Our youngest daughter, Sarah, is on the swim team. She loves it! She wears her swimsuit to church (under her dress), and she wears her fins (you and I call them flippers) around the house. I have even come in occasionally to find her watching TV while wearing her goggles! She can’t wait to get to swim, and she never fusses, even when she swims a mile (with very little rest) during practice. She just can’t get enough.
She has two new swim suits that she just got this month. Every time I see her standing up there in her blue Speedo suit, with her little pink goggles and swim cap, I can’t help but see Jesus, because, you see, Jesus gave her the wonderful new blue Speedo. And while, in her mind, she just got a new groovy swimsuit, in my mind, God taught me a wonderful lesson. He taught me to truly understand the concept of giving and receiving.
2 Corinthians 8:15 says, “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” I have experienced the receiving half of this verse, but now I desire to experience the giving half the way it has been shown to me.
In the last 3 months, God has given us so many blessings, from money for a mission trip, to family blessings, to …. yep, you guessed it - a Speedo! God showed us, through a precious family who gave us a TON of clothes (that they could have sold for a lot of money), how to TRULY give. On a beautiful Thursday afternoon, our three girls were able to find clothes, shoes, swimsuits, jackets, jammies, etc, enough to make a new wardrobe each (literally). Through that sweet family, God taught me the principle of giving. Not just the “collect our OLD things and put them in the drop box“, but to really give. He has stirred in me the desire to be able to give the way this precious family has done - and more!
Thank God for all of our blessings - especially the blue Speedo!!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Movie Monday - Favorite Character Type
For this week's movie topic, what is your favorite TYPE of character? Do you like the strong, sweet, bad, complex, simple-minded, etc? For instance, my favorite is the underdog. I love to see the weak, sick, misunderstood sap come out on top.
Some of my favorite characters are....oh, there are so many:
I love Edward Scissorhands in Edward Scissorhands - he's so kind and innocent, but no one understands him.
I love Ed Wood in Ed Wood - he's totally eccentric and misunderstood and horrible as a director, but boy did he have passion.
I love Elle Woods in Legally Blonde - she's the exact opposite of the rest of the Harvard Law students, but she outshined them all, while being true to herself.
I love Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday - she showed that you can be just as smart as all the rest of the people, smarter actually because she was authentic, and still be herself.
I love Michael Oher (and Leigh Anne Tuohy, for that matter)in The Blind Side.
I love Louanne Johnson in Dangerous Minds, Mark Thackeray in To Sir With Love, and Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers - they did not accept that her students were failures just because of their race, economic standing, or anything else.
I love Frances Ouimette in The Greatest Game Ever Played (as I've already stated in the previous post). Really like him.
I love Akeelah in Akeelah and the Bee.
I love V from V for Vendetta.
I love Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness.
I love Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter.
I love Wesley Gibson in Wanted.
And the list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on....
So, what type do you like? And who are some examples?
Some of my favorite characters are....oh, there are so many:
I love Edward Scissorhands in Edward Scissorhands - he's so kind and innocent, but no one understands him.
I love Ed Wood in Ed Wood - he's totally eccentric and misunderstood and horrible as a director, but boy did he have passion.
I love Elle Woods in Legally Blonde - she's the exact opposite of the rest of the Harvard Law students, but she outshined them all, while being true to herself.
I love Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday - she showed that you can be just as smart as all the rest of the people, smarter actually because she was authentic, and still be herself.
I love Michael Oher (and Leigh Anne Tuohy, for that matter)in The Blind Side.
I love Louanne Johnson in Dangerous Minds, Mark Thackeray in To Sir With Love, and Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers - they did not accept that her students were failures just because of their race, economic standing, or anything else.
I love Frances Ouimette in The Greatest Game Ever Played (as I've already stated in the previous post). Really like him.
I love Akeelah in Akeelah and the Bee.
I love V from V for Vendetta.
I love Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness.
