New Wineskins
I am a movie fanatic. If there’s a great story playing on the big screen (or at least a decent story with a lot of things blowing up), then I’m there. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Gladiator – coolest ways to die in this movie
- Braveheart – “Freedom!”
- Dumb and Dumber – I have way too much of this movie memorized
- Karate Kid – I’m not talking about the 2010 Jayden Smith nonsense. I’m talking old school, 1984 Ralph Macchio.
- Avatar – simply an overwhelming movie
- Harry Potter – not ashamed. Loved the books, loved the movies
- Lord of the Rings/Hobbit – such an incredible adaptation of the books
- The Blind Side – how can you not love The Blind Side?
- Star Wars – huge fan. I’ve already committed to watching the next 743 movies that Disney will produce off this cash cow
- Shawshank Redemption – When I see that movie on tv, I stop and watch the rest of it, no matter what I’m supposed to be doing
There’s one theme that weaves throughout all of my favorite movies: it’s the theme of the underdog. Dictionary.com defines underdog as “A competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. A person who has little status in society.” What is it about underdogs that make them so compelling? Why do we root for them so much?
I think at the end of the day it comes down to hope. Hope that if they can overcome their difficult circumstances, perhaps we can overcome ours as well. We root for the underdog because we identify with them. In a sense, we’re all underdogs.
At Mt Vernon we just started a brand new sermon series called “Underdogs,” where we’re looking at some of the greatest underdog stories in the Bible and where we’re discovering incredible truths about the God who loves to use underdogs. You can catch up on the first sermon here. If you’re in town, come check us out at 9:00 and 10:30 am, or you can watch online at www.mtvchurch.tv. Hope to see you soon!
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