The Rebels Guide to Joy

These videos are short biographies on some of the great Christian song writers. I think that these videos do a beautiful job of showing that the Christian life is more than the stereotype "be a good person and your life will be great!" These artists suffered, even after their conversion. But what they achieved in their lifetimes has brought countless blessings to other believers for generations. Even if you're not a Christian, check these out...I think that you'll find these stories interesting no matter what your religious belief.

You can find more videos at www.marshillchurch.org/special/saints

Pirates

I have always loved pirates. Even before "Pirates of the Caribbean" came out. I loved reading "Treasure Island" and watching movies like "Hook", "The Swiss Family Robinson", "Kidnapped" and "Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Recently, I've been reading up on the history of pirates, and am completely fascinated. Women were involved in piracy more than most people expect! There's Anne Bonnie, the Southern lady who sailed away with her pirate lover and found her freedom disguised a a male pirate. Or Mary Read, who pleaded "her belly" when she was supposed to hang and was set free because she was pregnant. Or even Blackbeard's wife, who married him even after he killed her fiancee and gave her his finger in a box. She never believed that her fiancee was acually dead, and would wait for him each day on the docks to come back to her. Some say her ghost still haunts the docks of coastal North Carolina....

Illustration

A illustration from one of my favorite picture books, "Her Stories." Why do books have less and less pictures as you get older? This ilustration is from the story "Man and Woman Started Even." Quite a story for an elementary school girl to read.

Sense and Sensibility

Many a person has ruined a Jane Austen adaptation. A lot of movies focus on the drama, and lose the witty, satirical edge. But this one...this one is prectically perfect. Emma Thompson's script is so subtly funny...I love the scene when Edward is proposing to Elinor as she cries hysterically. Here the poor guy is pouring out his heart, and all she can do is bawl and hiccup. Kate Winslet is also incredible as Marianne...very ethereal and wonderfully romantic. The guys were all perfect, too..Alan Rickman, Greg Wise, and Hugh Grant were all right-on. Okay, so enough of my praises. I love this movie! (Sans the ending.)

Yes, it's a door knob.

Yes, I am blogging about a door knob. But who knew they could be so cool? This one is meant to look like an antique (apparently earlier generations were cooler than us and actually thought about what their door knobs looked like.) I love the design. It reminds me of The Lord of the Rings somehow, with a bit of Japan thrown in for good measure.

"Amazing" Film

I'll admit it: I was cynical about this film beore I saw it. A lot of Christian films float by on poor quality and aren't seen by anyone but Christians. This, I feel, defeats the point. Shouldn't Christians, armed with their relationship with the Greatest Storyteller and Creator, make the best films? Film is a visual media, and when Christians try to translate a wordy "altar call" into their pictures, they alienate themselves even more from the people you're trying to reach. Alright, so I'll step down from my soapbox now. The recent film Amazing Grace was incredibly refreshing. Here was a film that was infused throughout with a Christian worldview, yet didn't blatantly scream "JESUS LOVES YOU!" I think for the key to good Christian filmmaking you should look to how Christ told His stories: parables. Jesus didn't say "The Kingdom of Heaven is..." He said "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..."

What kind of movie would Jesus make?

The Starry Night

This painting by Vincent van Gogh is one of my all-time favorites. The Starry Night caused quite a controversy, even within the Impressionistic movement, because van Gogh didn't paint impressions of what he saw...the sky and village are entirely made up. The large cypress tree in the foreground is the traditional symbol for death, which makes this quote from van Gogh all the more haunting: "Looking at the stars always makes me dream. Why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France? Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to meet a star."

Mask

The image of the leperous king of Jerusalem has stayed with me ever since I saw the film Kingdom of Heaven. The silver mask he wears to hide his face is so beautiful and strange, almost feminine. Anyway, for one of my classes we have to write a monologue in classical Greek format and make a mask to go with it. I immediately thought of this photo. I don't know what my monologue will be on, but I know what my mask will look like...

Mary

"Sing, Mary, Sing!
Lullaby the King
Born to be our pardon
No longer shall we weep
Come soften what was hardened
Oh, Sing, Mary, Sing!"

-"Sing, Mary, Sing" by Jennifer Knapp

Cleopatra

Cleopatra is deserving of all the attention she has gotten over the centuries. When the world was dominated by power hungry men, she stood firm and stubbornly worked to make her country as wonderful as it could be, despite a tumultuous upbringing which included a forced marriage to her younger brother. She was bold with her requests and didn't mind raising an eyebrow or two. It's not fair that all people think of when they think of Cleopatra is sexy siren. Yes, sometimes she used her body to um, "forge alliances," which I obviously think is wrong, but she deserves more respect than that. The films that have burned her permanently into pop culture beautifully portrayed the opulence of Egypt, a land where rulers were led to believe that they were gods and all they did was just. The film photographs are of Elizabeth Taylor and Vivien Leigh.

Film Flash: Marie Antoinette

The new film Marie Antoinette, by Sofia Coppola, has recieved a lot of media attention, both good and bad. Though the acting midght be mediocre and the plot watered down, the costumes, stunning scenery and rock music soundtrack make it a great film to watch: it is almost like a moving painting. This is a film I would love to watch in pieces (all at once is a bit long) any time I feel the aristic side of my films is uninspired. The best scenes are the party scenes: it really humanizes the characters, and takes away some of stuffiness we tend to attribute to royals.

Film Flash: Rebel Without a Cause

I am completely in love with James Dean (please don't tell Marlon Brando or Johnny Depp.) So many teenagers nowadays think that life was easier growing up in the 1950's. This film brilliantly bridges that generational gap. The cast gives very real, raw performances: all you'd have to do is dress the teens in Old Navy and Hollister and you'd have a thoroughly modern piece. Human beings haven't really changed throughout the ages. We've just bought new outfits.

Cleopatra Photographs

Film Flash: Finding Neverland

Doesn't everyone want to be a pirate? Okay, maybe it's just me. I love the playfulness of this film. Just try watching it. Yes, the cinematography is stunning. Yes, the costumes are exquisite. Yes, the acting is brilliant. But I defy anyone who watches this film and doesn't want to fly away to Neverland. Or become a pirate.

Graphic Design: Jazz Age

I feel happy just looking at this vintage advertisement from 1919. The colors are so vibrant, and, despite being a drawing, the woman looks more real than most photographed models you see in today's magazines!