Creation Inspirations Blog

Did you know there’s a tree called a Dragon’s Blood Tree? I have never heard of it (though I watch lots of nature shows). It gets it’s name because of the color of the resin that comes out if it is cut/injured. I think Dr. Suess must have seen one at some point

BTW, the site that is linked above looks really useful if you are looking for more creation inspiration-lots of pics and videos from around the globe.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

Did you know the average length of a blue whale is 100 feet, that their heart can weigh as much as a small car and their tongue as much as an elephant??

BTW, this is the first installment of my new category “did you know?” which will consist of fun (and hopefully interesting) facts about our amazing planet. Hope you enjoy them! Feel free to let me know if you do

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

Most of you probably know that every person’s finger prints are one of a kind, but are you aware of just how unique and amazing they really are?

To begin with, every fingerprint is some variation of only three basic patterns-just three: arches, loops & whorls. Think about that for a minute.

There are a few billion people in the world today alone, that means those three core patterns have been tweaked billions of times. And  all that information ends up in an area of only 1 to 1.5 inches (depending on how big your fingers are).  When someone says you are a unique child of God-believe them!

The next time you see your finger print think about how they not only remind us that we are one of a kind creations, but also of our Creator God-the Trinity-three in one.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the  Holy Spirit (NIV)

After a little discussion over on Facebook, I decided to expand to another part and touch on a couple of thoughts that were brought up there.

With regard to the supreme being in this movie being a female and that being contrary to my faith, I agree wholeheartedly and  I’m not saying the writer’s/producers view of God is accurate. The movie clearly does not depict God as Christians believe Him to be. But I also did not feel watching the story of their idea of god as a threat to my faith as some reviewers have claimed it to be. That’s a little like saying we shouldn’t watch or read stories about Mormons or Jehovah’s witnesses practicing their faith because we don’t agree with them. And again, this is a story with fictitious people, places and goddess. It has similarity to belief systems we know but it doesn’t proselytize in any way that I could see.

The biggest worship scene does have the entire community gathered around a sacred space, chanting (somewhat over dramatically) and yes they are worshiping a false god by Christian views. However, I still felt the scene was moving and inspiring because it reminded me of scenarios that can and do occur in our churches too. There are few sounds that give me goose-bumps (in a good way) more than hearing an entire church, banquet room etc. praising God together in acapella voice. That’s why I felt it was such a powerful scene, potentially no matter what your faith. It was beautifully filmed and acted as well.

Again, not supportive of this particular view of what god is and I still believe the same thing I did before I saw the movie, but I feel there is enough redeeming value in the movie as a whole and also plenty of stuff that Christians can relate to positively to make it okay to go see.

Feel free to keep the conversation going!

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

In part one, I mentioned I almost chose not to go see the movie because of some comments I’d read online, maybe you’ve heard or read something similar but maybe not. The gist of comments was that Christians should not see the movie. Those I happened to see were on a blog that a well respected pastor I follow on Facebook happened to link to. Under his link were comments by some who echoed the sentiment along with those who didn’t.

The main issue for those saying it was a no-go is the fact that a major theme of the movie is a that the “religion” on the fantasy world is an equivalent to how some people worship “mother earth”.

And that is completely true, there is a big focus on all things being one, the goddess/power being able to heal and gathering and chanting almost in a frenzy while connecting to both the goddess via a tree and their ancestors.

However, there is nothing in the movie encouraging people to abandon their beliefs and try what’s depicted instead. There is also nothing blatantly anti-Christian or pro-any other specific faith. That being the case, I see no reason not to see the movie I believe, some of the religious aspects can easily be related to our Christian faith.

For example, someone is brought to the goddess power for healing. The community gathers and simultaneously prays for healing while the priestess character leads the process. So that’s different that what we do when we ask God to heal someone or lay on hands during a service how?

There is also the concept that everything is interconnected and the source of life flows through all creatures and all of their  natural surroundings. Again, we believe the same, the God is the creator and giver of life, and we as humans are connected to the world around us. Our actions, good or bad, effect other people, animals and plants too.

To sum things up, while not everything “worldly” can be used as a tool to spread our faith, I think Avatar definitely can be. In my opinion there’s enough value for it to be a both a positive influence on one’s Christian faith as well as a potential way to start conversations with non-Christians.

Okay, now it’s your turn.

Have you seen it? Are you a Christian or no? What did you think with regard to your faith?

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett