Exploding pagers; Expanding cinematic Bible universe; Face blindness
Exploding pagers; Expanding cinematic Bible universe; Face blindness
3 Things this week and the poem "so gently"
The smell of coffee in the morning. The trail of a yellow leaf as it spins to the ground. The sound of a loved one’s voice as they speak.
These are a few of the simple pleasures I enjoyed this week. How about you?
I also had the pleasure of interviewing the Harmonious Gentlemen podcast about the art of conversation. If you didn't read it yet, check it out.
Thanks so much for spending some of your weekend with Things I Wrote Down.
1. Exploding pagers
Years ago I wrote an outline for a screenplay in which a terrorist group sabotaged the production of a new smartphone and on the day of its release wreaked havoc around the world through mass detonations. It was one thread of a story that seemed plausible yet outlandish, but a good exercise in imagination.
We woke up to that reality this week.
You probably my saw the headlines that Mossad used a Hungarian shell company and a Taiwanese manufacturer to deliver a precision attack against Hezbollah terrorists. Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies detonated in the middle East, wreaking havoc.
Governments and intelligence agencies around the world are trying to piece together details and Israel will neither confirm or deny its involvement, in what the Washington Post reports was a decade’s long effort to infiltrate the terrorist organization.
I’d prefer these plotlines to be contained to movies.
2. The cinematic Bible universe expands
Mel Gibson was seen in Malta this week scouting locations for a follow up to his wildly successful The Passion of the Christ. With Jim Caviezel resurrecting his role as Jesus, filming will begin in 2025 on a script penned by the Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace that underwent six rewrites to get it right.
Dallas Jenkins announced a string of new stories that he'll be working on in the future after the final season of The Chosen wraps. Joseph, Moses and other biblical figures will reappear on screen. The buzz was created at ChosenCon.
Over at UnveilTV we were thrilled to see more exposure and momentum for our new film Daniel, based on the prophet of lion's den fame. Michael W. Smith gave us an awareness bump when he shared that he re-recorded a new version of his famous song for the film.
It's a new era of faith and film and it's exciting. There are so many important stories to tell! And we want in.
3. Face blindness
She had a photo on the wall of cousins for years, only to realize that it was a stock image of strangers, not family. Now she knows she is face blind, a real condition.
I was that annoying person reading out every paragraph of this article by The Free Press about two women—one who can't remember faces or recognize even close friends and the other who can remember people she saw once in childhood or extras from movies she saw ten years ago.
A delightful, surprising read, don't miss it!
A poem
During the lockdown, when we didn't know what would happen, I decided to write or share a poem a day. I was reminded of that this morning, and the final poem - an original - I penned on day 80 (when the worst was still ahead for our family).
Here's to words that fall gently.
