God’s Shorthand

Through prayer and discernment I’ve tried to come up with a short hand communication between the Almighty and myself.  When trying to do the Lord’s will, I figured there are three primary reasons why one would face challenges while attempting to complete a task you feel the Lord has asked you to do…

1. The Lord is testing your faith
2. Satan is interfering
3. You misinterpreted and the Lord doesn’t want you to do it.

As we near the DVD release of the Nikki & Babs web series, we were starting to put into place a variety of pre-release events to try and build momentum for the DVD.  Things were going along smoothly.  I’ve always felt, when I get the “wind at your back” feeling, that I must be headed in the right direction.  There’s a feeling of direction, of forward movement, of purpose.

I was feeling a sense of traction and momentum about some potential public screenings when everything came to a screeching halt.  Circumstances arose that put a wrench into the works and have necessarily precluded us from going forward with any large scale event.

So, trying to read God’s shorthand, I am left to wonder… is this a test?  Is this Satan getting in the way?  Or does God not want what we had planned to happen?

Or is it something else?  Perhaps a fourth option.  Free will?  God gave us free will and perhaps it is that will that is pulling things apart at this late stage.  I’m not sure.

Or a fifth option.  Could it be my own failings?  Could it be that my intentions are not pure?  Am I putting together these public screenings to feed my own ego or try and prop up some internal insecurities?  Am I really doing it for me or for God?

Hmmmm.   I wonder.

It’s been my experience that when you’ve lost your way it’s because you left the path, not because God left you.  So, I’ll continue to pray and listen and hope to get a little guidance on what the Lord wants us to do.  Things may all come together as we had hoped.  Or they may not and we’ll be onto something else.

Only time will tell whether we’re being tested or simply heading in the wrong direction.  Either way, prayer must come first before we can ever attempt to understand God’s shorthand.

Perspective

When I was a kid, my parents used to get the National Geographic magazine.  Every once and a while it would include a map or picture that you could pull out from the magazine, unfold and put on your wall.  One of my favorites was a map of the known galaxy.

• In the bottom right corner was a box with a picture of our planet.
• And that box fit into a larger box above it that showed the planet in relation to the solar system.
• And that box fit into a larger box that showed our solar system in our corner of the Milky Way.
• And that box fit into where our corner of the Milky Way fit among the entire Milky Way galaxy.
• And that box fit into a larger box that showed the Milky Way galaxy among a cluster of galaxies.
• And that box fit into a larger box of that cluster of galaxies amongst other clusters of galaxies.

When I stepped back and looked at the massive landscape of the known Universe, I was amazed.  And I felt pretty small.  I was amazed that all of that… and more… was all within the understanding of our Creator.

I hadn’t thought about that map until I came across these pictures of our planet in comparison to other planets, suns, etc.

The Earth in relation to the smaller planets in our Solar System.

Now compared to the larger planets in our Solar System.

Now compared to our Sun.

Our Sun compared to other known Stars.

Those Stars compared to even larger Stars.

It is incomprehensible to fathom just how much our Lord and God understands, sees and knows.

Yet, despite the expanse of the entire Universe, in our cluster of galaxies, in our Milky Way, in our Solar System, on our Planet, on our continent, in our state, in our city, in our home or car or work… our Lord knows every hair on your head, every hope, every dream and he loves us more than the breadth of the Universe itself.

We have an amazing Creator.  A merciful Father.

And out of all of that creation, he chose US to make in his image!

If He is capable of creating all we know, yet still love us individually, then we must know that all things are possible with God.

And we must believe that the worries we have on Earth in this small little corner of the Universe, are so unimportant in comparison to the grandeur that is His creation.  We must trust that if the Creator of the Universe can fashion the star Antares, then he can certainly manage your job hunt or your relationship concerns or your school worries.

We just have to trust and have faith.

Steven Spielberg Interviews

Anyone who loves movies has, at one point in their life, loved a Spielberg film.  Whether that be Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, ET, and so on… this guy is probably the greatest filmmaker of the 20th Century.  And that’s saying a lot!

