Comic Relief

In Acts 26, the apostle Paul was recounting his experience on the road to Damascus, testifying before King Agrippa; we can read these words:
15 So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

Kel Mitchell is a former Nickelodeon star who is now a pastor.  While his star definitely rose through his series, All That and Kenan and Kel, there was an underside that was particularly troubling that he had to endure.

Movieguide quotes from a story at the outlet, Variety, regarding a producer at the network: 

“Dan Schneider allegedly yelled at him in a closet on set once when he was 18 or 19 years old. Mitchell’s story is the latest misconduct allegation made by a former Nickelodeon actor against Schneider. The recent Investigation Discovery documentary series QUIET ON SET included several other actors alleging mistreatment by Schneider during his tenure at Nickelodeon.”

Movieguide's review of that series was quoted from in the article. It said that the series, streaming on Max, called, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV...

...makes clear that children between 8 and 15 are extremely vulnerable and need to be protected from exploitation. Every aspect of this series is important for exposing the underside of Hollywood. QUIET ON SET has a very clear, strong moral worldview, with a few brief mentions of prayer.

The original article goes on to recount a story from Mitchell, in which Schneider called Mitchell to join him in a closet where he allegedly, "just took off, you know, just yelling all this wild stuff...," according to Mitchell's account in a podcast. He said, “Being an adult at this point, I had a decision to make, you know what I mean? I was just like, ‘Okay, either we are going to fight or either I’m going to leave,’” adding, “And so that’s what I did. I left the situation.”

Movieguide relates that, "Following his time on Nickelodeon, Mitchell became a licensed pastor."

Quoting from another Movieguide article, the story goes on to say:

“I remember I was praying really hard like I always do and I heard the Lord speak loud and clear to me like, ‘This is the time to do it,’” he said. “’I want you to be a youth pastor but also still continue to work in the other gift that I gave you which is also in the entertainment business ’cause I need you to be there for both and show my faith in both.’ And so I was like ‘yeah, I’m here for you Lord. Let’s do this.’”

He certainly has a heart for young people, as he expressed in a CBN article quoted by Movieguide:

“They really need the love of Christ,” Mitchell said of the younger generation. “They really need that love in their life to help them. And I really feel like once the youth understand how God feels about them…[but] when they step into this Word and they hear about how much God loves them and that they are a part of a royal family and they invite him into their hearts, it can really change things.”

The passage I read earlier from the 26th chapter of Acts reminds us of spiritual transformation and of the mission to which each of us has been called - we are to represent the risen Lord in this earth and, by demonstrating and communicating the love and truth of God, people can see the unmistakable contrast between darkness and light.  

Kel Mitchell is someone who is not only a comedian and actor, but a pastor, as well. He has been given a tremendous platform to relate the gospel of Christ. And, I would submit that the course of his life could have been changed if he had responded differently to harassment on the job. A producer cornered him in a closet - Mitchell said that he could have fought or walked away; he chose the latter. the verbal volleys he received on the set could have discouraged Kel and derailed his career. But, he did what he should and refused on that occasion to allow a co-worker to take him in a destructive direction. Our choices determine the direction of our lives; we have to make sure that we are choosing in accordance with the Scriptures.