I once heard author Donald Miller say that Evangelicals leave their morality at the door when going to the movies. We are willing to watch, tolerate, and even be entertained by characters and actions that we are taught to immediately flee from were they happening in real life. After I heard him say that, I couldn't help but wonder, is that wrong? Should we as followers of Christ, only support movies with moral characters portraying a positive, uplifting, Gospel centered message? Do we need to pump the breaks on all "secular art" and only produce stories that end in an altar call?

Excuse me for saying this, but I don't think so. Why? Because life isn't always like that, and what are movies, but an exaggerated version of how we live and view the world? Surely, there are alter call moments, there are moments of redemption in life, and those types of moments are worthy of the big screen as well. But much of life, especially in our world today, is lived in the trenches. Much of our lives are lived in and around situations that most Christians would deem completely immoral. Drugs, drunkenness, violence, pre-marital sex,  rape, racism, hate, these things happen in the real world, (most heavily even in certain churches I might add) and I believe that if we turn a blind eye to them, deeming them as "just a bunch of garbage", in the arts, then we will certainly do the same once we leave the theater. And isn't that the exact opposite of what Christ has called us to do? Rather than turning away in the face of evil and wrong doing, God calls us into those situations to be a light. Since most of us do not stay too current on the international news other than what pops up on their Facebook wall, often times movies and other media art forms are our only chance to be exposed to and learn about injustice in our world. We will never know which battles to fight though, if we simply categorize everything with a swear word as "ungodly."

In the first century, I believe that Pharisees would have stormed out of films like The Wolf of Wall Street or Dallas Buyers Club the first time they heard the f-word, saw some drugs taken, or saw a naked woman. (They would have lasted all but three minutes in both of them) Jesus though, I think He might have stayed, because perhaps something in the film might break his heart, perhaps something there might call Him to leave the theater and go make a difference.

I am not suggesting that every person, regardless of their age and maturity level, should be allowed to see graphic R-rated movies. Nor am I suggesting that all films are created with a desire to express profound truths. But when I go to the theater, especially around this time of year when Oscar contenders are coming out, I don't want to leave my morality at the door. When I go and see what the Academy has chosen as "the best films of the year, I certainly will bring my morality in with me, but I'll sandwich it in-between curiosity and love. Instead of labeling something simply as trash, I will search for truth. I will search to find out the real story behind the film, the filmmaker's reason for making it, and what the story means to our world at this moment. I will question, I will ponder, and I will consider. I will open up to the possibility of my heart being broken by evils that do exist in this world, and I will open up even further to the possibility of being called to right them. I will enter into conversation, with both believers and none believers, about what kind of weight and importance such a story can hold. I will listen, and I will respond. I may despair, but then I will hope. There are so many things we can do other than to simply bash any work of art that isn't decidedly "Christian." Just like there are so many things we can do other simply judge someone who isn't decidedly "religious." If we cannot let fake drug dealers, prostitutes, murderers, and criminals touch our hearts on screen, how will we ever be able to serve and love them in real life?

Christmas comes once a year. With Christmas, we have literally built into our society a yearly excuse to take time off from our crowded lives, and spend time with those we love. There is no law stating that businesses must close their doors on Christmas. There is no constitutional amendment saying that we must give gifts to family members and friends. No one says we HAVE TO celebrate.

So when then? If no one is forcing us to attend family gatherings, buy crazy amounts of gifts, gather together for Christmas Eve services, if no one is forcing us to do these things, then why do we do them without fail year in and year out. Why?

Why? Because the human heart longs for what Christmas brings. Christmas stands as a yearly reminder that joy, peace, love, and giving are necessities, essential to the health of the human spirit. It's greatest reminder though, the reason for the season if you will, is the reminder that God has come into our broken world. At the time in the biblical narrative when the star appeared and baby Jesus swept onto the scene on Bethlehem, the world had been living in a 400 year period of darkness. God had been silent, not speaking to or through anyone for over four centuries. Then, all of a sudden, in the middle of the night, a shining star appears to a group of busy shepherds, and angel's voice speaks to them. This star is not just a star, it is the hope filled light that breaks through 400 years of darkness. The angelic voice calling out to the shepherds is not just a voice, it is God giving up after 400 years of playing the silent game.

