Giving up Netflix Changed My Life

It’s important to have a grateful spirit.  To look at life and everything in it as a gift from God.  This Lenten time away from Netflix I am so thankful for books and the easy access (I have) to periodicals and all types of writings.  These past forty days I have read an abundance of literature on the saints, the Pope’s Exhortation, Christian spirituality and just plain fun pieces.  I have learned a great deal, but most importantly have gotten to know God deeper…  In the past I never really understood the power of fasting and abstinence nor the fruits that come from such a sacrifice.  This is the first Lent (since my conversion) that I seriously observed in true Catholic form.  I learned the power of following the traditions of the Catholic Church. You see, our church is very wise in offering us simple ways to celebrate the different times in Jesus’ life.  However, sometimes the simple ways get so diluted and distorted that no fruits are produced and instead of blaming ourselves for our inadequacy we blame the church and its "old ways."

I never understood fasting until this year.  Giving up Netflix really changed my life!  I never imagined that abstaining from awesome BBC Television Series would teach me the true meaning and effects of a fast done right (smile).  It was a struggle, especially because during the forty days I went through a depressive phase where I had very little energy to do anything at all.  Many days I almost fell into the temptation of watching a show thinking that breaking the fast wouldn’t hurt a soul; but, instead I offered my sacrifice for various intentions and occupied my time following my Lenten plan.  As I look back now, with still a few days remaining, I know that my small penance in addition to my dedication to prayer and almsgiving really brought transformation.  I learned that fasting without prayer doesn’t work!  That in ordered to reap the rewards of the Lenten Season I need to follow the ritual as the Catholic Church instructs me.  If I follow the indications of the church (in fasting, praying and almsgiving) then I am inviting Jesus to remain in me- to occupy more of me and I am allowing the change that is occurring in me to affect my community.  This happened to my seven-year-old nephew, he joined me in my Lenten lifestyle and he began to want more of God too!

Spending time at the Library and used Book Store....

This discipline of fasting and abstinence really inspired my faith, my prayer life increased and I am so looking forward to Easter!  It helped me realize that though it takes tremendous discipline - taming the body is possible.  That fasting and abstinence quiets the body so that our minds can open up to the realities of the spiritual realm…  In the pains of wanting to satisfy my thirst with a cold Coka-Cola I understood that I have the self-control to give up unhealthy foods.  This discovery motivated my desire to shed weight and I grasped that I can temporarily hurt for the betterment of self.  These past six weeks have been a time of such blessings and all because I followed the wisdom of my church.  During my prayer sessions, God spoke to me personally and gave me the strength to press on.  I realized that change can be good and that we always have areas that need more of God and thus more conversion!

Palm Sunday

Holy week begins marking the final week of the Season of Lent and also recounts the final days of the life of Christ as well as His death and resurrection.  I love Palm Sunday and the way the Catholic Church celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem.  This year Father decorated the church’s entry and path towards the altar with giant palm branches.  The decorated walk really helped transport the community to a beautiful day over two-thousand years when people honored Jesus as King.

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” John 12:12-13   

This Palm Sunday was really special because my nephew decided that he wanted to go to Mass and once we left the service he declared he wanted to come back every Sunday!  As you might recall, part of my Lenten plan included creating time to spend with my family.  During the past forty days I began a prayer series with my little man and also a time of evangelization.  Though we did miss quite a few days of prayer and learning- the time we did spend really helped him understand and appreciate our faith more.  Before our Lenten study, he thought all things godly translated into boring, but thanks to the Berenstain Bears this year his mind was transformed.  It was truly amazing to see the change in his character and his desire to pray more.  In fact, every day he reminded me that it was time to pray and when we missed prayer days it was really my fault.  During Mass on Sunday he was really trying to participate in all the celebration following the Missal and repeating the prayers.  He left with a palm branch and seriously contemplating a safe place to store it (smile).

His surprising transformation from a child who associated the faith with boredom to one who was drawn deep into the Spirit of God really helped me understand how we are all attracted to goodness (smile).  It also confirmed that Lent is a time to fast and in doing so produce fruits that have life changing effects.   

