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Posts Tagged ‘movie’

Christmas Movie Must See

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged 1944, battle of the bulge, christmas, christmas movie, Fritz Vincken, Hallmark movie, Linda Hamilton, movie, Noche de Paz, Redemption, silent night, Unsolved Mysteries, WWII on December 8, 2013| 2 Comments »

I do love watching Christmas movies. Last year, in a Christmas movie post called Christmas Movie Themes I came to realize that the movies that I had chosen all shared a common theme … redemption. The one I want to share today contains the same theme, and in such a beautiful, such a tender way.

It is a movie that is told to be based on true events. The details are such that it is almost unbelievable, yet my soul hopes and desires to dream that it could be so. According to Unsolved Mysteries, who had aired the story, it was true, and solved.

220px-Silent_Night_VideoCover The movie is called “Silent Night” and it is set in Germany, on Christmas Eve, in 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. It is the story of a twelve year old German boy, Fritz Vincken, and his mother, who were staying in their cottage in the woods. That night, they had two sets of visitors, a group of three American soldiers looking for a place for an injured soldier, followed by a group of three German soldiers.

What follows is a retelling of that Christmas Eve night.

This Hallmark, TV movie, first aired in 2002, the same year that Fritz Vincken died.

Linda Hamilton plays Elizabeth, the mother of young Fritz, and she does so convincingly.

This is one of my most favorite movies of the season. It reminds us of common human experiences, and emotions, even for wartime enemies. It captures an impossible scenario, one of peace in the midst of war.

Check your local TV listings, as I am certain that it will be on this season. It is also available on Youtube, in parts, which you will see after watching the following trailer.

This is a link to a written interview with Fritz Vincken

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Can You Handle the Truth?

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged a few good men, can you handle the truth, conforming, Disciples, jack nicholson, Jesus, John 8:31-32, John Wycliffe, movie, the truth will set you free, Tom Cruise, Truth, truth will conquer, you can't handle the truth on October 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

When I hear the word truth, that classic movie scene above is what comes to mind.

There is much to be said about truth.

Nations have risen and fallen over truth, and lies. Businesses have thrived and died with it’s presence and it’s lack. Homes have been fortified and divided over the same.

Truth is invisible, yet it’s absence stares a person in the face and sticks out it’s tongue.

For some telling the truth comes easy, and for others it is a most unnatural thing.

According to Dictionary.com, truth is “conformity with fact or reality.”
Maybe it is the conformity part that is such a struggle for some? If we have to conform to have truth, that sounds like we are giving in, rolling over, acquiescing. It sounds like truth is not something that comes naturally, but, instead comes from making a choice.

In John 8:31-32, Jesus said to a group who had claimed to believe in him, “if you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”

Stick with this …
Living out what I tell you …

That sounds like he is telling them that they need to make a decision, that they need to make a choice to either conform … or not, and if they do choose to conform, they they would experience the truth that sets them free. Another way to put it might be the way theologian John Wycliffe did, in the 1300’s, when he said, “I believe that in the end the truth will conquer.”

Conforming is not an easy thing, because it means abdicating our will, and lets face it, we like to be in control of our will (and almost everything else). But, to conform to truth … and yes, I am talking absolute truth, that is not conforming, that is having a gold paper wrapped gift, with a beautiful silver bow on top, handed to you by one who only ever wants the best for you.

And the best, is truth.

Can you handle the truth?

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Day Dreaming

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged 1 Chronicles 4, dream, dreamed, dreaming, Dreams, fatigued, Jabez, Life, movie, Prayer of Jabez, Tired on October 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It was a Friday night, after a long, but good week. I felt drained of energy to the point of not being able to put two words together. When I reach this point, I have learned that the best thing for me is to go to a theater, eat popcorn, and watch a movie to escape for a couple of hours. So, I did.

As I was driving to the theater, a word came to mind that had been coming to my mind all week …

Dream.

I pondered the word, yet again …

dream.

Why was this word popping into my consciousness? What was that one word asking of, and requiring from me?

Dream

Was I simply too tired for a movie, and should be home dreaming in my pj’s between the sheets (that was a no brainer)? Should I be dreaming? What was the dream? How big was it? And what would it cost me?

I have to say that, by nature, I am a dreamer. My earliest memories of childhood were of playing with dolls and dreaming of the day that I would have my own, real babies. I can remember being a student in a classroom, after classroom, grade after grade, who would be staring out the window, daydreaming (one of my earliest memories of my UN-diagnosed ADD). My strongest memories of almost all of our homes is standing at the kitchen sink, staring outside, dreaming.

I am a dreamer.

Well, I settled into my movie theater seat, nibbling on the buttery popcorn (temporarily ignoring myfitnesspal), and that word continued to haunt me …

dream.

Sadly the movie started fifteen minutes late, and I was saddled with that word longer than I’d hoped I would.

Why aren’t you dreaming?

The word was getting personal. Thankfully the movie started, and I was able to escape reality for a couple of hours … or so I thought.

The movie was about fulfilling a dream, dreams really, of a number of people. It was primarily about the fulfilling of dreams that had been gathering dust in the lives of the characters. It was about the life, the real, conscious-living type of life, that chasing after those dreams gives.

I left the theater consumed with thoughts of dreaming. More haunting! And more resistance from my being, because I knew that my dream was too big to ever come true.

I needed music, so to the radio in my van I went for more diversion.

There was a speaker just coming on, a speaker who I loved to hear. He always made me think, made me laugh … a great combination!

As his program started, a word, a name came to mind … Jabez, and then it was gone, and I settled into my drive home, ready to be awakened from dreaming, and into reality by the teaching of the program just to begin.

“Lord I pray that you will expand the tent pegs of my life, intensify the use of my life.”

Oh no! I knew of those words! Words that have been used in discussing the prayer of Jabez (see more from yesterday’s post) from 1 Chronicles 4:10:

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel,
“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm
so that I will be free from pain.”
And God granted his request.”

More dreaming …

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