Humility and Heroism: A Faith- Based Look at 'Avengers: Endgame.'

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
It's taken a long time for me to make, but here it finally is!
I helped take the St. Johns youth group to see 'Avengers: Endgame,' and then used the movie to give the message at their weekly youth worship service.
People liked what I said in it, so I decided to tweak it a little and make it into an entry on the Nightcrawler Experience! After all, such a magnificent movie deserves another look!
SPOILER WARNING!
First, let's start with a brief look at the previous film in the series, last year's 'Avengers: Infinity War.' In that, the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the other heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far at last have to confront Thanos (Josh Brolin), the genocidal intergalactic tyrant who has been the "Bigger Bad" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years now. Thanos seeks the Infinity Stones, a group of six stones from all over the universe which each offer some form of unlimited power (One stone enables its bearer to instantly travel to anywhere in the universe, another lets its user control and manipulate time, and so on), and which could together make whoever had them all become essentially a god. Thanos wants to use this power to wipe out half of the life in the universe because he believes this kind of culling is the only way to stop those races and life forms from completely dying off due to overpopulation. The Avengers and other heroes put up an amazing fight, and kill Thanos's generals, but ultimately, Thanos wins. He gets all the Stones, and uses their power to kill billions of life forms all over the universe in an event known as "The Decimation" or "The Snap," including several of the Marvel heroes. Not exactly a feel- good ending.

Now then, in 'Endgame,' the Avengers manage to track down Thanos with help from the new heroine Captain Marvel and kill him, but the damage has been done and Thanos used the Stones to destroy each other so it can't be undone. Things fast forward to five years later. Ant- Man (Who had survived the Decimation) returns, and through his story and what he had been through, the remaining heroes learn that there can be a way to potentially reverse what Thanos did; If they, through a rather complicated exploitation of the space- time continuum and the use of Pym Particles, can travel back to certain points in time and certain areas of the universe, they can get past versions of all the Infinity Stones, bring them back to the present, and use them together to undo what Thanos did and restore all the Decimation's victims to life. Things take all kinds of fascinating turns from there, leading up to an ultimate showdown with Thanos (A past/ alternate version of him) and his army in which the fate of the entire universe is at stake.

I only had a few, very small problems with 'Avengers: Endgame.' One was with the heroine Captain Marvel. I just felt like they were trying too hard to make her WAY too powerful, borderline invincible. Also, during the final battle with all the heroes returned, I was kind of disappointed that they never had Drax (From 'Guardians of the Galaxy') directly confront/ attack Thanos. I would have loved to see Drax personally land just a couple hits on Thanos, to avenge the deaths of his wife and daughter (They had been killed by Thanos's army many years earlier). I feel like it would have been nice to see him get that kind of closure. Lastly, again in the final battle, there is a point in which they make a big deal about a group of female heroes all charging in to attack Thanos's army. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for empowering women and everything, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done an awesome job with showing that its female heroes can be every bit as effective as their male allies, but the way that particular scene was shown felt like it crossed the line from commendable female empowerment to blatant pandering.

All of that out of the way, WHOOOOOOOO!
I cannot tell you how deeply I loved 'Avengers: Endgame'! It's easily one of the best things the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever created, and will almost certainly have a cemented place somewhere on my Top Greatest Films of All Time list (At LEAST Top 15, probably Top 10). It does a wonderful job with character development for each of the major characters in it (Which is saying something, considering what an enormous cast it has). We even see the return of some past characters, such as Thor's mother Freya and Dr. Strange's mentor the Ancient One, and they too have some excellent scenes.
 There are a lot of extremely moving moments throughout it, such as Tony Stark talking with a past version of his father and Thor having a sweet conversation with his mother taking place mere minutes before her death in 'Thor: The Dark World.' We see some characters' series- long story arcs come to a satisfying end, and others' stories coming to an exciting new chapter (Let's just say I'm very interested in what they'll do with 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3'). All the performances are as wonderful as they've ever been, especially Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Josh Brolin.
The action sequences and fight scenes are brilliantly staged. In particular, the epic final battle against Thanos's army is truly magnificent to behold. There is also a great deal of humor thrown in, especially from Thor (The first glimpse of him after the five- year lapse and the less- than- ideal condition he's now in is hysterical), Hulk, and the always- hilarious Rocket Raccoon.

As I said at the start, I found a whole cornucopia of Scriptural messages in 'Avengers: Endgame.'
One of the first concerns the subject of memory: There is a key scene near the climax of the film. Thanos proclaims that, when he regains the Infinity Stones, rather than merely wiping out half the living beings in the universe, he will wipe out ALL of them. Then, he'll build a new universe in which nobody remembers the past and what was lost, to make it so that the remainders would see him as a hero rather than as the genocidal monster and tyrant that he truly was. That part really stuck out to me. See, all throughout the Old Testament, the people of Israel would often find their great empire invaded and conquered by outside nations. The reason for this? They forgot. Specifically, they would become so complacent with their lives that they forgot all the great things God did for them and their ancestors, became ungrateful for all His blessings upon them, and so they began worshiping false idols and committing other sins, so God withdrew His support from them. Memory of the past is a very important thing, especially for us as Christians. It can guide us, teach us important lessons, and remind us of the ways God has helped us and strengthen us. It’s especially important to remember the lessons of the past when we’re facing hard times. I’ve definitely been through a lot these last few months, and one of the main things that got me through them was remembering the times that the Lord has helped me in the past. Like Thanos in the movie, Satan desires for us to forget what God has done for us and not lean on Him, but we are called to always remember God as our deliverer and the source of our strength.

