The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. —Matthew 13:44

I'm sure you've heard the saying "One man's junk is another man's treasure." That's kinda how I feel about the first National Treasure movie that came out in 2004. Just between you and me, I'm a closet Nicholas Cage fan (the Valley Girl, Peggy Sue Got Married, even Con Air Cage not so much Leaving Lost Vegas, Next, or Ghost Rider Cage).

Okay, my wife found out because I kept renting movies that we generally don't watch that he is in and I had to confess. One of those movies was the original National Treasure. When I brought that home we weren't too sure what to make of it. Was it going to be like an Indiana Jones type movie or a The Librarian? One is obviously one of the greatest movie franchises of all time and the other... well let's just say it's not Noah Wiley's best work. I expected The Librarian but was pleasantly surprised.

What Moved Me about the original National Treasure is the same thing that moves me about the verse in the Bible I posted above. Here is a man, Benjamin Gates, who will stop at nothing to find a treasure that nobody believes exists. His faith is so strong that he regularly takes derision from his colleagues about his beliefs and has basically given his life to the quest. Along the way he manages to convince a smart and beautiful partner as well as a loyal friend to join him.

All of the above describe what I would like my faith to be. I want to be so sold out for Jesus, a treasure more valuable than words can really describe, that I wouldn't care what people think of me. A faith so strong that people see it and are drawn to it. The problem is not how valuable the treasure, the problem is how self-conscious I am. I don't want to look crazy like a Benjamin Gates or a man who sells everything he has and over pays for a field... but part of me does, because Jesus is that awesome!

So that's why we have had December 21st circled on our calendars for quite some time. A babysitter will be recruited and second mortgage taken out to go to the theater so we can watch crazy Ben and his crew go after a treasure with reckless abandon. I wanna be like that... I'll skip the Tom Hanks Da Vinci Code hair, though.

Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Gates in National Treasure: Book of Secrets