Running the Show

Because Christ has made it possible for us to stand before God and to communicate with Him, we can discern His ways and be obedient to His direction.  2nd Corinthians 3 talks about how there is no
longer a veil between God and us, and we read:
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

This is a Scripture reference that a television producer used in a recent interview...we're told in verse 18 that as in a mirror, we can see the glory of the Lord, i.e. when we look at ourselves, we should see the presence of God.  We also know that we can walk in that presence and know the Spirit's instruction - in Him we live, and move, and have our being, Paul said in Acts 17.  If God's glory can be seen in us, then we can know that God is guarding His treasure that He has placed in us and will express His nature through His people.

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In Philippians 2, Paul has just finished pointing to the name of Jesus as above every name and
relating that ultimately that every knee will bow and every tongue confess to his Lordship. He then writes this:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Butch has left the building.

A former producer for the Nickelodeon cable network is moving on to other challenges, including beginning his own entertainment network.  His name is Butch Hartman, and he actually did a video for YouTube to explain his move.  The website, The Stream, reported:

The cleverly produced “Why I Left Nick” soon gained nearly six million views. It’s a rarity for a 14-minute video essay. The longtime Nickelodeon showrunner and father of two girls sprinkled in Scripture references as he broke the news of his departure from the #1 kids TV network.

“If you’re thinking you want to get into this industry, it’s awesome,” he says to his young viewers. “But it is very difficult. … You have to really step up when given that chance. There’s another scripture in the Bible that says, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ When you’re given a lot, it’s going to require a lot out of you.”

What's next?  The article states that Hartman will be producing shows on a platform called Pocket.watch, plus he's involved in "mobile app development," but..."What animates Hartman the most is an on-demand network called Oaxis — a play on the words oasis and axis. In a Kickstarter launch video, he says it 'has high-quality, family-friendly entertainment as its central mission.'"

Why leave Nick - in the Stream article, Hartman waxes Biblical. He said, "I believe we go from glory to glory, and it was just time to go to the next glory. I had been at Nick for 20 years. I was given the chance to do a few things, but I always wanted to do more there." He said, "To be quite honest with you, God was calling me to something that was a higher situation."

He adds...

The Scriptures tell us that God will give you the desires of your heart. As the years went by, this network idea really germinated in my heart. I’ve always wanted to impact culture in a big way. God has been calling me to do this because that way he can work through me, without anyone else bogging it down.

While with Nick, Hartman was involved with shows such as The Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom, and others. He says, "What sets them apart is that I’m a Christian guy. Now you wouldn’t hear the word “Jesus” on these shows, because they never would have made them that way," but he relates that, "These shows were a platform to explore eternal truths. What do love, family, relationship and things like that really mean? We showed those ideas lived out. If you get even one Christian reference in there, that’s a good thing."

His vision for Oaxis? "Oaxis is going to be 100 percent family-focused. We are all about bringing families back together." He adds:

Why do we have to have a show about a kid who commits suicide? Why can’t we have shows about kids who help stop their peers from committing suicide? When we show people positive role models of families and being a friend, audiences might be surprised and intrigued.

I think there are some interesting points that we can consider from Butch's latest moves.  For one thing, he does have a sense of God's hand upon his life.  He used Scripture relative to using the gifts God has given you, integrated that verse about going from glory to glory, and talked about God giving us the desires of our hearts.  I think he presents an example for us of someone who follows the principles of recognizing the work you are called to do and being discerning about what form it takes.

Our vocation can be an expression of God's handiwork in our hearts.  And, we can trust Him to provide opportunities to walk in that.  Not all are called to do Christian institutional ministry, but we are all called to be involved in the work of ministry.  Hartman is not planning to do Christian entertainment, per se, but he desires for the entertainment he generates to reflect Christian values.

We also be confident in knowing that when God directs, He provides.  We can be sensitive to the leadership of the Spirit and follow Him, whether He tells us to move or to stay put.  Fact is, He is capable of using us wherever we are and desires for us to maximize our efforts as He gives us strength.