Page 2 – The Waltonian

By: Brian Lines

We humans love throwing things. As a child, what is more fun than picking up a rock or toy and letting it fly through the air with all our strength? It’s empowering, fun and exhilarating. In fact, we enjoyed throwing so much as children that many of the popular sports we play as adults involve throwing things.

While sports like football, basketball and baseball include rules to make it more than just throwing a ball, there are some sports that stay more true to the foundation of simply throwing an object in the air.

At some point in history, we transitioned from hurling heavy stone discs as far as possible, to tossing light plastic discs between friends, to throwing aerodynamic plastic discs into metal baskets. Any sport involving a disc is indeed strange, so the weird sport I want to share about is disc golf.

While golf is a sport dating back to the 15th century, disc golf has only come about in the early 20th century. Someone looked at the old sport of golf and decided that it would be fun to replicate it with round pieces of plastic flying through the air. Just like a golfer uses different types of clubs with different shapes and weights, a disc golfer uses different types of discs.

Generally speaking, there are three different kinds of discs: drivers, mid-range and putters. Every disc has a different weight, shape and speed.

Here’s the weird thing: if you were to tell an ultimate frisbee player to throw a driver, it is highly unlikely that the disc will fly straight. The discs, especially drivers, are made to be thrown at such high speeds that if they aren’t thrown hard enough, they will fly off to the left or right. Disc golf is a strange sport because while it remains a very simple sport of throwing an object in a certain direction, it can be more complex and difficult to acquire the skill to perform well in it.

That being said, I would claim that disc golf is one of the most accessible sports to learn for new players. Most people have thrown a frisbee before. Even if someone isn’t very good at throwing a frisbee, they know the general motion of doing so. In disc golf, there isn’t the social pressure of throwing the disc to another person and missing them, causing them to have to run and get it. You simply keep throwing the disc towards the basket until you reach it and get it in the metal chains. And if it takes a lot of throws for you to get down to the basket, great, you’re getting more exercise walking around outside in a park and you have a new activity you can get better at.

Essentially, playing disc golf at a casual level is just taking a hike outside with the added fun of sending a piece of plastic flying through the air. Disc golf is a very weird sport, but it can be quite fun and is best enjoyed with other people seeking to spend time outside throwing things.

By: Brian Lines

These days, most podcasts are started like bands did in the early 2000s, with a sense of boredom and an eagerness to talk people’s ears off. But for Dr. Pete Enns and author Jared Byas, only half of that is true. The duo started their podcast, The Bible for Normal People, in early 2017, primarily due to a growing interest in accessible biblical scholarship.

To learn more about this podcast, I reached out to Dr. Enns, who just so happens to be a professor of Biblical Studies here at Eastern University, for an interview. When asked how the podcast came about, Dr. Enns spoke of how Jared Byas approached him and asked “on a scale of 1-10, how much would you hate to do a podcast?” Dr. Enns was “happy to do a podcast,” and “happy to talk,” but didn’t really want to “deal with the ins and outs” of a podcast. Eventually, the two came together to record and the first episode of The Bible for Normal People (B4NP) came out in March of 2017.

The primary structure of the podcast is for Dr. Enns and Byas to act as hosts for the many guests who come on and share their understandings of the Bible and how their specific fields have influenced their perspectives. Dr. Enns spoke of how they wanted the podcast to be educational, and to “bring the best of biblical scholarship to normal people.” And that is exactly what the podcast does; in its six seasons, B4NP has hosted a variety of big names, from Rachel Held Evans to Jemar Tisby to Dale Allison. When asked if he had a suggested episode for prospective listeners, Dr. Enns said that “we’ve had some wonderful guests, maybe a hundred in the past six years.” He said that maybe listeners will “see a name that people recognize,” and start from there.

