We surf...so you don't have to - September 30

Using "God's will" to Manipulate
Good advice for handling potential suitors.

In Honor of Tethered Preaching
The entertainment oriented Preacher vs. the Bible oriented preacher.

A New Penny, But Why?
I say, "Keep the penny!"

A Christian View of the Economic Crisis
Excellent overview of how we should think of the economy and investing.

I'll Only Kiss My Wife
Honoring marriage in the acting vocation.

Quote - Innocent Little Moments of Decision

"Your danger and mine is not that we become criminals, but rather that we become respectable, decent, commonplace, mediocre Christians. No rewards at the end, no glory. The twenty-first-century temptations that really sap our spiritual power are the television, banana cream pie, the easy chair and the credit card. Christian, you will win or lose in those seemingly innocent little moments of decision. Lord, make my life a miracle!"

Ray Ortlund Sr., Lord, Make My Life A Miracle, pages 130-131.

HT: Christ Is Deeper Still

Doctrine Reminders - Part 1

7 Things You Better Have Nailed Down was a good apologetic for why doctrine is essential. Sound Biblical doctrine does matter. It is our foundation in battling the ideologies of the world (Titus 1:9), in discerning false and deceptive teachers (Matthew 24:24; 1 John 4:1-6) and in surviving this world like “a tree planted by the stream” (Psalm 1:1-6). Doctrine shows us God as he really is and is essential for us in our growth. Sound doctrine is an anchor (Ephesians 4:11-16).

When the winds come and the storms howl (Psalm 46:1-3) if we have devoted ourselves to study (2 Timothy 2:15) then the doctrine, and thus God, will be deep in our heart and will come easily to mind as we face those trials. Often, however, I need “stones”, “reminders” or “signposts” to help me remember (Joshua 4:1-24, Numbers 15:37-41) “Signposts” that remind me of the doctrine. Things like creeds, catechisms, hymns, heroes, and most importantly – Scripture itself.

Darlene Deibler Rose tells of a “reminder” that helped during her Japanese imprisonment during World War II.

“When he was gone beyond hearing, I sank back onto my heels. My face and hands were wet with cold perspiration; never had I known such terror. Suddenly I found I was singing a song that I had learned as a little girl in Sunday School in Boone, Iowa.

Fear not, little flock,
Whatever your lot,
He enters all rooms,
The doors being shut.

He never forsakes,
He never is gone,
So count on His presence
From darkness ‘till dawn.

Only believe, only believe,
All things are possible,
Only believe."

Over the next three posts of this series we will look at three categories of “reminders” that are helpful to me when the storm comes.

Sharing the Good News - The Drop

I had given the cashier a “million dollar” tip to which she replied, “Wow, I wish this was real because I would be out of here right now!” Although this was a great lead-in for sharing with her, I respected that she was on the job and with others behind me I went to a table and waited for the appropriate time for “the drop” (or “How chickens hand out Gospel tracts”).

“The drop” is an easy way to get the Gospel to others and especially helpful to those of us who are not naturally outgoing or extroverted. As I finished eating, and with only one couple in the restaurant this was as good a time as any to try it.

I walked up to them and simply dropped a couple of million dollar bills on the table. As I walked away I told them that lunch was on me. I continued out the door and left them to their meal. Easy.

Something Light - Laurel and Hardy Get Down

HT: Dan Phillips

We surf...so you don't have to - September 23

Must Have Books
Great suggestions.

In Praise of Hard Work
Are we just plain lazy?

The God of Wooden Plows
The drudgery of day to day work is for Gods glory.

Minister Preaches On His 100th Birthday
I hope I make it this far...much less preaching!

Don't Waste Your Cancer
A true classic from John Piper.

Quote - Without Resource

"You and I are never drawn closer to God than when we're without resource - in the place of humility and repentance. And getting us to that place is God's special gift."

Robert Wolgemuth, from 7 Things You Better Have Nailed Down

What’s on my iPod this week - Max McLean

"Jonathan Edwards' - Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", live presentation by Max McLean, (24:31 in length, a free download)

Something Light - A Moment for the History Books

We surf...so you don't have to - September 16

Peek Behind the Curtain
It's between principalities and powers.

The Best Thing About Sarah Palin
Amongst others, this is the best.

The Cellular Level
The normal, the routine, the everyday is extremely important.

Pennies From Heaven
Do you pick up pennies off the ground?

