Alice in Wonderland (2010) is a story about Ebenezers. When Alice is a little girl, her father instills in her the brilliant idea to believe in “six impossible things before breakfast.” Later in life, as she’s preparing to slay the Red Queen and doubting she has what it takes, she’ll have to call upon this […]
Bethel song sums up my experience What’s your biggest fear? For me, it’s been my health. In recent years, I’ve had some nagging health nuisances—little things that, over time, developed into bigger issues. I’ve been sent to the hospital, had repeat blood workups, and seen my practitioner’s head turn sideways, perplexed. In short, in […]
Plus, Anytime Prayer feels weird for a lot of us for a lot of different reasons. But prayer is powerful, and the awkwardness of it or the struggle you feel in finding time to do it ought not to stop us. When we pray, we are calling down heaven into our present circumstances. We […]
Disney’s Encanto is a movie for all the performers. All the achievers. All the perfectionists. And in this weary-worn world full of anxiety to perform, achieve, and perfect, we all need a message. A message about rest and about where our identity lies. Because isn’t that why we’re all tired? We’re trying to perfect an […]
Exercising faith in a world full of cynics: what Buddy the Elf teaches us about the gospel Though I normally write about Disney and the gospel, this one makes it worth deviating from the norm. Disney-produced or not, this Jon Favreau-directed film became a Christmastime classic in my house almost twenty years ago. Since […]
Fighting for joy in our imperfections It’s All Saints Day. I’ve always felt a little under-educated about what this day means and its origins within the Christian tradition. I know there is a somewhat complicated history between the Jewish festivals featured in the Bible and the holidays that came along thereafter, which are still […]
I’m not sure anymore…Cruella, antiheroes, and the gospel In light of the gospel, what do we do with the antihero trend in Hollywood? As the lines of good versus evil get muddied, should we be appalled, confused, or cheer them on? The other day, I got roped into being a fill-in character during my […]
Disney’s Coco offers us a parable for Jesus’s most challenging words in all the Bible. Set in the vibrant town of Santa Cecilia, Mexico during its annual Day of the Dead rituals, a young Miguel wrestles with his family heritage that stands in direct opposition to the ache burning in his soul to pursue […]
101 Dalmatians Shares the Gospel Message in So Many Ways We know the classic plot arc of good versus evil—all good stories rely on it. Often, however, something even deeper resounds in a story that catches our hearts. Maybe you haven’t been able to put a name on it, but it’s the gospel. […]
How to Counter-Culturally Exit the Hurry SLOW is a four-letter word in our society. Like, one of those four-letter words. For some people, they may need to put asterisks and dollar signs in place of some of the letters because it is a BAD word. We don’t like slow. It is the opposite of […]
