Summer Wrap Up

Pastor Rolly commented that I hadn't updated my blog since April, so here goes. I've had ideas, but they usually are written in my head but that's where they stay. It has been a really busy summer due to teaching the summer bridging program. The kids are in school from 8-2:15, which was nice because we got to leave at 2:45. I was able to swim about 3 times a week in the afternoons, which has been really been nice. By the way, swimming in an uncovered pool in the summer does wonders to one's pigment....

One of the highlights of the summer was the fact that Anya was here reviewing for her Nutrition board exam. She stayed near the UP campus, but we were able to get together several different times. She stayed with me her second weekend here, then we went to Molino's anniversary service and I went home with the Maramaras (after taking a detour to Tagaytay just for coffee!) and attended their morning service. We weren't able to get together the following weekend but during her last week, we got together spur of the moment on Wednesday and then again for the weekend. Loved chika-ing with her. :)

This country is rather obsessed with malls, and even if we have SM Department Stores/Malls on every corner, people still go all crazy when a new one opens. In May, a HUGE SM opened right across the street from another mall across from school. It caused INSANE traffic that day because everyone was flocking to the mall like they had never seen one before. I attempted to go swimming that day, but the pool was crowded, and thanks to all the people flocking to the mall, I had to walk about an hour back to school. Haha. Even if I didn't swim, I got my exercise that day. By the way, the new mall is really boring. It's all full of high-end brands and expensive stuff. One of my students told me yesterday that I should definitely go to this shoe store there that specializes in checking your feet to see if you are flat-footed or need special shoes. Ha. Know how expensive that will be????

We've had some adventures this term as far as the kids are concerned. The Grade 7 kids moved upstairs, but some of them still come down to bug me. One of them only wants to talk to me in hopes of getting Potchi. Two of the boys came to see me yesterday in hopes that I'd help them on their English homework. They were very miffed that I wouldn't help them. Last year's batch has issues about friends and immaturity stuff, but this year's batch has issues with bullying and disrespect. It's really been a challenge dealing with some of them in particular. My last class of the day is particularly draining because 4 of the boys have no sense of respect or self-control. It's always a good reminder about how small I am and how much I need God's wisdom in dealing with these kids. Just when I start to think, "I've got this..." because it seems like everything is going well, something will happen to smack me back into reality and remind me that apart from Him I am nothing.

This year, we participated in the Global Discipleship Congress. It was the first of its kind here in the Philippines. Sixty-one countries were represented. There were about 7000 delegates plus 1,600 volunteers to help run the conference. Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF), a mega-church here, hosted it in partnership with another mega-church from Singapore. It was held at the new CCF worship center which can accommodate 10,000 people. Oftentimes we are tempted to judge mega-churches or even those who are not "Reformed Baptist." After going to a Christian college, I am always put to shame by the zeal and love for the Lord that many people from other denominations have. How dare we make our theology a source of pride. Many times, I believe we as Reformed Baptists can tend to be all head and no heart. We lose the emotion when going for theology. We even lose the zeal because we are so concerned with getting it right theologically. Theology is important, but I wish I had even half of the heart for God and for the lost as many people in other Christian circles have.

The emphasis of the conference was on making disciples. "Disciplining" others is the new buzzword, I guess. It has a lot to do with the "small group" trend that a lot of churches are now using. Grouping and use of "disciplining" aside, the heart of the whole conference was on personal holiness and the Lordship of Christ. They never talked about discipling others without first talking about our heart condition with God. It even went down to the home. One of the sessions heavily emphasized the importance of discipling your own children before you disciple anyone else. One of the speakers was Ravi Zacarias and I was very excited to hear him live for the first time. I was impressed at how much and how clearly they emphasized the exceeding sinfulness of sin and how we need to be certain of our standing before God. I was also convicted in how I teach my students, particularly in cell group. I need to be much more intentional at pointing them to Jesus. We talk about sin and salvation, but really getting to their hearts is another matter. Only God can work change in their hearts, but I need to be much more intentional and direct with my girls. It was also a good reminder for my own personal walk with Jesus. I am walking in conformity with Him or am I only offering Him half a heart.

