Have you seen the new movie from James Cameron? It is a stunningly beautiful movie. I watched it today in 3d, which if you are going to watch it I absolutely recommend it. I consider myself a pretty good critic when it comes to movies cause I have probably spent more of my life watching them then sleeping throughout my life… maybe not, but pretty close. I love a good action movie or an inspirational story about an underdog defying the odds to carry out his goals. This was a very interesting combination of both and I must say that it is worth watching for the action and visual effects alone.
So there is as with all movies dealing with other worlds and how they view spiritual things on the imaginary world, a need for people to look deeper into their own beliefs. First of all we, as in all conversations about these topics, should listen to understand. It is very easy to quickly choose sides and look to disprove one way or the other. Be careful not to force what you believe about a subject down someone’s throat. A movie like this is a oppurtunity to connect with someone not a oppurtunity to challenge someone’s beliefs. With all that said lets ask a few questions about what this story of an imaginary planet can teach us about our relationship with God.
This is a story of a mission of the human people to capture a world full of precious materials. They are willing to uproot a civilization in order to retrieve a substance that is worth a lot of money back on Earth. This civilization is connected to this world in a unique way in that is both physical and spiritual. It to them is more than a home but a source of their ancestors. What are some similarities in this story and your relationship with God? Do you feel like the humans or the aliens? Could it be both or must you choose to be one or the other?
Throughout the story a human chooses to learn about the culture at first to expose it but later to become a part of it. Don’t worry I won’t give away any spoilers, but something in him has changed. What could make him want to give up everything he knew for something he knows very little about? If you choose God, why? To be a follower of Christ, the bible says you are “a new creation. The old has gone; everything is made new!”-2 Cor.5:17. Is all of this as easy as a choice? So what makes it so hard to deny what we know and choose the “new”? I know from personal experience that it is our selfishness. We feel there is so much to gain if we do what we want. If we get what best advances us in our lives then we will be remembered. I will stop there for know and let people comment and give their opinions.
What did this movie mean to you?
If you will look on the right hand side of this page underneath the picture, there are a list of our pages. Click on the one marked “Stuff we’re doing” Look for info for the date of January 24th and read it. Simple enough? ;). Good Luck and remember that we are extending sign-ups to Wed. January 27th. Don’t wait till last minute cause you might miss out on a really cool experience.
Remember to look at the stuff we are doing for a downloadable permission slip for Dnow. If you missed church today then this is what you missed… Oh Snap! Sorry about the wind 
Remember to check this site for info on upcoming events. I showed this video at FYI last night and even if you didn’t think it was funny at least you learned some sign language. Educational! Nice. Here’s round 2:
hahaha
I realize that I am not very good at keeping things as up to date as I should. In fact a lot of what I have done for this website is inconsistent, but there is hope in my faults as I strive to be more organized and let such a valuable tool just go to waste. In the “stuff we are doing” portion of this blog you will find up to date calendar events. If you see me slacking, don’t forget to remind me because I have found that with all the balls in the air I might let a couple drop. This isn’t because I want to but more of because I was never really good at juggling in the first place. If you can trust me, i will do my best to not disappoint. Let’s start the year off right with a poll question.
I hope this works.
On Wed. night we asked the question “What is our purpose in life?” and we read about how King Solomon had made an experiment for himself to find what would bring him fulfillment. He was not successful despite creating a world for himself of unimaginable wealth and beauty. Then we read about how Paul was willing to live with nothing for the glory of God. That no matter what the circumstances he would be content. So Solomon’s experiment failed and Paul’s purpose was to bring glory to God no matter the circumstances but what that mean “to glorify God”?
I want you to read Matthew 22:37-39 and John 13:34-35 Is giving God glory suppose to be a feeling we get? Is it easy or is it hard? What are some things Jesus did to glorify God? What have you done to glorify God?
Let me know your thoughts and Monday night I will post some thoughts and respond to any questions you might have. Feel free to comment further about last week or even how all this is going. Can’t wait to see your responses. Bring someone to youth next week that is your first step in glorifying God, by sharing your faith with others.
Pretty pumped about this one! We are starting our summer series tonight with the GOSPEL Journey Maui by Dare 2 Share. This is a series kinda like the Real World, where they really do get 7 strangers(plus Greg Stier) take them to Maui and ask them some of the really tough questions about everyone’s belief. They bring an Atheistic Jew, a Buddhist, a surfer Christian, a Mormon, as well as a few other different backgrounds and just have discussions about what they believe. Tonight’s episode is “Is There A Higher Power”.
These videos were not created to bash any other religion, it is a tool to gain understanding of what you might encounter when talking to someone else about their faith. It doesn’t give you tips or hints on how to prove someone wrong either. This will be an experience of understanding and communication. I hope that everyone gets a chance to make every episode but if not I will post a summery and you can leave comments and questions here on the site. Mohola!!
-Alec
