I like to consider myself a fairly successful person for someone my age. I just finished undergraduate school, and I’m about to start seminary. I have a great job that I love and a good social network of family of friends that I can depend on. I’ve accomplished some things that I’m proud of, and I feel like I’ve made at least some minor impacts in other people’s lives. I have a lot to be happy about. And yet, I often look at other people and wonder why I don’t have what they have. Sometimes, I get jealous.
Generally, I try to be content with what I have. I don’t get jealous often. But I recently had an experience with jealousy that inspired me to write this blog post. I walked into the guest bedroom at my house and found a book. The name of the author also happened to be the name of a guy I graduated from high school with. I was intrigued, so I looked him up, and it turned out that it was his book. He’s the same age as I am, and in the time that I’ve been focusing all of my energy on getting a bachelor’s degree, he’s gotten married, taken a youth pastor position at a church, had twins, graduated college, and published a book.
Wow. That’s a lot for a person to accomplish in four years, and that was a lot for me to process. My reaction was to immediately get jealous. I’ve spent all this time preparing for all these things, and this guy just went and did all of them at once. Why can’t I have a published book and a family of my own and a pastoral position at a church? And to make the situation worse, I read his book, and it was good! I was really jealous, and I let it stew for a few days.
But then I read a verse that completely changed my perspective. It was a part of my daily Bible reading, and it was God’s way of showing me how silly I was being. The verse comes from John 21, and it’s Jesus’ words to Peter when Peter asks Him about another disciple, John.
“Jesus said to him, ‘If it is My will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!’” —John 21:22
When I read that verse, I felt like Jesus was speaking directly to me. It penetrated my heart and showed me the truth about my jealousy. It’s none of my concern if God wants to use someone else differently than He uses me. God has different plans for each of us. Someone else’s may look a little more appealing, but that’s not what I’m supposed to be focused on. My focus should be solely set on what God is calling me to do right now.
And when I spend my time being jealous and focusing on what someone else has, I can’t put my full energy into the ministry that God has called me to do. Jealousy is in it and of itself counterproductive. It doesn’t bring you closer to getting what you want. It simply distracts you from doing what you should be doing in order to be what God has called you to be. And the only time you can be truly content is when you’re in the center of God’s will.
So I’m choosing not to waste my time on jealousy. Instead, I’m going to be thankful for what I do have on focus on being everything that God has called me to be. Only then will I live the best life possible, a life free from jealousy and anything else holding back from the only thing that matters: serving God. If you’re dealing with jealousy in your life right now, choose contentment instead. Follow Jesus’ command and simply follow Him. He knows what’s best for you, and He’ll give it to you if you’ll follow Him.
Note: The following is my discussion of a major plot point in the new film The Amazing Spider-Man. This post is only meant to be read by people who have already seen the film. Please do not read this post until you’ve already watched the movie, or this post will ruin the movie for you. You have been warned.
On the Death of Gwen Stacy
I have now seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2 three times. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a movie in theaters three times before, but this one was worth it. Each time I watched it, I noticed something new and really enjoyed experiencing it again. And one thing that really stuck out to me was that no matter how many times I watched Gwen Stacy die, it broke my heart every time. No amount of preparation can soften the blow of watching Spider-Man try and fail to save the woman he loves.
Experiencing this heart-wrenching scene over and over again left me with some tough questions that I really wanted to answer. Why is it so hard for us to watch Gwen Stacy die? How could the filmmakers do this to us? How can we (and our good friend Peter Parker) find some meaning in Gwen’s death, and how will Spider-Man as a character and as a franchise carry on without her? I couldn’t touch on any of these questions in my review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 because I didn’t want to give anything important away, but now I’m dedicating a post to contemplating these questions for those of who have already seen the movie. Here are my thoughts on the death of Gwen Stacy and what it will mean for the future of Spider-Man.
First of all, why should we care that Gwen dies? It’s not like we’ve been seeing her in Spider-Man movies for years. This is only the second movie in the rebooted franchise, so we haven’t really had a lot of time to even get to know her. This may be a little different for moviegoers who also happen to read the comic books and therefore already have a connection with Gwen, but I think Gwen’s death was a heartbreaking moment even for viewers who (like me) have never picked up a Spider-Man comic before in their lives.
But Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy is an extremely compelling character. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s ambitious. Everyone instantly fell in love with her in the first movie, and that love only grew throughout the second one. You just can’t help but root for Gwen Stacy. And you can’t help but root for Gwen and Peter as a couple after witnessing their incredible chemistry in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. When all of a sudden and out of nowhere Gwen’s life ends, it’s a huge shock, and it’s a huge loss because we’re losing an incredible character and also a very compelling power couple at the same time.
It’s also incredibly sad to realize that Gwen died at the peak of her life. She was doing well in college, on the verge of moving to London to study at Oxford. She was doing so well. She was on her way to doing great things. And suddenly, all of that was gone.
On top of that, it’s also heartbreaking when one realizes the implications of Gwen’s death for Peter. The combination of the scene where Peter sits crying, holding Gwen’s body, and begging her to wake up and the next scene where Peter sits silently at her grave for months really demonstrates just what a catastrophic loss this is for Peter. As he says in the film, Gwen is his path. She’s been the one guiding him throughout his entire journey as Spider-Man, and now, without her, he’s lost.
So why would they do this? Why sacrifice Gwen Stacy? The writers had already killed of Captain Stacy, a pretty important character, in the last movie. Was it really necessary to kill another fundamental Spider-Man character, especially another Stacy? Was this a cheap ploy to make the movie more interesting, or is there something deeper going on here? I would argue that Gwen’s death was much more than a money-making scheme.
One recurring theme in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is Peter’s promise to Captain Stacy to stay away from Gwen. Peter can’t decide whether he can keep that promise or not, which puts him in a cycle of getting together with Gwen and then breaking up with her. All along, Gwen just wants to be able to make her own choice. She doesn’t want her father or Peter or anyone else telling her what to do. She is a strong, intelligent, independent woman, and she wants to make her own choice. And ultimately, she does. In the final battle between Spider-Man and Electro, Gwen chooses to intervene. She chooses to put her life in danger. She saves the city. And yes, she ultimately loses her life in the process. But the point is that putting her life in danger is a choice that Gwen makes. No one else makes it for her. Gwen wanted to make her own choices, and in the end, she did.
Her death really brought that point home. If she had made the choice and then been unscathed, it wouldn’t have been as powerful. But after knowing that she ultimately sacrifices her life for the greater good, hearing her say, “It’s my choice,” becomes an extremely bold and powerful statement of her independence. And I think that’s the biggest reason why Gwen had to die in the film.
Another reason for Gwen’s death is to put Peter to the test. As I said before, Gwen is Peter’s path. She’s been his guiding light all along. And now she’s gone. Who is Peter without Gwen? Is he still Spider-Man? Is he even still Peter? We get a glimpse of the answer to that question at the end of the movie when Spider-Man comes out of hiding to fight the Rhino, but the questions are still largely left unanswered. Seeing a Gwen-less Spider-Man in the The Amazing Spider-Man 3 will be interesting, and there are a lot of different directions the writers could go with it.
And that leads me to my final question. Where does the series go from here? Well, as anyone who watched the movie will know, Sony is currently building up to its Sinister Six spin-off movie expected to release in 2018. The Green Goblin, the leader of the Sinister Six, is the one responsible for Gwen Stacy’s death, and Peter Parker isn’t going to forget it. I imagine that Sony will do an origin story for the Sinister Six in the spin-off movie and then have Peter come face-to-face with them in The Amazing Spider-Man 4. Peter will go head-to-head with his childhood best friend, and he won’t be holding anything back in his attempt to avenge Gwen’s death. That’s all just my speculation, but regardless, Gwen’s death certainly raises the stakes for the relationship between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, and that will definitely boil over in future films.
I’m not sure what they’ll do with Spider-Man’s love life now that Gwen’s gone. Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker’s other love interest, was supposed to appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 portrayed by the lovely Shailene Woodley, but those scenes were cut out to focus on the relationship between Peter and Gwen. I doubt Shailene will come back to play the role, but I think we’ll definitely be seeing some version of MJ in The Amazing Spider-Man 3. I hope they won’t take that relationship to a romantic level until the fourth film because I think Peter should spend some time on his own mourning Gwen, but only time will tell where the writers will go with that.
Anyway, that’s my take on Gwen Stacy’s death. I’d love to hear yours! You can hit that Contact link at the top of the page, or you can find me on social media. I’d be happy to hear what you think about the whole thing and get a conversation going. Thank you for reading, and check back this Tuesday for a new blog post!
