We're thinking about doing a Pizza/Movie night at Mosaic that would be geared toward our college age peeps... it would probably be every month (or, at least, every 6-8 weeks) so they can regularly invite their unchurched friends. Question for ya:
What movies are good for this environment?
Okay... send me your list of titles! ;-)
D-PLUM
Hey... THIS SUNDAY... the movie we're highlighting at MOSAIC DC is Wanted... and we'll be talking about becoming people of PURPOSE! I know, I know... we've heard countless messages on purpose before, haven't we? But, you know what? For all the talking people have done on that topic, it must not really be getting through... because there are still countless people who live purposeless lives every day. But the good news is: that's not what God wants for us... He wants us to be crystal clear about our purpose... He wants us to live with meaning, to exist for something larger than ourselves!
* Tonight, we kicked our 2nd week in the God On Film message series... highlighting the movie, Get Smart! We had an AWESOME TIME... Brian created a little "crime scene" look in the foyer... we had the theme song going and everything... GREAT STUFF TONIGHT! Hope somebody took pics!!!
* The message was "Don't 'Get Smart', GET WISE!", looking at Eph. 5:15-17 and why it's so important to pursue wisdom in our decision-making. It's easy to ask, "Is this wrong?", but a little more difficult (and motive-revealing) to ask, "Is this wise?" Hmmm....
* We had three clips from the movie tonight... that always helps creativity. Last week, we only had the trailer for The Incredible Hulk. Running into the same problem for next week with Wanted... not sure we'll have more than the trailer, so we'll have to substitute other forms of fun and creativity... ;-)
* Had a handful of visitors this evening... two of whom found out about Mosaic thru our Facebook page! That always trips me the heck out, because it's awesome how God does that! I'd never even HEARD of Facebook before a couple of years ago, and to see how God uses that type of venue is always amazing to me! By the way, if you're on Facebook, drop by and join our group... we've got 250+ members in the group, and we're always looking for more. The more people, I'm convinced, the more prayer on our behalf!
^ I'm looking forward to hanging out with LV & the Catalyst Road Trip crew this coming Wednesday evening at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse in downtown DC... should be a great time! I'm hoping Ju will roll with me (if he's adjusted back to reality by then, having just gotten back from the Caribbean. The nerve of that guy!). The Movie Pastor might be hanging with me, too, since he's working in MD this week with his full-time gig. Those two guys are two of my biggest encouragers, and I love hangin' with them!
* BIG PROPS TO KEDA, who freed me up bigtime so I could finish up my message this week... thanks, babe! She's great to have as a wife... I think I'm keeping her around, man! ;-)
* SARAH & MICHAEL: way to go with the media tonight!! You guys did an awesome job! Chris, thanks for setting up everything! You guys rock, man!
* Just a reminder to keep inviting people to our worship gatherings! :-)
* I always am glad to see my little nephew, Nix, running around after the gatherings! You'd never know he just had major open-heart surgery at the end of April! Look at Jesus!!
* Tomorrow (Monday) is gonna be a serious reading day! I have fallen WAY BEHIND on my schedule of book reviews! I was gonna try to keep up with this guy, but he's a FREAK when it comes to reading! I think he reads at least 60 books a year... sheesh! ;-)
* Well, next week we're preaching on a theme from the movie WANTED... not sure of the message title yet, but it'll be on "purpose!" Invite a friend or two... or five... and come join us next week for God On Film!!
Wow.
This was a really good movie! I'm not into period movies much (have never seen Pride and Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, nor Jane Eyre), but I have to take my hat off to this one... it was very well-made, and intriguing from beginning to end! It's a story of love, lust, and ambition (don't hate... it's reality), in which a family (or, at least, certain members of that family) are intent on "upping their position" in the court of the King of England. AMAZING WHAT MIS-MANAGED AMBITION WILL MAKE YOU DO!!
Definitely preachable... definitely showable clips for sermons... Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are AWESOME... one of the best movies I've seen in a minute! WELL worth the price of the rental... I'm still shocked the movie was as good as it was!
And, my brothers: DON'T SLEEP... this isn't a chick flick! ;-)
Our design team for our GOD ON FILM message series (which begins on July 6) officially met for the first time today... great stuff! This is a preliminary group, as we're trying to pull together the right puzzle pieces for a permanent team. So far, so good. ;-) We met at the Royale 14 theater at the new University Town Center in Hyattsville... awesome atmosphere! As you can see, all of the shops haven't even opened yet. We're praying that God will open up some doors so we can meet at the Royale! Here are some pics:
Last night, I was feeling the effects of a very monstrous week last week... and my bride was sensitive enough to encourage me to get out and have some "me" time. So, I took her up on it... and went to see (by myself... I know I'm getting old now) The Forbidden Kingdom, with Jackie Chan and Jet Li (which also was the #1 Box Office movie this weekend).
