A Knight's Blog

  WARNING: Spoilers "I am always amused by how excited people are about war. They think that they hasten to meet their enemy, but instead they hasten to meet me." -Death The Book Thief is a film that will steal your heart and leave the pages of your soul touched. It is visually a Les Miserables set in Germany. The scenes of the Swastika swaying in the wind of the stone clad streets and alleys of abodes leaves you with a surreal feeling. The Book Thief is two movies. It is about a young little girl named Liesel Meminger (Sophioe Nelisse) who finds a new life with her foster parents in a German ghetto during WWII. It is also a narration and reflection by Death  on humanity and It's complexities. Lisel's story begins on a train and it there that Death makes her acquaintance. Her younger brother dies and is buried in a graveyard near the rail road tracks. From there Young Lisel's is taken from her birth mother and placed into the care of her foster parent

Today (Nov 22) is the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The event shook the entire nation and the world on this day, 1963. I myself was born long after Kennedy and have only recently become acquainted with his life. A week ago I got the opportunity to view "Killing Kennedy" on Neo Geo, starring Rob Lowe and Ginnifer Goodwin . The film does a brilliant job of making you connect with JFK and Jaquline, his wife. The emotional turmoil of the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the battles JFK has with his health and woman problems really balances the often saintly depicted president. Yet, despite his flaws you become convinced that Jack, as he was called by his brother Bobby and close friends, was a good man trying to do the right thing. Then enter Lee Harvery Oswald. The villain in the Kennedy Story. Oswald is Marxist who flees America in search of his dream land Russia. There he hopes Marxism will flourish, but to his dismay he is una

Oiden "The Traveler" There is a trend in the entertainment industry. A mythology has returned that is embedded in almost every fantasy story on the big screen, flat screen, and mobile screen. The mythology I speak of is Norse. Norse Mythology derives from the Nordic People and it is the legends or tales of their gods. Key deities in theses stories are Oiden , Thor , and Loki . Let me survey if I will the entire collection of Norse entertainment that is currently available: The first is a Marvel superhero film that retells the story of Thor, son Oiden. A sequel to this film has just recently been released in theaters: Prior to Thor: The Dark World was The Avengers film which featured a rival god of Thor known as Loki, who is a "trickster" and very Satan like in character: (see top of poster) In Norse Mythology Loki is a god that is from different family of deities. He bares no relation to Thor. Beyond these obvious tributes to the Norse Mythologi

Jesus warns us in the Gospel of Matthew that we can serve only one of two masters. He says, "You can serve God or Mammon." (Matthew 6:24). I have taken an extensive look at Mammon in my blog post "The Three gods of America." However, there is something very relevant I want to explore. Let us rename Mammon a more familiar name, let us call it Gold. I have often scoffed at the power precious metals, gems, and coins have had over people. How can people like Christopher Columbus abandon his God given quest for the pursuit of gold? In his last moments of agony, Columbus is not able to give up is insatiable desire for the glittering metal. What is the power gold has over us? Is it a god or is it something else? Gold quickly becomes a god to man because of It's value. Few can forget the "Gold Rush" and how people from all over the America and Europe sought fortunes in the gold mines of Alaska and California. Gold has a power and that power should not be

  Growing up, there was tradition in my family. We were all cinephiles (movie enthusiasts) and once a week we would go to our local video rental store. The first video store I remember was a ma and pa like sanctum for video viewers. It was small, probably around 1200 square feet. It wasn't until my mid childhood that we started going to the bigger and better Blockbuster Video Store. In those days we would on weeknight and weekends go inside and see that familiar blue and yellow. I would stroll down the aisles looking for films and rendezvous with my father or mother. I also would go to Blockbuster for memorabilia. Often they would have collectables from my favorite video game franchises. I remember being introduced to my first FPS game at Blockbuster: 007 Goldeneye. Videos have gone the way of the record and Amtrak. Few in Generation Y I think can recollect rewinding their movies before returning them to the store. Now we have DVD, Bluray, and Digital Downloads. The advent o

It sure is beginning to look like Christmas! I once was a critic that scorned having Christmas décor and designs out before Thanksgiving. However, I have converted! Christmas has always been my favorite time of year and now I am celebrating it early! In fact, I am not alone in my precelebrations. Two friends of mine have already started decorating and one of them is already listening to Xmas music. I even found complete strangers at my local Target looking for trees and ignoring the discounted Halloween and Harvest items. I think the reason people are "decking the halls" early has to do with the times we live in. The world is growing darker and people are under such stress to pay their debts. Under the gloom of high deficient and failing economy, people want an escape. They want some light and wonder in their lives. Christmas certainly has an allure. The Spirit of the Season falls on you and you can't help but be swept away. For myself the holiday is a combination of

  When we think of discipleship, we often think academics. We envision a study group or being tutored by theologian, priest, or pastor. We claim to be Christ's disciples, but do we know what that really means? In a culture of convenience and cognitive dissonance; it can be difficult to convey the truth of discipleship. When we think of the First Disciples, The Apostles, what comes to mind? Do we picture men and women who's faith was on display when it was convenient? No! We picture John, Peter, and James following Christ everywhere; ministering via the Holy Spirit and dedicating their lives to imitating their Lord. How come we do not have this same view of ourselves as disciples? Why has the term evolved to mean every believer, even those who honesty put God last on their list of priorities? Christ makes it absolutely clear. He says to be a disciple you must, "deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow him." Jesus then follows this up with further detail, &qu

For many Protestants and reformed denominations, All Saints' Day is not celebrated. The holiday is associated with orthodox churches like The Roman Catholic Church, The Greek Orthodox Church, and The Eastern Orthodox Church. Sainthood is associated with pious men and women who seem larger than life. It encompasses the lives of bishops, monks, and other holy men who led extreme lives for Christ. These venerable people seem to must of us untouchable; as if they were filled with a greater holiness. This view is propagated by the orthodox, but the truth is that everyone who believers in The Holy Trinity is a saint. There is no distinction between St. Benedict and Billy Graham before God. Thus, All Saints' Day is truly a celebration of every believer who lives and who is in celestial paradise with Christ. This holiday celebrates us all! Still, I think it is worthwhile to revere saints that inspire devotion and resolve in "running the race" of our faith. I have been s