Topic of my choosing, Philip Vivirito

Faith is a hard concept even for the most faithful christians, we wonder each day if we are being faithful to our Creator. We think about are we doing enough to deserve the love of God, We pray to God for all these things we want, but never pray to him saying whatever your will be done God I will still have absolute faith in You. We need to understand what faith does to our lives. Faith molds our lives, molds us into the image of God, gives us our purpose in life, and makes us want to share the good news of God. “For it is impossible to please God without faith,” Hebrews 11:6. It is impossible, is a  very bold statement. We should make our faith just as bold as that statement. So again I ask you,  is your name in the list of the faithful?  

topic of my choosing, Philip Vivirito

When we fill the glass up over the top the water gets everywhere, drowning the surrounding area in water. This is what God can do in our lives if we constantly be full. He will overflow us, causing other people to see the love that God gives to his children. We tend to wait for God to fill us in times of trouble, in times of despair, in times of hopeless, and in times of sorrow, but we need to seek God always, seeking him with all of our being, so we can be constantly full, so God can overflow us so that we may reach out to other people. Is your glass full? 

topic of my choosing, Philip Vivirito

 Replace worry with prayer, and give it all too God. This is the one thing that needs to be taken away from this. If we worry we are affecting every single part of our body. We damage it physically, mentally, and spiritually; we hurt our walk with God and we hurt our faith in God. We need to take the worries that we hoard in our hearts, and throw them down and the feet of Jesus at the cross. Next time you worry about something stop and pray, pray for the peace and comforting nature of God. 

topic of my choosing, Philip Vivirito

So next time you are having doubt in your faith, and you believe that your love for the world is better then the love of God remember this passage in Matthew. Remember what happens to Peter when he had little faith, he fell into the water. But the cool thing is Jesus did not let Peter drown in the water. Jesus reached out his hand, and helped Peter up. See God knows you will fall sometimes, he knows that somedays are better then the others . Jesus will help you get up from any situation if we have faith in Him. Jesus keeps us a float in this world that is full of sin. Don’t sink into sin because of your selfish attitude. But let your faith make you walk on water towards Jesus. 

topic of my choosing, Philip Vivirito

It is a constant battle between our world and the world of God, we are constantly trying to live in this world not of the world. But sometimes our Christian lifestyle is destructive to us. This is all my opinion and all my thoughts, by no means I’m saying this is all true, but what I’m saying is I see a problem of what we call the Christian Lifestyle. I personal do not like the Christian Lifestyle and see problems with it. However, I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength; I will follow what He tells me to follow and not what other Christians think is right. 

The Red Line Philip Vivirito

Red Line came out around when Saving Private Ryan, but it is very different from it. This film opens up with two guys who have deserted from the war, and are picked up by a boat. These characters are transformed by the war, they willing volunteer for assignments. There is one scene in the film where a captain does not want to carry out orders given to him because he puts his men before the chain of command.       

Noah, Philip Vivirito

            Noah was a film that portrayed the flood story that takes place in Genesis as a story of internal wrestling of Noah. It does a good job of showing Noah’s human side. It depicts him as more of a human, then a Bible Hero. There is one scene in the film where Noah hears the cries of the condemned outside perishing. He sits alone pondering and wrestling with his call, just like many Christians do. It did a good job of sticking to the biblical lines, but it adds stuff to the story.    

Exploring Film Techniques, Philip Vivirito

The clip involving the bunny is an excellent film that shows how film technique can portray an overall meaning. The lighting in the film is very dime, almost back at times. This is symbolizing the overall message of the story as a sad, or gloomy story line. Which the film shows that the bunny’s husband has died and she is alone. Towards the end of the film the bunny wakes up all of a sudden, and notices a glowing light from the oven. She decides to investigate it, and finds herself going to heaven. The film goes from being dark and gloomy to a film of bright blue film of happiness.

Decalogue, Philip Vivirito

In class we watched a couple of films in series called the Decalogue, which portray the 10 commandments. While I was watching the films, I focused on the visual symbols and imagery. I noticed that the films were engaging in Midrash, or the filling in the gaps of a story. In the Decalogue that revolved around the commandment: “That shall not commit murder,” there was one scene where the guards were escorting the prisoner to where he was going to be hung. As they walk down a set of stairs they past a person who appears to be carrying a ladder. He also, seems to be some sort of handy man. The man is a symbol of Jesus. He is carrying a ladder, meaning that when people die they climb up the ladder. This person is in the film for less then 30 seconds. It is a depiction of film Midrash. However, can film Midrash be a negative thing for films?         

