Emptied & Humbled: Spider-man 2 – Sacrifice

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

We make sacrifices every day. Every time we make a choice – and we make choices every day – we make a sacrifice. We often choose one thing at the cost – or sacrifice – of another. We choose one thing over something else.

Lent is a time of sacrifice.

While most of us will never have to pay the ultimate sacrifice, we all make smaller sacrifices every day.

As we see in the Spider-man II poster above when we choose we also sacrifice. Peter Parker wanted things that Spider-man got in the way of.

Peter Parker sacrificed his will, his own ambition, to serve the people.

Peter sacrificed in order to be the hero.

He gave up his job, his girl, and his grades to fulfill a better, a bigger, calling.

What has God called you to do?

What is God asking you to give up, whether it is for Lent or for your life?

What are you holding on to that you know you should let go of?

What is standing between you and Jesus today, right now?

What do you need to sacrifice in order to obey God better?

This Lent I am straight up fasting. When I fast it is usually for one of two reasons.

Fasting is a very clear way for me to have self-control. Often, the way I eat indicated my lack of self-control. The less self-control I have the more I eat. Fasting is a way for me to refocus and reboot my will and self-control.
Fasting makes me trust God. I have a lot of dreams and plans and responsibilities. I work full-time and my wife and I homeschool our kids. In addition to the full-time job I volunteer at my Church and with my son’s Boy Scout troop. In addition to all that I am chasing this dream – Reel Parables. While my job is my current profession, Reel Parables is my passion. The more I have going on the more I try to control it. The more I pursue the less I trust God. Fasting is a way for me to stop trying to control my life and to give it back to God.

Peter Parker, like Jesus, had to sacrifice his own ambition to serve a higher purpose.

Today – this day – what can you give up, what can you sacrifice, in order to serve someone already in your life?

What can you sacrifice to serve your family, your spouse, or your children?

What can you sacrifice to serve your job and co-workers?

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

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Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

March 6, 2017February 13, 2018

Emptied & Humbled: Spider-man 2 – Choice

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

We all make choices. Do you choose to serve yourself or do you choose to serve others?

Lent is about choice. We choose what to give up as a way to remember and observe what Jesus choose to give up for us. We choose to give something up/fast as a way to remove those things that stand between God and us.

Spider-man II is also about choice

As this movie poster shows, Spider-man II is all about choice. (FYI – spoilers…)

If you can, watch Spider-man 2. Don’t be fooled by how shallow the Amazing Spider-man movies have been. Spider-man II has a depth to it that the new ones don’t. As you watch it, pay attention to what Peter Parker wants.

Peter Parker wants:

A job (or to keep his job)
A girlfriend
Good grades in school

Peter Parker wants good things. He wants admirable things. He wants what we want for ourselves and what we want for our own kids. Pursuing these things, however, means not being Spider-man and serving others.

Getting/keeping the job means not being the hero.

Getting the girl means not helping others.

Getting good grades means not being Spider-man.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Philippians 2:3

Everyday we choose between serving ourselves and serving others.

Does our own selfish ambition and vanity motivate us? Or do the needs of others motivate us?

Sometimes these choices compliment each other. Sometimes they fit like a puzzle and you end up getting both.

Sometimes they do not.

Sometimes we have to give up what we want to help others get what they want.

This is the choice that Peter Parker must make. Will he pursue money (his job), a girlfriend and good grades? Or will he be the hero who saves others? He has to make a choice.

Will he chase his own desires or will he empty himself of his own selfish ambitions and be the hero?

Will he humble himself and choose to help others instead of just helping himself?

What about you? What do you want?

For what do you desire?

What would getting what you want mean for others?

Are there areas of your life that you “fill up” at the cost of other people? Are there areas of your life that you fill up when you empty them instead?

Philippians 2 says that Jesus emptied himself and humbled himself. We know the story and can easily see that this is true. Jesus gave up his own life to save my life. Jesus gave up his own life to save your life.

What would this sacrificial emptying and humbling look like in your life?

Here is my first challenge to you:

[Tweet “During Lent, examine your life for areas where you take, but should be giving.”]

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

[Tweet “Check out Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional.”]

