therookie

This is a compilation of some of the movies that we have used and the points they have been used to illustrate.

WHAT MOVIE	POINTS THE MOVIES CAN BRING OUT
1. Bruce Almighty	Actions and Consequences, Prayer, Free Will, God's Character
2. Castaway	Letting Go - of sin, of comfort..
3. Changing Lanes	Judgement, Is There A God?, Goodness = Heaven?, Jesus The Only Way?
4. The Rookie	Perseverance, God's Promises
5. Shawshank Redemption	Freedom (from sin, not freedom to sin)
6. Field Of Dreams	Faith, (also persevering, belief, vision, prophecy, healing)
7. What Dreams May Come	Heaven and Hell (although reflected bizarrely in the movie)
8. Pay It Forward	Faith without good works is no faith
9. Forrest Gump	Life, love and loyalty
10. The Hulk	Change and transformation
11. Spiderman	Knowing who you are - perseverance - good defeating evil
12. Finding Nemo	Loyalty - Love - Perseverance - Spreading the Gospel - Disobedience - Not judging
13. The Fighting Temptations	Music - The Heart - No more frontin' - Hypocrisy - Being right with God
14. X-Men 2	Identity - God - Sacrifice
15. Barbershop 2	Choices
16. Mean Girls	Being true to yourself, relationships, bitchiness, forgiveness, hypocrisy
17. Day After Tomorrow	End of the world, faith, friendship, teamwork, perseverance
18. Coach Carter	Basketball coach teaches tough students to win on and off the pitch

Bruce Almighty | TOP

OK, so every Christian youth worker is gonna be using clips from this movie but hey! As you probably know, there are some dodgy parts to this movie. They are totally unnecessary as far as I see. swearing where there could easily be none for example. Why the need?

PS. click here for an interview with the director of Bruce Almighty

Anyways..

1. Every action has a consequence. When Bruce becomes God, he has great power. But with this comes a great responsibility, and one he doesn't initially see.

Bruce gets the opportunity to be all-powerful in his area. One night he tugs down the moon in a romantic gesture to his girlfriend. She appreciates it. However, next day Bruce's girlfriend (not knowing about Bruce's powers) watches the news and finds that due to strange lunar activity, there have been floods in another part of the world. On another occasion., he simply answers 'yes to all' people's prayers and this ends up causing havoc in Buffalo as thousands of people 'win' the lottery and go on the rampage when their money is withheld.

Jesus said that whoever has a lot will have a lot expected from them. If God gifts us we must use it, we should submit that gift wholly to God, use that gift for God and use it wisely. God may withdraw the gift or anointing.

2. Does God answer prayer? How? This is a question that has confused and frustrated people throughout time. When 'God' speaks to Bruce in the movie, he tells Bruce that exercising power is not as easy as it seems. Nor is answering prayer.

It's very surprising how many people pray or call out to an unseen God, especially in times of crisis. Even the hardened pagan may call out to God when their life is in danger. The movie shows Bruce's girlfriend praying for him regularly. Quite amazing in a secular movie. (Still, I'm not completely convinced about her being a real disciple of Jesus as she's living and sleeping with Bruce). Still, we also see that millions of prayer requests come in from across the city of Buffalo each day.

So does God answer prayer? When God doesn't, why? Of course, we know God answers prayer but we need to check our motivation, check our hearts so we aren't deliberately sinning, understand that God's answers prayer in different ways to how we expect, sometimes God says no, many times we don't see the answers, other times we just don't know or understand.

3. Free will. In the movie, 'God' limits the use of Bruce's gift, both geographically and he tells Bruce that he can't mess with people's free will. When Bruce tries to make his girlfriend love him at one stage, he fails. No amount of 'powers' will help.

The Lord God (the real God that is!) gives us free will. He gives us the choice to accept him or reject him. OK, so if God's hand is on our lives, God may eventually draw us to him but how is our choice. Other times we can walk away from God in our Christian lives and God loves us enough to allow us to do this, usually until we see the stupidity of trying to live without and for God!

4. God's character. What is God like? Is he like Morgan Freeman who plays 'God' in the movie? Does God have a shiny white suit, live in a white building, have a sense of humour? God is a distant being sitting on a fluffy cloud right?! How do we know what God is like? Well, the Bible tells us to look at Jesus. Colossians 1.15 says Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Want to know more about God? Look at Jesus. Like Morgan Freeman, God does have some neat tricks, he does have a sense of humour, he has great wisdom and power, he cleans the floors, mends the lights. But God is so much more. Where is God? God is reflected in his creation, in the life of Jesus and today in the work of his people, fired by the turbine engine that is the Holy Spirit.

