The Final Harvest Blog

By Eva Zarley of TheFinalHarvest.org

Eva wrote the following for an organization known as Kid’s First after we had the opportunity to review two movies for them. The first movie, No More Baths, is the story of children who protest when a black man’s property is taken from him. Of course, the protest is that the children vow to take no more baths until this is resolved. The second movie we had the pleasure of watching was called Walking Across Egypt. An elderly lady has to decide if Jesus really meant what He was saying about taking care of “the least of these.” This lady chooses to get to know a young man currently in a penitentiary for youth.

No More Baths

Watched Feb 4^th, 2009.

Are these the kinds of movies you’d want your kids to see?

We try to show our child movies that teach about Jesus Christ. We found this to be very secular humanist. Can you expect society to have true moral standards while neglecting the Author of moral standards? Secular humanism attempts to do just that and invariably fails at it. With the exception of the biblical reference (unnoted) of “Am I my brother’s keeper?” this movie tries to instill values whose basis is found in the Word of God, but without acknowledging the Word of God. Therefore, while we found the movie to be “clean” and acceptable for family audiences, it falls short of our personal standards and would not be our ideal choice for family entertainment. We feel that it teaches people to take matters into their own hands using worldly wisdom and clever devices of men to solve problems and there is no indication that any of the characters ever bother to appeal to the highest power through prayer. It’s a great movie for the secular world but, unfortunately, they are usually more interested in movie fare that appeals to a baser nature. So when you say “family features” you are apparently trying to appeal to all of society on the assumption that they want wholesome entertainment. We, however, seek out films that enlighten us, feed our spirits, present eternal truths as established in God’s Word and inspire us to be like Jesus. This film kept us feeling sad and upset for about 85 out of 90 minutes. And at no point did we see the powerful and almighty God sought out or glorified. Therefore, this is just not our cup of tea.

Could you use these films to help your kids understand values like friendship, kindness, and honesty?

No. We do not believe those values exist unless you acknowledge the basis of them. It is the Word of God that teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves; it’s the Word of God that establishes that we should not lie, cheat, steal, or operate in greed. When you take that standard away, you have no premise upon which to determine values at all.

What is most important in a film to you: The content of the film, the entertainment value, or the values taught in the film?

We find all three to be of equal importance however all three must relate to the Word of God in some way. We would rather watch old episodes of Gomer Pyle who unashamedly makes a stand for right and wrong with God’s Word as his foundation.

Walking Across Egypt

We enjoyed this one very much. This movie had the Christian values we feel are imperative to successful living on this planet. Thank you for allowing us to preview this one! It fit all our criteria for preferred entertainment, valuable teaching tool, and worthwhile content. The Word was prominent throughout the movie and the need to follow the teachings of Christ was exemplified throughout the movie. As opposed to being upset with a last minute redemption (as in the previous movie), there were satisfying redemptive elements consistently portrayed in Walking Across Egypt. 

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By Eva Zarley of TheFinalHarvest.org 

Tonight is our night for prison ministry. We go with a group of fellow Christians to a nearby state correctional facility for men, every fourth Saturday night. I look forward to this time more than any other worship service I attend. I know that Jesus can make all the difference in the world, and in eternity, for these men. Jesus is the master of rehabilitation. No, it is far greater than that. He does so much more than rehabilitate. He renews and transforms the human soul, utterly! He is able to change these men’s lives for the better, forever. 

These men are a joy to worship with. They know they have messed up. Their situation proves they are sinners. No one has to tell them. Looking for hope, they find the promises of God’s word and the pardon this world will probably never fully give to them is found in Christ. The men have lots of time on their hands. They fill much of it in prayer and studying the scriptures. They come prepared to worship. Those who are in a genuine relationship with Jesus stand out like a candle in a cave. Their eyes shine with joy, despite their circumstances. They have their testimony of God’s blessing on their lips. They sing those praise and worship songs with resounding exuberance and their rich voices make the most beautiful all male choir I’ve ever heard. It brings tears to my eyes and my heart swells with love for them. They glow with the forgiveness they have received by the grace of God. 

I don’t know what they’ve done. I would rather not know. I know that each of them have probably left a victim in their wake. It might be a child molested, a woman raped, a store owner robbed, a person beaten. Most of them are drug-related charges. They at the very least have devastated finances, a broken home or a broken-hearted family on the “outside.” Sin has left its ugly scar on the lives of the offender and his victims. I have read of and personally know of some convictions where it really is a situation of injustice, and the offender is the victim. Hopefully, that is a rare case, but it does happen. 

