Month: December 2017

REVIEW: A spoiler-free parents guide to “The Last Jedi”

When the first Star Wars movies were released four decades ago, it was easy to avoid spoilers and leaks. There was no Facebook or Twitter. There wasn’t even an Internet. As long as you stayed away from newspapers and magazines, you were fine.

Nowadays, though, it’s not so easy. In fact, it’s downright difficult.

For the last few weeks, I have avoided all news about The Last Jedi. I haven’t even read headlines. Why? Because I wanted to be as surprised by the twists and turns on opening night as I was back in 1980 when Darth Vader said those famous words: “I am your father.”

I know I’m not the only one like that. But there’s a problem with this strategy. If we know nothing about the movie, then how are we to know if we should take our children? Sure, we could study the movie’s rating – it’s PG-13 — but those are often as useful as a wet paper bag.

That’s where this review comes in handy. In the next few paragraphs, I’ll give you a broad overview of the content in The Last Jedi without revealing a single surprise, spoiler or plot. I won’t even tell you what the opening scroll says.

And in the final paragraph, I’ll tell you if I liked it or not. I’ll also reveal where it ranks in my list of all nine Star Wars movies. Ready?

Violence/Disturbing Content

Moderate. The violent/disturbing content in The Last Jedi is on par with The Force Awakens and Return of the Jedi, and less than that in Revenge of the Sith. One particular character is as spooky as the Emperor, and we see him several times.

There are multiple space battles and some light saber duels, too, but the violence remains bloodless. One character slaps another character.

I took my 9-year-old son to watch The Last Jedi. I’m not sure I’d take my 6-year-old son. Maybe. If kids aren’t bothered by The Force Awakens or Return of the Jedi, then they’ll be fine in The Last Jedi.

Sexuality

None. A female character gives a male character a peck on the lips. A male character is seen shirtless.

Language

Minimal. I counted six coarse words: h-ll (2), da—it (1), d—n (1), ba—ard (1), a—(1). While minimal, it is a record number of swear words for a Star Wars film. That’s disappointing, even if the language often is in noisy scenes where kids might not notice. (If you’re curious: Rey curses once; Poe and Finn say the other words.)

Other Stuff You Might Want To Know

There’s a bar/casino scene, where we see drinking and gambling.

On the positive side, though, The Last Jedi continues its racial diversity trend with a prominent (and new) Asian character. There also are female pilots on the good side.

Life Lessons

Self-sacrifice, courage and determination are the primary lessons.

Worldview

We see characters do never-before-seen things with the Force, which we are told is the “energy between all things” that binds the “universe together.” That sounds a lot like pantheism, the unbiblical belief that holds that everything and everyone is “god.” Hinduism and some strands of Buddhism are pantheistic. In this film, the Jedi teachings also are called a “religion.”

There is no personal God in the Star Wars universe – something that might be worth discussing on the ride home.

Sponsors

For children, General Mills – which makes several popular cereals — is the most prominent sponsor.

Family-Friendly?

It’s family-friendly for teens and most older children. As for younger kids, that’s a parental decision.

Thumbs Up … Or Down?

Thumbs up.

Final Verdict

The first hour of The Last Jedi was slow at times – so much so that I was losing hope in this newest installment. But the final hour more than made up for it. In fact, the final hour is as good as any 60-minute stretch in any Star Wars film, as it includes multiple surprising twists.

I’ll tentatively place The Last Jedi No. 4 on my list of Star Wars movies. My full list: 1. The Empire Strikes Back, 2. A New Hope, 3. The Force Awakens, 4. The Last Jedi, 5. Return of the Jedi, 6. Rogue One, 7. Revenge of the Sith, 8. The Phantom Menace, 9. Attack of the Clones.

Entertainment rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Last Jedi is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Thanks to SBTC resources, rural church turns inexperienced evangelists into an effective outreach

When James Cox recently took eight of his congregants out to canvas his rural Athens, Texas, community and hand out copies of O.S. Hawkins new book, The Christmas Code, he wasn’t leading an experienced group of personal evangelists. Besides Cox and his wife, none of his Virginia Hill Baptist Church team had prior personal evangelism experience.

But God showed up anyway.

