Enemy God Update

I'm more than over due for this!

With the year coming to a close things are cranking into high gear at 10X.

Down in Belize sets are busy being built, equipment is being shipped and the actors are preparing their parts. Tom and Matt (the director and producer of The Enemy God, respectively) just got back from the week-long actors school for our new stars. It was a
successful week.

On the home front, I've been going through the Apple Pro FinalCut training series learning some more advanced editing techniques, so that I can be ready to finish out the documentary portions when we get the footage we need. I've also been working with Carissa, a new member of the 10X team, on researching independent film distribution.
It's amazing - and quite frankly exciting - how many venues there are open to independent film that are accessible without a big name distributor.

As we move into production (scheduled to start in the middle of January) please pray:
~That God will give the creative team insight and inspiration as they put the last minute touches on the set, script, costumes...
~That God will make clear the way for the cast and crew in January so that they can proceed through filming with out hindrance.
~That God will be preparing the audiences who will see this film to hear it's message and act on it.
~Lastly, this film is part of two part initiative - to raise awareness regarding the true plight of indigenous cultures around the world, mobilizing the church to reach out to and pray for them; and to empower these indigenous peoples giving them the voice that is all to often denied them by anthropological experts and scholars. Pray that God will be preparing leaders in the church and in the tribes to seethis initiative through to fruition and spread his truth and hope to every corner of the world.

Ever since my Christmas in Italy three years ago my family has had an international themed meal on Christmas day to remind us that Christ's advent was the advent of the King of the entire world. As we ponder the implications of the coming of the King to the world it's exciting
to be able to catch a small glimpse of his advent to unreached tribes and the transformation that takes place. The Yanomamo are a new people since the coming of Christianity and rejoice at the opportunity to share their story with the world that others may come to know the God who came as a man to cut a new trail through the pain and sorrow of our sins and bring us to the bright place where there is always singing. Let us rejoice with them as we stand in wonder at the cradle of Emanuel - God with us.

I'm back!

Yikes! I had not intended to just disappear like that. This fall has been filled with my first semester at the University of Denver, film festivals and screenings for the short film I made last spring, my internship (we're finally ready to film the Enemy God! It's quite exciting) and in all the hustle I have fallen very far behind in my posting. A thousand apologies! I addition I haven't figured out how to use the blogger editing tools with the mac I use at college. Anyone proficient in Apple tech interested in helping me figure it out would earn my undying gratitude.

I'll have the rest of Tower posted in the next couple of days. I'd also like to start posting other things as well again. I just need to get a good system down for juggling college and bloging.

Real Things: Enemy God Update

Last month was an exciting one for the production.

1) We received full funding (we're talking about $900,000) for the film so now we can proceed with production secure in the knowledge that we will be able to pay for all our projected needs.

2) We've received clear direction about where to film. We'll begin planning logistics for filming in Belize next week. The biggest need now is to connect with a tribe there that would be willing to help us tell the Yanomamo's story. We have a lead but no solid commitment yet.

3) The Dawsons appear to be being ignored by the government - which is an enormous blessing since New Tribes Missions was thrown out of the country in April. Pray for their continued safety.

And that's that in a nutshell. I shall keep you updated as new developments develop.

Word Studies: Tower

Well, I'm finally home for more than a day. My goodness but May of your Sr year is...how shall I say...busy.

But, I am back and I still have things to say!

After all this talk about learning to wield words in powerful ways, I present you with a short story of my own. Here's installment 1.

[Edit 11/27/07: If you'd like the rest of this story please write me and I'd be happy to send you a copy, but as of today, I've taken down the later installments so that I retain more control over where the story ends up. Thanks! And enjoy! ~Chloe]

Tower
1.

Throne-room records: – Second lunar cycle, 10th day, Second year of Regency Zurvan, Dawn.

The Regent’s Hall was still lit by the luminescent columns that served a double purpose in the great hall – holding up the massive ceiling and providing light in the pre-dawn hours. The pillar’s leafy capstones were beginning to glow with light from the sky outside however, as the sun slowly made its way to the horizon.
Zurvan sat on the Regent’s throne. The sounds of a battle could be dimly heard outside the thick walls of the palace. It was never supposed to come this close. With a crash that made every guard in the hall start, Cassandra threw the doors open and strode in. She was trailed by two helpless looking guards.

