SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

Monday, April 08, 2013

NOT TODAY

http://www.nottodaythemovie.com/

****
Hello Friends
– We are in the final countdown
to the theatrical release of our feature film,
Not Today, on Friday, April 12.
Not Today
will be in three theaters here locally,
as well as 20 cities across the United States.
You also know that this is about more than just a movie
– this is about a movement to bring freedom
to the 250 million Dalits in India
and the 27 million people
enslaved
through
human trafficking
in our world today.

As I mentioned in our Easter services,
YOU are our marketing force!
There is no better way to promote Not Today
than by a word of mouth recommendation
from someone you know.
That is why YOU
are so crucial to the success of Not Today.
Would you consider doing two things to help right now?
1) Call, email or post about the theatrical release
of Not Today on Friday, April 12.
Remember, we are opening in 20 cities across the US,
not just here in Orange County.
You can find more information
about theaters and ticket purchasing information
HERE.
2) Use the tools available
by clicking
HERE
in your email signature, as your Facebook cover photo, etc. People need to see or hear about something several different ways
before it sinks in.
Thanks for being a part of this story
– for being such a generous church.
The “land of gracious living” is reaching around the world
to the Dalit people.
Our church has been changed as a result.
Let’s share what God is doing
and help do our part to see
freedom and hope
spread across the world.
God bless and THANK YOU for your help!
Matthew Cork Lead Pastor - Friends Church

*****

the movie linked above is not the same movie as the one referenced below. the movie linked above is funded, directed and produced by my cousin's church in southern california -friends church-

it is not currently playing close enough to pleasanton, california for me to see it in a local theatre, but i support the cause. it is set in india, but we all know this evil is not geographically restricted to any one area. i'm also very aware slavery has not been abolished; it thrives under a new name: human trafficking. as a three time kidnap/rape survivor, i am highly sensitive to the terror/violence/suffering of these victims... and infuriated by the widespread evil. this is how we do God's work: bring the evil into the light; rescue/love the victims into healing; capture and remove the evil predators from society. i do not currently have the energy to speak more about predators write now. i thank all God's warriors... in Jesus name! amen

*****

ORIGINAL POST NOVEMBER 26, 2012:

Things I wish I'd said ..departing Seattle. By none other than (me!) Sandra, tvgp

