Captain America Winter Soldier Review

My thoughts of the film. It's been forever since I posted here!!

Captain America: Winter Soldier After Action Report

This review will assume you’ve seen the movie, so I won’t be giving a general plot summary but Wikipedia does a good job of that. This will be more of a ‘bullet-points’ review and how it relates to us today. BTW, I’ve seen the movie twice now.

This is one of the few films that I actually looked forward to seeing ever since I heard about it. I liked the first film despite some flaws, and especially liked the character of Steve Rogers (aka Capt. America). First off, Winter Soldier isn’t as much a sci-fi film as it is a political, conspiracy thriller with a touch of Bourne (think massive government surveillance tracking you). It is more intense (action wise) and dark compared Captain America #1. There are a lot of relevant topics addressed in the movie that are currently being debated. This review will mainly focus on these current, relevant topics that are nodded to in the film.

But first the list of cautions:

-Light language

-Tight clothing (less immodesty than the first film)

-Intense action violence and lots of it (lots of adrenaline)

-Some hollywood style tactics (okay, okay, but you have to reload a magazine now and again)

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I like the way they developed Cap’s character, he’s finding he doesn’t quite fit in with the world as it is and is at odds with it, especially in regards to what freedom is (this is seen in his conversations with Nick Fury and ‘The Falcon’).  When shown the massive pre-emptive strike capabilities of SHIELD he argues “this isn’t freedom, this is fear”, and “I thought the punishment came after the crime.” He’s used to following orders, but now he views orders with more caution (which is what current military and law enforcement should be thinking as well). The filmmakers actually brought in the topics of surveillance, drone usage, wire-tapping, whistle-blowers,  pre-emptive strikes (including against American citizens), freedom vs. security and concealed carry into the film on purpose.

-The quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin about trading liberty for security is almost quoted word for word by the BAD GUYS! Take heed, America.

-I thought it was funny how Cap rolled his eyes when Nicks tells him his room is tapped.

-Hopefully people will recognize that what might seem like a good thing is very bad in the hands of the wrong people. Don’t give too much power to the government.

-What HYDRA was doing in the film is what socialism and communism are doing to a certain degree in America today. Going underground over decades and infiltrating (i.e. public schools, media, Obama, etc…).

-Also, as a side note I thought it was funny that the SWAT teams in the movie looked eerily similar to the Nazi HYDRA soldiers in Captain America 1; masked and everything.

-What I really enjoyed, is not only did Captain America take out HYDRA, he also took down SHIELD, an organization which I never liked (although cool) in the Marvel movies anyways.

-Agent Romanoff leaked everything similar to what Edward Snowden has done.

-There’s one non-romantic kiss, using a public display of affection as a disguise during an E&E (escape and evasion); actually kinda comical.

-I also appreciate Rogers relationships with women (and the lack thereof). Even though Black Widow is this super tough super-spy, I counted at least 4 times that Captain America pushed her aside (or down) out of harm’s way to save her. Shows who is supposed to be protecting and fighting on the front lines. And he visits his ‘girl’ even though she is old and frail and takes care of her. I thought it it was actually a very sweet scene.  

-I liked the heli-carrier launch technician who decided to disobey the order to launch (and the so-called mutiny that happens afterward)

-Interesting tidbit: Nick Fury’s father did concealed carry.

-Interesting tidbit: When the satellites start targeting people, somebody in the top of Stark tower is targeted; very quick shot. Not that I’d mind too much, though… :)

-Personally, I liked the realism of real weapons in the firefights compared to space guns. And despite being a superhero film, I did see some reloading and firearms locking back empty. Nice realistic touches.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is my favorite Marvel film to date, and one of my top favorite films in general.

