I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Doug Bachelor the other day in which he mentioned something that, for me, underscores the perfect symmetry of the bible and it all started with a sheep.

Pastor Bachelor said that when you shear a sheep and you lay it on its back it won’t resist, it lays there defenseless and uncomplaining while its captor has his way with him - I’m paraphrasing. When he said that, a light went off in my mind and I had to research this point. I’m a city boy, born and raised in Harlem, NYC and I barely know what it means to shear a sheep. I never seen it done, and I certainly didn’t know how a sheep behaved while being sheared. I remember when I first heard the word shear; I thought it was share… lol.

Anyway, I did know of a scripture that reads: “…He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened not his mouth…” Acts 8:32

Now since I am so farm animal illiterate I decided to take a look at this for myself. Fortunately, in the age of youtube, I didn’t have to travel too far. I found this amazing video with a guy explaining the process of sheep shearing, and amazingly, like Pastor Bachelor said, when placed on his back the sheep doesn’t resist.

Clearly this all lends itself to the character of Christ. When He was in the hands of His enemies He didn’t resist either as Acts 8:32 points out. And then I think of all the sheep that had been sacrificed in the sanctuary, and how they didn’t resist. I’ve never seen a sheep sacrificed but I imagine their sad eyes as they lay still and allow themselves to be sacrificed.

I thought of a pig, how a pig resists every step of the way. Pigs squeal so loudly when they are merely touched by their handlers. I know this because as a child I remember visiting my grandparents in Mississippi and there were piglets on their farm. I remember my sister and me chasing the piglets around, and they were so noisy. Some might say for good reason, I mean who would not go out kicking and screaming when they are about to be slaughtered, especially under false accusations.

Only Christ seems to have such a character. It’s like He’s saying I’m dying for you and I don’t regret my decision; the acceptance that a sheep shows when in the hands of his captor is the acceptance that Christ showed when he was crucified.

Granted there’s a difference between shearing and sacrificing. Shearing is equivalent to a haircut while sacrificing is giving up your life for a cause. What’s important however is the attitude of the sheep while in the hands of his captors. It’s a powerful illustration that is very telling about Christ’s character to see a sheep being sheared. I think everyone should see what that looks like.

I’m affected on many levels after seeing this. On one level, the knowledge of what it means to shear a sheep and how a sheep responds to this process is in itself informative. On another level, it’s emotional because it’s sad to watch a sheep lie defenseless and be sheared, so I can only imagine what sacrificing a sheep must feel like. Remember, you were not sacrificing the sheep to eat it, or to harvest its hide. You were sacrificing it so that it might die in your place for the decisions you made, for wrongs, for your misdeeds and for your life's misappropriations. And the poor sheep had nothing to do with it. That’s not fair. And this leads us to the spiritual level.

Christ, the Son of God, innocent, blameless, sinless and good, took my sins from me and died for me so that I may live eternally. That’s not fair. No animal, no human, and certainly not the Son of God should have had to die for me. But God has set this system in place because it is the only way of escape for me. So while Christ goes silently to my doom, I escape. How incredibly unfair... “How can I pay Him back” is a question that resonates with me on a deeper level now that I understand that He took my sins without protest. He never once lifted His voice in His own defense. He never once lifted His hand in His own defense. He never once moved His feet to flee His captors. He died for me and for you with no other intention in mind. Now who do you love that you would do such a thing for?

In His genius, God didn’t choose an animal that would resist like a pig or fight back like a wolf or dog, or overcome his captors like a lion or flee like a Gazelle. To represent the character of the Son of God a sheep was chosen. Even though we know Christ is described as a Lion and certainly could have overcome his captors at any time. A sheep was chosen because they are docile, lovable, and when in the hands of their enemy they are dumb. That to me is symmetry. My goal in my Christian walk now is to become dumb… like a sheep.

