Once Upon A TV Show...

Television. It isn't what it used to be. Today, most programs that you see are tainted with so much profanity, violence, and sexual references that there is little (if anything) to gleam from the programming. Most of what we have are crime dramas, distasteful sitcoms, and goofy reality shows. Whatever happened to some of the shows we used to love; the ones that were suitable for family viewing and often had themes of faith and family values? Well, if you can catch the reruns (or buy the series on DVD) you can still watch shows like that. My personal faves include "Little House on the Prairie", "Full House" (and not just because John Stamos is in it), and "Family Matters." I grew up on these shows, and there were always good things to observe and learn from them.

If you're like me, maybe you don't watch very much TV anymore because they just don't "make them like they used to." You stick to the re-runs and DVD collections, and maybe occasionally check out a new show to see if it's any good. However, it just doesn't compare with the kind of media we grew up on. However, an exception rolls around every now and then. I have come across just such a show. My friend, Kaitlyn, often tweets about the shows that she watches and I noticed how much she raved about the show "Once Upon A Time." Despite her insistence, I adamantly refused to give the show a try. While the genre did appeal to me, I had no desire to begin liking a new series that would probably end up getting cancelled should I decide that I liked it (my friend, Shane, understands this "curse" as well ha ha!). However, her incessant tweeting piqued my curiosity to the point where I decided I would check it out.

I went online and began watching the first episode. That was all it took! Everything about the series is absolutely captivating; the characters, costumes, sets, musical score, special effects, and most surprisingly, the storyline! It was a welcome surprise from ABC/Disney; I have been losing faith in their ability to provide true family entertainment for a long time!

The thing that I enjoy most, which is what has stirred me to blog, is the spiritual and Biblical themes. This show brings up so many scriptures, Bible stories, and spiritual concepts to my mind as I watch it. It reminds me a LOT of how C.S. Lewis used Narnia to teach those sorts of things to children. I can see the same theme at work in "Once Upon A Time" (whether it's intended to be there or not). The premise is that the evil queen places a curse on the fairy tale world. The characters are all sent to the "real" world to a town called Storybrooke. No one remembers who they really are or what has happened to them and the little town/characters go about their lives frozen in time. They are waiting for the the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White (who escaped the curse) to come and rescue them and break the curse. Throughout the series, we see everything unfold; in addition to viewing flashbacks of the fairy tale world and how everything came to be (and in relation to the characters and their histories). It's fascinating how each episode toggles between the real world and the previous one and shows how things transpired with the characters both then and now. There's always some sort of "theme" to each episode, and it's very deep and thought provoking!

It didn't take long for me to want to begin blogging the episodes. I didn't get around to it as soon as I would have liked, so I decided to wait until the series came to DVD so I could watch them again and take notes. The second season begins September 30th, so I am HOPING to get the first season episodes blogged BEFORE then (and then blog each week's episode soon after it airs). I'll do my best, but I might be a little behind lol. ;) At any rate, it WILL be done eventually (and I hope you all will enjoy them - especially if you're as big of a fan of the show as I am!).

So, while they may not make them as good as they used to, they sometimes come pretty close! God still moves in various and mysterious ways; including the media!! Keep your eyes and heart open!! You might be surprised! God bless you all!

Three Little Goals; One Big Start!

We all have what is called a "rock bottom." Even when we hit it, sometimes it still takes a while for it to become real and for us to do anything about it. That's how I have felt this past year; like I have hit my all-time low and just couldn't/wouldn't do anything to truly get up off the ground (and plunged myself into deeper sub-levels instead). Though, there were times where I thought things were getting better, only to get worse again. Though, as I explained in my last blog, a large part of that is my own fault. Bad choices and the flesh leading the spirit instead of the other way around. I made a mess on top of a mess and compounded my issues.

I've heard Dr. Phil say that sometimes something starts for one reason and then continues for another. Things happen that may or may not be in your control, but the way you choose to react is ALWAYS within your control! There is a lot about my divorce that I couldn't control, but how I coped with it could have been a LOT better! I won't detail my pain and mistakes right now, but what I will say is that I have finally had enough! Stuff happens, but the snowball effect doesn't have to! I don't have to allow things that ARE within my control to get OUT of control! I need to choose to make positive choices and remember that serenity prayer about learning to change what you can, accept what you can't, and have the wisdom to know which is which.

