Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Hobbit and Adventures


Midnight showings are the best. This past week, half of the Axis staff went to the midnight showing of the Hobbit, where entertainment began well before the movie’s first scene. We arrived nearly two hours early and already the auditorium was packed with elves, hobbits, Darth Vader (oops), and one dragon. In the small open area in front of the screen we enjoyed several tumbling passes by a couple of gymnasts followed by a group of elvish Christmas carolers, a “fife-off” as Daniel Giddings (Axis Team Director) called it, and one epic accident. A teenage male with a flat-brimmed Yankees cap decided to do a back-flip, and most likely broke his leg – we’ll just leave it at that.

But this blog is not about the events before the movie, this blog is about a specific theme within the movie itself.

Apathy to action.

Don’t click off the screen yet. I know that we are Axis and we are always talking about apathy to action, but if you’ve read the book or seen the movie you know that this is a valid take-away from the story. Let me explain.

At the beginning of the Hobbit we meet Bilbo Baggins, a rather successful Hobbit, at least as Hobbits go. He had one of, if not, the nicest and most comfortable Hobbit-holes in the Shire. His pantry was full of delicious foods, he smoked a nice handcrafted wooden pipe, and lived a routine that was both relaxing and void of those nasty things called adventures. In every way he was happy, and I would argue not doing anything wrong. In other words, this story is not a story of realizing the evil in one’s life and changing. This is the story of a normal Hobbit, doing normal Hobbit things, without realizing that life has so much more to offer him. (kind of sounds like us, doesn’t it)

In quick summary, Bilbo’s life is turned upside down by a wizard and a very large group of energetic and hungry dwarves who are recruiting him for an adventure. Although there’s a look in Bilbo’s eye of curiosity, he is adamantly opposed to joining their journey. With the persuasiveness of the wizard, and in response to his gut – Bilbo decides to go for it.

One of the stronger lines in the movie is where Gandalf says, “the world is not found in your maps and compasses, Bilbo. The world is out there.” (paraphrase)

By the end of the movie and throughout the book we see Bilbo becoming a very different Hobbit than he was in his comfortable life back home. And this is where the theme of apathy to action comes in.

Bilbo could have kept living his life as a Hobbit, and wouldn’t have necessarily been doing anything wrong or evil by staying in his Hobbit-hole. But it took the adventure of a treacherous journey and noble mission for Bilbo to finally become all that he could be. Bilbo could not have imagined or cultivated the ability and talent that was within him from his armchair.

The same can be said of us. Take away the Hobbit-hole and replace it with the American dream, replace the wooden pipe with a television, and instead of an armchair picture a couch. Are we, in essence, Hobbits? Do we pursue a comfortable and relaxing life over the adventure of making a difference in the world?

While I was watching the movie, I couldn’t help but think about my own life. When Bilbo was sitting their eating his artisan meal of grilled fish with fresh lemons – I pictured myself handcrafting a latte with homemade syrups and the perfect espresso shot. And when Gandalf told Bilbo that the world is not found in his maps and compasses, but out there – I couldn’t help but picture the adventures that I try to experience through movies and books instead of actually living an adventure myself.

I don’t know about you, but my life often feels apathetic and distracted. I look around and see people who seem to be making an impact, but I look at my life and feel like, well, a Hobbit. But I have a hunch that it’s not because adventure is dead, but because I don’t search for it.  

What do you think? Do you find it hard to live an adventure? What do you think keeps us from experiencing a true adventure?

By: Daniel Day

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Your Year, Your Way | College Prep from Seventeen Magazine


In high school, all of my time and energy was spent on preparing for the difficult classes I would face in college. Instead of partying it up or spending all of my time with friends, I was taking the right classes, getting in my volunteer hours, and interning in the field I wanted to study. In the academics sense, my high school did a really good job of preparing me for college.

When it came to class selection, degree plans, and professors, I was ready to take on the world. BUT when I got to college, I was completely taken off guard by the many other aspects of college life that happen outside of the classroom. I wasn’t prepared for the kegs of alcohol, new relationships, parties, zero accountability, mixers, co-ed dorms, greek life, and the lack of campus ministries. I wasn’t prepared for the social side of college. 

