Preparing To Film.

It occurs to me....
...that a great film must have something to say. At the very LEAST, it must have a bold question to ask. My spirit is stirring and the difficulties of living poor are starting to mount... so I thought that perhaps now was the time to move forward with a new directive in my creative life. It's time to make a new film.

The Subject.
I think that I'm just gonna "go there."
I'm gonna speculate about the "what if" and ask the questions that each of us knows are there... but are too afraid to ask. As I ponder the late-great, Prodestant reformer Martin Luther, I begin to think about the substance of his real victory. He stoked the fire. He woke the sleeping. And then, in a bold act of heresy, he opened the floodgates of possibility for all who were willing to freely flow under its unpredictable strength.

The Goal.
The real victory is not found in some sort of tangible list of answers. The victory exists in the liberation of minds to the point of the rebirth of free and honest questioning. In other words, the value of such a film will be the provision it affords, that others might be free.

Your Help.
If you have a question that you wanna hear some people answer, send it to me in an E-mail and I will consider it for this film. Questions should be based around the subject of Modern Christianity. The nature of such questions can span from things like, "How can Christianity POSSIBLY be true" all the way to "which doctrine is right?" Those are just examples. Any question that is even remotely connected to the subject of Christianity is worth your time to submit.

This is NOT a contest...
...or any form of cheap, promotional ploy. I am merely convinced that some of the best questions (which ought to be asked) are not within my reach. There are others of you who have long wondered about various things but never had the protected opportunity to venture that far into the dangerous unknown. That is why I present this to you. If we are all to benefit, then we must all feel comfortable contributing. So, whether you are a regular visitor to my blog or just passing by, please take the time to think up your best question(s) relating to modern Christianity and shoot them at me in an E-mail.

Oh and... GO THERE. ASK THE UGLY, HARD QUESTIONS.

Until then,
Be well.

Tying a shoe.

Tying a shoe takes a certain amount of time, practice, discipline, and work.

People cannot tie shoes when they are born.
They must first learn how.
It takes skill and effort.

On the other hand, any person (or monkey for that matter) can pull the same string and unravel the entire effort with very little time, no practice, discipline or work.

WELL CRAP!

Folks (and by folks I mean Christians), I am REALLY wrestling with some serious conflict right now. You see, it all goes back to the "sermon" I belched out last Sunday evening near Knightstown, IN.

I know the sermon was for me as much as it was for anyone. If you were there, you might recall me actually tearing up at the very beginning. What you may not know... I was actually full-on crying at the back of the sanctuary as it all hit me. You see, I had shown up that night with a video of Haiti and nothing else. And it's not as though I had procrastinated in my preparations. All week I was drawing blanks.

I cried in front of the church because I was "hearing God" right then and there... without warning and in front of the "class." Usually, this sort of thing happens to me in the quiet of privacy. But that night, God was working me over right there in front of a group of people I barely knew. If it hadn't been the Lord, I would have felt violated and vulnerable. But it didn't feel that way. It was sweeeet. Tasty.

"CAN'T GO THERE JUST YET."
I want to believe that this thing rolling around in my head is from the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I want to believe that I have been granted a deeper revelation (which is surprisingly more simple than profound). I want to believe what my heart is SCREAMING OUT TO ME...that it might actually be true. The PROBLEM is... it flies in the face of what all of us have been taught (on many levels). It's beyond bold... and yet it isn't. Truth be known, it's pretty great. Heh, the silliest part of all of it is that I'm not afraid of God at all. It's the people that I fear. And it's because of them that I can't "go there" just yet. Not in public. Not in a pulpit.

"MY HAT IS OFF."
Martin Luther, I believe that I feel some of what you must have gone through... to be haunted by suspicions about our faith that literally fly in the face of every prevailing teaching and teacher that has walked for generations before you. Who the heck did you think you were? You brash and prude heretic! My hat is off to you. Not because you had the thoughts. Not even because you allowed them to fester in your heart (which is more than most folks will allow in their own hearts). My hat flies off because you just went and did it... you nailed those thoughts on the DOOR OF THE CHURCH! Whew.

What balls.

"STINKY FRIENDS and STUCK FOOD."
You ever have that friend that just always stinks? B.O.
Or what about the guy who has crap jammed between his teeth cause he never brushes? They're usually the ones complaining about never finding anyone to date or get close to. And you just wanna SCREAM... "Brush your teeth! Take a friggin' shower!" 'Cause you're pretty sure that would perhaps TRIPLE their chances of romance.

But you don't say a thing. Nothing. 'Cause you love them. So much so, that you would rather spare them the pain of "now"... despite the complete bliss that they could gain if you were only willing to speak freely.

Well people, "You've got crap stuck in your teeth and you wreak to high heavens." I'm just trying to gain the courage to tell you... to hurt you... so that you might be finally free.

...please forgive me as I delay...

Criss-crossed

Today, I am less impressed that Jesus died for my sins.
Right now, I am MORE IMPRESSED that He bothered to show up at all.
To leave the glory and comfort and security of Heaven... to exist on this POS we call Earth... now THAT'S amazing. I am speechless that He willingly died. But I am honored that He first troubled Himself 33 years to live... among us.

Leading by example.
We're SO JAZZED to talk about giving our lives to Jesus and dying to self. We have forgotten the part of His life that took the longest... the living. Perhaps, before we do anything else, we should follow his lead.

Imagine your life. It is comfortable to you. In a way, it is your "Heaven." You know it. It fits. Not perfect, but somewhat predictable. You can exist there. Now imagine the most disgusting and repulsive opposite to your life. The place you have no business being in. Do you really wanna be like Jesus?

Then show up.