Another message concerns my favorite Avenger and favorite superhero in general, Captain America. One of 'Endgame''s highlights is definitely near the start of the final battle with Thanos, when it's just Cap, Iron Man, and Thor fighting him. Thanos knocks down Thor and is about to finish him off, when to everyone's surprise and exhilaration, Captain America is able to lift Thor's hammer Mjolnir (A magic artifact which can only be lifted by those whom the hammer deems to be worthy, which isn't a whole lot of people), and uses it to go to town on Thanos, dealing a ton of damage to him. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was at that moment! I knew in the comics that Cap was one of the few who could lift Mjolnir, and liked the way they portrayed Cap in the films so much that I couldn't wait to see the moment when that would be shown, and it ended up being every bit as magnificent as I knew it would be! It had me cheering in the theater aisle!
This moment is particularly important because it reminded me of a scene from an earlier Avengers film, 'Age of Ultron'; At one point, the Avengers have some downtime, and are talking about Mjolnir and how to lift it. The other Avengers try to lift it with no avail, to Thor's smug amusement. Then, Captain America takes his turn. As he begins lifting, we see the hammer briefly move about an inch or so (Instantly evaporating Thor's smugness), yet Cap apparently can't lift it either and gives up. Anyway, seeing Cap lift the hammer and use it against Thanos in 'Endgame' made me realize something; In 'Age of Ultron,' when Cap seemingly couldn't lift Mjolnir, he was FAKING IT! He could have lifted it all along, but he was humble enough that he didn't want to show off or shame the others who couldn't lift it. That humility is a big part of what causes Captain America to truly have the heart of a hero, and that was what enabled him to be deemed worthy to lift and wield Mjolnir and use it so well against Thanos. In fact, I did a mini- binge of several ‘Avengers’- related movies in preparation for the youth group screening of ‘Endgame,’ and even before he became Captain America, back when he was just frail, wimpy Steve Rogers in the first movie with him, it was his humble, kind, noble nature that first impressed the scientists enough that they chose him to have the honor of going through the procedure that turned him into a super soldier. Humility is a VERY important virtue to have if you seek to follow Jesus. Proverbs 29:23 says that “Pride brings a person low, but a lowly spirit gains honor.” When we become too proud of our abilities or our accomplishments and brag too much about them or view ourselves as better than others because of them, we’re really setting ourselves up for a fall. It's us focusing more on ourselves than on God, which will inevitably lead to us getting a rude awakening. Arrogant people driven by their pride and their egos are some of the most obnoxious people you’ll ever meet, but people who remain humble and down to earth tend to be very easy to get along with and support, and those people generally go far. Jesus always uses people who are humble enough to recognize His control over their lives rather than their own.

Another Biblical lesson that can be taken from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is that it actually confirmed a prediction I had when I gave my ‘Infinity Wars’ message last year: The reason why Thanos won in the previous film was because the heroes let themselves be split up and divided and spread out all through the universe, and often fighting amongst each other; The reason why the heroes prevail in ‘Endgame,’ in contrast, is because there, all of the heroes banded together against Thanos, and worked together. They set aside their differences and united in the name of the greater good of stopping Thanos and saving all of existence. When I first saw that final battle scene, with all the restored heroes and warriors leaping through the portals to join in the battle, I remember thinking to myself, “Well, Thanos, you might as well start picking out your coffin now!” When all those heroes, from all corners of the Earth and the universe in general, united against Thanos, it was clear that he was finished. He and his forces may have been strong, but all of the heroes together were stronger, because of how much they all brought to the table and combined together. In much the same way, we can do incredible things for the Lord when we work together. We need to set our differences aside and combine our skills and gifts to help build God’s Kingdom and bring more people to know Him. 1 Peter 3:8 shows this by saying “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” I’ve seen this plenty of times in all the missions trips and other church events I’ve aided in. For instance, I and a few others from my church are involved in a kind of social outreach/ activism group called PEACE, which involved a bunch of churches from all over the county uniting together in spite of our differences to help spread God’s love to those most in need of it and encouraging our public officials to aid us in meeting the needs of the less fortunate, and this group has already done so much to help our community and God’s larger kingdom. Together, we represent an incredibly diverse mixture of races, religious denominations, and likely political views as well, yet we see past our differences to our common calling as followers of Jesus to do His will to the least of these.

A final Scriptural point to be taken from 'Avengers: Endgame' concerns rising above hardship and failure. At the end of ‘Infinity Wars,’ things really did seem doomed. Thanos had won, and wiped out so many billions of lives throughout the universe. But, our heroes didn’t give up. They kept on doing as much good as they could for five years (i.e. Captain America ran a support group for survivors of the Snap, Black Widow began leading and coordinating superhero efforts with the heroes they had, Tony Stark married and had a daughter, etc.), and when Ant- Man emerged and gave them the opportunity to gain the Stones and fix the damage Thanos did, they took it. Psalm 37:7-9 sums this up pretty well: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; Do not fret- It only leads to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” We may come across times in our own lives when it really feels like we’re in a pit, and there’s no hope of getting out. We can see evil people in our own world who seem to win. But, God loves us enough that He hates seeing all this evil in the world even more than we do, and when He knows the time is best, He will bring down the Devil and his followers, and lift up those of us who fully trust in Him. It’s just a matter of clinging to hope, and the promise of the better day that God will bring to us.
At times, though, that victory can come with a price. In the movie, we had Black Widow giving her life to help provide the Avengers with the Soul Stone, and of course, Iron Man dying to help wipe out Thanos and his army. We, too, may have to sacrifice things that are important to us in the name of doing what’s right. There are people who’ve given up everything to serve in overseas missions, and some who’ve even sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Gospel. But, God has ensured that what we may lose is NOTHING compared to the rewards He has waiting for us in Heaven.

So, now, as we go out, we should all do what we can to help shine God’s light to all around us, remember what He has already done for us, stay humble in our efforts, be willing to unite with our brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of our differences, and bring His peace and salvation to all in need of it. Christians, assemble!
That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep your eyes peeled, as we're nearing Christmastime and I'll have a couple special editions in store for that. Until then, may God bless you all!

Temptation, Faith, and Strength through Christ: How to Be One of God's "Dream Warriors."

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
Happy Halloween! To conclude this blog's two- part Halloween special, I'll be looking at a great horror film sequel which was traditional Halloween night viewing for me for a few years before I discovered 'Trick 'r Treat' (Maybe I'll look at that gem next year); The 1987 film 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.'
USUAL DISCLAIMERS!
There will be some spoilers in discussing the film, and the film obviously contains some graphic content (Violence, language, and a brief scene of nudity), so be careful before seeing it if you're squeamish or letting children see it.

(Credit for this image goes to the user Andrewjan on the Nightmare on Elm Street wiki at https://nightmareonelmstreet.fandom.com/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_3:_Dream_Warriors_(film)?file=1987_poster.png)

First, though, a little backup on the storyline behind the films to prepare you for it; The 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films (The first of which, btw, was the very first film role for a then- unknown actor by the name of Johnny Depp) center around teens being attacked in their dreams by the evil razor- gloved Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), with the condition that if he kills them in their dreams, they die for real. In life, Freddy was a serial killer who killed dozens of children in the town of Springwood. He was eventually caught and put on trial, but the judge was forced to acquit him on a technicality. This infuriated the parents in the area, as they knew he did it and knew he'd do it again if not stopped. So, they tracked him down to an abandoned boiler room where he took his victims, and burned it to the ground with him locked inside, hence why he looks so horrifically burned. As he was burning, though, he offered his soul to a group of Aztec dream demons in exchange for their ability to enter people's dreams.  He quickly used this to continue his reign of terror, now worse than before through the newfound power he gained.

