Nuke's Blog
Periodic ramblings by an old geek…

It’s time for some book reviews again.  Seven months later.  Yes, that’s how I continue to roll.

 

Who Ate Lunch with Abraham (Asher Intrater)

Rating:  

This book was advertised by one of the charities I support, and I found it quite inexpensive on Amazon to read on my Toshiba Thrive’s Kindle app.  This was by far my favorite book out of all the ones I read over the past several months, probably because it’s right up the alley of the Bible study I’ve been leading at home.  Asher is a Messianic Jew, writing about many times Jesus shows up in the Old Testament.  His point in doing this is to demonstrate to fellow Jews that the idea of God showing Himself to us in the form of a man is not blasphemous, but is something God has been doing for a long time in the form of the "Angel of the Lord."  If you find it a big struggle to read through my lengthy study posts, or you’re annoyed I’m taking WAY too long to get to them (ha), here’s a great option to check out.

 

The Art of God: The Heavens and the Earth (Ric Ergenbright)

Rating:  

T and the kids got me this for my birthday, and I fell in love with it.  Ric’s photography is simply amazing.  He not only captures the beauty and sheer awesomeness of God’s creation, but does an amazing job expounding on each photograph as well.  His inclusion of Scripture with the images throughout the book is the icing on the cake.  I’m going to have to soon find out if he has more of this kind of material (I’m too lazy to Google right now, though ;).  Let me know if you want to borrow it, as it’s a quick read/view, though I think you’ll want to take your time walking through it.

 

Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope (Trevin Wax)

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I really don’t’ remember how I happened across this book, but it was a pretty quick summary of some of the prevailing false gospels out there within Christianity.  He chooses six main ones to work through (each with some sub-themes), points out what is wrong with each and why they are so attractive, and then turns back to how he sees the true gospel answering them.  In case you don’t plan to read the book, here’s a really quick summary, which ultimately can’t do the book justice:

• Therapeutic gospel – The fall was the moment we failed to meet our potential, Christ’s death proved our worth as humans, and the church is there to help us find happiness and fulfillment.
• Judgmentless gospel – Restoration is about how good God is rather than including any demonstration of His righteous judgment for rebellion, Christ defeated sin, death and Satan, but the need to avert God’s wrath through Jesus’ sacrifice is missing, and the church doesn’t really need to evangelize the world.
• Moralistic gospel – Our sinful condition is only from our sins and redemption is through us working with God to stop committing them, the good news is the instruction to help us attain God’s favor and blessings for obedience, and the church is there for us to gather with other moral folk like us.
• Quietist gospel – Scripture is of a personal nature only, Christ’s message is not for the political sphere or society but only the changing of individual hearts, and the church is to be separated and removed from the world.
• Activist gospel – God’s kingdom is to be advanced by believers (we are the answers to our prayers), Christ’s power is to be demonstrated through social, political and cultural change that we lead, and the church’s role is to be focused on this change.
• Churchless – Scripture is for the individual only (not a community), Christ’s gospel is only for individual soul-saving, and the church is an optional aid to our individual growth to be discarded any time it slows us down.

If you want to understand what the problem is with each of those, you’ll either have to read your Bible some more or go check out the book.  While I might quibble on just a couple things in the book, I thought Trevin did a great job with this.  I could more easily see how I personally tend towards some of these myself.  Reading through it, I think you’ll find out how much fuller (or maybe even simpler) the gospel is than perhaps you are being taught.

 

Insights on Romans (Charles R. Swindoll)

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I think I now have all of the books in Chuck’s "Insights" series, though have only recently made it through Romans.  Chuck has a way of bringing Scripture down to planet earth that is unequaled by other authors I have read.  He chunks passages up in nice bites, allowing you to digest as much as you want during any sitting.  He also breaks up the study nicely with some personal stories that are usually entertaining as well.  If you’re looking for something a little less scholarly (i.e., lengthy commentaries with big, scary words) and yet with far more meat that a study Bible, these are a great option to dive right into.

 

The Feasts of the Lord: God’s Prophetic Calendar from Calvary to the Kingdom (Kevin Howard, Marvin Rosenthal)

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This is a nice, short trip through the feasts God commanded the Jews to observe, with a focus on how they point towards His prophetic calendar in the person of Jesus Christ.  When seen from this viewpoint, one sees there is importance in these feasts for all Christians, as some have already been fulfilled by Jesus, while others are still yet to be fulfilled.  I expect to consult this again along with my other resources when getting around to Leviticus in our home Bible study, looking for Jesus Christ throughout all the Scriptures.

 

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Todd Burpo)

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I had some trouble rating this book.  While there may be some truth in this boy’s story, written through his pastor father, or it may even be completely true, I’m not sure what to make of it.  One of the problems with near-death-experience stories is that they generally seem to side right along with the religious worldview of the person having the experience.  What do we do when a Muslim/Mormon/Hindu/Wickan/etc. has an experience like this, yet he or she sees everything backing their own personal views?  What sets this story apart from all the others that would lead a person to believe?  I think relying on testimonies like this, rather than the truth of God’s own written Word, can lead one astray.  Since that’s just a bunch of me rambling, I’ll leave you with one quick example in the book.  One of the things the parents seemed to focus on for some time was finding a picture/painting/representation of Jesus Christ that their son would finally say, "that’s Him!"  Well, they finally found it in the child prodigy, Akiane’s, painting of Jesus (Google for Akiane’s "Prince of Peace").  It’s an amazing painting, as are all of hers, but here’s where things break down a bit.  What do we do when we read some of her blog posts that are clearly against Scripture, yet she appears to claim as direct revelation from God?  That’s where the wheels come off for me, and why I guess I ultimately can’t give this book my recommendation, either.  This all requires some serious discernment, and must be tested against God’s Word.  If you want someone else’s thoughts, I felt this review was a fair one.  I would recommend spending more time in the Bible before spending it on books like this.