Pray for Christians in India
Matthew 10:17-22

Quote - Entertainment or Evangelization?

"Jesus pitied sinners, pleaded with them, sighed over them, warned them, and wept over them; but He never sought to amuse them!

When many of His disciples turned away, because of the searching nature of His preaching--I do not find there was any attempt to bring them back, by resorting to something more pleasant to the flesh. I do not hear Him saying, "We must keep up the gatherings at any cost! So run after the people, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow! Something very short and attractive, with little, if any, preaching. Today was a service for God--but tomorrow we will have a pleasant evening for the people! Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it, and have a pleasant time. Be quick, Peter! We must get the people somehow; if not by Gospel--then by entertainment!"

No, this was not how He argued. Gazing in sorrow on those who would not hear the Word--He simply turns to the twelve, and asks, "Will you go away also?"

Archibald Brown (mentor of Charles Spurgeon), from "The Devil's Mission of Amusement"

Wise Counsel and Discernment

"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 11:14

"But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him." I Kings 12:8

We would do well to not just heed wise counsel, but to proactively seek it. As Moses, chosen by God to lead His people, needed help from wise counselors (Exodus 18:13-27), so do we. We need this counsel to help us discern. I've noted lately some "Christian" books that border on heresy, see here and here. As Charles Spurgeon says, "Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right." This is where we need those counselors that we trust, that have searched the Scriptures and speak the truth.

This is especially important in choosing the books we read.

“I want to warn you, especially, of books and teachings that are almost right, but devastatingly wrong. Teachings and preachings and books that have a measure of truth in them, but they’re wrapped in a whole lot of poisonous dough.” Michael Youseff

"We must remember verbal paintings can become just as iconic as images carved from wood or smelted from precious metals." Larry DeBruyn

We can be so easily led astray by the "poisonous dough". May I suggest you make a mental note of "counselors" you have come to trust and that others have come to trust.

We need to also note "...those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them…by smooth talk and flattery...deceive the hearts of the naive." (Romans 16:17-18)

Publishers often seek recommendations from other authors or leaders and make known their thoughts in the quotes they list on the cover or back of the book. I'm not usually so interested in what these people actually say as I am in who says it. Therefore, with all humility, I offer a list of who I look for when reading these recommendations. This is not all inclusive. There are more that could be added. These are common names that you will see on a lot of books. I haven’t listed more obscure names that don’t get used a lot. I also haven’t read everything by every author so these are just impressions based on personal experience and are only used in judging whether, or not, a book may be worth reading.

The distinction between elders and deacons is more superficial than it may look (although not superficial in the Biblical sense of the word). It is just a convenient way for me to think of those who I look to primarily and secondarily, i.e. it is just a way to categorize the names. Also, please note that I may not agree with any of those recommended, in either the elder or deacon category, across the full spectrum of theological and doctrinal issues, however, I am confident that we would agree on the orthodox basics of Christianity.

Elders - those commited to doctrinal teaching. They test, and base, their grasp of doctrine on the Word. (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:1-13). These are the ones I have found to be extremely trustworthy.

Alistair Begg, Jerry Bridges, John MacArthur, Albert Mohler, John Piper, R.C. Sproul (Sr., not Jr.)

Deacons - those who serve with gladness (Acts 6:1-6). Don’t take this to mean that these aren’t commited to doctrinal teaching, as noted in the elder category, but these are ones that I may disagree with on certain secondary points or that I just don’t know as well.

Randy Alcorn, Darrell Bock, D.A. Carson, Charles Colson, Mark Dever, John Frame, Wayne Grudem, Joshua Harris, James MacDonald, C.J. Mahaney, Josh McDowell, Vern Poythress, John Stott, Paul Tripp,Gene Edward Veith, David Wells, Donald Whitney

Misleading, false teaching or heretical – (I John 4:1, 2 John 1: 9-10) these differ enough, often a lot, on the basics to be a concern.

Rob Bell, Marcus Borg, Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, Kenneth Copeland, John Dominic Crossan, Paul Crouch, Creflo Dollar, Jessie Duplantis, Bart Ehrman, John Hagee, Kenneth Hagin, Marilyn Hickey, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, Tony Jones, Brian McLaren, Erwin McManus, Joyce Meyer, Donald Miller, Joel Osteen, Elaine Pagels, Doug Pagitt, Peter Popoff, Robert Schuller, John Shelby Spong, Ron Sider, N.T. Wright

Book Review - 7 Things You Better Have Nailed Down

7 Things You Better Have Nailed Down

Robert Wolgemuth

Thomas Nelson (May 1, 2007)

In short: An exhortation to prepare your heart and soul before the crisis comes by “nailing down” the basics of the faith.

The recent passing of the seven year anniversary of the World Trade Center attack is a reminder of what is most important to remember in a crisis. C.J. Mahaney said:

"For the Christian, there is no greater comfort in a crisis than to be reminded and reassured of the sovereignty of God. But the common temptation and tendency in the midst of crisis is to forget or doubt God’s sovereignty. In the immediate unsettling emotional effect of a national crisis, we are tempted by sins of fear, worry, and unbelief. We are confused and perplexed. How can we reconcile God’s sovereignty, goodness, and wisdom with the looping video clips of events like 9/11?

In crisis situations I must resist the temptation of devoting time and energy to trying to figure out what is clearly beyond my comprehension, and instead devote myself to what is clearly revealed in Scripture about the sovereignty and purpose of God. This will have a transforming effect on my soul."

Hurricane Ike just rolled ashore in Galveston. You lost your job. The doctor just came back with the diagnosis. What about the smaller ones? You didn’t get that promotion. You didn’t make the grade or the team. Are we prepared for these catastrophes? Much more than physical preparation, i.e. boarding up windows, etc., is required. These catastrophes will test our beliefs and our values.

In this book, Robert Wolgemuth helps us to think about being prepared for those “defining moments.”

“…[times] when something new in your wardrobe or driving the latest import or ascending the corporate ladder simply [does] not matter...Accidents most often come without warning. We must be ready in advance of tragedy…[it’s like] packing your lunch before you’re hungry, stocking up on fresh batteries before the lights go out…”

Really more like a primer on the basics of Christian doctrine there are seven things he says we must have “nailed down”.

God is God: The Creator – Holy, Sovereign, and Merciful (the doctrine of God)
The Bible is God’s Word (the doctrine of the Bible)
Mankind Is Eternally Lost and in Need of a Savior (the doctrine of man)
Jesus Christ Died to Redeem Mankind (the doctrine of Christ)
Grace and Faith Are Gifts (the doctrine of salvation)
Belief and Works Are One (the doctrine of the application of Redemption)
The Church is God’s Idea (the doctrine of the Church)

This, however, isn’t a theology book. It’s more “pre-theology”, discussing how these theological issues look in real life. For example, in talking of the importance of the Bible and how it played out for some, he writes,

“They made the choice…so that their children…would have free access to this priceless Book, in a language we understand…the Bible has provided the inspiration that has launched incredible endeavors and institutions that we depend on each day.”

On how the doctrine of the application of redemption looks, he writes,

“The eight hours we’ve set aside for “spiritual activity” are only a start. There should be no hours in our week when our activity should not be done to God’s glory. None…”all” is all. (1 Corinthians 10:31)… There is only one choice for a Christian career. You are all going to have to become priests…One of the tragedies of religion is that a wall is often created between the secular and the sacred, carrying with it the inherent danger of thinking the “balanced life” includes some activities that are “non-religious”….Hundreds of years ago, there was no distinction between secular art and sacred art – only good art and bad art.”

And finally on the doctrine of salvation,

“…[good things] conceal our sense of lostness, (i.e. we don’t feel like we need a Savior)…The desperation and hopelessness we feel in a crisis is really a fact all the time.”

How we react in a crisis situation is evidence of our day-to-day character. If we don’t do it normally, it won’t show up exceptionally – when it needs to show up. As C.S. Lewis says, “Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is.” Who we are in crisis is an accumulation of what we do everyday, which stems from what we believe. The author provides an excellent illustration of this in baseball and the myth of the “clutch hitter”.

“The evidence is conclusive: what a player does under specific game-dependent pressure is exactly what he does at other times…A batter is a batter is a batter. What he does under stress is what he does every other day. If he’s terrific on those ordinary days, he’ll be terrific under pressure. If he’s not very good day to day, he won’t be any good when the game is on the line.”

This book is a good way to “prime the pump” for a deeper study and appreciation of theology, and to become “spiritually independent” by owning your beliefs, rather than just making another’s beliefs your own. It gets us to think about the basics of the Christian faith and shows the importance of being ready to articulate that faith for yourself and others when the crisis comes – as it will for all of us at some point.

