A Change of Plans /// Music Monday #30

Picture.

All amazing blog posts start with a cool picture.

And information.

Information about what song we're listening to, where it's from, and who composed it.

"The Game Has Changed" from Tron: Legacy

Composed by Daft Punk

And music.

The music I said we were listening to today.

Okay, so before I talk about the song itself, I want to mention that the reason I did my post intro like it is--parodying the opening of The LEGO Batman Movie--is because I was going to originally share the song "Black" from said movie's soundtrack. However, the vast majority of its tracks are not on YouTube, and I'm not sure if people would just skip listening to it if I had to give the Spotify link to a 7-minute song. I mean, YouTube requires no account to listen to music on there, while Spotify does, so obviously the former is most convenient. If you still want me to share "Black," I can do so next week. Let me know in the comments.

Now, for today's actual pick . . . I'm going to just say it outright: I found Tron: Legacy to be a mediocre film. The plot was uninteresting, characters weren't well-developed, light cycles were over-advertised when they were only present in the film for five minutes, and C.L.U. never left the uncanny valley (although one might argue that, because the Grid is a virtual reality, it's okay). However, one area that the movie excelled at is its score, composed by the French electronic duo, Daft Punk.

"The Game Has Changed" is a good example of the blending between their signature style and orchestral music. The song has lots of electronic parts to it, almost sounding rough and gritty at times, like it really is from a game created around the '90s. But then it throws in some strings to give a more traditional cinematic feel, and the combination works really well throughout the whole album. If you haven't listened to it yet, I give it my stamp of recommendation. If that means anything to you.

The scene this plays in the abovementioned light cycle battle. I remember how, whenever I thought of Tron: Legacy before I'd seen it, the light cycles came to mind. They were featured prominently in the trailers, if my memory is correct. So I was disappointed when they were used in only one scene. But it was one of the movie's better moments, made even better by the song. Gotta take what you can get, I guess.

Not really sure what else to say, so I'll end the post here. What'd you think of the song? Have you watched the movie, and if you have, what is your opinion on it?

From the Mind to the Mouth /// The Power of Mental Sight Conclusion

Well, here we are. After a couple of months with no finale to my latest "inspirational trilogy," if you will, I've decided to post it today. Before we jump into things, let's quickly review.

In The Power of Mental Sight, I talked about how God told Abraham that ". . . you need to see what I'm giving you" (Genesis 13:17, The Voice). I then related this to how we need to get a picture in our heads of the blessings God has for us in order to start believing them. The follow-up, Your Words Matter, emphasized that life and death are in our tongues. What we say reveals our innermost heart beliefs, and we need to get our words in line with what God says. Now it's time to wrap things up.

Every river has a source. I don't think you'll ever find one that is just sitting there. It always has a birthplace and an endpoint. Likewise, you have a connection between your brain and your tongue, a river of motor neurons and muscles, with the source being your mind. It decides what you'll say and gives the command to speak in a flash.

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But there is a return path involved. The water reaches the destination, but it evaporates and goes back to the source via an alternate form. Once we utter words, they are picked up by our ears and sent to the brain. And thus, a cycle is born: the water cycle, and what I'm calling the belief cycle.

It starts with you and your imagination. You're constantly thinking about things, probably more than we're even aware of. That background conversation goes over everything in your life, and you can choose to bring aspects to the forefront when you focus on them.

Let's pretend someone asks you about how your life at home is. You pay attention to that part of the inner dialogue, and you respond accordingly. For example: "Oh, it's great! My parents are the best; they love me and my siblings, and are always trying to become more involved in our lives. I couldn't ask for better siblings, too. We've got a strong bond between us." Speaking those words and hearing yourself say them reinforces your heart beliefs about your family. Your imagination is painting positive images of them, and that has a tremendous effect on you.

However, you could respond negatively, and that will build up beliefs of the same breed. "A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7b, NIV). What you put in, you will get out. Simple as that. A person would be considered foolish if he planted an apple tree and expected to get oranges from it.

So what is the point I'm trying to make with this post? That river, that connection, between your mind and your mouth is very important. We need to maintain it regularly and keep it clean. God never wanted the system to be used for harmful causes. It's supposed to help us, but it has been tainted by our humanity. Now we must put our effort into fighting to keep ourselves focused on all of God's promises. He wants to speak them into our lives. He's given us the key; we just need to use it.

Some people will argue that you're only playing mind games. But that is far from the truth. Take a look at this verse:

"'Now let Us conceive a new creation--humanity--made in Our image, fashioned according to our likeness.' . . . So God did just that. He created humanity in His image, created them male and female." (Genesis 1:26a, 27, The Voice)

We were made like God Himself. And how did He create the entire world? How did He bring something seen only in His mind into the expanse of nothing? Did He wave a hand? Blow out into the vast emptiness? No, He didn't.

He spoke. And the words that came from His lips restructured that nothing into something He envisioned.

"Well, He's God, and I'm human," you might be saying. "So it doesn't work for me."

Okay, but what about Jesus? Did He not submit Himself to a human form, taking on our likeness, our limitations? And when He performed miracles, did He not regularly speak them into being? I challenge you to sometime read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and see how often He spoke His miracles into being (especially ones pertaining to health), whether it was by thanking God or simply commanding it.

"Well, He had the Spirit of God residing in Him," you may be arguing. "He was a special case." And that would be true, if not for these verses:

"'I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you'll always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you." (John 14:16-17, The Message)

"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised  Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living in you." (Romans 8:11, NLT)

And we know that even though the Trinity is listed as three individuals--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--they are one unit who share the same nature. God has laid it all out for us in the Bible. By speaking, we are activating the nature of God in us to bring forth His promises.

