I find myself dreaming at times yet I'm still awake.
There's a Christian on the other end of the line, yet they are spouting and spouting endless rain and tragic arguments, and not connecting with what I know of the Book... "Everyone does it. It's ok..."
What book are they reading.
With all the great excitement that comes with 70 or so films preparing to be made, there's been a steady stream of piqued interest. New interest. Self interest.
Now, I know business must be done. But, c'mon. There are principles and the faithful are faithful only if they DON'T COMPROMISE on their faith, right?
So, lately I get calls from some who want to call the shots and dictate their way and I start to feel sick. No, I start to feel a tangible presence of self over all. And it stinks.
And my friend tries to convince me to do something that ain't right because he can make money doing it.
And the arguments don't make any sense and I ain't buying it.
I know how completely hollow it feels to engage in what I know in my bones feels wrong.
And my self-interest isn't sufficient to pose a real conflict, to where I can't be trusted, so I feel safe. I feel I can be trusted.
I pray to God, thanks for testing me and letting me prove trustworthy in small things.
For, if not trustworthy in the small things, then who would trust me with true riches? Or you?
I hope that by being somewhat cryptic, I can hold onto my friends, warn them and warn others to avoid the foolishness of compromise.
I heard once that true confidence and fulfillment only comes from knowing your duty, and tho it's hard, fulfilling the call to the best of your ability. I think it's right, but the truth is elusive.
Pilot said "What is truth?" Is that is the most profound question a human can utter? I think so. (and then there's the most profound admission) But, what do I know?
1/9/09
1/3/09
Glitter
All that glitters is not gold. It's been 6.5 years since we started the 168 Film Project. I look back on all the challenges and the triumphs and what it has cost to get here and I ask, was it worth it?
Personally, it has cost me much of my time, energy and focus from being a writer/director. But, the accomplishments of one really do pale in comparison to advances among a group of folks with the strength of conviction of a greater good.
168's stated purpose is to illuminate the Word of God and to assist emerging filmmakers in forging a career that is honoring to the teachings of the Judeo/Christian bible. This has been done in every year of the contest. Following are some examples.
UNDERSTANDING GAINED:
A Producer said: "I finally realized that God doesn't want to be on MY team, he wants me to be on HIS team!"
RELATIONSHIP REKINDLED:
One Producer said: "Before 168, God and I weren't talking. Now we have a relationship."
RELATIONSHIP STARTED:
An agnostic director said: "After 168, I am no longer agnostic. I now consider myself a seeker, because I can no longer deny the truth of the words of Jesus."
SALVATION:
Ron became involved with 168 only because of his interest in filmmaking. After learning to trust the men and women involved with the project, he later trusted in Jesus and even was baptized on the set after the finished shooting the baptismal scene. He is now in seminary on the way to becoming a youth pastor.
A distraught young girl had decided to commit suicide. Before she did, she wanted to treat herself to a dream she had, making a movie. Because of the kindness she received on the set of a 168 project, she was deeply moved and decided to allow herself to live, and to live for the saviour!
How lasting is a human commitment, especially in Hollywood?
Hollywood can be a very lonely place. A population of dreamers (Christian or not) is prone to enslavement to their own dreams. I submit that our dreams and their selfish pursuit mean nothing. There is a narrow passage that leads to fulfillment and few find it. It is so very elusive.
I am watching as the filmmakers and actors and actresses who have cut teeth working on 168 projects grow up. They are starting to achieve significant things and to garner the success for which they have worked so hard.
In 3000 years of "evolution" it is really strange to me that humans still wrestle with the same foibles, specifically pride, materialism, lust greed, envy and on and on. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and though they may see the dangers, the seduction of the world is all too potent a weapon for many to resist.
I know of one person (we'll call Desire), for whom I can say it has always been about Desire and no one else. There is a masquerade toward helping others, but at the end of the day, it's all about Desire. So, when Desire is fulfilled and the means don't quite justify the end, what follows may be a leftover gnawing that this artist may or may not understand. And at the inevitable end of intoxicating success, will it still be all about how powerfully God is moving and working into the dreams of Desire?
