Rogue One, A Star Wars Story

It's been a little while since I saw Rogue One, but I decided to wait till the initial rush to watch it was over before I posted about it. Still, I'm going to be pretty vague. This is not so much a review as it is raving over how good the movie was. In fact, this is probably basically an advertisement. :)

Rogue One is, as it has been advertised, a Star Wars story, a story that gave Star Wars fans the opportunity to revel in the Star Wars universe while waiting for Episode VIII (The Last Jedi!!) to come out. And oh my, did it do that. 

This movie is the backstory to Episode IV, A New Hope, which makes brief mention of how the Rebellion acquired the plans to the Death Star. (The Empire's ultimate weapon, an armored station with enough firepower to destroy an entire planet!! (Why, yes, I do pretty much have those pre-movie synopses memorized. ;)) We don't learn much about that daring deed from the following episodes. Rogue One delves into that reference and brings up a host of incredible characters and thrilling adventures. 

Characters. I could say a lot about the characters. (I won't, though, so as not to spoil the movie for anyone who has not yet seen it.)

There's Jyn Erso, a young woman trying to figure out where she stands and how she will live her life after the tragedy and terror of her earlier years.

There's Cassian Andor, a captain with complicated past and motives, plus a terrific accent.

There's Chirrut Imwe, a calm, blind Force-user with some unbelievable martial art skills.

There's K-2SO, one of the best droids ever to come up in the Star Wars saga (in my opinion).

There's Krennic, an Imperial commander and well-developed antagonist.

There's still more. (The main problem is that I don't remember their names. But if you've seen the movie, you know who they are.)

Adventures. I could say a lot about the adventures of this wonderful movie. Unfortunately I can't, because that would be basically telling the story and that would make watching the movie less interesting in this case. Let it suffice to say that the adventures do not disappoint.

Music! It wasn't from John Williams, which was sad, but I still loved the music. It was so good. 

Any cons? I would have appreciated a tiny bit more character development in the cases of Cassian Andor and Galen Erso. I would have liked to learn a bit more about their motives. (I can't explain any further for fear of spoilers, but if you watched the movie then you know what I'm talking about.) I guess the movie was already pretty long, though.

If you've seen Rogue One, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you haven't, I hope you will. It is a story of courage, a story of trust, a story of redemption, a story of sacrifice. 

It is a story of hope.

Jyn! Version #1, color.

-quotes I liked-

"Whatever I do, I do it to protect you."

"You're confusing peace with terror."
"Well, you've got to start somewhere."

"I've never had the luxury of political opinions."

"Trust goes both ways."

"I think that is a bad idea.
What do I know? My specialty's just strategical analysis."

"Rebellions
 are
 built
on
hope."

"Save yourself.
Save the Rebellion.
Save the dream."

"I don't need luck. I have you."

"You're not the only one who has lost everything. Some of us just decided to do something about it."

"One fighter with a sharp stick and nothing left to lose, can win the day."

"You, Jyn Erso, are continually unexpected."

"What chance do we have? 
The question is, 
what choice?"

Jyn! Version #2, black and white.

If you've seen Rogue One, what did you think of it?

All quotes from Rogue One. All images drawn/taken by me.

Ignite! Recap

I've mentioned the Institute for Cultural Communicators here before, specifically in regard to the lessons I learned about influence from their Communicators For Christ conferences. (Find my article here.) If you haven't heard of this organization, you can check it out at its website, here.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend ICC's Winter Retreat, Ignite! It's the first event of the year, "igniting" the attendees' excitement for another year with this organization. It's a several-day-long retreat held in the beautiful mountains of Tennessee. And it's a national event! People came from all over the country. I was so excited to go to Ignite, and today I want to tell you about my experience. 

I had the privilege of attending as a Recommended Staff Assistant, or RSA, which meant that along with many other teenagers, I helped out with meals, setup for tournament and events, and participated in special courses. This year, I was on a team of, I think, 56 RSAs, which was pretty exciting. The really fun part was that even though there were so many of us, we all got to know each other pretty well in the space of 5-6 days. 

Another fun part of being an RSA was leading cabin devotions. There were about 8 people in each cabin, 2-3 of whom were RSAs. The two RSA girls in my cabin and I took turns with this, and had a blast! Our whole cabin really connected and we learned a lot about each other and encouraged each other so much. Those times of talking and sharing are some of my highlights from this event. :)

Sunrise through the fog one morning! When I went to Ignite last year, I wasn't up as early. So it was quite interesting seeing all the fog in the early morning.