5. Notice how God is present in the movie as man! There's a parallel here with the life of Jesus - his ministry was and is one of personal involvement in personal lives. How would it change your relationship with God if you talked to him as if he was there with you as a friend in the flesh? (Don't take this too far, talking to your 'friend' on the bus will result in disturbed looks from people who will shift away from you whispering, 'he's crazy')

6. In one classic line in the movie, God says to Bruce, 'That's the problem with people, they keep looking upwards.' What do you think 'God' meant when he said this. Discuss!

Castaway | TOP

About half an hour from the end of the movie, we find that Tom Hanks has to make some decisions about what he's going to do. He's been stranded alone on a desert island for months. He makes the decision to leave on a raft, taking his friend, 'Wilson' (a soccer ball) with him. On the journey he experiences some heavy storms. During one of these storms, Wilson is dislodged from the raft and heads off into the distant sea. Tom Hanks jumps in from the raft after the ball, trying to drag the raft with him to where the ball is going. He loses hold of the rope and has to make a decision about going after the ball or going back to the raft. Much to his dismay he has no choice but to head back to the raft. However, after crying over his loss, in the next scene he is rescued.

Sometimes as a Christian we are tugged in different directions. Sometimes Satan tempts us in one way but we know we should go the other way. Sometimes we have to let go of things, people, behaviours in order to follow the direction Jesus has called us in. Tom Hanks has set out on the raft to find help. He loses Wilson but does get rescued. If God has set your feet on a path, make sure you keep your eyes focused on Jesus, heaven - and not the things of the world - like soccer or whatever!

Changing Lanes (15) | TOP

This movie is about 2 men from different walks of life who have an accident on a freeway in New York. Due to this, one man misses an appointment with his estranged wife, the other loses an important document. Both men are unable to sort their differences due to their circumstances. Gradually, recriminations grow and each takes increasingly desperate action to try to force the other to 'pay' for their actions.

This movie is an excellent one for looking at revenge and how it doesn't pay. The movie ends with positive action, saying sorry and with both men taking steps to effect positive changes in their lives. For this you can look at Matthew 5.43- 48 about loving all people and not fighting back. You can also look at Matthew 18.15-35 about dealing with people sinning against you, what your reaction should be - and forgiveness. Any clips from the movie need editing from swearing.

The other main clip I found is about three-quarters of the way through the movie where Gavin (one of the main characters who's a lawyer) is talking with his boss, who has very few scruples about anything. Gavin questions his boss about how he justifies his immoral actions. Gavin's boss replies, 'Because I think I do more good than harm. What other standard have I got?'

This reaction is so like the reaction of the world. It says these things:

1. I am my own judge and jury. I have own right and wrong
2. Therefore and because of this, there is no God
3. I do more good things than bad things. Therefore that's OK
4. It raises the issue that many young people tell me - 'I know X who's not a Christian and they do more good stuff and are a better person than Y who's a Christian. How come you say Y will go to heaven and X won't.'

What is the Biblical prospective to this?

1. God has appointed Jesus to judge the people and the nations in the end times. (John 5.22 and 27). Until that time, Jesus comes as a giver of life, not as a maker of judgment (John 12.47). However, the judge will be the Word of God (John 12.48). It is against this standard we must judge ourselves, as a mirror reflecting our spiritual lives. This is a living, active process (Hebrews 4.12). We also have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us in what is right and Godly (John 16.8-15)

2. There is a God. We know through many ways. (Creation - through God's Word - through the Holy Spirit's work - through answered prayer - through the Spirit transforming lives and cities and nations). However, in the end days and through time, people will reject this (see 2 Timothy 4.1-5 and Romans 1). People even rejected Jesus in person.

3. There is only one way to God. Jesus. The Bible is clear. (John 14.6). To be in God's kingdom in this world and the next, we can only come through Jesus and his blood. Our names will be written in the Lamb's (Jesus') book of life (Revelation 21.27). Doing good is not enough. As we see in Romans 3, no-one is good enough to deserve getting into God's Kingdom.