The things that I "know" need to transition to the things that I "do". Those that love me most (and even my own self) has told me to take time for me, heal, and wise up. I have struggled to find the meaning in that because the "how" of healing hasn't come easily. Maybe it should have (God being the obvious answer) but I chose indifference because I felt that with or without God, it really didn't matter anymore. I felt that my life is, and always has been, a mess regardless if God was my focus or not. So, what does it matter? In my heart, I knew/know it DOES make a difference and I need to truly remember the fact that I was much better off WITH God than without.

It's time to "forgive" God; as well as forgive myself. It's time to value and respect myself again and make peace with myself more than anything else. I need to stop punishing myself with my self-destructive behavior. Therefore, I am going to list a few steps that I am going to take right now to start bettering myself. The "all or nothing" Melissa wants to fix absolutely everything and go all out changing absolutely every single thing I can think of, but I realize it's overwhelming and unrealistic. That kind of pressure is what causes me to be harsh on myself again (and predestines me to burnout and failure). So, I won't attempt to fix everything all at once and I will be patient with myself in whatever steps I take (and accomplish) as I keep taking more. One day at a time, Melissa! Well, better yet, one moment at a time!

There are three things that I am going to do this week....

1. I am going to start reading Brian "Head" Welch's devotional book, "Stronger", once again. I had started it, but never finished it. At the very least, it will start feeding the faith that has dwindled away to next to nothing. And maybe, I will re-read C.S. Lewis' short and helpful little book "A Grief Observed" again. POWERFUL little read that details his own grieving process and rebuilding faith after loss.

2. I am going to be self-aware and mindful. I will do my best to challenge my thoughts and behaviors as they arise and reject the negative ones. Another Dr. Phil saying is that we don't break habits, we replace them with new ones. I have to choose and practice new habits and behaviors if I want to replace the old ones. I will be patient and remind myself that I have a lot to work on and while I can't fix it all at once, I am making progress. Any time I choose to affirm myself, and choose truth over lies, that is a success! I will apply the scriptures (that are still rooted in my being) whenever they come to mind in the situations I run across (like the one about not letting unwholesome talk come out of your mouth. Confession: I have really developed a foul mouth that needs cleaned up!).

3. The kids and I will go to church on Sunday! I haven't been to church in months for various reasons (one being that I no longer feel that I have a church home). There is a church that I have always wanted to visit and that keeps coming to my mind every time I think about going back. I will finally go and check it out and see if maybe it would be a good fit/fresh start for us. If not, I will continue looking for a good fellowship of believers to get plugged in with.

I have so many other "changes" running through my head right now! I just want to keep going and going with "I'm going to start doing this...I'm going to stop doing that". That's what my "all or nothing" personality does! This is going to be hard to not start going absolutely crazy with trying to change so many things all at the same time. I have to remind myself to take it simple and slow...and I might actually change even more than I think without having to think TOO much! These three things are doable, and I will accomplish them this week!

I will remind myself of these goals the way Aslan told Jill in Narnia ("The Silver Chair")to keep reminding herself of the steps and signs she needed to remember to accomplish her mission. "Nothing else matters," he said. True that! This is priority number one and nothing else matters! I must remember my "mission" and concentrate on these goals! If I forget them, I will get distracted and off track just like she did in the story. I have to stay on track! I'll go over my goals out loud before I go to sleep; and even make myself identify and point out the things I did "right" that day.

THANK YOU to everyone who has been (and continues to be) in prayer for me! You love me more than I have loved myself! I appreciate it! I am getting there!! God bless you!

