Media Madness

Media Madness

Welcome back, my blog-readers!  I had a wonderful Fourth of July, celebrating the birth of my country where, above the internal issues of the nation, I know I’m free at least.  I’m proud to be an American.  I pray you had a wonderful holiday as well, fellow Americans.  And to my international readers, I pray you had a beautiful day Wednesday, July 4^th.

            Technology is a pretty fascinating thing, isn’t it?  All the time, man is accomplishing feats with computers that we never thought possible to achieve before.  Just think: I could make a call with my cell phone to someone clear across the globe.  I can keep in touch with my cousins in Pennsylvania through emailing and with my cousin in Florida through text messaging.  I could watch an event that is occurring at that very moment in another country.  And through the use of the Internet, I share my thoughts here on my blog with readers all over the world- in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Romania, Australia, Chile, India, Russia, Canada, and perhaps even in other countries that I’m not aware my blog has reached.  That’s an exciting thought! 

            Technology is a blessing.  Just imagine the many ways it could be used to share the good news of the Gospel and further the Lord’s kingdom all around the world.  But unfortunately, the gift of technology isn’t always used for good and the Lord’s glory.  Every day, computers and printers are used to produce books and magazines that incite ungodly emotions.  Every minute, people are uploading unwholesome apps, videos, and websites on the Internet.  The television is constantly infiltrated with TV shows and commercials that evoke sinful passions.  Movies promoting loose and corrupt morals line the shelves of stores, and music with lyrics displaying ungodly standards and boundaries are becoming best-sellers on online stores like Amazon and iTunes.  Yes, technology can and is being used for evil.

            Remember this song from when you were a child?

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

For the Father up above is looking down with love

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear…

           This may seem like just a children’s song, but its message isn’t for children only.  There’s a lot of spiritual truth in that song.  Its message is so especially applicable with the struggles we all face today through the media.

           

            I am an author; I believe in freedom of the press, and I exercise that right daily.  But with that privilege comes a huge responsibility.  You may not realize it, but authors have a tremendous amount of control over you as you read their stories.  A good author has the ability to manipulate his readers so as to produce the emotional reaction he wants them to have.  You may not be keen on the idea of being manipulated, but it’s true.  I do it all the time in my books.  If I want my reader to cry at a certain point of the story, I intentionally write that portion to evoke that response.  Sometimes I even make myself cry!  That’s just the power of words. 

            That kind of power isn’t only found in the pages of a novel though; it translates to the lyrics of a song, the words of an advertisement, of an article, the script of dialogue in a movie or show.  Why are words so powerful?  They are a tool of creating visions and mental images in your mind.  Don’t think your imagination’s that vivid?

            Approaching the window, the young woman brushed the sheer curtains aside and unlocked the brass handles.  Opening the windowpanes, she knelt at the windowsill and breathed deeply of the morning air.  Twittering caught her attention.  She turned towards the large oak tree extending its branches to her window, and a sudden movement caused her to peer closer to discover an intricately woven nest holding the treasure of a perfect egg.  A gentle breeze rustled the vibrant green leaves surrounding it.  Isabella brushed back her soft brunette hair as the cooling breeze blew across her face.  She sighed with delight.  Spring was indeed finally here.

If you couldn’t picture the young lady examining the bird’s nest outside her window in that paragraph, then you’re a lot better at controlling this imagination thing than I am.  For the majority of us though, words create a mental image for us.  That’s why pictures, TV shows, and movies are even more powerful than words. 

I was in church this past Sunday, and among other things, I prayed asking the Lord to inspire me in this new book that I’ve begun in the same way that He inspired me in my first novel.  I asked Him to speak to me personally through the message I want to share with my readers so that at its conclusion, I can look back on it and declare with confidence that I did not write it alone.

As I was sitting there, I felt a prompting to pray over my little Acer netbook.  To consecrate it for His glory and to anoint it for His purpose that it may never be used evil and to further the darkness in the world.  To surrender possession of it and give it back to Him.

