A Break From Our Reguarly Schedule Programming...

Hey guys! Geez its been a while. I apologize for my broken promises of new blogs. The truth is I might not be able to do in-depth blogs as frequently before. Take heart though my beloved reader(s)! I still have the blogging bug and will try to update the blog in any way I can manage. If you guys can have grace for me and I put some effort in, we can make this an awesome bloggin' time for the ages. So today I will just being doing *gasp* an actual update on my life. No witty remarks about silly vampire movies or pop songs gone wrong this time around. I won't fault you for clicking away at this moment (although I might weep a bit).

So I just finished up the holidays! This Christmas I was in Ohio with my mother's extended family. It was great although it feels a bit different as my cousins and I grow up. Now I can actually carry on intelligent conversations with my aunts and uncles as well as articulate my political and religious opinions with a fair amount of success. We celebrated both Jesus' birthday and my cousin Margie's birthday and got to spend some good time together as a family.

After that I headed to PA with my dear friend, Kortney Blythe and her husband-to-be, Ben Gordon (who also happens to be a friend). We stayed at Mr. Gordon's parent's house and with the aid of Ben's brother, Nate Gordon, were able to tour a whole crapload of AWESOME stuff. We went to Philly (I finally tried this cheesysteak thing), saw some cool Christmas stuff at a Macy's, went to the Reading Terminal (which is a beast market) where I got some cappucino peanut butter (WOOT) from a nice Amish man. Next we checked out Lititz! Litiz being Nate's new home, he led the tour and we went to Julius Sturgeis' pretzel bakery, went to Wilbur's chocolate company (YUM totally kicks Hershey in its chocolate bars), and finally found a neat Moravian church and college. They are the oldest protestant denomination (allegedly. They seem trustworthy but you never know). Following that we tore up a Gabriel Brother's store and had a delicious dinner at Red Robin. Finally, we checked out the church the Gordon family attends and it was home again, home again.

Now I am enjoying my last stretch of classless days until the spring semester commences. Everyone keeps saying it will be nice to get back into the swing of things but I think they are crazy. I could use another month.So keep reading! I hope to update more and more (its actually a new years resolution so yeah...I'm serious about this). Your continued readership makes me feel blessed and like I'm surrounded by dozens of down comforters so...thanks. Happy New Year!

Update for my patient readers...

Hey guys!
I am incredibly sorry for the massive gap from my last post. I have been up to my eyeballs in schoolwork at VCU. Be encouraged though my lovelies! A new post is on it's way. I hate to ask anything of you guys after being absent BUT I would be extremely grateful if you posted some blog ideas down below! I am always trying to keep up with what is current and relevant in the culture. I want to write about things that are happening and that are affecting you all. So yeah whether it's something as simple as a popular song, movie, or TV show or something more complex, let me know!

Again thank you for sticking with me. I have strong feelings of "like" for all of you. Ah, who am I kiddin'. I lurve you to death. Stay tuned!

Nicholas Sparks Series, Part #1: Dear John

Part #1: Dear John

I’ve seen Nicholas Sparks' movies before.

When I was still a young impressionable teen, I saw A Walk to Remember. It made me cry like a baby. Then a few years later, I saw The Notebook. It made my cry like a baby. Many more years later, I found myself sitting in a theater, watching Dear John.

That’s when I realized something. These movies kind of follow a pattern (And when I say, "kind of", I mean "definitely"). Besides reducing most women (including myself) to quivering puddles of tears, Nicholas Sparks knows how to move the heart. The guy is a master at it. However, this is not always a good thing.

Moving the heart.

When the heart is moved, the mind often takes a backseat.

When I sat down to watch Dear John a few months ago, I decided to finally let my mind have a go at the wheel. After pondering the series of Mr. Sparks movies I’d seen in the past, I decided it might be a learning experience for both myself and you, my beloved readers, if we took a look at the various romantic tragedies this prolific writer has woven onto the big screen.

