Wannabe Writer's Ink

Wannabe writer with hobby of art. Stay and you'll glimpse a small piece of my heart.

Recent Media Consumed

Books

  • A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. This is a painful read. It is very short, but so is a bomb blast. The man who penned Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain, exploring avenues of theology as far as his intellect allowed, could still lose sight of God and scream angry invectives at him in the midst of his own loss. I am comforted by this because this grief seems, then, to be a natural part of the refining process and not a moral failing (as it so often is portrayed). I am comforted by this chronicle, raw and vulnerable, of his journey through grief and what it was like for him. I am grateful beyond words that he chose to share this part of himself with readers instead of hiding it away in his private notebooks. I am comforted by a soul who rejected the platitudes, screamed at God, raged at loss, feared the terrible vacuum of the other person’s presence, and began to find the “more” past the grief, even as it returned in cycles and phases. Thank you, sir. Your words are needed for reminder long after your own passing.
  • Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier. In truth, I read this several months ago. I used to run my Recent Media Consumed digest on Tumblr, but I was toward the end of my stay on Tumblr when I finally read this and I was… well. Too afraid to write that I’d even read it. More afraid than writing about how I’d tried to read Mein Kampf, because at least everyone understands that not everyone who reads it is immediately going to become an evil person. On Tumblr, there are certain topics you do not enter into lightly, and one of them is the discourse surrounding Transgender ideology and identification. Even admitting to having read this book on Tumblr might have started something I wasn’t prepared to talk about. My impressions, though fading after a few months, are as follows; I do not see evidence of transphobia in this writer, I see this writer following a thread with concern and presenting it as a possibility that should be discussed and not shut down, I see a puzzle piece that may possibly be part of a larger problem that is again worth discussing to find out what that problem is, and I see a warning that is worth considering before (as the title suggests) irreversible decisions are made. Now, this is the only book I’ve read on the topic so far, and so I say I still do not have anything close to a full picture, but I would say that this is a persuasive and decently-reasoned and researched piece of work. I made myself read it because I was afraid of reading it, because I was afraid of the reaction others might have just to me having read it. More than ever, it confirms to me that if you’re afraid of reading something, you should absolutely make yourself read it and confront it.
  • The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. This book holds truth. Not ALL truth, but truth. When I read it, I felt like parts of my soul came alive, screaming, “Yes! Yes! This is what it should be! Where has this been?” By “it” I suppose I mean, a view of what living with Jesus in your life is like, which Willard contends is supposed to be a life overflowing with joy. It makes sense of the phrase “My yoke is easy, and my burden light,” without addressing that specific line. The book covers the different wings of error the church has fallen into and then turns to a study of the Sermon on the Mount like I’ve never heard it before. From there, Dallas Willard turns to the much-neglected topic of discipleship (becoming one, living as one, making one) and a view of what death is to the Christian who is overflowing with the life of God. If I had to point to a good book about the philosophical logic of Christianity, I’d point to Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. If I had to point to a good book about evidence for Christianity, I’d point to The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. If I had to point to a book that reflects a glimpse of the radiance we are meant to inhabit IN THIS PRESENT LIFE, a book that I believe would make believers and non-believers alike become aware of their starvation for such an existence, it would be this book. This is also a book that, I believe, relieves the burden of anxiety that many misinformed teachings have laid on believers. Read. This. Book.

Movies

  • What is a Woman? A documentary by Matt Walsh. The tone of the first half is fairly lighthearted and jokey, and he does poke a little bit at some of the people he’s interviewing, but he seems to be asking fair questions about transgenderism. In the second half, the tone shifts to something more somber and he levels some pretty serious accusations. One way or the other, walking into this, you probably know what you’re going to get. But I think he has a point, and I think he interviewed pretty fairly across a range of people, and I think this is worth watching.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Wow. So. Here’s the thing, this one makes less story sense than the first one… but it’s also way more fun. This is a movie that is large-scale and bombastically ridiculous, knows that, and totally embraces it. And, of course, it has the perfect actor for an overblown villain. Very enjoyable, but check your storytelling nitpicker at the door. It’s pointless.