What’s on my iPod this week - Voddie Baucham

Child Training, sermon by Voddie Baucham (49:20 in length)

The "Whiniest" Generation

I’ve recently finished reading three works set in approximately the same time period. You can see the briefs here. Indestructible tells of a young man going off to fight World War II. Triumph tells of a young man going off to combat racism at the Berlin Olympics. Hitch tells of a young man going off on his own to fight off poverty in the Great Depression. All of these young men would probably be described as a part of America’s greatest generation. I’ve come away from all these with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude as well as a thought that our generation may well be America’s “whiniest” generation. We know nothing of leaving your family; having to stay in a different hotel than your sports team because of your skin color; dodging bullets at seventeen; wearing the same, unwashed, clothes for months or other common hardships of that time period.

We whine because the restaurant didn’t get our meal to us in an appropriate time frame. They were sometimes standing in line for hours for the next meal. We complain because we were slighted for that job promotion. They may not have been allowed to apply for a job because of their skin color. We grumble over the cost of a gallon of gas. They would have loved to have a car to fill with gas rather than walking for miles. We are, often, the antithesis of the greatest generation.

Something Light - Tim Conway and Harvey Korman

We surf...so you don't have to - September 9

A Young Bloggers Influence
Palin and "Do Hard Things"

The Tattoo Fashion
There is something more permanent.

Bush Has a Good Economic Record
Is the economy as bad as Obama says it is?

Whatever You Do
About cooking...or whatever you do.
HT: Challies

A Shameful Week for the Press
There is no bias in the media?

Quote - Discernment

"Deceivers will beguile the weak; some have been turned aside by modern doubt; and positive infidelity has its partisans. They begin cautiously by reading works with a view to answer scientific or intellectual scepticism. They read a little more, and dive a little deeper into the turbid stream, because they feel well able to stand against the insidious influence. They go on, till at last they are staggered. They do not repair to them who could help them out, but they continue to flounder on till, at last, they have lost their footing, and he that said he was a believer has ended in stark atheism, discrediting even the evidence of the existence of God.

Oh, that those who are well taught would be content with gospel teaching! Why should you be so unwise as to go through pools of foul teaching merely because you think it easy to cleanse yourself of its pollution? Such trifling is dangerous. When you begin to read a book and find it pernicious, put it aside. Someone may upbraid you for not reading it all through. But why should you?

If I have a joint of meat on my table of which the smell and the taste at once convince me that it is putrid and unwholesome, should I show discretion by eating the whole of it before giving my judgment that it is not fit for food? One mouthful is quite enough, and one sentence of some books ought to suffice for a sensible man to reject the whole mass. Let those who can relish such meat feed on it, but I have a taste for better food.

Keep to the study of the Word of God. If it be your duty to expose those evils, encounter them bravely, with prayer to God to help you. But if not, as a humble believer in Jesus, what business have you to taste and best such noxious fare when it is exposed in the market?"

Charles Spurgeon, excerpt from the sermon “A Mournful Defection”, 1877.

What’s on my iPod this week - Gregg Harris

“Don’t Waste Your Kids”, sermon by Gregg Harris, father of Do Hard Things author (1:09:42 in length)

Something Light - News anchors and falling models

Book Briefs – September 3

Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson

Heather Curridge leads an idyllic life, or so it seems. With a successful husband, a sweet, only child and a beautiful home in the “right” neighborhood, all seems well, externally. However, Heather is having an internal struggle with her affluent life. Skillfully illuminating the dichotomy between the consumerism so typical today and the Christian notion of sacrifice, this novel also explores ideas of guilt for past mistakes and inner city issues. More dependent on characterization than story causes the plot to drag a bit in the middle, but this is still an effective study of wealth and poverty, internal and external.

“So here’s the bottom line. Do I want to stand before God’s throne and say I kept a clean house, I made sure my child was athletic, musical, artistic, and got good grades, I was present at all the important church activities, and I changed the oil in my car every three thousand miles because I was such a good steward of my blessings? Is that all I will have to show for the gift of life? Dear God, I hope not.”

“I’ve become so judgmental inside. I see all these women who have everything in life, and not only do they not reach out past the gates of the country club, but they act so miserable and wounded all the time. Like they’re victims or something when God is blessing their socks off. Believe me, I’m one of them and I’m trying to change, but it’s so easy to fall back into the habit….We were never safe here [in the right neighborhood], hon. Our souls were in greater danger than any bullet could extend.”

