Drop-in Discipleship

Why do cable companies keep showing the same movies on television all the time? It’s because they know that viewers don’t always want to watch the whole movie; they just want to “drop in” on or “stop by” favorite scenes. Do these movie habits mirror the way we practice our faith?

If you are a cable TV or Dish Network subscriber, have you noticed that at any given time of day you’re likely to see the same movies on the menu — again and again?

Lethal Weapon (1, 2 or 3). Beverly Hills Cop. Pretty Woman. Sweet November. Miss Congeniality. Tin Cup. Speed. And so on.

There’s a reason for this.

Network execs know that people with a remote control in their hand don’t always want to watch an entire movie, but really enjoy “dropping in” or “stopping by” a movie just to catch one particular scene. After watching that scene, they’ll surf on to another movie to drop in on.

For example, some will drop in on Lethal Weapon just to see the scene where Danny Glover’s character is hot-wired to a commode with a bomb strapped to the tank, and see him and Mel Gibson flying through the window with the toilet seat wrapped around Glover’s neck.

Or — there’s the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts’ character tells off the salesgirl who wouldn’t wait on her because of her doubtful...