BDP33: Rebecca

Rebecca Larsen comes on to share her story.

BDP32: The Late Thanksgiving Episode

Super Smash Bros. gets reviewed, Thanksgiving Day plans are discussed, and "What Would You Do For That Black Friday Deal" is played again.

BDP31: What Would You Do...

The guys play a new game.... ominous

BDP30: An Intern-al Desire

Logan and Dyllon talk about Interstellar, a future intern, and what they are really afraid of, and they play "Who Would Win" and "Would You Rather".

BDP29: We're Back

After a week off, the guys are back with some thoughts and some answers.

BDP28: Useless Info

The guys talk about useless things we learn... Ish.

BDP27: The Feels on the Bus Go Round 'N Round

(This episode has some sexual discussion going on. If sex freaks you out, don't listen to this episode.) Logan and Dyllon bring in their friend Matt to review The Judge, talk about the Christian Mingle movie, discuss sex, and find out why this atheist goes to church.

BDP26: Starship Renegade's Alek Kalinowski

The frontman of The Starship Renegade, Alek Kalinowski, joins the guys to talk about everything from chafing to Nicolas Cage to music (of course). Make sure you check out The Starship Renegade on Facebook and Twitter.

Logan's Epic Poetry to Dyllon

My Co host Dyllon
You have the spirit
Of a star trek alien
Named Dy-lon
From the planet Poo-Pon
Where the females make the males wear duct tape skirts
You claim that it hurts
These duct tape skirts
Especially when you receive text message alerts

My co-host Dyllon
You love men with a Bromance so strong
You think upon me all day long
As you sing songs
About getting your groove on
On the dance floor
With chicken-like monsters
All night long

Mt co-host Dyllon
You speak with the clarity of a clear solo cup
And with Animalistic passions of a newborn pup
You ask me what's up?
And my world turns upside down
Like a small child falling as he runs from a frightening clown

My co-host Dyllon
You are more than a Hans fill-in
You are my sun-baskin Alaskan
Who married my flyin-hawaiin friend
Who will have a son named Logan
Who will pown the zombies
When the apocalypse comes upon the world
But will you be worried, no
You aren't a valley girl
You are my co-host Dyllon

BDP25: Intense In Tents Intensity In Tent City

In this intense episode, Dyllon and Logan give you their brief thoughts on week 4 games in the NFL, Sleepwave's first LP, would-you-rather scenarios, and facts Logan found. INTENSE!!! Plus, Marcus loses his mind. INTENSE!!! And the epic poetry Logan owed Dyllon is finally read on air. INTENSE!!!

BDP24: Shaved Ankles and Women's Deodorant

Logan and Dyllon discuss shaved ankles, women's deodorant, NFL picks, Marcus' ex-girlfriend, Lecrae's Anomaly album, and if we exist only as projections... Da Da DAAAAA!!!

BDP23: We Like Football and Power

Dyllon and Logan welcome back Marcus as they make their predictions on week 2 NFL games, discuss a skinny jeans ad for curvy women, and discourse about what all men want to feel.

BDP22: JoshuaFest!!!

Hans and Dyllon listen to Logan go on and on about JoshuaFest. Does Logan ever shut up? Plus, something major is announced. Don't miss it!

BDP21: Hans the Training Bra

Logan is sad. Hans doesn't like sad Logan, because he is "pathetic". Listen for more info on this. As well, check out the guys' thoughts on the whole Mark Driscoll situation and upcoming football season.

BDP20: Starship Renegade's Adam Wilson

Adam Wilson joins Logan in this episode where problems on Facebook get brought up, a "would you rather" question gets answered, two listener topics are discussed, preacher to congregation expectations are examined, and the newest Family Force 5 album is reviewed. It's always good having Adam on.

BDP19: MCU Rankings

The guys (with Marcus) review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, rank the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and discuss suicide in the wake of Robin Williams' death. Don't forget to like Brotherly Discuss on Facebook and follow Brotherly Discourse on Twitter @BroDiscourse. As well. go and check out Starship Renegade and their song "Aftermath" on iTunes and on Amazon mp3.



 

BDP18: We Got the Business

In BDP18, the guys bring in Regan Backer aka Reggie to talk movies, life, and facts.

BDP17: Let's Taste Vietnam

Hans has come back from Vietnam, Marcus has come as crazy as ever, and Logan is just Logan. Listen in to their discussions about Hans' trip, Vietnamese candy, Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookie, Romans 14, what Logan found on Uberfacts, and some movie reviews.

BDP16: Rev. Rob

Hans is gone which means it's time for a guest host: Rob Bennett. Rob and Logan talk about Marcus' latest international adventure, Marvel news, being engaged and some other awesome stuff. Listen and be amazed

BDP15: Michelle's Birthday

Hans and Logan are joined by Daniel Johnson, Zach Weems, and Michelle Cummings to discuss anything and everything from Michelle's Birthday, to Marcus' origins, the Bible, how Hans reviews movies and, Rock vs. Country music.

BDP14: Let's Fire Marcus... Literally

Episode 14 does not feature Marcus since he messed up the first recording of this episode so Logan and Hans go forth without and give you their views about possibly firing Marcus. Plus, listen in on their biggest movie discussion ever,  and near the end, the guys do a lightning round of listener topic suggestions. Enjoy.

