Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we celebrate our three year anniversary with The Big Lebowski. This example of great art allows us to look at the story and interpret it in a variety of ways. On the one hand, this movie reflects the meaninglessness of life in a style very similar to the book of Ecclesiastes. Each character is searching for meaning but keeps coming up empty. The Dude, however, from a certain perspective, shows the power of identity. He is calm in the face of struggle, cares about the people he interacts with, and finds contentment without striving. The Dude abides, so join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we welcome you into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Harry reveals a picture of humanity, suffering great trauma and unaware of the world he has been born into until Hagrid bursts through the door. Hagrid acts as Harry’s true father figure, introducing him into the larger story and speaking truth over who he really is. But his true transformation and victory don’t occur through effort, but because of the sacrifice of others. You’re a wizard Harry—join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we go on the run with The Next Three Days. When facing a hopeless and helpless situation, love is inherently irrational. We discuss loving our wives well in the face of the evidence that says we’ve done enough. We offer compassion without expecting a response, die on her behalf many times in a manner that never gets easier. Let’s pursue the irrationality and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, you get enrolled at the School of Rock. The public school is set up like the world’s system—focused on structure, perfection and performance. It’s intended to create little cookie cutter kids. Dewey comes in to disrupt the system, engaging with the children to bring their hearts to life. He doesn’t see them as they are, he sees them as they could be. Let’s go melt some faces, and discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we talk about the 1985 movie Red Dawn. At some point in our lives, we’ve experienced enemy soldiers parachuting in and ripping our lives apart. How we respond is critical to how we move forward. But if we prepare now for the unexpected to occur, you don’t have to be afraid. Wolverines, join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we talk about WarGames. Even though it’s forty years old, we find familiar themes with the threat of nuclear war and the use of artificial intelligence. We’ve all had nuclear bombs hit our lives, devastating moments that can give rise to futility. As a result, we can become gun shy, seeing bombs where they don’t exist, listening to computer driven hallucinations. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we dive into the world of Cybertron with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. We see characters in a hopeless situation, overlooked and at the end of their rope until the Transformers get involved. Even though we might have different shapes and different places, we are a key piece of the puzzle, and have a role to play in a battle we may not even realize is happening. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we go extraterrestrial with the Martian. This movie wrestles with themes of isolation and loneliness. But Mark teaches us how to make a survivable life out of our own shit. It’s worse that you can imagine, and you never want to talk about it again. We must resolve to go through it, not knowing what is on the other side, even if we’re unable to see a path forward. Every day, we lace up our boots, cultivate our crap, and solve one problem at a time. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we get you excited about football with Best of Times. We see two ways we frequently get trapped: we are either like Jack, constantly replaying our worst mistakes and identifying with them. Or we are like Reno, feeling like our best days are behind us, identified by a greatness we can no longer achieve. We find ourselves stuck, because living a broken life is easier than fixing it. But God can’t move a parked car, and won’t fill a net that we don’t cast. We’ve got to wake up, break out of our lethargy and follow where God leads. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss the 80’s movie Legend. Many people walk through life thinking that walking with God prevents evil from harming them. When their world collapses, they run into hiding thinking it’s their fault. But we are beings of light, created in the image of God, and we can’t trust what the darkness tells us. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we venture into the sea with Finding Nemo. We contrast the characters of Marlin and Dory. After experiencing loss and trauma, Marlin lives in fear, trying to control a world that is not safe. Dory, on the other hand, shows how a life of joy, gratitude, and faith can get us where we need to be. And in the end, we see that the kidnapping of Nemo was used to restore Marlin’s identity. Just keep swimming, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we deep dive into the world of Taken. We discuss how we frequently act like Kim towards God: we look at him as super strict, a buzzkill. We are willing to sever relationship if we don’t get what we want. Thankfully, our Father pursues us with a committed, relentless purpose, willing to go through anything to restore our relationship. But we aren’t rescued to be a consumer in the audience—we are rescued in order to discover what makes our heart come alive and partner in the mission. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, I sit down with Robert Moore to discuss the Green Mile. John Coffey shows Paul and the other guards things that they can’t unsee. Each event is like a step in faith, from a personal experience of healing all the way to recruitment and risk to share the good news with others. Like Coffey, God asks us to take what looks dead and hopeless and to give it to him. It’s risky. It’s uncomfortable. But transformation and healing always is. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we talk about the 1982 movie Tron. We see how the relationship between the programs and the users is a reflection of the relationship between ourselves and our creator. The MCP becomes a distortion of who he was created to be by his search for knowledge and power. But when we have a relationship with our creator, and do the things we were designed to do, we experience a joy even in doing hard things. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, in anticipation of Equalizer 3, we’re talking about the Equalizer. Robert McCall reflects many aspects of the work of Jesus—he responds to people who are powerless against the oppression they experience because he’s a man who can do something about the evil that exists. How do you become a knight in shining armor in a world where knights no longer exist? You gotta be who you are in this world, no matter what. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we get you ready to go back to school with Mr. Holland’s Opus. Life is what happens when you’re making other plans. We make plans, deciding that we have to accomplish something to call our life a success. We ask the wrong people if our work and our lives matter. But if we focus more on who we can connect to today and less on what we did not achieve, it’s the people who create the symphony of our lives. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss the themes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The best science-fiction awakens our sense of wonder, and this movie reveals our desire to be awed. We find a longing deep within to discover something transcendent which is in constant tension with our yearning for a place to find home. In God, we find a person who is beyond anything that we can comprehend, who also draws us into an intimate relationship with Him. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss the 1988 movie Willow. The main characters think they are less than, not enough. Their behavior is motivated trying to prove their value to the crowd watching. It’s only when Willow resists the temptation to validate himself and accept the truth of his identity that he accomplishes his purpose and his mission. Ignore the bird, follow the river, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we enter the Planet of the Apes extended universe with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It doesn’t matter how utopian you think your society will be, someone will always screw it up. When we use fear and anger as motivation, we turn militaristic in our approach to others. And we see how busyness can blind us to the needs of others. Get your hands off you, you filthy ape, and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we conclude our Toy Story series with Toy Story 3. Times of tragedy and trauma can cause us to misinterpret the heart of God. Many times we turn to control the situation, looking for a world without owners, a world free from rejection. As we, and the toys, discover, in building our own idea of heaven, we find ourselves in prison, slaves to the world we created. Grab your tissues, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.