In 'Dream Warriors,' the third film in the series, we see Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), the teenage heroine from the first film, now return as a young woman who has just gotten her degree and some renown for her research into night terrors. She has just been hired to a local hospital, to intern in the teen Psych Ward, to work with teens there who all have sleep- related conditions, all stemming from them each having recurring nightmares about a boogeyman- figure (Guess who?).

The Psych Ward kids make for quite a colorful group; There's wheelchair- bound Dungeons & Dragons geek Will, troubled punk girl and ex- junkie Taryn, sweet but rather simple- minded aspiring actress Jennifer, artistic yet cynical Philip, antisocial hothead Kincaid, lovestruck and nearly- mute Joey, and the latest addition, Kristen (Patricia Arquette), who comes from a wealthy but rather neglectful home- life and who we soon discover has the ability to draw other people into her dreams.
Nancy quickly bonds with the kids, especially Kristen, and also starts to develop what appears to be a possible relationship with the other psychiatrist in the ward, the supportive Neil Gordon. Shortly after Nancy arrives, some of the kids die in what are believed to be suicides, but actually the work of Freddy. Nancy and Neil soon realize the these kids are the last of the Elm Street kids whose parents burned Freddy alive (And, indeed, I could definitely envision Kristen's mother as being among those who were there for his death), so he's out for payback. To help the kids better protect themselves from Freddy, Nancy teaches the kids through group hypnosis to channel their "Dream powers," special abilities that they possess in their dreams (Kincaid is incredibly strong in his dreams, Kristen becomes a master gymnast in addition to her aforementioned skill of bringing others into her dreams, and so on). In addition, Neil learns from a mysterious nun a little more about Freddy's backstory and that he can only be stopped for good if his remains (Which were buried in an unmarked grave by the parents) are properly consecrated. So, Neil eventually sets out to do this with help from Nancy's estranged father who knows where Krueger was buried, while Nancy herself and the remaining kids enter the Dream Realm to save one of them who's gone into a coma and face Freddy in an ultimate showdown.

One of the only real problems I have with 'Dream Warriors' is that, while Nancy, Neil and the Psych Ward kids are all cool characters (More on that shortly), a few of the adults are real jerks, yet nothing bad happens to them. The worst offender in this regard is the head psychiatrist at the hospital, Dr. Simms. She comes across as so cruel, apathetic and unsupportive of the kids, trying to diagnose what she sees as the root of their problems without caring in the slightest about how they feel or what they are actually going through, and pooh- poohing all of Neil and Nancy's suggestions on how to help them. I honestly found myself wishing SHE would get butchered by Freddy instead of the kids! Yet, to the best of my knowledge, she survives and doesn't suffer any kind of retribution for how she acted. That didn't seem fair to me.

All that being said, I absolutely LOVED 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'! I'd say it is easily the best of the sequels (Not counting 'Wes Craven's New Nightmare,' a great film which is kind of a separate film with its own storyline rather than a straightforward sequel). The sequels got progressively worse, largely because they made Freddy Krueger increasingly less scary and more comedic. 'Dream Warriors' I think portrayed him in an excellent middle- ground balance between scary (He has a LOT of terrifying moments, such as one in which he attacks Kristen in the form of a hideous giant snake) and funny (He has a few darkly amusing one- liners that help to break the tension, including one for a scene involving a TV set that has become one of his all- time most popular lines from the series).
Also, as I said before, the Psych Ward kids, who come to be known as Dream Warriors, are all great characters. Usually in a horror movie with a group of teens, there's at least one teen who's really obnoxious and whom the audiences hope will die. That is not the case with the seven Psych Ward kids from 'Dream Warriors'; They're all interesting, likable characters who you want to see survive and destroy Freddy for good. A few particularly neat characters are Kristen obviously, Taryn (She could have made for a good spinoff movie, learning more about her backstory), and Joey. That likability, in turn, makes it that much sadder when some of them do die. When you see some of them weeping and mourning over the deaths of their friends, you almost feel like mourning alongside them as their grief and desperation spreads to you. Speaking of which, the death scenes in this were all great and very creative, especially the first one which is scary and quite disturbing yet fascinating to watch (Let's just say it's one which involves puppets). In addition, the set designs(Especially for scenes in an abandoned house that Nancy used to live in) and special effects (Especially for the aforementioned scene with Freddy as a giant snake) are all awesome.
As far as performances go, they're all very good for a horror sequel. Robert Englund plays Freddy as well as he always has. As I again said before, 'Dream Warriors' provided a nice balance between the terrifying, psychotic killer that we see in part 1, and the increasingly funny, almost cartoonish figure seen in the final sequels. Heather Langenkamp once again does a wonderful job with Nancy, who now appears to have more inner strength than before, and it's cool to see her reaching out to these kids who are going through pretty much the same thing she went through in the first film. As far as the actors playing the kids go, one particular standout for me was Rodney Eastman as Joey. Even though he only has a couple spoken lines in the movie due to Joey being almost completely mute, Eastman's facial expressions and body language are more than enough to convey the emotions he's  showing in each of his scenes. Lawrence Fishburne (Who at the time was early enough in his career that he was still referred to as "Larry Fishburne") also shines in a small but quite cool role as Max, a friendly orderly in the hospital. Lastly, the film's ending was great. Krueger's death had more of a sense of permanence/ finality to it than it did in any of the other sequels, and if the series had ended there, 'Dream Warriors' would have made a great final chapter to the series.


'Dream Warriors' is also a film with some surprisingly strong theological messages. One of the first is on the need for solid faith to confront evil and face hard times. When Neil first meets the strange nun at the funeral of one of the kids, she asks him what he believes in. Neil answers "Science, I guess," the nun responds, "A sad choice," and Neil concedes that it provides him with little to no comfort or strength in stressful times like this. Then, in a later scene, after telling Neil that Freddy can be destroyed by consecrating his remains, she points out that, "If your only faith is science, Doctor, it may be YOU who's laid to rest." Eventually, Neil sets aside his skepticism, and gains enough faith in God that his consecration destroys Freddy. The Biblical truth to be taken from this is obvious; Only faith in Jesus can give us the strength to endure the storms of life. Attempting to trust in lesser things for strength in such times (i.e. Technology, progress, drugs or alcohol, vain secular philosophies, etc.) will disappoint and fail. It calls to mind Isaiah 40: 29- 31, which says that "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."


