gdp's Comments

Big Hollywood : BH Interview: Emilio Estevez - Secular Hollywood Ignores Spiritual Audiences

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:11:55 +0000

We read the story of Joseph in Genesis the other evening, and I found myself thinking, "This would make an amazing movie". I'd always known the story, at least the Sunday School condensed version, but this was one of the first times I'd engaged in an in-depth reading of the text. Done right, done respectfully, done as a serious drama, that would be something I'd gladly fork over the cost of a ticket to see in the theater.

Big Hollywood : Does Jamie Lee Curtis Think Obama Could Have Saved Whitney Houston?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:11:57 +0000

I see Thunderbottom beat me to it. :-) That's what I get for failing to refresh the page for new comments before tossing in my two cents!

Big Hollywood : Does Jamie Lee Curtis Think Obama Could Have Saved Whitney Houston?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:08:58 +0000

You have statistics to back this up? Plenty of people die from alcohol poisoning, and plenty of people die from legal prescription drug overdoses, so why should we think that legalization would equal fewer people dying? And don't you find it at least mildly ironic that many of the liberals who are all for large-scale drug legalization also support banning, among other things, cigarettes and trans fats?

Big Hollywood : William Shatner Dishes on Khan, George Takei and El Rushbo

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 22:47:26 +0000

I tried to give you an up-thumb, but one too-small iPod screen plus one clumsy finger later and, well, I accidentally gave you a down-thumb instead. Sorry. :-( So mentally give yourself a +1, and I'll, uh, try to refrain from rating comments when I'm using the iPod.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 21:13:09 +0000

Sorry, wasn't comparing your posts with Westboro. I was trying to make the point that HOW we represent the Truth matters, and they are the obvious over-the-edge-of-the-cliff example of what not to do. Also, nowhere did I characterize your posts as "ridiculous". Although (and I say this not with malice, but with a chuckle), "I've omitted all my defenses because you consider them inappropriate" may perhaps cross over the line into the territory of "slightly ridiculous". If you considered your posts reasonable, if you are confident in the content of what you said and the manner in which you said it, why in the world would you delete them because of some stranger with a little different take? Please, consider looking into Stand to Reason and Greg Koukl's podcast. Good, good stuff. You won't be disappointed.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 19:58:09 +0000

I hope you're not trying to imply that you know whether my Christianity is hot, cold, or lukewarm. I was not saying that the message isn't important, I was saying that our manner is as important as our message. I doubt those Westboro Baptist Church folks have inspired many people to commit their lives to Christ, but I guarantee they've made more than one person think, "If that's what being a Christian looks like, then I don't want to be one!" That's not how evangelism is supposed to work. If we win the argument but lose the person, what have we gained? We should present the Truth fervently and with diplomacy, never losing sight of the humanity of the person on the other side.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 17:59:21 +0000

Grew up in the SF Bay Area, so been there, done that, as far as seeing conservatism and Christianity trashed on a daily basis. I've even been on the receiving end of some attempts at dehumanization because of my political beliefs, but I refuse to think of myself as a victim. I'm not talking who's who of victimhood, anyway, I'm talking about how we conduct ourselves when we disagree. Are you familiar with Greg Koukl or Stand to Reason (str.org)? I highly recommend you check them (and their fantastic podcast) out. The focus is on being ambassadors for Christ. We should be well-equipped to share and defend our message without falling into the traps of emotional arguments or hyperbole, which only undermine what we have to say. I recognize your passion, and we absolutely need passionate people out there spreading the Word. After reading through much of what you've written in this thread, however, I humbly submit that you often come across as ARGUING!!!! instead of engaging in reasoned discourse. I think we get more done when we're engaged in reasoned discourse.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 10:32:18 +0000

But . . . gays *are* people. We're *all* people. We can disagree with a political agenda or behaviors, but we shouldn't fall into the trap of subtly dehumanizing a group because we disagree with them. It instantly weakens the credibility of our arguments.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 10:22:43 +0000

I'm sensing a troll in our midst. If you're trying to (very clumsily) highlight the hate you think is endemic amongst conservatives, I've got a newsflash for you: wherever there are large groupings of people, you'll find pockets of hate, regardless of which side of the aisle the grouping happens to fall. Why don't you grow up and try to engage us in something resembling intelligent discourse? Who knows, we might learn from each other. But this? This is like a bad version of a middle school lunch room taunting. On the other hand, if you are sincere in what you've said, you might want to try Iran; I hear they're completely homosexual-free.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 10:01:35 +0000

I've sometimes wondered the same thing about the Parents Television Council.