I love Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter.
I love Wesley Gibson in Wanted.
And the list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on....
So, what type do you like? And who are some examples?
Monday, August 29, 2011
Movie Monday - Jenn recommends......
I have pondered for days about what movie I should write, or what aspect of movies we could discuss. I have thought about old movies, new movies, Monte Carlo (cause I saw it this week), favorite movies, favorite characters....and I think we must certainly discuss them all at some point, but not today.
Today, I want to share a movie that I saw several years ago. It was not well publicized, but it was one of those gems hiding away. It is called The Greatest Game Ever Played. I LOVED THIS MOVIE! It would definitely make it to my Top 20 list. I highly recommend getting it from Netflix (or whatever). It is the true story of golfer Frances Ouimette(if you don't love golf, don't let it stop you), and stars Shia LaBeouf (before he was famous), under the direction of Bill Paxton.
I went alone to see this movie and was truly able to experience it without distractions. I had never heard of any of the actors, but decided to take a chance because I love a true story. Boy am I glad I did?!
Shia LaBeouf did an amazing job as Frances. I could tell, even then, that he was going to do well in the business. He has great expression, being able to convey a page of stage directions in just one look. In one line, Frances, describing a musician, said, "It is like the music just comes through her from somewhere else..." That is excatly how golf was for him. He just had a gift and a passion, and these were undeniable in his life. It is easy to see why Bill Paxton wanted to tell this story.
The other actor that I just loved was Josh Flitter, who played the role of Eddie Lowery (caddy to Frances). He was a young kid, and I had never seen or heard of him, but he blew me away. He was so witty and had perfect comic timing for one so young.
In short, don't miss this movie. It is about passion and follow-through and how your place in life is not determined by money, name or anything else.
5 stars!!
Today, I want to share a movie that I saw several years ago. It was not well publicized, but it was one of those gems hiding away. It is called The Greatest Game Ever Played. I LOVED THIS MOVIE! It would definitely make it to my Top 20 list. I highly recommend getting it from Netflix (or whatever). It is the true story of golfer Frances Ouimette(if you don't love golf, don't let it stop you), and stars Shia LaBeouf (before he was famous), under the direction of Bill Paxton.
I went alone to see this movie and was truly able to experience it without distractions. I had never heard of any of the actors, but decided to take a chance because I love a true story. Boy am I glad I did?!
Shia LaBeouf did an amazing job as Frances. I could tell, even then, that he was going to do well in the business. He has great expression, being able to convey a page of stage directions in just one look. In one line, Frances, describing a musician, said, "It is like the music just comes through her from somewhere else..." That is excatly how golf was for him. He just had a gift and a passion, and these were undeniable in his life. It is easy to see why Bill Paxton wanted to tell this story.
The other actor that I just loved was Josh Flitter, who played the role of Eddie Lowery (caddy to Frances). He was a young kid, and I had never seen or heard of him, but he blew me away. He was so witty and had perfect comic timing for one so young.
In short, don't miss this movie. It is about passion and follow-through and how your place in life is not determined by money, name or anything else.
5 stars!!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Thirsty Thursday - "Jesus on Top Shot"
When I’m looking, God shows up in some of the craziest places. His latest appearance was last week on the show “Top Shot.” It’s a reality show with marksmen competing for $50,000 and the chance to become Top Shot.
One of the competitors is a Christian counselor named Dustin. He’s vocal about his faith (not in an obnoxious kind of way, but they know what he believes), and he doesn’t have anything after his name as a title like, “All Time National Champion of the World of Guns” or anything like that. So the team saw him as their weak link, and voted to send him to the “elimination challenge” (if you lose this, you have to leave). The comments before the challenge showed just how confident everyone was that he wasn’t gonna be coming back. Dustin was feeling the pressure, and even he seemed a little uncertain. I felt badly for him.