Being Married to my Bride

Four months ago today I married Perry Elisabeth, who has become far more than just the girl of my dreams. Everyday I am so thankful for what a gift God has given me in a bride. Everyday I am so joyful to be her companion, friend, and husband. Her friendship, joyfulness, and character is always so helpful to me in so many ways. She is really becoming, and is, a virtuous young woman. The past four months have gone by so quickly; we've done so many things together, and learned so many things about each other. She is going to an awesome mother, and already is. She has gone through many trials already in bearing our child in her womb, but she can still find in herself to be fun loving and enjoy life. She has a great love for me, and it's so genuine. Being married definitely brings more responsibility, but it also brings inexpressible joy, and it brings two people that can work together for God's glory. Who can create a family, bring honor to His name, and be an image of God's love to the church. Perry is the only one who could do all this with me, she is the one that God created for me (which blows me away)! As we have found out, we are very much alike, but also complement each other in our differences. She has a great desire to support me, to cheer me on, and to see me succeed. It is a true blessing. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her. p.s. Hey look everyone, I blogged!

I Have a Future Bride!!!!

Today I asked the most beautiful girl to be the love of my life; she said "Um-hm-yes!!!" I am the most blessed man ever!! More details to come!!!

A Green Christmas at Eatonwood in 78'

Perry and I stumbled across this together one night, from a Christmas concert from last year. If you like CCM, Irish, acoustic, music listen to this.
Goofy title I know. Cause it's related to the song.

Writing Challenge

Don't think your that interested in writing, try again by trying this!

God's Steadfast Love Manifested

Yes, today is thanksgiving, and I am thankful; but actually I have been thinking about thankfulness the past couple of weeks, (not necessarily because of Thanksgiving) and it has been a huge blessing in my day to day walk. Even though maybe I am not where I would really like to be; which would include having 'the' job, and thus being engaged or married, I'm still was finding myself very thankful. Knowing that God has a plan, and he is making good use of this time to grow me, and Perry together in and to Him.

I've been finding myself being very appreciative of my salvation which God has graciously bestowed upon me. The more I understand his steadfast love to me, the more humble and thankful I've become. God does have a steadfast love for me, which is so incredible when I think of it. My problem though is not meditating/thinking on it enough.

Also I've been thankful for my immediate family, having one, and just appreciating what God has given me. For him providing a house, and so many things in life, meaning spiritual things in life like a faith and a church. For values I've been taught by my family, their dedication through the years.

I'm thankful for God providing fairly constant work for me this year, in this economy. And the experience I gained when working at Intel, and possibly what that experience is leading to. I'm honored about a very real job prospect that I'm currently waiting for, and that I've been selected. Just the possibility of earning a wage more than two times than what I've hoped is amazing. Even if it happens to not be God's ultimate will for me. (BTW, if God gave me this particular job I would need to go to AZ for training!).

And then there is Perry. I don't even know where to start with her. I am so thankful for her! Her friendship, her encouragement, her heart, music, laughter and smile... I am so honored to pursue such a girl who is so beautiful in so many ways. She is blessed by God, and such a blessing to me. I am so overwhelmed and 'fascinated' by her.

God has indeed shown a steadfast love to me this year!

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11

Andrew Peterson Concert Video

From the 'date' I took Perry on. "The Reckoning" song. With Steven Curtis Chapman doing backups. Vancouver Wa, Oct 28, 2011.

Date with Perry=AP Concert

So Friday night I took Perry on a 'date' (not the first, but at least the longest most officially planned), don't worry we had Mr. W as a chaperone. Andrew Peterson was in concert in Vancouver WA, so I got off early from work drove to Birkenfeld and then all the way to Vancouver and back again. It was actually a Steven Curtis Chapman concert with AP and Josh Wilson. But we were there for AP (who BTW we found out homeschools!), it was so much fun! I think there isn't anything else we could've enjoyed more than being TOGETHER seeing AP play some of our favorite songs (like Dancing in the Minefields,The Reckoning, World Traveler, ect...).