Another VERY important theological point I took from 'Dream Warriors' involves two characters who I believe can be seen as Biblical allegories. First and most obviously, Freddy Krueger can be easily seen as representing Satan. He seeks to brutally kill and destroy all, especially innocent kids. He attempts to prey on the Psych Ward kids by using their fears, temptations, and other weaknesses (i.e. He lures Joey astray by magically disguising himself as a nurse that the boy had a crush on, goes after Taryn by exploiting her past as a recovering heroin addict, stalks Will using a blade- covered wheelchair that kind of symbolizes Will's fear of being crippled for the rest of his life, etc.). He seeks to consume his victims' souls to become stronger. He is defeated by Neil's faith in God, with the consecration burning a cross onto his forehead just before he vanishes. I could go on forever!
 Satan similarly seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Satan tries to prey on people by using their temptations, guilt, fear, and weaknesses. Satan desires to corrupt people and seize and torment their souls for eternity. Satan is foil in his attacks against us by our relying on our faith in God. I'd say the comparison is pretty clear.

The other allegorical figure I found in 'Dream Warriors' was Nancy. She, I believe, acted as a bit of an allegory for Jesus. She reached out to these troubled kids and teens, many of whom are misfits and outcasts for various reasons, and offered them hope. She helped them discover and develop powerful gifts to aid them against their enemy. The gifts she offered through their dream powers included the wheelchair- bound Will being able to walk again, and the nearly- mute Joey regaining his voice and using it to develop a "Sonic Scream" type of power that helped against Freddy. She dies in the end, yet through her heroic death helps to defeat Freddy (She uses her last ounce of strength to grab Freddy by the arm and plunge his own razor- glove into his chest, distracting him enough to give Neil enough time to perform the consecration in the real world). Even after her death, Nancy's legacy continues to strengthen others, as what she taught the Dream Warriors about discovering their dream powers and pulling others into their dreams to help them would continue to be important points in the following sequels, so that whenever Freddy returned, the next heroes would be able to stand against him and defeat him thanks to the foundation that Nancy helped set.
In much the same ways, Jesus reached out to people who were misfits and outcasts and offered them hope. He helps His children discover and develop spiritual gifts they can use in ministry and to stand against Satan. He, through His healing power, helped the lame to walk and the mute to speak. He died on the cross, yet His sacrificial death defeated Satan by breaking his power over us and giving us salvation. Even after His death and resurrection, Jesus continues to strengthen and empower people, helping His followers thousands of years later gain strength, peace, and hope, and discover their strengths through Him, so that whenever Satan and his demons return and try to bring more suffering and death to the world, Christians (God's own "Dream Warriors," in that sense) will be able to stand against him and defeat him.
Both of these allegorical comparisons can be summed up by Jesus's words in John 10:10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
So, that sums up 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,' an excellent film that I highly recommend, which teaches great lessons on faith and the natures of both our Enemy and our Savior.
That's it for this installment of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay tuned in November when I finally bring in my look at 'Avengers: Endgame.' Until then, happy Halloween, and may God bless you all!

Hypocrisy and True Justice: A Look at a Phony Believer's "Fitting Punishment."

Hello again, and welcome to another edition of the Nightcrawler Experience!
Unfortunately, my planned review/ look at 'Avengers: Endgame' will have to be postponed until November, so I can do my regular two- part Halloween edition. I can promise it'll be worth the wait, though!
In the meantime, I've got quite a "Treat" in store for you readers this time to help prepare you for the spookiest time of year:
Back in the Late 80's- mid 90's, the TV network HBO aired the cult- classic horror anthology series 'Tales From the Crypt.' Based on the EC horror and crime comics of the 1950s and directly adapting several of their stories, each episode had the terrifying yet hilarious undead host the Cryptkeeper (Voice of John Kassir) sharing with us a different tale of terror.

(Say hello to the Cryptkeeper; Handsome guy, isn't he? Credit for this image and the next one goes to SummerTaffy896 on the 'Tales From the Crypt' wiki at https://tftc.fandom.com/wiki/Fitting_Punishment?file=FPclosing.png)

 Sometimes the stories were supernatural, other times they were more grounded in reality. The show boasted a LOT of surprisingly heavy- duty talent, between actors like Kirk Douglas, Michael J. Fox, Demi Moore and Tom Hanks, and producers and directors like Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver and Richard Donner.
It could often get pretty graphic in terms of its violence, language, and other such adult situations, though my first exposures to it when I was younger were the edited- for- television re- airings of it they did on networks like Fox and Sci- Fi Channel.
Now, you might think that a show like this could not ever hold any kind of theological message, even for someone like myself who has at times found such messages in other such unlikely sources, and even though many of the episodes function as dark morality tales.
However, I was recently reintroduced to an episode that changed all that, known as "Fitting Punishment."
WARNING! There will be heavy spoilers for the episode in question, and it's an episode that can be rather graphic, so use discretion before watching it or letting children watch it.

 (Imagine this being said in the Cryptkeeper's trademark voice) Now, come a little closer, kiddies, and let's get started. RA HA HA HA HA HA!

(In keeping with the show's roots in horror comics, each episode featured a title card showing something from that episode rendered in comic book style; This image was found at https://tftc.fandom.com/wiki/Fitting_Punishment?file=Fitting-Punishment-tales-from-the-crypt-41326221-720-540.png)
In this episode from the show's second season, we meet Ezra Thorntonberry (Played by the late Moses Gunn), the director of an inner- city funeral home. He presents himself to his clients as an honest, good- natured, Godly fellow who will treat their deceased loved ones with the dignity and care that they deserve. However, it soon becomes clear that this is all just a facade, and Ezra is in fact a despicable, corrupt, greedy old hypocrite only concerned with making as much money as possible with as little effort or personal expense as possible. He secretly cuts corners left and right in his work to save money (i.e. He uses regular tap water instead of embalming fluid to preserve the cadavers, and orders cheap undersized caskets from Taiwan which he presents to his clients as being American- made with the best materials), and doesn't even have a problem with swiping gold teeth from the cadavers he operates upon.

