How I Met Your Mother

This year, How I Met Your Mother ended its nine-year run with a polarizing finale that left fans completely stunned. I had to watch it twice before I could even process it well enough to form an opinion. The seemingly simple story of a man telling his children how he met their mother took many twists and turns over the years, and it gained a pretty large and dedicated following.

Though its original run may be over, How I Met Your Mother will live on. This is a show with a lot of replay value, and I’m sure fans will be eager to experience the series again in light of how it ends. And for fans disappointed by the ending, an alternate version of the finale is set to release with the complete series box set later this year. With its non-linear timeline, compelling story, and the ability to satisfy its viewers without ever giving them exactly what they want, this series is here to stay.

How I Met Your Mother centers on five friends living in New York City in the early 2000’s. The series begins when Ted (Josh Radnor), the main character and narrator, decides he is going to start looking for “the one” after his roommate/best friend Marshall (Jason Segel) becomes engaged to his long-time girlfriend Lily (Alyson Hannigan). Despite objections from his playboy friend Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), Ted searches for his soulmate and thinks that he’s found her in Robin (Cobie Smulders). This is the start of Ted’s long journey to meeting his actual soulmate, who would go on to be the mother of his children. In 2030, Future Ted (voice by Bob Saget) tells his kids all the exciting stories that led to their fateful encounter in excruciating detail.

I could spend all day telling you all the things I love about this show, but I’ll just hit the highlights. First of all, my favorite thing about this show is the storytelling element. The entire show is a series of stories that Future Ted is telling to his kids. But storytelling is integrated even further into the show than that. Most of the episodes involve the characters (who are already within a story) telling stories to each other. At one point, the main plot is actually a story within a story within a story within the greater story that Ted is telling his kids. Storytelling is a central element of How I Met Your Mother.

And the fact that storytelling is so embedded in the show opens it up to a lot of cool possibilities. Future Ted mixes things up sometimes when he’s telling the stories to his kids, just like we do when we’re telling stories. He skips around to give us cool glimpses into these characters’ futures. Sometimes, Ted is just plain wrong about something, and it’s fun to figure these things out. The creators also use this fact to mess with the audience a bit. There are a couple of times within the series where the show just plain dupes you, and it’s a really great feeling when you finally figure it out.

Another great thing about this show is Ted. Poor Ted. He’s so relatable. He represents a lot of us who are looking for something but just can’t seem to find it. He’s quirky, he’s often annoying, and he sometimes makes morally questionable decisions. But everyone loves Ted because ultimately, he’s just a good guy looking for someone to share his life with. People relate to Ted and root for him because we want him to win, and we know that ultimately, he does.

I know I already told you my favorite thing about this show, but it’s such a good show that I’m allowed to have two favorite things about it. So my other favorite thing about How I Met Your Mother is that it never, ever, ever gives you exactly what you want. You might be thinking, “Why would someone like a show that doesn’t give them what they want?” It’s because there is something really satisfying and compelling about an unexpected twist. The show’s creators do a really good job of finding a balance between surprise and satisfaction. You never feel like you’re being cheated, but you also never really know what’s going to happen next.

The best example of this comes in the very first episode. The episode is about Ted’s decision to start looking for “the one.” That night, from across the room, he sees her. The perfect girl for him. He falls for he instantly. They talk and go on a romantic date. He makes this big speech about love and how he’s ready to settle down with the perfect girl. And then the episode ends with Future Ted saying, “And that, kids, is the story of how I met… your Aunt Robin.”

“Aunt Robin?!” The kids are as shocked as the viewers. Isn’t this supposed to be the story of how Ted me their mother? Well, yes, but it’s a long story. And throughout the entire series, Robin’s always there. And the viewer always wants Ted to end up with Robin. But Ted tell us from the very first episode that she is not the Mother. So you spend the entire series conflicted. You want Ted to find the Mother, but you also kind of want him to be with Robin. So they kind of set up a situation where you can’t really get what you want. But that’s a part of the fun.

