Check Your Heart

The other day I heard a little blurb on our local Christian radio station encouraging listeners to take a look in their checkbooks to see what is important to them. You know, where your treasure is, so is your heart. As I am the one who carries the checkbook, I thought this sounded like a great way to check my heart and see where it lies. OK, deep breath, here goes!

Gift for baby shower
Chiropractic appointment
School Tuition
Cash for lunches
School T-Shirt
Piano registration
Doctor's office for supplements
Cash for groceries
Compassion child
Cleaning help
Hospital bill
Musical DVD from school
Taxes
Taxes
Taxes
Dentist
Cleaning help
Church lunch
Church tithe
Macy's maternity clothes
Motherhood maternity clothes
Giant groceries
PT gym use
Cash for groceries
Church tithe

So to sum it up, since the beginning of April, the checks were written for:

friend
me
kids
family
me
kids
me
family
charity
me
me
family
government
government
government
kids
me
church
church
me
me
family
me
family
church

Yup, pretty much me! 3 checks for the gov't, 5 checks for church, charity or others, 8 for our kids or family and 9 for, well, me. Hmmm, my heart sure seems to be focused on me, me, me! I think I need to do this more often to check my self spending.

Well, that was a bit of an eye opener and hopefully, it will help me curb my spending where needed. I know hubby, and our checkbook, will appreciate that:)

Pondering Easter

My daughter has been doing an online devotional with some of her friends. They take turns creating a weekly email devotion and I thought that I would pass on to you some of her insights on Christ's death and resurrection. A great reminder to us all as we celebrate Easter.

Christ's death and crucifixion. Luke 23:26-49

In this passage it talks about Christ's death and the pain he went through for us. If you can imagine all he went through for his sinful people that he was faithful to for so many years, well it's unbelievable!! Jesus was God (and He still was on earth) and He came down to this sinful wicked world to walk and talk with His people. He loved the people so much he died on a cross for their sins. He was sinless and yet he took on all of our sins on that cross so we can live forever with him in heaven. Imagine having everything and coming to sacrifice yourself for these people who rejected you and some who hate you. Even God the Father rejected His son when he was on the cross because he contained all the sins of His people. He sacrificed so much for us!

Here are some questions you can answer in an e-mail and in your journal:

• Can you think of anything you would die for like Jesus died for us?
• When you think of the pain Christ went through for you how do you feel?
• Do you feel free to give Christ all your burdens of sin to hang on that cross?
• Christ died for you, are you willing to die for him?

Luke 24:1-12.

One word describes this passage perfectly!!!! AMAZING!!!!! He is risen guys!!!! The Lord Jesus Christ was under the curse of death for only a few days before He was alive again!!! This story is so amazing. I just read the passage and do you know what I just realized? Before Christ died He told His disciples He would die and then raise from the dead. But those disciples didn't believe Him!!!!! After He was raised from the dead the woman told them what the angel said but Christ's best friends didn't believe it!!! They didn't remember what their teacher said!!! They forgot about how He mentioned rising from the dead!!!! But Jesus still loved them. Even if His chosen ones give up on Him, there is no way He'll give up on us. We might doubt Him, but every word of the Bible is the truth!!!! No matter what we do, if we're a Christian we'll never be taken out of His hands! His love is so amazing!!!

Happy Easter

Knowing

If you're up for an edge-of-your-seat thought provoking thrill ride then this latest Nicolas Cage blockbuster is for you. Knowing is an intriguing suspense thriller that had me hiding under my coat for much of the movie. In fact, had not an old friend of mine been one of the writers, I highly doubt I would have dared to set foot in the theater after viewing the trailer. To be honest, I was a bit concerned about what I had gotten myself into after several previews for slasher/horror flicks that preceded the movie, but I braved my fears for the sake of helping contribute to the movie's eventual #1 box office slot for opening weekend. I must say, that despite jumping out of my seat with a yelp to the amusement of movie goers around me, I was quite impressed with the film.

Instead of just another spooky doomsday flick, this one wrestles with philosophical questions of the meaning of life while providing an action packed adrenaline rush. Nicolas Cage's character is a professor of astrophysics who, in an odd turn of events, finds himself deciphering a 50 year old list of numbers to determine when and where great catastrophes will occur. He begins his journey believing that everything is random and by then end of the film is realizing that everything had been determined beforehand. The philosophical aspect of the movie falls short there, without giving meaning or purpose to such determinism - something we can find in reality if we hold to a biblical world view. But hey, it was much more thought provoking then I ever imagined a suspense thriller to be! Many will note the obvious eschatological and apocalyptic themes throughout the movie. I, however, saw more of a modern day Noahic parable with recurring themes of destruction/judgment, pre-destination, election, redemption and salvation.

In my estimation, Knowing, was like The Sixth Sense meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with action sequences reminiscent of Independence Day. All great films, to which I think Knowing aspires. The destruction scenes in the movie were disturbingly intense, with amazing special effects. In the words of my screenwriter friend, Stuart Hazeldine, "I wouldn't have your grandma see it. It's pretty dark and scary in places, especially the disaster sequences." I would also recommend keeping the kids home too, otherwise you may be in for a few weeks of nightmares. I still peer out in the woods at night half expecting to see creepy men lurking on the edge...yikes! You know a suspense thriller has done it's job when it gets into your psyche for just a bit.

Well done, Stu! I give it: