You won’t need your AirPods for a walk around Southern Pines’ Reservoir Park. Just take it all in, breathe that fresh pine smell, and enjoy. As Taylor said, it’s an indie record much cooler than mine.
From the crunch of pine straw and sand beneath your feet, to the scuff-scuff-scuff of a runner speeding by, to the occasional rattle of a stroller, Track 1 is something I’d call “Into the Great Wide Open,” since I think Tom Petty himself would appreciate the wildflowers. Bring your paddleboard or bike to create your own cadence.
Blue Boy!
Track 2 has a more subtle sound, so you might want to turn the volume up and really listen in. Bring some cut up fruits or even a handful of oats and lean close to the water as the resident turtles climb and clunk shells to snap up a tasty mouthful. Keep an eye out for Blue Boy, a name I’ve lovingly dubbed my favorite turtle based on his coloration.
Skip to Track 3 for the real noise! From the metal bridge overlooking the reservoir, you can see the stars of this show. The ducks are quacking, spitting lyrics about something to each other from way across the water. Are they talking about how many fish they can catch? The way the water rolls off their feathers? A flutter of wings and a splash concludes this rap battle.
Out on the trails, runners, walkers, and other pursuers of exercise can attempt challenges like a chin-up and beam run. The ting of hands gripping the metal bars is the sound of progress. Squirrels scampering up the sweet gum trees rustle the leaves just so, and bubbling little creeks make up the accompaniment for Track 4.
The rest of the album is streaming now at Reservoir Park– go work out and tune in!
Can y’all relate to feeling bummed out when runners don’t “Good Morning!” you back on your daily jog? Does it make you a little crushed when people don’t quite get your jokes? Do you have this need for everyone around you to like you? Then you and I are probably a lot alike. Like comedian John Mulaney, who would accept an unwanted Best Buy Rewards card for the approval of a stranger, I am a people pleaser.
When Jesus really stepped into my life and I started to learn more about him, I realized that my desire to be liked by everyone around me was really my heart crying out for acceptance and understanding. And even though I found friends who accepted and understood me, and loved me deeply, there were still times where I felt abandoned or let down. The temporary approval of my friends and family didn’t satisfy my soul. The kind of acceptance and understanding I yearned for could only be found in the arms of a loving savior.
Is there something wrong with “people-pleasing?”
There is, when it conflicts with our greater responsibility, to serve a Savior. We find ourselves torn and pulled, and even sometimes led astray, to please one another. We please people under the guise of Jesus’ command to love them.
In John 13:34, Jesus says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Jesus wants us to love one another as He has loved us. Jesus’ love for us is radical and selfless. And I’m ashamed to say people-pleasing is neither. Pleasing people allows us to remain in our comfort zone, where we don’t feel threatened. Loving people means we sometimes have to exit that comfort zone, to speak truth even when it’s not comfortable, to give generously of even the things we hold most dear, to be like Christ.
Is there Biblical evidence for this?
Paul demonstrates this in Galatians when he speaks truth to the churches in Galatia by reiterating that the work of Christ nullifies the old covenant of the law. At the time, a false gospel had been spread in the area, suggesting that saved Christians still needed to follow the laws in the Torah. Paul knows the Galatians don’t want to hear his news, but because he serves God, and because he loves the Galatians in a radical way, he speaks anyway.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
Ouch. That was convicting. But Paul directly addresses what we’ve been talking about here! Yes, what he has to say is not what the Galatians want to hear, but his job (and our job) is to serve God, which takes precedence over all else.
You might be thinking, “but Rachel, Paul was just talking to his acquaintances, it’s not like he had to speak an uncomfortable truth to one of his close friends, not one of his besties!” Oh but he did. Later in Galatians 2, he describes confronting Peter about eating with the Jews instead of joining Gentiles and breaking down the boundaries that were erased by Christ’s work on the cross.
How can I apply Galatians to my life?
We can apply what Paul talks about in Galatians by prioritizing pleasing God over pleasing people. And when we really think about it, pleasing God is not only more fulfilling but actually easier than trying to please people.
Think about today’s world and the cancel-culture that has so deeply permeated our mass media. Celebrities are constantly rising and falling from the public’s good graces because what the world believes and practices is constantly changing. Even public figures who are long gone from this Earth are being posthumously glorified by society, only to be vilified later. (Insert any U.S. President here.) To try to please everyone in this chaotic world is a pointless and fruitless errand.
