I have decided to post links to my movie reviews. My reviews will be contained on Hubpages.com rather than here so that I may focus more on family and ministry blogging on this site.
Here is the link to The Hunger Games Movie Review: http://jelliott88.hubpages.com/hub/The-Hunger-Games-Movie-Review-2?done
Friday, April 20, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Over half way!
This weekend, Emily passed her halfway point in her pregnancy. Our sweet little man is going to be here somewhere around the end of August! Most of you have already heard all this, but I thought I would announce it to anyone not on Facebook (but apparently reads this blog? yeah pretty sure that person doesn't exist).
Anyways, this blog, being entitled ElliottEvents will hopefully start containing more than just my reviews. Let's face it, you'd all rather see pretty and funny family photos and stories!
That's right... he's giving you a thumbs up!
Anyways, this blog, being entitled ElliottEvents will hopefully start containing more than just my reviews. Let's face it, you'd all rather see pretty and funny family photos and stories!
That's right... he's giving you a thumbs up!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The In-Between
it is not when the tempest pounds the river’s shore
as hostile waves compose a violent song
nor in its silence, its surface like a mirror
but when its ebb and flow simply rolls along
it is not when the sun is highest in its flight
giving light and life to all who watched it rise
nor when it abandons and gives way to the night
but when it plainly rests on common skies
it is not when grief and fear choke the life from me
nor when joy chases away all my doubts
but I know where it is found, inside the two extremes
where life quietly hums along its route
here I lose my need for grace
here I lose my need for grace
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
My Movie List of 2011
Top 5 Favorite Movies Of the Year:
1. Warrior
1. Warrior
2. Midnight in Paris
3. Moneyball
4. Super 8
5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(Honorable Mentions):
- X-men: First Class
- The Help
(Notes: Most of these movies were surprises for me, especially Rise and Super 8. I don’t think these were the best or most challenging or most ingenious movies of the year, simply, these were the best moviegoing experiences I had of 2011. I was drawn into the plots and lost myself in the worlds these movies created. I highly recommend all of them.)
Top 5 Worst Movies of 2011
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Unknown
- Just Go With It
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Drive
(Notes: alright alright. I know Drive is making most serious and learned critics favorite movies of the year lists, but I am not a serious or learned critic. I thought Gosling’s performance was so understated that I couldn’t care less about him in the movie. I like what director Nicolas Winding Refn was trying to pull-off, but the over stylized, glossy frames wear on the viewer, the ultra violence doesn’t off-set the calm, coolness of the writing/acting, but simply confuses the audience. I was highly disappointed.)
Top 5 Movies I still need to see:
- The Tree of Life
- Certified Copy
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- Martha Marcy May Marlene
- The Artist
Top Underrated Movies of 2011
- Source Code
- The Adjustment Bureau
- Warrior
Saturday, January 21, 2012
2012 Reading List
Alright, I know you've all been waiting in eager anticipation for this, so here it is. This is my reading list for the year 2012! Hopefully there is some nice overlap in some areas, but enough eclecticism overall (although, obviously most are intended for "Christian" audiences, I guess).
(Apologetic series)
1. End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, by Sam Harris
2. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller
(Evangelism)
3. One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven, by Mark Cahill
(Youth Ministry)
4. Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church, by Kenda Creasy Dean
5. You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church.... And Rethinking Faith, by David Kinnaman
6. (a re-read!) Shaping the Spiritual Life of Students, by Richard R. Dunn
(Personal Spiritual Growth/Devotionals)
7. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, by David Platt
8. The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul
9. Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together, by Mark and Grace Driscoll
(Biography)
10. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography, by Benjamin P. Thomas
(Fiction)
11. The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath
(Theology)
12. What is Reformed Theology?: Understanding the Basics, by R.C. Sproul
Again, this is one of those times where I'm so excited to read so many things that this list hardly contains everything I hope I read this year! However, I wanted to re-read one book and make sure that the majority of the books on this list are ones that I already own rather than needing to purchase!
