Grace 2, Army of [light?] Darkness 4687

So I was at church yesterday (yes *gasp* I still do go). I always enjoy the worship, the band was excellent, and most of the sermon was interesting, and mentally stimulating. There was something, however, that I needed to talk a little bit about, what better place than my dumping grou...I mean blog.

The youth leader came up to the platform at one point and began to discuss the youth conference that most of their students had attended recently. She discussed the excellent growth, the willingness of the youth to lead, and the great time that they had at the conference. She then brought up a youth who shared a bit about what she had learned. Having been to many of these conference in my youth days, I know exactly the feeling they are coping with right now. Being injected with an influx of motivation and what we call a "spiritual high" and clinging desperately to what they learned, trying to reintegrate themselves with their newfound knowledge back into their old lives. This is all well and good, and not what I'm getting at actually. What I want to discuss came next. The youth leader proceeded to talk about how the youth are not only leaders for their peers, but warriors in their schools. About how they needed to be bold, and fight the good fight, be part of the army of the Lord, Soldiers on the front lines fighting against Satan. In this montage (everybody needs a montage, even Rocky had a montage) I noticed a not-so-subtle theme. War. Christians, just like George W., are constantly waging war. The references I heard to being an army were close to countless. The references I heard to love and grace from this same speech - 0. Grace did come up fleetingly later on in the service from someone else, but the war references continued.

Maybe I'm wrong, but to me the likelihood of a highschool teenager responding to a soldier for Jesus who is lobbying to be allowed to have a prayer group in their school, in order to fight Satan at lunch hour, is probably slim to nil. They would likely be responsive to someone who is willing to love them, talk to them without judgement, and listen to their problems. I don't know about you, but if someone is praying loudly on the street corner, I would prefer to cross the street. However, when someone is quietly submitting their time to comfort another who is having a bad day, or lending an ear and quietly reserving judgement, I am immediately drawn to them, wondering what it is about them that causes them to sacrifice, to lead by example. This is the kind of love I want to show. The kind of Grace I myself am attracted to. This is what we should be teaching our youth. The image of an army, soldiers on the front line, this is already everywhere, This is something we know. Why not spend our time on Love. The commandment that is second only to "Love the Lord your God"... But hey, maybe it's just me.

Writing - 97% Discipline, 3% Talent?

I'd like to think that I have the three percent talent, but I'm uncertain whether I have the discipline of late. I want to write 5 pages per day....of course time is an issue, but mostly I just don't force myself to sit down and actually bang out 5 pages. My script, therefore is progressing oh-so-slowly.

If anyone has discipline and/or motivation tips, please impart your wisdom, I beg you!
First person to give me the best input on the following gets a bright shiny e-smile:

*What are your best procrastination rememdies (blogging is CLEARLY not mine!)

*What do you do when you hate everything you write in a day?

*What is the best way to force yourself to keep going when you are ready to turn on Scrubs for the night?

Television, catching up to the Silver Screen?

TV verses movies. Right now I'm leaning towards TV. Perhaps this is because I'm moving from hit show to hit show, trying to catch up on the past 3 years where I was apparently living in a small hole on a desert island (or perhaps addicted to survivor and renovation shows?) The writing for some of these shows is absolutely phenomenal!!

Right now my top three are:

1. The West Wing (yes I'm only on season 2 - no spoilers please!!)
2. Lost (again - only on season 2, but Jack - seriously, move over Party of Five!)
3. Scrubs (I guess a metro-sexual Zach Braff just does something for me - plus I saw Dr. Cox in person - YUM!)

Honourable mention: Firefly. Unfortunately it was ruined by Fox, and will likely never air again, but it still gets my recognition. You really can't argue with "The Joss" as I have recently heard him called.


I find myself going to fewer and fewer movies, and watching more and more TV. I think this has to do partly with the increasingly witty writing that is primetime television, more than the less and less interesting movies that are being released. I wonder if we are just in a dry spell this year for original movies, with the occasional ray of "Little Miss Sunshine" or if their are just fewer original ideas left. Maybe it's that people aren't as easily impressed by effects now a days and so we are going through a new learning curve of how to write more intelligently for the big screen.

Either way, at least I still have something to be entertained by. Perhaps my first screenplay will be the start of a new era of intelligent writing for film.... but seriously, I am the same person who has left her gas cap at the pump more than once, so let's not have too high of expectations here.