 

The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God (John Piper)

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This poetic creation of John Piper, which depicts another side of the Book of Job, was a super-short read.  It appears John set out to give us a clearer picture of Job and his wife in their story, as well as maybe tie up some other loose ends someone feels are there in the book.  It was neat, and fairly well done, but I think there is a great gravity to the book that doesn’t require a reimagining of it, and God meant for it to include exactly what was there and no more.  It’s a book that requires much study, and multiple readings, and even some major life lessons, in order to fully grasp it.  I would recommend further study of the book itself before skipping to the reader’s digest, easier-to-read version here.

 

Don’t Waste Your Life (John Piper)

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Dear Lynn of Lynn’s News blog, someone we became acquainted with last year during her own trials, has been a real testament of faith to us.  She loaned us several John Piper books to read (including a copy of the book above, which we already had) several months ago and hopefully we can finally meet up soon to return them!  While you may notice below that I’m rating all of them 4 stars, this was my favorite of the four.  Piper has a nice treatise here on all the ways we can and should see in our lives a purpose for glorifying God, rather than wasting them in all sorts of trivial pursuits.  I don’t remember him mentioning all these movies I’ve spent time watching is too bad, so there’s hope there for me. ;) 

 

The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce (John Piper)

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I really haven’t spent much time reading biographies, and I’m starting to realize I’ve wasted a bit of time there missing out on them.  There are so many people’s lives we could learn from, and these three are no exception.  These men persevered through various trails in their lifelong pursuits to glorify God by doing His work.  Piper doesn’t simply dwell on the positives of their perseverance, but points out their own struggles against their sinful nature as well.  It was very refreshing to see such role models of the Christian faith, and yet at the same time see how they are human, too.

 

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (John Piper)

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This book was very similar to a previous one of Piper’s that I had read, "What Jesus Demands from the World."  The fifty reasons are presented in a few pages each, which makes it both a great page-turner that you can get through quickly if you want, or that allows you to check out and dig more into as a single reason a night.  I felt a few were repeats of others in order to get to a nice, round number of fifty, but as Jesus spent much time repeating Himself during His ministry (as well as the Spirit did throughout all Scripture), I guess reminders never hurt.

 

When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy (John Piper)

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Lynn loaned us Piper’s most widely recognized book, "Desiring God," which I already read, so it was nice to also see the other side in this book.  While his popular treatise is on how we are to desire God as our ultimate goal, this book provides some insight on what can be done during those all-too-prevalent times when we do not, in fact, desire God.  This one requires a bit more work to get through than the others, but was well worth the read.

 

Read the Bible for Life (George H. Guthrie)

Rating:  

I honestly don’t remember how I ended up with this book (whether I put it on my birthday wish list, or if T simply grabbed it during a sale), but it wasn’t too bad.  There is a whole set of study material that you can get to go with it, and we got the DVD along with the book, apparently.  I still haven’t watched it, but a quick glance appears to be George sitting around interviewing people and having group discussion.  The book itself contains several interviews with Christian leaders on topics related to how to study the Bible.  Personally, I could have done without much of the random "we were walking around in the garden" or "I asked this and he said something back with a big smile/laugh/chuckle/grin/etc."  I think I would have gotten much more out of it without all the extraneous detail.  However, I imagine there are many out there who enjoy things written this way, and you might be one of them.  Let me know if you want to check out the book and/or the DVD.

 

Noah Primeval (Brian Godawa)

Rating:  

Chronicles of the Nephilim, Book 1.

Ok, time to step off into the fictional arena.  Here we have a really fun book by Mr. Godawa, as he imagines what Jesus Christ meant when He said: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37).  Godawa’s vision of the times of Noah starts at about age 500 when Noah’s already heard from God that he is to build "a box" and is not really ready to do it, and continues until the flood.  The book hinges on the idea that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 are fallen angels, and the Nephilim are the giant offspring of those fallen angels and human women (the daughters of men), which is something I’ve blogged about before.  While this book is obviously full of detail not found in the Bible, Godawa includes several appendices going into detail on why he wrote the story the way he did.  It’s a great ride, and the extra information in the appendices is a great walk through Scripture itself as you look to understand more, and act as a Berean from Acts 17:11.

 

Alien Encounters: The Secret Behind the UFO Phenomenon (Chuck Missler)

Rating:  

Ok, I guess maybe we’re back in the non-fiction arena, but we are still with the semi-bizarre.  Chuck provides for us much detail behind the UFO phenomenon that we’ve most-likely encountered in one way or another during our lives.  For those who spent too much time reading about the phenomenon, there was a lot of repetition in the book that can be skipped, but for those that no little or nothing other than the word "Roswell," there might be a ton of interesting information in here.  The good stuff, which I don’t think he spent enough time on, is at the end, and is something I’ve briefly blogged about before.  Namely, he discusses the idea that the end-times great deception spoken of in Scripture could possibly tie in with UFO and aliens, keeping in mind that if so, these aliens are Satan, his demons, or some creation of them… perhaps in a similar way to the Nephilim during Noah’s time.  Anyway, if you have a desire to learn more, this is certainly an option to check out.

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Here we go with part two of my movie reviews for the past several months.

 

Memphis Belle (1990)

Rating:  

Jake said this was a great movie to watch, so I went with it.  Pretty good movie, though I think I shouldn’t have watched the documentary on it right before.  The documentary really wasn’t very good, so if you decide to watch this, stick with the film.

 

The Merchant of Venice (2004)

Rating:  

I’ve never really been a huge Shakespeare fan, but I think I’ve pretty much run out of Al Pacino mob flicks to watch.  So, I threw this in the queue and really wasn’t disappointed.  There was some good stuff in here, and Jeremy Irons played his role well, too.  I didn’t know anything about the play going in, which I think is the best way to go into this one.