(Apologetic series)
1. End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, by Sam Harris
2. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller
(Evangelism)
3. One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven, by Mark Cahill
(Youth Ministry)
4. Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church, by Kenda Creasy Dean
5. You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church.... And Rethinking Faith, by David Kinnaman
6. (a re-read!) Shaping the Spiritual Life of Students, by Richard R. Dunn
(Personal Spiritual Growth/Devotionals)
7. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, by David Platt
8. The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul
9. Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together, by Mark and Grace Driscoll
(Biography)
10. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography, by Benjamin P. Thomas
(Fiction)
11. The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath
(Theology)
12. What is Reformed Theology?: Understanding the Basics, by R.C. Sproul
Again, this is one of those times where I'm so excited to read so many things that this list hardly contains everything I hope I read this year! However, I wanted to re-read one book and make sure that the majority of the books on this list are ones that I already own rather than needing to purchase!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Review of "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy" by Eric Metaxas
This was my second favorite book of the year and probably the best biography I've ever read. Then again, it has all the things you would want in a theological spy thriller (who knew that existed?).
What I Liked:
The story itself is one just begging to be told. The courage, spiritual insight, theological depth, trust in God, and peace that surpassing all understanding in this man's life is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Metaxas does a great job at building tension in this book. He also gives more focus to the ecumenical movement going through Germany (and Europe in general) during these crazy times. It was fascinating to hear Bonhoeffer's role in all of this. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot for those unfamiliar with this story, but will simply say that you should read this book.
What I Didn't Like:
Metaxas does get a little hairy in the details of Bonhoeffer's early life and at times reading the letters between Bonhoeffer and his friends/family in length seems tedious. That having been said, getting through some of those chapters only makes the pay-off of the espionage, assassination attempts, and the chaos of Germany even greater.
Favorite Quotations:
- (on prominent preachers in the US) "In New York they preach about virtually everything; only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have as yet been unable to hear it, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin, and forgiveness, death and life."
- (on his fellow theologians joining Hitler's "German Christians" church) "'If you board the wrong train,' [Bonhoeffer] said, ' it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.'"
- "For Bonhoeffer, the challenge was to deliver the Word of God as purely as possible, without feeling the need to help it along or to dress it up. It alone had the power to touch the human heart. Any frippery would onl dilute the power of the thing itself. He had told his ordinands of this time and time again. 'Let this power speak for itself, unhindered.'"
Recommendation:
This book is fantastic and I do widely recommend it. However, as much as there is a political thriller feel to the plot of Bonhoeffer's life, this book reads nothing like a John Grisham novel. But it is worth it if you can put the time (500+ pages) and patience into the story.
What I Liked:
The story itself is one just begging to be told. The courage, spiritual insight, theological depth, trust in God, and peace that surpassing all understanding in this man's life is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Metaxas does a great job at building tension in this book. He also gives more focus to the ecumenical movement going through Germany (and Europe in general) during these crazy times. It was fascinating to hear Bonhoeffer's role in all of this. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot for those unfamiliar with this story, but will simply say that you should read this book.
What I Didn't Like:
Metaxas does get a little hairy in the details of Bonhoeffer's early life and at times reading the letters between Bonhoeffer and his friends/family in length seems tedious. That having been said, getting through some of those chapters only makes the pay-off of the espionage, assassination attempts, and the chaos of Germany even greater.
Favorite Quotations:
- (on prominent preachers in the US) "In New York they preach about virtually everything; only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have as yet been unable to hear it, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin, and forgiveness, death and life."
- (on his fellow theologians joining Hitler's "German Christians" church) "'If you board the wrong train,' [Bonhoeffer] said, ' it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.'"
- "For Bonhoeffer, the challenge was to deliver the Word of God as purely as possible, without feeling the need to help it along or to dress it up. It alone had the power to touch the human heart. Any frippery would onl dilute the power of the thing itself. He had told his ordinands of this time and time again. 'Let this power speak for itself, unhindered.'"