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 26, 2016

2015 Movie Awards – Best Spiritual Gifts Reel Parable

(This is Part 5 of our 1st annual Reel Parables Movie Awards. The rest of the Reel Parables Movie Awards (for 2015) can be found here. These movies – and these awards – are greatly influenced by my How to See God’s Story in Movies series. Be sure to check it out to learn how I do what I do.) 2016 Movie Awards - Spiritual Gifts

Our next award goes to the movie that is the best Spiritual Gifts Reel Parable.

And the award for best Spiritual Gifts Reel Parable goes to… The Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Avengers: Age of Ultron and Spiritual Gifts

This was an easy one! Why? Because pretty much any “super hero team” movie shows us what it’s like to use our spiritual gifts in the church!

The Incredibles – YES!
The Avengers – Duh!
Fantastic Four – Well, yes, even if the movie wasn’t that great.
Suicide Squad – I assume it will…

Here is why:

Each hero has a different gift.
No one gift can get the job done.
They use their gifts for the same purpose.
They win or lose together, in community.

This is exactly how it is with our spiritual gifts!

We see in 1 Corinthians 12 that not everyone has the same gift. There are different gifts for different people.

The church is made up of all the gifts! For a church to be healthy and vibrant, we need all the gifts, not just one.

In the church we use our gifts for the same purpose: To “be the church,” to “be the body of Christ,” to fulfill the great commission, etc.

We succeed or fail together. No christian should be a Lone Ranger. No christian can properly use their spiritual gift alone.

Our Spiritual Gifts require us to live in – work in – minister in – community!

The next time you watch a movie like this with your kids, let them know that this is how the church should be!

Avengers & Spiritual Gifts

Hey, if you don’t already own Avengers: Age of Ultron and plan to buy it, please consider using this link. It won’t cost you anything more, and it will help us out here at Reel Parables. Thanks!

Also, would you please do me a favor? Would you share this with someone you think would enjoy it? And If you haven’t already, will you please like us over at Facebook (click below) and sign up for the Reel Parables email list?

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to See God’s Story in Movies,”

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, – God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 25, 2016

2015 Movie Awards – Best Redemption Reel Parable

(This is Part 4 of our 1st annual Reel Parables Movie Awards. The rest of the Reel Parables Movie Awards (for 2015) can be found here. These movies – and these awards – are greatly influenced by my How to See God’s Story in Movies series. Be sure to check it out to learn how I do what I do.)

2016 Movie Awards - Resurrection

Our next award goes to the movie that is the best Redemption Reel Parable.

And the award for best Redemption Reel Parable goes to… CREED!

See why CREED is the best Redemption Reel Parable of 2015

re·demp·tion: rəˈdem(p)SH(ə)n/

noun: redemption

The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.

I try to stay positive here at Reel Parables and rarely go negative, but let’s get the obvious out of the way. Yes, CREED did indeed redeem the Rocky franchise. CREED brought a fresh – and surprisingly honest – look at the aging franchise, as well as its aging star.

Creed, Legacy, and Redemption

I know this is not a typical Redemption story, like a Schindler’s List where he literally buys back – redeems – people for a fiery death, but here me out.

Mary Anne, Apollo Creed’s widow, saves Adonis Creed, a child Apollo had from an extramarital affair years before, from the foster care system. In a very real way she saves his life.
Adonis saves (redeems) the Creed name.
Adonis redeems his story:

Adonis: “Don’t! I have to prove it!”

Rocky:”Prove what?”

Adonis: “That I’m not a mistake!”

This is a powerful scene in what could have been a cheesy movie. Adonis, who never really knew his father, wants to be more than he is. He wants purpose.

Adonis redeems his story. He is (or at least becomes) far more than the bastard child of an illicit affair.

He redeems the name, a name he feels unworthy to be called by.

Does he win the big fight? It doesn’t really matter. The real battle was for his heart. And he won that battle.

But he didn’t do it alone. He also redeemed Rocky.

Adonis did not do all of this on his own. He did it in community.

First with Mary Anne and then with Rocky. Other invested in his life. And he invested in others, specifically, Rocky.

He shows Rocky that life is worth fighting for. In the same way that Rocky shows Adonis that life – and purpose – is worth fighting for.

