That Old Grey Mare
Funny thing about that Old Grey Mare ~ she is just not the same as we remember. Yet, she insists that it wasn’t her that moved. Upon close inspection, I realize that if she is the one who has remained constant, then Mr. Visionary and I must have changed. Have we changed, or have we just put on a new pair of glasses? The answer is looking a lot like…
Both.
We have lately had several opportunities to watch again, this time with our children, movies that Mr. Visionary and I remember as being a lot of fun. We are cautious with the exposure our children receive, but not against good old fun sometimes, too. So, when on movie night recently, we pulled out something we haven’t seen in ten years or so, we were shocked to realize that it was not fun anymore.
We have changed. Especially in the way we watch a movie. Instead of just sitting back, and pressing pause on our moral compass, we are actively filtering what we see through new glasses (the lens of God’s word). Does everything have to be perfectly cheery, godly and uplifting? Absolutely not. But like King David, we will set no wicked thing before our eyes ~ not even for the sake of ‘entertainment’. Seeing wickedness on the screen is not completely without purpose, in my opinion. Seeing wickedness either go unpunished (or worse…rewarded) or having it glamorized is absolutely evil, and we will not do it. We believe ourselves to be setting a bad example, and condoning the behavior if we allow ourselves or the children to watch it.
We were flabbergasted when a certain character ‘prayed’ aloud to his dead father asking for help locating something, and his sword was shown ‘leading’ him to the right place. Using methods that God has forbidden (necromancy) helped this man gain success. Yikes! Where did that come from? Neither of us remembered that part from the old days. The Old Grey Mare still swears she did not move.
Another part of our movie-watching experience that has changed is the degree to which we will allow ourselves to become emotionally involved. Movies are designed to illicit a certain emotional response in order for one to feel that they have experienced something other than two hours of idleness during the viewing. They are carefully crafted so that the viewer will believe that ‘good guy’ is who the producers desire to be the good guy, and they are often not good at all. In the movie we just watched (and agreed never to allow in our home again), one of the ‘good guys’ spent twenty years of his life with the sole purpose and religiously avowed goal of seeking revenge upon the killer of his father. The end of the movie encourages one to be happy for him that he was successful in reaching his goal of murder. I can understand the guy’s sentiments…I just cannot condone them. Nor can I reconcile them with God’s word.
“Oh, I know it is wrong…but it is sooooo romantic.”
“Yeah, but his father was killed ~ he should do something about it!”
“What’s so bad about it? They love each other.”
“Well, those guys are rich; they don’t need all that money.”
If I know it to be sin…how can I go along with it anyway because my emotions tell me it has to be right? The World says that feelings can never be wrong; that since feelings are the standard, we do not need God’s enduring word. I’m here to testify that feelings cannot be trusted…that His word is the only thing we can trust.
The standard never changes. But our standard must change as we bring ourselves into closer alignment with His standard. If that means redefining what is and is not acceptable viewing material in our family, then so be it. If we get a lot of flack about it from others (and we do), what does it matter, right? I am not afraid of changing. I am afraid of being the frog in the pot that gets slowly boiled to death.
***EDIT*** An anonymous commenter, (IP: 129.186.236.39 , pardosa.ent.iastate.edu), from the Entomology Department at Iowa State University assured me that the frog in the pot is a myth. This person is correct, but many things that are myths are such well-known analogies that they are still in popular use.
Posted: September 25th, 2007 under Let's Think About That..., Fun and Funner, Training Them Up, Progress Is Good.
Comments: 11
Comments
Comment from Lynne
Time: September 25, 2007, 2:31 pm
“…we are actively filtering what we see through new glasses (the lens of God’s word). ”
Thank you for this post. You present so many important points - our emotions will fool us much of the time - unless we are doing as you say, and filtering everything through the lens of God’s word.
As I am coming out of “lurkdom” here, please may I also say thank you for this blog. I enjoy stopping by here almost every day. Thank you for sharing your lives with us. Your posts are convicting and refreshing as well.