 A person unfortunate enough to be brought into Ezra's life early in the episode is his teenage nephew, Bobby. A nice enough young man with an affinity for basketball, Bobby just lost his parents in an accident and was thus sent to live with Ezra, his only living relative. As further proof of the sort of person Ezra is, rather than expressing any kind of grief at learning his only sister died in a likely- horrific car crash, he instead says with a little smile, "Head- on, huh? Messy, I'll bet. That's good for business. Charge a pretty penny to make their loved ones look presentable." While Ezra initially is not keen on taking his nephew in, he realizes that he can use the boy for free labor around the funeral home and agrees.

Sadly, as you can probably guess, Bobby's bad luck at losing his parents doesn't improve any when he goes to live with his uncle. Ezra treats his nephew horribly, giving him a wheeled metal gurney for a bed, constantly referring to him as "Boy," and treating him like a slave. When Bobby makes an apparent mistake that costs the funeral home a customer, Ezra brutally beats him with a crowbar in a fit of rage (It is very difficult to watch, as you can guess), paralyzing him from the waist down. When the bills for Bobby's consequent medical care start piling up, Ezra flat- out murders the poor boy and makes it look like an accident. Then, as one more insult, the twisted old creep cuts off his dead nephew's feet so Bobby's tall body will fit into one of the undersized Taiwanese coffins for burial.

However, as is often the case in episodes of 'Tales From the Crypt,' what goes around comes around. Also as is often the case on the show, the restless dead don't stay dead for very long before returning to seek a little payback. The episode's title ends up coming to full fruition, as Ezra ultimately receives an extremely "Fitting Punishment" for his many evil deeds. The Cryptkeeper closes the episode by giving probably the funniest (In a dark way, typical for him) summation monologue I can ever recall him doing on the show.

While "Fitting Punishment" is not my favorite episode of 'Tales From the Crypt' (That honor goes to the Season 4 episode "What's Cookin'," which featured Christopher Reeve as one of a pair of struggling restaurateurs who save their business by, shall we say, changing up the menu of what they serve), it's still pretty high up there on my list. The story is good and creepy, the music was extremely well- chosen as it ranged from a kind of somber Dixieland jazz for the scenes involving the funeral home and Ezra's work in it to then becoming more soft and mystical near the end, and the performances from the various actors are all great. Ezra makes for one of the vilest and most intentionally easy- to- hate characters the show has ever produced, but generally in an amusing way that makes you eager to see him ultimately get what he deserves. It also gets points for being the only episode of the series with a completely African- American cast.

There were definitely some theological messages to be taken from "Fitting Punishment." The first and foremost would be on hypocrisy and false faith. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 that ""Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!'". Ezra in this episode was pretty much the embodiment of that sort of person. He may have been able to present himself outwardly as a righteous and Godly man, but this seeming piety was only skin- deep. He frequently misquotes Scripture, and much of his pseudo- pious prattling consists of things that aren't even in the Bible at all! For instance, he at one point justifies his practice of using water instead of embalming fluid by pompously saying, "Like the Bible says, 'A penny saved is a penny earned,'" a quote which was actually first said by Benjamin Franklin. Then, of course, there's obviously the fact that the crooked ways Ezra runs his business and the heartless things he does to his nephew are hardly in keeping with one who really walks with the Lord. The Bible makes it clear that people of faith are to conduct their business with honesty and integrity, and treat their family with compassion, especially those like Bobby who have already gone through so much hardship. Simply going to church and saying some impressive- sounding words doesn't make a person a Christian any more than standing in a garage would make them a car. There are many people out there who are skilled at playing religion and claim to know Jesus, yet whose hearts are far from Him. I must appeal to all of you to make sure that you truly have Jesus as your Lord and Savior in your hearts and let your lifestyles be a reflection of this, and not become self- righteous, hypocritical phonies like Ezra.

Another Scriptural lesson to be taken from this episode is on not associating with ungodly people. Near the end of the episode, shortly before Ezra meets his well- deserved end, his assistant Clyde, whom he treated almost as badly as he treated Bobby, abruptly resigns. The reason Clyde gives for why he quits is because he knows full well that Bobby's death was no accident, and while he doesn't have enough substantial proof to get the authorities involved, he can't in good conscience bring himself to work for someone as immoral and frankly evil as Ezra another minute. The Bible frequently points out that believers should not associate with people who are known to be unrepentantly wicked. In 1 Corinthians 5:11, it says "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler- not even to eat with such a one." In Psalm 26:4-5, the psalmist says "I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked." We need to be careful to not connect too closely with people who we know are deeply involved in sinful, ungodly things. Such people can become really bad influences on us, and hinder both our Christian witness, and our personal relationship with God. Bad friends can easily lead good people astray and bring a lot of trouble down on them. For a personal example, when I was in college, the leader of the local fraternity at one point approached me with the offer to join. Something about the way he presented things set off a bit of a red flag for me, so I didn't accept his offer and politely avoided him afterwards. That ultimately proved to be a wise decision for me, as a year later, that fraternity was forcibly shut down by the university when details of a highly inappropriate hazing ritual came to light. Had I joined the fraternity and connected with its members, my reputation would have been damaged along with theirs when that happened. I'm not saying completely shun everyone who isn't perfect in every way, as we all have sinned, just to recognize that there are some people in our lives who we need to steer clear of and not associate with due to the corrupting influence they can have on us and our faith.

So, that's my look at "Fitting Punishment," a great episode of a classic show and an equally great cautionary tale about having a true Christian faith, not being religious frauds or hypocrites, and avoiding those whose ungodly lifestyles can lead us astray.
With that, I wrap up this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Come back on the 31st when I'll hopefully have part 2 of this year's Halloween special ready for you. Until then, may God bless you all!

The Power of Prayer and Divine Grace: A Look at 'War Room.'

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
For this entry, we will be wrapping up this blog's annual collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series. In finishing up our look at Christian films, we will now be looking at the 2015 film 'War Room.'
In this film, Tony and Elizabeth Jordan seemingly have a good life together. They have a big house, good jobs (Tony's a pharmaceutical salesman, Elizabeth's a realtor), and a loving daughter, Danielle. Behind that facade, though, there's a lot of trouble brewing with their marriage. Tony has no time for Danielle and no interest in supporting her jump roping team, is at times impatient with Elizabeth, and has a bit of a wandering eye.
Help for the troubled family is on the way, though, from a slightly unlikely source. Elizabeth is hired to help sell the house of the elderly Miss Clara. As the two develop a friendship over the course of this, Clara learns of Elizabeth's marriage problems. In order to help save her friend's marriage, Clara teaches Elizabeth about the importance of prayer and drawing close to God.
She shows Elizabeth that she uses one of her closets as a "War Room" for in- depth prayer.
Elizabeth starts taking Clara's advice to heart, and just in time, as Tony is about to face serious temptations that could completely destroy their fragile family if left unchecked.