Diehard fans only... Disconnected stories and thoughts from a place of the most beautifully overwhelmed: /and know in advance how pissed off I am this thing won't space my thoughts the way I want... But what the hell, They're all squished together this time around anyway. PARAGRAPH SPACE HERE: you know how you are supposed to put earplugs in or read a book or open a laptop on the airplane if you don't want to get stuck next to some person that just won't shut up. How that's just about the politess way to say thanks but no thanks to a conversation with a stranger on a plane... Well, that old let me take my kindle out trick sure didn't work for John from England sitting in 8C on Alaska airlines this morning... I'm not sure what they put in my coffee at the Seattle airport but no kindle in the amazon world could stop me from makin' friends with my airplane seat neighbor. -John from England... Transplanted to Washington... And you know me by now... I'm no good at small talk but great with the BIG QUESTIONS... we talked God.. And/or the lack thereof... And about photography.. Traveling.. World violence... Childhoods... Marriage.. And I had to whip out my camera and do a little show and tell about my upcoming website: TheHeartSeen.com. ... Here's where I can blog again and say the things I'd wished I'd said in the actual moment.. 'cuz I was showin' John from England a heart I-spied here, and a heart I-spied there... Here a heart... There a heart... Everywhere a heart, etc. And when I got to the one I found in the bubbles in my coffee from Petes in Pleasanton... He said,"you're looking for them". -now, I have to break down the tone in that comment for you... The indication was... I was forcing it. Do you know what I mean? What he meant? -I do see hearts everywhere I go... But other people... Well, anyway.. It does happen sometimes.. Sometimes those hearts in my environment are so obvious and conspicuous and perfectly shaped even a blind man could point to it... And sometimes... There's a little work and imagination involved. A specific angle and distance... And perspective... And timing... And receptiveness... So, when John from England said, "you're looking". I knew what he meant... The subtext... And it is much more gratifying to find.. To notice... To reveal Vs. To project... But as I thought about that more... You know what I wish I would have said? I wish I woulda said, "well, haven't you ever looked too hard for love before?" PARAGRAPH BREAK HERE: I'm in the process of...processing. A most surprising, amazing, awesome family visit with my handsome prince to see my dad and family in Seattle... thank you Jesus for pictures!! We packed a lot in in a short time... I'm genuinely overwhelmed and I'm not writing just for pleasure write now... I'm writing so I don't crack.. PARAGRAPH BREAK HERE: in all my life... In all my schooling, in all my tv, interview, biography watching and reading... Never have I cried when President Lincoln died. Until yesterday... When I saw Lincoln... At the Lincoln... And I just don't know how anyone can watch that movie and not replace the word slavery with trafficking... And in fact, I saw a poster on the wall for a movie about human trafficking coming out soon... And when I saw that poster -for this upcoming movie I know nothing -nothing!- about... I sure did wonder to myself... Is this a genuine documentary which is intended to help victims.. Help STOP the crime... Or is this a secretly veiled how-to movie length video... Sexual assault and suicide fall in the same category here... There is a real art to covering the subject matter without exploiting... Without increasing the crimes you wish to prevent. Mass media Attention is both mandatory to prevent and necessary to spread... You must be very careful... And then I had to wonder... Cuz that seems like all I can sometimes do... Can the exact same movie do both? Prevent the crime/spread the crime... Is the result with the viewer? The moviemaker? And if you knew how much I've experienced and have on my mind vs. What will leak out here on my blog you would hand deliver me some sleeping aids... PARAGRAPH BREAK HERE: Oh, my feelings got hurt recently... And I keep trying to remember EXACTLY the words Dave meyers said back to his wife when she was so hurtful and mean to him... It was something about how.. Something like, " good thing I don't let you determine my self worth for me". And I think one of the most important lessons of my entire life to date has been that: to know my self worth according to God and Jesus... Not man. And when I say not man... I mean that sooo literally. It's taken a hundred years it feels like to build up a half of cup's worth of self esteem and even longer than that to unhate the male species... And just when I think maybe I graduated... I'm back fillin out applications for a campus that will have me... PARAGRAPH BREAK HERE: I will never stop reading the bible or going to church... But outside of those truths, here's another one... You know how there are physical laws... Laws of physics, etc. Well, I want to guarantee you this: -all you atheists and agnostics and -Doubters and seekers and those with unrooted faith... There are spiritual laws equal to and in fact superior to physical laws... More tried and true.. More consistent... As undisbutable... But infinite! Among these spiritual laws is this : God is love. Many of the spiritual laws -I'm sorry... ALL of the spiritual laws are true for HUMANITY -not just given religions... That is in fact what makes a spiritual LAW, -law. All spiritual laws are applicable to all of humanity. There is no segregation, preference, superior, inferior anybody or any religion... LOVE for example... Love is the greatest example.. Must you be a Christian? Muslim? College graduate? Wealthy person? Dying? Noble? ... Put anything here... LOVE is applicable for all of humanity. Now, I know from my own spiritual meditations and lessons and studies... Well, I know where I'm at... Only another follower/student will understand ... But if you could see a spiritual school the way we can see elementary - middle school - high school through college, etc. -and what lessons you need as a pre-requisite in order to get to the next level... Well I'm currently studying this: perfect love casts out all fears. I will be on this lesson for some unknown amount of time... But I cannot proceed without a deep, deeply rooted understanding of this truth; this SPIRITUAL LAW. I love you! And close with a huge "thank you!" to my family in Seattle... And my handsome prince... I will have to capture those awesome memories in photographs... Amen! posted by she @ 8:24 PM

Wednesday, April 06, 2016

about face. by (me!) sandra, tvgp

i only know Joyce Meyer from TV; and I continue to watch her 5 days a week, and I still consider myself a student for life. I know her also through reading a few of the many books she has published; and from a very brief in person encounter when I attended one of her book signings

-and I smile big here and interrupt with the passage that encounter triggered: book/chapter/verse.. not memorized; just the essence:

.. and the first shall go last.. and the last shall be first...

***
entirely unintended on my part for sure.. and you'll have to read about it if you're interested and curious enough to understand my reference.. type, a little unfair favor

in the search bar of this blog.

but, all that is prelude to explain (again), that while I know joyce meyer from these sources and occasions; I do not KNOW joyce meyer

and, I cant invite her over for coffee with me this morning. But, let's say I could. She would be the one person

well, there are more than one. so let me say instead, she would be the first person I would want to share this with: My appearance on my Charlie Rose's show.. how after we talked and talked around the big round oak table about writing and blogging and all that, -when he got to his closing question, and asked me

(me!)

how I wanted to be remembered, what would come first? writer, blogger, artist? mom.. humanitarian..? what would you want the first line to be?