“…in the Junior High Breakout Jam (yes, they actually called it that) where the kids learned all about the issues they were facing these days, not about being like Jesus, being wise, being loving, or, gasp, being meek.”

Safe at Home by Richard Doster

Jack Hall is supremely satisfied with his life of sportswriter for a small town newspaper in the 1950’s. He has no idea, however, that as minor league baseball season approaches his values and ideas will be tested in ways he never imagined. Social history, as well as sports novel, the author effectively portrays a tumultuous period of American history using characters that inspire, with their faith and courage; and others that offend, with their abhorrent racial ideas and racial language. At times painful to read, at times inspiring, this is well worth a read as a reminder of our past struggles in America.

“While neither old nor especially wise, one thing I’ve learned is this. None of us knows what the next minute holds…We can’t know the ultimate end of tragedy, or fathom how a casual encounter will change our course forever. Looking back, we more clearly see that we are always where we are intended to be…as we look back at how the events of our lives are seamed together, it is, as I’ve said before, hard to have faith in chance…all things, even those we don’t understand, those that have no hint of redemptive purpose, must ultimately work for good.”

From an interview with the author in the book: “In this story we get a glimpse, I hope, that it is our relationships, our mundane interactions, our conduct – with teachers, repairmen, checkout cashiers – that are the means by which the world is transformed, renewed, and redeemed.”

Apples of Gold: A Parable of Purity by Lisa Samson

The idea of purity is often a hard one to visualize in a society saturated in "impossible to avoid" sexuality. Making a, sometimes, abstract concept a concrete reality is the strength of this book. A parable is meant to highlight one important truth so you can’t focus on the details, and thus make it allegorical, but the details do work pretty well here. My only “quibble” is in one of the author’s notes at the end of the book summarizing her thoughts on pre-marital sex, “The bottom line, my friend, is if you’re not ready to have a baby, you’re not ready to have sex.” That is true, as far as it goes. However, there are those that really want a baby as a teenager and use that as an excuse. Sex before marriage is wrong because it breaks God’s law – no other reason is necessary. With a minor theme of the importance of modesty (and the need to be proactive in this area) running throughout, this is a great book for teenagers and parents to read together.

“She kept the apple tucked away in the basket and removed it each morning only to shine it. [Kate] even accused Liza of selfishness for keeping hers hidden away. But Liza knew in her heart she was doing the right thing. The governor had not given her the apple for others to enjoy, not even for her own delight. He had entrusted it to her care for Claude on that special day when he would set up his fine new household.”

“But Stuart caressed her cheek and complimented her on her eyes, hair and feet. Before Kate could gather her senses, his bite mark marred the precious skin…And Stuart, having gotten what he wanted, left.”

“Kate”, asked Claude, “why did they have to see the apple in the first place?...There were moments, when I saw all the attention given to Kate, that I wondered whether guarding the fruit was worth my trouble.”

We surf...so you don't have to - September 2

The Speck In The Eye
A speck of dust in your eye is painful.

No Little People
I just want to be a stick.

NASA Technology Illuminates the Dead Sea Scrolls
The oldest copies of the Old Testament soon can be seen by everyone!

Darkness Falls After Twilight
A review of the popular "Twilight" book series.

Phone Number Rhythm
Do you have it?

"Daddy" movie - "Bringing Up Baby"

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

A rare jewel that lives up to the trailers copy, "The most glorious laughter-inducing movie ever!" This is just good, clean, wholesome, fast and furious fun. Bordering on comedic anarchy, this is a romantic comedy with Cary Grant, underrated for his physical comedy on great display here, and Katherine Hepburn, who plays against type and is just plain whimsical. Slapstick, physical comedy, intelligent and non-stop dialogue, with great sight gags make up a movie with no pretensions except fun. The only objection may be the incessant lies that Kate's character is prone to tell. However, as my youngest daughter said, "That is a good reason not to tell lies, because it just makes everything totally confusing!" (Watch the trailer.)

Ratings: unanimous Buy

What is a "Daddy" Movie?

"Daddy" Movie - "The Ten Commandments"

The Ten Commandments (1956)

A little bit more melodramatic than I remember but still effective. Odd casting decisions, i.e. Edward G. Robinson, and the extra-Biblical material don't ruin the power of the story of Moses and the Exodus.