One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to write a new blog post once a week. This was a good goal for me because it gave me a chance to express myself and the motivation to create content regularly. The only problem with committing to write a blog post every week? I have to write a blog post every week. And that can cause some problems sometimes.
For example, this week. I’ve been traveling the past few weeks, which has made it difficult to stay on top of my blogging schedule. I’ve put out some good ones the past couple of weeks, but this week I’m stuck. I have some ideas that are going to take some time, but I can’t think of anything that I can write today. The truth is that I’ve got writer’s block.
So as I was sitting here trying to think of a good topic for today’s blog post, watching the clock tick and my deadline approach, and then it hit me. Why not write about writer’s block? It’s something we all face from time to time. It’s certainly relevant to my life because I’m facing it right now. So here I am, with writer’s block, writing a blog post about writer’s block. Here are a few things I’m trying to keep in mind.
1. Don’t stress.
The first thing you need to know about writer’s block: It’s OK. It happens to everyone from time to time. Whether it’s a paper, a thank-you note, or (in my case) a blog post, each and every one of us will at some point in our lives sit down to write and realize we don’t have anything to say. It’s a totally normal phenomenon, and it isn’t something to worry about. In fact, worrying about it will only make it worse. Just breathe and realize that it happens to everyone, and you will get through it.
2. Take some time away from it.
When you’re facing writer’s block, you’ll probably be tempted to sit there and stare at the blank page until you come up with something. But that might not be the best course of action. If you have the luxury of some time, you should take some time to get away from the project for a while. Take a walk. Go work on something else. Spend some time with family or friends. Getting away from the writer’s block for a while will help you relax, and it will give your mind time enough to wander and maybe even come up with something good to write about. I can’t tell you how many times this strategy has helped me come up with a blog post topic that I was really happy with. It might work out for you, too.
3. You have to write something at some point.
While taking some time away from the project can be good for you, the deadline will eventually come. You can’t put off your paper or speech or blog post forever. At some point, you’ll have to write something. It may not be the greatest thing ever, but something is usually better than nothing. For example, it’s better for me to write a blog post about writer’s block than to miss a week and have to deal with the guilt and shame of breaking my resolution. Plus I know some of you out there eagerly await these blog posts on Tuesday evenings, and I don’t want to let you down.
So there you go. Those are my tips for when you’re facing writer’s block. I hope they were helpful. Check back next week for a (hopefully) more thought-out blog post. Have a great week, friends!
Movie adaptations of young adult novels are really in right now, and I love it. After Harry Potter blew up, filmmakers realized that books geared toward younger audiences can make for great movies that appeal to general audiences. My favorite young adult novel/movie combos include The Perks of Being a Wallflower and It’s Kind of a Funny Story. These are books that really struck a cord with readers and transitioned successfully into full-length theatrical movies that stay true to the source material while drawing in readers and non-readers alike.
And now there’s a new book/movie combination to add to the list: The Fault in Our Stars. The book, written by John Green, is about two cancer patients who fall in love and navigate the sticky world of mortality and chaos together while trying to make some sort of sense out of it all. The book is heartfelt without being cliche, and it became wildly popular upon its release. It became so popular, in fact, that Fox decided to adapt it into a movie. I got a chance to see that movie last weekend, and I wanted to do a quick write-up on my thoughts about it.
I want to start with a warning: This movie is very sad. I’m sure most of you have heard this by now, but TFiOS is not a feel-good movie. However, it is not just a sad movie. It will warm your heart at some points. It will make you think a lot. It will help you relate to people with terminal illness in a way you probably haven’t before. But it’s not a movie you’ll walk away from feeling happy and care-free. Like many good movies, it makes you feel a range of emotions and will probably leave you emotionally exhausted. This is a good thing as long as you’re prepared for it.
The Fault in Our Stars is not your typical romance movie. John Green isn’t just Nicholas Sparks for teenagers. TFiOS is an honest look at what it’s like to be young, in love, and face-to-face with your own imminent death. That’s what really sets it apart. It doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to the character’s illnesses or the effects they have on their lives. The characters are brutally honest about what they’re going through, and it makes the movie really compelling.