Christmas is the powerful reminder that even when God seems silent, even if he has not moved, spoken, or shone His light on your life in what seems like centuries, He is coming. Christmas is a reminder that Jesus enters into our world, not just two thousand years ago, but each and every moment of each and every day, brining light out of darkness and songs of praise out of eerie silence. Christmas is the reminder that God will break the silence, that He will shine through the darkness. Christmas comes once a year, but Christ comes every moment of every day.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Every year, technology produces some new vehicle for communication. The telegraph gave way to the telephone, which gave way to the cell phone, which gives way to text messaging, the internet, and social media with every new app offered to us. The language we use to communicate evolves just as fast. Old English gave way to modern English, which has given way to urban dictionary and abbreviated text speech. I shudder at the thought of what might be next for us.

With the world of communication in such constant transformation, it is baffling to see that as technology and language come and go, the one thing that has remained unchanged for over six thousand years is rhetoric. More specifically, our use of stories.

No matter where we go, no matter who we speak with, and no matter what device we speak with them on, we cannot avoid stories, and storytelling. Try and go to a party without hearing someone's story about their crazy aunt, or their miserable cousin. When we sit down with our families over dinner and ask, "how was your day?" what we're really saying is, "what stories did you live today?" Sharing stories is what draws us together, even when we've been apart so
long. Conversation, especially between my mother and I, usually consists of many people talking over one another. When one person is given the floor to tell a story, however, this is the one time where everyone is quiet and truly listens.

There seems to be this sort of addictive reverence for the art of telling stories. This was not invented by our culture either. The human desire for story stems back all the way to the Native Americans, the Medieval Legends, and  even Jesus of Nazareth, the majority of whose teaching was done through parables, stories.

Why though? Why this propensity for storytelling? As a writer and an actor, I've done much thinking on this topic, and to me, the answers are endless. Stories are entertainment, of course, but they are so much more than that. Stories have a beginning, middle, and an end, they provide order out of the chaos of life. Stories have a moral, or a lesson, they instill hope when all seems lost. Stories are the great equalizer. In a world where everyone has different talents, callings, genders, struggles, races, and beliefs, one thing that we share, apart from out innate image-of-God-ness, is our reverence for the power of story. Whether we are aware of it or not, we cannot escape it. And why would we want to? For stories are our greatest vehicle by which to teach, to entertain, to inspire, to comfort, to connect, and to love.

To share a story, especially your story, is the share a piece of yourself. The highest level of vulnerability and trust exists between the storyteller and his or her audience. Be vulnerable then, trust, and share your story.

We go to the movies to escape the boredom of our day to day lives and be confronted with stories of danger, daring, and insurmountable odds. If real life were that interesting, we would pay people $10.75 to follow them around for two hours. Unfortunately, real life is often not that interesting. We don’t want real life, we want movies.

It is interesting then, to notice that out of the five films nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture Drama category, four of them are based off of true stories. It is also interesting to notice that between the categories of Best Actor and Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, seven out of the ten nominees are playing characters based on real life people whose movies are based off of their actual lives.

The best movies of the year, the ones that are most highly acclaimed, the majority of them are not movies at all, but simply real life stories told on the screen. This serves as proof for my theory that a life rooted in passion, drive, and love tells a better story than any screenwriter could ever dream up. It’s like God is the ultimate storyteller, weaving amazing tales of bravery and love through the lives of His children, and the screenwriters are simply using His ideas secondhand.

It is incredibly possible to live a life worthy of the movies. There’s reason though, why so few do it.

Here’s the catch, the life that is turned into an inspirational, tear-jerking film does not feel like a movie when we’re in the middle of living it. Solomon Northup, the man whose journey through US slavery inspired the film 12 Years a Slave, probably did not feel like he was living a movie when he was kidnapped and thrown onto a plantation to be beaten and pick cotton. When Nelson Mandela faced hatred, violence, and prison time, my guess is he didn’t feel he was living some motivational story in which he would be played by the dashing Idris Alba.

