teddy bears for the win,
-whisper
Showing posts with label courage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label courage. Show all posts
October 16, 2011
COURAGEOUS - some thoughts
I saw the movie Courageous a week ago.
I liked it. I liked it a lot.
The Christian world has given it a very mixed-up reception. I've heard men chortling over its un-realistic-ness, and critical articles dryly mocking it. I've also heard many people say they loved it, and a couple call it possibly their favorite movie of all time.
So. As with all Christian movies produced from the dawn of time to the bitter end, Courageous was received on all extremes of the spectrum. While mulling this over, I realized a remarkable epiphany: no Christian movie will ever, EVER be a total "win" to the Christian community. It will ALWAYS be accused of erring on one side or another; either of being "watered-down" or being "unrealistic and preachy." I've heard people accuse Courageous of both. o_O You really can't win 'em all.
My opinion of the movie? I liked it a lot.
The pacing was a bit slow at times, but when there was action, it was ACTION. O_O At least to this little homeschooled, sheltered teen. XD To me the car-chases and break-ins and shoot-outs were pretty awesome.The plot felt rather unsatisfying on the whole - when the credits started rolling, I was left with a sense of "wait- what?" as though we still had half the movie left to go (though it was already about 2 hours long. O_O). Maybe that was because there were five main characters, all with subplots and families that couldn't all be fully extrapolated.
The movie was emotional. I thought that was well-executed. I cried once or twice. Or thrice. And movies don't generally make me cry. (exceptions: Up, Lord of the Rings, Prince Caspian, Alice In Wonderland.)
So. I cried, I laughed, I was surprised, I was on the edge of my seat, I whispered fervently "Nonononodon't-open-that-DOOR/go-that-way/split-up/etc. you ninny!", and I was practically squeaking during the climax.
The movie challenged me. It impacted me definitely for the best. It has not completely revolutionized my life - I will never expect that of any particular moment or book or movie (edit: aside from my moment of salvation, of course). But it did certainly change my thinking, and has, in turn, influenced my actions. It's perceptively shifted my worldview a bit; it gave emotional depth and memorable dimension to the principle of not wasting one's life.
"Let me do all the good I can, for all the people I can, as often as I can, for I shall not pass this way again." - John Wesley
Yes, the movie felt to me, at times, mildly corny. It was not wholly and completely satisfying, to myself or to the Christian community at large. But all things considered, I'd say they did a very fine job.
If you haven't seen it yet, I advise that you do. ^_^ If you have seen it, what did you think of it?
All things considered,
-whisper
September 9, 2011
Strangenesses
This is a time of strange situations. Matters of Strange Nature have infested my life like so many wombats, and I am forced to confront (sword in hand) things which do not happen everyday, nor even every year, but only-occasionally-once in a lifetime.
In swift succession over this past week, the following odd, sad-making events have occurred:
note - this is not my church. >_>
It's just a very cool-looking one found on Google.
1. We have left our church.
2. My Dad left his job.
These events go hand in hand. You see, my Dad is (ahem, was) a pastor. We went to that church for many years, and it's the only one I truly remember. Dad was a pastor there, but after some sad, sad, sticky situations and 2+ years of trying to fix the problems and bring in help and preserve the church and maintain his sanity (all at once! My Dad's a great multi-tasker ^_^), he and one other pastor (and several other families in the congregation) left, creating a small church schism. So now Dad and the other pastor - our families are good friends - have no jobs. They are unemployed. O_O
Planned/desired dinners and talks and friendships - hundreds have been snapped off. Sad, sad. Yet I confess that I am in part enjoying these Strange Things; I am enjoying the newness of it all. After all, this situation is the closest thing to an adventure this spy is going to get for a long time. My morbid side has come alive in spewing writings about this. ^_^ Of course, there is still the sad nostalgia and mixed-up-ness of the whole matter that makes one cry atimes. And with this situation came the awfulness of broken trust. I learned sad things about people I'd respected and admired and loved as brothers and sisters in Christ - people that I wanted to go on seeing as role models. There is something unreconstructably sad in realizing your heroes are fallibly far from perfect.
Yet there is one hero who, for me, has come to light in this whole mess: my Dad. Throughout the church-/job-leaving situation, my Dad has been, in so many ways, a hero. He has been inestimably gracious, humble, and brave, and my respect for him has grown so much. Love you, Daddy. (:
And then there is a third matter: as many of you already know, our very good friend, Jake, is leaving, going far-off. He and his family are moving to Liberia, Africa, and communication will be diminished significantly. Although I am quite happy for this splendid opportunity that the Sadaar Clan now has to participate in mission work in far-off lands, this is still unquestionably sad-making. As all who know him will agree, Jake is a marvelous elf, an epic writer, a heroic fighter, a wellspring of randomness, a summoner of turkeys, and a loyal friend. His Pen of Doom is respected and revered among all elf-kind. And his Battle Fought at Midday - a four part chronicle in which he quite literally duels with Procrastination -is a masterpiece in entertaining allegory ("Inspiration hit me over the head with my shampoo.") (read part 1 here)
Many goodbyes are happening; many things are being changed, and books are closed and burned. *snif* Two quotes (both from the illustrious 100 Cupboards series) seemed to suit various aspects of this week well:
These times are still strange. o_O If you have any inspiring quotes and/or advice about sadness, farewells, friendships, and/or Aztecs, I'd love to hear them.
