Freedom Isn't Free

OK, I know it's a bumper-sticker cliche. But it's still true. The freedoms we have in this country, freedom of speech, worship, association, the press, the right to bear arms--they were all won and preserved at a high cost. And we have to continue to protect those freedoms today.

Here's an excerpt from a really good post on protecting our freedom. You should definitely read it all:

For those of you have yet to see 300, do yourselves a favor and see it. (Warning: Spoiler Alert if you read the whole linked post.)

This movie is not just about the past. It's about today. Right now.

It's about each one of you who stands in the breach against the enemy.

And it's about each one of you who stands against the enemy within, who would happily widen that breach.

Today's enemy is Islamofascism, but it is little different from the hordes following the tyrannical King Xerxes.

Today's enemy within is the left, both at home and across the globe. And they too are little different from the scheming legislator Theron and the vile Ephori, who were willing--even eager--to see all Sparta kneel before Xerxes, just to gain power.

How is the left today any different? Do they not see their own nation, their own people, their own military as the enemy? Do they not seek to withdraw us from the field, to give the enemy the day?

And just as Sparta was the lynchpin that defended all Greece--that great cradle of democracy--is not the United States today the last bastion of freedom defending Western civilization?

But what care the left for Western civilization? They HATE Western civilization. They hate the men and women who defend it. They hate themselves.

It's a great read, maybe put a little strongly but with some very good points about the value of freedom, about the need to protect our civilization against tyranny. (Please note, though, that I'm not necessarily recommending actually seeing the movie. I haven't seen it, and I think it's pretty violent, so you should definitely make that decision for yourself based on how you feel about that kind of content. But it sounds like a really good story!)

There is no Charge for Awesomeness...or Attractiveness

By Rich Bordner

I saw KungFu Panda last week. It was a very well done movie, quite entertaining, and quite funny.

As a teacher and a coach, I also appreciated one of the themes. Sometimes, the temptation of teachers and coaches is to be enamored with the ones who show great potential right from the start. We can readily see these talented individuals becoming champions, so we focus our time on them, to the neglect of the not-so-talented. This was Shifu's error. He did not see the awkward, fat, incredibly-out-of-shape, over-eating Panda's potential, so he completely ignored him.

However, there were some themes in the movie that we should guard against. The Oprah-New-Age stuff, of course, was problematic ("you just need to believe;" "there is no secret ingredient, only you."), but that's for another blog. It's the whole "believe in yourself and follow your dreams" bit that I'm addressing here.

You see, as a culture, we've created a bit of a monster. We tell kids that if they just believe in themselves, they can do/accomplish anything they want.

There's nothing wrong with a healthy bit of confidence in one's training and hard work, and there's nothing wrong with having dreams. The problem is that we spout these unqualified aphorisms out at them ("believe in yourself, follow your dreams!"), then we're surprised when they take us at our word and show up on American Idol without a hint of training and thoroughly embarrass themselves. When the judges give them a harsh bit of reality, more often than not these types turn up their noses and self-righteously march out, saying "What do they know? I'M A STAR! They're just jealous." Never mind that Simon, et al have been doing the talent scout thing ever since the stone age, and they've seen it all.

This just goes to show that we need to stop with the aphorisms and sprinkle our words with a dose of reality. This is not pessimism; this is just a plea for balance. It's good to have dreams...but not all dreams are equal (The dreams of fame and fortune are very much inferior to the dreams of starting a soup kitchen for the poor.).

It's good to believe in yourself...well, not really...you're not all that hot.

Yes, you can do it...but success will come only after decades of slow progress and much failure.

And in the end, if you find yourself entertaining delusions of grandeur, put the mic down and focus on getting that engineering degree that your parents have sacrificed so much for...William Hung, this means you.

Movie: The Ultimate Gift

This would be a great movie to rent and watch with the fam during the holidays.

Check out theultimategift.com to watch the trailer.

Visit PluggedInOnline.com for a review of this movie and others.

Movie: Bella

There’s a new independent film that has been garnering rave reviews. The movie is called Bella. It recently won the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award. Past recipients of this award included: Chariots of Fire; American Beauty; Life is Beautiful; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and Hotel Rwanda.

Check out bellathemovie.com to see when this film is playing near you. For more information on Bella and to see videos of the lead actor's testimony, go to bellafaithemails.com

Visit PluggedInOnline.com for a review of this movie and others.

Movie review: Golden Compass

In a Citizenlink.org article entitled, “Golden Compass Reveals a World Where There is No God,” Adam Holz, associate editor for Focus on the Family's Plugged In magazine and Web site, called the series "heretical." He further states:

“Pullman has been openly hostile about C.S. Lewis, and has been pretty clear about his desire to offer an alternate fantasy series based on what he would describe as humanist principles.”

Visit PluggedInOnline.com for a review of this movie and others.

Has the church crossed the line?

Here’s an editorial by Jim Smith of Florida Baptist Witness as he offers his answer to the question: Did Christian churches and media outlets cross the line in their promotion of Evan Almighty?