character of God. 1st Peter 2 says:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Think about it - each of us has been chosen by the Lord Most High; and He has a unique and special purpose for each of us. He wants to express Himself through us, and through our churches, so that in our communities, Christ may be exalted. We can consider, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, how we can lift Him high and make Him known - we have been chosen and equipped for this purpose, as His ambassadors.
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We are called and empowered to have influence in the world around us; to the spheres in which God
has placed us. Matthew 5 offers this reminder - these are the words of Jesus:
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
The year was 1883. Daeida and Harvey Wilcox had "made a fortune in real estate," and moved to Los Angeles from Topeka, KS, according to a recent Religion News Service article, which states:
The couple bought 120 acres centered at what would become the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, and after Harvey’s death and Daeida’s subsequent remarriage, Daeida began creating her vision of a Christian preserve.
The article says that:
The first laws passed by the town involved bans on liquor, pool halls, bowling alleys, riding bicycles on sidewalks, the use of firearms and speeding. In 1905, the Los Angeles Times described it as a place where “the saloon and its kindred evils are unknown.”The new city, which was established in 1903, was "filled with churches that had taken up Daeida’s offer of free land, regardless of denomination." The name of the city was...
Hollywood.
Now, there is a tour, a Walk of Faith in Hollywood, not to be confused with the Walk of Fame. April Clemmer started it. The article says:
The article says that Clemmer "recently gave a tour to Karen Covell, who directs the Hollywood Prayer Network, an organization of and for entertainment industry Christians. Covell is encouraging her members to take the tour." Covell is quoted as saying, “She walks people through the decades, within a few blocks’ area, giving insight into the vision of Christians, the passion of filmmakers and the hand of God throughout the last 100 years in Hollywood,” adding, “It’s important to know what God has done in order to fully embrace what he’s doing and is going to continue to do in our community.”
It was certainly informative and gratifying to read about the history of a place that is now a center of the entertainment industry. I was reminded about how the Church has been at the center of civic life in communities across America. Think about cities where the various churches are located in a central hub. The geography is still there; and you would hope that the influence is still there, as well. And if that influence has been lost or diminished, we can consider how can we recapture that in our local areas.
We can also personalize the story and ask ourselves: Is our relationship with Christ and His Church at the center of our lives? When we consider our thoughts and activities, we can evaluate the level to which we allow Him to control us.
While so much out of Hollywood and the entertainment industry is inconsistent with Biblical principles and inappropriate for families, we can continue to support good entertainment that is consistent with our Biblical values. This Friday, February 22, the film, Run the Race, will be in theaters. In the Faith Radio broadcast area, it will be at the Festival Plaza 16 and Chantilly 13 in Montgomery, Tiger 13 in Opelika, and Dothan Pavillion 12.
Now, there is a tour, a Walk of Faith in Hollywood, not to be confused with the Walk of Fame. April Clemmer started it. The article says:
Clemmer, a Los Angeles resident and a Baptist herself, came up with the Walk of Faith tour last winter, after spending a decade researching Hollywood history. To her surprise, the deeper she looked, the more she found that the place synonymous with the American movie industry — and now clogged with lingerie stores, tobacco shops and fast-food outlets — was founded as an alcohol-free Christian community.The piece goes on to say:
While the typical Hollywood tour might include tourists, the majority of the Walk of Faith attendees are locals — and that’s how Clemmer wants it.
“It’s important for local Christians to know there is a foundation of faith in Hollywood and that it’s something that can be reclaimed,” she said.As for that original foundation of faith, the article points out that the town had grown to some 5,000 residents, and a water shortage resulted in Hollywood being absorbed into Los Angeles - then the saloons came, and as Religion News puts it, "by the time Daeida died in 1914, her vision was doomed as well."
The article says that Clemmer "recently gave a tour to Karen Covell, who directs the Hollywood Prayer Network, an organization of and for entertainment industry Christians. Covell is encouraging her members to take the tour." Covell is quoted as saying, “She walks people through the decades, within a few blocks’ area, giving insight into the vision of Christians, the passion of filmmakers and the hand of God throughout the last 100 years in Hollywood,” adding, “It’s important to know what God has done in order to fully embrace what he’s doing and is going to continue to do in our community.”
It was certainly informative and gratifying to read about the history of a place that is now a center of the entertainment industry. I was reminded about how the Church has been at the center of civic life in communities across America. Think about cities where the various churches are located in a central hub. The geography is still there; and you would hope that the influence is still there, as well. And if that influence has been lost or diminished, we can consider how can we recapture that in our local areas.
We can also personalize the story and ask ourselves: Is our relationship with Christ and His Church at the center of our lives? When we consider our thoughts and activities, we can evaluate the level to which we allow Him to control us.
While so much out of Hollywood and the entertainment industry is inconsistent with Biblical principles and inappropriate for families, we can continue to support good entertainment that is consistent with our Biblical values. This Friday, February 22, the film, Run the Race, will be in theaters. In the Faith Radio broadcast area, it will be at the Festival Plaza 16 and Chantilly 13 in Montgomery, Tiger 13 in Opelika, and Dothan Pavillion 12.
Tim Tebow, executive producer of the film, along with his brother, Robby, was on Hannity on Fox News the other night. A FoxNews.com story related:
It's said to center around two brothers with different points of view, and their high school football and track teams.
“People need to hear the story because it's a hard world, but people need to be encouraged,” he said about the film which first caught his attention six years ago.
He described it as a faith-based film but also a “real film” to which most people could relate.So, that's Run the Race on Friday. And, on March 29, the story of a former Planned Parenthood director who left the abortion industry, Unplanned, debuts. There's also an animated version of Pilgrim's Progress ahead. Plus, the film, Breakthrough is the survival story of a young man who fell through the ice on a frozen lake and what occurred in the aftermath.
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