And another opinion from LLG:

'This film offers everything from drama, to romance, to spiritual inspiration, and does so while in context to God's true story of His power and faithfulness in the lives of His people. It is edifying, enlightening, and encouraging. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, and wish to add a lighthearted but heartfelt addition of an 11th commandment: Thou must see "The Ten Commandments". (Watch the trailer.)

Ratings: unanimous Buy

What is a "Daddy" Movie?

"Daddy" Movies before Summer 2008

Twelve Angry Men:
Daddy - Buy
LLG - Buy
CAG – Rent
SLG - Buy

The Bridge Over the River Kwai:
Daddy - Buy
LLG - Buy
CAG – Borrow
SLG - Rent

Monkey Business:
Daddy - Rent
CAG - Borrow
SLG - Buy

High Noon:
Daddy - Rent
LLG - Buy
CAG - Avoid
SLG – Avoid

North by Northwest:
unanimous Buy

The Princess Bride:
unanimous Buy

Roman Holiday:
unanimous Buy

The Man Who Knew Too Much
National Velvet
Funny Face
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
King Kong
Forbidden Planet
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Singin’ In the Rain
The Sound of Music
An American In Paris
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Father of the Bride
The Invisible Man

Click here for ratings explanation.

What is a "Daddy" Movie?

Summer 2008 "Daddy" movies

Here is a list, with ratings from the family, of the “Daddy” movies from the summer of 2008.

20 Million Miles to Earth:

Daddy – Rent

SLG – Avoid

To Kill a Mockingbird:

unanimous Buy

Invasion of the Body Snatchers:

Daddy – Buy

CAG – Avoid

SLG – Borrow

Vertigo:

Daddy – Rent

LLG – Rent

CAG – Avoid

Easter Parade:

Daddy – Borrow

LLG – Buy

CAG – Buy

Treasure of the Sierra Madre:

Daddy – Buy

LLG – Rent

CAG – Borrow

SLG – Avoid

Saboteur:

unanimous Rent

Shadow of a Doubt:

Daddy - Buy

LLG – Rent

CAG – Buy

SLG - Buy

What is a "Daddy" Movie?

"Daddy" movie ratings explained

Explanation of ratings:

Avoid – not worth your time or money
Borrow – worth a little time but no money
Rent – worth a little time and a little money
Buy – worth your time and money

"Daddy" movies

Every Monday this past summer (much to the initial consternation of my family) was “Monday Night at the Movies with Daddy” (movies of my choice), soon shortened to “Daddy” movies (to be said with a condescending tone and with a roll of the eyes!).

Initially the choices of movies were met with some apathy and a lot of questions. As the summer went by I think everyone began to anticipate and enjoy our time together. The great storytelling and the style of these movies began to win everyone over. Of course, just being together as a family was important too, and one of the main reasons for the whole idea in the first place.

“Daddy” movies are classics from the golden age of the movie studios. Ty Burr describes these types of movies in his great book, The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together.

“Today I look at the movie offering afforded my kids and am stunned into depression at the pandering narrowness…live-action kid films have prostrated themselves on the altar of cross-marketing. A child could go from January to December without having his or her brain interestingly taxed – without seeing a movie that wasn’t slavishly geared toward mini-me taste in stars, fashion, music, and flippant attitude…[Classic movies] were made during the golden age of the film studios, from the silent era through the early 1960’s…With any luck, my daughters will be able to go through life lacking that fear of old movies – and, much more to the point, old culture – that keeps so many children and their parents locked in an eternal, ahistorical Now. The only way to comprehend Now, of course, is to understand Then. More than almost any other art form, movies show the way back.”

Or as Nathaniel Bell describes classic movies,

“…movies in which the men wear suits and the women dress for dinner.”

These are movies that have style and morals, and thus, retain their power. Besides the fact that they are all generally appropriate for all ages, it is also a way back into an older and simpler America. As my oldest daughter said recently while watching one of these movies, “I would have liked to have lived back then. It was a whole lot simpler.” (The conversation about “the good ole days were not always good” will come eventually. Her comment is true, however, things were simpler.)

These are movies that aren’t stuck in the cult of “the Now”. C.S. Lewis said something similiar about old books. The thought can be applied to old movies too.

“Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books… The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us.”

There is a lot to be said about looking back. Greg Koukl makes a great point.