Firstly, God makes people right with himself through Jesus (Romans 3.22). Second, Romans 3.23 says all have sinned (done wrong) and fallen short of God's standards. Third, all people need Jesus to get right with God. This is a free gift from God that we must receive and accept the conditions for (saying we're sorry, turning from wrong, asking Jesus to be lord over our lives). Fourth, the Bible re-affirms that getting right with God only comes through the blood of Jesus (verse 24). Fifth, God did this so he could be seen to judge rightly. God says - these are the conditions that must be fulfilled. The life of faith can be complex but we have to accept Jesus. You couldn't get into a millionaire's club if you aren't a millionaire. That's the condition of membership. So God's kingdom has its rules that must be followed.

Interestingly, although we can't get into God's kingdom by good works, being a Christian is expressed through good works. As God's Spirit works in the hearts of believers, they change and become world-changers.

4. God is a righteous and just judge (see Psalm 96). There are some questions we don't have answers for. In some cases, where for example people haven't heard the Gospel, I believe God will judge fairly.

The Rookie | TOP

This is a movie about a guy who has a dream to play in the Major League but doesn't. As a teacher training his team in baseball, they strike a deal. They win their league and he then has to try out for the Majors. Sure enough this happens. Over time, he finds himself playing Major League due to his fast ball - weighing in at 98mph.

The clip is at the defining moment when the team challenge him with the deal mentioned above. They win their league and he then has to try out for the Majors. The school team has just lost a game and he tells them they bottled it. They agree but then go on to challenge him to try for the Majors. He agrees. If you want, you can throw in a clip near the end of the movie when he pitches or when the students walk into the stadium.

The point is that perseverance pays off. The Bible says in Hebrews 12.1, 'We have around us many people whose lives tells us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back.'

It is also a challenge to hold onto God's promises to us, to claim them, to believe they will happen and to look towards making that thing happen. If something burns in your heart that you want to achieve for God, throw off bad stuff that would get in the way and fix your eyes on Jesus and run your race.

I have a baseball poster on my wall from Philippians 4.13, ('I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me') The strap line on the poster says, 'Pursue you dream with courage. Prepare your heart with determination.' Go and do likewise people!

The Shawshank Redemption | TOP

Andy Dufresne has been imprisoned for something he didn't do. He has been attacked in prison. He has found out that someone else admitted to the murder he's doing time for. He's told the Warden who has killed the man with the evidence because he wants Andy in the prison to help make him money. A good movie for perseverance again? Yep, but our theme this time is freedom.

I have to admit taking no credit for this. I saw this used at Spring Harvest 2003 week 2 in Evolution at Minehead. But hey, good ideas are to be shared.

The clip here is where Andy Dufresne makes his escape, near the end of the movie. The clip is around 4 mins long. It does have one swear word when it says, 'Andy crawled through 500 yards of foul, stinking, sh*t..' but this is in relation to the sewage pipe he crawls through to escape. (Clip is around 1 hr 58 mins in from start of VCR tape)

Galatians 5.1 says, 'We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law.' Paul is talking about the liberation of the new life in Christ. No longer are we slaves to sin, slaves to having to obey the law. There is a new way. This is the way of the Spirit, the way of grace through Christ.

Galatians 5.13 says, 'My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love.' So we learn that freedom does not mean doing whatever we want. Freedom is life within the boundaries Christ has given us so that we can be free. Freedom is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin!

Field Of Dreams | TOP

Kevin Costner in the movie that made his career stars as Roy Kinsella, a Iowa farmer who makes his cornfield into a baseball pitch after hearing a mysterious voice when walking in his field. This is a 'spiritual movie' full of hope, vision and faith.

Early on in the movie, Roy is walking in his field when he hears a voice whispering through the cornfield saying, 'If you build it, he will come.' He doesn't know what it means. This happens a couple times. When Roy discovers he is being called to build a baseball field, people laugh at him. He does build it however and Shoeless Joe Jackson returns to that field to play ball. You can take a clip from these early parts of the movie. Or from the part of the movie where the field is being built and other farmers are laughing.

If you want, there is a clip near the end of the movie. Roy's cousin is there and he cannot see the players out there on the field that Roy has built. However, after a moment when Roy's daughter falls off the stand and has her life saved by 'Doc', the cousin can suddenly see the players on the field.

Right at the end of the movie, you hear both 'Terence Mann' (and the daughter before she falls) assure the financially-stricken Roy and wife that 'people will come see a line of traffic coming towards the farm, people coming as prophesied.

So many good points here - faith, belief, pushing ahead despite the doubters, having a 'can-do' attitude, vision, prophecy and more..

What Dreams May Come | TOP

Note this movie is kinda depressing through a lot of it but has a happy ending which is always nice! It is bizarre with interesting interpretations of heaven and hell. But so what as this can stimulate discussion around what is heaven and hell..

In this movie (which carries a 15 rating), Robin Williams plays a man who meets his soul mate and finds happiness but his life is shattered by the death of his 2 children. He himself then dies and finds himself in heaven where someone we take to be an angel helps him out, His wife, overcome with the pain of her losses eventually kills herself although you don't see this. Unfortunately for her, she ends up in a hell.

The poor guy Robin can't bear life apart from his wife, even when he finds out the guy helping him is his son, and a woman helping him is his daughter. No, he must rescue his wife from hell so in to hell he goes.. I won't spoil the movie but it all works out in the end.. aahhh.. Still it is an unrealistic and kooky movie in parts..

The clips you can take are of when Robin arrives in heaven, when he goes to hell and the end scenes. Interesting take on the whole re-incarnation thing which again should lead to discussion as this sure isn't Biblical or truthful. But let the debate commence..

Pay It Forward | TOP

A teacher at a school challenges his 11 year-old students to make a difference in the world. He gives it to them as an on-going assignment for the whole year. This challenge is listened to intently by Trevor who unknown to anyone else initially, decides to put an idea into practice.

Trevor's home life isn't great. His alcoholic mum works in a pole dancing bar and his abusive dad has left home. Nevertheless Trevor decides to put his strategy to the test. The first thing he does is allow a homeless drug addict in to his house to let him shower and sleep in the back of his mum's broken pick-up truck. Meanwhile, the movie takes us to Los Angeles 4 months on where a reporter has his car damaged - but a total stranger gives the reporter his Jaguar for free. Intrigued, the reporter wants to find out more about why and finds the principle of 'Pay It Forward'.

Cut back to Trevor at his school explaining his principle in front of the class: you help 3 people, 3 strangers, for no reason but to help them, they then have to help 3 other people.. before you know it this idea of 'pay it forward' reaches loads of people. If it works. Trevor finds that life isn't always that simple. A powerful and moving story of hope in the middle of helplessness.

The clip is of Trevor explaining his principle. If you rewind the movie back a bit you can also include the part where Trevor's mum discovers the homeless man living in her truck in the garage. If you watch through the movie there's a piece where Trevor gets interviewed by the reporter. This can be stitched into the clip if you can to help.

The point is that we can make a difference - that our faith must be demonstrated through action as well as prayer. You can use James 2.14-26 for more.

Forrest Gump | TOP

Persistence

There are many moments in the movie when Forrest shows great persistence and patience. For example when Forrest runs across the country. This is also quite funny a funny clip.

Love

Forrest's commitment to Jenny despite all her problems. Even when she is dying he agrees to marry her and to love and look after little Forrest. The clip to use would be at the end of the movie with the wedding.

Courage

When Forrest rescues his comrades during a bombing in Vietnam. He goes back time after time to get different members of his squad unhesitatingly.

Hope

The movie was so successful because it was about hope and offered hope. It was an inspirational story. The whole movie is about hope conquering despair and problems. This is what people need in their lives. Hope can be when Forrest takes over Bubba's idea of a shrimp boat. All the other boats get destroyed but Forrest's boat survives and through it he gains financial reward, not that this is his priority.

Faith

This is a movie about faith. Not faith that we express towards Jesus as his disciples, but a kind of faith. Forrest demonstrates this faith

Overcoming disability and adversity

You can use this film to show Forrest overcoming adversity by showing the clip at the start of the movie when Forrest runs from people bullying him. Secondly, Forrest has a mental disability but he overcomes this and his true loving self shines though. We should treat people as Forrest does.

Life and death

This is a movie about real life. Forrest's mum dies, Jenny dies. But little Forrest is born. Lieutenant Dan survives his depression to work with Forrest

The Hulk | TOP

The Hulk is about a man who changes into a green super-being as you well know!

In the movie the clip to use is the moment that the Hulk first becomes 'The Hulk' if you see what I mean. You'll need to watch it (if you can) to decide which clips to use and for how long.

