Dear Friends,
I am a child of the 1980s. It is the decade that most shaped me. The sounds of Prince, Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, and Run DMC make up the soundtrack of my youth. I love to find reruns of The Golden Girls, Who’s the Boss, The Facts of Life and WKRP in Cincinnati on Hulu or Netflix. It was iconic movies like Dirty Dancing, Footloose, and Top Gun that most likely created my passion for film.
The ‘80s was the decade for the explosion of the VHS tapes which changed the movie- watching experience for many of us who now could watch movies in our living rooms with our family and friends. Before we owned a VCR, we would rent one from the corner grocery store and have movie marathons, sometimes watching as many as 12 to 15 movies over the weekend.
Of all the movies of the ‘80s, for me, it is The Breakfast Club that is most iconic. The John Hughes classic puts five very different kids, kids who never would dream of being friends, in detention for a whole Saturday. During the course of their day together, they discover they all might actually like each other, and they are left to wonder, if the world were different, maybe they could even be friends. It is the quintessential ‘80s coming-of-age question, “Is it possible to see each other beyond our surface differences and imposed prejudices?” And this week’s film, BumbleBee, drives deep into the ‘80s nostalgia, playing off The Breakfast Club theme, to explore the power and possibility of this kind of friendship.
Here at Royal Oak First, we have experienced that in the community of faith, people of different ages, races, and backgrounds can come together in mission and service. We can begin to see beyond our surface differences and imposed prejudices. In Christ, we are discovering that we can become friends with people we never thought we’d get to know.
Now get out your boom box and sing The Breakfast Club anthem, “Don’t you forget about me…”
Grace and Peace,
PS – Don’t forget to join us tomorrow for one last night at the movies. This week we will see the funny and heart-warming film, The Upside.