Joy Brackett: Reflection #5

Moving is something I have never had to do in life. This is something I will be doing this summer for the first time. After marriage I will be moving to South Carolina and starting a brand new life with my soon-to-be husband. This is scary but within the Christian faith, there is peace in Christ. We know we are doing and going exactly where God has us, therefore there is peace. Nerves come, but I can be calm in knowing we are doing the right thing. This is a big time and I can't wait to graduate, get married, and start a life with him together!

Joy Brackett: Reflection #4

Marriage is sacred which is depicted within many religions. This is a union I am about to enter which is nerve-racking yet exciting. Within Christianity it depicts Christ and the church. It will not be easy but I hope and pray my fiancé and I's relationship will do so. We are taking many strides to do this and learning unconditional love, as seen is scripture is crucial. This institution of marriage is valued among many religions which displays its importance no matter, race, religion, gender, etc. The value has gone down in our current society but that sacredness still exists when it comes to the true definition of marriage. It is interesting to look at all the ways society has devalued marriage. This can be done by looking at the emphasis on weddings and not the marriage. The actual essence of marriage itself can many times be forgotten and ignored when wedding planning. This is something that must be noticed and attempted to change in order to keep value within marriages.

Joy Brackett: Reflection #3

Religion is such an interesting concept, and this class has really opened my eyes. Many times, specifically as Christians, our eyes our closed and we can easily become judgmental of other religions different than our own. This class has opened my eyes to the goodness and richness seen in other religions. It was amazing to see how the first existentialist was a Christian himself. I believe that following Christ is the one true way to eternal life, but it is cool how other religions can compliment that and not always hurt it. It is interesting to find religion in films and see why people believe what they believe. It has helped me to relate to others better, and truly care even more. I am able to empathize with other religions and understand why they are the way they are.

Joy Brackett: Reflection #2

This year of college has really been eye-opening for me. Not only am I planning a wedding, working three jobs, but a full-time students still learning new information daily about academics and my faith. This semester has been a huge struggle within my life, but now I can look back on the other side of it and realize it was vital for my life. I am about to graduate and have developed a greater stamina and attitude on such life difficulties. My faith is growing as God challenges me and my capacity to trust. I am excited for this next chapter I am beginning.

Joy Brackett: Reflection #1

This reflection is on this class as a whole. I have come to learn how prevalent religion is within media and society. Many academics try to see religion as not important but it is seen time and time again that it is and that cannot be ignored. We can learn a lot about our own religion and come to better understanding of the religion of others by just studying films and being aware of the media around us. This class has opened my eyes to how important this really is. We must bring religion back into many different fields of study to ultimately grasps the ideas and concepts within those studies.

Joy Brackett: Outside Reading (Fruits of the Spirit)

The Fruits of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. They are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Earlier in Galatians it mentions how if we truly know God and are seeking after him, then these fruits will be produced. Just like a seed that grows this tree of fruit. The seed is what is producing such fruit, therefore without the seed, nothing is produced. These traits are not something we can work on in our own power, but we must invest in Christ and be rooted in Him, and these things will naturally be seen within us. It is not done by our own power, but through the power of Christ alone.

Joy Brackett: Outside Reading (Big Fish: Fact or Fiction)

This is CultureWatch article published on damaris.org by Sophie Lister and is entitled "Fact or Fiction?" This article discussed the movie Big Fish that we viewed in class. When going deeper into myths and parables, this article helped my understanding of it even more. As seen in the movie, myths tell us more about the real than real life itself. This is because it makes emotional rather than literal sense. The stories have values and appeal to us emotionally. Being such emotionally driven beings, myth is important to us and understanding ourselves and the world even better than logistical facts would. This idea plays with fact. The movie's play on fact can be found either liberating or frustrating by the reader. The most interesting part of this article was found in the conclusion in the last paragraph. Stories are valuable but in certain circumstances, it is important to understand fact. Many consider religion to be fictional and used for comfort. This is not how it is presented in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 15:13-19 states, "If Christ has not been raised, than all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless...if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are factual and truth matters here. The hope offered does not matter on their own apart from his life, death, and resurrection.

Joy Brackett: Outside Reading (The Gospel According to Pixar)

This article proved to be very helpful for my research paper. I found it so interesting that I decided to post a blog on my thoughts of this article. It is entitled, "The Gospel According To Pixar: Monsters, Inc." and is written by Lauren Larkin on her blog website. This blog discussed the character of Boo throughout the movie, and how she ultimately resembles Christ. She shows an unconditional love to Sully and loves him for nothing that he has done. In the beginning, he does not even return the love to her, yet she loves him greatly. Not only does she love him unconditionally, but her love for Sully ultimately causes his heart to change. He loves her because she first loved him which is a direct representation of Christ's love for us. This love ultimately changes the world, and in the movie, ultimately changes the monster world. It makes the scream factory into a laugh factory, therefore bringing joy to the world.

