Sorry for the delay in getting this to your inbox. I’m going to blame the launch of the new Formula 1 season, and the wonky calendar sucking up a chunk of my Friday. Race cars can’t fight back, so it’s definitely their fault and not my own lack of planning.
We’ve been trying to spend more time with all three of our kids in the same room with us. No small feat with them ranging from kindergarten to middle school, with different interests, and no shortage of complaining about each other. Instead of everyone hitting eject from dinner and heading off their own way to read, play, clean, bathe, or whatever, we’ll throw some popcorn in the microwave and track down something to watch together. This week we stumbled upon the treat you see above - Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.
What started as a series of videos on YouTube turned into a full-blown studio release in 2021, has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (if you care about that sort of thing), and even got nominated for an Oscar in 2023 (post-covid Oscar windows were weird). The movie’s about a shell, named Marcel, who happens to have shoes on. A filmmaker, Dean, moves into an Airbnb house after breaking up with his girlfriend and stumbles upon Marcel and his grandmother who live in the same house. Dean begins to document the lives of these two shells, posts the videos online, and quickly gets caught up in a viral quest to find their missing family and friends.
Why is Trey writing about an animated movie he watched with his kids? I thought this was a weekly devotional sort of thing? Stay with me friends!
Around the 19:30 mark of the film (I couldn’t find a clip of this scene online, sorry), Marcel flips a rotating mirror to show off a family tree he’s carved to remember all his friends and family that unexpectedly disappeared. When Marcel flips the mirror around to show Dean (while Taps plays in the background), he shares all the stories and anecdotes about his people that he’s carried with him since they left. It’s a mix of longing, earnestness, and hilarity (“Goodbye Richard, you were the worst singer in our class, but I loved how you let me cut you in line.”).
As Taps fades out, Dean captures Marcel sitting on the corner of the dresser that holds the mirror. He’s quietly looking up, still reminiscing about what life used to be in their house full of life and love, when he turns to Dean and this little exchange unfolds.
Marcel: Guess why I smile a lot.
Dean: Why?
Marcel: Uh, ‘cause it’s worth it.
This is a little guy (fine, a shell!) who’s lost just about everything. He looks back on all the love, fun, excitement, laughter, and joy that his life once held, and realizes he’s standing there on a dresser alone. He could’ve wept. He could’ve cursed. He could’ve smashed that mirror. At least I think he could have, but who knows how strong these little shells really are? Instead, as Marcel reflects on his friends and family that are gone, his response is to remind Dean that he smiles because it’s worth it. The heartache and loneliness are worth it because of all the joy that came from the gift that those folks were to Marcel over the years. I won’t spoil the rest of the movie, but you should definitely carve out time this weekend to check it out yourself.
I think I could learn a lot from Marcel. It’s easy for me to look back on suffering and lean toward anger, frustration, anxiety, or worry. I almost certainly would’ve broken that mirror. I’ve had friendships that I was certain were secure that have come crashing down around me. I’ve led and attended funerals that came way too early for people. I’ve officiated weddings that led to shipwrecked marriages and divorce. I’ve wept digging a hold and burying a dog.
I’m not alone in this, and there are certainly folks who have suffered and endured much more than me. We’ve all got our own baggage that we carry with us through life. Looking back on it all, I can see God’s hand in all of it. Instructing me, growing me, stretching me, healing me, and drawing me toward him. I’m learning to smile more. To quiet the voice of anger, confusion, and frustration as I reflect on the goodness and grace of God.
Marcel is right. It is worth it, and I should smile more than I do. God has been kind in surrounding me with a family that loves me, friends that care for me, and a church that points me to Jesus. That doesn’t mean the heartache isn’t there, but it does mean that the suffering doesn’t get the final word. Psalm 23 reminds us, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.” We can rest, knowing that Jesus is indeed all that we need, and that he’s coming back to make all things new.
Bluey’s Back (Parenting)
“The fact of its being a kid’s show is so disarming; it allows adults to remember the experience of childhood with its open sincerity and pure, unmediated bolts of joy.” I bet you thought this newsletter had reached the Bluey saturation point. Welp, you’re wrong. Vulture hosted a “Week Week” on their site last week, and Kathryn VanArendonk (one of their television critics) strapped in to write about Bluey. She highlights a particularly great episode, “Camping.” Whether you’ve seen it or not, this piece is worth the read and highlights what makes this show a generational gift to television. While the show often leads to tears, Kathryn writes about the reason that’s a good thing for parents and kids.
Surviving Exhaustion (Discipleship)
“Fatigue, it turns out, is not without hope because it is a precondition for renewal. Weariness is a precondition for rest just as death is a precondition for resurrection. We may feel faint and weary, having exhausted all other options, but the gospel is the one thing that is inexhaustible.” Sam Bush offers a great piece on why it feels like exhaustion is always pressing in around us, what the gospel says about our finitude, and the gift of Jesus’s offer to trade our yoke for his. While it sounds heavy, and maybe it is, his work struck me as incredibly encouraging. I hope it’s an encouragement to you as well.
Leading Readers (Kids Min, Student Min)
“I’m assuming the people in a reading group can read and comprehend for themselves. But I also realize that reading something in a book doesn’t always mean they’re connecting the dots to what you want them to learn and apply.” Reading books with your lead team is a great way to grow together, incubate ideas, or stretch their minds for ministry vision. Danny Franks lays out some ways he likes to lead these book discussions within groups, and some pitfalls to avoid. You’ll want to check this out if you’re looking to do any book clubs with your team this year.
New Slang
I feel like this is proper payback for the way my kids clown me for not being up on their lingo. I’ll be taking this guy’s advice and just making up my own slang and talking my kids into the reality that “feta” is indeed a way to hate on something. Enjoy the weekend!