Who is this person? It's also you and me. The Lord gives and takes, disciplines and rewards. He is good today, tomorrow and yesterday.
Seduction is clothed in many raiments and in the future, only one thing is sure: seduction is offered to all without prejudice. Some of us are tested by the praise and the success we receive. Will we be ever-humble? In our heart of hearts, is it really, truly all about us??
How would we REALLY know? Oh, yeah we will find out in the end, but what about now??
Psalm 119:9-16 gives a pretty good clue:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. (niv)
More words to live by in:
Psalm 37:3-8 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. (niv)
And finally, Ecclesiastes 11 Has great wisdom and exhortation to venture, to work, to live, & to enjoy...as well as a warning.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap...
6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well...
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. (niv)
Peace out!
John
Personally, it has cost me much of my time, energy and focus from being a writer/director. But, the accomplishments of one really do pale in comparison to advances among a group of folks with the strength of conviction of a greater good.
168's stated purpose is to illuminate the Word of God and to assist emerging filmmakers in forging a career that is honoring to the teachings of the Judeo/Christian bible. This has been done in every year of the contest. Following are some examples.
UNDERSTANDING GAINED:
A Producer said: "I finally realized that God doesn't want to be on MY team, he wants me to be on HIS team!"
RELATIONSHIP REKINDLED:
One Producer said: "Before 168, God and I weren't talking. Now we have a relationship."
RELATIONSHIP STARTED:
An agnostic director said: "After 168, I am no longer agnostic. I now consider myself a seeker, because I can no longer deny the truth of the words of Jesus."
SALVATION:
Ron became involved with 168 only because of his interest in filmmaking. After learning to trust the men and women involved with the project, he later trusted in Jesus and even was baptized on the set after the finished shooting the baptismal scene. He is now in seminary on the way to becoming a youth pastor.
A distraught young girl had decided to commit suicide. Before she did, she wanted to treat herself to a dream she had, making a movie. Because of the kindness she received on the set of a 168 project, she was deeply moved and decided to allow herself to live, and to live for the saviour!
How lasting is a human commitment, especially in Hollywood?
Hollywood can be a very lonely place. A population of dreamers (Christian or not) is prone to enslavement to their own dreams. I submit that our dreams and their selfish pursuit mean nothing. There is a narrow passage that leads to fulfillment and few find it. It is so very elusive.
I am watching as the filmmakers and actors and actresses who have cut teeth working on 168 projects grow up. They are starting to achieve significant things and to garner the success for which they have worked so hard.
In 3000 years of "evolution" it is really strange to me that humans still wrestle with the same foibles, specifically pride, materialism, lust greed, envy and on and on. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and though they may see the dangers, the seduction of the world is all too potent a weapon for many to resist.
I know of one person (we'll call Desire), for whom I can say it has always been about Desire and no one else. There is a masquerade toward helping others, but at the end of the day, it's all about Desire. So, when Desire is fulfilled and the means don't quite justify the end, what follows may be a leftover gnawing that this artist may or may not understand. And at the inevitable end of intoxicating success, will it still be all about how powerfully God is moving and working into the dreams of Desire?
Who is this person? It's also you and me. The Lord gives and takes, disciplines and rewards. He is good today, tomorrow and yesterday.
Seduction is clothed in many raiments and in the future, only one thing is sure: seduction is offered to all without prejudice. Some of us are tested by the praise and the success we receive. Will we be ever-humble? In our heart of hearts, is it really, truly all about us??
How would we REALLY know? Oh, yeah we will find out in the end, but what about now??
Psalm 119:9-16 gives a pretty good clue:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. (niv)
More words to live by in:
Psalm 37:3-8 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. (niv)
And finally, Ecclesiastes 11 Has great wisdom and exhortation to venture, to work, to live, & to enjoy...as well as a warning.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap...
6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well...
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. (niv)
Peace out!
John
12/10/08
Faith's Ebb and Flow
How do you handle frustration? Do you give up easily? Who do you choose to help you along the way?
