• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give
You are here: Home / OtherFish

OtherFish

The Impossible: Interview with Joyce Smith

November 7, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer 1 Comment

Photo credit: Lori Straine via Hatchette Press

Skiing, sledding, snowball fights, mugs of hot cocoa—winter means different things to people.  In the case of Joyce Smith, it means something more.

Life.

In her book The Impossible (releases today via Hatchette Press), she tells the story of her son John, a child she adopted from Guatemala.  When he was 14 years old, an event occurred that is nothing short of miraculous.  I recently had the opportunity to talk with her about John and why he is receiving such large amounts of attention—all from a local news story.

Smith’s life wasn’t a perfect one.  As she put it, she had her own “littered trail of disasters.” Her first child was given up for adoption and she nearly committed suicide at one point.  But she adopted John from Guatemala and watched him grow up into a typical teenager who was pretty good at basketball. After one game in January 2015 where he scored the winning basket, he was asked by a friend to spend the night.  It just so happened that a cold spell caused the local lake to freeze over, so after throwing rocks to test the ice, they walked around on it.  The next day, they tried it again—but the ice gave way and both fell into the 40 degree water.  Nineteen minutes later, John was pulled from the lake completely lifeless (his friend made it out okay). Smith remembers telling God in a loud, demanding conversation, “You can’t take my son from me. We asked for him seventeen years ago.”

John was rushed to the hospital as doctors tried to revive him and increase his 88 degree body temperature.  Nothing was working.  He was, by all accounts, dead.  The doctors wanted to let Smith see John before they called the time of death, so she entered the room and continued praying. An hour later, one of the nurses picked up a faint pulse.  This was amazing in its own right, but there were many issues John was dealing with (multiple organ failure, no brain function).  Smith made it clear to the multitude of doctors and nurses that there would be no negative talk around him—even though he wasn’t expected to live through the evening.  “Life and death is in the tongue,” she told me.

Nineteen days later, John walked out of the hospital on his own as if nothing ever happened.  Three weeks after that (40 days in total), he was released from all of his doctors and given a completely clean bill of health.

At its essence, The Impossible is a story of miracles.  It is also a story of hope, prayer, and how a community rallied around one of their own.  A local news reporter covered the story, and it went viral quickly.  The whole series of events has been likened by Smith as a “tapestry of miracles,” from the specific doctors helping John to the local firefighters testing out cold weather retrieval gear four days before the accident in the exact same location John fell through the ice.

Of course, not every occurrence of drowning ends in a miraculous story like John’s. Smith said that God answers our prayers, but not always how we want.  In this case, he wanted to let people know that he has the final word in all situations.  It requires trust and faith akin to Abraham, who did whatever God asked without question—even to the point of nearly sacrificing Isaac (see Genesis 22:1-19).  He wasn’t perfect, but God called him a friend.

The Impossible comes out in book form today, but Smith mentioned having a conversation with a gentleman for 45 minutes while waiting to be interviewed on television. The gentleman turned out to be Devon Franklin, who is about to begin filming the movie version of the book through 20th Century Fox.  I’m sure we’ll take a look at that once we get closer to the film’s release date.

(Thanks to Roya Eftekari from Rogers & Cowan for setting up the interview)

Filed Under: Books, Current Events, Interviews, OtherFish Tagged With: book, DeVon Franklin, Doctors, Drowning, Faith, John Smith, Joyce Smith, Miracles, movie, Tapestry of miracles, The Impossible

Of Course All These Alt-Right Racists Are Wrong, but Why?

August 14, 2017 by Matt Hill 1 Comment

you’re likely upset about
what happened in Charlottesville

maybe you’ve talked about it,
maybe took  some kind of
social media stance,
maybe just sort of saddened inside

it’s probably super obvious to you
that all these alt-right racists are wrong,
that racism is wrong
(“evil” as Trump (finally) put it),
has always been wrong,
that we should do something about it

fair enough,
understandable enough
(of course i agree)

but have you asked yourself
why?
not why you feel as you do,
or why racism seems so clearly wrong,
but actually
why is racism wrong?
what makes it wrong?
put another way,
how do we know it’s wrong or
are we justified in saying it’s wrong?

i mean . . .

is it wrong cuz it seems wrong?
(but unfortunately it doesn’t seem wrong to everyone)

is it wrong cuz everyone agrees it’s wrong?
(but unfortunately they don’t)

is it wrong cuz it’s not “fair?”
(what’s “fair” mean?
who defines it?
who says everything is
or should be “fair?”)

is it wrong cuz you wouldn’t want someone
to be racist to you,
so you shouldn’t be racist to someone else?
(wait, what makes this line of thinking
the line of thinking?
is there some other similar line of thinking
that applies certainly?)

is it wrong cuz humans (or Americans)
all “deserve” “dignity” “equally?”
(again: problems abound)

maybe you think racism is
self-evidently wrong
and that saying so
requires no justification at all
(but is it possible the alt-right racists
feel they’re self-evidently right?

can science prove racism is wrong?
(or could a solely Darwinian/naturalistic understanding
of eugenics in fact be used to support racism?
has it been? is it currently being?)

