Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

The Spiritual Disciplines of A Million Miles Away

Before I graduated college, I asked my mother, Mami, to teach me how to cook traditional Puerto Rican rice called arroz con gandules. The keys to its authenticity are the essential ingredients and the order in which they must be added. This simple but deeply personal goal—to cook Puerto Rican food—transcended nostalgia and connected me to my cultural heritage. For this reason, the ingredients for success highlighted in Prime Video’s A Million Miles Away deeply resonated with me.

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Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

Fighting for Forgiveness in Creed III

Like the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) wants to put the past behind him, strain toward what is ahead, and press on toward the goal of retiring as a champion at the start of Creed III. But is that the prize to be won or has he left something undone?

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Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

Wednesday and Oneness

He's creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky—he's Tim Burton directing Wednesday, the recent Netflix series based on The Addams Family franchise.

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Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

Rings of Power and the Persistence of Evil

It began with the filming of the great movies. Three were made for The Lord of the Rings, cherished and beloved by all. Three lesser films for The Hobbit, stretched out unnecessarily. Within these films was found the spirit of Tolkien’s themes. But they were all of them surprised…

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Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

Accepting the Pain in Prime Video’s Undone

After completing Season 2 of the Prime Video series Undone, which follows Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar) as she navigates time and space by accessing people’s memories, I was swept into a memory of my own. It involves Barbara Streisand.…

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Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

How Thirteen Lives Can Unite the World

In a society often divided by our differences, it’s easy to lose hope for humanity. While many work tirelessly to bring about education and open lines of dialogue in an effort to bring unity, there is something particularly remarkable about how a crisis can bring people together. Perhaps this is why there is a soft spot in my heart for inspiring movies based on real life events that demonstrate the goodness in humanity.

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Robert Rivera Robert Rivera

WeCrashed and Christian Leadership

WeCrashed is an Apple TV miniseries dramatizing the real-life events surrounding an ambitious business idea: a multipurpose open workspace called WeWork, which promised a social community complete with games, kombucha bar, and happy hour, where lifelong friendships would be made and love might be found. The idea would require bold entrepreneurs. In this case, the vision is delicately balanced on the shoulders of Adam Neumann (Jared Leto).

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