Technology is being used for evil, but we don’t have to embrace it.  If you are the owner of a media device, you have the choice of how you’re going to use that device.  You don’t have to use it for evil just because there are avenues of evil available.  Having a media device- a computer, a cell phone, a TV, an iPod or tablet- it comes with a responsibility.  You are responsible for your actions, not for the actions of those who use technology for evil.

I don’t know where you find yourself in the midst of all this, but maybe you just need to take some time, take your device and go into your prayer closet- a quiet place alone with God, and just pray.  Pray over your device.  Surrender it to the Lord and give it back to Him.  After all, He was the one who provided the resources for you to have it.  Allow Him possession.  Owners decide how they’re going to use their tools, but when you use someone else’s tool, you follow the guidelines they set for its use.  “Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.” (Pr 27: 20)  The media takes advantage of this truth of human nature.  Don’t allow technology to use your beautiful, God-created mind for wrong.  But “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Pr 4:23)

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

TV, stories, and those magazines

For the Father up above is looking down with love

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear

Evil words and lyrics sometimes good appear

For the Father up above is looking down with love

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear

 ~Sherwood Pictures

            Wholesome movies are difficult to find.  There are great family movies out there that will leave you with warm fuzzy feelings after a happily-ever-after ending, but when was the last time that you walked away from a movie being challenged personally in your spiritual walk?  That’s what Sherwood Pictures is about.  It’s not just about entertainment.  It’s about ministry.

            That’s why I love Sherwood Pictures movies.  Sherwood Pictures is a movie production branch of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.  They have done an incredible job in their endeavor to produce family films that are rich in spiritual morals, messages, and truths, and the movie soundtracks are excellent, featuring songs by the church’s music pastor Mark Willard as well as tracks sung by Christian artists such as Casting Crowns, Third Day, Warren Barfield, Josh Bates, and Mark Harris.  I support Sherwood Pictures whole-heartedly.  Their films are some of my top favorite movies.  If you’re not familiar with Sherwood Pictures, I encourage you to visit their website at www.sherwoodpictures.com and to check out their movies.  You will be blessed by what this church is doing.  Below is a review of their films from my opinion.

-Flywheel:

            Flywheel is the story of car salesman Jay Austin as he learns to live a life of honesty and integrity and to set a godly example.  A great lesson applicable to each of our personal situations in life.  There’s absolutely no language- no cussing, no cursing.  The worst thing I can think to tell you about the movie is that there’s one scene where Jay slams his hand down on the kitchen table and speaks to his wife in a sharp tone.  Considering that’s the worst, I’d say that says something for the movie.  Flywheel is Sherwood Pictures first film so the lighting isn’t Hollywood standard, but it’s a great movie with a great message nonetheless.

 -Facing the Giants:

           This was Sherwood Pictures first big hit.  Sports fans, you’ll love it especially!  Facing the Giants follows the story of Grant Taylor, a high school football coach whose life seems like its falling to pieces.  A terrific story about sportsmanship, but more importantly, Facing the Giants portrays a message about facing your fears and failures with faith and trust in God.  A gripping football game at the end of the film will keep you on the edge of your seat and cheering for the Shiloh Eagles even from your family room couch.  Mark Richt, head football coach of the University of Georgia, also makes a special appearance in the film. 

This movie’s rated a PG, but again, there’s no language at all.  Why the PG rating then?  For thematic elements as Grant Taylor and his wife Brooke face the reality that they are incapable of ever having the children they so long for.  Sherwood Pictures took particular care in skillfully weaving this element into the story to ensure that the movie would still maintain its status of being a family film.  As for violence… well, it’s football.  Also Coach Taylor throws his clipboard down on the locker room floor and screams at his team in one scene after they play a miserable game.  Another scene shows Grant Taylor screaming at one the players as the high school student does the death crawl across the football field; yes, he’s actually urging the player to keep persevering and his screaming adds to the drama and intensity of the scene, but his encouragement could be misinterpreted by a young audience.  The scene is a fresh, effective way to convey the message of being “able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph 6:13)

-Fireproof:

          When Fireproof was released, it was dubbed the #1 inspirational movie in America.  Starring Kirk Cameron, Fireproof portrays the struggle of fire captain Caleb Holt as he strives to save his marriage that’s teetering on the verge of divorce.  For years, Caleb Holt has sacrificed his own safety to save others from fires, but can he learn to sacrifice his own pride and selfishness and submit to the Lord in order to save his marriage and win the heart of his wife again?

