Middletree

" 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' " For years, I have heard Jeremiah 29:11 repeatedly. I've got it memorized from hearing it, hearing about it, hearing sermons preached about it, and seeing it on plaques in people's bathrooms. And every time I hear someone start to refer to that verse, what I always think about is what the teachers always teach about: the 2nd half, about how God has plans to give us hope, and a future. Yes, that's very important, but to focus on half a verse is to gain only half of the riches contained in it. The first part is just as worthy of noting: "For I know the plans that I have for you." The Hebrew word for "plans" (it's H4284 if you are interested in looking it up in Strong's) can mean a lot of things. It can mean intentions, plans, imagination, purpose, or thought. In fact, many translation...

As a parent of 3 young kids, I am all-too-aware of the glut of toddler bibles available, and the sameness that plagues the majority of them. Happily, the Read and Share Toddler Bible , published by Thomas Nelson, stands out from the crowd. At first glance, it would seem that this bible contains the usual toddler bible characteristics: (1) short (4-6 page) accounts of the most common bible stories, such as Adam and Eve, Noah, and Joseph's coat of many colors; (2) colorful pictures which portray the "good guys" and "bad guys" accordingly (i.e. Jesus looks friendly, Goliath does not); (3) age-appropriate wording for the stories being told (we are told that Joseph is in jail due to a lie told by Potopher's wife, for example, but the book doesn't go into detail about what that lie is). But a closer look reveals features which go beyond the norm for this type of book. For one thing, there is a DVD included, and it contains most of the stories that are in the b...

The following 9 movies comprise my all-time Top Five. Yes, the math doesn't work, but these movies are absolutely essential to me: The Fisher King Man on Fire Cinderella Man Lord of the Rings trilogy Schindler's List The Princess Bride Gladiator Saving Private Ryan The Kid Other movies I find very moving. These aren't quite as essential, but I was profoundly affected by them: The Pursuit of Happyness Big Fish Mr Holland's Opus The Passion of the Christ The Legend of Bagger Vance Secondhand Lions Casablanca The Cowboys This has nothing to do with what I think are the greatest movies ever made. But they are the ones which grab me and bore down into me and do their work at the soul level. I still recognize the grandness of, say, The Godfather, and am entertained by a good comedy. But the movies listed above are the ones that matter the most to me.