Big Miracle - Movie Review

Ok, so I'm breaking with with my normal format of book reviews to post a movie review. 

Big Miracle is the true story of the efforts in the 1980's to free 3 whales trapped in the arctic by a wall of ice.  My comments regarding this movie are mostly geared to how parents can use this movie to provide positive spiritual education (discipleship) for their children.  Because my oldest child (age 11) has developed a recent interest in marine biology, we took her to see this movie before any viewer reviews posted.

First, let me say that this movie shows many people/businesses/government doing the "right thing for all the wrong reasons".  Unfortunately, doing the right thing for money, public relations, political gain, etc is the way of the world. Often our motives are not pure and we find ourselves trapped in this form of hypocrisy.  This is an opportunity for parents to point out to their children what the Bible says about our motives and to remind children that "The Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Secondly, this movie was rated PG for language.  There were frequent occurrences of the "d word" and "hell".  Once the abbreviation "SOB" was used.  Also, once a word calling someone an illegitimate child was used.  Harder language such as the "f-word" was not used (thankfully).  I would suggest that the maturity level of your children be considered before attending this movie.  Our oldest could not believe the language and commented afterward that the movie would have been better without it.  Our youngest, who is 8, would have been much better off without this exposure.

Thirdly, I would like to point out something that seemed rather minor, but that some parents may feel the need to explain to their children.  In one scene, the baby whale, "Bam-bam" dies.  As the Greenpeace worker cries, one of the community leaders leads a prayer in his native language.  (My assumption is that this is a prayer for the spirit of the animal, such as is common among other Native American communities.) This prayer is not sub-titled and will not be an issue for most viewers, however, I felt it was worth pointing out because of our family discussion after the movie.  In addition, my youngest daughter (age 8) was upset by the death of the baby whale. 

In conclusion, while this movie has many good qualities and many opportunities for discussion with an older, more mature child, I would recommend that parents be very cautious about taking a younger child to this movie.  The language alone is a serious deterrent to viewing this movie.  While we enjoyed the movie, we will probably be using some of the real life drama to aid in our discussions about Biblical morality and the Christian worldview for weeks to come.

Ascent from Darkness by Michael Leehan

Ascent from Darkness by Michael Leehan is an eye-opening explanation from the first person point-of-view of what a person experiences when they commit to working for God’s enemy, Satan. More importantly, however, is how God used Christians who crossed Mr. Leehan’s path to plant seeds of salvation, either through prayer, personal example, and/or forgiveness.  This book will give the Christian who is strong in their faith, the assurance that God is in control and He is victorious. 

First of all, I must tell the reader that I agonized over writing this review.  Mr. Leehan expressed that he is not a writer at the beginning of Ascent from Darkness.  I must say that the visual images that he presented in the book will not leave my mind.  His descriptive writing is extremely visual and powerful.

For that reason, if given the opportunity to speak to Mr. Leehan personally, I would ask him to preface the book with a warning.  It is my opinion that books dealing with the subject of the occult have the power to influence the reader in ways that they do not even recognize.   I would only recommend this book to Christians who are strong in their faith and who have a fair understanding of spiritual warfare. 

Part of my reason for this warning is what I experienced personally the day after I finished this book.  While the book’s theme is God’s deliverance of Mr. Leehan from the hand of Satan and his fallen angels, I found myself overcome with the discernment of evil around me.  The day after I finished this book, I found it difficult to focus in church, snapped at my family members, argued with my husband, and felt a deep sense of depression as I heard in my head suggestions that I was lazy, a bad cook, etc.  I believe what I experienced was a form of spiritual oppression. I prayed throughout that day and later found that a friend was praying for me also, although she did not know why she was led to pray for me.  I must say that I did not choose to read this book in ignorance, my life’s path has led me to work and school situations where I have gotten to know individuals involved in the occult.  I have read other Christian books on the topic of spiritual warfare, but none has affected me in this way. In choosing to read Ascent from Darkness, please be aware of your own spiritual condition and prayerfully consider whether this is the book for you.

In addition, I found the imagery on the cover and at the beginning of each chapter to be objectionable.  While I understand the intent of contrasting the dark with the light, I believe showing a cross upside down (coupled with the cross right-side up) is a poor choice of illustrating the contrast.

In conclusion, Ascent from Darkness is a powerful book that celebrates God’s victory over evil.  Do not enter into this reading lightly, only after prayer, due to the detailed descriptions of the activities of Mr. Leehan when he was under Satan’s influence. Would I recommend this book to others?  Of my personal friends there are a few to which I may recommend this book that are strong in their faith and have a grasp of what spiritual warfare is. Would I recommend it to an immature Christian, still being fed “milk” – definitely not.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.