One of the other highlights of the conference was the presence of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the President of the Philippines. The Chief Justice was there for Ravi Zacarias's second message. She's a professing Christian, and based on what she said and her prayer requests, she seems to be really sincere about her faith. After Pastor Tanchi talked about the story of Esther, someone prayed for her. We also prayed for the President. That was the first time I heard him speak. He was definitely Catholic, but God is capable of changing his heart. :)

As far as MCBC news goes, we had the joy of witnessing the baptism of another teenager. Bambam grew up in the church. People used to say we look alike. Actually, my toddler pictures and her toddler pictures and especially her sister's pictures look a lot alike. Bambam is 17 and she was one of my recorder students way back when. :) It reminded me again of my baptism 9 years ago. I was baptized on June 4, 2004. It was a good reminder to listen to the covenant of membership again and to meditate on the death and resurrection of my Savior.

Back to school news. The kids just finished writing their fractured fairy tale plays. I think I taught it better this time and the kids were also more proactive in getting it done. Some of the plays are absolutely hilarious. None of them are total flops, which is an improvement from last year. Let's just hope the performances are even better too. :) Here is an excerpt from one of the fractured fairy tales. The original is the Princess and the Pea.

Queen: Why not host a ball in 1 week? That way you can find a real girl. Try hitting them with a bat. If they pass out, then they are a real princess. Real princesses have such delicate skin....
---
Servant: Yes, your majesty. But if I, may please do not hit the girls with a bat because they might hate you. Only hit them if it's absolutely necessary.

Prince: But in finding a girl, EVERYTHING is necessary.

Servant: I know, I know, but if they already like you the way you are, DON'T HIT THEM.

Prince: Thank you for your opinion, I will try not to hit them.

Servant : Thank you young sir.
---
Narrator: There were about 16 girls there

Prince: Oh well...Time to whack everyone! Give me a bat.

Servant 2: Yes sir here you go .

Prince: (Holding a bat) Thank you now leave my precense servant.

Girl 1: I love this party...and this cocktail...DELISH!

(Prince sneaks up on girl 1 and whacks her with the bat.)

Girl 1:*hurting* Ouch! It's okay I've felt worse.

Prince: Not a princess...Leave this party!

Girl 1: (angrily thinking) I hope he doesn't find any princess! He is the worst person ever!! He should stay a forever alone!!

==========

They giggled the whole way through writing it. Last year I had 3 clowns in Jordan A and this year I have 3 more clowns in Jordan A. It must be a thing with Jordan A boys. They were responsible for most of that Prince and the Bat play. Originally it was supposed to be the Princess and the Playground and the test of her being a true princess was for her to get rashes when she slides down the playground slide. I told them that was really weird, so one of the boys decided it would be more fun to whack the girls with a bat. 

Yesterday we said goodbye to one of the Grade 7 girls. She's migrating. Her class threw a surprise goodbye party for her. There was a TON of food, thanks to the kids. When she walked in the room, she immediately started crying. The girls on the other side of the room were crying their eyes out. The boys were punching each other and laughing. I was on the side of the room with the boys, but then she came running to me and was hugging me and crying. Emotional people... The boys were more concerned with getting to the food part because there had pizza, mojos, fried chicken, 4 cakes, Krispy Kreme donuts, cookies, cupcakes, and tons of other stuff. Some of the teachers prayed for her and of course she bawled through the whole thing, but the good news is, now she knows she's loved. She thought the world was against her this past week. In fact she was crying to me the day before about how her best friend is not her best friend anymore and nobody cares that she's leaving, etc. All her drama issues apparently got temporarily fixed yesterday. One of the boys was walking around saying, "This is the most awkward thing I've ever been to." OH MIDDLE SCHOOL....... 