Each school year, Seventeen Magazine highlights 15 freshman girls and certain snapshots of college life. Seventeen has a video blog on their website about how to handle everything from being homesick to the dangers of ending up alone with a guy in the basement of a frat house. The goal is to help young women prepare for the social side of college and equip them to “survive” once they are there. For a girl like me who was completely unprepared for the social side of college, this article would have been very appealing. But there is a problem. The problem is that Seventeen is teaching teen girls about very important, life-changing issues from a perspective that doesn’t rely on parents or the Bible.

Each month, the magazine dedicates a page or more to highlighting certain topics. November’s special was called: “Your Year, Your Way.” I have included a snap-shot of the article below:

*if you're a parent, take some time to read through this. As an idea, it might be good to subscribe to Seventeen Magazine yourself, and use the good and bad ideas you read as conversation starters with your teenagers.
















































On the Freshmen 15 blog, the girls give some great practical advice on what to pack for college or how to go out for the school newspaper, but they also tackle ideas like random hook-ups. The question for parents is: Do you want your teenage daughter or son learning about “hook-ups” and successful college life from a magazine or from you?


One thing that Ashley says in this video is key:

“For the first time, you’re [college students] pretty much all on your own and you don’t have that same lifeline you did at home.” 

Your students need your wisdom and experience before they go to college. Not just because they will hear from professors that are obviously anti-God, but because they are going to deal with an entirely new set of social pressures without that “lifeline” that Ashley mentions. You are that lifeline. You know what it’s like to be in college and to feel those same pressures. Your children need you to guide them. 

The truth is that if you don’t talk to your kids about this stuff, someone else will. Seventeen magazine is making a living on discipling young girls to navigate their teen years and beyond. Do you want Seventeen teaching your kids about sex in college, or you? Do you want Seventeen telling them about what to do when they are stuck with a guy alone in the basement of a frat house? Or do you want to help your daughter not get into that situation in the first place? 

Remember, good parents do not necessarily equal good kids -- but if we do our part as parents there is a good chance we will save the next generation, and end up changing our culture along the way. Parents, through the power of the Holy Spirit, are designed by God as the primary influence on their son or daughter’s faith -- that includes all of the other stuff they will face in college as well.

Written by: Meghan Libassi
Field Coordinator for Axis

Friday, November 16, 2012

SKYFALL, 007, and A Woman's Perspective

Poster from imdb.com

I don’t get it. I really don’t.

Why in the world is James Bond so appealing to men?

As a female, that’s a question I’ve wondered for years, especially when each Bond movie became the next mega-hit. I eventually just chalked it up to worldliness and told myself, "only worldly guys would be interested in a hero who sleeps with every woman and somehow wins every fight."

But then I got married. And I didn’t marry that guy. You know what I mean by "that guy": the guy who’ll take every chance to prove he is the manliest guy alive, the guy who’ll flirt with women just to show how appealing he is, the guy who has to be doing those cliche “manly” things in order to feel like he’s worth something. No, I married a God-fearing, loving, loyal, sweet guy who loves to help others (and who just happens to be able to do one-armed pull-ups using only the tips of his fingers). In my mind, he was the exact opposite of the kind of guy I had pictured as the James-Bond-loving type--in a good way.

So the surprise of the century came when I learned that not only did he like James Bond, but he would get downright giddy when he’d see a preview for the next Bond film SkyFall. Wait a minute--I thought only womanizers liked James Bond! Confusion and panic ensued. "What have I done?! How could I have misjudged this man so thoroughly?! What can possibly be done? Maybe he needs counseling!"

Ok, ok, maybe I wasn’t that bad, but for a girl who grew up with two sisters and never had to deal with brothers, it was a little disconcerting.

That is, until I realized my folly. You see, I had somehow become prey to the idea that Christian men aren’t supposed to be men. They’re not supposed to like fishing, hunting, guns, and risk (and, God forbid, burping and farting!); they’re supposed to smell like roses, love bubble baths, and watch The Bachelor. In essence, I had subconsciously begun to believe that Christian men were just Christian women with facial hair and bigger muscles.

Maybe part of me was scared of the things that define men; after all, their strength, if misused or misdirected, can be a very scary thing for a woman (especially one who is 5’4” and has never been able to do a single pull up in her life). But that’s not the point. Whether or not men misuse their strength, God created men with strength and power and the willingness to take big risks for a reason. If He wanted men to be like women, then He would’ve created only women. But, as we all know, He didn’t.

The things that make men uniquely male should be celebrated and cultivated by the women in their lives. We need to help them use those attributes in ways that glorify God, not try to make them more like us.

But as I watched the newest Bond movie, Skyfall, this week, I realized something else. 

The reason that men, including Christian men, love the James Bond character is because he isn’t trying to be a woman. He embraces his masculinity then uses it to make the world a better place (in some ways, at least). To some degree, all men want to be like him.

But let’s not overlook Bond’s flaws here. He may be using his masculinity to protect others from the “bad guys,” but he also misuses it over and over again by using women, seeking revenge, and keeping others from ever getting close to him. All in all, I’d say he’s got more strikes against him than for him in terms of being a worthy role model for the men and boys of America.

Yet, by and large, he is their role model. And hence we return to Christian women like me freaking out and questioning their entire existences. “How can this be?! Our husbands and sons must not love Jesus! We must teach them to be the exact opposite of Bond!”

Wrong. Wrong reaction, Self (and moms and sisters and wives). Rather than running as far away from Bond as possible, we should be helping them to see the good that Bond does, like embracing his masculinity and using it for good, while also helping them to see why the other things he does, like using women, are actually abuses of his masculinity. We need to help them see that when men seek after God’s heart, like King David did, He helps them become the best possible men they can be. And the clincher: we need to help them see that God's way is more exciting and fulfilling than any movie can make James Bond’s life look.

Obviously, I am coming from a woman’s perspective. I am thinking about how we women can encourage Godly manliness in the men in our lives. But the men who understand this concept also need to step up and be the examples that other men, and more importantly our boys, need. Maybe the men of America love Bond so much because they aren't living out their masculinity and we haven’t given them better examples of truly GOOD manly men. Maybe we’ve stripped Jesus, David, and Abraham of their manliness. And maybe we’ve been too afraid of the way God designed men to be.

So maybe it’s a good idea to let your sons see a Bond film when they’re old enough. It opens the door for conversation about true manhood and how men can glorify God in ways that no woman can. It also makes it possible to compare and contrast his life with the life of King David or Jesus or other biblical men who loved God well. That is how raising a generation of men who stand up for the right things and love what God loves begins.

What do you think? Do you agree? You may comment below...

Written by: Melanie Mudge

Friday, November 2, 2012

Die Young: Make a Pretty Corpse: But Miss Out On Life


Don’t we yearn to enjoy life? To have our purpose figured out? To see years of wisdom guide us into all happiness? If we were to interview the ideas in our culture about happiness -- what do you think it would say? How would those ideas respond to questions like “what are supposed to be the best years of our lives?” “When should we have the most fun and the most freedom?” Well based on several recent Billboard chart-topping hits -- the answer would be high school -- or at least “while we’re young.”  

The #5 song in America right now is “Die Young” by K$ha, and the #31 song (which went as high as #3 just a short while ago), Live While We’re Young”  is by One Direction. Both of these songs embrace the idea of doing as much as you can while you are young because that not only is it the best time to live, but we are not guaranteed tomorrow -- so let’s pursue as much pleasure as we can today! (remember the major hit last year that proclaimed: Give me everything tonight because we might not have tomorrow, this is just another repackaging of the same old idea...)