            This movie too was rated a PG for thematic material and some peril.  Like its predecessors, this film has no language.  The peril comes from two very action-packed scenes- one a house fire, the other a car wreck.  For queasy stomachs, yes, the girl in the car accident has a bloody nose; nothing too major though. 

            Thematic material?  Well, it’s a story revolving around this couple who is about to get a divorce.  That topic itself is a mature theme.  Secondly, there’s a pretty intense scene at the beginning of the movie where Caleb loses his temper and screams at his wife.  And thirdly, Caleb’s addiction to online avenues of pornography is implied.  What I love about Sherwood Pictures though is that they have a wonderful way of incorporating mature elements into their plots and yet adding them in a way so that the movie is still completely family-friendly and appropriate for young ages.  They have an incredible way of implying adult struggles so that they’re clear and meaningful to a mature audience but still preserve the naivety of children viewers.  They’re great movies.  Period.  If you understand the mature themes woven into the plots, they’re even better.

            At the end of the movie, we see a silhouette of Caleb and his wife kissing.  This was not his stage counterpart Erin Bethea; Sherwood Pictures brought in Kirk Cameron’s real wife for the scene.  What an innovative idea, right?      

            Fireproof is my personal favorite of Sherwood Pictures films so far; maybe because I’m such a romantic at heart.  Fireproof is a modern-day love story complete with heroic action, fantastic acting, and a faith-filled message to challenge the destruction of the family foundation in today’s society.  A great story about the true nature of sacrificial love that can come only from the Lord.   

 -Courageous:

            Courageous is Sherwood Pictures newest film.  This one was rated a PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements.  If it counts for anything, this is the only PG-13 movie my family has in the house though.  Still no language whatsoever.

            Courageous is the journey of police officers Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their comrades to discover the true role of a father.  A fantastic story about courageous and godly manhood and the role of a husband and father as the spiritual head of his home and leader of his family.  Sherwood Pictures did an especially incredible job on this latest project; following a thick plot with unexpected twists, opening with a dramatic scene, incorporating realistic action, and effectively reaching the public with a message of godly fatherhood, Sherwood Pictures did a great job.  You’ll be crying one moment, laughing hysterically the next, and on the edge of your seat at parts.  Like their other films, Courageous is definitely a two-thumbs-up movie.

            Violence and thematic elements.  It’s a movie with a lot of law enforcement action so there is some shooting and some grappling.  We see Adam with a bleeding lip at one point; again, nothing really gory.  The movie does a great job capturing the reality of modern-day crime, but because of that, it does show gang activity, including one scene in which the gang is beating up a new member as part of the process of initiation.  The scene could be quite disturbing to some.  And there is some drug content in the film.  No one is actually shown taking the drugs though, and it is definitely portrayed in a negative light.

            Overall, Courageous is certainly another great achievement of Sherwood Pictures, and I hope that they will be enabled with the means of producing more wholesome family films for the Lord’s glory as they continue to put God first in their endeavors.

*For more movie reviews, check out Focus on the Family’s website Plugged In.  Plugged In offers very thorough reviews of movies from a Christian perspective as well as reviews for TV shows, music, and video games.  Their reviews are so thorough; however, that it’s both a good thing and a bad thing. 

The good side is that it’s great because everyone has different levels of convictions.  Some people might be okay with watching a movie that has a bar scene but not a movie with a scene of someone smoking meth.  Others may be opposed to any content of alcohol or drug use.  Plugged In’s thoroughness allows you to decide for yourself if the movie is something you want to allow your family to see.

            The bad side is that, again, words are very powerful.  If you have a vivid imagination like I have, then the reviews are so descriptive that you might as well just be watching the worst parts of the movie.  Plugged In is a great sight, but like with anything, you should apply discretion and good judgment when using it.    

Photo courtesy: Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3