I now believe that I have the right to not write another post for the next 5 months. This was long enough to cover for the next 5 months. :)

Book Quotes revived

I have neglected the "Book Quotes" section of this blog, but today I inputted most of the quotes from my book quote book. You'll find them here: http://beckysbookworld.blogspot.com/ 

Rather than doing a big book quote spam, I scheduled the posts so they'll show up every day until May 16. Haha. They are in no particular order -- just the order in which I was reading the books at the time.

The 20 Days of Summer...

...in pictures.

Baby Dan on board on the way to Rebap Camp

Chilling with the Arcibal family

Cassie's first camp

Sierra Madre Mountains. Beautiful!

And to think my fake little brothers used to be really little

Fun hanging bridge that we almost got left at because we were hanging out there and we didn't know the bus was leaving...

YES. You saw right. I went scuba diving!!! I always wanted to go scuba diving because when I was around 10 or so, Andy got to go with my parents and the Lush family in Cebu. I was too young/small and missed out. 15 years later... We were going to go to this diving resort place that my uncle had been to about 20 years ago. We couldn't find it, so we looked for another site nearby. (There were a LOT.) God provided a wonderful place owned by Koreans. They were very hospitable and gave us a good deal. We did 2 dives -- one near shore and the other out in the ocean. It was AMAZING. At first I had visions of sharks, plus the big sign at the diving resort had a giant grinning shark smack in the middle, but I soon forgot it when I saw all the fish. There were SO many fish down there. It was another world. The coolest animals were the ones that didn't even look like animals. There was a plant-looking thing attached to a stem, or so I thought, so I touched it and the whole thing shot back into a tiny pipe. Then there was a giant clam-like creature. We touched it and it pulled shut. I have no idea what all those creatures are called and you can't google "clam-looking-thing" (or maybe you can) so I don't know what it was, but it was cool.

School starts on Tuesday! Feels like the longest and shortest summer break ever. My desk is mostly clean and my research papers are checked (except for the one that one of the kids didn't send me yet) and I re-arranged the seating arrangements for next term. I just have to make sure I know what I'm teaching next week, write a few rubrics, and write a study guide.......and stuff.

I've been reading too. Right now I'm in the middle of several books and I read several kid books too.

This is really good. Almost done.. I think. I can't tell because I'm reading it on Kindle. Horrors! I have succumbed! But anyway, it's good. About a month after I got it, Challies put it on sale for 3.99. Hmph.

Also a good read. I'm mostly reading it to answer some questions from one of my students.

Picked this up at the CRBC book table at camp. So far so good. I had no idea the cover was supposed to be a wooden table or floor. It isn't obvious from the book I have. It's just.. gray.

I picked this up at a book sale. I'm a sucker for Holocaust stories. This one is set in France. It's really good. Well worth the 30 pesos. I think it will go in my classroom library (that nobody even touches...silly kids.)

I used to really like Lois Lenski. Maybe I grew out of her writing style. I used to think it was great, but now I realized she's kind of a flat writer. Anyway, it was still interesting.

I have "More All-of-a-Kind Family" and it's almost in pieces. I got the first book pretty much brand new at a book sale. This series never gets old. The only modern book that can compare to this kind of book is The Penderwicks and the other books that follow. (Except book 3 is kinda lame IMHO.)

I read this for the first time in Davao. I had forgotten most of the story because I was reading so many books in order to get the most out of a good library while I could. This is kids who lived with their parents who were building the nuclear bomb in New Mexico during WW2. Other than some language and the fact that everyone smokes (it's just weird -- the moms all smoke), it's really interesting.

I have a bunch of other books waiting for me too, like this one. We'll see if I get around to this.

Summer Break and Procrastination

I'm supposed to be checking research papers. I lost my motivation as soon as we went on term break. Fail. Oh well... I have until April 15th.

Speaking of research papers, please sympathize:


"People in Australian are very unique. Being an Australian is having different culture, language, religion, beliefs, traditions, and many other things. Also all Australians have accents."

