Audio Bible

I don't remember when I first became a fan of old radio programs... sometime in college I think. Thanks to the internet, over the last few years I've been able to accumulate over 100 old radio shows, including shows such as Casey: Crime Photographer, Philip Marlowe and Barry Craig: Confidential Investigator.

What I love about old radio programs is that they take you beyond the simple written word and allow you to dive into a world made up of real life sounds with actors playing the characters in such a way that your mind fills in all the blanks and you can watch the show unfold before you in your mind.

It's that love of old time radio programs that makes me so excited about buying the audio bible called Word of Promise. It's a King James version of the bible done in audio theater format. There are sound effects and over 600 actors playing the numerous parts, including Jim Caviezel, Michael York, Richard Dreyfus, Max Von Sydow, Gary Sinise, Marcia Gay Harden, and on and on.

The bible comes alive when you listen to Adam take his first breath and hear Noah building the ark. The story moves at a very quick pace and it's entertaining and immersive in quality.

Over a year ago some of our fellow strong believing Catholics would get together every Sunday evening and watch Jeff Cavins' The Great Adventure bible study. It's a great, wonderful bible study that condenses the grand salvation story of the bible into 14 critical narrative books. It shows you where the other books in the bible compliment the main narratives while not losing sight of the primary story being told.

The problem I've had with the bible study is that it is 24 weeks long and I've never been able to finish it. Life would always get in the way. So, it occured to me that if I could record the audio from Cavins' DVD bible study as well as the appropriate audio bible sections required for the study using the awesome Word of Promise series, I could make an audio series that I could listen to in the car or at home, where ever it is convenient.

So, I've spent that last month putting this together. I hope to have it completed by Christmas. So far it is a wonderful experience. On the way to and from work I've already listened to Genesis while moving through three of Cavins insightful and inspiring bible studies.

The only downside is that, since the audio bible is a King James version, it does not include Maccabees, which is in Catholic bible and covered in the Cavins study. I guess reading one book out of the bible instead of listening to it won't hurt me too much. :)

As I told my wife the other day, I know I've changed as a person when one of the most exciting purchases I've ever made has been the Word of Promise bible study. It is an amazing tool that literally brings the bible to life.

Combine that with Cavins' deep and educational insights as to how each book ties to the next and, in the end, with Jesus Christ, will give me an understanding of the bible that I have never had before.

Slow Updates Apology

Sorry for the snail's pace of updates here on the blog. Life has been very busy.

Recently our air-conditioner needed complete replacing. As mentioned earlier, our bathroom needed complete replacing. Dea then hurt her back (she's better now). Gabe has started travel ball again (that's 5 nights a week). DC has started college (loves it) and Gabe has started 7th grade home school (likes it).

I have been blogging a bit, over at the Sonlight Pictures Blog, where we've shared our first podcast of Basking in the Son as well as entries about faith struggles, script writing and capturing moments of inspiration.

We're finally near the very end of the negotiating process for distribution of Purgatory, USA. We hope to have the paperwork finalized in the next week or so.

This weekend some of us will be traveling down to Cocoa Beach for a baseball tournament. Being so busy has left little time for screenwriting, which is frustrating, but I hope to get back into the swing of things as soon as I hand off all of the deliverables to the distribution company.

So, I apologize for the slow blog entries.

And, finally, please pray for us for a special intention. There are some really strong, difficult moral challenges occurring in my extended family and it is taking its toll. Any divine assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Faith or Faith & Works

I was reading about the poor and tragic events that occurred in Pennsylvania where a deranged man shot and killed three women in a fitness class. One of the statements reported from his blog was the following:

"Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell."

That must be the most extreme understanding of the difference between Faith and Faith & Works I have ever seen. As most people know, the Catholic Church believes it is Faith & Works that are required for Christians to live their lives according to God's teachings and, after the split by Luther, the Protestants determined only Faith was required for salvation.

Almost all Protestants I know take their Faith and convert it into Works (missionary work, evangelical work, bible studies, prison ministries), they just don't call it that. However, this disturbed murdered took something so completely out of context, ignoring reliance on Jesus, on loving your enemies, on loving your neighbor, on offering your sacrifices to God, on carrying your own cross... it's sad that someone could have misinterpreted something so obvious to most Christians and used it to ease the weight of his own evil actions.

The older I get the more I realize that context is often more important than the content.

Listen to My Interview!

I've known Jon Ashby online for 10 years. He ran a website a long time ago called REwind Video. It was THE hub for the microcinema revolution in the late 90's. Over the years Jon has continued his altruistic support approach to the low budget filmmaker and now runs a website called CommonFilm.org.

He was kind enough to interview me about our recent Club God award, Sonlight Pictures and our future project Forgiven. So, check it out at the links below...

Main Page - http://www.commonfilm.org

Direct link to Interview - http://www.commonfilm.org/media/podcasts/CFInterview-PeteBauer.mp3

Funny thing... having known Jon online for 10 years, this was the first time we actually spoke to each other. Amazing how technology has changed relationships and communication.

In any event, it was very kind of Jon to take the time to allow me to talk up Sonlight Pictures. Please check it out.