       

Come to Me all Who are Weary

Once a year my therapist and I complete an annual care plan.  It begins with an assessment of how well I achieved the goals we set for the previous year.  After looking at my accomplishments or lack thereof we create a new plan to continue my healing and progress to a more self-sufficient state (meaning no more therapy only an occasional visit with the psychiatrist for my meds).  It’s a difficult task to look at one’s brokenness in the company of another person and this week that’s just what I did with my therapist.  Together we took a critical view at my life and dug into my most private struggles.  As we talked about chronic fatigue, my weight, spending money, impulsivity, among other more confidential issues I felt like a total weirdo.  We talked about simple things like hygiene, diet and exercise and how doing simple things require so much effort most of the time.  We named the barriers that come with bipolar disorder like depression, anxiety, mania, irritability, low energy…  Finally, we created my personal care plan with goals and monthly targets- including reading literature on Distress Intolerance.  After leaving our very productive therapy session I felt so depressed!  The session reminded me of my weaknesses, my struggles and my brokenness.  It highlighted all these issues that I have and how much work I still need to do on myself.  It opened a door to self-loathing and self-pity.  It pushed me over the edge and as I was driving home I was thinking no man will ever love me; not with all this imperfection, with all this craziness and abnormality.  These repulsive thoughts dominated my mind for a couple of days because I didn’t take them to Jesus I decided to swim in the ugly pond of insecurity.  How fickle our emotions are- they toy with us and make us slaves to feeling.  I cancelled my Bible Study Group because I was feeling horrid and sat in front of my TV trying to distract myself from further thought.

An afternoon at the dog beach!

Nothing had changed from the moment I went into to my therapy session to the moment I left, only my thoughts and emotions.  I went from Christ centered to self-centered.  In the first book of Corinthians God asks us to be imitators of Him.  I do not recall a moment in Jesus’ ministry where He lost his heavenly focus especially when He faced great conflicts.  Instead He prayed.  I on the other hand lost all my joy and condemn myself to being unlovable, wow!  I didn’t rush to my heavenly Father for comfort nor did I abide in Him instead I focused on my problems, my fears and my weaknesses.  Goodness what a difficult week and all because I lost my focus!  Pope Francis said, “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.”  Isn’t that the beautiful truth!  God, our perfect, loving Father wants us to rush to Him always so that He can remind us that His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses so that our faith might rest in His power. People (myself included) have a tendency to focus on the problems and the pain, but God asks us to trust Him, to focus on Him.  As a result our relationship with God strengthens, our will becomes united to His and we become more useful to the mission (smile).  And He gives us peace and joy.  Children instinctively run to their parents when in need of comforting or faced with adversity, that's how we need to be with our Father in heaven; always running into His open arms. 

Losing Weight to Make Room for God

One of the first questions I want to ask God when we meet face-to-face is why does everything that taste so good have so many calories (smile).  I shared before how after I started taking the medications for my bipolar disorder I gained a ton of weight because one of the side effects of the meds is major food cravings.  In addition, as I struggled to regain my sanity after a tremendous manic phase I started using food as a tool to make myself feel better- at times it felt like the only thing I had control over was what I put in my mouth.  To cover my anxiety I ate and eventually I realized that my coping mechanism (of abusing food) was not a healthy technique, but by then I had gained an excessive amount of weight.  I then began a series of failed attempts at controlling my food intake and trying to lose the weight.  Yet, no matter how hard I have tried I haven’t been successful at sticking to a diet and exercise routine.  The positive is that no matter how many times I fail I refuse to give up.  This week I started my latest attempt at getting healthy and my dog has been very supportive since it means more walks for him (smile)! 

Life has taken me on paths that I never thought I would travel; I mean if a younger, vainer me had learned that I would be a plus size woman before my thirties I wouldn’t have believed it.  However, I have learned a great deal about what life is like for a curvy person, like: what a pain it is to find boots that will fit your calves, or how walking in heels is more tiring the heavier one is, or how finding cute clothes that fit is such a challenge and how looking at one’s reflection can be utterly painful.  The thing is that as we mature our bodies are going to change for the worst and we hold the power to decide how we are going to embrace this inevitable change.  It took a few years for me to look at my plus size reflection and be at peace with what I saw – though there are still days when it’s a little harder to accept myself.  The things is that while I am trying to do what I can to lose the weight in the mean time I need to accept myself because this is who I am right now.  One of the reasons that I love my dog is because no matter what I look like he treats me with the same love and devotion.  It’s important for us to have that type of unconditional self-love especially if we are Christians!  Self-acceptance creates empathy making us better lovers- because I have been given this opportunity to experience firsthand what it’s like to be a curvaceous woman I now understand the difficult process of transitioning from a skinny girl to a chubby one. 