Then came the big question: why would you recommend people listen to B4NP? Dr. Enns made it very clear that some people simply won’t be interested in the podcast, and that’s ok; he said people might be interested in the podcast if they “are interested in getting deeper in the nature of the bible and what it is,” that “there seems to be people interested in those questions, not everyone is and that’s fine.” For me as a listener, every B4NP episode feels like a free seminary class. As Dr. Enns stated, you get to “[hear] things from scholars and practitioners who have thought a lot about [the bible].”

If you’re interested in a podcast that asks questions that you might have on your mind about the Bible or faith in general, but aren’t inclined to listen to primarily academic conversations, Dr. Enns and Jared Byas are going to be starting a second podcast: Faith for Normal People (F4NP). Dr. Enns spoke of F4NP as “A way for opening up the kind of things we talk about [in the B4NP]…B4NP more specifically addresses biblical texts and hermeneutics, with F4NP we can go deeper into things like science and religion.” They want to talk about things people are asking for, like “What do you do about evolution? What do you do about quantum physics?…What do you do about world religions?”

The Bible for Normal people is a wonderful and unique opportunity for people asking questions about the Bible or who are curious about how those who spend their time studying the Bible interpret it. And for those who aren’t as interested in the more academic conversations, or for those who are already fans of B4NP, you can look forward with eagerness to the soon to come, Faith for Normal People podcast.

A film review of “The Hundred-Foot Journey.”

By: Brian Lines

“Food is memory.” Indian food brings me memories of my childhood. When we lived in Kenya, my mother learned how to make dishes from the Indian cuisine because Indian spices were some of the only spices we could actually obtain. Plain rice and grilled sausage remind me of my father, and how he was always willing in my childhood to pull together a quick homemade meal late at night. A good pork carnitas taco gives me memories of my time in Southern California, where such fresh and heavily authentic Hispanic culture populates the cities. Food is memory.

In 2014, a movie adaptation of a novel by Richard Morais was about an Indian family fleeing violence in their home and coming to Europe in hopes of restarting their family restaurant in a new place. The film and novel are called “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” In the story, the Kadam family emigrates to France, and attempts to start up their own restaurant in a little countryside town.

The conflict develops when they realize they are right across the street (100 feet away) from a Michelin-star French restaurant. The story follows Hassan Kadam, a son of the Kadam family and the family’s main chef, as he tries to further his passion and knowledge of the culinary arts.

It would seem that the story is focused on the Michelin stars, the highest honor of achievement for French and other European restaurants, as Kadam works his way up to one star, to two stars, to maybe even three stars. And yet, the film continually brings itself back to its important themes of family, love and home.

This film has everything in it: realistic characters, complex family dynamics, trauma, violent nationalism, romance and most of all, food. This movie will not only make you hungry, but it will also give you a deeper understanding of the power of food and memory. Even if you have never eaten Indian or French food before, the colors, spices and textures will have your mouth watering. Every time I watch this film I can smell the food being cooked on screen.

From this point on in this article, there will be some spoilers for the film. While “The Hundred-Foot Journey” has its cheesy moments, it has some very serious and realistic moments too. We learn that one of the many things the Kadam family lost due to the violence in their home in India is their mother. At one point in the film, a group of nationalistic Frenchmen vandalize the Kadam’s restaurant and throw molotov cocktails into their kitchen.

Ultimately the film is all about Kadam trying to climb the ladder of success in the culinary world, then realizing that he has lost his identity in doing so. There is a moment near the end of the film where Kadam, being a famous chef in a top-class restaurant in Paris, is sitting with his depression at night in his kitchen realizing that he truly isn’t happy. He then hears someone in the space and finds another chef eating a late dinner. It just so happens that this other chef is from India and is eating a home cooked Indian meal, made with spices shipped from their home country. After sharing this meal with his fellow chef, Hassan breaks into tears as he realizes that what he is missing in his life are his identity and family. The food brings back Hassan’s memories. Food is memory. Foreshadowing this event, Hassan is the one who says that “food is memory” early in the film. I highly recommend “The Hundred-Foot Journey” to any and all.