I saw an advertisement for a TV show on a bus that read Girls who like boys who like boys… it promises to be a fresh perspective on relationships, as the title implies. I’m not personally of the opinion that the old perspectives of relationships need revising but I do think it needs a revival.

I don’t really watch much television so I have to be honest most of my opinions about it are formed only after taking a cursory glance at some of the shows that are aired today. And there you go, as soon as I say “today”, I’m sure the reader can feel an opinion coming regarding “TV today” as if “TV yesterday” was so much better. I promise you, I’m not arguing at all that TV yesterday was any better than it is today.

I do however want to highlight a particular show that managed to maintain a strong sense of family values and entertain at the same time. It was a show that at its core held true to the concept of honoring your parents, as well as showing a husband who loved his wife and a wife who respected her husband. It was the Cosby Show. It ran for 8 seasons, and back then seasons meant years. It aired from 1984 to 1992 and for five of those seasons it was the number one rated TV show according to Nielsen Ratings.

As a youngster, I loved the Cosby Show. It instructed me, as well as stimulated within me an internal dialog about what kind of man I wanted to be once I reached the point of marriage and fatherhood in my life. It also taught me to value education. It wasn’t a Christian TV show, but it wasn’t vulgar or indecent in anyway. It stuck to a set of values and succeeded while doing so.

It was criticized by many, particularly in the African –American community for, supposedly, not being a realistic representation of Black families. Some felt having a father who was a doctor and a mother who was a lawyer was not how Black families were truly structured. I have to admit, growing up in Harlem I didn’t see any families structured quite like the Huxtables (Their fictional family name), but I didn’t watch the Cosby Show to get a dose of reality, I watched it to get a dose of possibility. I’m not saying that there are no African – American families structured like the Cosby Show’s family; in fact, as an adult, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting quite a few. My point is this is what good fiction is capable of: imparting values that uplift human character and developing within a person a sense of hope for higher ground.

When I was a young man I hoped to be like Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby’s character) in the way he conducted the affairs in his home. My father and step father were not great examples of how men should conduct themselves in their homes, and for me, Cliff Huxtable offered an alternative.

And that’s what’s missing today, an alternative. In my lifetime, vulgarity and indecency has been on TV but it’s never driven the whole entertainment industry as much as it seems to now. I often wonder what happens to that young impressionable boy or girl, who is now like I was when I was in my teens, but are being feed a steady diet of reality shows that thrive off of folks who live by such low standards.

And I know Christians to the right of me will say that people should not watch TV at all. I’m not against that as a way of life, but do we care at all about young folks who are not growing up in a home structured that way? I didn’t grow up in a home structured that way and I’m a witness to the value of good TV and I’m very aware of its import in shaping who I am today.

If I were to complain about TV today, my premise would not be to attack what’s being aired as much as what’s not being aired. Where are the shows that celebrate success in marriage and the joys of parenthood? Where are the shows that balance entertainment and upstanding values? Where are the alternatives to the inundation of alternative lifestyles that permeate media?

We have to counter the messages that are currently sent to the world in media. In order to win souls we have to win the message war and that will be difficult to accomplish if the greatest influencer of our generation, called TV and Movies (the art of the moving image) is not deployed to argue the case for high standards.

And just to be clear, I’m not trying to preach the values of Jesus without preaching the person of Jesus, which I know is a dangerous and false doctrine. I do believe, however, that it’s harder to witness to someone about Jesus if you haven’t won them over with the values of Jesus. And this is the essence of what Jesus means when he says, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mathew 9: 13)

And here’s the kicker, if the Cosby Show could have the ultimate effect of infusing me with values that made me pliable to receive Christ at some point in my life, how much more would a show that is specifically anointed by the Holy Spirit? Brainstorming, I’m thinking something like: Girls how like boys who like Jesus…

Blessings…

I watch these episodes and I see so many opportunities to Christianize the scripts... Here is one of my favorites from Season 1 Episode 2 called Goodbye Mr. Fish...