Tearjerker movie number one: Dear John

I figured I’d start with this one since it is the most recent Sparks film I have seen, so it is the freshest in my mind. If you need a refresher, here is the trailer, and then we will get started!

(Warning: It does have some PG-13 content.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc0ODuEYp5o&feature=related

Basic plot rundown (THERE WILL BE SPOILERS): John, a soldier on leave from his tour in Iraq, chooses to visit his hometown in North Carolina. While there, he runs into Savannah, a college student who is working with Habitat for Humanity. During their two weeks together, they fall deeply in love and become inseparable, that is, until it's time for them to return to their lives. But before they part, they make a vow to write each other letters. This goes on for a year and all seems to be going well for the two lovers.

John comes home and is reunited with Savannah again. Then, the tragic events of 9/11 occur, and John’s sense of honor, patriotism, and duty compel him to re-enlist. Savannah initially supports his decision and continues to write letters to him, but after a while, Savannah’s letters wane, eventually ceasing altogether. Her last letter is a “Dear John” letter. If you aren’t familiar with this term, a “Dear John” letter is a breakup letter. And this one informs him that Savannah is engaged to another man. John is devastated. One day when he is out on patrol with his unit, he is shot repeatedly. After recovering, John is encouraged by his captain to go home. However, because John is still reeling from the last letter Savannah sent him, he re-enlists once more, this time spending six years in Iraq and Afghanistan.

John's autistic father, who reconnected with John, in part, through Savannah's efforts, suffers a stroke. Only then does John return home. His father dies shortly after John comes back.

After the funeral, he decides to visit Savannah. Much to his surprise, the man she had married was her neighbor and best friend, Tim, whose son is autistic. Savannah didn't marry Tim for love, but rather out of a desire to help him and his son. Tim contracted cancer and is confined to the hospital indefinitely without an expensive experimental drug. Tim divulges to John that Savannah still loves him. But, John chooses not to act on this information. Instead he removes himself from her life, but not before selling his father's prized coin collection to pay for Tim's medical bills (anonymously). Savannah figures it out and sends John one last letter, thanking him. Years later, they finally reconcile and live happily ever after as friends or lovers, the movie isn't clear.

While watching this movie, I came up with a few insights. Usually, Mr. Sparks has me hook, line and sinker (since I am a young woman between the ages of 15 and 35, his desired demographic). But since I have seen two Sparks-inspired movies before, I was onto him even as I watched this in the theater, with people quietly weeping beside me.

Nicholas Sparks places a high-value on romantic love. In this movie, these two people seem to have a connection that transcends typical vacation romances. And they seem to realize it within the time frame of two weeks.

My first concern with this movie (and it will most likely be my concern with almost all Nicholas Sparks film fables) is its elevation of the importance of emotion in the relationship. In this movie, two people meet and in a short amount of time establish an intense relationship that quickly moves into physical territory. This is often seen in relationships where there is no pace. Emotional intensity morphs into physical intimacy in a short amount of time. The participants in this kind of relationship ride on feelings. And I don't necessarily mean sexual ones. Emotionally-charged relationships do not need a physical factor. They can be just as devastating as heavy, physical relationships. This usually results when a couple is operating from the mindset that "what my heart feels is always right. I feel good and fulfilled with this person. This must be what God has for me."

Now don't misunderstand me, feelings are God-given and can be great. But God intended romance to be guided by wisdom. This means patiently and thoughtfully pursuing another person, while also seeking out advice from your parents, friends, and most importantly, God himself. You do this through prayer, searching His Word, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you.

My next concern with this movie was one of its character's selfish attitude in the relationship. During the movie, John, for the most part, maintains a selfless attitude. He serves his country, not once complaining about his service, although it removes him from someone he obviously loves quite severely. This is what leads to his devastation when he is dropped like a potato by Savannah. Savannah displays selflessness in only one aspect of the movie: her care for her friend Tim's autistic son and her desire to start a horse-back riding camp for autistic kids (With that plot detail, Sparks turns on the sentimental factor pretty heavy, but that seems to be his style).