A colorful Indian dish. Source: Marvin Ozz/Pexels

By: Brian Lines

I would like you to do something for me: try and recall the last book you read through entirely that was not tied to school. Perhaps it is a novel you read over a summer, or a young-adult fiction book you read in middle school or even a kids book you remember reading over and over again in your childhood. You don’t need to be ashamed of how long ago it might be or what book it was.

For most of us, reading has become either a chore we avoid doing, or a luxury we can’t afford anymore. We live in a world where there are so many other forms of entertainment and things that can fill our leisure time other than books. Why would I spend my extra time in the day reading when I can watch this show I enjoy, or play this game I’m good at or catch up with friends on social media? When I think about it, it is strange: we all grew up reading a lot.

A photo of a book in the woodsSource: Rikka Amebos/Pexels

Though we often read as kids because we had to, I’m willing to bet most of us enjoyed reading.

This article is not meant to point out the problems of our digital age or to shame you for not reading very much. The point of this article is to tell you why you should make an attempt to read more again, but also to tell you that you are fully capable of making a return to reading.

I’m sure we’ve all been told that we should read more because it is physically healthy for us. And this is true. According to BBC Teach, reading does something about stimulating neural pathways, and strengthening our senses and memories. But all of the physical health benefits and statistics you heard aside, reading can genuinely help you feel better and live a better life.

When confronted with a complex character in a piece of literature, you can learn more about yourself and your own personality based on how you react to the character. This isn’t just a helpful development for children. If you are someone who struggles with interacting with people or understanding why you feel the way you do about certain things, literature is a very effective and safe space to learn more about yourself. It isn’t always that we put ourselves in the shoes of the characters that we read, but we often experience the things that they do when we read their stories.

Reading literature, especially about people very different from us and experiencing things we never will, we continue to grow our empathy and understanding of those around us. Additionally, reading can grow our own confidence and reduce the amount of stress we feel. According to Healthline, spending time just sitting down with a book and only focusing on the words we are reading calms us down and can lower our stress levels on a massive scale.

Now I am sure some of that sounds cheesy to you, but I promise that taking some time to read more than you already do can benefit you a whole lot more than you realize. But I know for some, reading just doesn’t feel like an option. I don’t have enough time to sit down and read. I can never bring myself to read rather than do other things in my free time. I get it, I do, reading is not a part of our regular lives anymore. But it can be.

If you are struggling to find time to read, pick something to read that sounds even the slightest bit interesting and read however much you can before going to bed, it doesn’t even have to be a whole chapter. You’ll find that you have more time than you think to read. If you’re struggling to read instead of other leisurely activities, I encourage you to go back and read that book you thought of at the beginning of this article.

Return to the stories of your childhood. Find books that you know you enjoyed reading and give them a reread, it might just remind you of the childhood joy reading might have brought you.

Sources: BBC Teaching, HealthLine

BBC Teaching – https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/why-is-reading-good-for-me/zmbtwty#:~:text=When%20we%20read%20we%20create,week%20increases%20health%20and%20wellbeing.

HealthLine – https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books

A look into the controversy surrounding Amazon’s new high-budget show.

By: Brian Lines

For those who might be unaware, there is currently quite a lot of controversy in the entertainment sector surrounding a new television show: Amazon Prime’s “Rings of Power.” In 2017, Amazon acquired the television rights to “Lord of the Rings” for nearly $250 million.

Screenshot of Amazon’s “The Rings of Power.” Source: Brian Lines/The Waltonian

While the film industry is struggling, the television industry is booming. With services like Disney+, HBO Max and Netflix continuing to grow and pump out quality projects, Amazon saw this as an opportunity to boost their own streaming service, Amazon Prime Video. The scale of Amazon’s “Rings of Power” show is unmatched. When they acquired the rights, Amazon announced the show’s release date to be in Sept. 2022, that the show will have 5 seasons and that the overall cost will be $1 billion. The first season of the show alone cost $462 million, pushing the expected overall cost to be much higher than $1 billion according to ScreenRant. Many assume that this new project is Amazon’s attempt to rival HBO Max’s “Game of Thrones.”

