Never Let Me Go

With so many big blockbusters currently in theaters,Never Let Me Go, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel of the same name, has fallen quietly in the shadows. Which comes as no surprise. The dystopian drama is slow, subtle and directed by Mark Romanek, who has only done one other movie (One Hour Photo). The lack of attention is unfortunate, though, and certainly no fair assessment of what may be the best kept secret of cinema this year. While sometimes too restrained, Never Let Me Go is vivid and captivating, and although it has a heavy, bleak tone—like any dystopia—the film ultimately paints a picture of hope in a rather hopeless world.

Searching Out New Leaders

I love our group, but one of the purposes of our group like our church is not to round the wagons & wait for Jesus to come back, but ultimately to grow & divide.  We should constantly be looking for new leaders to emerge w/a passion to teach, host & lead so that more folks can experience community like what we've found & more importantly to learn & grow in relationship to God through his amazing son Jesus.  That being said, I challenge you to grow and constantly ask yourself if you or someone you know is being groomed to teach, host or lead.

Teaching is not something that we are to enter into lightly as warned by Jesus' brother & 1st lead pastor @ the church in Jerusalem James, but is one of the most rewarding endeavors we can ascribe.  That being said, please check out this new material for life group that I've found.  Looks pretty interesting.  Let me know if anyone would be interested...

The Story of God, the Story of Us

thanks,

lee

The Social Network

An incredible, incisive film that is one of the best of the year.

Facebook has become, in just a few short years, the most visited site on the web. Its journey to this point may seem like it was smooth and easy but behind the scenes, it was anything but that. The Social Network tells the story of the beginnings of this Internet phenomenon: the backstabbing, the jealousy and the hatred. In the process, it opens the eyes of the audience to the anti-social behavior that took place in order to create this new virtual society.

Dead Poet's Society

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film starring Robin Williams and directed by Peter Weir. Set at a conservative andaristocratic boys prep school, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students to change their lives of conformity through his teaching of poetry and literature.


The movie's line "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." was voted as the 95th greatest movie quote by the American Film Institute. Also, the film was voted one of the 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time by the AFI.


In chapter 2, Seize the Day, we're introduced to Mr. Keating whose introductory lesson to the boys is to make their lives extraordinary by being ever present & self-aware.  He does this by showing them Welton students of the past that are now long since past.  The boys are at first very clueless as to the ends that their teacher hopes for them to strive, but much like any endeavor worth pursuit, proper perspective must first be attained and then constantly reminded of.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)

 ^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!


In chapter 3, Understanding Poetry, Mr. Keating rebels against the notion that poetry can be measured in some analytical sense and infers that words duly matter because they are attached directly to motives such as passion, love & feeling.  Our christian walk resembles this sentiment greatly in that we live our lives not out of an analytical attempt to please our God, but that we strive to show Him most glorious in our lives with every fiber of our being.  

James 2:14-17 (The Message)

^14-17Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

In chapter 7, Find Your Own Walk, Mr. Keating gives yet another valuable lesson on conformity & the basic human need for acceptance.  Unbeknownst to themselves the boys are tightly versed in conformation and Keating illustrates as such through a simple example of walking.  Our own walks of faith due very well to be governed by personal relationship w/Christ than thru rules of conformity w/fellow believers.  

Galatians 2:15-16 (The Message)

 ^15-16We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over "non-Jewish sinners." We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

The Town

Strong performances and gripping production don't make up for this film's lack of redemption.