of a woman and how well they can take a photograph. This show is degrading and makes women all across America feel like in order to be beautiful they have to look like these starved women. To Tyra, the girl who is just what you and me would consider an average size woman to be a “plus-size” model. I feel that this show would be much better off if they added another aspect to the competition to see who is the most beautiful model on the inside as well, and not just the outside. Then, they would truly be model – a role model and a runway model.

Braveheart

Im not sure if you have seen the movie braveheart but it is probably one of my favorite movies. Its about this little band of scottish people who take on the english in an effort to receive freedom and live in peace. The reason this movie was so great for me is the fact that no matter what these men knew what they were fighting for. Their families, their towns, and even their goats. But they all fought for one thing harmoniously. Freedom.  They all had a passion for what they desired and they went for it. Whether it be their life or their families lives.  One of my favorite lines is this. “We all end up dead. Its just a question of how and why.” What they are willing to die for is freedom. But us and in us i mean the US we dont understand how many people sacrificed their lives every day for us to get the freedom that we have. In a society like ours everyone gets lost in translation and we dont even understand how much it cost for that freedom.

Take My Hand

The Song Take My Hand By the Cab referrs to a night of an incident between a man and womans relationship. There is so much chaos, he just wants to run away with her and forget it all leaving behind everything that had happened. He tells her it will eventuall end and that it will all be over someday and they want nothing to do with whatever it is that had happened. Throughout these events, the girl says she is going to change and the boy replies that if she tries changing she is not proving much and acts immature. When people get hurt by an event they sometimes make the situation bigger than it really is and are over dramatic. This song reminds me that my struggles are just temoporary and that they will eventually be over someday.

Wall-e

Wall-e. Come on, it’s a movie to be seen. It’s unique because the first hour of it has no dialogue–just Wall-e making random noises. That was kind of frustrating to me at first, but then I learned to enjoy it because I began to use my imagination more since it provoked me to actually use my brain while watching a screen. In summary, the movie is about a robot (Wall-e) left on planet earth to clean up the mess that the humans, who now live on some giant space craft, left behind. The robot Eve is sent to earth to find life so that the humans may once again inhabit the planet. Wall-e ends up falling in love with Eve, and in the end Eve falls in love with Wall-e. I think this movie has two things to say. First, our future is futile. It’s hilarious (but realistic…) to see how fat the humans on the space craft are. Everything is done for them with the push of a button, literally. They abide on floating chairs and truly have no life. This shows how society is learning to depend so much on technology that we lose our own skills of..well anything really. Ha, I’d say if we (well atleast America) doesn’t begin to get in shape and quit eating fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we might as well get on a space craft like the one in the movie now. The second thing the movie has to say is a little message about love. Truly, this movie will put butterflies in the hearts of love-stricken teenage girls. Sure, boys too. When Eve finds a live plant on earth, she puts it in a pod and shuts down. Wall-e is devasted but doesn’t lose hope. He continues to show her the things he is passionate about on his little dusty patch of land. He takes care of her and treats her as if she was aware of exactly what was going on, even though he knew she’d never know. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. It is rather cute.

new hit by all american rejects is very immoral.

Just recently, a band with a  very successful past released a new hit called “gives you hell.” This song really makes me think twice about liking this band. The lyrics in it are very immoral. They are basically sending a message that they hope they give people hell when they see them. That is a horrible message to send to people, and I used to really like this band, but now after this song was released and I heard it, it made me stop listening to all of their music.

Noah’s Arc

Some time ago, my friend gave me a DVD. The DVD was titled “Noah’s Arc.” I quickly realized it was a surf film. This is what got me to watch the film originally. After watching for a few short moments, I realized this film was more than just surfing. It explained how one man, Noah Snyder, and his group of friends came to know Jesus Christ. The surfing is decent, but my interest was gained by the story. I love hearing how God works in people’s lives. 

