It has been a crazy week here in L.A.! My mind is over stimulated with class, writing, and having actual places to go and see! It is honestly weird to have something to do in the evenings, and have multiple places to go for the weekend. In the mist of all the "city life," I'm finding myself dreaming in new ways. I am beyond fascinated by this industry. Oh yes...the good, the bad, and the really really really ugly. I feel like Curious George as I explore the city, possible internships, and ideas for characters. If I'm honest, I really don't feel like I am in school at all. This is a good thing! Yes, it is only the first week, and yes, I have many more to pursue through. BUT, never in my whole life have I felt such joy, peace, and purpose. There's still a possibility that I may not find a career here, but thankfully this is not my job. My job is to trust and obey.
The Sunday before I left for L.A., the song "Trust and Obey" was sung by the congregation and I found myself choked to tears.
Trust and Obey, for there's no other way,
To be happy in Jesus,
If you trust and obey.
Simple concept, but BIG action.
My dream used to be to create "Christian Films," but now I'm hearing testimonies of people who took on the literal form of salt, and preserved the good. Yes, these people worked on very controversial films, and many of them not even close to the spectrum of "Christian." The gospel was not preached, and in no way did the film itself portray the love of Christ. Hmmm...intrigue. Why be involved in something like this? Why care? Why not build our own subculture to gather together in the black and white zone and live happily ever after? Well ask yourself this question now...did Jesus live in the black and white zone? Did he interact with those who were, dare I say, in the grey area? Welcome to Hollywood friends! If Hollywood had a color, like school colors, it would be grey. Grey, grey, grey, grey, and grey. The thing is, GOD IS MOVING!! My encouragement to you is to quit judging the followers of Christ here in Hollywood to black and white standards, because there are few! The more I hear, listen, and talk with people here, the more I get it. God wants to guide you, not the opinions and judgements of other people.
Tonight, one of the actors from Fantastic 4, Doug Jones, gave his testimony as a Christian actor. In another film, his character was supposed to be the crazy Christian who wanted to kill everyone. Yea, he kinda plays creepy roles, anyways...he refused the role because of his faith, BUT along with that the director was sent an e-mail stating why. Jones said he was bored with the idea because it had happened before, and because he did not want to portray his faith in such a negative way. Guess what...THEY CHANGED THE SCRIPT! He was salt in that situation and preserved a little good. These are the little things that are happening in Hollywood. God has given us the gift of creativity, and there are times when his people are needed to suggest a more creative option to preserve the "good" content.
Here's the thing, the grey area is a scary place to be under, therefore; we sometimes prefer to just ignore it. If I'm honest, it is so much easier to just ignore the tough issues. We don't like to struggle, but I'm starting to see that even Christ himself had to suffer greatly to command such a large impact. Please continue to pray for the body of Christ in Hollywood. Pray for God to guide the men and women in this industry as they continue to serve in multiple ways.
Trust and Obey Today!
-Alisha
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