The legacy of divorce in Steven Spielberg movies

Mark Caro wrote an interesting column recently in the Chicago Tribune called "Indiana Jones and That Spielberg Ending". He writes:

Has any filmmaker pursued a single theme as obsessively over so many varied films as Steven Spielberg?

Almost every movie, no matter the genre, explores the same issue with a similar resolution: the repairing of the fractured family.

Spielberg's parents divorced in 1966, and that event had a huge impact on his life. He always wanted his parents to get back together.

I can relate to that -- my parents divorced when I was four years old, and I tried many times to get them back together. It's unfortunate that marriage, which is God's creation, so often ends in divorce. Divorce is way too common in our country -- could that be why Spielberg's movies are so popular? Are we a nation longing for strong families?

Please pray for the Henderson family

The leader of my Heart of a Warrior group, Tom Henderson, recently received some very difficult news. His 6-year-old son, Ian, has a tumor in his brain stem that is malignant and inoperable.

Please pray for Tom, his wife Deb, and their son Ian. I know that God can do wonders, and I'm praying that He will completely heal Ian.

The Hendersons have set up a CaringBridge site to share updates, and Tom is posting his thoughts on this journey on his blog.

Sharing "Wild at Heart" with my dad

I always have had a difficult time talking about God with my parents. On the advice of a friend, I decided to share John Eldredge's "Wild at Heart" with my dad. Now, my dad is a Norwegian who doesn't share his emotions. . .except for anger. We never have had deep talks.

I'm not sure what I'm expecting by lending him my copy of "Wild at Heart". Will he get angry? Will it provide us an excellent opportunity to talk about the Lord? We'll see. . .

Why do we get angry?

Anger is quite a powerful emotion. It can really cause a lot of harm and pain both in the person getting angry and in the person to whom the anger is directed.

In "Getting Anger Under Control", one of the authors, Rich Miller, asks the Lord why Miller got so mad at his son Brian:

The Lord reminded me that the fruit of the Spirit is self-control, not spouse or child control. By angrily trying to control others so I could fulfill my own purpose or satisfy my own desire for comfort, I was not acting in love.

This helped to put anger into perspective for me. We cannot change how people act. We can, however, change how we react.

Choosing between cancer and a newborn

The Sikeston Standard Democrat in Missouri recently ran a story about Tonya Pobst, who found out that she was pregnant after being diagnosed with cancer. She was about to undergo a mastectomy, and had two choices: continue with the surgery, but her pregnancy would be terminated — or wait until her second trimester, but the cancer could spread during that time. She decided to wait.

Pobst prayed and prayed, and God spoke to her:

'He said he’d take care of me, and the baby will be healthy,' Pobst said. '... I thought that’s what the Lord wanted me to do. This is his plan. Who am I to mess it up? Who am I to play God?'

Pobst followed God's plan and continued with her pregnancy. She had a healthy baby girl, Khielynn Claire, and surgery that removed all of her cancer.

The difference between the Lord's and Satan's presence

Right now I'm reading "Sheep in Wolves' Clothing" by Valerie J. McIntyre. It's a book about transference. In one passage on p. 14, McIntyre explains what it felt like to be in the Lord's presence when dealing with her transference experience:

When I chose to suffer honestly before God, looking only to Jesus on the Cross to bear my sin and sorrow, I found Him lifting that measure of pain from me and taking it into Himself. Sometimes I had sensory experiences of God's presence -- I felt myself cradled in a warm, loving embrace and heard lullabies.

She then goes on to explain what it felt like when Satan was around:

Still, there were times when I could not sort through what was false and stand in what was true. In those moments, there seemed to be a dark presence with me, one that was intent on getting me to accept as fact all manner of untruth about myself, others, and God.

McIntyre relied upon God during the times that she felt oppressed and eventually made her way out of the situation by total obedience to Him.

I'm excited to see "Prince Caspian"!

I, along with the majority of the U.S., am very eager to see "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". I thoroughly enjoyed "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".

The Star Tribune describes the new movie as "bigger, brasher, more magical and funnier than the first." I'm excited that I can take my 6-year-old son to it, too.

Would you be offended if you were Joseph?

Think about the story of Joseph for a moment, and all of the chances that he had to be offended at the bad things that happened to him:

• His brothers hated him not only because of Jacob's love for him, but also because of his dreams.
• His brothers plotted to kill him, but ended up putting him in a well for a while and then selling him as a slave to Egypt.
• He was accused of doing wrong against Potiphar's wife.
• He was thrown in prison.

And the list goes on. Just think -- if Joseph got offended at all of these nasty actions, he might have ruined God's plan to save his family and to help people survive the famine of Canaan.

I think about all of the times that I get offended, and I'm glad that God's plan is happening in spite of me.

God communicates to us through each other

It's fascinating how God can speak to us through each other. In "Fight Like a Man", Gordon Dalbey tells about an experience that John Wimber of The Vineyard had:

Early in his ministry, a woman came to him at a particularly busy moment and said matter-of-factly, 'I have a word for you from the Lord.'

With strained courtesy, he noted that he was in a hurry and urged her to proceed quickly -- whereupon the woman burst forth crying. For several minutes she spoke not a word as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Puzzled, Wimber waited respectfully, until his patience reached its limit. 'Could you please just give me the word, so I can get on with my schedule?' he asked.

The woman sobbed deeply and then, gathering her breath, said simply, 'That's it.'

The tears were God's message to Wimber, as if God was saying to Wimber, I love you so much it hurts me to see you wasting all the talent and energy I've given you chasing after the wind.

Amazing. Be on the lookout for moments like these; God works through us in spectacular ways.

We will be shaken

In the story of Simon Peter, he was shaken and humbled so much that his natural confidence turned to dependence on God. When we are shaken, what isn't of Jesus falls away, and that's why Jesus lets trials happen. John Bevere explains this on p. 89 of "The Bait of Satan":

Trials in this life will expose what is in your heart -- whether the offense is toward God or others. Tests either make you bitter toward God and your peers or stronger. If you pass the test, your roots will shoot down deeper, stabilizing you and your future. If you fail, you become offended, which can lead to defilement with bitterness.

I'm curious about how to discern which trials are just spiritual attacks by Satan and his evil spirits versus trials that are put in our lives to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Or are they one in the same?

You will offend others if you follow God

One passage that really resonates with me in "The Bait of Satan" deals with offending others because one is following God. In my family of origin, Christians or religious people often were put down. Consequently, as an adult I have not been as vocal about my faith as I would like to be.

Bevere makes the point that the religious leaders of Jesus' time were the ones who most vehemently opposed Jesus. And Bevere applies that to today:

Some will not understand you as you move with the Spirit. Don't allow their unpleasant response to deter you from what you know in your heart is true. Don't abort the flow of the Spirit for the desires of men.

If we are to persevere in our faith, others will be offended. Even if we were not followers of Jesus, I'm sure others would be offended with us. So we must soldier on, keeping the "eyes on the prize."

The problem of pride

I'm currently reading a book by John Bevere called "The Bait of Satan". The focus of this book is how Satan cunningly uses pride and offense to separate us from other people.

Bevere explains on page 8 how pride causes us to deny the true pain that we feel when someone offends us:

Pride keeps you from dealing with truth. It distorts your vision. You never change when you think everything is fine. Pride hardens your heart and dims the eyes of your understanding. It keeps you from the change of heart -- repentance -- that will set you free. Pride causes you to view yourself as a victim.

I personally have gone through life being on the lookout for people to offend me, and then I have severed ties (or my heart) with people. How easily I have fallen into Satan's trap! As we know from Matthew 18:21-22, we are to forgive others an infinite number of times.

Respect and protect women

Ever since Eve, women have had a difficult time in this world. They have been targeted by Satan because of their beauty. And too often men have been willing accomplices to Satan, happy to exert some sort of superiority over women.

Here are some things to think about, men:

• While the first woman, Eve, came from a man, every man since that time has come from a woman.
• God's image is reflected in the unity of both male and female.
• For you men that have sons, they are not clones of you. There are genetic characteristics from both your son's mother and you in your son.

God intended us to bond with women in an honoring way. And it's up to us to respect -- and protect -- them. (Gordon Dalbey's "Fight Like a Man" has two excellent chapters -- "The Woman as Ally" and "'Male Headship' and Battling for the Woman" that cover these topics.)

Surviving a pit bull attack

I recently completed a book by Gordon Dalbey called "Fight Like a Man". Dalbey was the inspiration for author John Eldredge. "Fight Like a Man" examines the wounds in men and how to heal ourselves by surrendering to Jesus.

In one passage of "Fight Like a Man", Dalbey recounts how he was jogging in his neighborhood late at night when he was attacked by a pit pull. Read on to hear how Dalbey survived even though no one was around and the pit pull already had taken a bite into his forearm:

All thoughts fled from my grasp as the dog quivered and crouched lower for its spring.

'Stop!' I heard myself pleading desperately -- and then, with determination, 'In the name of Jesus, stop!'

The instant the word Jesus sprang from my lips, a veil seemed to part, and by a new and holy instinct I knew at once what to do.

Utterly terrified, absolutely powerless, I surrendered.

'Jesus,' I whispered, looking away. As the dog let out a sharp yowl and lifted its forelegs to leap, I dropped my arms helplessly to my side.

In that unforgettable split second, more intense in both horror and peace that I have ever before known, all fear and tension swept out of me. Quietly, I stood there -- whether seconds or minutes I can't say.

I only know that when I looked down again, the dog had not leapt after all, but was still coiled and growling in front of me.

'Jesus,' I said again, this time calmly, and looked directly into the dog's burning eyes: 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.'

Hesitating yet, it growled once more, looked around, and then stood there just looking at me. Clearly, it was over. With a snort, the dog turned awkwardly and trotted off into the night.

Just think if Dalbey had tried to fight that pit bull on his own -- he would have been toast! So often we think that we can do it on our own. His experience should be a reminder to just surrender to Jesus.