Here are some links to a six part interview that gives a wonderful oversight into his history and talent.  Every aspiring filmmaker should watch these interviews:

• Part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtTSRFyte7A
• Part 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y76bXnjNdwI
• Part 3 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wXpT3bv0zo
• Part 4 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87G8QLw7x_c
• Part 5 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP-_atNtJwQ
• Part 6 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3YZ072v_BI

Check it out!

Limitations = Creativity & Discipline

Limitations are not a bad thing, in both faith and film making.

In the great book on independent film making by Robert Rodriguez called Rebel Without a Crew he illustrates that when you have no money you have to become creative.  From a film making perspective, one only has to look at the films of directors AFTER they’ve had a big hit to show that, without limitations, indulgences become distractions to good story telling.

Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do something.  From a faith perspective, we have to fight that battle all the time as well.

Let’s look at a couple of examples of film directors who, after making very successful films, followed them up with bad ones, primarily because they were allowed to do whatever they wanted…

• Steven Spielberg:  Success (Close Encounters)  Follow Up Failure (1941)
• George Lucas:  Success (Star Wars)  Follow Up Failure (Howard the Duck)
• Barry Levinson:  Success (Bugsy)  Follow Up Failure (Toys)
• Michael Cimino:  Success (Deer Hunter)  Follow Up Failure (Heaven’s Gate)
• Gore Verbinksi:  Success (Pirates 1) Follow Up Failure (Pirates 2 & 3)
• Michael Bay:  Success (The Rock)  Follow Up Failure (Armageddon)
• Michal Bay Part 2:  Success (Transformers)  Follow Up Failure (Transformers 2)

Did some of those movies make money?  Yes.  Are the good films.  Lord, no.

Part of the problem is that it is just plain difficult to make a good film.

However, the primary culprit in these examples is that we, by human nature, when given the opportunity to indulge, will do so, even if the outcome is not a good one.

Look at the obesity epidemic in this country.  Just because you can eat at restaurants with a drive-thru everyday of the week doesn’t mean you should. Or teen pregnancy/abortions.  Just because you can sleep with someone doesn’t mean you should.

We are starting to turn into an “anything goes” society.  Such an approach can only end up in anarchy, with everyone following their own personal versions of right and wrong.  The truth of the matter is that we actually need more limitations in our lives.  Limitations require discipline and foster innovative approaches.

In the Hollywood studio system, a lot of people were frustrated by the limitations imposed by the Production Code, which had strict guidelines about the type of behavior that would be allowed in films made in this country.

However, the really great directors used creative ways to get around it.  Case and point, the Production Code stated that people couldn’t kiss for more than a few seconds at a time.  Hitchcock, in Notorious, got around this by having Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman kiss while he’s trying to talk on the phone.  They kissed repeatedly and often, but not longer than a few seconds at a time.  That creative solution is one of the reasons the scene is so memorable instead of gratuitous.

Limitations when it comes to language and comedy are desperately needed today.  Bill Cosby, one of the cleanest and funniest comedians, once had a routine about growing up and his Mom wanting him to put on clean underwear before going places.  He stated that it was unnecessary because one time, when he was about to get into a head-on collision with a semi-truck, he joked “first I said it, then I did it.”  A clever, memorable way of getting around using a curse word.  If he had used the S-word there, I am certain that I wouldn’t remember his punchline some 30 years later.

Today, creative artists are in desperate need of limitations.

Note to Hollywood…  Sexual innuendos are NOT creative or clever.  They’re easy and lazy.  Whenever I watch a commercial that relies on sexual innuendo, I just shake my head and think “that doesn’t take any talent.”

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.  Its rated G.  There is no sex jokes or crude humor.  Its funny because the writers, director and cast are exceptionally talented people that developed and performed uniquely humorous lines and sight gags.  They were actually clever and inventive.

In comparison, I watched I Love You Man the other night.  It has truly talented, funny people in it.  Unfortunately, the legitimately clever and funny moments of the film are constantly buffeted by completely unnecessary and unfunny jokes about sex and illicit behavior.

