How Raw is too Raw?

For those of you who don't know, I am a Director/Filmmaker. But more importantly, I am a Christian - a Believer of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as a believer I have come to the realization that my passion and talent in filmmaking should be used to do the Will of God. The Will of God? That's so vague. What do I mean by that? Well, the Will of God is the Word of God, and the Word of God is the Bible. So by follwing the Word of God, is doing the Will of God.

Sounds easy right? HA! Sure...whatever you say.

Lately I've been struggling with how "real" to make my characters, and how "real" to make their situation. What are the right things, and wrong things for them to say and do? What stories do I tell and how far do I take it? Because there's a chance that the people and stories I choose to portray - might confuse people and cause controversy in the Church. Usually Christian films deal with "real" subject matter, but they execute it poorly. Many people (saved and unsaved) tune out of the film or flip the channel, because they automatically know that what they are watching is "fake".

You see I don't believe that a Christian filmmaker has to make "LAME" movies. They can if they want to, but I don't believe that we HAVE to. But we get caught up in, if I can't be shown in the church then I need to change a few things to make it socially acceptable. When in fact when we take out those graphic scenes, and vulgarity all we are left with is a powerful story with no truth. Becaue the WORLD isn't all peaches and creme. The WORLD is the scum under your fingernails after you've picked your nose and wiped your tail without washing you hands. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that people should write every detail of a sexual act or a character should say everything he's thinking. NO, not saying that at all. But as a Christian filmmaker what am I allowed to create? Can I create a sex scene like the one in "Monster Ball", or tell an inspirational story through the eyes of a pimp in "Hustle and Flow", or even portray gay love in a film like "Brokeback Mountain" and still call myself a Christian filmmaker?

I believe the answer is yes. If I do my job correctly I should be able to protray a "real" world experience/person and still succesfully give God the glory, or have a positive message overall, or give the audience a revalation or insight into something they overlooked in thier own lives.

I believe that we (Christian Filmmakers) can create dark movies with everything that "real" movies have and still win hearts to God. But the fear is that people will critisize and question your faith because you choose to have a character curse like a sailor, or enjoy molesting little children, or portraying the most graphic depiction of Jesus Christ's final days on earth.

But I guess as with anything, there will be critiquing and disagreements and controversy, especially when dealing with the church. So I just need to grow a pair of balls and take it like a man...

I am ok with this, because my audience isn't the church. It's the unsaved and the Christians who don't have their stuff together. Just like there are different churches with different missions - I am a Christian filmmaker on a different assignment than the rest. So does it bother me that the nature of my films may be too graphic and Rated-R for the churches to play on Sundays? No. Because it's not for the church. It's about the overall impact of the film in todays society.

Sigh...Does this make any sense? lol

One Thing at a Time

Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I revist this verse everytime I feel overwhelmed with the long list of TO DO'S I have made for my life, and career. Often times we look at the big picture and get distraught over everything that needs to take place to get there. Or we get distracted by looking at what everyone else is doing and accomplishing instead of focusing on ourselves and our own journeys. I challenge you to put those blinders on and take one thing at a time when dealing with your long list of TO DO's. You'll be amazed at how much LESS stress you'll experience when you just CHILL OUT, take a breath, and TRUST GOD.

--
Suzanne was exhausted. Pressures at work had become increasingly intense, and each day she felt as if she was falling further and further behind. She desperately tried to pray about her situation, but after a while, the words just wouldnt come. She became so consumed by the details of her exhausting job she didnt know where to begin. She tossed and turned at night, wondering how she was going to get it all done - on top of keeping up with things at home.

Do you ever feel this way? Life can often be overwhelming. Deadlines, commitments, details - it's enough to make you want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over your head. Jesus understood that life could be busy and overwhelming. He knew that it could seem like too much to bear. His advice in this regard is simple - do not worry about tomorrow...each day has enough touble of its own. Looking too far ahead into the future - even one day - can paralyze us with worry and exhuastion, so much so that we dont feel like doing anything at all.

Jesus taught that it's far more effective to tackle life one step at a time. Simply do the next thing that needs to be done. Not only does this keep our worry at a minimum, it enables us to trust God to help us accomplish what we cannot do on our own. Living in the moment takes practice, but it's a worthwhile investment of your time. -- From Whispers of Wisdom for Young Women, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission."