Ray Fowler .org

I had hoped to see the movie Fireproof this weekend but could not find it in any of the local theaters. According to the news it did quite well, debuting at no. 4 over the weekend with a gross of $6.5 million dollars, the second highest debut this year for a film released on 1,000 screens or less.

Here are some links and reviews:

Christian Post: ‘Fireproof’ Debuts at No. 4

The movie, produced by church-based ministry Sherwood Pictures, tells the inspiring story of a fireman and his struggle to save his faltering marriage from ending with his newfound faith and with the help of the “Love Dare,” a 40-day spiritual guide that utilizes Scripture to reveal what true love is.

New York Times: Fireproof (2008)

“Fireproof” may not be the most profound movie ever made, but it does have its commendable elements, including that rarest of creatures on the big (or small) screen: characters with a strong, conservative Christian faith who don’t sound crazy.

Christianity Today: Fireproof (See also Peter Chattaway at FilmChat)

After a shaky start and a steady middle, the film ends on a genuinely moving note that didn’t quite have me in tears, but still got me where it counts, both times I saw the film. With this, the folks at Sherwood Baptist Church have made their most impressive movie yet.

Good News Film Reviews: Fireproof Rakes in the Cash

In my original view of the trailer I claimed this looked like “another groan-inducing, half-baked flick that begs to be ridiculed.” It still looks like that to me, but apparently I may be in the minority here.

Boundless: Watching Fireproof

You know what? Despite the film’s “poor production values,” I found my heart elevated by the story. I adjusted my expectations based on the limitations placed on the film crew because of the available expertise and technology, and was able to engage the story to my benefit. (Note: You must read this one for context. It is not what you think it is.)

So, have any of you seen Fireproof yet? What did you think?

Related post: Kirk Cameron: “I’ll Only Kiss My Wife”

Yesterday’s message in the Called series was titled Called to Holiness. The main idea of the message was that God calls all Christians to a life of holiness. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. God calls you to be holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16)
    A. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
    B. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

II. Holiness is not what you (may) think it is.
    A. Holiness does not mean acting “strange.”
    B. Holiness is not separated from practical daily living.
    C. Holiness is not achieved through self-will or determination.

III. Holiness comes through Christ.
    A. Jesus died to make you holy. (Ephesians 5:25-27)
    B. Growth in holiness is a life-long process. (Philippians. 1:6)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

R.C. Sproul answers the question: Does prayer change things? “Does prayer make any difference? Does it really change anything? Someone once asked me that question, only in a slightly different manner: ‘Does prayer change God’s mind?’ My answer brought storms of protest. I said simply, ‘No.’ Now, if the person had asked me, ‘Does prayer change things?’ I would have answered, ‘Of course!'”

Glenn Reynolds responds to reports of various political supporters losing faith in their candidates. “Don’t people wind up feeling this way every four years? Which isn’t to say they’re wrong. As for me, I haven’t liked a candidate enough to be actually disillusioned by one in … well, ever, really. The good news is that the guy you don’t like usually fails to live up to your fears almost as much as the guy you like fails to live up to your hopes…”

Ray Ortlund discusses our real problem. “The good news of the gospel begins with some really bad news. Our sins only provoke a bigger problem: the wrath of God. Our real problem is not our sins but God. He is angry, he isn’t going away, and there is nothing we can do about it. If God is against us, who can be for us? But here is the good news. God has made God our salvation. He did it at the cross. God has provided a way of escape from God: in God. We run from his wrath by running toward his grace in Christ. And if God is for us, who can be against us?”

Tullian Tchividjian quotes Cornelius Plantinga on human yearning and hope. “The truth is that nothing in this earth can finally satisfy us. Much can make us content for a time but nothing can fill us to the brim. The reason is that our final joy lies ‘beyond the walls of this world,’ as J.R.R Tolkien put it. Ultimate beauty comes not from a lover or a landscape or a home, but only through them. These earthly things are solid goods, and we naturally relish them. But they are not our final good. They point to what is higher up and further back…” (from Engaging God’s World, pg. 5-7)

Scott Nehring gives a great movie watching tip on the treatment of religion in film. “When you see a religious figure on screen, note how they’re treated, how they’re presented. Then look at the followers of that religion you’ve met in real life. Does the real people and their presentation in film match up? If not, if say the believers are shown to be violent, wild-eyed fanatics and the real people you’ve are generally good people not given to theocratic impulses, ask yourself why the filmmaker would create a disproportionate image of those people. Is the misleading image the result of bigotry or ignorance? This is good to do any time you see a specific social group presented in film.”