Comment from Kristi
Time: September 25, 2007, 5:05 pm
That is so true… we have to be so careful! I know myself, and that’s why I don’t like to watch movies more than once or twice a month - stay focused!
This is not really related - but I noticed you’re reading /have read “Margin” by Swenson… I hope to read that soon because my pastor alluded to it in a recent sermon (file here)… he talks about the concept of margin about 1/3 of the way through the sermon (sorry I don’t know the exact time reference). Anyway, it was an incredible reminder, and I thought you may want to listen sometime.
Comment from chrissy
Time: September 25, 2007, 6:54 pm
I think I know the movie that you are talking about…it was one of our favourites too! We pulled the plug on commericial TV 2 years ago and have never looked back. I think that most films that come out of hollywood are designed to numb the senses. My husband calls the TV “the window to the world”. Now our discernment is being sharpened by the Word of God.
It does put one at odds with the rest of the world some what! Thanks for your post - it’s encouraging to know that likeminded believers are out there somewhere!
BTW, we had a look at Demolishing Strongholds last night…..will update you soon. Thanks for sharing your resources 
love,
Chrissy
Comment from oldpathsfamilyfarm
Time: September 25, 2007, 8:15 pm
Acres-of-Hope-Lynne~
I’m so glad you hang out with us here! Thanks for the encouragement…I love iron sharpening iron!
Kristi~
Yes! I have and am still reading Margin. Truly, it is one of the top five books that have drastically affected my life…and I always keep it lying around to pick up here and there. I must read parts of it at least once a week ~ over and over again. I’ll have to post about it sometime.
Chrissy~
*Numb the senses*…that’s IT! That’s exactly it. Frustrating, isn’t it…that was otherwise a really funny movie.
I’m eager to hear about your checking out the Strongholds material!
Comment from Michelle
Time: September 25, 2007, 11:59 pm
I rarely comment on your blog even though I check it almost daily but I couldn’t let this one go without commenting.
We have had this happen quite a few times and finally decided that from here on out, we will re-watch whatever the movie is and then determine if it’s okay for our children to watch.
It’s really funny (strange-not HA!HA!) that you have this memory of a particular movie and think it will be a great movie for family movie night and then when you sit there watching it with eyes that are not clouded over, you are shocked to find out that the great family movie is really just chock-full of things that you don’t want your children exposed to.
We get an enormous amount of negative feedback from family and friends because we won’t allow our children to view movies that THEY have deemed acceptable. 
However, like you all, we have just stayed the course and gently remind them that they are OUR children and we have the right to choose what they will or will not view.
This is a great post and so relevant to what we face as parents and believers.
Shalom,
Michelle
Comment from beth
Time: September 26, 2007, 10:13 am
“Inconceivable!!” 
hehehehe I know that movie well… have had all of the same misgivings and wrestlings you mention here.
What we ended up doing years ago is editing our VHS tape and recording over the scenes you mention and a few more as well, like the torture chamber in the tree and the fight/revenge scene at the end. Now that our kids are older we’ve actually discussed why we edited those scenes out way back when, and every now and then when we pull out the edited version to watch, we’re all reminded of how relevant the Word is to our every day lives.
My son went through a phase when he was about 7yo, and loved that movie (our edited version, heh!) where every time I’d ask him to do something for me he’d say “As you wish…” Oh, you can imagine how my heart would melt, because as you know, he was really saying “I love you…” *sighs*
Great post!
Thanks so much for stopping by my place. I do so love visiting your blog, and it was great to hear from you!
Comment from Lynne
Time: September 26, 2007, 10:34 am
I am not the same “Lynne” in the first comment, and it’s funny that you have two of us with the same name commenting here today.
Julie, I have many questions, and I don’t know if you would be able to address them on your blog. I realize that Jews are the “chosen people”, and my interpretation of that title is they are the ones who worshipped God and only God while others worshipped various Gods.