"Australians usually where casual clothings because it is not stated in their law that they should wear this thing in a day."

I'm going to die. 

In other news, here are some pictures courtesy of Joash Maramara Photography.

When we were kids, we ran around in this same backyard and played tag and got sweaty. Now we get sweaty because we do photoshoots. Haha. I was aiming for Joash's cats, but I missed. It's a sad day in Rivendell. 

Every year, the Mall of Asia hosts the Pyro Olympics. I've never been able to go but this time it worked out. Unfortunately it was the finale which means that the entire population of Manila was at the same mall. (See picture below.) The fireworks were really cool, though. If you want to see videos, look it up on YouTube. 

After the show, everyone tried to leave at once. Geniuses. We hung out at Dunkin Donuts eating muffins and waiting for the traffic to die down.

Random smattering of things

I bought a planner today. After college, planners were kind of pointless because I wasn’t scheduling classes and work schedules anymore. However, I think having 79 students has addled my brain and I’ve become extremely forgetful. There’s still nothing like thinking with a pen and paper. I have a Google calendar, but it’s still not working the way good old fashioned paper and pen do.

Today is the school’s “Hallelujah Day” and we have no classes. It’s like having a weekend in the middle of the week! The day is to celebrate all the school victories this school year (sports, competitions, etc.) It was quite timely because we’re approaching the end of the first term and it’s been busy! I lost last Saturday to checking test papers. Genius me gave them a 3-page test and 3-page test x 79 is not fun.

I’m hanging out in Starbucks inside Fully Booked getting fat because Hapi ditched me last night. J I stayed in the apartment because I was too lazy to go home and get up early on Thursday. Today I was just struck with how different this place has become since I was a kid. I remember when it was pretty much one big empty dirt pit thing and we drove around the big pit circle or something like that. (Foggy memory.) Now it’s like a little version of NYC, except the buildings aren’t so tall. The streets have boring names like “First” and “Thirty-Second” just like NYC. With all the foreigners, you can’t really tell what that it’s the Philippines. They just opened up an IHOP, I saw a Quiznos (neither of which are high-class in the States, but for some reason, when they come here, they’re so high-class) and they’re opening a Coldstone. In this part of town, I walk past businessmen with thick European accents, making business deals. I walk past smartly dressed women drinking coffee while creating spreadsheets on their laptops at a coffee shop. Then I cross the highway and head down into Pembo where people and tricycles overflow the place. It’s hard to navigate a car down there. I change tricycles in the main marketplace where the air is heavy with the smell of barbecued meat. The market stalls are lit up with their yellow lights and vegetables and fruit abound. It’s another world down here. Two worlds, side by side.

This month marks the 2^nd year since I moved back home. It feels like it was just yesterday, but sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago. Within two years, I’m teaching my 3^rd batch of kids. So weird. I now know all the kids on our floor because the 7^th graders didn’t move upstairs yet and the 4^th graders stayed downstairs. This makes my days very interesting between 6^th graders asking about assignments, the 5^th graders wanting to know every single day if they’re going to get to do Survivor again in September and if I still bake for them, and the 7^th graders coming to tell me all their dramas of their high school oh-so-dramatic life. I am the 7^th grade shrink. I do miss the 7^th graders a lot. They were a pain last year, but they’re really funny and I really enjoyed them. They often come in during their lunch break or at dismissal to either dump all their teenage angst on me or to actually just hang out and tell me stupid jokes.

I could write a novel on middle school drama. It follows a typical soap opera, which is why I tell my kids that I don’t need TV because I get a live performance every day. (I seriously have no idea why they keep coming back just to be insulted.) The current drama hasn’t reached the Season Finale yet but this is the basic plot:

Boy 1 likes Girl 1. Boy 2 likes Girl 2. Boy 1 and Girl 2 are in the same class. Boy 2 is jealous of Boy 1 and Girl 1 is jealous of Girl 2.