Savannah's lack of care for John is first evidenced by the way she ends things. While her letters are romantic, the message she gives him needed to be given in person or on the phone. The way she went about it, avoiding the emotional turmoil generated by an in-person breakup, demonstrated emotional cowardice. I apologize if this seems too harsh. But like a drive-by shooting, Savannah demolishes John without having to deal with anything awkward or painful. Which brings me to my next point.

Once John returns home, Savannah expects them to be friends. This is impossible to do immediately after a break-up regardless of whether it was a severe break or not. But in the case of John and Savannah, it is a new level of selfishness for her to require from him an immediate return to that level of relationship.

My final point is more of a detail, and it involves a scene in the movie that nearly made me stand up and throw something at the screen. Savannah's justification for leaving John while he was still overseas was that another man needed her. She compared his time overseas, getting shot at and fighting for his country to her struggle back home without him . She turned to Tim because he needed her more than John, and as she says, "he wouldn't leave in the name of duty."

Plugged In Online worded it this way: "At one point Savannah howls at John, saying her life without him has no meaning and has became a "marathon." That is, she all but says she had to cheat on him because he forced her to through his absence. Poor heroine. And by that I mean poor, foolish, selfish, emotionally puny heroine. How would Tim feel, I wonder, if he knew the primary reason Savannah was helping him and his son, was so she could feel needed.

John, even when given every reason to just drop everything and leave Savannah in the dust, chooses to do his "duty" one last time. In this case, it's selling his recently deceased father's coin collection and using it to pay for Tim's medical treatment, so he can return home instead of dying in a hospital.

Here is where the movie and the book differ. In the book, John and Savannah never reunite. This is a realistic and understandable ending. In the movie, however, they threw in a scene of John and Savannah meeting and embracing. Apparently, this was done to give the movie "a better ending". I would have preferred the former.

Savannah and John's romantic tryst seemed to ultimately bring pain to both of their lives. I wonder what might have been had John and Savannah taken their time? What if they had chosen to protect one another's hearts, and taken it slowly? Some may say, "sometimes Love cannot wait", but I seem to recall a saying that states: "Love is patient". This is the standard of love laid out by God, in his Word. And its virtue is seen here in what could be called a "cautionary tale of two lovers who crashed into one another like waves, leaving emotional wreckage and heartbreak in their wake."

Something positive I noticed in the movie, though, was the possibility of using John's character as symbolic of God's love for us. Selfless love vs. Selfish desires. We have all acted like Savannah and responded to God's love with an attitude of selfishness. We might ask: "What can I get out of this? How can I get what I want from God?" And despite our ugly sinful attitudes, God still pursues us and loves us. I doubt that is the message Mr. Sparks or the movie intended to communicate, but it hit me that way all the same. While we were still sinners, Christ died to redeem us to himself. Because he loves us.

With that, I conclude the first installment of this series. Sorry it took me so long to crank a legit blog out, but I am back with this one, and you guys can expect to see another one soon. I appreciate comments, compliments, criticism and prayer! God Bless.

Adam Quick Review/ Going Against The Flow Of Creation

Recently watched the movie Adam. Man, I almost forgot what good movies felt like.

Some backstory,

Adam is primarily about its title character. A man named Adam who lives and struggles with Asperger's Syndrome (which is a mild form of autism). Adam at first seems to be just living his life out as a single, solitary (and kind of bleak) existence. An existence made bleaker by the recent death of his father. Then a women named Beth moves into the apartment next door to Adam. And life changes.

I don't want to spoil too much for you, so I will try to be vague. I will reveal one teensy bit of the movie (so those of you who don't want to hear, close your ears). Adam and Beth pursue a romantic relationship. It really is adorable for the most part. She helps him learn how to interact better with people and he introduces a beautiful simplicity that seems to make her life happier.

All in all the movie is downright charming.

However, prepare for the but.