BDP13: Danielle Wants to Hit Logan

Danielle Brown, a.k.a Danny B, joins the show to talk life, review Transformers: Age of Extinction, and how girls can talk to guys. Plus, Marcus plays his instrument, the broke-lele. This episode is seriously crazy and crazy serious.

BDP12: Marriage w/ Dan

Dan Maceira, Hans and Logan's former roommate, comes on the show. This episode contains everything you knew you never you wanted: more Marcus Myers, Hans' Marvel Universe knowledge gets challenged, politics, "My Wife's Balderdash", and more marriage discussion.

BDP11: Marcus Myers

Logan and Hans have to put a hold on the marriage discourse for their guest couldn't make it, but that's ok! Brotherly Discourse welcomes a new team member in Summer Intern Marcus Myers. As well, they answer a listener question about marriage, play "Would You Rather"; review How to Train Your Dragon 2, Forever EP from Midnight Alive, and VxV from Wolves at the Gate.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 review by LM

Dear Dreamworks Animation, why can't all your movies be this good?

The first "How to Train Your Dragon" was a big jump for the studio in terms of great storytelling. Out of all their films "How to Train Your Dragon" should be their gold-standard, but the studio stills suggests that Shrek will forever be its North Star. Dreamworks, Shrek is done and in the past. At least, it should be. Look to the future. Look to this franchise.

The first one was great, and the second is even better. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" breaks the sequels-are-never-better-than-their-predecessor stereotype (which is starting to become a common theme for the year). In it, we find a story that not only stretches the universe of "How to Train Your Dragon", but stretches our hero Hiccup as well. Gotta love character development. Plus, the visuals have obviously been upgraded too. The scenery is really starting to look ridiculously real. The characters themselves still look cartoonish, but because of their proportions. The detail in the skin texture is really starting to push the envelope. Overall, if you love great visuals, you'll love this movie.

Movies are more than visuals of course. Story is important. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" sets us five years after the first movie. Berk has fully integrated dragons into its culture as pets, co-workers, and vehicles. The people love their dragons, much more than their sheep, because in opening action scene the sheep are used as balls in a racing game of theirs. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is older but still very much a young man struggling with growing up into the man his father Stoik (Gerard Butler) wants him to be. He has explored much outside of Berk and loves doing so, and in his exploration he discovers a new threat to the village in a man named Drago (Djimon Hounsou) who is wrangling an army of dragons. In his mind there is only one way to solve this, but his father disagrees.

Hiccup's friends Astrid (America Ferrera), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Ruffnut (T.J. Miller), and Tuffnut (Kristin Wiig) want to help him out, but he ends up separated from them. Tuffnut, by the way, is a complete scene stealer a couple times. She's hilarious. We do get the pleasure of meeting Hiccup's odd mother Valka (Cate Blanchett). The more we get to know her, the more we see where Hiccup gets his nature and personality from. Her introduction as Hiccup's mother is pretty abrupt at first, but as the movie moves forward we get to know more bit by bit. Most characters are very well voice-acted and play a good role in the story. I do wish Gobber (Craig Ferguson) would be given more to do though. He was a very important character in the first film. Now he just plays comic relief when he is on screen.

The story moves at a balanced pace except for maybe a span in the second act it gets briefly dull. That happening doesn't stop the movie at all from being great. It's all expository dialogue. It's needed to give things context. Kids will love it. Adults will love it too. It's definitely darker than the first film as this movie tackles the idea of working-with-nature vs. using-nature with more defined good and evil sides of the coin. I do love the struggle of the competing ideologies as it manifests itself in a good battle. I'm thankful that the eco-friendly message isn't as heavy-handed as what is presented in the movie "Avatar". I'm not blind. I hear about global-warming and man destroying nature on the news. You can stop trying to turn movies into nature exploitation films. (ok, I'm done ranting) The darker story was a risk, but it pays off. If you're not careful it will suck you in and might cause you to shed a tear or two.

Overall, great movie. I would be surprised if it doesn't win the Oscar for Best Animated Picture, especially since Pixar has nothing coming out this year. It's biggest rivals will probably be "The Lego Movie" and maybe "The Boxtrolls" from Laika. With its beautiful animation, good story, and great, loveable characters, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" proves it should be recognized with the other great animated movies of this generation.

Rating: 82/100

BDP10: Marriage w/ Dyllon 2

In part 2 of their time with Dyllon Judkins, Logan and Hans ask questions and discuss marriage with their newlywed friend.

BDP9: Marriage w/ Dyllon 1

In part 1 of their time with Dyllon Judkins, the guys talk how Logan is bad with drugs, "would you rather" questions, E3 and video games, and nudity in the news.

BDP8: You're Beautiful

Hans and Logan tackle a profound topic, beauty, but before that, they answer listener questions, discuss crazy things that have happened around the nation,and make an announcement about what to expect in the next few weeks. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, BeyondPod, Podstore, Player FM, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, and Onecast. As well, go and support The Starship Renegade, who's song "Aftermath" is the intro and outro, on iTunes and Amazon mp3.

Beauty by LM

Episode 8 of the Brotherly Discourse podcast will be out soon (probably on Thursday). In BDP7, though, Hans mentioned he wanted to discuss a deeper topic, and after some brief thought, we found one. Beauty.

