Starting out looking over the desert of the old west “Ghost Rider” is a trial of restarting the cowboy vigilante western in modern terms. The ‘Rider is named as the Devil’s Bounty hunter … normally. However, Jonny Blaze is different. When offered the contract to work for the devil the terms were not purely selfish. What is good about this showing of this age old idea of selling your soul is that this movie showed correctly that the Devil cheats. Half-truths and inticing us by what we thought we always wanted but probubly don’t need is very old hat for the Devil. But this is only where our story starts.

We follow Jonny as he tries to find himself in stuntwork and challenge himself to not “live in fear.” Most of all is the question of second chances. Most everyone in this movie is looking for a second chance. A chance to “make right” what they had previously messed up. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone but for all the flames and stuntwork Jonny’s second chance isn’t going to come from trying to undo what was done. That is simply not possible.

When we need to get right there is only one way for us to really change. That is through the Grace of God given through His Son Jesus. The Payment of our sins and the opportunity to pick ourselves back up off of the floor is only offered by the one God who requires perfection, but allows for we who are flawed a covering grace to heal our hurts and make what was bad into good. It is through God that we can have our negative’s turned to positive. God doesn’t want us alone to go through pain and fear and strife that is caused by all the wrong choices of ourselves and others around us. He is with us and can take all of the pain and hurt and anger; and turn it all around. What is impossible for us is possible with our creator.

What is a danger for us is to think that we can become a “Spirit of Vengance.” The “Ghost Rider” is a work of fiction because of this. Not only is He a vigilante, but he also claims to have a authoritative look into a soul’s guilt or innocence. These things are God’s alone. We cannot judge that which is outside our family in Christ, when we are not judges. Vengance is God’s domain and I would only want God to have it, because for all the pain I would inflict on whoever I believe has wronged me it would not be just or fair. Whether that is because it was too little or too much God is the only one who has the right to judge and avenge. This may be agrivating as He seems so slow in judging the “bag guys” however He has soo much love for us he doesn’t want any to fall short of His grace.

No matter what you have done, from cursing someone out to giving yourself away to rage or sin or lust God can still bring you back. He can make you clean and give you a start that none of us deserve. This is Grace as only He can give.

Overall “Ghost Rider” is a decent movie with some creepy imagry and a rather anticlimactic ending, but has some great effects especially fire. I would waiting for this movie to hit blockbuster if you were thinking of it. It is good and worth a see, however it is not really that spectacular.

Till next time…

Gby,

 J