Jesse Johnson encourages believers towards lifestyle evangelism. “For Jesus, evangelism was a way of life. When He crossed paths with people, He seized the opportunities to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. In fact, much of Jesus’ evangelism took place in conversations with individuals … Evangelism in the book of Acts follows Jesus’ example. Peter, Stephen, and Paul did not stand on street corners and shout. Instead they seized whatever opportunities God gave them, and implored people to be reconciled to God. There are at least 15 examples in the book of Acts of Christians going about their daily activity, and then getting involved in evangelistic conversations with individuals with whom they came in contact.”

Here are some examples of putting the cart before the horse this political season. I’ve got two examples from Barack Obama and one from John McCain.

• Obama’s Presidential Seal: Sen. Obama unveiled this Presidential Seal at a round-table discussion with Democratic governors on June 20, 2008. The seal was dropped from campaign use several days later.

      Obama Presidential Seal                 Actual Presidential Seal
         

• Obama’s Presidential Coin: A Birmingham company is minting presidential coins for Sen. Obama. They have already sold more than 300 limited edition coins to the Democratic Party to hand out to key members of the campaign to elect Obama. (HT: Don Surber)

  

• McCain’s Early Debate Ad: Hey, there’s nothing wrong with either candidate declaring victory in the debate. But Sen. McCain ran this ad in the Wall Street Journal online Friday morning before the debate even took place. You can see a screen shot of the ad in the WSJ here. (HT: Museum of Hoaxes)

  

Check out the amazing Lego NXT Autonomous Wall-E Robot built by a member of the Trossen Robotics Community Forums.

(Video length: 1:18)

Creator bazmark writes:

He is entirely made of Lego parts and Lego NXT Mindstorms Robotic System for brains, he is fully automated and animated and programed using Labview’s NXT-G software. I have built many prototype before coming to this final revision (wall-e rev.3)

Technical specs:
    – 1 Mindstorms NXT with rechargable pack,
    – 3 Lego NXT Servo Motors,
    – 4 Lego PowerFonctions motors,
    – 2 PF IR receiver,
    – 1 UltraSonic sensor,
    – 1 Sound sensor,
    – 1 InfraRed link sensor (HiTechnic),
    – 1 NXTservo module,
    – 1 mini RC servo (Mindsensors),
    – 10 AA batteries,
    – Lego parts mainly from the Bulldozer set #8275, and
    – other parts from various technic sets.

Related post: 6 WALL·E Video Vignettes

Here’s a great quote from Jared Bernstein on Treasury Secretary Paulson’s announcement earlier this week on the $700 billion bailout.

“The situation is like that movie trailer where a guy with a deep, scary voice says, ‘In a world where credit markets are frozen, where banks refuse to lend to each other at any price, only one man, with one plan can save us,’” said Jared Bernstein, senior economist at the labor-oriented Economic Policy Institute in Washington. And yet, the more he looked at the data, the more Mr. Bernstein became convinced the financial system really does require some sort of bailout. “Things are scary,” he said.

I am pretty much a free market guy, but I must admit I am at a loss on this one. What do you think is the best solution at this time?

Note: Here are a few articles dealing with the economic crisis from a Christian perspective.

• Albert Mohler: A Christian View of the Economic Crisis
• Chuck Colson: God and Wall Street
• World Magazine: Anatomy of a Crisis (How Washington and Wall Street got into trouble)

Related post: Bailing Out the Bailout?

We need to encourage one another daily in this battle against sin. The book of Hebrews tells us:

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Did you get that? Sin is deceitful. Sin never comes right out and advertises itself or its consequences. Sin sneaks into our lives unawares and takes us down slowly one heart decision at a time. But the cumulative effect of all those decisions can be deadly. It is like hardening of the arteries. It doesn’t happen all at once; it takes place over a period of time and often in places unseen. But the damage is building, the danger is real, and all of a sudden you find your heart hardened towards God.

