Billy Batson is a 14-year-old foster kid searching for his identity in life. And to discover that, he’s going to find his biological mom.

“I’ve got a mom. … She’s out there. I know it,” he tells a social worker.

But so far, all he’s finding is trouble — with his foster parents, with the police, with the system.

He’s run away from all six foster homes that have taken him in, causing so many problems that they don’t want him back. Now he’s moving in with number seven. The names of his new parents are Victor and Rosa Vasquez, a couple who began their owns lives as foster kids. They have a big home and a big heart for at-risk kids. Billy, in fact, will be the sixth foster child in their house.

He likes his new home. He likes his new siblings, too. He even likes his parents.

Yet his search for his biological lineage soon takes a backseat to a supernatural event. Billy is riding home from school when he’s transported to another dimension, in the presence of a wizard known as Shazam. This wizard is looking for a replacement who is “strong in spirit” and “pure in heart.” You know — a “truly good person.”

“I’m not one,” Billy responds. “I don’t know if anyone is, really.” 

Yet that doesn’t matter. Billy is Shazam’s only hope, and within seconds, he is given the powers of a modern superhero — complete with a muscular frame, tights and a cape. He becomes “Shazam,” a 20-something common man of steel who can fly, run faster than a bullet, and — yes — leap tall buildings, too.

The DC Comics film Shazam!(PG-13) opens this weekend, telling the story of an insecure young teen boy who learns how to be a superhero by trial and error. To gain his strength, he only needs to say one magic word. (You guessed it: “shazam.”)

It stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Zachary Levi (Thor: The Dark World) as Billy’s alter-ego Shazam, and Jack Dylan Grazer (Beautiful Boy) as Billy’s brother and good friend, Freddy.       

The movie follows two angles: Billy’s crash course on how to be a superhero (at first, he uses his powers for selfish reasons), and the evil Thaddeus Sivana’s hunting of Billy in hopes of stealing his powers. 

Shazam!is as funny as it is original, as we watch our superhero learn how to fly, jump and fight — just like an immature 14-year-old boy would. Each step is accompanied by wonderful wide-eyed giddiness, with Shazam and Freddy (who is filming him for YouTube videos) laughing in disbelief at their stoke of fortune.

The film has plenty of PG-13 content but it also tackles some heady questions, too, such as: What is family? What is home? How are we shaped by our parents’ decisions?

Overall, Shazam!is a fun ride, even if it may not be for small kids.

Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!

(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)

Violence/Disturbing

Moderate: The film has its share of superhero punching and fighting, but its inclusion of demonic, ogre-like creatures is what will trouble some parents the most (not to mention give children nightmares). The creatures are Sivana’s sidekicks and accompany him wherever he goes. The most disturbing moment involves them killing two of Silvana’s family members (one is tossed out a window, the other eaten). We also see a creature bite off someone’s head. Earlier in the film, we see a truck crash into a car, nearly killing one person. Bullies beat up a tween boy outside school.  

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

None.

Coarse Language

Moderate. OMG (11), s–t (5), a– (3), h–l (3), misuse of “God” (2), d–k (1), JC (1). The film includes a handful of inappropriate references to the male anatomy

Other Positive Elements

Shazam and Freddy show mercy to the bullies.

The film’s positive portrayal of the foster care system is commendable.  

Other Stuff You Might Want To Know

Twice, Shazam and his friends end up outside a strip club known as “The Booty Club.” We never see inside the building, but the film would have been more family-friendly without either scene.

Shazam and Freddy also buy and drink beer. They hate it — Shazam says it tastes like “vomit” — and they eat candy and chips instead.

We see Billy’s brother bullied for being adopted.  

Life Lessons

The film’s ads and promotional materials tell us that “we all have a superhero inside.” Perhaps that’s true on some level, but it’s not the movie’s major theme.

The film’s theme is this: Families matter. A home does, too.

Sivana hates his father because of how he was treated and ridiculed as a child. Billy has positive feelings for his biological mother but has never met her; he got lost in a crowd at a young age and was never found. Both instances, though, show how the verbal abuse or absence of a parent can impact a child for life.

Shazam! provides positive (even Bible-based) answers on the film’s two questions: What is family?and What is home?The film comes down squarely on the side of love — that is, Billy’s love for his foster parents and their love for him. Faith is never discussed, but we do see them pray before meals.

It may have been the first time I shed a tear during a superhero flick.

