Soul Surfer movie

My family and I went to see the movie Soul Surfer this past weekend. Overall it was very good. Normally in "Christian" movies, the acting leaves much to be desired but not this time. The story line was very inspiring. It is the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a courageous young surfer who survived a shark attack and then went back to surfing. The movie is very intentional about sharing Bethany's strong faith.

But there's an interesting back-story to the film: As a committed Christian, Bethany and her family wanted to tell the story of her faith in Christ. The producers at Sony resisted including explicit Bible verses (they wanted to leave the references out) and about mentioning Jesus (God was less controversial). In the end, two Bible references made it into the movie:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) and two references to Jesus made the movie's final cut.

Philippians 4:13 (NRSV) I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Does the Day Matter?

I grew up in a church that taught Easter was pagan, therefore we didn't celebrate it. Don't get me wrong - we believed in Jesus' resurrection - just not that it occurred on Easter Sunday. I used to hear about the pagan origins of Easter - Bede ("The Venerable"), a late-seventh-century historian and scholar said the name came from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, associated with spring and fertility, and celebrated around the vernal equinox, but there is no evidence outside of Bede for the existence of this Anglo-Saxon goddess.

You know what? - I am 44 years old and I still don't know if Jesus actually rose on the day we now call Easter. I have other questions too:

- If Jesus predicted that He would rise three days later, how does Good Friday to Sunday equal three days?

- What in the world do Easter eggs and bunnies have to do with the Son of God defeating and conquering sin and death once and for all? (Parents, please do a better job of educating your kids about this)

- What's the deal with the Hebrew calendar being changed to make it more convenient to celebrate? (The Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar do not coincide the same days of observance. The name for the Christian celebration is derived from the Greek word Pascha, which comes from pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover).

- Does the exact day really matter?

Here's where I am on this: The resurrection of Christ is the central theme of Christianity. The commemoration of Christ's death and resurrection is not derived from paganism. Even if the name "Easter" is, who says that my heart is observing a pagan holiday? I am observing and worshiping the risen Christ lest someone has the "gift" to judge my heart and intentions.

Romans 14:5 tells us, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Rather than remembering Christ's death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ’s death by observing the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, “...do this in remembrance of me...for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

Should we allow our children to color eggs and go on Easter eggs hunts? This is a question both parents and church leaders struggle with. There is nothing essentially evil about painting and hiding eggs and having children search for them. What is important is our focus, which ultimately must be on Christ!

Of course, the Christian commemoration of "Easter" rests not on the title of the celebration but on its content—namely, the remembrance of Christ's death and resurrection. It is Christ's conquest of sin, death, and Satan that gives us the right to celebrate, not just one day a year - but EVERY DAY!

Stay on Guard

There's good and bad to just about anything. Facebook is one example. It has been an easy and efficient way to connect with family and friends. Being able to immediately see pictures of the newest addition to the family or little Susie's dance recital are all good things. Reconnecting with old friends and classmates is also good - but be on guard!

I just read an article this morning that said surveys show Facebook is being cited more and more in divorce cases. This should make spouses think twice before "friending" someone of the opposite sex. As some of you know, I deleted my Facebook account about a year ago. The reason? I quickly realized how easy it was to "friend" my high school buddies (good) but then have old girlfriends from high school show up as "people you may know" (not so good). How would my wife feel if I was in contact with "another woman"? How would I feel if she was a "friend" to another male?

I've seen this sad and ugly scenario play out in a friend's life. It was back in 2002. A business associate of mine (married man) got in contact with an old high school sweetheart and they started communicating. One thing led to another and he ended up having an affair with this "sweetheart". To make matters worse, he was diagnosed with brain cancer shortly after they reunited and was about to divorce his wife when the cancer became aggressive and he died. His wife found out about the affair and was devastated and very angry as you might imagine. The "other woman" was also devastated. There were no winners in this. The saddest part to all of this - there were only 9 people at his funeral - mostly business people, no family. I was one of the 9.

A 2010 survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers showed that 81 percent of "the nation's top divorce attorneys" reported an increase in social networking websites being used as evidence in divorce cases. Facebook is the leader, being cited in 66 percent of cases that involve online evidence. Couples should take common sense safeguards on Facebook, said Michael Martin, vice president for academic affairs and professor of New Testament at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.