The existence of beauty has defined our way of life and the way we see the world. It is a fuel that combusts in an engine we call love. There are other metaphysical materials which move love but in the hearts of men beauty is the greatest, most powerful chemical of all. Through the centuries, civilizations have created and experienced the tolls and toils of beauty, and we see it clearly in their stories, legends, religion, and even history.

For Hans and I, we open our Bibles and see it there. David commits a scandalous affair as king because of beauty. Solomon writes a whole book called Song of Songs dedicated to the beauty of his beloved. Adam wasn't satisfied being alone, so to bring him peace and to sustain him, God created Eve.

Beauty is defined as "the quality that gives intense pleasure to the sight or other senses." Essentially, beauty is found in anything you extremely enjoy. Sights, sounds, feelings, scents and tastes are all part of beauty's anatomy. Besides the physical sensations, the spiritual effects are great: peace, rest, maintenance, inspiration, and growth. All things that are good are beautiful, but too much of good thing can be bad.

Consider men and their infatuation with women. This is perhaps why men can become so addicted to porn. The naked form of women isn't a bad thing, but it's how men selfishly try to feel powerful and pleased by a cheap image or video of beauty that's wrong (men and their need to be and feel strong will be a topic for another day). Where ever beauty is taken out from its original purpose, there we can find depravity.

I'm sure that last sentence can stir your imagination to a variety of situations where this happens. I will not go into all of them now. Feel free to voice your ideas in the comment section.

Hans and I get it into the idea of beauty for a good while in BDP8, and I hope you will listen and comment.

With love for all,
Logan Miltimore

BDP7: Batman vs. Church Clothes

Logan and Hans discourse about X-Men movies and review the latest one, if they have historical preferences, church clothes, what states googles what the most, and Batman v Superman.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Review by LM

I was very surprised recently when I was talking about my excitement over the newest X-Men film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and my friends whom I was talking either hadn't seen past X2: X-Men United or just hadn't seen any of the films. Does X-Men not carry the same pedigree as Spider-Man or Fantastic Four with my generation? (and by the way, the Fantastic Four movies aren't that good so stop saying they are)

If you haven't seen any of the X-Men movies, you can still watch this movie without having seen most of them. I would at the very least recommend watching X-Men: First Class as this film is the direct sequel to that one. Story from X2: X-Men United and X-Men: the Last Stand peeks its head in from time to time but all you need to know is that Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) killed a mutant and he is still emotional about it, and a military man made him into who he is/would be shows up. There you go. You are caught up.

The movie starts off in the year 2023 where mutants are running for their lives, because these machines called Sentinels are capturing and killing all of them. The remaining cast of mutants we follow is a mix of new and familiar faces. They have a plan to change the present by changing the past so the Sentinels would never be created. Time travel is involved though not by a time machine or anything like that so you will not see two of the same characters running around together in the same timeline. The way writers set this up is pretty cool.

The one who goes back by 50 years is Wolverine, but he isn't the pivotal character in this story like the trailers or even the early narrative would like you to believe. That role belongs to Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Overall though, all the main players get a good chunk of screen time, and you get a good sense of their personalities and what is and has been going on with them.

The most fun character though has to be Quicksilver (Evan Peters). He is part of the most fun (maybe even the best) scene where he is running around a room in the Pentagon and takes out the guards in a split second. For the audience watching, time goes by a lot slower as the filmmakers shot the action on a camera going 6000 frames a second. It's crazy how fast they made Quicksilver seem. You'll be pretty amazed.

The movie as a whole has to be the best X-Men movie so far. The pace is good as goes quick while not making light of gentler moments. The storytelling is great though a lot of the dialogue is expository since the pace is moving quickly. The acting is spot on especially with Michael Fassbender as Magneto and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (who knew Wolverine could be tough and funny simultaneously). The special fx look good, and Director Bryan Singer knew how a film like this was supposed to look with the way its shot. Plus, the tone strikes a great balance between being Christopher Nolan-esqe and fun like the Avengers.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is the best movie so far this summer.
0-100 Rating : 84

BDP6: Old Spice is Ruined for Hans

For the first time, the show has drops/sound fx, but Hans thinks Logan over-uses them. During the drop-fest, they discourse about the Ford GT, Hans' newfound love for podcasts, Guardians of the Galaxy, Godzilla, Monster Movies, Sports and Faith, and why Christian music is not always so good. As well, BadChristian gets name dropped a lot. This episode features music from The Starship Renegade. Please tweet to @BroDiscourse, email to brotherlydiscourse@gmail.com, comment at Brotherly Discourse's Facebook page, and comment on the blog at brotherlydiscourse.blogspot.com. 

Godzilla movie review

As a kid, I remember seeing Roland Emmerich's GODZILLA and thinking it was pretty good, especially the whole scene with the military destroying more of New York City than Godzilla ever did. Explosions and destruction can make any young boy happy. Now that I'm older, I look back at that Jay Leno'ed Godzilla and realize my immaturity at the time. Not only did it ruin the majesty of the monster, but it also ruined Maria Patillo's career. Don't believe me? Go on to IMDB and see if she has been in a movie in this century.

