by Randall Allen Dunn

Some people will never believe you can change.

Having known you at your worst, they expect little of you. Little success, little achievement, little desire to do what’s right. They’ve already labeled you, based on your previous crimes, and nothing will remove that label from their minds.

The 1998 film, “Les Misérables”, shows us such a person in Inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush), a hard-nosed officer pursuing justice by the book. He has no qualms about admitting his own parents were criminals themselves, or the fact he is convinced they cannot change their ways. In his opinion, it has been proven that criminals cannot change.

Which is why he refuses to believe any such change has taken place in Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson), the paroled convict he now suspects is pretending to be reformed while acting as mayor of Vigau.

Javert doesn’t know what happened to Jean Valjean shortly after his parole. That he spent the night at a church, where Bishop Myriel (Peter Vaughan) welcomed him in, though he knew Valjean was a convict. That Valjean talked about becoming a new man, but his limited job prospects led him to steal the church’s silverware instead.

That he lied to the police who caught him, saying the bishop gave him the silverware. That the police joked about his lie when they brought him to the bishop in handcuffs.

But Bishop Myriel told them it was true he gave Valjean the silverware, but was angry with him because he forgot to also take the silver candlesticks, which are far more valuable.

The police released the stunned Valjean, who privately asked Bishop Myriel why he was doing this. The bishop reminded Valjean he had promised to become a new man. “Jean Valjean, my brother. You no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. And now I give you back to God.”

This was how Valjean received the freedom and the means to start a new life, and the conviction to make it a good one. Not one of anxiety and thievery, but one of kindness and charity, giving the best of himself for the rest of his days.

But if Javert had known this, it wouldn’t have mattered. He would still insist that everyone is born as either a criminal or a law-abiding citizen, and destined to die as such.

After Javert spends years hunting him down, Valjean finally gets the chance to do away with him and live his life in peace. A group of revolutionaries capture Javert and plan to kill him, but Valjean insists on having that pleasure himself. He takes Javert to a back alley where no one can see them and asks Javert why he keeps chasing him across the country. Javert warns Valjean he’ll never stop hunting him, so his only chance for freedom is to murder him, like any other criminal would. So Valjean draws his gun … and fires into the air. “You’re dead, Javert,” he says, and walks away.

Javert finally catches Valjean as he is escaping through the sewers with Marius (Hans Matheson), a wounded revolutionary who is in love with Valjean’s adopted daughter, Cosette (Claire Danes). Valjean persuades Javert to release Marius, since he is the one Javert wants. Javert permits Valjean to take Marius home to let Cosette care for him.

Meanwhile, Javert sits and thinks about Valjean, who served as a benevolent mayor in Vigau and then as a father and upstanding figure in Paris, organizing a soup line for the poor. When Valjean returns, Javert confesses privately to him that he cannot make sense of Valjean’s kindness and law-abiding nature, given his criminal background. “It’s a pity the rules don’t allow me to be merciful,” he says. “I’ve tried to live my life without breaking a single rule.”

He confirms that Valjean does not wish to return to prison life, then offers to spare him that torture. Valjean agrees, and waits for Javert to shoot him.

Instead, Javert releases Valjean and places Valjean’s handcuffs on his own wrists. Valjean stares in shock, as Then Javert plunges backward into the Seine River, drowning himself.

This film pares away many elements of the original Les Misérables novel and presents a clear illustration of the gospel: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

Those who live by the spirit of the law can’t understand those who live by a spirit of life and grace. Jean Valjean received grace and spent his life extending that grace to others. Javert tried to live according to the letter of the law. But when his life no longer made sense – when he couldn’t justify either condemning or freeing Valjean – he condemned himself instead. As the Bible also says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:12-13.

According to the Bible, no one can become righteous by making their best moral choices. Righteousness is given by God as a free gift, the same way Bishop Myriel freely released Jean Valjean into a new life, free of condemnation for his past crimes. When someone receives this gift of freedom, they can live a new life, bestowing that same grace on others. But when someone like Javert insists on pursuing righteousness by upholding the letter of the law, they end up condemning those who live by grace. Their own self-righteous efforts ultimately fail, and the spirit of life and grace puts the spirit of the law to death.

If you have made such a change in your life, don’t wait for people like Javert to accept you. Some people simply never will. But you don’t really need others to understand your new life or give their approval. You just need to focus on maintaining the change you’ve been blessed with.

That’s the reason you’ve been given a new life: so you can live it.

Find more reviews of “Les Misérables” at amazon.com!

FAST READ!

A Simple Mistake – a suspense short story

by Randall Allen Dunn

Sybil Strang can’t help being suspicious of the nervous man loitering in the convenience store at closing time. But did she really see a gun inside his rolled-up newspaper?

Young Sybil Strang is ready to close up Quick’s Convenience Store when a man with a scraggly beard enters and begins wandering the aisles. A man who might be hiding a gun.

But with the deputy just five minutes away and a phone in the back room, there’s no reason to panic. As long as Sybil was right about what she saw …

by Randall Allen Dunn

When we experience a tragic loss, it becomes very difficult to think about anything other than our own suffering. It’s hard to get our eyes off of ourselves to think about anything else. People suggest we throw ourselves into our work or lean on family and friends for comfort. Sometimes those things help.

But when we suffer something too deeply to even express, throwing ourselves into work can seem pointless. The comfort of family and friends can turn hollow. Our pain is so huge that it swallows up everything that tries to squelch it.

In those times, the only way to be free of our suffering is to focus on something bigger than our pain. Something bigger than ourselves.

The film, “Soul Surfer”, chronicles the true story of Bethany Hamilton (Annasophia Robb), a teenage girl who dreams of becoming a champion surfer. Raised on the beaches of Hawaii by a family of surfers, she has a good chance of making it happen. Especially when she and her best friend, fellow surfer Alana Blanchard (Lorraine Nicholson), become sponsored by RipCurl, a major surfwear company.

But while surfing one afternoon with Alana and her father, Holt (Kevin Sorbo), Bethany’s left arm is bitten off at the shoulder by a shark. Bethany remains calm as she is rushed to the hospital, where her doctor (Craig T. Nelson) calls her survival miraculous.