How I Met Your Mother is a heartwarming story of a man looking for love and failing every step of the way. But as we know from the premise of the series, Ted does eventually find what he’s looking for. It’s not exactly what he expected, and it doesn’t go exactly the way he wanted it to, but if How I Met Your Mother teaches us anything, it’s that not getting exactly what you want is OK. It can actually turn out better than you ever dreamed it would. Check out How I Met Your Mother on CBS or Netflix, and be ready for some great stories.

One Step at a Time

When I first started the thesis-writing process, I was terrified. I had no idea how I was going to write a 30-page paper on a single topic. I didn’t even know where to start. To be honest, I really didn’t want to do it. I was overwhelmed by the massiveness of the project, and I let it intimidate me to the point of paralysis. I psyched myself out and really struggled to get the ball rolling.

But once I did start working on my thesis, it wasn’t so bad. I set up a plan with a timeframe that would allow me to get the paper done in time without overworking myself. I broke the project down into steps: Find a general topic, research it, break my paper into sections, etc. I set short-term goals for myself and let myself rest once I reached my goal for the day. I kept doing that day by day, and eventually, I started to see a paper coming together.

I’m proud to say today that I am completely finished with my undergraduate senior thesis. This morning, I defended my thesis in front of my professors, which is the last step in the thesis process. I’m done! I have a completed work that I can be proud of. Looking back, it really wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. But I would have never gotten my thesis finished if I hadn’t taken that first step, and then the second, and so on.

In life, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Each of us has a lot to do, and it often feels like we have more on our plate than we can handle. We live in a society that’s so fast-paced and demanding, and yet they don’t teach us how to deal with all these demands. We’re expected to just figure it out on our own, and that isn’t easy. In fact, it’s very difficult to figure out how to do everything that’s expected of us.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I would like to share what has worked for me in my experience, and what I’ve been taught by people who know a lot more than I do about life. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or like I can’t handle everything that’s expected of me, I always try to keep one thing in mind: I can accomplish what I need to accomplish if I take it one step at a time.

It sounds so simple. Obviously, most things that are worth doing in life can’t be done in just one step. But too many times, I find myself trying to tackle a big problem all at once instead of breaking it down into its parts and working on them individually. When you look at a big project or problem as a whole, it might seem intimidating or even impossible. But if you break it down into its parts and just focus on finishing the next step, it’s much more manageable, and you’ll eventually see the whole thing starting to come together.

When I was a kid, I was taught this saying. It’s a silly saying, but there’s a lot of truth to it, and it’s something that has stuck with me: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Don’t get so caught up in the big picture that it paralyzes you. Focus on the small steps that you can take today toward getting the big picture stuff accomplished. Reward yourself when you meet your small goals and remind yourself that you’re working toward something greater. Pretty soon, that something greater is going to emerge.

Thank you guys for reading. I hope this was helpful to you. Next week will be my last week blogging from Hendrix. I’m hoping to do some more planned-out blog posts this summer and maybe even a series or two! So be looking out for that, and remember: Take everything one step at a time.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

I’m not going to lie. This review isn’t going to be easy to write. I saw The Amazing Spider-Man opening night, and my head is still spinning. This review is going to be as much for me as it is for you. I’m going to use it as a way to sort out my feelings about the movie. Maybe you can use it to help you decide whether or not you’re going to see it, or whether or not you agree with me if you’ve already seen it. Alright. Let’s talk about The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Most people were skeptical when Sony decided to reboot the Spider-Man film franchise back in 2012, just five years after Spider-Man 3. But that skepticism was proven unnecessary by the reboot film The Amazing Spider-Man. People went crazy over it. They loved the new Spider-Man and wanted to see more.

In the wake of The Amazing Spider-Man’s success, Sony announced not one, not two, but three sequels. They proceeded to announce plans to expand the Spider-Man film franchise into its own cinematic universe (similar to what Marvel has going with MCU) with new films focusing on Spider-Man villains to fill the gaps between the main Amazing Spider-Man films. Cue the skeptics again. And again, the skeptics are being proven wrong, this time by The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This film not only serves as a great sequel to the first one; it also sets up the universe that Sony is trying to create for Spider-Man, and I think it does a good job.

