Pinocchio with Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we celebrate our two-year anniversary with the original Pinocchio. This gospel template breaks down into three main themes: the idea of our conscience, which, like the law, is powerless to transform us. When we give in to the lies of temptation, we discover that we become farther from the person we desire to become. It’s only through the transformational power of love that we can find real life, and come home to a father who loves us. I’m a real boy, I’m a real boy—join me and discover God’s truth in this movie

Quotes

  • How else can we strengthen the muscles of faith than by wrestling with God?

  • The father’s longing was never for a wooden puppet, but for a real boy.

  • The law, although sacred and true, will never be enough to transform us.

  • The creation reflects the design and desires of the creator.

  • He thinks he’s free, but ends up in a cage.

  • We don’t realize our value and worth, we just think what we get is all that we deserve.

  • He disobeyed his father and came into bondage.

  • I think that doing what I want is freedom, but it’s actually bondage.

 Themes

  • Idea of conscience

    • Small, powerless

    • Unreliable

    • Easily drowned out by other voices

    • Sacred gift

    • Inadequate: not enough to transform us/bring us to life (like the law)

    • The purpose is to point us back to the father.

  • Enemy/temptation

    • Our temptation is to become more than we are

    • Pursue ease, comfort, being famous over humility and discipline

    • We think we are free but find ourselves in captivity

    • We don’t realize our value apart from the father

    • Acts like our friends, but are not

    • Offer relief, but it never is enough

  • What does it take to find transformation?

    • Discipline is what gives you freedom

    • Comes from understanding true identity

    • Love sent Pinocchio into the belly of the whale

Resources

  • Epic by John Eldredge

  • “Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.” -Romans 7:7-13 (NLT)

  • We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

  • For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.” -John 1:17 (NLT)

  • Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink

Questions

  • How is your conscience unreliable? Powerless?

  • How has giving in to temptations distorted who you are?

  • What looks like freedom but becomes bondage?

  • How has discipline lead to freedom?

More info

Check out our YouTube channel (@menatthemovies) for bonus content.

To dive into this content even more, visit our website: www.menatthemovies.com/podcast. You will find resources mentioned on the podcast, plus quotes and themes discussed.

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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

Links:

MATM website

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Spotify

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Defiance with Paul McDonald and Dustin Oprea