“Lord Regent, these men inform me that I am under the Regent’s arrest? I demand to know on what grounds you –”

Zurvan didn’t look up as he answered, “Cassandra, please.”

“You have no grounds –“

“Madam Kavi, I‘m tired of this.” His voice dripped with venom as he raised his clear green eyes to meet her icy stare. “I’ve given you patronage, everything you asked for and you repay me with deceit and treachery! Nothing wrong. You intentionally delayed work on the Capstone and then ordered your Kavi to destroy it. Now Atar is under attack and I am powerless to do anything because the Tower is not ready.” He advanced towards her and the entire room could feel his anger crackling through the air. “Nothing wrong. Indeed, Cassandra.”

He held out his hand to Cassandra with a curt bow, but his look said that the gesture was a command not an offer. She placed her hand in his with a frosty nod and was led to a window overlooking Atar. The battle cries grew louder; fear and loss wafted on the smoke of the burning buildings. The Tower at the center of the battle field blazed red, its metal walls reflecting the fires all around.

“Observe the fortunes of war.” Zurvan was imperious. “The death of a man is a terrible thing to see isn’t it. Look at my men, they fight and die in droves because you—“

“Would not play your game, acquiescing to every request of a man who should know better than to play God.” Cassandra’s gaze was as sharp as a knife. “Because I refused to hand you raw power on a silver platter.”

“Guard!” Zurvan’s fury was no longer held in check, but he dared not strike her.

“Rega’El?” The guard appeared at his side, Cassandra looked at the armored man in amazement.

“So Regent is no longer enough – The Order is real.”

“Cassandra! You are confined to your rooms and your work is to be destroyed.”

“By what authority! You have no right! By the Casere Directive you cannot confine a Kavi—“

“Oh, but I can. As an old friend of mine used to say, watch me!”

Zurvan snapped his fingers and two guards stumbled forward to take hold of her. Cassandra drew herself up, giving them a contemptuous glance. They slowed, uncertain as to the wisdom of arresting the Meri’am Kavi like any petty thief. Without another glance at Zurvan Cassandra stepped haughtily to the door and went out with the two guards trailing uselessly behind her.
Zurvan flung himself back onto the ornate throne. His eyes flashed from the door to the window and back again as he tugged at his oiled beard. The servants began to find excuses to leave the chamber before another explosion. Zurvan saw their bowed heads hurrying out,

“Yes, that’s right. All of you! Get out!”

He emphasized this last command with a tray of food flung at their retreating backs. “Wait, not you. You, I have a job for.” Raiko, commander of the Casere Guard in Atar, stopped his slow measured pace to the door and turned around his face held impassive by a great effort of will. Zurvan was looking intently at him.

“Confiscate all plans and blueprints regarding her positronic creations and the Capstone and deliver them to me. Send word to the Kavi Mistress in the Temple that their Meri’am is in rebellion and has been decommissioned. Their loyally now belongs to me. Burn the rest of her work.”

Raiko’s face was blank, “Yes…Rega’El.” And he turned and followed the rest of the Guard out.

ipseity

“Does it hurt?”

“How do you mean?”

“Will I feel it?”

“Oh, yes. You will feel it. You must feel it.”

“What is it like?”

“They say everything you thought was you will harden until you are unable to move. And you will have to make a choice. You can stay in the crystal husk…or you can break out.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Do you suppose you can leave yourself without any pain?”

“Why must I feel it?”

“Because if you don’t you will never feel anything again. You will die in the husk – a Snow White in her crystal coffin- beautiful…and untouchable. Indifferent to the warmth of the sun, or the thrill of a summer gail.”

“If I break out, can I come back?”

“No. You can never come back.”

“Then I want to stay here. It is safe. It is warm. I have everything I need.”

“Have you never wished for the impossible?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s impossible.”

“I wish for it not to hurt.”

“Do not wish for that.”

“If I leave the husk have I left me?”

“Is that who you are?”

“It’s not who I’ll be?”

“No.”

“So it should be joyful…because I’m becoming more myself than before.” She smiled, then the smile faded again, “And leaving the essence of who I thought I was.”

There was a pause at these words as the one looked in to the dark eyes of the other.

“Can I do it?”

“Will you?”

The one looked around at the calm brown that had been their home ever since they could remember.

“Will you come with me?”

“I’ll be right beside you.”

