Fury with Paul McDonald and Laurence Coppedge
Paul McDonald and Laurence Coppedge discuss the 2014 movie Fury starring Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf, and Logan Lerman. They look at the painful process of initiation, how to find the narrow path between brutality and beauty we see in the world, and how we discover our identity only through surrender.
Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie!
About Laurence
Laurence Coppedge is husband to an amazing wife and father to two incredible kids. His career has been spent in investments and entrepreneurial ventures, but his passion is connecting with men and finding the freedom and true identity that God has given us. He loves the outdoors and can be found on the rocks and in the rivers on any given weekend with his family and friends. His most recent endeavor has been the founding of the Freebird Forge where he designs art, knives, shields (and soon to be swords!) for people on the journey towards restoration and wholeness.
Quotes
Ideals are peaceful. History is violent.
The war is fiercest at the end.
Why don’t they just give up? Would you?
You have to die to yourself in order to become the man God created you to be.
I have far fewer ideals, but find myself relating with God along the path.
Even though the process of our initiation may look tough, there is still nurturing in it.
God takes the heat of our anger and uses it to forge a weapon.
If there’s a moment of beauty, joy, or love, our enemy is coming after it.
When you watch the news, what you see is a world on fire.
In times of pain, grief, and trauma, watch very closely to what you align yourself with because you will become fused to it.
Best job I ever had.
Just as Norman couldn’t live without the tank crew, the tank crew couldn’t survive without a fully functioning Norman.
The tank crew size group (4-5 people) bring out things in each other that enable you to be more fully known and ultimately more whole hearted.
Something has been placed in you, and something has been broken, but your reality is different and you are able to make a greater choice.
It’s not what I wanna do, but it’s what I’m gonna do.
Every man has a desire for a cause worth dying for, a desire to do what’s hard and what’s right.
A well trained tank crew can save a lot of lives and take out strongholds of the enemy.
Surrendering to our fear may feel like the best thing to do, but it’s going to be worse in the long run.
We wrestle with brutality and beauty to hold onto the ideals that are most critical, most important.
Themes
Brutality and beauty are a part of the life we live.
The war is fiercest at the end
The importance of not giving up
God is preparing us to do our job. The process of initiation is painful.
The paradox of pain and training
At some point, we would rather die than go through what God is calling us to go through. We must die to who we thought we were to become the person God designed us to be. But God is with us through the process.
The paradox of Wardaddy—God is both a warrior, and loving father. He wrestles us to the ground, but tenderly picks us back up.
God can take our anger.
We must be reminded of the beauty to make it through the brutality of this world.
We can look to those who have been through their initiation to show us the way through the pain. Watch the older brothers and sisters
Going through battle with others forges bonds of relationship.
The power and invitation of vulnerability
The power of the larger story—we have to know our purpose and our role within the Larger Story.
Standing in the gap—we want to volunteer for a cause we believe in (Send me).
We will receive our new name, our true identity from our Wardaddy.
We have the option to surrender: who will we surrender to? Fear, or our Father?
We go through our initiation, enter into battle, and then receive a blessing.
The maturing cycle of ideal
Questions
How do we tend our heart in times of trauma? What do we turn to?
What battles have you been through? Where have you seen the brutality of life?
Where do you experience beauty, love, and joy?
Which role do you play most: Wardaddy, Norman, or Grady?
What roles do you see men in your life playing?