The end result is now we have humor and movies geared to the lowest common denominator.  They may make money (Superbad), but they are examples of talented people making talentless products.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just an old man.  Maybe 14 year-olds are giggling uncontrollably at jokes about sex acts.

I do know that 14-year olds laugh uncontrollably at universally funny movies like Mad World too.  So, it’s not that you can’t make a clean movie that 14-year olds will love.  It’s just a LOT harder.

I encourage you to take this challenge… if you’re writing a screenplay and you’re going to use a punchline that includes a sexual innuendo, don’t.  Come up with something funnier.  If you’re going to write a sentence with a curse word, don’t.  Come up with something far more memorable.

Limitations are not necessarily bad things.  They’re like the speed limit on the highway.  They don’t keep you from getting where you want to go, they just force you to take the limitation into effect when deciding your journey.

The same is true with our faith.  The 10 Commandments are limitations to human behavior.  Church doctrines are often limitations to human behavior.  They are not limitations to ALL human behavior, just SOME of it…

God wants us to limit our selfishness and augment our selflessness.

That doesn’t mean we’re being less than human.  It means we’re being creative in overcoming our humanity on our path toward holiness.

Jesus expects great and holy things from us.

Those in human history that have forged such holy journeys, like the Saints, are the ones that stand out.  They are the ones we should look to for successfully converting a limitation into something memorable and inspiring.

We should all try, both in our faith and in our storytelling, to do the same.

An Unfinished Work Finished… For Now

Well, we’ve made the final tweaks for the feature romantic comedy called An Unfinished Work.  We posted earlier about how this script came into existence and, after a few days to re-read and pray and contemplate, we made the last of some needed changes to fill out the first draft.

One of the things I love about the writing process, especially after asking the Holy Spirit to lead the way, is how something that you write into the script innocuously early on ends up playing an integral part of the plot later on in the story.

Its like the Holy Spirit already knows how the entire story will flesh out and is simply putting in nuggets of plot and character that will be illuminated to you later in the writing process.

Since the filming of our Nikki & Babs series I have learned to trust my spiritual instincts.  If I feel the Lord has inspired me to write, I write.  To film, I film.  Whatever the Lord asks, I try to be aware of it so I may jump in with both feet.

Having that trust is like having a very large net below you as you leap from one circus trapeze to another.  It is very freeing and allows you to follow your God-given instincts to the best of your ability.

Having said all that, I also know that most first drafts seem magical in the writers mind, but often have flaws that they are not yet aware of simply because they are basking in the glow of their new creative endeavor.  After a few weeks or months the glow will fade and only then can the writer objectively revisit the script and see where things need to be changed, rewritten, cut or expounded upon.

So, the script will require more fixes.  For now, however, we’ll enjoy the glow the accompanies completing the first draft of a script.

Understanding the Eucharist in Three Easy Steps

You know, I can’t imagine myself being anything but Catholic.  To me, Catholicism isn’t a denomination, it is literally part of my being, of who I am.

One of the reasons I love being Catholic is because of its deep tradition and its wonderful Sacraments.  My favorite Sacrament is that of receiving the Eucharist.

Catholics and non-Catholics alike can, at times, have trouble understanding how bread and wine can actually be the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  And why would we even need to consume the body and blood of Jesus Christ?  That’s so weird.  Well, let’s see if I can bring some basic understanding to the mix…

Understanding the Eucharist in Three Easy Steps

1)      God as God institutes Passover:  In order for Moses and God’s chosen people to be freed from Egypt they had to survive the first Passover, where the Angel of Death would come and kill the first born of everyone who did not follow God’s command.  That command stated simply to kill an unblemished lamb, put the blood on the door frame and then consume the lamb.  As Scott Hahn says so well in his book The Lambs Supper, if they ate symbolic lamb-shaped cookies, their first born died.  So, you had to sacrifice AND consume the lamb to escape death.  So far so good, right?

2)      God as Jesus fulfills Passover:  Jesus, as part of the Trinity, knew what God meant when he spoke to Moses.  Jesus even conversed with Moses during the Transfiguration.  God as Jesus knew, like the first Passover lamb, he had to be sacrificed so that we may escape death.  This time, however, it was death from sin.  Like Moses’ lamb, Jesus would be unblemished.  He would be sacrificed.  His blood would be spilled on the cross.

And we had to consume him.

As he says in John, we had to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  The translation for eat can be more accurately stated as to gnaw or chew.  He wasn’t speaking figuratively and he lost thousands of followers that day because they couldn’t understand how that was possible.

And unlike numerous times Jesus spoke in parables, this time Jesus offered no further explanation to his Apostles.

You can think of it this way.  If Moses’ lamb could speak, what would it have to say so that his first born could escape the Angel of Death?  Well, that’s how Jesus was speaking to us, as the Lamb of God.

But, how will we be able to consume Jesus?  Good question.

He answers that question later at The Last Supper.   Here Jesus takes the Passover meal, a meal put into place by God himself, and says this bread once used for Passover will now become my body and this wine once used for Passover will now become my blood.

So now we understand the original sacrifice of the lamb with Moses and the paschal sacrifice of Jesus as the Lamb of God.  Now what?

3)      God as Holy Spirit Makes the Eucharist Available to Us Every Day:  Did the Apostles think Jesus was speaking literally or symbolically?  They saw his face when he said we had to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  They heard his voice.  They saw his body language.  Did they believe him?  Apparently so.

As St. Paul says in Corinthians, “when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the death of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “those who eat this bread and drink this cup un-worthily, bring condemnation on themselves.”  If the Eucharist were merely symbolic, would being unworthy result in condemnation?

After the Ascension and after Pentecost, the Apostles had to figure out how to worship in a post-Messiah world.  What do we do?  When do we do it?  What happens while we’re there?

St. Justin Martyr, in a letter written about 150 AD gives us critical insight.  For Catholics, see if this sounds familiar.

• He states that the Disciples of Christ meet on the day of the sun (Why is that important?  Jews met on Saturday.  Why did Christians meet on Sunday?  The Resurrection).
• All believers who dwell nearby come to the same place (church).
• The memoirs of the Apostles and writings of the prophets are read (First Reading from the Old Testament.  Second reading from the New Testament.  A Gospel reading).
• When finished the one who presides (the Priest) admonishes and challenges them to imitate those beautiful things (the Homily).
• Then we rise and pray for ourselves and others (Prayers of the Faithful).
• Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to he who presides.  He takes them, offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe and through the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit (the Consecration)
• When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: Amen. (the Great Amen)
• When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the eucharisted bread, wine and water (Communion)
• And take them to those who are absent. (Eucharistic Ministers)

 

For non-Catholics, St. Justin’s description is a synopsis of the current Catholic Mass.  St. Justin also states in his first apology, that this “Eucharistic bread” is transmutated, or what we call now transubstantiated, into the body and blood of Jesus.

This isn’t something St. Justin made up!  He would have been called a heretic!  St. Justin was merely stating that which was already in place.  And since he was a direct follower of the Apostles, it had to have been instituted by them.

You may ask “Why doesn’t it taste like flesh and blood?  It still tastes like bread and wine.”

Remember, we are limited creatures, with limited senses and limited understanding.  But ask yourself this… are you prepared to state that:

• God as God can create the universe and all you know
• God as Jesus can walk on water, calm the storms, cast out demons, heal the sick and turn a few loaves of bread and a few fish into enough to feed thousands
• But God as the Holy Spirit can’t turn this bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus, yet allow the taste to remain as our limited senses can comprehend it?

God’s power is limitless.  It’s our humanity that is limited.

And the beauty of the Mass is that we believe, when we celebrate the Eucharist, that we are not re-creating or acting like Jesus at the Last Supper, but that we are actually present at the Last Supper!  God is not bound by time!  When we consume the Eucharist, we are sitting with the Apostles at the Last Supper, in a timeless universe with Jesus offering us eternal salvation through his literal sacrifice!

What a beautiful gift!  What a wonderful blessing!

So, there you have it.  God instituted Passover.  Jesus fulfills Passover.  The Holy Spirit makes the Eucharist available at every Mass.  Even with that understanding, it still takes belief, it still takes faith, to fully appreciate it.

It’s one of the reasons I love being Catholic.

An Unfinished Work

The Lord still surprises me sometimes.

A week ago, I had no intention of writing a feature screenplay.  The Holy Spirit, however, had other plans.

After attending a recent Matt Maher concert a germ of an idea was planted in the old noggin’.  Matt is a quiet guy, contemplative, spiritual guy and talented beyond belief.  He seems to treat his role as a Christian singer as one would treat any vocation to God, with respect and honor and humility.  At his concert the seats were filled with thousands of loud, boisterous and dedicated fans, screaming, singing and praying with him.

On the drive home I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if quiet, contemplative Matt somehow got stuck in a cabin with one of his most rabid fans?”  I chuckled at the idea and thought that would be the end of it.

I had no intention of continuing on with that idea because I had covered somewhat similar ground in the Nikki & Babs episode about idol worship.  The circumstances in that episode were different, but the general topic was touched upon and I didn’t want to invest any time repeating myself.

But the idea just wouldn’t leave me alone.

Having learned not to allow inspiration to go to waste, nor to say No to the Holy Spirit when moved into action, I thought, “Okay, I’ll write down my ideas.  Maybe I can use them in another script.”

The first day I wrote almost 20 pages.  The next day another 10.  The next day another 15.  One night, I couldn’t go to sleep because the story kept unfolding in my brain.  I had to get up at six the next morning, yet found myself typing, with red, tired eyes at three a.m.  This was not part of my weekend plans.

It appears the Holy Spirit didn’t care.

A week later the first draft was done.  A nice, sweet romantic comedy called An Unfinished Work.  Like any first draft, at this point the script is in the same state as its title… unfinished.   There’s some polishing that needs to occur, some layering of more Christian themes and some further expansion in the third act.  But I’m okay with that.  It’s all part of the process.  After 20 years of jotting down screenplays I know that writing is rewriting.

My wife, who isn’t a movie-loving person and was born with the gift of telling me exactly the way it is, especially when it comes to my writing, actually found the script to be very sweet and touching.

So, I don’t know what the Holy Spirit will do with this script.  It may end up getting made.  It may end up getting shelved.  It may end up being a learning experience for another script in the future.

All I do know is that the Holy Spirit called and I answered.   What happens after I answer the bell is entirely up to God.

However, spending the week in the cabin with the quiet singer and the rabid fan sure was a lot of fun.

The Domestic Priesthood

Before the Jews failures in the desert caused God to assign the Levites as the official priests of the Jewish people and sole carriers of the Ark of the Covenant, it was up to the head of the household to transfer the knowledge of faith, belief and understanding to their family.

They were the domestic priests.

Today, even though we have priests and pastors, our role as a domestic priest has not diminished.  If you are a parent, you are still called to transfer the faith to your family through your example, through your prayer life, through your sacrifice and through your education.

Just as the best students in schools often have the most involved parents, the same holds true for faith.  It seems, through the last few generations, that our society has turned a belief in Christ into a Christian lifestyle.  Most of us don’t really know the tenets of our faith, we simply go to church because our parents did.  We think it gives us a quick ticket to heaven, as if Jesus is waiting up there with an attendance sheet.

No, we are all called to be domestic priests to our family.  It is our responsibility.  We will be held accountable before God as to how we are raising our children in the faith.

St. Paul says we each bring different talents, different skills to the mix and, as a whole, we all represent the full Body of Christ.  I’ve prayed a lot about that and looked deeper into how that plays into my role as a domestic priest.