Look at some of the lyrics from these two current hits:

I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums
Oh what a shame that you came here with someone
So while you're here in my arms
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young
We're gonna die young
We're gonna die young
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young

Let’s go crazy, crazy, crazy ’til we see the sun
I know we only met but let’s pretend it’s love
And never, never, never stop for anyone
Tonight let’s get some and live while we’re young

(For more examples of these types of songs see our previous post: “Wild, Young, & Free”

But here’s the problem -- most of us will have tomorrow. And if we live according to these new anthems, we will find ourselves waking up into a world of regret and meaninglessness. Ke$ha, One Direction, Snoop Dog, and Pit Bull are right -- we may not have tomorrow, even the Bible agrees with the uncertainty of tomorrow (Proverbs 27 and James 4):
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." 
"Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow..."
It’s the culture's application of this Biblical truth that is faulty. We may not have tomorrow, yes, true statement -- but that does not justify breaking all boundaries and common sense to pursue pleasure at all costs. (Remember the story of the Prodigal son? How did living for pleasure work out for him? He could have probably justified his lifestyle with the same lyrics we are talking about today!) Just because tomorrow is not guaranteed, doesn’t mean we should have sex with strangers, drink until we fall down, and spend money carelessly, because if we do there’s a good chance we will find the sunrise to be a nightmare. Not because it is any less beautiful, but because it brings with it regret and consequences.

We need the older, wiser, more mature generations to start being the role models. We need grandparents, parents, mentors, and leaders to step in and say enough is enough and challenge the next generation to -- 
“Give up the endless and unrestrained pursuit of pleasure because it will leave you empty, full of regrets, and unable to find anything pleasurable. Instead, accept the fact that your vitality and the beauty of your youth should be enjoyed not abused. It should not be wasted and it should not be the best years of your life, it should be the stepping stone to a more fulfilled and beautiful future.”
But it’s not enough for the experienced generations to only teach, challenge, and encourage the next generation. We need experienced generations to walk through life with teenagers and show them the better life. Show the next generation what it means to make the most out of their teen years. And they will follow! If you, as grandparents, parents, mentors, and leaders will disciple the next generation, they will follow you to Jesus -- and his purpose for their lives. 

The responsibility begins with the experienced generations putting aside their own extraneous pursuits, and discipling the next generation. The responsibility ends with the next generation waking-up and accepting the wisdom of those who know what they are talking about.

Do good parents always equal good kids? Unfortunately, no! But if we as parents do our part and disciple our children, there is a good chance that we could save the next generation and change our culture a long the way!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Pitch, Perfect?


Pitch Perfect is the first teen comedy to hit the big screens in quite some time. With a rating of PG-13, it is sure to attract the attention of high school students, especially girls. It is the story of girl who decides to join her college’s all-female a cappella group, and in so doing, realizes that, with an edgier look and more recent songs, the group has the chance to win the national competition. 

The movie has been out for several weeks now, which means that countless Christian parents have been approached by their teens about whether they will be allowed to see the movie or not.

Should they be allowed to see Pitch Perfect? 

According to Common Sense Media (whose review is featured on Fandango), this movie is a “teen-friendly musical comedy” that is “OK for kids 14+.” With a name like “Common Sense Media” and a section called “What Parents Need to Know” on their website, it’s easy to believe that they know what they’re talking about and are using, well, common sense when they decide which ages a movie is appropriate for.

After seeing the film, I am disappointed (but not surprised).

The movie definitely delivers in the humor department, but mostly in ways that should make any Jesus-follower blush. As a woman long past the age of 14, I could only think of how movies similar to this helped distort my perception of sexuality, beauty, love, college, friendship, and parent-child relationships when I was entering my teen years.

To name just a few of the problems: a female college student in the girls’ showers with a  male student; a large party with the ubiquitous “red Solo cups” in every student’s hand, including freshmen; freshmen portrayed as drunk; foul language at every turn, including women calling each other derogatory names like “slut”; songs from many different eras that promote drug use, drinking, and casual sex; unnecessary immodesty; and so on.

When I was a teen, I absolutely hated it when my mom would go online, read reviews, and say I couldn’t see a movie because of these types of things. I thought they wouldn’t have any effect on me, and I just wanted a good laugh. 

HA! 

Looking back, I can see how instances of these things in media desensitized me to what truly grieves God. Rather than learning to fall more in love with Jesus and that which pleases Him, I was filling my heart and mind with images that taught me to love things that God hates. And I was giggling the whole time.