First of all, let’s talk about the Spider-Man himself, Peter Parker. I think Andrew Garfield is the perfect Peter Parker. I have nothing against Tobey Maguire, but I don’t feel like he captured all the aspects of Parker’s character the way Andrew Garfield does. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man is very human. He struggles with ethical crises. He searches for his history and for his own identity. He makes some questionable choices. Yes, he’s still quirky and aloof as Peter Parker should be, but he also has a depth that really makes him compelling, and I think that’s why people like the rebooted Spider-Man better than the original.

We also have to talk about Peter and Gwen. The single best thing about this film is the relationship we see between them. The characters have chemistry that just makes you root for them, but they have to deal with complications that are very real and have high-stake consequences. The scenes between Peter and Gwen are awkward and adorable and just plain funny. They’re a couple you can invest in, and that really drives this movie.

Not that there isn’t plenty of cool action. Spider-Man pulls out some new stunts in this movie as he takes on Electro and other foes, and they make for some pretty neat fight sequences. You’ll be on the edge of your seat a couple of times. I think this movie has a good balance between action and plot that doesn’t make it seem too long, but also doesn’t leave the viewer feeling unsatisfied.

This movie also has some really funny moments. A few of the jokes were cheesy, but most of them were hilarious. Peter Parker is really witty in this series, and it shows. No matter what character he gets paired with, he finds a way to crack some jokes. Spider-Man could be preparing to fight his worst enemy to the death, but he would still take the time to make fun of his outfit first. And I love that. It punctuates the action just right and shows that even though Spider-Man is a superhero, he still has some edge.

Some people were afraid that having three villains in one Spider-Man film would end in disaster (Spider-Man 3, anyone?). And even some reviewers now are saying that the film spread itself too thin. I disagree. First of all, one of the villains only appears in the last few minutes as an introduction for his presence in the next one. And the other two villains are introduced well and even work together in a way that makes sense. I think they chose the right villains for this movie, and I don’t think three was too many in this particular instance.

Not that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was perfect. A couple of characters in this one were a little bit over-the-top. Harry Osborn was very exposition-y, and his transformation from teenage billionaire to demented supervillain seemed a little sudden. But, there’s probably a lot more to him than we know, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Electro looked cool, but his personality made him seem like he belonged more in an 80s comic book film than a modern superhero movie. The whole “crazed fan turned worst enemy” thing seemed a little recycled (maybe because Iron Man 3 just did something similar), but the movie moves past it pretty quickly.

This film gets a lot of things right, and even its flaws are forgivable. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a great movie. It takes risks, it makes you feel, and it gives us another chance to marvel at how cool Spider-Man is. It also hints at the future of the Spider-Man universe (hint: The Sinister Six) without distracting away from the main plot of the movie. I think this film is a winner, and I think the box office results are going to reflect that. Check out The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and get excited for all the Spider-Man goodness to come!

April 2014

Hello, friends! Can you believe another month has gone by? 2014 is already a third of the way over, and I’m still not used to writing “2014” when I write the date. It’s crazy! This year is going by so quickly, and April was no exception. It’s been a good month. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

First of all, I saw a lot of movies in April, all in the same week. I saw Divergent on $5 movie day, which as fun. I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier when it premiered. Seeing it at 8:00 on a Thursday night wasn’t quite the same as a midnight premiere, but it was still a really good movie. Merge saw Noah together. And I went with groundZERO to see God’s Not Dead and wrote up a nice little review of what I thought about it. Overall, April was a good month for movies, and I saw a lot of them.

I celebrated Easter by dying eggs with Aiden, which he really enjoyed. He was upset when we ran out of eggs to dye. On Easter morning, I led children’s services at Ozark Free Will Baptist. It was a lot of fun. We had 30 kids in service, and they were all very good. We sang and talked about Jesus. I may or may not have given out a ton of candy. I just really love working with kids.