The world has yet to see what God can do with a servant, who is fully sold out to Him. That means an end to special interests. An end to me and my interests. Think of Obama, putting together his new expiriment, choosing old foes and unknown quantities with which to surround himself. He will be largely dependent on those he selects. His legacy will be that of the sum of his choices.
Similarly, you are making a film (your life) which will have highs and lows. Some day, we will all get to watch you, the hero and groan with you as you make the worst possible choice and faces the end of your run. We will cheer you on as you are humbled and we will howl with joy as you miraculously rise from the ashes and get to make the same choices all over again. It won't feel the same, the circumstances and the stakes will be different, but the choices are always the same.
Do you choose the path of honor and humility or to cash in on fleeting moments. Stardom comes in all flavors and sizes, from the warehouse manager, promoted to shop foreman to coffeehouse singer suddenly thrust onto center stage and a national tour. Your ego demands that you become a different person and leave all your previous self and baggage behind.
Someone once said, "wherever you go, there you are." It's very true, you will face the same self as you faced where you lived last time you moved. And it's really hard to change. But with Jesus, all things are possible. I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me. Take that to the bank and step out.
The comfort zone only provides comfort for the moment. Looking back at ourselves all curled up and fetal in a comfort zone is likely to only produce regret and sorrow.
Make today the start of the end of the comfort zone. Let faith flow in and thru all you do. Amen.
The world has yet to see what God can do with a servant, who is fully sold out to Him. That means an end to special interests. An end to me and my interests. Think of Obama, putting together his new expiriment, choosing old foes and unknown quantities with which to surround himself. He will be largely dependent on those he selects. His legacy will be that of the sum of his choices.
Similarly, you are making a film (your life) which will have highs and lows. Some day, we will all get to watch you, the hero and groan with you as you make the worst possible choice and faces the end of your run. We will cheer you on as you are humbled and we will howl with joy as you miraculously rise from the ashes and get to make the same choices all over again. It won't feel the same, the circumstances and the stakes will be different, but the choices are always the same.
Do you choose the path of honor and humility or to cash in on fleeting moments. Stardom comes in all flavors and sizes, from the warehouse manager, promoted to shop foreman to coffeehouse singer suddenly thrust onto center stage and a national tour. Your ego demands that you become a different person and leave all your previous self and baggage behind.
Someone once said, "wherever you go, there you are." It's very true, you will face the same self as you faced where you lived last time you moved. And it's really hard to change. But with Jesus, all things are possible. I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me. Take that to the bank and step out.
The comfort zone only provides comfort for the moment. Looking back at ourselves all curled up and fetal in a comfort zone is likely to only produce regret and sorrow.
Make today the start of the end of the comfort zone. Let faith flow in and thru all you do. Amen.
12/2/08
Cancelation: Chronicles of Hernia Benefit
Dear Blog,
Franklin B. Dog and I regret to have to cancel the (Dec. 14th) premiere benefit screening for the spcaLA due to economic conditions and holiday distractions.
We will reschedule "The Chronicles of Hernia: the Lion, the Ditch and the Studio" in 2009 as a free event.
Contact lionditchstudio@gmail.com with any questions or to make sure you are kept in the loop.
Regards,
Franklin and John
Franklin B. Dog and I regret to have to cancel the (Dec. 14th) premiere benefit screening for the spcaLA due to economic conditions and holiday distractions.
We will reschedule "The Chronicles of Hernia: the Lion, the Ditch and the Studio" in 2009 as a free event.
Contact lionditchstudio@gmail.com with any questions or to make sure you are kept in the loop.
Regards,
Franklin and John
11/25/08
Appointments and the power of Story
I'm really happy for Josh and Rebekah Weigel and the "Stained" crew who continue to score high marks. Most recently they were invited to screen at the San Antonio Christian Film Fest Jan 8-10. It is very rewarding to see 168ers doing so well.
"Stained" has a subtle Christian message and it definitely makes you think. Jenn Gotzon recently showed it on a speaking engagement for pregnant teens. And 3 of them tearfully received Jesus as their savior. Wow!
There is a need for all types of films in the marketplace. If all the films were overtly evangelistic, it would get pretty boring. Parables are designed to lead one to the truth and that is exactly what jesus used to speak to large crowds.
