Outtakes

     Outtakes.  Bloopers.  The gag reel.  It's the first thing I look for when I click the special features button on the DVD menu.  Who doesn't love outtakes?  They're hilarious.  You get to watch the cast and crew get the giggles, scramble their lines and play tricks on each other. 
     Outtakes are moments that interrupt filming.  They weren't in the script so they don't end up in the film.  Someone drops something, says the wrong thing, loses their train of thought, trips on the carpet…
    Speaking of tripping on the carpet, have you done that lately?  Have you dropped your keys?  Gotten tongue-tied?  How did you react?  Did you get angry and say, "Really?!"
     I have days when it seems like everything is going wrong.  As the day wears on, I let myself lose all patience and the tiniest mishaps seem enormously discouraging or unfair.  This is no way to live. 
     God's Word tells us in Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without complaining and disputing,"
     So stop whining!  Your life isn't based on a script.  It will never be perfect. 
     The movies edit out their bloopers, making the characters seem gorgeous, articulate and highly coordinated but you can't make your bloopers dissappear.  They're just a natural part of life.  Don't let them get you down.  Dropping your keys isn't the end of the world!  It's a blooper...and it's going to make the final cut- whether you like it or not.

Song Recommendation:  "This Is The Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli

Finding Nemo: Just Keep Swimming

        I love the movie Finding Nemo.   It's a fun, engaging story full of endearing characters and it's computer animation makes it beautiful to look at.       
        Marlin (who is actually a clown fish) is a very protective father but his son Nemo craves adventure.  When Nemo takes a silly, disobedient risk, he gets lost and ends up in an aquarium.  So, naturally, Marlin sets off on a long and involved journey to find his son.
             Along the way, Marlin meets many of the sea's colorful characters, including a very helpful, very forgetful and very blue fish named Dory.  From the first second she hears that Marlin's son, Nemo, is missing, Dory is determined to help.

            Dory has a problem with her short term memory.  She forgets things almost instantly but she keeps moving forward on their mission to find Nemo.  Every time Marlin and Dory face a setback on their trip, Dory stays upbeat.  She forgets what just happened and keeps going.  She tells Marlin, "You know what you gotta' do when life gets you down?  Just keep swimming." 

     The Bible tells us that we Christians need to be a lot like Dory! 

     God used a man named Paul to write the letter to the Philippians.  First Paul reminds them- and us- that we can't be friends with God and get to Heaven someday by being good. We can't accomplish enough things, or be nice enough, charitable enough or good-looking enough to get to Heaven. Only faith in Jesus and the fact that He died to take our punishment for sin and rose from the dead to prove His power, can save us from Hell and give us Heaven.  But it is our job after we have become friends with God through Jesus, to try to be like Him. Not because being good enough could get us to Heaven- we could never be good enough for that- but because knowing Jesus and living the way He wants us to is amazing!
     Philippians 3:13-14 says "No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." 
     In other words: Just Keep Swimming!  When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you admit that you are not good enough and God washes all of your guilt away.  He chooses to forget it and so can you.  Now, you need to focus on just being like Him, telling others about Him and just all around enjoying the new life He's given you.  You need to be excited about someday joining Him in Heaven where you will finally be perfect.
     God wants us to let go of shame and pride.  We Christians often get bogged down by focusing on these things.  If you dwell on all the good things you do and how "awesome" you are, cut it out!  Jesus already took care of being truly awesome and you could not ever possibly compare to Him.  And if you dwell on your mistakes and how "terrible" you are, knock it off!  Jesus already took care of forgiving all of your sins and He's makes up for the new ones every day.  We need to "forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead"- Jesus!  We should just enjoy being with Him and look forward to living with Him in Heaven someday.
     We need to be like Dory the forgetful fish and JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!!

Relief

     The part I treasure most in any high intensity action scene is the big moment of relief.  My eyes sparkle with excitement while the heroes gasp and laugh and cry as they look at the cliff's edge, exploded building, smoking crater, unconscious murderer or other huge source of peril that they have just survived.  They're okay, it's over, they're safe now.  "Let's go home."
     What could feel better than the moment you realize you're alive?
     I've never run out of a burning building or been reeled in from a crashing wave but I can imagine the overwhelming sense of well being and relief that must come when the worst doesn't happen.  The rush when, after thinking all was lost, the thing you hoped for the most appears before your eyes - rescue!
     I got the idea for an article about relief one morning when I was a sad, cranky mess.  I irrationally hated and questioned everything!  I knew that I shouldn't feel this way but it felt like there was nothing I could do to make myself feel better.  I struggle with this problem sometimes.  Contentment.  How do you get it?
     I tried to think about the things I should be grateful for.  And then I thought about how I've been... rescued.   I've been rescued from the worst and most terrifying thing anyone can face: separation from God.  I've been freed from Hell I'm bound for Heaven.  I'm friends with God.  Right now, this very instant!
     "For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)
     "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1 John 4:10 (NIV)
     And then I thought about that moment of pure happiness when someone is rescued.  The laughter, tears and hugs.  I've seen it many times portrayed by actors or in real-life incidents caught on film.  When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was rescued from far worse than anything this world could ever dish out.  So my joy should be far more enthusiastic!
     God has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)!  So I'm going to keep that picture of salvation fresh in my mind.  I'm going to replace my cloudy moods with the laughter of pure relief!
     When I accepted Christ's rescue, I was reborn into God's family and I started my new life with Him.  What could feel better than the moment you realize you're alive?

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light."     Colossians 1:11-12 (NLT)