The US population at the time of this writing is 308,400,408 (and that number just changed as you read it). Some estimate the percentage of Christians in the US is as high as 85%. According to an article written in 2007 in the denverpost.com entitled Jesus may save, but Christians spend “The Christian market, however, with almost 70 million American adults and $2.1 trillion, or 28 percent of the national annual income in 2006, is the main event”. Another article in USA TODAY written in 2006 called Faith’s purchasing power explains that, “Nearly 12% of Americans spend more than $50 a month on religious products, and another 11% spend $25 to $29, according to a national survey of 1,721 adults by Baylor University, out in September”.

I threw all those numbers at you to make a point, and believe me there are more fascinating numbers concerning Christian buying power then these, which we may visit on another blog.

So here’s my question: Why does Hollywood, a place that prides itself on doing the numbers, targeting demographics and monitoring the spending habits of consumers conveniently overlook the Christian moviegoer? They certainly can’t argue that Christians don’t go to the movies especially if Christians make up 85% of the population. They can’t argue that Christians don’t buy Christian products, nor can they argue Christians don’t support Christian movies. So why are we shunned by Hollywood?

Obviously the issue is not money, demographics, or consumer spending, the issue is values. And to be frank, from Hollywood’s point of view, the issue is Jesus. The purity and righteousness, the simplicity and modesty, and all the virtues of character that Jesus represents apparently don’t make good storytelling. For example, romance Hollywood style most often includes adultery or fornication, and these are words that Hollywood avoids in order not appear judgmental. And then of course you have the onscreen murder rate coupled with other acts of violence, the stealing, the swearing, the nudity and the list goes on. Hollywood is not comfortable around Jesus and Jesus is not comfortable around Hollywood.

Hollywood is willing to ignore a mega demographic like Christians if it means not having to face Jesus. If only it were that simple.

Christian filmmakers should not be deterred by Hollywood’s rejection, but we should see it as a blessing instead. There is not a better time in the history of filmmaking than it is right now to be an independent filmmaker, especially if you’re a Christian. Let me cite a few examples for you since we’re looking at the numbers.

Fireproof made for a budget of $500,000. Total US theatrical sales, $33,451,479, and total US DVD sales $32,135,369…

Letters to God made for a budget of $3,000,000. Total US theatrical $2,848,587, and total US DVD $4,990,902…

The Passion of the Christ made for a budget of $25,000,000. Total US and international theatrical $611,899,420. DVD sales somewhere near 15 – 18 million copies sold bringing in something near $400 million in receipts.

I wish Christians understood that we don’t need to knock on anyone’s doors begging for opportunity when opportunity has already been provided for us. Jesus has made provision for us right here at home in His church. If we are Christians, and we are filmmakers, then we should make films for His audience reflecting His values because we love Him and we believe in what He stands for. We want Jesus to be comfortable around us, and we want to be comfortable around Him.

Let’s tell stories about romance in marriage, and stories that fortify the family, stories that uplift human character and point people Christ-ward. And praise God at the end of the day, we don’t need Hollywood to do that….

Blessings…

I've been experimenting and trying to figure out what would be the best format for presenting Psalms Poetic. Obviously we're going to have to find an online home for it that exists outside of the Chloe Foy blog, but I thought this would be a good place to get some exposure and get things started. So far so good, but I just want to be clear about what our intentions are overall.

Stressed to the Elements!!! by Clarence E. McCall...