Worldview

Wizards, demons and mythical gods form the film’s backdrop. Shazam the wizard tells Billy he will be as powerful as Atlas, Zeus and others. Silvana’s powers come from seven demons, each of which represents one of the seven deadly sins.  

Sponsors

Xbox, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Zaxby’s, Watz, Stewart Haas Racing.

What Works

The plot. The family-centric story. If you’re curious, it ends with a cliffhanger, guaranteeing a sequel.

What Doesn’t

Shazam!seems to be partially aimed at children and tweens. If so, some of the content (the scary creatures, the strip club, the language) should have been excluded.

Discussion Questions

1. What caused Billy finally to accept his new parents?

2. For children: How should you treat your friends who are adopted?

3. Do we all have a “superhero inside”?

4. Did you like the film’s foster care message?

Entertainment rating:4 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating:2.5 out of 5 stars.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material. 

DALLAS  Ronnie Floyd is the new president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, elected today (April 2) by ballot vote in a called meeting in Dallas.

Floyd received 68 of 69 votes cast, the EC said, electing Floyd in an executive session of nearly four hours.

A former SBC president, Floyd will announce his resignation April 7 as pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas in accepting the EC position, he told his congregation March 31 in preparation for today’s vote.

“As an ambassador for Christ, the Gospel and our Southern Baptist Convention,” Floyd said in a video now posted on YouTube, “this role provides influence for the Lord and His Gospel message in all kinds of ways and in all kinds of places, nationally and globally.”

“The thought of parting from you has been gut-wrenching for Jeana and me. Words cannot describe it,” Floyd told his congregation. “The sense of loss is undeniable. But the sense of calling at this point is greater.”

SBC President J.D. Greear affirmed Floyd’s election in comments to Baptist Press today.

“This is a crucial moment for Southern Baptists, and I am excited to work alongside Ronnie Floyd as he leads the Executive Committee forward,” Greear told BP. “Pastor Ronnie has had a lifetime of leading in the kinds of evangelism and sending we are promoting in the Who’s Your One? and Go2 initiatives, both on the local church and national convention levels.

“He is a man of prayer and a man of action; a man of prudence and man of boldness,” said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area. “He is a gifted leader who I believe will keep the Gospel above all.”

Floyd, married to Jeana 42 years, is widely endorsed by Southern Baptist leaders including entity presidents, state convention executives, a diversity of pastors and others as well as the Woman’s Missionary Union.

“Impeccable integrity,” “visionary leader,” “prayer warrior” and “a role model in the pursuit of inclusiveness” are traits noted among endorsements offered in advance of the vote.

Floyd is in his 33rd year as the pastor of Cross Church, which celebrates its sesquicentennial in 2020. Under Floyd’s leadership, the multisite congregation has planted 148 churches and baptized more than 22,000 people, according to a press kit distributed by the SBC Executive Committee in advance of today’s vote. Cross Church reached $1 million in annual giving to the SBC Cooperative Program in 2015 and has since exceeded that amount annually.

Floyd has been active in various arenas of Southern Baptist life and interdenominational ministry. He has served as president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force since 2017 and is a member of the board of directors of the Family Research Council in Washington.

Floyd has 43 years of pastoral experience dating back to First Baptist Church in Cherokee, Texas, in 1976 and subsequently including congregations in Milford, Palacios and Nederland, Texas. He began leading Cross Church in 1986 when the congregation was known as First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., and expanded the ministry to include campuses in Pinacle Hills, Rogers and Fayetteville as well as a campus in Neosho, Mo. Weekly Sunday attendance encompasses more than 9,000 people in 11 worship services across the various Cross Church campuses, according to the SBC Annual Church Profile.

Floyd is the author of more than 20 books and host and lead speaker of The Summit businesspersons’ luncheon of northwest Arkansas, equipping more than 400 business leaders each week.

He was president of the SBC from 2014–2016, chaired the SBC Great Commission Task Force from 2009–2010, and chaired the SBC EC from 1995–1997.

SBC entity leaders endorsed Floyd in advance of today’s vote, including the following comments:

— Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Danny L. Akin: “Ronnie Floyd is one of the most gifted and effective leaders I know. … He is tireless, focused, wise, and visionary. He also is a man of impeccable integrity. I believe he is the right man to lead the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention in these challenging days that face our Convention.”

— Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Jason K. Allen: “The best way to determine how a person will lead in the future is to review how they have led in the past. As SBC president, Dr. Floyd pursued denominational unity by reaching out across generational, theological, and ethnic lines; he pursued denominational renewal by focusing on spiritual awakening, personal evangelism, and fulfilling the Great Commission; and he pursued denominational expansion by championing the Cooperative Program. I’m confident Dr. Floyd will do the same in this new leadership post, and I’m more hopeful for the SBC’s future with him at the helm of the Executive Committee.”

