‘LIGHT FOR THE JOURNEY’

others about behavior that is contrary to God’s holy will.

BY GUEST AUTHOR Karen DeHerrera

Idon’t know how the other churches in our cities here in Colorado are addressing the topic of gender and sexuality, but our pastor has decided to tackle the subject head on in his Sunday messages.

I am glad that he is acknowledging the fact that this is not only a social issue or even another political battle but is, more importantly, a spiritual matter of eternal consequence and which affects every arena of human life.

As Christians we ought not to view this as a taboo subject nor should we try to flick it away as if we’d rather not be bothered by it and just go on our holy way pretending it is someone else’s problem. I have heard that some churches are affirming the deviation of sexuality and gender identity and see it as another opportunity to show our Christian love. That kind of love is inconsistent with the kind of love that Jesus displayed when He warned

Our pastor has taken a different path to helping us understand the damaging effects of this very challenging concern. That path is to see it from another perspective. Our current culture is looking at it through the eyes of those who have succumbed to the first lie, “Did God actually say…?” and “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:1,4). Others are viewing it through political eyes: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6)

The path our pastor has taken is to look at the subject of sexuality and gender identity from God’s perspective. And no wonder. After all it was God who made us in His image, male and female. And it was God who said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

(Genesis 2:24)

Getting a good grasp on those first three chapters of Genesis is probably the finest thing a person can do. To truly understand the miraculous wonder of God’s breathtaking extraordinary work of creation and His unique design of every single molecule, atom, cell and organism boggles the mind. That word, design, is critical as we grapple with this subject. DESIGN involves purpose, intent, plan, blueprint and objective. As a matter of fact, that’s what DNA is all about. Yet it's more than DNA. We humans were created to be a family that would glorify and enjoy our Creator God forever.

That is a lofty aim and that’s what God wants us to understand. He did not simply pick up a handful of dirt off the ground that He had created a few days earlier, pat it into a lump of flesh, do a little CPR to bring it to life and then let it go. That’s the stuff of SciFi and fantasy movies.

Our creator God said, “Let Us make man in Our image.” It was an agreement among the three Persons of the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—a plan to make human beings for a special purpose, according to a unique design. He didn’t just say, “Let there be” as He said when He created all the rest of our universe. He said, “Let Us make man in Our image!” We are the apex, the high point of His creation! Everything He created before He created us was preparation for us. Why? Because He had something special in mind for us.

First of all He made us male and female so that we could “Be fruitful and multiply.” Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For you formed my inward parts; And you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

God made each of us exactly the way He wanted to. He didn’t make any mistakes. He gave you your identity. But a thief has risen up among God’s creatures and stolen something very precious. Remember God said,” Let Us make man in Our image!” That’s who we are, that’s our identity! We are humanity made in God’s image. When we attempt to thwart God’s design, plan, purpose, and intent we are treading on dangerous ground.

The thief has stolen many identities lately. We know who that thief is. Jesus said he is a liar and a murderer. Well, he is also a thief. I know about this devil because I lived in his dark realm. He stole much from me, and I let him plunder me for years. How could I have been so easily trapped. No, I was not caught up in the LBGT+ or transgender snare. My story is different and the reason I even mention this is because I want others to know that no matter what kind of lie you have fallen for, there is hope and redemption in Jesus Christ. He will restore everything that the lying thief has stolen from you. I hope and pray that pastors and church leaders everywhere will stand up and love people enough to

BETTY JO TUCKER

Pueblo award winning film critic

TO THE INTERNET MOVIE DATA BASE, Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage (LEAVING LAS VEGAS) has acted in 116 films – and I’ve seen most of them. Looking over that list proves he likes to make different kinds of movies. And now he has picked THE OLD WAY, a Western that takes place in the 1890s.

Cage plays Colton Briggs, a former gunslinger and bounty hunter. The reformed Briggs is now a husband and father who runs a peaceful country store.. But because of a brutal event involving his wife (Kerry Kruppe), Briggs transforms into his previous self and goes into vengeance mood. And he takes his serene preteen daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) along with him. That means he teaches her how to shoot and kill.

THE OLD WAY relies on interesting costumes to help show Cage’s dual character. For example, take a look at the film’s poster and you will see turned-up edges on his cowboy hat that look a bit like the devil’s horns. That’s Colton’s revengeful persona. His peaceful self looks quite plain. .

A reformed gunslinger goes back to killing for revenge, his knack. Nicolas Cage plays this key part and does so with an actor’s heart.

THE OLD WAY concentrates on Cage. But a young girl earns all the rage. Kiera Armstrong should earn fame as Cage’s daughter without shame.

While not a Western at its best the horses pass most of the test.

I love watching horses gallop across the screen! It reminds me of happier times when I spent time with my grandparents at their cattle ranch and got to ride my favorite horse over the prairie with no speed limit. Those were the days!

But back to Cage and THE OLD WAY. Although this is his first Western, its revenge theme seems comfortable for Cage. He does revenge in several offerings. My favorite? RAGE, of course. Both films fascinated me by Cage’s ability to draw me into his performance. As I mentioned in my RAGE review, after seeing almost all of this actor’s films – good, bad and in

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In THE OLD WAY, Cage’s character isn’t the only one with vengeance on his mind. So does the villain, played vigorously by Noah LeGross. We have to admit he has reasons to kill Colton Briggs. There is also a U.S. Marshall (Nick Searcy) and his deputies in the mix. This is no BLAZING SADDLES, It’s all-out serious revenge.

However, youngster Ryan Kiera Armstrong impressed me the most in this new Western. Her thoughtful performance brings realism to her every scene. Here’s hoping she gets many roles in the future.

(Available now on Hulu. Rated “R” by MPAA.)