Let's get back to this century's American-ized Godzilla. This time directed by Gareth Edwards, Godzilla starts off in the Philippines, the year is 1999. There's a gigantic sinkhole and a team is sent to investigate. What they find amazes them. As well, they find a hole where whatever was down there escapes. Next, the film takes us to Japan where tragedy strikes the country and the Brody family consisting of Joe (Bryan Cranston), Sandra (Juliette Binoche), and Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
For the first 45 minutes of the movie, we see how the crisis of 1999 affects the present day Brody family and Japan. So, yes, it takes a while to see some monster action, but it's worth it. When the monsters do come into play, the spectacle is pretty amazing. WETA Digital did great as always with their special effects. Once the first monster, called a MUTO, starts moving so does the movie. If you find back story and family stuff boring, this film may bore you for a bit.

When Godzilla finally appears on screen you can't help but feel small. Much of the action is filmed far and wide to get a good perspective of how big (or how small and insignificant) everything is. As the end draws near and Godzilla is fighting the MUTO, you want to cheer for him. But, like Ken Watanabe's character in Godzilla implies, nature has no villains or heroes.
Overall, the movie is great even though it's aspirations to be much more than your typical summer blockbuster leaves something to be desired as the family dynamic comes off a little bland and two-dimensional. Trust me. Go see it. I want more Godzilla monster action down the line.

0-100 rating: 79

What's coming up by LM

Everyone,
Thank you for listening to the podcast and reading the blog. We appreciate it. Apparently, most podcasts that start quit after only 7 podcast episodes. Well, good news, we ain't stopping.

Coming soon, we have a review of the newest summer blockbuster Godzilla. I'm pretty stoked to see it. I hope to be well enough to see it tomorrow night which is the plan. Today has been a sick day for me. Bummer. Time for more sadness: Hans doesn't want to see it! BUMMER.

Episode 5 was a fairly serious episode. Hopefully, we didn't lose to many of you over it. Like we say, Hans and I want to be ourselves, and the opinions shared on episode 5 are our honest opinions. We promise though, episode 6 will be lighter and more fun.

Please feel free to send us any and all feedback, positive and negative, to brotherlydiscourse@gmail.com or tweet us. Our Twitter handle is @BroDiscourse.

I hope to hear from you.

-Logan

BDP5: A Serious Podcast with Bro-Code Sprinkled on Top

"A Serious Podcast with Bro-Code Sprinkled on Top", like the name suggests, is a more serious episode where Apple's next acquisition and the drafting of Michael Sam is discussed. And to top it off at the end, Hans and Logan discuss bro-code and what should be in every dude's bro-code.

BDP4: What is Love? Brother, Don't Hurt Me... No More

In this episode, a special guest joins Hans and Logan, Adam "Chewy" Wilson of the band The Starship Renegade, to discuss church image, Hans being solo, the latest Spider-Man movie and future movies, R2-D2 is other movies, walruses and unicorns, Arnold Shwarzenegger, and Bromance. This episode is most epic!

podcast logo

1000 Hits to Church Image by LM

Guess what! In only two weeks, the Brotherly Discourse podcast has been listened to over 1000 times. I'm excited to see growth, and I'm sure Hans must be floored by it. He freaked out when the podcast had been only listened to two hundred times with our first episode, "Girls, Wingmen, and Football."

I personally appreciate the support. Not only is this project fun, but it has brought Hans and I so much closer as friends even in just the past two weeks. It's crazy. Our friendship (or "bromance") is significant to me. He is very much like a brother to me, someone I would take a bullet for.

People are enjoying listening to our discourse for whatever reason. And what we put on air is us just being us though perhaps a little more structured somewhat. We are like this all the time. We aren't ashamed of our nerdiness, being loud mouths at times, or most of all, our faith in God and what He has done for everyone using His son Jesus.

We haven't landed on a topic that really stresses our faith yet, but it will come soon I assure you. If the Christian religion makes you uneasy then we're not sorry. It's us. It's who I am. I believe Jesus came and died for you and me. Am I pointing a gun to your head in the podcast? No. Would I in real life? No. Would I hide what I believe? No. And I hope you wouldn't either.

We want to be transparent with our opinions and even our lives. I think some like that. Others might not, but like 1st John in the Bible, chapter one, says, we want to bring who we are in the light and expose ourselves not for fame but for honesty and love and forgiveness. In doing so, people might start saying that we portray ourselves in a negative way for us to be seen in by others. Is that our goal? No. But this is a possibility with being anyone being their true selves in front of everyone. People won't always like it.

I had one such case already. A man that Hans and I respect and look to for guidance asked to talk to us. We met, and it wasn't that happiest of occasions. He told us, that in listening to the first few minutes of the podcast, he was embarrassed. We had shamed him! We had disappointed him with our immaturity. Our first mentions of bromance and Hans' man-crush had made him wonder if listeners would take that as us promoting homosexual behavior. (Bromance is not homosexual as we will discuss is podcast episode 4. If you want a head start, read up on David and Jonathan in the Bible.) Then when Hans said everything our college group does isn't always "church based", the man had to turn the podcast off. He was offended immensely.