— International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood: “Ronnie Floyd, twice elected SBC president, believes in and supports the work of Southern Baptists. He has led his church to become the top Cooperative Program giving church in the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and one of the top CP and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering churches in the SBC. Dr. Floyd is a visionary Great Commission leader and passionate prayer warrior who loves the local church, works to build unity in our Convention, and models and promotes racial reconciliation. God has answered our prayers for the search committee.”

— North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell: “Ronnie Floyd is a visionary leader who is wholly devoted to advancing God’s Kingdom. His heart for prayer and spiritual awakening will help keep Southern Baptists focused on reaching our world for Christ. I believe Ronnie is just what we need as we walk through times that are challenging yet filled with opportunity.”

— Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Adam W. Greenway: “Dr. Ronnie Floyd is a visionary leader with an extensive track record of denominational involvement and Great Commission passion. I am personally excited that this two-time Southwestern Seminary alumnus has been nominated to become the seventh president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. I pray that God will use this friend to me and all Southern Baptists to help forge greater unity and cooperation in our task of connecting all people to Jesus Christ.”

— GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins: “We are thrilled to hear that Ronnie Floyd is unanimously being recommended for election to the Executive Committee. We have known Ronnie and Jeana for decades and cannot think of one without the other. Southern Baptists are blessed to have this God-honoring, vision-casting, servant-hearted couple leading our SBC into a new day of unparalleled potential and cooperation.”

— Gateway Seminary President Jeff Iorg: “Dr. Ronnie Floyd is a passionate visionary leader who believes in the mission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has a track record of denominational engagement among Southern Baptists and effective leadership in the larger evangelical community. His authentic spirituality, coupled with his demonstrated commitment to inclusive leadership, makes him an ideal president for the Executive Committee. I look forward to working with him in this new role.”

— New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Chancellor Chuck Kelley: “Vision, skill, passion, and a relentless focus on the Great Commission. Dr. Ronnie Floyd is all this and so much more. As Southern Baptists face many challenges, including the greatest evangelistic crisis in their history, they will be well served with an outstanding leader at the helm of the Executive Committee.”

— Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr.: “Ronnie Floyd is one of the most dynamic leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention. There is no pastor in the SBC today who has more experience in denominational life and leadership. He is deeply committed to the SBC and is passionate to see Southern Baptists reach a lost world for Christ. His commitment to the Cooperative Program is clear and he leads by example. I look forward to working with Ronnie Floyd as he assumes this new position of great importance to our Convention and its work. I am thankful to God for him.”

— Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore: “I wish to extend my congratulations to Ronnie and Jeana Floyd, and to the Executive Committee as they begin this new ministry. Ronnie Floyd has my prayers and my pledge to work together to advance the causes of our churches and the message of the Gospel. The potential of our Southern Baptist churches, united in common cause and mission, is great indeed. I believe the very best days of the Southern Baptist Convention are yet to be seen, and I look forward to years of partnership toward that goal.”

— LifeWay Christian Resources Acting President Brad Waggoner: “Ronnie Floyd has been a faithful partner of LifeWay Christian Resources throughout his ministry. We are grateful that God has chosen him to lead the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention for such a time as this. A strong supporter of the Cooperative Program with a proven track record of effective leadership in the local church, Ronnie Floyd is uniquely gifted to unify and lead our Convention of churches in this crucial time.”

Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director-treasurer of the Woman’s Missionary Union auxiliary of the SBC, also welcomed Floyd’s nomination in comments preceding the vote. “We are at a critical hinge in history. We need people who will lead us on an unshakable pursuit of God and His mission,” Wisdom-Martin said. “We will pray for Dr. Floyd as he transitions to this new Kingdom post and look forward to working with him.”

In a series of Zoom conferences and conference calls scheduled today and April 3, Floyd will hear the concerns of Southern Baptists leaders encompassing bivocational and small-church pastors; the Great Commission Council of SBC entity and WMU of which Floyd will be a member; the Large Church Roundtable; the Mega-Metro pastors fellowship; the EC’s Convention Advancement Advisory Council; ethnic fellowship leaders; state convention executives and state convention presidents; and young leaders. More than 400 individuals have been invited to participate, according to Roger S. “Sing” Oldham, EC vice president for convention communications and relations.