…….the dramatic cliffhanger before the commercial and thennnnnnnn….. The Challenge……
Dustin “smoked” his competitor. The crowd goes wild!! It was the upset of the day. He shot 24 of the targets and she only got 11. He had everything going against him, according to “the world” - He is a Christian, he is a Christian counselor, and …well, no title, so everyone expected him to lose. But that’s not how my God works!
God’s M.O. is to bring beauty from ashes, so what Dustin and everyone else (including me) thought was a bad thing (the elimination challenge), God used for His good. At the end of that night, all the teammates were praising his shooting and had TREMENDOUS respect for him. God took this little Christian counselor from underdog status to a respected member of the team. With comments like, “I didn’t know just what a strong shooter he was,” Dustin secured his place on the team. Now he will be able to continue to influence his teammates (and the world) for Christ in his gentle way for another week.
I love the way God works in ALL things for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.
Did you see Jesus in any little, out of the ordinary place this week??
One of the competitors is a Christian counselor named Dustin. He’s vocal about his faith (not in an obnoxious kind of way, but they know what he believes), and he doesn’t have anything after his name as a title like, “All Time National Champion of the World of Guns” or anything like that. So the team saw him as their weak link, and voted to send him to the “elimination challenge” (if you lose this, you have to leave). The comments before the challenge showed just how confident everyone was that he wasn’t gonna be coming back. Dustin was feeling the pressure, and even he seemed a little uncertain. I felt badly for him.
…….the dramatic cliffhanger before the commercial and thennnnnnnn….. The Challenge……
Dustin “smoked” his competitor. The crowd goes wild!! It was the upset of the day. He shot 24 of the targets and she only got 11. He had everything going against him, according to “the world” - He is a Christian, he is a Christian counselor, and …well, no title, so everyone expected him to lose. But that’s not how my God works!
God’s M.O. is to bring beauty from ashes, so what Dustin and everyone else (including me) thought was a bad thing (the elimination challenge), God used for His good. At the end of that night, all the teammates were praising his shooting and had TREMENDOUS respect for him. God took this little Christian counselor from underdog status to a respected member of the team. With comments like, “I didn’t know just what a strong shooter he was,” Dustin secured his place on the team. Now he will be able to continue to influence his teammates (and the world) for Christ in his gentle way for another week.
I love the way God works in ALL things for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.
Did you see Jesus in any little, out of the ordinary place this week??
Monday, August 22, 2011
Movie Monday - "The Help"
Oftentimes when we read a book and then see the movie, we don’t like the movie as much. When we read, our imaginations are so much more vivid than even the best special effects crews or set designers can create. As a result, movies based on books (sometimes) lack in character development, because it is tricky for a living person to embody all the nuances of a character completely fleshed out on the page.
With this in mind, I went to see “The Help.” I loved the book, so I had some concerns about the movie capturing what I loved. As it turns out, my trepidation was unfounded. The movie was very well done. Naturally, things were left out or slightly changed in the essence of time, but the movie was true to the soul of the book.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s race relations in Mississippi, it tells the story of the white women and their black domestic help. “Skeeter” is a white woman bent on breaking all the social mores of the time. She desires to write a book (what was she thinking?!), doesn’t feel the need to be tied to a man (shocking!), and she doesn’t think that the black maids are social pariahs, spreading diseases wherever they go. She believes they are human beings with a story to tell, and she wants to tell it, in the form of a novel. (oo-oo-we, we got trouble!).
The stellar performances were plentiful. Most notably was Bryce Dallas Howard (yep, “Opie’s” daughter) as the “high and mighty” Hilly Holbrook (she did this so well that I actually did abhor her, which is big, because I love Bryce Dallas Howard). Emma Stone (usually in comedic roles) nailed the more dramatic role of Skeeter. Viloa Davis gave abundant heart to Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer made Minny Jackson jump off the page!
Overall, there was plenty of drama (as you would expect), room for tears, and there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments! This one is definitely worth your time and your money. But don’t skip the book - it’s even better!