If you're a martial arts fan, and love the great fight scenes, you don't want to miss this one! The story line isn't that great (what great martial arts film also had an award-winning plot??), but the fights are well worth the movie. The teenage kid in the film makes it a tad bit "Karate Kid-ish", but I enjoyed the movie itself.
Jackie is still a master... and it was great seeing him team up for the first time with Jet! So, check it out... and let me know what you think! ;-)
Don't know if you've heard all the fuss about the new NICOLE KIDMAN movie, The Golden Compass... apparently, it's based on some "anti-God" childrens' books by Philip Pullman. While that might be true, God hasn't called us to picket and boycott people or places because they disagree with what we believe.
I wanted to post my response to an email (one of several) that I received about the movie. Hopefully, it will stir up some dialogue... or, better yet, stir our hearts to really seek to better understand the mindset of this postmodern, post-Christian culture we live in. Here goes:
Hello, all...
No offense, but I'd like to push back just a little, because I think we sometimes still don't research enough. I've looked at both sides (including the interview with the Sydney Morning Herald ), and have formed the following opinion: 1) the author is INDEED atheistic and not favorable toward Christianity; 2) HOWEVER, his gripe is not so much with Christianity itself, as it is with "organized religion."
Here are a couple of quotes from him:
From his website:
"I think it's perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don't know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away. Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it's because he's ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they're responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with them" (emphasis mine).
From his interview with the Sydney Morning Herald:
"If we're talking on the scale of human life and the things we see around us, I'm an atheist. There's no God here. There never was. But if you go out into the vastness of space, well, I'm not so sure. On that level, I'm an agnostic. That's not to say I disparage the religious impulse. I think the impulse is a critical part of the wonder and awe that human beings feel. What I am against is organised religion of the sort which persecutes people who don't believe. I'm against religious intolerance" (emphasis mine).
So, while I agree that we DO need to be careful with allowing our kids complete license to view the movie and read the books, we also need to understand (it seems) how this man has formed many of his opinions. His opinions have been formed (it seems) from what he has observed from the lives of so-called Christians! So, whatever you do... DON'T BOYCOTT THE MOVIE! Teach your children (as you learn yourselves) to understand their faith... learn to love people (especially non-Christians) unconditionally... and follow Christ relentlessly.
One last thing... here are a list of books I would recommend reading to gain an understanding of how non-Christians view us. It's imperative that we know and understand their image of us, and how we can/should respond to transform their image of what a true Christ-follower looks like:
1. No Perfect People Allowed
2. Peppermint-Filled Pinatas
3. They Like Jesus, but Not the Church
4. unChristian
Pastor Darren Plummer
http://www.dplum.org/
**edited, 11/2/07**
Okay... the funny thing is that when some of you saw this post title, you were like, "Uh-oh... trouble on the D-Plum homefront. Must've had a crazy anniversary!!"
But au contraire! Quite the contrary! (not sure if my French is up-to-par) Keda and I had a great weekend, which started on Friday evening with DINNER AND A MOVIE!! What movie, you say?
WHY DID I GET MARRIED?!
That's the name of the movie! It's a TYLER PERRY movie, with an all African-American cast... and even if you're not African-American, go see it... DON'T SHY AWAY FROM IT!! It's very insightful... and I hear a whole lot of you church planters talking/asking questions about how you can reach the black community... well, here's a 2-hour dose of "Love... African-American Style"! ;-) Doesn't give you insight into every aspect of African-American life, but you do get a glimpse of what we're like when friends get together.
Okay... it's HOLLYWOOD, don't forget that. AND it portrays the secular mindset. Don't walk away thinking, "Do all black guys act like that? Do all black women act like that?" Of course we don't. Yet, it's true, most African-Americans can identify with this movie to some extent.
All in all, I LOVED THE MOVIE!! Tyler Perry does a great job with the script... I love his emphasis on relationships, forgiveness and reconciliation... definitely a must-see.
And I look forward to getting some comments from my blog friends out there! ;-)
I'm a movie buff. I love movies.
Sometimes, instead of renting movies from Blockbuster (no, I haven't done NetFlix yet), I'll check out a couple from the public library. Their movies are free... and you get to keep them for 3 days. If you haven't watched them within that time frame, you can renew them for another 3 days (you can renew movies twice). After that, you get fined 20 cents a day for the movies being late.
But see... I'm busy. So, sometimes, I'll check out movies... and never watch them... even though I've renewed them twice. And then I usually end up paying a fine... not a large fine... but a fine, nonetheless. I could've just watched the movie... or turned it in when I saw that I wasn't going to be able to watch it. I had access to the movie... but never watched it.
If we're honest, isn't our relationship with God a lot like that? He has given us access to SO MUCH in order for us to live out our life well... but we often don't take hold of it... for whatever reason....
Fear...
Lack of knowledge...
Lack of wisdom (YES, there's a difference!)...
Disobedience...
Bad advice...