 

Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)

Rating:  

Sorry, but the penguins just were not cute enough to overcome the plot and acting issues.  I think maybe the kids enjoyed it, but it was a bit hard to tell.  We saw penguins recently at an aquarium in Cincinnati, and they pretty much just pooped on everything and tried to eat shiny things… including parts of my wheelchair.  That was far more entertaining.

 

The Next Three Days (2010)

Rating:  

Good thriller, but this was actually pretty hard to watch several times throughout.  You can really feel the frustration of Crowe’s character, and it’s disheartening.  If you are a Russell Crowe fan, and Robin Hood left you feeling like you didn’t get enough, check it out.

 

The Perfect Host (2010)

Rating:  

This is another thriller with a twist, but I just can’t group it in with the other three I pointed out earlier.  It’s quite morbid, so be prepared.  David Hyde Pierce (from the show Frazier) is just plain excellent in his role.  Thanks for the recommendation, Chrissy.

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Rating:  

Even though I’m still going to rate this 3 stars, I honestly don’t know why I keep watching these.  Maybe it’s because I keep holding out hope the magic of the first film shows up again.  Please tell me they are done with these.  I’d rather watch more crappy films I haven’t seen before, but are at least different from each other.

 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rating:  

Loved it.  I think it was a couple years ago when I finally watched all the original movies back to back.  Classic entertainment.  This brought the whole thing into the future in a great way.  The animation of Caesar was great, and the way they tied it all back into the original movie was great.  It’s only just shy of 5 stars due to the cheese effect, and probably some of the poor acting.  Oh, and the fact that they stuffed "get your hands off me, you **** dirty ape" in there, even though it really wasn’t required.

 

Salt (2010)

Rating:  

Film #2 in my list of three thrillers with a twist to check out.  Two of these have Angelina Jolie in them, and this is probably the 2nd best (The Tourist being #1).  I probably shouldn’t give this 4 stars, but I can’t help it.  I really enjoyed it.  Let me know what you think.

 

The Smurfs (2011)

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I grew up loving the Smurfs cartoon, and was woefully disappointed when some dorks pointing out they are really a bunch of little guys based on demonology came along and crabbed that it might lead us little ones astray.  Well, at least that’s what I heard at the time.  The movie was just slightly interesting as a throwback to the cartoon, but fell pretty flat.

 

Super 8 (2011)

Rating:  

This was really great.  It was like throwing myself back in time and watching ET all over again, except this one I would never let my kids watch.  If you enjoy sci-fi flicks, you simply have to see it.  The less you know going in, the better.

 

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Rating:  

I can’t remember exactly where I read this review summary, but it went something along the lines of: "Of all the Three Musketeers movies made over the past century, this is one of them."  That sums it up pretty well.  Most of them have a good mix of humor and sword-fighting, and this version won’t fail you in that department.  I still don’t know if I could pick my favorite among all of them, which makes that review summary spot on.

 

The Tourist (2010)

Rating:  

As I mentioned in the first post, this would fit well with Salt and The Double in a marathon of thrillers with a twist.  It’s a bit hard to get used to Johnny Depp playing a completely normal guy, but it’s definitely worth giving it a shot.  Though, don’t do what I did and view it soon after Pirates of the Caribbean.  You almost go into shock.

 

Trespass (2011)

Rating:  

Yes, I know.  I really should know better than to expect I’m going to love another Nicolas Cage flick.  It’s a bit thrilling to stick it out through at least the first half of the movie, and then maybe skip right to the last few minutes.  You just don’t end up liking anyone in the film by the end, and that’s too bad.  I’m still hoping he redeems his entire career some day.

 

Troll Hunter (2010)

Rating:  

A documentary on real-life trolls.  Seriously.  I’m laughing just thinking about this movie again.  Similar in a way to Lunopolis… independent, sci-fi thriller.  My goodness, was this really clever.  I couldn’t stop laughing a few times, though this is not for the faint of heart.  It gets a bit morbid in a few parts, but imagine watching with a mystery-science-theater sort of crowd and you’ll quickly get past all of it.

 

The True Glory (1945)

Rating:  

This is a pretty epic documentary, given it came out right after the end of WWII.  Definitely worth spending some time watching if you are into WWII-related films.  The voiceovers kind of took some of the gravity of the film away for me, though.  They sounded too much like actors speaking, rather than real folks.  Still good stuff, though.

 

True Grit (2010)

Rating:  

I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t love this remake of the original John Wayne western.  The original wasn’t all that great either, so working so hard to match Rooster Cogburn was probably not the best approach for my tastes.  My favorite part was the dialogue between the girl and the banker (or whoever he was) near the beginning.  It went downhill after that.  There are so many better westerns out there, it pretty much never stood a chance.  I think it ended up so overrated because people forgot what a good western used to be.

 

The Warrior’s Way (2010)

Rating:  

Not horrible, but not that great either.  I only watched it because it was on Instant Watch and nothing else appealed to me at the time.  I wouldn’t bother looking it up.  Far better films out there to see.

 

Wild Target (2010)

Rating:  

Very quirky film, and yet quite excellent.  Bill Nighy is fun as the assassin, and Emily Blunt is even more fun as the foolish girl who has no idea who he is.  Throw the actor who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, and you have many hilarious moments.  Then again, there are some really awkward moments I could have been just fine without, which kept it from attaining 5-star glory.

 

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Rating:  

Almost like The Three Musketeers, I think I could soundly say, "of all the X-Men movies over the past decade or so, this is one of them."  The powers were neat to see, and I think they did a great job with the Charles Xavier/Magneto back story, but ultimately it was just watching another X-Men movie.  It’s getting almost as tiring as more Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but not quite.