Bethany is in good spirits, but doesn’t feel much like a miracle. Having only one arm makes it difficult to even tie her hair back, let alone put on her bathing suit.

Let alone surf.

But she’s determined to get back in the water and resume training for the Hawaiian Island Regionals. Unfortunately, she discovers that she can’t even swim out far enough to reach the big waves. The other surfers leave her in their wake, and her first surfing heat after the accident proves to be an embarrassing failure.

So she quits. When a few young girls ask for her autograph after the competition, she offers them every last one of her surfboards instead. She’s giving up surfing, for good.

Bethany’s mother, Cheri (Helen Hunt), is willing to let her quit surfing if she wants to. But her father, Tom (Dennis Quaid), refuses to accept it, which leads both parents into a frustrated argument.

“She’s a surfer,” Tom insists. “She’s a competitor.”

“She’s more than that,” Cheri argues.

“Cheri. If she walks away from this – if she quits – she may never get back in the water again and she will never be the same.”

“She will never be the same,” Cheri agrees. “And if she thinks the only life out there for her is surfing and she can’t make that happen, then she’s gonna be lost. Really, really lost.”

Tom finally sees Cheri’s point, and soon approaches Bethany as she sulks alone on the beach.

“Why did this happen?”Bethanywonders aloud. “Why did I have to lose everything?”

“You didn’t lose everything,Bethany. Not even close,” Tom says. “That shark didn’t kill you. You’re still here. You’re still alive, with a family that loves you.”

Bethanyasked what she should do with her life now, and Tom acknowledges that he has no answers. “When the time is right, you’ll know,” he says. “Until then, you pray. And you listen.”

“Listen for what?”

“For what comes next.”

Bethany had previously backed out of a commitment to join a short-term mission with her church youth group, which greatly disappointed her youth leader, Sarah Hill (Carrie Underwood). Now, with time on her hands and a readiness to explore new opportunities, Bethany joins a new mission with the group to help rebuild a devastated community in Thailand that was struck by a tsunami. While there, she hears one woman’s story of how she lost her entire family to the tidal wave. Bethany is overwhelmed as she realizes that others have suffered and lost far more than she did.

She also soon learns she can do simple things – carrying supplies and water, ladling out soup in a soup line – that don’t require more than one arm. Simple things that mean a great deal to those who receive it.

When she asks about all the abandoned surfboards set on the beach, Bethany learns that the people are all too shaken by the tidal wave to return to the water. One boy won’t even speak or tell anyone his name. Bethany coaxes the boy into the water, grabbing a board and splashing around until he joins her. Soon everyone is heading back into the waves they feared. Bethany’s love of the water enabled her to inspire others in a way no one else could.

Returning from her trip, Bethany learns she has inspired fans all over the world who are ready to cheer her on in her next competition. Many of them are kids with missing limbs who are following her example. Bethany can’t understand how she inspired anyone by failing so badly in her competition, but Cheri tells her that people like the fact that she tried.

Bethany decides to rejoin the world of competitive surfing, and Tom designs a handle for her surfboard that will allow her to hold onto it when she dives under the surface to reach the larger waves. With new confidence and a new drive, Bethany pushes on to compete, and ultimately to achieve her dream of becoming a professional surfer.

When we suffer a major loss, it’s hard to get a deeper perspective on life. Swallowed by our all-consuming pain, we can’t see the hurdles that others have to overcome.

When we look outside of ourselves, at the people who love and support us, and at a world in need of hope, we realize there’s more to life than what we suffer or experience. Outside of ourselves, we find deeper wounds, more difficult struggles and greater joys than we ever knew existed.

When we suffer deeply, we need to draw hope and strength by looking beyond our suffering to the potential life we can still have. The joy and hope we can still bring to others, simply by continuing to make an effort. Continuing to live. Continuing to be.

Don’t let a tragic loss keep you down and disabled.

Go deeper into the life you have yet to experience, and find your true worth.

Find more reviews of “Soul Surfer” at amazon.com!

by Randall Allen Dunn

The role of fathers is far more significant than many are willing to admit. Women’s liberation emphasized the importance of women’s roles in family and society to such an extent that people ultimately forgot the value of men’s impact, including the impact of fathers on their families. But the relationship we have with our fathers often influences the way we see God as a father, and the way we see ourselves in life.

In exploring this, the film, “Courageous”, starts with heart-pounding action, when a young man hijacks a man’s jeep at a gas station. To the thief’s surprise, the man chases after him, hanging desperately onto the side door as they race down a country highway. After the boy crashes the vehicle into a tree and the man tumbles away, witnesses jump out of their cars to help. One woman tells the car’s owner not to worry about his jeep as he crawls toward it. He assures her he’s not concerned about his car, struggling to open the back door to reveal his infant son crying in the back seat.

The deputies of Albany, Georgiameet the man, Nathan Hayes (Ken Bevel), and learn he is scheduled to join their force the next day. His dangerous act later leads them to wonder whether they would have risked their own lives to save their kids that way.

As the deputies focus on stopping the flow of local drug traffic, their sheriff reports statistics that fatherless children are the most likely to get involved in gangs and crime. He therefore urges those who are fathers to spend time focusing on loving their families.

At home that night, Deputy Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick) rejects the persistent requests of his teenage son, Dylan (Rusty Martin), to join him in a father-son 5K race. Adam sees no need to exhaust himself just so they can spend time together. Later, he takes his daughter, Emily (Lauren Etchells), onto his lap to spend time with her. When the son walks back into the room and sees this, he knows instantly that she is the favorite child. Still, Adam chooses not to look foolish by dancing with Emily in public even when she begs him.

Meanwhile, Nathan works hard to protect his family, especially his teenage daughter, Jade (Taylor Hutcherson), who sees his no-dating policy as far too strict and old-fashioned. Having never known his biological father, Nathan is determined to be a good father to his own kids.

Adam soon meets Javier Martinez (Robert Amaya), a struggling Hispanic immigrant who can’t catch a break. He prays to God for help, but is once again disappointed when a promised job doesn’t work out.

Miraculously, he is hired on the spot by Adam to help him with some handiwork in his back yard, when Adam mistakes him for the “Javier” that a fellow deputy had promised to send to him that day. When Adam realizes a week later that the wrong man is working at his house, he decides that Javier’s work ethic and skill are so outstanding that he’s glad it happened. Javier makes fast friends with Adam and the rest of the deputies.