But the truth is, we never have to miss out or lose out on what God has for us for ANY reason!
We need courage? He's got it...
Need understanding? Got that, too!
Need direction and guidance? You guessed it... He's got it!
What about forgiveness? Man, He specializes in it!
Need advice? Well, unfortunately, He doesn't give that... He's not much into suggestions. :-) But He won't ever steer you wrong!
Too often, we live at a lower level of living... simply because we fail to realize and appropriate all the resources that God gives us in order to thrive in this life!
It's one thing to miss out on a movie... quite another to miss out on what God has for your life...
THAT... will preach. ;-)
* I am SO TIRED, it's crazy! After we returned from Ocean City, I had to drive out to Colonial Heights, VA for a conference on Fri-Sat, where my man Ju and I were participating together in a SBCV conference. I have toothpicks holding open my eyes as I type this...
* I was sick all day, but still managed to lead worship/speak this morning at SoulPurpose Church, then return to Mosaic this evening to speak. Whew! The grace and strength of God... that's all I can say!
* Another good service tonight... attendance dropped again, but THAT'S OKAY! God had who He wanted there, and we had a great time!
* We got started almost 20 minutes late this evening... NOT GOOD!! We most definitely have to fix whatever was rockin' THAT horse!
* Tomorrow is the first day of the new school year for Darren and Shawn. Kinda bittersweet... ready for them to get the heck out of here (haha!)... but August went so fast. I really wish they had more time to ride out the summer... Next year, Seth will be in Kindergarten... WHOA!!
* During the panel discussion on multicultural ministry that Jumaine and I helped facilitate, one of the pastors told us that 5 years ago he was fired from his church in Alabama... for trying to pave the way for African-Americans to attend the church!! WHA????? That is crazy. Amazing that this is the 21st century, and we still have to deal with that kind of ignorance.
* In direct contrast to the church in the previous bullet, SoulPurpose Church is a predominantly-White church, but I felt much love and appreciation from my brothers/sisters there. Keep up the great work, Pastor Matt!!!
* Okay, tonight's message was No Reservations: Following Fully... we're 3/4 of the way through God On Film! Next week: The Bourne Ultimatum... still trying to decide which way to take it... but we're gonna have a lotta fun with it! ;-)
* I LOVE OUR COMMUNION SERVICES!!
* Justin continues to bring out new people... the boy's a BEAST!
* I added a "Part Two" to last week's message, The Great Gamble; resonated with a lot of people last week, so we expanded it for a part 2.
* Next Sunday finishes up our Irresistible Influence series... then, we get ready for God On Film!
* Headed to see Ratatouille this Wednesday... should be fun, heard it was a great movie! Pixar is incredible, man...
* This morning at Infinity Church went well... they're a great group of people, and they make it enjoyable to preach there! It's always a great feeling to "go back home." :-)
* We started another "streak" tonight of having newcomers out to our services (via Justin, above).
* I love when our band does Blessed Be Your Name! Great worship set tonight, guys!
* I should be tired, but I'm not...
* Led worship this morning at Montrose Baptist... they have a new pastor, Dr. Ken Fentress, and are in transition with their music ministry... so I'll be helping out a few times this summer, since we hold our services in the evenings. I felt a little rusty, but it went pretty well... it took alot out of me, seeing that I had to preach this evening at Mosaic.
* I love being the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Community Church!!
* This was the first Sunday in 6-7 weeks that we didn't have a newcomer! That sucks, man... but we'll just have to start a new streak next Sunday... :-)
* Spoke tonight from this passage, and entitled the message The Great Gamble... taking the "big risk" of investing what God has given us, in order to influence people toward a love relationship with Jesus. Next week is communion, and we finish up our Irresistible Influence series!
*Darren, Jr. keeps telling me that he's going to "whup" me tomorrow in Madden football (PS2)... ha! That'll never happen... ;-)
* Seth, my youngest, keeps telling me he's going to "bust me up"... he probably got that from his brother!!!
* We have our first Movie Night this Wednesday, as we prepare for our God on Film message series that begins on July 29. This week's movie is Transformers... should be a good one! If you're in the area and want to roll with us, hit me before Wednesday morning at mosaic.cp@gmail.com.
I saw a free screening for this last night, and... I won't fake it... the movie left me a little disappointed. Not quite sure what I was expecting... I hadn't even seen the previews... but I thought it'd be a little better.
There were definitely some funny parts, but - overall - I thought it was somewhat corny. Now, you could pull out some topics for your messages: faith, obedience, prayer... and there might even be some funny clips to use as illustrations... but good movie? Nah. I think Ben Stiller would've done a great job as Evan Baxter, though. :-) To be fair, young kids will love it for all the animals alone... so take your little ones if you're going to go see it.
In spite of all that, I had a great time chillin' with Brian (our Worship Arts guy), as well my good buddy DeAndre... who just graduated from Howard U, and is a budding film maker and director... BIG UPS, D!!!