'War Room' was a marvelous Christian film. It was the perfect balance of humor and heart, extremely inspirational, and had a lot of great performances. They even fit in a couple pretty exciting moments, too.

Miss Clara was easily the best character in the film. Longtime fans of this blog may recall that when I first did my "Top Ten Favorite Movie Characters of the Year" list back in January 2016, Clara made the list, and everything I said about her then still holds true now upon repeat viewings. She is a wonderfully powerful and insightful character, wise and yet also incredibly funny when the occasion calls it. As I said the last time I talked about her, she's like if Yoda from the 'Star Wars' series was a black Christian woman. Karen Abercrombie (Who actually was just in her early fifties when she did this role; It's a testimony to the great makeup effects for the film that they can make her look like she's in her mid- seventies) gives a wonderful performance as her, especially for a scene when she bravely stands up to a mugger, and the end when she gives a spirited prayer for the nation.

The most prominent Scriptural message to be taken from 'War Room,' which I discussed in the devotional passed out at the screening, concerns obviously the power of prayer. I show how James 5:16 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2 both drive home the miraculous things that can happen when followers of Jesus sincerely pray.
Another message from the film that I noticed concerned grace. There is a scene in which Clara is talking with Elizabeth about her husband. Elizabeth admits that, as much as Tony's faults drive her nuts, she still loves him, and so does God, and that she still sees good in him. Clara points out that what Tony is in need of is grace. Elizabeth says she's not sure if Tony deserves grace, and Clara responds "What about you? Do YOU deserve grace?" She points out that ALL of us have sinned and are unworthy of God's forgiveness (Romans 3:10 observes "As it is said, there is none righteous, no, not one."), but He granted it anyway.  That's the perfect description of what grace is: Sparing us the punishments we deserve, out of His love for us. We could never earn or deserve God's forgiveness, but He grants it anyway. That's why they call God's grace "Amazing."
There you have my look at 'War Room.' It remains a wonderful film which teaches wonderful messages about prayer and grace.
That's it from the Nightcrawler Experience for now. Keep your eyes out, I'll be returning to the entry I was working on before I started this series, and I know you'll like it (Let's just say you'll all be "Assembling" to take a look at it). Until then, may God bless you all!

Trust, patience and revival:A Look at 'Facing the Giants.'

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
We're now on week three of this year's collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series, continuing to look at Christian films.
This week, we'll be looking at what I'd say is the one that kind of "Started them all," the 2006 inspirational sports- drama 'Facing the Giants.'
This movie centers around Grant Taylor, who is currently the football coach at Shiloh Christian Academy, and is facing a seemingly endless series of obstacles in his life. Their team, the Eagles, has never had a winning season since he's been coach there, and his current season has begun with a three- game losing streak, prompting some of the players' fathers to try and get him fired. Things at home aren't much better. His car's a piece of junk, his house and appliances are in bad shape, and worst of all, his wife Brooke is having no luck in becoming pregnant.
At the end of his rope, Grant begins seeking God's guidance through prayer and studying Scripture. He hits upon a whole new philosophy on coaching, and uses it to motivate his players: He reminds them and himself that they need to always praise God, regardless of whether they win or lose, and put a lot greater effort into everything they do, on the field and off. He tells them that they CAN win through hard work and faith in what God can do through them.
It works wonderfully. Not only does the team begin winning games, but they start making a positive impact on the school as a whole, prompting an amazing revival throughout the school.
As the team continues winning, they enter the playoff season, and must prepare to eventually go up against the reigning champions, the practically unbeatable Richland Giants.

While there have of course been Christian films for decades, I feel like 'Facing the Giants' was the one that really brought about the current wave of mainstream Christian films we've seen since then, ones made with real effort that are good enough to get full theatrical releases and perform well at the box office.It was also the first really successful film to come from the company that would go on to direct films like 'Fireproof' and the previously- reviewed 'Courageous.'
To that end, it was indeed a worthy figurehead- movie to launch this wave. The fact that it ended up making over $10 million at the box office with a $100,000 budget speaks for itself.
The acting is for the most part very good, and it had loads of inspirational moments, with one of my favorites being when the school's revival occurs on the athletic field. We see kids praying in the field and bleachers, to the accompaniment of the beautiful Josh Bates song "Never Give Up on Me." From my first time seeing this film in theaters all the way to now, that scene never fails to leave me on the brink of tears. What's more, as should be the case for a football movie, the game scenes are really exciting and engaging, and the wisecracking assistant coaches provide for some pretty good comic relief.
One character that I really liked was the team's defensive lineman, Brock. He is one of the characters, certainly among the players on the team, who experiences the most drastic change over the course of the movie. He goes from someone who was lazy, apathetic and rude, to eventually becoming a good, decent young man and a real leader among the team. Another of the film's more memorable moments involves him, one of the moments which really brings about this change in him is when Coach Grant puts him through a grueling training exercise known as the "Death Crawl" to inspire him to give his absolute best by trusting in God's guidance. Between the way this scene was shot/ filmed, and the performances of Jason McLeod as Brock and Alex Kendrick (Who also directed the film) as Coach Grant, it is another scene which will keep you on the edge of your seat AND on the edge of tears.

Another thing I like about the film, though it's a rather strange thing to like, is simply the title of it. It can be seen as referring not only to Coach Grant and the team preparing to face the team the Giants on the football field, but also to the more figurative "Giants" that Grant faced in his personal life, such as the problems in his house and the difficulties from him and his wife trying for so long to conceive a baby. I thought calling the movie that was a very good, clever touch.
All in all, 'Facing the Giants' is a very good Christian film, sports film, and movie in general.

As with the other films we've looked at in this series, there are countless Scriptural messages that can be taken from 'Facing the Giants.' The first and most obvious one, which I discussed in the devotional flyer that was passed out at the screening tonight, relates to the importance of trusting and praising God at all times, regardless of circumstances. I show how Proverbs 18:10 and Psalm 46:1-3 both point out that the Lord provides refuge and strength to believers.