While this change appears to be superficial it has a lot of damaging effects if we let it.  Thus, it’s crucial to allow God to reach us and redeem us especially in the areas that we are disappointed with.  Maturing in love is about loving other’s especially when they are difficult to love or when they are no longer as hot as they used to be- even if that person is ourselves.  Society makes us into commodities bombarding us (especially women) with the idea that we are only worthy if we look a certain way, but God tells us that we are always worthy...  Society tells us that we are lovable according to certain criteria our physical beauty being a huge part, but God tells us that there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us more.  Society lies and God speaks truth.  His truth set's us free and self-acceptance is easier with Him on our side.     

The Joy of Evangelization

Receiving Blessing from Father

I think that one of the reasons that I am so drawn to evangelization is because my spiritual pilgrimage began at an Evangelical Old Catholic Church- I learned to treasure God’s word and to desire to share God’s love with others.  Then as I finally found my home in the Roman Catholic Church through the movement of Jovenes Para Cristo I started to admire the lay men and women that taught us in weekly spiritual talks, courses and retreats.  They preached God’s word and were like teachers of the faith.  I was so motivated that I asked God to send me to preach the Good News.  Yet, I ended in the prayer ministry and while others took the floor to proclaim the gospel I was locked in the chapel praying for them.  This would be my role for the following two years, yet my spirit yearned to speak to the masses to share my testimony.  Looking back now I see that God was evangelizing me first!  Sometimes we yearn to go and preach all these wonderful truths we find in God, forgetting that the first person we have to reach is ourselves.  Pope Francis wrote this great exhortation: The Joyof the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium, in which he motivates us to be like the Samaritan woman and go share what God has done in our lives with others and to do so with joy.  The entire document is a jewel of wisdom and so easy to read if you want to be inspired and renewed read it!  It has so much substance yet, what caught my attention as pertaining to this post is that he urges us to transform ourselves in the process of trying to evangelize others.  In our hubris we can at times feel superior in our spirituality and like we no longer need to be transformed and renewed, yet our Pope reminds us that in the process of reaching others we must never forget to start the conversion with self!  Thus, do not deprive yourself of Christ thinking that you have graduated from the faith before you reach heaven.  I like to think of my Catholic faith as that of a child because the more I know the more I realize how much I don’t know (smile). 

The GAP dress and jacket, Bebe Cut-Out Heels-Yard Sale, Jewelry-Thrifted

When I returned to the Catholic Church, I was full of pride and I yearned to publicly declare my faith in religious settings, but God kept me hidden in the chapel.  In fact, I never got to publicly speak until I joined Life Teen last year.  Now as I share my faith in this forum I noticed that the person that is transforming the most by these posts is myself!  People that know me only through my blog sometimes erroneously classify me as this good, faithful woman and to those I want to tell you that if you want to admire someone admire Jesus!  If you desire to change become more like Jesus! “Though it is true that this mission demands great generosity on our part, it would be wrong to see it as a heroic individual undertaking, for it is first and foremost the Lord’s work, surpassing anything which we can see and understand. In every activity of evangelization, the primacy always belongs to God…”  We need to be vigilant that in our evangelizing attempts the one we are leading our brothers to is Christ and not ourselves.      

Life Is A Seasonal Affair

Sweet Dreams

It’s a given that I am madly in love with my dog.  Almost eleven years ago after my first heartache I found myself staring at cute, little pup behind a glass wall and I remember trying to capture his attention, but the puppy just kept lying down without any desire to be disturbed out of his great sadness.  All of his siblings had been purchased and he was the last one left in the litter.  His sorrow was deep - it matched my very own.  After asking the salesperson for permission to hold my future dog and the little guy being unresponsive to my touch I knew that I had to bring him home.  I took out my credit card and without looking at the price I adopted him on the spot.  I have often thought about our first meeting and the beginning of our story.  While it saddens me deeply that he was confined to such an inhumane, small space for the first couple months of his existence and that he suffered being left behind after each of his brothers was purchased – in truth he was waiting for me to walk into his life.  Though nothing seemed to be happening (as he sat in his cage) God had predestined for the two of us to come across and to be each other’s saving grace!  A great sadness connected us – yet, out of our pain God created such a beautiful redemptive story.

I just wanna hold your paw!

