A Disturbing Force

We took our boys to see Star Wars Friday evening, ages 10 and 12 who are avid Star Wars fans - as are their parents. My 10 year old, David, did not like it because of all the killing. I see his point, but having watched this thing develop over the last 28 years I had to search for some kind of meaning!

If your kids haven't seen it yet, I would think twice about sending them or at least view it first and be ready to de-brief with them after the movie. The evil Darth Vader of our beloved Star Wars from the 80's was somewhat sterile. He had evil motives, wanted ultimate power and destroyed everyone and everything in his path. BUT, he was faceless and stormtroopers were faceless and although you knew many lost their lives, you really were not drawn into the feelings of actual people dying. In the newer movies we are gradually introduced to this evil in a more personal way. Along the same lines, those destroyed in its path are characters with names and faces. Spoiler Warning: There is a great Jedi massacre that takes place. Although we are spared a blood bath on camera you know all the details in your mind. The most troublesome was the killing of the Jedi children (younglings). You could hear little gasps in the theater... "No, not the children!" They, as well as most of the Jedi council, meet their fate not in combat but in cold blooded assassination.

WHY??????????? Well, to be fair it is a story we all bought into 28 years ago and this was the final missing piece. How and why does little Anakin Skywalker turn to the dark side? Anakin's focus was on controlling his own destiny and following his own desires instead of following the code of the Jedi.

How and why does any seemingly "good" person turn away down a path that leads to destruction. (Infidelity, drug-addiction, pornography, etc...) It happens when we forget the moral authority of Jesus Christ and choose what we feel is right for ourselves. Proverbs 14:12 says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end is the way of death." When our own desires and wants overshadow God's plan and desire for us we make a mess of things. He made us! Doesn't he know best how we can live life to the fullest? But in our society, we want sex and we want it now - without commitment, without marriage, without responsibility. The result? Divorce, heartache, STD's, unplanned pregnancy, broken homes. There are many that pay the price for our selfish desire to have OUR needs met. Anakin wanted to prevent something bad from happening to someone he loved. The problem being that what he wanted was not within his power to control. His selfish desire to have things his way clouded his judgement, as sin clouds our judgement. Have you ever known someone in an adulterous relationship or trapped in some addiction? They become so caught up in what is right for THEM that they see nothing else. It doesn't matter who else gets hurt. "The kids are young they will adjust." WHAT??? Satan is the great deceiver and the father of lies as is the dark side of the force and the Sith. I liked this movie because of the very strong message of the destructive power of listening to the lies of Satan and following our own path.

God's way leads to life. To NOT choose him is to CHOOSE destruction. That is eternal life and eternal destruction. What path will you choose?

What's in a blog?

It is a shame to have a blog with nothing in it. All I really wanted to do was post a reply to my brother-in-law but I was not a member of the blog family. This is why a blog with my name has been birthed into cyber existance.

That's all I have to say at the moment.