Church based. What does that mean? The man we respect said we made it sound like there is no Bible teaching or worship services, and we just do whatever we want. When Hans and I explained our point of view which is, "yes, we do meet at church and have services, but we do go out and eat at Applebee's and play pool afterwards. Eating out and playing pool is not church based."

He rebutted with how the church isn't a building, and I agree. The church is every single person who believes in Jesus for saving them from all mistakes and wrongs and hurts. And, yes, church can happen anywhere believers meet, but the man we respect also stated that because of these truths anywhere we go as Christians ends up making it church based. Well, what if we are meeting up with friends who don't agree with the views church or the idea of Christ as Savior, and we go bowling because they wanted to? Look, we invited people because the church isn't some special club for goody-good-doers. If we are wrong, let us know. If we had offended anyone out there with our podcast, you should've called us out on it as fellow believers. That's why I have so much respect for this man, but one part of his logic is skewed.

The reason for calling us to meet, it seemed to me, was the image of church. Apparently, the meeting wouldn't have happened if Hans and I had used pseudonyms and never mentioned anything about us going to a church. Of course, that would've defeated the agreement Hans and I have for being real. This bothers me greatly.

After some reflection, if he stands by what he says about anywhere a Christian goes being church based then why wouldn't he walk into a bar? That's where we should be taking the church. The bars! But he would never do that because if some Christian brother or sister saw him then they might supposedly say, "if they are going into a bar then it must be OK for me to get drunk." Shouldn't the church then be telling women to go to strip clubs so those can be churched too? Strip clubs need Jesus! But, no, because if a Christian woman went to a strip club to share Jesus, and a fellow Christian saw them or their car outside they could then assume the woman must be a stripper. They would think, "a stripper goes to my church." Even if she is a stripper, wouldn't we want strippers who don't know better to learn the truth?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians to judge and correct fellow believers, but he never told the church to assume and accuse. That's Satan's job. The name "Satan" actually means accuser if you didn't know. He calls out to God and points his finger at you and says, "look at them! They are liars and perverts and thieves and murderers!". Christian or not, that's what he does. He accuses you before God. This is why Jesus called his close friend Peter "Satan". Peter was accusing Jesus of being a liar before it was time for Jesus to do what He was going to do in suffering and death and resurrection. (Paul also says not to judge unbelievers. We all need to remember that more often. That'll be another post sometime.)

I know as well, Paul says in the same letter to not be "a stumbling block to the weak." This, I believe, has been taken out of context so much that now it has become a most arbitrary ethic principle. They say don't do this or that or the other because you'll cause someone to mess up and sin. Then let's just stop using the Internet. Why? If I'm on the Internet then someone could assume I am looking at porn. Let's stop using TV and going to the movies. I guess I shouldn't go to the Java Express drive-thru by the Adult Shop either. Let's stop married couples from buying birth control or give them gigantic tokens of marriage, because when a married woman might get birth control pills at Walgreens, she would need to show everyone proudly she is married so no one at church who might have guessed she was single, who might be at the store, thinks she enjoys promiscuous living.

What Paul was saying was do not ruin a new believer's conscience. He calls the new believer "weak", but hopefully over time as they were taught they would become strong and recognize the freedom they really had. For example, someone new to Christianity might think, "oh, now that I'm a Christian, I shouldn't have as much as money as I do. I will give it away." The new Christian came in with the notion that money is possibly evil. Generosity is never a bad thing, but what should we do about those in churches who are believers who are wealthy and have nice cars and boats and houses? Does their wealth then ruin the conscience of the new believer in my example? Why are the weaknesses we assume people have are alcohol related? People have been addicted to shopping, exercise, tanning, eating, and Facebook.

Here is the point: we cannot make ourselves holy by how we look or where we are. Just like love is an action and a choice, so is holiness. Holiness is just the constant application of love for others and, most of all, love for God. God's love doesn't make you holy as God loves all, and you can't earn God's love anymore than you have already received. Holiness does not come through the arbitrary. Why? God does not give us arbitrary guidelines. God gives us truth.

We have come far away from the original love and message of Jesus if the image of the church has to be so "holy". Jesus didn't care about his reputation. He did what was right in the eyes of God the Father. He went to parties with the drunks, and the religious people accused Jesus of being a drunk. He healed on the Sabbath, and that would've ruined His reputation further with the religious. He was homeless. How many homeless travelers can you say have good standing in society?

Jesus came not only to change our relationship with God, but to change our perception of religion as well. Christians love to claim "I don't have religion. I have relationship". If that is the case, why do we have so many traditions and rituals where we meet in mass numbers? That's religion. Is there anything wrong with it? No. God gave the Israelites religion in the desert. Over time the people twisted it. Jesus came to reset it. The church twisted it time and time again in different forms throughout history. Let's not twist it anymore.

We are now at in point in history where people don't like the church. It sucks. But do you think this is God's fault? I don't believe so. I believe we are now at a point in time where the world is now loving people better than the church as a whole does, and it breaks my heart. The church's image would never be tarnished if we could love every Christian like family and stop assuming and accusing the worst of each other, start being transparent and honest with believers and the world, and stop declaring people and places as too unholy to go to or to love.

This past week, I didn't meet a man's expectations just like he didn't meet mine. I still love him though. I am sure he will continue to teach me and call me out as I need to be. This post isn't intended to blow this guy up, but I hope it gets some people to start thinking.