At Axis, we believe that although we do not know what it's like to be parents of teenagers, we are still close enough in age to remember what it's like to BE teenagers. We remember what it's like to have our parents say, "No" to a movie or to hanging out with a certain set of friends, and like I said earlier -- I hated it when my mom would go online, read reviews, and say that I couldn't see a movie. But looking back, I am thankful for my mom's persistence and involvement in my life. 

That is the purpose of this blog -- to encourage parents to be ACTIVELY involved in their teen's life. As a parent, you are the primary influence on your child's faith, and the way they will turn out.* That means being constantly involved in the cultural dialogue of current movies, music, magazines, books, and other media sources. It means not only being aware of what's out there, but also prepared to have real and meaningful conversations with your kids about the content presented. It's not enough to say, "NO!" As recent teenagers, we hated to just hear "NO!" But if you walk through a movie or song with your student, showing them why you are taking a stand, they still might not like that they can't see a movie or two -- but they will respect you. And more importantly, you are helping them become wise. 

Pitch Perfect is simply another movie with the same junk that characterizes most movies these days. But it is also another opportunity to teach teenagers how to be wise and discerning -- which may be the biggest responsibility of parents in the first place. 

What do you think? You may comment below...

*good parents do not necessarily equal good kids. But if we do our part as parents, there is a good chance that we will save the next generation and end up changing our culture a long the way. 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Axis Podcast

If you don't subscribe to the Axis podcast yet, here are three reasons why you should:

1. It sounds good!
2. It's packed full of good content!
3. We are producing it just for you!

Here's the link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-axis-podcast/id509614167 listen to a show and subscribe today!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

As Long As You Love Me, Inappropriate?


“As long as you love me, we could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke, as long as you love me I’ll be your platinum, I’ll be your silver, I’ll be your gold.” Justin Bieber#6 on charts

I just got back from a trip to Honduras with Compassion International where I had the chance to visit several families ravaged by poverty. One little eight-year-old girl in particular stole my heart. Her name was Crisvin – she had dark brown skin, black hair, and a beautiful smile. I found out that she loves dolls and taking care of her little brother. I was really excited to find out that our group was able to visit her home so that I could meet her little brother that she continued to talk about.

On our way to the house I was able to talk to Crisvin’s aunt about her family, and slowly (with the help of a translator) I began to get the full picture. Crisvin’s dad was gone. He had gotten so discouraged by their poverty that he left to try and start a new life with a new family. That meant that Crisvin’s mom was now working at a parachute factory a couple of hours away, and now the grandmother was taking care of Crisvin and her brother. The mom was very sorry and disappointed that she could not be there to meet us when we visited the home, but she had to work to pay the bills or at least whatever bills she could pay making $2 a day!

I wish I could say that Crisvin’s story was unique – that her dad happened to leave but most dads stick it out with their families. However, that is not the case. Poverty and starvation changes things – it changes families. Most of the time the dad leaves town because he wants a second chance at a new life. This means that an already struggling family is now left at an even bigger disadvantage and in essence in even deeper poverty.
So when I got back today for my first day in the office and I happened to hear Justin Bieber’s new song (#6 on Billboard) “As Long As You Love Me” where he romanticizes the idea of sticking with someone through poverty – I couldn’t help but pay attention. He went on to sing, “as long as you love me, we could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke, as long as you love me…”

As soon as I heard these lyrics my mind flashed back to Honduras, and I saw the beautiful face of Crisvin in her broken down shack of a home and then remembered that her dad was nowhere to be found. I saw a one room house with a bed that 4 people slept on together, and an out-house (if you can call it that) made up of four sticks and ripped cloth with a hole in the ground  (pictured left). I remembered the other families that were missing their fathers. I remembered a stick and mud hut where the dad, who was plagued by illness, was the one to stay and take care of his kids after the mom left. I thought about one of the biggest struggles in the inner cities around our nation – the dad’s are gone or drunk or into drugs.

