What do you think?
Rate this book
Reflections on the Movies: Hearing God in the Unlikeliest of Places
Can a movie feed your soul? Stories. Be it a parable of Jesus, a C.S. Lewis fantasy, or a movie such as Saving Private Ryan , stories have been around since Creation, a means of both education and entertainment. By far, our favorite way to listen to a story today is at the movies, whether in a theater or a family room. Indeed, says Ken Gire, movies are the parables of our culture—earthly stories that sometimes have heavenly meanings. Can we discern God's voice in the modern parables of film? Yes, it is there, sometimes loud and crystal-clear, sometimes barely a whisper, sometimes even despite the filmmaker's intent. In Reflections on the Movies , Ken helps • sensitize our "eyes to hear and ears to hear" God speaking,
• develop the skills to understand movies and their themes, and
• learn to reflect on the medium as a form of spiritual enrichment. In 1999, Ken was one of thirty Christians selected for a month-long study under some of the film industry's top talent in Hollywood. He has led numerous spiritual retreats where he has used movie clips to illustrate his messages. Reflections on the Movies and Ken's previous books in this series— The Reflective Live, Reflections on the Word , a devotional, and Reflections on Your Life , a journal—are designed to help you become more spiritually sensitive to the everyday moments of life.
• develop the skills to understand movies and their themes, and
• learn to reflect on the medium as a form of spiritual enrichment. In 1999, Ken was one of thirty Christians selected for a month-long study under some of the film industry's top talent in Hollywood. He has led numerous spiritual retreats where he has used movie clips to illustrate his messages. Reflections on the Movies and Ken's previous books in this series— The Reflective Live, Reflections on the Word , a devotional, and Reflections on Your Life , a journal—are designed to help you become more spiritually sensitive to the everyday moments of life.
215 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2000
2 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Ken Gire
83 books50 followersKen Gire is the author of more than 20 books, including "The Divine Embrace," "Windows of the Soul," "The Work of His Hands," the Moments with the Savior series, and the Reflective Life series. He has also co-authored "The Birthright" with John Sheasby. Two of his books have been awarded a Gold Medallion. A full-time writer and speaker, Ken is the founder of Reflective Living, a nonprofit ministry devoted to helping people learn how to slow down and live more reflective lives so they can experience life more deeply, especially life with God and other people. Ken is a graduate of Texas Christian University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He has four children and three grandchildren and lives near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Monument, Colorado.
As a bestselling author, Ken speaks primarily on the subjects in the books he has written. In the past, he has spoken at such venues as Bill and Gloria Gaither's Praise Gathering, Billy Graham's Training Center---the Cove, Laity Lodge, Wind River Ranch, Young Life, as well as a variety of denominational and non-denominational churches. He has spoken in the church service itself but has mostly done church retreats. He is available to speak for large, public events as the keynote speaker or for smaller, more private events, such as leadership retreats. In all of his talks, Ken uses a variety of audio-visuals, such as film clips, and so the host would need to have the necessary equipment and someone to operate it. His messages can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the venue. Since most of his speaking topics are from the books Ken has written, you can get a greater feel for his talks by first getting the book from Amazon.com, which carries both his in-print and out-of-print books.
As a bestselling author, Ken speaks primarily on the subjects in the books he has written. In the past, he has spoken at such venues as Bill and Gloria Gaither's Praise Gathering, Billy Graham's Training Center---the Cove, Laity Lodge, Wind River Ranch, Young Life, as well as a variety of denominational and non-denominational churches. He has spoken in the church service itself but has mostly done church retreats. He is available to speak for large, public events as the keynote speaker or for smaller, more private events, such as leadership retreats. In all of his talks, Ken uses a variety of audio-visuals, such as film clips, and so the host would need to have the necessary equipment and someone to operate it. His messages can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the venue. Since most of his speaking topics are from the books Ken has written, you can get a greater feel for his talks by first getting the book from Amazon.com, which carries both his in-print and out-of-print books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 16, 2018
I really, really liked this book. I don't even know where I got it, but I am so happy that I did. While I was reading this, I always felt very calm and peaceful. I found myself reading passages of "truth" aloud to my husband. I only read it on the Sabbath, and I took my time in reading it. It is a book to be savored and pondered, not raced through. Part of my joy is that he reaffirms my belief that we can find God in unlikely places--if we take the time and effort to look. I have personally made some of the same connections that he has in some of the movies. There were other movies that I have not seen, but plan on because of his reflections on them. So not only did this book leave me feeling uplifted, but it offered something to look forward to (new movies to watch.) It also has reminded me to be more active in searching for God's goodness in unlikely places.
