Neverwhere by Neil
Gaiman is a fantastical story of an ordinary, mundane life turned upside down
for an unbelievable adventure. It is the story of Richard Mayhew who works at
an ordinary job, who has a pretty but overbearing fiancee and he was content.
Until one evening when an act of kindness erases everything he was known. He
must fight to get it back.
Richard is an ordinary guy who moves to London. The night
before he leaves, he is greeted by an old woman who tell him his fortune. She
tells him that he is about to begin a journey ahead of him that starts with a
door. And that his good heart won’t see him safely on his journey. Dismissing
this crazy woman, he leaves for London. After 3 years, he enjoys his life. During
an argument with his fiancée, he sees a young girl begging for help. He stops
and renders aid, despite his fiancée’s warning to stop. He learns that her name
is Door and that she is being hunted by men who want to kill her. He sees her
safely to her home and he soon discovers that no one remembers who he is and
according to the world, he never existed. He must find a way to get his life
back. He soon joins Door, The Hunter and other characters from the underworld
of London in order to avenge Door’s family, stop an evil plot and get his life
back.
I reallyenjoyed Neverwhere. It was an exciting adventure
which kept my interest with its twists and turns. And just when you thought you
have the plot figured out, Gaiman through a twist that you never saw coming and
it grips you even more. Neverwhere is
one of Neil Gaiman’s first novels. Even though I recently read it, I found it
to be the same exciting story as his books. I like to see that an author’s
style hasn’t weakened with time as he produces more and more books. I highly
recommend Neverwhere for an adventure
in a world which exists below us.
My Little Pony first appeared in 1983 by Hasbro following
their My Pretty Pony line. It was very popular worldwide until 1995. My Little
Pony was reintroduced in 2010 with the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
movie and cartoons. The new show introduced Twilight Sparkle, a studious unicorn
pony, who is sent to Ponyville to learn about friendship by her mentor,
Princess Celestia. She soon becomes friends with five ponies who each represent
a different facet of friendship: Rainbow Dash (loyalty), a tomboyish pegasus
who helps control weather, Rarity (generosity), a glamorous unicorn with a flair
for fashion, Fluttershy (kindness), a shy and timid Pegasus who is fond of
nature and enjoys taking care of animals, Pinkie Pie (laughter), a hyperactive
pony who loves to throw parties, and Applejack (honesty), a hard working pony
who works her family’s apple farm. Together, the power of their friendship
overcomes great evil and other problems which comes their way. The new line was
so popular that in 2013, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls was introduced. In
this series of movies, the characters are teenage girls in high school dealing
with common problems.
When the Equestria Girls first came out, I was adamant that
my daughter would not have anything to do with this line of movies and toys. As
my daughter got older and become aware of this new line, she began to beg to
watch it. So, one day, I gave in. I decided that we would watch it together.
One, so I can see what it was about and then tell her why she couldn’t watch
it. But by the end of the movie, I realized that I was wrong about this show.
First, I would like to introduce the movies in which the toys are based on.
Second, I will discuss what I liked about the show. Lastly, I will discuss some
of the criticisms that I have read from other parents.
First, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls premiered on June 26,
2013 in which Princess Twilight Sparkle is transported to a human-like world of
Equestria after her crown in stolen. There she meets the human equivalents of
her friends. Together with her friends, Twilight Sparkle must stop Sunset
Shimmer, retrieve her crown before the portal between the worlds is closes.
This movie had a lot of lessons about friendship, standing up to bullies, and the
ability of people to change. There are great musical numbers which are real
catchy. One of my favorite songs is “Time to Come Together,” a song about
coming together, pooling unique and individual talents to achieve a goal. The
second film, Rainbow Rocks, premiered on September 27, 2014. Princess Twilight
Sparkle returns to Equestria to help her friendships as Sirens plot to take
over the school and the world. Again, the message of friendship and overcoming
differences is the main theme of the movie as Twilight Sparkle and her friends
are able to overcome the power of the Sirens. A third movie, Equestria Girls:
Friendship Games, is set to premiere on September 26, 2015. In this film, the
students of Canterlot High School get ready to prepare for the annual
“Friendship Games,” a sporting competition against their rival school, Crystal
Prep Academy.