Noah Snyder had everything the world had to offer. He was a professional surfer, he had a reputation, and he partied. For most non-believers, this is considered a good life. For Noah, it was not. He wanted more. He found what he was looking for in Jesus Christ. After going to a church service, he realized that he had been living his life for himself. He repented from his past life, and embraced Christ as his Saviour. God quickly changed his heart, which changed his life. Noah became excited about the Gospel and shared the Good News with his friends. Some of his friends accepted it immediately, others listened with skepticism. After time though, the Gospel had radically changed this group’s lives… for the better. 

The Gospel has the power to change lives. It doesn’t just change your life for a month or a year, it permanently changes your life. When you realize the beauty of Salvation, you give your life over to Jesus Christ. 

I recommend this surf film to those who enjoy surfing and hearing of their God’s saving grace. I do no believe this film delivers the Gospel in the most clear way, but atleast it does make an effort.

You found me

I was listening to the radio the other day and this really amazing song came on by the Fray. I don’t really care for the lead singer’s voice, but for some reason this song really struck me. I went home and looked up the lyrics and realized that it was actually about God.

The song starts out depressing, talking about an angry, sad man whose wife died. The man asks God where He’s been when he needed Him. The song says that God found him too late after his wife was gone. Many people feel the same way as the man in the song: God isn’t around when life gets hard, and that you get lost in whatever else God is doing.

Fortunately, God is always there. In the worst and best of times, He always knows what is happening to you and cares for you deeply. Unfortunately, we are often blinded by our sadness and anger to see God’s greater plan for us. It is not that God wants to see us broken and sad, but that He works through those things for His glory.

SUPERNATURAL

The show that is on at 9 o’clock on thursday nights is  called Supernatural. This show has two main characters, Dean and Sam. Dean has been to hell and an angel grabbed him out. Sam has demon blood  in him and has Supernatural powers. Their job in the movie this season is to stop the seals from being broken. If these seals are broken it means it will be the end of the world. So Dean and Sam go around fighting off demons, ghosts, werewolves, and etc. This show gives an interesting twist on God and Satan. It shows that God uses all people to make things happen but it also shows that demons can be powerful. It brings up and interesting question can God take you out of hell? I do not think so personally because hell is a place where you are away from God for all eternity. The show also shows us how demons can take over bodies and bend the truth to trick us. This brings up and interesting question. If demons and satan spend all this time trying to tempt us can we lose our salvation? Why would they try and tempt us if we could not lose our salvation? Why would we have to be ready to fight off Satan if it did not matter what he said we cannot lose what we have been given?

When You Were Young…

By The Killers

You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now … here he comes!

He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young

Can we climb this mountain
I don’t know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let’s take it easy
Easy now, watch it go

We’re burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane that started turning
When you were young
When you were young

And sometimes you close your eyes
and see the place where you used to live
When you were young

They say the devil’s water, it ain’t so sweet
You don’t have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while

You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now here he comes

He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young
(He talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined when)
When you were young

I said he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
But more than you’ll ever know

The Killers’ lyrics are the most quirky and some, I believe, are the most difficult to interpret. If you have ever listened to “Somebody Told Me” or “Human”, you’d know exactly what I am talking about. However, this song is not as difficult. You’ve probably heard this song on the radio a year back as it is extremely catchy. The chorus is easy to remember. And no doubt you will have it stuck in your head if you listen to it once more. (Currently, I am listening to it, and it will be stuck in my head.) When I first heard this song, I didn’t think it was The Killers. The sound was very unlike their first album and the lyrics had a religious tone to them (indicated by Jesus and the Devil’s water).

But I doubt you’ve come to read my ramblings about whether or not the song is catchy or not. But what the song is about, and my opinion on it.