Joy Brackett: Outside Reading (L.A. Times Article on Noah Movie)

Weeks after watching the movie Noah, something I was thinking about was the difference of cinematography from other movies. The article "Subtle shades of greatness frame cinematography nominations" was very helpful in pinpointing those things. The articles states, "Gray is the new black. Night, the new day. Rain, the new sun. Clouds gather, shadows linger. The Oscar-nominated cinematographers' images fill the screen with a beauty only possible in worlds gone monochromatic, turning the most elemental of color palettes stunningly rich, subtly vibrant." This shows that the thing sticking out was the monochromatic elements of the movie. There was not a broad range of color like many other films which I think helped to indicate the struggle of the journey within this film. It gave the film a more rough and rugged feel to it therefore giving the movie an even greater beauty and appreciation from viewers. I believe this method catches one's eye even more than other methods used in coloring of a film because of it's uniqueness from other films. It stands out in a great way because of its difference.

Joy Brackett: Outside Reading (1 John)

1 John is one of my favorite books of all time. This book was written by John who was a disciple of Jesus. He was very special in Jesus' eyes, because he was able to witness many miracles that others were not. John is actually the man that Christ put in charge of taking care of his own mother when he was on the cross. John was also the only disciple not killed for his faith and that is made clear in the Bible. He was persecuted and hurt, but not killed. This book was written to an unnamed church who was struggling with their Christian faith. They were starting to believe faith by works to be true and important. This book is used to remind them of God's love and what they already know and have been told. This book demonstrates what true love looks like and is. Upon reading this I have learned that if you love God, you will keep his commands, and if you keep his commands you will love others. In other words, if one does not love other people, they ultimately do not love God. These two things go hand in hand and are vital for a fulfilling life.

Megan MacDonald (personal post)- Mornings

There is one thing that I hate in this world and it is mornings.  My high school has tried to make me a morning person, some aspects of college has made me be a morning person, and holy poo they just have not worked.  Even the efforts of friends and family cannot compete with ability to not even be awake and turning off my alarm clock.  I was talking to a friend and he and I both agree that "night owls"(people who prefer to stay up late, rather than get up early) have a disadvantage in this world.  The pace of this society and the pressure a night owl faces to survive is truly unrealistic.  I think that there should be two work shifts, one for those who enjoy waking p early and a second one who is most productive in the late afternoon.  All i am saying is work load would be cut in half and this would give people to be with their families more.  I am not saying I am a genius, all I am is a simple person who enjoys the night life, but I guess the two can be somewhat close. 

Megan MacDonald (personal post)- Gradutation

Two more days and then it is here.  I will be an adult heading into the real life, real world.  No more naps everyday, no more random shopping sprees, no more skipping something because I feel like it.  Here comes the one thing that I have not had to worry too much about, responsibility.  Responsibility with bills, clothes, my car, cleanliness, spending time with others, getting my work done, and so many other things.  I am nervous about graduating because everyone always says, "You have no idea what is coming."  It is hard to be excited about something when people act like the life you live after college is a doom sentience.  I understand that life after college is different because it is not college, but I truly hope that I can find joy and pleasure where God places me.  I could not imagine never being happy again, I have only lived 21 years!

Megan MacDonald (oustide reading)- Mark 14-16

In just two chapters, the lives of Christians are forever changed.  In two chapters, our savor and king was brutally murdered and then risen from the grave. 

Over Easter weekend I wanted give God glory for praise for what he had done on the cross.  I had never really thought about good Friday until this year.  I prayed a lot that day, but it was not until the end of the day when I went to Thrive that I truly was able to just sit and focus on Him.  Thrive is a worship night at Christopher Newport University held once a month in the DSU Ballroom.  It is an interactive worship time with God and others to sing to Him, pray with others, and express yourself to God in anyway you know how. 

At thrive I was able to sit down with a friend and read what happened on good Friday.  I have truly never been filled with so much emotion that night while reading the bible, the thought of our savior being brutally beat, for me and my sins, he chose to be separated from his father, for us.  I was truly humbled and could not do anything else but pray afterwards.

And then Sunday came.  I work at a church so I was somewhat nervous about what would happen.  But God was there and 25 people were saved! It was truly wonderful! 