The problem is, many of us want to live a life like the movies, but we only want to live the end of the story, we want the son to come home, the man to be freed, the team to win the big game. We want the Cinderella ending, but we refuse to go through the Solomon Northup and Nelson Mandela middles. Real life doesn’t just give us the desired end, real life gives us the difficult middle of the story as well, and when we’re in that difficult middle, it doesn’t really feel like we’re living a movie. We don’t want real life, we want the movies.

Here’s the….”bizarro catch.” I believe that God desires to tell incredible stories through the lives of each and every one of His children. God is eagerly waiting for men and women who are willing to live the hard middle of the story so that He can carry them to the inspirational end. You want to a live a life worthy of the movies? Good! Cause God is telling a new story everyday and the filmmakers can’t really keep up. So why live a life worthy of the movies, when with God’s calling we live a life that’s even better?

My grandmother wrote a column in the local newspaper every week for over ten years. Whenever she and the family went on vacation, she would publish an old piece that week and title it "Leftovers." Since I am visiting her this weekend, my first "Leftovers" post is dedicated to her.



SEPTEMBER 2012

The root of all fear is that dreaded question, “What if?” Our fears, no matter how pedestrian, literal, or abstract, all stem from this simple question. “What if she doesn’t really love me?” “What if the test comes back negative?” “What if there’s a monster under my bed?” We get ourselves into a flurry over the hypotheticals of life. And it often prevents us from reaching our pull potential or influence within our circumstances.

Fear is the enemy of any artist. The main fear of the artist is, “What if they don’t like what I’ve created?” The only real solution to this fear is to stop creating all together. So in order to be an artist, there is an inherent risk involved, as you are putting your heart on the line with everything you do.

Fear is also the enemy of any disciple. Just like the artist, it can cripple us from living a life that is fully lived. Over 300 times, the Bible tells us, “do no be afraid”. The Lord literally commands us to no be afraid.

Because when we look at our fears, we say “what if”, but when God looks at our fears, He says “so what?”

We worship a God who is the root of all things good, and all of the things that we might be afraid of are subject to His mighty will and power. As it says in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”

From God’s perspective, our fears are nothing even to bat an eye at. He knows He is our comforter and protector, that we can find refuge in the shadow of the Almighty. The real question is, do we know that? Are we confident enough in God’s power and God’s love for us that we are able to look our fears straight in the face and say, so what?

What if the “what if” is “what if I’m not good enough”? What if God has called me to something I’m not sure I can handle. Artists and disciples alike are plagued with worry and fear about their inadequacy for their calling everyday. But God’s answer is still the same, “So what?”

In Exodus 4, Moses is called by God is right away expressed his fears of inadequacy. But God pounces on that right away in verse 12 saying, “go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12 KJV)

Perhaps you may feel that you don’t have the strength or the talent to overcome your fears and fulfill your calling. But Exodus 4 reminds us that it will never be us who fulfills our calling, but the power and love of God through us.

Stephen Sondheim is one of the great composers in the history of the American Music Theatre. A winner of eight Grammy’s and eight Tony’s, Sondheim also owns a Pulitzer Prize in Drama for his masterpiece work, Sunday in the Park with George. Mr. Sondheim has no shortage of acclaim when it comes to his work.

Like most genius’ though, this famous composer wasn’t always a smashing success. In his early days, Sondheim partnered with many great composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, and Richard Rogers, writing lyrics for them, and creating some wonderful musicals, for which Sondheim himself though received negative reviews.

His partnership with Richard Rogers in creating Do I Hear a Waltz is one that most intrigues me. Having just come off writing a flop with Anyone Can Whistle, Sondheim admits that Do I Hear a Waltz was written simply because he and Rogers thought it would be an easy way to make a quick buck. In later interviews, Sondheim himself admits that he had very little passion for the project and that the show was a “real failure” in his eyes because it had “no reason to be.” What Sondheim learned from that adventure is extremely telling to any writer, and any artist for that matter. “The only reason to write (or to create) is from love…If you have the privilege of being able to write it, you write it out of passion.”

