So I must admit that I do love watching the Star Wars movies…even (gulp, I’m afraid to confess) the prequels, and I just watched the new Star Wars movie – “The Force Awakens“.
NO SPOILERS HERE…
I will admit that I just had to read about all of the spoilers BEFORE seeing the movie, because I’m THAT guy who also reads the last chapter of books…I hate surprises I guess.
BUT –
I won’t spoil it for you (and there ARE a number of “surprises”), the action, the humor and the “Star Wars Ecosystem” is still intact in this movie. From start to finish there is action, suspense and intrigue. You will not fall asleep in this movie!
A Pondering on Star Wars Force Awakens:
One of the most intriguing characters, at least for me, that was introduced in this film is a Storm trooper of the First Order turned Resistance fighter Finn, formerly designated FN-2187. Finn is conflicted with his purpose as a Storm Trooper despite the First Order programming since childhood. He chooses to leave “the dark-side” and fight on the “good” side of Han Solo, General Leia and the Rebel Alliance.
What I find intriguing is the story of second chances and redemption in the character of Finn. I think he is both afraid and brave at the same time. He despises what the First Order represents as well as what his old life within the First Order. Although He can’t change the past, he longs to fight against the dark side. This is something that the antagonist (Kylo Ren) in this film also struggles with in his own sinister way.
Finn’s character, in my opinion is like ALL OF US –
We’ve all come from places of regret and shame. As Christ-followers, we were once lost and without hope. Our old lives are no more, and yet still they haunt us from time to time. We can peer backwards with a sense of disdain and recognize that there is now hope and a bright future…because of Christ.
Do you have baggage that still clings to you today?
Does your past sometimes haunt you?
The wonderful thing about forgiveness is that these past regrets; your old life – they are both in the past and can no longer hold you from experiencing the present with Christ.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” -Jesus (John 10:10)
Perhaps we can all relate to Finn…and we certainly have something wonderful to live for and declare to our world because of what Christ has done for us.

If you like the Star Wars movies – you will not be disappointed. Go see it with the whole family! If you’re new to the Star Wars world (*gasp*), I would recommend watching some of the other films before jumping into this one, you might end up scratching your head because there is a lot of history to understand. All in all, I give Star Wars Force Awakens

