There is a huge audience looking for films that are closer to the beat of America’s pulse. Faith, values and stories of redemption resonate beyond Hollywood.

The Oscars will take on a new meaning for many this Sunday. Sure, the usual offerings will be present representing Hollywood at its most gratuitous but there is a surprise addition this year…a story of faith. “The Blind Side,” nominated for best picture is the first film in history, according to Variety, to be driven solely by a female star — Sandra Bullock — to top the $200 million domestic box office mark.

Hollywood would do well to take notice. There is a huge audience looking for films that are closer to the beat of America’s pulse. Faith, values and stories of redemption resonate beyond Hollywood. “The Blind Side” is a movie based on the book, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” by Michael Lewis. It is the true story of a conservative, Christian family from Memphis, Tennessee who take in Michael Oher, an inner-city youth who is struggling with his grades. The clash of cultures is overcome by love resulting in Michael becoming one of the nation’s top college football players and one who also earns a place on the Dean’s list at the University of Mississippi and eventually goes on to become an offensive tackle with the Baltimore Ravens.

The impact of the media on our youth today is 450% greater than time spent with parents, school and church combined (this is according to “Movie Guide”). For too long sex, drugs, alcohol abuse and the like have been the steady offerings of a movie industry that has lost touch with its audience. “The Blind Side” is proof that a movie of excellence can be made that is respectful in its view of God, faith and family.

“The Blind Side” is more than good entertainment. It has led many families to give adoption and foster parenting another look. It has challenged us to look beyond color and see people with a love that transcends self. It has created an appetite for more than Hollywood’s traditional fare.

To forgive Tiger Woods is to decide not to forever hold him to his past but to allow him the opportunity to prove his repentance by his actions in the days ahead.

The season of Lent is a time of soul searching whereby we examine our hearts and rededicate our lives. As Tiger Woods steps forward to make a declaration pertaining to his past indiscretions and future plans, we are given an opportunity to witness the true meaning of Lent in his life and ours. What does true repentance look like and what, if anything, is our role in responding to Tiger Woods?

The Bible is not mute on the subject of role models who fall. King David of Israel slept with a woman who wasn’t his wife and then made certain that her husband would be killed in order to cover his crime. The king’s actions were not without grave consequences and yet, he did something that resulted in him being forever known as a “Man after God’s own heart” and a beloved hero of the faith. As greatly as he sinned, no one repented better than King David.

The mark of true repentance is an acknowledgement of wrongs, a genuine change of heart and intentional steps to right wrongs by walking upright in the days ahead. The beauty of repentance is that it is the key to unlocking the door to forgiveness and freedom to step beyond the past. The sincerity of Tiger Wood’s contrition will be found not in a prepared statement but in what lies beneath, not in words spoken but in actions taken in venues less visible to the general public. How we respond to Tiger Woods is a reflection on our understanding of forgiveness.

Forgiveness does not mean that we now embrace a lesser standard of moral conduct. It is not a statement of condoning wrongs committed. To forgive Tiger Woods is to decide not to forever hold him to his past but to allow him the opportunity to prove his repentance by his actions in the days ahead. Forgiveness is based in love and the Bible tells us “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (I Corinthians 13:1-4)

The most basic of all human needs is the need to love and be loved.

From the beginning of time we have known that it is not good for man to be alone. The most basic of all human needs is the need to love and be loved. Yet, our mobile lifestyles create shallow roots resulting in 70% of Americans claiming to have many acquaintances but few close friends. The following are 10 thoughts on why we need meaningful relationships:

1. Mother Teresa: “Loneliness is the leprosy of modern society.”
2. 4 out of 10 admit to frequent feelings of loneliness. (Gallup)
3. The absence of relationships results in absence of affirmation, shared experience and disclosure.
4. A life unshared is only half lived.
5. Nothing so shapes us as the relationships we have in life.
6. The average American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime. (U.S. Census Bureau)
7. Ecclesssiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one.”
8. Self-absorption leaves little room for quality relationships.
9. The intimate family relationships that nurtured us in our early years are rarely replaced once the family unit disperses.
10. Social networks alone will not create the trust and shared experiences of face-to-face friendships.

