Aaron Loy's Ragamuffin Blog

Theology in Film

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends." - Ratatouille

I know, it's tempting. I've done it. You've done. We've all done it at one time or another. But resist that natural urge to criticize the things you don't subscribe to. It's a waste of your time and energy. Instead, go create something beautiful with your life that serves humanity. Life's too short to be a critic.

Theology in Film

"I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of god. I have seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What god desires is here [points to head] and here [points to heart] and what you decide to do every day..." - Kingdom of Heaven

Mosaic Film

One of Mosaic's strongest suits is quickly becoming its endeavors in short film. Many of the people who collaborate on the projects are professionals in the industry who volunteer their time - a very cool perk of being in L.A. Today I found out that Erwin and company are working hard right now to get copyrights worked out for future projects so that shorts and bumpers can be made available to other churches and organizations to use!

For anyone out there looking to get a taste for Mosaic film...

The first place to check out is Mosaic's Kevin Wilson at Compass Films. You can check out some of his work on the site. Shorts that have been shown at Mosaic include Beauty, Waking Up and Water Artist.

Also, Awaken has some films online that can be purchased and used. (For some reason, the shorts and bumpers weren't working when I last checked. Must be tech issues, but keep checking back if you're interested. There are some good shorts here.)

Finally, Mosaic has a YouTube page that has a lot of different content on there. There are performances from Mosaic gatherings, clips of Erwin teachings, shorts and bumpers, etc. For fun, here is one of my favorite shorts from the last few month. Enjoy!

Theology in Film

BENJAMIN BUTTON: For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

Theology in Film

Sorry about the sound of crickets on here lately everyone. The last couple weeks of my quarter were pretty brutal. Now that I am finally finished, however, I am excited to jump back in to writing saddle. For the moment, however, I give you another one of my favorite film moments.

FRODO: I cannot do this alone.

GALADRIEL: You are a Ring Bearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of power is to be alone. This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will.

FRODO: Then I know what I must do. It's just - I'm afraid to do it.

GALADRIEL: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

Theology in Film

SAM: It's me. It's your Sam. Don't you know your Sam?

 [Frodo puts the knife away and falls back.]

FRODO: I can't do this, Sam.

SAM: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

FRODO: What are we holding onto, Sam?

 [Same takes Frodo, helps him to his feet, looks into his eyes and speaks with quiet conviction.]

SAM: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.