Almost every film adaptation of Stephen King’s novels has been a disappointment. At least for the author. The exception is Stand By Me, a coming-of-age drama that was based, in part, on King’s own childhood.
When director Rob Reiner privately screened the film for the novelist before its theatrical release in 1986, King had to leave the room for about 15 minutes after its conclusion just to gather himself emotionally. He was deeply moved.
Stand By Me is not a horror film, even though that is Stephen King’s bread and butter. It’s a story about friendship.
Today we arrive at the second of Gordon MacDonald’s five key relationships that routinely affect our personal energy. Yesterday we considered the VRP, or Very Resourceful Person. VRPs are mentors, those special human beings who “pour into” our lives and faithfully impart fresh vision. MacDonald arbitrarily assigns an energy value of +3 to VRPs.
The next category is the VIP, the Very Important or Very Impactful Person. MacDonald suggests they boost our energy to the tune of +2. If a VRP kindles my vision, a VIP shares my vision. If a VRP is “above” me, a Very Impactful Person walks beside me. A VIP, in other words, is a friend. And the more we are privileged to be surrounded by friends, the more we realize what treasures they are.
Mentors may be the ultimate bestowers of energy to help us face the rigors of daily life, but friends and colleagues who share our vision aren’t far behind.
In Stand By Me, four boys who live in the small town of Castle Rock, Oregon, in 1959 go on a three-day hike on Labor Day weekend. Their quest is to locate the dead body of a missing boy. Gordie is a thoughtful, budding author. Chris is a tough guy whose family members are drunks and felons. Teddy, who is emotionally and physically scarred, is a bit unhinged. Vern is pudgy and fearful.
The film includes what can only be described as the most memorable pie-eating contest in cinematic history.
As they walk together, like all middle school-age boys, the four friends talk about everything. What kind of cartoon animal is Goofy? What if you could eat only one kind of food the rest of your life? “That’s easy. Pez. Cherry Pez. No doubt about it.” What is the meaning of life? What does the future hold?
Gordie: Do you think I’m weird?
Chris: Definitely.
Gordie: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris: Yeah, but so what? Everybody’s weird.
A friend is someone who can acknowledge our weirdness, yet still love us--and we’re grateful for both. As we’ve noted in the past, sociologists speak of two kinds of friendships. There are Friends of the Road--those who walk with us for a season of life. That might mean a friend from grade school; a pal at summer camp; a college roommate; a neighbor from your first apartment; or a colleague from your first job. Friends of the Road come into our lives for a time. Then we go our separate ways.
Friends of the Heart, on the other hand, never really leave. Even if we’re separated by many miles and many years, Friends of the Heart can seemingly pick up right where our last conversations left off.
So which kind of friend is better? That’s easy: neither. Sociologists agree that Friends of the Road and Friends of the Heart may be different, but both are priceless.
There’s considerable conversation these days about the so-called “friendship crisis” in America. The May 2021 American Perspectives Survey revealed that US citizens are enjoying fewer close friendships than they once did, are talking to their friends less often, and are relying less on their friends for personal support. In the same survey, 12% of adults reported having no close friends at all, up from 3% in 1990. That certainly seems like a crisis in the making.
What is the first thing in the Bible that God declares to be not good? Speaking of Adam, God says, “It is not good for people to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). None of us is wired to go through life flying solo. To win all by ourselves is to lose.
Be a Very Impactful Person. Stand by someone else today.
*************************************************
Would you like to explore previous reflections, and learn more about this ministry? Check out glennsreflections.com.
When director Rob Reiner privately screened the film for the novelist before its theatrical release in 1986, King had to leave the room for about 15 minutes after its conclusion just to gather himself emotionally. He was deeply moved.
Stand By Me is not a horror film, even though that is Stephen King’s bread and butter. It’s a story about friendship.
Today we arrive at the second of Gordon MacDonald’s five key relationships that routinely affect our personal energy. Yesterday we considered the VRP, or Very Resourceful Person. VRPs are mentors, those special human beings who “pour into” our lives and faithfully impart fresh vision. MacDonald arbitrarily assigns an energy value of +3 to VRPs.
The next category is the VIP, the Very Important or Very Impactful Person. MacDonald suggests they boost our energy to the tune of +2. If a VRP kindles my vision, a VIP shares my vision. If a VRP is “above” me, a Very Impactful Person walks beside me. A VIP, in other words, is a friend. And the more we are privileged to be surrounded by friends, the more we realize what treasures they are.
Mentors may be the ultimate bestowers of energy to help us face the rigors of daily life, but friends and colleagues who share our vision aren’t far behind.
In Stand By Me, four boys who live in the small town of Castle Rock, Oregon, in 1959 go on a three-day hike on Labor Day weekend. Their quest is to locate the dead body of a missing boy. Gordie is a thoughtful, budding author. Chris is a tough guy whose family members are drunks and felons. Teddy, who is emotionally and physically scarred, is a bit unhinged. Vern is pudgy and fearful.
The film includes what can only be described as the most memorable pie-eating contest in cinematic history.
As they walk together, like all middle school-age boys, the four friends talk about everything. What kind of cartoon animal is Goofy? What if you could eat only one kind of food the rest of your life? “That’s easy. Pez. Cherry Pez. No doubt about it.” What is the meaning of life? What does the future hold?
Gordie: Do you think I’m weird?
Chris: Definitely.
Gordie: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris: Yeah, but so what? Everybody’s weird.
A friend is someone who can acknowledge our weirdness, yet still love us--and we’re grateful for both. As we’ve noted in the past, sociologists speak of two kinds of friendships. There are Friends of the Road--those who walk with us for a season of life. That might mean a friend from grade school; a pal at summer camp; a college roommate; a neighbor from your first apartment; or a colleague from your first job. Friends of the Road come into our lives for a time. Then we go our separate ways.
Friends of the Heart, on the other hand, never really leave. Even if we’re separated by many miles and many years, Friends of the Heart can seemingly pick up right where our last conversations left off.
So which kind of friend is better? That’s easy: neither. Sociologists agree that Friends of the Road and Friends of the Heart may be different, but both are priceless.
There’s considerable conversation these days about the so-called “friendship crisis” in America. The May 2021 American Perspectives Survey revealed that US citizens are enjoying fewer close friendships than they once did, are talking to their friends less often, and are relying less on their friends for personal support. In the same survey, 12% of adults reported having no close friends at all, up from 3% in 1990. That certainly seems like a crisis in the making.
What is the first thing in the Bible that God declares to be not good? Speaking of Adam, God says, “It is not good for people to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). None of us is wired to go through life flying solo. To win all by ourselves is to lose.
Be a Very Impactful Person. Stand by someone else today.
*************************************************
Would you like to explore previous reflections, and learn more about this ministry? Check out glennsreflections.com.
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