Terminator with Paul McDonald and Sarah Daniels
This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we are excited to have a woman join us to talk about one of her favorite movies, the original Terminator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn. We discuss the differences between Sarah Connors in this movie contrasted with her character in T2. And we break down how she is transformed from a naïve waitress into a confident warrior. Storms coming, so come with us if you want to live, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.
About Sarah
Sarah Daniels works as a staff member of the Crossing LIFE Church in Windham, NH by day, and toils as an aspiring author by night. She's a movie nerd who's stuck in the 80s, and grew up with classics like The Last Starfighter, The Goonies, and The Terminator. She's currently funneling the life lessons she learned from them into a movie devotional and hosts monthly movie nights at her church to teach people how God can speak to us through movies and other aspects of pop culture. She's passionate about hearing the voice of God and encouraging people to break out of the Matrix and embrace their true identities as sons and daughters of God, and how to partner with God using their unique creative giftings, whatever those might be.
Quotes
We think that caring and sympathy equal weakness.
Our lives are transformed by love or fear.
Jesus’ invitation gives us the option between what is scary and what is really scary.
The easiest way to defeat a warrior is for the warrior to sit by the fire with their feet up.
What if God isn’t really concerned about the results, but just wants to be invited to live life with you?
God sees who we are beyond who we are right now.
Adversity serves to craft and create who we were meant to be.
Themes
Contrast between Sarah Connors’ character in Terminator vs. T2
Terminator: sees Kyle’s pain, cries with him, teachable, naïve, fights and motivated by love. The arc of her transformation from naïve waitress to facing the storms with confidence. Governed by love.
T2: cold, hard, warrior, bad ass, strong, capable, unafraid, but has no compassion, pushes her pain away, no empathy. Governed by fear
How did Sarah get from being a naïve waitress to facing the storms as a confident warrior?
Proper understanding of the danger she’s in and the world she is a part of. Evil hunts you relentlessly. Knowing how to identify the enemy—how do we tell the good guys from the bad? Prayer, discernment, time. What is our reaction to the enemy? Division, pain/fear/anger out of proportion, pressure to perform. What do the good guys look like? Correction, love, compassion, vulnerability). What is the fruit? What is the root (motivation)?
Deciding to follow love (Kyle) or fear (Arnold). “Come with me if you want to live.” Choosing between what is scary and what is really scary. Loves tells the truth. Love sees what you could be, calls us to more. Love is not disappointed, affirms the beloved. Fear leads to us worried about not being enough, motivated to do more because we are afraid we are not enough. Love offers a choice.
Resources
Realm Makers: https://www.realmmakers.com/
Compartment syndrome: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/compartment-syndrome-causes-treatments
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” - Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT)
Our lives are governed by love or fear. –Allen Arnold
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” - Matthew 7:24-27 (MSG)
Now that I’ve been through my initiation, I am ready for anything. Anywhere. - Richard Rohr (paraphrasing Paul’s words in Philippians 4:12-13)
“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” - Philippians 4:12-13 (MSG)
Joshua C. Chad - https://www.joshuacchadd.com/
Questions
How do you respond when the storms are coming?
Where do you feel naïve? Where do you feel confident?
What does the enemy look like? How would you define him?
What would it be like to live at peace with others? To live in a way that does not perceive people as the enemy?
How do we tell the good guys from the bad guys?
When is your response out of proportion to what is happening?
Are your decisions governed by love or fear? How can you tell the difference?
Do you believe God is disappointed in you?
What if God isn’t disappointed in you? What would that change?