It looks like Pixar can do no wrong.  This animated movie is worlds apart from their previous offerings.  WALL.E is set in a bleak future earth where everyone has left and is now living in space because of the accumulation of trash.  So the backdrop for this movie is not exactly fun and games.  Add to that the fact that there is very little dialogue and it is somewhat stunning that this movie is so well received by every age group.  That’s not to say that it shouldn’t be.  It is amazing how the very human emotions of joy, loneliness and love can be so clearly communicated by animated robots.  But those messages come through loud and clear… and then some.  WALL.E ends up being a heart-warming and thoroughly enjoyable movie whether you sit in a high chair or a lift chair.  But beyond the simple enjoyment, there were some pretty cool lessons that shine through as well.

DOING YOUR BEST AT WHATEVER YOU DO

WALL.E is a robot all along, doing a thankless job.  And yet in the midst of all this isolation and with no incentive whatsoever, WALL.E never fails to do a great job.  As you watch the opening scenes, you realize that he has learned to copy the structure he sees in the buildings humans left behind, and build replicas out of trash.  It’s not enough for him to simply clean up and make cubes out of trash.  He creates out of trash.  How much better served would we all be if we would make the best of our situations… and even learn to be creative at it.  How much would our attitude change.  Maybe we’d become a bit more like WALL.E who we see whistling on the way to work.  The New Testament gives us just that sort of advice when we are challenged to do whatever we do “as unto the Lord”.  The task is not relevant.  The attitude with which it is tackled is.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

When WALL.E first spies the object of his love, I was immediately reminded of the biblical story of creation.  The Bible tells us that Adam was created first and God put him to work.  But Adam noticed he didn’t have a partner, another one like him.  Then God makes Eve… and I’ve always imagined Adam sort of flipping out when he first lay eyes on her, saying “Way to go, God!”  WALL.E was all alone at the beginning of the movie but on that fateful day that his love interest showed up he was immediately smitten.  I about fell out of my super-comfortable theatre chair when she said her name was EVE.  I have to think that was no coincidence by the creators (pun intended) of the movie.  It was clear that WALL.E was out of his league, but that didn’t stop him.  And through a variety of circumstances that unfold througout the movie, he consistently shows unconditional love, come rain or shine (literally).  Wouldn’t it be cool if we, as Christ folowers could live liek that.  We are urged to througout the New Testament.  That is one of the key ways that we are supposed to represent Jesus Christ to the world around us.

UPDATED INFORMATION - It appears as though the director, Andrew Stanton,  may very well have been processing this movie through a spiritual lens himself.  I just found this quote from an interview with him that I thought I would pass along to all of you:

“…what really interested me was the idea of the most human thing in the universe being a machine because it has more interest in finding out what the point of living is than actual people. The greatest commandment Christ gives us is to love, but that’s not always our priority. So I came up with this premise that could demonstrate what I was trying to say — that irrational love defeats the world’s programming. You’ve got these two robots that are trying to go above their basest directives, literally their programming, to experience love.

With the human characters I wanted to show that our programming is the routines and habits that distract us to the point that we’re not really making connections to the people next to us. We’re not engaging in relationships, which are the point of living — relationship with God and relationship with other people”

IT’S NEVER TO LATE TO RISE UP

As the movie unfolds, we see that all humans live in “hover chairs”.  They don’t walk anywhere.  I’m thinking that I may be in training for that lifestyle when I plop down in my recliner every night.  Anyway, at one point, the captain of the space ship realizes that they need to return to earth.  But the auto-pilot tells him that they cannot return.  It’s a matter of surviving.  The Captain then summons up the courage to say, “But I don’t want to survive.  I want to live!”  How many people have simply settled for surviving because they’ve given up on living?  No matter what your situation or condition (heck, these guys could barely walk anymore after all that hovering), it’s never too late to start living.  We were never meant to simply survive.  That is not why God created us to live.  And when sin entered the equation and messed that up, Jesus Christ said in John 10:10 that he came to restore us to that original design… that we might live, and live to the full.

CONCLUSION

There is much to enjoy about WALL.E and I encourage you to take it in either in the theater or on DVD.  Enjoy the laughter and the real human emotion.  But don’t miss the lessons either.  There’s plenty to go around.

I watched in utter disbelief this evening as I watched the news report that the California Supreme Court has overturned the definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and in so doing, decided that they know better than several thousand years of history and 4.6 million Californians, not to mention God.

This is frightening and enlightening on several levels.

FRIGHTENING

First of all this is a LEGAL matter as it relates to our country. Our Founding Fathers never envisioned a handful of people being able to decide policy and law for the population as a whole. That was and still is supposed to be the role of the legislative branch. It is the legislative branch that is duly elected directly by the people. That is why they are responsible for crafting laws and legislation. Every 2-6 years they must face the same people that elected them and answer directly for the choices they have made during that time. It is that direct accountability to the people that was designed to keep legislators in tune with the needs and moral code of the people they represent. The role of the judicial branch was to evaluate the legality of new laws in light of the U.S. Constitution, not based on their personal preferences and agendas. You see, the U.S. Constitution is the guiding document of our entire system of government. It was painstakingly and brilliantly written by men who wanted to lay the foundation for a system of government that would stand the test of time. And it has… until recent years. It amazes me how this country worked so well (that is not to say without error or flaws) for generations with the Constitution as our guide. But somehow we have reached a new age. An age where a small number or even individual judges can make legislation driven by thousands or millions of Americans and crafted by the legislators they elected meaningless. Further, we have reached an era when the judges who are accountable to no one can even dictate law, even though there is absolutely no provision for that in the document that we base our government on. What has happened to us?