Evangelistic films must be done exceedingly well, but so often they are heavy handed and schlocky.
I want to have an Evangelista Award for the best film of this type. What do you think of that idea?
Kudos to 168 veteran director Keith Ray Putman, who's film "DOUBLE." screens at HDFEST in Los Angeles December 6th. The film stars familiar face Avery Clyde (Temp for All Seasons, etc).
"Stained" has a subtle Christian message and it definitely makes you think. Jenn Gotzon recently showed it on a speaking engagement for pregnant teens. And 3 of them tearfully received Jesus as their savior. Wow!
There is a need for all types of films in the marketplace. If all the films were overtly evangelistic, it would get pretty boring. Parables are designed to lead one to the truth and that is exactly what jesus used to speak to large crowds.
Evangelistic films must be done exceedingly well, but so often they are heavy handed and schlocky.
I want to have an Evangelista Award for the best film of this type. What do you think of that idea?
Kudos to 168 veteran director Keith Ray Putman, who's film "DOUBLE." screens at HDFEST in Los Angeles December 6th. The film stars familiar face Avery Clyde (Temp for All Seasons, etc).
11/11/08
Fathers and Scars
Dear Blog,
I have been really busy with the 168 Film Project and my short film, "Chronicles of Hernia: the Lion, the Ditch and the Studio. We locked picture last night (thanks to Tim Lowry, a brilliant editor) and I am so excited for the premiere I can hardly stand the wait. We will premiere it on Sunday, Dec. 14th at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. Please save the date. The film spoofs Hollywood stereotypes, and uplifts the values we hold dear as followers of Jesus.
Mr. Ralph Winter (Producer of XMEN) has agreed to be our lead judge for 168 in 2009 and we have 40 team entries.
I lost my father at the age of 10 and it was a painful experience. Below are the thoughts of Mr. Gary Swanson. He is a mentor of mine, who leads the tinseltown Bible Studies in Burbank and on the Fox lot in LA. If you would care to attend, please tell him I sent you. And tell him thanks for sharing wounds so deep they hurt the listener too.
Pass it on if it seems a good idea.
Peace in Jesus.
John
FROM GARY SWANSON:
My father was a farmer, as was his father. He was a child of the depression, and during those difficult times he was the son who had to stay home and help his father on the family farm, so he never finished school. Because of that, even though he was reasonably intelligent, he was insecure and defensive in many ways. He was also very shy. When he was a young man every Midwestern town small and large had a dance pavilion where the "big bands" would come and play. It was an affordable form of recreation for an America slowly recovering from the pains of the depression, so almost everyone ended up at the pavilions on Saturday night. In my growing up years the pavilions were all long gone, but whenever we would run across a woman he had known in those years, they would always tell me the same story. "Your father was the best dancer around", they would say, "and all of us would line up for our turn to dance with him." Whereupon my shy father's face would be bright red with embarrassment.
If you had met my father, you would have probably liked him, but I tell you all that to tell you this - for whatever reason he didn't like me, and he made that painfully clear right up until he died at age 94. I'm not saying that he was a bad father, nor was he abusive towards me in spite of having a vicious temper. I always knew I was safe and protected and he worked hard to provide a better life for us than he ever had himself, but he and I were different in every way, so much so that I just basically made him angry if we were around each other very long.
So by now you're asking, "What's your point Gary?" Let me make my point with a question for you - what kind of earthly father did you have? Or perhaps more to the point, what kind of a relationship did you have with your father? It's a question to which you need to give yourself an honest answer, because your relationship with your earthly father, or lack thereof, will have a large effect on your relationship with your heavenly Father. If your father spoiled you rotten, you might assume that God the Father will give you whatever you want whenever you want it, and if He doesn't you may decide that God doesn't care about you. At the other extreme, if your earthly father was never there for you, you might not even ask your heavenly Father for anything because you feel like He won't give it to you anyway.