The point - is that as Christians we have become followers of Jesus, members of the Kingdom of God. As part of this, we find ourselves changing to be children of God, no longer ruled by sin and self but under the authority of Jesus.. we change from the old self to the new self.

One of the most important things as a Christian is integrity - being and staying the same person - men and women of God. This means that unlike the Hulk we don't change back and forwards between 2 beings but stay the same person, a child of God.

This is hard in our lives because there are so many pressures on us to act in ways that Jesus wouldn't. There are so many temptations, many times when choosing to stand and stay as a Christian is so hard. But God promises that he will be with us and not let us get tempted beyond what we can handle.

So next time you're tempted to not act like a Christian, remember the Hulk and try to stay and stand as one of Jesus' disciples - a disciple he loves and helps to only change for the better, to be more like Jesus.

Spiderman | TOP

1. KNOWING WHO YOU ARE

Clip - Peter Parker gets bitten by the spider when on a visit. He doesn't know what's going on but knows that something strange is happening. An amusing part is when he hits the bully in the school and sends him flying through the air. You can use any clips around this part of the movie - edit as needed.

Peter Parker is a bit sad, he misses the school bus and is considered to be a freak. Maybe that's like you.

The truth is, we are all searching for who we are, especially when we are younger. We may long to be attractive, famous, have lots of friends, be popular, be the fastest, the baddest, whatever. We are looking for meaning in life. Many people try different things to find their identity - drugs, alcohol, sex, work, money.

Invariably though these things are empty - a long list of people who have found these things but ended up with problems - Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain (the lead singer from Nirvana who killed himself), Angus Deayton (now disgraced TV presenter), Winona Ryder (Hollywood actress caught shoplifting).

Many of us may try different, less serious things to find ourselves like fighting, vandalism, clubbing or whatever. However, God makes it clear that only in Jesus do we have a true identity. Only through Jesus can we totally discover who we are, who we are meant to be and who we will become. Jesus said 'I have come to give life to the fullest'. Take his words, believe, then act on them today.

2. PERSEVERANCE

Clip - after Peter has the fight with the bully at school and then runs off, his web attached to a plate. He sees sort of spider 'claws' on his skin and climbs up a wall. There are then a couple of clips of him swinging through the streets (and hitting a wall) and practicing his web in his bedroom.

Many of us can testify, like Spidey that life isn't always easy. Things don't always come easily. We have to work and sometimes fight hard to achieve. Many people give up before they achieve the goals they want to achieve. There are a long list of people like Abraham Lincoln (a famous US president), Thomas Edisson (a famous inventor) and many pop singers (like Darius) who say - keep going, pursue your hearts desire, keep working to achieve.

Does this mean we should go for our goals at any price? No, remember the words from Spidey's uncle. 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is just another way of saying the words of Jesus who said, 'to those who get given a lot, a lot will be expected.'

Spiderman responds to the words of his uncle by using his powers for good, not for evil. What about you? Will you go after what is good, what is right, what will make a difference? Will you keep on making a difference to make this world a better place? Will you look to the one who makes the world a better place - Jesus?

3. GOOD DEFEATING EVIL

Clip - right near the end of the film, the fight sequence. Be aware that some of this is a bit violent. It also has the Goblin saying the words, 'you've really p****d me off' which will need cutting (we forgot - oops!!) It's about a 5 minute clip from the time that Spidey arrives on the Brooklyn (?) Bridge and Goblin has the Kirsten Dunst in one hand and a cable car of children in the other. It ends when Spidey pulls the wall down on Goblin (the next part is a bit too nasty!)

Spiderman - the defender of what is good and right - defeats the goblin, who represents evil. However, we also find out that the Goblin's son feels bitter towards Spiderman because of the death of his father. A sequel beckons..

So here's the part where you can challenge young people about the battle between good and evil. The amazing news is that Jesus has defeated Satan when he died and rose again. We know that if we side with God we are on the winning side. Jesus has also said that those who are not with him are against him.

In life, we will have many battles, such as the one that Spidey fought against Goblin. Life can be a struggle but as Christians, we believe there is a hope, a better way. We believe that Jesus has won the final victory, overcome evil forever and that one day we will be with him in a place where there are no more battles, no more crying or suffering.

