Here are a few shots of the spring party that Hannah and Nathanael had at Colegio del Bosque today – the last day of school before the spring break.
(Note: this is a fairly short video, but a fairly large file, so it may take a while to buffer on your computer).
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From 2006 to 2007, Compass Cinema was hard at work creating short films that re-tell several of the parables Jesus told. The stories are recreated in modern times.
Though I had seen the trailers, I hadn’t had the chance to see the complete films until recently. Now, the films are being offered for download, suitable for computer or iPod or MP3 with video – for free!
So, I watched them, and I think you should too. It’s hard to convince you in words – just go check them out for yourself. They would be great to watch and discuss as a family, or a small group, or a Sunday School class (of course the free downloads are only for personal use).
Actually, there are other materials and study guides available, but I think the videos stand well on their own (now you know I’m not an undercover Compass Cinema salesman). Watch them and read the parables and ask how they’re the same and different, and think about the messages you see. There are a ton of things you could discuss and think about in each story. (Actually, I haven’t looked at the study material closely, so I can’t speak for it or against it)
The six parables are The Shrewd Manager, Hidden Treasure, Prodigal Sons, The Widow and Judge, The Sower, and Samaritan. They’re all very different – from a documentary style to drama to comedy. They’re from the United States, but if you are not I don’t think the foreign flavour takes away from them at all. They’re generally well done, and will make you think about all kinds of things that you may have never considered before when reading the parables.
Here are two trailers. Actually, you can view all of Hidden Treasure online. But don’t wait – download the free lo-res versions while they’re still available (I watched them full screen on my computer and they were fine)! [Edit: Oops, no longer available for free by themselves, but they are free with certain purchases.]
Rod Fry just posted this animated explanation of the summer program here in Central Mexico, that involves people (primarily from Canada and the USA) in ministry here in Mexico. You need to check it out. And while you’re at it – why not come down to Mexico yourself?
This animation is the creation of the talented people in the church Rod is a part of in Ixtapaluca, Mexico. If you didn’t figure it out already, the narrator with the ball cap and CAM shirt is Rod himself… sorta… 😉
Here’s your chance to see some of Hannah’s class (at Colegio del Bosque) in action. Today they were starring in the weekly flag ceremony, and Hannah even had some lines. 🙂
This is actually after the "flag" part of the ceremony. Every week the students explain the upcoming "special days". Today, the students did that, and sang a special song (which was an unusual addition). Hannah is the fourth one to speak here. The lady with the mic is her teacher, Miss July (pronounced, in English, Julie). During the song, Hannah is on your far left.
You don’t have to be in Mexico (or any other third world country) to be faced with poverty. There seems to be a growing awareness among the wealthy that we are wealthy, and others are not.
But I am in Mexico, and I’m faced with poverty in a way that I wasn’t in Canada. I’d like to continue the discussion here (see Poverty part 1), and I’d like to start by sharing this video (which I think is brilliant). It’s American, but it really works for any of the, say, 15% wealthiest people in the world (check here to see how rich you are).
The reason I think this video is brilliant is not because I think it has all the answers, but the opposite. It asks the question many of us are asking, and we don’t know the answer either.
The question of the imbalance of the world’s wealth is not an easy one. In Chris’ analogy, that of a family, the solution seems somewhat easier. In the world, we can’t see it as being so easy. For example:
And I hate to say it, but this issue related to the environment as well. I don’t care if you think the earth is getting cooler or hotter, or if what the solution is, you’ve got to be concerned that almost 2 million plastic bottles were used… while you were watching that video… in the USA alone. Check out some of these pictures to get an idea what that number means.
We may disagree on the solutions, and even what exactly the problem is, but surely you have to admit that there’s a problem here. (So if everyone lived like me, how many earths would we need?)
Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "Live simply that others may simply live." There are those that cannot even survive, but could with a little help. But what does that mean for the $8 hot dog?
It’s a great illustration, because it’s something we might buy rarely. And yet that money could have had a real impact on another side of the world – an impact on children – who know nothing about political corruption and world economics.
A problem with us people from wealthy countries is that we think we can give 0.1% of our income, and that "absolves us of guilt". We can raise $1000 once a year in the fundraiser, we can buy fair trade coffee, and that makes us good people. And then we buy the $8 hot dog.
Is that wrong? I doubt you can say that. After all, everyone needs a break. Even the poor "splurge" now and then. Maybe it was a family outing. There are 100 reasons why it might not be a bad thing.
Still, I don’t think the answer lies in the fundraisers and the tithe in the offering plate (although those things may be great!). The answer just might lie in those day-to-day purchases, the small things, the daily lifestyle decisions.
We just can’t say it’s too complicated for us, and stop there. Or can we?