In families where people are ACTUALLY starving divorce is rampant . Have their been cases of families sticking together through poverty? Absolutely, and those men and women are my heroes. But let’s be honest. As much as we want to romanticize the idea of starvation and poverty to sell records and prove how strong our love is for our significant other – maybe that’s not the best way to do it. It just seems wrong to sing about sticking with someone even through “starvation” when most of us have never had to skip a meal.

I’m not saying that Justin Bieber doesn’t mean it when he says he will stick with his girlfriend, wife or whomever through hard times – all of us should be that dedicated, and real love, committed love, should hold families together through the darkest of times. But this song does what a lot of pop-culture does – it romanticizes a very bad problem in our world to sell records and distract us from what we should be focusing on – making a difference in those issues!

If you want to sing “Aint no mountain high, aint no valley low” that’s fine, unrealistic, but fine. If you need to climb Mt. Everest or hike the Grand Canyon to get to your "babe" – do it. But a song that romanticizes starvation and poverty, written by a very wealthy artist in a country of wealthy people is both over the top and inappropriate.

What do you think? Have you ever experienced or witnessed REAL poverty before? Do you agree? You may comment below...

If you want to change the life of someone in poverty, sponsor a child through Compassion International by clicking here. It's only $38 a month and it provides food, education, and medical help for a child that you choose. I saw Compassion in action, it's amazing, they do what they promise, and they are making a huge difference.

*This post is written by Daniel Day who also writes a blog for Axis called 10 Days Without. You can check out that blog by clicking here. 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

A Gleeful New Beginning or Another Uglee Season?


If you’re a parent of a teen or tween, chances are that the TV show Glee has come up in conversation in your household. With the fourth season of the show kicking off Thursday night, it may be coming up yet again. Though it has been losing popularity in the last season or two, you can bet that Fox will be pulling all the stops to regain viewers, especially middle- and high-school-aged youth.

Here is a summary of Glee from the show’s website: “Entering its fourth season, Glee is a musical comedy about a group of ambitious and talented kids who escape the harsh realities of high school by joining a glee club where they find strength, acceptance and, ultimately, their voice.”

It’s not hard to see why teens would want to see this show. Who wouldn’t want to “escape the harsh realities of high school”? Who wouldn’t want to find “strength and acceptance”? Most teens are struggling to figure out who they are and what they stand for, and, if they’re in public or private school, they are undergoing this struggle amongst others who can be harsh, cruel, and unforgiving. To have a show that empathizes with, but also adds humor to, their plight makes getting through high school a tiny bit more bearable.

Admittedly, the show really draws you in. Once you watch one episode, you want to watch another. Stories are captivating, especially those stories to which we can relate. However, stories also teach, whether they intend to or not. In the case of Glee, a lot of teaching is going on, but it’s definitely not wholesome or worthwhile.

The show covers every topic imaginable, including dating, love, marriage, sex, cheating, homosexuality, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, bullying, success, failure, strip clubs, lying, insecurities . . . the list goes on. As you can imagine, however, the conclusions the show presents in most of these areas are far from biblical.

Every now and then, they do get it right. For example, the show does a great job of showing that everyone is of value, including those who might be handicapped or look different than everyone else. That is a biblical concept. However, these rare occasions in which they do teach something worthwhile do not redeem the show. Rather, because of normalizing [which we mentioned in a previous blog], sin is presented as acceptable, sinful desires are glorified and indulged, and success is defined by what makes a person happy, regardless of how it affects others.

If Axis had a scale to rate media, Glee would be somewhere in the negatives. Sometimes, there are TV shows and movies worth seeing because they open the door for deep thought and conversation. In Axis’ opinion, this is not one of them. Instead of asking questions, it indoctrinates. Instead of presenting truth, it offers beautifully packaged lies.

So we need to ask ourselves if we want our kids watching shows to which they can relate but that also teach them dangerous ways to view the world and cope with the challenges life presents. Will this build them up or set them up for failure? Will this teach them to love the things God loves and hate the things He hates? Or will it make it harder for them to see God’s love and wisdom behind all of His decrees?

Photo Credits: http://bit.ly/KRsD7m