Guess what I struggle with repeatedly in my relationship with my heavenly Father? I have never doubted that God would take care of me from the day I was saved. I have never questioned whether or not God is going to take me safely home to heaven. But I quite frequently begin to feel like God doesn't really like me, and that He only puts up with me because He does not break His promises, and He has made a promise to save me. Do you see it? Do you see how that struggle exactly reflects my relationship with my earthly father?
My point is this - you need to think about how your relationship with your earthly father has skewed your relationship with your heavenly Father. We limit what God is able to do in our lives because of limitations we've experienced in our relationships with our own fathers.
In the bible there is the story of the prodigal son. He wanted to go his own way, do things as he wanted to do them. He took all that his father had lovingly saved for him, and squandered it on the kinds of sinful lusts we all struggle with. Finally he realized what a fool he had been, and decided to go back home to his father, even though he was afraid that his father might no longer treat him like a son, but rather like a servant or slave. Now look at his father's response, which is meant to be a picture of our heavenly Father's attitude towards us, His children:
Luke 15:20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 15:21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 15:22 "But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 15:23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. (NKJV)
Is that how you picture God responding to you? Again, ask God to help you rid yourself of all the false ideas you might have about His love for you and His relationship with you. Ask God to reveal to you who He truly is, and how much He desires to relate to you, for as He says in Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (NKJV)
If you have ever thought about attending the Tinseltown Studies in person, this would be a good week to start, since we are beginning a completely new series designed to help you get to know your heavenly Father a little better by getting to know His Son, our Saviour, a little better. You have two locations from which to choose:
THE WESTSIDE STUDY gathers together on WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, now at the Fox Studio lot, which is located next to Century City in West Los Angeles. The actual address is 10201 Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. If you would like to attend the study at Fox, you must be pre-registered. If you have been attending either Tinseltown study on a regular basis, you have already been pre-registered. If you have never attended the studies, or if you have not attended recently, you will need to email or call no later than 1:00pm on Wednesday using the contact information below, and ask to have your name added to the Tinseltown guest list for Fox. Please note: You cannot pre-register by contacting Fox Studios directly, so please do not bother them.
Enter by the main gate at the corner of Pico Blvd and Motor Avenue. Turn right and then left to the main security gate. Tell the guard(s) that you are there for the "Tinseltown Meeting". Everyone in the car must be pre-registered, and everyone must have identification. If your name is on our list you will be given a pass and driving instructions to get you to Building 1. Once there, you may disregard "reserved" signs and park in any available space.
THE BURBANK STUDY will continue to meet on THURSDAY EVENINGS at 825 Evergreen Street, which is located on the far west edge of Burbank about 10 blocks north of Warner Bros Studio. Take either Pass Avenue or Hollywood Way to Verdugo Avenue. Go west on Verdugo Avenue to Evergreen street, which is one block west of Pass Avenue or five blocks west of Hollywood Way. Turn north on Evergreen Street and go 1 1/2 blocks to the address on your left, a one story home on the west side of the street. Normally street parking is readily available within a block or less of the house.
Both Studies open their doors at 7:45pm to give you time to sample the snacks, grab a bottle of water, and settle in before the regulars show up. The actual discussion begins promptly at 8:00. Need more information? Email me at gary@tinseltownministries.org or call me at 310-779-7443. If you would rather, you can call my wife Judy instead at 310-779-7442, or email her at judy@tinseltownministries.org.
I have been really busy with the 168 Film Project and my short film, "Chronicles of Hernia: the Lion, the Ditch and the Studio. We locked picture last night (thanks to Tim Lowry, a brilliant editor) and I am so excited for the premiere I can hardly stand the wait. We will premiere it on Sunday, Dec. 14th at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. Please save the date. The film spoofs Hollywood stereotypes, and uplifts the values we hold dear as followers of Jesus.
Mr. Ralph Winter (Producer of XMEN) has agreed to be our lead judge for 168 in 2009 and we have 40 team entries.
I lost my father at the age of 10 and it was a painful experience. Below are the thoughts of Mr. Gary Swanson. He is a mentor of mine, who leads the tinseltown Bible Studies in Burbank and on the Fox lot in LA. If you would care to attend, please tell him I sent you. And tell him thanks for sharing wounds so deep they hurt the listener too.
