The Voice of Experience

Note: I will be updating this post when I watch the movie again on Saturday night.

Well, I made it to the 12AM showing of Prince Caspian in the wee hours of the morning. Somehow I convinced my very fun-loving mom that she should take me to see the opening, She said yes and I ordered my tickets online right away.

After we got to the theatre, I picked up the tickets at the box office and we made a brief stop at the concession stand to grab some popcorn. The theatre was about a third-full for the late night showing.

We were watching some previews for “City of Ember” and “Walli-e” when a staff member walked down in the front to make an announcement. She said that she was going to give away few Narnia tee-shirts to the first five people to reach her. Before she was even done making her announcement Mom said, “Get down there, Eric!” About 5 other people were running in front of me, but one guy overestimated the number of people and swearing under his breath, he gave up and turned around to head back to his seat. So I ended up being the 5^th person in line!

Spoilers for a Spoiled Movie
Now for some really juicy spoilers. Leave now if you haven’t watched the movie yet or are planning to anytime soon.

I have to admit the movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. I was expecting that I would come home tired and write a huge nasty review. Instead, I came home and wrote a semi-nasty review!

I felt the acting on the part of the children was great. In the last movie, my favorite actors were Peter and Susan, but in this movie, I really liked Edmund and Lucy. There were some great lines in which Edmund was extremely funny.

Whoa, Battle Time!
I did have some major problems with the movie. Prince Caspian was supposed to be a darker book. Lewis wrote it that way. But hey, we all know that it wasn’t supposed to be one big battle. I counted at least ten prolonged battle scenes throughout the movie. I think Walden tried to get a bit too “epic” on us. (MORE TO COME)

Sorcery and Sudden Vengeance
They went a bit too far in the scene with the White Witch. Not only did they have the hag dance around singing an incantation, they also had her conveniently forget the main words. Instead of saying “Draw the circle, prepare the blue fire” she only says the first part about drawing the circle and then she plants the white witches wand into stone.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Caspian falls under the spell of the White Witch who needs some human blood to make her materialize. Peter shoves him out of the way, only to become enthralled by the witch himself. Finally, Edmund smashes the ice wall and kills the witch. They did a good job with the werewolf in the scene, though.

Caspian and Susan, Sitting in a Tree
Ok, I said it would happen and it did. Caspian and Susan ruin the whole movie. In the beginning of the movie. The beginning of the movie shows Susan reading a newspaper on the street in London. One of her dorky classmates tries to hit on her. You get the impression that it happens a lot to Susan. So it doesn’t surprise us that Prince Caspian starts hitting on her, too. There was no scene where she teaches him how to shoot crossbow.

In the second half of the movie, Susan and Caspian sort of keep making eyes at one another, so at the very end of the movie when Susan runs up and passionately kisses him in front of a huge crowd, it just doesn’t fit. Everybody just stands there watching and Lucy comments, “I bet she wishes she was staying now!” Then they play some Narnia music and the children find themselves back in London where Susan sees the boy who was hitting on her in the opening scene. In my opinion they totally ruined the end of the movie. It was trite and a huge let down.

Aslan
Major problem here people. Aslan’s role was played down way too much. He should have appeared in the movie more frequently and I got the feeling that they wanted to focus on the kids more then on him.

The Kids
Peter also ruined the movie. In the book, his character is all about giving Caspian the throne, but in the movie he is basically trying to take it himself. His acting was lousy and they made him very unlikable. Susan fought in all the battles which made me kinda’ mad. It was totally against her character. Lucy did a great job and I loved her faith in Aslan. Edmund – though he very few lines, also did a great job. I liked him a ton better then the last movie.

Family Rating
I wouldn’t take little kids to see this. There was no blood and swearing, but there was a lot of carnage and way too many battles.

Conclusion
Over all it was an okay movie. From a die-hard fan standpoint it was a lousy movie, but if you aren’t a Narnia buff then you can go and have a good time.

May 16th, 2008
Categories: Narnia . Author: Eric Novak . Comments: 8 Comments

Sorry I haven’t posted, I’ve been really busy lately. I was gone on vacation last weekend. We went up white bass fishing in Wisconsin. It was amazing. Basically every year around Mother’s Day the white bass run up the river to lay their eggs. There are thousands and the fishing is great. Unfortunately we were not able to bring the camera, so I don’t have many pictures. But I do have pictures of the 118 fish we caught!

[Show as slideshow]

May 15th, 2008
Categories: Food, Just for Fun!, Nature, Notes . Author: Eric Novak . Comments: 9 Comments

Nowadays almost everything is catered to your personal taste. If you go to a restaurant they ask you exactly how you want your steak done or your coffee fixed. When you go to a fast food joint, they sport slogans like “Have it your way!” “What you crave” “What you want is what you get” and “Do what tastes right!”