June 25, 2019
Samuel read this to me. It was nice. Made me remember why I like movies. Some movies are life-changing.
April 9, 2010
"Besides enlightenment, film can also be an occasion for epiphany. Just as the Holy Spirit spoke through a variety of means in the Bible, He speaks through a variety of means today. Even through movies. A scene, a character, a line of dialogue, or the movie in its entirety comes to us almost like a sacrament, and we sense the Spirit saying, "Take, eat, this is for you" (43).
"A movie, I think, is really only four or five moments between two people; the rest of it exists to give those moments their impact and resonance" (Robert Towne quoted on page 45).
"Some things draw us beyond words. Art can warm even a chilled and sunless soul to an exalted spiritual experience. Through art we occasionally receive--indistinctly, briefly--revelation the likes of which cannot be achieved by rational thought" (50).
"Then, like a man marking a trail, [Jacob:] began to put his prayer between the moments, making the common profound by pausing. Using prayer to tie knots in time, Jacob isolated the details that would pass before others as a stream of events" (quoting Noah benShea's book Jacob's Journey on page 52).
"By taking moments of a movie, especially the moments that move us, and putting pauses of prayerful reflection between them, the luster of each moment will be revealed" (52).
"I can't begin to weigh what all has been lost in my life because I thought there wasn't anything taking place on the corner where God had placed me" (125).
"That's our life's work. To pay attention to those who pass by our corner" (126).
"What we produce will fail. But what happens to us in the producing of it is eternal . . . . The only things that go with us are the things produced in us" (170).
"There is a moment in every great story in which the presence of grace can be felt as it waits to be accepted or rejected, even though the reader may not recognize this moment" (Flannery O'Connor quoted on page 173).
"But how much we should allow ourselves to see and to hear in order to be changed is an issue we all wrestle with. . . . All that being said, I would like to say this, which is often left unsaid: Our faith is based on a public execution that was filled with foul language full-frontal nudity, and unbearable violence" (174).
"The sole substitute for an experience which we have not ourselves lived through is art and literature" (Alexander Solzhenitzyn quoted on page 185).
"Giving the ring to Schindler, Itzak Stern translates the Hebrew inscription, a quote from the Talmud: 'It says, "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire"'" (186).
"in a voice over, Morgan Freeman says: 'I have know idea to this day what them two Italian ladies were singin' about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it" (196).
That is what I felt after seeing Our Town performed last month (March 2010)!
"God is patient in making a masterpiece of our lives, taking a lifetime if necessary. He is also persistent. He will stop at nothing, except our own unwillingness to cooperate. That is a boundary He has chosen not to cross. But it is the only boundary. Tragic circumstances won't stop Him. Physical limitations won't stop Him. Even satanic opposition won't stop Him" (199).
"And I think they would join the thief on the cross in saying that it isn't important why you are remembered, but by whom" (203).
"A movie, I think, is really only four or five moments between two people; the rest of it exists to give those moments their impact and resonance" (Robert Towne quoted on page 45).
"Some things draw us beyond words. Art can warm even a chilled and sunless soul to an exalted spiritual experience. Through art we occasionally receive--indistinctly, briefly--revelation the likes of which cannot be achieved by rational thought" (50).
"Then, like a man marking a trail, [Jacob:] began to put his prayer between the moments, making the common profound by pausing. Using prayer to tie knots in time, Jacob isolated the details that would pass before others as a stream of events" (quoting Noah benShea's book Jacob's Journey on page 52).