There is no time like the present. God is calling you today - he loves you more than you can imagine, he has great plans for you. He believes in you, thinks you're unique and have a special part to play in this world. He'll shake you, turn you right way round and make you the person you really are. Although times may be tough, Jesus is always there, standing next to you, supporting you in all your battles. One day, you will be with him. The alternative isn't worth thinking about.

Finding Nemo | TOP

Great movie this one. But how can we apply the clips to the Christian life?

Loyalty, love and perseverance

I'm struck by how Marlin perseveres in his campaign to find Nemo. Nemo shows perseverance when he tries to escape from the tank in the dentist's room and then when he tries to escape and then does escape. If you want loyalty then look at Dory and how she sticks by Marlin despite her memory loss and general battiness! Interesting that it's at the end of the movie just when Marlin has lost hope and Dory and him have fallen out that they find Nemo. Often victory in a situation stares us in the face round the next corner but we don't walk around the corner..

This also reflects God's constant love for us, searching us out and looking for us, despite our disobedience and sin. Kinda like the Prodigal Son.

Spreading the Gospel

Click to Chapter 17 on the DVD. For those with VHS the clip is just after Marlin and Dory have met the turtles and Dory starts telling the ickle turtles about his adventure to find Nemo. The news spreads as one deep sea creature passes the news onto another one and so on.

Point is that spreading the Word can be as simple as telling someone else about your adventure or life of faith and about Jesus. It may be through your lifestyle.

Disobedience

This can be found on Chapter 5 on the DVD. It is the clip where Marlin is trying to over-protect Nemo. Though he is over-bearing in his worry, his fears are grounded in the reality of his experience (loss of his wife and other 'kids'). Nemo is resentful and wants to be free so he chooses to swim out to the wreck of a boat against all warnings. As he reaches the boat, he is swept up by the dentist who is out fishing.

Point is that God has given us rules as guidelines to stay within for our own protection. We can all choose to swim out to the wreck - but we will get caught up in the net and suffer the consequences of our sin.

Not Judging

One of my favourite scenes, this is the shark confessional sessions. Find it in Chapter 8. This is where we meet my boy, 'Bruce' the awesome Aussie shark. On first sights, Marlin is terrified, understandably. But we find that overall Bruce and friends are top fish, committed to not eating other fish, 'Fish are friends' being their motto.

Point is we shouldn't judge characters on appearance. I heard a story of a guy on mission who bumped into a homeless guy in an inner city are. This homeless guys in downtown US turned out to be a highly educated Brit with extraordinary Bible knowledge who ministered to this Christian youth worker. Jesus warns us not to judge. Plus we may miss out.

The Fighting Temptations| TOP

Another fun movie that's worth showing. Starring Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr, we follow the life of a New York ad-man who returns to his home town after his Aunt Sally dies and as part of the will has to lead the Church Choir into the Gospel Explosion competition in order to get Aunt Sally's money.

In Chapter 14 (DVD) we find the choir singing a song called 'Love Rain Down' and see that people start coming to the church. Music isn't worship but music can stir the hearts of people if used wisely for God and with God's anointing. It brings a smile to my heart hearing lively gospel songs too - try it!

Chapter 15 sees the hero Darren have his past catch up with him. He's run up a whole load of credit card debt and has been fronting about his life (the reason why he gets sacked at the start of the movie). One of the church members (called Paulina) is only too happy to announce his problems in front of people at the church carnival. The point is that we reap what we sow, we cannot front before God and get away with it. Let's live lives of truth and integrity. God sees everything anyway! (1hr 27mins into the movie)

Chapter 17 - The self-righteous Paulina has assumed control of the gospel choir in the Gospel Explosion competition and starts telling people they need to get right with God. In fact, she's made a list of everyone's 'sins' and is about to publicly announce all these sins. (I think we've all got these types in our churches!)

Then Darren and Beyonce turn up and Darren assumes control. Paulina won't go without a fight but her downfall comes through the baptised members of the choir voting to throw her out. This is ironic as she was the one who insisted on the choir being baptised. The Reverend also reveals that Paulina has been lying about her supposedly 'dead' husband. Another lesson in not being hypocritical, reaping what you sow and integrity.

(1hr 38.50mins into the movie, this clip has parts of singing from the Blind Boys Of Alabama in the middle of it). This is a fairly short clip so you'll need to run it on to 1hr 42.32 when Paulina is kicked out of the choir!