We did enjoy Josh Wilson doing his amazing Amazing Grace and a couple of Stevens' songs like 'Cinderella' maybe, or 'The Great Adventure' (saddle up your horses).
What was really fun was hearing AP talking and telling the stories behind the songs (he has quite the sense of humor). Or agreeing with AP that seeing Steven C. Chapman 'rocking' out on ukulele is quite the sight. Is was also really cool being at a CCM concert that had a Hammered Dulcimer on stage, (RM influence on AP) even though it only played on one song.

We did finally get to meet AP personally afterwards, Yay! We talked about Rich Mullins a little and we did get him to sign my 'Liturgy' Songbook as well as the "The Book of Us", which is a scrapbook Perry made where we basically tell each other what we like about each other (grammar okay??). AP mentioned he's always trying to write a song half as good as Rich could. :)

Perry also made a fabulous dinner (stuffed pita bread) and dessert (peanut butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-pudding cake). It was also cool to be able to drive with Perry in the vehicle after midnight drinking milkshakes! Weird i know. I got video of many of the songs too that I'll try to post.

It was quite the honor to take my pretty, best friend out on a 'date' (even though we don't 'date'). Sorry, I probably just made her turn pink. :) Thank you.

Should I? Could I?

From Perry's and mine courtship blog. stepbystepcourtship.blogspot.com


In response to David's questions:

#1. What main preliminary questions did you first work through to establish a ground floor to work off of?
The purpose of these questions is to determine, "Should I (or should I not) marry this person?" In other words, to find out whether the person is Biblically qualified and compatibly like-minded, and if being married to them fits within God's will.
These are examples of main preliminary questions we worked through. Obvious firsts include: whether the person a Christian and is growing in the Lord, discussing views of husband/wife roles, family vision, child education, worldview, financial issues, etc... (Note: worldviews can vary family to family even in a tight-knit community like HBC.)

#2. After you establish that you have the same worldview, and are making good progress forward, what next?
Once you have determined that it would be within God's will for you to marry the person, you can consider and answer the question, "Could I marry this person?" and "Do I want to marry this person?" At this point you are learning one another's personalities, likes/dislikes, growing and maturing together in the Lord through various difficulties, working together, creating a friendship, and learning how to be best friends.
In our experience, this one wasn't too hard to answer because we already knew each other for 7 years before the courtship began. Nevertheless, the months we have spent doing these things have been a huge blessing and, we believe, are laying an excellent foundation for marriage.

To sum it up,
The main preliminary questions we worked through were those which answered "Should I (or should I not) marry this person?" and after we were making good progress forward we did things to answer the questions, "Could I marry this person?" and "Do I want to marry this person?"

Any other questions out there?

Be God's and follow Him step by step...
Tyler & Perry

August 24, One Year of Courtship

The pictures are taken from the 24th, we did a photo shoot for our upcoming blog. It was also part of taking Perry out to lunch and ice cream. :)
It's been a very challenging year and a time of lot's of growing and learning. But it's also been one of the best years of my life. Truly blessed by God. Also, my thanks to Perry for being such a wonderful, fun, person to get to know.
Anyways, we enjoyed riding in my truck (while listening to Rising Gael, especially to "The Weatherman"),talking together until midnight, and going out to eat and Wed night church.
See www.stepbystepcourtship.blogspot.com for our Journey, step by step.

The Joy of Music-Making

Is you get to play your own songs. We played this at the B's picnic a couple of weeks ago. It was terribly fun, and maybe it's not the best time we played it, but it turned out fairly good (despite hearing your voice back quite loud in the monitors). Perry will comment with her opinion of it.... :)
"Hail the Word".
Perry: Vocal and Guitar.
Tyler: Hammered Dulcimer.

Andrew Peterson "Calling out Your name"

My favorite 'alive' musician doing my favorite 'dead' musicians' song. :)

Courtship Questions

From the beginning of our courtship, we have desired that it be a blessing and encouragement to others. One of the ways we wanted to accomplish this was to blog about our courtship for everyone who can't observe it firsthand. Unfortunately--and surprisingly--we have found it puzzling to know what to write, and we realize this is why we have written so few inside-look posts. We would love for you to ask your questions about our courtship, because answering them will solve our problem of knowing what to say. It will give us crystal-clear ideas of what would be most interesting, helpful, and encouraging to read.