Psalms Poetic:

If it sounds poetic it was meant to be, if you love Christian poetry, then Psalms Poetic is the place to be. We’re taking steps to build an audience for Psalms Poetic and we need you to help us pass it along. Our vision is to feature poetry that admonishes, correct, uplift and adores Christ. Our vision is to provide a venue for artists who want to express their Christian creativity. Our belief is that this is part of the process of the renewing of the mind spoken of in Romans 12:2. (see below) Youth take a break from popular culture and create some culture of your own. Adults you are youth too… ;)

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Below you will find our first installment, a poem called Still written and recited by Clarence E. McCall. If you're interested in submitting a piece to Psalms Poetic send us a link to your video: clamccall@yahoo.com

I’ve been taking stock of myself lately but not in the depressing way where you feel a bit forced to self-evaluate for reasons that are beyond your control, for example aging, family problems, or financial woes. None of those things are on my mind, instead my mind is filled with thoughts of something of greater significance.

Here’s the deal, I’ve been a baptized member of my church for 9 years. I’m proud of my decision to get baptized, I believe it’s the single most important decision that I’ve made in my life. I don’t take all the credit. Of course my friends worked really hard to bring me to the valley of decision, and the church members were so kind and nurturing, and we cannot forget the powerful experience with the Holy Spirit that drove me to the point of recognizing that I am a sinner in need of a savior. And here I am, 9 years later, still committed, even after folks said I wouldn’t stay. Here I am, 9 years later, even after so many of the people that I loved in the church moved away. Here I am 9 years later; even after the pastor who baptized me had to move on to shepherd other churches. Here I am, 9 years later, asking myself “why do I stay?”

I ask this question because I have grown exhausted of the dragging monotony of Sabbath service. I have grown weary of interchurch politics. I’m tired of seeing people sleeping in the sanctuary while spiritual persons of God preach their hearts out. I’m tired of dead Sabbath services. I’m tired of seeing God’s visionaries hampered, delayed and destroyed. I’m tired of religion getting in the way of spirituality. I’m tired of seeing youth sitting curb side while adults try to turn back the hands of time; all the way to the 1800s. I’m tired seeing youth leave the church. I’m tired of debates about jewelry, music, drums, tattoos, the illuminati, free masons, praise dance (signing), hip hop, television and so on. I’m tired of folks saying we need to return to that old time religion, and I’m tired of folks saying we need to be more progressive.

This cesspool of adjectives is how I describe my Christian experience after 9 years: exhausted, weary, and tired… why would someone remain in a circumstance that makes them feel these things?

This question has been on my mind for at least a couple months now and it’s a jarring (to affect disagreeably) question because I’m not sure what it is that I am asking myself. Am I asking myself to leave? No, not exactly. What I am asking is why do I stay?

The operative word in the question is stay? And the context of the question is, “why do you stay when things aren’t the way you want them to be?” “Why do you stay when your emotions about being here have turned negative?”

It took me a couple of months but I thank God for this question because I understand now why I stay, and I understand why folks leave. Folks leave because these feelings can be overwhelming, and when one is feeling overwhelmed and disconnected, leaving becomes a coping mechanism. Our Christian experience should not be filled with dread and disillusionment, but it often is.

When we are feeling overwhelmed with our Christian experience if we don’t face that reality with purpose and clarity we will either leave, or stay and wreak havoc. You ever wonder why some of the members of the church who have been there for 20 some-odd years come across as bitter and generally unhappy? I’ve met so many of them. And it seems to me that these folks have not cried it out with God and asked Him what is going on with me…

So why do I stay? I stay because Christ’s values are now my values; I personally own His statutes and deeply honor His commandments. I stay because I still profoundly believe in His plan of salvation and I honor His commitment to that plan. I stay because I continue to see His vision for my future by looking at what He has delivered me from in my past. I stay because He has started a work in me and I’m looking forward to Him completing it. I stay because the only beauty I know in life is Christ and I am marvelously drawn to that beauty. I stay because words like faith, hope, grace, deliverance and victory have meaning in His presence. I stay because in Him I am alive.

I suppose it’s important for Christians to evaluate their reasons for staying, because it’s for certain that your reasons for staying will be checked and challenged at some point. It’s a bitter experience, but well worth it, if you’d only stay.

Psalms 18:16-18

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Job 14:14 ...all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come...

