The Man Who Listens

I am about to partake in a huge study on Steven Spielberg. I am a filmmaker and one of my greatest teachers through the years has been Steven. Through the countless behind the scenes looks, online interviews, and TV specials, I have learned A LOT from this Master filmmaker.

My “huge study” consists of going over several of Steven’s films on “mute“, and studying how he composes shots, directs acting, creates emotion, and tells a story. For each of the movies I will write a small paper on what I have learned and post them on this Blog for whomever to see.

This particular post will be devoted to what I think of Steven Spielberg now and why I am choosing to do this long and draining study.

Steven Spielberg is a story-teller, and naturally that interests me. Through out the years I have seen movies directed by this man that include many genres. That in itself is very unique. We have been introduced to completely new world, with movies such as Hook, Artificial Intelligence, and Jurassic Park. Steven has thrilled us with movies such as Indiana Jones and Jaws. He has brought us movies full us clever entertainments with The Terminal and Catch me if you Can. And, he has reached deep into our emotions with movies such as E. T., Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler’s List. These movies have span through more then three decades have all been hailed as great and powerful pieces of work.

Indeed, it seems as though I have chosen my teacher well.

What makes this man able to tell stories in so many genres, so well? Why are people so effected by this man’s movies? What has made Steven Spielberg one of the greatest story-tellers to walk this earth?

A few months ago I watched a interview with Steven Spielberg on Inside the Actors Studio. Through out the 2 + hour interview, Steven was asked some very compelling questions. One of the last questions was along the lines of, “If there is a God, what do you want Him to say to you when you show up at the gates of Heaven?” Steven answered, “thanks for listening”.

Right there Steven told me the secret to his success. With that answer he told me the reason why he has been able to effect me so greatly.

Steven Spielberg listens. God gave Steven a great gift and told him to use it. Steven chose to listen. I believe that Steven has been able to make so many great movies through so many different genres and over so many years, because he has heard God speak about the heart of what makes a story great.

Steven’s movies accentuate Life.

Whether it is a boy on a bike flying across the moon, a once corrupt man learning to live again, or a uncommon liberator crying out for one more soul. All powerful examples of the Life that comes from Steven’s movies.

God is the essence of Life and he speaks to us all. Steven is a man who has chosen to listen. It is amazing the power that comes from a man who is able to listen. It takes patients and guts, but the results are worth it.

The world has truly changed through one man’s ability to listen. I have been truly effected by Steven Spielberg; he inspires me to make stories of my own. Steven was once quoted saying, “I dream for a living”. This quote rings true through out his life.

I only hope to follow in his footsteps and become another man who chooses to listen.

Revival

I often am told about Revival. I have been told that is usually comes in great gatherings and during Church conferences. This might be true. But it is not where it starts and it can’t be were it ends.

I think that revival is crying out in ALL of us. I see it while I am walking by people on the streets and I feel it in the Schools and Churches. They are calling for something they do not yet have. Most of them are crying out for something they do not yet understand.

I have realized that revival is meant to be far more then just a short term thing. Revival must be something that lasts. Something that doesn’t just change the outside but changes the heart of an individual.

Often the philosophy of this nation is that, “The bigger, the Better”, when it comes to revival. We also need to be told again and again that revival is coming. I actually hear more about revival coming then see it when it actually comes.

Revival is the restoration of life. This is a powerful notion. But, revival is often called for more then it is really wanted.

If you encounter TRUE revival you will need to be able to do something that the world has all but given up on.

You will need to wake up.

“Waking up”, is a harsh notion. If you truly wake up and choose to LIVE, you will have to be willing to see how DEAD the world is. Imagine the scene in “The Matrix”, Neo (the main Character) seeks revival and chooses to wake up from the program he has been put to sleep under. When Neo wakes he is devastated to see the millions of people who are still asleep and he finds that he is week and defenseless because he had never actually used a muscle in his body before. This is often the case with true revival.

Often I want to choose to stay asleep, then I won’t need to see the genocide in this world, you won’t need to care about the millions of woman choosing abortion. If you choose to stay asleep you will be able to forget about the kid who is not excepted. If you stay dead you are able to avoid conflict and debate and you are able to drown out the cries of this nation.

