life | Heartstone Journey

What Guardians Of The Galaxy Can Teach Us About Fatherhood

Recently saw Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 and it was just as enjoyable and fun to watch as the first one. I’m a big fan of the larger Marvel cinematic universe, but the Guardians of The Galaxy storyline is one of my favorites.

Spoiler Alert

I love the sci-fi mixed with humor theme’ing — even if Drax’s laughter feels forced at times. There is also the camaraderie, stunning visuals, and the of course the epic soundtrack. If you’re a fan of the last Guardians movie, there’s no reason to think that you won’t find this one just as good.

We have to start at the end and roll it back a bit to highlight one of the deeper themes in the movie. Peter’s (Star Lord) coveted Walkman gets busted and Kraglin (Yondu’s right-hand Ravager) gives him a “new” music player as a replacement. The epic joke is that he got a Microsoft Zune. Kraglin shares that Yondu always expected Peter to come back, so he picked it up for him while at a space junk sale. After being in awe that this new player can hold “300 songs?!” he scrolls through the menu and, like he did at the end of the last movie and fires up a track — “Father and Son.” from Cat Stevens

Let’s unpack the deeper theme of “Father and son” from the movie…

Moms, You’re Holding On Too Tight!

Unfortunately we live in a time where the “accepted normal” is kids having to grow up in a fractured family due to divorce or without fathers who are active in their lives and often the heavy lifting is unfairly burdened on the mothers. The other unintended consequence of this trend is the dilemma of weak or emasculated men reaching epidemic proportions in society…where many are asking, “where have all the men gone?”

Because of this, I’ve noticed that mothers are becoming more over protective and controlling of their sons, which is causing significant tension when it comes time for them to stretch their wings and leave the nest. The other dynamic that’s rearing its ugly head is these sons are finding it harder to cleave to their wives and step up to lead in their homes. Too often I talk to men who cannot make decisions for themselves or their families, have no real direction or plan for their life, choose a path of passivity and are paralyzed of their future. They are carrying a broken compass and have absolutely no mission in life!

When you dig deeper into these issues, you can often connect the dots to not having a fully present father figure in their lives and/or a mother who never allowed her son the opportunity to stop being her “little boy”. Of course a mother’s efforts are well intended, but they unknowingly stand in the way of their son’s father (or father figure) ability to provide a path for them to become men by keeping their “little boys” under their constant protection and control.

To all the mothers out there who doing much of the heavy lifting these days…

How Picking Up Stones Changed My Life

We finished lunch with a couple of other hikers on the back deck of the AMC hut and began our final ascent. It was getting colder, and we began putting on warmer gear as we navigated through more snow and ice. With the thinning of the air, the tighter gripping of the cold, and the thickening silence, an overwhelming desire to run ahead came over me. I motioned to my friend that I was going to run up ahead a bit, which he had no issue with. Closing in on the summit, with my heart pounding and my lungs stinging from the cold air, I somehow knew that a milestone of this journey was at hand. I saw a large rock come into view, converging with my path, and I soon found myself standing upon this large rock. It was as if the Lord had gone ahead and had prepared this place of peaceful solitude and comfort so I could clearly hear His voice without all the other distractions. Standing there upon the rock, I took a deep breath, lifted my head to the Heavens, and began to have a conversation with Him. Time relaxed for a moment. It was awesome.

It was here at this place of desolation, on this rock, on this mountain, where He spoke to my heart. Do you want to know what He said to me? He asked me to collect four stones when I got to the top of the mountain. So, standing in my own strength, leaning on my own understanding and ending the tranquil scene He had prepared for me, my response was, “You want me to do what?”

Why Self-Promotion Disqualifies You

God has given me a calling with ‘Heartstone Journey’ and there are days that I struggle with wanting more of my portion. It wasn’t until I came across the story of Gehazi in 2 King 5, where I got a reality check on the dangers of adopting this heart attitude. Sad reality is…many of us have it.

We don’t like being in the process and want more…or we want to become the “head guy” before we’re ready. We convince ourselves that we’ve put our time in and we should get what’s “owed” to us, right? This is the heart attitude that began to take hold of Gehazi. He was a servant of the prophet Elisha and served him with honor for many years until on day, he used Elisha’s name for his own dishonest personal gain — self-promotion.

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'” -2 kings 5:21-22

Let’s see what happens…

10 Life Lessons From Hacksaw Ridge

Finally had the bandwidth to sit down, without distractions, and watch Hacksaw Ridge on Amazon Prime Video for the first time. Wow, what an incredible movie! The movie is Mel Gibson’s re-telling of the true story of Private Desmond T. Doss, an Army medic in WWII (Andrew Garfield) who served during the Battle of Okinawa without carrying a rifle into battle.

Spoiler Alert

Before the epic battle scenes, we get a glimpse into Doss’s life where he experiences the destructive nature of violence as a child which become the building blocks to his steadfast belief. Still, because his brother and other boys in town enlist in the war effort, Doss does the same — much to the dismay of his new girlfriend Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) and his veteran father (Hugo Weaving).

Doss excels in boot camp, outperforming most of the other men, but standing his ground in refusing to handle a rifle causes tension with his peers, Army leadership and his drill sergeant (Vince Vaughn). Taking this position puts his future in the Army at the mercy of a court martial. His entire unit questions if he can serve his country and have their backs without carrying rifle into battle until he more than proves himself when his company confronts the Japanese in the Pacific theater.

What Guardians Of The Galaxy Can Teach Us About Fatherhood

Moms, You’re Holding On Too Tight!

How Picking Up Stones Changed My Life

Why Self-Promotion Disqualifies You

10 Life Lessons From Hacksaw Ridge

Favorite Quotes

Cool Scripture

Never Out Of The Fight!

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