Okay so those of you who know me for any length of time...know that I am like a big pile of poop. Flies swarm around me.
Specifically... flies of the SPIRITUAL WARFARE sort.
They find me.
I do not seek them out.
There was a long heartbreaking battle with an elder board over false teaching seeping into our old church...a battle initiated by the revelation of unbiblical instruction being sought & taught and unbiblical methods being employed by some in leadership.
There was a time when false teaching seeped into our home-fellowship and swayed our dear friends away from Biblically sound doctrine and practice.
The time when this false teaching landed smack in the middle of our home-schooling circle of relationships.
Recent times when the same issue is making it's presence known in a faith community I am involved with here in L.A. (not church.)
Very recent times where I am being asked to endorse through my writing...projects I simply cannot endorse and so I pass on "opportunities" in the professional world.
There is more. You get the point. It seems I am often being asked to deal with SPIRITUAL WARFARE stuff.
The enemy is crafty. He is patient. He waits. Patiently.
A while back...I wrote....
this post
I have said it before and I will say it again...I am not going to pursue acting. There is no way in heCk I am going to run around town getting all stressed out about my muffin top or crows feet while sizing up the competition in a roomful of desperate pre-menopausal hopefuls.
Not an idol. Not happening.
If the Lord wants me to act...He will bring opportunities.
If something falls in to my lap...of course...I will consider.
Not very realistic, I know...but my God is big and He does all sorts of miraculous things all the time.
And...we are doing our own stuff. Stuff I am glad to be in.
So....cut to the chase....a friend asks me to be in a project. I say, "Yes." It was fun shooting it. In and out. Simple. No biggie.
Out of the blue...months later...I get an e-mail from his friend, a director, telling me that she'd like me to play a role in a series she is doing. I am surprised. What?????? Really?????? I tell her I will read the script and get back to her.
I take a look at her website. She's talented. She's done some good work. The script is good.
It deals with supernatural things. People who see things...have visions...etc.
My character would be a sympathetic psychic who communes with dead people and teaches others how to do so.
I call up the director and tell her how humbled I am that she offered me the role. How good the writing is. And that I wish her all the best...but that.... as is...I would not be comfortable participating in the project.
I then go on to tell her that I came out of a past where things of this nature and whatnot were a part of my life...how I have experiences with horoscopes, ouija boards, and psychics. How I had a change of life and became a Christian and feel as if there is only one way I would be able to play a role in this particular project. It would be if I played a Christian in the setting she created. In that world. I went on to explain that there is a spiritual gift called Discernment... which I have been given.... and that many times I am able to quickly discern between good & evil...if something is of the Lord or not of the Lord. I encouraged her to think about incorporating a character who speaks Biblical truth into the world of her story.
I have many friends who practice the sorts of things I used to practice. I do not stop being near those loved ones because of the things they believe and do ...I love them. However, I no longer partake in occult activities.
Because she is a generous & open -minded creative type and a good storyteller...the writer/director was completely open to talking further about my thoughts and the possibility of digging deeper with this idea in the future.
So for now, it is a "pass."
We shall see what the Lord does from here on out with my involvement in this project...if anything at all .
Because of the intricacies of my journey with the Lord...the SPIRITUAL WARFARE issue is an area I know I am specifically called to speak into.
The red flags He alerts me to are very personal and I know them to be highly intentional...and I am called to obedience.
As an actress...I am not necessarily opposed to playing a sloppy drunk...a floosie...a raging swearing bit*h...and I will even consider tasteful nudity (think woman approaching 50 skinny dipping with her family at a lake/Little Miss Sunshine vibe.)
Just puttin' it out there, fellow filmmakers ;)
If we are the Lord's...He puts the desires of our hearts in there. He gives them to us. He's got our dreams. He knows all about them. Obey Him. And see what He does with the dreams. Whatever He chooses for us is for our good and His glory.
Specifically... flies of the SPIRITUAL WARFARE sort.
They find me.
I do not seek them out.
There was a long heartbreaking battle with an elder board over false teaching seeping into our old church...a battle initiated by the revelation of unbiblical instruction being sought & taught and unbiblical methods being employed by some in leadership.
There was a time when false teaching seeped into our home-fellowship and swayed our dear friends away from Biblically sound doctrine and practice.
The time when this false teaching landed smack in the middle of our home-schooling circle of relationships.
Recent times when the same issue is making it's presence known in a faith community I am involved with here in L.A. (not church.)
Very recent times where I am being asked to endorse through my writing...projects I simply cannot endorse and so I pass on "opportunities" in the professional world.
There is more. You get the point. It seems I am often being asked to deal with SPIRITUAL WARFARE stuff.
The enemy is crafty. He is patient. He waits. Patiently.
A while back...I wrote....
this post
I have said it before and I will say it again...I am not going to pursue acting. There is no way in heCk I am going to run around town getting all stressed out about my muffin top or crows feet while sizing up the competition in a roomful of desperate pre-menopausal hopefuls.
Not an idol. Not happening.
If the Lord wants me to act...He will bring opportunities.
If something falls in to my lap...of course...I will consider.
Not very realistic, I know...but my God is big and He does all sorts of miraculous things all the time.
And...we are doing our own stuff. Stuff I am glad to be in.
So....cut to the chase....a friend asks me to be in a project. I say, "Yes." It was fun shooting it. In and out. Simple. No biggie.
Out of the blue...months later...I get an e-mail from his friend, a director, telling me that she'd like me to play a role in a series she is doing. I am surprised. What?????? Really?????? I tell her I will read the script and get back to her.
I take a look at her website. She's talented. She's done some good work. The script is good.
It deals with supernatural things. People who see things...have visions...etc.
My character would be a sympathetic psychic who communes with dead people and teaches others how to do so.
I call up the director and tell her how humbled I am that she offered me the role. How good the writing is. And that I wish her all the best...but that.... as is...I would not be comfortable participating in the project.
I then go on to tell her that I came out of a past where things of this nature and whatnot were a part of my life...how I have experiences with horoscopes, ouija boards, and psychics. How I had a change of life and became a Christian and feel as if there is only one way I would be able to play a role in this particular project. It would be if I played a Christian in the setting she created. In that world. I went on to explain that there is a spiritual gift called Discernment... which I have been given.... and that many times I am able to quickly discern between good & evil...if something is of the Lord or not of the Lord. I encouraged her to think about incorporating a character who speaks Biblical truth into the world of her story.
I have many friends who practice the sorts of things I used to practice. I do not stop being near those loved ones because of the things they believe and do ...I love them. However, I no longer partake in occult activities.
Because she is a generous & open -minded creative type and a good storyteller...the writer/director was completely open to talking further about my thoughts and the possibility of digging deeper with this idea in the future.
So for now, it is a "pass."
We shall see what the Lord does from here on out with my involvement in this project...if anything at all .
Because of the intricacies of my journey with the Lord...the SPIRITUAL WARFARE issue is an area I know I am specifically called to speak into.
The red flags He alerts me to are very personal and I know them to be highly intentional...and I am called to obedience.
As an actress...I am not necessarily opposed to playing a sloppy drunk...a floosie...a raging swearing bit*h...and I will even consider tasteful nudity (think woman approaching 50 skinny dipping with her family at a lake/Little Miss Sunshine vibe.)
Just puttin' it out there, fellow filmmakers ;)
If we are the Lord's...He puts the desires of our hearts in there. He gives them to us. He's got our dreams. He knows all about them. Obey Him. And see what He does with the dreams. Whatever He chooses for us is for our good and His glory.