[Tweet “Yes, CREED is about boxing, legacy, purpose, but it is also about redemption!”]

CREED and Redemption

Hey, if you don’t already own CREED and plan to buy it, please consider using this link. It won’t cost you anything more, and it will help us out here at Reel Parables. Thanks!

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to See God’s Story in Movies,”

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, – God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 24, 2016

2015 Movie Awards – Best Sacrificial Death Reel Parable

(This is Part 3 of our 1st annual Reel Parables Movie Awards. The rest of the Reel Parables Movie Awards (for 2015) can be found here. These movies – and these awards – are greatly influenced by my How to See God’s Story in Movies series. Be sure to check it out to learn how I do what I do.)

2016 Movie Awards - Sacrificial Death

Our next award goes to the movie that is the best Sacrificial Death Reel Parable.

And the award for best Sacrificial Death Reel Parable goes to… Inside Out!

Why Inside Out is the Best Reel Parable about Sacrifice & Sacrificial Death

As I said over on the Reel Parables Facebook page, Inside Out is an important movie. Sure, it’s entertaining, it’s funny for both kids and adults; typical Pixar. But it is an important movie because of the way that it shows us that emotions, especially sadness (grief), are not to be feared.

After all, there *is* a time to laugh and there is *also* a time to weep. (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

But I digress. Inside Out is also the best Sacrificial Death Reel Parable of 2015!

Bing Bong loved Riely the way God loves you!

Bing Bong loved Riley the way God loves us!

Even though Riley “outgrew” her imaginary friend Bing Bong, Bing Bong never outgrew – or gave up – on her.

So much so that he sacrificed himself in the Memory Dump to save her. Yes, in order to save Joy from the Memory Dump, so she can save Riley, Bing Bong sacrifices himself. He falls out of the wagon so that Joy can reach the top. In doing so he falls back into the Memory Dump and forgotten is by Riley forever.

Bing Bong loved Riely the way God loves you!

He sacrificed himself to save Riley. Just like Jesus sacrificed himself to save us.

But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Bing Bong loved Riely the way God loves you!

Hey, if you don’t already own Inside Out and plan to buy it, please consider using this link. It won’t cost you anything more, and it will help us out here at Reel Parables. Thanks!

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to See God’s Story in Movies,”

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, – God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 23, 2016

2015 Movie Awards – Best Super Hero Jesus Reel Parable

(This is Part 2 of our 1st annual Reel Parables Movie Awards. The rest of the Reel Parables Movie Awards (for 2015) can be found here. These movies – and these awards – are greatly influenced by my How to See God’s Story in Movies series. Be sure to check it out to learn how I do what I do.)

2016 Movie Awards - Super Hero Jesus

Our next award goes to the movie that is the best Super Hero Jesus Reel Parable.

And the award for best Super Hero Jesus Reel Parable goes to… Mad Max: Fury Road!

SuperHeroMax

Yeah, yeah, I know that this is not your typical Super Hero movie, but it is a fantastic Super Hero Jesus Reel Parable!

First, Max *is* a hero. And he is pretty super. (See what I did there?)

He gives of himself to help others. He empties himself to save others. He sacrifices of himself to save others. And let’s not forget the blood!

Max is more than “blood bag.” Max is actually a universal donor. Max’s blood saves. And he gives it freely to save Furiosa.

Why? Because he is a Super Hero Jesus!

And remember the “living water.” Max’s sacrifice results in the living water being made available to everyone. Yes, his sacrifice saves everyone.

SUPERHEROJESUS

Hey, if you don’t already own Mad Max Fury Road and plan to buy it, please consider using this link. It won’t cost you anything more, and it will help us out here at Reel Parables. Thanks!

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to See God’s Story in Movies,”

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, – God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 22, 2016

2015 Movie Awards – Best Prodigal Son Reel Parable

(This is Part 1 of our 1st annual Reel Parables Movie Awards. The rest of the Reel Parables Movie Awards (for 2015) can be found here. These movies – and these awards – are greatly influenced by my How to See God’s Story in Movies series. Be sure to check it out to learn how I do what I do.)