My understanding of the New Testament is that Jesus originally came to get the Jews back on track. I think later it was Paul who sort of opened the door to non-Jews.
I also know some Jewish people who recognize Jesus as an important figure, but they do not believe he was the Christ, and they are still waiting for the first coming.
Then, there are “Jews for Jesus” who recognize Jesus as the Christ.
How does all of this fit into Revelations?
I am a somewhat new Bible studier, so there is a lot I don’t know and some of my interpretations may be based on incomplete knowledge.
I am also aware that there are fundamentalist Christian groups who are very committed to the protection of Israel as Israel’s existence is key to something in Revelations (???) but I don’t know how it all fits together.
I’m not sure how much you can write about all this, but maybe you can direct me to some source that can explain all this in simplistic terms.
Comment from oldpathsfamilyfarm
Time: September 26, 2007, 11:03 am
Michelle~
I am SO glad you chimed in! We decided the same thing…which is why we will probably watch very few movies ever anymore…who has time to watch them first…THEN watch them again with the children? Might as well do something else with our four hours.
Beth~
That’s a great idea about editing your own tapes!
Lynne~
Sweetie, first I want you to know that I am honored that, as a new believer, you would choose to hang out here with us.
Second, I know that this is a big question, with an even larger answer. That said, I WILL endeavor to get your questions answered…but it may take several posts.
My thinking is that you can’t be the only one with the same questions.
Also, if I am not able to answer some things, I will help to the best of my ability to teach you how to study for yourself, so that you can dig for answers even when no one is available to answer for you.
I will try to get some notes together and prepare something this Sabbath, when Mr. Visionary is available to do it with me.
Comment from Holly
Time: September 26, 2007, 9:18 pm
Julie, here’s the thing. I feel like we’ve changed on EVERYTHING! Not just movies, but everything.
But I’m at a place of not really knowing how to even share any of this with family or friends or fellow bloggers. For one thing, I get so tired of being “corrected,” of others saying that I don’t love the lost enough (if I am so desirous of being set apart from it), of others saying that I am over protecting my children and that they will over compensate some day and rebel…
in truth, these people have no idea how MUCH we differ, how MUCH we have changed. I’m not even sure how much to say, because I really don’t believe there is any way they will understand what I’m saying. (Not that we’re so advanced or anything….puhlease. We’ve so far to go!)
I just feel…how to say it…not really lost, but like I do not fit in anywhere. And I don’t want to fit in - not really - I just don’t know how to communicate with those who expect me to be “one way” when I’m not “that way” any more.
Make any sense?
I’m eager for the Lord to teach me how to do this. I’m listening.
Comment from oldpathsfamilyfarm
Time: September 26, 2007, 9:44 pm
Holly-Belle~
I have often wondered of there is something about me that somehow *invites* the correction ~ the seemingly constant barrage on my parenting, my walk, my decisions…
I think I know what you mean.
My most recent conclusion is that we won’t ever be able to communicate with most of those folks. They will probably never get it…and that’s OK. But there will be some…a few here and there…that will get it, and will seek you out. The ones that get it will be easy to communicate with because the Spirit will lead you. The ones that don’t…we still love, we still behave sweetly toward, but there has to be a disconnect at some point.
You don’t have to help everyone get it. (I’m talking to myself here as much as anything.) You just have to be faithful and obedient to what Father has called you and Jeff to, and leave the others to Him.
I know what you mean about not fitting in anywhere…Father is separating you guys out for a reason. I just know it.
Just keep digging. Keep seeking His face…
Something big is right around the corner for you. I know this because this is where we were this winter.
I love you!
Comment from Ali
Time: October 6, 2007, 11:07 pm
Ha! - Lynne - Thank you for asking those questions - I am in a somewhat different place - but have always been curious how Jewish traditions fit into a Christian home!
I look forward to learning more along with you!
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