His correction caused me to reflect, and find out that these are my current feelings and beliefs. If these are wrong then someone tell me. I will continue to be as humble as I can so I can be teachable and correctable. Like I said earlier, as much as I love the movies and being loud, nothing beats the love of God.

With love to all,

Logan Miltimore

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 by LM

The newest superhero flick, The Amazing Spider-man 2, swings into action this weekend. I went in with some expectations and a lot of excitement.

The first of the new Spider-Man movies was a great film with holes though in the back story, which left hope of more to be revealed later on. And a ton was revealed... perhaps even too much. Once again, we see Andrew Garfield suit up as the friendly, neighborhood Spider-man, this time more regarded and disputed upon as ever. Even Spider-Man's true identity is getting in on the excitement as it (possibly) seems Peter Parker has created his own theme song in this universe for his ringtone. We also see Emma Stone play Gwen Stacy. She does a better job this time because the material gives her a lot to work with in terms of range, especially given the peek we get into the whole complicated mess Peter and Gwen have for a relationship. When heartbreak happens you can't help but empathize with the couple as the joy and tears seem real (that would make sense since Garfield and Stone are a real life couple).

We are also introduced to new pivotal characters like Max Dillion play by Jamie Foxx, Harry Osborn played by Dane DeHaan. The character of Max Dillion is funny to observe as he is socially awkward lending himself to be a social outcast who carries conversations with himself and gets excited at the very idea of anyone even remembering his name. Sadly, unlike Peter and Gwen, the material doesn't allow us to empathize with Max. I should pity the guy, but like I said, he is funny to observe meaning I laughed at him. The writers didn't give Max much emotional depth either since his transformation to Electro, he gets mad and stays mad. That's all. At first, it seemed we were going to witness Spider-Man possibly talk down a good guy who had something unexplainable happen to him, but instead, like Max would've before his transformation, he flips out and starts blowing stuff which does look pretty cool... at times.

DeHaan really brings it as the abandoned rich kid. The character of Harry has layers, and I like that. He wants to be good, he wants to be better than his father, but the pressure from a secret his father tells him and the pressure from the board of Oscorp, push him over the edge. The only thing I didn't like was how suddenly he is a villain. And as a villain, we don't get to enjoy much of a conflict. The special effects range from amazing to decent. The final battle between Electro and Spider-Man is more of watching a video game than a movie. Sony Imageworks really needs to start stepping up there game as it is definitely apparent that ILM has the upperhand in this area. Watch the MCU movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and you'll see what I mean.

Director Marc Webb has great vision when it comes to comic-book based superhero movies. There are quite a few times especially when the action slows down, we could imagine the image shown could be in a comic book grid. It feels like a moving comic book. Webb, I must say, has done this better than almost anyone. So the movie look like an action comic, but does it play out like an action comic? I would say just like Peter and Gwen's relationship, it's complicated. The action scenes can be beautiful and big, but this movie over all is definitely about Peter and Gwen ultimately. The movie is half action and half can-Peter-keep-Gwen-safe-like-he-promised-her-dad-he-would drama. I'm personally ok with this as it does keep this film from being a dumb action movie, but if you want pure action, best to look somewhere else. I loved it overall despite the writers trying to shove everything they could in this two hour and twenty-two minute film.

I did my best not to give away too many spoilers, but there is a part near the end that sucked the air out of the theater. It was epic and intimate all at once. It will leave some angry and others will want to know what the future will bring with somber expectation. With great acting, good effects, and a bloated story, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 is fun for the most part and will leave wanting a third Amazing Spider-Man movie.

Rating 0-100: 71

BDP3: The Masculine Art of Romance and Beards

Despite being exhausted and tired due to a lack of a Sunday nap, Logan and Hans push through to give you thoughts on what real studmuffins would be like, the health benefits of beards, if the ladies actually like beards or not, and (the topic that women everywhere want to know) how men flirt. Plus, they bring on their first guest, Logan's girlfriend, Megan. But will Hans continue to try to be the center of Logan's and Megan's relationship? Find out on the newest episode of the Brotherly Discourse Podcast.

Episode 2: What's Happening in the World

Even though the stereotype is most sequels aren't as good as the original, you will still want to check out the newest episode as Hans and Logan talk about Logan's possible A.D.D., Hans' birthday, things they found interesting in the news including Joss Whedon's quote about Ultron, and the last of the changes Logan wants in the NFL. Please give feedback on twitter to @brodiscourse. Please rate this podcast on iTunes. This episode features the song "Aftermath" by The Starship Renegade.

Significant life

Hey it's Hans here. Today is the day 21 years ago that God decided I would come into this world. It's crazy how the time has gone by. I'm only a young man, still a kid really, and yet I already feel like time is running away on me. The older I get the more I realize how precious our time here on this earth is.

In my short time here I've learned this, that a successful life is one of significance. It doesn't matter how much money you earn, how many possessions you aquire, or how successful your career is. What does matter is how do you impact the lives of those around you. Ultimately you have nothing if you don't have love. I don't mean romantic love though that is wonderful. I mean love for people in general. Love for others, whatever form of love that may be whether it's romantic, brotherly, unconditional, or conditional, is the only thing in this world worth living for. Yeah heartbreak is the worst pain in the world but that's only because love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Love is why Jesus died on the cross. He died because he loves us and wanted to restore the relationship mankind had with God in the garden all those many, many years ago.