Club God Wins Bronze Lighthouse Award at the Faith Film Festival

We're very excited to announce that our short film Club God won the Bronze Lighthouse Award at the Faith Film Festival!

It is such a wonderful blessing to have our first project garner such an acknowledgment from the Christian film community. We could not have done it without the support of many, including the prayers from our Sonlight Pictures Angels community!

God is good!

Vote for Club God Today!

You can now vote for Club God at the Faith Film Festival website.

Thank you for your support!

Club God Online at the Faith Film Festival!

You can check out Club God at the Faith Film Festival website.

When they make voting available, please make sure and give us a vote for us.

PUSA - Quick Take 3: Idol Dreams

Here's the last of the Quick Takes for PUSA...

PUSA - Quick Take 1: Reunion

For people who haven't seen the series, we've created some Quick Takes so they can understand the humor, style and production value.

The first one is called Reunion.

New PUSA Trailer

I've posted this on Facebook, the Sonlight Pictures website and on the SLP blog... but not here. So, here it is :)



We'll be posting more marketing and behind-the-scenes vids soon.

Anti-Catholicism in Hollywood

Angels & Demons is coming out soon. Of course, its full of misrepresentations of Catholicism (big surprise there). Where Hollywood goes out of its way to equalize Muslim characters (one bad is countered with one good), no such courtesy is given to the big bad Catholic Church.

There's a great article about this at Christianity Today located here:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/news/2009/ishollywoodanticatholic.html?start=1

One of my favorite quotes from the article is as follows:

Rome's foes today "aren't debating transubstantiation, they're debating transgender," said Catholic film critic David DiCerto. "They aren't debating the real presence [of Christ] in the Eucharist, they're debating the real presence of humanity in the womb. It's much more the hot-button moral issues than the hot-button theological issues."

That's why we created Sonlight Pictures, to help bring a positive face to Catholics through positive portrayals of Catholic characters.

Club God - Screening at the Faith Film Festival

We’re very happy to announce that Club God will be airing in New York and online as part of the Faith Film Festival, sponsored by the NET television station in Brooklyn.

Club God will air June 11th at 8:30 PM. The judged will pick the top 10 films and the fans will pick the top film of the festival.

You’ll be able to get more information on the Faith Film Festival website (which is currently under construction) at the following location: http://netny.net/faithfilmfestival

Keep checking back at our Sonlight Pictures Blog for updates.

Name That Tune - "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me..."

So, here we are... Jesus has been nailed to a cross after having been unmercifully scourged. He's weak, bloodied, tired and dying. His life and, more importantly, his Passion has been an example of selflessness, of miracles, of redemption. And then Jesus says this...

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me..."

Most people don't get that sentence. I recently listened to a "Christian scholar" on television talk about it being a comment of fear and loneliness.

WRONG!

Jesus' weakest moment during the Passion happened in the Garden, not on the Cross. Once Jesus asked that God's will be done over his own, he stayed the course.

Here's the deal. Jews sang songs. We call them Psalms. Songs written by David. Like any other song you sing a lot, it sticks in your head. Take "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls, for example. If you know that song you're humming it right now.

God designed us to remember songs. They stick with us for the rest of our lives.

Psalm 22 is one such song. Really catchy. All about the sufferings of the Messiah. You know what the first line of the song is???

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me..."

On the Cross, Jesus wasn't lamenting his suffering. He wasn't lost. He wasn't suddenly abandoned. He didn't speak that line, he sang that line... a song about himself.

As one article I read so wonderfully stated... think of all of the Sanhedrin standing there, mocking Jesus while the Roman guards threw dice to see who gets Jesus' fancy-shmancy cloak. Then, Jesus sings the first line of the song. And what happens?

Those members of the Sanhedrin, who had probably sung Psalm 22 hundreds of times, suddenly find themselves singing along with him. In their minds, the song continues...

But I am a worm, hardly human, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their heads at me

"You relied on the LORD--let him deliver you; if he loves you, let him rescue you."

And it continues...

They stare at me and gloat; they divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots.

Think of what must have been running through the minds of the Jewish leaders. Singing this Psalm in their heads and realizing it was happening right before their eyes. A song about the sufferings of the Messiah.

But the song doesn't end there, in despair. It continues...

For God has not spurned or disdained the misery of this poor wretch,

Did not turn away from me, but heard me when I cried out.

I will offer praise in the great assembly; my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.

The poor will eat their fill; those who seek the LORD will offer praise. May your hearts enjoy life forever!"

All the ends of the earth will worship and turn to the LORD; All the families of nations will bow low before you.

For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations.

All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage.

And so on...

So, fellow Christians and ignorant "scholars" remember what a Psalm is... understand the difference between an original thought and quoting from a song.

And lastly, finally recognize that on the Cross, singing that Psalm, Jesus was in his ultimate glory, paying our price for our sins, building a bridge back to God that was broken by Adam... Jesus was suffering, yes, but willingly, not alone, not afraid.

He was offering the greatest sacrifice ever recorded.

SoulWow!

Very funny take off of the ShamWow commercials, this one is called SoulWow! and was done by a parish in Brooklyn to get people to come to confession.

Very well done. Take a look...

