Capernaum, No Wonder Jesus chose Capernaum!!!
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Let's look at the biggest hobby of the world. Entertainment.
Generally, I like food, music and movies. But a lot of the movies in the last decade, have ambiguous heroes and heroines. Ok, sure they are being shot at as spies, or they had a tough life. But they don't call home or love Mom. And they don't have a best friend. They don't have a dog. They don't hang on to that spouse or even a child. It's a movie TREND. Adventure, but not that, 'hey, let's go see them again' appeal. So cool, it was totally chill. More movies like James Bond heroes.
You could get in the car to go home and say, "Yes, all the stage, music, drama and effects were good, but if you never see the hero again - meh." Audiences wanted to like their heroes, suddenly for the first time in film history people craved to see Continuing Series in Films. And to relive, new repeat films of old favorites. Dig for the heart-felt admiration.
So much so. "Avengers Endgame" was published on Christmas. Awwww honey, everyone got killed on Christmas.....
Now this movie trend of blah, beige emotional depth is tampered down with Binge watching availability. The families historically, or shown, as families, actually have something warm. Hey Why? Good question.
Suddenly, the movies, now, are different. More warm. And it's for some Heart. I like to look at old movies and old statistics, they aren't as filtered by opinion or agenda.
And then, the next step, was a couple of weeks in the news. Outrage! With the audacity of a fever pitch that polltakers would take the time to question people about right and wrong and Heaven and Hell. The nay sayers said, "There is no hell." But the Polls said something vastly different. This is when a lot of the movies began to have heroes and heroines you could only pull for in a limited capacity.
The Pandemic, actual peaceful demonstrations, were asking to make life better and more fair. People do have a voice. We have taken Looooong time blue-chip stocks and said, Customer Service is needed. Actual timely repairs. And contracts should be just and valid. And if our great-grandparents and parents could see what the stock is worth, today, they would be shocked. The people have a voice.
Do you ever remember World War I or II having rallies like Putin just had? No. Nope, no rah, rah murder. Putin is realizing he is in a bad path. I don't believe Putin has geared up his people for decades like Hitler did. Decades of grooming. In fact, the Pandemic has done reverse grooming. Just as the skies became blue and beautiful, people have had time to consider Meaningful Life.
Time to reverse course on the ways we have dealt with each other. Encourage the good. Let go of the negative. Keep the good we have seen and let go of what is without compassion. Forgive and build upward. Keep the Prayer Life going. Never forget the Blessings this difficulty has brought to us.
The Seed Parable explains we let the weeds cover up our Blessings. The work of faith is to remember our Blessings and to Believe. Daily. Look to see Your Blessings.
The Bible tells us the Truth.
Matthew 18 tells us to have Health in our relationships. Let go of abuse.
1 Corinthians 7
15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
We will stay for what we can bring. And The Bible says we see what fruit is brought. God adds in the word peace in verse 15 to allow an exit for abuse. God never wants His Children abused.
We can't bring a blessing, when the abuse won't let Blessings flow. We should want warmth. To keep the generations in warmth. We should want warmth in what we watch. This isn't isolated Scripture. Hagar decided to flee Sarai and the Lord sent her back. Eventually, the Lord found them about to die in the wilderness, the Lord intervened to save her. Even Abraham and Sarah have flaws. Jacob had to flee his cousin Laban.
You don't have to sit and watch less than warmth come into your house as entertainment. Maybe we are a ruder society for allowing this to seep in. But efforts are being made to reach higher, all over.
Mark 13:14
But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Are we being educated upward by what we watch? Be careful not to bait click on articles you don't really want to know about or see more of.
John 10:12
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
How do we teach or kids to flee what could be the wolf? When I worked with Pro-life, I had a young woman ask me how she is supposed to date because James Bond taught her you have sex and later hope that somehow you are loved. Literal conversation. Movies don't teach?! And if their friends teach them to put out and just hope? How many broken-hearted young people we see. Wondering how to live.
You wouldn't think that 1 Corinthians 13, known for Love, would explain giving up what shouldn't be given to the unloving. Why we don't just give it up???
3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love,
I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
John 2:25
He did not need man's testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.
( Cinematography as a study. This portion of the Blog Post is optional.
When I was in High School in Dallas, we had an English teacher who had majored in Cinematography and Film Video Production Major. And he offered a Film Class as a study of advancing and falling cultural influences.
This program is communicating dramatic information, within cultural and shifting fashions,
cultures themselves, ideas, moods, and feelings through the making and producing of films and videos. Includes instruction in theory of film, film technology and equipment operation, film production, film directing, film editing, cinematographic art, film audio, techniques for making specific types of films and/or videos, media technologies, computer image making, multimedia production, and the planning of film/video operations.
