Fighting Temptations

Temptations are around us. No matter where we go, there will always be a situation that requires us to choose between two paths – the road to righteousness or the path of self-righteousness. Sadly, temptations come in different forms so there isn’t exactly any roadmap out of temptation island.

But then again, that does not mean that we do not have the capability to resist temptations. We are given the best gift that God could ever bestow upon his creations – free agency. As His children, we were given the freedom to choose for ourselves, and in the midst of temptation, we have the choice to resist or give in. Although a lot have dived in to the ring of faulty consequences of giving in to Satan’s trap, it’s a good thing that there are still people who are steadfast in choosing the right.

Traversing the road to righteousness is not always bees and sunshine. In fact, living in the straight and narrow path is the hardest life to live. This is choosing God’s way comes with priceless gifts. If we follow the commandments and listen to the voice of goodness, our lives will be blessed. We will save ourselves of the repercussions of sins and we will get to experience fruitful existence. We will not aimlessly sleepwalk through life. The path to righteousness will bring meaning to our every day dealings.

This bible passage moved me from the moment I read it from a Christian magazine.
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers." - James 1:12-16

Pixar’s UP – wholesome and high quality entertainment for the family

Pixar’s UP is one of the films that I am raring to watch today. There are a lot of movies out there in the market but this is one movie that you should not miss especially if you want fun as well as quality time with your family. Here is what Mark Earley, President of Prison Fellowship Ministries has to say about the film:

In recent years, Disney’s Pixar Studios has been something of a godsend for parents looking for wholesome, high-quality entertainment. With great films like WALL-E, The Incredibles, and many more, Pixar has provided family films with heart, films that tell genuinely good stories and avoid the crassness that’s so prevalent in many children’s films today. And their films, without being “message movies,” usually provide plenty of food for thought for both kids and adults.

Pixar’s latest effort is simply titled Up, and it’s well worth seeing. Up tells the story of an elderly widower, Carl Fredricksen. Faced with the prospect of being sent against his will to a retirement home, he decides to fulfill a lifelong dream of his and his wife’s, and heads off to Paradise Falls in South America.

From the advertisements for the movie, you’ve probably seen how he gets there—via an elaborate, only-in-the-movies gadget, made up of his house and an enormous bunch of balloons. But Carl’s journey also has something to tell us about the dangers of hanging onto a dream—even a good dream—too long and too hard.

Taking work seriously

Christian magazines are always bad on Christian Bale. However, what they fail to see is Christian Bale’s dedication to his craft this is an excerpt on the things that we can learn from Christian Bale as an artist:

You enjoyed it because...?
It was uncluttered. The Machinist changed me. I learned that I really enjoy, literally, not saying a damned word for days at a time, except for what was in the scene. Whole days of…nothing. Just…standing still. I know a lot of people found it bizarre, because they’d be standing right next to me thinking, Why aren’t we talking? What’s going on? Hours would pass and I wouldn’t say a word, not even to Brad [Anderson], the director. And then it would be like, All right, I think I heard “Action.” Talk now. The purity of that, the satisfaction. Now I fall asleep on sets all the time. I’ve done it in the middle of scenes where they’ve had to shake me because I’ve missed my cues.

Really?
In Batman Begins, in the first scene I had with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, I fell asleep. In the scene, I was meant to be waking up, so I laid down and just fell asleep. And I didn’t hear “Action.” So Michael and Morgan were talking, and I was supposed to join in. I woke up with Michael Caine poking me in the ribs and going, [pitch-perfect Michael Caine accent] “Look at ’at! ’E’s bloody fallen asleep, ’asn’t ’e? ’E’s bloody fallen asleep!”

The Race

In scanning a Christian magazine that I once owned I remembered the article entitled “The Race of Faith and the Scenery of God's Grace” written by Mike Pohlman, Editor, Christianity.com. Here are some of the excerpts from the article:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
1 Corinthians 9:24

The only thing keeping my feet moving was the scenery. As I ran through my new city of Richmond, Virginia what I lacked in energy I made up for in curiosity. What scenic treasures awaited me along my route?

I stumbled upon the historic “Canal Walk”—a partial restoration of Richmond’s historic canal system begun in 1785 and completed in 1840. Various monuments along the way tell the story. It is billed as “George Washington’s vision come to life.” Before the railroad made the canals basically obsolete in the 1880s (at which time they stretched 197 miles as far as Lynchburg), the waterways teemed with hundreds of boats carrying various goods such as tobacco and wheat along with many passengers.