(we could go on)

what i’m saying is this:
none of these lines of thinking can
truly justify the claim that
racism is wrong;
further,
none of these lines of thinking can
justify the claim that
anything is wrong (or right)
in general

further,
there is but one line of thinking, in fact,
that can truly ground these kinds of moral claims,
and it’s the one where
we know, cuz God;
where things are wrong (or right),
in general,
cuz God

and so, further,
as a consequence,
making moral claims sans God,
ultimately,
is making ungrounded,
unjustified claims

so,
to circle back,
of course all these alt-right racists are wrong,
but why?
why is racism wrong?
what makes it wrong?
what right do we have to feel and think it’s wrong?
what justifies us when we say it’s wrong?
. . .
cuz God says so

(now, exactly how we know he says so,
how and where he does so,
what reason we have for thinking so,
what to do in response,
how to deal with the fact that
we continue to make horrible errors
even given all of this, etc. etc. . . .
those are (excellent) questions
for another time)

[For some awesome unpacking of these ideas that I stumbled upon recently through the Unbelievable? podcast (which you should totally subscribe to), check out “The Most Important Thing This French Atheist Taught Me About Christianity.” 

This article doesn’t necessarily make what’s called “the moral argument for God” – as I have above – but it does specifically look at philosopher (and atheist) Luc Ferry to trace our western ideal of human equality back to Christianity itself. As Ferry puts it:

. . . the Greek world is an aristocratic world, one which rests entirely upon the conviction that there exists a natural hierarchy…of plants, of animals, but also of men: some men are born to command, others to obey, which is why Greek political life accommodates itself easily to the notion of slavery.

In direct contradiction, Christianity was to introduce the notion that humanity was fundamentally identical, that men were equal in dignity – an unprecedented idea at the time, and one to which our world owes its entire democratic inheritance.

This [idea of human equality] may seem self-evident, but it was literally unheard-of at the time, and it turned an entire world-order upside down.

Given recent events in our country, it seems like a good time to remember that – just as much racism is culturally inherited – much of our outrage against racism is culturally inherited too, insofar as our culture is still “Christian.” However, we can intentionally choose these values and be justified in doing so, as described above.]

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial, OtherFish Tagged With: alt right, atheism, Black Lives Matter, charlottesville, Christian, Christianity, current events, God, luc ferry, moral argument, naturalism, protest, racist, response, riot, spiritual, Trump

Dean Koontz’s Silent Corner on Conspiracy & Suicide

July 1, 2017 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

In his latest thriller, Dean Koontz gets creepy. That will come as no surprise to his loyal following, but how he gets inside the heads of his readers this time is … chilling.

In this latest standalone (or is it first in a series) novel, Jane Hawk is an FBI agent on the hunt. She’s suspicious of the suicidal death of her otherwise happy and loving husband; she’s seen enough clues to connect to the dots to a seemingly random set of suicides around the country. But when she’s told to lay off the case – and her young son is threatened – Hawk digs deeper into the situation, uncovering conspiracies at high levels of power.

Fast-paced and thrilling, The Silent Corner refuses to allow the reader to settle on just how reliable Hawk is (or isn’t), while encouraging a gradual discovery about the protagonist and her situation. While it is scary enough to have things bump in the night, when characters can’t trust their own observations or internal monologue, the narrative allows for a certain amount of terror in the uneven nature of the human brain.

In the process of her journey, Hawk recognizes that while she can’t trust anyone, that she has to trust someone. Buried underneath a conspiracy that involves the sex trade, thinning populations, government oversight, scientific “discovery,” and incredible avarice is a lesson on what it means to create community in a world that is in disarray. What rises up is Hawk’s willingness to sacrifice everything to create a safe place for her son, and a reminder that even when the world goes crazy, we have each other to count on – we must, if we want to survive.

Wildly entertaining, and leaving us wanting more, The Silent Corner is the best Koontz book I’ve read in quite some time – maybe ever. With a grand delivery, he reminds us of his standard-bearing place in the top pantheon of thriller/horror writers. This is Koontz at his finest – chilling us, challenging us, and encouraging us to care.

Filed Under: OtherFish, Reviews

Some (Fairly Jesusy) Summer Reading List Quick Hits

June 28, 2017 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

if you’re like
plenty other people
(and you are, cuz
look at all us humans,
so much more alike
than different),
then you may
intentionally
read more than normal
during summer months

many of us
(obv including me
in this case)
make a
“Summer Reading List”
of sorts

(actually, i didn’t
necessarily purposely
set out to make said list,
i simply realized:
i have a bunch of books
i’m currently perusing, so…)

anyhoo, here you go:
“Some (Fairly Jesusy)
Summer Reading List
Quick Hits”

(Amazon all of these if you’re
persuaded to peruse too;
i have not been compensated
for what follows
(though perhaps should be 🙂 ))

