It's been nearly two months since I've posted here. I guess my "excuse" could be summed up with, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
It's been a bit of a rough patch for me since my last post. Nothing major, just a lot of little things that have added up. A necessary but bittersweet break from the film. Friends and family facing personal struggles that I am helpless to do anything about other than pray. My annual bout of Pre-Christmas Blues. Major rifts in some cherished relationships. Painful health issues that are taking their sweet time healing.
Yeah, I know. I hear you. You're sending some cheese to go with my whine. (I prefer Colby-Jack or a nice Brie, just in case you're interested) ;)
Truthfully, I'm not whining. I'm not complaining. EVERYONE has pain. I get it. I'm cool with it.
Throughout it all there has been an underlying Peace. You know, the One That Passes All Understanding. I know that this too shall pass. God is meeting me at each and every broken place. It's a beautiful thing.
I only share my obstacles because I can't share what is helping me deal without sharing them in the first place.
While I'm not a musician (yet), I have always enjoyed music. Music reaches us in places we can't begin to fathom:
Its language is a language which the soul
alone understands,
but which the soul can never translate.
~ Arnold Bennett (1867 - 1931) ~
I'd like to share with you a list of songs that help heal me, encourage me, support me, inspire me, comfort me, strengthen me, and continue to minister to me through tough moments. Here they are, in no particular order:
Whatever You're Doing by Sanctus Real
** This song has been KEY for me.
"Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly"
That's What Faith Can Do by Kutless
"Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining"
Hold On by Toby Mac
"If you can hold on,
to the one that's holding you
there is nothing that can
stop this crazy love
from breaking through"
Get Back Up by Toby Mac
"We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you will shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever"
Before the Morning by Josh Wilson
"So hold on you gotta wait for the light
press on and just fight the good fight
'cause the pain that you've been feeling
is just the dark before the morning"
Sometimes He Calms the Storm by Scott Krippayne
"Sometimes he calms the storm
and other times he calms his child"
The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says 'do not be afraid!'"
While I'm Waiting by John Waller
"I'm waiting, I'm waiting on you Lord
and I am hopeful, I'm waiting on you Lord
though it is painful, I'm waiting on you Lord"
Rise by David Wilcox
** Okay, if you've never heard of David Wilcox (American, not Canadian), YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
"I know that a heart can just get buried
Stone by stone, crushing hope until it dies
Far away, but the message somehow carries
Beloved, it is time for you to rise."
Blessed Be Your Name by Tree 63
"Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in Lord still I will say"
Move Along by The All-American Rejects
"when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through"
Our God by Chris Tomlin
** OF COURSE I would have a Chris Tomlin song on here. Don't you know me at all? :)
"Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God"
Healing Hand of God by Jeremy Camp
"Taste and see the fullness of His peace,
And hold on to what's being held out.
The healing hand of God"
He Will Carry Me by Mark Schultz
"And even though I'm walkin' through
The valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me"
What songs minister to you?
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Father Knows Best
Currently I am juggling two big (for me) writing projects. First of all I am working on my first film for Talk Your Legg Off Productions. (http://talkyourleggoff.com) Secondly I am co-writing our church's Christmas program. I've been plugging away at them for some time now, but recently I had another idea for Talk Your Legg Off. It's a speech I've had in my head for a few years now but haven't had the occasion (okay, the deadline) to sit down and put it all together.
I've wondered for a few weeks about slipping this speech in as my first official TYLO project. It would be easier on all counts -- to write, to film, to edit, to post. It's a speech, right? How hard could that be to film and edit? The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. That would be an excellent way to get my feet wet and get myself "out there" in preparation for the bigger idea. This all made a lot of sense to me.
However, it's been my experience that whatever path makes the most common sense is usually the least likely to be the path God wants.
Earlier in the week I had agreed to come up with a name for the main character for the Christmas program. While going through my book one name struck me more than any other -- Amos. I knew I was supposed to use the name Amos, although as a first or last name I didn't know. I finally settled on Amos Duke. Amos means "burden" and Duke means "leader." A burdened leader is exactly who this character is, and so I intended to see what Jeff and Tom thought about it, although I hadn't quite made it that far yet.
Saturday afternoon I got pretty discouraged about the film when I realized my software wasn't going to do all I needed it to do. This means I've got to research other software, be sure my computer will handle it, make sure it's compatible with my camera, make sure it does all the things I may ever need it to do, etc and so on.
This is less than an exciting prospect. Did I ever mention to you that I am completely a techno-idiot? I don't KNOW what I need, and I don't know enough to know what I need to know but don't know. UGH! I'd rather go to the dentist than try to figure all this out. Too much for my little brain to handle. Total overwhelm. Hyperventilation hadn't started yet but I could feel the panic rising.
Deep down I suspected that my desire to stick this speech into my schedule was my own way of (not) dealing with my technology issues. "This will be easy to do, and when I accomplish this I'll feel better about myself and then I'll be able to tackle the film." Makes sense, right? Right! Someone explain that to God for me, please.
Saturday night I asked the Lord to provide me with some guidance. "Lord, if you want me to do the speech first, give me some fresh insights for it." Then I went to bed, expecting to hear something from the Lord, probably at church the next morning.
Oftentimes I get ideas during our minister's sermons. Something he says triggers a thought, which triggers something else. This sermon was no exception, just not in the way I planned.
Craig started relating a story about when he was in bible college and was visiting a family for supper. When the meal was over the father got his bible and started to thumb through it. "I didn't know what was going on there," Craig said. "Gonna read something from the book of Amos tonight, I don't know."
Wait. What did he just say? Of all the things he could have said, he mentioned the name Amos. In a sermon. When is the last time you heard the name Amos in a sermon that wasn't based on the book of Amos? When is the last time you heard a sermon from the book of Amos? Coincidence? Nope. I've been around enough to know that was a God-incidence. God was confirming to me to hang in there with the Christmas program. Oh, and that I was on the right track with the name.
It wasn't until after church was over that I got confirmation on the TYLO film. That confirmation was even cooler that the first one, but...I can't tell you about it right now. If I do, it will give away too much about the the film and it will ruin it for you.
Believe me, I am DYING to tell you because it is SO COMPLETELY COOL, but rest assured, after the film comes out (whenever that may be) I will share the story. Hang tight.
The important thing, though, is that I didn't get ANYTHING for the speech. God was confirming what I secretly suspected all along but wasn't thrilled to hear -- stay with the two big projects I have going and quit messing around with the little stuff. Maybe later He'll let me film the speech, but for now, let's stick with what we have going already.
And I am completely cool with that. It took a sermon, and other God-incidences, on Father's Day to remind me that He does, in fact, know best.
PS -- I'm looking into purchasing software similar to what our worship minister uses. If it's what I need, I'll have my very own live Help Desk. That is DEFINITELY a good thing.
I've wondered for a few weeks about slipping this speech in as my first official TYLO project. It would be easier on all counts -- to write, to film, to edit, to post. It's a speech, right? How hard could that be to film and edit? The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. That would be an excellent way to get my feet wet and get myself "out there" in preparation for the bigger idea. This all made a lot of sense to me.
However, it's been my experience that whatever path makes the most common sense is usually the least likely to be the path God wants.
Earlier in the week I had agreed to come up with a name for the main character for the Christmas program. While going through my book one name struck me more than any other -- Amos. I knew I was supposed to use the name Amos, although as a first or last name I didn't know. I finally settled on Amos Duke. Amos means "burden" and Duke means "leader." A burdened leader is exactly who this character is, and so I intended to see what Jeff and Tom thought about it, although I hadn't quite made it that far yet.
Saturday afternoon I got pretty discouraged about the film when I realized my software wasn't going to do all I needed it to do. This means I've got to research other software, be sure my computer will handle it, make sure it's compatible with my camera, make sure it does all the things I may ever need it to do, etc and so on.
This is less than an exciting prospect. Did I ever mention to you that I am completely a techno-idiot? I don't KNOW what I need, and I don't know enough to know what I need to know but don't know. UGH! I'd rather go to the dentist than try to figure all this out. Too much for my little brain to handle. Total overwhelm. Hyperventilation hadn't started yet but I could feel the panic rising.
Deep down I suspected that my desire to stick this speech into my schedule was my own way of (not) dealing with my technology issues. "This will be easy to do, and when I accomplish this I'll feel better about myself and then I'll be able to tackle the film." Makes sense, right? Right! Someone explain that to God for me, please.
Saturday night I asked the Lord to provide me with some guidance. "Lord, if you want me to do the speech first, give me some fresh insights for it." Then I went to bed, expecting to hear something from the Lord, probably at church the next morning.
Oftentimes I get ideas during our minister's sermons. Something he says triggers a thought, which triggers something else. This sermon was no exception, just not in the way I planned.
Craig started relating a story about when he was in bible college and was visiting a family for supper. When the meal was over the father got his bible and started to thumb through it. "I didn't know what was going on there," Craig said. "Gonna read something from the book of Amos tonight, I don't know."
Wait. What did he just say? Of all the things he could have said, he mentioned the name Amos. In a sermon. When is the last time you heard the name Amos in a sermon that wasn't based on the book of Amos? When is the last time you heard a sermon from the book of Amos? Coincidence? Nope. I've been around enough to know that was a God-incidence. God was confirming to me to hang in there with the Christmas program. Oh, and that I was on the right track with the name.
It wasn't until after church was over that I got confirmation on the TYLO film. That confirmation was even cooler that the first one, but...I can't tell you about it right now. If I do, it will give away too much about the the film and it will ruin it for you.
Believe me, I am DYING to tell you because it is SO COMPLETELY COOL, but rest assured, after the film comes out (whenever that may be) I will share the story. Hang tight.
The important thing, though, is that I didn't get ANYTHING for the speech. God was confirming what I secretly suspected all along but wasn't thrilled to hear -- stay with the two big projects I have going and quit messing around with the little stuff. Maybe later He'll let me film the speech, but for now, let's stick with what we have going already.
And I am completely cool with that. It took a sermon, and other God-incidences, on Father's Day to remind me that He does, in fact, know best.
PS -- I'm looking into purchasing software similar to what our worship minister uses. If it's what I need, I'll have my very own live Help Desk. That is DEFINITELY a good thing.
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