By the time the team had finished distributing its 100 copies of Hawkins’ book along with invitations to church, they had already sown the seeds of one of the church’s most successful outreach events in years. An entire family showed up at church the next weekend through the outreach. Two more families came thanks to the outreach the following week. One of the young men who came made a first-time commitment to Christ.

“The church was able to see that God blesses the church when it does His work,” Cox said. “In doing that, we saw fruit the very first week.”

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention provided copies of The Christmas Code to Virginia Hill and other churches involved in the SBTC’s revitalization ministry at half of its cost. The books were the most recent example of a growing collection of resources the convention has made available to revitalization churches to help them better engage their communities.

“It’s an outreach tool,” said Kenneth Priest, director of convention strategies at the SBTC. “Evangelism is the hardest thing to get a church to do. We love to talk about evangelism as Southern Baptists. We love to say it’s a core value, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, the reason churches are in decline is because people are not getting saved. The reason people are not getting saved is because people are not witnessing. So creating a platform that is a bridge builder to start a gospel conversation by giving people a little booklet like this is a great way for a church to engage its community when previously it didn’t.”

Priest says the SBTC is always on the lookout for tools like this that can help churches re-engage their communities.

When Cox accepted a call to Virginia Hill in January of 2017, he says the church obviously needed revitalization. He immediately began a process of revitalization by establishing a foundation of preaching and teaching and explaining to the church what revitalization is and how it works. He also began utilizing some of the resources available to the church through the SBTC. He took the church through a 13-week teaching series on revitalization provided by the convention.

“At the end of that teaching series is a call to the church to be active and to go out,” Cox said. “It just so happened that we were finishing up just as Dr. Hawkins was putting out The Christmas Code.”

When Cox discovered that the SBTC would help churches like his get the books at a discounted rate, he quickly bought the books and scheduled an intentional evangelistic outing using the books as a tool. Cox estimates that 90 percent of his church ranges in age between 70 and 89. Realizing that many of those members could not participate in canvassing the community, he involved those who couldn’t go out in praying for the outreach effort. Most of the church was involved in one way or another.

Cox said that he believes the experience shows that the SBTC system of helping churches with revitalization works if churches will stick to it.

“We appreciate the convention coming alongside of Virginia Hill and being willing to pick up half the cost so we could do this,” Cox said. “We may not have been able to reach 100 homes otherwise.”

For more information about the SBTC revitalization ministry, visit sbtexas.com/church-revitalization.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” tops streaming Christmas selections

He’s the meanest creature on the planet, but perhaps that’s to be expected. After all, his heart is “two sizes too small.”

He enjoys sending nasty letters to the people in the next town. He gets jollies out of stealing presents. He even eats glass.

The Grinch – who lives on an intimidating mountain overlooking the kind people of Whoville — just may be the most unlovable “thing” ever made. But not everyone agrees.

Little Cindy Lou Who – a bright-eyed young girl from Whoville – believes the Grinch is capable of good. She even claims he saved her life!

So, when the townspeople push back against Cindy Lou’s claims about the Grinch, she launches an investigation. What she finds is shocking: Long ago, a younger Grinch was (heavily) bullied by the kids of Whoville. He subsequently left town and climbed up the mountain, and the people haven’t heard from him since. Perhaps that’s why he is so mean. And maybe if someone is kind to him, he will return the favor.

It’s all part of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (PG), the highest-grossing film of 2000 and one of the top choices for Christmas-themed streaming selections in December. It is playing on Netflix.

This delightful and mostly family-friendly film was directed by Ron Howard and stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Is also won an Oscar (Best Makeup).

Although purists of Dr. Seuss’ books might be troubled by some of the additions, it nevertheless maintains messages on kindness and redemption. The bullying angle gives it a timely 20^th-century lesson. It does contain a few scary parts that might trouble young children, and one or two slightly inappropriate scenes.

Among other Christmas-themed selections this month:

Netflix

White Christmas (1954, unrated) – This musical-comedy about a pair of singing-and-dancing men won an Oscar (Best Song) and stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.

Also playing: Lots of Hallmark-type romantic Christmas specials. Just type “Christmas” into Netflix. Enjoy!