To most, this would all sound quite normal; it’s just another rich streaming service creating a new massive show in order to compete with its rivals. However, the “Lord of the Rings” community is not easily satisfied. Many passionate J.R.R Tolkien enthusiasts are resisting the production of the prequel show. In the early 2000s, director Peter Jackson took on the challenge to create a movie series of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” To many at the time, this was folly. However, the film trilogy was an extraordinary success, receiving a total of 17 Oscars between them.

The third installment of the trilogy, “The Return of the King” is tied with “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic” with the most academy award wins (11). Most Tolkien fans look back on these movies with a positive attitude. While the movies were still very limited in content they could use from the books due to the massive amount of content found in the books, they were a fair representation of the story.

Between the success of the trilogy and the books themselves (over 150 million copies sold, according to WordsRated), this new television show has such high pressure being put on it. In addition to the pressure to succeed from past projects, the new “Rings of Power” show is facing criticism from some Tolkien fans who see the massive industry producing this project ironic as Tolkien himself was adamantly against the immense growth of the industry in his time.

Many fans on the internet have been misquoting Tolkien with the line “Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt.” This is not a statement that Tolkien ever wrote. However, in “The Return of the King,” Tolkien wrote “The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don’t think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them” when discussing the creation of orcs.

Misquote or not, though, it is clear that no matter the quality of the new “Rings of Power” show, many fans will be unhappy with the project. This being said, as a J.R.R Tolkien fan myself, I am still enjoying the show so far. The budget and creative talent behind the show have allowed the making of a beautiful and clever reintroduction to the world we experience in the original film trilogy in the early 2000s.

While the prequel will never be able to fully encapsulate the vastness of the history of “Lord of the Rings,” we can still enjoy the show for what it is able to do. I have enjoyed the score of the show, the performances, the dialogue and characters. If fans are able to take the show for what it is, and not expect it to be the movies or the books, I truly think they will be able to enjoy it.

Sources: Screen Rant, Words Rated, Fan Sided

Screen Rant – https://screenrant.com/lotr-rings-power-show-budget-billion-amazon-details/

Words Rated – https://wordsrated.com/lord-of-the-rings-stats/#:~:text=The%20Lord%20of%20the%20Rings%20series%20is%20one%20of%20the,million%20books%20around%20the%20world.

Fan Sided – https://winteriscoming.net/2022/02/15/fans-spam-the-lord-of-the-rings-of-power-incorrect-jrr-tolkien-quote/

On February 24, Russia began its invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine. As nations began to place sanctions on Russian President, Vladimir Putin, eyes turned to the Russian 1%. On March 2, Chelsea FC owner and Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, made a shocking statement saying that he has passed “stewardship and care” of his English Premier League team to the trustees of the club’s foundation. Abramovich made no statement on handing over ownership of the club. Then, sanctions began to be placed on Russian oligarchs all around the world, prompting Abramovich to put Chelsea up for sale for over $3 billion. Before Abramovich could pull a sale off, the U.K government seized control of the club with sanctions being placed on the Russian.

While this move by the UK government has been politically accepted by the majority of the world, many Chelsea fans are sad to see Abramovich (and his money) leave. Roman Abramovich took ownership of the top-tier English Premier League team in 2003, and has now been its owner for almost 20 years. Under Abramovich’s leadership, Chelsea has won a plethora of awards. Chelsea’s men’s team have won 21 out of their 34 trophies under Abramovich: five EPL titles, two Champions League titles, one Club World Cup title, two Europa League titles, five FA Cup titles, three League Cup titles, one Super Cup title and two Community Shield titles. Chelsea’s women’s team have won all 11 of their trophies under the Russian: five EPL titles, three FA cup titles, two League Cup titles and one Community Shield title. Chelsea’s youth academy team have won nine out of their 11 trophies under Abramovich: seven FA Youth Cup titles, 2 UEFA Youth League titles. All of that is to say that Roman Abramovich has given Chelsea some of the most lucrative seasons of football the Premier League has ever seen.