Well, it seems to me that it is written to a woman/girl/female who is awaiting her prince, the “beautiful boy” to come “save you from your old ways.” However, when he comes, he’s not the perfect man she imagined but he does “talk like a gentlemen.” The man has some qualities that she had dreamed of when she was young and it seems that she has been somewhat let down by the lack of the perfect man. However, it seems that the singer writes some hope to the girl in the words “but more than you’ll ever know”, that there is more to this guy than meets the eye.

This song is one that I have always played on my iPod and you can’t deny that there is charm to the song. The lyrics aren’t very deep, but they aren’t shallow either. The chorus is simplistic, and when the song starts playing, it draws you in. I love it. The lyrics also bring hope to those guys that don’t appear to be the perfect man or the “Jesus” of the girl’s childhood dreams, but if given time, that guy may be the so called “the one”…just not in the way you’d think.

Of course, I could be totally off.

A Flawless Performance

The movie Fight Club is probably the most underated movies of the 20th Century. It is epic. It is incredible. It is, dare I say, flawless. Not saying that all of the philosophies (or suggestive content) in the movie were flawless, but when it comes down to it, the story, the acting, and the message, I would say it was flawless as it reached creative perfection .

[Somewhat Spoiler Warning]

It is about an unnamed insomniatic  man who is dissatisfied with his life, and goes to support groups for people with diseases and addictions to make him feel better about his life. Although this works in making him feel better, he soon finds something better. A club he and Tyler Durden start together; a Fight Club. Guys come together and fight each other to forget about their sucky daily lives. However, things get out of hand when an unexpected twist and a terrorist plot begin to take place.

One of the  main characters, Tyler Durden, is FULL of  ridiculous quirky sayings, but that is what makes him Tyler Durden. Tyler Durden, the best movie character in the history of movie characters. Tyler Durden, the man who walked the fine line between Genius and Insanity. Tyler Durden, the finest example of character development . .ever. 

Ever heard the saying “The things you own, end up owning you”? Yup, thats right, it was originally said by Tyler Durden. Don’t believe me? Look it up. Tyler believed that we all were victims to our possessions, and in a semi-communist manner, wanted to rid everyone of everthing they had, in order to put everyone on an equal plane; To “achieve economic equilibrium”. 

Durden’s actions, however, were more “John Brown”, than they were “Martin Luther King Jr.”. Tyler Durden had a large terrorist following and he was not afraid to use his men to achieve his goals. Although a great mind, Durden was still helplessly misleaded in his beliefs. 

Not only was Durden’s character incredible, but the delivery was equally impressive. Brad Pitt’s performance as Durden was outstanding. Not many actors could say much of the cooky things that Tyler says and make it look believable. Edward Norton in the movie played the unnamed character. His performance was just as impressive. As an insomniac, he had to somehow be able to how his weariness while showing energy in fighting. He exhibited his character’s need for some kind of high incredibly well. Whether he was receiving that from the fighting or from the support groups, Norton did an exceptional job at portraying his characters addiction to indulging in things that made him forget about his life.

[End]

I say the movie was underrated because its success in theaters was mediocre, at best. The movie did terribly on the big screen and it wasn’t until a few years after the DVD release that it began to become such a hit. Although not as rapidly as in the movie, Fight clubs really did start to spring up in real life. It became a short lived cultural phenomenon, which led to the rapid sales of the DVD, and its eventual success.

Overall, I believe that the message of this movie deep down was that we shouldn’t allow our possessions to take hold of us, although they took it a little farther in the movie. As far as who should watch it, I do not recommend it for people who do not like violence (read the title of the movie), and also do not recommend it to younger viewers because of the language, and the short, but graphic love scene.

Yes Man: A pretty decent movie

Yes Man was a recent movie with one of my favorite comedians Jim Carrey. It wasn’t the funniest movie I’ve ever seen, but it did have a pretty good moral in it. “Carl”, Carey’s character, is an unhappy guy who does not take advantage of life’s opportunities. Since he is so disatisfied with his life, he takes an oath that he has to say yes to every thing asked of him. Saying yes to everything shows Carl all the things he was missing out on in his life. Though this movie shows the upside of saying yes, it is not always the answer to every question. Carl messes up his life by saying yes to everything. This movie shows the need for balance between yes and no. It shows the need to take chances, but also not going overboard. Yes Man had a good storyline and was pretty funny.