When I get discouraged about things like not finding my one-and-only or feeling dissatisfaction with my career and especially when I get really blue and feel like a complete failure- I reflect on the story of my Dog and I and I realize that during the times when I feel stuck - God is at work.  Since God is never early or late, we must learn to enjoy the periods of respite.  I was reading about wine vines and how during the winter there’s not a whole lot of visible activity; but the plants are resting storing energy for the demands of spring.  That’s such a sweet image – I almost envy nature because unlike us, it knows exactly what to do throughout its lifespan.  You will never see a bush trying to be a tree or a daisy trying to be a tulip- they know what they are and they embrace it.  Furthermore, they know when to grow, when to blossom and when to stop producing to simply rest! I think in this hustling culture we devalue moments of little productivity or times of patient waiting.  Yet, life is a seasonal affair from the time of our conception we must learn to wait.  The mother waits nine months to meet her babe and from that point forward everything follows a melodic tempo with highs, lows and the often dismissed lateral phases.  The biggest virtue one can pick up is patience and a docile spirit to not be troubled during the rhythmic intervals and transitions of life.  That’s why when I contemplate on the difficult wait of my dog in his confined glass cage I feel joy knowing that God has a perfect plan and a perfect time to execute His plan for each of us (smile).  If I hadn’t been in so much pain over the demise of my first romantic relationship when I entered the pet store I wouldn’t have recognized my equally depressed dog and I would have missed out on one of the most beautiful experiences of my life!  Though pain brought us together the joy of a love so pure has kept us united.  Dollar & Penny, two silly, little creatures full of love for one another and a happiness that was certainly worth the wait!

This week my babe started coughing on Sunday and he’s almost eleven so I was really worried and afraid of taking him to the vet because I didn’t feel capable of receiving bad news.  But after a full body examination the vet concluded that Dollar has Bronchitis.  “Praise God!”  Am not sure if I will be able to let him go when the time comes, but I rely on God and trust that He will give me the strength to bare the separation for I know without a doubt that dogs go to heaven too- it wouldn’t be heaven without their loyal, sweet, pure animal souls!  Until then I am going to love him more, spoil him more and enjoy him more…  When I come home he always waits for me and does this energetic dance- as I enter the door he hops, smiles and flips- I hope that one day instinctively I will be that excited every time I come in the presence of my Lord (smile).     

Fall In Love Again

I haven’t been in the mood to write lately—I remember experiencing this when I started medication for my bipolar disorder.  Part of the side effects included this all-consuming numbing sensation.  Going from an extremely emotional being to feeling “nothing” felt like death and at times I wanted to stop the meds just to feel something.  Yet, I pressed on and lived an unemotional life for months – I felt then that my creativity had died and I would never be able to write again.  Then one day, the pressing need to put pen to paper took over and I regained my ability to paint with words.  In a similar manner the high of falling in love with God faded and for a while my faith felt like nothing more than obligation… I picked up service opportunities and rushed from one activity to the next - rushing always rushing – thinking that a busy life translated into a Catholic life.  But like Martha dashing around gave me little time for prayer and diminished even more my connection with God.  I began to believe that the beauty and demise of my first initial reaction to God’s love was normal.  I had heard many testimonies stating that after years of following God emotions calmed and reached a plateau and then mature faith began.  A faith no longer measured by feelings, but facts.  While I understand and see the importance- the strength of a love so real that it requires one to love especially during those moments when our feelings betray us- I am also a romantic person. I need passion like I need air to exist and knowing God and His way of wooing I hoped that He would continue to overwhelm my senses.

After walking through a desert for a couple years finding my love rotting in a stagnant pool depleted of the initial ardor that drew me to God, I waited.  Then one day I stumbled on a lifeline and I found myself soaked in God’s passion.  The lifeline came in the shape of a naked, little soul so pure and inspiring that her love became my own, Saint Therese.  Reading her autobiography changed my way of loving God.  Up until the moment I opened The Story of a Soul I didn’t really understand the need to study the lives of the saints.  My zeal for Jesus consumed and blinded me- I wanted to focus on Him and Him alone- by reading the saints I naively thought my focus would be shifted away from Him.  What I have found is that through the memoirs of Saint Therese I have fallen in love all over again with God!  I find He occupies the majority of my thoughts and I want to talk to Him all the time.  It’s like we renewed our vows and we are back to the honeymoon stage- it’s so lovely!