The Promise On The Other Side

**Sorry I haven’t been around to blog much. I know I haven’t blogged several of the church sermons (and I don’t think I’ll get caught up). If you’d like, can always listen to the ones you missed at www.missionoflife.com**

Last Sunday, Craig preached about being “hard-pressed” in our faith. He asked: “What do you do when you’re a Christian and life’s a mess?“ He started off by talking about the testimony of C.S. Lewis. I’m sure many of you know who he is. He is the author of “The Chronicles of Narnia” books as well as many other renowned books like “The Screwtape Letters“ and “Mere Christianity.” (If you want to read more about C.S. Lewis, you can look him up on www.wikipedia.com where they have all the details). Though, for the sake of this blog, I will just tell you a little bit about him: 

C.S. Lewis was raised in church, but turned his back on his faith and became an atheist when he was fifteen. He later returned to his faith in his thirties. I remember watching a documentary about him in the bonus features of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe”. I remember how they said that he had ideas for Narnia before he was saved, but that it didn’t come to life until after he had dedicated his life to Christ - as if God had unlocked his mind. I just LOVE that because there are just so many things we DON’T know or can’t accomplish until we are totally opened and surrendered to God. THEN, he unlocks our mind and shows us all that we’re missing and all that He wants to accomplish in us and through us!! That’s exactly what He did with C.S. Lewis! 

C.S. Lewis eventually fell in love and married a woman named Joy later in life. She had cancer, and he hoped and prayed that she would recover. After being in remission for a while, the cancer came back and she died. It was devastating for him. 

Craig said that C.S. Lewis was able to get through his pain through realizing how much pain God’s own Son had gone through. Jesus wasn’t spared hardship and pain, even though He’s the one and only perfect man to ever walk the earth and the Savior of mankind. We live in a fallen world full of sin, so bad things are bound to happen to everyone.

The question we all have, though, is “why?”  It’s a question with no easy answers - and sometimes no real answers at all. We may never know the “whys” behind everything, but Craig pointed out the scripture form John 9:1-3 in which the disciples asked Jesus whose fault it was that a man was born blind. Jesus said that it was neither the man’s, nor the parents’, fault that he was blind but that the power of God could be displayed in Him. This is the same scripture that has always personally touched me because my son was born hearing impaired. I had the same thoughts of “fault” at first. Craig says that we do that because we are too “past and causal.” We are so focused on the past and what mistakes and bad things have occurred to “cause” what happened that we miss out on the fact that God is going to shine through the circumstance. It’s ok to wonder and ask “why”, but if we remain stuck in those “whys” we will never move forward. That is why I resolved to move on quickly once I found out that Casey had hearing loss. We prayed that maybe it was a temporary thing and that God would heal him and make it alright, but when that didn’t happen, we let go and moved on. The verse that was on my mind at the time was Job’s response to his wife’s urging to “curse God and die” (that phrase sums up Satan’s ultimate goal for all of us doesn’t it?!) Job told her: “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Faith is a piece of cake when everything is good isn’t it? But, the minute anything goes wrong, is God suddenly not good anymore? No, of course not! James 1:2-4 says: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Any hardships we go through tests our faith and builds our character. Does anyone develop a mature faith without experiencing tests? Does a doctor become an expert without demonstrating  and perfecting his knowledge and skills with each medical crisis he is faced with? How does one learn without being tested and disciplined? God disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:12). 

I know that no matter what, God is going to do mighty and wonderful things through my child! He has chosen him to be a shining example of His power and glory; whether that‘s ministering to others as he is or whether God chooses to miraculously heal him for all to see and believe in!! In my son’s life so far, he has been a blessing to everyone that knows him! He’s the sweetest most compassionate child you would ever meet and melts the hearts of those around him. What God has allowed to happen in Casey’s life is all for His  glory and the purpose to which my son is called (Romans 8:28). 

We all go through pain and struggles. It’s hard, and sometimes there’s no good reason or explanation. Sometimes, we go through times like Job did. Like Job, and like my son Casey, things will work out for good (Romans 8:28). There is a promise on the other side of our suffering if we will walk through it and persevere. And, we are not alone! There are those that have gone through the same things and know our pain. We have friends to walk through our struggles with us (and of course, we have Jesus). Whatever hardship you are going through, you’ll make it!! If you need someone to “make it” with, let me know!! I’ll walk through it with you as best I can!! 

God bless all of you!! May His grace and peace be with you today, tomorrow, and always!! 

"Where's The Beef" In The Caspian Sandwich?