I have three main reasons why I enjoyed the first two
Equestria Girls movies. First, the lessons of standing up to bullies as well as
standing up for others. Twilight Sparkle stands up to a bully for Fluttershy,
who is shy and timid. In a society in which bullying has become a big problem,
we need to be able to teach our children in different ways that we treat others
like we want to be treated. Children need to learn that standing up for someone
is just as important as standing up for yourself. Second, I like to see a group
of girls with very different personalities be able to come together, despite
those differences, and rise to the challenge or goal that they are facing. This
scenario is the center of Rainbow Rocks, when the girls’ pride and selfishness
keeps them from working together. They soon realize that they are more powerful
together. The importance of teamwork and how some situations in which
cooperation with others is key in order to see it through. Lastly, I enjoyed
seeing the lesson that people can be redeemed. They can see the error of their
ways and strive to better themselves and be a better person to others. This
lesson is seen with Sunset Shimmer who was the bully in Equestria Girls and is
trying to undo the damage done in Rainbow Rocks. It is a lesson that sometimes
someone just needs a chance to prove that they have truly changed.
The main criticism of the Equestria Girls features the
design of the characters. According to one reviewer, the girls are same body
type and the same style of clothes (top, skirt and legwarmer shoes). The girls
seems too sexed up to be appropriate a la Bratz or Monster High. Another reviewer
commented that “you have to look and act a certain way to be fun, cute or
normal.” I wonder if she saw the same movie I did. The six main girls do have
the similar body styles, however, they do not act or look the same. Fluttershy
is timid and quiet while Pinkie Pie is outgoing. Rainbow Dash is athletic and
Rarity is a girly-girl. How this acting or being the same? To me, they are more
polar opposites. Polar opposites who still are able to become friends despite
their differences. Another criticism is the “need” of a love interest in the
story. I’m sorry but every Disney princess has had a love interest (with two
exceptions) and no one bats an eye. Why are these films different? Third, the villains
near the end of the films are too scary for young viewers. I think this criticism
has a valid point. However, what is deemed too scary is on a child by child
basis. For example, my daughter is three and a half and has no problem watching
scary images in cartoons but my niece who is two months older, does. It’s an
example how age does not indicate if a child is ready.
In conclusion, I have been proved wrong about the Equestria
Girls. I found myself being able to identify with each of the main characters. The
first two films, at least, are fun and filled with many lessons on about
friendship, teamwork and giving others a chance. I will have to view the third
film when it premieres to see if it follows the same standard. I am still apprehensive
about my daughter having the Equestria Girls dolls, but for now, she is content
with watching the movies and playing with the My Little Pony dolls. If your
children are expressing interest in the Equestria Girls, I recommend watching
it yourself before taking a decision. These movies may not be for every child
and, as parents, we need to be actively aware what is available for our
children and decide what is appropriate. If we see something we don’t like, we
need to teach our children why a certain behavior is inappropriate. We can’t
just turn off the TV and say you can’t watch that without an explanation.
Children aren’t stupid. They will wonder why and seek it out without your
knowledge. I recommend giving My Little Pony and My Little Pony: Equestria
girls a chance. It is filled with life lessons which everyone in the family can
relate to and learn from.
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins is a mystery story told through the eyes of a lonely and
recovering alcoholic, Rachel Watson, as she sees something while waiting on the
train headed into London. She doesn’t know if what she saw was real but she
must find out.
Rachel Watson rides the morning train into London. While the
train stops at a light, she imagines the life of a young couple she calls “Jason”
and “Jess.” She can see their house from her favorite seat. Until one morning she sees “Jess” with another
man. She is hurt that “Jess” would do that to “Jason” and she relives her own jilted
relationship. When “Jess,” whose real name is Megan, goes missing, Rachel feels
she must tell the police what she saw. When she feel the police don’t give her
information any real attention, she feels she must find out on her own. She is soon drawn into a world of lies, affairs and secrets. Will ever overcome her sordid past? Will she ever happen to Megan? Can she
trust her own eyes and memory in the events of Megan’s disappearance?