I urge you to dig into the Bible and find all the blessings God has promised us through the death of His Son. But don't just stop there. Use your imagination to see yourself living with those blessings, and then speak them to help you believe that they will come to pass. Don't listen to the enemy when he tells you to stop, or that it won't work.

Keep speaking life, and life will flow.

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And thus, this series comes to a close! Any final thoughts? What will you do to change your thoughts and words? My advice would be to ask God to show you where you need to improve and grow, and which promises you should start speaking. 

Monthly HapPENings: July

Welp. It's somehow August already. Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this year has been going above time's normal speed limit.

What did I do last month? Well, I came back from holidays on July 1st and had to get used to normal life. You know how it is, I'm sure. It can sometimes take a little while for reality to kick in, and you have to come off that vacation high.

We celebrated my dad's birthday, and Tracey flew to Realm Makers (I did a lot of hanging out with Chloe and Kaitlyn in that time, doing stuff like going for drives getting ice cream and cool drinks, watching TV episodes with them, etc.). I voice chatted with Preston and Megan, my New Zealand friends, a couple of evenings; we always have a fun time. They're some of the best friends a guy could ask for.

A few days ago, as a spur-of-the-moment thing, my sisters and I celebrated Chloe's birthday--even though it was a few months ago--by going out for lunch, riding a surrey bike together, and getting milkshakes. If you've never ridden a surrey bike before, put it on your bucket list. It's very enjoyable! Just don't almost tip it over like I did.

Bookish HapPENings

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Yes, I only read one book this month. Shame on me. But it was a very good one! That might be a given, though, considering John Flanagan is one of my favorite authors. After having a continuous plot for the first three books in this series, Slaves of Socorro changes gears. I have a feeling that the plot is confined to just the one installment this time, but that's fine. It was brimming with action, lovable characters, and witty humor. Honestly, if you haven't read any of Flanagan's novels, you need to get on it ASAP.

HapPENings on the Screen

I'm getting so close to episode 15, "Out of Time." That's where the plot adds in a super-cool element to the show and really takes everything up a notch. And while I'm anticipating S2 a lot, I can't forget that S1 is an excellent start to an amazing show, despite the occasional cheesy line or moment of acting that could've been done a little better. I'm also convinced that no one else can play the Flash as good as Grant Gustin does. He's just the perfect casting choice.

Finally finished rewatching this season. While there were some aspects of S4 that I liked more, I still hold to my opinion that each season is better than the last. It had a darker plot with music that fit absolutely perfectly, it introduced Ronin (an anti-hero who happens to be one of my favorite characters in the show), Nya and Cole got some good character arcs, Morro was an interesting villain . . . it was a great season all-around!

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I watched the extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. Such well-crafted characters! Such memorable music! While there are a couple instances of exposition that doesn't come off as completely natural, and a certain type of shot that I really don't care for (I have no idea what it's called; it's like slow motion, but the frame rate is lower, and it ends up looking strange), I loved everything else about the movie. I'm looking forward to watching the other five movies.

Gaming HapPENings

This game continues to surprise me. I recently faced off with the Dark Lord, and now the plot has taken a drastic turn. The plot I thought I'd spoiled for myself played out differently than I thought it would, and now I must seek the help of other adventurers in order to achieve my goal. Miitopia has now taken the fantasy game trope of side quests and made it part of the main storyline, which I find quite clever. I look forward to seeing how this all ends.

Oh, how I'd missed Breath of the Wild! Such a pleasant change from The Game That Shall Not Be Named. I'd forgotten the simple joy of running through the wilderness, hunting wildlife, attacking enemy camps, and taking on side quests. I finally completed the Xenoblade crossover mission, which I unlocked the instant I left the Great Plateau. I was surprised that it rewarded me with an outfit that wasn't just for cosmetic purposes; it actually has some good value to it with its increased swim speed.

But the craziest thing happened the other day when I was playing. I'd wanted to go to the Exchange Ruins, so I teleported to the tower in Hyrule Field. The instant I glide off, I've got Guardian beams targeting me. I wasn't too concerned, because they were stationary. But when I land, I've got a Guardian right on my heels. As I'm weaving back and forth, trying to avoid it, a Yiga archer suddenly appears. (I'd defeated the leader of the Yiga Clan, so now they ambush me a lot more.) So I grab the Master Sword and start hacking off the Guardian's legs so it doesn't keep following me, while avoiding a constant barrage of arrows. That's when some Keese, a Yiga Blademaster (as in, one of the big dudes), and a few Stalmoblins (or some kind of Stalfos, anyway) all joined in the skirmish. It was absolutely nuts, but I managed to defeat them all and score a bunch of loot.

Writerly HapPENings

I totally forgot that I was supposed to assess my writing goals last month . . . which probably isn't a good sign. So let's review now. I've decided to leave A Totally Epic Pirate Story for now, as I've lost the inspiration for that due to the fact that I'm no longer surrounded by my former college classmates as I once was. And seeing that we're over halfway through the year, I've decided to just keep focusing on The Tournament of Convicts for now. What happens afterward? I'll make that choice later.

I will admit, I didn't get as much of my current project done as I'd hoped. But this is a new month, so it's time for new things and habits. I'm working on adding some into my life, and one on that list is what I promised in my blogoversary vlog. Here's to hoping for a successful August!

What was your July like? Did you do anything fun or exciting? Anything you'd do differently if you could? Got some goals for this month?