Mission to Make a Difference

Mission to Make a Difference
By Brenda Black

I met a man with more than a plan – he is on a mission. Ted Baehr is Founder and Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and Chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry. His lengthy resume includes: “noted critic, educator, lecturer, and media pundit...with his life’s purpose to be used of God to redeem the values of the media while educating audiences on how to use discernment in selecting their entertainment.”

Dr. Baehr has the goods to back up his campaign. Young men and women ages 12-25 soar up the charts in percentage points when asked if they prefer movies with foul language and explicit sexuality. Before you quickly assume that they must, the data validates quite the opposite. High numbers on this survey mean they don't like it. Baehr presents overwhelming statistical proof from massive data collection that the majority of people in every age category is sick of filth on the big screen.

Baehr's mission is to show movie studios the costly error of their contrary assumptions and present them with powerful tools that will lead to more noble entertainment for viewers and higher box office sales for the movie makers. He is making significant progress. You've probably applauded some of the results of his influence by enjoying films like “Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Blind Side,” “Facing the Giants,” “Fireproof,” and the adorable “Despicable Me” along with hundreds of other family-friendly productions.

Dr. Baehr's positive accomplishments and his prowess are impressive. But having visited with this humble and kind gentleman several times over the course of three days and getting to know him as a brother in Christ, what I love most is that he's real in a world of make believe. Though he rubs elbows with the rich and famous of Hollywood, he is just as comfortable chatting with me. He even wanted to have his picture taken with Pam and me to help promote I Stand. This week he is flying to Korea to share the data one day and meeting with the head of Walt Disney on another. Yet, the glitz and notoriety is not what compels him. Baehr is going to bat for you and me and every generation that longs to be spared from vile, degrading images. He tells top executives, script writers and actors that the best movies are not packed with political agendas, shock and horror. Instead, they have “extraordinary themes of redemption, self-sacrifice, compassion, and love wrapped in fun-filled family entertainment.”

Between lunch and more workshops, I asked Dr. Baehr how he found time to do so much for so many. He smiled sweetly and simply answered, “I just want to help.” He added, “Nothing is beyond God's redemption.” Baehr is a man who knows the mission and is bound and determined to take back territory for God's glory.

Most likely, the rest of us won't be shaking bushes in Tinsel Town, but we can press forward right where we live and work together to claim, reclaim, conquer or guard territory for the Lord. It begins at home. Make wise choices for your family. Use MOVIEGUIDE® before you rent a DVD or buy a ticket to the movies. Make sure you realize your witness matters at school or on the job. Stand up for what is right and decent! Never compromise truth for lies. When we demand decency and behave according to such standards, we can rest assured that we are making a difference.

Dr. Baehr's greatest weapons are the facts he wields when he faces the production giants. Evidence from real people in the real world who want real value in their entertainment is hard to ignore. Likewise, genuine Christians make indelible differences when they live genuine lives of faith in full view of a watching world. The cameras may not be rolling and I may not be a big star, but I must shine like one if I want to help and not hurt God's mission.

Two actors choosing the high road give me hope that more good stuff is about to come out of Hollywood.
Left is Torry Martin - a delightfully hilarious story teller and comedian who loves the Lord. And on the far right is Michael Joiner, who will star in a new release The Grace Card, Feb. 2011.

**Hope to see you at Outback Hair Salon, Butler, MO, Nov. 22, 5-9 p.m. for Ladies' Night Out! I'll have all three of my books available and I'd be happy to autograph and personalize any that you buy as gifts for dear ones on your Christmas list or for yourself! Pam Morgan will be joining me and bringing the Morgans' latest album, recorded live. See you soon!

Two Years to the End

Two Years to the End
By Brenda Black

Chicken Little couldn't hold a candle to throngs who wail the sky will fall in 2012. Movies abound concerning the end of time on planet earth, derived from secular, Christian, New Age, Indian folk lore and Nostradamus concepts. Though socially and religiously as different as the beginning is to the end, many of these diverse groups have cinematic productions that share the belief that something monumental will happen in December of 2012. That leaves us just two years!

Certainly prophets and lunatics, evangelists and scientists have predicted the end of the world since it's inception. Whether the final curtain falls in 2012 or not is not the question. The question is are you ready to meet your Maker. If people spent more time living today as if there were no tomorrow, our world wouldn't be in such a hullabaloo over dates and disasters.

Think of it this way: If you knew without a shadow of a doubt that you had only two years left in your life, how would you live it? Would matters we spend so much time mulling over truly matter? Would we contribute strife if we had limited time to make a difference with our lives? Would we revel in nonsense rather than hunger for insight? Would we dwell on the temporary or contemplate eternity?

I believe eternity will arrive right on time. And I intend to be ready! Whether it comes in the middle of this night or two years from now; five weeks or three decades into the future is of no concern to the signed, sealed and ready-to-be-delivered believers of Christ Jesus. My Chicken Little cry is victory for the saved and warning to the lost. “I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2c)

If nothing else comes of the doomsday herald, at least folks are facing their own mortality. One website devoted to highlighting big-screen buzz put it this way: “We believe that the upcoming movies about 2012 will bring a new level of awareness of topics that ordinary people haven't explored, but esoteric and mystical people have been aware of for centuries.” (www.2012movie.org)

I don't think special interest groups have a corner on the topic since believers of Christ have been anticipating the Day of His Return since the hour Christ departed. The Holy Bible addresses end times without setting specific dates. Still, God's Word provides ample commentary on the topic over which the Lord Almighty has complete authority. Jesus specifically instructed his disciples on the matter.

“He replied: 'Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and “The time is near.” Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.'