The story is told in three perspective, offering events in
various points of the timeline. Rachel’s perspective as the current events
while Megan provides the events leading up to her disappearance. I thought the
book started out real slow and I was wondering what did Rachel really see or
was it her alcohol fueled imagination. But the story speeds up quickly and the
events leading to the identity of the person who was responsible for Megan’s
disappearance happens at a dizzying pace. There was a couple times when I had
to stop and go back a couple of pages to make sure I read it correctly. By the
end of the book, I was thoroughly shocked and thrilled at the revelation of the
person’s identity. I love a mystery in which the clues are subtle but when the
dots are connected, they all make sense. I recommend The Girl on the Train as mystery thriller with so many twists, the
final revelation is a shocker!
Gone Girl is a
2012 best seller by Gillian Flynn which was turned into a 2014 film starring
Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry. The book
explores to the two sides to every story. Told in three parts, the story gives
the present day events as well as flashback leading to the present as told in
Amy’s diary.
Nick Dunne wakes on the morning of his fifth wedding
anniversary and soon discovers that his wife, Amy, is missing. He finds the
house ransacked and chores left in process of being completed. He calls the
cops and waits for them. When the cops arrive, they find his behavior
suspicious as he doesn’t try to contact any of their friends or family looking
for his wife. Through Amy’s diary entries, we see how they met and their early
marriage in New York City until layoffs and family illness takes them to Nick’s
hometown in Missouri. Nick soon discovers blue envelopes with clues written by
Amy, at first he thinks it’s some sort of romantic anniversary scavenger hunt
but as the evidence mounts against Nick, he realizes that something more
sinister is at work. Did Nick kill Amy? Where did she go? Is someone playing a
sick game of cat and mouse? Will Amy ever return home?
Gone Girl is
definitely a different story of who done it. As the book progresses, I started
to question Nick’s innocence then I didn't then back and forward. When the truth behind Amy’s
disappearance is revealed it was a big shock! It had a nice twist which left me
feeling sad and angry at Nick and Amy at the same time. It is a story about
secrets, lies and revenge. I can’t really reveal too much for those who haven’t
read it. I would ruin the shocking twist. However, I highly recommend Gone Girl for those who love a mystery
which leave you turning the pages to discover the truth. I am also looking
forward to seeing the film to see have it compares to the book.
6. The “Culture is
Evil and Scary” Christian: When a person rants against culture, they are
usually talking about the life outside of the Christian church and activities.
However, culture is itself is not evil. Culture is simply the behaviors,
beliefs, values, and symbols that are accepted and passed on from one
generation to the next. There is culture all around us: our region of the
country, our cities/towns, our families, schools, age groups, and even our
churches. I find the Christians who fear culture often will try to protect
themselves by living in a corruption free bubble. I agree with Mr. Powell that
this belief can be toxic because it can lead to isolation and is how most cults
are formed when the outside world is shut out. Christians are called to go out
into the world and spread the gospel. How can we do that if we shut ourselves away?
7. The “I love Jesus
but not the church” Christians: In the defense of the Christians who say
“but not the church,” they are usually referring to a particular congregation that
they feel wronged by even disenchanted with. I have left churches in which I
felt did not have a place for me or I had outgrown or simply did not feel
comfortable being a part of. And it’s not that this Christian wants isolation, they
want to a part of a church but feels he or she does not fit in or welcome
either through their own faulty perspective or the actions of others. When my
husband first become a Christian, he was fired up and wanted to get involved.
However, he was told he was not ready to serve. How can you tell a person who
wants to help he can’t? It’s not that he wanted to lead a sermon. This is the
kind of attitude I’m talking about. While I do believe that having a church to
worship and fellowship is important, I feel it is only a fraction of a
Christian’s life, not the entirety.
