Waves Fall 2004 Newsletter

...I knew that God had placed them there as warring angels...who believed in God and loved him enough
to give their lives to his service. -- The Awakening Heart by Betty J. Eadie, p. 88

September, 2004

W.A.V.E.S. Newsletter

Fall Edition

Embraced by the Light

Prayers

The Popcorn and Candy Stand

Reviews: Seabiscuit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
by Sharon Robbins

Seabiscuit Rating:

(4 halos) Rated PG13
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper
Good movie for teenagers; however, it is long and may fail to keep their interest.
Now available on DVD

Those of you struggling with the U.S. economy will find Seabiscuit to be the movie for you. Seabiscuit, a movie set deep in the Depression era, sheds light on those hardest hit by the Depression and how it destroyed their lives. The story of Seabiscuit is about how four separate lives were fashioned for the role of bringing Seabiscuit to the attention of people everywhere. It is my lowly opinion that this movie is a gift from God reminding us that even in the darkest times there is hope for all of us.

The movie begins by taking us through the life of Seabiscuit’s owner, Jeff Bridges, who is rising from the sorrowful ashes of his own losses. We then move on to Seabiscuit’s trainer, played by Chris Cooper, a cowboy who finds that the world suddenly has no use for old cowpokes. He ends up acquiring horses he saves from a bullet due to a cracked shin or a torn ligament. This trainer knows how to nurse them all to health. Then we encounter Seabiscuit’s jockey, played by Tobey Maguire. Our jockey watches as his own family, who found him his first jockey job in an effort to keep him safe and sound, is destroyed by the Depression. Now Maguire’s character is parted and forever lost from his dear family. Seabiscuit, our hero, was born the son of a great racehorse but was found unworthy by his trainers and owners, who later resort to beating the horse to force him to perform.

It’s heartbreaking to watch these four lives broken by such loss, but (here’s the miracle of it all) it is the losses that make them perfect for this story. Each of them is fashioned like a beautiful likeness in granite stone by the greatest Stone Craftsman of all. They each see the diamond in the rough that is Seabiscuit, and each of them nurtures Seabiscuit to step into the role of his destiny.

The first time I watched this three-hour movie I cried healing tears from deep inside. My spirit recognized the intended message that, even in the darkest times when one is close to losing hope, we must have faith in our Father, because even then He is fashioning us for another role. As a diamond is made from the most intense pressure and the blackest coal, so we, too, are fashioned for a role yet unknown.

Seabiscuit, the DVD version, has all kinds of special interviews with the actors, directors, and authors. It is well worth the investment, and I highly recommend it.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Rating:

(4 halos) Rated PG13
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper
Children should watch them with their parents, who can answer any questions that come up.
Now available on DVD

What I love best about The Lord of the Rings movies is the general theme of Good versus Evil. When you witness the incredible, enduring evil that our friends in The Lord of the Rings face, you believe with them that this is an unbearable struggle and that they’ll never win. And yet they do. That is the virtue of the heroes in The Lord of the Rings that I want to personally mimic: beating Insurmountable odds. Stories like this help us find heroes that are worthy of imitation to prepare us for tougher times ahead. Of course we would not be the first generation to lean on this story for support in tough times. During World War II, when The Lord of the Rings books were first released in England, many found hope in its word as they struggled against Hitler, another enduring evil.

There are many examples of Christ-like behavior in The Lord of the Rings movies. For example, when immortal elf-maiden Arwen holds Frodo as he lies passing into the Shadow Realm, she prays, “What grace is given me, let it pass to him; let him be spared. Save him”. Frodo endures long enough to find healing in Rivendell. Samwise also shows heroic selflessness as he stays with Frodo till the very end. He never blames Frodo when Frodo becomes weakened by the ring but instead continues to encourage his master to complete his mission. And let’s not forget the Elves, who by their very nature appear almost angelic in their care for the world and mankind. I remember my sister telling me the story of the Elves when we were young children. I remember loving the idea of the Elves and wishing I had the patience to read the books.

Having just purchased these DVDs from Costco, I found them to be very pricy for my moderate budget. If you are not a great Lord of the Rings fan, rent the DVDs or go to Netflix. But--if you are a fan, by all means BUY THE DVDs; you won’t be sorry. These DVDs not only carry the epic movies but also include hours of movie extras designed to wow the fans. Everything from how the costumes, makeup, and masks were designed to interviews from the actors, including Peter Jackson (director) and how he got the budget for the movie, are profiled on the DVDs. The only disappointment you will have is that the third movie, The Return of the King, is not yet available in the extended DVD Edition – yet. The Theatrical Version DVD does, however, include the National Geographic Movie Special. My only disappointment was that I really wanted to see how they created the special movie effects of the scene in The Return of the King with the giant spider, but alas, it’s not available yet. How did they make the spider look so real, and then roll Frodo up in its web while we watched? I guess we’ll have to wait until December 7, 2004 to find out!

Warring Angel Volunteers on Earth, (WAVES) is acknowledged as a trademark of Betty J. Eadie