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I saw Eragon with my boys yesterday. I have mixed feelings about it. There’s lots to pick at: for example, how the movie is really Star Wars set in Middle-Earth.
Let’s see, you’ve got the young farm boy who watches his older cousin go off to adventure while he has to stay at home. He discovers something unexpected, and while searching for information on the unexpected thing, his family (well, uncle) are killed. There’s a powerful wizard (jedi) who wants to find the unexpected thing because of what it contains. After finding his uncle dead, Eragon goes off into the wilderness with an old man who is hiding a secret past. The old man gives him a sword (which glows). He is distracted by visions of a girl who is being kept in a fortress, and he decides to save her. After sneaking into the fortress in disguise, he rescues the princess only to have his mentor killed by the wizard. He and the princess then journey to find the rebel alliance, but they have unwittingly led the evil emperor’s forces straight to their stronghold.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s just off the top of my head. My boys have all read the books, and their responses were that the movie cut too much of the good stuff out.

Recommendation: see it if you’ve read the book and enjoyed that, but otherwise skip it.

Hey everyone,

I’ve taken the time to make pics of each of us non-host members, but I don’t know if those pics can be used in some way. Here are the pics:

I woke up this morning (Thursday the 30th) to “no school” notifications. The snow began falling around 8:30 and continued all through the morning and afternoon, until about 4:00. We had maybe 8 inches of snow, but it was windy and blizzard-like conditions so it’s difficult to get an accurate measurement. I called in to work and told them I would be working from home. I think it was more stressful working from home, as I received call after call; sometimes I had one person on the landline and other on the cell phone. I should have just gone in to work – that way I would have probably managed my tasks better.

okay, so I’m writing this post from my Nokia 770 “Internet Tablet” and it looks like it can keep up with my typing speed pretty well. It even has word completion which I’m not actually using but it’s there anyway. I don’t think that I would be able to take notes in a meeting usng this method but it does seem to work for a quick e-mail or blog post.

So, any Thanksgiving stories? Or just the usual “I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore, then took a nap.” And what’s up with the NFL Network? They’re not even on basic cable.

Matthew 11:16-19

To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ’sinners.’” But wisdom is proved right by her actions.

The children play a tune and sing a dirge, illustrating both a joyful and a sad event, and the audience is apathetic. They make no response. They criticize John’s behavior when he neither eats nor drinks, then they criticize Jesus when he eats and drinks and socializes with the wrong people. They are the do-nothing generation, eager to sit at the back of the room and throw bombs at those who are accomplishing something.

Matthew 8:10-12

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Many will come from the east and the west – this would be a reference to the non-Jews soon to hear the good news – and will take their places. The table has already been set and their places are waiting for them. That’s an interesting thought, even if it is just a rhetorical flourish. But those subjects of the kingdom who are thrown outside – what’s going on here? The Jews belonged to the “chosen kingdom” by birth. Other translations read “sons of the kingdom” instead of “subjects of the kingdom”. Jesus is saying that their birthright will not automatically seat them at the table. Instead, without faith, they will be thrown out into the darkness.

Matthew 5:43-47

You have heard it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

How do I love my enemies? Who are my enemies? This reflects a serious and fundamental attitude shift that must occur. It’s not “us vs. them”. It’s “us and them”. Pray for those who persecute you – don’t pray for their downfall, that’s dodging the issue. Love them. Yes, love those who would try to kill you. Love them as they are killing you. Love them as they are taking away everything you hold dear to you. Love them as they are changing the laws and using the courts against you. Love them as the political power and military power is used against you. Whatever they do to you, it cannot compare to being found worthy of being called a son of the Father in heaven.

Matthew 3:7-10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John the Baptizer, speaking before Jesus begins his ministry. “We have Abraham as our father” would be the call for salvation by birthright. The Pharisees and Sadducees came from the correct lineage; but that’s not good enough. God doesn’t care who your parents are or what they believed.

Second Corinthians 11:3-4

“…I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”

Paul is accusing the Corinthian church of being unfaithful to what he preached. The condemnation of that last line – “you put up with it easily enough” – is like a dagger.