Holt Farrier is a dispirited father who lost his left arm in battle and his wife to influenza.

Yes, he still has his two young children and his job in the traveling Medici Brothers Circus, but things have changed since he returned from World War I. His relationship with his daughter has suffered. His job — as a horse-riding stuntman — has suffered, too. Circus owner Max Medici sold the horses.

This means Farrier has a new task: taking care of the pregnant elephant.  

“It’s a big job,” Medici tells him.

That’s because the elephant’s calf will become the center of the show. Newspapers will cover it. Most importantly, Medici will sell more tickets.

Yet something strange happens when Medici’s pregnant elephant gives birth. This new calf has most of the features of an elephant — a trunk, a large head and a body the size of a boulder — but it has larger-than-normal ears, too. They’re so big, in fact, that they cover its face.

Medici is incensed.

“I already got fake freaks in the freak show. I don’t need a real one in the center ring,” he says.

This new baby elephant, labeled “Dumbo,” gets insulted wherever it goes. Soon, though, it displays a unique talent that transforms it from “freak” into an attention-grabbing phenom.

Disney’s film Dumbo opens this weekend, giving us a live-action remake of the 1941 animated classic that was nominated for two Oscars and won one. It stars Colin Farrell (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Farrier, Danny DeVito (Throw Momma from the Train) as Medici, and Michael Keaton (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as V. A. Vandevere, a theme park owner who purchases Medici’s circus.

The movie stays true to the core story of the original while giving it a third act beyond Dumbo’s discovering that he can fly. Like the original, it also includes plenty of positive life lessons for children.

Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!

(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)

Violence/Disturbing

Minimal. The film opens with the two children, Milly and Joe, meeting their father at the train station and discovering he lost an arm in World War I. We then learn their mother died from influenza. Holt later punches a man who is mistreating Dumbo’s mother. A circus tent pole falls on a man, who dies. (It’s not graphic; we then see the coroner.) One of the sections of Vandevere’s theme park Dreamland is “Nightmare Island,” where the “most dangerous beasts in the world” are kept. (It houses wolves and an elephant named Kali the Destroyer, but will trouble only sensitive children.) Several times in the film, Dumbo and other circus artists perform high-wire acts that place them in peril. Later in the film, a tent catches fire, endangering a family.

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

None.

Coarse Language

Minimal. H-ll (3), misuse of “God,” and an unfinished “bull—-.”

Other Positive Elements

Dumbo’s mother protects her son, and he loves her in return. It’s touching. Milly and Joe love and encourage Dumbo in the midst of the taunts.

Other Stuff You Might Want To Know

Medici encourages Milly to learn telepathy (she doesn’t). A Hindu man, seeing Dumbo fly, say his people believe “gods can take animal form.”

Life Lessons

Our social media-crazed, hyper-critical society needs Dumbo, simply to help children understand and respond to bullying. It’s painful to watch him get insulted. Yet it’s wonderful to watch him overcome the taunts and to discover his unique ability. It’s also uplifting to watch Milly and Joe encourage him. Like Wonder, Dumbo helps us empathize with the character being bullied. It also gives us a positive example of responding to it.

The film provides not one but two characters with disabilities (Dumbo and Farrier). It also presents multiple characters who are battling a loss (Dumbo and Milly and Joe).  

Of course, the movie teaches us to have courage. After all, the feather Dumbo trusted had no magical power.

Worldview/Application

Dumbo isn’t a Christian movie, but its core message — all of us are unique and loved — is founded in Christian principles. We are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and we are all valuable to Him — disabled and non-disabled. That’s a message all children need to learn from Dumbo.  

Sponsors

Spirit Airlines and The Giving Keys are the primary sponsors.

What Works

The interaction between animation and real-life characters. Yes, it’s a normal part of movie magic, but it never grows old. The film’s animal-human parallel — Dumbo and Farrier — is a nice touch, too.

What Doesn’t

Farrell’s Southern accent.

Discussion Questions

1. What did you learn about bullying from watching Dumbo?
2. What did Dumbo teach you about disabilities?
3. What can you do to encourage others who are different?

Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Rated PG for peril/action, some thematic elements, and brief mild language.

SWEETWATER  While many pastors experience reduced incomes after assuming the pulpit, few pay for the privilege of preaching. Yet that is what Richard Acuna did for almost a year, as the firefighter routinely shelled out $200 to hire a substitute to work for him at the firehouse on the Sundays he was scheduled for a shift. Acuna’s role as an interim pastor at Avondale Baptist Church in Sweetwater paid less than $200 a week.

