A number of years ago the question occurred to me: “Is your life a commentary on the movies or are the movies a commentary on your life?”
In other words is your life being shaped by the power of the culture around you or are you being informed through the culture around you about the new realty that is taking shape within you?
I watch few movies, but it is usually in a concentrated form during a long flight. As I flick through the many options I just go with the prompting of the Spirit (which is different from a religious or moralistic prompting) and see what God has to speak to me through ‘Holy-wood’ (He is Lord of all flesh that he has made)
This time on the way to Ireland I caught, “Arthur; The Legend of the Sword” only to see cast in the leading role the splitting image of our 2 year old grandson Winston (as in Churchill) whom we had just been with in New York.” The story in real life and on screen was the same, of how God forms us into noble warriors by having us face and overcome fiery opposition.
At the end of the movie where the evil uncle asks the freshly forged ‘savior’ “Who created you?” He replies, “You did…. and I bless you, for now I know the reason for the devil.”….. a powerful exposition of Is.45:7!
On the return trip the movie was “Wonderwoman“. Once again the story was of the world being saved through the human co-operating with the divine. “You Stephen, can only save the day. The Gods must save the world.” was a good line. Another that stood out to me was when the most obviously evil villain had been dispatched then the deeper evil in the form a ‘peaceloving’ creature emerged with the line, “I’m not what you expected – am I ?’
Again a profound insight into the deceptive nature of evil that needs to be uncovered and discerned first in ourselves and then in the world around us where we too quickly point the finger at the “bad guy” across the Pacific while munching our way to annihilation on our own “good guys” glyphosate. Unveiling the Glyphosate Conspiracy
A third movie I watched, ironically, half of it on the way out and half on the way back, was “Dunkirk”. Again a depiction of the battle we are all ‘born into’ and how good and evil co-exist in all of us. A diffident underage lad seeking to ‘do his part’ sneaks his way onto a fishing boat being utilized for the evacuation. When in mid channel a rescued fighter pilot for the ‘good guys’ suffering from PTSD pushes the boy to his death that ‘true’ heroism is revealed in the brave heart of the lad.
The final flick I was reminded of – by the book (pictured above) that happened to be on our kitchen table this morning was a comic version of this Jonathan Swift (another Irishman) classic.
Once again the story focused on war and the transformation of the cowardly and deceitful Jack Black playing Gulliver in “Gulliver’s Travels” into a brave, advocate for truth, peace ….and the ordinary people.
The lesson in this one, “Don’t take yourself too seriously….even if you are called to save the world : – ))
Just a few reminders to me about The Real Story that is being written through our lives as we, mostly unwittingly, play our part in The Big Picture coming out of the “Holy – would”….becoming the “Holy – will.”
P.S. Sorry, but I couldn’t help noticing again the word count at the end of this blog – 549. You might remember that was the number I was given to wear on the 5k circular run in Belfast on Boxing Day. Yesterday I was chatting to Raine by her car, when I noticed her license plate:
That’s what I mean by ‘mostly unwittingly’.…..until God gives us wits (might that be Walking In The Spirit?)
You might want to reread the blog from December 31st 2017 for the really good news of The 549 Big Picture : – )