Pass it on if it seems a good idea.
Peace in Jesus.
John
FROM GARY SWANSON:
My father was a farmer, as was his father. He was a child of the depression, and during those difficult times he was the son who had to stay home and help his father on the family farm, so he never finished school. Because of that, even though he was reasonably intelligent, he was insecure and defensive in many ways. He was also very shy. When he was a young man every Midwestern town small and large had a dance pavilion where the "big bands" would come and play. It was an affordable form of recreation for an America slowly recovering from the pains of the depression, so almost everyone ended up at the pavilions on Saturday night. In my growing up years the pavilions were all long gone, but whenever we would run across a woman he had known in those years, they would always tell me the same story. "Your father was the best dancer around", they would say, "and all of us would line up for our turn to dance with him." Whereupon my shy father's face would be bright red with embarrassment.
If you had met my father, you would have probably liked him, but I tell you all that to tell you this - for whatever reason he didn't like me, and he made that painfully clear right up until he died at age 94. I'm not saying that he was a bad father, nor was he abusive towards me in spite of having a vicious temper. I always knew I was safe and protected and he worked hard to provide a better life for us than he ever had himself, but he and I were different in every way, so much so that I just basically made him angry if we were around each other very long.
So by now you're asking, "What's your point Gary?" Let me make my point with a question for you - what kind of earthly father did you have? Or perhaps more to the point, what kind of a relationship did you have with your father? It's a question to which you need to give yourself an honest answer, because your relationship with your earthly father, or lack thereof, will have a large effect on your relationship with your heavenly Father. If your father spoiled you rotten, you might assume that God the Father will give you whatever you want whenever you want it, and if He doesn't you may decide that God doesn't care about you. At the other extreme, if your earthly father was never there for you, you might not even ask your heavenly Father for anything because you feel like He won't give it to you anyway.
Guess what I struggle with repeatedly in my relationship with my heavenly Father? I have never doubted that God would take care of me from the day I was saved. I have never questioned whether or not God is going to take me safely home to heaven. But I quite frequently begin to feel like God doesn't really like me, and that He only puts up with me because He does not break His promises, and He has made a promise to save me. Do you see it? Do you see how that struggle exactly reflects my relationship with my earthly father?
My point is this - you need to think about how your relationship with your earthly father has skewed your relationship with your heavenly Father. We limit what God is able to do in our lives because of limitations we've experienced in our relationships with our own fathers.
In the bible there is the story of the prodigal son. He wanted to go his own way, do things as he wanted to do them. He took all that his father had lovingly saved for him, and squandered it on the kinds of sinful lusts we all struggle with. Finally he realized what a fool he had been, and decided to go back home to his father, even though he was afraid that his father might no longer treat him like a son, but rather like a servant or slave. Now look at his father's response, which is meant to be a picture of our heavenly Father's attitude towards us, His children:
Luke 15:20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 15:21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 15:22 "But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 15:23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. (NKJV)
Is that how you picture God responding to you? Again, ask God to help you rid yourself of all the false ideas you might have about His love for you and His relationship with you. Ask God to reveal to you who He truly is, and how much He desires to relate to you, for as He says in Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (NKJV)
If you have ever thought about attending the Tinseltown Studies in person, this would be a good week to start, since we are beginning a completely new series designed to help you get to know your heavenly Father a little better by getting to know His Son, our Saviour, a little better. You have two locations from which to choose:
THE WESTSIDE STUDY gathers together on WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, now at the Fox Studio lot, which is located next to Century City in West Los Angeles. The actual address is 10201 Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. If you would like to attend the study at Fox, you must be pre-registered. If you have been attending either Tinseltown study on a regular basis, you have already been pre-registered. If you have never attended the studies, or if you have not attended recently, you will need to email or call no later than 1:00pm on Wednesday using the contact information below, and ask to have your name added to the Tinseltown guest list for Fox. Please note: You cannot pre-register by contacting Fox Studios directly, so please do not bother them.