Chapter 19 - The uplifting ending to the movie. Again, the music is funky and full of life. Unlike many of our churches. There are lessons in this movie about music believe! But we do see a church united, singing together and worshipping God. This is the kind of church I want to belong to. You?

By the way the Christian rapper T-Bone is 'Briggs' - one of the convicts in this movie and his music features during and through the end credits of the movie. Big ups to T-Bone. See a feature with T-Bone here and another feature here. See a good review of the movie here.

X-Men 2 | TOP

Identity

You'll find the clip at Chapter 3 on the DVD. The clip is set in the Canadian wilds with Logan desperately trying to find his routes so that he can find his identity. His mind is full of flashbacks and images but he cannot recall his past. Without knowing his past he finds part of himself missing and his future is also uncertain. He is restless and unsettled.

Point is that we find our true identity in Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Without him we have no past, present or future. Only in Christ will we find rest, peace and purpose.

God

In Chapter 8 of the DVD we find Professor Xavier in Cerebro, the big room that enables him to use his telepathic powers to their fullest. He is looking for a mutant that attacked the President of the US. In Cerebro, Xavier can see all people walking around, mutants and humans have different light forces that enables him to identify who they are and where they are.

OK, so God is infinite and beyond understanding. He makes Cerebro look like a baby's toy. But we need to fear God in the sense of utter awe and total respect and worship. He alone is worthy. God sees all things. He knows our thought and words before we think them, he had Jesus choose us and call us for such a time as this. Think about the consequences of God knowing and seeing all things in your life. My sinful life if displayed would make Kill Bill the movie look tame. So aren't you glad for Jesus, for the Word, for God and that we can have forgiveness??

Sacrifice

'On the cross you died all bleedin, but Lord that gave me freedom, and even if people can't see em, your truth the way from demons..' are the lyrics from my rap remixing Psalm 139.

In X-Men 2 in Chapter 36, we find Jean Grey sacrificing her life so the X-Men spacecraft can take off to safety. She gets out of the craft and holds back the waters with her telepathic powers, in a kind of modern day superhero Moses style. (I wonder how much of superhero powers are subconsciously based on the Bible..) She dies in the struggle, a shocking waste of a perfectly fit woman I say!!

But wait. We find a greater parallel with Jesus on the Cross. On the Cross, Jesus took all our sin upon and into himself so that by him dying and rising again, our sin could be put to death through him. If we confess our sins, he is faithful in doing this so the Word tells us. Jesus died that we may live. Nuff said.

Barbershop 2 | TOP

This is all about Choices. In Barbershop 2 (which is a 15 incidentally), Kalvin (the owner of the barbershop) has competition in the form of a new barbershop opening opposite. This is all part of a plan from a developer to force out the local community to build new housing and businesses, breaking up the community. It appears the local government is on the side of the developer too.

Cut to Scene / Chapter 26 - Timing is 1:12:06 when the developer says, 'Kalvin, all you have to do is talk' then continue to the end of the chapter when the councillor says 'Win Win' (timing 1:13:42). Be careful to edit out or fade down the word 's**t' when the government official says 's**t load of money' around 1:12:30.

Then you need Scene / Chapter 29 - Kalvin walks out of the barbershop on the way to the council meeting about the development of the neighbourhood. He has a choice to make, will he take the money offered to him or will he stick up for the community? Again, there's an edit of the word, 's**t' when Kalvin stands to talk and says, 'I'm not down with that s**t' (timing 1:25:42 - 1:24:43). The scene ends when the people clap Kalvin's speech (timing 1:27:00 onwards, maybe 1:28:00). He also talks about why Jesus wept. It's quite powerful. See the movie!

Mean Girls | TOP

Watched Mean Girls with my sister just recently on DVD and found it to be a pretty good comedy. Cady Heron is new to a school from her family life in Africa. At the school she comes across the 'alpha girls' referred to as the 'plastics' and falls for the boyfriend (Aaron Samuels) of the top 'plastic' girl, Regina George. Cady then embarks on a plot to get Aaron and bring about the downfall of Regina.

The movie addresses issues of friendship, of hypocrisy, of love, of being true to yourself, of the bitchiness of (especially) girls and of the power of forgiveness. Ultimately this is a story with a happy ending. It parodies American school life and the fake living of many students. It is also quite funny and a fairly harmless movie.

Friendship - scenes with Cady and her best friend, Janis. These guys fall out big time when Cady becomes too much like the 'plastic' girls in the school.