"guess how I answered Joyce! guess what I said?! -Christian."

***

true; in my dream, this vision took place..

***

but it struck me in an odd way this morning when I picked up her book, and came across the 'about the author' paragraph. I'm not sure where the problem exists exactly.. is it in the word and definition for about.. for author.. or is, -as it has always been to me; and is to me write now:

the most ridiculous thing in the world to capture a human being in a paragraph...

if this was your only reference; how utterly absent it is; void..

I'm with time, energy and memory restrictions and obstacles write now, but I'm going to just bullet point:

* born into a highly dysfunctional family, where her father sexually abused her for many years, raping her over 200 times from age 8ish, through 15 or 16.. where her mother, in fear and without the courage or strength, essentially knew and did nothing about it.. where her brother, also abused, went into the military; and came out with drug addictions and an inability to cope in this world, and ultimately died, an addict, alone, homeless.. despite many profound attempts and opportunities to heal..

* where, after decades and decades, she repaired her relationship with her father; forgave and helped him in his senior years.. helped both her mother and father, in fact, and toward the very late part of her fathers life, he finally apologies and receives Christ into his before dying..

* where, despite the chaos, trauma, abuse surrounding her, she had the instincts to attend church, and get saved.. and prayed her way through the suffering

* where she met and married the first man to show her any attention, because she felt like damaged goods and who would want her.. -but this man was a thief and womanizer, and ultimately she divorced..

* and where, when she did start in a more specific way to learn and teach about God and the Bible, and found The Word of God, was helping in big ways to turn her life around, and help her heal..

well, ive always loved this description she shares: how she taught bible study classes in her living room wearing short-shorts and smoking a cigarette..

but she did certainly become sensitive to hearing the voice of God, and knew she had a calling on her life..

and this badly, severely, traumatized, defensive, angry, sassy and determined young adult..

has gone from glory, to glory, to glory.. in mostly slow and painful, but sometimes fast and joyful steps..

and I'm skipping a ton here too, but! -how many years has she been teaching? how many conferences? how many dream centers helping others? how many starving people around the world have been fed? ill people been visited and helped... lonely people connected...

but it is her very individual evolution, and not just the gazillions of people she helps around the world I am so fascinated with.. truly manifesting the fruits of the spirit in her life, as a daughter, wife, mom, employee, friend, pastor..

where there was hate; there is now love in great abundance

where there was misery; there is now joy

where there was quick, explosive, impulsive temper; there is now patience..

where there was chronic upset; there is consistent peace in all circumstances

where there was mean; there is now kindness

where there was gruff and bossiness; there is now gentleness

where there was spite; there is goodness

where there were questions; there is now faithfulness..

and where there was fleshly impulsive immature reaction; there is now thoughtful, practiced self-control.

***

when you witness or learn of any human being making that much progress against that many obstacles of such grave intensity; I hope you are inclined to look very closely at -how.

***

mostly I have witnessed people who were troubled and abused with obstacles to face in their youth.. who never quite evolved in this way... alcoholics who remained alcoholics and died that way; drug addicts who remained drug addicts and will die that way; selfish, mean people who remained and died that way; depressed who remained depressed; stuck who remained stuck.. I could go on.

but each time I witnessed an over-comer... a conqueror.. someone who grew and evolved and reached out to help others..

-I saw the common denominator, and it was God.

and it is only the people who have evolved in this way that I want teaching (me!), and as a result of being a student of these teachers..

I too am a spiritual success story.

"Thank You! Jesus! & amen!"

Saturday, January 03, 2015

Dear Angelina Jolie.. From (me!) Sandra, tvgp

Customer: "you saw unbroken.. What did you think? Had you read the book?"

(Me!): "hadn't read the book.. Movie was phenomenal and I left severely disappointed"

/which requires some brief explanation doesn't it:

"Congratulations Angelina!" On your directorial debut..

First.. On your choice of material; your selection of Louis Zamperini as the remarkable human being to introduce to a global audience through the medium of film -as the book by Laura Hillenbrand, unbroken, was on the NYT best seller list for 4 years.. We can know that his life story, as captured and retold by Laura, is widely known, appreciated, celebrated, longed for, and worthy of being shared in as many different artistic platforms as exist; perhaps even inspiring new ones..