Roman Abramovich has remained very cooperative throughout the process. When he initially set his club up for sale, Abramovich declared that he had ordered the creation of a charitable foundation where all of the net proceeds of the sale would be placed; the foundation was to be for “the benefit of all the victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.” Furthermore, Abramovich has been present in the negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian parties.

The future of Chelsea FC is indefinitely unknown. Any interested buyers would need to meet with the U.K government to gain approval to approach the club. Currently, the popular rumors are circulating Todd Boehly (part owner of the L.A Dodgers), Sir Martin Broughton (an English businessman) and the Ricketts family (owners of the Chicago Cubs).

In this difficult time for Chelsea, the club and players have been strained. Multiple sponsors of the club have hinted at pulling investments out of the club, the U.K government has halted any player transfers from being negotiated and the club is not allowed to sell any tickets to their home games apart from the ones already sold. Though the club is in a time of unease, Chelsea’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, has remained as optimistic as one can, stating that as long as the team have enough shirts to wear and gas in the buses, they will simply keep competing.

Sources: Chelsea FC, Washington Post, ESPN, The Guardian, The Independent, AP News

Philosopher and play-critic, Aristotle, defined acting in “Rhetoric” as “a matter of the right management of the voice to express the various emotions.” Aristotle goes on to say that “dramatic ability is a natural gift, and can hardly be systematically taught.” It would be dramatically difficult to not witness this definition of performing in Eastern University’s own Zach Wilson.

Wilson has been performing since sophomore year of high school, and has been a part of Eastern’s performances from his Freshman year up until his final semester here with us this Spring. Wilson has also been a member of Eastern’s choir, Turning Point, and has served as the choir’s president this school year. Below is a brief summary of an interview this writer had the privilege of holding with Zach Wilson over a pleasant breakfast on the morning of the 31st of March.

“What have been some of your favorite pieces you have performed with Turning Point?”

“‘The Snow is Deep on the Ground’ by Katie Kring, [a cappella arrangement of the poem by Kenneth Patchen] that piece blew me away. We also performed ‘Only in Sleep’ by Ēriks Ešenvalds. We only performed that for a recital, but then I found myself humming it after.”

“‘Still Here!’ will be your last theater performance here at Eastern. Has there been a favorite show you’ve done here?”

“‘Into the Woods’ freshman year was a good experience. There was a big enough cast that a lot of people could be in the show so I could meet people and make friends, which is different than recently with the smaller shows we’ve had, so there is a bit of disappointment with people not getting in but that’s the nature of shows. I was the narrator and the mysterious man in ‘Into the Woods.’”

“Tell me a bit about the Turning Point concert and recording session coming up.”

“A couple weeks ago they were just like ‘hey we’re gonna put Turning Point in the recording studio.’ So we’re going to go and record two of our songs. I think its just the music department trying to increase what the music department is doing and being out there. I know there is a new building coming soon too. The concert is just the Spring music concert that happens every year. Lord willing, we won’t be performing with masks this time. We are also going to be performing during graduation.”

“Do you hope to keep singing and acting after you graduate? You’re going on to teach, will you be looking to keep up with your performing arts?”

“Last year when ‘Little Women’ was canceled, a senior gave a really good speech about how this would be his last time on stage because he’s going into business. It hit me then, that won’t be me, but I really hope not, but I have no idea how scheduling will work. The short answer is no, I’d like it to not stop, but I recognize it might. Like [him] I am thankful for the opportunity in college to have fun. Well see if it stops or not.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to talk about? This is ultimately a story about you and your art, is there more you’d like to share?”

“Just a shout out to other choir members: Hailey, who is the vice president who has stepped up and done things for me I didn’t even know had to be done. Also Jessie, the other bass, just for being good friends and working with him in the choir. We’ve had 4 different choir directors these years, I’m glad we’ve been able to stick though it. Its been hard on us and the directors as well.”