Later on, when a car accident claims Emily’s life, Adam is at a loss. He asks his wife, Victoria (Renee Jewell), how he can go on without his daughter, and she reminds him that he still has a child.

But when Adam tries to encourage Dylan in their shared grief, he encounters a cold stone wall. Dylan wants nothing to do with him, since Adam wanted nothing to do with Dylan before the accident. Dylan refuses to form a phony father-son bond or become a “replacement” child.

Adam soon realizes how far he has fallen short of being the father he should have been, and could still be. He sets a new standard for himself as a father, based on the requirements he finds listed in the Bible for fathers. Soon Javier, Nathan, and others decide to join him in his public commitment to uphold biblical standards for fatherhood, to love and lead their families, putting the needs of their wives and children above their own.

Their passion for this commitment provokes a rookie deputy, David Thomson (Ben Davies), to confess that he is also a father, but had abandoned his girlfriend after she refused to have an abortion. Encouraged by Nathan, he writes to his estranged girlfriend and ultimately receives her permission to become involved in his daughter’s life again, to be as much of a father to her as he can be.

Adam starts restoring his broken relationship with Dylan, by taking him out to buy two new pairs of running shoes so they can start training for the father-son race. Meanwhile, Nathan takes Jade out for a special dinner, and gives her a purity ring that she is to wear until her wedding day, promising her heart to her father to save herself for the right man. This time, Jade doesn’t find it intrusive or old-fashioned, but understands how special she is to her father, and that any man she marries should honor her the same way.

Javier starts a new job and is finally making enough money to keep his family stable. But when his new employer offers him a promotion and also asks him to falsify some warehouse records, Javier and his wife, Carmen (Angelita Nelson), fear that if he refuses, his integrity will cost him the only real income they can count on. Committed to staying honest, Javier tells his employer he cannot play along. He is then informed that the request was a test, which several other employees before him had failed. Javier’s personal integrity ends up earning him a promotion.

Like it or not, children look to their fathers to set an example in life. To show us how to live responsibly with strength, conviction and compassion. Those who fail to set such an example are simply setting an example of apathy for their kids, that such standards don’t really matter.

At the same time, upholding personal standards while refusing to show our children how much we treasure them destroys the connection we were meant to have. Not only to lead by example or instruction, but by a strong loving bond that no outside influences can break.

Commit now to being the kind of father you were meant to be. The kind of father you still can be.

The kind of father you really want to be.

Happy Father’s Day!

Find more reviews of “Courageous” at amazon.com!

by Randall Allen Dunn

I am sometimes boggled by the rudeness and bad manners that define some of today’s youth. I keep wondering where it comes from, and why the next generation seems incapable of showing respect to the older generation.

It seems that many children and young adults suffer from a selfish self-delusion about their future, assuming that they will one day be a world-famous fashion model or become the next American Idol, after which they will never have to actually work a day in their lives. So they reason that, since their future is all sewn up due to their obvious talent, they don’t need to listen to adults. After all, who needs parents or teachers when you’re a celebrity in the making?

I’m not against stardom. After all, I hope to make a living one day as a writer. But I’m very much against people refusing to face reality because they think they’re above it. Anyone who has achieved lasting celebrity status had to make sacrifices and work hard for it – something that many of today’s “legends in their own mind” don’t grasp.

As I considered these things, and my concerns for the attitudes my own children might adopt, I wondered what made my own childhood different. And I remembered watching the movie, “Pinocchio”, when I was very young.

I remember it scaring me to death.

At the same time, as I grew up, there were certain lines I would simply never cross. I generally did not mouth off to my parents. I didn’t do drugs or smoke. I didn’t drink before I was of legal age, and I seldom drink now. I wasn’t a perfect kid, but I avoided a lot of things I could have gotten involved in, because they had “danger signs” that told me they would lead me into a trap.

I decided to watch “Pinocchio” again with my daughter, Abby, warning her that there would be some scary scenes, but that it was a good movie. I wanted her to learn some life lessons from something meaningful, not from the rude and selfish attitudes modeled on some teen television shows we’ve seen.

In the film, an elder toymaker named Geppetto, having no children of his own, wishes on a star for his latest puppet creation, Pinocchio, to transform into a real human boy. While Geppetto sleeps, a Blue Fairy appears in his toy shop and grants his wish, bringing Pinocchio to life. She tells Pinocchio he has been given a gift, but is still a mere puppet. To become a real boy, he must prove himself to be “brave, truthful and unselfish” by learning to choose wisely between right and wrong. Pinocchio promises to do so, with the help of his new friend, Jiminy Cricket, who volunteers to be Pinocchio’s “conscience”, since Pinocchio has no idea what a conscience is.

Like all of us, Pinocchio starts off with the best of intentions, determined to prove himself dependable by obeying his “father”, Geppetto, and going to school, just like a real boy.

But along the way, Pinocchio runs into two slick con artists that have “Bad Influence” written all over them: a fox named Honest John and a cat named Gideon. (For most of today’s children, meeting a talking fox and cat would be creepy enough to make them keep walking, but Pinocchio has a wooden brain.)

Seeing a wooden puppet with no strings, they seize the opportunity to make a quick buck. They tell Pinocchio that school is for losers, not talented stars like him. As a puppet without strings, Pinocchio should head straight for the theatre to start an acting career instead. Being a puppet with no conscience or experience, Pinocchio swallows their lies and lets them sell him to Stromboli, a puppeteer who makes Pinocchio the star of his show.

But when Pinocchio tells Stromboli he’s ready to head home now, Stromboli throws him in a cage, telling him it’s his new home, and his new job is to make the puppeteer a fortune.

At this point, Abby told me she didn’t like this movie. I understood that. Nobody likes consequences, or even thinking about them. We love to dream of the wonderful life we feel we deserve, but we never consider whether we’re choosing a safe path to get there.

After I promised Abby that Pinocchio would get away, and she would like the movie in the end, she finally agreed to continue.

