Pursuing the Truth

When God Writes Your Love Story

2012-01-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

I've read two books recently that I want to recommend. These are probably the most powerful books on relationships I've ever read (granted, I haven't read many, but these books were still tremendously powerful).

If you are looking for authentic, highly practical, and radical books on Christian relationships -- or really, if you're looking for books on Christian relationships at all -- these are for you: When Dreams Come True and When God Writes Your Love Story, both by Eric and Leslie Ludy. (Eric Ludy is the same author of another book I reviewed recently, The Bravehearted Gospel.)

When Dreams Come True is the inspiring, entirely true love story of Eric and Leslie Ludy. This book is a gripping read; it is written like a novel, and I found it impossible to put down. It chronicles a beautiful, emotional love story that "only God could write"; one that flies in the face of modern Hollywood's twisted misconceptions on romance. This book is an amazing example of how God can write a love story infinitely better than any fictional book or movie we could ever slap together. If you want to witness a moving, eye-opening romance that defies our culture, then read When Dreams Come True.

When God Writes Your Love Story is a perfect companion to When Dreams Come True. In it, the authors dive much deeper into the themes touched in When Dreams Come True. It is filled to the brim with challenging, thought-provoking, and practical advise, applicable regardless of your age, or if you're years away from entering a serious relationship. All in all, I highly recommend it; read it, and then let your friends read it.

Learn more about the Ludys' books by checking out these links:

http://www.setapartgirl.com/my-books.html

http://ericludy.com/Erics_Book_Bios.html

Nightmare Academy

2012-01-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, I finished Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti. I just want to briefly say that this was an excellent book. It's been a long time since I read a novel and thought, "This is why I want to write!" It was also one of the best examples I've seen of how a story can be the best way to express a message.

In Nightmare Academy, Peretti paints a disturbing picture of a society stripped of its standards for truth. What would it be like to live without right and wrong? Without good and evil? With a morality that is relative? Also, this book deals with a chilling take on communism and world domination. And if you're wondering what the connection is between truth, morality, communism, and world domination... well, you're just going to have to read this book.

As with all Peretti's novels, Nightmare Academy is a thrilling and intriguing read, that will grip you and keep you turning the pages way past bedtime. But, I wouldn't recommend reading it at night...

...Because this nightmare is real.

New blog!

2012-01-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

For those of you that are interested in computer art, graphic design, animation, 3D modeling, filmmaking, or anything in between, come join me on my new blog -- "Completely Free Tutorials" -- as I embark on a journey to learn more about computer art!

I'm more or less a "beginner" in this area of computer art, and I have much to learn. Nonetheless, as I traverse this adventurous road of learning, I'll share with you the skills I pick up along the way. And who knows; maybe you'll have nuggets of advice to share with me, as well!

Visit my new blog my clicking the image below...

... or by going to: www.completelyfreetutorials.blogspot.com.

*Note: I'm not discontinuing this blog! "Pursuing the Truth" will go on as before. "Completely Free Tutorials" is just for tutorials on computer art; "Pursuing the Truth" is for everything else!

Sherlock Holmes

2012-01-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I just want to briefly say that it was a good movie; I recommend it to anyone who enjoys action movies that are not polluted with unnecessary violence and language. I was able to thoroughly enjoy it, without flinching because of inappropriate content.

This movie was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes; I had not read any of the books or seen the other movie beforehand. It definitely was a good introduction; I really liked the character, the thrill of the plot, and the cool special effects (especially the slowing/speeding-up effect used whenever Sherlock solved a clue or remembered something crucial).

My favorite part was the ending, including the Chess scene and the very last scene. But, you'll have to watch it to find out what was so epic about it. :-)

Courageous Movie

2011-12-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

I may be too late for a review on Courageous, but I can't let a movie like that come out without at least saying something; despite how late I may be. All I have to say is that if you have not seen Courageous yet, please do! I wish there were more movies like Courageous. It made me cry and laugh (which is quite unusual for me when I watch movies!), and its powerful and passionate message is one our culture desperately needs.

The acting was good; the aesthetics were good; the story was action-packed, dramatic, and intensely moving. Courageous just felt like a "movie", and not the low-budget, amateur, stereotypical "Christian" film you might expect.

It is amazing to see how Sherwood Pictures (the makers of Courageous) has improved exponentially with every film: beginning with Flywheel, then Facing the Giants, then Fireproof, and now Courageous. The money they make with one film allows them to improve with the next. We must support their films, so they can make their next ones even better!

To my surprise, some Christians have had some negative reviews on the film. In response, I would say that perhaps Courageous isn't perfect, but please support the movie so Sherwood Pictures can continue to improve; and maybe their next film will be perfect! Considering how far they've come, this movie is impressive.

As I understand it, some of these negative reviews said that parts of Courageous were not realistic, in regards to how the police force behaves, or how crime is dealt with. Personally I wouldn't have known if it was realistic or not, because I don't know anything about the police force; so, for me, it was perfectly believable. But their point stands; if you are part of the police force, maybe the movie would seem unbelievable to you. I don't know.

To me, however, the movie seemed perfect. All in all, it felt like a "real movie".

Conclusion: I give Courageous 5 out of 5 stars. If you want to see more quality Christian films made, watch Courageous and support Sherwood Pictures!

View the official trailer below:

The Truth About Global Warming

2011-12-11T11:30:00.001-08:00

This post is from a speech given on December 8, 2011.

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Rising sea levels! Savage storms! Starvation! Disease, extinction, death! The world is going to end soon, and it's all our fault. Or is it?

We have been taught that if we don't stop global warming, the world will quickly burn to a crisp, and it will become uninhabitable for the billions of people and animals that call it home. But is global warming really all that our political and scientific authorities portray it as?

The book Climatism! by Steve Goreham states: "..the scientific evidence for man-made global warming is thin and… global warming has become a political agenda driven by fear." While the propaganda for global warming is all around us, little-circulated evidence shows that global warming is not what authorities are telling us it is.

Today, we're going to look at three things: First, evidence that CO2 does not cause global warming; second, evidence for a naturally-caused climate cycle; and third, evidence that authorities portray global warming deceptively in order to grab power.

To begin, let's look at the evidence that CO2, or carbon dioxide, does not cause global warming. CO2 is allegedly one of the largest "greenhouse" gases; a gas emitted by humans that is causing global warming.

First, CO2 has risen over the past decade, but the earth has not. As stated in a dailytech.com article by Jason Mick, published last month: "… researchers are struggling to explain why warming has stalled in the last decade even as levels of carbon dioxide -- supposedly the most important greenhouse gas have [risen]."

Second, according to Unstoppable Global Warming by environmental scientists S. Fred Singer and Dennis T. Avery, the current warming has been ongoing since 1850, long before human-generated CO2 was entering the atmosphere.

Third, CO2 levels do not explain the many warming/cooling cycles in earth's previous history, when humans were not emitting CO2 (which I'll get to in a second.)

Fourth -- and this one is important -- in August 2009, MIT Professor Richard Lindzen published a paper proving that CO2's affect on global temperatures is less than 1/6th of what the UN says it is. His research showed that CO2 is escaping into space, like it always has before levels began rising, and it is not causing the greenhouse affect. His work was peer-reviewed, and no one argued with it.

Fifth, evidence shows that CO2 has been a lagging indicator, not a cause, of global warming during earth's past warming periods, which I'll explain momentarily.

Now that we've seen some evidence that CO2 is not the cause of global warming, let's explore some evidence that global warming is part of a natural climate cycle.

According to the book Unstoppable Global Warming, new yet convincing evidence indicates that the earth has been experiencing a warming/cooling cycle for thousands of years. Evidence for this cycle has been retrieved from ice cores, tree rings, seabed sediments, stalagmites from caves, coral reefs, and many other sources. It appears that this cycle repeats itself about every 1500 years. From 600 BC to the present, there have been at least six major warming/cooling periods, including the modern "global warming" (see the image below).

Slide from my speech's PowerPoint. (Data from Unstoppable Global Warming.)

What causes these climate cycles? In a word, the sun.

In 2001, Gerard Bond and a team from Columbia University published a report in the journal Scientist. This report revealed a solar cycle that corresponds to earth's climate cycle. In other words, as the sun's power waxes and wanes, the earth's temperature warms and cools. This link between earth's climate and the sun has actually been known for over four centuries, so this is not new science; it is just that scientists finally know how this link works.

Now, you're hearing me say all this -- that CO2 does not cause global warming, that it's part of a natural cycle -- and you're maybe wondering: But, what about the UN's climate change body, AKA the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)? Didn't they make some official report, saying there was a consensus worldwide among scientists that human-caused global warming was a fact? The answer is yes; but this leads us into our third point: that authorities portray global warming deceptively in order to gain power.

First, there was false science in IPCC's report. Now, listen to this: According to Unstoppable Global Warming, IPCC's 1996 report was edited to include the statement about a "human fingerprint" on global warming. The original scientific summary said specifically, in five different statements, that no such "human fingerprint" had been found, but these statements were removed.

Why? The author of this document publicly admitted making these changes; he was under pressure from U.S. government officials to do so.

Second, other evidence exists that fraud and deception exists in the climate science community. For example, in the infamous "Climategate" email leaks, in 2009 and again just two weeks ago, thousands of emails showed climate scientists manipulating data and covering up information. In one such email, scientist Tom Wigley said to a colleague:

"Mike, The Figure you sent is very deceptive… there have been a number of dishonest presentations of model results by individual authors and by IPCC."

Here's another interesting quote:

"Observations do not show rising temperatures throughout the tropical troposphere unless you accept one single study and approach and discount a wealth of others. This is just downright dangerous. We need to communicate the uncertainty and be honest. Phil, hopefully we can find time to discuss these further if necessary. I also think the science is being manipulated to put a political spin on it which for all our sakes might not be too clever in the long run." - Peter Thorne of the UK Met Office

(Read more email quotes here, and download a torrent of the emails here.)

Now, please note: there is much, much more I could say, in regards to evidence for deception among the climate science community, but I don't have time or room here. I recommend looking it up yourself; you may be surprised what you find. Here are a few resources to get you started:

Red Hot Lies by Christopher C. Horner
Wattsupwiththat.com article: Climategate 2.0
Forbes.com article: Climategate 2.0
Wattsupwiththat.com Climategate 2.0
Dailytech.com article: Climategate 1.0
Dailytech.com article: Climategate 2.0 (This article was very interesting and useful for my research... note especially the emails about "covering up" information, and the paragraphs at the end of the article about the billions of dollars at stake if global warming is proven false. See also the part about global warming supporters blasting a comprehensive climate change study -- done by the University of California -- because it suggested that temperatures were not rising, and that global warming could have natural causes.)

What disturbs me is how much political power, on a national and international scale, could be gained in the name of "fighting global warming". Politicians are asking for power to regulate this and control that. It looks like a good cause on the surface, absolutely, but when we see evidence that the science might be skewed, doesn't it make you just a little suspicious about why they are so adamant about getting this power? We need to be careful and check our politicians' sources, and never let them grab power on the base of a lie.

In the words of Al Gore:

"I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is."

Conclusion

Today, we have looked at three things. First, CO2 does not cause global warming. Second, global warming is part of a natural, sun-caused climate cycle. And third, there are authorities who portray global warming deceptively in order to gain power.

As you can see, global warming is not what authorities are telling us it is. So, next time you see a policymaker asking for you to vote or support something to give him or her more power to "fight global warming", be careful. Check to see if his or her motives are pure. Because while it's good to be green, beware of when green becomes greed.

Slide from my speech's PowerPoint

Works cited

Cotter, Dianna. "Carbon Dioxide irrelevant in climate debate says MIT Scientist." Examiner.com. 18 August 2009. Web. 3 December 2011.

"Global Warming 101." Ucsusa.org. 27 January 2011. Web. 30 November 2011.

Goreham, Steve. Climatism!: Science, Common Sense, and the 21st Century's Hottest Topic. New Lenox: New Lenox Books, 2010. Print.

Horner, Christopher C. Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2008. Print.

"Is there a connection between the ozone hole and global warming?" Ucsusa.org.

13 July 2009. Web. 30 November 2011.

Mick, Jason. "Climatologists Trade Tips on Destroying Evidence, Evangelizing Warming." Dailytech.com. 25 November 2011. Web. 30 November 2011.

Singer, S. Fred and Dennis T. Avery. Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2007. Print.

"Unstoppable Solar Cycles." Youtube.com. 13 March 2008. Web. 1 December 2011

More recommended reading/viewing

Lindzen, Richard S. "The Climate Science Isn't Settled."

Lord Christopher Monckton on Climate Change: YouTube video

Lord Christopher Monckton, Climate Change Treaty: YouTube video

Lord Christopher Monckton, Is Obama Poised to Cede U.S. Sovereignty? YouTube Video

Unstoppable Solar Cycles: YouTube video

Multi-Million Dollar Christian Film - Needs Your Prayers!