"People need to manage the beginning of the relationship," Martin said. "If somebody contacts you from your past and wants to strike up a friendship -- somebody that you dated once or somebody that you knew in high school or college, there's nothing necessarily wrong with entering into that relationship. Just do it along with your spouse. Include your spouse into the conversation. If you're willing to do that openly, then it's likely there's nothing at all wrong with the Facebook relationship. If you are being invited into a conversation that you are uncomfortable including your spouse in, then you should not start the relationship."

To help you and your spouse stay on guard, here are some tips given in the complete article from the Baptist Press: "Facebook divorce rates: Couples be wise"

The Trust Factor

This morning I read Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

Ever have trouble trusting God? I do. It's nothing God has done. It's totally based on my personality and past experiences. You see when I was 13, my parents got divorced and it rocked my world! I never thought that would happen to my family. I grew up in a Christian home and these things weren't supposed to happen. As I look back, I think a new script was trying to be written for my life that said "See, if you can't trust your own parents who can you trust?" So, ever since I was a teenager, I've pretty much just looked out for number one. I HAD to lean on my own understanding because no one was going to look out for me.

Don't get me wrong; over the years, God has been faithful and I have experienced His amazing grace - but there are still times that I'm not totally 100% trusting Him with ALL my heart; maybe 85%, sometimes even 95%, but 100%? Again, it stems back to the traumatic experience of divorce.

Part of the problem is that God is invisible and sometimes takes His good ole sweet time to do certain things. Me, on the other hand - I know what I'm capable of. I can get things done. Growing up, I learned to take care of myself and I didn't need my parents and certainly didn't need God..

But here's the deal - An immature person (who hasn't grown up) will continue to try and do things all on their own (thinking they are a mature adult). But the truth I'm learning is that a spiritually mature, grown up Christian starts to let go (surrender control) and say, "OK God - no matter what has happened to me in the past (good or bad), I will trust you with the leading of my life because I know that you are the perfect parent. I don't have to find my own way in life. You have already made the way clear. I don't have to prove myself. I don't have to try and figure it all out on my own. I simply acknowledge you and you will guide me".

Trust may be hard for you, too. Why is that? Because unfortunately people will let us down. People will lie to us. People will deceive us to get their own way. People will hurt us. There is a saying, "Hurting people hurt people". 1 Peter 2:24 says that Jesus bore our sins...and by his wounds we are healed. Jesus trusted God the Father with His very life. He carried the wounds of people who lied to Him, deceived Him, cheated Him and let Him down. - and was healed with a resurrected Body - ALL BY TRUSTING IN THE LORD WITH ALL HIS HEART. I hope to do the same.

Why do you do what you do?

This Sunday's message may be hard for some of us. We've been talking about spiritual gifts. Every believer has at least one and it is to be used to glorify God and serve others. 1 Corinthians 12 says that we are not to be ignorant or uninformed about gifts, so we've been learning about them - but now in 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul basically says that if we don't have love, the gifts are all worthless! Without love, it' s just a bunch of noise.

Personally, I know what my gifts are (maybe you do too), but unless I first and foremost love, the gifts don't mean diddly squat (that's a Greek word for "nothing"). I can preach the world's best sermon but if I don't have love, I might as well bang on a pot. I can help lead worship and pray God-focused prayers, but if I don't love, it's as if nothing ever happened.

Love is what should motivate me (us) to use whatever gift we've been given. Even if we don't know what our gift is yet, if we just start making love our highest goal, the gift will be revealed.

So I need to stop and ask myself: Why do I do what I do? What is my motivation for using the gifts God has given me?

Bellwood came through...as always!

God be praised! - Bellwood gave over $3,100 on Sunday to help relief efforts in Japan through Mennonite Central Committee. I told you this congregation is generous. May we also continue to be generous with our prayers on behalf of the Japanese people.

What to do...this Sunday?

Like most of you, I have been watching the devastation that continues in Japan. The tremendous fear that the people are living with each day, wondering if another tsunami is coming because of all the aftershocks; wondering if the nuclear reactor is going to blow; wondering if loved ones are still alive; wondering what to do next...

So I am wondering what can I do? (and what can the Church do?) Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, shares God's love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC is closely monitoring the situation in Japan.

Although MCC does not have staff or programs in Japan, they are accepting donations to help victims of the disaster. Contributions will be forwarded to trusted MCC partners involved in relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Japan.

I would like to give us an opportunity this coming Sunday (March 20th), to receive a special love offering for the people of Japan. Checks can be made out to "Bellwood Mennonite Church" and will be forwarded to MCC.

In Japan, police officials are now estimating the death toll will exceed 10,000 people. Please keep the people of Japan in your prayers.