Bread, Games, and Hopelessness: Catching Fire Questions

• What does the portrayal of violence in Catching Fire communicate? Is it a glorification of violence, or critique of how we willingly consume violence for entertainment?

          The violence in Catching Fire (which is my favorite of the Hunger Games trilogy) is not a glorification of violence. I believe that Suzanne Collins (the author) was trying to communicate to the world what could happen to America if we continued to feed our ever-growing lust for violence. The main characters (Katniss and Peeta) along with other past tributes spend their days trying to drown out their memories of the violence and horror in the arenas. There are some tributes who relish the games-they were trained to fight in the games for most of their lives. These tributes are hungry for death, but Collins never portrays them as the heroes-on the contrary, she shows them as cruel and evil tyrants. What Collins is trying to communicate with the violence is a warning: violence should never be the source of our entertainment.

• What does Catching Fire say about voyeurism and our culture's obsession with reality television? How are we acting similarly to the residents of Panem when we can't take our eyes off shows like Jersey Shore, Desperate Housewives or Honey Boo-Boo, that portray people ruining their lives? How do these shows disconnect us from reality?

           We want to know everything about everyone else and what they're doing and who their doing it with while not giving any thought to the building and sustaining our own lives. The people in the Capitol were obsessed with knowing all the details of Peeta and Katniss's wedding yet didn't even realize that there were districts that were rioting against the Capitol and that many innocent people were being killed. The only thing they saw in the Hunger Games were random people sacrificing themselves and each other for their country-not innocent children subject to the tyranny of the land that demanded that their salvation be bought with their own blood. We care more about the little things in the lives of people we don't know than the hurt in the world around us. If we're bored with our own lives, we can just turn on the TV and watch other people's scripted drama and feel better about our lives. These shows aren't actual reality; they were made with sugar and spice and nothing too nice and doused in pointless drama that either gives us a false security that our lives aren't all that bad or makes us feel like our lives need more excitement.

• What do we miss out on when we are distracted by reality shows or empty entertainment?Can you think of five things that would be more valuable to do?

          We miss out on all the truly important and exciting things of life. How are we going to acomplish our dreams when we have a TV schedule to keep? We hear about kids in Africa who need water and food and place to sleep at night, but the trip alone to get there would cause you to miss a week's worth of sitcoms. We say "feed the homeless and clothe the poor" but what we really mean is "someone else go do this because I'm too busy with my own issues" as we grab a beer and the remote. When it comes to more valuable things to do, there is a lot. How about instead of letting the TV babysit your kid, actually sit down with him yourself and read him a book or take her for a walk. In the long run, what your child will remember from his childhood is his parents spending and investing time in him, not a bunch of catchy theme songs. You could take the time you spend watching TV to learn a new instrument or develop a talent, read a new book or reread an old favorite, be a valet for someone who can't drive, or take a road trip to a place you've never been. These things will not only be valuable to your life and possibly others', but they will also be memorable.

• Does the decadent and extravagant lifestyle of the Capitol bear any resemblance to our time and culture?

          I think that our culture is like the culture of that in the Capitol in that we put such emphasis on looks-we must look a certain way and if we don't or wear something "outdated" we are considered lame, boring, and unpopular. We want the best of things for ourselves without giving a thought to things that we really need. We want more and more, bigger and better. While also getting bigger things like TVs, cars, beds,  and houses, we strive to make our bodies smaller. One of the best parts of the book (in my opinion) was when Katniss and Peeta were at their engagement party at the Capitol and they were handed a drink that was supposed to make them throw up in order to let them eat more. How like our culture would it be for us to invent something like this? Everyone is obsessed with obtaining the perfect body yet can't stand the thought of giving up their favorite junk food. We are much like the people of the Capitol in too many ways.

• What does the series communicate about totalitarianism and oppressive governments-threats faced by millions the world over today?

          The Hunger Games shows that totalitarianism is a cruel way to live. In no way does it communicate a wish for that kind of government on other people. As an American with the rights that allow me to live in complete freedom (compared to most), it's hard to read of a futuristic America where the citizens' every move was watched and limited. It's heartbreaking to think of America becoming like that. I think it's very clear that no one (except maybe the oblivious people in the Capitol) likes the way their country is run. They want a different form of government and are determined to destroy the present one with any means possible.

