Merry Serendipity Christmas

Here's wishing all of you a memorable Christmas season.  I would like to share a few songs from one of my favorite movies of all time. I know it's not exactly a Christmas movie but watching Serendipity always invoke a Christmas feeling within me. Best movie soundtrack thus far.

 

So here you go. Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

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Common Sense Media

This week my friend shared this App with me that I think every parent should have on their smart phones. With the amount of screen time our children have these days, it is almost impossible not to be affected by the things they see on TV or play on their devices. The best thing we can do is to filter the movies they watch, know the values they get from watching certain TV shows, and learn how the online games they play affect their personalities.  This is where Common Sense Media comes in.

Common Sense Media helps families make smart media choices. We offer the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based and educational ratings and reviews for movies, games, apps, TV shows, websites, books, and music. 

During our weekend family movie time, we have both kids with us so we need to ensure the movie that we will be watching will be appropriate for our four-year old yet still entertaining for our seven-year old. Common Sense Media allows you to filter through a given age range. In my case I always set it to 4 to 7 so that it covers the ages of both my children. 

Now another great feature is that you can customize the App to your own child's gender and age. It will then select shows that are good for them.

 

You can also do searches of the shows or games that you kids love. The site will give you a good indication of what the programs are teaching your child.

There is no doubt that traditional and digital media gives great entertainment value. But it is important for us, as parents, to use it wisely. This way our children will be able to use it as a tool to learn new skills and accomplish amazing things.

Now don't you agree that all parents must have the Common Sense Media App on hand? Because, admit in, in this crazy parenting world, common sense is sometimes not so common.

 

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Of Dragons, Love and Forgiveness

So we were finally able to watch How to Train Your Dragon 2 last Saturday. I never thought i can cry so much watching an animated adventure movie.

After 20 long years, Stoick (the dad of Hiccup, the main character) saw his wife once again.  He thought all the while that she was already dead. It turned out that it was her decision not to return to her family anymore.  Instead, she decided to focus on her passion which was taking care of the dragons.

The first time Stoick saw his wife, she mumbled apologies and explanations - trying to control the wrath that may be awaiting her. But the only thing that her husband said was "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you"  

I was so moved by his words. Until the end, he never questioned why she left him. Only loved her unconditionally and did his best to win her back.  There was no discussion on why she did what she did.  It was instant forgiveness.  Love abounded in him and overflowed to her.  Amazing true love...and such a wonderful example to his son.

Beautiful beautiful movie. Watch the video clips below.  Better yet, watch the film. It's worth the 115 minutes of your time.

1 Peter 4:8
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."

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I Will See You in Heaven

Have you ever encountered God in a movie theater?

Last Easter Sunday, our family decided to watch Heaven is For Real. I am familiar with the book and was excited to watch the movie the first time i saw the trailer. This is a true story about a 4-year old boy who talks about how he has visited heaven while he was being operated on for raptured appendicitis. Although i have yet to verify how Biblical his experience truly is, in my heart i believe that his encounter is real. And more importantly, that it is from the Lord.

Having lost Tyler back in 2006, i have always wondered about Heaven. I often tell Dens that when the time comes for God to call me back to Him, i will look for Tyler. But until last Sunday, i don't think i was really brave enough to ask the questions that have been in my heart for so long.  I have always silently wondered if Tyler would remain a baby forever. I questioned how we could ever really communicate if that was the case. Furthermore, i know from the Bible that our earthly relationships are no longer the same in heaven. That thought hurts me somehow because that meant that Tyler would never know me as his mom.  I would always try to comfort myself with the idea that there is no more sorrow in heaven. But thinking about it never fails give me that lump in my throat that i cannot get over.

As soon as i got home from watching the movie, i immediately started reading the book of the same title that my dad gave me over a year ago. It has an excerpt of the time the 4-year old boy, Colton, visited heaven and met his unborn sister.  She passed away when his mom miscarried the baby during the first/second trimester.

"Mommy, I have two sisters," Colton said.

I put down my pen. Sonja didn't. She kept on working. 

Colton repeated himself.  "Mommy, I have two sisters."

Sonja looked up from her paperwork and shook her head slightly.  "No, you have your sister, Cassie, and...do you mean your cousin, Traci?"

"No." Colton clipped off the word adamantly.  "I have two sisters. You had a baby die in your tummy, didn't you?"

At that moment, time stopped in the Burpo household, and Sonja's eyes grew wide.  Just a few seconds before, Colton had been trying unsuccessfully to get his mom to listen to him. Now, even from the kitchen table, I could see that he had her undivided attention.

"Who told you I had a baby die in my tummy?" Sonja said, her tone serious.

"She did, Mommy. She said she died in your tummy."

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"In heaven, this little girl ran up to me, and she wouldn't stop hugging me," he said in a tone that clearly indicated he didn't enjoy all this hugging from a girl.

"Maybe she was just happy that someone from her family was there," Sonja offered.  "Girls hug. When we're happy, we hug"

Colton didn't seem convinced.

Sonja's eyes lit up and she asked, "What was her name? What was the little girl's name?"

Colton seemed to forget all about the yucky girl hugs for a moment.  "She doesn't have a name.  You guys didn't name her."

How did he know that?

"Your're right, Colton," Sonja said.  "We didn't even know she was a she"

Then Colton said something that still rings in my ears: "Yeah, she said she just can't wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven."

From the kitchen table, I could see that Sonja was barely holding it together.  She gave Colton a kiss and told him he could go play.  And when he left the room, tears spilled over her cheeks.

"Our baby is okay," she whispered.  "Our baby is okay."

From that moment on, the wound from one of the most painful episodes in our lives, losing a child we had wanted very much, began to heal.


Isn't that amazing? I've read this part of the book so many times and it still overflows my heart with so much joy. Our little Tyler is truly well now. I want to believe the Lord allowed Colton to experience this to give healing to his parents and to every parent who has experienced the loss of a child. 

Thank you, Lord, for this revelation.  We will see Tyler again when we get to heaven and he will know that we are his parents. I will meet him and tell him of how much the Lord has used him to change our lives. He will know how much we love him and we will tell him all about his siblings, Troy & Dawn.  We may have lost him for several years on earth, but it looks like we will be enjoying eternity together with the Lord in heaven. How wonderful is that?

The idea of eternity in heaven has never felt more real. This is truly a beautiful movie. Pray, as you watch it, that God will reveal His heart to you. Be ready - you will find yourself seeking more of Him after watching this film.  May the Lord use this film to touch the hearts of people and draw them closer to Him. Heaven is indeed for real. Jesus is for real.

Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

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