8. The “God doesn’t
work that way” Christian: I used to be a very black-n-white Christian,
influenced by the church I was attending at the time. When I begin to study the
Bible on my own, I realized that there are a lot of shades of grey simply
because life is not so clean cut as we want it to be. People cannot fathom the
greatness, the bigness, and the powerfulness of God. We try to understand Him
in ways that our brain can handle. One of the hardest questions to answer is
why. For example, I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe
that God allowed me to suffer two pregnancy losses because He saw a role that I
needed to fill. I know many people who don’t like to think that God allows the
death of a child. While the losses were painful and traumatic for me, I
wouldn’t be able to fill that role had I not suffered the loss of two of my
children. I now have another purpose in life to help others.
9. The “Love to Pick a Fight” Christian: These
Christians usually argue or discuss doctrine. Doctrine which is often man’s interpretation
of the Bible. Sometimes it’s right and sometimes it’s wrong. I’ve learned that
some people who argue loudly about doctrine don’t really understand it and want
to try and prove that they do. For example, many years ago, I was on my way to
a College Bible weekend and during the drive up, the discussion turned to
Calvinism. At the time, I had never heard of Calvinism and I asked for more
detail. The blank look I got from the person who was debating the loudest was
very telling. He stumbled with his words before telling me that I wouldn’t
understand. At the time, I was very insulted that he couldn’t take the time to
give me the basics. However it was only much later when I encountered another
person discussing Calvinism, did I realize that that young man didn’t truly
understand what he was talking about but he wanted to sound like he did.
10. The “You can’t
talk about that in church” Christian: I caught myself doing this at church
a few weeks ago. The worship band was playing a song that isn’t a typical
worship song. I leaned over to my husband and said, “I can’t believe they’re
playing this song in church.” What I was really concerned about wasn’t the
content of the song (which fit the theme of the day’s sermon) but who the song
is associated with. The person who usually uses this protest to the topics
discussed in sermons is more because the topics which makes them uncomfortable.
Also, sometimes when a topic makes you feel uncomfortable because it speaks to
you more deeply then you want. When Jesus taught, he wasn’t concerned with
making people comfortable. He wanted to shake them awake from their old ways.
To open their eyes to the sin in their lives. He made many enemies this way but
He also gained many followers who were set free from the chains that society
had put them in.
In conclusion, bottom line Christians are still humans. They
still suffer the shortcomings and failure that all humans do. Just because
someone is Christian does not mean they are perfect. It means they are a
follower of Christ. That they strive to live their lives as He did. Sometimes
they will succeed, sometimes they will fail. Remember just because someone is a
Christian, as a Christian, you or I are not obligated to like them or hang out
with them or have any deeper relationship. We are commanded by our Lord and
Savior to love them as a child of God. To pray for them that the Lord will help
them change their toxic ways. We are not to exclude them from fellowship. We
must be better examples of Christ.
Save My Place by
Oliva deBelle Byrd is a heartwarming and heart wrenching love story set in
1960s and 1970s. It was recently honored with two Gold Medals in Florida
Fiction for Adults and Cover Design by the Florida Presidents Book Awards. It
is the story of love through various stages of courtship, marriage, war, and
personal tragedy.
The story opens with Elisabeth Belle Sterling, a young
college student who is “creative, independent but not rebellious.” She begins
to enter the dating scene and after a lot of misses, she feel she’s doomed to
be an old maid. Until she meets Kincaid Patterson, an Army buddy of her roommate’s
boyfriend. The two immediately hit it off and before they know it, they are
married and settling into life together. He is stationed at Fort Banning and
she becomes a second grade teacher. Soon their wonderful life is halted as
Kincaid is deployed to Vietnam. Before he leaves, Kincaid tells Elisabeth to
“save his place.” She ends her letters to him with “your place is saved.” Will
Kincaid return home? Will Elisabeth be able to learn to live without him?
I loved this book. It was sweet and tender. It had shocking
moments when you gasped and hoped for a positive outcome. I can’t give more
without ruining the entire book but there are moments when you cry and your
heart aches for the characters as they deal with different tragedies. I
especially loved the ending. It showed a great loved between these characters
and I can imagine them living today still hand-in-hand. I highly recommend Save My Place. It definitely has a place
on my keeper shelf.