 

You Kill Me (2007)

Rating:  

This is quite the interesting character study.  It’s along the lines of Wild Target, with Kingsley as a hitman for the mob, crossing paths with a "normal" gal.  It wasn’t quite as fun as Wild Target, but was a pretty decent ride.

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Whoah, look at the time!  Has it really been that long since I posted movie reviews?  This is getting to be a pattern around here.  I watched a bit more than last time, so once again it looks like I’ll have to split this into two posts.

 

The A-Team (2010)

Rating:  

Loved the show when I grew up, and I tend to love Liam Neeson in anything, even if he has Jar-Jar as a sidekick.  But meesa didn’t love this movie as much as I was hoping.  You gotta love the flying tank, though.  Plenty of action for everyone.

 

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Rating:  

Another enjoyable action flick.  Full of military power, explosions and freaky aliens.  I almost went with 4 stars for this one, but it didn’t quite make it due to too much shaky camera work (yeh, I know it’s the style today, but it became a bit too annoying).

 

Brothers (2009)

Rating:  

This movie is pretty intense.  I don’t think I can completely compare it to Hurt Locker in intensity, but take that and drop it down a couple notches and this is what you get.  Gyllenhaal really steals the show in this one, though it was neat to see Maguire out of his Spidey suit for a dramatic role.

 

Conan (2011)

Rating:  

Cheesy.  I guess similarly cheesy to Arnold’s original classic, but it laid it on pretty thick.  It took me a while to realize who was playing Conan… turned out he was the tough guy from Stargate: Atlantis.  He just doesn’t cut it yet for me as an actor.  I guess that means he should have been perfect for the role, but alas.

 

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Rating:  

I’ll steal my mini-review from Jake’s blog post: "As Nuke put it, this movie starts out as a great western and Daniel Craig is an awesome cowboy. But then it gets weird when aliens show up all of the sudden and POW!!!!…we have a Sci-Fi movie on our hands."  Yep, and that’s why I give it 3 instead of 4 stars.  Just too much weirdness with the aliens, and especially the girl and the fire.  You’ll have to watch to see what I mean.  I want a director’s cut where the aliens don’t show up.

 

Dolphin Tale (2011)

Rating:  

Cute family movie based on a true story.  I have to admit, with Harry Connick, Jr. and Ashley Judd (daughter/sister to The Judds) in the movie, I kept expecting them to break out into song for most of it.  I also expected Morgan Freeman to just zap the dolphin a new tail… he’s played God in movies way too often.

 

The Double (2011)

Rating:  

Sorry, but I think Richard Gere is getting a bit old for these.  It was really thrilling, had great twists and turns, but sort of gave up some information a bit too soon I think.  I preferred Salt and Tourist over this one, which are included in my second post.  Even with this one at three stars, all three would be great to watch in a twist-a-thriller marathon.

 

The Encounter (2010)

Rating:  

While cute, and even filled with some decent Q&A theology, I think I have to simply pick the middle ground on this one.  Here’s the Netflix description: "When five strangers with nothing in common come together at a remote roadside eatery, they place their orders with the diner’s omniscient owner, who seems to know everything about them … and is eerily reminiscent of Jesus Christ."  In fact, the actor is the guy who plays Jesus in several other movies.  I would stick to some of those (like Matthew) instead.

 

Faces in the Crowd (2011)

Rating:  

Twisty-turny and thrilling, but not enough in the face of the better ones I watched.  Milla should stick to movies where she’s kicking everyone around, rather than being in such a vulnerable role like this.  Interesting concept to not be able to remember/recognize any faces, but the film didn’t pull it off for me.

 

The Fighter (2010)

Rating:  

Christian Bale is good as always, even playing such a whacked out guy.  Marky Mark Wahlberg is just plain flat as always.  Maybe all us people in the world are the just plain flat ones, and he’s simply "in character" better than any other actor out there.  Interesting true story to look into before or after watching the film.  If you love boxing films, check it out.

 

Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)

Rating:  

Liam Neeson again.  Like I said, I pretty much love him in any film, and he does a great job here.  His co-star, James Nesbitt, is outstanding as well.  A bit quirky here and there, but really interesting film.  Will James’ character get his revenge on Liam’s or not?  You’ll have to watch and see.

 

The Great Buck Howard (2008)

Rating:  

If you’re a John Malkovich hater, then be sure to steer clear of this one.  I didn’t know until the movie was almost over that it’s based on the true-life Amazing Kreskin.  Actually, I had heard that name a long time ago, but never knew who he was.  Anyway, it’s fairly cute and entertaining and John seems to do a pretty decent job.

 

The Green Hornet (2011)

Rating:  

Stay away.  That is all.  Well, actually, it’s even worse.  I checked out a few episodes of the 1940′s original before checking this out, and it was dorky, but about 10 times better.  Sad.  Just sad.

 

Hoodwinked Too!  Hood vs. Evil (2011)

Rating:  

The first Hoodwinked film was fairly entertaining (remember the goat song anyone?).  This second is not.  It’s too bad the kids convinced us we all just had to watch the sequel.  Stay away.

 

Immortals (2011)

Rating:  

I’m a big fan of any film set in ancient times, especially Greek/Roman-pantheon related.  It was a great holdover before I get around to seeing the sequel to Clash of the Titans whenever it comes out on DVD.

 

Ironclad (2011)

Rating:  

Pretty gritty battle scenes, but far better than I expected.  I figured this would just be some B-flick with not much going on, but the cinematography is well-done.  If you have Netflix Instant Watch, even if you don’t watch the entire film, you must at least see Giamatti go crazy when they destroy his siege engine (starting at about 1:05:00).  Classic Giamatti moment.