And with that the two nymphs swam to the surface of the small pond. They crawled up a cat-tail that arched upwards to the sky...and waited. They could hardly breathe...and slowly the horrible tight feeling of immobility stole over them. It was impossible to move. The one looked into the dark eyes of the other. They still shone.

In a few hours, two rainbowed dragonflies zoomed upwards to the sun that had just broken the horizon. Two pale husks sat below them, stiff and lifeless - clinging to a brown cat-tail.

Real Things

As Rebelutionaries Alex and Brett Harris continue to remind us, we need to Do Hard Things. It seems to me that the necessary corollary to that needs to be doing real things. There are plenty of things that you can choose to invest your time in that are quite hard, but are they real? Are they going to have an impact on eternity? Will it build up your faith and influence those around you, or you just doing them "for you"; Is it glamour or is it glory?

Film seems to be one of those areas where the line between glamour and glory gets blurred real easily. It's so easy to just tell what ever story strikes your fancy - or in the case of the moviegoer - watch/support what ever story strikes your fancy.

In case you hadn't already figured it out, I am something of a film amateur. Amateur in the sense that I love it (amateur - from theLatin for love). This year through a variety of turns of providence I have gotten more and more opportunities to delve into the world of film. And not just watching.

There was, of course, the San Antonio Film Festival, which many of you read about with me back in October. That was an inspiring weekend.

More significantly I think has been the internship with 10X Productions. The internship that is, at least in part, responsiblee for the long pause between posts. 10X Productions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caleb Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was established in 2005 to develop and produce mass-media visual communication tools for the purpose of mobilizing Christians for the completion of world evangelization.

Its first project is called "The Enemy God" and it is a feature-length film dedicated to portraying the hope that is budding among the new Yanomamo Christians of the Amazon rain forest - and it's a project we need to spread the word about.

The Yanomamo are an incredible paradox. For as long as their oldest stories can recount they have been trapped in a culture of fear and bloodshed. And, in the name of preserving this "virgin culture" untainted by western thought, the Yanomamo have been kept forcibly isolated by secular anthropologists who wish them to remain locked in their culture of violence.

But their seemingly hopeless situation now has the potential to set tribal peoples all over the world free from secular exploitation and bring the light of the gospel into their dark lives. You see, in spite of their primitive ways, the Yanomamo are a people unusually in tune with the spiritual world. Many of their shamans realized that the Enemy God whom their demonic spirits warned them against for generations, is the One True God and the only hope for their dying people. TheYanomamomo have seen God transform their culture in ways that can only be explained as supernatural. Now the Yanomamo are ready to speak for themselves! "The Enemy God" portrays their struggle for freedom from the demonic powers that hold them, and presents a startling critique to those who maintain that pagan tribalism produces a sort of Paradise.

You can help bring this story to the world, and to tribes like the Yanomamo who have yet to see that the gospel message is for them! 10X truly wants The Enemy God to be something for which only God gets the credit.

Therefore, the most important way you can participate is to pray.

• Pray for guidance for the producers as they search for the right location texecutete the filming, and the right tribe to portray the Yanomamomo. The original plan was to cast members from the very village the film is about. But due to heated political tensions down in Venezuela, 10X no longer has the access it needs to the jungle in Amazonas.
• Pray for the Dawsons, the missionary family working with the Yanomamo people now for three generations. They are an extraordinary family, and very aware of the importance of their ministry, and spiritual opposition to their work. This opposition growes greater with each day of their faithful service.
• And pray for the Yanomamo people. Pray that God will make their hearts ready to hear the Gospel. Pray for the youth in the Christian villages. This younger generation does not remember the fear and bondage of their old ways and are tempted to turn back. Pray that they will turn their hearts to their elders and listen. Pray that they will seize their Christian faith with both hands and not be allowed to slip back into the old ways.

With the prayer please help spread the word about the project. Word of mouth is going to be key in getting the film out and viewed once it's made. Filming is tentatively set for January and releace for next summer. In addition if you know anyone who might be interested in getting more involved, they can go here.

The message of "The Enemy God" has the potential to change the world - one viewer at a time. So take a look and spread the word! And Do Hard Things - for real!

After Terri Schiavo: Fixing life with legislation?

Schiavo Case Influences Washington End-of-Life Registry
"SEATTLE, WA---Influenced by the Terri Schiavo case in Florida, the
Department of Health of the state of Washington will set up a statewide registry
for specified health care declarations that is accessible electronically by
individuals, their personal representatives and health care facilities and
providers...