4 Stars
With this in mind, I went to see “The Help.” I loved the book, so I had some concerns about the movie capturing what I loved. As it turns out, my trepidation was unfounded. The movie was very well done. Naturally, things were left out or slightly changed in the essence of time, but the movie was true to the soul of the book.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s race relations in Mississippi, it tells the story of the white women and their black domestic help. “Skeeter” is a white woman bent on breaking all the social mores of the time. She desires to write a book (what was she thinking?!), doesn’t feel the need to be tied to a man (shocking!), and she doesn’t think that the black maids are social pariahs, spreading diseases wherever they go. She believes they are human beings with a story to tell, and she wants to tell it, in the form of a novel. (oo-oo-we, we got trouble!).
The stellar performances were plentiful. Most notably was Bryce Dallas Howard (yep, “Opie’s” daughter) as the “high and mighty” Hilly Holbrook (she did this so well that I actually did abhor her, which is big, because I love Bryce Dallas Howard). Emma Stone (usually in comedic roles) nailed the more dramatic role of Skeeter. Viloa Davis gave abundant heart to Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer made Minny Jackson jump off the page!
Overall, there was plenty of drama (as you would expect), room for tears, and there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments! This one is definitely worth your time and your money. But don’t skip the book - it’s even better!
4 Stars
Friday, August 19, 2011
Getting to know you......
It is my experience that people fall into a few different types of movie-goers.
The first group is the group that doesn't go at all. They can be overheard saying, "Oh the movies, ummmmm I haven't been to the movies since....ummmmm...well, the last movie I saw was Ghost, and I only saw it cause my wife made me go." I am always floored when I hear this, because I can't imagine a world in which I didn't go to 3 or more movies a month!
The second group is the group who only goes for the entertainment of a movie. They like to see a love story, or an action movie, or some cool special effects. They want to see big actors that they have heard of. They want highly publicized movies. They have left their psychology degrees at home and are looking for an escape. They can be heard saying, "I've never even heard of that. If nobody's talking about it, it must not be any good. Who is this guy in it? Oh uh-uh, that's one of those where you have to read the bottom!"
The third group is the group who loves the art of the film process. They don't care if there are subtitles, what the budget was to make it, who the actors are, or anything else. They look at many things - mainly the film-maker's vision. They see the layers of the story and the development of the characters, and they usually love the path less traveled. They don't care who the actors are, as long as they do it right. They are up for just about anything. They may say, "Oh, this was a favorite at the Film Festivals this year. The character development and the cinematography are breathtaking. Don't you just love a good foreign film."
There is also, of course, another group - a combination of them. So, which type are you?
The first group is the group that doesn't go at all. They can be overheard saying, "Oh the movies, ummmmm I haven't been to the movies since....ummmmm...well, the last movie I saw was Ghost, and I only saw it cause my wife made me go." I am always floored when I hear this, because I can't imagine a world in which I didn't go to 3 or more movies a month!
The second group is the group who only goes for the entertainment of a movie. They like to see a love story, or an action movie, or some cool special effects. They want to see big actors that they have heard of. They want highly publicized movies. They have left their psychology degrees at home and are looking for an escape. They can be heard saying, "I've never even heard of that. If nobody's talking about it, it must not be any good. Who is this guy in it? Oh uh-uh, that's one of those where you have to read the bottom!"
The third group is the group who loves the art of the film process. They don't care if there are subtitles, what the budget was to make it, who the actors are, or anything else. They look at many things - mainly the film-maker's vision. They see the layers of the story and the development of the characters, and they usually love the path less traveled. They don't care who the actors are, as long as they do it right. They are up for just about anything. They may say, "Oh, this was a favorite at the Film Festivals this year. The character development and the cinematography are breathtaking. Don't you just love a good foreign film."
There is also, of course, another group - a combination of them. So, which type are you?
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