But the Lord can heal. I know he can. I’ve been a victim of many crimes in my lifetime. Some were at the hands of a true convicted offender. It caught up with him much later and I read in the paper that he was sentenced to eighty years. I didn’t feel any smug satisfaction. Rather, I was sad. Perhaps if I had told someone what he had done to me, he would have gotten help before it came to this. Now he will spend the rest of his life in prison. I pray for his salvation every time I think of him. Some wealthier, “respectable” citizens have gotten away with their crimes and still do, especially those in “high places” of wealth and affluence. I have been beaten and abused by people whom I dearly loved. I have been cruelly rejected, scorned and slandered by friends who had no cause. Injustice occurs in this fallen world. It is a simple fact. So we must be careful not to judge and hate. We must minister to those who are lost. Some of the worst “offenders” of this earth are running around on the “outside” and they are not only getting away with their crimes, but treated with respect, because of “who” they are. 

Not for long, however. God sees everything and His day of recompense will come. Those in Christ, who are being “punished” in prison, are the blessed ones. They have been broken and have repentant hearts and are crying out to God. They’ll be the first to tell you that being in the prison has been good for them and they know they are there by God’s mercy. They are thankful, not bitter. Those on the outside are less fortunate. They may be committing terrible crimes, or they may “just” be guilty of self-righteousness. They may go about in religious trappings, judging those around them as less worthy than themselves. Sadly, these are the ones who will feel God’s greatest wrath. The Lord corrects those whom He loves. Those who don’t submit in humility to His divine correction are illegitimate and not true sons of God. 

Tonight is particularly special at the prison. This is our annual Christmas party. We get to take them soft drinks, (A luxury they are not normally allowed) and home-baked cookies. On this night, there will be men coming just for the cookies and soda. They don’t know that Jesus came to heal and forgive them and grant them that clean slate they long for. I know this world can’t offer it to them. No matter how good they try to be, few on the outside will be willing to have them in their church, few will be willing to give them a job, and few will be a trusting friend to them. Their record will haunt them for years to come, if not for the rest of their earthly lives. They will have to work harder than anyone to make it in an already difficult world. But if they remain in Christ, they will have an eternity that will wipe every memory of this sad time on earth. At last they will be free of guilt and shame, because at last, the rest of us will clearly know that we are no better. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All are guilty of the murder of Jesus Christ, who had to be sacrificed to redeem us. All of us are nothing more than pardoned law-breakers. Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus!   

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By Eva Zarley of TheFinalHarvest.org

For those who don’t know, we live in an RV. It seemed an inexpensive way to have all the comforts of a home at a fraction of the price, (though at a fraction of the space!) RV life in the winter is anything but fun. It gives the word “cozy” a whole new meaning. A few days ago, when it was only three days before Christmas, “Jack Frost” was nipping at a lot more than my nose. Waking to a predicted temperature of seven degrees outside, I peeled a fallen pillow from the bedroom wall. It was plastered there by a thin layer of frost. (Yes, on the interior of our “home-sweet-home!”) I conquered a previous battle with condensation by covering the windows with half-inch insulation foam board. I no longer have to mop up streams of moisture, rolling down the windows. However, the foam board is blue so it blocks out the light of day, making it a dark cave, even in the middle of a sunny afternoon. Being claustrophobic, I often suffer that “closed in” feeling. We must leave the water running whenever temperatures near freezing. Our water has been running every night since early November. Many items that could be stored elsewhere through the summer must be protected from freezing. Therefore, my tiny living space is crowded with the carpet shampooer, cleaning chemicals, craft paints and such. In the summer, I could escape the confining quarters by stepping outside and relaxing under the awning, my eyes adoring the spacious rural horizon before me. Ahhhh!

So what keeps me sane through these winter months? Gratitude! Vic and I have been reading the stories of missionaries who have forsaken everything to go to an impoverished area to reach people who live in the meanest of conditions. Places like Brazil, Mozambique, China, the Philippines and ghettos of the USA. These folks have sacrificed all to live among those who are most needy of help, love and the gospel. I admire these people who go into desolate places with nothing but faith, hope and trust in the Lord. They pray for food, shelter, medication and other needs for these desperate people. Like Paul, they suffer every possible peril in order to show Christ to alcoholics, prostitutes, drug addicts, AIDS victims, and others that this world would rather ignore.

They bring hope to the hopeless and as a result, they see a side of God the rest of us only dream about. These are the ones who know that miracles still happen. But, unlike most of us, they are willing to pay the price to experience Jesus on this amazing level. Too many of us are creatures of comfort. We would rather someone else go out and suffer in the name of the love of Christ. So before I think about whining to God about our RV home, I consider those who dwell in boxes, makeshift tents of rags, grass huts, alleys and garbage dumps, and I apologetically thank God for our RV.    

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