 

Killers (2010)

Rating:  

Against my better judgment, I went ahead and checked this out.  I haven’t really enjoyed either Kutcher or Heigl in most of their movies, but they actually weren’t too bad here.  However, in comparison with the next movie, this falls a bit flat.  Actually, if I could cut out the last ten minutes or so of the film, it would gain at least a full star.

 

Knight and Day (2010)

Rating:  

Too much suspension-of-disbelief required here, but entertaining nonetheless.  Far superior to the very similar Killers above.  It was good to see Tom in action again in anticipation for the next Mission Impossible movie coming to me through Netflix soon.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Rating:  

If you enjoyed the first movie, stop reading and just go watch it.  I find them both entertaining and the kids love them.  There’s a pretty epic moment in the final battle that we had to watch several times.  Have your rewind button ready.

 

Lunapolis (2009)

Rating:  

Outstanding.  This is the kind of film I’m always looking for.  Very intelligent sci-fi movie where you never know what’s going to happen next.  Though, recall that my 5 star ratings usually should set off a few warning bells.  My tastes are different than many of my readers. ;)

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So I’ve been doing some thinking.  Lately, I’ve noticed a downward trend in comments, visits to the site, etc., and realize we all could use some change around here.  Things are getting stale, and to learn from the recent trend we’ve seen in the movie industry, we sure could use a "reboot" of this blog itself.  So, this post will give you all a bit of a heads-up as to what you can expect to see in months, even days, ahead as we institute these changes.  Here’s a list of my ideas going forward:

• Daily posts – That’s right.  I said daily.  You know you have time to read everything I write, no matter how long the post is.  You’re willing to read it all, so I’m willing to do what I can by stepping up the frequency.
• Political commentary – It’s time to throw my hat in the ring.  No, not as a candidate, but to really get my political thoughts out in the open.  I have so much to say in this arena, I don’t know what’s held me back for so long.
• Product reviews – Face it.  We live in a materialistic world, and there’s so much out there to buy and use… some good, some bad.  Consumer Reports charges you for this kind of information.  I want to pass it on for free.  I’ll help you sort out all that stuff you must have, and all that stuff that will lead you down the path of destruction.  For example… Blackberry’s anyone?  Now, if I can just figure out how to get all those advertisements installed on the blog.
• Facebook status updates – Some of you with the fortunate privilege of being my friend on Facebook may already know I will post a link to each of these blog posts.  But, there are still some of you out there who aren’t privileged enough yet, and there are others (like my wife) who still boycott the wonderful world of Facebook.  You are all missing out.  Well, to remedy this, I will start copying anything I add to Facebook… comments, status updates, etc., even the items I "Like"… right here on the blog.  I know you’ve been asking for it, so I’m going to give it to you.
• Sports commentary – I’ve neglected the world of sports for a long time.  For some reason I still don’t remember (maybe it was finding a steady girlfriend), I haven’t been paying attention to sports.  It really hit me this year when I realized it’s been almost 20 years since I filled out NCAA brackets.  I mean, come on!  So, in the interest of catering better to the masses, instead of looking like some kind of hermit, I have the Dish Network guy coming over tomorrow to set me up with the full package.  I even ordered two more TVs for the man-cave down here in order to make sure I don’t miss a thing, and can provide you with the sports commentary you’ve been aching for.  Besides… everyone knows there aren’t enough commentators out there, and we gotta keep reliving all those moments after the game is over.  With my midnight schedule, you will either have something to look forward to late at night after things wind down, or something to check out over the morning coffee before work.
• Religious stuff – I was sad about this change for a bit, but it’s time.  I’ve just spent too much effort on these Bible posts.  Nobody really reads them anyway.  We all already know the stories from Sunday school.  There’s nothing more to learn.  So, I’m going to shift the focus of my posts away from this material and jump into all those things up above.

I would tell you even more, but I don’t want to spoil all the surprises I have in store!  I know this may cut just a couple of you deep, but we all need change.  I’m sure you’ll come to appreciate what I do to reboot this blog in the coming days.  After all, remember how much the "hope and change" from 2008 has been helping this country?  You’ll thank me later.

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This is the first time I’ve heard Matt Chandler speak, and I’ll be checking out some more at his own church.  This is one of the best sermons I’ve heard in some time.  It’s even more interesting knowing he gave this at Elevation Church’s Code Orange Revival conference.  Take some time to check it out if you can.

 

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T and I have been following the blog of a family from our church Bible study class lately ("Duval Quiver" over there in the sidebar).  They are in the process of adopting a couple overseas children, and the stories of these children are just heart-wrenching.  Well, Sherrie recently posted a link to another blog noting a hefty set of fundraising goals for other children in the same situation.  Instead of describe more, I’ll just point you to the same blog post.  Please take some time to check it out and follow some of the links.  I’m curious if you’ll be as stunned as I have been following these stories.

 

Covenant Builders – The Unbeloved

 

No, I don’t intend for this post to be about the contest, and I certainly haven’t entered into it with this blog post.  We’re just hoping there’s someone out there still listening in who can join in and do something as well.

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It sure has been a while.  At home, we’re just starting into Genesis 37, so I have much to catch up on here.  We’ll give it a go with a fairly short post, at least in comparison to previous ones.

 

Sitting here going back through my notes, I see I had nothing recorded for Genesis 10.  It’s a lengthy genealogy of the generations descended from Noah through his sons.  I am mostly still in the camp of those who tend to skip right over genealogies in the Bible… I can’t pronounce the names, I get weary jumping from one to another, and I want to get to the meat of things.  However, sometimes if one slows down a bit, you can catch something you maybe missed before, or probably noticed once and forgot.

 

In this case, I just happened to be reminded that verses 8-12 contain an interesting tidbit.

