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Today's Featured Post:
Posted in Adventure by Jeff Goins on 8/25/2010
I went to see Eat, Pray, Love
last weekend with my wife, and much to my surprise, I didn't hate it. I bought this New York Times bestseller for
her just before our taking a trip to New York City for Labor Day last
year, so it only seemed appropriate to take her to the film when it hit the big screen.
 We've started an informal tradition of buying each other books before traveling. I bought her Wonderful Tonight,
the story of Patti Boyd's love triangle with Eric Clapton and George
Harrison, before going on our honeymoon. She bought me a Star Wars book
before a trip to Costa Rica last spring (yes, I love Star Wars -- don't judge).
I'm not sure why we do this, except that because maybe we both believe
in the transformational power of travel. Travel has always been a part of
our life and relationship. It has the power to change a life, to give your mind and soul time and space to consider huge decisions, and to give you an uncanny clarity and perspective.
That's why I gave this memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert to my wife for our trip. And that's probably why, despite all the negative reviews the film received, I went to the film version of Eat, Pray, Love recently with my wife.
I'm not sure what the critics' and reviewers beef was, because I thought the movie was
pretty good. No, it wasn't amazing, but for what it was, it was a good movie. Unlike my last trip to see the latest addition to the Twilight saga, I had no ticket buyer's remorse.
The film version of Eat, Pray, Love (much like the book version) is a travel memoir. It's about real life and real events full of real, sometimes occasionally boring, characters. This film stars Julia Roberts as the verbose and cynical protagonist (an actor choice that most agree was entirely appropriate for Ms. Gilbert) and consists of a slow-moving, but nevertheless intentional, storyline. If you're unfamiliar with the plot, it is, essentially, the following: Liz Gilbert, a writer in New York, feels restless in her early 30's,
divorces her husband, takes off for a year and rediscovers her passion
for life -- in the form of food and spirituality.
Like I said, I liked the movie for what it was. Sometimes, the characters were less than admirable, acting on questionable motives (Gilbert herself admits that she ended her marriage for selfish reasons), but the story itself was fascinating. Granted, I did not share the spiritual/moral worldview represented in the film, but I admired how important prayer was for Liz, and I could relate to finding one's faith through a journey.
A traveler myself, I identified with Gilbert's wanderlust -- a disillusionment with the "fast-food" mentality of America and a yearning to be connected with the ancient world.
As Gilbert trekked through Rome, I thought of my own trip to Italy years
ago, recalling how the sun really does hit the buildings beautifully in
the afternoon (for those of you who thought that Phil Connors in Groundhog Day was bluffing, he's not). When she ended up in India, I remembered stories that missionary friends
have shared about that amazing and curious land. When she retreated to
Bali, all I could think of was where my next vacation needs to be
planned (well, the one after Ireland).
While some reviewers and critics complained that the film was bland and boring (even Ebert wasn't too fond of it), I found it to
be enthralling -- chock full of exotic scenery and a slow but compelling unfolding of the main character's inner healing. Gilbert lets go of her compulsion to control everything, imbibing all kinds of food and drink, fully seizing each day as an opportunity to do something new and exciting, while allowing her soul to rest. She learns how to pray and meditate, struggling with the discipline of silence but learning to create space in her spiritual life. And ultimately, she learns how to love and be loved -- something we can all agree is important.
All of this happens, not surprisingly to me, as she travels. I've
believed for quite some time that there is something transformational that
happens to a person while traveling that cannot happen in any other
context. So, while the details of Gilbert's journey may not be the best example for young women to follow, the importance of discovering an authentic faith in the context of a journey is something that I hope more young Americans embrace, especially as they find themselves restless and disillusioned with the trappings of success and adulthood.
 Jeff graduated from Illinois College, a small liberal arts school, with a
degree in Spanish and Religion. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Ashley. He works for
Adventures in Missions, edits this silly little magazine, and loves to do new things. Check out his blog: Pilgrimage of the Heart.