BUT, like most cutesy slightly indie films out there, sex enters the picture. It starts out gradually. In one scene, while laying on a bed, Beth tells Adam she doesn't want to go too fast in the relationship. Lets take a closer look at this. While laying on a bed with Adam, Beth says she doesn't want things to go too fast. This is an instance where actions speak louder than words. When NOT trying to have sex with someone, it is best to stay OUT of the bedroom. In another scene, Adam is rubbing Beth's back and then Beth returns the favor. While on a bed. A side-note, Massages are a BAD idea when outside of marriage. God made our bodies in a certain way. And our bodies are programmed to equate physical intimacy as a prelude to sex. I'm not necessarily talking about simple kisses or holding hands. But actions that have the potential , for lack of a gentler word, to arouse. For example, Massages and passionate kissing. In Scripture it says "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." In the Bible there are countless verses on God's plan for sex and marriage. They go together like white on rice. So when we stir up passions or physical feelings like Adam and Beth did in the movie (and they ended up crossing the line), we are going against the way God made them to be. And when we do that, things just don't go well. I'm not necessarily saying its God's direct punishment for breaking the rules. But God made things to work a certain way. He made us hunger and the solution is to eat food. He made us lungs which are designed with the need for air. When we try to go against our design, things get unpleasant. Try holding your breath or going without food for an extended period of time (fasting excluded). Eventually, things go wrong and get painful. The same thing happens when we try to live our love lives in an opposite direction of God's plan.

God doesn't want that for us. He wants us to be blessed because he loves us. Therefore, that is why it will go well for us, when we follow his plan. Not just in love and relationships but in all aspects of our love, It will go well for us when we follow the Creator's plan.

So there is my thoughts on that. I know this isn't exactly a heavy-duty blog post but I am still wading through finals. Soon I will be back on track!

P.S. I would LOVE movie/music/ etc suggestions. I love new media! And I promise to be gentle =P

According to God.

Hey guys!! I know it has been awhile since my last blog but I am back! In this blog I'm going to be covering Orianthi's new song "According To You". First, I’ll give some back-story on the artist. Orianthi is an Australian singer/songwriter who was lead guitarist for the late Michael Jackson's concert series "This Is It". She is a very talented artist who learned to play the acoustic guitar with her dad at age six. She has recently played with big name artists as Prince and Carrie Underwood and was handpicked by Michael Jackson to be part of his comeback tour.

Orianthi released the single "According To You" in 2009 and it eventually became #7 on the Australian charts and #16 on the US charts.

It’s a catchy song. I've heard it in my car numerous times and on numerous stations. I may have even sung along a few times. However, I began to listen to the lyrics of the song and I began to think about them. If you haven't heard the song, it's a post-breakup song where the singer is telling an ex that when she was with them they called her annoying, stupid, and useless. She then throws it in their face because she's found a new boo who thinks she is the bee’s knees, the apple of their eye, etc. At face value, you wanna say "Good for her! That guy sounds like a loser and now she has something who will treat her right!" And I would agree with you on some points. First of all, NO guy should ever verbally demean a woman whether she is his girlfriend or not. It is simply not acceptable for a guy to call a girl stupid, useless, or anything of that nature. Every woman is a beautiful creation of God and should be regarded as such. However, let me speak to the ladies for a second. This song talks about a new relationship where the guy tells the girl she is all of these wonderful things. While that is nice, the song seems to point to the fact that we need guys to tell us we are amazing. We need guys to tell us we are beautiful. We need guys to tell us we are valuable. The fact that the singer is dedicating this song to her ex says something. It seems to suggest that she still cares what he thinks. Now I am not a man-hater. I love my fellas but our primary source of value and self-esteem should come from God. I'd like to give Orianthi the benefit of the doubt, but this new guy could very well break her heart. When the new-relationship-magic fades away, this guy could be less than a prince. That’s why whether we are in a relationship or not, we shouldn't base our worth on one person's opinion. We should get it from God. He is the one who made us. He is the one who truly believes we are beautiful and He loves us unconditionally. So I encourage you to examine who you are According to God. Not according to doods.