Are we really treated like individuals? In a culture where everything is focused on “fitting in” it can be really hard to break from the pack. Society doesn’t really cater to individual tastes, they cater to group trends.

For instance, when fashion designers start a new trend like wearing cut-off shorts, suddenly everybody needs to wear cut-offs. Teenage guys think I want those shorts, they are SO me. As new colors of eyeliner emerge, teenage girls think That’s just who I am. The fact is that trends don’t make us who we are at all. Who you are is something much deeper then the cloths or makeup you wear.

I have wondered if God accepts us just the way we are – I mean for who we are. But today I came across a wonderful quote by C.S. Lewis that really clarifies how God works. Lewis states:

The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says, ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked-the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself; my own will shall become yours.

Isn’t that amazing? What Lewis is saying is that Jesus doesn’t accept you as you are. You have to accept Him for who He is, and then He will make you into who you really are!

Breaking through the Jungle

The world wants us to be one. It wants us to do the same things, love the same things and be the same as everyone else. They tease us with their slogans that appeal to our individuality, but they are really trying to mold us into what they want us to become – ALL THE SAME.

Let’s look at what the Bible says, though. It’s very explicit about conforming oneself to the world.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

1 John 2:15
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. “

1Peter 4:1-5
“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

Leeland is an amazing band that really has a heart to seeing young people turn their hearts toward God. As I listened to some of their songs one really popped out at me. Here are the lyrics to that song.

Let It out Now – Leeland

It’s like you got to walk like him
Got to talk like her
Got to be like them

Everybody knows you follow the crowd
Or get singled out
But God says who you are
Not the world or movie stars
Don’t you know He holds the answers in His hands?

We’re stuck in a system
Is there anybody different?
Is anybody listening?
Is anybody listening?

Everyone has their own sound
Let it out now, let it out now
There’s nothing wrong with living loud
Let it out now, let it out now

I think this song sums up what my article is all about – living an addictive, prominent, life; a life that doesn’t get lost in the crowd but stands out from it. Just because you are living differently doesn’t mean that you are going to be unpopular. It means that you are going to stand out for Christ.

May 7th, 2008
Categories: Christian, From My Journal, The Bible, The Rebelution . Author: Eric Novak . Comments: 15 Comments

Sorry I haven’t had the chance to blog at all. I’ve been really busy lately. Here are some pictures for this post, and I’ll try to get a post done for Monday.

The pictures below are of the equipment that the electric company was using to dig up our front yard and replace the wires. I’m not really into big machines, but these did look pretty cool.

[Show as slideshow]

May 3rd, 2008
Categories: Just for Fun!, Notes, Pictures . Author: Eric Novak . Comments: 11 Comments

I know that this is a bit short notice, but I have a prayer request. One of the girls on the Rebelution Forum posted a 24 hour prayer vigil. Here is what she said about it.

One of the hardest things for me is prayer. I’ve struggled with obeying Paul’s command to pray continually. (1 Thess. 5:17) However, God has recently been teaching me the importance of prayer but so often I overlook this vital communication tool. John Piper says it so well:

Prayer gives us the significance of frontline forces and gives God the glory of a limitless Provider…prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need. (from Let the Nations Be Glad, pg.45)

I recently went through the prayer room and read some old threads. In every one, God’s power was clearly seen! Realizing that God truly does hear us every time we call and not only that but He answers us, is an amazing truth!

Part of being a Rebelutionary is to not only know God’s truth, but also to practice it. So, we are going to have a Rebelution 24-hour prayer vigil on April 21! I am so excited about this! If you’ve never done something like this before, it’s truly wonderful! Here’s how it’s going to work: Everyone who wants to participate will sign up for one or more 15 minute time slot. Every hour there will be prayer requests focused on a specific part of the world and during your time slot you will pray for whatever prayer requests are posted for that hour. The goal of this prayer vigil is to encourage individual as well as corporate prayer for missions around the world.

If you decide to pray let me know what time slot you will be taking. I’ve only got the time sheet for the first few hours of the vigil. If you want to participate for the whole thing then leave a comment and I’ll send you the rest of the sheet. Below the time sheet is a list of prayer requests. People on this time sheet will be praying for the Middle East.