I think the last time we shot a frame of footage for The Baptism of Chloe Foy was in late August. You can imagine my frustration. It's the end of November and I always hoped we would be finished by now, instead we've probably shot about 20% of the movie, and some of that will need to be re-shot.

Between August and now, it's been long stays in the hospital, antibiotics, scary misdiagnoses, decisions about surgery, a threatened pregnancy, a very active one year old son, and seriously, every distraction that could be thrown my way.

I'm old fashioned in that I'm one of those Christians who still believe that there are enemies in the unseen world that attack us when we're on the move for the Lord. There's something about this ministry that irritates the enemy. Perhaps it's the fact that we're trying to focus on strengthening the spirituality of the youth which is in direct conflict with what the enemy wants for the youth. Or maybe the enemy feels cinema is a territory that he wants all to himself. I don't know for sure.

Whenever a filmmaker sets out to make a project I suppose that there is always one scene that sets everything in motion for them. For me, it's scene 8. In my opinion this scene is long and boring, but that is the point. It's meant to bring home the fact that Chloe struggles to get her mother's attention and she is bored with her current life. So in a sense, we go into Chloe's world and feel what she feels. Her days are long and there is no excitement at all.

Boredom, especially for a young person is a powerful and deceptive force. When young folks don't have constructive activities to do, positive events to attend, and fill their time with things that will uplift them in an engaging way, they will seek the opposite of boredom, which is often called "fun". There's nothing more tormenting for a young person then to feel that they are being deprived of "fun".

I remember when my younger sister was in her late teens and how she reacted to being bored. When she announced to the household that she was bored, which she so often did, it was a warning that she was about to get into some mischief. It was a message to the other people in the house that we were failing at our duty to make sure she was having constant "fun". And if we neglected that duty, then she would take matters into her own hands.

This would often lead to her getting in trouble with my mother. And when you asked my little sister, why did you do it, she would say, "I was bored".

In a way, young people are entitled to an interesting and exciting life. The real problem is we allow everything outside our households to dictate what "fun" is. Young people develop their idea of "fun" from the entertainment industry and from their peers. When and how do we weight in?

Many parents think "fun" is not a priority so they try to jostle and wrestle their children away from the idea of "fun" by telling them how horrible and sinful "fun" is. Many parents opt to shelter their children from "fun" in order to keep them from developing an appetite for it.

Here's the problem, a sheltered child is more apt to have "fun" when they are out of our site than a child who's learned to process "fun" for what it is and then make a healthy choice to avoid "fun". Another point is, when "fun" is not a priority for a parent, but it is for a child, therein lies the breakdown in communication between parent and child.The Bible says: "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3...

We would do well if we helped our young people experience "fun" as defined by a Christian and help them understand for themselves that "fun" as defined by the world is spiritually destructive. And I know this is very hard to do, and I hope I don't sound as if I'm over simplifying the task. But our children are here now, and we're their guides, and at times we're their spiritual eyes and ears, so we must be up to the task, remembering always that greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.

The Baptism of Chloe Foy - Scene 8 from Clarence McCall on Vimeo.

This is an incomplete edit of the second half of scene 8. There are audio problems, color correction problems and we're still tweeking the edit here and there. I just wanted to post it for your perusal... Enjoy.

Blessings...

Clarence

Stamina, stick-to-itiveness, endurance, resilience, intestinal fortitude... You have no idea what those words mean until you strive to build a film ministry. Literally, for me, it's been six years. That's not a lifetime, but it has been a trying time.

A lot of energy has been exhausted on trying to explain that a film ministry could be an effective witnessing tool, especially to this media hungry 21st century generation. A lot of energy has been exhausted on trying to gather the right personnel and the right equipment. And a lot of energy has been exhausted on the effort to get the word out that we exist.