Amazon Prime

Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales (2002, unrated) – This isn’t the Charlie Brown Christmas that we all love, but for 20 minutes of entertainment with Snoopy, it’s not bad. Just don’t expect a Gospel message. Animated.

I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003, unrated) – Ever heard of Snoopy’s brother Spike? He’s featured in this one – and he’s hilarious. Animated.

If You Give A Mouse A Christmas Cookie (2016, unrated) – Based on the popular series of children’s books, this cartoon likely will have your kids cackling in the floor. Animated.

Christmas with the Kranks (2004, PG). In this comedy, a family decides to skip Christmas and go on a cruise. It doesn’t go well. Starring Tim Allen and Dan Aykroyd. Rated PG for brief language and suggestive content.

Also playing: Lots of old Christmas cartoons that haven’t aired on television in several decades. Search for “Christmas cartoons.” Additionally, The Mayflower Voyagers – a classic Peanuts cartoon about the Pilgrims and their faith – is also on Amazon Prime. It’s never too late to teach history!

Hulu

Christmas with the Kranks (2004, PG). See above. Otherwise, it’s a slow month for Christmas classics/family-friendly entertainment on Hulu.

Note: The 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas is not available on any of the major streaming services. But it often is available on YouTube.

Lingleville Baptist Church says “come as you are,” and 300 do

LINGLEVILLE As keyboardist for country music legend Johnny Lee, Ryan Hurt played “Lookin’ for Love” with Lee’s band in a whole lot of places across Texas and the U.S. in the early 2000s—until a drunk driving accident led him back to a place where the love never runs out.

Called in 2015 to be the pastor at Lingleville Baptist Church, the tattooed and bearded Hurt has seen his congregation grow from around 50 people to more than 300, remarkable in a Central Texas town with a population of 91.

Hurt grew up Baptist, playing music from a young age. Proficient at the piano, he became a professional musician rather than going to college, learning some painful life lessons along the way.

Success came with a vengeance and at a cost.

“I traveled around and played for a long time. We opened for a whole bunch at Billy Bob’s [a famed Fort Worth dancehall],” playing with musicians such as Neil McCoy, Red Steagall, Johnny Duncan and others, Hurt said.

The temptations inherent in traveling with the band resulted in Hurt’s abuse of alcohol and drugs, until what he calls the pivotal moment in 2003, a DUI incident when he and his new wife crashed head-on into a concrete wall.

“We ran off the road. It totaled my truck. It was bad, real bad. The road went one way, and I kept going straight,” Hurt recalled, calling their survival a “miracle for sure.” The impact crushed the front end of his pickup.

“It sounds so cliché, a prodigal story,” Hurt admitted. “By God’s grace we didn’t hurt someone else or ourselves. It turned our lives around. I knew something had to change.”

Following the accident, Hurt’s wife, Melissa, whom he had met when she worked in a club where he played, became a Christian. They settled in Hurt’s hometown of Grandview, where Daniel Hancock, then youth pastor at FBC Grandview, answered his “many questions,” discipling him in Christian doctrine and living.

“Daniel began to pour life into me. He showed me by example what it meant to be a Christ follower,” Hurt said.

By 2005, Hurt was leading worship at FBC Grandview. His desire to preach and teach the gospel grew, culminating in the moment he sensed his “true calling” during worship at a Houston church in 2009. The next year, he was asked to work in student ministry at Grace Baptist in Grandview, where the pastor and elders encouraged him. Five years later, Lingleville called him at age 39, the father of three.

“Ryan came and filled the pulpit a few times. We started praying about it and realized, this is our guy,” said Monty Williams, a Lingleville elder and longtime church member.

Hurt said the small church stepped out in faith financially when they hired him full-time on June 7, 2015. Growth came quickly.

“By Jan. 7, we had outgrown the sanctuary and moved to the family life center,” Hurt recalled, referring to the large metal gymnasium building erected years earlier.

“We always knew the right guy here would bring growth,” Williams added, remarking with a chuckle that Lingleville is not in the “middle of nowhere” but in the “middle of everywhere,” close to Stephenville and other communities.

The church was poised to grow before Hurt arrived.