Zach Wilson is a dedicated and talented performer, whose eloquence and dedication is reflected in all other aspects of his life. The Spring Music Festival will be on Saturday, April 9th. You can get tickets for the festival at http://easternarts.ticketleap.com/.

Sources: Aristotle’s “Rhetoric” Book III Chapter I

Roses, wine and ladybugs: there is so much symbolism and nature to be discovered in the art of the color red. We see red everyday, it is the most noticeable color and yet it isn’t the color we think of first when we think of nature. And for good reason!

There is such an overwhelming amount of green and brown in nature. But I am here to tell you about the symbolic, natural and beautiful power of red. When it comes to symbolism, there is no better color.

Roses are used to symbolize love; blood is used to symbolize suffering; red lightsabers are used to symbolize sith. Red is used for symbolism precisely because it is such a striking color that can evoke so many emotions. Though perhaps the most well-known red symbol is wine.

Wine is used in literature to symbolize stature as well as bloodshed. Charles Dickens uses wine in his novel “A Tale of Two Cities” to symbolize the flowing of blood in the French revolution. In history, wine is spoken of as a luxury. And in Christianity, wine is heavily tied to the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross.

The color red has been, and continues to be, a symbol of a vast range of things, from love, to death. But the color red isn’t just symbolic. Red is more of a natural color than most people realize. Berries, flowers, bugs, rocks, wood, leaves, animals, fire, the sun: the color red is painted all over our world, if you know where and when to look for it.

Red is one of the hardest colors to see in the most common forms of color-blindness: red-green color blindness. There is so much power in the nature of red, exhibited best in the burning colors of fire. But there is also so much innocence and meekness in the nature of red, exhibited best by the peaceful ladybug.

Just like words, colors have power, and knowing how to handle the power of the color red is essential for those using symbols but also for those who study the beauty of our world. Red has the power of unity, the power of sacrifice, the power of meekness, the power of gentleness, the power of luxury, the power of life and the power of death.

Having gone through multiple script-rewrites, directors and actors, “The Batman” eventually found itself in the hands of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson. But the trials were not over. The film’s production was cut short by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the release date was pushed to October, 2021. Production eventually wrapped in February, 2021, and the release date was pushed back to March, 2022.

All of that being said, “The Batman” struggled as all films being produced at the same time were to finish on schedule. And yet, having had to wait almost an entire extra year for this film, most of us would have been willing to wait even longer for the extraordinary movie we were given. Before this review goes further, I would like to warn readers that while I will do my best to refrain from major spoilers, “The Batman” will be discussed. So spoiler alert!

To start, I should acknowledge that I am an avid fan of the Batman character and I went into the movie with very high expectations. One of the common critiques of “The Batman” is its style and color-pallete. Director Matt Reeves, having clearly taken inspiration from the rest of his career as well as David Fincher’s “Se7en,” creates a Gotham City that is gloomy, rainy, desperate and as writer Nicholas Barber put it: where “humor is strictly forbidden.”

Other critics have targeted Pattinson’s acting as him being even more “uncomfortable” than he was in the “Twilight” saga, and not as intimidating as he needed to be. However, despite these critiques, “The Batman” still finds itself topping domestic box-offices and pulling in $10.6 million as of Friday, March 18th.

My biggest critiques of the film surround the unsatisfying shift in the Riddler’s motivation and plan before the climax of the film as well as Riddler himself. Paul Dano gives a wonderful performance as the character, but the shift from a truth-driven serial killer to a whiney boy on the internet just wanting to flood the entire city was annoying. However, this film has certainly made its way into my 2nd favorite Batman film and one of my favorite films I’ve seen recently.

While I went into “The Batman” with high expectations, I also went in worried that I would leave the 3 hour movie disappointed. My worries were quickly dashed in the first 10 minutes. The film opens with a narration from Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne as we get introduced to the most realistic and most comic-book accurate version of Gotham City and Batman.

