Monday, November 7, 2011

Hermie: Who Is In Charge Anyway? A Lesson in Growing Up With God

By Max Lucado

The story is about Freddie the Flea who is trying to understand if he is special in the eyes of God. His questions lead him to interview various characters who tell their stories in short flashbacks.

As a pastor, I’m concerned about some of the theological implications. The first is that to pray the characters go outside and look up. God always responds verbally. Obviously one does not have to be outside to pray and God does not always respond verbally to prayer. My impression was that this seems to be a generic “god.”

Another concern is the “does God love me” story line of a flea. Many children know fleas as undesirable creatures… and that’s the point of using a flea. However, the flashbacks do not really answer the question. I asked for feedback from the age group the video is targeted for… I would add that these are also fans of the series. They were unimpressed with the story line and had questions that came from inadvertent false impressions left by the video.

I had one thought while watching this video: “make it stop!” The one redeeming feature of this video is found in the extras… it is a very clear and easy to understand gospel presentation. So how many buy a video for just one extra?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this video 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”