Unlike this crazy, shifting sand of a world, God is consistent. His character is always the same. He gave us His word as a guide to his character. He gave us Jesus as an example– His son, with whom He is well-pleased. And pleasing God bears fruit, it always has and always will. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, we develop the fruit of the spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
We have to trust in Him, and trust that loving people God’s way will ultimately give us more joy and more peace than trying to please people.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Looong before the reign of Baby Shark and Cocomelon, a desperate mother searched for an educational, culturally savvy, and clean form of entertainment for her young daughter that she could also watch and enjoy. The sitcoms of the early 2000’s were too adult geared, and the ever-present baby channel was too mind-numbing. But then, turning to Channel 256, she discovered a world of black-and-white, mostly wholesome, classic movie goodness. Yes, I grew up watching Turner Classic Movies, and I love vintage films. And in this blog post, I’m going to take a look at one of the greats, Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. This one’s for you, Robert Osborne.
The Analysis:
The Steamy Train Car Conversation
In this scene, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint have a salacious chat about unwholesome topics in a completely unsuspecting setting. I think Hitchcock is clever to leave audiences wondering about their dialogue, where I feel like modern films would give us every detail in full visual display.
The reason I want to draw attention to this scene in particular is that it emphasizes how Hitchcock does two things. Making things less obvious 1) puts the audience in the shoes of the characters’ limited POV and 2) allows the imagination to do its job filling in the gaps.
It’s also such an interesting contrast to consider the unconventional dialogue against the conventional car.
The Crop Duster Scene
As the bus drops our hero at the desolate station, we are completely in Grant’s shoes as he gazes upon rows of crops that don’t offer any answer to the questions in his mind. And here again, Hitchcock doesn’t make things obvious for his audience. We are left to wonder as the last passenger gets on the bus and Grant faces the fields alone. The planned rendezvous with the unknown Mr. Kaplan turns perilous as the plane circles closer and closer to Grant’s hiding place in the cornfield.
As an artist, I think the composition of each shot is really interesting to examine. Very intentional composition is definitely one of Hitchcock’s trademarks. Below, I’ve done a storyboard study of the scene.
The Scene at Mount Rushmore
Before I dig in here, can we take a second to applaud Eva Marie Saint for gracefully falling down a national monument in heels? Wow, just wow.
Not only is the cinematography here breathtaking, it’s also symbolic. The largeness of the monument reflects the organizations the agents work for and the way they shape the political landscape they inhabit. In comparison, the agents are small, and endangered by the organizations that they’re helplessly attached to.
To Wrap Up…
North by Northwest is one of Hitchcock’s most iconic films. While it lacks the crescendoing suspense of Rear Window, it offers the rapid, heart-racing action of the 2015 thriller, No Escape. I highly recommend this vintage action-packed spy film, especially if you get a chance to see it come to life on the big screen, like I did at the Sunrise Theater in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
A dazzling sunset drapes itself over the streets of downtown Southern Pines, North Carolina on a summer evening. Young families stroll the seldom empty sidewalks of this charming town. On the corner of the street, across from the train station, a glowing marquee sign reads “North by Northwest – 7PM.” Beneath this sign is a long chatty line that guides moviegoers of all ages inside a real piece of history. Voices discuss the talents of Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. Glistening chandeliers reminisce about showtimes past on the ceiling above. The smell of popcorn smothered in real butter invades even the ticket counter. Like everyone else, I’m waiting eagerly for my ticket. Checking the time on my smartphone, I remember I haven’t really time-traveled back to 1959. Instead, within the doors of the historic Sunrise Theater, 1959 has traveled to me.
Just a few years after So Pi was established, this building was constructed as a hardware store, meeting the needs of a fast-growing community. In 1941, this building met a new need. While world war loomed, entertainment was in high demand and the old hardware store became a new movie theater. After 40 years of film, the Sunrise was reaching its sunset– that is until a group of concerned citizens converted it into a town center for the arts. It now boasts one indoor screen with traditional floor seating and a balcony, in addition to an outdoor stage.
This week, I had the privilege to enjoy a showing of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Entering the unsuspecting doors of the main theatre, I was delighted to see so many seats, and especially so many full seats at a showing of this classic film. Like a dazzled time-traveler visiting a bygone era, I was fascinated by the full experience of seeing this movie on the silver screen with a large audience who gasped, laughed, and held their breath at this clever masterpiece of cinema.
The Sunrise Theater is a must if you are visiting the Pines– I’m already planning my next visit to this So Pi treasure.
If you are already in love with the Sunrise like me and want to be a part of preserving its historic glory, make sure to add them on Amazon Smile– you simply shop online and Amazon donates a percentage of your purchase to the theater. If you’d like some helpful instructions on how to do this, you can find them here.
I invite you to keep a look out your rear window for my next post–I’ll be doing a closer analysis of North by Northwest!
Rachel Brei 