the one about harry potter and the half-blood prince movie

i love the harry potter series. and anyone who knows me today can tell you that i do. i’m always quoting it and using it for illustrations. it even came up once at montreat last week during evening devotions. i’ve read each book at least twice…some more…and i’ve listened to each book on tape at least 6 times…some more…and i’ve seen all the movies. i can’t get enough.

last summer, i took the group to see order of the phoenix during our mission trip to ohio. we had a blast going to see it together on opening night. most of the youth in GOOTH are HP fans, also…so, most of them get my references. with the next movie opening in november, i’m excited about taking the group to see it, too.

last summer was not the first time i took a youth group to see a harry potter movie. back in 2001, i took my then middle-school group in raleigh to see harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone on opening night during a lock-in. that was quite the adventure. several parents stood in line early in the morning, while drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, to get the group tickets. the place was so packed that we couldn’t all sit together…we were all over the theater.

i’ve already invited the facebooking GOOTH crowd to see the movie together, and will invite the rest very soon. i think it is important to see movies that generate a lot of controversial publicity – particularly religious controversy – as a group so that we can discuss any questions people may have. but aside from that, i think that the harry potter stories and movies have a lot to offer as illustrations of christian and religious themes.

the sixth book really begins to get at the heart of the themes in the harry potter books that make it so powerful. at the end of book five, we discover more about harry’s past and the reasons for voldemort’s actions. with that, we discover the power of love in the jk rowling-created world. dumbledore says there is a room in the department of mysteries that remains locked at all times, because it contains powerful magic. that magic is love. it is the magic that gives harry’s mother (lily) the ability to sacrifice herself for her son. in book six, we see harry learn the significance of love in his ongoing battle with voldemort and how it is love that will enable him to defeat him in the end. without love, one cannot grief the loss of a loved one. harry, who is initially disappointed to hear that love is the magic power that he has the “voldemort knows not,” finally realizes that it is more powerful than he can imagine. it is by love that he is able to face voldemort because of his own free will and not as a result of voldemorts actions. “It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew – and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents – that there was all the difference in the world.” ~J.K. Rowling, “Horcruxes,” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005. i hope this scene is brought out in the movie.

the series is a powerful series on love, friendship, and forgiveness, among other themes. if you haven’t read the books, i encourage you to do so. but i warn you, you will enjoy it…and you will not get the full meaning of the themes until you have finished the entire series…all 4100+ pages.

if you haven’t seen the new trailer, view it at: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi215810329/

 

the one after a month

well, it has been a month since my last post…and i had promised myself that i would make more regular posts to my blog. i’ll have to work on that. mid-year resolutions?

a lot has happened since the beginning of june. the GOOTH had a fabulous experience at the Massanetta Springs Middle School Conference in harrisonburg, virginia. it was CPC’s second trip to the conference. 13 youth and 4 adults attended, including meredith, who is continuing to recover from her surgery. we attended inspiring keynotes and workshops, did energizers, played fun games, sang songs, played in the rain, drank from the springs, survived an electrical storm like i hadn’t seen in a looooong time (including felicia’s near-death experience while standing on metal stairs when lightening struck near the building!!! well, we’re calling it a near-death experience anyway), had a great departing lunch at 5 guys, and made many memories that will stay with us for many years to come.

the General Assembly of the PCUSA met a week ago, taking action on a number of exciting items for the future of the church. it will now be up to the presbyteries to address the equalization of the ordination standards as laid out in the constitution of the PCUSA. i’ll speak more to that in another post.

this weekend, lynda returns to the states for a visit. her college reunion is in two weeks in upstate new york – houghton college. i will be catching up with her in shenandoah national park on the 4th of july, before continuing to new york city to meet up with the GOOTH for our mission trip. then, i’ll head upstate to catch up with lynda again at the reunion itself. she returns to peru on july 16. her term of service ends october 2 and will return to the states at that time.

during the mission trip, i will try to make daily postings so that family and friends of the GOOTH may keep up with the adventures in new york city. i hope that you will check back to hear about the GOOTH new york experience.

until then…peace, love, and chocolate.

ps – the cardinal in the window was still handing around after all this time!

 

the one about ARW

what a week i had at montreat! the weather was perfect last week…bright sunshine, clear air, gentle breeze, mild temperatures…montreat at its finest.

if you aren’t sure what ARW is, it is the Annual Recreation Workshop which is held the first week of may in montreat. for more about ARW, visit www.recreationworkshop.org. this is my 8th workshop, and i hope i never miss another one. for more about montreat, a conference center of the presbyterian church (usa), please visit www.montreat.org.

the two classes i’m taking this year are Games Galore and Breaking Bread Together. every morning, we play 2 hours of games of all sorts. i’ve learned some new techniques, tips, and variations on games i know, and a whole bunch of new games. i was also introduced to using common objects for game props…from climbing cords to doggie toys. i can’t wait to get back and try them out with my youth group (aka GOOTH!).

in my second class, we baked many types of breads! it was so much fun! yeast breads, corn meal tortillas, muffins, wheat breads, flat breads, biscuits, scones…we made much more than i imagined we would…including the communion bread for the closing worship service. i’m so excited about trying out the recipes again. i went out yesterday and bought a new pizza baking stone…we used one for baking many of the breads last week…it is a great way to cook.

recreation is an important part of ministry. God gave us our bodies and the joy of play as gifts of creation. playing games together, cooking together, eating together, sharing stories together – these all help to build up the body of Christ in the world. Jesus was a hungry dude…he was constantly eating in the gospels! and what was one of the first things Jesus did after the resurrection? he ate! he broke bread. he cooked fish. he served his disciples as host. the cooking class helped reinforce the tools of hospitality that i’ve learned growing up. i hope to be able to pass those along to others through the art and ministry of cooking.

i was reunited with many old friends and made many new friends as well. friends from california, to florida, to canada, to mexico, to haiti, to ireland were gathered together at Montreat last week…we’re all a part of the body of Christ…and we all enjoy the gift of play and hospitality.

take some time to play this week and enjoy the gift of play that God has given you.

PS – the cardinal in the window greeted me today in my first day back in the office after ARW!