Fellowship Journal

Just finished writing next week’s blog posts for myfellowshipjournal.com. We will finish Mark next week and then start Romans.  Be sure to go to the site every day (I mean now, not when my blogs go live).  This is a great way to get into the Bible every day.  When the year is over, you will have read through the entire New Testament, connected with 26 different pastors and staff at Fellowship, and with people all around Central Arkansas and the world.  What a great discipline to start the year with.

BTW, writing is hard, especially if you want what you write to be insightful and interesting.  I am very tired right now.  Hats off to people who are writers and can do it well.

Best Movies of 2000-2009

Post your comments below for the Best Movies list.  Find the list here:

http://www.cloften.com/?page_id=307

Suggestions for best movies for 2000-2009

What were the best movies of the last decades?  While I am semi-open to suggestions such as Million Dollar Baby and Slumdog Millionaire, keep in mind who you are trying to lobby here and pick movie less artsy and more awesome.

Fellowship Journal

This year as a church, we will be reading through the New Testament together in the newest version of the Fellowship Journal.  Check out the site here.  There will be a daily blog and you can join the conversation.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

I know that I just said that I won’t do many of these just a few days ago, but here we are again with another movie review.  If there was going to be another one, surely it wouldn’t be this.  Shouldn’t it be something more manly?

Nonetheless, here it is the much anticipated sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks.  I went to go see it with my nine year old daughter Lauren. It returns Earl from My Name as Earl as Dave and “What was that guy in?  Arrested Development? Yeah, that’s it.” as Ian.  It also stars Chuck from NBC’s Chuck and that retired model from Just Shoot Me.

Expectations:  I saw the first one and loved it.  I am not ashamed to enjoy kid movies.  It was cute and it made me laugh.  We ended up buying it for the girls and I watched it again.  I tell you that so you will know that I am not a hater or too cool or manly to say that I enjoyed a kid’s movie.  All that to say, my expectations were very low.  There’s no way it could be as bad in reality as it was in my head.

Reality: Really you have to add the Chipettes in the second movie?  Where can you go for the third one? Do you have to add the Budweiser frogs?  Was Jason Lee too good to really be in this?  Was he contractually obligated to be in, but only was willing to break his neck in the first 60 seconds and essentially be done? Anyway, Chuck did a good job in his place, but his role was minor, as this was mostly about developing the characters of the three brothers (that can’t be a serious statement) and introducing the Chipette’s.  All that to say, it was better than I thought it would be.  Again, it would have to be.  It was cute in parts and tedious in parts.  It has already, one week out, been successful enough for a third which is preliminarily titled: Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: The Battle for Christmas with Emmet Otter and His Jugband.

Appropriateness:  It’s rated PG, I suppose because Chipmunks giving wedgies is inappropriate for some children as well as swirlies and a Dutch oven reference.  Sorry, I may have given away some of the best parts.

Rating: (Here is the system)

See it in the theater and will definitely own

See it in the theater and might own

See it in the theater and will likely rent it

See it in the theater and be done

See it at the dollar theater

Rent it

Avoid it.

I rate it a take your kids to the dollar theater, if they will wait.  When they ask, say “Let’s go get ice cream instead.  We’ll see that later.”  You may get fat on the ice cream, but you will be glad you only paid $1/$1.50 per ticket instead of $6-$10.

(By the way, people keep googling Alvin and the Chimpmunks w/ misspelling.  Mine was misspelled and I changed it.  I am adding in the misspelling again.)

Date Your Daughter

I just got back from a date with my younger daughter Lauren.  We went to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakuel (more on this later) and then had lunch at TGIFridays.  However, what we did doesn’t matter near as much as that we did it.  I love spending time with her.  I love spending time with each of the three ladies in my life.  It is amazing how lucky I am that I am the most important person in the world to three different ladies.  Last night when I told her that we would have a date today, her face lit up.  I would do anything to see that look on her face.  How special it is that spending time with me would be enough to make her light up like that.

How do I want her to remember her dad growing up?  My dad was so cool, he had a blog.  My dad was great, no one could watch sports on TV like him.  He was great at playing video games.  I think not.  I want her to know and remember that I would often take time out of my week to spend one on one time with her, talking to her, doing the things that she loves to do.  I want her to remember how much I loved her and how valuable she was.

What I have to remember and all dads need to know is that how I treat her greatly affects three views she has.  How does she view herself?  Is she beautiful? Is she valuable?  How does she view what to expect in a boyfriend/husband?  How will he treat me? What does love mean?  How does she view God?  She will continue to read in the Bible and hear at Church that God is Father.  What image will she have when she hears that?  What is a father like?

I want Lauren to know that she is of immeasurable value, and that a date should treat her with utmost respect.  Most importantly, I want her to think that a father, like her heavenly Father, loves her unconditionally and would sacrifice himself for her the way God did/does through His son, Jesus.  I want her to know that her dad loves her deeply.

« Previous Page