When you are asleep you don’t need to truly worry about your gifting. There is no obligation to learn more and get better at what you do. Criticism is easily neglected and fluff (or false praise) is all that matters.

I often think of God and how he is the DEFINITION of LIFE. I often think of how sad things might make Him. To see the world and see the true pain millions are going through because of starvation. To see the hearts of men giving up on those in need.

With LIFE you must be willing to feel and this can be a very painful thing.

There have been many of those days that I have woken up energized and ready to go. I have felt like I could change the world and move mountains with my faith. I have felt like I could speak to nations and cast vision throughout the land. But the feeling isn’t the actual revival.

I think Revival is being alive enough to be able to see, and being willing to do something about what you see. When you truly choose to be REVIVED, you will be able to find your vision and you will be able to see what God has for you. The problem is that REVIVAL calls for action in the good times and bad.

You are alive so you can do something on this earth. Because you are alive you are subject to feeling. You will be able to feel the greatness of life along with the sorrows of life. No matter what, you still must choose to pursue your calling and bring action to your words.

Revival is the only thing that can bring on true change. If you choose to be revived you will find that life can be fulfilling. There is a power in being able to truly feel, truly see, and TRULY be able to make a difference.

Revival is like a spark. With a spark you can light a nation.

Selfish Christianity

For some reason we have been taught that Revival is supposed to make us “feel good”. We are supposed to see the true power of God, in having the lame walk and the blind see by us merely touching them. “The true power of God”, is shown by what we can do for others, without really needing to put the effort into getting to know them or finding out what they truly need. We base, how powerful God is, by how much we can feel Him and how helpful He is to us.

God and Revival, my friends, has become a very Selfish thing.

Because we have made God and Revival be about us, we are not able to have a consistent faith. It is true that you can go to Church or a few big conferences and get all hyped up about God. But, the “spiritual high” is not what keeps the boat floating. When we make God be about, us being able to “truly feel” Him, we put a limit to what He can do.

Many people have shouted out for Revival and have told me that they want nothing but to follow God. If that is truly the case, the answer is easy. Bring Revival and follow God. Nothing is holding you back. The only thing it requires is selflessness. Jesus explained many times in the Bible, that He is about helping others. No matter how bad it got, Jesus stayed true to His word and chose to be selfless and sacrifice it all so that He could help us.

When we stay true in our faith during the storms as well as the clear days, we will start to make a difference. Our heart MUST be set on the people who need help, no matter how bad the weather is for us.

At the lowest of points, will you have the faith the move forward? True Revival does not stay in a building or just last for a few days. Revival is about the every day life you lead. Revival is about pushing yourself to get better even though the world is trying its best to keep you numb. When we are more interested in serving God then ourselves, Revival will come.

So many people seem to be standing around looking up in the air convinced that soon they will see the “Miraculous Power of God”. I look up and just see the sky, but when I look around I begin to see people crying for help. Few seem to be helping them however, most Christians I talk to, are just too worried that they will miss “God”.

Why do we let “God” get in the way of the people who need our help? When a young woman comes to our door with a baby in her hands asking for help, do we tell her to, “go to God with your problem“? This is an example of where the world and Christianity is at. The world is in desperate need for help, but we often do not want to get involved. We tell them to go to Church or tell them that We will “pray” for them, but we rarely do anything.

God Wants us to be His hands and feet. He is crying out for you and me to do something for those that need help. But often, it seems, we ignore God. We often use the Church and God as an excuse not to get involved. We say that these people will get better when Revival comes. We often think that we must wait and “pray” for it to get here. Revival is already here, it only requires us to step up and choose to walk in our faith.

Your faith is not measured by how many physical healings you see or Church services you go to. It is about the actual change in your life. Your faith is measured by how much you are willing to give to God no matter how hard it is or where it takes you.

Let us not just look for God in the parting of seas or moving of mountains. Let us see God in the true changes of peoples hearts, after you choose to get involved. Let us make the Church be about feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless, rather then just the Sunday Church service and weekly youth group. God is so much more then a quick “high” or occasional healing. Revival and God, is about a consistent walk in the true calling of your heart.