On Tuesday night I saw Gladiator and The Patriot for the first time. They were both very good movies. I liked The Patriot better.

Although on thinking back over it I realized that it (The Patriot) still fell into the typical mistake that movies with historical themes often do. In subtle ways they implied the culture and political ideas of modern America to eighteenth century America. However it is nearly impossible to completely avoid this and for the most part The Patriot contained only minimal mistakes of this nature.

A few examples of said mistakes:

In the scene where Gabriel interrupts the church service to announce the calling up of the militia, a woman would not have stood and spoken in church and certainly would not have openly rebuked and lectured the Reverend, her father, and the other men of her church. Regardless of how patriotic or compelling or realistic...     or romantic (as was the true point of this scene) this might seem to a 21st century audience, this would not have happen during early American history.

The Reverend was portrayed as foolish, naive, and socially inept. I think this was meant as comic relief for an other wise very intense, heavy movie and it serves this purpose well. But without meaning to it misrepresents the character and nature of the society and men that founded our nation. Many of the founders of our government and leaders during the revolution were ministers. They were wise, fore thinking visionaries who understood the solemn task they had undertaken, not naive clerics rushing to arms. The scene where one of the militiamen (I don't recall his name) discovers his family killed, goes mad with grief and shoots himself is a good example. The reverends foolish admonition to mourn just doesn't fit.

Finally, not that I wouldn't expect this, but the intense godliness of the men who founded our country and their belief that every aspect of life is sacred and governed by biblical Christian principles set up by the Almighty God was not fully portrayed. If you read the speeches, letters, and other public and personal writings of the "founders" (men who signed the declaration of independence and/or constitution, although mostly the men who signed the declaration knowing that they would very likely be killed along with their families) it is evident that these men feared, respected, and (at least the greater number of them) depended on "the Almighty God," as Patrick Henry referred to Him. In the declaration God is cited as the Supreme Authority, the one from whom all people receive their rights and who governs among the nations of men. In His famous speech Patrick Henry appeals to the Almighty God before, almost in the same breath, he cried "Give me liberty or give me death." (if he said this at all which we will never really know).

Anyway, I will stop before I give the impression that I didn't like the movie. Really I enjoyed the movie very much, and thought it was well written and excellently performed. I would say that it caused me to consider the cost of freedom and other silly patriotic things, but I don't know if it did or not because I have already been wrestling with what freedom means, how much it cost our fore fathers and even more recently our Grandfathers, and what it will mean to be patriotic in my generation. It could well be that this generation will have to choose again whether we are willing to pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor to secure true freedom for our children or to cherish our comfort and immediate pleasure so greatly that we resin ourselves to a government of corrupt men who dishonor and disregard the faith of our fathers and the constitution which secures our right continue calling on the name of the Almighty God.

Friday the 25th Day of July, in the Year of Our Lord 2008.

M. Joseph Bauer II

We Can't Change Yesterday, But We Can Choose What Tomorrow's Yesterday Will Be.

This summer I am interning with Mustang Engineering (the company that my Dad and Mr. Jackson work for). I am working for Mr. Jackson's department, mainly entering data into a new database they are creating.
It is a real blessing to have a job that will provide valuble experience, look good on a resume, and pay enough to help with next year's school expenses. Also, its nice not to have to go back to Hobby Lobby.

However, I am still trying to figure out what God desires of  me this summer. I know that for the next several years I need to prepare for whatever God's plan for me is by being dilegent to learn to "watch and pray," to gain a solid foundation in the knowledge and understanding of the scriptures, to serve the people God places in my path, and to learn to obey in reality not just philosphically. But there-in lies the problem, how to obey in reality.

I know that God is calling me to quit hedging my bets, give all I have over to Him, and be decidedly different. I feel deeply convicted that God has called his people to humble ourselves, live simply in order to live generously, associate with the humble and needy (both the poor and those who are emotionally or relationally needy) bringing tangible relief and compassion to these people not just donating or voluteering at a charity now and then, to sanctify ourselves not participating in the unrighteousness of the culture around us; which we justify as not that bad because its fun or as "necessary in order to connect with secular people and have common ground so we can witness." And I have failed...

But God knows we cannot attain to His righteousness in our feeble human wisdom, distracted by the evil desires of the flesh. If the desire of my heart trully is to be fully pleasing to Him, and I continue to ask Him to change me and use me He will be faithful to enable me, but I must be willing to do what He asks, each step as He reveals it, one day at a time.

What bothers me the most is that so many christians believe that in order to reach the secular world around us we must participate in popculture, watching the movies they watch, listining to the music they listen to, becoming like them in order to gain common ground so that we can show them the love of God. It sounds so convincing, and it is certainly appealing since it gives license to do things that are definitely fun. But its wrong. Period. The scriptures are clear that people will be converted when they see the DIFFERENCE. When we join the secular culture all they see are hypocrites and those who do receive the message are often confused and don't understand the need to be cleansed or change their standards because all the christians they know are not that different from themselves.

Sorry, I know that was alot of jumbled and confussing thoughts. The bottom line is that I want to be fully pleasing to God even if it means be so different that I am alone even among most Christians. I don't need to see any movies or participate anything just because its fun, and if it doesn't edify the hears, the do'ers or the watchers (as the case may be) then it doesn't match up with the very clear, forthwright teaching of Christ or the apostles in the new testament.

In Christ,
Joseph Bauer
PS Pray for me, and all of us.

I AM DONE WITH FRESHMEN YEAR!

Only 1 More Exam Left to Go!