*sighs* What with the sadnesses of the aforementioned three things and the compounding frustrations of overloads of schoolwork, papers, deadlines, and information, this situation becomes evermore unpleasant. Sometimes I just want to vanish into a French monastery and become a nun, or maybe a part-time Russian Communist spy. Or perhaps move into the forest and become a librarian/warrior/hermit. If I disappear one of these days, know that Whisper the spy has donned the black robes and obliterated herself from the face of the earth and all its social quandaries.
Or gone LARPing. More on that later.
Standing at the top of, and blinking owlishly down at, the very-long spiky black glass staircase leading into the Depths of Despair,
-whisper
In swift succession over this past week, the following odd, sad-making events have occurred:
note - this is not my church. >_>
It's just a very cool-looking one found on Google.
1. We have left our church.2. My Dad left his job.
These events go hand in hand. You see, my Dad is (ahem, was) a pastor. We went to that church for many years, and it's the only one I truly remember. Dad was a pastor there, but after some sad, sad, sticky situations and 2+ years of trying to fix the problems and bring in help and preserve the church and maintain his sanity (all at once! My Dad's a great multi-tasker ^_^), he and one other pastor (and several other families in the congregation) left, creating a small church schism. So now Dad and the other pastor - our families are good friends - have no jobs. They are unemployed. O_O
Planned/desired dinners and talks and friendships - hundreds have been snapped off. Sad, sad. Yet I confess that I am in part enjoying these Strange Things; I am enjoying the newness of it all. After all, this situation is the closest thing to an adventure this spy is going to get for a long time. My morbid side has come alive in spewing writings about this. ^_^ Of course, there is still the sad nostalgia and mixed-up-ness of the whole matter that makes one cry atimes. And with this situation came the awfulness of broken trust. I learned sad things about people I'd respected and admired and loved as brothers and sisters in Christ - people that I wanted to go on seeing as role models. There is something unreconstructably sad in realizing your heroes are fallibly far from perfect.
Yet there is one hero who, for me, has come to light in this whole mess: my Dad. Throughout the church-/job-leaving situation, my Dad has been, in so many ways, a hero. He has been inestimably gracious, humble, and brave, and my respect for him has grown so much. Love you, Daddy. (:
And then there is a third matter: as many of you already know, our very good friend, Jake, is leaving, going far-off. He and his family are moving to Liberia, Africa, and communication will be diminished significantly. Although I am quite happy for this splendid opportunity that the Sadaar Clan now has to participate in mission work in far-off lands, this is still unquestionably sad-making. As all who know him will agree, Jake is a marvelous elf, an epic writer, a heroic fighter, a wellspring of randomness, a summoner of turkeys, and a loyal friend. His Pen of Doom is respected and revered among all elf-kind. And his Battle Fought at Midday - a four part chronicle in which he quite literally duels with Procrastination -is a masterpiece in entertaining allegory ("Inspiration hit me over the head with my shampoo.") (read part 1 here)
Many goodbyes are happening; many things are being changed, and books are closed and burned. *snif* Two quotes (both from the illustrious 100 Cupboards series) seemed to suit various aspects of this week well:
- - - - - - - - ~ - - -
He sat up. "Your peaches," he said. "And your applesauce. How many pies do you think I've eaten in my life?" He looked down at her. "Not enough." He smiled. "If we get out of this, there needs to be more pie. That's all the complaining I've got."
- The Chestnut King
"Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heroes stand because it is right to do so, not because they believe they will walk away with their lives. Such selfless courage is a victory in itself."
-Dandelion Fire
- The Chestnut King
"Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heroes stand because it is right to do so, not because they believe they will walk away with their lives. Such selfless courage is a victory in itself."
-Dandelion Fire
- - - - -
(a third quote that is not 100-Cupboards-ish but that I love anyway and pertains to farewells and thus ought to be said)
(a third quote that is not 100-Cupboards-ish but that I love anyway and pertains to farewells and thus ought to be said)
"For Christians, 'goodbye' always means 'see you later.'"
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- - - - - - - - ~ - - -
These times are still strange. o_O If you have any inspiring quotes and/or advice about sadness, farewells, friendships, and/or Aztecs, I'd love to hear them.
*sighs* What with the sadnesses of the aforementioned three things and the compounding frustrations of overloads of schoolwork, papers, deadlines, and information, this situation becomes evermore unpleasant. Sometimes I just want to vanish into a French monastery and become a nun, or maybe a part-time Russian Communist spy. Or perhaps move into the forest and become a librarian/warrior/hermit. If I disappear one of these days, know that Whisper the spy has donned the black robes and obliterated herself from the face of the earth and all its social quandaries.
Or gone LARPing. More on that later.
Standing at the top of, and blinking owlishly down at, the very-long spiky black glass staircase leading into the Depths of Despair,
-whisper
October 28, 2010
Courage
"Never alone."
- The Door Within
"Tell a man he is brave, and you help him become so."
- Thomas Carlyle
"The human race is a race of cowards, and I am not only marching in that procession but carrying a banner."
- Mark Twain
"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Keep calm and carry on."
- British saying
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."
- Mark Twain
- The Door Within
"Tell a man he is brave, and you help him become so."
- Thomas Carlyle
"The human race is a race of cowards, and I am not only marching in that procession but carrying a banner."
- Mark Twain
"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Keep calm and carry on."
- British saying
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."
- Mark Twain
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