8 Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Genesis 10:8–12 (ESV)

In the middle of the genealogy, we find the man Nimrod to break the pattern of the rest of the chapter.  "He was the first on earth to be a mighty man."  We see him here conquering the world, creating an expansive kingdom of his own.  Some are places we later see as prime examples of man’s corruption.  We’ll see Babel again very soon, in fact. 

 

Anyway, you are probably wondering why I’m even bringing this up in a study looking for Jesus throughout the Old Testament.  Well, though it is unclear who Nimrod may have been in history, noting many of the patterns throughout the Old Testament, I think we can take a guess at who was behind him… who he represents, if you will.  I see him as the first representation of this figure referred to as the "antichrist."

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 2:18 (ESV)

 

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

1 John 4:2–3 (ESV)

 

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 (ESV)

I suggest we see, in the person of Nimrod, Satan’s figurehead who is doing whatever he can to mess up God’s plans on earth.  Nimrod was setting up Babylon and Assyria, two major kingdoms that would cause much destruction to the future Israelites.  We can see a pattern like this all throughout history where someone comes to power, attempting to destroy God’s people.  Anyone remember Adolf Hitler?  It’s going to happen again.  We could spend much more time on this, walking through Daniel, Revelation, and many of the OT prophets, but we know what’s going to happen eventually.

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV)

For now, that’s good enough for me.

 

Moving on, in Chapter 11, we find the narrative of the tower of Babel.  The events recorded here show what happened to man after attempting to glorify themselves alongside (or above?) God.

1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:1–4 (ESV)

As we find in the next few verses, God determines to put a stop to their efforts.

5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

Genesis 11:5–9 (ESV)

I find two interesting things here.  First, "the Lord came down to see the city and the tower."  They’re building a tower to the heavens, and yet there seems to be a joke that God had to get closer to see it. ;)  (Though, perhaps we have another visit of God to earth in the form of Jesus Christ?)  Second, verse 7 uses the plural form of God again, so we see another case of speaking within the triune Godhead.  Anyway, regardless if this was a real visit to earth or not, we see what God decides to do.  He confuses man’s language, and disperses them over the earth.  This reminds me of something stated later in Scripture.

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 5:9–10 (ESV)

 

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Revelation 7:9–12 (ESV)

Every tongue, tribe and nation.  What man once did to bring glory to themselves, will one day be used to bring glory to Jesus Christ.

 

In summary, we have found the following:

• Genesis 10:8-12 – ANTI-type/picture – Nimrod, a picture of the antichrist (or simply an antichrist himself), whom Jesus will one day destroy
• Genesis 11:1-9 – chiasmus – Jesus will be glorified/praised by every tongue, tribe and nation, as man is again united after being dispersed at the tower of Babel

See you next time.

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In the interest of getting my blogging going again, I have a random, short (at least for me ;) post tonight if there is anyone out there still tuning in.  I got an email of a free video from The Berean Call folks this weekend referring to "Christian Palestinianism."  I had no idea what that meant, so simply had to check it out.  I’m going to leave you hanging, and see if you’re as cornfuzzled about this as I was after checking it out.  It fits pretty well with my thoughts on Israel which I partially included in an earlier post, Israel’s "occupation"?, but provides quite a bit more information.

 

Anyway, you can jump directly to it on Youtube here, or simply play the video below.

 

 

By the way, it says it’s only available until January 31, but I just got a follow up email that makes it sound like it will be up indefinitely… which might just be how long the break will be between now and my next post. ;)

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This is the second half of movie reviews for the past year, not the past three weeks.  That would be insane.  This is clearly not insane at all.  If you missed part one, you can get there from here.

 

Megamind (2010)

Rating:  

I couldn’t help but love this one.  Here we find ourselves rooting for the bad guy, in an interesting twist from other "hero" movies out there.  The animators did a great job bringing life to Will Ferrell’s off-screen voice antics.  The family and I watched this one several times before finally shipping back to Netflix.

 

Monsters (2010)

Rating:  

This movie reminds me of the love I had for Cloverfield, where we again have gigantic, alien monsters on the planet messing life up for everyone.  It’s simply fascinating to watch the characters work against that backdrop.  For those who rely on explosions for enjoyment, this probably won’t suit you.  It’s more of a character study than anything, being an indie flick and all.

 

Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)

Rating:  

The first movie was charming, and I suppose this one is to some extent.  However, I just found it to be a tired repeat of the original.  Check the first one out and move on to something else.

 

Ninja (2009)

Rating:  

I don’t have much to say, so will let a Netflix reviewer chime in: "The highest praise I can heap upon Ninja is that there is absolutely no fat on this thing. It’s lean and mean and gets right down to the point: ninjas! It’s a scientific fact that ninjas are way cooler than pirates and robots combined. Even dead people know this to be true. That’s why it’s hard to even muster the energy to attempt to try to bag on a movie like Ninja."

 

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Rating:  

I never did play the video game this movie is based on, but had understood a bit of the deal with the special dagger.  I thought they demonstrated the idea in neat ways, and the movie felt a bit like watching a fourth installment of the Mummy franchise… which is not a bad thing.  Worth checking out for some good adventuring fun.

 

Rango (2011)

Rating:  

I’m sorry.  I don’t get it.  It seems they tried to adapt the magic of Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns to animated animals.  Sorry, but it didn’t work.  I have too much respect for the master of the western… perhaps the only one who could take out Chuck Norris if it came to that, but I digress.

 

Restrepo (2010)

Rating:  

Fascinating documentary of a platoon in Afghanistan working to hold a deadly valley.  I think this is one you just have to see for yourself to form an opinion, which is hard to do when it’s real-life thrown at you with not much held back.  As for my middle of the road rating, I guess I expected the documentary to make some sort of statement, which I feel it never did.  I suppose that was the point… just show soldier life in the mountainous war zone.