Williams praised the loving spirit of the congregation, adding that many had sponsored and participated in the Walk to Emmaus—a three-day ecumenical Christian discipleship course—prior to Hurt’s arrival.

“We are not the typical Baptist church. He is not the typical Baptist pastor. Our deal is come as you are. We believe in reaching the common people.”

—Monty Williams, a Lingleville Elder and Longtime Church Member

“We are not the typical Baptist church. He is not the typical Baptist pastor. Our deal is come as you are. We believe in reaching the common people. If you are already saved and living for the Lord, you may need to stay at the church where you’re at. These people didn’t come from churches. That’s what we want,” Williams said of the growing congregation, about half of whom are new believers.

“They were ready; the harvest is ripe; everything just happened when it needed to,” Hurt said. Growth necessitated change and risk.

“We had to step out, take chances,” Hurt said.

He started by approaching the older generation in Sunday school, explaining the rationale for shifts in music and worship. “I shared my heart with them. I was respectful and they’ve been very accepting as we have changed to a more contemporary worship service with some hymns incorporated.”

The older generation became fans of Hurt, evidenced by the many seniors who joined in as 250-300 packed the family life center Oct. 24 for the year’s final family night featuring homemade chili, cornbread, desserts and worship.

“Wait till you hear the music tonight,” 82-year-old Sudy Williams told the TEXAN. With fellow senior Beverly Hudson, she enthusiastically described an upcoming trip to the “Promise” production in Glen Rose their group would be taking with the Hurts.

Hurt lauded the older men and women of his congregation for becoming involved with younger members through events such as the multi-generational Man Camp and other discipleship opportunities where generations mix.

“Senior adults feel they are part of this church. These are their words,” Hurt said. “I need them to reach our community and the young people. They have gotten involved in youth ministry, teaching things like cooking, canning vegetables, manners, things that have been lost through the years. We are all in this thing together.”

Hurt also praised the church’s worship team and the many members who volunteer as teachers and leaders in RAs and GAs, youth and college ministries and Bible classes.

The church is active in the community, too. A back-to-school outreach provided all 270 children in the Lingleville ISD with backpacks and school supplies.

Since Hurt’s arrival, the Christmas season finds church members providing 65 needy children with gifts from wish lists. Families are notified by mail when to come to the church to pick up the packages.

A Christmas tradition in its third year is Lingleville’s live nativity, scheduled this year for Dec. 15-17 on the church grounds, the perfect outreach for a farm community with livestock.

“The whole parking lot will look like Jerusalem,” Hurt said. “All of our kids dress up. We have goats, sheep, guys on horses dressed up like Roman soldiers. Each scene is delegated to a certain church group.”

“We even have a live camel. A guy down the street has three and lets us use one,” Williams exclaimed.

This year’s nativity will depict the life of Christ. Around 600 came last year to walk through the displays. Hurt expects at least that many in 2017.

Regarding the future, Williams and Hurt said the debt-free church hopes to build a new sanctuary on adjacent property bordering the local high school. With the area’s large Hispanic population, Spanish-language services in the present facilities are also in the works.

“It’s a neat season right now,” Hurt said.

The church’s motto is “Come as you are,” a concept modeled by a member once known throughout the community as a heavy drinker.

“Everybody was talking about this tattooed-up preacher. He said he had to go to see if it was true,” Hurt said. Six months later, Hurt baptized him in a stock tank.

Hurt shares his own experiences with substance abuse with the congregation. “I preach very openly. That helps with the people who are struggling with addiction. They feel like they can connect with me. I am honest about my failures.”

A rustic pavilion beside the family life center is called the Tabernacle. Designated an historic landmark, the structure hosted camp meetings during turn-of-the-19th-century boom days when four colleges and multiple churches called Lingleville home.

A century later, revival is stirring there again.

REVIEW: Is “Justice League” family-friendly?

Superman is dead, and the world is mourning – desperately looking for heroes.

Batman, of course, is still fighting crime, but even he can’t stop the imminent threat to Earth: an invasion from a monstrous creature known as Steppenwolf and his army of scary-looking Parademons.

Never fear, though; our caped crusader has a plan.

“I’m putting together a team of people with special abilities,” he says.