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Posted in Adventure by Andrew Greenhalgh on 8/11/2010
It's funny
how quickly life takes a turn on you. One moment you're playing a
kid-concocted combo of Indiana Jones, Star Wars - with a liberal dose of
Rambo - and The Karate Kid, tossed in to keep things interesting, and
the next you're married with kids, have an 8 to 5 job, bills, a house,
and all the trimmings. Just like that, the time has flown. And lately,
as I've come up for a breath of air, I've decided that somewhere along
the line I've gotten lost.
Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Adventure by Brooke Luby on 5/26/2010
Well, I am home. It's been a journey, to say the least.
India for me has been a love-hate relationship. I didn't think I could
cope at first. It was an odd feeling, me being the adventurous world
traveler. It felt like too much-too many old women with hands left as
stubs from leprosy, too many five year old girls with tangled hair and
dirty faces, looking at me with pleading eyes.
Too many sad stories. How do you reconcile your life
after something like that?
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Posted in Adventure by Tim Chermak on 5/18/2010
Every day we walk through our neighborhood, about 10 minutes to the children's home. On our way, we pass Raj's Shoppe where we buy milk, bread, and mango ice cream. We usually pass about 6 stray dogs, often picking though trash to find food. We cut through a field with a family of girls who run out dirty and barefoot from their tin shelter to shake our hands.
It's so interesting how the foreig... Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Adventure by Brooke Luby on 4/23/2010
Joshua had a flashy bright blue shirt that made him stand out from his
friends. He was HIV positive, like the rest of the 13 kids he lived
with, but it didn't stop him from running around, popping balloons, and
constantly grinning. Years earlier, his mother was in the final stages
of AIDS. She couldn't get treatment, and soon the pain became
unbearable. She set fire to herself-burning alive in order to escape
this world. He was three years old at the time.
Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Adventure by Tim Chermak on 4/12/2010
 Wrecked recently had the chance to interrogate Bruce Nuffer of The House Studio concerning their new book 180. Enjoy.
What initially caused you to consider pursuing a project like 180?
We always create products that we personally want to use. In this case we wanted to experience what a responsible individual goes through when they question a long-held opinion that could not continue to stand in the face of new learning.
Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Adventure by Tim Chermak on 4/5/2010
In pop culture, it's cool to explore your spirituality, escape religion, and search for God -- it's not cool to find him. It's definitely not cool to tell people once you do.
In a spiritual age that celebrates authenticity over assurance, it seems that questions are the new answers. Rather than embracing doubt as a vehicle to truth, the two have become nearly indistinguishable. Blessed assuranc... Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Adventure by Larry Bubb on 2/12/2010
I was the youth pastor at a San Diego church for a few years. One
of the youth I had the privilege of encouraging was Andy Shirley, who
would ask me questions about playing guitar and writing songs. He went
off to college and changed his name (as many musicians do these days)
to Andrew, then to Drew. Sean Combs changed his name to Puff Daddy and
then to P. Diddy. I was glad Andy did not go with Drew Diddy, although
I was kind of pulling for "Drew Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Drew."
Drew is currently the lead guitarist for a band called Switchfoot.
Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Adventure by Dustin Metcalf on 1/18/2010
If you are half way sane, afraid to step near the edge of a
cliff, or need to live by a plan then it would probably be best if you stopped
reading right now. There. I feel
much better. Consider yourself
warned.
I have a crazy dream to share with you.
Imagine with me for a moment...
The scene opens on a rice patty as the sun is just beginning to
rise. There is a slight mist rising from the
green fields reaching up towards the heavens. Stillness permeates the
air. As the camera fades out and pans to the left a city is
revealed. The honking of horns,
the yelling of voices, and the hum of city life shatter the stillness
of the
field. As the image zooms in,
women sitting on the curb, selling their wares comes into focus. The
camera moves down the pothole and
trash filled street and settles on some men sitting on stools outside
the
remains of buildings.
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Posted in Adventure by Brooke Luby on 11/3/2009
 In A Million Miles in A Thousand Year's,
Miller invites us to get off our recliners and stop living vicariously
through other people's stories. His own awakening was sparked when he
was approached by two producers about making a movie based on his life.
In this process of going through the plot line for the movie, Don is
slapped in the face with the reality that his real life was too boring
to actually be a good plot.
Click here to continue reading...
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