Watchmen

The time is 1985 in America and in this period there is a war occuring. The war is between the United States and Russia. There are superheroes among society, but no one knows who they are because they were forced to retire from their hero works. After a fellow hero is murdered, the heroes that are left realize that it is their duty to protect humanity and save the world. But someone is watching them, an unseen enemy that wants to kill them one by one. A group of heroes that had to retire a decade earlier became real heroes and they go after this secret enemy to fin out who he is. What they discover is an age-old conspiracy that wants to change the balance of power in a world not different from our own.

The Climb

As cheesy as it may seem, Miley Cyrus’ new song “The Climb” has a good message for all of us.

The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes they might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on,
cause

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I’m going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

Life is tough, there’s no arguing with that. It’s always great to see what God has waiting for us beyond our trials. Yet most of the time we fail to recognize the beauty of our struggles. Each time we are tested and our faith is pushed, we have the chance to be shaped into the person God wants us to be. We aren’t always going to get what we want in life, and sometimes it will feel like we can’t take any more. When you are faced with these kinds of battles, the best thing to do is to embrace the path God is taking you on. It will help us admire His work and watch Him fulfill his promises.

TAKEN

In the movie  ”Taken” they try to teach us an important lesson. The world around us is not as safe as we think. As a Dad and a body guard looses his daughter in England, he has to find her in less than 3 days. The daughter is kidnapped and sold to be a prostitute. The lesson is to be careful who you trust. The reason she was kidnapped is that she met a guy right outside the airport and he was not just a nice guy. This guy led kidnappers to their home so they can be taken.

On Crossing Our Bridges

In their new album Appeal to Reason, Rise Against writes a new song that may have some deeper meaning to it than most would expect. This popular group is well-liked for their deep lyrics, but in this song the Strength to Go On, it completely surprises me. The usual Rise Against song may contain some explicit language (at least in their older works) but in this song there appears to be a good message all can relate to.

Let us cry
Let us be
Let us open up our hearts
Without fear of anything

Faith alone
Is all we need
To traverse this burning bridge
Now before it gets too late
You said. its fine

But the heart reveals
What smiles betray
Your sad sad eyes gave you away 

To fight our struggles we must have strong faith before it becomes too late. This part of the lyrics in this song talk about crossing a burning bridge by faith (courage) before it’s too late and burnt up. In the Christian walk this analogy is picture-perfect. We must have our strong faith, and fight our sin (cross our burning bridges) before our lives are over and it’s too late. 

And just as sometimes we may be embarrassed about our struggles in life, this song also speaks out to that. Sometimes we tell ourselves that our sins are okay or we put them off to a later time, but inside our hearts we know it’s wrong. Just because we can smile and say everything is okay to the world around us, it clearly is not. So don’t lie to the world about your sins or your morals. And don’t lie to yourself about them either. Eyes really do give away the intentions of the heart; we see it all the time.

Open up your heart and cross your burning bridges. When your life is over, feel accomplished that you’re standing on the other side. Don’t be telling yourself you wish you would’ve moved.

Don’t let your struggles get the best of you.

24

24 is an excellent t.v. show. It is about terrorism in America. It always is exciting from beginning to end. The main character is a guy by the name of Jack Bauer. Bauer is a man who does everything he can to save american lives. He interrogates, kills, and puts people in massive amounts of pain if they won’t give him the information necessary to save lives. 24 is one of my favorite t.v. shows. It can be very unrealistic at times, and has parts with stupid decisions that wouldn’t happen in real life, but thats what makes the show so exciting.