 

Rio (2011)

Rating:  

The kids watched this several times before they let me ship it back.  I have no idea why.  I didn’t get this movie either.  I say skip the movie and check out the game version: Angry Birds Rio.  You’ll get far more enjoyment over a couple hours.

 

Robin Hood (2010)

Rating:  

Sorry for all those haters of this movie out there.  I did enjoy it, though that was probably helped by the low expectations I had going in based on RottenTomatoes’ 43% rating on the Tomatometer.  I hope to see the rest of the story told at some point.

 

Season of the Witch (2011)

Rating:  

I didn’t expect much out of this movie, as I do with most of Nicolas Cage’s films ever since Con Air appeared.  It was not too shabby, actually.  Interesting way to imagine the spiritual side to the events of the bubonic plague during the Middle Ages.

 

Shrek Forever After (2010)

Rating:  

Even though I’m rating this positively, I’m positively positive I don’t need more Shrek movies.  Could we please stop?  I dread that feeling of "there’s no way this is going to be any good, yet here I am laughing and enjoying myself once again to the tune of two green ‘monsters,’ a stupid donkey, and a really messed up cat that sounds a lot like Antonio Banderas."

 

Shutter Island (2010)

Rating:  

Gripping thriller, but I still find it so hard to deal with DiCaprio in serious roles… especially serious roles for which he has attempted to grow a moustache or anything else resembling facial hair.  It just doesn’t suit him.  Kingsley holds the movie together as he tends to do whenever he appears.  The movie definitely keeps you guessing.

 

Stone (2010)

Rating:  

Pitting De Niro and Norton against each other?  Great plan.  These two are great in these kinds of roles.  I wouldn’t call it a complete masterpiece like some of the Netflix reviewers did, but it will keep you watching to find out what happens next.

 

Surf’s Up (2007)

Rating:  

Ugh.  Skip it.  Just skip it.  It’s slightly interesting just for the idea that it is an animated documentary, if you will, but that is not enough for me to recommend it to anyone.

 

 

Tangled (2010)

Rating:  

I enjoyed this animated movie.  I thought they did a pretty decent job reimagining the story of Rapunzel as a girl who can do anything for herself, empowering all those young girls out there to kick the tar out of any guy who tries to mess with them… using only her hair.  Sorry, got carried away a bit there.

 

Thor (2011)

Rating:  

This was far superior to Captain America and The Incredible Hulk, and right on par with Iron Man 1 and 2.  The kids were able to watch this one, and we immediately threw it on the family Christmas list after their first viewing.  Here’s to hoping The Avengers movie next year, where they all come together, is tame enough for the kids to enjoy.

 

Three Kingdoms (2008)

Rating:  

Anyone who has followed my reviews for some time will probably notice I have a special place in my heart for samurai sorts of flicks.  This was very well done, but there are so many others out there to compare to that are just better enough to attain four stars over this one.  Great stuff though.

 

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Rating:  

Amazing effects.  Big explosions.  Sweet visuals of U.S. military weaponry.  What more could a movie viewer want?  I could use some better plot.  I could use *far* less of John Turtorro’s character and even far less of Shia’s parents.  Here’s to hoping #4 in the series has some redeeming quality beyond the awesomeness of the special effects.

 

Tron: Legacy (2010)

Rating:  

You know, I suppose I should only rate this three stars, but they brought the original Tron "universe" back to life beautifully.  The retro effects are simply magic.  What saddens me is probably nobody will read down this far and will miss out on this gem.  By the way, why does Jeff Bridges feel the need to reprise his role as "The Dude" from Big Lebowski no matter what part he’s playing these days?

 

The Warlords (2007)

Rating:  

Here’s another very well done samurai sort of flick.  I enjoyed this one just slightly more than Three Kingdoms.  Both are worth watching if you are into these films like I am.

 

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Rating:  

Well, I just didn’t find this movie as good as those nominating it for awards did.  You can read some other reviews and decide for yourself if you want to try it out.  There are so many I would put ahead of it though.

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This will appear slightly insane until you realize it’s actually been over a year since I last posted any movie reviews (unless you count my April Fools post).  I don’t watch movies that much anymore, so had decided not to blog about any, but I’ve received enough prodding to throw them out there.  In fact, I will split this up into two posts (in alphabetic order even).

 

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Rating:  

Loved it.  I actually watched this while preparing the rest of the two-part review blog posts, and plan to have T watch it again with me later tonight.  Interesting rabbit holes one could go down afterward if you wanted to take the bait and think of the plotline in terms of God and His sovereignty, but I would stick to the Bible for my theology over a Hollywood movie. ;)

 

Agora (2009)

Rating:  

Interesting movie, though perhaps a silly take on what might have occurred back at the end of the 4th century.  I’m surprised this wasn’t more popular as the world continues to move towards demonizing Christianity, bending historical reality to their will.

 

Ancient Aliens: Seasons 1-3 (2009-2011)

Rating:  

This History Channel series brings us some of the same things I’ve attempted to touch on in my Genesis 6 study post and another previous post.  It has far more material to work with over 15 hours of episodes, though.  Interesting stuff, though you certainly have to use some discernment before getting carried away in all the speculation.

 

Archangel miniseries (2005)

Rating:  

I have enjoyed mostly anything Daniel Craig shows up in, but this is an exception.  Here we have him as a historian roaming around Russia attempting to investigate secrets of Joseph Stalin.  Craig shouldn’t be held back by a role where he doesn’t get to use weaponry or other more interesting spy-like skills.

 

Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)

Rating:  

This period piece hovered between enjoyable and just plain boring to stay tuned in to.  It ended up going on too long with too many disjointed jumps throughout.  Though, there are tons of 4-star reviews on Netflix, so perhaps I’m just whiny.