2016 Movie Awards - Prodigal Son

Our first award goes to the movie that is the best Prodigal Son Reel Parable.

And the award for best Prodigal Son Reel Parable goes to… The Martian!

Bring-Him-Home

This one was easy because The Martin is a fantastic retelling of the Lost Parables, especially the Prodigal Son.

Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is lost on Mars. Presumed dead, his team leaves him behind when they evacuate Mars due to a deadly storm.

Yeah, he isn’t “lost” because of his actions, but he is lost.

He is missing.

He is the prodigal.

But he is also valuable.

While the team on Earth tries to figure out a way to get him home, his crew mates decide to go rogue, return to Mars, and try to save him.

They go back to Mars to find the prodigal.

These crew mates are willing to sacrifice their wants and their desires (going home, seeing their families, etc.) to return to Mars to save him.

He is lost.

They sacrifice to find him.

That, at its core, is the story of the Lost Parables.

TheProdigalSon

Hey, if you don’t already own the Martian and plan to buy it, please consider using this link. It won’t cost you anything more, and it will help us out here at Reel Parables. Thanks!

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to See God’s Story in Movies,”

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, – God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 21, 2016

1st Annual Reel Parables Awards

Welcome to the first annual Reel Parables Movie Awards!

With Award Season in full swing, we wanted to throw our proverbial “hat into the ring” and give our own awards for the best Reel Parables from 2015.

These movies – and these awards – are greatly influenced by my How to See God’s Story in Movies series. Be sure to check it out to learn how I do what I do.

2016 Movie Awards

As a build up to one of my guiltiest pleasures, the Oscars, we will announce one Reel Parable Movie Award a day.

Monday – Best Prodigal Son Reel Parable

Tuesday – Best “Super Hero” Jesus Reel Parable

Wednesday – Best Sacrificial Death Reel Parable

Thursday – Best Redemption Reel Parable

Friday – Best Spiritual Gifts Reel Parable

Hey, would you please do me a favor? Would you share this with someone you think would enjoy it? And If you haven’t already, will you please like us over at Facebook (click below) and sign up for the Reel Parables email list?

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to See God’s Story in Movies,”

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, – God bless.

Simon L Smith

February 16, 2016

Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and Ecclesiastes

The last two Music Monday’s ended up in Ecclesiastes. Both New Order’s Restless and Twenty One Pilots’ Stressed Out point us to Ecclesiastes, and for Good reason. There is nothing new under the sun. Not even the idea of “Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll.”

Go read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. Notice that Solomon sounds a lot like “kids today.”

Or the way I must have sounded to my parents.

Or even the way my parents must have sounded to my grandparents.

Or the way… well, you get it.

Anyway, this idea that sex, drugs, and rock & roll will somehow make us happy and fulfilled is not new.

Sex

Sex is not new. I know that every generation acts like they discovered it. But it’s not new.

As long as there have been people there has been sex. As long as there has been sex, we’ve used and abused sex.

But sex is not the issue, right?

Here is what Solomon had to say about sex.

I thought to myself, “Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it also is futile. I said of partying, “It is folly,” and of self-indulgent pleasure, “It accomplishes nothing!” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-2)

I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight – a harem of beautiful concubines! (Ecclesiastes 2:8b)

Sex is not the issue. The issue – the error – is when we use sex to find happiness and fulfillment.

Yes, sex is awesome.

But sex does not satisfy.

No one has sex and says, “That was so good I am now done with sex forever!”

Drugs

Drugs are not new either. Sure, some *types* of drugs are new(ish), but we’ve altered our state of consciousness for almost as long as we’ve abused sex.

All the way back to Genesis 9 we read that Noah, after getting off the Ark and praising God, “drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.”

This godly and blameless man who found favor in the sight of God got butt-naked drunk.

(I have a little fun with this over at my personal site.)

So what does Solomon have to say about drugs, in the form of wine?

I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine (all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives. (Ecclesiastes 2:3)

I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. (Ecclesiastes 2:4)

Again, wine is not the issue. It was/is part of Passover and Jesus served it at the Last Supper.

It is the abuse of wine (drugs) that is the problem.

The problem is when we use wine (drugs) to find happiness or fulfillment. The problem is when we use wine (drugs) to excess.

