A movie I’m sure you will hear your students talking about soon, if not already, is Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. The movie has a few inappropriate words/scenes, but overall, I loved it. It’s a futuristic type movie whereby the virtual and real-world’s crossover into one. I won’t give away the entire movie, but the ending suggests a balance between worlds while maintaining the idea that nothing beats the real thing.
I think this movie becomes an instant classic. Spielberg is pure genius in that he subtly says something without saying it. In other words, you have to figure it out for yourself. Let me give you a few examples. Spielberg’s classic trilogy, Back To The Future is spaced out to be thirty years apart with the years 1955, 1985, and 2015 all playing prominent roles. Spielberg begins Ready Player One in Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045. In other words, what we have here is 3-4 generations being represented. Remember this! But I also think we may have something more. Is this the start of a new trilogy? I could see Ready Player 2 beginning in the year 2075 and Ready Player 3 setting the scene in 2105.
Another example of Spielberg’s creative brilliance surfaces when he gives the Iron Giant a significant role in the movie. Before this movie, the Iron Giant was not a well-known commodity, except to his fans. That’s not the case anymore. Everyone wants to know more about the Iron Giant. Overnight, the Iron Giant has become a superstar! I also thought it was ingenious to allow space for Goro, the DeLorean, and Big Foot (my favorite monster truck of all-time) to make appearances in the show. I never had a dull moment. The experience was more like watching a game play out on the big-screen, rather than just watching a movie. Two for the price of one! I walked away asking myself, if I could be any avatar, what would I be?
Why did I tell you to remember “3-4 generations”? Unlike Spielberg, I won’t leave you guessing on your own to figure it out. It’s because of Deuteronomy 6:9-10 – “You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
You need to understand this scripture. What you choose to do today does affect you, but it doesn’t just affect you. If you have a family, your choices are affecting 3-4 generations down the line. If you don’t have a family, your choices are either positively or negatively affecting somebody’s future, whether that’s a co-worker, boss, friend, etc.
Let me give you an example from the world of health. Doctors recommend that in drinking water, you daily drink (in ounces) half your body weight. So, if you weigh 200 lbs., you should drink 100 oz. of water every day. I met a guy yesterday that drinks seven Mountain Dews a day. This young man looked healthy, but statistics prove that ten years from now, the compounding effect of this man’s daily habit could lead to him becoming a diabetic, etc. I won’t go through all the possible disastrous consequences for this individual. My point is simply to say that this young man’s children are watching what he consumes. This could easily become a generational cycle whereby his family’s families for generations to come do not drink an adequate supply of water. I do believe that due to bad health choices, a believer can prematurely put him or herself in heaven.
I once heard a pastor say, “what parents do in moderation, their children will do in excess.” Though this statement may not always ring true (generational cycles can be broken), the general principle is valid. What are the spiritual implications of such a principle? We see the implications around us every day. Take the popular tv show Roseanne, which began airing in 1988 and just this year (30 years later) has premiered yet again. The world has gone “goo-goo” and “ga-ga” over the revival of Roseanne and her family. Over 27 million (this includes delayed viewers) watched the show’s premiere in its first seven days. The show begins with the Dan and Roseanne trading prescription pills, progresses to the couple taking care of their gender-fluid grandchild, and ends with a gift of pot-pourri (as opposed to potpourri). I seriously doubt any of these items were on the show thirty years ago and they probably won’t be on the show thirty years from now (a sad commentary).
So, what is the church to do? I think everything begins and ends with discipleship. As I’ve said before on this blog, our students need mentors who will guide them spiritually and teach them life-skills. Think Paul-Barnabus-Timothy. Students need a spiritual father/mother, an older, seasoned, and schooled man/woman in life to raise them up. Students also need a Barnabus, a peer who will keep them accountable, won’t gossip, and will love them through all the ups and downs. And then students, who are the Timothy’s, can start this discipleship cycle all over again by mentoring those who are younger than them! We’re not just affecting individuals. We’re impacting generations!