In my 21 years I have tried to do my best to live a life of significance. They have been wonderful years and I am so grateful to God for each and every one of them. He has blessed me more then I could ever repay and far more then I will ever deserve. He has given me a wonderful family and incredible friends. He has given me hope and a reason to live. He has always guided me and been by my side. My life has been a short one so far but man, has it been a grand one!

Happy Easter by LM

Happy Easter, everyone. I hope you have enjoyed today. As I am a Christian, this day is the day Jesus rose from hell and the grave and took death on in a fight and won. It is the most important day to observe in Christianity, because without this event happening Christianity would be the greatest falsehood of all time. I know some are rolling their eyes at the idea of a holy man coming back from such a brutal death, and it was absolutely brutal. The last time I saw a documentary about the punishment of crucifixion, it detailed the newly discovered horrors of it with the latest science and technology. Apparently, with the way Jesus was crucified, he wouldn't have died by asphyxiation due to being stretched out with his arms out and high above him or blood loss. This documentary presented a case for Him and others who were crucified at the time dying because of the pain. Yes, the pain. The pain experienced during crucifixion would've been so great that the brain told the body to shut down and die so it wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore.

Learning this has only caused me to reflect even more on what I believe. If I believe what I believe, then my mistakes, my vices, my selfishness, and every way I have hurt others whether physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually put Jesus through that. My way of living is why he had to go through such terrible way to die. If He hadn't died then I could not have a friendship with God. Could you imagine putting a person, a stranger you had never seen, through something like that? Would you even wish this on your worst enemy? Would you want that person whom you literally hate most in the world to experience such an agony? Serious questions, I know.

There's this song by Dead Poetic called "Vices". It is a favorite of mine. In it, the songwriter goes through his various relationships. First, he sings of his relationship with the crowd and the fans that listen to the band. Second, it's the relationship with his mom. Third, it's about his lover and him. In all these, we see this common dynamic. The fans, the mother, and the lover have these expectations of him, expectations that only end up hurting him. He, too, has his own expectations, and it is those expectations of the fans, his mom, and his lover that only end up hurting himself and them too. In the song, he tells them this:

"Oh, but (child, mother, lover) .
I’ve got Vices like any other man.
Vices that you’re not used to.
Vices that’ll make you think less of me."

He recognized they could not love him fully. There was no one from any of them who could truly understand why he screws up the way he does. As much as forgiveness helps clear things up in life, we struggle to let go and forget. Perhaps all of us should slow down on the relational punishment we put on people because like the songwriter says, "I've got vices like any other man". He isn't the only one with moral failings, addictions, murders, hate, or selfishness.

At the end, he describes one last relationship:

"Feeling cold, feeling empty. I am low, unworthy.
Bleed the God. Bleed the blessing. Like a vulture feasting.
I’ll exist as if I don’t feel conviction of my ignorance to my perfect prison.
But I feel the stabs on my wrists and ankles every time I try...

To forget you. To forget you."

This is his relationship with God:

"Oh, but Jesus.
I’ve got Vices like any other man.
Vices that you’re so used to.
Vices that won’t make you think less of me."

Unlike everyone else, Jesus is the only person who accepts the songwriter as he is in appearance, action, or consequence. He has no expectations. All of us need that. All of us need someone to love us in spite of our crimes, our sickness, our ugliness, our poverty; our utter imperfection. But who will? Our fans and friends cannot. Our mothers, the foundations of our existence, cannot do it. The very people with whom we entangle our very beings and souls with cannot do this completely. Romantic loves fails us! How heartbreaking!

I won't know all of you personally. I will never meet everyone who reads this face to face even thoughI would love to. I do not know if you are atheist, agnostic, Christian, or any other of the myriad of beliefs that exist in our world today, but here is what I know: Jesus loves me. He loves me despite me! If you don't know Jesus, find someone who does. I If you can't find anyone, call Him out. Call Jesus out. See what happens. Ask him to forgive you for everything and believe that He is real. Believe that he did what he did for you. Say it out loud, "the Son of God died for me. Jesus died because he loved me. God, You want me, and You can love me". Then find others who believe and be part of this family God has made.

I'm sure my fellow believers are wondering when I am going to mention lifestyle changes. Well, fellow believers, let God change the individual so He can receive glory for it. If someone changes under their own strength, then where was God in it? What credit should He receive from it then? God receives glory for loving sinners as they are and leading them from there. That's what Jesus did before and after his death so let God work.

Everyone else, who might not believe, whether or not you like these words of mine, remember, we all need someone to love us despite what we've done or thought or wanted to do. We were born for this. Who do you have that can love you even though you are going through hell or creating hell for others. We will fail people and people will fail us. Jesus, though, is the only one who we cannot fail nor will he fail us.

With love,
Logan Miltimore

Up all night by LM

So.. I was up all night. All night. Why? The podcast. The podcast has finally been born into the world. Episode 1 is called "Girls, Wingmen, and Football". Please check it out and send us feedback. We want to hear from you. The good, the bad; the ugly. All of it. We want to keep upping the ante on Brotherly Discourse, and we will only go up if you wonderful, beautiful listeners push us up. If you like it, share it with others.

