Nacho Libre with Paul McDonald and Dustin Oprea
Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, Dustin and I get you ready for summer with Nacho Libre. Play is important, we need it to transform the drone of every day life into a dance. Watching a movie like this, which is playful and funny, simply for the joy it brings is a form of play. We dive into the playfulness of God, and how important it is for us to engage in play—doing an activity simply for the joy it brings us. They don’t think I know a buttload of crap about the gospel, but I do. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.
Quotes
Creation is playful, and creation reflects the personality of the Creator.
The purpose of play is to transform the drone of everyday life into a dance.
The idea of being playful is the realization that I might not be five anymore, but there is a five-year-old in me.
Children want to play with their father.
If you want to ruin the economy, flood the market with counterfeit bills. In the same way, we can ruin the economy of the Kingdom of Jesus by flooding the market with counterfeit Christs.
It is about the things we do with God that brings about the restoration of our hearts.
Themes
The playfulness of God
We need play to escape the “drone of everyday life.”
Play for relief vs play for restoration
We need space for the younger parts of us to come alive and enjoy life.
Flooding the market with counterfeit Christs-the danger of legalistic religion vs the personality of relationship
Resources
Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus by John Eldredge
Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner
“In the presence of the God of Jacob, there is life that’s beyond prediction. There is freedom to change, to become more than we have ever been…Life in the spiritual universe in governed…by inexplicable graces, which transform the drone of everyday life into a dance.” The Message Devotional Bible, A Holy Playfulness from Psalm 114, by Eugene Peterson
“It is better to have not known Christ than to have learned Him wrong.” George MacDonald in Unspoken Sermons
“After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered.“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” - Matthew 17: 24-27 (NIV)
“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” - Matthew 7: 10-11 (NLT)
Questions
What’s your favorite movie to quote?
What’s your go-to movie to make you laugh?
What was the last time you fully laughed, like a belly shaking, breathless laugh?
When was the last time you laughed by yourself?
When did you first experience the drone of life?
What did you love doing when you were five? Twelve? Sixteen?
Can you give yourself permission to engage in the things that brought you joy at a younger age?
How can you seek play for relief? For restoration? What’s the difference?
What would it look like for you to play and have fun?
Could it be true that you might have learned Jesus wrong?
What would it feel like to ask God for opportunities to laugh, to play?
What would you love to do that has no other purpose than to do it for the joy?
Where can you introduce play in your life once a week?
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Edited and mixed by Grayson Foster
Logo and episode templates by Ian Johnston
Audio quotes performed by Britt Mooney, Paul McDonald, and Tim Willard, taken from Epic (written by John Eldredge) and Song of Albion (written by Stephen Lawhead).
Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock.
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