That team will include Wonder Woman but also a motley group of other superheroes–Aquaman, Cyborg and Flash. Together, they will repel Steppenwolf and save humanity from yet another deadly threat. They will be unstoppable … right?

The much-anticipated Justice League (PG-13) is now in theaters, giving us DC Comics’ answer to Marvel’s Avengers series. It stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

I’m a big fan of superhero films. DC’s Man of Steel was solid, and its Wonder Woman was even better. But Justice League doesn’t belong in the same universe with those films. The plot is confusing – believe me, it’s far more complicated than I made it seem – and its characters not as likeable as the ones in the Avengers series (minus Wonder Woman – but only because she’s a carryover from a stand-alone film). Many of its funny moments fall flat, too.

Warning: spoilers!

Violence/Disturbing

Moderate/excessive. Most of the violence is bloodless, but there’s still a lot of it. The film opens with a villain shooting at Batman. They then get into a fight. Later, we see villains shoot machine guns. The evil Steppenwolf is a large demonic-looking creature with horns, and his Parademons (they have wings) are even more frightening-looking. We see bad guys hold several people (including children) hostage. The good guys and the bad guys punch one another throughout the film. The film concludes with a massive battle scene.

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

Minimal. Wonder Woman’s costume is quite skimpy, and the camera ogles her figure more than was the case in the stand-alone Wonder Woman film. A male and female character share a kiss in a field. Aquaman is shirtless throughout the film. Batman/Bruce Wayne tells Alfred of Wonder Woman, “I’m only interested in her skill set.” Alfred replies, “I’m sure you are.”

Coarse Language

Moderate. I counted 10 words: h-ll (3), s–t (2), a–(2), misuse of “Jesus” (2), SOB (1). (If you’re curious, Batman is the one who abuses Jesus’ name twice.) We also hear a partially bleeped F-word.

Other Positive Elements

Our heroes put their lives and safety on the line throughout the movie. Wonder Woman even blocks multiples rounds of machine-gun fire to protect a group of hostages. Later, a father and a son who had an estranged relationship reconcile.

Other Negative Elements

Batman and Wonderful Woman drink liquor and make a toast. Aquaman drinks alcohol straight out of the bottle before diving back into the sea.

Life Lessons

We see examples of self-sacrifice (Wonder Woman, Batman, and the others), forgiveness (two main characters late in the film) and reconciliation (a father and son).

Worldview

Justice League gives us a mixture of superheroes. Cyborg and Flash were regular folks who were changed by a strange event. Batman is a rich man with cool tools. Aquaman’s origins are unclear. And Wonder Woman comes from the universe of Greek gods and goddesses.

But whatever the background, it’s worth considering why moviegoers so attracted to superhero films. Sure, we enjoy the entertainment value, but I think it goes much deeper. Here’s what I think: We have a natural attraction to things that are otherworldly and even miraculous. We want to believe that a being from outside our world can come and rescue use – and hand out justice, too. We want a being to come save the world.

Of course, that can be accomplished only by Christ. And nearly all superhero narratives – whether intended or unintended – point to him.

Partners

For children, Dave & Buster’s is the most well-known partner.

Family-Friendly?

Justice League – like most superhero movies – includes tons of violence. For that reason alone, I can’t consider it family-friendly for young children. But for discerning teens, it’s likely family-friendly.

What I Liked

The music. The relationship between the father (who is in jail) and the son (who becomes Flash).

What I Didn’t Like

The plot. A successful superhero film doesn’t get bogged down in the minutia – the comic book nerd talk — of the superhero universe. Unfortunately, Justice League fails to keep it simple. Instead of good vs. evil, we’re left trying to piece together the meaning of three “Mother Boxes” that form a key part of the plot. A mid-movie voiceover from Wonder Woman, explaining the boxes, can’t even save it.

Thumbs Up … Or Down?

Sadly, thumbs down.

Discussion Questions

Why is our society so attracted to superhero films?
Which superhero is your favorite? Why?
Do you agree with Wonder Woman’s movie-ending monologue about light and dark?
Do you think Batman was humbler in this movie than previous films? Why or why not?

Entertainment rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Justice League is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action.