Thankfully, the Blue Fairy appears to rescue Pinocchio, telling him that poor Geppetto is out searching the streets for him. But when she asks him how he got in a cage, Pinocchio starts telling her the biggest lies he can imagine, despite Jiminy Cricket’s advice to tell the truth. He doesn’t want to confess that he disobeyed Geppetto by skipping school to become a puppet stage star.

So his nose grows.

And grows.

And grows!

The Blue Fairy explains that a person’s lies grow bigger and bigger, until they’re out of control. When Pinocchio confesses the truth and asks for help, the fairy restores his nose to its former wooden glory and sets him free.

The next day, Pinocchio starts out for school again, once more with the best of intentions. And once again, Honest John and Gideon show up to lead him astray. (Isn’t it funny how Bad Influences keep showing up until we learn to just say “no” to them?) This time, they tell him he looks ill, and needs a vacation. They describe a wonderful place for boys to have fun all day long, where they never have to listen to parents or teachers, and never have to be polite or self-controlled. A place where they can gamble and smoke cigars and drink whiskey and cuss as much as they want. A place where little boys like Pinocchio can finally be free!

The place: Pleasure Island.

Pinocchio buys their lies again, ditching his “conscience” Jiminy for the excitement of what Honest John calls freedom. On the wagon ride to Pleasure Island, he meets his new best friend, Lampwick. (When a kid in a story is named “lamp wick”, you know he won’t last for long.) Lampwick is the poster child for Pleasure Island, ready to break windows and play all day, doing everything that grown-ups tell him not to. He wants to experience all the fun in life that he figures the adults are keeping him from.

What neither boy realizes is that the happy owner of Pleasure Island has cast a spell over the place. Every boy who comes there to waste his life away soon finds it taken from him, as he is transformed into a donkey, then shipped away as a beast of burden to various countries.

With Jiminy Cricket’s help, Pinocchio barely escapes with his life, having already acquired a donkey’s ears and tail. Lampwick, of course, doesn’t make it. The Bible states that the candle of the righteous shines brightly, but the candle of the wicked will be snuffed out. Lampwick made his selfish choices, and didn’t seek an escape until it was too late.

Pinocchio arrives home, his foolish choices evident by his long ears and dragging tail. But Geppetto is gone. A letter from the Blue Fairy informs him that Geppetto went searching for him again, but was swallowed by the fearsome whale named Monstro. Pinocchio and Jiminy head out to sea to rescue Geppetto from the whale’s belly. They are soon swallowed by Monstro, too. Reunited with Geppetto, Pinocchio builds a fire inside the whale’s mouth, forcing it to sneeze them out.

As Monstro pursues them, Pinocchio gets Geppetto to safety in an undersea cave, just before the whale smashes into the cliff face. He saves Geppetto and the others, but dies in the attempt.

The Blue Fairy then gives Pinocchio new life as a human boy, since he has finally proven himself to be trustworthy and faithful, putting others above himself.

By the end, Abby decided that she liked “Pinocchio” after all.

Let’s face it, “Pinocchio” is a frightening movie about the dangers of making bad choices. But sometimes, we need to recognize the danger of a pit so that we don’t foolishly fall into it. It’s easy to dream up a perfect life for ourselves, where we achieve stardom, win the lottery, and everybody loves us, as we kick up our feet and soak it all in.

In real life, we need to work to receive an income, even a big one. And we need an education in order to qualify for steady jobs. We need to listen to grown-ups and people with experience, so that we can learn how to live our lives wisely. And we need to treat those people with respect, or they might not be as willing to share their insights with us.

Life isn’t as easy as rock stars and supermodels might make it seem. We love to hear about the mansions they live in, the fast cars they drive, and the people clamoring for their autograph. We’re not so interested in hearing about their fourteen-hour work days on the set, the desserts they had to give up, or the lack of privacy and a genuine social life. Even the rich and famous have to work, and their privileges typically come with a price.

It’s tempting to take the easy route to fortune and freedom, while ignoring everyone who tells you to follow the tried-and-tested rules of life. But many of those “rules” that get ignored are actually laws of nature, about how to treat others and succeed in a community. Cheating or coasting your way through life can cost you friends, your reputation and even your life.

When you’re tempted to chase after the “easy life”, remember that many older and wiser people have experienced that same temptation, and learned there were some strings attached.

Find more reviews of “Pinocchio” at amazon.com!

by Randall Allen Dunn

Here I am again in the room with the cages. A strange emotion makes me pause on the threshold. I now see these creatures in a new light. It is with anguish that I wonder, before making up my mind to enter, if they will recognize me after my long absence. Well, they do recognize me. All their eyes are fixed on me, as they always used to be, and even with a sort of deference. Am I dreaming or do I really discern a new look in them, a look reserved for me and different from the glances they bestow on their ape warders? A gleam impossible to describe, but in which I fancy I see an awakened curiosity, an unusual emotion, shades of ancestral memories trying to emerge from bestiality, and perhaps … an uncertain glimmer of hope.

This hope, I believe, I have myself unconsciously nourished for some time. Is it not the reason why I am overwhelmed by this feverish excitement? It is not I, I, Ulysse Mérou, the man whom destiny has brought to this planet to be the instrument of human regeneration?

Here, distinctly stated at last, is the hazy notion that has been haunting me for a month. The good Lord does not shoot dice, as a certain physicist once said. Nothing happens by mere chance in the cosmos. My voyage to the world of Betelgeuse was decreed by a superior consciousness. It is up to me to show myself worthy of the choice and to be the new savior of this human race in decline.

The debate over creation vs. evolution is more than a matter of scientific data vs. religious dogma. It’s about who we believe ourselves to be.

It can’t start with that belief, of course. It must start with facts, which include scientific data, historical documentation, eyewitness accounts, and other factors that lead us to a reasonable conclusion. My personal faith is not based on what I would prefer to believe, or what I would hope myself to be. It is based on the testimony of others who have experienced God in their lives, the pairing of the Bible’s historic record and teachings with what I see happening in people’s everyday lives, and my own personal experiences with God, after making the initial decision to trust God to direct my life’s path.

Many people claim to have determined that God does not exist, based on scientific research – excluding all other forms of research that are normally used to form a conclusion. However, these same people readily deny any evidence or line of reasoning that contradicts their conclusions. In other words, their scientific “dogma” prevents them from staying open to the truth, preferring instead to settle into a comfortable belief that insures them against having to deal with an all-powerful Creator.