2011-12-11T07:09:00.001-08:00

I am thrilled beyond words about this upcoming Christian film, "THE MESSIAH". With a budget of $100 million, and the professionalism of Hollywood, it could become the next big name in Christian films, with a potential to impact global audiences like no Christian film has done in years. This could go beyond "The Passion of the Christ."

I copied and pasted the following from an email newsletter. (You can get newsletters about "THE MESSIAH" here.)

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST FOR THE MESSIAH MOVIE

For the past 3 1/2 years, a team of Christian filmmakers in Hollywood have been working diligently on developing plans for a feature film that has the potential to be the most spiritually significant movie ever made. The film is called The Messiah and it picks up where The Passion left off (planned release Christmas 2013 or Easter 2014). It naturally and powerfully communicates the Gospel message of Jesus Christ -- from the Cross, through the Resurrection, to Pentecost.

Budgeted at an estimated $100 million USD, with state-of-the-art special effects, including being shot in 3D, The Messiah will be an epic film that will wow audiences (by comparison The Passion's budget was $30 million USD). And for the first time in history, the born-again experience, what it means to have a personal relationship with God, will be shown on screen. This means the Gospel message will be communicated in a way that everyone can understand regardless of education or language, and because it will be a mainstream blockbuster movie, it truly will reach everywhere in the world.

The Messiah is in the final stages of funding. A number of investors are currently reviewing our plans and making their final decision on whether to fund the movie.

We are calling on Christians throughout the world to pray for The Messiah and this unprecedented opportunity to leverage a state-of-the-art feature film to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:

God would move the hearts of the potential investors to fund The Messiah.

God would lead the team involved to make the highest quality, God-honoring, God-glorifying, feature film ever made.

God would leverage The Messiah once it is released to take the Gospel message to the ends of the Earth and 100’s of millions of people would be saved, and would trigger a worldwide Revival.

God would raise up more than a million people to pray regularly for The Messiah.

To learn more, please see The Messiah movie page at www.IJNP.org. We also encourage you to read the quotes from Christian leaders and prominent Hollywood filmmakers who have read the script and have been involved with guiding the project.

"And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)

©2011 In Jesus' Name Productions. All Rights Reserved.
In Jesus' Name Productions Is A Non-Profit, 501(c)(3) Organization.

Lessons Learned on Set

2011-11-22T14:39:00.001-08:00

A month ago, I had the opportunity to work on the film set for "Writers' Block". While this post may be a little belated, I wanted to share a few random, interesting things about filmmaking I learned while on set, for those who are curious for a few "insider" nuggets.

Lesson #1: On a low-budget, short-schedule production (like "Writers' Block", shot in two weeks in under $20,000), it takes about one hour to film every minute of the movie (or, every page of the script). On the other hand, on a big-budget production with many millions of dollars, filmmakers will film about half a page a day; a page is pushing it. Can you imagine that? That means that for every thirty to sixty seconds you watch on a movie, the filmmakers spent hours and hours filming it! This allows the wealthy filmmaker to make every shot "perfect".

Lesson #2: Low-budget movie trick: You can make a room look like it's nighttime in the middle of the day... with a trash bag. Tape a black trash bag over the window, throw in a light that resembles moonlight, and there you have it: a convincing nighttime effect.

Lesson #3: The difference between normal makeup and movie makeup: Movie makeup is thicker, ideally easy to apply on set, and usually has a slight yellowish tint. (The yellow tint has a better appearance on camera.)

Lesson #4: Filmmakers almost have their own language. It seems like they have an acronym or nickname for everything. For example:

MOS: Stands for "Minus Optical Sound". Meaning: If a shot is filmed "MOS", that means they're not recording sound for this shot. (Implications: The crew is allowed to breath for a few seconds, and the craft services back stage can quickly wash a few dishes and chop a few turkey wraps until the next shot begins, preceded by: "QUIET ON THE SET!!!")
Talent: Actors and actresses are referred to as "talent". I'm not exactly sure why, but the term "talent" is used more often than "cast" or "actor/actress".
BTS: Stands for "behind the scenes". I'm not sure if I ever heard someone on set say "behind the scenes"; it was always "BTS". It seems everything becomes an acronym in film culture; "1st AD", "2nd AD", "PA", "PO", and many more. It takes a while to learn what all the acronyms mean. (The four above are, respectively: First Assistant Director, Second Assistant Director, Production Assistant, and Production Office.)

Lesson #5: I found it surprising how many "technical" things go into every shot. What I mean is that the director has so much more to be concerned about than simply what the audience will see; such as, the way the actors speak a line or perform an action, or the lighting, or the framing. So much of the discussions had before every shot involve things that the audience will never see.

For an example, the script supervisor is communicating with the sound guy, and with the camera assistant doing slates, to make sure they're all on the same page with which scene, shot, and take they're on. "This is twenty-two charlie, take two?" "No, this is twenty-two charlie, take three." The script supervisor writes this down, and sound guy puts this in his records, and the camera assistant writes it on the slate. None of these things effect the audience, but they are vital during post-production (editing, etc.).

There are many other important technical things that the crew needs to discuss; is video village working? How should the sound/light equipment be best arranged, to allow room for important crew to stand by and watch? How's the temperature of the room; is the equipment getting too hot? All these things are very important and time-consuming; and yet, most of their results never impact the finished movie.

Lesson #6: Last but not least: When on a set, always bring clothespins for weapons. You'll find out why soon enough. :-)

Should Christians Be "Intolerant"?

2011-10-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick thought I wanted to share. I was writing about this in a comment (on my post from two years ago about Puritans and The Scarlet Letter), and I decided to share it here with everyone as well.

"Tolerance" is a word that is used a lot in conversations about religion. "The Puritans were intolerant of other beliefs." "Christians need to be more tolerant." "We need a religion that calls for global tolerance."

So, what is tolerance?

According to dictionary.com:

tol·er·ance [tol-er-uhns]
noun
1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

So, what does it mean to be "tolerant" of another religion or belief? As Christians, we need to be very careful with that word. Being respectful or loving toward another person is one thing; but treating that other person's religion or belief system as if it is just as true or correct as Christianity is another thing.

John 14:6
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' "

As Christians, we shouldn't "tolerate" sin and untruths, in a manner of speaking, but we still should love the people who are sinning, and who are living outside of the truth. In other words, being "intolerant" to sin isn't wrong... it's "intolerance" without love that's wrong.

The sin isn't okay, but, alluding to what some Christians have done in the past, we're not going to hang or burn the other person because of their sin. It is because we love the other person so much that we might gently, lovingly persuade them to leave their sin, for their own good.

There is a big difference between "intolerance" with judgement (The Scarlet Letter, for an example), and a gentle "intolerance" that exists because we love someone! God never tolerates sin in the Bible, but he always does everything he can to convince people to come out of their sin, so they don't have to be judged.

Here are a few verses to ponder:

Jeremiah 31:3
"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.' "

Ezekial 18:23,32
" 'Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?' says the Lord GOD, 'and not that he should turn from his ways and live?... For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,' says the Lord GOD. 'Therefore turn and live!' "

Ezekial 33:11
"Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?' "

Lamentations 3:31-36
"For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under one's feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the justice due a man before the face of the Most High, or subvert a man in his cause-- the Lord does not approve."

Also, read Hosea 11, especially verse 8, which shows the heart of God when he has to bring judgment on someone:

"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred."

Writers' Block: Behind the Scenes, Week 1

2011-10-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! Here are some pictures that I've taken during week 1 on the set of Writers' Block (working title). Writers' Block is a comedic, 1940's period piece, produced by Advent Film Group, that teaches a timeless truth: write for God's glory, not your own.

Now, I apologize that a lot of these pictures are not the best. It's because I did not want to distract people with my flashing camera, so I usually took pictures without the flash. The result is not always the best lighting on my part. However, the actual lighting on their cameras, which you'll see in the finished movie, looks beautiful!

This is the old firehouse where the movie is being filmed. (The movie actually takes place in a film studio in the 1940s.)

These two windows off to the right are for the rooms where they've been filming. Notice the black plastic bags over one window, used to block out the sunlight!

A typewriter - one of the props used in the movie

Down this hallway are the two rooms where most of the filming takes place.

The actors go on set, while the director watches on video village.

Jason Burkey plays "Chip Leninskovich".

Director Peter Forbes talks with the two lead actors, Jeff Rose as "Stu Harvey" and Jason Burkey as "Chip Leninskovich".

The director gives "directions" to the actors

On set, in "Stu's office"

Setting up between scenes

Jason ("Chip") and Jeff ("Stu")

Learn more about Writers' Block by visiting the official movie website:

www.writersblockmovie.com

Film Updates

2011-09-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Last month, I shared with you that I began an internship at a small film company. At the time, I didn't specify which film company it was. But now... I think it's time I let you know.
The film company is Advent Film Group, the Christian company I mentioned over two years ago that produced Come What May. They have since produced two more movies, Hero and Alone Yet Not Alone (co-produced with Mission City Productions); both of which are in post-production.

According to their website, Advent Film Group "is an independent film production and distribution group established to create excellent Christian films by raising up excellent Christian filmmakers". Their mission is to raise up the next generation of Christian filmmakers, through their intensive training workshops, internship opportunities, Associates Program, and other forms of training.

To learn more about Advent Film Group, go to their website by clicking on the image below:

Now... I have some exciting news! Next week, Advent Film Group is beginning production for a a new movie called Writers' Block (working title). Writers' Block is a comedic, 1940's period piece, produced under a low budget, as a part of Advent Film Group's "Associates Program". Watch the video below to learn how the Associates Program works:

As part of my internship for Advent Film Group, I'm going to be able to work on the film set for Writers' Block. This will be my first experience on a "real" film set, and I am very excited!

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On a slightly different topic, I want to point out that I've added a new feature to my blog that will allow you to follow it by email. You'll find the gadget on the sidebar. Just enter in your email address, and Google will send updates right to your email every time I post! (Seems convenient to me!) Note: I will not get your email address. This service is handled completely by Google. I just want to clarify that. It's a pretty cool little gadget, though, isn't it? :-)

Book Review: The Bravehearted Gospel

2011-09-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

This book is radical.

I like radical.

This is the kind of book that makes you uncomfortable, that says things that are not normally said, that opposes our culture, that dives into those difficult areas we normally never explore, and brings a truth we so desperately need to hear.

Truth.

The title of my blog is "Pursuing the Truth". This book, The Bravehearted Gospel by Eric Ludy, is one of the few books I've ever read that captures the essence of that idea so perfectly and entirely. It is one of the few books I've ever read that is simply bursting with the concept I think of when I say... "Pursuing the Truth."

Truth. This book is just oozing with it.

This book is about a new way -- or rather, an old way -- of looking at Christianity and our relationship with Jesus. It is "new" in the sense that it is very different, in certain respects, from the church at large today. It is "old" in the sense that it is what the basis of Christianity is all about. This is what Christianity used to be like... but something has been lost.

For all who are craving something more in the Church... for all who are concerned about the modern state of Christianity... for all who desire a Christianity that "actually works"... for all who are hungering for more meatiness, meaning, power, and adventure in their walk with Jesus... this book is for you!

I would encourage you to watch the short film below. This very powerful short film embodies much of the essence of this book (the voice you hear is the author, Eric Ludy). If this film stirs you at all... the book, The Bravehearted Gospel, will stir you even more.

As always, here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book, to give you even more of an idea of what this book is made of. :-)

"Most people today attempt to make a sales pitch for the gospel as if it were sweet plums and fairy dust, when it more accurately should be cast as an adventure full of blood, death, insurrection, trouble, persecution, and certain difficulty, with a shocking and ultra-dramatic final chapter in which the good guys win. In my opinion, this adventure dimension should be our sales pitch."

"Christianity is about a kingdom, a glory, a power, a love, a grace, a righteousness, an eternal triumph, and yielding to the all-powerful King who is bringing it all about."

"All I care about is this Someone [Jesus] who has intoxicated my soul with effusive passion. I love Him so much it hurts with the most beautiful hurt."

"The gospel life is an adventure, plain and simple."

"The bravehearted path... [is] a violent and effusive love story between a Bridegroom and His bride, in which the Bridegroom radically spends His life to rescue His bride and then the bride, in turn, radically spends her life for the fame and renown of her Groom."

"The stuff of the Bravehearted Gospel is the stuff of frontline soldiers. It's the stuff of martyrs and mighty men."

"The Bravehearted Gospel is not just another idea; it's historic Christianity. It's the way it has always been and must always continue to be."

Interested yet? Read more about The Bravehearted Gospel, or buy it on Amazon.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Word...

Now, I have a few comments I want to make on two of the concepts in the book. But, I would encourage you to read the book first, and then come back and read my thoughts... because you won't be able to amply appreciate these thoughts out of context.

