Club God - Coming Soon!

I sketched out a Christian short called Club God, about God prematurely calling a comedian up to Heaven so he can help God with his stand-up act. It will be the first real production of Sonlight Pictures.

It's about 15 minutes long and covers a lot of simple, theological ground. Plus, it's pretty funny.

We're going to shoot it in April/May after I return from vacation. John Snell and Brian Shea, friends and actors from our film The Box, have agreed to be in the short. John Snell will play God and Brian Shea will play "Shecky" the comedian.

John and Brian on the set of The Box.

We'll be shooting the short at the Cinema Cafe in Clearwater, the location of The Box premiere. We have four hours to shoot fifteen pages, so it will be a race to be sure.

I'll have more pics and vids in the coming weeks. We'll post it on YouTube and GodTube when it is completed.

Pray for us. We'll need it!

How Long Have Christians Been Pro-Life? A Very, Very, Very Long Time...

I came across this quote from a Catholic blog called the WardWideWeb and he quotes from Athenagoras: Embassy for the Christians, and The Resurrection of the Dead. In the book, Athenagoras, a Christian apologist from around 170 A.D., argues in a letter to the Emperor that Christians are not murders, as their pagan enemies portend.

In this argument, Athenagoras specifies Christian opposition to abortion as well.

"But we consider the looking on at a murder to be nigh to murder itself and forbid ourselves such spectacles. If then we do not even look on at these shows (so as not to be under a curse and to incur defilement), how can we be capable of murder?

Again, we call it murder and say it will be accountable to God if women use instruments to procure abortion: how shall we be called murderers ourselves?

The same man cannot regard that which a woman carries in her womb as a living creature, and therefore as an object of value to God, and then go about to slay the creature that has come forth to the light of day.

The same man cannot forbid the exposure of children, equating the exposure with child murder, and then slay a child that has found one to bring it up.

No, we are always consistent, everywhere the same, obedient to our rule and not masters of it."

This is the second early Christian document I have read that specifically states Christian opposition to abortion.

So the fact is, you cannot be Christian and pro-choice. Those have been opposing forces since the institution of Christianity itself.

Mark's Baptism

Having accumulated numerous God-Children over my life, I struggled as to how best to honor them on their "rebirth" day or baptismal day. It occurred to me that I should combine their "rebirth" days into a single day, choosing the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th), as Joseph was responsible for guiding Jesus on his chosen and divine path.

So, for the past few years, every March 19th I would sometimes send my God-Children some religious trinket or card, but would always say a novena for them.

A few months ago my niece Kristi and her husband Robbie told us there were expecting their third child and asked if we would consider being the God Parents. We were ecstastic! So this past Saturday, March 15th, my wife and I were honored to become Mark Chappell's God-Parents.

Dea, Pete, Robbie, Mark and Kristi

Due to the once-in-200 year lunar cycle, Easter is very early this year and, therefore, the Feast of St. Joseph was moved up to avoid inclusion in Holy Week. So, as divine providence would have it, as I welcomed Mark Chappell in to my God-Family, I was happy and surprised to find out that the Feast of St. Joseph was moved up to March 15th as well.

What a fitting gift, to welcome a new God-Child on the day I celebrate all of my God-Children!

I will delay the start of the novena until after Easter, as not to interfere with Holy Week.

The trip to Atlanta for the celebration was memorable. Weather caused the 1 hour flight to last much longer. We circled Atlanta as tornadoes dashed through downtown. We could see the lightning and dark clouds below us, not knowing just how strong they were.

Pete, Dea, Father Tim, Robbie, Kristi,
Mark, Tyler and Lauren's forehead.

We stayed with Katie and Brian and Saturday morning we drove up to Athens and celebrated the Baptism with family friend, Father Tim. Afterwards we went to a local park where we enjoyed food, family and also a surprise celebration of the grandfather of Mark Chappell (and my brother-in-law), Steve Smith. He turned 60 and was given a book of stories everyone relayed about his impact in their lives. Some were funny, some were touching, all were sincere.

Me and Mary in a picture she labeled
"Guess who's older?"

It was also Steve's mother's 91st birthday, so the day was full of celebration!

Afterwards we returned to the Chappell home for more fun, including a game of Sag 'Nads. Brian was off his normally precise game, but it was fun, none-the-less.

Katie at Krisiti's house.

We journeyed back to Brian and Katie's house for the night and flew out of Atlanta early Sunday morning... in time to make it to the Lifeteen Mass Sunday evening here at home.

Overall it was a very long, tiring, but wonderful and blessed weekend.

PS - Thanks to my sister Mary for the pics!