 

Bert the Conqueror: Season 1 (2010)

Rating:  

Jake made me check out this sort of theme-park-version-of-Man-vs.-Food TV show.  It was quite funny for a few episodes, and the flashback I got to my favorite U.S. adventure park as a child, Cedar Point, was outstanding.  However, it just got a bit old to me and I had to move on to something else.

 

Camelot: Season 1 (2011)

Rating:  

I’m in the middle of watching this, but will go ahead and rate it now since I haven’t watched any episodes for several months and don’t know when I’ll get back to it.  It’s a grittier version than the Merlin series, which means it’s right up my alley.  Though, I have to admit I enjoy them about equally.

 

Captain America (2011)

Rating:  

This is pretty much a prequel to next year’s The Avengers, and it felt like that’s mostly what they shot for.  Though, it was still filled with superhero fun and the entire family enjoyed it.  It’s really too bad Iron Man 1 and 2 lived up to their PG-13 ratings, so the kids will miss out on those.  This was definitely more tame.

 

The Captains (2011)

Rating:  

You probably can’t tell from the tiny picture there, but yes, that’s William Shatner in a box.  Shatner wrote and directed this film about the actors playing Captain throughout Star Trek franchise history, including even Chris Pine.  It was so much better than I expected, and the following Netflix review was spot on: "The film is excellent if you want to listen to William Shatner talk about William Shatner’s place in Star Trek history while other Trek actors stare at him, waiting for their turn to say something, only to then be interrupted by William Shatner again. It’s Shatneriffic!"

 

Casino Jack (2010)

Rating:  

Very entertaining movie, though I didn’t go down the rabbit hole long enough to see how much is a parody of lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s life rather than a somewhat accurate portrayal.  He certainly doesn’t look too good here.  Perhaps they can do this with some of the folks out there in office and we can finally get people to vote them out on the street.

 

Centurion (2010)

Rating:  

I tend to be forgiving with flicks portraying anything related to ancient Rome.  This isn’t the best period pic by far, but I found it to be well done.  If you enjoy something like Gladiator, this is well worth checking out.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Rating:  

This third installment in the Narnia series was better to me than most of the reviews I read before watching.  Sure it may not have followed the book that well, but have the first two really done that either?  It was still filled with decent adventure action the kids weren’t completely frightened over.  That’s a win right there.

 

Despicable Me (2010)

Rating:  

Similar to Megamind (covered in part two of the movie reviews), but I didn’t find it to be quite as good.  Had I seen this first, I might have enjoyed it more, but I kept making comparisons all movie long.  So, I guess Will Farrell wins over Steve Carell in rock-paper-scissors-Farrell-Carell.  Sorry, that was dumb.  I retract it.

 

The Expendables (2010)

Rating:  

What do you get when you bring together a bazillion of Hollywood’s most popular action stars?  Chaos.  Mass chaos.  And explosions… if you love that kind of thing.  In fact, I’m pretty sure you also get a sequel with a bazillion more stars just in case they can suck in more viewers next time.

 

From Paris with Love (2010)

Rating:  

One Netflix reviewer said it best: "If you enjoy movies with total non-stop action, bullets and bodies flying everywhere, and a totally incomprehensible story, then this movie is your poster child."  I enjoy those types sometimes, but add John Travolta to the mix and it’s just too much for me to take.

 

I Am Number Four (2010)

Rating:  

Not as good as the book, but pretty well-done nonetheless.  I had a bit of trouble envisioning the characters as the ages they are in the movie in comparison to how I saw them in the book, but I got over it well enough to enjoy how they depicted the story.  If you read the book and loved it, I think you’ll enjoy the movie.

 

Inception (2010)

Rating:  

This movie was outstanding.  I might even call much of it brilliant.  The problem is DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt in the lead.  I could scream.  Please move them off to namby-pamby, lovey-dovey movies and give me my darmatic/action stars back.  Even so, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

 

Ip Man/Ip Man 2 (2008, 2010)

Rating:  

Interesting movies based on the life of one of Bruce Lee’s martial arts trainers.  There is outstanding fighting throughout both of these, though perhaps the plots aren’t equally interesting.  Still worth watching if you’re a martial arts movie buff.

 

Jonah Hex (2010)

Rating:  

When I saw there was another comic book brought to life coming, I immediately added it to my queue.  This was just messed up.  I didn’t bother trying to understand how well it matched the comics, as I didn’t appreciate the story in the first place.  Maybe someone else knows (and cares).

 

Kick-A** (2010)

Rating:  

Ok… there is no way this movie should have been that good.  I struggled between rating it 3 or 4 stars.  The scene where Nicolas Cage is caught on a surveillance camera going Batman on all the bad guys is top notch.  If you love hero movies, this is one of a different nature that you should check it out.

 

The Last Airbender (2010)

Rating:  

There are some cool special effects throughout, and it’s a decent samurai sort of movie even (one of my favorite genres).  But, it teetered between a movie for adults and a movie for kids far too often.  I think it would have been best to stick with one or the other.

 

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010)

Rating:  

I really enjoyed this fighting/adventure movie made with owls instead of people, though the kids wanted to send it back fairly quickly after the first viewing.  What’s wrong with my family?  I may have to revoke their movie queue privileges.

 

Limitless (2011)

Rating:  

I had no idea what this was about going in, and I think that’s the way you should approach it as well… it keeps you somewhat riveted trying to figure out what’s going to happen next.  Some cool effects and a neat concept.  Check it out.

 

Little House on the Prairie: Season 1 (1974)

Rating:  

You might be laughing a bit seeing this down here.  T had the idea to have J start watching Little House on the Prairie, and both T and I were amazed at the show now watching it as adults instead of children.  They just don’t make shows like this anymore.  You have to see it for yourself to believe it… they even talk about God quite often (*gasp*).  Ultimately, some of the shows were too realistic with people fighting for survival and losing, so J asked us to stop getting them.  Maybe we can start back up in a few years.

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