How do you guard against this gradual hardening of your heart? By the daily encouragement of your brothers and sisters in Christ. “Encourage one another daily … so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13)

(From this past Sunday’s message: Called to Community)

The script for Kirk Cameron’s new movie, Fireproof, called for Kirk’s character to kiss the actress playing his wife in the movie. There was just one problem. Cameron refuses to kiss any woman except for his real-life wife.

“I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman,” the former child star of “Growing Pains” told Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford Monday on TODAY in New York.

To get around the conflict, the filmmakers employed a bit of movie magic, Cameron explained. They dressed his wife, actress Chelsea Noble, like the movie’s female lead and shot the scene in silhouette.

“So when I’m kissing my wife, we’re actually husband and wife honoring marriage behind the scenes,” Cameron said as Gifford and Kotb melted from the romanticism of the moment.

Fireproof opens in theaters this Friday, September 26th. You can learn more about the movie at the Fireproof website. Click here to find theaters and show times near you. (Note: Fireproof was made by the same group that produced Facing the Giants in 2006.)

• It’s going to be a while before robots take over the world. “Can military robots from non-superpower countries be ready for battle if they’re running into garbage bins and mistaking plants for elevators?”
• Why Isn’t the Batman TV Series on DVD? Because the whole licensing issue is a mess, that’s why. TVShowsonDVD has the full story.
• Sarah Palin’s Faith Journey. The Weekly Standard presents a good overview of Sarah’s Palin’s Christian faith.
• Nightline, YWAM, Baby Killing and the Amazon. Tonight’s Nightline (11:35 p.m. ET; ABC) will investigate a missionary group’s campaign against infanticide among Amazonian Indians.
• CEO Rejects $22 Million Severance. CEO Robert Willumstad explained, “I prefer not to receive severance payments while shareholders and employees have lost considerable value in their AIG shares.”

As a backyard bird watcher I really enjoyed these photos of bird feathers closeup over at Quazen.com. The above photo is from a female mallard.

Related post: Birds and Their Color Palettes

Michael Hyatt (President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers) shares his thoughts on modesty following the 2008 MTV VMA awards.

It got me to thinking, Where are these girls’ fathers? Has anyone ever taught them the concept of modesty? Or have all the men in their lives simply exploited them as sex objects? Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a prude. But I do think some basic guidelines are in order. These are not rules about skirt length or the amount of cleavage you can show. I’m just not a very good legalist; they are simply guidelines.

I gave these to my girls when they were growing up. Frankly, they haven’t been perfect in following them. Modern culture exerts a powerful influence. Nevertheless, I wanted them to have something that would transcend current fashion and guide their attire once they were older and, perhaps, a little wiser.

Here they are: “Four Guidelines for Modesty”:

1. If you have trouble getting into it or out of it, it is probably not modest.
2. If you have to be careful when you sit down or bend over, it is probably not modest.
3. If people look at any part of your body before looking at your face, it is probably not modest.
4. If you can see your most private body parts or an outline of those parts under the fabric, it is probably not modest.

What do you think about guidelines for modesty?

Related post: Women’s Clothing That is Modest and Trendy

Yesterday’s message in the Called series was titled Called to Community. The main idea of the message was that God has called us to community as believers. Here is a brief outline of the message:

Why has God called us to community as believers?

I. We need each other.

    A. Encourage each other in the battle against sin (Hebrews 3:12-13)
    B. Pick each other up when we fall (Galatians 6:1-2)
    C. Spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25)

II. We belong to each other.
    A. We are family (Galatians 6:10)
    B. We are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27)
    C. Each member of the body belongs to all the others (Romans 12:4-5)

III. We are called to bear witness to Christ.
    A. God is building a people (Titus 2:13-14; Revelation 21:3)
    B. Jesus died for the church (Ephesians 5:25-27)
    C. Our unity testifies to the world that God sent Jesus (John 17:20-21)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.