Last weekend was Arkansas Free Will Baptist State competition, and I was asked to judge Memorization. It was cool seeing all the kids use their talents for the Lord. I loved competing when I was kid, and it’s nice to still be a part of the whole process now. I was really proud of everyone involved.

Of course, I spent a lot of time with Aiden this month. This past Sunday, we celebrated his birthday by taking him to Chuck E. Cheese’s. He had a blast. We played every game in that place involving a ball, and he left with a huge new ball to play with. I’m really glad I got to be there to celebrate his second birthday. I can’t believe how old he’s getting!

I’m almost completely done with my thesis now. I submitted my final version and did a presentation on it this month. Now all that’s left to do is defend it next week, and then I’ll be finished with it forever.

Those are the big things that happened this month. It was a good one! May is going to be exciting with finals, graduation, and moving back home. I’ll be back in about to let you all know how it went. Thank you guys for reading and playing a part in this wonderful journey. I hope all is well with you, and I’ll talk to you soon!

Expecting Things from God

Growing up, I was taught not to expect things from God. After all, He doesn’t owe me anything. I could ask Him for things, but I couldn’t demand them or even expect that He would give them to me. My prayer life mostly consisted of me saying, “God, if this is your will, please let [insert thing here] happen.” And that was the end of it.

But I think that in reality, Christians can—and should—expect certain things from God. I think that if we did, we could live out our faith in a much more powerful way. Expecting things from God doesn’t mean we make demands of Him or try to pressure Him into giving us certain things. It means we take Him at His word and trust that when He promises us something, we can live our lives as if that thing is going to happen, even if we can’t see it.

At my church, we are currently doing a series called “Don’t Be Afraid.” This Sunday, my pastor, Bro. Will Harmon, urged us to live without fear and instead depend on God’s promises. This is something that all Christians need to take to heart. When we’re depending on God’s promises, we can expect that God is going to do certain things for us and live with those things as realities in our lives. Here are just a few of them.

He will always love us.

As Christians, we should expect God to love us unconditionally. Not because we deserve it, but because He promised us that He would. Romans 8:38–39 tells us, “For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” God’s love for us is unfailing, and it is in no way tied to anything we have done or ever could do. He loves us. We can expect that He is always going to love us. If we as Christians would live our lives with that expectation, we would be free from the fear of failing God or of ever being unloved.

He will always provide our needs.

We worry so much about our basic needs. We stress out about working hard enough to make enough money to pay the bills so that we can do it all over again next month. God doesn’t want us to live like that. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 6:31–33, “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” If we’re seeking God first, He’ll take care of our basic needs. We don’t have to stress about those things because the One who created everything can and will provide for us. If we live with the expectation that God is going to take of our needs, we can shift our focus from taking care of ourselves to wholly seeking Him.

He will always be with us.

I remember as a kid every time I went on a church trip, we would say a prayer before we left. And every time, the person praying would say, “Lord, please be with us as we go to [insert place here].” I’m not saying that’s a bad thing to pray for. I’m just saying it’s something that we can always expect from God. Hebrews 13:5 tells us, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” No matter where we go, God is with us. We can depend on that. We can expect that. We don’t have to sit around and wonder whether or not God will be with us if we go to such-and-such place. We can just go and expect that He’s going to be with us. How much more bold and brave would Christians be if we truly expected that God would be with us no matter where we went? How far could we go in His name if we just expected Him to go with us?

These are just a few of the many things that we can and should expect from God. He doesn’t mind that we expect them from Him. In fact, He gave us these so promises that we would live our lives in full expectation that He is going to fulfill them. We don’t need evidence beforehand to know that God’s going to keep His promises. He’s shown Himself to be true throughout the centuries. Let’s just take Him at His word, expect that He’s going to do what He said He would do, and live our lives as if His word is true.