The overall theme of Ignite 2017 was "Go Together," based on a proverb. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." I've been learning this more and more since I joined the Institute for Cultural Communicators. You see, I've always liked doing things on my own, because I could get them done more quickly. But speed isn't everything! Here's another phrase we recited frequently at this event. "We go together because we are better together. We are better together because we go together." 

Oh, and there was Tournament Day! One of the really exciting aspects of the Institute for Cultural Communicators is the speech competition. However, the competition is not nearly as, well, competitive. There are no money prizes, for one thing, although there are trophies and medals. For another, the focus is on practice and growing as a speaker. What's more, the speakers are also evaluated on how they behave when they're not speaking on the platform. Tournament Day at Ignite is really exciting, but if you're competitive or going for a special award, that's when you get nervous. I... fulfill both of those things. When I had a spare moment or two, you could find me reciting my speeches in a quiet place near a grove of fir trees. 

Or you could find me taking photos of the fir trees. Same difference, right?

And when a ladybug flies by and decides to land on your jeans, there's nothing a photographer can do but whip out the camera to capture it.

No matter how you think you did in tournament, everyone's really encouraging. The point is to grow, and while the awards are very nice to receive, that's not the most important thing. Plus, watching amazing friends receive awards is sometimes better than getting one yourself. (There's also something very fun in sitting with a couple of friends and waiting nervously to see whose names are called. Go together. ;))

In addition to tournament and general RSA fun, there were Special Events! One was the Mountain Western Party, where everyone at the retreat dressed up like cowboys, ate western-style food, took western photos, played western activities, and generally had a lot of western fun. 

My Western outfit!

Although... we brought in a large hay bale to decorate the building where we ate. The problem with hay bales? Hay falls out of the bales. So staff members and the RSAs had quite a time picking up all the tiny bits of hay off the floor -- by hand, because the brooms didn't work too well on the carpet! Still, it was so much fun, just because there were several of us working and we laughed and talked about all sorts of crazy things. A bonding experience. 

Then there was the Ladies' Luncheon, and the Men's Muncheon! I don't know what happened in the latter event, but the Ladies' Luncheon was a lot of fun. It was Doctor Seuss themed, so everyone dressed up in cheerful, fantastic costumes and had a party with fun decorations. I had fun doing set-up for it. :)

There was the Student Leader Reception, too! All attendees who were Student Leaders in their local public speaking chapters were invited to come to the Student Leader Reception, hosted by ICC's National Student Leader Council. (Thanks, guys! It was amazing! :)) We played activities and got to talk together and relax. We ate waffles -- after decorating them with whipped cream, chocolate chips, sprinkles, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, and things like that. Here's my waffle: 

Yum!!

Anything I didn't like? Hmmm... not really... Sure, I was on meal duty, which involved wiping down tables, sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping. But when you're doing that with a team of friends, it suddenly becomes a lot less tedious. So I don't really have any regrets, unless it's that I didn't take more pictures, possibly.

Overall, I had so much fun attending the Ignite retreat! If you're interested in learning more about this event, you can click here. I got to meet so many people and build so many encouraging relationships. If you're part of the Institute for Cultural Communicators, I think you'd have a fantastic time! And if you're not, I still think you'd have a fantastic time! You don't have to be part of the organization to attend. 

"Go Together," was the theme. I think that we accomplished that at Ignite 2017. We went together, we learned together, and we grew together. 

Worth it All, by Isabella Morganthal

         Recently I had the opportunity to dig into a nonfiction book about running the race of a Christian life. Worth it All, by Isabella Morganthal. Bella has been a friend of mine ever since we met through the National Bible Bee, so I was really excited to read Worth it All. Want to learn more about the Bible Bee? Check out its website here and my article about it here. Or you can also read Bella's book. Because Worth it All is the story of her journey through the Bible Bee and the lessons she's learned about Christian living along the way. 

Book Summary (from the back of the book): This is the personal race—the journey—to know Jesus more deeply than we could even imagine, and live completely dedicated to Him. It’s the race of a lifetime. In her third book, "Worth it All," National Bible Bee Alumnus Isabella Morganthal, shares about her journey as a Bible Bee contestant for five years. Comparing her time as a contestant to a race, she encourages readers to run their own race of knowing Jesus well. "Worth it All" is meant to inspire you to live for Jesus radically in a way that shows the world He is worth more to you than anything or anyone else. So if you’re willing to step onto the racetrack for the race of your life, begin reading. Ready? Set… Go.

