Tag: movies

Soul Food for Long Days and Uncertain Times

The rhythm of our days looks very different in this season.

And yours, if you have littles, will look different than mine, or that of my missionary friends in Jordan, or my single friends in Hong Kong and New Zealand. But this crisis has knit us together across the globe, in ways we couldn’t imagine before.

I have not felt scared, but the other day, after a global prayer call was the first time I felt overwhelmed by the magnitude and implications of this pandemic for those outside my circle.

Then I got this note from our “adopted” son, Michael, who is a brand new doctor in Uganda. He writes, “We have very little to no personal protective equipment (ppe) such as N95 masks, goggles and gowns”, BUT then he goes on:

…some of us were manufactured for times like these. When the world needs us the most, our answer is always going to be “Here I am”

I and 5 other resident doctors have voluntarily been added to the COVID-19 treatment taskforce of the hospital. We have been fully trained on how to respond and remain safe throughout the management of a victim. 

From the view of events, only God can come to our rescue.  But is there a day or Moment when we asked for His kindness and He did not show up? NO!!

So I trust that even this time, the God we pray to and worship everyday will show up for us and save us.

May we be inspired by Michael, who is living out the truth of Romans 8!

we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:37-39

I wrote on Instagram the other day that I’m convinced it’s not scientists that are going to come up with a vaccine for Covid_19, but desperate moms, stuck at home with their kids who have run out of creative ideas to keep everyone happy and engaged.

A few movies came to mind that might help with that (but are also great for adults)…

Spellbound – a documentary about 8 kids who are compete in the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

Akeelah and the Bee – fiction, about a young girl from south L.A. trying to make it to the National Spelling Bee.

Queen of Katwe – about a young girl from Uganda that discovers she has an amazing talent for chess and how it changes her life.

And if you want a fun comedy, check out The Trouble With Angels – about two students at a convent school who are very creative with their pranks.

And if you haven’t seen A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, now’s the time!

A few posts from Instagram to make you smile…

This has been posted everywhere, but I could watch/listen to it indefinitely. In case you haven’t seen it yet, soak these words in.

I’ve been trying to share a little devotional thought in my Instagram stories each morning, and if you’d like to see past ones, I’m saving them on my story highlights under “Covid_19 Devos”.

What’s keeping you inspired, motivated, and encouraged these days? Share in the comments! (If you’re commenting for the first time, it won’t show up right away, but don’t worry, it will soon!)

Soul Food for Darker Days

It’s here – the darker season. We’ve turned the clocks back. The days are shorter, colder, cloudier.

Halloween is over, but Thanksgiving isn’t here yet.

We don’t have the lovely snow of winter to distract us and the gray days can make us feel a little Eyore-ish.

via GIPHY

Hang in there! You’re gonna be ok.

Music

Last Sunday was All Saints Day, when we as a church remember the “great cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us. At our church we have a time of reflection and prayer as we scroll through pictures of those who have died this past year on the screens. This is a song that our worship leader, Heather Moen sang. It was beautiful and comforting.

Recipe

Ironically, I was set to post a soup recipe, when I re-read this delightful quote in Shauna’s Bread and Wine that is just perfect:

“Soup is cold-weather-dark-sky food. Soup is peasant food – odds and ends, bits and pieces, a way to stretch a piece of meat or a handful of rice… Soup is the wool sweater, not the little black dress. It’s the cardigan with elbow patches, not the pressed shirt and tie.”

This soup recipe isn’t from her, but is a favorite from Martha Stewart.

Pumpkin Mushroom Soup (I know mushrooms aren’t everyone’s jam, but my husband loves them!)

4 TB butter

1 TB (or less) curry powder

1 lb mushrooms sliced

1 lg onion chopped

1/3 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

2 #1 cans pumpkin

5 TB honey

salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in lg. pot. Add curry powder and cook 1 min. Add mushrooms & option and sauté.

Stir in flour and cook 3 min.

Sitr in chicken broth and pumpkin

Brind to boil and simmer 20 minutes.

Sitr in honey and simmer 10 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can garnish with sour cream.

Makes 10 generous servings.

Movies

I wrote a post awhile ago about wanting to hear/see the better stories…the ones that inspire us to something higher. There are three movies based on true stories that I have loved lately. Take a look:

Victoria and Abdul

Marshall

Goodbye Christopher Robin

And my movie maven friend, Heather, also recommended this one. I read the book and am going to see the movie today:

Same Kind of Different as Me

What have you seen or read lately that has been uplifting? Share in comments?

Have a great weekend!

Movies and Two Questions to Help You Live a Better Story

I, like 99% of Americans am bracing for my post-holiday diet.  This will include all the dis’s – discipline, discomfort, and disappointment that I let things get so out of hand.

I’ve been eating like a bear preparing for hibernation. But it’s not only food that’s been filling me up. With all the new holiday releases, we’ve had a bunch of titles on our “want to see” list.

We saw three movies over the past couple weeks and they filled me up in different ways.

In all three the main character faced pain, conflict, drama, and intense challenges.

I thought that all three were compelling stories well-told on the screen.

One left me sleepless – tossing and turning trying to process why I felt so sad and heavy from the watching.

The other two, although very different from each other, left me informed and inspired.  I walked away feeling stronger, more resolved to live a better story.

As we discussed the first movie around the dinner table I said I didn’t like the main character much. I didn’t like her values or her language.  Mostly I didn’t like the lack of redemption or the trajectory of her life I saw.  As I said this I probably sounded like uptight “Movie Mom” but it was honestly what I felt.

My twenty-somethings responded that this is real life.  This is the way most people live and talk.

Well, yeah, of course it is. I get that.  And I see value in authenticity and exposing ourselves to truth that may be hard to watch because life is sometimes hard to watch. We need to understand a world where not everyone grows the way we’d like them to.

But here’s the thing.  I aspire to something different than most of the “real” world.   Continue reading

Dear Movies About All of the Things in the Real World,

Dear Movies About All of The Things in the “Real” world,

I’m writing you to put you on notice.

I’m taking away your stars and giving you a rotten tomato.  You may get critical blah blah  for being “authentically raw”, but so what?  It’s too easy.  It’s like saying we need to hear Lindsay Lohan is behaving badly.  Again.

I don’t think so.

UnknownYou’re down and dirty, but I’m gonna take you out with a Ninja kick to your mojo and call your bluff.  Your world is not all there is.

Reality without redemption, you are dead to me.

Greed, sex, drugs, lies, betrayal, selfishness?  I know you’re everywhere, not just in the kingdom of Wall Street. I don’t need to be reminded.

I need instead, to see glimpses of another kingdom. Continue reading

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