Happiness By The Kilowatt

Happiness By The Kilowatt is a song done by City and Colour.  They write all their songs from their heart and they put every effort forth to make a great song and great lyrics.  This song in particular is my favorite though.  In this song they talk about how the days are wasted and are asking if this was the right choice and if this is what they hoped for.  Basically what this song says to me is that are we living our lives for the right purpose or not?  We have choices and those choices effect us, and make us.  I mean in the world that we live in today there is so much going on and most of the time were confuzed and we have no idea what were doing.  It could all just be a dream?  We just need to wake up and make choices, cause if we dont well be lost forever.

Cherry Chapstick

I find it extremely hard to believe that this song was #1 on the charts for so long this previous summer. The first time I had heard it, I was a little surprised. When I found out it was so popular, I was even a little shocked. But then I thought about it, and I realized that it was actually a reflection of our society and how it is morally rotting away to the point where girls are singing about kissing other girls and liking it. Katy Perry’s song “I Kissed A Girl” shows how ethics are no longer a valuable trait, and people don’t mind casually singing about being lesbians. Is this what we want to teach our children? If songs like these are being played all across the radio, they are bound to hear it. Are these the values we want to be thrusting upon the future of our society? How can people claim to be Christians and enjoy listening to this song, buy it, and support homosexuality? According to the CIA Fact book, 76.8% of Americans claim to be Christians. So how could this song have reached number one with supposedly only 23.2% of Americans buying it? This troubles me and makes me pray for believers out there, hoping that they will stand for what they believe, starting with choosing wisely what music they decide to download and listen to.

Love is here

“Love is Here” by Tenth Avenue North

Come to the waters, you who thirst and you’ll thirst no more.
Come to the father, you who work and you’ll work no more.
And all you who labor in vain, and to the broken and shamed.

Love is here. Love is now.
Love is pouring from His hands, from his brows.
Love is near, it satisfies.
Streams of mercy flowing from his side.
Love is here.

Come to the treasure, you who search and you’ll search no more.
Come to the lover, you who want and you’ll want no more.
And all you who labor in vain, and to the broken and shamed.

Love is here. Love is now.
Love is pouring from his hands, from his brows.
Love is near, it satisfies.
Streams of mercy flowing from his side.

And to the bruised and fallen,
Captives, bound, and broken hearted.
He is the Lord.
He is the Lord.
By his stripes he’s paid our ransom
From his wounds we drink salvation
He is the Lord.
He is the Lord.

Love is here.
Love is now.
Love is pouring from his hands, from his brows.
Love is near, it satisfies.
Streams of mercy flowing from his side.
Streams of mercy flowing from his side.
Love is here.

This is a song I’ve recently found thanks to a friend of mine, and I’ve held it close to my heart ever since. The greatest feeling in the world is knowing that I have hope in Christ and in times of need or anytime actually, I can run to him. “Come to the waters, you who thirst and you’ll thirst no more.” That verse just reminds me of how hard I push myself to live this life that I have planned out for myself, and every single time, my plan fails because I didn’t rely on God. I thirst for answers, and they are right in front of me but I am too blind to see them. I can have these answers with peace and comfort if I would just go to Jesus first. I need to learn to go to the water, to go to Jesus. It seems like so many looking for what’s right in front of them. Christ is satisfying. Love is here.

Thoughts on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

I’m sure many of you have heard of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The film tells a tale of a man who is born with the appearance of an 80 year old man and as he grows from child to man, he becomes more and more younger. His life is viewed through his eyes as he travels the world and reconnected with an old love, Daisy. Think of it as a Forrest Gump sorts of journey…but with a reverse aging of the protaganist.

Sound interesting? Of course. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was intrigued. I wanted to see why he was born this way and how he would walk though his life.

The first question was never answered. Benjamin says in the film that he was just born that way, “under unusual circumstances.” However the whole movie answered the second question.

