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Cheryl's avatar

The jewel in the middle of this story, Micah and Asher's childhood revisited, is a tender reminder of the wounds our souls endure. Micah's response to his father hit a nerve - my own motives and evaluations of my daily work. Here's a Story continues to offer relational insights to some of the rich moments in God's Word that I assumed I was familiar with.

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Ashley Buenger's avatar

Surprisingly, that was one of the easiest parts for me to write, just flowed out like water. Thank you for noting that you enjoyed it. I see so much of myself in Micah, too. *cringe*

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James Moore's avatar

Again, I appreciate your visioning of the interactions in the story. I have observed a similar dynamic in the movie "Legends of the Fall," between the characters played by Brad Pitt and Aidan Quinn. Quinn plays the elder brother frustrated by the roguish behavior of his younger brother. It is encapsulated in a scene in which he grieves the death of his wife, played by Julia Ormond, who he knows always loved Pitt's character. (If you've seen the movie, you already know this!) Here is a link to the scene I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrOg-G72US0

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Ashley Buenger's avatar

Wow, that scene is powerful. Thanks for noting its similarities to the story. I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic live, and will now have to watch the whole movie. ☺️

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James Moore's avatar

It really is an excellent movie. You have Anthony Hopkins, the father who has experienced war first hand. Henry Thomas plays the youngest brother, who serves as a ghost, haunting all of the main characters. If you like a movie with adventure, romance, heartbreak, fear, envy, and joy, "Legends of the Fall" is for you. (Now is your turn to say, "Why don't you tell me how you really feel?") And again, reflecting on the prodigal/lost son, the rivalry between Brad Pitt and Aidan Quinn is an ongoing theme. And One Stab is such a wonderful character--note his use of spoken language.

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Ashley Buenger's avatar

Haha. Well I can tell that you truly enjoyed it, and that is enough to pique my interest. If only, you got paid for your thoughtful reviews! :)

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Katie Mayes's avatar

Once again, such a beautiful imagining of an old, familiar story. This one is powerful, Ashley!

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Ashley Buenger's avatar

Thanks Katie! That means a lot to me, friend.

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Katherine Miller's avatar

“His stomach jumped like a starving dog at a table scrap.“ I like how this reminded me of another of Jesus’ teachings. I also liked how your brothers story drew my mind back to Cain and Able with the parts about tending the fields and tending the livestock. Your fleshing out of this story makes it very relatable. I took a course in college that was all about taking Jesus’ stories and giving them more, writing stories from them, and sometimes bringing them into present times. You would have excelled in his course. (I did not!). I think you will enjoy this sermon: https://cov-sermons.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/2022+cov-sermons.pdf/Sermon+2022.03.27+(SWC).pdf

One last thought I had was about the fatted calf and I wondered if there were other examples of preparing the fatted calf in the Bible. When I googled I found mostly just references to the parable.

Thank you for sharing this on Facebook!

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Ashley Buenger's avatar

That's my favorite line in the story! Honestly, I closed my computer after trying to write for 20 minutes and only coming up with that line, thinking, at least that one's decent. Oh, the writing process. :) Thanks for pointing it out! I would love to hear more about that course sometime! You're right, I probably would've loved it and I'll check out the sermon. Thanks for your thoughts!

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Katherine Miller's avatar

Abel not Able!

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