ENLIGHTENING

In many ways, this is similar to what we as Christians have done with our guiding document - The Bible. You see, the Bible is supposed to be our source of truth. It is “a light unto our feet and an light unto our path”. We declare it to be the inspired written word of God to us. It is the source of our faith and where we go to learn more about our faith…. and about our founder.. Jesus Christ. But a funny thing has happened in recent years. All of a sudden, it seems to be open to interpretation. As if God didn’t really mean what he said. I guess he was just old-fashioned and out of touch. Surely the fact that WE are more enlightened now should allow us to make adjustments and even changes to what God put in place. Just because something made sense back then doesn’t mean we should abide by it today, does it? Shouldn’t we be free to legislate from our own bench? We should be able to dictate what faith should be today instead of being restricted by a document that was written a long time ago shouldn’t we? This is part of the allure of the New Age movement and what Oprah Winfrey is promoting these days.

I marvel at how frustrated I can be with our wandering away from our national founding documents, but how I can at times justify my own wandering from the dictates of God’s Word. It’s amazing how we can be so committed to certain principles as long as they don’t threaten our preferences. But as soon as our personal agendas begin to clash with other demands, suddenly we become very willing to put long-standing wisdom and principles at risk. What is it about us in our humanness that always thinks that our reality is different…that our situation changes the playing field…that we suddenly know better than the collective wisdom of the ages…or the truth of God?

Further, this is enlightening in that those of us who care about the moral code and foundation of our nation (Christian and non-Christian alike) must make our voices heard. You can be guaranteed that voices are being heard that contradict ours. And those voices are winning the day more and more often. One of the clearest ways to be heard is through your vote. It’s time to realize that our votes may be more important for those who will be supported and placed in judicial roles than in legislative or presidential roles.

Please pray for our country. And please ask God for help to place the proper value and role on his Word in our own lives. I know I am.

In our last installment on this topic, we established how critically important the family is for every man. That in the end, his family is his legacy above all else. It would seem that our obligations as men are so high that we will never live up to them.

C. S. Lewis, as always, said it clearly:

It is painful, being a man, to have to assert the privilege, or the burden, which Christianity lays upon my own sex. I am crush­ingly aware of how inadequate most of us are, on our actual and historical individualities, to fill the place prepared for us.

Oh, how right he is. Left to ourselves we are totally inadequate. But “the place prepared for us” is still there, and it must be occupied. As Christian men, we must throw ourselves at the feet of the King of Kings, and beg His wisdom, insight, grace, and blessing. Still, the mantle must be worn. When a man refuses it, everybody is the loser for it.

Whatever our frustration-a culture that bites us, wives who won’t follow us, kids who won’t cooperate with us-we do not have the option of just tossing up our hands and walking away. God-honoring men don’t quit. God-honoring men don’t abdicate, or try to hide in the baggage from God’s anointing, like the pitiful king-designated Saul.

God-honoring men stay at it. And stay. And stay. And stay. Growing and improving. Taking the hits and pushing on down the field. Moving in one direction over the long haul. Many times it’s two steps forward, one back. But it’s still movement; it’s keeping on keeping on.

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Yesterday we presented a clear and compelling case for the authority of a man in relation to his wife. Maybe one of the reasons that this has become a frightening concept for most women (and plenty of men) is because of how authority gets abused. But the sort of authority that God is mandating here looks much different than the type most of us are accustomed to. Once again, we’ll let Stu Weber lead us in this discussion…….

There is no room in biblical headship for self-inflated big shots. Still, God’s Word makes it undeniably clear that “the man” is the head of his home. The man is held responsible for the leadership of his marriage and home! The two words that describe his role most basically are “husband” and “head.” These two words are good words—benevolent words—intended to provide our homes with leadership, authority, order, and direction. Rightly understood, they are Camelot-inducing words. If you’ll allow me, I’ll borrow a couple of definitions from my earlier book, Tender Warrior, to nail these terms down.

HUSBAND. The noun form of the word means “manager.” A hus­band is a steward. He is a caretaker and caregiver. He is the man held responsible. In its verb form the word means “to direct, to manage.” Those are strong terms that imply effective and responsible leadership.

HEAD. “Head” means director. It means chief. As in headmaster. Principal. Foremost. “Head” equals leadership and authority, as in the head of the class, head of the military, head of the company, head of the church, head of the home, or head man. Head means head.