Big Hollywood : Leave Ellen Alone: 'Family Group' Protests JCPenney for Hiring DeGeneres

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 09:59:17 +0000

Jesus didn't go all righteous kung-fu on the local farmer's market, His anger was specifically at men who were using the temple (in other words, His house) to conduct business. "And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, 'It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer"; but you are making it a robber's den.'" (Matthew 21:12-13 NASB) If we're going to start down the path of protesting every company that has a sinner for their spokesperson, there's going to be a whole lot of protesting going on and not much else, 'cause we're all, every single one of us, sinners. I think the time would be far better spent trying to share with our neighbors the truth of Christ's gift of salvation, because at the end of it all, THAT'S what matters.

Breitbart.com : Brains of addicts are inherently abnormal: study

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 09:15:10 +0000

Getting personal here for a moment, and I hope the moderator doesn't think this is too off-topic, but here we go. We've watched my husband's brother struggle with alcoholism for 30+ years. He wanted to quit. He TRIED to quit on his own, many many times. He's been in the hospital twice, the last time because he tried to quit cold turkey and had a seizure from the withdrawal. Shortly after that experience, he started a stint of what was probably some of his hardest drinking, with a little vicodin thrown in for good measure. He finally found bottom, and agreed to go into detox. He'd tried AA before, and it wasn't a fit for him. This time, he used the book "Rational Recovery" by Jack Trimpey. This book isn't for everyone, and the author does a fair amount of unnecessary (in my opinion) AA-bashing (different things work for different people, it'd be nice if he could leave it at that), but my bro-in-law describes this as the book that helped him "find normal". After 30+ years, that's saying something. So. Before you end up in a withdrawal-related seizure, maybe consider giving this book a glance. It might work for you, it might not, but it's worth a shot, maybe? I don't know who you are, but I can feel your pain coming right through the computer screen. You'll be in my prayers from here on out. Don't give up.

Breitbart.com : Brains of addicts are inherently abnormal: study

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:40:44 +0000

Have you ever watched an alcoholic try to quit? I mean really, truly try on their own, with the often inevitable cycle of "I WANT to quit! I messed up. I'll never be able to quit. I am a worthless failure. A drink will make me feel better." And so it goes. It's been my observation that most addicts, be it to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, whatever it is that offers the escape, really do want to quit. If it were as simple for everyone as saying no, there'd be a lot fewer addicts in the world.

Big Hollywood : Last Night on 'Glee': Michael Jackson Glorified, Marriage Dragged Through Mud

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 07:43:55 +0000

Anyone who doesn't think a woman can have ambition and original thought anywhere besides the 9-5 workforce is . . . I dunno. I keep trying to come up with an appropriate descriptor, and I just can't. Narrow-minded? Ignorant? Dare I say it -- a little sexist? I teach part-time, I'm pretty successful at it, and I like my job. But I LOVE my family, and the moment we're in a position where I can be home full-time, I'm there. Along with my ambitions (writing, getting the rust out of my piano chops, and raising a strong, independent, creative, civilized daughter) and PLENTY of original thought. On the other hand, as a teacher I get to see the result of parents who put their own needs before the needs of the kids. It ain't pretty. Sometimes, it's downright heartbreaking. I'd like to take some of these parents, the moms, especially, and shake them, yelling, "When kids enter the scene, the adults no longer get to be the primary consideration!" But I'm guessing that wouldn't look very good on my record, so I refrain, and just keep on giving those kids as much love and nurturing as I can in the short time I have with them. Our families are our legacies, for good or for ill. How we raise our kids and the example we set in marriage directly influences their marriages and how they raise their kids, and that influence can go on for generations. I'd hate to squander my legacy on something as fleeting and ultimately insignificant as a job. Are there other teachers who could come in and teach as well as, if not better than I do? Absolutely. Is there anyone else who could love my kid as much or as well as I do? Not a chance. The legacy I hope to leave is one of love, with a foundation so stable my kids think they can conquer the world.