Sometimes I look back at the last six years and say we should have made a film every year. Sometimes I look back and review all the potholes and obstacles, failed efforts and false starts, missteps and missed opportunities and I wonder why I carry on. But it's not a sad kind of wondering, nor is it a woe-is-me kind of wondering, but it's more like a review of faith kind of wondering.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen."

I carry on because of the unyielding, undying, unbending, unturning (okay, I made that last one up) faith that I have in this ministry. That coupled with a deep sense of mission at times is all that I have left in the world.

There are times when I don't have the right personnel, and I don't have the right equipment, and I don't have the support of folks around me, and literally all I have left is my faith in God's word and what He is able to do... I and God constitute a majority.

So like Noah I will move with fear to build this ministry, and continue to preach about what we can't yet see... it might save my household. Like Moses, I will reject the privileges and pleasures of Egypt esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches. Like Enoch I desire to please God. Like Abel I desire to offer a better sacrifice. And like all the elders I desire to obtain a good report. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

We didn't raise all the money that we needed to finish the film, but in faith we carry on. We don't have all the personnel we need, so in faith we carry on. We don't have all the equipment we need, nevertheless, in faith we carry on. We don't have all the locations needed, again, in faith, we carry on. And we will continue to carry on, in faith, until we hear the desired words, "well done thou Good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Blessings...

This is an article that I published on the old Chloe Foy website and I thought it would be proper to republish it here in that it speaks to the heart of this mission.

A portrait of a family on the precipice of a great divide… I suppose there is not a deeper or more meaningful divide than one that is religious, and it’s never more personal than when that religious divide works its way between a parent and child.

When a child becomes an adult and begins to express values that are wholly different from their parents and decidedly different from their upbringing, a panic naturally comes to the fore for the parent. Sometimes that panic causes us to rush to judgment, and then we try to fix what we perceive is broken with biblical condemnation. Worst of all, we try to parent our 18 year old the way we would have when they were 10. It’s like we forget that our children are people who need to be witnessed to. The fact that they grew up in church does not guarantee that they grew up in the Lord. The fact that we diligently enforced their attendance to church doesn’t mean that they have cultivated a desire to go.

It’s a trying time for a parent when our children make choices that darken their spirituality but we must remember that the same Holy Spirit that called you out of darkness into His marvelous light is still on the job. Hallelujah.

It would be a revolution in the experience of young people growing up in the church if we could figure out how to show them that Christianity is more than the “don’t do this”, “don’t do that”, “don’t go here”, “don’t wear that”, “don’t listen to this”, “don’t watch that”, “don’t feel like this”, “don’t question that”, kind of religion we often peddle…

I’m praying that we can begin to move in the direction of devoting our conversation and resources toward explanations and alternatives. We have to learn to articulate God’s plan for life and salvation in a manner that our youth will respond to, and this is our collective burden in this generation.

Logically the algorithm is this, if we can’t reach the children we have reared in the church, then we won’t be able to reach the children who were not raised in the church. Time is running out for us to get this one right. There are youth out there that are growing up without the hope and understanding of Christ and as a result they lead self destructive lives: drug abuse, promiscuity, teenage pregnancy, misogyny, materialism and occult involvement… and I know many of these things affect church youth. But that’s the point, if we can’t work with the youth that we raised, how can we work with other youth? Or let me ask this another way. Why would God do the spiritual work needed to reach youth in the secular world if we have not yet reached the youth in our church families?

In the October 2009 edition of Adventist World President Jan Paulsen wrote an article titled Why Do They Walk Away?, subtitled, keeping youth and young adults engaged in the church must be one of our highest priorities. In fact, President Paulsen is so concerned about youth leaving the church that he referred to it as an “exodus that distresses him deeply.”

I too am deeply distressed with this exodus. I am also deeply distressed with the overall spiritual state of youth in general. If you are too, please let’s continue to pray for them, let’s continue to advocate for them, let’s continue to encourage their spiritual growth, and finally, let us never give up on them.

Blessings...