Frozen: The Agendas and the Story

Over the course of the movie Frozen's theatrical release, it drew much acclaim and criticism, some of which I think was warranted, and some of which was nonsense. An alleged "gay agenda" was decried by a well-behaved Mormon grandmother and negated refuted quite well by a gay dad. It received several awards, and was labeled Disney's most progressive movie to date. Unfortunately, for all this buzz, little of praise or complaint was substantiated with evidence from the story itself. Certainly, "Let it go" and other elements of the film could be used to promote an out-of-the-closet mentality, a 3rd-wave feminist perspective, or a more general rebellion against parental authority. Whether or not Disney had these things in mind, I can't say. What I can say is that the story does lend itself to one approach with ease if you examine the flakes in the flurry, rather than allowing your biases to turn the snow of this story yellow. [Be warned: yer on the DVD-end of the release, so here there be spoilers.]

To serve in Heaven

     Through serving at church and much prayer, I am learning to see the genealogies of I Chronicles as something more than a delineation of family lines. Now when I come to chapters twenty-three through twenty-seven, I begin to see the lists of Israelites as a testimony to God's faithful servants...

bin Laden and the Bible

Why are people celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden?

Things were not always thus: Cynicism & Solipsism

Wow, it's been a while! Fortunately, even though I've not had time to blog, I've made notes of topics I want to write about.

Some time back, I was told that I am a "gung-ho kind of guy" and "not cynical." I had to pause in the conversation and gather my thoughts, because I'd become accustomed to priding myself on my sceptical outlook on life which the Austin College student ethos encourages.

Wishful thinking

Those of you who know me know how much I enjoy analysing movies, many of which are films about wars. For all the glorious battle-deaths and dramatic self-sacrifices on film that have moved me, it wasn't until today that I felt a genuine terror of death.

Inhibitions: Of Singing & Dancing

"O frabjous Day! Callooh! Callay!"
~ Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll

Back in February, I saw the new Alice in Wonderland, with Johnny Depp as the The Hatter; initially, I was sceptical, expecting at best a mediocre film, but in watching it, was intrigued by the liminal space presented. Another "liminal" (in the pop culture interpretation of the term) space I'm loving: jump breaks in blog posts!

Inspiring Courage

"Fear profits a man nothing"
 - The 13th Warrior

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about fear. [I in fact meant to post this on the 15th of January, but the words just didn't come...They have now arrived.] Fear paralyses us from attempting what we think is impossible. It "freezes the blood" in our veins, "makes our hearts sink," and "destroys our will" to act.