Whatever “evidence” you reject or deny, you will find that it determines how you view your own existence. If you believe in intelligent design – the idea that some creative force brought you to life – then you will naturally assume you were created for a purpose. Your life has specific meaning, and you have a destiny to fulfill. You must then decide whether you will fulfill it.

If you believe you are a product of natural selection, and that you happened to evolve into the creature you now are, you will see yourself as an animal, not much different than other animals. The only difference is that you sprang from apes that “chose” to evolve, whereas other apes did not. (I still don’t grasp how an animal can “choose” to evolve into anything, when they are all presumed to be the product of natural selection instead of design, but maybe I just haven’t thought this through as much as those clever scientists who believe in evolution by choice.)

If you believe you are here as a random accident, you will naturally conclude that your choices in life don’t matter very much. If you are merely an animal, then it doesn’t matter how you treat others or what kind of legacy you leave behind, so long as we can keep our current society functioning smoothly. And if we “just happened” to come to life, then we will end up blaming others for the course our life takes, always talking about how things “just happen” to us, rather than taking any responsibility for the results of our own choices.

In the book, Planet of the Apes, by Pierre Boulle, Ulysse Mérou joins a team of explorers as they journey into outer space to observe a distant sun. They land on the planet of Soror, and soon discover that the planet is entirely populated by civilized apes – gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees – that dress like people and have formed a society very much like that of humans. Meanwhile, the humans on the planet act like savage animals, running wild and naked through the wilderness, and incapable of expressing themselves except through primitive gestures and bestial growls. They’re frightened by the visitors’ spoken language, and by their smiles, which are too alien for them to even mimic.

Ulysse is captured and treated like an animal for some time, unable to address his captors in their own language, to convince them that he is intelligent. When a female ape, Zira, notices Ulysse’s ability to speak a few simian words, she realizes that he is not like other savage men, but capable of thought and decisions. She soon discovers that his intelligence compares to her own, and begins teaching him how to speak the simian language so that he can communicate.

But Zaius, another ape scientist like Zira, refuses to concede that a human could be capable of such abilities. He insists that Ulysse’s speech and activities are mere mimicry, like tricks taught to a clever pet.

Zira and her fiancé, a chimpanzee researcher named Cornelius, help Ulysse to convince the majority of apes that he does, in fact, possess the same intellectual capacity of any ape. In fact, Cornelius quickly concedes that Ulysse’s testimony about Earth’s development suggests that they have advanced further and more quickly than the apes have.

But when Ulysse learns that the other surviving member of his party, Professor Antelle, has been captured and is being kept in a local zoo, he asks Zira and Cornelius to take him there. He finds the professor naked and acting like all of the other humans in his cage. Ulysse tries to explain to him that he has secured their freedom, and the professor no longer needs to behave like an animal. But his speech, actions and clothing only frighten the professor. After being locked up with all of these other “human animals” for months, he has begun to act just like them. After being treated like an animal and taught that he is one, the professor has come to fully believe it, and to act accordingly. His belief became so firmly entrenched that he could not see himself as being anything else.

There was no response. He showed not the slightest sign of comprehension but, with another frightened gesture like that of a startled beast, recoiled still further.

I was in despair, and the apes seemed extremely puzzled. Cornelius wrinkled his brow, as he did when he was trying to find the solution to a problem. It crossed my mind that the professor, frightened by their presence, might well be pretending to be witless. I asked them to move away and leave me along with him, to which they readily agreed. When they had disappeared, I walked around the cage to reach the corner in which the scientist had taken refuge and again I spoke to him:

“Master,” I implored him, “I understand your caution. I know the danger to which men from Earth are exposed on this planet. But we are alone, I give you my word of honor, and our ordeals are over. You must believe me, your companion, your disciple, your friend, Ulysse Mérou.”

He shrank back still further, darting furtive glances in my direction.

Some people are like that. They feel they are a product of circumstances, of upbringing, of lineage, or of the government system. They feel they cannot be anything more than they are, because all of their choices in life have already been made for them. They believe they have “evolved” into their current condition, and that nothing can ever change who they are or what will happen to them in life, because things “just happen” to them. Since they are essentially animals, born through a series of random accidents and natural selection, they cannot control their own behavior, let alone presume to have a destiny for something significant.

I believe we are more than that. I believe we were all created to do something great with our lives, to impact the lives of thousands of people, even if it’s simply by being a good parent or a good mechanic or a good friend. When we know that we were created for a purpose, whether or not we ever seek or acknowledge our Creator, then we recognize that our lives have significance. That we are not just animals that can’t be held responsible for our actions, or be expected to influence people in a greatand positive way. Who you are, and the way you were designed, makes a big difference to the people around you.

You were made to be special, and to do something significant.

Believe it.

Find more reviews of Planet of the Apes at amazon.com!

by Randall Allen Dunn

It’s easy to be jealous of people. Wishing you had the talent, the money, or the attention that seems to come so easily to others. We all grow up admiring certain people who have achieved something we still long for.

I recently struggled with jealousy, seeing some people achieve publishing success that I’ve dreamed of for years, when they didn’t even seem to be trying. In fact, some of them had never even planned to become writers. And yet, they worked hard and established a career that still eludes me. It really frustrated me for a couple of weeks, making me question whether I have any publishing future at all. When someone accomplishes so much, it can make you look at your own life and conclude that you have accomplished very little, if anything at all.

In the film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, Edmund Pevensie (Skandar Keynes) and his younger sister, Lucy (Georgie Henley), are longing for the day they might return to Narnia. Time works differently in that magical world, where the two children have already lived a lifetime, as a legendary king and queen.

But those glory days are gone, and they must now live out their lives in the real world, as children once more. Too young to be taken seriously, or to have their true talents recognized. Edmund attempts to enlist as a soldier, pretending he’s old enough, but his bluff fails. Though he’s already fought countless battles in Narnia, he’s now viewed as a simple boy with no experience or talent for fighting to save lives.