Under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Chris Gregoire, a secure website
containing a registry of living wills and other health care directives for
end-of-life medical care for citizens of the state would be established.\The
state health department would establish and maintain the registry of health care
declarations which will include advance directives, durable powers of attorney
for health care, mental health advance directives and forms establishing
physician orders for emergency medical service personnel...The stated intent of
the bill is that the electronic registry improve access to advance directives
and mental health advance directives, but not supplant the current system of
using these documents. The intent is also stated to be that health care
providers consult the registry in all situations where there may be a question
about the patient's wishes for periods of incapacity and the existence of a
document of the patient's intentions...

...The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, said that
the Schiavo case inspired him to introduce the legislation....Had Terri effected
a living will or left advance directives, she might well be alive today and the
decade-long battle in the courts between her parents and her estranged husband
and guardian would not have occurred. "

The NeoFascist has some interesting thoughts on the subject:

" Our love and respect for life has dwindled so much that many Americans
want to kill a brain-damaged lady simply because they think they "wouldn't want
to live like that." These people, some of them Christians, say they would rather
die themselves than be brain damaged... Yet there is no love or respect for
God's gift of life there; just the search for an easy way out. We as a culture
have become so dependent upon prime living conditions that we don't know how to
weather any storms. We're a country of sissies, pansies and wimps; we don't see
life as something worth fighting for, because we fear the battle more than the
loss. "

The legal question is a question, but unless there is the moral fortitude to struggle through the hard questions and refuse the easy for the good, the legislation passed is doomed to be empty rhetoric.

For more thoughts from other teens take a look at AgentTim and the Rebelution - they both have a list of other teens who've joined the Terri Schiavo blogging burst.

Terri’s Right to Die: The fruit of Reason

Last year today…

PINELLAS PARK, Florida (CNN) -- The feeding tube for the brain-damaged Florida
woman at the center of a bitter moral and legal tug of war was disconnected
Friday afternoon, and her husband's lawyer pleaded, "She has a right to die in
peace."

A two weeks latter…

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who
became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle, died Thursday morning,
nearly two weeks after doctors removed the feeding tube that had sustained her
for more than a decade.

The rosy glasses we so often view the world through are worn by a generation shaped by the reign of Reason. The dogmatic pursuit of a logical explanation of all we see – removing a need for a spiritual realm – that lifted us into a golden age of reason is beginning to show its true colors.

It is on the pillars of reason and feelings that we rest our understanding of the world. Reason was deified in the enlightenment – replacing God outright. Now we find pure reason cold, so we soften it with feelings. We have become nice. Our niceness has prompted us to embark on brave campaigns to save the whales and daring marches to end the tyranny of our elders. Oh, yes. We are very nice. And everything even makes perfect logical sense…if you keep the religious questions out of it. Which we are very good at doing; we have the first amendment.

Everything we do must make 1) logical sense and 2) make us feel that we did something important. From that starting place we can rationalize anything. You see, reason is everything. And by all outward appearances Terri had lost hers.

In a world defined by reason and feelings, there is no room for humanity. Reasonable people should think it only sensible to let Terri go. She was in a vegetative state that any reasonable person would abhor. Think of all that she had been. And now to be confined to this broken, twisted body… How could we let her go on like that? What reason was there? With Terri’s right to die we have carried, “I think therefore I am,” to “We can see that you think, therefore you are.”

What reason? That is where the paradigm of Reason breaks down. It is an unanswerable question. Why are we here and what makes us human? For what reason? Humanity is more than reason, and we know it. That’s why we go away from a book of logical plots and cardboard characters unsatisfied. In a world devoid of spiritual realities though, “I” is the only logical answer to the meaning of life. But as nice as that sounds, it is not at all fulfilling.

Humanity is more than rational thought. Life is more than happiness. “I think therefore I am” is not enough to explain the love of a mother for her difficult child or helpless laughter at your best friend’s stupid joke or the sacrifice of patriots for generations they will never meet. These belong to the realm of something bigger than reason…

What is that realm? What makes us human…as opposed to intelligent primates? Was Terri’s death a merciful release or an attempt to feel good about ourselves?

On this anniversary we owe it to her to consider these questions. Feel free to use the comment’s section below, or discuss it with someone you know…but whatever you do these are questions we can’t afford to ignore.