Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8, NIV)
That passage came to mind many times over the past year or two.
It’s not hard to see why, is it?
The world has gotten to be a dark, negative, cynical, brutal, cold-hearted, self-absorbed, war-torn, impatient, conspiracy-theory rich, ungodly place.
I seriously doubt anyone could deny that.
But, if such an Anne of Green Gables person exists today, a cursory glance at newspaper headlines or a social-media platform ought to dispel such Pollyanna notions – immediately.
So what are we mortals supposed to do in the face of crushing emotional and spiritual challenges? Many would like to give up, succumb to the powerlessness imposed upon us by governments growing too powerful and intrusive. But how can we keep going?
Philippians 4:8 to the rescue.
What if the Bible is telling the truth that we are to “Set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2, NIV)?
What if it makes a difference if we “think about such things,” as listed in Philippians 4:8 above?
I have no scientific study on which to go. But I do have my own personal experiences.
And they’re quite simple, really.
When I watch movies that uplift me, inspire me, fill me with joy, hope, feelings of heroism, or love, I feel good. I feel life is worth living. More importantly, I feel that’s what we were created to be: people of noble aspirations, reaching for higher qualities, being joy, being love, being hope.
Conversely, if I watch movies that are negative, violent, cynical, bloody, spooky, and bleak, that’s how I feel afterwards
And who wants that?
So if “you are what you eat,” might it not also be possible that “you are what you watch” and “you are what you think about”?
I happen to enjoy Christian movies. Some of them (for example, those created by the Kendrick Brothers) are among the best films made. The production quality (cinematography as well as acting and screenwriting) is first rate. Others, like those produced by Pure Flix, are slightly hokey and simplistic…and yet…endearing.
Over the years, I’ve acquired many Christian movies, as well as movies that aren’t exactly Christian. For example, Anne of Green Gables, An Interview With God, Heaven Is For Real, Shadowlands, and The Way aren’t (at least, to my knowledge) considered Christian movies. And yet their message is undeniably positive, uplifting…inspirational. So they’re part of my 52 Days project.
This project begins on Friday, April 7, 2023, and will continue through to May 28, 2023.
For what happens after these 52 days, visit 52 Weeks.
Oh, one more thing: The order in which I will watch these movies was, in all but four cases, random. Literally. I put all of the movies into two large containers and randomly picked out one movie at time. With my eyes closed. That’s how random I wanted the watching order to be.
There were four exceptions to my Random Rule:
- I wanted to start by watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday.
- I wanted to watch the movie Risen on Easter Sunday.
- I wanted to watch any movies that were part of a series in order, all at once. So when I picked, at random, a movie from a series – God Is Not Dead or Revelation Road or The Moment After – I lined up all of the movies from that series and set them up to watch from the first movie to the last, with a notable exception: the placement of the four God Is Not Dead movies around Easter Sunday.
Other than those three exceptions, all the rest of the movies were randomly picked:
Day 1 – The Passion of the Christ (Good Friday)
Day 2 – God’s Not Dead 1
Day 3 – Risen (Easter Sunday)
Day 4 – God’s Not Dead 2
Day 5 – God’s Not Dead 3
Day 6 – God’s Not Dead 4 (We the People)
Day 7 – Facing the Giants
Day 8 – I Can Only Imagine
Day 9 – The Moment After
Day 10 – The Moment After 2
Day 11 – Flywheel
Day 12 – Revelation Road
Day 13 – Revelation Road 2
Day 14 – Revelation Road 3 Black Rider
Day 15 – What If
Day 16 – Do You Believe?
Day 17 – I Still Believe
Day 18 – Heaven Is For Real
Day 19 – Road To Emmaus
Day 20 – An Interview With God
Day 21 – Christmas With a Capital “C”
Day 22 – Godspell
Day 23 – The Most Reluctant Convert
Day 24 – The Grace Card
Day 25 – Come Follow Me
Day 26 – Anne of Green Gables
Day 27 – The Secrets Of Jonathan Sperry
Day 28 – Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist
Day 29 – The Gospel According to Matthew
Day 30 – I Believe
Day 31 – The Way
Day 32 – Wish For Christmas
Day 33 – Shadowlands
Day 34 – Overcomer
Day 35 – Indescribable
Day 36 – The Encounter
Day 37 – The Case For Christ
Day 38 – Jesus Christ Superstar
Day 39 – Paul Apostle of Christ
Day 40 – The Shack
Day 41 – The Jesus Film
Day 42 – Miracles From Heaven
Day 43 – Show Me the Father
Day 44 – Courageous Legacy
Day 45 – All Saints
Day 46 – War Room
Day 47 – Fireproof
Day 48 – The Ten Commandments
Day 49 – Finding Normal
Day 50 – A Question of Faith
Day 51 – According to John
Day 52 – Breakthrough