• Would a Christian respond differently than Katniss, Peeta, etc. in the situations Collins and the filmmakers put them in?

          Assuming that the term "Christian" is referring only to those who have made a true commitment to Christ, not the ones who just attend church every so often without giving Jesus complete surrender, then I would say that a Christian would probably act in a lot of ways like Peeta but have a different motive for it. Peeta didn't kill anyone and protected Katniss because he loved her. I do not think that a Christian would kill anyone in the Hunger Games. They would want to protect the innocent (like Katniss protected Rue), but could not intentionally kill anyone for the sake of winning the Games because of the moral issues involved. However, self-defense is another thing to take into consideration. The Bible is full of situations where godly men and women armed themselves in order to defend their lives and the lives of those they loved. If it came to combat, I would think that their survival instincts would come into play. In the situation of rising against the government, I would think the Christians would act like the heroes of the American Revolution against England. They did not fight with malice, but with the love of their country and with the hope of freedom in their hearts. When it comes down to it, the Christian may do the same as others, but the reasons behind it and the way they do it should be completely different.

• Is the any hope in Panem? Where do you find hope today?

          The people's only hope in Panem seems to be Katniss. They are hoping she will deliver them from the oppressive government and bring freedom. They look to her as the face of revolution. She had the guts to defy the Capitol and inspired the majority of her country to do so also. I find hope in many things. I find hope in the first few days of spring. I find hope in reading books. I find hope in listening to music. I find hope in my parents' faces. I find hope in my church listening to the congregation sing. But most of all, I find hope in Jesus. No one has shown me the love and mercy that He has. He reminds me that even though I fail over and over and feel so alone that He will always love me and never leave me.

#PKRant

This post is a bit more personal. Just some things that I'd like to get off my chest.

I've had a very interesting life so far. It's been very exciting. It's only been 16 years since I arrived on this planet, but I've learned a lot. I was born as a pastor's kid and grew up in the church. I know the ins and outs of a lot of churches and can say the books of the Bible faster than most people can name the first 5 books of the Bible. Our family has also had many different children from many different backgrounds running in and out of our house since we do foster care. I've been to almost every state in the U.S. (43, I think). I went to a Christian school, public school, and am currently being home schooled. It seems like no matter where I go, someone knows me and my family. It's crazy how many times I'll go somewhere and people will come up to me and say things like, "Oh, you're Pastor Ruthie's daughter, aren't you? That must be so much fun!" or "Isn't your dad the bus driver? I love him!" or "I know your uncle, he was the JBQ guy!"

There's so many faces and they all seem to know my life story, yet I've never seen them before. I guess one of the annoying things about being a PK (Pastor's Kid) is that everyone thinks they know everything about you. In reality, however, no one really knows anything about me. They know my family story but they don't know my story. Yet, it's hard to get people to listen. And who can you trust to tell your story to? It's not like you can go up to someone in the church and explain the pain and hurt the church has given you.

It's even worse if you've got your own personal problems. Testimony time is very hard for me. Everyone gets up and tells people how they used to drink, party, and have sex all the time and then Jesus saved them. It's great testimony, it really is. But if I were to get up in front of people and tell them how I used to be suicidal and addicted to porn and then only a couple years ago did I really decide to follow Jesus, the church would probably go crazy. There's so many expectations that are thrust upon you as a PK. People expect you to be a perfect role model that never goes through anything drastic. No one would molest a PK; no PK has depression; no PK knows what it's like to see their parents go through a divorce; no PK gets drunk; no PK gets a girl pregnant while still in high school. It's like we're not allowed to live life because if we did, it must mean that everything in our family is wrong, or we're not really saved, or our parents weren't actually called into ministry and we're making everything up. What I'd like to get through to people is that just because a PK sins, that doesn't mean that their parents were mistaken about their livelihood. PKs (and pastors too) are just normal people who make mistakes. Pastors' kids are just kids. Most people wouldn't expect their children to be a perfect role model for the rest of the kids in their community, yet they seem to think that because our parents stand behind a pulpit on Sunday mornings, God gave us some special "perfect kid" powers. Which is totally false.

