This video is so amazing! EVERYONE needs to watch it!


Stacy O'Hagan

Has anyone read "The Shack"?  This book has become highly controversial in the Christian community and I'm wondering who has read it and what you think. 

I won't explain the whole controversy here, but if you want to know about it google "The Shack book" along with Eugene Peterson (pro) or Mark Driscoll (against). Just beware of the inevitable headache that comes from googling any sort of Christian controversy that's made its way to the blogosphere. 

Anyway, I'll write a review when I have some more time.  The short of it is The Shack is a good and emotional story which raises some interesting and challenging theological questions.  The main theme seems to be about where God is when people experience their deepest pain and I thought the author's explanation was beautiful and thought provoking.  The other theology woven into the story is a little more questionable in my opinion. 

So, again, who has read it?  What did you think?

-Jewel

Okay, if you saw the previews for "Lars and the Real Girl" you may have been thinking "What the heck?" because I was.  A movie about a man who takes his blow up doll to dinner parties trying to pass her off as his new girlfriend...hmmm...what will Hollywood think up next? 

However, I heard a couple of good reviews so I thought I'd give the movie a chance and I was pleasantly surprised at what a good movie it was.   Far from being over the top, the scenes went from being subtly sad to ingeniously hilarious.

The movie starts out being about a lonely guy who has severe social anxiety and orders a "design your own girl" off the internet, who he then introduces to his brother and sister in law as his missionary girlfriend.  A doctor describes him as dillusional and tells his family they must play along.  In one interesting scene the family meets with the church elders and asks them to also play along with Lars and his dillusions.  They sit around and argue about the idea of a lifesize doll sitting in church on Sunday and how kids these days have no restraint, but then one man speaks up and says, "Well now, it all comes down to one very important question, what would Jesus do?"  I won't spoil the next part for you. 

The characters in the story are real and identifiable and midway through the movie you'll see that the story is just as much about Lars' friends and family as it is about him, maybe more so.  At one point I took a mental step back realizing how attached I'd become to the character Bianca (again you'll have to watch it to see who she is).

Lars and the Real Girl gives a thoughtful look into the lives of people who are different and celebrates how we can come together as a community to support and love each other. 

It's out on DVD and rated PG-13 for obvious adult content. 

-Jewel

August Rush is a beautiful family movie that will leave everyone inspired to either pick up a musical instrument, explore some other gift or just love their kids and encourage them to follow their dreams. 

First of all when I say family movie I mean that my older girls (9 and 10) loved it while my 2 and 4 year olds weren't interested because they prefer animation.  I don't even remember any bad language and while the girl and boy obiviously produce a baby boy, it is implied only by that fact and they wake up together (fully clothed) on a roof top. 

August Rush is sort of a musical fairy tale about a boy named Evan Taylor wanting to be found by his parents and he believes music is the key.  He's a prodigy who meets interesting characters along his journey who each teach him something musically and something about himself.  Some of them are a Preacher and a little homeless girl, a case worker who sees something special about the boy, and Robin Williams plays a guy who is like Charles Dickens Artful Dodger, exploiting the musical talents of lost kids. 

There wasn't any unneccessary dialog and the actors were all very believable, especially the little boy.  The music soundtrack is so beautifully woven throughout the movie that I sat there with a lump in my throat and on the verge of tears from beginning to end. 

This is really the best family movie I've seen since the "Bridge to Terabithia".

Jewel Wheeler

This isn't technically a review, but I was just wondering if people have noticed those book shelves at the top of the stairs by the pre-school class. Those books were donated by a good friend of the Gathering, Dianne Murphy and I would urge people to check them out.

Some of the books I would recommend are Kay Arthur’s "Israel My Beloved" any by Francine Rivers (her Mark of the Lion series are the best books I've ever read!) and Beverly Lewis. Just borrow whichever one you'd like and be sure to return it so others can read it too.

Jewel Wheeler

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