Meanwhile, Lucy longs to be seen as attractive, like her older sister, Susan (Anna Popplewell), who never seems to have trouble getting a boy’s attention. When she and Edmund are swept back into Narnia, she chances upon a book of ancient spells, finding one for making herself beautiful. She eagerly recites the incantation, and steps in front of a mirror to see … Susan! She has become her drop-dead gorgeous sister, just as she had hoped!

She then steps outside, joining guests at an English garden party, where her brothers Edmund and Peter (William Moseley) are delighted to see her. However, they keep calling her “Susan”. When she asks about Lucy, her brothers have no idea who she’s talking about. Nor do they know anything about a place called Narnia, though it had always been the most wonderful secret shared among the siblings.

Realizing she has made a terrible mistake, Lucy struggles to free herself from the nightmare of non-existence, and immediately runs into Aslan (Liam Neeson), the great lion who rules all of Narnia. Aslan asks Lucy if she realizes what she has done. He reminds her that her siblings only knew of Narnia at all because she had discovered it and led them in. In her desire to become more like Susan, Lucy became less and less like herself. Until she ceased to exist altogether. Only then does she realize that she is valuable just for who she is – as Lucy – and being less like Susan doesn’t make her any less important.

She apologizes to Aslan for his impulsive mistake, thankful that it was only a dream, and that she herself is still alive.

A friend at church recently stated that God knows our complete destiny and has already “taken the picture” – we are simply waiting for it to develop. Hearing this, I realized that there was plenty of room for me to achieve success, just as others had done before me. Recognizing this, I could be more appreciative of what those other people had accomplished in pursuing their dreams, because each of those people, and their individual achievements, have great value in this world. When my future works finally “develop” and are published, they will also have great value. But I have great value now, as a husband, father, teacher and friend. It’s wrong to have a low opinion of the things I already do, and the place I already hold in life, because I am already a great blessing to others.

It’s easy to be jealous of people. And it’s wise to study the examples of others so that we can try to follow their paths to success. But when we follow them, we should not hope to become them. In the end, we remain ourselves, both before and after achieving our deepest dreams. If we don’t – if we shortchange the things that we’ve already achieved and fail to acknowledge our own worth – then we have nothing left to give the world when we do earn that hard-won success.

Don’t abandon the person you already you are, or the things you’ve already accomplished in life. You are already a blessing to those around you, whether you achieve your dreams or not. Other people might seem to have something you don’t, but you have something in you that’s irreplaceable.

Always appreciate who you are.

Find more reviews of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader” at amazon.com!

by Randall Allen Dunn

In a world that is constantly changing, refusing to change is like standing still. We all grow accustomed to doing things a certain way, using the same approach to solve problems that we’ve used for the last twenty years. We figure it’s not broken, so we don’t fix it.

But to impact our communities, we need to connect with people in a way they understand. Which means we need to get on their level. Maintaining the status quo in our churches and schools and community service centers will also maintain the status quo among the people we want to reach and help.

Unfortunately, some people keep telling themselves that the old ways aren’t actually broken, because they don’t want to adjust to anything new.

In the 1979 comedy, “The North Avenue Irregulars”, Reverend Michael Hill (Edward Herrmann) arrives at the North Avenue Presbyterian Church to start his duties as the new minister. He’s taking up the mantle of the retiring Reverend Woods, who had overseen most church activities with his adult daughter, Anne (Susan Clark). Rev. Hill has a lot of radical ideas for changing things at North Avenue, like bringing in a rock band to give their Sunday morning worship service a fresh sound. Which leads Anne, who is having trouble adjusting to the new leadership, to resign her long-held post as music director.

Rev. Hill also urges more volunteer leadership from church members, an idea that backfires when he puts Mrs. Rafferty (Patsy Kelly) in charge of church funds. She soon confesses that her husband tried to increase it by betting the entire fund on a horse race. Rev. Hill tries to retrieve the money, but the underground gambling operators lock him outside without his pants. He returns to the gambling den later, but a long delay from corrupt police allows the criminals to cover their tracks.

When Rev. Hill is scheduled to give an inspirational prayer on local television, he ends up railing against the town’s illegal gambling instead. He points out that the money spent on gambling never benefits the community; it only lines the pockets of organized crime bosses.

When Anne criticizes him for using the church to serve his own purposes, Rev. Hill insists that he’s trying to fulfill the purpose of the church. “If the church is not a moral force in the community, then it’s just another building with stained glass windows and a steeple!” he argues. But the presbytery swiftly reprimands him for using the television prayer slot as a political platform.

However, Rev. Hill’s announcement encourages two Treasury Department agents to recruit his help in eliminating the gambling joints. Agent Marv Fogleman (Michael Constantine) explains that the town’s gambling operations are headed by Max Roca (Frank Campanella). If Rev. Hill can recruit some men to go undercover and witness the bets being placed, they can build up enough testimonies to gradually destroy Roca’s business.

Rev. Hill agrees, but he can’t find any church members willing to take the risk. Except for a handful of supportive women: the elder Mrs. Rafferty; unaware, well-to-do Claire (Cloris Leachman); bride-to-be Jane (Karen Valentine); tough, practical-minded Cleo (Virginia Capers); and neighborhood mom Vickie (Barbara Harris). Willing to try a fresh angle, the chauvinistic Agent Fogleman confides to Rev. Hill, “When you think about it, who would suspect a bunch of ding-a-ling dames?” Still, he has little confidence in their abilities for the task.

The women immediately prove him right, botching three sting operations so badly that Fogleman decides to give up. But the ladies refuse to be written off. They suggest following Roca’s men to find their “bank”, where their illegal earnings are kept, to shut them down for good. Fogleman laughs off the idea at first, but then decides it can’t hurt to try, and Claire springs for two-way car radios to coordinate their efforts.

Sadly, these women have no idea how to follow a suspect. When Fogleman asks Jane which direction a car is traveling, she tells him, “Towards that new boutique.” Vickie isn’t at her assigned position, because she forgot she’s escorting kids to a baseball game. And Cleo’s car – borrowed from her husband’s junkyard dealership – won’t even start. On another day, all the women follow their suspect in a single file line, and Claire ends up ramming into the suspect’s car.

