Doubt, gossip, and rhythm of life...

 I’m not sure I want to say that Doubt was my most favorite holiday movie but it was the  movie that most impacted me.  It is the movie I can’t stop thinking about.   I’m not sure how long the scene between Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) in Sister Aloysius’ office lasted, but I don’t remember breathing.  It is one of the most intense and dramatic scenes I’ve ever experienced. 

I think that most great movies have a line or a scene that is the very reason the director made the whole movie for.  Sometimes that scene is an epiphany.   Most often it seems to come in the last third of the film.   Doubt contained several scenes that I thought could be that  moment – the scene I described in my first paragraph, a scene I will mention in the next paragraph, and a scene depicting a conversation between Sister Aloysius and the mother of student Donald Miller.  However, I was totally surprised by the power and transformational (for me) impact of the last two minutes of this movie.  Powerful. 

The other scene involved a sermon delivered by Father Flynn who tells the story about a priest who hears the confession of a woman who admits to gossip.  The priest instructs her to take a feather pillow on top of a building and cut it open to release all of the feathers.  Later the priest instructs the woman to go out and gather up all of the released feathers and return them to the pillow.  She replied that it would be impossible because the feathers had gone out to the four corners.  The priest responds by saying that is what GOSSIP does, once gossip is released there is no control over where it goes, how broadly it disperses and how impossible it is to recover.

The power of the story was magnified through director John Patrick Shanley masterfully illustrating Father Flynn’s story by portraying the released feathers caught in the wind currents, spreading to the ends of the earth.

In Adam Hamilton’s book Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White he writes, “We are all afflicted with the same human condition.  One of the hallmarks of our tendency to sin is that we feel the need to criticize, we take pleasure in gossiping, and we feel qualified to make judgments, often with very little information… The Apostle Paul says it this way, ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up’ (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).  The Greek word for ‘unwholesome’ is sapros.  It means rotten, putrid, or worthless—and in this context I believe Paul means to describe, in part, the words we use to destroy others, for in the rest of the verse he contrasts this first form of speech with that which is ‘helpful for building others up.’”

Seeing at least one movie a week is a part of my Spiritual Rhythm of Life.  The movie Doubt is a great example of why I have incorporated movies into my devotional life.

Comments

[Steve]

Hey mike---

I was struck by this sentence

"...Seeing at least one movie a week is a part of my Spiritual Rhythm of Life. The movie Doubt is a great example of why I have incorporated movies into my devotional life."

Wow----as a movie buff----I really LOVE that !!!
And I have typically found myself "viewing between the lines" for the spiritual images/metaphors in the films I've watched. (I found the recent George Clooney movie MICHAEL CLAYTON to be especially rich)

I am currently working with the leadership team at the church I pastor to help each of them develop their own rule of life. Last night, I read some passages to them from Ruth Haley Barton's "Sacred Rhythm", including the portion where she shares a bit of her own Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly rhythms.

Hearing about the kinds of (diverse) things that folks are finding helpful in their own spiritual formation seems to be 'opening our eyes' about the very (very) thin line between what some have previously considered sacred/secular.

Anyway---to get to the point----I wondered if you might consider posting more details about your own Rhythm of Life (or if you prefer, through private message).

Thanks for considering,

-Steve (from Ohio, who met you at YS Nashville last November)

[Anthony Puryear]

Mike, I echo the comment of Steve above. I am a youth pastor here in Olathe. I have met you a couple times. I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago. I love it because it helps me to think on a different level than I am so easily accustomed to.
The idea of incorporating a movie in your devotional life is not exactly something that I have thought about before. I am often impacted by movies in a deeply spiritual way. For instance i went and saw Gran Torino when it came out. While I can't exactly endorse the film because of the amount of language, the idea behind the movie, connecting with someone on a deeper level and giving yourself to a person was a very Christ like image. Although it came from a man who seemed to have no thread of spirituality inside of him. Anyway, thats just an example. But I would love to hear how you use these movies as part of your devotion. I feel like as a youth pastor this would be a great idea to present to our teens. I am always trying to get them to look at Christ in new and fresh ways so this would be a great way. Thanks for all you do.

[Mike King]

Hey Anthony,

Thanks for the comment. A couple of things about Gran Torino.

First of all I had that Gran Torino when I was in High School, I loved it until someone rear-ended me resulting in it being totaled. It's so good to reminisce.
Seriously though,

I loved the relationship between Walt and his priest. I loved the connection that developed between them once the priest entered into the living level of Walt's life. It spoke to me about entering into the life of the people we minister to.

I also loved the picture of Walt laying his life down for his young friends. Beautiful... no greater love than to lay our lives down...

I tend to approach the watching of a movie as prayer, prayer which involves listening... what does the Holy Spirit want to say to me through this medium?

I think the important thing is to nurture a spirituality that is committed to being present to the reality that God is at work all around us. The Holy Spirit can use anything to teach us and speak to us if we will nurture a listening and open heart.

Peace to you, Anthony.

[Hogunbe]

good movie