We’ve been here for almost a month and a half now. We don’t have a TV, which has been a blessing and a curse all at the same time. A blessing, well... because we don’t have a TV and we’re not wasting our lives watching it! And a curse because we’re bored out of our minds after dark. I can hear somebody saying right now, “but you have your Bible and you could pray” but I’m not even gonna respond to that. As a matter of fact, if that was you who actually thought that, go ahead and just smack yourself for being too spiritual : )
I did bring 2 books with me, besides the Bible of course, (Kings Cross by Timothy Keller and The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur... both great reads) and I’ve already read both of them and starting to read the MacArthur book a 2nd time. So we basically sit around and talk (which is good) or lay in bed just staring at the ceiling listening to all the freaky noises coming from outside (which is bad). So when Brad and Carolyn offered us a few of their movies to watch on my computer, we gladly accepted. They’ve bought several movies (bootleg versions of American movies... sshhhh - don’t tell anyone) from some street vendor guy that sells them here. They’ve been able to even buy christian bootleg movies. We watched one called “Impostor” with Kevin Max (from DC Talk) and Jeff Deyo (the More Love, More Power song guy) that was about a guy in a christian rock band that was living a double life. Good story but it was one of the cheesiest movies I’ve seen in a long time and one of the reasons I think christian movies get a bad rap (because of the cheese factor being so high, that is.). Then we watched another one the other night (I’m not going to say which one it was so that I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings) that was even worse. But this movie left me feeling depressed and ticked-off all at the same time. The person who played the pastor in the movie and the guy who played the other main christian character were horrible. These guys were the biggest dorks I’ve ever seen. They took being uncool and awkward to totally different level. But both of these guys were the stereotypical “christians” that are cast in most christian movies though. Why is it that most christian movies, that have a pastor or a person who’s suppose to be the lead christian character in it, portray him as a some kind of freak? They’re never normal or what a real pastor or a real christian are like at all. You know what I mean right? The one in the movie I’m talking about looked like someone who had just escaped from a mental institution. Every time he was in a scene, he had this huge smile plastered across his face (just like he just got back from crazy town), he spoke like Mr. Rogers, he had a egg-shaped head and his eyes were always open really big and he never blinked... it was freaky. He just had one of those blank stares... like he wasn’t really there. And when he spoke he only quoted the Bible as he smiled, of course. And the thing that made me mad was how he treated the non-christian characters in the movie. He acted hyper-superior and treated them like they were stupid because they weren’t doing what God said. He was so condescending... but I guess since he had the smile on his face that meant he was being condescending in love. Anyway, I’d like to see a christian movie where the pastor or the lead christian character were just normal and real.
I know the Bible says, “we’re in the world but not of the world” but man!... that doesn’t mean we have to wear outdated clothes, have a nerdy haircut, be socially retarded and be totally un-relatable to people who don’t know Christ. The thing that makes us different is that our lives have been changed by Jesus. We’ve been changed on the “inside” and now we’re passionate about God, people and following the King. We still have problems but now we rely on Him and not “things” to get us through tough times. Sure, we’re happy... but we also get mad. Sure, we smile... but not ALL the time. Sure, we quote scripture... but we also speak other words too. Sure, we’re sons and daughters of “the King” but we don’t look down on someone just because they don’t know Jesus yet. That’s the kind of character I’d like to see in a “christian movie.” Someone real. Sorry that you had to put up with my ranting today. I was just in one of those moods: )
Love Ya,
Jim
PS- the picture at the top is MJ, Carolyn and Silvano (a teenager who excepted Christ here on the mountain) after our Monday discipleship meeting this past Monday.
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