I think another important lesson to be taken from 'Facing the Giants' concerns what Godly patience can look like. A rather minor yet important character in the film is an older man named Mr. Bridges, who gives Coach Grant some important advice midway through the film. Mr. Bridges walks down the hallways each day after the students have left, praying for them and for the school. You get the feeling he's probably been doing this for a VERY long time, without much answer to his prayers due to the state the school had been in for so long. Still, he kept right on doing it, because he KNEW that God would eventually bring about the revival to the school that he had been praying for, and so He eventually did! Mr. Bridges never let himself get discouraged simply because things didn't happen when he wanted them to, and he eventually teaches Coach Grant to do the same. This brings to mind Galatians 6:9, which says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." It's easy to become frustrated when our efforts don't seem to yield much in the way off results right away, I certainly know a lot about that, but if we continue to do good and faithfully serve the Lord, the time WILL come when our efforts and our faith will come to fruition.
One final Scriptural lesson to be taken from 'Facing the Giants' concerns the matter of revival. The school as a whole is rather underperforming at the start of the movie (Indeed, for a supposedly "Christian" school, there wasn't a whole lot of evidence at first that it was a school intended to help kids learn to walk with Jesus), but when the revival in it occurs, starting with the football team and gradually spreading to the rest of the school, it brings about a complete, glorious turnaround for everyone involved. They strive to devote themselves more to serving the Lord, and He in turn helps to bless and provide for them in a multitude of ways. This calls to mind 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says that "If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will heal their land." God can bring about incredible, miraculous healing and restoration to our schools, our families, our churches, our cities, our country, and our world, but for Him to do it, we must turn from things that can distract us or hinder our walk with God, and turn our focus back to Him through prayer, worship, and studying His word. That is when true revival can happen.
So, there we have 'Facing the Giants,' and its lessons on trusting God, being patient for His work to be accomplished, and following Him to bring about change. A true cinematic and theological touchdown!
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Come back next week when we finish up this series (And the final film will be a REALLY good one). Until then, may God bless you all!

Confessing Christ, and Leaning on the Word: A Look at 'God's Not Dead.'

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
We're now on week two of this year's collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series, looking at Christian films.
For this installment, we're looking at the 2014 film 'God's Not Dead.'
This film centers around a college freshman named Josh, a devout Christian who enrolls in a philosophy class taught by the ruthless Professor Raddison (Kevin Sorbo). It almost immediately becomes clear that Raddison is a hardcore atheist with a deep hatred of all religion, and he opens the very first class period by having the students sign a declaration that says "God is dead" in order to pass. When Josh refuses to do this, Raddison challenges him to prove that God exists, in the form of a term- long debate between the two of them with the rest of the class acting as judges, and that this could count as Josh's term project for the class. Many people in Josh's circle tell him to either sign the declaration or drop the class in order to keep out of trouble, but  he remains convinced that God put him there for that moment, and that he has to continue with it. Amidst all this, some other characters are also having to deal with faith- related challenges, such as a girl in a devoutly Muslim family having to hide the fact that she is secretly a Christian and an independent journalist having to take a newfound look at what she believes when she discovers that she has a terminal illness. Their stories all come to a header at a big Newsboys concert.

A problem I'll admit I had with 'God's Not Dead' is that I feel like they made Professor Raddison too over- the- top. The filmmakers often seem to go out of their way to show what a jerk he is towards his students who disagree with him and even towards his own girlfriend, so much so that their attempts later in the film to try and make him more sympathetic by revealing his sad backstory seem too little, too late. Also, while college professors can indeed be too pushy at times trying to force their personal views on students (I speak from personal experience from when I was pursuing my B.A.), I get the feeling that a real- life college professor displaying such hostility towards a student's religious beliefs is the kind of thing that could land him in really hot water.

That being said, 'God's Not Dead' is still very good by Christian movie standards. The acting's pretty solid from most of the cast, there's some good humor, the messages are solid, and it is pretty inspirational. College can indeed be a time in which you run into people who are noticeably opposed to the Christian faith, including some of the teachers you'll see there, albeit not as blatantly as Raddison was. It is indeed a time when Christian students need to be careful and wise in order to ensure that their faith remains strong, so it's easy to root for Josh in his attempts to defend the faith in such a setting.

A character I really liked is one of Josh's classmates, a boy named Martin who has come from China to study at the college. His journey to faith is legitimately torn. His father adamantly tells him that he must take whatever position on the subject that his teacher takes in order to ensure that he passes the course, but yet he finds the arguments Josh presents to be extremely convincing. This dilemma he faces makes him into quite a sympathetic and likable character.

In the devotional that was passed out at the screening tonight, I point out that Josh in the film reminds himself of  Matthew 10:32-33, which says "So everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before my Father in Heaven." That verse drives home the truth that we shouldn't be afraid to confess Christ before others, but should be open in sharing His truths to the world.
Again, though, I feel there are more messages that can be taken from 'God's Not Dead.'
One that sticks out is relating to the importance of being prepared when the time comes to speak of Jesus to other people. Josh knows that, if he is to prove God is real to Raddison and the rest of the class, he'll need to work hard and be prepared to answer any questions or challenges they may present. So, he does a lot of studying and research in order to help back up his arguments. This ties into 1 Peter 3:15, which says "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." This is important. There will be people who see the hope we have within us, so we need to be ready to answer them when they have questions about it, why we believe the way we do. This takes prayer, study of God's Word, the Bible, as well as the study of inspirational and intellectual Christian authors (I recommend pretty much anything by C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel). We, like Josh, need to learn more about what we believe and why, so we can be ready to answer anyone who may have questions about it to us, and as the verse says, do so in a gentle and respectful manner.

A final message to take from the movie is on staying true to the faith even when others may desert you. Josh's girlfriend ultimately breaks up with him when he refuses to back down from Raddison's challenge. The girl from the Muslim family, Ayisha, knows that her faith could cause her family to disown her, but she remains dedicated to it regardless of what her father may say. This calls to mind Matthew 19:29, which says "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." Sometimes, standing up for Christ can cost us a lot, including our relationships with those who are close to us. However, that's nothing compared to the rewards Jesus has prepared for those who faithfully serve Him.
So, that's 'God's Not Dead,' a very good Christian film about standing for Jesus no matter what.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Come back next week when we look at the next film in this series. Until then, may God bless you all!

Strong Fatherhood, Strong Integrity, Strong Faith: A Look at 'Courageous.'