The acting in this film was just amazing. Shailene Woodley plays Hazel Grace, the main character of the movie, who has to constantly carry around an oxygen tank, an outward sign of the cancer that is killing her on the inside. Shailene did an amazing job, as usual, at portraying both the cynical side of Hazel and the part of her that just wants to live a normal teenage life. She is complemented by Ansel Elgort, who plays August Waters, the cocky former cancer patient who also carries a sign of his illness: a prosthetic leg. Both actors portray their characters really well. They’re true to the book while also letting their own talents shine, and they have an on-screen chemistry that nearly rivals that of Peter Park and Gwen Stacy.
Finally, this movie is deep. As I said before, TFiOS doesn’t sugar coat the fact that the main characters in the movie have cancer. It’s talked about honestly and often, and everyone in the film has to deal with the implications of Hazel’s illness. They have to answer some tough questions. Should a teenager with a short life expectancy allow someone else to become emotionally attached to her? How does she deal with knowing that when she does inevitably lose her battle with cancer, she’s going to hurt a lot of people? How does one find meaning in the midst of a seemingly chaotic and certainly unfair world? The movie offers some hints of answers, but you’ll have to watch it to see exactly how it all plays out.
The Fault in Our Stars is in theaters now. It’s a great movie that I think most people would benefit from seeing. There is some strong language, though, and the film deals with some pretty heavy topics, so it’s probably not best for young children. If you bring your kids, you’ll probably want to have a discussion with them before and after about the film and what it means. TFiOS is great as a standalone film and as a book adaptation, so you can see it whether you’ve read the book or not (although you should definitely read the book at some point). Go watch The Fault in Our Stars, and let me know what you think about it! Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you on Tuesday.
I’ve been on a lot of mission trips in my life. Tennessee, Alabama, Mexico, my home state of Arkansas, and even my own hometown have been sites of mission trips I’ve taken part of. And as I’m leaving this week to go on a mission trip to Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Moore, OK, I can’t help but think about my past experiences with mission trips and what it really means to me to be mission-minded.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gone on trips in the past with the wrong attitude. And I’m not even sure that the way I view mission trips now will be the same as I do in a year, two years, or ten years from now. What I do know is that I love mission work, and I want to make the most of it. I want to do mission work the way God wants me to. I want to be mission-minded.
I’m happy to say I’ve never been on a boring mission trip. It’s always exciting to go to a new place and meet new people, or to go to a familiar place and see old friends. Mission trips are filled with engaging events that are meant to help you have fun and connect with others. I think that’s really awesome. Anyone who’s been on a mission trip can probably tell you stories about fun stuff that’s happened to them one of these kinds of trips.
But it shouldn’t all be about fun. I’ve been on mission trips where the focus was more on fun than on making any significant contribution to the people we were visiting, and though that may make for some great stories, it’s not nearly as meaningful and enjoyable as when you really put your heart and soul into making someone’s life better and showing them God’s love. Mission trips are called mission trips because you go there with a mission, a goal. And if that goal is simply fun, then you may was well call it a vacation.
The truth is that mission work does and should require sacrifice. People have to take off work and maybe even sacrifice time with their families to pay money to travel somewhere and do work for someone else. That’s a lot to give up. Not to mention the emotional and spiritual investments you make in the people you minister once you’re there. Mission-mindedness requires willingness to give a part of yourself in order to share God’s love with someone else. I think that’s a beautiful thing, and I think that’s the center of the way God desires for us to view mission work.
We can invest all the money we want. We can send as many people as we want. We can build things and paint things and cook things and donate things, and that’s all great. Every mission trip should have some of that. But ultimately, what people need is just for someone to sit with them, look them in the eye, and make them feel loved. Mission-mindedness is about showing God’s love to others by giving them our love. If you can do that, then your mission trip is an automatic success.
I love my church because it’s filled with mission-minded people. Not only when it comes to our annual mission trip, but even in the way we approach our local community. We try to meet people’s needs in order to show them God’s love through our service. That’s what mission-mindedness is about, whether you’re serving people at home or halfway across the world. It’s not about fun. It’s not about statistics. It’s not about anything more than spreading God’s love to people who desperately need it. I’m praying that I’ll be mission-minded this week at Hillsdale, and that I’ll take that mission-mindedness home with me and continue to show others just how much God loves them.
Thank you guys for reading this. Please be praying for our mission team at Hillsdale, and check back for more blog posts in the future!