GAP (3 dollar) Dress - On Major Sale, Steve Madden Peep-Toes-Yard Sale, Jewelry- Thrifted

  

I recently started reading Catherine Laboure of the Miraculous Medal I’ve had the book on my bookshelf for over a year waiting for the moment that I would be inspired to read it.  Though, I felt like The Story of Soul had ruined me and doubting this new saint would provoke me I was in for a surprise.  You have to remember (dear reader) that my Christian past is a mixture of protestant, evangelical and Catholic and my over protective love for God sometimes leans towards authentically following Him and Him alone.   Thus, when I think of saints I sometimes still cringe, but my exposure to the lives of these two holy women has opened mind and my heart.  I have discovered that reading about these virtuous women who loved God in such a pure form is like reading true, passionate, romantic narratives about God.  Such stories have again stirred my desire for holiness and goodness - and the pressing need to fall daily more and more in love with God has returned.  Studying the lives of the saints is like opening doors into the great romance of God and self.  I want to love You more, my God my Lord.
  

Pace Yourself

Yesterday I attended a Theology on Tap talk on dating and while I was driving home I started thinking about a weakness Catholics who are not serial daters demonstrate.  During the cruise while talking to various Catholic singles I realized that because we view courtship differently than the secular world it’s difficult for us not to form attachments to others when we find someone worthy.  I myself, have trouble in this area.  I met a man and had a deep conversation for a couple hours and based on that short interaction my feelings were so strong that I wanted him to be my one-and-only.  One talk and I was already thinking this is a man I want to get to know for the rest of my life… And I pursued him by sending him an email and waited knowing during the wait that he was not interested in me, but I felt like I had enough love for both us.  I prayed a million rosaries, but God said, “no.”  When I was relaying this story to Father during spiritual direction he told me that I needed to improve in protecting my heart and I needed to calm my desire to emotionally move from base one to homerun so quickly.  He told me to talk to my heart and train it to be cautious, but it’s so hard!  

While talking to more singles about this behavior of quick emotional attachment I realized that this behavior is a challenge many Catholic’s are facing.  I think perhaps our inexperience in dating is part to blame.  For example, I don’t date.  I get so lost between my career and working for the Kingdom the rest of the time that my heart gets no practice in the dating scene.  Thus, when a man inspires my heart it’s difficult to manage my feelings because they are so foreign to me.  Romantic love is an unfamiliar territory, but if I have discerned that marriage is for me than it’s a valley that I need to get familiar with.  Father suggested that I employ a technique of vocally telling my heart that he (referring to my beloved) is not into me- to keep repeating that statement in order for my stubborn heart to pace itself.  Part of that exercise is also learning to control our thoughts and when they begin to wonder too far to focus on God and keep busy. Having the vulnerability to open up to others is a beautiful gift, but like we practice chastity in our relationships we also need to develop a course of prudence in our emotional life.  Learning to guard our hearts and keep it real- meaning acknowledging the facts over our emotions and living in truth is the way.  I know that for us with passionate hearts keeping it real is the worst, but if it helps diminish heartache than it's a must (smile).              

March Catholic of the Month

Surname: Hummingbird

Parish: The Transfiguration of our Lord 

Engineer

God always provides, even when secluded on a ship full of strangers in the middle of the ocean He sends a much needed godly friend.  I was instantaneously attracted by her beautiful smile and her humble, happy way and as I progressed in knowing her I began to admire her faith.  After one night of dancing alongside Hummingbird I knew that we would be great friends.  While being on a singles cruise she didn’t have the desperate attitude of wanting to befriend only possible suitors and when I talked to her she looked at me not over my shoulder evaluating all the Catholic men on the ship.  She really embodied the Christian principle of loving everyone not only people that she would benefit from.  And when I surprisingly fell for the wrong man (he didn’t feel the same) on the cruise she motivated me to look at God and focus solely on Him so that I wouldn’t lose my peace.  There were many times that I shared the pains of my unrequited love and she prayed for me and encouraged me to lose myself in God's healing love.  It’s been over a year of this sweet friendship and now knowing her more intimately I see her firm stand in God’s truths and her ongoing positive charm and I thank God for sending me such a dear role model.

1.- What was your first encounter with God like? My first encounter (not considering the fact that God thought of me before I was conceived) happened in a more earthly, tangible way, when I was born (smile).  As far back as I can remember I have been in constant contact with Him daily.

