Tag Archives: movies

Discombobulated

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I adore words. They are my happy place when a touch of boredom sets into an unplanned day. Here are a few, with their meanings, that happened my way during a “long word” binge on the Internet.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary — and, in an ironic twist, is the name for a fear of long words. Sesquipedalophobia is another term for the phobia. (I’ve never heard of this one.)

Antidisestablishmentarianism (/ˌæntidɪsɪˌstæblɪʃmənˈtɛəriənɪzəm/ ( listen), US also /ˌæntaɪ-/ ( listen)) is a position that advocates that a state Church (the “established church”) should continue to receive government patronage, rather than be disestablished. (I knew about this one but have never used it.)

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as “a nonsense word, originally used esp. by children, and typically expressing excited approbation: fantastic, fabulous”, while Dictionary.com says it is “used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.” (This one is an old favorite from the Mary Poppins movie.)

If you are feeling a little confused by these words, don’t worry, it may only mean that you are slightly discombobulated. Happy Saturday.

The Unseen Force Revisited

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Last Sunday I described the Holy Spirit as an unseen force, the analogy being the wind.

It was brought to my attention that a better description would perhaps have been…a power, a presence, a person…and I totally agree because I also think of Spirit in these terms.

It was suggested that “the force” was often connected to the movie, Star Wars’ “May The Force Be With You.” Funnily enough, I likened “The Force” as the Holy Spirit. As it turns out, the makers of Star Wars were trying to inject some spirituality into the movie to get people to think about God in some way, “the force” being their way of a subliminal message. (I gleaned this from researching the word “force”.)

Among the meanings for the word “force” in The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary are:

strength or energy, especially of an exceptional degree

active power

capacity to persuade or convince.

Because I have always thought of Holy Spirit as a powerful force in my life, who has persuaded and convinced me of many things, I wrote about Him that way without taking into consideration the way others see Him.

And so I stand happily corrected and thankful to my teachers for another lesson learned.

 

 

 

Following

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I saw this picture the other day and it reminded me of Matthew 4:19…“Come, follow me,” Jesus said…and I did.

It also reminded me of the movie, The Sister Act and the wonderful way it portrayed the song, “I Will Follow Him”. Enjoy.

seasonalwonderment: “~ Spring is in the Air ~ ”

 

 

Stretch the Imagination

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Wm. P. Young wrote a book, “The Shack”, in 2007 and this year it was made into a movie. I read the book twice in that ten year span and just watched the movie this week.

What a test for the faith concept and the depiction of God himself…not only God but his  counterparts, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They all come together in “the shack” to show the protagonist Mackenzie Phillips that the pain he is suffering over the loss of his five-year-old daughter, Missy, is mostly of his own making.

Mack relives his own painful childhood, including the murder of his father which he himself committed. He dwells on the guilt he feels about leaving Missy alone while he ran to rescue his two other children from a capsized boat. He blames God for it all.

The unfolding tale shows Mack coming to grips with his beliefs, his doubts, and most of all his faith.

This story has a way of opening the mind to new concepts of how we perceive the triune and how we can relate Mack’s pain to the pain in our own lives and how we deal with it. This story is a real eye opener, but it is the way God is portrayed that stretches the imagination.

See It When You Believe It

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After watching the movie, Field of Dreams, with Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones the other night, I was reminded of a quote, You will see it when you believe it. I think that might be the title of a book written by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Too often we use the opposite of that quote which is I’ll believe it when I see it.

This was the third time for me watching this movie simply because of the good vibes it produces from beginning to end, from the whispering voice Kevin hears and follows, to the wonderful baseball heroes of the past, to the selflessness of Burt Lancaster’s character, Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham at the end of the movie.

Has it happened for you…something you believed in becoming a reality?

It happened for me with my book, “My Precious Life”. I had often talked about writing a book but lacked the confidence to follow through, until I heard that quote, You will see it when you believe it. And then I began believing I would write a book. A year later I held the book in my hand.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

 

Love Happens

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That’s the name of a movie I watched last night, starring Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, and Martin Sheen, among others. It’s a romantic drama about an inspirational author who helps people deal with their grief after losing a loved one, while all the time harboring his own.

There were some offensive language issues to get past, but the plot was good, Jennifer was her usual relaxed and believable self, and Martin Sheen closed the decidedly moving movie with some gentle humor.

It is a movie that brought tears to my eyes, a smile to my face, and a few outright bursts of laughter. It is a feel good movie that I will definitely watch again.

This is not a review by any means…just another form of feeling the love. With Valentine’s Day just ahead, feeling the love is a good thing.

 

 

Christian Humor Starring Forest Gump

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One of my church friends is suffering much pain and discomfort from a broken wrist. Trying to inject a little chuckle into her life, I sent her a card with the following funny tucked inside. She suggested that I share it on my blog, that other people might enjoy it. However, it helps if you have seen the movie Forest Gump.

Forest Gump and St. Peter

Clean Religious Jokes

When Forest Gump died, he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, “Welcome, Forest. We’ve heard a lot about you.” He continued, “Unfortunately, it’s getting pretty crowded up here and we find that we now have to give people an entrance examination before we let them in.”

“Okay,” said Forest. “I hope it’s not too hard. I’ve already been through a test. My momma used to say, ‘Life is like a final exam. It’s hard.’ ”

“Yes, Forest, I know. But this test is only three questions. Here they are.”

1) Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’?”

2) How many seconds are in a year?

3) What is God’s first name?

“Well, sir,” said Forest, “The first one is easy. Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’? Today and Tomorrow.”

St. Peter looked surprised and said, “Well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but you have a point. I give you credit for that answer.”

“The next question,” said Forest, “How many seconds are in a year? Twelve.”

“Twelve?” said St. Peter, surprised and confused.

“Yes, sir. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd …”

St. Peter interrupted him. “I see what you mean. I’ll have to give you credit for that one, too.”

“And the last question,” said Forest, “What is God’s first name? It’s Andy.”

“Andy?” said St. Peter, in shock. “How did you come up with ‘Andy’?”

“I learned it in church. We used to sing about it.” Forest broke into song, “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own.”

St. Peter opened the gate to heaven and said, “Run, Forest, Run!”

(Actually, another congregation member also has a broken wrist. I hope she enjoys this also. Please heal, ladies.)