Paul McDonald and Dan Horner take a deeper look at The Matrix (1999), starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Ann Moss. Last week we snorkeled, this week we’re going scuba diving. We must go on a journey to claim our identity, and that road will lead us through our doubts. We live with a conflict of dual identities—the old man (Thomas Anderson) and the new man (Neo). And the only one that can prevent us from becoming who we are meant to become is us. Join us as we dive deep into this movie!

Paul McDonald and Dan Horner look at The Matrix (1999), starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Ann Moss, as a picture of the Gospel. You are asleep and need to wake up. Your choices matter: will you take the blue pill of ignorance or the red pill of truth? There is no purple. You have the power and authority to go into the world and do good, but it’s not going to be easy. There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path. Walk with us today as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and his son Brendan get into the ring with Creed, the 2015 movie starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson. We talk about our struggle with the question of being worthy. We see identity bestowed with love and affirmation. As in all Rocky movies, we discover that our biggest fight is the one with the man inside of us. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney talk about We Bought a Zoo with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. Some of our greatest adventures begin in our darkest trauma. We get to decide whether to follow the story of safety and security or the story of mystery and miracles. We discover that facing our worst trials takes courage. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney talk about The Suicide Squad (2021) starring Margot Robbie, John Cena, and Idris Elba. Even though breaking patterns feels like death, if you want to live a different story, you’re going to have to make different decisions. But when you make that courageous choice, you inspire others to do the same. And we see that those things we hold too tightly can become our idols. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Pablo Ceron explore the epic movie Gladiator (2000) starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. We compare and contrast Maximus and Commodus as reflections of our own hearts. How can we move from Commodus, who chased love and validation from the crowd, depending on them for his identity? How can we become more like Maximus, who knew who he was, and had a home worth fighting for? We’re going deep.

Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney discuss Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson and Leah Thompson. In this movie, every character is chasing some status that they hope will give them a sense of belonging. The lie they believe is that status is where they have value. But truth and trust go together, leading to the intimacy and belonging we are all searching for. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Rob Porter we dive into the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven starring Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, and Jeremy Irons.  We compare how our initiation mirrors Balion’s experience.  We discuss how investing 1% every day will yield a bountiful harvest down the road.  Our job is not to build a bigger kingdom, but to make the one we have burst with life. 

Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Allen Arnold are expanding our palette with Somewhere in Time. We explore our core longing to be known. We look at our pursuit of beauty and the extreme lengths we will go to pursue it. And we also ask ourselves about the story we are living in: while we say we know that God can make the impossible possible, how much impossible do we really think he can make possible. Join us as we discover our stories in this movie. Join us as we discover our stories in this movie.

We conclude our summer blockbuster series with Saving Private Ryan.  We live in a world at war, but our enemy isn’t who you think it is.  Going through battle requires fluid leadership and reveals a bond of brotherhood.  In the brutality of the fight, we must choose every day to pursue compassion, guard our hearts, and hold on to our humanity. 

In week 3 of the summer blockbuster series, Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney tackle their first animated film, Shrek. We look at how we often feel like Shrek, expecting people to run away if they really knew our true self. Or maybe we relate to the Princess, getting frustrated because things don't look like we think they should. In reality, our goal should be to emulate the hero of the movie, Donkey, by showing love, acceptance, and forgiveness to those around us. Join us as we discover our stories in this movie.

In week 2 of our summer blockbuster series, Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Like Indy, we are all treasure hunters.  But what is the treasure we are chasing?  Will it kill us if we get it?  How do we find the treasure that will last?  We discuss these questions and more.  

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney kick off our summer blockbuster series, starting with Top Gun. Like Pete Mitchell, we struggle with an orphan spirit-we don’t know who we are, and we work really hard to make life work. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work when what we fear the most actually happens. We must hear our identity and choose to walk in that to become who we were meant to be-the adopted sons of God.

Paul McDonald and Jay Heck conclude the series on the Lord of the Rings with The Return of the King (2003) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom (among many others!). The story of The Lord of the Rings sets a vision for who we could be as men. We see that through testing and pain, our growth is possible and our true selves are revealed. For all the armies, politics, strength, and wisdom, the fate of the world depends on the small battle for our hearts.

Join us as we discover our stories in this movie!

Paul McDonald and Jay Heck continue their discussion of the Lord of the Rings as they dive into The Two Towers (2002) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom (among many others!). They ask some hard questions: How do you maintain hope in the face of growing darkness? Are you listening to the voice of accusation or invitation? What mark do you want to leave on the world?

Join us as we discover our stories in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Jay Heck begin their series on the Lord of the Rings, beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom (among many others). They discuss how we, like Aragorn, must go through our initiation to develop the character capable of carrying the kingdom. Beauty invites us into our strength and heals us when we fall. Friendship and being childlike will prove to be more important than strength in arms and great wisdom.

Join us as we discover our stories in this movie!

Paul McDonald and Daniel Schwabauer discuss Braveheart (1995) starring Mel Gibson, and the questions that arise. What does it mean to be a man? How do we live uncompromising lives and avoid losing heart? How can we die happy men?

Join us as we discuss God’s truth in this movie.

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie A Knight’s Tale starring Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, and Andy Tudyk. No matter how hard we believe or as much as we try, we are unable to change our stars, our nature, or our destiny on our own. God will often ask us to lay something down, to kill it, in order to redeem it. And we can only receive our true name which is beyond contestation through Christ.

Join us as we discuss God’s truth in this movie!

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney discuss the 1987 movie The Princess Bride starting Carey Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Robin Wright. Invitation and opportunity often show up looking like pain, inconvenience, and interruption. We can accept the quirks of our story, or get frustrated and fight it. When life isn’t fair, when we are mostly dead, doctrine and theology isn’t enough to get us through—we need story to show us the way.

Paul McDonald and Will Branner discuss how they met, how Will got into acting and filmmaking, and what stories Will loves to make (and watch).