Hypocrisy - the scene at the pasrty at Cady's house. Towards the end of the scene, Aaron comes along and he ends us confronting Cady. When outside, Cady is then confronted by Janis who calls her a 'bitch.' The hypocrisy of Cady's life also comes tumbling down around her towards the end of the movie.

Forgiveness - the scene where Ms Norbury gets all the girls together to discuss their attitude towards each other. You could also show the last scene in the movie where the school is a much happier place.

Bitchiness - the same scene as above with Ms Norbury would be good, as would the immediately previous scene where Regina goes spreading leaflets around the school and all the girls end up fighting.

Being true to yourself - It's when Cady accepts who she is and is humbled / humbles herself that things change. There is a scene where Ms Norbury isn't in school cos of drug charges made up by Cady. Cady stands up and admits it was her. She then goes and helps win a maths competition when Ms Norbury gets back. In all this she gets the attention of Aaron too.

Day After Tomorrow | TOP

The Day After Tomorrow is about when the world goes into a fast ice age. This is an action packed movie full of excellent graphics and sound, a good storyline and happy ending. There are many points that can be brought out in this movie too.

End of the world - the theme of the whole movie. This can be linked into Matthew 24 and Luke 21, plus most of Revelation! Good clips for this from DVD would be Chapter 10 with lots of damage and explosions in LA, or the 'tsunami' in Chapter 14 hitting New York.

Faith - Chapter 19, the people are sheltering in the library in New York. When the traffic officer hears and sees people going past outside, he encourages everyone in the library to join them. Sam warns everyone that if they go outside they'll die. Unfortunately most people go. Some people, including Sam's friends stay behind. At the end of the day, these people live. The others freeze to death outside.

Teamwork and/or Friendship - Chapter 21 shows when those that stay behind in the library work together to make sure they stay warm. This also is demonstrated by Sam when he finds that Laura has cut her leg and is ill. They risk going across to a ship and are chased by wolves in order to get medical aid for Laura. This is in Chapter 27.

Perseverance - Chapter 22 and 23 show when Sam's dad, Jack, comes to rescue him. This also continues in Chapter 28, 29, 30 and 31 when Jack finally finds Sam and all the guys in the library.

Friendship / aliens / strangers - The President's speech in Chapter 31 is quite powerful.

Very high quality DVD image and sound too..

Coach Carter | TOP

Moving story about a new high school basketball coach, played brilliantly by Morgan Freeman. The new coach comes in with some tough love for a group of students the school has written off. But through his belief in them, his training and support, the majority of the lads turn their lives around and achieve both on and off the pitch. This is more than a cliched movie, it's well worth catching and explores life in and outside of the school for young black males in the States. The balling action is no And1 Street DVD but it is fairly realistic. One or two issues are addressed that we don't normally hear about (pregnancy, abortion) and we see challenges from a black man about the behaviour of other black males, which is interesting too. Great movie and the acting is outstanding all round. This is based on a true story.

But what can we learn..

1. Tough love - this is the kind of thing that God does with us. He loves us and gives us the freedom to make mistakes. But God's love is a tough love, he is shaping us and refining us. In fact we learn from the Bible that God disciplines the ones he loves. Same with Coach Carter as he disciplines and shapes his team.

2. Life is more than a game - the students live in a tough neighbourhood. They love basketball. But they find out that life is about more than the game. This is a lesson for us. Sometimes we can be so committed to something that we miss God. Other times we're so committed religiously that we miss people around us, miss out on life, miss opportunities to love and share the Gospel.

3. You can make a difference - OK, so its a cliche. But you can make a difference, whether you're a ball coach, a youth worker or a student with your classmates. There are so many ways in which the Coach makes a difference in the lives of the students - support, care, education and life skills. Everything you do for God is worth it, nothing is wasted.

4. Perseverance - pushing on and pushing through is one of life's greatest lessons. But it's often a lesson in our Christian life and Christian ministry. The coach in Coach Carter makes a bold decision to close the basketball team down until the lads start achieving. There is such great opposition that the ball court is forced to re-open and the Coach is preparing to resign. But as he walks onto the court to get his papers, he finds the lads sat there with desks, learning not playing ball. Ultimately, his way proves right. Sometimes you have to take a stand for what you believe in.

More points will be added when the movie is released onto DVD in August 2005.. Get it.