More on The Da Vinci Code - Opus Dei

Last night, we were given a book by Josh McDowell called, "The Da Vinci Code - A Quest for Answers". It's a short book with 3 college aged characters discussing the movie and then reading the book together and meeting up once a week to discuss the book. One of the characters has done research on some of the organizations and events that occur in the book. When the other two raise questions, he pulls out the research he has found.

I have not read the book. I have not seen the movie. The only way I will read the book or see the movie is if I do not have to put down any money for it. I do not believe in giving people my money who deliberately mock God's word. Although I trust Josh McDowell and trust that his book is a reavealing of falsehoods in Dan Brown's book, I wanted to research for myself, which I am sure that Josh would be more than happy to see people doing.

I start with the first discussion in Josh's book - The Opus Dei. This is a real organization. According to their site and on a page talking about the book and movie, they let truth seekers know that most of the organization is made up of lay people and 2% are priests. But there are no monks in this organization.

I have been hearing that this movie is entertaining and well done. These people have been taking it in as fiction, pure and simple. They also recognize the falshoods stated in the movie and some disagree with what he has said about Christ. My question is, how can a book and movie with so many falsehoods in it do so well? I understand that it's a novel and not marketed as a documentary, however, having truthful statements about events and organizations is nice to be able to get into the story. Many people get angry and upset when a book or movie is inconsistant or incorrect in their portrayal of firearms. I know I am. When a character has a certain firearm and in the next scene he has a different one in hand (this happens alot) or when the character uses the firearm in a way that particular firearm - if real - cannot work. But when a Christian voices concern about a movie depicting Christianity in such poor lighting we are told, how can a book or movie shake you in your faith? My faith is not shaken. But I do not appreciate the lies that are being told in this book.

Mona Lisa Smile

Another W.I.P.

I am watching the movie, "Mona Lisa Smile" with Julia Roberts. Based in 1953, a radical thinker from California comes to the west coast to teach art at a conservative women's college.

I knew that I would like the movie. I knew that the writers wanted to "liberate" the minds of the conservative, or to show it's liberal audience how silly and primitive conservatives are.

The audience is supposed to shudder at the thought of young women being pruned to become wives and mothers and not even out of college.

I am a Christian. I am not religeous. Well, I don't want to be.

Conform to what other people expect or you can (our mega conservative character steps in and finishes the sentence) be ourselves.

It is my belief that liberal society expects women to work. Work, work, work, make money, have sex, get an abortion if you get pregnant, fulfill your dreams now while you are still young. Rise to the top, who cares who you step on.

I'm not saying that the conservative society is better. I don't really know what the conservative society would have women do nowdays. I do know that the choices I have made, the choices my husband and I have made for our family are frowned upon by both sides. 6 children. I stay at home. I homeschool. It's shocking.

We follow what we believe to be the leading of the Holy Spirit. That is the difference between what I do and what a conservative or liberal woman would do. I don't follow what a certain party does or thinks. I don't follow what a religeous party does or think. My frame of reference is the Bible. My bible is the Bible. The inspired word of God. My God is alive. My God is not stuffed in a book. I have a relationship with Him. I know that He has my best interest in mind.

Conservatives are all about traditions.

Liberals are all about breaking them.

No one has all the answers.

I agree with what the writers are saying, that one must not blindly follow others. But don't you dare look down your snooty liberal nose at me, when I tell you that I am a wife who loves her husband. I am a wife who stays at home and homeschools her children. And I want to homeschool through high school. I want my children to be the best at whatever it is they choose to do. But I do think that mothers should be mothers full time. I do not think that it's healthy for a family when a mom works outside the home. The mother should put her husband's needs and the needs of her children first. There is time for a woman, who chooses to get married and have children, to pursue her other dreams after the children have left home.

Ok. So I finished watching the movie. I liked it. I liked the characters and I liked the way Julia Robert's character made the girls think. To not accept something just because it's been this way always.