Megan MacDonald- (Personal Post) Rain

There is just something about a summer's rain that I love.  I can look back at my childhood and there were countless memories of me playing in the rain.  But some of my favorite memories are of my dad and I sitting out sitting out on the porch at night watching a rain storm.  It simply does not get any better than that.  The sound of thunder, the vision of lighting, the mist of the pouring rain.  I find these elements of nature so beautiful (except for when I am hiking).  When I was younger my dad would make up stories as to why the thunder and lighting was happening.  I would laugh to myself at meteorologists as they had a scientific explanation of what was coming, when I really knew that God was about to throw a party. 

I hold these memories near and I look forward to growing up and making memories like these. 

Megan MacDonald Outside Reading- Freefall to fly

"Freefall to Fly: A Breath Taking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning" is about a woman with three children and one of them is autistic.  Her life is at a comfortable spot down in Atlanta Georgia until her and her husnad feel as if it is time to move to New York and work with a friend in starting a church.  Her hard and long journey begins with not being able to figure out the city, or how their lives are suppose to work in the big apple. 
 School has been tough this semester so I have not been able to finish reading this book.  However, I am so looking forward to it! This book is written by a christian mom, who it the wife to a well known pastor and she has written a book about her struggles.  I love this concept.  So many women, especially christian women, have a hard time sharing what they are actually struggling with.  However this women, through breaking down in front of her kids, to  underestimating who God was is open about her entire walk and step with Christ and especially the bad.  For a christian woman, with a husband who has to maintain a reputation, to be so open and honest with her life is truly an inspiration and I look forward to reading the end. 

Plotz Readings # 5 Ishmael

I read Ishmael for the first time this semester. They way Ismael revels his teaching to the narrator I find very similar to topics discussed in this class. Rather than going point to point, Ismael uses myth and stories to revel truths about the realities of life. Personally, I thought Quinn’s book was very compelling and a good eye opener to the post-modern human condition. Furthermore, I thought his using a medium within a medium (or story within a story) to get to a point was very witty.  Overall it was a very good book and I hope it maintains its well renown status. 

Plotz Readings # 4 A Holy Occupation Requires Childlikenes

Oswald Chambers has a book called Prayer A Holy Occupation the book is a set of reflection devotionals on prayer and what it means to pray. The first section Chamber speaks of is praying like a child. One of the devotionals go as followed:

“What a person wants is somewhere to rest his mind and heart, and the only place to rest is in God, and the only way to come to God is by prayer. Much of our prayer has noting in it; it is not the talk of a child to his Father when he has come up against things or is hurt.”

This small devotion looks at people’s motives in prayer. I couldn’t agree more with Oswald as he describes not what, but how some one should pray. Sometimes our prayers become repetitive and not heart filled. While we often try to find mediums to communicate with God, sometimes we need a reminder that a medium is not always needed. God is our Father and does not need or desire to have something between us to rather, he desires to walk with us and lead us, his children. We can communicate with Him directly anytime and feel his fulfilling love. Let us never forget the blessing of prayer!

Plotz Readings # 3 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4

An important notion we have discussed in our class is a films ability to serve as a medium between the profane and the sacred. This middle ground is something that is seen in several other writing and holy scriptures. 

“Even if, among troubled persons,

you are one who performs 

the most troubling acts—

By the boat of knowledge,

you shall indeed

cross over all affliction.” (BG 4.36)

Here I see Krishna telling Ajruna justification for where he questions the mortality of the battle his is about to partake in. No matter what “wrong” he might do, it is all for a better reason. Krishna takes Ajruna beyond his cosmos and speaks in a way that leads to Ajurna to a Holy understanding of things. He need not fear or trouble himself with what is to come rather play create his own role in the making of the story at hand.

Plotz Readings # 2 Matthew 6:27-34

In my dissuasions I mentioned this section of the Gospel and I want to extend it into a blog. There verses listed in the title is the section where Jesus talks about anxiety and worry. I mentioned the verses when speaking of Joel and Clementine’s decisions in Eternal Sunshine. In the movie, Joel is one who is in constant worry of his future and Clementine too seems to be anxious in regards to everything that had happened to her. Yet the two ultimately decide to abandon their worries and life the life they know is right today. “For tomorrow will hold enough worries of its own…” Personally, this section of the bible is one that I have made a very active part of my life style. While I may fret over the things at times I do make a point to keep focused on my task at hand rather than try and speculate how it might fail in the future. Forgetting to worry, as one might put it, is an action that does have to be  of one owns choosing, which is what is seen in Eternal Sunshine. Fighting anxiety, is something I feel is very existential in and of itself, and it is an idea I have always enjoyed seeing in the film.