I was able to avoid the critics who aimed at the style of “The Batman” as it was the representation of Batman that I needed without being the over-told origin story. Additionally, Robert Pattinson has been growing on me as an actor after his performances in “The Lighthouse” and “Tenet”. Pattinson’s natural awkwardness mixed with his ability to fall into the moody and emotional Bruce Wayne made him the perfect fit for this younger reproduction of the vigilante.

Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell and Jeffrey Wright all deserve their own articles for their stand-out performances. Kravitz’s Catwoman provides a confident character to the film and a roadblock to Pattinson’s Batman. Wright’s Gordan gave us a relatable and realistic character in a different way than what Gary Oldman gave us in Nolan’s trilogy. And though he is hardly recognizable, Colin Farrell’s Penguin delivered the funniest lines in the film while also still very much being a mob boss.

Giacchino perfectly molds a score around the individual characters and the story of “The Batman” while also giving audiences the dramatic and gritty tone reflected on screen. Giacchino crafts Batman’s theme with inspiration from 90s band Nirvana, and Riddler’s theme from “Ave Maria.”

Much much more could be said in praise of “The Batman”, but this review ends here. For fans who were disappointed with a cameo of the Joker at the end of the film, there is an excellent Variety article that dives into interviews with Matt Reeves surrounding the character’s role.

Matt Reeves has teased 3 future spin-off tv shows of “The Batman.” I give “The Batman” a rating 29 cats out of 31.

Sources: BBC & New York Post

Writing about your mother is like writing a paper the night it is due: it’s pretty risky, sometimes rewarding and when it comes down to it, it’s necessary. March is women’s history month. While abundantly important, it is ultimately depressing that our world appreciates women and the contributions they have all individually brought to us so little that we need to set a month aside to remind us to. Then again, how could we ever show enough gratitude? From standout historical and current female leaders, to mothers and sisters and friends, it is overwhelmingly clear that women are some of the strongest, caring and impactful people in our world.

While I am sure many people tend to think of their mother first in those groups, it’s for good reason– our mothers have to put up with us. An entire newspaper isn’t large enough for me to include everything my mother has accomplished, not even everything she has done for me.

From earning a doctorate in ministry to raising two children in a desert, my mother is easily the strongest person I know. Her courage to live in Kenya for 9 years (with two young children) closely after college to live out mission work makes even things like her endurance to be a woman pastor in a world that still boxes women who want to be in ministry into child care seem trivial.

But if I’m being honest, strength isn’t what first comes to mind when I think of my mother. I think of rain. My mother has such an amazing understanding of beauty and has found so much of it everywhere we have lived, including the desert of Kenya.

In the few and far between moments in Kenya that we would get rain, I would be found outside playing in the water and mud. In Kentucky, we would stand outside together in the rain. Because of her, I find peace and joy in the world around me; because of her I know how to love the people and world around me. The beauty in the world around me reflects the joy and peace my mother has taught me to recognize wherever I am.

But my mother hasn’t just contributed to my life. She has held a variety of jobs spanning from being a missionary to a university library assistant. But ministry has always been where my mother’s vocation has been. She is currently the pastor at Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This summer we’ll have lived in Indianapolis for five years, and my mother has certainly become an extraordinarily loving and wise pastor in our church community and neighborhood. If I had to sum up as much of my mother as I could in a few words, it would be these: rain, love, strength and pastoral.

I find my mother to be quite a remarkable person, as I am sure most people would think of their own mother, but she is still just one example of a powerful and important woman. I know it might be difficult to think about things you can do for women’s history month. I encourage you to do three things. First, take some time to compile a list of women in your life who have either inspired you or been formative for who you are in some way. Second, put some words down about each of them just talking about how they have been important to you. Third, if you are able to reach out to any of the women in your list, do so. If not, then spend some time talking with a friend or family member about them. If you find that your list is rather small, I encourage you to spend some time with texts written by women.