You can direct your questions to both of us or specifically to either Tyler or Perry. We will post our answers on our respective blogs and on http://stepbystepcourtship.blogspot.com/, our courtship blog.



So, what do you want to know??

Two Celtic Concerts!

Last week my family and I went to a Robin Mark Concert in Silverton. He even had his band from Ireland with him, so that was fun!
And on the 11th I went with the W's and my intended to see "State and Standard" a Celtic & Irish Dance band in WA. It was alot of fun too, composed of: Fiddle, Whistle/Flutes, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, bass, & Drums with vocals.
Here are some videos from the concerts.

Tradition Reels by State And Standard (These are upbeat with a slightly modern twist, very fun). Interesting fiddle part in the second tune.


"I'm Gonna Be" Classic Scottish song.


The WatchMan by Robin Mark.


Days of Elijah with Penny Whistle. Missed the Whistle intro but have it recorded on my mp3 player. In this video the whistle is mixed to the front, whict is good.
Just before they did 'Lion of Judah', (which we did not get a video of) in which, they sped the instrumental jig up really fast. Terribly fun!

It's Been Nice!

Just a few from a bunch of beautiful pictures.

I will Call Upon the Lord Fiddle Style!

Last Sunday night there was a music/hymn play-sing along at church. Afterwards, Perry and I were jamming and I starting playing this, but as usual, changed it up a bit; to Celtic fiddle style. It was SOOO much fun! Still working out the bugs though, we just were figuring it out when the video was taken.
Enjoy

How Rich Mullins Left a Legacy in My Life

So the film that is being worked on is asking people how RM has left a Legacy in their lives. So I wrote this for them a month or two ago...

How Rich Mullins Left a Legacy in My Life
Where do I begin? Those are the words I hear from so many who have come in contact with the music, life, and legacy of Rich Mullins. I echo those same words. I am now only nineteen years old, but I have listened to his music since age three. I grew up in Arizona; he grew up in Indiana. Quite the distance, but I always feel so close. I vaguely remember seeing him in concert, bare feet and jeans; I was only four years old then. I remember the Sunday after he died, we read it in the paper like many did. I was saddened, but didn’t fully comprehend it since I was seven.

There are two major events in my life that Rich’s legacy help shaped. The first was motivating me to take more seriously the music I played. When I was 16, my mom received a hammered dulcimer; she didn’t have time to learn it, but I did. I already played a couple of instruments, so one more couldn’t hurt, especially if it was a dulcimer. I quickly learned, playing it multiple times a day. I wanted to play “Creed” and the Celtic “78 Eatonwood Green.” But I didn’t know anybody else who even played a dulcimer. Well, I eventually learned the songs through trial and error, by ear, some songbooks, and a helpful You-Tube instructional video. Now the easiest songs that I play are his; I so enjoy playing them. I also like to write songs, although I am still an amateur at it. I commonly use hammered dulcimer in them, using rhythmic patterns that Rich made famous. I call it the “Ragamuffin Style.” Eventually, I bought my own dulcimer off EBay with money I had saved for years. I got a Dusty Strings D25 dulcimer, the exact same model that Rich played from 1992-97. Also everyone knows that Rich is my favorite musician. I kind of rubbed off on the kids at my church. Whenever we were together, we always played Rich’s songs, or, should I say, tried too, since his talent was way better than all of our talent put together. But we had fun anyway. We commonly played them for the congregation.

There was one family at my church that also listened to Rich’s music for years, but I didn’t know that until one time [when?] I was visiting them. This was before I learned the dulcimer, and before everyone knew I liked Rich so much. We were jamming away at some hymns, when their oldest daughter pulled out this songbook, simply titled “The Greatest Songs of Rich Mullins.” I was shocked! I never knew there was a songbook for his music! Her dad led music in our church, and frequently sang “Step by Step,” but I didn’t know she knew who Rich was. Well, this is the second event Rich helped shap]. That songbook helped bring two Mullins fans together. I am now courting her, and hope to marry her, Lord willing, here down the road soon. I always knew Rich was a musician, songwriter, poet, and theologian, but a matchmaker? We now play his songs together on the handful of instruments we play. We also write songs, sometimes reminiscent of his style. I plan on having my future children listen to his songs, and carry the legacy on.

