Your wood is wet! This is far from a new video but I can't think of a more appropriate video to lead off this section of this website. Wintley Phipps explains how the song Amazing Grace was made and why he believes it is a portrait of how God sees the human family. Enjoy!
When Dianna learns about the war, she concludes that there was a cause the Amazons should consider. Here, she confronts her mother who still will not be honest with her, thinking she can protect her from the inevitable confrontation with Ares. Parents take careful note.
The following video snippets from Wonder Woman illustrate the profound impacts of not preparing our youth for their lives of discipleship. Dianna grew up around other Amazon women thinking she was just another one of them. Her mother knew she would potentially face Ares (the god of war) but never told her why. She thought by keeping the truth from her she was protecting her. As a result, Dianna never knew whose she was. She learns a bit more here.
Steve explains to Dianna that his father said you have two choices in life when you see something is wrong: doing nothing or doing something. You can see that his willingness to go back into a terrible war "sets" Dianna on her path to leave and find and kill Ares who she thought for sure was behind the war.
This brief scene asks one of the most profound questions anyone can ask in life, especially as they consider leaving the protection of their family and home to follow their calling. Her mother indicates there is much she still did not understand, but she still has not been honest.
We run into others who seem to be a bit unrealistic in their intentions. This is the next scene in Wonder Woman where Dianna explains her mission. Watch Steve's eyes and hear his concerns ... they make a lot of sense. How can what she is saying be true? Or is it his call?
This is the scene where Dianna confronts Ares and tries to kill him using the "God Killer" sword her mother told her about. Diana is about to confront the reality about whose she is ... and her true calling. If she had been truly discipled she would have known all this in advance.
Dianna has claimed her calling and is now operating with full authority. While this is an absurd story, it is ironic and profound that she proclaims the same ultimate power we claim in our calling. It is not about what we deserve ... it is the choice of loving that wins!
This famous scene in Karate Kid illustrates the natural resentment in discipleship training and apprenticeship when we fail to understand why we are learning things. It takes pain to gain the spiritual muscles we will need. It is not merely about spouting the right words.
And this only comes when we strengthen our core muscles by having them battered in real life situations. Anyone who has tried to stand in the surf will attest to how quickly this tests the "core" of your body.
Yoda attempts to teach Luke how to live fully with The Force enabling him, but this scene illustrates how difficult that is until and unless you truly believe. It is extremely difficult to do without discipleship.
Joel and Susan perform a puppet show illustrating how different perspectives on following God and understanding scripture can either cause you to argue or to seek to understand the higher calling. Sarah's religion is Puppetarianism which all puppets believe in. This was recorded by a person sitting on the side of the room.
This is a powerful illustration of "dying to yourself" as a model of Christ's calling for each of us. This is a true story of a black man who was framed by a white police officer, served four years of time, but has now reconciled with that police officer as "it just so happened" that they worked in the same coffee shop. If you want to see what we call grace in action, this is the perfect illustration of the Hebrew word Chesed!
Listen to the wonderful work being done to care for those who otherwise would "fall through the cracks" of society. My wife Susan serves on the Board and we normally attend their summer camp to meet the staff and the families they care for. Our Sunday School class often performs "work day" maintenance on these homes as well.
If you want to understand the followers of Jesus, it helps to see how disciples follow the orthodox sects of Judaism in Jerusalem today. Remember that the word orthodox means strict following of established doctrines. Jesus specifically fought and defied these ideas!
Joel presents how the calling of Isaiah applies to our lives today as we relate to those in our lives. He illustrates that our differences which can naturally polarize us to seek the safety of those who think like us can limit the potential for others to see the Lord at work in our lives.
Joel discusses the context for how this Gospel was written and therefore how to interpret what it says. As usual, Joel also explains the Jewish concepts of Shalom and Chesed which are at work in this most cherished of all New Testament Scriptures.
Joel discusses this letter to a Church in Ephesus who was challenged keeping their sacred faith elements while living in a Pagan world system. This also reviews that famous challenge of the silver merchants who were selling idols as a large part of the economy.
Mackenzie lost his youngest daughter by murder, and is having this conversation with God about forgiving that murderer for his actions. The Shack portrays God as black women for most of it, but on this day in these events, God says she needed to incarnate a man's persona.
A child goes to the park with twinkies and drinks to spend time with God. The homeless person and he illustrate the power of love and acceptance in the simple pleasures of life.
This scene from the Broadway Play Wicked illustrates a profound truth. What we call history is what is able to persist and is told by the victors in the situation ... it is very hard to find the whole truth.
It will take a few viewings of this video to come to realize how we naturally justify how we feel ... after all, we can easily see the spec in another's eye. Removing the beam from our own is another matter. Frankly, without the indwelling Holy Spirit, I am afraid this is almost impossible to do, certainly for most people.