Fogleman is so upset that his doctor places him on bedrest to calm his nerves. Rev. Hill secures permission to man the radio operations, and continues to lead the women from his office. Anne is outraged when she realizes they’re all risking their lives over this crazy crusade, and resigns as Hill’s secretary.

That night, the criminals bomb the North Ave Presbyterian Church building. Rev. Hill and Anne are both stunned. “I never dreamed that they’d do this,” Rev. Hill says, anticipating Anne’s righteous judgment for his recklessness. Instead, she tells him, “I was so wrong. Mike, I want to fight them with you.” Anne realizes that the threat is real, and must be stopped at any cost. Sticking to her old ways would mean letting the criminals steamroll over her beloved church and community.

But the presbytery decides not to rebuild North Avenue Presbyterian Church, or to retain the services of Rev. Hill, who regrets having cost the women their church.

Meanwhile, the women persist in chasing down Roca’s men, continuing to improve and advance against them. One of Roca’s men complains that “they ain’t as easy to shake as they used to be.”

“A bunch of church ladies??” Roca explodes in disbelief.

Together, Rev. Hill and the women ultimately find the hidden bank and capture Roca and his men. The women also help the presbytery to see the wisdom of Rev. Hill’s actions and to renew their church’s charter.

It’s easy to settle into a familiar system, and hard to adjust to a new approach. But if we focus on the end goal to be achieved, the methods and structure grow less important. If, instead, we focus on keeping ourselves comfortable with old ways, then all of our proud institutions and noble efforts become a smokescreen, masking the fact that we’re not accomplishing much.

Is it worth preserving an old order if it means sacrificing everyone else’s future?

Shake the foundations and try something new.

Do what it takes to make a difference.

Find more reviews of “The North Avenue Irregulars” at amazon.com!

by Randall Allen Dunn

It’s remarkable to me that some atheists are convinced that the world would be a better place without faith. Although history proves otherwise, they are certain that such a world would cause everyone to stop waiting for a fairy-tale God to rescue them from their troubles, and would start relying on themselves for a change.

Therein lies the problem. As a people, we’re simply not that reliable.

In the film, “The Book of Eli,” atheists get their wish. The world has been wiped out by nuclear holocaust, turning the earth into a vast desert wasteland. Few resources are available anymore. No cars, air conditioning, or even running water.

Through this wasteland, one man, Eli (Denzel Washington) has been walking for a long time. Years, in fact. He carries with him the only surviving Bible, and a machete to help protect it from merciless raiders.

He enters a desert town reminiscent of the Wild West, run by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie is struggling to re-build society by force, but he wants his citizens to submit to his rule willingly. Which is why he’s sent men out to find a Bible, to help everyone renew their hope for change. Carnegie knows that people need to find the right words to direct the faith they still retain in their hearts, and he wants to be the one to control that faith.

Seeing how well Eli fights, Carnegie keeps him locked up, to consider joining his small army. He sends a young girl, Solara (Mila Kunis), to entertain Eli, and she asks him what is like in the old world, before the holocaust.

“People had more than they needed,” Eli tells her. “We had no idea what was precious. What wasn’t. We threw away things people kill each other for now.”

Solara finds this hard to believe. She can’t imagine a world in which people have plenty.

Eli invites her to share the dinner that Carnegie has provided him, then asks her to join hands so he can say grace. Solara is frightened by his odd tradition, but agrees to give him her hands.

Eli prays, “Dear Lord, we thank you for this meal. We thank you for a warm bed and a roof over our head on cold nights such as this. It’s been too long. We thank you for the gift of companionship in hard times like these. Amen.”

Though strange, the custom somehow seems fitting to Solara. To show gratitude to Something or Someone beyond her material world. To express faith, which somehow breeds hope.

Though she doesn’t know what Eli believes, she later tries to mimic his prayer to her blind mother, Claudia (Jennifer Beals). To share a sense of hope and gratitude with her, to believe together that things can get better.

When Carnegie discovers that Eli is carrying a Bible, he urges him to surrender it, for the good of society. Eli plans to do just that, but he doesn’t trust Carnegie’s plans for the Bible.

After a bloody battle, Eli leaves town. Solara joins him, curious to learn more about him and to help him in his quest to find a safe place for the Bible. While they’re on the run, she asks him about “the book” itself. Eli reluctantly explains why he has taken it upon himself to protect this Bible, which he claims is the last surviving copy.

“After the war, people made it their business to find and destroy any that the fires didn’t get already,” Eli says. “Some people said this was the reason for the war in the first place. Anyway, it’s the only one that survived. … One day, I heard a voice. It’s hard to explain but it was like it was coming from inside me. But I could hear it as clear as I can hear you talking to me now.”

“What did this voice say?” she presses.

“It led me to a place where I found the book, buried in some rubble. The voice told me to carry the book out west. Told me that a path would be laid out for me. That I’d be led to a place where the book was safe. Told me that I’d be protected from anyone, anything, that stood in my path. I’ve been walking ever since.”

Solara purses her lips. “And you did all that because a voice in your head told you to?”
”Yes, I did,” he counters. “I know what I heard. I know what I hear. I know I’m not crazy. And I know I would have never made it without help.”

Carnegie soon catches up to them, and threatens to kill Solara unless Eli surrenders the book. Eli hesitates, but finally hands over his Bible.

“I didn’t think you’d ever give up the book,” Solara tells him later. “I thought it was too important to you.”

“It was,” Eli confesses. “In all these years I’ve been carrying it and reading it every day, I got so caught up in keeping it safe that I forgot to live by what I learned from it.”

“And what’s that?” she asks.

“To do more for others than you do for yourself,” he says. “At least, that’s what I got from it.”

Many Christians and people with religious delusions have made the same mistake Eli made. Defending their faith while treating unbelievers with hatred or indifference. Which is one reason many atheists reject the idea of faith.

It’s also why I don’t fault someone for choosing not to believe in God. But many atheists delude themselves when they presume that their decision was an intellectual one. When pressed to explain exactly why they refuse to believe in God – that is, what convinced them that God could not exist – these well-educated doubters will cite emotional reasons rather than scientific ones.

