Sometimes it is good to pause our normal rhythms to allow things to decompress a bit. So this Sunday we are going to the movies, not really, but you get the point.

Stories are at the center of how we engage in cultural dialogues at FōS. Movies offer us a great medium to reflect and respond. This week we will watch Blue Like Jazz, which is based on the book of the same name by Donald Miller. After we will spend some time responding to the movie together.

1. Let the story be told. What is the director/writer trying to say in this story? Listen to the story before you agree/disagree with the point of the story.

2. Invite the story to speak to you. Moving beyon the moral behavior of the characters, what is the story saying to you? I could be about you, others, your life with/without God, your relationships, your goals.

3. Identify transformation. Where is change taking place in the character’s life, in a relationship or situation? What kind of change occurred? How was change brought about? By whom, and why?

4. Observe redemption. Where is repair, restoration, and reconciliation in the chacter’s life? Who and what brought this about, and at what cost? Why was there either openness or resistance?

5. Look for the Christ figure. What characters remind you most of Jesus, and why?

6. Embracing our human condition. What does the story say about what it means to be human? About character? About values?

7. Your take home. How will I live better and become a better follower of Jesus because of these reflections?