(QuickTime)

We're little more than a week away from the release of Cloverfield, J.J. Abrams mysterious monster flick, and anticipation is reaching a fever pitch. Aside from not much being known about the movie (is it a Godzilla remake, some new monster or monsters destroying New York, or what?), the recent controversy over whether or not it's exploiting 9/11 has gained the film a lot of attention. This is rather unusual as the beginning of the year is usually when studios release whatever was left at the bottom of their bins just to get them out of the way (First Sunday, I'm looking at you). So is Cloverfield the real deal—a summer blockbuster in January—or just more early year tripe that happens to have clever marketing?

Certainly the marketing is what has made all the difference for how fans are anticipating this movie. When the trailer first premiered last year with Transformers, it created quite a buzz by not including any sort of title for the film. The move was unusual to say the least, but as the director and others involved with the film have explained, they were tired of people knowing everything about a movie before they see it thanks to all the information available on the Internet. They're hoping to recapture some of the awe and magic of the movies by making sure no one really knows what this film is about until they see it.

Such an approach certainly seems to be getting results. I can't remember the last time there was so much anticipation for a film in early January. People are dying to know what's going on, and the intriguing mix of intimate film making using the hand-held perspective mixed with big budget production, special effects, and action only adds to the curiousity. Will it really work? Will it be worth the wait? Will less really be more in promoting this movie, and maybe future films?

The answers to those questions will have to wait until January 18th, but I do know one area where less isn't always more: the future. We're entering a new year and for a lot of people the unknowns of 2008 are rather intimidating. Not knowing anything about a movie may heighten anticipation, but not knowing where your life is going usually leads to a feeling of uneasiness. While I don't know all that will happen in the coming year, I take comfort in the fact that I do know how my story will end. I know what my life is about, what its purpose is, and how it will all work out. There's a great sense of security in knowing that no matter what may happen (even if it's giant monsters attacking New York), I can still face the future with confidence and hope.

How is all that possible, you ask? It's very simple. My future is in the hands of God. When I gave my life to Jesus Christ, suddenly my future was very clear. Oh, I don't know all the details of all that will take place in 2008, and I'm sure there's still plenty of hard and maybe even scary times ahead, but the peace I have is based on the fact that when it's all said and done, I know that my future is safely in the hands of God. As I face a a lot of unknowns in 2008, that brings me a great deal of comofort, comfort you can have as well, if you're willing to trust an Almighty God with your future.

I can certainly appreciate the genius the producers and director of Cloverfield by piquing my curiosity with a lack of information. Like so many people, I'll be in line just so I can finally find out what this movie is about. For my daily life, however, I appreciate the genius of a loving God who's willing to take my life in his hands as he says to me, "Don't worry about what you don't know. As long as you know me, your future is secure."