I did appreciate the interraction between Miss Watson (J.Roberts) and Joan (Julia Stiles) when Miss Watson approached Joan at Joan's house to give her some law school information in the city where Joan's boyfriend was going to be residing. Joan let Miss Watson know that she and her boyfriend eloped last night. Miss Watson was clearly disappointed, but quickly regained her composure and said that Joan could have both. Joan told Miss Watson that being married and having a family was what she wanted. Joan reminded Miss Watson that she told the girls to go after what you wanted. Joan told Miss Watson that what she wanted was to be a wife and mother.

The problem with the interraction was that I was made to believe that Joan wasn't sincere. That Joan was "settling" because that was what was expected of her and was not really what she wanted. Again, the "conservative" lifestyle was made to look like a compromise and not really following your heart.

We are a diverse nation. We all have our own dreams. Just because I am living out my dream of being a stay-at-home mom and a wife diesn't mean I compromised anything else. Not a balanced movie at all. But, is there really a balanced movie out there? This one just struck a nerve because I felt that the "family structure" was being attacked.

The Da Vinci Code

Rick Joyner at Morningstar Ministries had some good information on the book, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I encourage anyone wanting to seek out truth on this to include this on your list of things to read.

The Da Vinci Code and The Gospel of Judas
Rick Joyner's Word of the Week for week 19 also touches on this.

Rogue Waves

I had been watching the television show on the Discovery Channel called, "Deadliest Catch". Cool show about Alaskan crab fishermen. They had mentioned something about rogue waves coming and coming over the ship.

Monday morning, I awoke to a strange dream. I was in the ocean. There were lots of people there at the beach. This wave comes out of nowhere. It's HUGE. It is over us and smashes us down. I'm ok and look back and there is another one. I run to the beach and the next wave comes and overtakes the beach.

There's more to the dream, but more on that later.

I'm now going through the tv guide looking for interesting shows to record and come across History Channel's, Rogue Waves. I'm watching it now and am reminded of my dream and what I saw on Deadliest Catch.

I think I have some research to do and see what God is speaking in this.

I write to you, little children

I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven
you for His name's sake.
I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him
who is from the beginning.
I write to you, youn men,
Because you have overcome
the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the
Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him
who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, youn men,
Because you are strong, and
the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.

1 John 2:12-14

Jeremiah 17:1-18

My calendar for May has the scripture Jeremiah 17:7,8 - Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord...he will be like a tree planted by the water.

I love this verse. I want to be like a tree planted by the water. I want to be blessed because I trust in the Lord. This verse is awesome. But I wanted to dig a bit deeper and read what happened before Jeremiah wrote this.

Jeremiah 17:1-18

1 "Judah's sin is engraved with an iron tool,
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars.

2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.

3 My mountain in the land
and your wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,
together with your high places,
because of sin throughout your country.

4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn forever."

5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

10 "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
is the man who gains riches by unjust means.
When his life is half gone, they will desert him,
and in the end he will prove to be a fool.

12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.

13 O LORD, the hope of Israel,
all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
because they have forsaken the LORD,
the spring of living water.

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.

15 They keep saying to me,
"Where is the word of the LORD ?
Let it now be fulfilled!"

16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips is open before you.

17 Do not be a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.

18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.

I want to be that tree planted by the water. I want to make sure that I don't let sin in my life get in the way.

Mommy, are we going to Morningstar today?

I've been hearing that every day for a week now. It's awesome. The Auld family is going to The Gathering Conference at Morningstar June 29 - July 1. I'm SO excited and so is the rest of the family. Kenaniah, our 3-year-old, has been the one asking me every day. I've been playing the Morningstar worship DVDs and I showed the kids that that's where we are going and that we are staying in the hotel where the conference is going to be held. Kenny wants the conference to be tomorrow! How sweet. He's actually the only one of my kids to have gone to a Morningstar conference. But he cannot remember as he was less than a year old. :)