I love making short films.

I just love making short videos. The Student Minister at my church got my involved in making short videos for our students and I have been hooked ever since. I really like to do all the behind scenes, the writing , directing, set design (that pretty much consists of borrowing some silly props and hanging some curtains), and yelling, "Cut!" I love that part. I don't like getting in front of the camera much, I have a very noticeable southern accent and it is twice as bad on screen. Not saying a southern accent is bad just MY southern accent is bad.

Anyway, a few months ago I was reading a post that Layla over at Well Woman posted. It was about how she is affiliated with the Damah Film Festival. Damah is a non-profit organization which hosts an annual spiritual film festival. (Layla, correct me if I am wrong.) I left a comment on Layla's blog and she helped me get a DVD of some of the films. A lot of these short films have a dark story line and a few of them the plot is over my head and I do not understand what they are trying to say.

Light of Darkness, a film by Michael Cargil, is one short that was on the DVD. I mention this film because it was a simple little film with a lot of meaning. It was about a lady driving down a dark lonely road, getting low on gas. It starts out just like an 80's horror movie, you know, the music with a lot of violins and such. Well, you guessed it, she ran out of gas. Seeing how it was set in the late 70's early 80's, cell phones were not around yet. So instead of walking, she locks the doors and goes to sleep right there in the car. Just like every horror movie, along comes a sinister looking guy in a hooded sweatshirt. He stands by her window, she wakes up and it scares her. She starts screaming for the man to leave and eventually he does but minutes later shows up again and starts beating on her window. She is screaming more now, telling him to leave. We find out through all of this that the man can not speak. Finally, you think the guy is going to leave but what he is doing is walking down the road to pick up a big rock. He smashes the window. Then starts pulling the woman from the car. She is screaming and clawing at anything she can to stay in the car. It is getting more and more intense. Then through all the fighting and screaming the man gets the woman from the car just as the train smashes into it. Wow, what a mix of emotions.

I showed this film to my Sunday school. I asked my students what they thought that we as Christians have in common with the woman. Here is my favorite response. Once we become Christians or even later in life it is hard to give up worldly things. It could be a number of things, TV, internet, a job, or even a boyfriend or girlfriend. We hold on with all our might, sometimes kicking and screaming, and all God wants is to save us from a world of hurt. If there is something out there that is holding you back from God's blessing, pray about it and give with you are holding on to to God. Not too bad for a bunch of tenth grade teenagers. Maybe we can all learn a lesson from these guys.

Remember, don't tell God how big your storms are, tell the storms how big your God is!

God bless, Joe

I love making short films.