The movie tackles the idea that life could be infinitely happier and way more better if the pains and sorrows could be erased. In fact this movie runs through it head on. Death is a recurring in Benjamin’s life. He grows up around death, as he was taken care of in an old person’s home, and lives around death. He fought in World War II and saw death. Those who he would regard as family die. The message is to accept the pain instead of denial. An influence in Benjamin’s life had said, “You can be as mad as a dog at the ways things went, you can swear and curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.”

However a message as thoughtful as this is marred by sex. Many one night stands take place in the film and it certainly shows that the general public has become calloused to sex in the media. The film shows no consequences for the promiscuous life, which is dangerous to those watching a PG-13 movie.

I walked out of that theater with a very unsatisfied taste. I had walked out feeling gloomy. The movie had a great message: pain and suffering is inevitiable. Cherish the days you have now. However three hours of a movie that hardly had any bright sides and any hope in it would of course leave me gloomy. The sex in the movie also shocked me and further discouraged me from liking the movie. I wish that the movie was cut a little bit shorter as it lost some of its steam in the second half. The ending was also a bit unsettling.

Here’s hoping that more movies would be as thought provking as Benjamin Button.

P.S. this is the only movie where you’ll see a tugboat take out a German U-Boat.

Matthias Replaces Judas

Matthias Replaces Judas

Lyrics to “Matthias Replaces Judas” by Showbread: 

it is so that my transgressions have born a withered fruit,

the sun has scorched the rising plans;

alas they have no root, the bleached bones of animals bound by leather strips,

dance through the air with laughter as i wield this wicked whip,

as you did warn me carpenter, this world has weakened my heart,

so easily i disparage, self-seeking the work of my art,

and there you have come to me at the moment i bathe in my sorrow,

so in love with myself, sought after avoiding tomorrow,

where do you find the love to offer he who betrays you?

and offer to wash my feet as i offer to disobey you,

your beauty does bereave me, and how my words do fail,

so faithfully and dutifully i award you with betrayal,

the weak and the down trodden fall on broken legs,

as i walk past a smile i cast, fervor in my stead,

but my bones like plastic, do buckle backward now,

i lay in this field by Judas’ bowels and anticipate the plow,

i can not be forgiven; my wages will be paid,

for those more lovely and admirable is least among the saved,

and where would i fit Jesus?

what place is left for me?

the price of atonement is more than i’ve found to offer up as my plea,

Jesus my heart is all i have to give to you, so weak and so unworthy,

this simply will not do, no alabaster jar, no diamond in the rough,

for your body that was broken, how can this be enough?

by me you were abandoned, by me you were betrayed,

yet in your arms and in your heart forever i have stayed

Your glory illuminates my life, and no darkness will descend,

for you have loved me forever, and your love will never end

“Matthias Replaces Judas” is one of the slower tracks on Showbread’s album No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical. When compared to songs like “The Pig” and “The Sky,” it is hard to believe that they come from the same artist.

 

The song may be lacking in musical brilliance, but the lyrics more than make up for this. The unusual passion found in Josh Dies’ voice adds to the distinct tone of this emotion filled piece.

You cannot escape the thought of the cross when listening to this song. It opens your eyes to your own disobedience and sin. You may think this song is solely about Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, but the lyrics are easily personalized and applied to your own life. Lyrics such as, “by me you were abandoned, by me you were betrayed” and “where do you find the love to offer he who betrays you.” When these words enter your ears and pierce your heart (and they will), thoughts enter your head like, “It was my sin that nailed you to the cross. My hand might as well be the one that held the hammer.” Thankfulness soon follows; thankfulness for salvation, thankfulness for forgiveness, and thankfulness for a love that never ends. If you want a modern song that focuses on the beauty of forgiveness and love, this is one to consider.

A 12 Year Old Speaks Out Against Abortion.

I saw this video on The Rebelution. What an encouragment to know that there are young people who care about matters beyond themselves.