Big Hollywood : Marvel Studios Now Making the Lazy Comic Cash-Ins It Was Founded to Replace

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:06:11 +0000

I dunno, I might have to look at him for another three or three hundred hours, just to make sure. "Okay, and turn a little bit, and flex . . . hmm. Well, I'm not sure just yet, still thinking. This is going to take a WHOLE lot more looking, I do believe."

Big Hollywood : Last Night on 'Glee' - A Very 'Glee'-ful Christmas Bungles Bible Verse, Gets Peace on Earth Right

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:51:12 +0000

I'm a music teacher at a little elementary school. Every year, we have a CHRISTMAS program. We sing songs about Christmas. We sing songs about Christ! And the thing is, I'm fully backed by the state standards, because each of the songs I choose has cultural and historical significance (and I make sure I can rattle off exactly what that significance is, in case an administrator gets nervous). I make sure there's a good mix of secular ("I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas", for example) with traditional carols, but every year I have parents and grandparents thanking me for including "real Christmas music". We have about 250 kids in the school, and we annually have a standing-room only crowd in an auditorium that seats 800. People whose kids are no longer at our school still come to our program! We always end with a sing-along, and we always end our sing-along with Silent Night . . . 1000+ voices, all ages and walks of life, singing Silent Night together, unaccompanied. It's a very special thing. I've never had a single complaint about "those religious songs", and I think that's because even if people aren't particularly religious themselves, there's a societal hunger for tradition. Pity more music teachers don't recognize this and take advantage of it, because we really do have a standards-sanctioned venue for bringing tradition (in particular Christmas and some good ol' fashioned American patriotism) to the public school setting.

Big Hollywood : 'Family Circus' Creator Bil Keane Dies at 89

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:48:22 +0000

I was outside with my 3 year-old daughter this last summer. I called her to come in, and she took this insanely twisting, distracted, ADD-esque route to get to the porch. And suddenly, in a flash, I "got" the old Family Circus panels showing the routes the kids took to get from Point A to Point B in a way I'd never gotten them before. Thanks, Mr. Keane, for providing wholesome, pro-family enjoyment when I was a kid, and providing further enjoyment on a whole new level now that I'm a parent.

Big Hollywood : It’s Time for Hollywood Conservatives to Come Out

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 09:03:05 +0000

I'd guess he's referring to the slide shows of "famous republicans" or "famous conservatives" that show up on one or another of the news sites Drudge often links to . . . one of the CBS affiliates, maybe? I've looked those slide shows, and those are exactly the names/pictures they keep listing. Same ol', same ol' . . . very obviously put together by people who wouldn't know conservatism from a hole in the ground, because it seems like all you have to do to get your name on the list is be a celebrity who might have, at one point, said something positive about the US, or negative about taxes. "ZOMG, he just sorta kinda admitted he likes living here in America, and I heard him complaining last year after finishing his tax return . . . HE MUST BE A REPUBLICAN!!!11!1!!"

Breitbart.com : Anxiety over upcoming test of US emergency system

Fri, 4 Nov 2011 06:59:26 +0000

Sadly, Bush's creation of the DHS laid the groundwork for this. I can't imagine how much worse things would have been under Gore or Kerry, but when it came to growing the government's powers versus shrinking them, Bush was not exactly a poster child for conservatism.

Big Hollywood : No Jelly Beans Were Injured During the Making Of This Very Cool Music Video

Thu, 3 Nov 2011 19:32:29 +0000

Their Last Leaf video, with animation on a bunch of toast, is also awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYfB1C0Zgc