“Everything we need to be fruitful and productive, to be trained in righteousness, to be adequately equipped for every good work, has already been revealed. For Paul, all the old stuff was all the right stuff.

New movement of the Spirit? Maybe. And maybe not. I don’t have to decide. Instead, I’m taking the safe route by heeding Paul’s advice and focusing on the old movement of the Spirit. And so should you.”

Of course, Greg is speaking to something completely different and in no way can old movies be compared to Holy Scripture. The idea, however, I think is important. Lets not throw out the old to worship at the altar of “the New”, or “the Now”.

Quote - The Everyday

"Perhaps the every-day of life, is not as interesting--as are some of the bright special days. It is apt to be somewhat monotonous. It is just like a great many other days. It has nothing special to mark it. It is illuminated by no brilliant event. It bears no record of any brave or noble deed done. It is not made memorable by the coming of any new experience into the life--a new hope, a new friendship, a new joy, and a new success. It is not even touched with sorrow, and made to stand out with the memory of loss or struggle. It is only a plain, common day--with just the same old wearisome routine--of tasks and duties and happenings, which have come so often before.

Yet it is the every-day, which is really the best measure and the test of noble living. Anybody can do well on special occasions. Anybody can be good--on Sundays. Anybody can be bright and cheerful--in exhilarating society. Anybody can be sweet--amid gentle influences. Anybody can make an isolated self-denial--for some conspicuous object; or do a generous deed--under the impulse of some unusual emotion. Anybody can do a heroic thing--once or twice in a lifetime. These are beautiful things. They shine like lofty peaks above life's plains.

But the ordinary attainment of the common days--is a truer index of the life--a truer measure of its character and value--than are the most striking and brilliant things of its exalted moments. It requires more strength to be faithful in the ninety-nine commonplace duties, when no one is looking on, when there is no special motive to stir the soul to its best effort--than it does in the one duty, which by its unusual importance, or by its conspicuousness, arouses enthusiasm for its own doing. It is a great deal easier to be brave in one stern conflict which calls for heroism, in which large interests are involved--than to be brave in the thousand little struggles of the common days--for which it seems scarcely worth while to put on the armor. It is very much less a task to be good-natured under one great provocation, in the presence of others--than it is to keep sweet temper month after month of ordinary days, amid the frictions, strife's, petty annoyances, and cares of home-life.

Thus it is, that one's every-day life is a surer revealer of noble character--than one's public acts. There are men who are magnificent when they appear on great occasions--wise, eloquent, masterly--but who are almost utterly unendurable in their fretfulness, unreasonableness, irascibility, and all manner of selfish disagreeableness, in the privacy of their own homes--to those whom they ought to show all of love's gentleness and sweetness! There are women, too, who shine with wondrous brilliancy in society, sparkling in conversation, winning in manner, always the center of admiring groups, resistless in their charms--but who, in their every-day life, in the presence of only their own households--are the dullest and most wearisome of mortals! No doubt in these cases--the common every-day, unflattering as it is--is a truer expression of the inner life--than the hour or two of greatness or graciousness, in the blaze of the public.

On the other hand, there are men who are never heard of on the street, whose names never appear in the newspapers, who do no great conspicuous things, whose lives have no glittering peaks towering high--and yet the level plain of their years--is rich in its beauty and its fruitfulness of love. Likewise, there are women who are the idols of no drawing-rooms, who attract no throngs of admirers around them by resistless charms--but who, in their own quiet sheltered world--do their daily tasks with faithfulness, move in ways of humble duty and quiet cheerfulness, and pour out their heart's pure love, like fragrance, on all around them. Who will say that the uneventful and un-praised every-day of these humble ones--is not radiant in God's sight, though they leave no memorial--but only a world made a little better by their lives?

It is in the every-day of life, that nearly all the world's best work is done. The tall mountain peaks lift their glittering crests into the clouds, and win attention and admiration; but it is in the great valleys and broad plains, that the harvests grow and the fruits ripen--on which the millions of earth feed their hunger. Likewise, it is not from the few conspicuous deeds of life, that the blessings chiefly come, which make the world, better, sweeter, happier--but from the countless humble services of the every-days, the little faithfulnesses which fill long years. By the simple beauty of their own humble lives, by their quiet deeds of self-sacrifice, by the songs of their cheerful faith, and by the ministries of their helpful hands--they make one little spot of this sad earth, brighter and happier!"

J.R. Miller, from "The Every Day of Life"