Discussions: First of all, I loved reading this book. It was conversational, honest, passionate, and very authentic. As one who's competed in the Bible Bee, I devoured Bella's Bible Bee experiences, remembering and reliving what those times were like for me. The account of her 2015 Locals was especially meaningful to me, since that was the day we met in person after our email-meeting through a Bible memory challenge. It was so exciting to remember that day as one we shared in the Senior division; it's one of my favorite Bible Bee memories ever. :)

I think this book will be relevant to any Christian who reads it, no matter how many years you've been one, no matter whether you've done Bible Bee or not. (I expect Bible Bee-ers will be probably be particularly enthusiastic, though. ;)) It all comes back to serving God wholly and delighting in His Word. I found it encouraging, inspiring, and motivating. 

The only thing I had reservations about was how she mentioned God "speaking" to her. I encourage you to look at that from whatever your Biblical perspective may be and see if you agree with her or not.

(Note on the title.) Possibly because I've competed in Bible Bee, Bella's powerful narration of her Bible Bee experiences really hit home with me. The longing to qualify for Nationals, to place in the top five, to soar high at Nationals. I think most, if not all, contestants have all experienced those desires. And when you don't make it high... the disappointment can be very hard to bear. Yet we need to remember what's important; we need to trust that Jesus is "worth it all."

Overall: I highly recommend Worth it All. Congratulations on writing it, Bella!!

You can find Worth it All on Amazon by clicking here. 

The Professor: Celebrating J. R. R. Tolkien

It's January 3rd, a very special day. Any guesses why?

Drum roll, please...

It is the birthday of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, creator of the stunningly detailed and fascinating world of Middle-earth. A world I entered at the age of seven or eight and continue to wander through happily. And of course, "not all those who wander are lost."

Traditionally, Tolkien fans celebrate this day with a toast to "the Professor" at 9 pm. Join me. won't you? I and my siblings intend to propose this toast, although we may not be toasting with anything more interesting than water. But Tolkien clearly didn't look down on water, as readers of Return of the King may remember, so it won't matter in the slightest.

Now, back to J. R. R. Tolkien's books. He's best known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. (Find my book/movie reviews here for Hobbit and here for Lord of the Rings.) The stories and the characters are wonderful, and the books are easier to read than say, The Silmarillion. The aforementioned Silmarillion is amazing, though, and absolutely essential for any hardcore Tolkien fan. Detailed history of Middle-earth, including its creation, new characters to love, stunning stories (literally... Hurin's family had it tough), maps, Elvish languages notes...

I also love the other History of Middle Earth books. Unfinished Tales, the Books of Lost Tales, the Children of Hurin, and still more. 

I really like my boxed Tolkien sets. 

Also other books by Tolkien such as The Tolkien Reader and his translations from old English literature (it was so much fun studying Sir Gawain and the Green Knight knowing that J. R. R. Tolkien translated it).

And not only are these books fantastic, but they also make great bookends.

But why exactly do I love Tolkien's works so much?

Perhaps it's something to do with growing up with them. Once I'd finished The Hobbit, it was only natural to pick up Lord of the Rings (although, I ended up putting it down again, because I couldn't keep track of all the characters at age nine). Then I moved on to the Silmarillion a little later and dove into Middle-earth history (and trivia... I can recite the names of several Valar at the drop of a hat ;)). Besides, several other members of my family love Tolkien books too, so we can discuss the books and the movies and the characters together. (Finding all the problems with the movies was a popular conversation topic. Still is.)

After reading and watching the movies, I started my career as a Tolkien artist. Well, not really. Not at all, actually. But I did suddenly realize that it would be interesting to draw Tolkien characters, and I've loved drawing since I was very young. So I started at around thirteen, and I now have quite an accumulation of drawings with varying levels of accuracy and quality. Here's a few.

Bilbo, from The Hobbit.

Thorin, from The Hobbit.

Frodo, from The Lord of the Rings.

Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings.

Beren and Luthien, from The Silmarillion.

                               

Niniel, from The Silmarillion.

Also, here is my Evenstar model, my "birthday-present." It really was. But I'm not going to call it "my precious."
                                     

A very happy birthday to Professor Tolkien! And a very Happy New Year to everyone else!