"By taking moments of a movie, especially the moments that move us, and putting pauses of prayerful reflection between them, the luster of each moment will be revealed" (52).
"I can't begin to weigh what all has been lost in my life because I thought there wasn't anything taking place on the corner where God had placed me" (125).
"That's our life's work. To pay attention to those who pass by our corner" (126).
"What we produce will fail. But what happens to us in the producing of it is eternal . . . . The only things that go with us are the things produced in us" (170).
"There is a moment in every great story in which the presence of grace can be felt as it waits to be accepted or rejected, even though the reader may not recognize this moment" (Flannery O'Connor quoted on page 173).
"But how much we should allow ourselves to see and to hear in order to be changed is an issue we all wrestle with. . . . All that being said, I would like to say this, which is often left unsaid: Our faith is based on a public execution that was filled with foul language full-frontal nudity, and unbearable violence" (174).
"The sole substitute for an experience which we have not ourselves lived through is art and literature" (Alexander Solzhenitzyn quoted on page 185).
"Giving the ring to Schindler, Itzak Stern translates the Hebrew inscription, a quote from the Talmud: 'It says, "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire"'" (186).
"in a voice over, Morgan Freeman says: 'I have know idea to this day what them two Italian ladies were singin' about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it" (196).
That is what I felt after seeing Our Town performed last month (March 2010)!
"God is patient in making a masterpiece of our lives, taking a lifetime if necessary. He is also persistent. He will stop at nothing, except our own unwillingness to cooperate. That is a boundary He has chosen not to cross. But it is the only boundary. Tragic circumstances won't stop Him. Physical limitations won't stop Him. Even satanic opposition won't stop Him" (199).
"And I think they would join the thief on the cross in saying that it isn't important why you are remembered, but by whom" (203).
April 29, 2015
"In some ways, Reflections on the Movies is refreshing. Published in 2000, this book is evidence that Gire clearly liked movies long before most Evangelical Christians. Specifically, he watched and enjoyed movies before Passion of the Christ cemented the “back to the theaters” movement begun among Evangelicals by Braveheart. In a time when many Christians refused to watch anything not completely sanitized in content and had a habit of burning Amy Grant albums, Gire was watching and delighting in the best that Hollywood and the indie markets had to offer. And he was engaging with these movies well. If this book is representative, Gire is a wonderful model of how Christians ought to watch and think about. He is thoughtful, careful, and generous in his interpretations of movies in a way that we would do well to copy. And even where I disagree with a specific reaction or comment (sorry, but Dead Poets Society was a pile of plop), I can’t disagree with the enthusiasm and, well, reflection he brings to the table. I get the feeling that he would be the sort of person I’d want to have come in and talk to a class or a university chapel service about how to responsibly consume popular culture.
And yet, for all that I have some hesitation about his overall approach."
Read the rest here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeffe...
And yet, for all that I have some hesitation about his overall approach."
Read the rest here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeffe...
October 7, 2015
I have not seen all the movies Gire writes about in this book, and I didn't love all of his reflections (I have so much more to say about Dead Poets Society), but to his general appreciation for film I related heart and soul. "Art was designed to be experienced, not critiqued." And, "When we go to movies, they engage us in dialogue whether we realize it or not." Yes and yes. I love the art of film possibly more than any other medium, and this book does a very good job of explaining why.
March 3, 2013
I so enjoyed this book on God in the movies. I love to watch movies and especially those with redemptive messages. This book showed me I wasn't the only one who could be a Christian and enjoy "secular" movies. Thank you Ken Gire!
September 29, 2014
I liked this book. It helped me see some of the movies I've watched in a different light and even want to watch a few of them again to see what I might have missed. I'm hopeful it will help me watch movies a little differently in the future.
November 15, 2008
Ken Gire is such a thoughtful observer of life, including the movies. I truly enjoyed this book.
February 15, 2011
Really, really liked this one. New perspective on movie watching.
March 3, 2011
Christmas present, thanks Mom! I enjoyed the analysis of the films I had seen, but should have skipped the chapters on the films I haven't seen - spoilers.
January 5, 2011
I think every Christian teenager should read this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews