God @ the Movies: Facing the Giants

This series is not just about movies. the World Vision “One Life” experience tells poverty and AIDS through a story, complete with a little village and an MP3 player.

Tony Campolo, now 72, was in Edmonton on Tuesday to open the display at West Ed Mall spoke as a sociologist that for learning, we need to have an experience and then reflection. That catylyzes the best learning. That’s why we do “God @ the Movies.”

I’m not interested in you watching more movies, just watching anything, including your own life with more of an eye to experience and reflection, and allowing God into that reflective cycle.

Teachability can't be taught. Just because you watch lots of movies doesn’t mean you’ll learn any more from this series.

Teachability is not determined by age, but increased age means an increased chance that bad habits and character traits are more permanently ingrained. Teachability requires repeated long, hard looks in the mirror and on Gods work in our lives.

We are 'Co-laboring with God', as Paul writes in Philippians. We are to 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling.'

Sorrow is one of the biggest facts of life; it is no use saying sorrow ought not to be. Sin and sorrow and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Scene 1 Theatrical trailer, under ‘Special Features’.

Ever wonder what the theatrical trailer for your life to this point would look like? What’s the theme? Where are you going?

Coach Grant and his wife are discussing their difficulty in having children:

Scene 2 chapter 4 13.26- 14.37

Are you afraid of anything facing you in life right now?

Take a minute to open your heart and allow God to begin speaking to this area right now and as we move forward.

Not only is coach Grant having trouble having kids, his football team is struggling. Another highly talented player transfers to another school, and that fuels some dissension in the ranks: here we see one of Taylor’s assistants being courted by the group that wants to oust him:

Scene 3 chapter 5 18.15- 19.33

A young soccer player who has never played football joins the team to be a back-up kicker. He talks about a humiliating loss and the talk right after the game where coach Taylor tore a strip off of the team here in this scene with his dad:

Scene 4 24.12- 26.30

What limitations are you allowing in your life?

The challenges continue to amass for Coach Taylor, and in this scene he speaks with his wife right after receiving some disturbing news from the doctor and his becoming aware of the campaign to oust him:

Scene 5 chapter 8 30.00- 32.47

Why is this so hard?

Have you ever said that to God or anyone else?

What giants of fear and failure are you facing?

Betrayal and woundedness. It can be a gift. In Hebrews 5:8 we read, ‘Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.’

We cannot become Christ-like without experiencing woundedness. The crushing is not a disaster; it is an opportunity. It is an opportunity for love and forgiveness to win out.

Luke 23:34
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Philippians 3:10
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

In the midst of the challenges Grant Taylor wanted to quit, but God sends Him a message:

Scene 6 chapter 10 38.38- 40.25

God speaks and says, ‘prepare for rain’.

Trust

Do you trust God? Is God trustable?

Let’s watch coach Taylor speak to his guys concerning life and football:

Scene 7 chapter 11 42.28- 44.41

Your attitude is the odor of your heart. Does yours give a pleasant fragrance or more like that of B.O.?

Scene 8 chapter 14 53.20- 54.10

This really has nothing to do with the story but it’s fun and reminds me of something I’d do to Anola!

It does actually show that we need to be able to laugh in the midst of life. Our troubles aren’t our real troubles; our real troubles are how we view and perceive our troubles.

Well, the season begins to get turned around, and lives are beginning to change. Transformed lives, that’s what it’s all about.

In this scene we’ll watch the conclusion of the football season with a key play in the final seconds of the championship game where the Eagles face the state powerhouse the Giants, a team that is bigger, faster, and outnumbers them nearly 3-1. Let’s watch, but turn away if you don’t want to see the end of the movie:

Scene 9 chapter 27 97.40- 101.05

When fear collides with faith, what happens? What happens in your life?

Scene 10 ‘Special features’, “Behind the Scenes” 2.15- 4.36

Matthew 19.26
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

"No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."

In our circumstances God keeps working until He finally gets me us He wants us. That's the way He works in all of our lives. He uses and takes the circumstances to get us "there" --- [where He wants us]. And because we don't understand that, we often then start rebelling against the circumstances. If you look at Paul's life he said in writing in prison, "I am a prisoner of Jesus Christ" —–not Nero, but of Jesus Christ. Circumstances were not where He lived life.

"I don't know how come I am in this prison! I am supposed to be a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how can I preach in this prison?"

No. He said, "I am in bonds, but the word of God is not in bonds." He perceived the circumstances as the means by which God was fulfilling what God wanted to fulfill in His life. And I think that's where God is trying to bring all of us, is to recognize whatever circumstances we are in—–or as Paul would say, "Whether I am afflicted or whether I am comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation." He doesn't live in those circumstances. He doesn't pray that the circumstances will be changed. James Stone