One of the amazing things for me about being a parent is just how different your children can be from each other.  My daughter is very creative artistically and is also an excellent writer and actor.  My son is extremely compassionate and is also very athletic.  I contemplated their differences, those unique gifts that only they possess, and how that plays into what St. Paul was telling us.

I believe that, as domestic priests, we are not only called to live our faith and teach our faith to our children, but that we are also called to recognize those unique gifts in our children and foster them for what they are, God-given and individual, so that our children may develop and use those gifts to praise the Creator.  Those are the talents they bring to the Body of Christ.

If my daughter was given the gift of the arts, then I should do everything I can to let her explore her natural talents.  I should show her how to use them to praise God, to make her constantly aware of the rarity of that gift and to help her succeed with that gift, not only in this world, but for the next.

Dorothea and I on the set of Nikki & Babs

If my son was given the gift of athletics with an acute talent for baseball, I should do everything I can to let him chase his dreams, no matter how remote or how difficult.

After all, if they are God’s gifts to them, who am I to get in the way?  If they are God’s gifts to them, who am I to say where God will take them when they use those gifts?

Sure, being a working actor or writer is a one-in-a-million shot.  Sure, playing baseball professionally is a one-in-a-million shot.  To me, it’s not about their end goal, but supporting them in their journey to achieve them.

Their talents are unique.  Their paths will be unique.  Their faith journeys will be unique.

I believe it is my job as domestic priest to show them how to live their faith through their gifts and to rely on God to lead them where those talents will take them.  To teach them to trust in God’s divine plan, that God must have given them those talents for a reason.

Gabe on the mound.

If I don’t, I fear that I will get to heaven and Jesus will ask, “Why didn’t you let your daughter explore the arts?  I had so much planned for her!  She was going to lead so many people to me with that gift I had given her.  She was going to act in a series of projects that would have led thousands of souls to me.”

Or “Why didn’t you let your son pursue baseball?  I had so many plans for him!  He was going to be a high school baseball coach and teach hundreds of young men not only about team work and responsibility, but he was going to teach them, through his example, how one lives everyday for me.”

My children never have to win the Academy Award or sport a World Series ring.

They simply need to live their faith by using the gifts God has given them to praise his holy name.  If they do that from now on, then I’ll consider my role as a domestic priest a success.

I hope the Lord would consider that a success as well.

Dorothea’s Blog

Nikki & Babs star Dorothea Bauer has her own blog, where she talks about her faith, her trials and her aspirations.  She’s a pretty gifted writer.  You can check it out here:

http://felicityinhappiness.blogspot.com

Happy reading!

Matt Maher Concert Feels Like Old Times

Saturday night, there was a Nikki & Babs reunion of sorts.

If you’ve listened to our podcasts, you know we’re a big fan of Matt Maher. He had a concert at the local St. Jude’s Catholic Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Florida this past Saturday.  The church was overflowing.  People came from all over the state to pack the church, including a lot of the Nikki & Babs cast and crew.

Tiffany, Cathy, Pete, Dorothea and Dea

Along with Dorothea Bauer, and Sonlight Pictures founders Pete and Dea Bauer, many others showed up for the event.  Tiffany Ross, who plays Babs, came down from college with Catherine Szeltner, who played Ariel in Episode 4 and Mary McCook, who was a competing hummer in Episode 3 and also a great hand behind the scenes.  Also in attendance were Cathy Ross, Tiffany’s mother, who plays Jean in the series, as well as a number of old youth group members who played bit parts in the first season.

Tiffany and Dorothea before the concert.

It was so nice to see everyone again.  It was as if no time had passed since we completed the first season of the show.

The evening was very enjoyable.  Matt Maher and his band did a tremendous job performing and ministering to the youth.  His play list was heavy with songs from his latest CD called Alive Again and his encore had everyone singing loud and praising Jesus.

Matt Maher and Band

Though they had met Matt before at a prior concert, Dorothea and Tiffany were still extremely excited to meet Matt again and have their picture taken, as you can see below…

Overall, it was a wonderful evening of faith, music and friendship.  What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night!