Throw in everybody else and you get the idea. Oh the drama. Oh the angst. Oh it’s the end of the world as they know it! How will they ever survive??? Tune in next year to find out if they do. (Actually, Boy 1 is transferring out and Girl 2 is leaving the country, so maybe that soap opera will end in a few months… before a new one starts.)

Their performances are first rate! It usually happens when I’m in the little tiny conference room portion of the faculty room. I often spread out the kids’ notebooks when I’m checking.

===

A head peers around the divider. It’s Z. Again. He slips in and plops himself down on one of the chairs.

“Miss H,” he says, dragging out the ‘h’.

Barely glancing up, I say, “Ok, what’s up?”

“Oh nothing, nothing, just wanted to say hi,” he shrugs as he slouches down, arms folded, slight smile on his face.

Another boy slips in. It’s E., Z’s shrink, also known as ‘Pineapple’ for reasons only a 12-year-old can explain. Great. I stop writing.

“Ok, guys. What’s up?”

“Can’t we just say hi to you?” asks Z.

“Uh huh. Sure,” I say, and go back to checking, knowing Z beats around the bush.

Five children scramble around the divider and crowd inside the conference room made only for about 4 people. Their voices are loud and their giggles even louder.

They proceed to tell parts of their drama, only this time, their episode is short because they get kicked out for their noise. Another day in the life of junior high.

I resume checking as if nothing happened. Who needs TV with them around?

==

In other totally unrelated news, Brigette was baptized! I vaguely remember when she was born, but when she was 7, I started giving her recorder lessons. It continued for at least 2 years. Whatever I was learning in music theory, I re-taught to her also. She used to be really, really shy and quiet. Now she’s 19 and in college majoring in music education. She’s soft-spoken but not really quiet anymore. It’s been a delight to watch her grow spiritually and to become better friends with her. In fact, several of us girls got together last week and had dinner at the mall. It was really nice because we were from all different “batches” of Sunday School kids. I was the oldest and therefore the most mature. Not.

Saying goodbye to the Briones family leaving for Canada today.

Sbarro with the girls (Eunice, Jobel, Ninna, Brigette)

With Eunice and Brigette after Brigette was accepted into membership.

Brigette and Tita Mel

Summer is rolling around, but we don’t really get summer break. The term ends on the 22^nd and the kids get 3 weeks off. We get Holy Week off at least. I’m trying to cram a research paper in for the last 2 weeks, which will be difficult. I made it harder because 7^th grade is 10 times harder than 6^th grade. Thanks to the woes of the 7^th graders, I now know what is expected of them when they get to 7^th grade and I can push them harder. The only downside is that it gives me a lot more work. They wrote a mystery story a couple weeks ago and that was painful because I graded it twice and checked their drafts twice. Haha. I have no life.

In my free time (what free time??), I have discovered the joys of reading books on an iPad. A teacher was selling a first generation iPad for her cousin, so I got it. I had Kindle installed, but then last week, I discovered iBooks and Classicly. I am now reading Sign of the Four, plus several other books that I started. Haha. I can also annoy Hapi by reading Shakespeare Sonnets in a very obnoxious British accent (that nobody would ever recognize for a British accent). I used to believe that reading off of a tablet would be a pain and an insult to actual books, but then I discovered that it’s easier to eat and read with a flat tablet. J In between that, I am reading a paper copy of The Good Earth which started out good and then got depressing. Along with that, I’m in the middle of listening to “Darien’s Rise” and “Oliver Twist” which are both radio theatre productions by Focus on the Family. This all could contribute to my addled brain as I try to keep multiple plots straight in my head.

I’m pretty sure nobody but my mom or Julie are still reading this, but I have a question for my bored audience: Have you ever read the book by Tom (Tim?) Challies (sp?) about technology and the Christian? I have no idea what it’s called, but it sounds interesting. I started listening to the book study Sunday School lessons by Pastor Mark Raines via Sermonaudio. It’s a bit hard to listen to, though, because he pauses for discussion with the congregation and I have no idea what’s going on.