I have to admit that I've always hated that part at camp where we all gather in our cabins and talk about what God did in our lives that night. Everyone's always scared to say what happened, but they don't have the same fears of what might happen if they tell someone. I mean if you're a PK and you've been sneaking around getting drunk and hooking up with anyone and everyone, you can't really tell anyone at all. At camp, kids feel more comfortable telling their counselors because they're usually someone that doesn't live near them and doesn't know their parents. But if you're a PK, everyone knows your parents. So you don't want to tell anyone what you're going through because you just know that somehow it's going to get back to your parents. Even worse, if you tell someone from your church what you do, they might tell other people in the church and then horrible rumors get started which will definitely get back to your parents. Unfortunately when this happens, people are trying to hurt your parents' reputations. For some reason, they think that if the pastor's kid is acting up it means they aren't a good pastor. This is completely unfair no matter how you look at it. It's like saying that since a rock star's kid isn't a good singer, then he probably isn't a good rock star. Believe it or not, some kids just don't want to do what their parents tell them to do.

It would just be nice to know who I can talk to. A lot of people go to their pastor for help, but some times I would like some feedback other than my parents. It's just very hard to know who it is that I should talk to. I'd just like someone to talk to me without them viewing me as a PK. I want them to see me as a normal person who has needs. I want them to see that I bleed red blood, not old church history books (although, I wouldn't be surprised if I did). I know that's a hard thing for people to do, but it would be nice if people tried more often.

I'm sorry if I sound rude or inconsiderate. I really love being a PK and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just want people to know the truth-that PKs need love too.

The Call To Give

Have you ever felt distant from God, like things weren't right but you didn't think you were doing anything wrong?

I know I've felt that way many times.

When you feel like this, you should take a look at your life. Usually the times when you're most distant from God are the times when you're being self-centered. God demands our all. Our all is a lot. We want to keep it to ourselves. We're scared. We're scared that we'll be hurt, rejected, laughed at. While these fears are very real, they're also very limiting. When you give your all to God, He will give His all to you. It's amazing how just giving a few dollars to someone who needs it can make you feel as if someone just gave you a million dollars! The only way to explain this is the Holy Spirit. He comes along and shows you how giving yourself to God to help others is really so much better than just living for yourself. You really have nothing when you keep everything to yourself. Giving is the opposite. The more you give, the more you have. I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. Money cannot buy you true happiness. But seeing the joy on the faces of homeless people who were given just a few scraps of hot food, or the mother who received some money and doesn't have to worry about feeding her children, or the child who hears about the love of Jesus for the first time- these are the things that bring a happiness that will last forever. These things are only acquired by giving something. While people need money, a lot of times what people really want is your time. It's hard to give it away, but if you want all of God you need to give Him all of you.

Firstly, spend time with God. Dive deep into His Word- as you grow, so will the Bible. The words will no longer be just stories you heard as a child, but letters from God to you explaining all His glory and mystery. The Bible is so much more than a lesson from Sunday School- it's like life hacks or shortcuts, showing you how to avoid most of the pain in the world. Spend time in prayer- talking with God. Listen to what He wants to tell you. Any relationship requires communication. The first relationship between God and Man set the path for every relationship through communication and spending time with each other. God still desires to communicate and spend time with us today. Spend time worshiping God. A common misconception among people today is equating worship with music. Music is a form of worship, but it is not the only way to worship. Worship is how you treat God. Worship should be the way you live. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Worshiping God deepens your relationship with Him and renews your spirit. It connects you with God in a way that nothing else can.

Secondly, spend time with people. Get to know the people you're surrounded by daily. How much do you know about your coworkers, the people you sit by in church, your neighbors, or even your family? As you spend more time with God and grow to love Him more, your love for people will grow also. You will value the time you have with them because you will view them as God views them and you will see them as God's children. Open yourself up to the people closest to you and you will be greatly rewarded. Yes, pain and hurt may come when you get to know people better, but in the end it will be worth it all. If your friendships are all rainbows and butterflies and rabbits and sunshine with no hurt, your "friends" probably won't stick around very long. People hate pain, but the truth is if you spend time with them, working through the pain, they will respect you and they will respect your relationship. People just want to know that people care for them. They don't want a hand out, or your pity, or a "I feel bad that I have all this money and you don't" kind of attitude. They want you to take the time to get know them, to hear their story. Listen. Don't give advice. Listen. They want your heart, not your words. Spending time with others shows them that you care more about their needs than about yourself. No one likes self-centered people, but everybody loves the one who is willing to be there for them no matter what the cost.

