Books I've Read in 2011

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Testimony by Anita Shreve
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell 
Heaven Is for Real by Todd Burpo
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Uprising by Erwin McManus
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

Movies I've Seen in 2011 (bold are 2011 movies)

No Strings Attached
I Am Number Four
The Adjustment Bureau
Red Riding Hood
Sanctum
Rango
The Green Hornet
Just Go With It
Tron:Legacy
Matching Jack
The Canyon
I Love You Too
Conviction
Law Abiding Citizen
Black Swan
Brothers
The Fighter
The King's Speech
Sunshine Cleaning
Takers
Gnomeo and Juliet
Country Strong
Like Dandelion Dust
Stiletto
The Spirit
Never Let Me Go
Rabbit Hole
All About Steve
Alex and Emma
The Dilemma
Source Code
Megamind
Limitless
Water for Elephants
Hop
Beyond the Blackboard 
Sucker Punch
Eagle Eye
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 
Soul Surfer
Nothing But The Truth
Whiteout
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
The Girl Who Played With Fire
Fragments
Thor
Something Borrowed
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Your Highness
Scream 4
Arthur
Everybody's Fine
Southland Tales
Beastly
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
X-Men First Class
The Green Lantern 
Super 8
Kung Fu Panda 2
From Prada to Nada
My House in Umbria
Horrible Bosses
Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Help
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Contagion
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Moneyball
Warrior
Abduction
The Three Musketeers
The Lincoln Lawyer
15 Minutes
Carriers
Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1
One Day
Hugo
Real Steel
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The Muppets
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Cowboys and Aliens
In Time

What If He'd Asked You to Stay?

Friends of mine, a married couple, recently started a new ministry. Truth be told, I don't know much about it and for personal reasons I haven't asked the right questions to be well informed. Anyway, they recently launched their website and, of course, I gave it a thorough run threw. Everything seems to be on the up and up, nothing blasphemous in any way (which is good), but there's one thing that didn't quite settle with me. Now perhaps I am being overly critical, perhaps my personal opinions (and occasionally still hurt feelings) are unable to keep me from being biased. I would like to think that isn't the case, but I am human. 


At some point in their opening statement of introducing the new adventure that they are about to embark on they call the life they are currently living 'mundane'. Granted, I know that it's a matter of opinion and that it very well may be just that, typical and ordinary. But the comment that immediately follows is that a life outside of the one they are currently living would somehow be more exciting, which considering what they are going to do is probably true. And I am a big believer about seizing the moment because you never know if you will cross another one like it. However, not all of those moments have to be the extravagant ones that take place on center stage. If there's one thing that I've learned over the last year it's that sometimes the moments that count aren't the most glamorous or exciting or public. Sometimes it's doing the things that few will notice that will have the greatest impact. It's the change that takes place inside of us that matters more than the changes that everyone else sees. And it's not about life being exciting, it's about life being purposeful and carrying out the purpose that God has placed on your life. 


Jesus had some exciting, center stage moments, but He also had some simple, typical moments. All that mattered to Him was being in the right place at the right time, and it didn't matter if He was sitting with Mary in her living room or walking on water. Every moment had a purpose that He neither classified as exciting or mundane. Every encounter had a purpose! 


Now hear me when I say that I am in no way telling my friends they are wrong for what they said. And perhaps the way I read it is not AT ALL the way that they meant it. All I know is that it stirred something in me I felt I needed to share. Right now, my life is not what anyone would necessarily call exciting, I can think of much more exciting things to do with my time, however I know that every moment is necessary. And Christ promised a life to the fullest, and I will drive this point home until I am blue in the face, living in the middle is boring, but you cannot and will not ever fully appreciate the fullness of how exciting a life with God can be until  you know how ordinary it can feel at times. Sometimes you are just going through the motions, but those motions still have purpose and God wants that to keep us excited! 

Nerd Moment

Meet Zachary Levi, actor and singer extraordinaire! His talent in front of the camera is most widely known as 'Chuck Bartowski' on NBC's Chuck, while his musical talent has been featured in the most recent Disney movie Tangled along side Mandy Moore. However neither of those wonderful things are the reason that I chose to write about him. 


Perhaps a lesser known fact about Mr. Levi is that he is a Christian. In fact in an interview with Relevant Magazine he said, "My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, 'What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents?' And I can turn to them and say without blinking, Jesus Christ." 


Now bare with me as I get a little spiritual and nerdy on you! As a Christian, I often wonder how many people that I see on television or the big screen or who have been labeled with a celebrity status for some other reason have a relationship with God. I can't help it. I look at them with a child-like wonder and every now and then find myself asking (inaudibly) if I will meet them in Heaven and then I go on to fantasize about how cool that would be! On one hand that sounds absolutely ridiculous, it's like I'm five again and wondering which Disney characters I will see at Disneyland. Yet, it also shows (in what some would call a strange way) that the child in me still wants/needs that certain "Disney magic". Actors and actresses like Zachary are people that I find myself looking up to for their talent and mastery of the craft. It seems as though just when we (as the public) thought that the arts of acting and cinematography couldn't get any better it finds a way to outdo itself. It's one of the things that keeps me asking for more, knowing that the entertainment industry as a whole hasn't run out of tricks! 


Now back to Zachary being a Christian. I wouldn't and don't respect any actor, actress, writer, director, producer, costume designer, makeup artist, or anyone else less for their religious preferences. I believe that everyone believes in something and I believe that if I truly want to be like Christ then I love that person no matter what and leave the rest to Him. However, knowing that Zachary Levi is a Christian is being the cherry on top of a very delicious sundae, something that being a Christian myself I appreciate on a whole separate level.