I recently came across an article “10 Toxic Christians in
the Church Today” by Frank Powell. You
can read the full article here: http://www.faithit.com/10-toxic-christians-in-the-church-today/ Toxic is defined as harmful. People who are often referred to as toxic can be
destructive in our lives. What happens when toxic people are also Christians? I
would like to give my thoughts on this article. While the author has some valid
points, I feel I need to address a few of his labels. His labels focus on
personality traits that you can see in everyone and just because certain people
are Christians doesn’t mean that the personality traits change. I feel his
label as “Toxic Christians” leads to the belief that these types of people are
not true Christians.
1. The “Always
Cynical” Christian: This person is always distrusting or hates in anything
which is non-Christian. I’ve seen many Christians do this and what I found is that
sometimes they are not giving their opinion why something is bad, they are
merely repeating someone else’s opinion. I often asked “have you read that
book?” or “have you seen that TV show or movie?” If they answer no, then you
cannot really hate something if you don’t know what it’s about. I’ve come to
realize that just because something is labeled “Christian” does not make it automatically
good and Biblically correct just like something non-Christian is not
automatically evil. You cannot judge a book by its cover. I remember when I
worked in a Christian bookstore and a customer rejected Lord of the Rings because it had wizards and magic despite the fact
it was written by an author who was Christian. From this experience and others,
I’ve learned to explore and research someone or something before forming my
opinion and I will not rely solely on any one person’s opinion as my own.
2. The “Back Row”
Christian: According to Mr. Powell, this is the Christian who keeps God at
arm’s length and his or her life isn’t informed by God. My question is how do
you know if someone is keeping God at arm’s length? And how do you know if his
or her life isn’t informed by God? Just because you do not see their
involvement in your church’s outreaches, does not mean they are not doing one
on their own. They may feed the homeless, mentor to those in need without your
knowledge and without recognition. In Matthew 6:3, Jesus says “But when you
give to the needy, do not let your left hand know that your right hand is
doing.” Do so without acknowledge or personal glory. Just because you think
this “Back Row” Christian isn’t contributing to your church does not mean he or
she is not contributing to the Church.
3. The “World is
Caving In” Christian: These people can be annoying with all talk of doom
and gloom but this in not exclusive to Christians. You see it every day in the
news. Mr. Powell states that “the phrase “do not fear” appears hundreds of
times in the Bible.” In my research, I’ve been able to find the phrase appears approximately
110 times. However, fear does not mean a lack of faith. Fear is a natural
emotion that God has given us. It is what we do with our fear that matters. Do
we run and hide? Or do we trudge on despite our doubts and our fears with faith
on our Lord’s promise? I fear many things and many times in my life, it does
not mean that I have any less faith in God. Jesus felt fear. In the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:38 says he was “troubled” and Mark 14:33 says he was “deeply
distressed.” He worried and fear what was to come because the time had arrived.
Did He walk away from this fear? He prayed that God could find another way but
He knew there wasn’t one. Fear does not
make you a bad or “toxic” Christian, it makes you human.
4. The “Follow the
Rules” Christian: This is one I agree with Mr. Powell on. I know many
people like this and sometimes they push away great people because of this
attitude. It makes people feel as if they do not belong. However, the “rules”
they are often following are the rules the church has made. It is the doctrine that
a group of people created using the Bible as their guide. The some rules are correct
and others not so much. The thing about humans is that sometimes we are going
to fail and despite our best efforts. Some Christians forget that we are still
human. Christ only gave his followers two commandments to follow: 1) to love
the Lord God with all our heart, soul and mind and 2) to love our neighbors as
ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40). As long as we focus on these two commandments,
all other rules should fall into place.
5. The “Political”
Christian: I hate politics to begin with. I’ve tried to be largely engaged
in the political debates and questions in our world, I just…well, it’s not that
I don’t care. It’s more because there is so much going on that my brain cannot
wrap around everything. I get stressed
out when it comes to politics. I really dislike elections years. I know that
God is in control. I am a dutiful citizen of the United States, I research all
candidates and propositions on the ballot before I vote. Does that mean that a
Christian who is passionate and active in the political process bad? I don’t
think so. I think God gives certain people the energy and the know-how to be
active in the political realm. I think churches needs someone who can easily
understand what is going on in order to help others understand and make an
informed decision.