Something more for us all to ponder today…may the force be with you. 😉



Now, as the day quickly spun into daylight as it always does, the touch of children’s hands began to closely inspect each gift, turning them over, guessing and re-guessed as to its contents, shaking them, listening and then gently shaking them once more. It is the act of innocence. It is the spark of imagination and exuberance only caught in the eye of youth. The quiet sneaking and peaking. The reading of names written there upon the glinting wrapping paper and smooth crimson satin bows. Caught in the act, their mother and I lightly chide them and remind them that the day has not yet arrived. The day that might as well be a thousand years from now to our children seated impatiently there beneath our tree. They begin begging to open just one – their pleas fall upon our deaf ears…it is far too soon. The mystery, or perhaps torture, must continue for another twelve days.
acknowledgement that this moment too is sacred. It can be as sacred as any moment seated in mighty
cathedrals. Though we lack stained glass and their purposeful messages told and passed down from generation to generation…and though we also lack within this moment the “choirs of angels” sharing another
“holy night” in resplendent octaves and melodies that glance upon our souls – we still share a moment of pure joy. It is a gift, a worthy moment only share by these few members of family and blood.
I wonder sometimes if we truly mean what we say. And what if we say those words with a half-heart and the Lord doesn’t provide for that person…could they end up blaming God, faith for their hurt? What if we say those words and nothing happens? What kind of testimony do we present to the world through half-hearted comments and insincerity of faith? Are we doing more damage than good with our niceties and generalities?
cliche’ “Christianese” phrases. The big problem is that these phrases can lose their significance and meaning if we simply overuse them without thought or true heartfelt faith. Anything can become routine or ritual – devoid of meaning if faith and belief are not sincere and present in them. This is ESPECIALLY true of our words!
If all we do is programs and our hearts remain at home, we will have a soul-less building devoid of people seeking spiritual growth, holiness and this new creation we are to become. Sometimes I fear we settle for what is instead of what could be…or what SHOULD be. Soldiers, in essence we listen to the lies of the Great Deceiver when we buy into the acceptance of where we are right now and that we are incapable anymore of growing in the grace that Christ offers. We convince ourselves that we aren’t good enough to receive entire sanctification, or we must become biblical scholars to get there. We make every excuse in the book to NOT change that we run the risk of becoming stagnant and meaningless. This is exactly where Satan wants us to remain. If we remain here, we are no longer fit to be called an Army of Salvation, but instead the Army of Stagnation. This is pretty harsh, because I believe we buy the lie that we cannot grow, or that we are limited in our growth. I believe we stunt our growth and the workings of the Holy Spirit when we don’t allow Him access to EVERY corner of our hearts, minds and lives.
We need to understand that what our corps do – matters.
Be Intentional
This message is for Adherents, Soldiers, Officers, Commissioners as well as the General. It MUST be a matter of the heart. We cannot only rely on “the law” to prop up what we do – we must first be HIS, and from that everything else must flow. How is your heart? Have you been guilty of listening to the lie? Have you sold your need of Holiness short? Is it incomplete? Are you stagnating right now in your faith journey? Perhaps this is my wake call…perhaps this is yours. It is a matter of our hearts. Forget all the programs that we throw around to “attract people”, forget all the “doing” that we are good at…it means absolutely nothing if our hearts are not completely His.

Let me clarify first, Dear Thanksgiving, it’s not that I don’t like you, it’s just that I don’t want to quantify my ability to give thanks on JUST one day. I love you, but I don’t love what you have become.
I don’t wish to sound like a hypocrite, Dear Thanksgiving, but I too have indulged in this new creation of “Thanksgiving”.
It is extremely enticing and I see why we are all attracted to these offers…BUT are we losing ourselves in the process? Are we becoming blind to gratefulness as we over-indulge and binge on our riches?
Dear Thanksgiving, I want to be thankful for the right things in my life.

Sometimes we tend to dread this season of Christmas because we are so very busy. Don’t get me wrong, it is a wonderful thing that we do for people in our communities, but it does come at a cost. We can become jaded by what we do so much so that we lose sight of why we do it in the first place. Sometimes we lose out on precious opportunities because our noses are firmly planted to “the grind”.
It sounds preposterous to “take a break” during our busiest season, but step outside. Go get a cup of coffee. Do something for ten or fifteen minutes (even an hour if you can afford to) that gets you away from the noise and responsibilities. This is sometimes called “self-care”. It’s maintenance for the mind, soul, body. Breathe.

Are You Missing Out?
I get that we don’t want to experience what Paris has just horribly experienced. I understand that terrorists wish us harm. I know that we must protect our families and our communities…and we must. BUT, (and here’s where the “conflicted” part comes in”) does this mean we completely shut our borders and treat every man, woman and child as a suspect of terror? -No.
Some might argue that if we allow refugees (because of compassion) to come into our country, we will also allow terrorists in as well. This can be a valid point, and I get why some are calling for stiffer screenings, but we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of people… Others have argued that their state will flat out refuse to accept any refugees, citing that this is why/how the Paris attack happened.
Do I feel we should completely close our borders to those who wish to make a home within our free country? NO. Do I believe all who come to this country should follow the same procedure to citizenship through education and understanding? Yes.
What is their part to play in all of this?

It seems to me that the Kingdom of Heaven isn’t some far off place, but a place that has been closer than we could ever imagine. If we are to actively seek God’s kingdom here on earth and bring His Kingdom to others still lost in the world, then we have to make His Kingdom a priority in our lives EVERYDAY!