Men at the Movies Podcast

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we blast off into Interstellar.  We talk about the importance of our why—because if we do the right thing for the wrong reasons, it’s wrong.  And while we look at Murphy’s Law as a negative, we see that variability is actually necessary for sustainable life.  Don’t forget your watch, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie. Questions...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we celebrate our two-year anniversary with the original Pinocchio. This gospel template breaks down into three main themes:  the idea of our conscience, which, like the law, is powerless to transform us.  When we give in to the lies of temptation, we discover that we become farther from the person we desire to become.  It’s only through th...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we breakdown the movie Defiance.  In this time of busyness and chaos, how can we find freedom?  How do we avoid becoming like the people around us, chasing, striving, and grabbing for life?  The problem has been we’ve been using the wrong fuel.  When we connect to the proper energy source, we can find joy in the chaos, light in the da...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we picked a football movie for Thanksgiving and break down Invincible.  Vince shows us how we can be invincible when times are tough, how perseverance and persistence can lead to a miracle.  It all depends on what voices we listen to, and what motivates us.  Fly Eagles Fly, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie. Questions How do you...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we explore the truths of the gospel in Beauty and the Beast.  We relate to the Beast, feeling like no one can truly love us. We want our children to be like Gaston, successful and popular.  But we discover that the freely given love of Belle transforms us into the princes we are mean to be.  Be our guest as we unwrap the beauty of the gosp...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we break down the fighting skills of John Wick. When we are attacked in our vulnerability, we fall back into patterns from the past.  And the more tense we are, the more power we give other people to control us. But it’s not the things we know that will get us in trouble, it’s the things we think we know that we don’t that will cause the greatest da...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we fire all of our rockets and use all of our flares in part 2 of our conversation about Top Gun Maverick.  We all have a look that communicates that we are entering territory where we are risking something great, but can’t determine the outcome.  How do we handle it when our greatest fears come true?  Will we keep fighting, or eject when...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we celebrate our 100th episode by deep diving into Top Gun Maverick.  In part one, we break down two of the main themes.  “It’s not the plane, it’s the pilot.” When we go beyond our limitations, God steps in.  And “all you’ve done is show them that it can’t be done.”  We aren’t called to create believers everywhere we go, teaching the...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we head out on an adventure to discuss The Goonies. What’s needed to live a great adventure?  Fellowship of misfits who somehow all fit together.  A sense of expectancy—“God, what do you have next for me?” Finally, a passion that refuses to take Troy’s bucket, realizing the adventure is the treasure.  Goonies never say die—let’s discover God’s truth in t...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we enter the wild wild west with The Mask of Zorro. In Don Raphael, we find insight into how the enemy works.  He offers control of our destiny, but the result is always slavery.  In Jesus and Don Diego, we find that when we submit, we find life. We choose whether to fight bravely and die quickly, or to become the student when the teacher appears. Let’s...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we deep dive into The Fifth Element.  Like Zorg, we frequently try to make deals with the Shadow, trying to maximize what we can get out of life.  It’s when our plans backfire that we realize our need for a savior, and that’s when Jesus shows up.  But it’s not to judge, criticize, or condemn us—rather it’s an invitation to love, adventure,...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, Paul McDonald and Steven Falletti talk about Minority Report. Systems might change our behavior, but they won’t change our heart.  What will we do when the systems we depend on fail? Those failures bring us face-to-face with the divine: will you receive healing and love by letting go, or end up with a halo in hell holding on to a broken system? Ever...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we talk about the Last Starfighter.  If you have a talent or gift that you think is too weird and it’s never going to be used, just give it over to God and He will use it.  Our specific brand of strange is exactly what the world needs. But we can disqualify ourselves if we don’t trust the calling we’ve been given.  Victory or Death!  ...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we try to ride the coattails of Weird: The Al Yankovic story by talking about UHF.  We find leadership lessons from George Newman, and dig into the gospel according to Stanely Spudowski.  When you give misfits a voice, it challenges the system and offers hope to the people around us. The ones we are called to impact.  Badgers, we don’t nee...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we remember and commemorate 9/11 by diving into 12 Strong.  We describe September 11th as a day the world changed—but what if the world didn’t change, but simply our perspective of it? Likewise, when massive events occur in our lives, we know God doesn’t change, but how we view Him does.  Like Nelson, we have brothers to walk with us into battl...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we’re running a three man weave as we talk about Hustle. In order to become men who can mentor others, we must first receive affirmation of who we are.  But it’s difficult to trust the mentor because so many uninitiated men manipulate and abuse their power.  And even though the only way to improve is through adversity, we find that when we enga...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we complete our August archive dive with Britt’s number one favorite movie, Say Anything.  Like Lloyd, we all crave a dare to be great situation, but when it arrives, our tendency is to settle for safety and security.  Even when we decide to get involved, we are surprised when life hits back.  What we learn is that, even though we want to...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we dig into the archives to share our discussion about Rocky.  This is a story of transformation and rebirth—for Rocky, Adrian, Mickey, and even Paulie. And how is this transformation accomplished? Through love and forgiveness.  Yo Adrian, let’s discover God’s truth in this movie. Questions What identity has been told to you all your life? Who...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we give you Christmas in August with Die Hard.  While many set this up as a conflict between John McClean and Hans, we discuss the contrast between John and Ellis.  The key difference is John knew and understood his enemy, while Ellis’ overconfidence and ignorance cost him his life.  Welcome to the party pal—let’s discuss God’s truth in th...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we get you ready for football season with The Replacements.  This is a story of transformation, from the man Shane Falco is to the man he could be.  He had spent his life measuring himself by what he was not, rather than what he was.  But through his transformation, he learns how to correctly define success.  Pain heals, chicks dig sc...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we close out our summer blockbuster series with the movie ET. This is a story of wonder, of how the impossible comes to what we think is ordinary, and colors the world differently.  We find that when the supernatural touches your life, the impossible manipulates the environment and changes everything. But if we allow ourselves to stop worrying and c...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we enter week four of our Summer Blockbuster Series with Men in Black starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The world is more than it seems, and we’ve got to be prepared with an approach of curiosity, humility, courage, and tenacity. Along the way, we’ll find ourselves over our heads and engaging in new experiences. But once we go through our initiati...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we explore the deeper themes of Aliens. We contrast the characteristics of godly femininity and masculinity with the signs of toxic femininity and masculinity. The toxic examples are driven by scarcity, treats life like a zero-sum game, manipulating and sacrificing others to get what they want. But Ripley demonstrates the ability to empower others while...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we roll out week 2 of our summer blockbuster series with Avatar. The main character is Jake, who has lost his legs and his identity. He sees this mission as a way to restore what was lost. Although true, his path to restoration goes through wonder, danger, and initiation to a greater purpose than he could’ve possibly imagined. It’s time to wake up, and d...

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we celebrate the 4th of July with the movie Independence Day starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Randy Quaid as a guide to dealing with crisis.  Crisis happens to everyone, but it’s still a surprise when it does.  Crisis also reveals what and who matters most, as well as showing us who we really are.  The most important t...