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Today, we continue on the theme of authority and what that means for a man in relation to his family. Most of us don’t like the concept of authority anymore. We don’t like to follow it, nor, interestingly enough, do most men want to exercise it. It’s just too much work. And in that cultural landscape, we have seen a myth grow into a near “fact-like” status. It is the myth of mutual submission, which really sounds pleasing to the ear and totally reasonable. But it’s really a crock. Here’s how Stu Weber describes it:

“Mutual submission” is not only an oxymoron, it is an impossibility. It exists neither in theory, nor in practice, nor in Scripture.

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We left off last week with a potentially searing question to the heart of every man in relation to his kingdom:

So how is your kingdom? How is the king in you doing? How’s it at your house, in your little realm? What kind of leader are you? Is there a sweet aroma of contentment? Or is your home characterized by the sour taste of bitterness? Are the “citizens” secure? Is there peace? Is there laughter in the hallways? Is everyone glad to know the king is in his castle? Or would they, frankly, prefer a revolt? Is your home a little taste of heaven, or is it hell on earth?

The answer to this question will indicate the type of leadership (or lack thereof) you have exercised in your home. This comes down to a question of authority and authority seems to be a real sticking point in today’s culture. This is how Stu Weber addresses this question of authority:

Authority is the bottom line of the universe. It is the inevitable first question. Who’s in charge here?! It is the first answer. Rebellion against it started the first war—on a cosmic scale—just as it has started every war since, whether global or local, physical or spiritual, marital or personal. Authority is the one element which, given our self-oriented depravity, chaffs us all. But we will never escape it. And it is particularly incumbent upon Christians to learn to live with it.

Someone is always in charge. It goes without saying. It’s axiomatic. We can try to deny it all we want to, but—someone is always in charge. It’s the way God made this world, because it reflects the reality of His world. And when Satan tried to snatch a little authority for himself, he ended up on the ash heap of the universe.

Someone is always in charge. I don’t remember when I first realized that. But I’m sure it was early in life. Every infant soon learns that someone is charge. It was reinforced at home. It was reinforced again at school. There was no doubt that first day of kindergarten who was in charge. Our teacher, Mrs. Taylor! It was the same at recess; during the lunch hour; on the school bus; and, yes, even in the tree fort in the back yard. Someone is always in charge. It is true on the football team…in the marching band…in the fraternity ­house…and in the corporate board room. It is true everywhere.

Questions to ponder? Do you ever find yourself resenting authority? How does it affect you when you do? Do you resent anyone who doesn’t respect your authority? Do you agree that authority is necessary? If so, why?

Dennis Foley, a highly decorated career soldier tells an interesting story about authority that is both humorous and informative:

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I just finished watching “To End All Wars”, a movie retelling the true story of POWs who endure horrible treatment from their Japanese captors during WW II while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle. They find freedom through forgiveness. It is based on the true story of Ernest Gordon.

As with any POW-based movie it is often difficult to watch. What makes it all the more difficult to watch is knowing that it is true, not a figment of someones story-telling imagination. But while it may be difficult to watch, there are themes and lessons that are too powerful to describe…they simply must be seen and felt. This movie is deeply moving and just may affect your life.

Here’s a 10 minute documentary on the film featuring Keifer Sutherland and others connected to the movie.

Ben Stein! You know him as a writer and a savvy businessman worth millions. What you may not know is that he is taking on Darwinism and the theory of evolution in a new movie coming out on April 18th, called “Expelled”.

I have added an entire page that gives you links to go explore the movie, what it’s all about, watch trailers, win free tickets, and gather resources that you may find helpful. Click on the “Expelled” tab at the top of the page and dive in.

If you have a few minutes, watch the super trailer. If time is short, watch the teaser trailer. Either way, you’ll get an idea of what this movie is up against and what he’s taking on.

Today we continue on our journey of understanding manhood and it’s role as husband / provider / leader. These are critical roles as the family unit us disintegrating all around us. When men do not live out this function of their manhood, their masculinity, they set in motion a ripple effect that can carry forward for years, even generations. Men, we must get a grip on this. Stu Weber describes this as the King pillar in a man’s heart…that servant-leader that God hardwired into our DNA. Let’s join Stu again:

REMEMBER CAMELOT?

Pristine. Pure rivers. Gentle breezes. Stable homes. Safe pathways winding between serene hamlets. Children at play. Happy citizens. The poets called it, “The kingdom of summer.” It was a kingdom at peace.

The king made it happen. Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther, High King of Britain, delivered to his people their paradise. His courage and cunning as a warrior drove the raiding Saxon hordes into the sea. His skills as a negotiator united the petty regional kings, ended the constant bloodshed, and-for the first time since the Legions marched-brought the old Roman colony of Britannia under a single glorious banner. His leadership seemed nearly divine. It was a little bit of life “on earth as it is in heaven.”

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For those of you who may have come to the blog yesterday looking for this installment on manhood, I apologize. Yesterday’s schedule didn’t allow me get this posted. But this morning, I will begin looking at the familial role of a man. Once again, I will lean on material from Stu Weber’s “The Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart” with additional comments and/or questions.

According to Weber’s book, there are four distinct roles that all men are designed to live out. This is how he describes it:

Every man is commissioned by his Creator….

• To Provide - as a Servant-King
• To Protect - as a Tender Warrior
• To Teach - as a Wise Mentor
• To Connect - as a Faithful Friend

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