Talents

My family and I went to the Laff Stop last night to watch our friend, Mary Sarah Gross, perform in a talent showcase event. It was great fun hearing all the various people sing on stage, like American Idol up close and personal, without the snippy comments from judges. We got to spend time with Mary's family and friends, which was great since our schedules rarely allow us to get together. Mary had a role in my movie "Spirits Among Us." She did a great job and was a joy to work with, I am hoping to have her in future productions.

What I thought about as I sat there was, "while many people are sitting around watching television, these people work hard to develop their natural gifts so they can entertain other people. They didn't just let their talents lie dormant in the ground, they put in hours and hours of hard work to develop and nuture them, and then had the guts to get up on stage and perform in front of an audience." I am impressed by people who are driven to develop and use the talents that God has given them. He has given each of us something. His desire is that we figure out what that is and do something worthwhile with it. I love being around people who are doing something good with the precious time and gifts God has given them.

The photos here are a few that I snapped during the event. The first one at the top of the post is of Mary.

Playing "Dress Up"

Finally, while driving to work a couple days back, God revealed to me what the "Armor of God" passages in Ephesians 6:10-18 mean to me. For years I have read commentaries, participated in Bible studies, and watched/heard others "praying on" the armor of God. I never, ever felt like I understood what it meant.

Does it mean that every day you wake up you "put on" the full armor of God by saying to God that you are putting on "shoes of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, etc?" Or do you "pray it on" someone else by loudly and emotionally proclaiming it in prayer as you use your hands to mimic the acts of putting on each piece? Is it something that you just thank God for providing, and remember He provides it all when you encounter a struggle? Is it a magic formula that you "pray on" as needed to give you victory over circumstances? I have heard and/or seen all these and more. None of them "worked" for me. Sometimes it was like playing "dress up." I still was not satisfied that I "got it."

Here is what it means for me:
Belt of Truth: Practice truth in all that I do and say
Breastplate of Righteousness: Do what is right in God's eyes, according to His word
Shoes of Peace: Seek peace, not conflict or conquest, in my relationships and encounters
Shield of Faith: Do not lean on my own understanding, but believe in God's plan, purpose and soveriegnity.
Helment of Salvation: Always remember that I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and as a result I have an eternal relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Sword of the Spirit: Use the power of God's word (truths and promises written in the Bible) to have victory in battles.

So, if I am slack in any of those areas, I have left open a vulnerability to the attacks of evil. If I am faithful in practicing truth, righteousness, peace, etc. then I have strong protection against the schemes and tactics that Satan uses to trip me up. Now I "got it" because God "revealed it."

What does the photograph have to do with any of this? Good question. I just felt like putting up a photo of the Camaro I used to own. I miss it.

An Ark to Build

We watched "Evan Almighty" last night. That movie has some good, and Biblically sound insights. As I watched the movie I realized that we probably each have our own "Ark" to build. Evan, like Noah, decided to embark on a very difficult task which took him away from his own plans, exposed him to ridicule from everyone, and had no guarantee to be necessary at all. He did this all simply because God told him to, so he did what he knew God wanted him to do. I think God has plans for all of us, and some of them will put our love of Him to the test.

At this point I should explain that the photograph is of me holding up what is probably my first of several "arks." Not everyone thought I was completely sane when I took precious time away from my successful engineering career, and most of my recreation time, to start a career making Christian movies. Making movies for God is considerably easier (and easier to explain) than building a huge boat in the middle of a desert, but it is definitely not "the easy way out" for me. It is simply what I know God wants me to do, so I do it. My movie is now in distribution, I have a handful of packaged copies to prove it, and it is available for sale or rent at various outlets. This is very exciting and encouraging to me. I believe you can detect some level of enthusiasm in the photo.

It was hard work for me, but God is making it fruitful.

Right now people can rent it at NetFlix or buy it from PopularChristian. I will post links for the other sites when they get there copies.