One of the surest signs of a healthy, growing relationship with God is healthy, growing relationships with the people around you. The best way to learn how to have better relationships with people is to start with God. He will show you what a true friendship is; how giving everything to Him is really better than keeping everything for you.

Cultivated Beauty

I believe that true beauty is something that must be cultivated from inside. Beauty isn't something you were born with, it's something you grow inside of you. Your beauty isn't defined your freckles, or the digits on the scale, or the clothes you wear, or the number of friends you have. Beauty is defined by God. God says that your beauty comes from Him. Your beauty is who you are-who you are-not how you look. Beauty is in your personality. Beauty is in your soul. Beauty is in your spirit.

One of my favorite shows, Doctor Who, has this great quote that sums up beauty. "You know when, sometimes you meet someone so beautiful, and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later, they’re as dull as a brick? Then there’s other people, and you meet them and you think, ‘Not bad; they’re okay.’ And then you get to know them, and their face sort of becomes them, like their personality is written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful." This is what beauty is.

You should put your emphasis on glorifying God with all of your life, rather than glorifying your body so that other people will like you. I'm not saying that you can't dress up or wear make-up or dye your hair. Just don't make those things your priorities. Try to spend more time working on your personality and spirit than on your face and hair. I promise you your life will be much better that way.

Now not every person is beautiful, although every person has the potential to be beautiful. Some people can look very attractive on the outside, but when you listen to the way they talk, or see how they act, or look at how they live their life you can see that there's not much beauty inside. They may think that they have a lot of friends or have a great life, but eventually they'll realize how empty they are-usually when they find their first wrinkles.

But there is still hope! "Cultivating beauty" means that it is an ongoing process, even when we're old and in nursing homes. We all fail, but the best thing about Jesus is that He forgives and He helps us get back on our feet whenever we ask Him for help. His love is unconditional-even if you were perfect, He couldn't love you any more than He already loves you now. Your physical beauty is nothing compared to the spirit that He created inside of you. Your body will grow old and tired and will eventually die. But the spirit that God gave you will live forever. So I suggest that you live your life in a way that gives back all the glory to God that He deserves. When you do that, you will be truly beautiful.

My Heart's Cry

As a girl, I've grown up waiting for the day when I will meet the man I will marry. I've spent hours as a little girl planning my wedding, all the way down to the dress and the food. Now that I'm older, I think about the kind of man I want to marry and spend the rest of my days with. I look around and pick out the qualities that I think make a man attractive (physically and inwardly); things that I hope to see in my children; and things that show strong leadership, mature spirituality, and true love.

But while I do this, my heart can't escape the cries of the girls who see no possibility of finding a man with those things; the girls who have no hope of finding a man that will love and nurture them, treat them with the utmost respect, and show them the love they deserve.

For a long time, my heart has been hurting for the people held captive by the bonds of human trafficking. I can't even begin to fathom how anyone can be so vile and evil to think that it is OK and right to violate a human being's body just so that they can have a few minutes of pleasure. It absolutely disgusts me! No one has this right! God created us as His children and it has to break His heart to look down and see His children selling each other for sick enjoyment.

Too many people are involved in this heinous crime. Most girls involved in human trafficking get started between the ages of 12 and 14. Pretend you are a girl in this age group. Instead of waking up in the morning in a nice, comfortable bed and heading off to school, you wake up in a cold, dark room (probably with a few other girls), dressed in rags that barely constitute as clothes and head into another room where it is your job to lay on a bed and let anyone do whatever they want to you. You may get paid for this, but most likely any money you get goes to another man who will treat you with complete contempt.
For approximately 20 million people, this is their harsh reality. That's a lot of people! Too many people if you ask me.


Usually when we think of human trafficking, we think of places like Cambodia, China, or some remote place in Africa. But the truth is, between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year. The time when human trafficking gets the most business in the U.S. is during the Super Bowl. Our country isn't as civilized as we'd like to think. We say that we've advanced so much in the past 1,000 years, but really, we're just as barbaric as we've always been. And it sickens me.


God did not make us as play toys. He made us to have wants and desires, yes, but to pursue them with godly intentions and a pure heart. He made us to desire love and acceptance, and every human being has the right to have this. Our world has completely distorted this. Love is no longer a mystery that can only be discovered through the Author of love, but it is a few short minutes bought with greed.



