What kind of movie are you making here anyway?
Posted in Christopher Guest, Hannah's post, Harmony Korine, Life Is A Cinema, Macklemore, Movie, poo, Star Wars, This is Spinal Tap 2 comments
I quote and reference movies a lot. Usually at inappropriate times and typically the quotes are from Star Wars, Drop Dead Gorgeous, really bad horror and pretty much all of Christopher Guest movies. Why? Cause just like Nigel Tufnel's amp in This is Spinal Tap, I go to eleven, guys.
I don't want to be some kind of brash, loud, all-up-in-yo'-face type of person, but I don't think I've been given the luxury to always remain quiet and calm either. Job 32:18-19 says, "For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst."
Sometimes it feels like there's a riot inside me and when God starts talking to my spirit, you better believe I'm going to talk about it. I would be a jerk not to share what God is doing.
And what is God doing? Last week I wrote about 1 Samuel 17, how David carried the head of the slain Goliath around with him, and how it's about time we believers start telling others, showing the gore, per say, and yelling, "Look what God has done!!"
The whole idea of storytelling made me think of my favorite films and then a question arose: If your life was a movie, would you pay to see it? Believers, would you want to watch your story? Or would it be one of those movies that looks alright, but just sits in your Netflix queue?
I can't think of the whole, "Your life as a movie" without listening to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' amazing song, Life Is Cinema. By round two of the song, I was on the floor, before my God, straight up ugly crying. Like the Steel Magnolia's, "Shelby, don't be stupid" kind of ugly crying. (Don't pretend you haven't been there, haters. God gets real when you quit telling Him when and where He is allowed to speak to you.)
I am not going to post that song here, because it has legit dirty words and ya'll are still real into pretending that your life movie doesn't occasionally feature the f-bomb. But I will post some of that lyrical truth, and then remind you that truth is truth, regardless of the source.
In this life you have few absolutes or guarantees. And let me be the first to tell you that the poo-wielding monkey flings without discretion. If you live in this world you are covered up and surrounded in it too! We are all trying to figure how to deal with the crap that's been thrown at us. The difference is we believers are supposed to take this conflict and make a story out of it worth sharing.
Believers, we have got to step back and look at what our faith looks like to others. We should call our movie: Christians Living like Christians. It will star Kirk Cameron, show how we love to shop at discount stores for things we don't need, and will teach the proper ways to land a stellar side hug.
Is that what we want to be known for? What victory are you celebrating?
Christians, we are the worlds worst directors and biggest critics. We complain, compare and condemn everything that doesn't fit into our boxes of acceptable, when it is those very boxes that are holding us back from being real, relevant, and redeemed. We spend all this time and effort reaching out to a world that no longer wants to hear our message, because our lives look like they were directed by Harmony Korine.
We wade through the same monkey poo and life struggles as everyone else, but insist we're still sparkling fresh, like some wholesome ABC family Original. Believers, we might be edited for Hallmark channel, but our lives are no better than Showgirls. (You should not watch that one, by the way. It's horrible.)
Guys, we are turning people away in droves. Have you been on Facebook lately? Egads. We are the meanest and most confusing people on the internet. We are known for ours self-inflicted scars, terrors we've caused, and the answers for things that no one is questioning. Is it any wonder why no one wants to see our masterpiece?
Let's have real talk: Our movie sucks and we're blaming everyone else in the industry for it. We're a group of people pretending to be pretty for Jesus, pandering some sad story and suing when people don't like our characters.
We are trying to sell a black and white film, on a VHS format, to a world that can get the same story line, with better actors, a solid soundtrack, streaming for free and now featured in 3D.
Obi Wan Kenobi says in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, "You want to go home and rethink your life." And you do. You really do. I want you to take a moment and and get inside the actors studio. Get candid about what kind of movie you are making in your life and ask yourself if you would watch that stinker? Cause, right now, I don't know if I've got enough character or content for a reality series, forget the big picture. Guys, I don't think E! would even air this hot mess.
We are not the directors, not even the lead actors, we are mere bit part players, big pretenders and possibly the editors of something that will glorify the Lord, but only if we follow where He leads.
Let's pray, I suggest Psalm 25:4-5, and ask God to direct us. Let's seek the Father, get out of this filth and find the direction to make our lives films that would be worth watching.
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| This one goes to eleven. |
I don't want to be some kind of brash, loud, all-up-in-yo'-face type of person, but I don't think I've been given the luxury to always remain quiet and calm either. Job 32:18-19 says, "For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst."
Sometimes it feels like there's a riot inside me and when God starts talking to my spirit, you better believe I'm going to talk about it. I would be a jerk not to share what God is doing.
And what is God doing? Last week I wrote about 1 Samuel 17, how David carried the head of the slain Goliath around with him, and how it's about time we believers start telling others, showing the gore, per say, and yelling, "Look what God has done!!"
The whole idea of storytelling made me think of my favorite films and then a question arose: If your life was a movie, would you pay to see it? Believers, would you want to watch your story? Or would it be one of those movies that looks alright, but just sits in your Netflix queue?
I can't think of the whole, "Your life as a movie" without listening to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' amazing song, Life Is Cinema. By round two of the song, I was on the floor, before my God, straight up ugly crying. Like the Steel Magnolia's, "Shelby, don't be stupid" kind of ugly crying. (Don't pretend you haven't been there, haters. God gets real when you quit telling Him when and where He is allowed to speak to you.)
I am not going to post that song here, because it has legit dirty words and ya'll are still real into pretending that your life movie doesn't occasionally feature the f-bomb. But I will post some of that lyrical truth, and then remind you that truth is truth, regardless of the source.
"Humble me, give me a conflict, a hardship, let me break through this cementGuys, the world is an enraged, in-caged monkey, throwing heaps of defecation right in your direction. Sure, that'll make a hilarious video on YouTube, but I want my life to be more than just a blurb about a zoo fail that went viral. I want my story to be an award-winning, possible sob-inducing, life-changing cinema lived victoriously for my Savior. Can I get an "Amen!?"
They're gonna be so disappointed when they roll the credits in
I realized that my movie sucked and I was the only one that could edit it."
In this life you have few absolutes or guarantees. And let me be the first to tell you that the poo-wielding monkey flings without discretion. If you live in this world you are covered up and surrounded in it too! We are all trying to figure how to deal with the crap that's been thrown at us. The difference is we believers are supposed to take this conflict and make a story out of it worth sharing.
Believers, we have got to step back and look at what our faith looks like to others. We should call our movie: Christians Living like Christians. It will star Kirk Cameron, show how we love to shop at discount stores for things we don't need, and will teach the proper ways to land a stellar side hug.
Is that what we want to be known for? What victory are you celebrating?
Christians, we are the worlds worst directors and biggest critics. We complain, compare and condemn everything that doesn't fit into our boxes of acceptable, when it is those very boxes that are holding us back from being real, relevant, and redeemed. We spend all this time and effort reaching out to a world that no longer wants to hear our message, because our lives look like they were directed by Harmony Korine.
We wade through the same monkey poo and life struggles as everyone else, but insist we're still sparkling fresh, like some wholesome ABC family Original. Believers, we might be edited for Hallmark channel, but our lives are no better than Showgirls. (You should not watch that one, by the way. It's horrible.)
Guys, we are turning people away in droves. Have you been on Facebook lately? Egads. We are the meanest and most confusing people on the internet. We are known for ours self-inflicted scars, terrors we've caused, and the answers for things that no one is questioning. Is it any wonder why no one wants to see our masterpiece?
Let's have real talk: Our movie sucks and we're blaming everyone else in the industry for it. We're a group of people pretending to be pretty for Jesus, pandering some sad story and suing when people don't like our characters.
We are trying to sell a black and white film, on a VHS format, to a world that can get the same story line, with better actors, a solid soundtrack, streaming for free and now featured in 3D.
Obi Wan Kenobi says in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, "You want to go home and rethink your life." And you do. You really do. I want you to take a moment and and get inside the actors studio. Get candid about what kind of movie you are making in your life and ask yourself if you would watch that stinker? Cause, right now, I don't know if I've got enough character or content for a reality series, forget the big picture. Guys, I don't think E! would even air this hot mess.
We are not the directors, not even the lead actors, we are mere bit part players, big pretenders and possibly the editors of something that will glorify the Lord, but only if we follow where He leads.
Let's pray, I suggest Psalm 25:4-5, and ask God to direct us. Let's seek the Father, get out of this filth and find the direction to make our lives films that would be worth watching.
2 comments:
What a wonderful word, Hannah! For WAY too long our movies have been squeaky clean and self-righteous, when our REAL lives were anything but! As you said, it's time to get real, relevant, and REDEEMED!
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