Even Ephesians 5:18 says don’t be drunk on wine. Notice it does not say don’t drink wine.

But like with sex, wine can never truly satisfy.

Rock and Roll

So what about Rock and Roll?

While the music was most certainly different, Solomon did indeed indulge in musical entertainment.

I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight – a harem of beautiful concubines! (Ecclesiastes 2:8b)

Notice that Solomon ties “sensual delight” to his singers. Yes, there *is* a sense of sensuality – sexuality – tied to music.

But again, music itself is not the problem. Remember, some of the Psalms are for the choir director!

The problem is when we turn to rock and roll, music, entertainment, for fulfillment or meaning or significance.

It may sound silly, but no one hears a song, finds fulfillment, and never needs/wants to hear another song.

Music is great – amazing even – but it is ultimately temporary and futile.

So What?

After chasing sex, drugs, and rock & roll, Solomon concludes that they are all profitless.

Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless –like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

So if sex, drugs, and rock & roll can’t satisfy, what can?

Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will evaluate every deed. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Ecclesiastes eventually points us to God.

Since everything, especially sex, drugs, and rock & roll, are temporary (at best) and ultimately futile, we are told to pursue God.

God is eternal. His kingdom is eternal. His love is eternal.

So stop trying to find fulfillment, purpose, or happiness in the temporary things of this world, and pursue the eternal God.

[Tweet “Solomon was right; sex, drugs, and rock & roll cannot satisfy.”]

And be sure to check out our new Start Here and About pages!

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

January 25, 2016

Music Monday: Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots

If you are like most of my readers, you’re probably not a huge fan of Twenty One Pilots. And to be honest, neither am I.

But, also like me, you probably know someone who likes, or even loves, Twenty One Pilots. I first heard about Twenty One Pilots a few weeks ago from one of my 7th grade AWANA boys and didn’t even know it was them the first time I heard their new single, Stressed Out.

So why should you care about Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots? Because you can use this song to share God’s story.

There is Nothing New Under the Sun

We can use the song Stressed Out to Share God’s story because it points us to the book of Ecclesiastes.

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

The NET Bible says “there is nothing truly new on earth.” You may know Ecclesiastes 1:9 this way: “There is nothing new under the sun.”

Regardless of the translation, the point stays the same.

Twenty One Pilots puts it like this.

I wish I found some better sounds no one’s ever heard
I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words
I wish I found some chords in an order that is new
I wish I didn’t have to rhyme every time I sang

This longing for something new, for something unique, is not new and it is not unique to Twenty One Pilots.

It actually sounds a lot like Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes!

Sharing God’s Story with Stressed Out

Here is how I used Stressed Out to share God’s story with my AWANA kids.

I asked them questions about the song. Why did they like it so much? What does it mean to them? Why do they feel that this song “speaks to them,” or “speaks for them?”

I let them get to the point of Ecclesiastes first before I brought it up.

I basically let them agree with the Bible (in this case Ecclesiastes) before I bring up the Bible.

Once they got there, I read Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 and helped them see that Twenty One Pilots is singing about the same stuff, the same ideas, that Solomon wrote about!

All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it:

The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.

No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations. (Ecclesiastes 1:8-11)

Whether you like this song or not, we can use it to share God’s story – in this case with Ecclesiastes – with our kids and students.

But don’t end with simply agreeing that Stressed Out sings about Ecclesiastes; do what Ecclesiastes does and point your kids and students to God!

Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Yes, life if vanity, life is futility. It goes on and on. We are here and we will eventually be gone, but life goes on. I don’t mean to sound morbid, but that is the case that Ecclesiastes makes. And I know now this is true in my life. When our son died we were shocked that life went on. The day-to-day was still the day-to-day.

So yeah, we desire to be unique and creative, but fail since there is nothing new under the sun.

As Ecclesiastes shows, this should drive us to God. Fear God and obey Him.

It is in God that we find our true identity and our true purpose.

So, how can YOU share God’s story with Twenty One Pilot’s Stressed Out? Do you have a kid or student who really likes this song? If so, you have an easy “in” where you can share God’s story!

[Tweet “Check out a better kind of Christian music review over at Reel Parables”]