Coming up on this episode of the Men at the Movies podcast, Britt and I talk about Man of Steel. Clark had 2 fathers to give him his identity and purpose—where can we go to find ours? The only way to receive the validation and love from God is in solitude. We discover new identities, and prepare for the battles to head. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, power is the theme of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Vortigern wants more power and sacrifices everything to get more. Arthur tries to refuse the power that is rightfully his. Both responses do damage. But we find that the struggle has produced character in Arthur that makes him able to handle his strength for good. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we continue our conversation on the Godfather. When we want to take control, what we’re saying we want to take the place of God in our lives. We think that freedom is the ability to do whatever we want, but then we find ourselves slaves to our feelings and our desires. When we turn to God, and submit to him, we actually find a greater freedom than we ever thought possible. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie

Coming up on this 4th anniversary episode of the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss one of the greatest movies of all time, The Godfather. These movies awaken a desire for belonging, but also the ability to take justice into our own hands. However, it’s very easy for injustice to become a great reason to justify further injustice. In our own way, each one of us wants to be the one pulling the strings. Leave the gun, take the cannoli and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

On Friday, September 27th, Hurricane Helene pounded western North Carolina with winds and rain, causing widespread devastation throughout the area. During that same time, Paul McDonald was driving through the storm, trying to pick up a friend to meet up with Rory Lawrence and Matt Fortin at Man Camp in Ohio. On this episode, Paul and Rory discuss that experience that seemed to end in dead ends and defeat, but was actually a redirection in a new way to take new ground.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we study the character of My Cousin Vinny. The man we meet hides inside his leather jacket, wanting to get things done his way and on his terms. Eventually, as we all will discover, he reaches a point where it just doesn’t work anymore. Thankfully, being in a no-win situation is a recipe for transformation. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

This episode kicked of an epic conversation with Jay Heck back in the summer of 2021 as we started a three part series discussing the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Join us as we uncover the power of hiddenness to produce character and integrity. We see the mark of maturity in a man is a reluctance to accept the power being offered to him. How do we find contentment in the wild, the invisible fringes where our most important role is? Join us as we discuss this and more as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we have a special treat as we discuss Stand by Me. The main theme was the closing line—“I never had any friends like I had when I was 12. Does anyone?” This movie is rich with themes of friendship, the loss of innocence, and discovering our true identity. Don’t be led by comfort and fear, but join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Braveheart is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think I watched it 10 times when it was still in the theaters. This was a really fun, deep conversation with Daniel Schwabauer. One of his best lines was, “I wish I had something in my life I thought was worth mortgaging my house for.” I mean, don’t we all yearn, down deep in our hearts, for something to fight for. Something to believe in. For William Wallace fought for the freedom of his brothers. Just like Jesus. So come on and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we explore the 2005 film War of the Worlds. This movie reveals how comfort can lead to a confidence and complacency that won’t stand up when catastrophe and chaos enters our lives. When that happens, cuz it will, how can we get through, survive, and even more importantly, find our contentment? We discuss all that and more, so join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Sam Eldredge enter a galaxy far, far away and discuss Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. While there are many scenes and themes we could talk about, we chose identity as the path to pursue. Luke had accomplished all he had dreamed about on Tattoine, but he was missing out on his true calling. In order to discover who we are, we will have to make difficult decisions. But those choices reveal our true identity, and who we will become. Climb on your tauntaun, we’re going where no man has gone before…nope, wrong movie. May the force be with you, and lets discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we break down the movie Here Comes the Boom. Scott is a man who has lost heart. The system has worn him down, and he’s tired of fighting. One problem with giving up is the message you give to those around you—it tells them they are unimportant and not worth fighting for. It’s time to get up, remember who you are, and come out swinging. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

The first Dune shows us it’s important to look at the themes of training, preparation, and responding to fear. How will you prepare for the dreams you have? How will you respond to the training you must endure? When you’re going through the trial and pain, which voice will you listen to: the voice of fear or of love? Strap on your still suit, conserve your water, and lets discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss Terminator 2: Judgement Day. When we look at Sarah at the beginning of the movie, she is just as cold and calculating as the terminators. Both Sarah and the T-800 must learn from John what it means to be human, that life has value, and to choose risk and love over fear. Come with me if you want to live and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we get you ready for summer with Field of Dreams. In a vibrant life with God, He is always offering invitations to us. But we must cultivate the conscious awareness to notice when He is speaking. And when we embrace the risk and act on what he says, the story will always be better than we thought it would be. So let’s follow the voice and go the distance, and discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we hit the waves with Point Break. The definition of a point break is where a wave breaks either right or left as it hits a part of land jutting out into the water. Every time Johnny’s life hits a point break, his life breaks in the wrong direction until he’s a man that’s lost his heart. What are you going to do when the land of life hits the wave of your journey? This is your wake up call, so join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we visit the wild west with Young Guns 1 and 2. This movie appeals to us because we all want to have a group of pals who pursue adventure and purpose together, who fight for freedom and justice. However, without a control line to guide us, we can easily lose our pals, and die alone. We’re going to the spirit world, so join me in discovering God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we look at The Lion King. Simba finds himself in a world of trauma and chaos-his father died, he’s in isolation, and the voice of the enemy is the only one he hears. But it wasn’t because Simba was weak that he was attacked. It was because of his birthright. We need to remember who we are, so join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we wrestle with Peanut Butter Falcon. Zack and Tyler were two men looking for family, and they find the deepest possibility of God’s affection and family in their times of deepest pain. They wonder if they are good guys or bad guys, and discover that being a hero has to do with waking up and making a choice. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Coming up on the men at the movies podcast, we slay some dragons with Reign of Fire. If the dragons are symbols for sin, we see two flawed approaches. For Van Zandt, his life is obsessed with killing dragons and taking back territory in a legalistic manner. Quinn is always on defense and has a defeatist mentality. The problem with both perspectives is that they focus on the dragons, and not life. In the same way, we focus on sin when we should be focused on the Savior. It’s time to kick out the squatters, and take some territory back this week on the Men at the Movies podcast.