Thought #1

In chapter 10, Ludy talks about Christians trying to be "cool". I think I agree with him in this chapter, but we need to be careful; I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing cool clothes, unless their immodest. It's the heart that's important. I don't think there's anything wrong with "being cool" in general, unless it means doing things that are immoral. (You can still wear torn jeans and be 100% on fire, in love with Jesus.)

Cool is fine -- unless you're changing what Christianity is in order to be cool. And I think that's his point.

Thought #2

In the section of the book entitled "The Canon-mind", Ludy talks about having a "canon-minded" view of scripture, versus an "open-minded" view. (By the way, this is an awesome chapter -- I highly recommend it.) Once again, I think Ludy is right, but we need to be careful. :-)

Open-mindedness isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I see it. When he talks about open-mindedness, he's talking about being open and receiving all forms of faith and all perspectives, and treating them on the same level as GOD's truth, as if they're all "just as right". As he says on page 183, "It's all-accepting, tolerant of all thoughts, opinions, ideas, and religions." Of course, that is wrong. Ludy is right on that.

But open-mindedness doesn't always have to mean that. I'm not talking about unquestioning acceptance of all other beliefs; I'm talking about avoiding the "Matthew Brady" stereotype. Brady, in the movie "Inherit the Wind", was a falsely portrayed Christian who believed in Christianity and Creation "just because". He had no reasons or evidence for his beliefs; he believed it with unquestioning certainty simply because "the Bible said so", because that's just what he believed. (Whereas Eric Ludy presents a very sound reason for trusting the Bible in this chapter! Again, I really recommend it.)

Brady had never read or looked at the other side -- not once -- and he was proud of it. He was unreasonable, and irritatingly unpersuadable -- not because he was firmly grounded, convinced, and confident in the truth -- but simply because that's what he had chosen to believe, and that was that. He was "close-minded". (Read more about my thoughts on Inherit the Wind and Matthew Brady.)

When Christians have this mindset, it is very hard for nonbelievers to find us believable. "And why do you believe that? Oh, because the Bible says so..."

The Bible is the source of all truth. But if it is, (which it is), it should stand up against all other false beliefs and worldviews. An open-minded Christian, as I see it, knows that the Bible is 100% true, the source of all things true and right... but will look at other views anyway, for the sake of arguing with and persuading nonbelievers.

"And, why do you believe that?"

"Well, let me show you why I know the Bible is true, and why all these things are true..."

This way, we have an answer. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

