Avatar and Christianity

I have a confession to make, so some of you Christians may want to sit down.... I adore Speculative Fiction. My first book is spec-fic, and I coming to understand that this genre is just not fully integrated into Christian Fiction market. The worse part, though, is that I bought into its absence for many years.

I recently watched Avatar, and like most people, I was in awe of the movie's beauty. As I was leaving the theater, I was bombarded by three emotions.

1) I was envious that James Cameron created something so beautiful. 2) I was a little homesick because I knew that I just saw a glimpse of heaven. . . . and I really wanted to fly on one of those dragon/dinosaur looking animals. 3) I was eager for people to know that -- like the movie suggests -- yes, we are all connected. However, we are not connected by a planet or nature because it too is a creation. We are connected by God and the Trinity that He made for us (God, Holy Spirit, Jesus). All creation is connected -- whether we admit it or not -- to our Creator.

I asked God what He thought about the movie, and He told me this: "I gave a unique sliver of my imagination to all the peoples of the world through out time. If James Cameron could make such a beautiful work of art with his tiny sliver, just think of what I'm capable of."

My mouth dropped open right there in the movie theater parking lot. Just think what my God is capable of! Just think of what my God through me is capable of! It boggles the mind!!!

I immediately prayed back to God, "Can you save me one of those flying dragon/dinosaur animals when I get to heaven. . . . I want a RED one."

Please be mindful, however, that there is A LOT of spec-fic novels I do not read. The Holy Spirit guards my every move, and He has me stay clear of many books. It goes back to the Tree of Knowledge. Every genre has its flipside, so make sure you get the Maker's permission first.

With all that said, I feel like God is allowing me to "Go where no one has gone before."

I wrote my first spec-fic novel four years ago. I wanted to pursue getting it published and I started writing the second one, but I felt God telling me to stop -- which is really hard for me to do. I'm a go-getter, not a sitter. But, I obeyed God and tucked my books away.

During the past four years, God has been molding me and developing my character (*a combination of qualities that distinguishes one person). I poured myself into my primary ministry, my family; and I became a leader in my women's ministry. The Holy Spirit has been my teacher, and I learned three essential things:

1) The fear (*extreme reverence or awe) of God is understanding
2) An intimate relationship with God (our Creator) is wisdom
3) I'm called to love God and love others

*ref 1

*ref 2

*ref 3