They will explain that they “tried religion” and God let them down. Or that God could never forgive all the wrongs they have done in their life. Or that if God is anything like their abusive human father, they don’t want to know a “Father in Heaven”. Put simply, most atheists simply lost faith in anything supernatural, and rather than confess their personal disappointment with life, they created intellectual arguments that made them feel they had attained a higher level of intellect than someone who does believe.

But if the world is free of faith, do they truly imagine that we will be better off? When people no longer have the ability to forgive or love others without expecting something in return? When people stop showing exemplary kindness, even to enemies and strangers? When people no longer believe in miracles, such as a changed heart?

Like running water and electricity, people don’t realize the value of some things until they’re gone. If everyone stopped saying grace over their meals … If every mother stopped praying for her children … If every church stopped helping the poor and homeless and those forgotten by society … If every person stopped forgiving and believing in people who have consistently hurt them … Will that be a better world?

Carnegie’s little empire ultimately falls apart, as his wounds get the best of him and his soldiers begin taking over. In Carnegie’s lawless world, might equals right. There is no sense of honor, even among thieves. Only bullies with guns, ruling until a bigger bully comes along. His kingdom collapses just like that of Nero, who burned Christians on poles to light his garden. Or Stalin, who leveled churches and murdered thousands of Christians in order to establish a Communist society of complete atheism.

These kingdoms have come crashing down, while religious people like Eli survive, passing their beliefs on to hopeful people like Solara.

Instead of looking at the cruelty and ignorance that some Christians have demonstrated, and ignoring the same cruelty and ignorance of many atheist leaders, consider those people of faith who demonstrate a life of love and kindness. Do we truly want our society to be free of those characteristics? Do we expect that those people could show the same level of unselfish love if they didn’t believe in a God who loves them the same way?

You may not be a person of faith. You may not think you need it in your personal life.

But take a look around you at the way others live, and ask yourself: What will you do when it’s gone?

Find more reviews of “The Book of Eli” at amazon.com!

“Rambo” was a horrific film to watch. Lightning-fast scenes of bloody carnage as people were shot and mutilated in gory detail. Of course, viewers have come to expect this extreme brand of violence in Rambo films.

What’s surprising is that the vast majority of bloodshed is not caused by Rambo himself, but by the corrupt, savage, merciless government officials he’s fighting against. What’s more surprising is how horrifically real it all feels, because it’s really happening. The butchery that some of us only encounter in movies or video games is being experienced by innocent victims in other parts of the world as a daily reality. Burmese citizens continue to be persecuted by the Burmese army today. For more information, click this link to the Democratic Voice of Burma website.

Seeing the widespread suffering makes one feel overwhelmed and helpless. What can anyone do to help?

Hardened by his own experience with war and suffering, the film’s hero, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), has once more settled into obscurity in Thailand, capturing snakes to sell to local event promoters. Once a Green Beret who fought in Vietnam, Rambo has had enough of the world and its wars. He’s no longer interested in being part of either one.

When he’s approached by Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze), a Christian missionary who asks him to transport a small missionary team into Burma, Rambo turns him down cold. “Burma’s a war zone,” he tells Michael.

“Well, that’s what people call it, but it’s more like genocide than war,” Michael replies. “Anyway, this will be my fifth trip in, so we are aware of all the risks. … Our church is part of a Pan-Asian ministry located in Colorado. We’re all volunteers who, around this time of year, bring in medical supplies, medical attention, prayer books and support for the Karen tribespeople. … So what I’m asking is that we compensate you for a few hours of your time that will help change people’s lives.”

“Are you bringing in any weapons?” Rambo asks.

“Of course not,” Michael assures him.

Rambo smiles sarcastically. “You’re not changing anything.”

Sarah Miller (Julie Benz), one of the other missionaries, disagrees. She persists in hounding Rambo, since his boat is the only one that can take them into Burma. “Maybe you’ve lost your faith in people,” she challenges. “But you must still be faithful to something. You must still care about something. Maybe we can’t change what is, but trying to save a life isn’t wasting your life, is it?”

Despite Rambo’s stubborn views, Sarah still believes that things can change, without weapons.

And they do. Sarah’s conviction persuades Rambo to take their small band up the river, without even accepting any pay.

In no time, a run-in with Burmese pirates leads Rambo to brutally kill four men. His butchery of the gang enrages Michael. When he argues that they’re on a peaceful mission, Rambo informs him that the pirates would have raped Sarah mercilessly, before cutting all of the missionaries’ heads off. He again insists that they all go home, to live out their lives in safety.

Sarah refuses. “What happened here, it’s horrible. But the people in there are being killed like this every day.” She turns to Rambo. “I know you don’t believe in what we’re doing, but it’s our life. Our choice.”

Rambo tells her again that they won’t change anything. But Sarah’s kindness and persistence win him over. She touches his hand. “Please, John,” she says. “Please.”

Rambo relents, and proceeds to take them into Burma. There, the missionaries set up a small makeshift hospital to treat wounded locals.

Until their mission is attacked by Burmese soldiers, who capture the missionaries and shoot down innocents, including women and children and wounded men. Learning of this, Rambo joins a group of mercenaries, who help rescue the missionaries, freeing everyone to go back where they came from. And as Rambo predicted, nothing has changed.

Except that the leading Burmese general is killed, ending his savage reign. And a mercenary nicknamed “Schoolboy” (Matthew Marsden), admiring the missionaries’ noble efforts to bring about peaceful change, stays behind when the other mercenaries depart, saving both Rambo and Sarah. Michael learns that there is “a time to kill”, as the Bible says, in order to save the lives of others.*

And Rambo finds something he had lost: hope, and self-acceptance. Enough to return to the United States, after staying away for years, and to seek a reunion with his father, no longer ashamed of who he is or what he has done. No longer hiding behind his war wounds.

Enough hope to believe that the kindness of people like Sarah truly can – and does – make a difference. Because it made a difference in him.

For another perspective on “Rambo”, see April’s first Weekly Blog.

Find more reviews of “Rambo” at amazon.com!

*NOTE: Although the Bible speaks of times when people kill and when God commands his followers to go to war, these Bible verses must be interpreted in the context of their specific times and situations. Stating that the Bible teaches there is “a time to kill” is in no way meant to support the actions of militant groups who pursue a violent agenda in the name of Christ. For further thoughts about this, please see the March 31 “What’s New?” post.