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It
Stephen King

this is the only
“non-Jesusy” book
i got going
(though, imo,
*everything* is Jesusy
when you think
about it right)
and i’ve been at it for months
cuz it is a TOME . .
but i love me some King,
though i’d never read
this one till now

re-hit my radar
(after dropping off,
honestly, since that 1990 movie)
due to the run-up
to the new one –
which looks quite cool –
and i’m so glad it did:
i’m approx 3/4 through
and thoroughly hooked into
seeing the story play out

King has, undoubtedly,
a great sense for the
bittersweetness
of youth
(no surprise,
the bits with the kids
are the best parts here;
in related news, see my
“Eternal Summer”)
and effortlessly
turns phrases
as you turn pages

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Day the Revolution Began
N.T. Wright

i’m a fan of
Wright’s writings,
but this one snuck
past last year

perhaps a third in
and here are my three
main takeaways thus far
(caveat: *my* takeaways,
not necessarily things
Wright explicitly says):

  1. focusing on a very specific
    and delineated
    “theory of atonement,”
    perhaps,
    not our wisest move;
    better, perhaps,
    to simplify to
    something like:
    “there is something wrong;
    Jesus makes it right”
  2. Jesus makes it right,
    most largely,
    *vocationally* speaking;
    this isn’t about
    “heaven after you die,”
    but about God
    remaking reality,
    and us
    (amazingly, now)
    taking back up
    our role in that
  3. what are Christians for?
    worship and witness.
    that’s it.
    i like that cuz it’s
    so. simple.
    and seems so
    clearly right
    (and the alliteration
    don’t hurt either)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Is the Bible?
Rob Bell

i dig Rob Bell
and have for years,
ever since listening to
Mars Hill sermons
on podcast

Velvet Elvis is still
one my faves,
and though i get the
concern over controversy
(with Love Wins
and already now with
this one – the
specter of heresy,
perhaps,
rearing its head again),
i still just
appreciate Bell’s approach
in general,
for plenty reasons

just a bit in, but
so far so good;
the insights coming
fast
as
line breaks
🙂

tldr: looking forward to
continuing sifting it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy Love
Francis Chan

read at least part of this
at some point in the past,
but can’t pull much of it
from the brain ether, tbh
(don’t get old, kids)

that said, it was
much lauded at the time,
and i remember
making a point to buy, read;
and the
multiple dog-ears in the
copy i’m revisiting tell me:
there are some nuggets there

full disclosure: reading this one
along with my wife
as part of a church group . .
so this one? . .
this one’s about
reading together –
the word
*in community* –
and that seems
just perfect to me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unbelievable?
Justin Brierley

the Unbelievable podcast
has become a
weekly date for me;
if you’ve never listened,
Google it and do –
you won’t be disappointed

long story short:
Brierley hosts (typically)
a Christian and a
non-Christian each episode,
and moderates a
discussion/debate/depends
about apologetics-related topics –
is there a God?
is Christianity true?
etc. etc.

it’s *fabulous*

this book encapsulates
Brierley’s experiences
doing the podcast
for over a decade,
and (most importantly)
explains his personal
case for Christ –
why he’s still a Christian –
esp. given that he’s had
atheism’s creme de la creme
(Dawkins, Hitchens, et. al.)
in studio

about half finished with this
and it’s all i’d hoped:
simple, concise,
behind-the-scenes fascinating,
convincing,
uplifting

Filed Under: Editorial, OtherFish, Reviews Tagged With: Christian, christian books, crazy love, francis chan, It, justin brierley, n.t. wright, rob bell, Stephen King, summer reading list, unbelievable, what is the bible

GIVEAWAY! Movies are Prayers by Josh Larsen!

June 14, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Josh Larsen’s highly anticipated new book, Movies are Prayers: How Films Voice Our Deepest Longings, is finally out!  And ScreenFish wants to send a copy to you!

Movies do more than tell a good story. They are expressions of raw emotion, naked vulnerability, and unbridled rage. They often function in the same way as prayers, communicating our deepest longings and joys, to a God who hears each and every one. In this captivating book, Filmspotting cohost Josh Larsen brings a critic’s unique perspective to how movies function as expressions to God of lament, praise, joy, confession, and more. His clear expertise and passion for the art of film along with his thoughtful reflections on the nature of prayer will bring you a better understanding of both. God’s omnipresence means that you can find him whether you’re sitting on your sofa at home or in the seats at the theater. You can talk to him wherever movies are shown. And when words fail, the perfect film might be just what you need to jumpstart your conversations with the Almighty.

To enter, simply write in the comment section of the Facebook post and tell us what your favourite movie is and how it speaks to you!  The contest will close at 11:59pm on Sunday, June 18th, 2017 and the winner will be notified via. Facebook.

Good luck!

Filed Under: Giveaways, OtherFish Tagged With: filmspotting, Josh Larsen, Movies Are Prayers

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • SF Radio 8.29 Reboots and Reputations in CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS
  • New Trailer for THIRTEEN LIVES gets Underground
  • GIVEAWAY! Advance Screening of PAWS OF FURY!
  • Rise: Another Disney Slam Dunk
  • The Long Rider: The Long Journey Inward
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

SF Radio 8.29 Reboots and Reputations in CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS

New Trailer for THIRTEEN LIVES gets Underground

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

Posting....
 

Loading Comments...