I dare not compare myself to Stephen Sondheim, but even as I write my tiny little blog, create tiny little videos, and draft what I hope will become a tiny little book, I can’t help but recognize with this wisdom. Great art comes from a place of love, it comes from a place of passion, of obsession even. Great art always stems from the passion of an artist who simply has to get a message out, an image out, a word out. Whatever it may be, it’s created because the artist feels the world is incomplete, and perhaps by creating this piece, maybe he or she can be a part of bringing it one step closer to completion.

This is yet another reason why I believe God has to be the ultimate artist. The Bible makes it clear that God is love, and so everything he does stems from a deep passion for His children. How then could His loving actions, or the loving actions done in His name, not be viewed as a beautiful work of art? I hate to be so unoriginal by using so many quotes, but one of my role models, Erwin McManus puts it this way, “A life well lived is the most exquisite work of art.”

When we live our lives well, when we live them out of love, we weave together a beautiful tapestry of passion for the people, places, and causes we most care about. When we let love lead us, we become an integral part in God’s creative work that He is enacting through all heaven and earth. 

Normally I’m not one to write on such controversial topics as the one listed above, but since I’m taking requests and appreciate my few but amazing readers, I will take the risk, and write on this polarizing topic.

First, let me clarify that when I say “women in the church” I do not literally mean females attending Sunday services, but rather, women in positions of pastoral leadership or directive positions within a church organization.

In my mind, I’ve always placed this topic in the same category as other controversial issues, such as homosexuality or creationism versus evolution. Is homosexuality a sin or not? Is the earth 6,000 years old or 6,000,000? Should women be allowed the lead in the church? Whenever someone asks me one of these questions, I always give them the same answer. “I don’t know for sure…”

I know this probably causes many conservative Christians to writhe with injustice and many non-religious folks to roll their eyes at me for dodging the question, but let me explain, because that is not where my answer ends. I start by admitting my ignorance, but then I’m always sure to include two things.

One, I am well aware of the verses in scripture that seem to support the argument for women remaining “silent” in the church. (1 Timothy 2:12, 1 Corinthians 14:34, ect.) However, I am no theologian, and therefore, I cannot say with confidence that I completely understand the context, time period, and intended audience in which such words were written by Paul, Timothy, and others. Furthermore, if there are any readers out there who do use such verses as support for their arguments, I would encourage you, if you have not already done so, to perform the proper research so as to understand this context and original audience. I don’t know what you will or will not find, but I do believe that it’s important to do so. Taken out of context, one can use the Bible to support anything in the world, so we must be careful.

Two, whether women in church leadership is permissible or not, I can say with confidence that many of the voices that have spoken to me on my spiritual walk, many of those voice have been female. If I removed every single woman, whether she was a leader in the church or a mother of a friend, who spoke into my life and helped lead me down the path toward Christ, I certainly would not be where I am today.

So what is the role of “women in the church?” Unfortunately, I cannot give you a straight answer. God can though, and I’m sure He will when we meet Him someday. As for today, all I can say is I’m extremely grateful for the way God has used the women in my life, and for all of the ways He has revealed Himself through them. That is the most honest answer I can give. 

I’ve always thought that the phrase “spending time” was a bit strange. It seems to turn time into some sort of currency, and while time may be money, I can’t help but think that there’s a better use for it than spending.

In many circles and systems, giving and sharing are looked upon with great favor. Most people would agree, especially around the Holidays, that it is much better to give or share one’s resources then it is to spend as much as we can. Generosity is the sign of a content heart. I believe our time works in the same way.

We all know that feeling when someone is spending time with us. It’s as if during the entire conversation their mind is constantly on something else. It’s clear that in their eyes, they could be spending their time on something much more significant and important.

This is not true for those who give or share their time. For such people, time is a gift. It’s showing up and saying, “Hi friend, this next hour or two is my gift to you. My time may be limited, but I would like nothing more than to share it with you.” This, to me, is how we can most effectively use our time. It is in giving or sharing our time that we receive the intangible, yet powerful gifts of love, companionship, and community.

So how do we use our time well? To me, that’s the same question as, how do we use our money, talent, or resources well. The answer is the same, and beautifully simple. Share it with others.