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Showing posts from July, 2016

Review of The Fault in Our Stars

At long last, I've read  The Fault in Our Stars  by John Green - otherwise known as the one that makes girls cry. I didn't read it years ago when the movie came out, because I didn't want to cry. I saw the movie first. Because of that, some of this review will be comparisons between the two. I like that Gus tells Hazel that he loves her on a plane rather than in a restaurant. It makes the mundane ride seem more special (and he mentions oblivion). I like that the book explains Caroline Mathers' relationship with Gus so that the reader assumes it won't be the same with Hazel (because for an author to do that twice with a character is unoriginal). The worst part for me is when Peter Van Houten refuses to tell Hazel and Gus what happens to the characters in their favorite book. This frustrates me because characters, even though they are fictional, do matter to readers. Some would say that is the whole point of writing. Van Houten, as an author, needs to understand thi

Missions: With and Without

Background: Except for this summer, I've been on a mission trip every summer since my freshman year of high school. Here are some of my thoughts without that part of my life. I miss the friendships and the team-building. I miss being shaken from my comfort zone. Maybe I miss it because I expect God to move in a tangible way, and I don't (usually) when I'm not in that context. I miss working with other people in community for a purpose. It's hard to relate that to a job or school or a church service. On mission trips, most everyone becomes closer as you go through the same type of Bible lessons or small groups. People are willing and sometimes coerced into being vulnerable. I'm studying missions in school, and from what I've learned so far, trips are supposed to be about the people that we (mission teams) serve, not about us. But I've found that most trips I've been on have impacted me and the mission team the most. Is that bad? Yes and no. It's goo