Hello loyal readers, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
Sorry for the lengthy absence, I've been working on another entry that's taken a lot of effort and will now be put on the backburner just for a few weeks while I do the new series I'm starting now.
It's that time of year again: Time for the Nightcrawler Experience to partner with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series! As before, I came up with a devotional for each movie to be passed out at its screening at the church, and am writing an entry on the Nightcrawler Experience to help examine each film a little deeper.
For this series, each week will be a different Christian film, my first real foray into looking at actual Christian/ faith- based movies on this blog.
When it comes to Christian films, my feelings can be rather mixed.
Some can be good, tackling Scriptural truths in ways that are both inspirational and entertaining.
Others, however, can be bogged down by overly preachy and heavy- handed messages, bad acting, or cheesy writing.
Fortunately, the films we will be looking at for this series all fall into the former of the two groups.
We're kicking it off with a real good one: The 2011 film 'Courageous.'

This film centers around four police officers named Adam, Nathan, Shane, and David. Each in their own way is dealing with an issue involving children and being a father. One has a good relationship with his young daughter yet cannot connect well with his teenage son, another is concerned over his teenage daughter wanting to start dating, and so on. They also befriend a day- laborer named Javier who is struggling to find work and provide for his own wife and young children. Eventually, a tragedy causes the five men to realize they have an obligation to be better and more Godly husbands and fathers. So, Adam crafts a detailed "Resolution" to honor God and his family in every way, and he and his friends all agree to it. This resolution is soon tested in a variety of ways for each of them, and they emerge from the situation stronger in their faith and better prepared to do all they can for their families.

'Courageous' stands out as easily one of the best Christian films I've ever seen. The acting's mostly very good for a film of that quality, it has a nice story, and it has loads of humor too.
Another thing it has in its favor, which is something of a rarity for a Christian film, is its action. In particular, near the end of the film, there is a surprisingly intense shootout/ fight scene between two of the officers and a vicious gang leader (The latter can be seen as pretty much the personification of the kind of threat that the officers realize their children and community need to be protected from) that had me on the edge of my seat. It was fast- paced, intense, and felt realistic from the way it was staged. I remember when I first saw it in theaters, that scene had me thinking something I'd never have thought of before for a Christian film: 'This deserves to get nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Scene!'
My favorite character in the film was definitely Javier. He was such a likable guy, really easy to root for. In fact, if this blog was around back then and I was doing my Favorite Movie Characters List for that year, Javier would have been one of the first characters I'd put on it. He's friendly, good- natured, extremely devoted to his family and determined to help meet their needs, and also provides a lot of comic relief to keep the movie from getting too serious.
 In particular, there is a scene with him, informally known as the "Snake Kings" scene, which remains the single funniest (Intentionally so) scene I can ever recall seeing in a Christian film. It starts with two of the officers having quite a dilemma, needing to transport a freshly- arrested gang member to the station while Javier was still riding with them in the backseat of their cop car (They were on their way to take him to lunch when they got the call about the gang), but then end up resolving that situation in a way that never fails to leave me shrieking with laughter every time I see it, largely due to Robert Amaya's hysterical performance as Javier in that scene!
'Courageous' also earns points for the fact that, while it showcases the great work that our law enforcement personnel do in protecting our streets and citizens and showing that most of them are good people just doing their jobs, it doesn't shy away from the fact that there is some dishonesty and corruption that may go on behind the scenes in police departments (As there is in most occupations). This is shown through a subplot in which the officers begin to suspect that someone within the department has been stealing drugs from the evidence room, presumably to sell on the streets. Admitting that such things can at times go on within police departments is a hard truth, but one that needs to be addressed, and it's handled in a really good way in the film.
So, yes, if you are a fan of Christian films and in the mood for a film that can help you learn to be a better and more Godly husband, father, and person in general, I wholeheartedly recommend 'Courageous.' It's a fun, inspirational film I'll never get tired of.

Obviously, for a Christian film, there are loads of Scriptural messages that can be taken from 'Courageous.' In the devotional flyer passed out at the screening, I point out its clear message on what it means to be a Godly father. I especially highlighted Ephesians 6:4 stating that fathers need to avoid causing unnecessary strife with their children and instead raise them to better know the Lord, and 1 Timothy 5:8 pointing out that believers need to do whatever they can to provide for their families both in a material sense and in an emotional sense.
That, however, I believe is just scratching the surface. I think another important lesson to be taken from 'Courageous' is on the importance of integrity. Two of the film's major characters are eventually faced with crises relating to being honest and doing what's right, both in a legal sense and in an ethical sense. One of the two, when sorely tempted to break the rules for personal gain, ultimately makes the right decision and is deservedly rewarded for it; The other does not, and needless to say, his story's ending is MUCH less happy because of it. Followers of Jesus are called upon to act with integrity in all that they do, and the Bible frequently points that out, especially in the book of Proverbs. One verse which perfectly sums up that part of the film is Proverbs 11:3, which states that "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." Also, Proverbs 12:22 states that "The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy." Lastly, Psalm 41:12 says that "Because of my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever." The temptation to bend or break the rules for one's own gain can be pretty strong at times, and a hard test to have to go through, but followers of the Lord are expected to demonstrate honesty and righteousness in what they do, even if there's a price to it.

A final great lesson to be taken from 'Courageous' is relating to salvation, and how it's only achieved through trusting in Jesus, not through any good works we might do. In one scene, Nathan is having a heart- to- heart with David and trying to encourage him to take responsibility for things in his life. The discussion turns to God's judgment of all people, and David implies that he thinks all the good he has done in his life will outweigh the bad he has done and get him to Heaven. Nathan, though, points out that that's not how God works. Nathan shows this by bringing up a hypothetical situation: If David's mother was murdered in a parking lot, and the killer was caught, but tried to plead for mercy in court by saying he did a lot of good in his life, too. "If the judge let him go free," Nathan says, "Would you say he was a good judge or a bad judge?" Nathan uses this to show that God judges and punishes a person for the sins they commit, not for the good they do, and that He sent His Son Jesus to Earth to die for us, to pay the penalty for all our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 spells it out pretty clearly: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- Not by works, so that no one can boast." Doing good deeds and living a good life are great and all, more power to you for it, but that alone cannot remove the taint that our sins leave on our souls that keeps us out of Heaven. Trusting through faith in what Jesus did, not what we did, is the only way anyone can get to Heaven.
So, that sums up my look at 'Courageous,' a wonderful film about family, integrity, and truly knowing Jesus.
Come back next week when we'll be looking at the next film in the series, it'll be another good one.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Take care, and may God bless you all!