If you read my newsletter, I talked about a girl named Erin. She’s still having big issues. I’ve never met anyone so difficult to talk to. I think a lot of her emoting comes from just wanting attention. She’s very bitter against God. Whatever I say goes in one ear and out the other. She refuses to believe that God is good and wants “proof.” Reading the Bible is a “chore” and she doesn’t believe it’s effective since nothing “happens” when she reads it. She bargains with God and then gets mad when He doesn’t follow her bargains. I have to talk to her later this week because I think the only thing I can do to help her (besides pray for her) is to push her away a bit. She has to lose everything she is trusting in to make her realize that there is only one way. Even though she’s been exhausting, she’s also been good for me. I have had to go back to so many promises of God in the Bible and point out aspects of God’s character that show His goodness and His mercy. In doing so, I have been more in awe of Him and more convicted of how far short I fall of the mark and how useless it is to try to lean on my own understanding. I am more than ever convinced that God is good and sometimes while explaining things to Erin, it’s like learning it all over again for me. I look at the wretchedness of Erin’s life apart from God and marvel that God would choose to save ME and open my heart to believe in faith. I have been overwhelmed and staggered by the fact that He has loved me with an everlasting love. It’s incredible. It’s amazing. It’s grace.

“If You, O LORD, kept a record of our sins, O LORD, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, therefore You are feared. My soul waits for the LORD, and in His Word I put my hope more than the watchmen wait, more than the watchmen wait for the dawn. ” (“Psalm 130”, Sons of Korah)

Late Post #1

I do not have time to upload pictures about Corregidor, but it was a lot of fun gallivanting around the island and doing whatever we wanted to do. You can check out Eunice's fabulous pics on her photography website: Click Here and for Joash's millions of pics, click HERE.

If you look Joash up on Facebook, he has another album of "fun" pics.

The retreat was a wonderful time of bonding and getting to just hang out with the kids. Baccalaureate and graduation went well. Here are some pics with various members of my fan club (all in random order).

Jordan A and B fan club

More fan club, plus my homeroom class president, salutatorian, and Junior Ichthus awardee :)

At the retreat

The biggest 12 year old I've ever met

At the retreat with my homies :P

This kid wrote me a thank you card. Guilty conscience? :P

He calls me "Mama Hoffers"

Career Photoshoot: They wanted to be actors and requested this additional picture.

 Hmm.. I had two other pics but they won't load. Guess they're too big. Anyway. No time to actually write anything. Enjoy the pics!

For Lack of a Better Post...

Unraveling the Gospel According to Les Miserables

**Disclaimer: This is purely in response to the latest movie musical and NOT Victor Hugo's actual book.**

So many people, including my students, have been commenting on how amazing the new “Les Miserables” movie is. I wasn’t going to see it in theaters, but when I found out how many of my student watched it, I decided to get my “intellectual fix” by watching it. Between being very distracted by the fact that Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman do not have the voices for the songs, I was planning a Biblical worldview lesson in my head. In the end, I realized my “Film, Culture, and Theology”-wanna-be-Dr.-Toews-lesson would fall on very, very deaf 6th grade ears, I decided to abandon it and just write about it.

My college friends told me countless times, “For crying out loud! Can’t you just shut up and enjoy a movie for the sake of it being a movie?” Actually, I can’t. As kids, we were not allowed to “amuse ourselves to death”, to borrow the title of Neil Postman’s book. We had to think when we watched movies. The Bible also talks about making every thought captive to the word of God, and therefore, even while being “entertained”, we should be viewing everything through the lens of God’s Word. Let’s not be “amused”—in other words, not musing—but let’s muse on what we choose for our entertainment.