Listen and share,
Logan Miltimore

Brotherly Discourse Podcast episode one: Girls, Wingmen, and Football

Here you go poeple: In the first ever episode of the Brotherly Discourse Podcast, Hans and Logan talk about Hans' man crush for Chris Hemsworth, how Logan is a terrible wingman for Hans, the battle for the best MCU movie, football, life, and how girls flirt. Plus, they screw up their very first outro. Lots of laughs and possibly some tears, and most importantly, this episode features music from The Starship Renegade with a cool song called "Aftermath". You can find them on iTunes and Amazon mp3. 

New Logo

Just setting up a new logo

It's Almost Here by Logan Miltimore

It's early Friday morning. I'm in my room watching The Justice League for the sake of nostalgia (though, let's be honest, Marvel's The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a superior show). Tonight I can afford to stay up a little later since I do not have to be at work til 12:30 or so. As I lay on my bed half-heartedly watching this early aughties cartoon, my mind started to drift toward tomorrow. What's tomorrow? Well, it's D-day, people. Hans and I are doing this. We are recording the first episode of the Brotherly Discourse podcast.

I have no idea how long it's going to be since Hans and I want this to be very organic and laid back. It could be twenty minutes. It could be two hours. Either way, it will be fun. I am hoping to get it all edited and finished and up some time on Saturday. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Inside I am screaming like a gleeful, little school girl. I'm that stoked! And because I'm so stoked I think I will divulge a little preview.

Good news, friends, we have some intro music for our show. After talking to a friend of our's, (we love you, Chewy) The Starship Renegade is letting us use their song "Aftermath" for our intro. That should help make everything feel more legit especially considering we have no professional equipment to record this. We are working toward having something decent (otherwise the audiophile in me will go insane if we don't). All in due time, though.

One of the things we will be talking about will be what we want changed in our favorite sport, football. Hans and I have become quite attached to the sport, but like all good things, football should get better with time. We have some ideas about how football can get there. We'll see if you agree. I know the NBA playoffs are starting, but I have to honest: I'm not looking forward to it whatsoever. Why? You'll have to listen and find out. If you read Hans' post (if you haven't go read it) he calls me out on my choice for choosing The Avengers as the better film over Captain America: Cold Winter Soldier. I'll probably address that as well. There will some other topics too. Middle school and high school you will really want to listen. I won't say why, but just trust me. You'll be happy you did.

That the tease I'm going to give you. I hope you are excited. If not. Well... just listen anyway. Single ladies, Hans has quite the manly voice so at least tune in for that.

Good night and good luck,
Logan Miltimore

Tip of the Iceberg

Good evening everyone. Its day two of this project and we have already gained a lot of ground. Thank you one and all for your support and we are now looking into investments such as recording and editing software, music, possible equipment purchases, etc. We are very excited to share the craziness of our lives with all of you. As Logan said last night be prepared to have your wildest dreams fulfilled.

So moving on with the blog. Logan and I have apparently had our minds swapped. This is a terrible terrible fate believe me. "How could this be?" you ask. Let me explain. First let me say that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best Avengers movie so far. Logan argues that The Avengers is better but I disagree because of one major fact that lets the Avengers down in terms of overall greatness. A lot of action movies save the biggest chunk of action for the end and it is most often roughly thirty minutes. The Avengers is that action sequence for the Avengers movies as a whole. Most of the plot and back story are found in the Iron Man movies, Thor, and the first Captain America. Now this is where the mind-swapping comes in. I would usually be prone to vote for a movie like The Avengers while Logan would prefer a deeper, more complex movie like Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I tend to be a man of simpler tastes (food, music, art, movies) while Logan appreciates the more intricate aspects of those things. But the truth is that I am a huge comic book and superhero nerd. Its true. I love my superheroes and the different tie-ins and easter eggs of The Winter Soldier just sent me over the edge in my love for it.

So now you have a quick glimpse into the mind of Hans. Thought I would give you a teaser tonight into the some of the kinds of things that will be discussed on our podcast and blog. This is merely the tip of the iceberg (hopefully Brotherly Discourse doesn't follow the Titanic's example). So sit back, gather your loved ones, grab your popcorn, and prepare to be amazed (or slightly amused) by the greatest show on earth (or something like that).

Here we go!

It's late. Really late. As in past 2 in the am late. But the slaving away will be worth it. Hans and I tonight are working to get things up and going so we can get some early interaction with all of you (yes, Mom, that means you too).

This upcoming podcast show will be everything you ever wanted but not what you expect (I can almost audibly hear the sighs for using this cliché). It will be light and fun. It will at times get heavy and deep, but Hans and I just want to be Hans and I. We'll go wherever the conversational compass points us. We're adventurous like that, and we want you to join us on this adventure as ridiculous as it could be.

If you have any comments, concerns; complaints please send them to Hans on Facebook. Just kidding. You can email us @ brotherlydiscourse@gmail.com. Seriously. As much as we love positive words, we will still take your hate mail. Just know, if you send us an email, it might be read on air.

Please check back soon for more posts and soon a podcast episode.

Thank you,
Logan Miltimore (with Hans in the background)