0 GMT Nathan Raynor -7PM CST
0015 Alyssa C.
0030 Anika Q, Amanda Read.
0045 Anika Q

0100 GMT -8PM CST
0115
0130
0145 Emmie

0200 GMT Devorah -9PM CST
0215 Ana S.
0230 Nathan V
0245

0300 GMT Kyleigh -10PM CST
0315 Kyleigh
0330 Kyleigh
0345 Kyleigh

0400 GMT -11PM CST
0415 Bekka
0430 Jonathan Gwin
0445 Lisa P.

0500 GMT Anika Q, Sam S -12AM CST
0515 Sam S
0530 Eric Novak
0545 Eric Novak

0600 GMT -1AM CST
0615
0630 Ruthie Aase
0645 Ainika Q.

-In General:

- Peace… I think as most of us know, most of the uproar in the world right now is somewhere in the Middle East .
- Revival… a long time ago, Christianity flourished in the Middle East . Now it no longer does, but through prayer and action a revival is possible! This includes planting more Churches so that the church is more accessible to people.
- Locals from these countries traveling abroad hear the gospel more openly than they would in their home country. Many stay abroad, however, and don’t go home to share the good news. Pray for boldness and wisdom for these believers.
- Freedom for the local peoples in each of these places… in most of these countries, to be a local there means to be Muslim.
- Jordan:

1. right now the government does not look lovingly on Christians because of some recent events. Around 40 workers have been kicked out of the country in the past year… good news because it means the Missionaries are working, though.
2. There are still many Bedouin (nomadic peoples) in Jordan . They are very hard to reach… but with God anything is possible.
- UAE:

1. the rulers, the Sheikhs - that they would make wise decisions in governing the country and Emirates… also that there would be opportunities for Christian workers to tell the gospel to them.
2. the Nationals/Locals. Expat Christians have freedom to worship, but the local Arab population is often considered an unreached people group. They have no freedom to convert… to be Emirati is to be Muslim. Pray for these people! Both that they would hear and for boldness and unashamedness when they do convert!
3. The expat population… there are many who come to Dubai looking for wealth and freedom and a relaxed life with happiness… pray that they would find it in Christ.
- Qatar:

- There are very few Qatari believers. They are extremely rich and hard to come into contact with, but they are there and they are LOST!
- Yemen:

1. Local believers… there are probably less in Yemen than in the UAE. Many places (I’d even consider the mountain villagers an unreached people group) the Gospel has not been able to get to because of cultural barriers or government suspicion. (IE - if a Westerner went to live in the mountains it would look pretty suspicious).
2. For wisdom and conversion of the president, and peace among the different political parties.
3. Healing from war scars in the past. (3 civil wars, conflict with neighboring states, effects of the gulf war, etc…). Maybe also Christianity can bring this healing.
- Kuwait and Bahrain :

1. The Bible Society – recently in Bahrain a Christian bookstore was opened. Pray for this ministry and the effect it can have on the nation.
2. In Bahrain there is a large Arab Christian community… I don’t have details on how much of that is local and how much is Expatriate Arab, but they can still be a witness and carry out God’s commands!
3. In Kuwait the expat Christians are looked upon highly… pray that they can use this as a witnessing opportunities.
4. Traveling Kuwaiti and Bahrainis have a high chance of being exposed to the gospel… many have converted but are afraid to return home. Pray for boldness.
- Saudi Arabia

1. Persecution. Saudi has one of the highest chances of persecution in the Middle East … pray that this would not hinder the growth of the Church.
2. This is a base for Islamic missions… maybe God will someday make it a base for Christian missions, too.
3. Christian expats have a hard time meeting together to worship, making evangelism even harder. Pray for boldness for them and a change of heart for the king.
- Iran

1. Freedom for missionaries. They have no freedom to witness in Iran . Some tentmaking opportunities are available, but there are very few expat workers.
2. Islam has “lost its glitter” in Iran … pray that this may become a chance for Christianity to flourish.
- Iraq

1. Peace… and that Christians could bring this peace to Iraq .
2. Leadership for the Churches
3. Safety for Christians and workers there.
4. The majority of the people groups in Iraq are unreached… Shi’a Arabs, Sunni Arabs, Madan arabs, Bedouin, Persians, and gypsies… the list goes on. They need to hear the Gospel of the Kingdom!
-Syria

1. Christians are tolerated and can witness and worship freely, but pray that the government would not feel threatened – this could cause them to be kicked out of the country. Pray that they might discern how best to share Christ.
2. Muslim majority has a false conception of what a true Christian is… pray that there would be Christians in their life who would show them what it means to live for Christ.
- Lebanon

1. Primarily peace. There are Christians there who worship openly, but Lebanon is extremely dangerous right now.
2. Safety for the Christian workers there.
- Oman

1. For the Sultan, that he would see the Light.
2. There are very few Omani Christians. Pray for the Omani people… that they would hear and receive the Word.

April 20th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: Eric Novak . Comments: 13 Comments