I pray for the day that true love will reign in place of this hideous lie we're selling. I pray that every girl who has been brought into a place where there is no love, joy, or peace will find the way to break free and find the One who will readily give them love, joy, and peace to the fullest. That the chains of slavery will be broken is my heart's cry.

Winning Their Hearts

When a boy meets a girl, he does all that can to do one thing: win her heart. Everything he does he hopes she sees and impresses her. He will go to great lengths to get this girl to notice him. He devotes hours of his days to find out everything about her. He learns her likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, favorite colors, favorite movies. This is a quest, and he intends to win his prize.

As a teenager, I've noticed some things. A lot of people my age seem so distant from their parents They can't stand each other. They spend little to no time together. I think some of this is because we teenagers feel like we are not understood. I believe that this is true.

So what does that have to do with my first paragraph? Well, I believe that parents should be like the boy who fell in love with the girl. Parents, you need to realize your children are growing up. They are discovering who they are. You need to go on the quest to win your child's heart. Spend time with them, getting to know them as a separate person. Pretend they're not just your child, but a human being that has hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Learn what kind of person they are and want to be and encourage them to be all they can be.

Now I'm not saying that you need to be their BFF. You still need to be the parent and discipline them. But you need to show them that you love them. Give them guidance. Be their coach while being their biggest fan. Teenagers are normal people who are testing the boundaries and trying to figure out their purpose in life. As the parent, your job is to train your child for adulthood. Give them the chance to show who they truly are. Too many parents try to live out their dreams through their children. Don't do that. You'll only confuse your child and ruin your relationship with them. Give your child the opportunities he/she needs to grow as an adult, encouraging them to do the best they can in the areas that God has called them to thrive in.

When your child sees you showing an interest in them and in their interests, they will most likely reciprocate your actions. In the quest to win your child's heart, you'll see that they want to win yours as well.

Is This Right?

You know what this is.

You walk into a church and faintly hear the loud drums and guitar coming from somewhere in the background. You look down a hallway and see a dark room with fancy strobe lights shining out of it. Above the loud music you can hear the chatter of a number of people; the conversations aren't really deep and seem to have little to no purpose, but everyone is very animated. You see a 30-something young man in skinny jeans and a v-neck shirt walk into the room with an iPad in his hand.

There's no need to guess what this is. It's obviously youth group.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that when God told the church to mentor the next generation He had fancy smoke and lights in mind and said "You can only teach them if you wear skinny jeans and have a cool hair style."

I've noticed in a number of places that most youth groups seems to look the same. They have cool lights, a cool preacher, a cool band, cool games, all the latest technology. They all scream the same thing: "WE FIT IN WITH YOU!" We're trying so hard to fit in with the culture that we've altered and dumbed down the truth of the Bible and God's standards. We want the kids to come to the church, but have we taught them how to stay in the church? If you look at the statistics you'll find that "70 percent of 23-30 year olds stopped attending church regularly for at least a year between ages 18-22" (according to lifewayresearch.com). We've got to be doing something wrong for the percentage to be so high.

Maybe teens want more than what society--and the church--are giving them. The point of bringing people to Jesus is to show them that there's so much more for us than what the world says. But lately, we've been so desperate to show them that we're just normal people that we haven't shown people the radical love and life that God has for us. Jesus says to be "in the world but not of it", but it seems that in order to get people to come to church we must be exactly like the world; just put an "I love Jesus" sticker over the Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement.

If you look in the Bible the most influential people were never the ones who blended in with everyone else. They were the ones who had intelligence, boldness, and a radical way of living. Their life set them apart from the rest of the world. And the church grew drastically because of it! In Acts 2,Peter spoke to a crowd about the miraculous ways of God and 3,000 people were saved! Peter didn't have the smoky lights, the cool illustrations, the dubstep remixes, or the awesome hair-do and yet people listened to him and accepted Jesus!

I'm not saying that lights and cool hair and skinny jeans are wrong, but maybe we're going about sharing the Gospel the wrong way. I honestly think that if we showed people how the radical love of Jesus can bring them the life that they want and need, they would accept it. It worked for Peter, I'm sure it could work for us too.