Our family has taken multiple road trips through the Midwest, and every time we do, we listen to songs like “Calling out Your Name” while driving through the prairie. Last time we were in the Badlands, I wrote a song about Rich:

In the endless hills
Of prairie grass,
I can still hear your voice.
It’s a singing, singing,
Loud and clear;
Forever in my heart.
In heaven, heaven;
You’re a singing, singing,
Making music once again.
We miss you, Rich,
Forever more;
But I’ll carry on.

And the song goes on after that. I think I will always hear his voice, his music, his insights, and his example of being a ragamuffin. My life has a permanent indention that was made by him, and that will always be there. So, if Rich were here I would have to tell him “thank you” for all he’s done, but I guess I’ll have to wait until heaven.

Intel! Where I will be Working Soon

This is a video of an Intel clean room, where I've been hired for a project. The video is just a video by Intel; but I don't care for the music too much, but that's easily fixed. :) It gives a good visual of the environment I'll be in.

I'm actually been hired by a sub-contractor of a sub-contractor, which is hired by Intel. In the video, you see automated machine-cars on tracks on the ceiling. We are to take those tracks down and put updated newer, better, faster ones. In reality, it's just a general labor/construction job. Oh, and I do get to wear one of those white "Bunny suits" you see everybody has on.

Oh, a 'clean room' is 1000-10000 times cleaner than an open heart hospital surgical room (they make wafers, computer chips, processors and stuff). It's football fields big.
I've spent the last three days doing safety training and, more safety training. It doesn't pay great, but it's a job. Many of the guys in the class have been looking for work since 09!
Anyways, we'll see how it works out. :)

Rich Mullins: A Ragamuffin's Legacy Teaser Trailer

Second Trailer for the upcoming full length feature film, "Rich Mullins: A Ragamuffin's Legacy". Go to: for more info. Footage from their researching and interviews.

Courtship Encouragement Part II, Patience

-Patience-
If there's anything that a courtship will grow you in is patience. I know that's one of biggest things Perry and I are growing in. For those who aren't in a courtship and think you have patience, think again and just wait. :) Obviously, a courtship is a time when one really seeks and finds out if the other person is the right person to marry. Or maybe just check 10 times over if you knew before.
And if things seem to be going in a favorable direction, you always end up being best friends with the other person (Think about how many things/topics there is to talk about, and then think if you've ever talked about all that to anyone else besides a parent/mentor?). And in most courtships I think there's a time (it has to happen, part of the process) when you know it's Gods will that, he/she is the one.
But where does patience comes in??
Well, under the conditions listed above, you might for example...

-Want to talk about anything and everything but, some things should wait till engagement or marriage.

-Want to say something (like complimenting the other person) but have to say it in a particular way that's wholesome and good (discretion), or not say it at all.

-Want to do things together (even if it's just a hike or something) but can't always do them all the time/right away. Sometimes because you need someone(a parent) to go with you. Also Meaning wanting to be being alone, out of sight, etc... intentionally or not. (This doesn't necessarily mean I struggle with this, but just some general ideas).

-Just wanting to be married already because you so enjoy being around the other person. Example, wanting to talk very frequently, seeing one other very frequently, etc..

These are just examples, some of them we have experienced, some we haven't.
Different people will have different things, but the main issue is having patience.
It doesn't automatically mean you're sinning if you have some struggles with patience, or growing in it. Talk it over with a parent; especially for girls, they need someone to talk to and share these things with, other than the one who's courting them.



Hopefully these will be helpful to somebody sometime and make sense, and if not, who isn't interested in reading about courtship?