Never has there been so great a need for meaningful relationships. In a fast-paced, high-tech, highly mobile society we must be intentional in cultivating connectedness and community. The joy of living well is found in stepping beyond our independence and isolation towards a quality of life only to be found with others.

The issues that face America as outlined in President Obama’s State of the Union address last week are, at their core, issues of the heart. Two wars may have contributed to our deficit but it was the heart of man that created the wars themselves. It was greed that began the mess on Wall Street and greed that brought about the downturn in the housing market. The need of the hour is a call to place our faith not in government but in God.

At key moments in history, America’s presidents would call upon God. Most notable are the times in which America was in crisis and marked by change. Abraham Lincoln spoke of being driven many times to his knees by, “the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.

My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day.” On April 12, 1945, one day after Franklin Roosevelt’s funeral, President Harry Truman concluded his first address before a joint session of Congress with these words, “At this moment I have in my heart a prayer. As I assume my heavy duties, I humbly pray to Almighty God in the words of King Solomon, ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge this Thy so great a people?’ I ask only to be a good and faithful servant of my Lord and my people.” President Truman knew that the strength of our Union would be found in calling upon God’s wisdom.

The issues outlined in the State of the Union Address are not new. They are as old as the scriptures. The Bible addresses:

1. Jobs: “…the laborer is worthy of his wages.” Luke 10:7
2. Equality: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
3. Responsibility: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17
4. Unity: “…a house divided against itself will fail.” Luke 11:17
5. Civility: “Come now, let us reason together…” Isaiah 1:18
6. Environment: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” Psalm 24:1
7. Freedom: “…proclaim liberty throughout the land to all of its inhabitants…” Leviticus 25:10
8. Human Dignity: “So God created man in his own image.” Genesis 1:27
9. Corporate Greed: “Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.” Leviticus 19:13
10. Values: “…Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

President Obama is right in stating that these are not ordinary times and we will not overcome our challenges by ordinary measures. Even as President Ronald Reagan called the nation to the principles of God by declaring 1983 as the national “Year of the Bible,” America now needs leadership with the audacity to call America back to God. The scriptures declare, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

In order for the church to be relevant in 2010 it must find its identity in Jesus and become scripturally literate. As it returns to its original mission the focus will not be on self but on others.

If the Christian Church is to be relevant in the year 2010, such relevancy will be discovered not in altering its core values but rather in finding a fresh its true identity. The modern Church is viewed by many as an agent of intolerance and by others as a self-help success program. It has become increasingly difficult to find the correlation between the faith of our fathers and the confused, anemic faith of today.

Jesus challenged those who had reduced faith to a list of rules. He was criticized for purposefully associating with sinners and condemned for offering forgiveness to those caught in the act. He showed seriousness of sin not by pointing fingers but by hanging on a cross on behalf of those who were guilty. The scriptures declare that the identifying mark of a follower of Jesus is this same love. Today relativism rules over absolutes. Amidst an unparalleled ignorance of the Bible people are creating their own religion. The results are a form of godliness that lacks power.

In order for the church to be relevant in 2010 it must find its identity in Jesus and become scripturally literate. As it returns to its original mission the focus will not be on self but on others. Not on wealth but on worship and the worth of the soul. The early church was known as being composed of those who turned the world upside down. In other words, they challenged the status quo. They effected change by focusing on the person of Jesus. Their goal was not self advancement but the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

There is hope to be found in this new generation of believers. They are not interested in religion so much as a relationship with God. They have a justice streak and a global prospective. They desire authenticity. Armed with an understanding of scripture, they will act upon convictions going beyond mere words.

The Church will be most Christ-like when its collective voices are used not to condemn homosexuals but to eradicate AIDS.

Their efforts will be most effective when they are focused not on personal prosperity but on the poverty that grips about one billion people worldwide.

They will be most persuasive when they model lives of personal integrity and therefore have a moral voice to stem the tide of the sex trade that degrades the human race.

The Bible uses figurative speech describing light that is hidden under a bush and salt that has lost its flavor to warn the Church against isolationism and impotence. The Church is not an institution or a building but rather the followers of Jesus Christ who have been forever changed by Gods’ forgiveness and love.

If Christians will remember their true identity, become fully engaged in their generation and properly represent God’s heart, the question of relevancy will become mute.