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the expression, “where’s the beef?” It is an expression my Dad says I always liked to repeat when I was young Apparently, I had gotten it off of a commercial and enjoyed saying it over and over again until my parents were thoroughly annoyed! LOL
Well, now, I am hoping to annoy the makers of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” as I rightfully ask, “WHERE’S THE BEEF?!!” For MONTHS I anticipated the release of the new movie, and much to my dismay (and several other Narnia/C.S. Lewis fans) they barbarically ripped the guts out of the original brilliant story, which was filled with spiritual wisdom and concepts. They totally changed, rearranged, and re-invented an awe-inspiring masterpiece!! Why? That’s the question that I, other reviewers, and even PluggedIn Online (a ministry of Focus on the Family) are pondering/discussing.

The last movie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) was adequately done. So, what went wrong with this one? Granted, movies are never the same as the books. I fully expected for a few things to be omitted or changed, but not for the jewels and treasures of the story to be so horribly watered down and even disregarded!! It was disappointing to say the least!! What they did was give us a bland sandwich of nutritionally stripped white enriched bread with only a bit of meat the size of a half-dollar inbetween the slices! There was scarcely any substance at all!!

So, what started out as a good company (Walden Media) has obviously been corrupted by partnering with Disney and learning their ways. Over the years, Disney’s quality has declined and become nothing more than peddling sub-standard entertainment full of distasteful bathroom humor and sight gags, violence, innuendos, and godless agendas. So, “you are who you hang out with” and now, Walden Media is now showing the effects of what happens when you shake hands with the now liberal and corrupt Mickey Mouse, so to speak.

This NINO of a movie, (Narnia in name only) is filled with dramatic war sequences more than anything; something of which isn’t heavily concentrated on in the book. Sure, there were a few battles (one of which they did accurately portray) but they also added some of their own. And to think, they could have saved so much money on all the costly effects, extras, and choreography if they just did it the way C.S. Lewis had written it!! But, spend money to make money right? That was clearly their focus. They made it “Hollywood” and cared nothing for the true essence of the story. How can they expect to profit if they dishonor the principles and character on which the stories of Narnia are centered on? Instead of the thought-provoking, wisdom filled moments we read about with Lucy, Aslan, Caspian, and all the others, we are fed countless images of violence and battles.

Should we take what we can get? After all, seeing the movie might very well indeed inspire others to read the originals (as it did with me when I seen the first movie). And, the movie did have SOME original elements to it. And, one particular thing that they added did carry some spiritual weight and that was when they showed the witch being “called up” to come back and take control. While waiting to be freed, she spoke to Peter and tried to lure him by telling him that he knew he couldn’t do it on his own. Well, just like Satan, she was twisting the truth. While of course he couldn’t do things on his own, it wasn’t the aid of the witch that he should have been seeking. It was something he fully realized once Edmund smashed the glass and put an end to that nonsense and Peter once again saw the carving of Aslan on the wall behind the broken glass. Most definitely he couldn’t do things on his own; none of us can. We all need “Aslan” (meaning Jesus - that’s who Aslan represents).

So, if for the sake of these precious few eye-opening moments, I will recommend this movie. However, if you want the real “meat” of the story, read the book!! In fact, read ALL SEVEN of the books in the series!! I guarantee you, it will be a wonderful experience!! It TRULY enriched my life and touched my heart in ways I never dreamed. And, I was pleasantly surprised at how deep things were and that things I learned from the book helped me to understand the mind of Christ better. It’s hard to explain, but I will try to at a later date. It was my intention to read the books all over again, take notes, and then blog about them. I started on it, but never completed it yet. It’s yet another “unfinished blog project” of mine. ;) LOL Though, I do hope to work on that sometime soon (though how “soon” is still to be determined). Until then, read them for yourselves! Not only is it entertaining, but it is thought provoking and beautiful!! The books are short and I read all of them, in order, in less than two weeks!! They are about 200 pages per book. You won’t be able to put them down!!

My greatest hope is that those making these movies (and yes, they are going to make all of the books into movies!) will hear the words of those who appreciate the beauty and integrity of the original stories. I would hope that they will learn from their mistakes and that the next movie will be truer to the essence. Don’t underestimate your audience!! You don’t have to jazz it up and pump it full of glitz and violence, like every other run-of-the-mill movie out there, in order for your movie to sell!! Stick with the story, and you’ll earn enough to keep making more!!