When we view the most watched and popular non-talking movies,
you find humor was the most apparent way to engage. The humor is clean and avoids repellant humor. Progressing to the talking films, you find Hollywood was offering lavish hope to an economic America in 36% unemployment. People who study film history say, the movies gave pictorial optimism to a languishing and afraid nation. It was a determined effort to bring Hope. In this time, was the most interest in methods to leave the scene and begin a new one. It was a first, in the beginning of, film making decisions.
I was discussing this one day, in my Pro-life volunteering days. It turned out we had a new employee who was learning film, he found this astonishing people studied this as even a college major. He said he had made the decision, when creating a Pro-Life short for competition, to draw from 1970s hit Television Programs. He felt the donations would be more plentiful if he attracted this crowd. He was completely and utterly astonished to find that in the middle of the 1970s considered to be the over-bite disco crowd, that "Love Boat", "Dating Game", "Fantasy Island" and even some of 1980s "Cheers" and "Kate and Allie" - an overwhelming theme - - - - People expected love. They encouraged marriage, children and the overwhelming implication we all want God and we all want Goodness. We understand our unity in our goodness. "Magnum PI." (This young man, who had put so much planning into his National Pro-life Short, won the 50 State Competition. He worked for a year.)
Yes, really, there is a wholesomeness to "Mary Tyler Moore." And to our younger generation, he in his 20 age group finds a distinct difference in Television. He said he has to search to see the old programs. And wasn't as inspired by the late 1950s.
Ok, what can we see Today?
An interesting and valid question. With the chill in movies of the last decades, So cool, man. We see more adult children are not interested in the elderly, fewer people interested in marriage, some uninterested in raising children with CRT discussions and threats. Mafia movies, safely, as Mafia is moved on, by the Police, to be removed from society. How is society advancing prior to Covid? Zombies. Zombies. Zombies. The enjoyment of the comment to diminish someone else in the elbows out generation.
How about the diminishing of gift shops and smaller and fewer weddings? Neiman Marcus has some cities with vast populations without wedding and gift areas. Wow. And this is the crowd with disposable income. I think we could link this to Mortgages and Rents.
And right before Covid? Vikings, Vikings, Vikings. What factor is redeeming us???????
We have done lockdown and now have incredible pressures of our funds in inflation?
Redemption: Vikings meet the Villagers who learn how to deal with invaders. This becomes, not the famous Ragnar Lodbrok invading Paris on the island of Notre Dam, instead this is the victory of grit, aggression, planning, overcoming hostilities to become United in the Amazing Years of the Church. With all the hositility of gods meeting Jesus, you'd think you would see Church History vanishing. Instead - Advancing to give us methods not to starve to death, the end of being serfs, education to overcome the pervasive illiteracy, hospitals where those determined and brave people gave up their own safety to invent hospitals. The Church building the walls to overcome the lockdown of the fall of society as the barbarians took over the Roman Empire we were forced to call the Byzantine Empire.
Film could include more Renaissance after Vikings, we hope.
Gothic is important, Baby.
Gothic brings into the Church, Color, Glass, Music, New Instruments, Animals in Literature and Scripture, Pointing up up up to Jesus Christ. Safety of building outside the city walls. Trade increasing with trust in one another. Gothic brings in carvings of History. Of Flora and Fauna. Gothis is Renaissance. Defeating 40% prostitution. Defining the Holiness of the Clergy overcoming the 12th Century decree of anti-marriage. Gothic art includes women in the Church. Women are seen for the first time. Jesus Christ is moving and shaping in extraordinary ways.
If you want to see how culture is faring, watch where the hips move. Just like Basketball.)
Add in Jesus and His Joy.
Does it seem overwhelming?
One of the gifts is Self Control. We aren't asked to move mountains ever, we just find more Self Control asking the Lord. I heard that on PBS, "All Creatures Great and Small," the dinner prayer was, "We don't ask to move mountains, we simply pray to control ourselves."
Plant Judiciously
Add Joy to Life
1 Corinthians 16
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love.
Abba, Father,
Blessing, Staying, Holding
Growing
in Health
May the words of my mouth
and
the thoughts of my heart
be always appealing to
You
My Rock
and
My Redeemer.
Abba, Your Mission
and Heart
is to save the world
in Jesus Christ.
Jesus calls Life Joy.
Help us to work
in Your Love
and
Your Strength.
Thank you in our area
the storms of destruction passed by.
We pray Your help and goodness to cover
and help those who were not
as fortunate.
Help us
to do what
needs to be done
to
Fight the Good Fight
with Love.
Joy.
Peace.
Self Control.
The Joy of the Lord
is our Strength.
Jesus is like Jacob,
He believes and Lives
His Blessings are for
All His Children,
Alleluia. Jesus. Amen.
Jacob Blesses his Sons, painted by Dr. Harry Anderson
To heal us,
the Healing in our Loved Ones,
to Heal the Nation,
To Bless Ukraine and Russians
with Peace.
Love.
Joy.
Jesus.
Amen in Your Son,
the Highest Name of Jesus,
Amen.
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