That changed last October, when Avondale called Acuna, 41, to become its permanent pastor. It was validation of a most unlikely journey to pastoral ministry.

“Now I am getting paid enough to cover this expense,” Acuna told the TEXAN. “But I am not doing this for the money. I feel I am doing what God has called me to do: kingdom work, for the church.”

Acuna admitted he “hates” to see churches close, a situation that concerned Avondale leaders before he arrived.

“When I see church doors close, that is a slap against the kingdom, a victory for the devil,” Acuna said. 

The firefighters’ schedule of 24-hour shifts followed by 48 hours off provides time for Acuna to prepare sermons and handle church duties. As if two jobs weren’t enough, Acuna also serves as a trainer for the Sweetwater-Nolan County Health Department, teaching classes in emergency preparedness.

Each job reflects Acuna’s desire to minister to Nolan County, a passion shared by his wife, Becky, who is not only on staff at another local Baptist church, but is also director of The S.H.O.P—Sweetwater House of Peace—a community outreach center to youth.

Few people in Sweetwater imagined that hometown boy Acuna would grow up to serve his community as a pastor and firefighter, both unexpected career choices for the onetime juvenile offender who occasionally broke into houses and vehicles, experimented with illegal drugs and found himself locked up in juvie hall.

“Praise God that all that happened before I was 15 years old,” Acuna said of his youthful indiscretions. “Part of my story concerns where God brought us,” he added, admitting that his transformation to community leader has surprised some locals.

“Everybody in Sweetwater knows about my business,” Acuna said with a chuckle.

Acuna credits his relationship with Becky, his high school sweetheart, with starting him on the right road, even though their relationship has had rough patches. The two entered a common-law marriage after high school. Acuna worked for National Railcar as a welder.

Children quickly followed. So did problems.

Becky had been raised in a Christian home, although her father, who had been a pastor, abandoned the family, leaving all with unresolved issues. 

She struggled with guilt regarding her common-law marriage. Becky’s upbringing, despite its challenges, had given her an enduring faith. Her family had attended church and studied the Bible together. But their common-law arrangement “brought shame,” she said. “I knew right from wrong. It was blatant disobedience.”

Becky finally returned to church at the invitation of a friend.

“That made me mad,” Acuna said. “I went to church to make sure that guy knew she had a husband.”

After a few visits to the church, Acuna trusted Christ as Savior. “That day was great,” he recalled. “I told Becky things were going to be different. Later that night, she told me she was leaving me.”

The couple went through the process of a legal divorce and were apart for almost four years, until God restored their relationship in 2005.

“I knew she was the woman I would be with the rest of my life. Even when we were divorced, I knew we would get back together, that God could restore this marriage and redeem us,” Acuna said. Slowly God did just that, even though both of them dated others during their years apart.

They began attending church with their children and decided to remarry.

“We wanted to do things right, to teach our kids it is never too late to do the right thing. The day we got married is the day we moved in together,” Acuna said.

They became active at a Baptist church, volunteering extensively as Acuna changed careers from working in a chemical plant to joining the Sweetwater Fire Department in 2007. The department sent him to earn certification as an EMT and firefighter. 

He later received an associate’s degree in biblical studies from Liberty University and said he plans to continue his education someday.

Acuna called his appointment to Avondale “definitely a God thing,” which began when he felt God calling him to preach nearly three years ago. Preaching invitations started coming and he began filling local pulpits often, frequently at Avondale. He agreed to become the church’s interim pastor in January 2018, and within a few months was asked to apply for the full-time position.

With Becky’s support, and the church’s understanding that she would remain on staff at the family’s prior church, Acuna accepted the call to Avondale.

Acuna said the time as interim gave him the confidence to agree to a permanent position. He said he felt God telling him to love the people and that God would take care of the rest.

Avondale has responded. Average weekly attendance has almost doubled from 25 to 40, and a recent Sunday night special event put on by Teen Challenge drew 110.

“The church members are so caring. They have showed me grace, love, mercy,” Acuna said.

Paul Anderson, an SBTC field ministry strategist who attended Acuna’s installation at Avondale, said of the couple: “They are both entrenched in ministry and love the Lord.”

“We never thought we would be where are now,” Becky said. “I tell kids at The S.H.O.P that God uses all kinds of people. In our weakness he is made strong.”

Acuna said 1 John 4:19 motivates him to serve: “We love because he first loved us.”

“I have so much to be thankful for.”