The Last Samurai with Paul McDonald and Rob Porter
Paul McDonald and Rob Porter talk about The Last Samurai (2003) starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. We love these stories of transformation because they give us hope that we can be restored. We desire having a robust and settled disposition, a sense of inner peace and becoming content in all circumstances. The ancient and the modern are at war for our souls. And the only way to find rest and honor is to follow the ancient paths. Put down your gun and pick up your sword, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.
Quotes
He lives with the nightmares of his past and does whatever he can to escape it.
Reading through the Bible in a year has been like excavation to the heart.
A man of honor gives hope to others, impacts them, calls and invites them to be honorable, and removes their shame if they pursue honor.
We want a transformed life, we want life with every breath.
There are choices we make that can continue our holy transformation with God.
We love stories of transformation, and wonder how we can access it.
If we are constantly on the move, we won’t finding rest.
The only way we find our path through transformation and restoration is by experiencing forgiveness.
We need daily reminders of the kind of man we are becoming.
“I think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed.”
When we align our actions with what we believe, the results are transformational.
When you make choices that are against your core being, your heart shatters because you’re living an identity that isn’t your own.
There is a way to live today in the new while also embracing the old.
We all desire transformation and having a robust settled disposition. I want this inner peace and becoming content in all circumstances.
Themes
The transformation and radical reconstruction of Nathan Algren through embracing an ancient way. He went from a shame and anger filled man to someone who knew who he was at the end who finds life in every breath.
Nathan as the movie starts—angry, reckless, drinking, full of shame and regret, crushed, low self-worth, nightmares. He had lost his honor.
Nathan captured – he’s forced to face the demons, wakes up crying, begging for sake, becomes a man who stops to think, realizes there might be an alternative path, it’s a process of unlearning, he receives healing from the people he had harmed
Nathan at the end-aligning actions with beliefs (vs actions to what you are told to do, by bribe or by threat), restoring honor, receives sword and armor, the old ways have joined the new
The Way of the Samurai – Life in every breath, working as one, imparts wisdom, settled disposition that comes from living under a good king, contentment with their assignments.
“The ancient and modern are at war for the soul of Japan.” The same battle goes on today for our hearts and souls as well. There is a tension between the old and the new. We can’t escape the modern world, but hold on to ancient ways in the midst of it.
Nathan’s progression mirrors Saul’s transformation to Paul in the book of Acts.
The ancient paths offer rest for our souls.
The importance of reminders
The decision to read the Bible was less about racing through the passages, but a conscious and intentional decision to choose God, to choose the ancient path over the modern rush.
Chronos vs Kairos time
Identity based habits, aligning our habits with our fundamental beliefs
Resources
“The father’s ongoing initiation of the masculine soul has the final word. And inviting us and guiding us through this process of masculine initiation is mostly what God is up to in the life of every man.” - Morgan Snyder in Becoming a King: The Path to Restoring the Heart of a Man
“This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)
“No one stops to think anymore” -Morgan Snyder
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
“The prince should think: Christ has served me and made everything to follow him; therefore, I should also serve my neighbor, protect him and everything that belongs to him. That is why God has given me this office, and I have it that I might serve him. That would be a good prince and ruler. When a prince sees his neighbor oppressed, he should think: That concerns me! I must protect and shield my neighbor….The same is true for the shoemaker, tailor, scribe, or reader. If he is a Christian tailor, he will say: I make these clothes because God has bidden me do so, so that I can earn a living, so that I can help and serve my neighbor.” - Martin Luther, from a sermon in 1522
Become Good Soil podcast on Advent
Men at the Movies Advent devotional
Questions
How can a man be so radically transformed by this process of excavation?
What ancient paths are available to you?
How does the ancient and modern collide in your life?
What has died to progress?
What does honor mean?
What do you do to numb the pain?
What pain, regrets, and shame do you carry from your past?
What patterns, habits, and behaviors do you need to unlearn (think of ones that aren’t working well)?
Where do you find rest for your soul?
When was the last time you stopped to think?
What gets in the way of resting?
How do we live in a way that we have live in every moment?