Enter by the main gate at the corner of Pico Blvd and Motor Avenue. Turn right and then left to the main security gate. Tell the guard(s) that you are there for the "Tinseltown Meeting". Everyone in the car must be pre-registered, and everyone must have identification. If your name is on our list you will be given a pass and driving instructions to get you to Building 1. Once there, you may disregard "reserved" signs and park in any available space.
THE BURBANK STUDY will continue to meet on THURSDAY EVENINGS at 825 Evergreen Street, which is located on the far west edge of Burbank about 10 blocks north of Warner Bros Studio. Take either Pass Avenue or Hollywood Way to Verdugo Avenue. Go west on Verdugo Avenue to Evergreen street, which is one block west of Pass Avenue or five blocks west of Hollywood Way. Turn north on Evergreen Street and go 1 1/2 blocks to the address on your left, a one story home on the west side of the street. Normally street parking is readily available within a block or less of the house.
Both Studies open their doors at 7:45pm to give you time to sample the snacks, grab a bottle of water, and settle in before the regulars show up. The actual discussion begins promptly at 8:00. Need more information? Email me at gary@tinseltownministries.org or call me at 310-779-7443. If you would rather, you can call my wife Judy instead at 310-779-7442, or email her at judy@tinseltownministries.org.
10/20/08
Through Being Cool
Tonight, I talked to a friend who was going to see Bill Maher's film, "Religulous" with his church group. What? I asked. Why would you vote for more movies like that by giving them you money?
I suggested to him that if you must go, then when you are offended (that is Maher's schtick, rather than having an honest dialogue), walk out and demand your money back. That will send an even louder message than staying home.
Many Christians want to go to anti-Christian movies (like this one and "Davinci Code") so they can be "culturally relevant."
The truth is, they don't want to be different. They want to fit in. They want the right to "be cool." We all do. But, the gospel of Jesus has never, nor will it ever be "cool." As followers of Jesus, we don't have the right to "be cool."
We get the privilege of being not cool and then watching as God allows us to be accepted (by some) and respected (by some) despite sticking to our convictions.
Then we can watch as lives are changed because some of us are the real deal.
The 168 Film Project is an example of how Christians can reach out to a very strategic group of Christians and not-yet-Christians.
There are very few things we can agree on as a nation. Food is good, although you will never get a conclusive agreement on which food is good for everyone. Clean air and water is good, though zero agreement will ever be had on how clean is clean enough. And everyone loves a good story.
So for 168, we let the group that is passionate about telling stories get together and tell them using the best-selling book in all of history, the Bible.
Throw these ingredients into the pressure cooker and bake for 168 hours:
-People of all faiths, or no faith at all,
-Their dreams within reach (Being a Filmmaker)
-The Word of God
-A deadline
The results are magic. We have made over 300 short films in 6 short years.
Please see the website for more.
www.168project.com
I suggested to him that if you must go, then when you are offended (that is Maher's schtick, rather than having an honest dialogue), walk out and demand your money back. That will send an even louder message than staying home.
Many Christians want to go to anti-Christian movies (like this one and "Davinci Code") so they can be "culturally relevant."
The truth is, they don't want to be different. They want to fit in. They want the right to "be cool." We all do. But, the gospel of Jesus has never, nor will it ever be "cool." As followers of Jesus, we don't have the right to "be cool."
We get the privilege of being not cool and then watching as God allows us to be accepted (by some) and respected (by some) despite sticking to our convictions.
Then we can watch as lives are changed because some of us are the real deal.
The 168 Film Project is an example of how Christians can reach out to a very strategic group of Christians and not-yet-Christians.
There are very few things we can agree on as a nation. Food is good, although you will never get a conclusive agreement on which food is good for everyone. Clean air and water is good, though zero agreement will ever be had on how clean is clean enough. And everyone loves a good story.
So for 168, we let the group that is passionate about telling stories get together and tell them using the best-selling book in all of history, the Bible.
Throw these ingredients into the pressure cooker and bake for 168 hours:
-People of all faiths, or no faith at all,
-Their dreams within reach (Being a Filmmaker)
-The Word of God
-A deadline
The results are magic. We have made over 300 short films in 6 short years.
Please see the website for more.
www.168project.com
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