 My lovely wife Jody..........
My
lovely wife Jody bought me a James Bond dvd for Christmas – the 2006 film
Casino Royale, and I enjoyed watching it very much.
Daniel
Craig, hailed by one reviewer as ‘The best Bond for decades’, play s the role
with a gritty realism and a serious demeanour. The cartoon villains
and light comedy of previous Bond films have been put aside in order to compete
with the likes of Ethan Hunt of Mission Impossible, and Jason Bourne. Today’s
Bond audiences demand a brooding hero and incessant adrenalin rushes as he
leaps from a hand-to-hand fight to a dizzyingly fast car chase.
It
is often said that most men want to be like James Bond, and I think there is
probably an element of truth to that. Personally, I would quite like to have some
of James Bond’s qualities and adventures. I like his range of skills, his
courage and bravery in the face of dangerous challenges, his ability to remain
cool and calm despite the surrounding chaos. It would be great to drive an
Aston Martin DBS (at least once anyway) and use some of those fantastic gadgets
he has!
There
are some aspects to his character that I definitely don’t admire: the lack of
certain principles, the trail of dead bodies he leaves behind him. It is wise
to remind ourselves that, with any film character, they are just the
fabrication of somebody’s mind. A person has sat down at their computer and
written a script influenced by the world, swayed by any number of factors –
social trends, target demographics, marketing contracts, studio executive’s
agenda’s.
Of
course, a James Bond film is an illusion – a meticulously crafted story in
which dozens of people behind the cameras are working very hard to create a
specific image or emotion. It’s story telling and it’s fun. We’re not meant to
take it too seriously. It taps into our need to escape everyday life once in a
while.
The
exciting thing is that we don’t need to live our life of adventure through
James Bond or any other film character. We can have it for real: our own
exploits following God’s lead, fighting against our spiritual enemy, stepping
out of our comfort zones, confronting injustice, and helping other people.
These are all ultimately more satisfying and rewarding (and achievable!) than
chasing a bad guy across a runway in an improbable car chase.
Looking
for a hero?
Be
your own hero, the person God has called you to be (not what some script
writers, actors and directors are telling you to be). Do the right thing, love
and protect your family and friends, keep your life pure, keep your faith
strong.
Looking
for adventures?
How
about faith adventures, deciding you’re going to follow God and then responding
to his prompts?
Want
to have some great skills?
Ask
God for more fruit from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Learn to handle your
Bible like a soldier understands his weapon. Read Proverbs and develop wisdom
and courage in day to day situations.
I
enjoy watching action films like Casino Royale, but I’ve learnt to use them as
a spur towards being my own hero. I’ll be my own version of James Bond, with my
own ideas of what a hero is - based on God and Jesus thank you very much!
What
type of hero do you want to be?
What
type of hero does God want you to be?
Yours in Christ
Rev Chris Elms
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