Raefordite

I found it before Tim! Holler back

And Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Here is another article written by The Rev. Eric C. Shafer Director, Department for Communication Evangelical Lutheran Church in America about The Passion of the Christ. http://www.elca.org/co/passion-shafer.html And here it is pasted for those that don't wish to link... Dr. Randy Lee, Director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs, and I were pleased to represent ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson at a recent private screening of Mel Gibson’s new film, "The Passion of the Christ." The screening was held at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois, with more than 5,000 people, mostly clergy, from all 50 US states in attendance. We arrived more than an hour before the 1:00 p.m. screening only to find that the 4,500 seat Willow Creek sanctuary was already nearly full. 600 more people ended up sitting in an overflow area. On the many video screens throughout the auditorium were endorsement statements from church leaders. There were endorsements from evangelical Christian leaders such as Billy Graham, James Dobson, Robert Schuller and the late Bill Bright as well as Roman Catholic leaders such as Chicago's Francis Cardinal George, Denver's Archbishop Charles Chaput and the Vatican's Cardinal Castrillion Hoyos. Two other familiar names were Jack Valenti of the Motion Picture Association and film critic Michael Medved. Several folks read my review and thought I was saying that Valenti and Medved were Roman Catholic (Medved is Jewish). We were told that what we were seeing was still a rough cut and was the same version that those whose comments were up on the screen had viewed. What we viewed was the film without the credits and some of the music and special effects. It is presented in several biblical languages, all with English subtitles. My subtitle above is my one line review - the film is part Gospel story and part myth with a generous amount of Hollywood and violence thrown in. It follows the Gospel stories of the last hours of Jesus’ life from Gethsemane to the crucifixion with a brief resurrection scene at the end. The film is dark, violent ("R" rated - under 17 not admitted without parent) and well told. Much has been added to the Gospel story to fill in the gaps. In an interview after the film, Gibson stated that it was "the Gospels plus my imagination" and that he brought the story from the Gospels and added information from "history, visions, and medicine." Neither Randy Lee nor I found this film to be anti-Jewish. It clearly makes the point that everyone is responsible for Jesus’ suffering and death - Romans, some Jewish leaders, the rabble, ourselves. Jesus’ is beaten from Gethsemane to his crucifixion. The violence towards him is unrelenting. Jesus is bleeding and battered during most of this film. Thus, this is not a film for children or anyone who cannot handle the depiction of graphic violence. Perhaps because of Gibson’s Roman Catholic background, Mary, Jesus’ mother, has a major role in the film. Gibson puts Mary at nearly all of the events of his trial, torture and crucifixion, and even has Mary kissing Jesus’ feet when he is on the cross. There are many scenes like that one - not Biblical, but probable, many based in mystic and apocryphal writings as well as Roman Catholic tradition. I took notes of the non-Biblical scenes, events and characters and had a full page of them. There is a Satan character in a number of scenes, a character which is the personification of evil, appearing as a man, an aged baby and a snake. That character is very useful to show the responsibility that all of humanity has in the death of Jesus. Mary Magdalene, pictured in many of the film previews I have seen, is a minor figure in this film. Should you see this film? Should you recommend it to others? Because of the level of violence, that is a hard question to answer. Willow Creek Church plans to take advantage of the film by having a five week Sunday series on Jesus’ Passion during the Lenten season. (The film opens on February 25, western Christian Ash Wednesday). That’s a very creative idea, I believe, to take advantage of the secular culture’s interest in "our" story. There are many resources available for those who wish to use the film for evangelism or education efforts. The film’s Web site (www.thepassionofchrist.com) is one resource. There is even an online film ticket Web site at www.thepassiontickets.com. More useful, perhaps, are the many resources prepared by an evangelical Christian group called "Outreach" (www.outreach.com). After viewing the film, I agree with the Consultative Panel on Lutheran/Jewish Relations (see their statement at www.elca.org/ea/Interfaith/gibson_statement.html) that it is important for Christians (and others) who view this film to read the Gospel accounts before and/or after their viewing. The danger is that this film will become the Oliver Stone’s "JFK" of Christ’s Passion story, that is, that the public will only know the Passion story as it is depicted here with all of the non-Biblical material assumed to be Biblical or historic, a way I’m told many now only know the details of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through Oliver Stone’s fictional film. These are my comments and are not the "official" statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) which does not endorse or condemn any film. I add this because there has already been at least one news report that, based on the ELCA news story on the Consultative Panel’s statement (www.elca.org/Scriptlib/CO/ELCA_News/encArticleList.asp?a=2733&p=6), that has stated "Lutherans Weigh in on Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion’" (www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/1/7/180336.shtml) with a link to "Mel Gibson fights back" after their article. Neither the Lutheran/Jewish relations panel nor I have endorsed or condemned this film. Whenever Hollywood tells "our" story, we Christians have an opportunity for outreach, education and dialogue. "The Passion of the Christ" is such an opportunity. ***

I wish I wish I wish I could.

Wow! Looks like Alex has a great set of parents. Congrats to you both.

Yippee! Congrats on breaking away from the tandems. Enjoy

Happy Birthday Ronnie. God's speed to him and his family. Thanks for your service to the USA.

Can't believe I've already done 70 units. That is with one little computer!

No more green ones? I am so sad. Now I'm going to have to go out and buy all the really old rolls available in those out of the way places that rarely enforce and expiration date. I e-mailed them!

Dude - what a story! Sounds like you have a good instructor. Try learning to pack. It will take much time and effort, but can be done. Perhaps showing the effort and time will help you break through that "click" you feel. If not, find a new DZ, sleep in your car, bring a bar of soap, toothbrush, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and you are good to go!

Welcome! Where are you doing your AFF?

Hmmmmmm, good beer too! Come back and swoop the beer line again. I feel a little thirsty. Hey Smit705! You are killing me. Grew up where? RAEFORD Please don't tell me your GPA from Hoke High, I couldn't take it.

I laughed as well when I read usskydiver's response. Good job. I can just picture him delivering that response......

Now that you are a hot sport skydiver - you'll have to come back to Raeford to visit!

If you haven't jumped before this, get ready for some serious sensory overload that you will most assuredly want to go back and get some more!

Its all a timing thing. Welcome to the sport!

smit705 - did you skydive here while in Raeford?

We enjoy seeing a number of folks with a similar background here in Raeford. We are right next door to Fort Bragg, NC. After working so hard to make those paratrooper jumps, glad to hear you can now enjoy the sporting end a little more.

Ok, so presently you make $10 per hour. Not all that bad for a starter. With practise, who knows, soon it will be 20 minutes per pack, or $15 per hour. Then 15 minutes per pack, which translates to $20 per hour. Do you make more than $20 per hour during your regular job now? Don't worry about going fast. The speed will come. Try it!

Wow - and it only took you 6 months! Cool

Hey, do you know Classair? They also have a post on Intro & Greets. You both jump at Sebastian. Once you survive the crises, I found my own personal experience a little refreshing. It helped me to "keep it all in perspective" so to speak. Good luck with your experience, hang in there!

{{{{Waving back}}}}}} Glad you found dz.com! I'm addicted.

Hello skydivellama! Welcome to posting. Sounds like your have your act together. Skydive when the budget allows. Don't worry, those skydives will add up before you know it! We're hoping for a lot better weather this weekend than last.

Welcome to the world of posting on dz.com! Stay safe, and thanks for being there.

Yo - welcome - enjoy the sport! Keep us updated and post a photo once you actually jump.