Machine Gun Preacher

Last night, I watched a movie called Machine Gun Preacher, and it has touched my heart; affecting me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.  Gerard Butler plays Sam Childers, and Michelle Monaghan portrays his wife, Lynn.  I was trying to think of the best possible way to connect this movie to my children's book, which is due to be released sometime before Christmas.  Today happens to be also be Veteran's Day, and what better timing for me to have watched such a moving and epic story.

If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend that you get your hands on it asap.  This story not only defines what it means to transition from a lost soul to an astounding human being, capable of leading and helping those who desperately need it, but it also reminds us, the American people, just how lucky we are to embrace the liberation of liberty each and every single day.  That liberty which was achieved through the wars of our heroes and our veterans. 

There are so many times where we find ourselves taking our freedom for granted, and not doing the things that we need to be doing to contribute to humanity and the world around us.  For some of us, we do as much as we can, and we should always be proud of those commitments and sacrifices.  But if you ever feel like you want to do more, and you just don't know where to start, watch this movie.  Your heart will be touched on so many different levels that you will have no other choice but to want to search for a greater cause.  I  couldn't help but to tear up at the violent acts and grotesque slaughterings of our precious children and their families...human beings who simply exist less than half a world away.

I wanted to connect this to my own experiences and how I have become, and will always try to be, a better person.  I want you to also be able to relate to these issues we have within ourselves so that you can benefit from the knowledge that I am hoping people will share through this blog.  I am sure there are so many of us who still are looking for places to plant our feet and make differences in our community and the rest of the world. 

Sam Childers is a man who is not afraid to speak his mind and is a person of God.  But Sam wasn't always like this.  He had to stumble, fall incredibly hard to the ground, and it was when he hit rock bottom that his spirit was somehow shaken, awakened, and no longer forsaken.  There have been many times where I felt like this.  Maybe I didn't hit the ground as hard as he did, but I felt myself drifting backwards, and it took a lot of soul searching to find that becoming a leader and mentor for others is where I needed to be.  And to use my own talents as a writer to bring children back to the appreciation of the world around them is part of my legacy.  This will be one of the most important aspects that I want our youth to benefit from after reading my children's book. 

And here is the connection through it all.  This movie not only reminded me about my children's book, and how so many kids across the sea appreciate the simplest things in life, but it also gave me a way to pass this knowledge on; even if only one, two or 25 people read this blog.  These children's lives are in complete turmoil, and yet, their spirits are never broken.  They are running and hiding from a massive and brutal army called the LRA.  They are getting raped and beaten, murdered or trained to fight in an army that surpasses the capacity for them to fight back.  And here is Sam Childers, a man who was saved by God, and who is now doing everything he can, to save these innocent children.

So today, we have to thank our own veterans who have fought so hard to give us the freedom and liberty that allow us to make the choices we need to fulfill our hopes and dreams.  We reap the benefits, and sometimes, don't even know it.  There is so much to be done in this lifetime, and when you find your path to success and leadership, then you can help others achieve in finding what their contributions to humanity and the rest of the world should be.  Whether or not you are helping someone find themselves, molding the minds of our children here in the U.S., donating and pledging your time to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts or any other organizations, writing books and stories to move people and inspire both adults and children, or anything else that you find a greater cause in; you are making this place better.

And if you are not doing your part, and feel like you can do more, then watch this movie, please!  You will want to become a better person by the time the movie is finished.