2.- What has been your experience living/practicing your faith? I would like to exemplify my experience with this anecdote:  When I was around nine or so I watched the film Ladyhawke (highly recommend) through it I felt like God was confirming that I was not crazy for constantly being a chatterbox in His presence.  I discovered that like the character of Phillip Gaston “the Mouse” I too wanted to talk to God all the time (from the moment I learned to speak) and my relationship with God has grown since.  I feel like my faith has gotten stronger alongside my growing friendship with God and it’s because of our thick bond that I feel blessed and spoiled by my heavenly Father.

3.- How do you nourish your faith? With the grace of God through: the Holy Sacraments, constant prayer, daily Mass, weekly adoration and by being a catechist.

4.- How do you integrate your faith in your daily life? My life clings onto God and from that perspective I visualize each day through the eyes of my Catholic soul always attempting (very hard) to dominate my mind, body, and the actions that I produce each the day.

5.- What do you love about your faith? The unconditional, living presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

6.- How does your faith help you grow? I try extremely hard to grow in faith, hope and charity (to the highest level).  In addition, I constantly pray that God diminishes my pride and arrogance and replaces them with humility.

7.- What does your faith mean to you? Everything.

8.- Why is your faith important to you? Why shouldn’t it be?  Through it, I remain alive and connected to my creator. I believe that if we are not able to recognize the importance of faith then we have chosen an empty, miserable and hard life.

9.- What are some activities you are involved in your parish? (In addition to my response to question three) I served God as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and currently I am part of the Catholic Singles Young Adult movement called “Crisalida.“ 

10.- One fun fact about yourself. I really enjoy finding God, His teachings and His guidance in everyday that my Lord blesses me with life.  In every fact, I see Him in every situation, sign, song, attitude, t.v. show, movie, etc. God is in everything, in everyone, everywhere - you just need to pay attention, and you will be able to find Him even in your own reflection!

She’s quite the catch am praying that she will meet her knight in charming armor soon because she is such a keeper!  In the meantime I will continue to enjoy this precious gift that God has given me in bringing her into my life. Praise God!

Hollywood Looks to Bible for 2014 Blockbusters

Over the weekend I went on a two movie marathon date with myself.  Due to the high costs of the theatre I rarely go watch movies when they are released, but when I want to support a particular film I enjoy placing my vote by visiting the cinema-high prices and all.  On Friday, I found some time to watch two Christian films that are currently in theatres: God is Not Dead and The Son of God.  One was based on the Gospel of John and the other was an attempt at apologetics.  While in my experience, Christian films can be rather preachy, horribly acted and lean towards soft, predictable plots- both of these films were better made than expected. 

God is Not Dead follows a college kid’s trial in defending his Christian faith (or simply that God is not dead) to his atheist professor in a university forum.  The film’s contemporary Christian message touched a nerve- though I might be horribly biased since I love apologetics – the film left me giddy and optimistic not because God needs defending, but because our people need to be exposed to the realness of God.  The film does a great job displaying great scientific arguments for the existence of the universe created by an Intelligent Designer.  I even liked the acting, specifically the protagonist Shane Harper!  Usually Christian films though good intentioned have really weak actors, but Harper made his struggle genuine and believable.  Yes, the film has its preachy, mushy moments, but overall it’s a movie that leaves the audience hopeful and desiring to be better missionaries.  In the end, we are challenged to join the movement and send a text to all our contacts: “God is not dead” (thus if you received this from me over the weekend now you know why).

The Son of God portrays a happy Jesus – one who smiles and laughs a lot and that in itself is worth watching.  However, I found the film lacking- am not sure if it was my annoyance with the use (or misuse) of scripture or the fact the cast looked too western or whether the costumes (Mother Mary looked like she just left the salon during the crucifixion) that repelled me.  In addition, being a fan of Gibson’s Passion of the Christ the flogging scenes in The Son of God weren’t as powerful nor as gruesome - Jesus injuries looked fake.

This coming Friday, Noah is making its debuts in theatres nationwide and we have three more Christian films on their way this 2014: Heaven is for Real, Exodus  and Mary, Mother of Christ.  I think Hollywood is finally recognizing that Christians are starved for quality, dignified films.  In fact, I was reading that surprising all odds God is Not Dead has done well at the box-office this past weekend - a big pat on the back to all those who went and supported the film (smile).