true grit & the fighter

 

last weekend i saw true grit and the fighter at the local drive-in theater. i enjoyed both movies and thought they were both well done. different styles of filming, but good acting in both.

even though the headline names for true grit were jeff bridges and matt damon, it was hailee steinfeld that  stole the show. jeff bridges was a little hard to understand, but you get used to how he talks after awhile. it seemed like there was good chemistry between these three actors. the dialogue and banter between the characters was great and there is also a good amount of humor splattered throughout the movie. the pace of the movie was a little slow, but again, it was well written and well acted.

the fighter was completely different than true grit. it was a much more frenetic pace with a lot of quick cuts and shaky camera movements. every other word was a swear word and all the characters seemed to talk loudly and at the same time, but i think that was the point. it showed how chaotic micky ward's life was. christian bale did an excellent job acting as the older brother caught up in the past and mark wahlberg held his own.

spiritual drafting

this past friday i finally went biking again. it was the first time i biked since this summer (i think). we rode around 33 miles and i was pleasantly surprised and happy that i was able to keep up with everyone (till the real end). i think what really helped me was that i was able to draft behind my friends. by following right on their tails, they were able to pull me along a bit and i didn't have to pedal as much as they were.

anyway, as i was biking along, i started thinking if it was possible for us to draft one another spiritually. what can we do to pull one another along in our faith? i guess the thing that jumped out to me was the need for community. if i was just to bike by myself, it would be a lot more work. but by staying close behind my friends, that bike ride was much easier. i think that's what community does. being with others who can encourage you and help you along in your faith. as we share with one another the things that God is doing in our lives, we will encourage others in their faith.

the thing about riding together is that if the person in the real front gets tired, they can move to the back and draft and the person second in line would lead till they get tired and they keep rotating (side note: i didn't really rotate though because i'm the weakest rider in the group so i stayed in the back the whole time. haha). but that's the thing with a strong community of believers. while there are those who lead, when they get tired, they should be able to rest and others step up and lead. by doing that, we can be able to spiritually draft one another :D