An "open-minded" Christian, as I see it, goes into the world of foreign, false beliefs, armed with the knowledge and assurance that the Bible, that Christianity, is the only correct way... not because they are seeking other alternatives with an "adulterous"-like heart, but because they are looking to prove that God is right -- for the sake of persuading others, and for a strengthened faith in their own heart. I guess this is a biased way of searching out truth, but I believe it is right... it is biased with the truth.

~~~~~~~~~

Well, if you're still reading this article, what are you waiting for?! Go to Eric Ludy's site right now and check out his book, The Bravehearted Gospel. (Then, of course, buy it... either on Ludy's site or on Amazon.) You will never be the same!

Film Internship!

2011-08-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I recently began an internship with a small film company! For the time being, I'm not going to share exactly which film company it is, but I will share with you my general experiences. It has been very exciting, and I've already been able to learn and do so much. So far, after just three weeks, I've been able to:

Read and critique three scripts for upcoming films.
Learn the basics of how to use Final Cut Pro, a professional video editing software.
Learn the basics of making websites through iWeb, specifically for films and film companies.
Help write character descriptions for an upcoming movie, to give to actors who want to audition.
Do some script "tagging"; I.O.W., going through a script and recording what cast, props, set dressings, etc. are in each scene. (VERY exciting. O_O But... VERY vital.)
Do a little bit of editing work... kinda. The intent was for me to add temporary music to a behind-the-scenes video, but I was never really able to do this, due to some computer problems. But, the experience still allowed me to familiarize myself somewhat with the setup of Final Cut Pro.
Watch three live auditions, conducted over Skype.
Help out with some scheduling... or, figuring out which scenes will be shot on which days, for an upcoming movie they'll be filming soon. (Side note: This is an insanely complex, chaotic, crazy, and time-consuming process that involves extreme coordination, organization, and a good dosage of non-going-crazy pills. I think it's kind of fun. :-D)

Obviously, most of what I've been doing so far is part of "pre-production" (all the mountains of preparatory work that must be done before you start filming a movie). But, before long, I'll have the opportunity to participate in some "production" work... I.O.W., being on an actual film set! I greatly look forward to that, and I'll be sure to share with you more of my experiences and adventures as time goes by!

Keep pursuing the Truth...
Brianna

Book Review: Mere Christianity

2011-08-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished another book: Mere Christianity. Since it's such a famous, classic book in Christian literature, I'm not going to go into a detailed review, but I will say a couple things.

First, I'm going to share a quote that I thought applies pretty well to Mere Christianity. I found it on the back cover of my copy of the book:

"C. S. Lewis is the ideal persuader for the half-convinced, for the good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way." - Anthony Burgess, New York Times Book Review

But Mere Christianity is not just for unbelievers. It is for believers as well, to see Christianity with a fresh, different perspective, to be more equipped for Christian apologetics and for sharing their faith with unbelievers, and to become more solid in their own beliefs.

Mere Christianity deals with a lot of tough questions, and uses logic and reasoning to answer them. It can be pretty deep and often makes you think, but C. S. Lewis frequently uses excellent analogies and metaphors that make all of his concepts seem simple, straight-forward, and easy to understand. In fact, I think this is probably one of his best gifts as a writer: his beautiful use of analogies.

My personal copy of the book is scribbled all over with notes, underlining, and stars, with a few pages dog-eared for my favorite quotes. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book. (I'm putting brief phrases and questions at the beginning of each quote, so you can tell, at a glance, what topics they're on.)

We are at war, in enemy-occupied territory...

"Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel. ... Enemy-occupied territory -- that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage."

Something even better than earthly romance

"The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water."

Why do Christians still sin??

"A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble -- because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out."

What does Christianity say about totalitarianism and democracy?

"And immortality makes this other difference, which, by the by, has a connection with the difference between totalitarianism and democracy. If individuals live only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilisation, which may last for a thousand years, is more important than an individual. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilisation, compared with his, is only a moment."

A "big" sin vs. a "small" sin

"One man may be so placed that his anger sheds the blood of thousands, and another so placed that however angry he gets he will only be laughed at. But the little mark on the soul may be much the same in both. ... The bigness or smallness of the thing, seen from the outside, is not what really matters."

The desire for another world...

(Two quotes on this topic.)

"The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthy pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.' "

"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same."

How can God be three persons in one??

"In God's dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while remaining one Being, just as a cube is six squares while remaining one cube. Of course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that: just as, if we were so made that we perceived only two dimensions in space we could never properly imagine a cube."

Our free will is like a choosing compass...

"Their [unbelievers'] free will is trembling inside them like the needle of a compass. But this is a needle that can choose. It can point to its true North; but it need not. Will the needle swing round, and settle, and point to God?"

Book Review: Captivating

2011-08-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

I just read the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. It continues in somewhat of the same tradition as Epic and Wild at Heart (two books also written by John Eldredge). Captivating specifically focuses on the unique soul of a woman. I highly recommend it; I think every woman, or young woman, should read this book at least at some point in their lifetime.

Like Eldredge's other books, Captivating is about the deepest meaning of life... a passionate, romantic relationship with Jesus. You'll see yourself, God, and the world in general from a different perspective after reading these books.

There were two things that I especially liked about Captivating. First, it offers a definition for true femininity; and out of the few books I've read on the topic, none came anywhere close to the powerful, liberating, beautiful presentation of femininity that John and Stasi Eldredge describe.

For an example, I loved how they addressed the issue of feminine "strength". It's been often said, in answer to the feminist movement, that women can be just as "strong" as men; we just have a different kind of strength, even though it isn't always physical. I've always believed that; always believed that females have their own kind of strength... but I've never understood how that plays out, exactly. Sure, okay, we are strong in other ways... I know that... but what ways are they? Exactly? What are some examples of this? Captivating answers this question perfectly, beautifully. Yes, women do have their own form of Godly, feminine strength... and it is just as powerful and influential as a man's strength. But, you will have to read the book to know the answer... I'm not going to spoil it for you. :-)

Second, I loved how the Eldredges answered another major question: the question of beauty. In the church, we often say that true beauty flows from the inside out, not vice versa (1 Peter 3:3-4). Well... that's a great saying... but what does that mean, exactly? Captivating answers this question; it shows how absolutely, totally true this concept is. The answer is amazingly real and applicable, for every single woman on earth.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book...

"Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful."

(Just look at the picture above! I took it while on vacation in Florida, on a tiny island close to Tampa. I thought that sunset was such a gorgeous display of God's beauty and romance. Sometimes nature can be God's version of chocolates or flowers...)

"It is God who longs for Romance; it is God who longs to be our ezer [someone we desperately need, as if in a life-or-death situation where He is our only hope]; it is God who reveals beauty as essential to life. You are the image bearer of this God. That is why you long for those things to."

(The context of this quote is this: man and woman were both made in the image of God; we each reflect different things about who He is. Thus, this is some of how women bear His image. Isn't that an amazing concept?)

"Following hard after Jesus is the heart's natural response when it has been captured and has fallen deeply in love with him."

" 'To be spiritual is to be busy.' 'To be spiritual is to be disciplined.' 'To be spiritual is to be dutiful.' No, to be spiritual is to be in a Romance with God. The desire to be romanced lies deep in the heart of every woman. It is for such that you were made. And you are romanced, and ever will be."

" 'Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.' (1 Peter 3:3-4)

"First, Peter is not saying that we shouldn't enjoy wearing pretty things. What he's trying to say is that true beauty comes from the inner part of us. Our hearts. ... To have a gentle and quiet spirit is to have a heart of faith, a heart that trusts in God, a spirit that has been quieted by his love and filled with his peace."

"A woman wants to feel beautiful. The strength of a good man makes her feel so. A man wants to feel strong. The beauty of a good woman makes him feel so."

"No matter how wonderful a taste of relational fullness you have, you will want more. If you had an amazing connection yesterday with someone, when you wake this morning, you will want it again. Eve possesses a bottomless well of longing. Jesus alone is the never-ending fount, which can slake her thirst. No other source, no other relationship will fully satisfy."

"If you are called, God will make a way. Either where you are or through a change of circumstances. Follow your Lover; respond to his invitations. With him, there is no stopping you."

Click here to see Captivating on Amazon.

Click here (www.ransomedheart.com) to visit the site of the authors, John and Stasi Eldredge, and learn more about their ministry.

How EXACTLY Do You Influence the Culture?

2011-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

A commenter on my last blog post asked a really good question. He said:

"Brianna, I commend you for wanting to wanting to influence our culture with media that draws us nearer to Christ. I'm curious, how do you intend to do this?"

My response to him ended up being so long, that I decided to turn it into its own blog post. Here's what I wrote:

I think there are two main aspects of films that can draw people closer or further away from God, and from truth. They are: (1) The characters, and (2) The worldview of the films.

First, the way the characters behave has a HUGE impact on viewers; whether it's a surface impact, or a subtle impact, taking place in their subconscious. I once read a survey that showed that, even if they wouldn't admit it, teenagers who watched movies or TV shows with teenage sex in it, were more likely to engage in sex themselves during their teenage years. (I'm sorry that I do not have this survey or the statistics in front of me... but I remember that it was in a "Brio" magazine, so if any of you absolutely have to have the statistic itself, I could probably dig around for it. :))

Anyway, this was just one statistic involving one issue, but the point stands that we ARE impacted by what we see on television, or in the movies. I remember that when I was a little girl, after watching a movie or TV show, I would often start to behave, in a small way, like the characters I saw. I realized what I was doing and tried not to do this, because I was sort of embarrassed, but as a kid I somehow just couldn't help it. Younger minds are especially susceptible to what they see on the screen, but even adults are impacted, whether they realize it or not.

(Pictures from www.morguefile.com)

So, I said all that to say, that the characters should be GOOD ROLE MODELS. Not perfect -- they should be real people -- but when they make mistakes, those mistakes shouldn't be glorified or encouraged with the way the story works out.

And, the most important thing they should model is a RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. When we watch characters pressing into God and growing in their walk with Him, who's to say that won't impact us in a positive way, in the same way "teenage sex" shows would impact us in a negative way?

Now, for the second thing: The worldview. The worldview of a film is, I think, almost as -- if not AS -- powerful and influential as the characters. Is it a world where evil has the upper hand and there is only a faint hope for good to win? Is it a world where sin is portrayed as good, and something to model? Is it a world where we are all "animals", on the same plane with dogs and birds and ants; where we all climbed up from the goo over millions of years, and Creator God is just a make-believe fairytale?

Or is it the world portrayed and explained in the Bible?

We might know what we believe. But then, when we start watching movies with worldviews that contradict our views, those worldviews begin slowly seeping into our minds. Eventually, we start thinking in those worldviews, even if they're not what we really believe. And if we really let them get a hold of us, those worldviews will become what we actually believe, instead. And then we are falling headfirst away from Truth and away from God.

As a final thought, here are a few movies (off the top of my head) that, in my opinion, can draw people closer to God in the way I describe. Now, a note: none of these movies, of course, are exactly the way I personally want to make movies. Everyone has their own style, myself included. But, with each of these movies, there is at least something about them that I like.

* What If - Encourages people to dedicate their lives to God, not to themselves.
* The Chronicles of Narnia series - An analogy that shows Christ and His sacrifice with a fresh perspective (esp. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)
* Faith Like Potatoes - Based on a true story, encouraging us to have faith in God; shows how God can change a life.
* To Save a Life - Deals with teenage suicide, depression, etc.; a call for the church to look past our judgmentalism and reach out to people.
* End of the Spear - Based on a true story, about bringing the gospel to a tribe centered around killing and revenge; a message of powerful, emotional forgiveness.
* Come What May - About doing the right thing, regardless of the outcome; and honoring God through absolute purity in relationships.

So, that was just a few movies I thought of off the top of my head... there are plenty, plenty more. What are some more that you can think of?

Pursuing the Truth in Christ,
Brianna

How to Influence the Culture...

2011-07-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Barna research findings revealed, after a year of research, that the leading influence on American society is MOVIES.

"Whoever controls the media controls the culture." - Francis Schaeffer (author of "How Should We Then Live?")

If you want to influence the culture for Christ... there is no more powerful medium than movies.

THIS IS WHY I WANT TO BE A FILMMAKER.

This Might Make Your Day

2011-07-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

This short video is so beautiful, moving, touching... oh... you just have to see it for yourself:

>_>

See, what did I tell you? I bet you were just moved to tears...

Christian Movie: What if...

2011-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw a Christian film called What if..., from Jenkins Entertainment. The story was something like a modern-day version of It's A Wonderful Life; or, as I've been told, a cleaned-up version of Family Man with a Christian message (I haven't seen Family Man myself, so I wouldn't know from personal experience).

The movie is a drama, about a man who is given a second chance to right the wrong decisions he has made in his life. It is a good-quality movie; the acting is great (apparently the cast has a few well-known actors), the cinematography also looks great, and the story is both moving and entertaining.

The one thing that did bother me was that there was a teenager who had an attitude (not really the example younger kids should have, in my opinion)... but, she wasn't altogether that bad.

Overall, it was definitely a movie I'd recommend.

Elections Volunteering: My Thoughts on the Experience

2011-07-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about this a long time ago! Back in Fall 2010, I volunteered for some local elections. I thought you might want to know a little bit about my experience... maybe even as a heads-up, if you ever do this kind of volunteer work yourself!

What I Did

* I worked for the local Republican party in my county, for the campaign of a candidate running for the House of Representatives who would represent my district. I volunteered on two separate days:

* Day 1: A few weeks or so before election day, I worked at the GOP booth in a local, neighborhood festival. The main purpose of the booth was to spread awareness and offer information about the candidate I was volunteering for. I was there for five hours... but I didn't actually do very much. Occasionally, I handed out balloons with the candidate's name on them, and for a little while I stood in a street median, in front of the festival, waving campaign signs to cars (THAT was fun). But, mostly I just sat around and talked/listened to other Republican volunteers at the booth, waiting to be needed.

Handing out balloons


Waving campaign signs with another volunteer

* Day 2: On election day, I "worked the poll" for three hours, at a local school where voting was taking place. What that means, is I handed out Republican party sample ballots (slips of paper that told you who to vote for, if you were voting Republican). The ballots also included some information about the state constitutional amendments that were being proposed, that civilians were voting on.

Working the poll

Cool & Interesting Things...

* At the festival, I got to shake the hand of the candidate I was volunteering for. (Honestly, it wasn't as exciting as you might think it would be. He shook hands with EVERYONE else at the festival.) :-)

* In addition to handing out sample ballots on election day, I handed out literature with a local (very local) politician who was running for the board in her neighborhood. She was handing out her information to convince people to vote for her.

* Interestingly, there was no opposition in either place (the festival or the school). The candidate I was volunteering for ended up winning (this was his gazillionth time or so in office >_>), so the other party probably just knew they had no chance in this particular election... but that is not always the case!!

What I Learned (About the Political Process)

* A lot of (political) volunteer work is really easy and really boring; standing around waiting to be available, handing out literature, doing other mundane things like sealing envelopes or making phone calls (neither of which I did, in that particular volunteer experience).

* It often doesn't take much to try to convince someone to vote for someone; just make the candidate's name known (put up signs, make phone calls, send political advertisements in the mail). This is not always the case, of course; but some people are just too busy to do any more research about the candidates. To demonstrate this fact: on election day, one man came up to me, and the politician I was working with, and asked us who he should vote for! He was coming to vote, and he had no idea who he was going to vote for! I don't think this is a good thing, but it is, unfortunately, a fact here in America (at least, around where I live): a lot of people simply don't do research on the candidates... so, it often doesn't take much to convince them to vote a certain way. (Again, I wish it WASN'T this way.)

Other Reflections on the Experience...

Reflection #1: While a lot of the people I worked with were REALLY nice, I often noticed an attitude (in their conversations) of "us against them". The way they would mention the "other side" made it seem as if they (Republicans) were "all right", and the other side (Democrats) was "all wrong". I'm not saying all Republicans are like that; that's just what I witnessed with the small group of people I was around.

Sometimes I wish people would not see it as so black and white, but, so it often is with politics. (Now, don't misunderstand me: morals, values, and virtues are always black and white, and they should never be compromised. I'm not talking about morals; I'm simply talking about political parties. I don't think it's a good, or Christlike, attitude to treat the other political party like it's made up of 100% bad-guys, and your own political party like it's 100% good-guys. It's just politics. But, that's just my opinion.)

Reflection #2: Remember how I said I worked with a politician on election day, who was asking people to vote for her? Well, there was something I noticed, consistently, as she carried on conversations with people: wrapped up in all the different questions and conversations, people seemed to have one central question for her: "So, Ms. Politician, what are you going to do for us?" They wanted to know, how would having her in office affect their day-to-day lives?

I thought it was interesting, because it probably reflected the general attitude towards politics that most people have. Does this matter for my normal life? Will it affect my family, job, home, etc.? Otherwise, why should I stop my regular life too long to pay attention to politics if it doesn't directly affect my regular life?

Politicians are so wrapped up in politics, that sometimes they forget that most normal people don't care about politics in the way they do. They just care about: how does it affect my day-to-day life? It's something politicians should remember if they ever want to relate to us "ordinary" citizens. They should remember what our perspective on politics is.

Summary

All in all... volunteering like this is always a good experience. It's a great way to step out of your comfort zone, expand your field of experience a little more, and even learn something (in this case, learn a little bit about politics). What I did for the elections was an easy, and (at times) somewhat boring process... but, I'm glad I did it.

Comment Suggestions :-)

Have you had any "adventures" involving volunteer work or politics? Any words of advice or caution, for people wanting to volunteer for a cause or get involved in politics? Please share your thoughts!

The Star Spangled Banner -- In "Modern" English

2011-07-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, look over there! Do you see that? Now that the sun's rising, we can see it again.

You know what I'm talking about -- what we were looking at last night.

Don't you remember? While that battle was raging, we could see it flapping in the breeze, over the fortifications.

We could see its stripes and stars clearly. You know what I'm talking about now.

There was smoke everywhere; rockets lit up the night, bombs went BOOM! It was so loud. Such a mess.

But despite it all... the flag was still there.

Can't you see? It's still waving in the air, right where we last saw it.

It's just like the country it represents... it does not back down, and it does not give in.

My Vision As A Filmmaker

2011-06-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a film "workshop", and the topic of filmmaking is very present on my mind right now.

I haven't written much about filmmaking on this blog so far. Actually, I don't think I've mentioned it at all yet. There are a lot of things, actually, that I'm very passionate about that I haven't taken the time to blog about. One of these days, I'll invest more time into this blog, and write about more of the things I'm passionate about. But lately... my time has been spent doing other things, unfortunately.

I've mentioned on this blog that I want to write novels, and that I am working on a futuristic novel presently that I want to publish when I finish. What I have not mentioned is that I have a strong passion for filmmaking, as well as writing.

It will probably be quite a few years before I can make feature-length films of my own, but that is most definitely my goal. In the meantime, I am trying to find as many ways as I can to learn more about the craft, and get experience.

Someday, God-willing, I hope this will be the blog of a novelist... and of a filmmaker. Among other things. :-)

Here is an INCOMPLETE outline of my vision as a filmmaker... (By the way, many of these things apply to my vision as a novelist, as well.)

I want to make movies that....

* Honor God, that follow Biblical principles, and point people to Jesus.

* Show people that there is a crazy, passionate, romantic, fulfilling relationship to be found in Jesus Christ. That every longing, every deepest desire in our hearts can be fulfilled through Him. That through Him, there is hope; not some far-off, elusive hope; but a real, tangible, strong, immense, overflowing hope that makes life more than worth living for.

* Pursue, defend, and proclaim the TRUTH. That are not afraid to speak the Truth, no matter how unpopular it may be. That ultimately lead people to the source of all truth: Jesus Christ. To His Word.

* Speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). There are too many people who speak the truth, but do not speak it in love. The Bible says that if we speak without love, we are only "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor 13:1). And this is so true! Whoever wants to listen to someone that rants and raves about something, without any love? It's irritating, just like a "clanging cymbal". It doesn't matter how right or true their words may be; no one wants to listen. They might as well not open their mouth. Actually... it'd probably be better if they didn't! We need to speak the truth in love. Not just a cheesy, unfelt little "God-loves-you"; but a true, deep, genuine love, even for the people you disagree with the most (and this is very hard sometimes!!).

* Have characters who are role models... heroes. Too many films today depict characters who are role models of how not to live; of how to live in sin, and in rebellion to God. There is a desperate need for characters that we can look up to. Now, they will be "real" people, in the sense that they will not be perfect. They should be 100% realistic, 100% relatable. But they should be examples of people who are genuinely trying to live in a way that honors God, even when they fail.

* Show children who are respectful and submissive to their parents, not rebellious, as the culture presently encourages them to be.

* Show fathers who are strong, spiritual leaders.

* Show romance in its truest, purest, most beautiful and most desirable way: between a husband and wife. These will be movies that elevate marriage to the high place where the Bible places it. They will show that marriage is not when the "fun" ends; it's when the adventure begins! And... the beauty of true romance simply does not exist, outside of the boundaries of marriage between a man and woman.

* Encourage and inspire Christians in their faith... that motivate them to be radical Jesus Freaks, passionate for Jesus.

* And so much more.

You know what... I dream of a day when the phrase "Christian film" is not associated with "low budget", "low quality", and "cheesiness". I dream of a day when Christians no longer have to compromise their values just to watch a movie; that someday, no matter when we go to the theaters, there will always, always be at least one good, high-quality Christian film playing. It may be a decade or two before this happens, but I believe it can happen.

Why?

Because I am not the only one dreaming like this.

Friends, we are in exciting times. I hear the rumbling sound of a stampede, or an army, on its way over the horizon. Can't you hear it? A movement. A revolution. There have been quiet tremors for years; and now, the earth is starting to tremble and shake, as the movement gets bigger.

A movement of Christian filmmakers is on the way. Christian filmmakers who want to reclaim the media world for Christ. They are all across the country... some of them may be quiet now, but you will hear of them -- all of them -- in time. Slowly, their films are becoming more numerous. Slowly, they are released more frequently. Slowly, they are increasing in quality.

I don't know about you, I want to jump on board this movement.

There are a number of Christian films in development right now that I'm excited about, and I can't wait until they come out. Here is a list of them. There are lots more that I'm not listing here, I'm sure. Feel free to add to the list yourself by leaving a comment! :-)

A Stubborn Journey (about the life of young Josh McDowell)
For the Glory (from 1Voice Films)
Courageous (from Sherwood Pictures; the makers of Facing the Giants and Fireproof)
Alone Yet Not Alone
Hero (from Advent Film Group)
Red September (from Advent Film Group)
Eleventh Hour

The Entire Purpose of Life, the Reason We Exist, the Meaning of All Our Deepest Desires and Longings... in 10 Words

2011-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

A passionate,

romantic

relationship

with the God

of the universe.

Help! I Can't Understand Economics Or Government!

2011-06-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Is that one of your cries of woe? To you find economics or government just too dull, complicated, or confusing to understand?

If that's the case, I highly recommend two books to you:

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?
(economics)

and

Whatever Happened to Justice?
(government)

both by Richard J. Maybury.

These books are short, (Penny Candy is 150 pages and Justice in 250 pages), fun to read, and extremely easy to understand. You will never feel that the information goes over your head; instead, you will walk away from these books feeling like you completely understand the basics of economics and government.

These books are especially important for today's economy! After reading these books, you will understand why the economy is where it is today, and you will know how to face the future; you will know how to prepare, if and when things get worse. For this reason, I strongly believe that everyone in America should read these books... even if only to understand the economic troubles we are experiencing right now; and to know what steps we, as a nation, should take next.

These books work great as supplements for school economics/government courses, or just as fun, leisure reading.

Now, I will say that the author is sometimes opinionated in these books, and I don't agree with everything he says. I think that sometimes he just misses the truth because he doesn't have a Christian worldview, but he does come close. But, for the most part, I agree wholeheartedly with his books; and even if you don't agree with his opinions, you will benefit from understanding the concepts he teaches.

If you want to view these books on Amazon, here are the links:

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy

Whatever Happened to Justice

I want to conclude with this quote from Whatever Happened to Justice:

"Always beware of anyone who tells you a topic is above you or better left to experts. This person may, for some reason, be trying to shut you out. You can understand almost anything. If you know you are giving it your best effort and you are still finding an explanation difficult to grasp, it may be because the expert has poor communication skills. It could also be that the expert doesn't want you to grasp it. Many people are twice as smart as they think are, but they've been intimidated into believing some topics are above them." (Page 20)

This applies to both economics and government! You can understand!

Blessings, and keep pursuing the truth!
Brianna

Must-Have For Christian Fiction Writers!

2011-05-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Are you a writer?

Do you write Christian fiction?

If you do, then there's a book you have to read. Like, HAVE to read. It's this book below:

I don't care if you're a newbie writer or if you've been writing for many years. Whatever level you're at, you'll get something from this.

As for me, this book gave me a MAJOR inspiration boost. The wheels of my mind just went flying. I had a piece of paper with me at all times while I was reading it, just so I could jot down ideas. And it also taught me a lot about writing. Here are just a few things I benefited from:

* Using the dumb puppet trick

* Tips on how to write descriptions

* How to handle profanity in Christian fiction

* How to introduce a character

* How to juggle lots of characters and plots in a big novel

* Using the "or-else" component, or the "ticking time bomb", to add suspense in a story

* Including the hero's inner journey

Click here to buy the book on Amazon; click here to buy the book from the original publishers.

Thanks, Whisper, for recommending this book to me! ;-)

Picture of the Month

2011-05-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Book Review: Sword in the Stars, Part 2

2011-05-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

So, here's Part 2 of my book review on Sword in the Stars. (Read the first part here.) I'm just listing random thoughts about the book, more or less in the order they occurred to me as I read it.

* Throughout the book, Batson uses a lot of strong, powerful, universal themes. I thought they were very effective in making the story more real and relatable. Some examples: judgmental and legalistic religion, the "evils" of drunkenness, forgiveness, love, (those two went hand in hand), healthy marriages, redemption, sacrifice/heroism, thirst for power, parenting/growing up/family.

* I actually didn't like the cover (shown above). It was a really good book (especially once you get about 1/3-1/2 of the way through), and I somehow didn't feel like the cover really represented that. But, there is some fun symbolism on the cover. It was fun when it suddenly clicked for me, after I had begun reading the book: "Oh, that's what that means on the cover!"

* The romance in this book I actually liked. That means a lot coming from me; I'm normally very annoyed with romance in books. In this book, the romance is not cheap, it's not obnoxious, it's not silly, it's not pointless, and it's not sensual or focused chiefly on appearances or feelings. On the contrary, it is quite the opposite. It is not about a couple kids or teens becoming infatuated with each other; it's about two grown people who are old enough and mature enough to get married. It is a picture of what a right, healthy romantic relationship should look like, in my opinion. It does not feel like it was just thrown in there JUST for the sake of adding romance; it very much has to do with the story, and again, it is a picture of a good relationship. It actually helps illustrate one of the biggest themes -- if not THE biggest theme -- of the book (that being redemption). It is about true love; true love for who someone is, for the honorable traits in them; true love that develops slowly.

* Allastair (the main protagonist) is such an amazing, heroic, sacrificial, honorable character! He embodies a strong, STRONG roll model that is painfully, sorely lacking in many books and movies today. (You just have to keep reading the book before you realize what a good character he is... he certainly isn't perfect, just like any real person isn't perfect, and some of his imperfections stand out strongly at the beginning of the book. But you have to keep reading... I found myself admiring him at the end.)

* Just gotta say, if you're a fan of Wayne Batson's writing, you should definitely read this book. :-)

* The ending is awesome. There was a realization at the end that had to do with the evil in the book... it left me stunned and disturbed... quite a bomb to drop on the reader right as the book ends. :-)

Conclusion: This books successfully passes my strict book-critiquing standard. I label it: highly recommended. 5 out of 5 stars. *applause* *cheers*

Over and out,
Brianna

Movie Review: Jane Eyre

2011-05-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

This week, I watched the movie Jane Eyre (2011), based off of the novel of the same name by Charlotte Brontë. Because I am a big fan of the book, I was excited and curious to see how it translated onto the screen, in the form of a modern, well-budgeted film. (There have been many film versions of the story in the past, but as far as I know, all of them were old, low-budgeted, or both.) I was also very curious (and admittedly a little anxious) to find out how closely the movie would stick to the original story.

For the most part, I was not disappointed. The casting was absolutely excellent; Mia Wasikowska played a perfect Jane, Michael Fassbender played a perfect Mr. Rochester (although he was not exactly how I imagined him, he captured Mr. Rochester's personality exactly), and the same was true for every actor, as far as I could tell. The lighting was also done excellently; its dark tone helped set the mood for the story.

Also, the story was almost exactly identical to the book; for about a third of the way through the movie, I was completely thrilled with watching the book seemingly come to life in front me. However, there were a few differences that popped up; some were subtle, and they seemed entirely appropriate and acceptable to me; while others did bother me a little bit.

The two most noticeable differences, for me, were the general mood of the story, and the sequence of events. In the book, the mood was dark, mysterious, and intriguing; while there was an aspect of sadness to the story, I thought the mysteriousness and suspense far outweighed the sadness, and I did not come away from the book feeling heavy-hearted. The movie was somewhat flipped; it definitely captured the dark mood of the story, but it seemed to emphasize the sadness of the story more than the mysteriousness. There was certainly a happy ending, but I still personally came away from the movie feeling more saddened than I did when I read the book.

Also, while there was definitely a lot of suspense in the movie, I did not think it built up as strongly as it did in the book; in fact, the resolving of the mystery seemed somewhat anticlimactic to me. But this could just be because the movie is only two hours long, so it does not have nearly as much time to built up suspense as a 300-page book does.

The other major difference from the novel is the sequence of events. The movie starts off later in the story, with Jane running away from Thornefield and meeting St. John and his sisters. It then flashes back to the rest of the story to explain Jane's history. While this is a slightly different order of events, I did not think it affected the story at all; in fact, it was a great way to suck the viewers into the movie right away. Starting from the very beginning of the story, with Jane's childhood, worked great in a novel, but it would not have had the same affect in a visual-based medium like film.

There were also a few minor differences in the movie that were less noticeable than the mood and the sequence of events. First, because a 300-page story was compressed into a two-hour-long movie, a lot was left out. While nearly all the important points of the story were covered, there were quite a few minor details that got chopped out; and the result was a story that seemed to jump staccato style from event to event, without any real transitions in between. It did not bother me, because I knew the story, and I knew what was being left out; but people who had not read the book told me it was very confusing and disorienting.

Also, the Christian themes of the story were watered down, and (almost) completely removed. The overall treatment of religion (specifically Christianity) seemed somewhat negative in the movie, while I found the overall treatment of religion to be more positive in the book. (Yes, there were some negative aspects to religion in the book, but I thought, overall, the book cast religion -- especially Christian morals -- in a positive light. Maybe it was just me.) I thought Christian morals were strong in the book, but they were hardly emphasized at all in the movie.

The two main morals the book deals with are the sanctity of marriage, and doing the right thing -- resisting temptation -- even when it is extremely hard. Both of these themes were definitely in the movie, but just not as strongly as in the book.

Another minor difference that bothered me was the fact that Jane's school does not change, as it does in the book; it seems to remain just as strict, cold, and harsh when she leaves the school as when she arrives.

However, any other story changes in the movie seemed pretty subtle, and not noticeable or memorable enough for me to complain about. For an example, when ten-year-old Jane is locked in the "haunted" bedroom, she is frightened by a cloud of smoke coming out of the fireplace, instead of a little "light" that she thinks is coming from a ghost. Obviously, the smoke is more visually interesting, and I think it worked better in the movie (while the light was perfectly affective in the novel).

Also, during a dramatic, climatic scene (specifically, the "attempted" wedding), Mr. Rochester starts to strangle his brother-in-law in a heat of rage; in the book, he merely lifted his arm to strike him (but did not actually deliver the blow). Again, I thought this was good and necessary, because the scene had to be more visually grabbing for the movie (no pun intended). I thought the affect was the same in the book and the movie.

As you can see, the movie had a few differences from the book; but in general, I thought it was an excellent and well-made rendering of Charlotte Brontë's novel. I definitely recommend it to fans of the novel, and to fans of period romances like Pride and Prejudice. (As an aside, I understand that the soundtrack for Jane Eyre was written by the same man who wrote the soundtrack for the recent version of Pride and Prejudice! Although, it certainly has a darker and sadder tone than Pride and Prejudice does, so fans of that soundtrack might be a little disappointed.)

My only restriction on recommending the movie is that it is PG-13 for some violence and blood (mostly just one scene, where someone is terribly injured and we see his bleeding wounds up close), and a brief moment with a nude painting on a wall (which, by the way, had nothing to do with the book). So, I would not recommend the movie for younger viewers.

P.S. Part 2 of my book review on Sword in the Stars is still on its way!

Is Jesus a Socialist?

2011-04-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Do Jesus' words in the gospels promote socialism? I thought this article dealt with the subject very well... (see the link below)

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2011/04/26/msnbcs-odonnell-slams-limbaugh-biblically-ignorant-goes-contort-script

Book Review: Sword in the Stars, Part 1

2011-04-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

I finished Sword in the Stars a few days ago! Here are my thoughts on the book, more or less in the order they came to me while I was reading it... since I have so much to say, I'm going to split it into two parts, so it's not so overwhelming!

About the book...
Title: Sword in the Stars
Author: Wayne Thomas Batson
Series: The Dark Sea Annals
Genre: Fantasy

My thoughts...

* It has a good opening chapter. The very first sentence grabs your attention: "Alastair Coldhollow tried to wipe the blood from his hands but failed." The rest of the chapter introduces mystery and intrigue that instantly makes you interested in the story.

* Myriad, the fantasy world of the book, seems to be a well-developed world. There is diversity among the different races and people groups. There are bits of literature and history that start off every chapter. (I especially liked the "Books of Lore"; the equivalent of the Bible in their world.) There is a developed geography. (Although, I found the geography a little -- just a little -- hard to visualize without a map.) Batson also created a complete dating system for the world, and even a speech dialect! It feels like you could just step into "Myriad", as if it were a real place.

* I found it interesting how the book deals with the Alastair's (the main protagonist's) past. It is a mystery at first that you have to discover as you read. This aspect of the story reminded me of Behold the Dawn (click here to see my review for that book).

* One thing I didn't like: "Gorracks", one of the creatures/races of the story, looked too much like "orcs" to me (especially since they played a similar role in the story that orcs play in Lord of the Rings). It seemed like the word "orcs" with a bunch of letters added in. Maybe other people wouldn't make that association, but I did.

* The characters in this book are the best characters Batson has ever made. I felt like the characters in The Door Within, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire were a little bit flat, but these characters were entirely dynamic and three-dimensional. My favorites were probably King Aravel and Alastair. When I heard (or rather, read) their names, an entire image and personality came instantly to mind; almost like with real people. I found myself COMPLETELY, ENTIRELY drawn in to these characters; sitting on the edge of my seat to see what would happen to them, and watching with total suspense and intrigue as some of them revealed certain dark secrets (you'd have to read the book to know what I'm talking about). I was glued to the story; grabbed by the throat, and it would not let me go... the reason, though, was because of the characters... much, much more so than the plot.

* Although... (this is in continuation of the last point), I would have to say that it took until I was about 1/3 of the way through the book before it really grabbed me, and it got really good. You've got to get through the first third of the book... just trust me. Just read through 1/3 of it, and if you're not hooked by then, well... that's probably not going to happen, so I'll leave it at that. =)

Original 3D art by Wayne Thomas Batson: Shepherd Hollow, from the Dark Sea Annals

* About 1/4 of the way through the book, King Morlan (the antagonist) did not feel very scary to me. He was not an exceptionally convincing villain yet. But then, about 1/3 of the way through, this changes entirely. He has an encounter with "Sabryne", the source of ultimate evil in this story (seems to be the equivalent of Satan), and King Morlan becomes a different person. The evil in the book (which also includes Cythraul, another villain who I thought was creepier than Morlan) gets really creepy, even violently disturbing. Sabryne, Morlan, and Cythraul are very "Batson-style" bad-guys, reminding me of Batson's other great villains: Paragor from The Door Within and Bartholomew Thorne from Isle of Swords/Fire. In fact, the evil in Sword in the Stars was possibly the most disturbing out of all Batson's books so far.

* Batson uses some familiar fantasy creatures (like dragons), but he also creates a lot of his own. Some of them are based off of familiar fantasy creatures, (the Willowfolk, for an example, are a lot like fairies), and others are completely of his own making. It creates a somewhat fresh feel to the familiar genre.

* I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the theme of redemption in this story! The way he deals with redemption is immensely, profoundly powerful. It's worth reading the whole book just for this.

* The book is very imaginative. Batson sure has quite an imagination. =) I found it inspiring, too... especially the way he developed his characters... it inspired me with my own fantasy story. (I intend to begin writing my fantasy story after I finish my futuristic novel.)

* I think this is the first time we're seeing Batson's own, unique fantasy writing style really develop. With The Door Within Trilogy, he was writing his very first books; just starting his writing career, or just putting his foot in the water, if you will. With the pirate books, he was developing his craft some more; but they weren't actually fantasy. Then, he wrote the Berinfell Prophecies with Christopher Hopper, and developed his craft a little more; but the books weren't completely his own, unique works. Now, with The Dark Sea Annals,and he is finally writing his own, unique fantasy stories. While I was reading the book, I couldn't really say, "This is Tolkienesque," or "This is very Lewis," or "This is very any-other-author;" all I could say was, "This is Wayne Thomas Batson." I feel like in this book, he's showing us his real, true fantasy style for the first time. (Not that The Door Within Trilogy was not Batson's real fantasy style; it just wasn't as developed yet, I don't think.)

* There's some fun symbolism and foreshadowing throughout the book that literature people would like. (I expect that is caused, at least in part, by the fact that Batson is an English teacher...)

That's all for now... I'll tell you the rest of my thoughts later!

Picture of the Month

2011-04-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I might not be able to blog for a while. Something has crashed on my computer...

Tagged

2011-04-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

I normally refuse to do tags, but I decided to make an exception, and waste a few minutes of my time filling out this one. The tag relates to whatever story you're writing, (in my case, a speculative novel about what America would be like hundred years in the future), which I thought might be fun to fill out.

The entire tag is 75 questions long, but I'm not going to fill out the whole thing. To see an example of the entire tag, click here. Feel free to waste a few minutes of your time, too, by filling it out on your own blog. :-)

1. What’s your word count?Just over 29,000 words.

2. How long until you finish?
I'm guessing sometime within the next half year or so.

4. Do you have an outline?
Yes

5. Do you have a plot?
Yes

6. How many words do you typically write a day?
I feel like I've had a good day if I've written at least 500 words. I don't think I've ever written more than 1,000 words in a day.

7. What was your greatest word count in one day?
About 1,000

8. What was your least impressive word count in one day?
One word. :-D That's because I was editing, and while I actually changed a lot of things that day, the net gain of words -- when factoring in all the words that got deleted -- amounted to uno.

9. What inspired you to write?
That's funny. I don't even remember when I first started writing. My mom says it was Beatrix Potter when I was three years old, but believe me, my writing style is nothing like Beatrix Potter now. :-)

12. Which character is most like you?
The main character... I'll just call her "A", because I'm not going to disclose her name yet. :-) :-)

19. Is there magic in your novel/story?
NO

21. Does anyone die?
One character does. Actually, as a matter of fact, I just wrote the sentence that killed him yesterday. That was how I concluded my writing session of the day.

26. Have you dreamed about your novel/story or its characters?
The main story line was based off of a dream, actually.

31. What was the last thing your main character ate?
Uh... some pasta, I think. And it was a good thing, too, because she was somewhat in danger of starving to death. :D

36. Are there any explosions in your novel/story?
YEESSSSS!!!

37. Is there an apocalypse in your novel/story?
No... but I'm thinking there might be, if I write sequels to this story.

51. Is there humor?
Some lame attempts at humor. But they're not very common.

52. Is there tragedy?
A little bit.

56. Does anyone in your novel/story wear glasses?
Hmm... someone may end up wearing glasses later in the story, but I haven't written that part yet.

60. How many people have asked to read your novel/story?
About four or five, I reckon

64. Does anyone bleed in your novel/story?
Yes. Not excessively. But they bleed.

65. Do any of your characters watch TV?
Yes

67. Do any of the characters in your novel/story use a computer?

This is one hundred years in the future. Practically everything involves computers. :)

69. Did you cry at killing off any of your characters?I haven't yet.

70. Did you cheer when killing off one of your characters?
Ha! No.

72. Describe your ending in three words.
It's a secret. :)

Happy Birthday to My Blog!

2011-04-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

I just realized... two days ago was the two year anniversary of my blog!

Happy 2nd Birthday, "Pursuing the Truth!"

I hope you all will join me for many more years of seeking, proclaiming, and defending the truth!

Over and out,

Brianna

America's Next President?

2011-04-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Donald Trump (above) is a self-made millionaire who may run for president on the Republican ticket in 2012. While he has no political background, many people are finding him attractive because of his enormous experience involving money and finances (a worthy presidential quality for attacking the present financial situation in America), and his no-nonsense, assertive personality.

Just out of curiosity, what do other people think about him? Do you like him? Dislike him? Despise him? If you're a Republican or conservative, would you vote for him? Are there other potential Republican candidates that you would rather vote for? I welcome all honest comments.

WOW!!! A chance to win a MILLION dollars! You don't want to miss this!!!!

2011-04-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

What? It's April Fool's Day! You really thought I was being serious?!

I hope you have lots more opportunities to laugh today. It's healthy to laugh! ;-)

Over and out,
Brianna

Failed Metaphors

2011-03-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

These are hilarious...

http://chasingjabberwockies.blogspot.com/2011/02/metaphor-mishaps.html

Be a Rebel

2011-03-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

"You can only succeed, if you do everything everyone else tells you not to do to succeed."

People can tell you what you need to do in order to make a best-selling book or a winning film. Your book or movie may be famous, a big hit, a mark of success, for a little while; and then it will be entirely forgotten. Think about it: can you name the #1 New York Times Bestseller from fifty years ago? Twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Five years ago? Two years ago? Who cares anymore? But, can you name a book that was written hundreds of years ago, maybe wasn't too famous in its day, but is still read and appreciated today? I could name lots. I'm sure you could too.

To really succeed, I think, you have to break away from the conventional, present set of rules for how to become a "best-seller" (those rules are always changing anyway) and write something that transcends your day and the current fads that go with it. How do I know? I don't know for sure, because I haven't experienced anything like that before (the extent of my published writing "career" has only been one newspaper, one magazine, and this blog itself); but I know that other people have experienced this.

Take J. R. R. Tolkien for an example. People told him that his writing style was not publish-worthy; it was not the way things were preferred to be written at the time; he should change it; yada yada. (One thing that was criticized was the way he switched between characters, not writing things chronologically.) But what ended up happening? He became the father of the modern fantasy genre. "Tolkienesque" became a word to describe the genre he helped begin.

What if he had written the way people told him to? I don't know. Maybe he would have ended up being one of those best-selling authors from decades ago that have been completely forgotten.

Now, there is of course a limit to this. In a general sense, we definitely should listen to the advice of writers who are published or more experienced than we are; they know what they're talking about! (I, on the other hand, do not. *Smile*.) They might say you need to have round, believable characters. Okay, we should probably listen to that advice. Or they might say we need to have a strong climax, or a grabbing first chapter, or that we should use strong verbs and adjectives. Okay, we should probably listen to those bits of advice, too. Just don't follow the guidelines too religiously. Develop your own style. Shout with your own voice.

Be a rebel.

The Sound of Silence

2011-03-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

Image from freefoto.com.

Sometimes the loudest messages are a silent glance or a well-spoken word. Sometimes the most profound meanings can come from simple silence. The dragonfly buzzes over a quiet lake as the sunset reflects on its softly rippling waters. The lady touches the man's hand; just a touch, just a hand, and whispers "yes". Two archenemies after lifetimes of contempt and hate shake hands and smile; no words, no comments.

The silence is what's so powerful. The simplicity is what's so profound. It's a good technique in films and books... and it's truth. God, the Master of art and language, often speaks in few words, or none at all. An act of kindness from the neighbor you thought hated you. The presence of a Bible on your nightstand when you ask God for answers, for a taste of His words. The rumble of thunder on a warm evening, or the rainbow of colors reflected by a drop of water.

God speaks in silence sometimes. He reminds you how much He loves you. He reminds you how powerful He is, and how He's in control of every situation.

The biggest message He spoke was a simple action. He died. He hung on a cross. He didn't speak a word. He didn't proclaim loudly to the world why He was doing what He was doing. He just did it. He was silent. They asked Him questions before killing Him. He was silent. Yet in the history of mankind there has never been a stronger message of love from one person to another.

It doesn't take a storm to conquer a city. All you need is the leader to speak two words: "We surrender." And silence brings the entire population to fall to its knees.

(Written April 1, 2009)

Making a Relatable Character

2011-03-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we writers struggle to make "relatable" characters. How do we shape and present characters that readers can identify and sympathize with? A dreadful fear some writers may have is that after pouring all their work and energy into a story, no one will care very much about reading it because all the characters are too dull and lifeless to get attached to. "Who cares if Susie the protagonist falls into a pit of vipers and dies a terrible death?" the reader might say. "I never cared too much about her."

I once read some tips in an old book that really helped me with this dilemma. The title is Writing Screenplays That Sell by Michale Hauge (my copy of the book is from 1991, but I think there might be a newer edition). Although the book was written with movie characters in mind, I think it applies perfectly to book characters.

Talking about "identifying" with a character, the book says: "Identification with a character means that the audience, or reader, experiences emotion through that character. In other words, the audience puts itself inside the character emotionally to experience the story: if the character is in danger, the audience feels frightened; if the character suffers loss, the audience feels sad." (Page 44.)

The book then lists nine methods for establishing identification, in order of priority: (the words in bold are from the book; the commentary afterwards is my own summary of what the author says)

1. Create Sympathy for the Character. If the viewer, or reader, feels sorry for the character, it's almost guaranteed that they will identify with and relate to him.

2. Put the Character in Jeopardy. Get your readers to worry about the character.

3. Make the Character Likable. We're much more likely to identify with a character that we like and care about.

4. Introduce the Character as Soon as Possible. If the main protagonist isn't introduced until half-way through the story, we probably won't care about him as much as if he had been the first person we read about (or saw).

5. Show the Character in Touch with His Own Power. The author lists three forms of power that a character can have: (1) Power over other people. (2) Power to do whatever needs to be done, without hesitation. (3) Power to express one's feelings regardless of other's opinions.

6. Place the Character in a Familiar Setting. Think about it: would it be easier to relate to a character living in Medieval Scandinavia or the modern suburbs of North Carolina? Not that you can't create relatable characters in foreign or fantastical settings; it's just that it's easier to connect with what's familiar.

7. Give the Character Familiar Flaws and Foibles. Humans aren't perfect; characters shouldn't be perfect, either. We instantly identify with a character who has some of the mistakes and imperfections we see in ourselves. (This can help add humor to a story, too.)

8. The Superhero. Here the author talks about heroes like Superman, Indiana Jones, or James Bond, who may be nothing like ourselves; but we admire them, and somewhere deep in our subconsciousness, we want to be like them, too.

Now, I said there were nine, didn't I? Well, I think the ninth method relates more to screenplays than novels, and since it isn't nearly as important as the other eight (just in my opinion), we won't touch on it.

What about you? Do you agree with Michael Hauge's methods for making a relatable character? Do you identify with characters in books and movies that have these traits? And finally, would you add anything to this list?

I'm Back From the Dead!

2011-03-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

It's been over a month since my last post! I am truly sorry... while I haven't actually been dead, I HAVE been quite busy. I have lots of things I want to post about, though, and when I have the time, I intend to share all of it!

For now, keep pursuing the truth!
-Brianna

Messiah Movie Scheduled For Easter 2012!

2011-02-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

The Christian film group that I blogged about recently (In Jesus' Name Productions) is scheduling the release of their first film, The Messiah, for Easter 2012! How exciting! Once again, please keep them in your prayers!

You can follow INJP on Facebook at this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Jesus-Name-Productions/5799133068.

Book Review: Behold the Dawn

2011-01-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

I finished this book a few weeks ago, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite books that I've read over the last year. I thought I'd share my thoughts about it in a sort of bullet-point style...

General Info...

Title: Behold the Dawn
Author: K. M. Weiland
Genre: Novel, historical fiction
Setting: Europe / Holy Land during the King's Crusade

Thoughts...

* It has a gripping beginning; one that doesn't just capture you in the first sentence, but continues to draw you in during the remaining paragraph (and the paragraphs that follow it). As soon as I read the beginning, I was hooked. Here's the first paragraph so you can see for yourself:

"Marcus Annan had killed before. He had killed so many times he could no longer remember them all... so many times he had become inured to the ache of sorrow as he stared into the faces of the dead."

* The book "brings history to life", as the common saying goes. For me, reading it felt almost like living in that time period.

* The characters' responses to pain, injury, killing, death, and war in general felt very realistic, especially in consistency with the time period it was set in. It was refreshing to read this, as I have read many other books (especially fantasy books that had Medieval-like warfare) where this was not the case. In these books, there will often be kids who have never had any experience in war, and when they are suddenly thrust into some epic, brutal, fantasy warfare, and are wounded to some degree in battle, will then say: "Oh, it's just a scratch." Real people don't act like that!! *grips book and bangs it against the wall* Maybe if they had been an experienced war veteran of twenty plus years they would act like that, but that's different. HOWEVER, in Behold the Dawn, I found to my relief that the characters' treatment of war seemed believable. (At least, according to my limited knowledge of war!)

* I could tell the book was very researched. The author clearly understood her topic before she wrote about it.

* The book had substance; I felt like I was reading something that had been written a long time ago, even though the style was still quite consistent with modern-day trends. It seemed to me like the kind of book that people will still read and appreciate in one hundred years, (or longer); unlike some books that may perfectly fit the modern day style, may become ultra best-sellers, but then are totally forgotten in ten or twenty years. This novel, while still feeling completely modern, has the substance that will allow it to survive the passing of time, I believe, even when the trends of literature change.

* It has a good use of suspense, in the form of a secretive, mysterious past belonging to the protagonist. His past gets slowly revealed to us in bits and pieces as the story moves along, prompting us to keep reading to learn more.

* I like how the author expresses emotions in the novel. She uses physical actions of the characters to capture their emotions -- e.g. a jaw tightening, a spine straightening, a look in someone's eyes or the tone in their voice -- all expressed in a descriptive manner. (Something I realized I needed to use more in my own writing!)

* The characters feel very real; they behave in believable ways, and they're easy to relate to because they seem to act like real people.

* It had a satisfying ending. I didn't close the book feeling like there should have been more, like there should have been more story, such as a sequel or a series that followed it. I was content... everything was resolved, everything was concluded in a strong and agreeable way. (Although, it certainly did NOT end the way I expected it to! Let that just be a warning to future readers...) Anyway, in my opinion, it was a very well-done ending.

* And of course, an important point for Christians! The book has a powerful message of redemption that makes it worth reading, in of itself!

All that said, I have a word of caution: This book is not for young readers; there are some themes that are mature, although they are in no way inappropriate for older readers.

If you want to learn more about Behold the Dawn, check it out on K. M. Weiland's website:

http://www.kmweiland.com/books_BTD.php

Also, if you're a writer, you should check out K. M. Weiland's blog:

http://www.wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/. It is, honestly, the most helpful blog related to writing tips, techniques, and encouragement that I have come across!

Picture of the Month

2011-01-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

I just thought this looked kind of cool...

Poll Result

2011-01-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

I've had a kind of random poll on my blog for a number of months: "Who is your favorite Elf Lord from Curse of the Spider King?"

I thought you might be interested to know the results of the poll:

Tommy Bowman 0 (0%)
Autumn Briarman 1 (12%)
Johnny Briarman 1 (12%)
Jett Green 2 (25%)
Jimmy Gresham 2 (25%)
Kat Simonson 1 (12%)
Kiri Lee Yuen 1 (12%)
(Total votes: 8)

I found it a little surprising that Tommy got none of the vote (I think he was my second favorite). So, the winners are: Jett Green and Jimmy Gresham, in a tie.


If you want to learn more about the novel, Curse of the Spider King, visit: http://www.heedtheprophecies.com.

Jesus Doesn't JUST Love Us

2011-01-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

Jesus doesn't just

love

us. He has a

PASSION

for us, a passion that we could never

come close

to understanding.

If His love was the

UNIVERSE,

our most advanced understanding

of his love

would be like a

single atom

plucked out of space.

Our closest attempt at

describing

that love would be like scraping off the

surface of that atom

and expressing it in

song, words, images, our own behavior,

or other mediums.

Jesus doesn't just

love

us. His passion is greater than the

love of a groom for his bride

or the

love of a father for his child.

His love is the sacrificial kind of love,

the kind of love that would go through the

worst kind of torture

and the most painful type of death

for His beloved.

And this is exactly what He did: He died the most horrific type of death for

YOU.

Only someone who loved us with a love

far beyond

what we could ever understand

would make the sacrifice

that Jesus made for us.

JESUS DOESN'T JUST

LOVE

YOU.

JESUS

DIED

FOR YOU.

"Oh, Those Barbaric Europeans!" -- How Slavery Is Treated In Robinson Crusoe

2011-01-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Note: This is not a negative assessment of the entire book of Robinson Crusoe. I actually enjoyed the book very much. This is just a literary examination into on small topic addressed in the book: slavery.

It was the age of imperialism; the era of adventure, of exploring unknown worlds, and of building vast overseas empires that demonstrated the dominant power of Europe over the rest of the world. It was during this time period – the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries – that Robinson Crusoe, the classic novel by Daniel Defoe, was written, and consequently, when it was set. Here in this novel we see a queer attitude from the main character, Robinson Crusoe, that may have been reflective of the European culture at the time: the attitude toward slavery. Throughout the book, Crusoe seems to find it totally normal and natural to enslave men that are “beneath” him – in other words, the non-European “savages” of Africa and the Americas – but not to be enslaved by them.

The first indication that Crusoe has this attitude is toward the beginning of the novel, when he is taken captive by African pirates and made a slave for two years. It is clear that Crusoe does not enjoy his experience of being a slave, for he calls it “miserable” (page 17). This word obviously expresses his discomfort and displeasure of the situation, even though his master is not cruel to him.

He also says, “Here [while looking after my master's ship] I meditated nothing but my escape and what method I might take to effect it” (page 17). This quote shows that he was anxious and desperate to get out of this situation, as soon as possible. Certainly, one would assume that someone who was “miserable” (page 17) in slavery and constantly meditating of a way to escape it, would not – once freed from his captivity – ever support such inhumane practice again in his life. However, as it becomes apparent further on in the book, this is not the case.

Imperialism of Africa

Source: https://jspivey.wikispaces.com/Topic+3+Africa+Block+B

The second hint of Crusoe's feelings about slavery appears after he escapes from the Africans, with the help of a local boy named Xury. When his small boat is noticed and picked up by a Portuguese ship, the captain offers to buy Xury as a slave: “He [the captain] offered me also sixty pieces of eight more for my boy Xury, which I was loath to take; not that I was unwilling to let the captain have him, but I was very reluctant to sell the poor boy's liberty, who has assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own” (page 30).

At first glance of this quote, one might think that Crusoe hated to sell Xury into slavery because he had recently been a slave, and could not bear to put anyone else through that awful experience. However, upon looking at Crusoe's words more closely, one can see that he was not “unwilling to let the captain have him” (page 30). Or in other words, he was not opposed to the idea of selling Xury in general, but because Xury had “assisted [him] so faithfully” (page 30) in securing his own freedom, he did not want to remove that freedom from Xury. He his not opposed to slavery; Xury is just an exception. Crusoe's views about slavery have not been changed by his own time spent in slavery.

The fact that his views are the same is confirmed when, after he actually decides to sell Xury, he then owns a black slave in Brazil; and a few years later boards a ship bound to Africa to bring back more “negroe” slaves to South America! While he clearly dislikes being under the yoke of slavery, he seems to have no problem with administering the yoke of slavery over someone else.

17th Century European ship

Source: http://www.branchvillesoho.com/images/houlihan/houlihan.htm. By artist Ray Houlihan.

Many years later, the issue of slavery arises in the book again. Toward the end of Crusoe's twenty-plus-year exile on an uninhabited island, he finally comes in contact with other humans again. However, these humans are not the company he was hoping for; they are cannibals who occasionally visit the island to cook and eat their enemies. Crusoe eventually decides to rescue one of these cannibals' victims and make him his slave, so he will have both the company and someone to help him escape the island. Although his relationship with the native ends up becoming more like a servant-and-master rather than slave-and-master, it is the word “slave” that he uses beforehand in his plans.

As he considers carrying out his plan to acquire the slave, he says: “... I fancied myself able to manage one, nay, two or three savages, if I had them, so as to make them entirely slaves to me, to do whatever I should direct them, and to prevent their being able at any time to do me any harm” (page 188). This quote shows that he is completely unhesitant, and in fact eager, to make one – or even two or three – of the “savages” his slaves. This is partially in order to protect himself, but even if he did not need the protection, it is doubtful that he would have been any more hesitant to enslave the Carib natives.

Tropical island

Source: http://www.aboututila.com/AccomInfo/Sandy-Cay/

Crusoe's attitude in the book, which is probably just reflective of the common, European way of thinking in that day, seems to consist of treating less developed peoples like they are somehow inferior, and thus deserving of being made into slaves. It is almost as if he is saying, “Oh, those barbarians, those savages that are beneath us; let us make them into our slaves.” It is surprising that he does not realize how this ideology contradicts itself.

Owning, selling, and buying other human beings is just as barbaric as eating other human beings. Many Europeans did not realize it, but because they practiced slavery, they were no different than so-called savages in Africa and America; they just wore more clothes and were a little more advanced scientifically. In reality, they were no more advanced morally.

In the novel Robinson Crusoe, slavery is treated by the main character as a common, acceptable thing for non-European “savages” to be subjected to, but an undesirable and unnatural thing for Europeans. This opinion is revealed by Crusoe's desperation to escape slavery in Africa, which shows that he does not enjoy being under the yoke of slavery himself; followed by his failure to even think twice about putting other people into slavery afterwards. This possibly mirrors the culture of Europe in that day, of which Crusoe – and the author of the book, Daniel Defoe – were only products of.

Although Europeans thought of themselves as somewhat superior to, and exalted over, much of the rest of the world, their own pride during the age of imperialism was what truly brought them down to the level of the “lowest” civilizations in the world.

Note: All page numbers are from the Focus on the Family edition of Robinson Crusoe; Focus on the Family Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO, 1997.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you might also enjoy:

* America's Crash: The Prediction of the Great Gatsby

* What Is Courage? -- According to the Red Badge of Courage, Parts One & Two

* How Puritans Are Portrayed in the Scarlet Letter: And Why It's Important Today

What Should I Blog About Next?

2010-12-30T16:21:00.000-08:00

These are three titles of blog posts that I'm considering on putting up. Which would you, my dear readers, be most interested in reading?

* "Those Barbaric Europeans!" -- How Slavery is Treated in Robinson Crusoe

* Elections Volunteering: My Thoughts on the Experience

* A Third Great Awakening?

I may or may not write all three of these; I just wanted to know which you'd be most interested in, possibly to do first.

Over and out,
Brianna

Picture of the Month

2010-12-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Meow-y Christmas!

Consider This

2010-12-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-8 (NIV)

If there was someone who was suffering, experiencing some sort of terrible, unthinkable pain, or perhaps they were about to die; and there was some way you could save them, would you?

I can't imagine anyone in their right mind who wouldn't answer yes. Who wouldn't? God has instilled the desire deep inside the human heart to help others who are suffering. You may not think of yourself as being very compassionate, but ponder this: Would you not inwardly detest the sight of another human being in pain? Even if you couldn't help them yourselves, or didn't particularly desire to help them yourselves, you would at least hope that someone else would help them. You would just hate to think of them staying in that miserable condition.

Consider this: If you could save someone from pain or death, and there was absolutely no inconvenience or trouble on your part to do it, would you? (I mean that to its truest sense: absolutely none at all, not even the faintest, faintest hint of inconvenience or trouble; in a way that probably doesn't even exist in real life.)

Of course you would! Probably even the least compassionate person would jump at the opportunity.

Now let's change things a little: What if you could save someone from pain or death, but it would come with a price? There would be sacrifice involved?

Some people might still jump and say "Yes", but most people would want to first know -- and rightly so -- what level of sacrifice would be required. Is it just a little sacrifice? Then perhaps. Is it a big sacrifice?

Hmm... I might need to think that one over, they'd say.

You see, humans are wired to care about each other, but because we're in a fallen world and we have a sin nature, that desire to help has limitations. We will only go so far. We are only willing to sacrifice so much. If we are given a clear cut option to either care for ourselves, or to care for someone else, our flesh is much more likely to care about ourselves. I'm not saying that sin nature can not be conquered through God's help; I'm just saying it's a simple fact about our behavior.

Now, let's change the situation again. What if you could save someone from pain or death, but there was great sacrifice involved. Say, the sacrifice involved enduring the worst form of pain and suffering in the history of the world. And, to top all that, the person didn't even deserve to be saved! Let's also say that the only reason you're doing this is on the basis of love, even though the person doesn't love you at all. They may not even like you. Would you do it?

I can't imagine anyone in their right mind who would.

Maybe deep inside, we wish we would. We may secretly desire to be that heroic. But what human in their own power could make such an unimaginable sacrifice?

This is exactly what Paul was talking about in Romans 5, when he said, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die." We might be able to imagine sacrificing something very valuable -- maybe even our lives -- for someone who deserved it. But could we die for Hitler? Kublai Khan? Queen Mary? Fidel Castro? Because we loved them?

But this is what Jesus did for us: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." No one could make the sacrifice I outlined above -- enduring the worst suffering in the world for someone who didn't deserve it -- except for God Himself. Can you imagine what sort of love He must have for us, to die for us in the way He did, when we didn't even deserve it? Not only is it a love that no human has, does, or ever will possess; it is a love that no human was, is, or ever will be able to comprehend. It is a love that is beyond us; something we could never grasp.

How amazing to think that that is the love God has for us.

God... Love

2010-12-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

"The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water."

- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Adventure Books

2010-12-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, I sure have been blogging a lot today. :-)

I'm trying to get points for a contest I'm in. Here are some books written by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper, in case you just so happen to be a poor miserable soul looking for good books to read. You want to read some epic adventures? Something on this list will satisfy your hunger, I GUARANTEE IT.

Click on the pictures to see the books on Amazon.com!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

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&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;gt;

Good News About Obamacare

2010-12-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

There is a fight going on right now in the legal system to decide whether or not Obama's health care law is constitutional. Multiple lawsuits have sprung up against the national government, saying that it has gone too far. The specific portion of the health care bill that has been attacked as unconstitutional is its provision that citizens HAVE to buy the government-run health insurance, or else pay a penalty... in the form of a fine or jail time!

One such lawsuit has been filed in Virginia. The Virginia attorney general, Kenneth Cuccinelli, is pressing a new state law that would prohibit the government from forcing Viriginian residents to buy the health insurance. Here's the good news: a federal judge, Henry E. Hudson, recently sided with Cuccinelli, declaring that the health care law is unconstitutional. He is the first federal judge to strike down the health care law in this way.

Officials in the Obama administration say that this would have no impact on the health care law, because important parts of it don't take effect until 2014. Other people disagree with the administration's claim, such as Greta Van Susteren from Fox News.

Read more at this link: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fed-judge-rules-in-favor-of-va-hc-law-challenge/.

Narnia's Box Office Results

2010-12-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

So, disappointingly, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader didn't do as well as I had hoped. It only made half the profits they were expecting on the opening weekend. But, at least it landed Number One in the list of the box office's top ten movies, scoring way ahead of The Tourist (some movie with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie), Tangled, and Harry Potter!

Read all about it here: http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/12/12/box-office-report-december-10-12/

Prayer Alert: A Christian Film Group

2010-12-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

How interesting that my last two posts were about Christian movies, considering what I have to say now! Well, to continue in that theme, there's a Christian film group like I'd like to introduce to you. Their name is In Jesus' Name Productions. They have not produced any films yet, but they are beginning a major, major project called "The Messiah", a movie about Jesus. From what I understand, they are planning on a big budget. This group has an awesome mission to make quality, evangelistic, Christian films (you should check them out!).

If you ever think of them, please pray for the film group and for their project "The Messiah", because I'm sure they are entering major spiritual warfare just by deciding to make such a movie. Pray for their protection from spiritual attack, and that God will provide the funds and the means necessary to create a film that will make an impact for His kingdom. Wow! How exciting it will be to see this movie come out some years down the road.

Thoughts On Watching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-12-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

I just got back from watching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. (Warning: This post has one minor spoiler. If you've read the book, though, you would already know this.) It was good; please watch it, for the reasons outlined in the previous post! I thought there were only two negative things about it: First, the extra "evil" force they added in to the story (which was totally necessary for the movie, I think; the original plot was plenty sufficient for a book, but it did need a little something as a movie) was sort of cheesily done. It came in the form of an ominous "green mist". O_o

Second, they named the island where this evil originates (the island was unnamed in the book) the "Dark Island", which I thought was also a little cheesy. Anytime a fantasy story contains something that begins with "the Dark", I think it's a little cheesy... the Dark One, the Dark Forest, the Dark Knight, etc. It was cool when the first few people did it, but it's becoming quite a cliche.

Other than these two things, however, the movie was really well-done. It stuck very close to the book -- much closer than Prince Caspian did! A lot of the events happened somewhat out of order, but I think it still stuck as close to the book as it could while still being a good movie.

Most importantly, (and especially most importantly to Christians!) the movie maintained the two most crucial parts of the book: the points that referenced to Christianity. The first was Eustace's description of how Aslan turned him back from a dragon to a boy (there's your spoiler), which a Christian would recognize, once they heard it, as an analogy of what happens when you become a Christian.

The second was when Aslan told Lucy and Edmund that he has another name in our world, and that they must learn him by that name; and that in fact, the entire reason he had sent them to Narnia was so that they might learn him a little there, in order to know him even better in our world. What is not said, but what the readers (or in this case viewers) are meant to figure out, is that his other name is JESUS.

Once again, please watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader... and tell everyone you know to watch it, too!

Should I Watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

2010-12-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

It's a question you may be asking yourself: "Should I watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?" I would argue YES -- especially if you're a Christian -- and not just because it's a great fantasy adventure, with awesome action scenes and special effects, (which I'm sure it is), but because Christians need to send the message to the film world that WE WANT THEM TO MAKE MORE CHRISTIAN MOVIES.

Here's the deal.

Apparently, about half a decade ago Disney and Walden Media realized there were a lot of Christians in America. They realized that if they geared a film toward a Christian audience, they could make a lot of money. So, they came out with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005. (These are my assumptions, but I can't imagine they had any other reasons.) The movie was a hit; it grossed almost $300 million, with the production budget at $180 million.

But then when the sequel, Prince Caspian, came out in 2008, many Christians were frustrated with small things in the movie. There was an added, unnecessary romance. There were a lot of changes made to the main story line, because the book did not translate as easily to the movie screen as the first book had. Because of this, so many people refused to watch or support the film that -- according to narniaweb.com -- it ended up grossing only half the amount of money that was expected.

Then, the third film was produced: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This time, Disney was not involved in the production of the movie, and there was also a new director. Also according to narniaweb.com, the makers of the Narnia movies are NOT GOING TO CONTINUE THE SERIES if this movie does not turn out well. In other words, if this ends up being another "Prince Caspian", so to speak, and it does not make much money, there will be no more Narnia movies. If it does make a lot of money, however... the series will continue.

It's up to you. Do you want Walden Media to keep making Narnia movies?

Then watch The Dawn Treader.

Do you want Walden Media to stop making Narnia movies?

Then don't watch The Dawn Treader.

But I think this means even more than that. The Narnia movies were a test; a test to see how successful a Christian movie would be. Do you want the people in the film industry to realize that a Christian film CAN in fact be successful?

Then watch The Dawn Treader.

Do you want them to believe that producing a film geared toward Christians is a waste of their time and money?

Then don't watch The Dawn Treader.

If you believe these things... if you want there to be more Narnia movies, and you want there to be more high-budget Christian movies, then don't just stop with watching it yourself. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Please, spread the word to anyone else who believes the same!

And please don't wait... it's the money they make on the opening weekend that matters the most. So get out there this December 10 and watch THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER!

Picture of the Month

2010-11-29T17:17:00.000-08:00

Cleaning up after Thanksgiving dinner!

Prayer Alert

2010-11-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

You all have probably heard that North Korea attacked South Korea a few days ago. Apparently, North Korea has been doing "little" things like this to South Korea for the last 50 years, but this attack is one of the worst ones they've had so far. In the recent attack, civilians were actually targeted and two were killed, causing outrage in South Korea.

There is a fear that this conflict could escalate to the point where other nations would come to either North or South Korea's aid, which would be extremely, extremely dangerous, possibly leading to global war. If you are a Christian, please pray that this situation will not reach that point, and that this conflict will be resolved peacefully. We are in a delicate situation.

Also, please pray for the Christians in both North and South Korea. From what I understand, there is a strong presence in South Korea; I've heard that they have the largest Christian church in the world, the largest creation science institute in the world, and a heavy "export" of missionaries, so to speak. I don't know how strong the Christian presence is in North Korea, but I know that however many Christians are there are persecuted brutally. I once read a statistic that said North Korea has the worst persecution of Christians in the world. (What a stark contrast between the two nations of Korea!) Please pray for their protection, as well.

If you want to read more about the situation in Korea, see these links:

http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/south-korea-buries-dead-vows-revenge-on-north/19734839

http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/china-calls-for-emergency-meeting-on-korea-tensions/19735284

The Art and History of WRITING In 10 Minutes

2010-11-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

Tick, Tick, Tick!

Writing is an important part of our world. From its earliest beginnings in Africa and the Middle East, to its influence on the thoughts, feelings, and actions of countless individuals throughout history and today, it has played a vital part in shaping and defining the world we know. Among the vast varieties of styles, techniques, and genres of writing, exists an art that many love and are proud to call their vocation.

HISTORY

The first writing originated in Egypt and Sumer, although it cannot be stated for sure which place is credited with truly being first. The oldest Sumerian and Egyptian scripts have both been dated around 3200 B.C. Sumerian writing was called cuneiform, from the Latin word "cuneus" (wedge), because it was made up of wedge-shaped marks, formed by a sharply cut reed that was pressed in wet clay. The other early form of writing was Egyptian picture writing, known as hieroglyphs. This was eventually written on papyrus, an early kind of paper. The last of early civilizations to develop writing was China, circa 1600 B.C.

Cuneiform

Hieroglyphs

The next most significant advancement in writing, after it was invented, was the move to a phonetic system. This began with the Phoenicians in the 15th century B.C. It was further developed and expanded by the Greeks, Romans, Muslims, and many others for their respective languages. The Roman alphabet became what we use today in English.

Phoenician alphabet

In early Medieval Europe, books were expensive and written by hand by a trained scribe; usually a monk. At first, all books were written in Latin, but then people began writing in common tongues. In the 1400s, a German named Johann Gutenberg first invented the printing press. His invention changed the world; especially the world of writing. People who could never afford books suddenly could. Ideas traveled faster and more cheaply.

A printing press

In the early 1600s, the book Don Quixote was written by Miguel de Cervantes in Spain. Although not all scholars agree, many identify it as the first modern novel. Don Quixote inspired writers to write adventure novels, paving the way for authors like Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Twain, and innumerable others.

Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes

ART

Modern writing techniques differ according to the type of writing. In a short story, for an example, there should be a small handful of characters that are developed rapidly, a simple subject that lets the story take place in a brief amount of time, and a strong, satisfactory ending. By contrast, a novel typically has a more complex plot and a wide variety of characters. Good, well-developed characters are vital to the success of any story, but especially to a novel. According to The Everything Creative Writing Book by Carol Whitely, "Three-dimensional, intriguing, standout characters can make or break a novel."¹

Poetry has its own set of rules when it comes to writing; in fact, the main rule of poetry is that it has no rules. Rather, it is written and defined however a poet wants to write or define it. Typically, however, poetry is written in lines, and falls under one of three major types: descriptive or dramatic, which describes a scene, sound, person, or feeling; narrative, which tells a story; and lyric, which expresses personal feelings and thoughts. Some techniques used in poetry include alliteration, allusion, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, and simile.

Nonfictional writing can be just as creative as fictional writing, although it has some of its own rules. For an example, research is one of the most important aspects of nonfiction, especially functional nonfiction like letters to the editor, reviews, opinion pieces, and advertisement or marketing materials. At the same time, nonfiction can be made stronger with many of the same techniques as fiction, such as personification, similes and metaphors, dialog and description. Nonfiction can also by strengthened by making it relevant to the reader, adding intrigue, writing with passion and emotion, and including interesting, unusual information.

Writing is a vast subject and cannot be adequately covered in a short amount of space. However, it only takes a brief glance at its art and history to see its importance in our world.

Note to fellow writers --> Recommended reading: The Everything Creative Writing Book by Carol Whitely!

Footnote:

1 Whiteley, Carol. The Everything Creative Writing Book. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2002, page 32

Other sources consulted:

* Burch, Joann Johansen. Fine Print: A Story About Johann Gutenberg. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1991

* Carr, Karen, Dr. "Medieval Literature." 21 October 2010. http://www.histo

ryforkids.org/learn/medieval/literature/

* "History of Writing." http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistori

es.asp?historyid=ab33
* "Who Was the First Person to Write a Modern Novel?"

com/history-fact-finder/culture-recreation/who-was-first-person-write

-modern-novel> (accessed 13 November 2010)

I'm confused...

2010-11-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

When I'm on my dashboard, it says I have 20 followers. Then, when I click on the list of followers on my dashboard -- or if I look at the follower list on my blog -- it says I have 19 followers. So... how many do I have?