Jesus, Moroni and Mammon walk into a court room, my latest Op-ed in The Christian Post, and a total solar eclipse.
Three links and my poem Turning Circles
Wait, is it winter again? After being in the double digit Cs, we dropped below zero again in southwestern Ontario and once again nature keeps me on my toes.
Toes that have new running shoes to walk in for my early morning walks, during which I sometimes see deer, pray I’ll avoid skunks, and look with wonder at the stars. Orion looks stronger, more confident than ever these days.
There is so little in life that endures. And this week in particular, I held to the truth that He is the stability of our times. It has meant everything.
I hope you have a sense of that truth as you step into a new week. Thanks so much for spending part of your weekend with Things I Wrote Down.
Here are three links to explore and my poem Turning Circles.
Jesus, Moroni and Mammon walk into a court room
It's happening, and it's sad to see. Newsweek reported this week that the popular TV sensation The Chosen is caught up in litigation and the Season 4 release is delayed for loyal fans.
There's, reportedly, more than 2.6 billion dollars at stake.
I've been following the series more closely as a filmmaker and producer than as a viewer of the content itself (I've been cheering the series on because of what it means for disruptive, independent, faith-based productions. Unveil has also connected with and featured Dallas and respects him as a fellow filmmaker: what he's achieved through the series is truly historic).
I started to notice real trouble when Brad Pelo, CEO of The Chosen (and former chief distribution officer at Angel) talked to The Hollywood Reporter and publicly, with no punches pulled, outlined the conscious uncoupling of The Chosen from Angel Studios, which is founded by the Harmon brothers, devout Mormons.
This was around the time it was announced Jenkins would be a key player in the new Wonder Project that is positioning itself to be a key faith-based content maker and key rival to Angel Studios (backed with millions from MGM and Amazon).
After millions of views and millions of dollars, it seems everybody on the production is learning that the model isn't sustainable. As an indie filmmaker that's disheartening. Filmmaking is hard and this series has seemed to point us all to a new and exciting filmmaking way.
And sadly, it's fans who helped fund the content and bring it to life that are caught in the middle. But perhaps this is less about creation models and more about partnership. It brings to my mind Dave Ramsey's pithy observation, that “the only ship that doesn't sail is a partnership.”
Unfortunately the players aren't heeding Paul’s advice and are going to court. But with Christians, Mormons and Mammon involved, perhaps there never was a chance to settle it any other way.
My new Op Ed in The Christian Post
This last Wednesday my latest Op-ed was published in The Christian Post. It looks at organ donation and euthanasia in Canada, the world leader in sourcing organs after doctor assisted suicide.
Those alarm bells ringing in your head are from the major ethical concerns. Here's the article’s hook:
Let’s hope that MAiD practitioners aren’t as cavalier about Canadians’ lives as the police are about Canadians’ cars.
I hope you'll take a few minutes to read it!
This week I also shared Chapter 5 in my Ten Silver Coins series right here on Things I Wrote Down. Catch up on the adventure:
A total eclipse of the sun
My uncle Tom sent me this fascinating article about the upcoming celestial event. It asks, Is your heart prepared for the total eclipse?
It’s a once-in-a-generation event, and more Canadians will be able to see it than any other eclipse in history.
Here’s the eclipses path, and weather permitting, it will be spectacular.
Wondering what’s so special about it? Here’s what the science writer has to say:
The sheer coincidence of it is equally mind-boggling. The sun is 400 times bigger than the moon and, by chance, about 400 times farther away. This means the moon appears to be about the same size as the sun in the sky. When things line up just right, the moon can cover the sun completely. On average, such heavenly alignments can be seen somewhere on Earth about five times a decade. But you can go a lifetime and never have one happen anywhere near you.
A poem -Turning Circles
All this talk about the solar eclipse reminded me of my poem Turning Circles which I wrote for a public anti-trafficking event in Red Deer, Alberta. My talented sister-in-law Ashlea performed an original dance that she choreographed. What circles are you turning as we travel around the sun?
Turning Circles
At first fear
a sharp line of
barbed wire
circled around my heart
Until the blood was
lanced
and the red thread of life
stitched together inside me
cut
Each hand that touched me
pulled loose another thread
pulled and turned me in circles
until my heart unraveled
But I am not an empty spool
a hard round rock
or a pit without fruit
I will turn in circles
until I become the shape of a mouth
throw myself red and wild
to form any sound –
a whimper, a groan, a scream
I will not stop turning
round and around
to press through and puncture a hole
even slight as a pin
so the scream, the whimper, can be heard
A sound that will echo
as I bend and turn in circles
loop the thread of my heart
around the world