And prior to seeing the movie I was describing it as a grand slam based on the publicity: we've got the author of unbroken who herself had/has severe health and life struggles still managing to produce great literary works the likes of seabisquit and unbroken; we've got a genuine hero in Louis Zamperini; and then you Angelina; battling your health issues simultaneous with wife/mother/ career.. And taking on this HUGE EPIC movie as your INITIATION into directing

So we've got the bases loaded so to speak, and the movie itself up to bat:

And everything - costumes; make-up; cinematography; cast; musical score; narration; editing.. Every decision you made seem to me "out of the park!". Grand slam.. Amazing...

Until..

Until.. Toward the end. -when I started to see..

Text? Sentences and bullet points?!? A paragraph?!? or two to capture the entire aftermath and second half of his epic and inspiring and amazing, complicated and beautiful, most meaningful life?!

I'm still not over it.

Someone told me the book does the same; gives all the time/attention to the 2 years he was a prisoner; to the suffering

And then bullet points the aftermath; PTSD; healing process; journey from internal hell to forgiveness and peace and glory..

And for (me!), and I suspect I speak for many others

It is the aftermath and that journey that can most serve humanity on the whole. So, i would like you both to know, you and laura..

That if you did.. If you could.. If you could capture the aftermath and the second half of Louis Zamperini's life with as much master-level talent as you did the 2 years he was a prisoner

I would and could easily spend my last dollars on the book..

And would pay whatever the cost, and sit for more than 3 hours giving my last dollar and undivided attention to that part of his life.

Not everyone will be a prisoner of war.

But everyone does suffer; everyone will be broken in one form or another; have at least the opportunity to heal; at least the opportunity to learn how to forgive and move forward..

Turn a mess into a message; a test into a testimony

When I look around and see so many human beings stuck

I think the most important thing we can teach and share and celebrate is not the spirit unbroken

But the very messy process by which the human spirit heals.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Wine, Diamonds, Copper, Bronze by (me!) sandra, tvgp

and as i've mentioned recently -there are a plethora of books, with different authors, at different times saying the exact same thing, using different words -and i wrote that in regard to "holding our thoughts captive" -inventory your thoughts; proactively delete, change, choose thoughts that serve you/humanity at large

lots of people teaching about 'visualizing' with your imagination, and making yourself 'feel' like what it would really feel like to achieve your goals -explaining how the subconscious can't distinguish between imagination/reality -law of attraction, and all that...

what i want to capture next, is the same thing but different topic. -because again, we have a plethora of books, with different authors, at different times, saying the exact same things, but using different analogies

the essence is this: pressure eventually yields something beautiful..

many people use "diamonds" as an analogy, because it involves a great deal of heat, and lots of cutting before you get a valuable diamond -i.e., heat reaches over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit; INTENSE PRESSURE, approx 725,000 pounds per square inch is applied to carbon deep in earth's crust..

lots of people use the pounding of ocean waves analogy

and in, breaking ground, by daniel libeskind, he writes, pg 261 hardcover,

"Still, I hoped the pressure would lead to something fruitful. A wine press or an oil press, after all, distills the essence while getting rid of the dregs. And architecture, like life, is always under pressure. That is its true nature. To withstand pressure is the essence of integrity, for a human being or building"

in the Bible, -beauty for ashes and many other passages

in one of Bishop T.D. Jakes sermons -from a series, if I remember correctly, was titled, 'CRUSHING'

he used a Copper Boiling analogy.. "God turns pressure into POWER" -boiling away impurities..

-and i don't have the time to re-read every one of my books, and find that one paragraph, but certainly

every author, teacher eventually finds an analogy to explain, to identify, to help us prepare, to help us cope with the same very hard truth:

there will be intense pressure(s) -and if you can withstand it; or withstand them...

-you are probably most familiar with, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"

so, hopefully i can spare you having to read one hundred books, or watch one hundred movies, all confirming the same thing: the more intense the pressure; the more valuable the pressure-taker becomes

In Christian teachings -the level of attack/pressure, is directly related to how much of a threat the enemy considers you

-therefore,

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

/and i confess here.. i am sometimes using pressure/suffering as synonymous

when that is only sometimes the case. all suffering is pressure; but not all pressure includes suffering.

-more later; amen.