Ok, long-winded introduction over. First of all, “Les Miserables” is a book written by Victor Hugo, and it is set mostly in Paris in the 1800s. The story begins in 1813 and ends with the Paris Uprising of 1832. . I have not read the 1,500 page book (English version) because French literature is really not my thing. I am familiar with the abridged versions of the story. Hugo shows a lot of what life was like in Paris and the whole story revolves a lot around law versus grace. To sum up the main plot, Les Miserables is about a man named Jean Valjean who was arrested for stealing a loaf of bread. He was imprisoned for 19 years and he broke his parole. A bishop, Myriel, welcomed him in when all of society closed their doors in his face. Jean Valjean stole silver from the bishop, but when the police brought him back, the man told them that he had given Jean Valjean the silver and, on top of that, Valjean had “forgotten” to take the candlesticks. When the police left, the priest told Valjean, Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man.... Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!

Valjean does turn his life around and becomes a mayor. His parole officer, Javert, comes back into his life and once he realizes that Valjean is who he is, he spends the rest of his life chasing down Valjean. Throughout the rest of the story, Valjean does lots of great things such as saving the life of a prostitute’s daughter and adopting her, sparing Javert’s life, and rescuing the lover of his adopted daughter when he was wounded in the revolution. Javert, an officer of the law, cannot understand grace and forgiveness and in the end, takes his own life.At the end of the story, Valjean dies an old man, and at peace with himself and God because he had showed love and forgiveness to others.

As far as a movie goes, the new “Les Miserables” is decent. The live singing really adds to the emotion of the songs. I know most of the songs, but I didn’t really understand them until I watched them sung and acted. There are some parts that are not at all decent, but the movie is not making light of sin. It gives us a raw picture of humanity steeped in sin. Fantine is forced into prostitution and sings a heart-wrenching song:

I had a dream my life would be 

So different from this hell I'm living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

The life of sin is definitely not portrayed as desirable. Those engaged in it may try to be happy, but underneath it, they are miserable and hopeless.

What about the themes in “Les Miserables”? It is a story about grace, love and forgiveness in stark contrast to the law. That part is true. But what kind of grace, love and forgiveness does it speak of? It’s certainly not the kind of grace, love and forgiveness found in the Gospel of Christ. Oh yes, it bears resemblances. But it is not a story of salvation and true redemption.

First of all, forgiveness plays a very important part in the story. However, the forgiveness displayed is only a human forgiveness. It is the forgiveness of the Bishop that motivated Valjean to forgive others. The story does not actually touch the truest example of love and forgiveness. It is all on a human level. Oh yes, there are stories of human forgiveness in the Bible, but it wasn’t motivated by human forgiveness alone. David spared King Saul’s life, but he did it because he had been forgiven much, not by a mere man, but by the Lord of all creation. When the love of Christ constrains us, we can forgive and love in a way that an unredeemed man could never do. What the movie did get right was that Javert clung to the law and could not understand grace. Through the law, no man is justified. Sadly, though, Javert chose to end his life rather than let go of his precious law.

How can I now allow this man

To hold dominion over me?

his desperate man whom I have hunted

He gave me my life, he gave me freedom.  

 I should have perished by his hand!

It was his right.

It was my right to die as well

 Instead I live, but live in hell!  

I have heard many rave about how this is such a wonderful story of redemption. Was Valjean really redeemed? At the very end of the movie, Cosette and Marius go to Valjean right before he dies. Cosette’s mother shows up again as a “ghost” and sings to Valjean, assuring him that he is accepted because he showed forgiveness to other people. Then comes the classic line that everyone is splashing all over Facebook: “To love another person is to see the face of God.” This analogy comes from the final song in the musical. The verse goes,

Take my hand 

And lead me to salvation

Take my love

For love is everlasting

And remember

The truth that once was spoken

To love another person

Is to see the face of God.