“Then he said to them: 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven...

“'There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your head, because your redemption is drawing near.'” (Luke 21:8-11, 25-28)

You see, it doesn't matter when the end. It does matter who you know and how well you trust in the One who holds the keys to eternity. “'Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.'” (Revelation 22:12-13)

Don't live in fear even when the earth seems at its worst. Live by faith that in the end, those who follow Christ, leave heartache and disaster to dwell in glorious paradise.

“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

“But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

Don't live for 2012, live each day of 2010 as if it were the end.

Twilight Not My Type

Twilight Not My Type
By Brenda Black

This may open up a whole can of worms, but when I was recently asked by a wise Christian woman for my opinion on the Twilight series, I had to be honest.

Here's how I replied:

I have not read, nor do I intend to read the series or see the movies. I draw a bold line in the sand when it comes to obvious conflicts with holiness. So vampires, blood diets, immortal beings, erotic conversation between an "old soul" and a teen, etc. run a lot contrary to my tastes and convictions.

That said, many of the reviews I've read present a justification of sorts from the line-walking Christian community. They seem to have discovered enough abstinence and noble character attributes in the main subjects to accommodate their obsession with the series.

My take on that -- you can find whatever you are looking for in any book or movie and weave your own brand of morality out of it. Does that mean Christian youth should be reading these works of fiction? I would not recommend them. There are too many Scriptural and edifying works of literature without the holiness holes in them to be offered as viable alternatives. Is it fair to keep a child out of the social loop? Definitely. I've never seen the need to be worldly wise or to encourage my children to run with the masses. I prefer living in this world as an alien and shining some light in dark places. We can be in the world but not of the world. Feeling the pressure to be with the in-crowd and read a series of fantasy books is a non-issue for me.

I think the greatest conviction for us as adult women professing faith in Jesus Christ may come from the fact that younger women are looking to us for guidance and or validation for their choices. One reviewer on the Twilight series brought the importance of that aspect in for a landing.

"As a 15-year-old, reading those books was a strange experience for me. I didn’t think they were too bad or morally lacking until I heard my old high-school chaplain (a thirty-something woman, I think. Never dared to ask) praise them. And then something inside me clicked, because it struck me as wrong that a Godly woman would find this series good."

And there you have it. After absorbing dozens of pop culture opinions on the topic, I had my justification for following the book of Ephesians rather than the book of Twilight - this 15 year old's conflict.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person -- such a man is an idolater -- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"'Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.'

"Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (Ephesians 5:1-17)


Here is one website that had extensive discussion on the topic and presented several viewpoints worth considering. It is from this discourse that I found the young girl's quote.

High Noon

High Noon
By Brenda Black

High Noon - The 1952 movie starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly is a western classic. Cooper plays Marshall Will Kane, a lawman torn between the love for his Quaker wife and duty to the town he swore to protect. But he faces the task alone as “cowardly townspeople flee like rats from a sinking ship,” describes one Netflix review. The entire story takes place in only 85 minutes as the clock ticks along toward the showdown at high noon.

The black and white epic is purportedly an icon of western genre movies and critics have heralded its cutting-edge theatrics to be well ahead of its time. Yet the intensity of 1950's Hollywood flick pales to the real life drama historically documented in Luke 23:44-45.

“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining.” (Luke 23:44-45a)

The expression "sixth hour" refers to high noon! From the time of Jesus' abduction by the armed guard of the Jewish leaders, at about 11:00 PM of Nisan 13, till His final agony on the stake at 3:00 PM of Nisan 14, when He died, there is a total of 40 hours that Christ suffered. He endured 40 hours of imprisonment, judgment, trial, mockery, lashings, beatings, scourging, and painful waiting for final crucifixion.

Josephus, a first century historian, called it "the most wretched of deaths." I can't begin to even imagine it, but a prophet visualized it hundreds of years before it ever happened. “Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness--.” (Isaiah 52:14)

Isaiah also foretold of a future crowd's reaction: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Ish. 53:3-5)

In the title song from the High Noon soundtrack, Tex Ritter sings: “I do not know what fate awaits me. I only know I must be brave. And I must face a man who hates me...” Marshall Kane may not have known the outcome of his famous dusty road show down, but the Savior of man knew His destiny at Calvary's crossroads. He gravely anticipated the rejection of friends and His Father's forsaking. He walked the road alone while cowardly believers fled like rats from a sinking ship.

As the Light of the World faded, darkness covered the whole land. The sun hid its face for three hours and the world curled up in stifling silence. The tangible color of black and a muted creation was lit and awakened by one voice of courage and commitment when Christ uttered eight final words.

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Lk 23:46b)

Jesus faced his divine task alone. He faced the Enemy and gunned him down by giving His life instead of having it taken. His last words are not a cry of surrender to Satan or the sinful soldiers who gambled and snickered at his feet. His dying statement reveals the authority He held to give himself back to the God who sent Him to fulfill a promise to his creation. He gave away what they thought they were taking away from him, and the whole scene was altered by the One who could see ahead of His time and counted that time by divine calculations. In one moment there was a stand-off in the streets of Jerusalem between the good guy and the bad guy. The next moment Jesus simply opened his hands and dropped his weapon of supernatural status, leaving those who thought they had him red-handed and hung, shaking their heads in awe and wonder.

As the clock on eternity's wall clicks, the One who gave himself for you waits to forgive. He stands in the street alone, laying down his life to preserve yours. Christ proved his sacrificial love on a day when the sun stopped shining so you could experience eternity where night never falls.

This Easter weekend, please remember how Christ fought for you on Good Friday at High Noon.