Recommendation:
This book is fantastic and I do widely recommend it. However, as much as there is a political thriller feel to the plot of Bonhoeffer's life, this book reads nothing like a John Grisham novel. But it is worth it if you can put the time (500+ pages) and patience into the story.
Review of "What Does God Know And When Does He Know It?" by Millard J. Erickson
Ahhhhh (sigh of relief), saving the best for last. This is the final book in my personal series on Open Theism, and it was like a breath of fresh air. This is the book I'd been waiting to read on OT.
What I Liked: Although much more highly academic in nature, finally someone tackles the arguments both for and against OT in the original Greek and Hebrew. Truly, Erickson traces and deconstructs each argument in the way only the best systematic theologians can.
From hermeneutic inconsistencies, to directly answering the challenges brought forth from the front-runners of OT, Erickson presents a case against the open view of God and for the classical view that is hard to deny.
What I Didn't Like: This is less of a critique and more of a word to the wise: This book is much harder to access than the previous mentioned volumes in my personal series. This is not to say that it is impossible to understand, but I did find myself feeling like I was reading a textbook more than anything else.
My only criticism is that Erickson doesn't present his case for classical theism until he basically reviews the purpose/arguments of the book throughout the last two shorter chapters in the book. Now, this is also a great thing because his deconstruction of the OT view throughout the book is so spot-on that little needs to be said in direct defense of the classical view.
My Favorite Quotes:
(with this book being so based upon nearly flawless argumentation, it is hard to pull just anything out of context to quote, but here are a couple that can stand on their own.)
- "The open theist appeal is not a call to return to an earlier, purer version of biblical understanding [like the Protestant Reformation]. It is a call to something new to the mainstream of orthodox Christian thought."
- "Similarly, for God to know what he is to do requires in some cases his knowing what humans will do. his predictions about the coming of his Son required knowing that humans would persist in their wicked ways. His prediction of the resurrection of Jesus assumes that he will be rejected and put to death."
Recommendation:
I would recommend this to anyone who already has at least a basic understanding of the current debate between open theism and classical theism. It would also help if you have a basic understanding of philosophical/theological terms as Erickson does little explaining, and uses much jargon. This book is for the inner academic in us all.
What I Liked: Although much more highly academic in nature, finally someone tackles the arguments both for and against OT in the original Greek and Hebrew. Truly, Erickson traces and deconstructs each argument in the way only the best systematic theologians can.
From hermeneutic inconsistencies, to directly answering the challenges brought forth from the front-runners of OT, Erickson presents a case against the open view of God and for the classical view that is hard to deny.
What I Didn't Like: This is less of a critique and more of a word to the wise: This book is much harder to access than the previous mentioned volumes in my personal series. This is not to say that it is impossible to understand, but I did find myself feeling like I was reading a textbook more than anything else.
My only criticism is that Erickson doesn't present his case for classical theism until he basically reviews the purpose/arguments of the book throughout the last two shorter chapters in the book. Now, this is also a great thing because his deconstruction of the OT view throughout the book is so spot-on that little needs to be said in direct defense of the classical view.
My Favorite Quotes:
(with this book being so based upon nearly flawless argumentation, it is hard to pull just anything out of context to quote, but here are a couple that can stand on their own.)
- "The open theist appeal is not a call to return to an earlier, purer version of biblical understanding [like the Protestant Reformation]. It is a call to something new to the mainstream of orthodox Christian thought."
- "Similarly, for God to know what he is to do requires in some cases his knowing what humans will do. his predictions about the coming of his Son required knowing that humans would persist in their wicked ways. His prediction of the resurrection of Jesus assumes that he will be rejected and put to death."
Recommendation:
I would recommend this to anyone who already has at least a basic understanding of the current debate between open theism and classical theism. It would also help if you have a basic understanding of philosophical/theological terms as Erickson does little explaining, and uses much jargon. This book is for the inner academic in us all.
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