God does show love and forgiveness – to all who would trust in Him. Those who do know Him seek to imitate God’s love by showing grace and forgiveness to other humans. Now, I realize it’s an analogy, but I am reminded of Matthew 5:8 which says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Allow me to go off on a bit of a tangent. This verse doesn’t say we’ll see God by loving another person. Those who see God are those who have tasted of HIS forgiveness and HIS mercy. It does not say we will see God because of something we have done that is good to others. Salvation is not through “paying it forward.” Valjean does a lot of things that are morally right. However, those things did not and will never save him. You can love other people, you can join as many charities as is possible, you can save human lives, but if you think that those things are good enough to save yourself, then you will see the face of God, but when you do, you will be calling on the rocks and the mountains to fall on you, because His face will be the face of the just Judge of all the earth. If you want to see the face of the God of love, it cannot come through any amount of good we try to do to earn salvation.

But yes, works are also important, but we are not saved by them. As someone has said, “We are saved my faith alone, but not the faith that is alone.” Because we have been saved, we demonstrate our love, obedience and devotion to Christ in loving and forgiving others. The movie reminds us of important things, but if we just take it for the surface level, we might miss the fact that the movie is not presenting the true gospel of grace and forgiveness.

Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy;

Strip me of every pleasing pretense of righteousness by my own doings…

O unite me to Thyself with inseparable bonds,

that nothing may ever draw me back from Thee, my Lord, my Savior. Valley of Vision

For those already bored to tears, you can stop reading here because I’m done with my main critique of the gospel as portrayed in this movie, but I also have some things to say about one more theme that comes out: courage and love.

“Les Miserables” is a story about love (both human, but for this discussion, love for country) and courage. But what motivated that love? What kind of “courage” is displayed?

The story is set at a period in French history when the oppressed lower class wanted freedom from the injustice dealt upon them by the monarchy. Many young men, including a very young boy, get caught up in the spirit of the rebellion, desiring to return France to a republic, and choose to die rather than surrender to the soldiers. Their courage and valor are sung with full orchestral music in the song, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” In the very end, Valjean joins all those who had died fighting and the song is sung again as the finale. It is made to look like the people did what was right by trying to fight against the injustice shown to their people.

For the wretched of the earth there is a flame that never dies.

Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.

They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord.

They will walk behind the ploughshare; they will put away the sword.

The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward.

Will you join in our crusade?

Who will be strong and stand with me?

Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?

Do you hear the people sing?

Say, do you hear the distant drums?

It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes!

However, between the two songs, Marius sings about “empty chairs and empty tables” as he weeps over the deaths of so many young men. The song expresses questions such as, “What was the point of all this if what they got in the end were empty chairs and empty tables, never to be filled again?” If not for Valjean rescuing him, he would have been dead too. The June Rebellion did not end well for them at all and all their efforts only resulted in more bloodshed and no progress made.

God institutes governments. He tells us to respect those in authority over us. There are ways to protest and show our disapproval. Joining in a rebellion might seem to be a “quick fix” to try to solve all society’s problems in one night, but what does it give you in the end? There are wars, and defending your families and homeland are just causes. However, in the movie, those in the revolution were made just before God because they stood for what was “right” and therefore, they went to heaven with all the other honest people. I’m not going to go into politics or gun control debates, but I was reminded about true courage in society. When Jesus was crucified, the nation despised Him. To be identified with Jesus took a lot of courage. J.C. Ryle in his commentary on Mark writes this,

We may well believe that it required no small courage to do this. To visit a grave in the dim twilight of an eastern day-break, would try most women, under any circumstances. But to visit the grave of one who had been put to death as a common malefactor, and to rise early to show honor to one whom their nation had despised, this was a mighty boldness indeed. Yet these are the kind of acts which show the difference between weak faith and strong faith,-- between weak feeling and strong feelings towards Christ. These holy women had tasted of our Lord’s pardoning mercies. Their hearts were full of gratitude to Him for light, and hope, and comfort, and peace. They were willing to risk all consequences in testifying their affection to their Savior. So true art he words of Canticles: “Love is strong as death,-- many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” (Cant. viii. 6,7) p. 354

That is real “revolution.” They chose to risk their lives, not by facing a bunch of soldiers with bayonets, but rather, in showing devotion to their Master. That is true love and courage and it is all motivated by forgiveness and grace that only God can show to mankin