Some Exciting News & A Little Secret

Today is a big day for the Family Movie Night newsletter.

Photo by Joy Memon on Unsplash

Believe it or not, but tomorrow marks one year for this newsletter’s existence. I’d like to reflect on that a bit and also share a thought about a bigger vision for Family Movie Night.

Months prior to launching this Substack on April 23, 2024, I sat in a coffee shop with my journal, scribbling ideas. Here’s are a couple of excerpts:

Finding a family movie is so hard as children grow older. Could I specifically address this and curate posts to help families?

The newsletter could simply contain my joys and struggles of trying to expose my children to the world of movies.

Finally, after all the scribblings and bullet-points (I love bullet-points), the idea for this newsletter came to fruition.

But the brainstorming didn’t stop there.

I had to consider the various platforms to utilize. Would it be Quora? Medium? Substack or something else? After I settled on a platform, I was then faced with a bit of a dilemma and it’s actually the biggest hurdle to all of this…

Do I really want to put something out there for public consumption?

Unless you’ve published something, it may be difficult for you to grasp the discomfort of sharing your thoughts in public. Once you hit publish, there’s no turning back. This is especially true of Substack. Even if I decide to delete something I’ve written, it’s still sitting in people’s inboxes. It’s out there for people to love, hate, or misunderstand (or unsubscribe).

I think more of the pressure came from the thoughts of failure:

• Will I be able to publish something every week?

• Will my zeal for this fade?

• Will I run out of ideas?

• Can I commit to this for an entire year?

Plus, I didn’t fully know what this newsletter even was. Without a doubt, I had a concept. A vision. Some goals of what I would aim for, but this newsletter is something that’s still figuring out its niche. Even though I’ve been at this for a year, I’m still trying to figure out what this will continue to be.

Without trying to sound too self-congratulatory (too late?), it’s an accomplishment to reach a year of weekly articles - that’s a lot of words. A lot of thoughts. Some vulnerability. Some discomfort. Some articles aren’t as good as others, but that’s okay.

I want to acknowledge the accomplishment of this, but I want to do that for the purpose of giving thanks to God. Any discipline and gifts I have, come from him. I’m not the most gifted writer or thinker, but any good that’s come from this is because I serve a God who’s good.

The reality is, it has required discipline and effort, but there’s also been a lot of joy. This has provided a creative outlet that allows me to think about something I’m passionate about, and that brings a lot of joy.

As saccharine as this may sound, you’ve brought me joy. You’ve helped me in this process. Your comments. Your support. Your sharing, liking, reading, etc. gives life to this newsletter. I want to offer you a sincere thanks. Thank you for helping bring life to my scribbling journal entries.

A Bigger Vision

I’ve made a passing comment or two about grander ideas I have for Family Movie Night. Ideas that go beyond words on a screen. While I still don’t have specifics in place or logistics ironed out, I’ll at least share the big idea.

First, let me provide a little context.

More and more people are feeling isolated and alone in this world. For our young people, they are socializing less and less as they scroll in their bedrooms. And I’m concerned that the isolated nature of our society will only increase as more technological advances come along.

In response to this, I believe movies can be a means of reaching people who are isolated and alone.

There have been many social psychologists and thinkers of our day talking about the lack of a “third space” in our society. In the simplest terms, a third space is somewhere other than work and home. Not only have home and work been fused for many, other public spaces have struggled to survive.

Libraries and book stores have closed. Malls are being shut down left and right. Other department stores are closing because online shopping has never been easier. Even movie theaters are closing.

More tragically, churches are closing their doors. In the United States, 40 million people have walked away from the church. The third space of the church has become less appealing and non-existent for many.

Movies, however, are still attractive to those inside and outside the church. Sure, theaters are closing, but the vast majority of the culture continues to stream movies with great consistency.

In response to this, I believe churches and communities need to start hosting movie nights in their neighborhoods and cities. I know many communities are already doing some of this, but I still think it’s an underutilized avenue to reach those who are hurting.

Let’s create a third space for a world that’s becoming increasingly anxious, depressed, and isolated. A space that isn’t intimidating. A space that can be used to draw out those who are suffering in isolation.

I hope to share more thoughts on this at some point, but I’d love to hear from you. Agree? Disagree? Suggestions?

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