Gabe Hits Another Dinger

I gotta tell ya, Gabe's faith journey through baseball has been a great learning experience for me too.

After hitting his first home run, Gabe's on field performance began to slip in a BIG way. Since the tourney Gabe had only a few weak hits and, defensively, had committed eight errors in two games! Brutal!

On the drive home following the second bad game in a row he and I had a little talk. I asked him what he thought was his problem? Through gritted teeth he angrily responded "I don't know!"

I asked him, "What's your goal now?"

"What?" he questioned.

I replied, "Well, now that you've hit a home run, something you've been wanting since t-ball, what's your new goal?"

"I... I don't have one" he chimed.

"That's the problem" I said.

So, we talked about how he needed to set new goals. Just because God gave him a gift of a home run doesn't mean He is done with him. You have to seek out the next goal.

With that in mind, we mapped out a few important things to focus on the remaining regular games... no errors, solid hits, better focus, push to be better... all with a single goal in mind, to give Safety Harbor it's first District 12 Championship.

Gabe's next game he played well. Nothing extraordinary, but a solid game. Our team came back to win in extra innings, 9-7.

Last night Gabe finally put it all together. Facing one of the best pitchers in the league, Gabe went 4-4 with a home run, a double and two singles. He hit in three runs and played exceptional defense, helping lead the team to a 9-6 win.

More important than what is happening on the field is what Gabe, and I, am learning off the field. We're learning about God's grace, about His expectations, about how He dreams bigger than we do and how we need to continually re-evaluate what God wants from us next.

This entire journey so far has had me thinking a lot about my goals, my faith and my role in God's plan.

Life, Liberty and the... I'm sorry, what was the first part?

My daughter and I were discussing our country and the idea of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

It's no fluke that Life is the first on the list... the most important, the most fundamental to our existence. Granted, when the country was founded there was some question as to the Liberty part... women could not vote, slavery was common place. But Life... well, that was a given right to all.

Or is it?

Fortunately, over the centuries our country has dealt with the unfulfilled aspects of national Liberty. Women were given the right to vote and work. Minorities were allowed to have equal civil rights and slavery was abolished. These growing pains of our nation were not easy, but necessary.

And, as it turns out, the growth in Liberty appears to have destroyed the first and third parts of the equation for others. When you look at the overall evolution of this country, only one segment of society has lost their three rights.

The unborn.

It seems odd that by rightfully expanded the role of ALL people in our society that it has, in turn, taken away the most first fundamental right to us all, Life, from the most vulnerable within our society.

Must our society be so?

Is that the cost of Life and Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? Does that mean I am allowed to dismiss those three rights from others in order to achieve them myself?

If my Life and my Liberty and my Pursuit of Happiness means I kill a child in the womb and destroy their Life, their Liberty and their Pursuit of Happiness... is that okay?

Is that what the founders intended? I'm sure it's not.

It seems that Liberty is a two-edged sword, with the sharp blade held at the throats in the womb of the most innocent and helpless of our society. How did a country that so obviously recognized the evil of slavery embrace what is so obviously a more horrendous evil in abortion?

When did the second part of the equation erase the first and negate the third?

Happy God Children Day!

About four years ago, I think, I started my own tradition of starting a Novena for my God Children on the Feast of St. Joseph for what I call God Children Day.

If Hallmark can manufacture Boss Appreciation Day and Administrative Assistant Day, I can create God Children Day.

So, my God Children (Matthew, Jonathan, Aislinn, Laura, Sarah, Chaz, Mark), I have started a Novena, praying for you!

Happy God Children Day!

DC Gets Into College

Dorothea has qualified and been accepted into SPC starting next year in a unique program where high-school sophomores with high grades can by-pass their junior and senior years in high-school and, instead, complete their 1st and 2nd year in college.

In two years she will receive a high-school diploma AND an AA degree. This is not dual enrollment, it's straight-up college. And it's free.

WooHoo!

We're very proud of our girl. She's extremely excited to get a jump start on her college career.

We'll have more info on it later.

Gabe Hits His First Home Run! - Updated

After offering up his baseball performance to God, Gabe has done very well this season, batting over .500. This weekend in a District 12 tournament, our team went 3-0 in the opening weekend, including coming back from two runs in extra innings to win our final game.

Our 3-0 recorded gave us the fourth seed out of 20 or so teams and the opportunity to go head-to-head against the Palm Harbor Rays in the Quarter Finals. We ended up losing to the Rays 5-3, but the overall weekend was a great success.

The greatest part about our tourney was that everyone of the players came up big over the course of the weekend, either at bat or in the field. It was a nice time.

On a personal level, in our second game I was thrilled to see Gabe hit his first home-run over the center field fence. We were up 8-4 and Gabe had a 3-0 count. Usually I would give him the "take" sign, but I let him hit away. He hadn't had enough at-bats from the left side of the plate, so I figured the more pitches he faces, the better. Fortunately he lifted the next pitch, a high strike, out of the park. As he trotted around the bases, his face beamed with a combination of ecstasy and disbelief.

Below is a video compilation of Gabe's hits and pitches on the travel team (in light blue shirts and orange uniforms) and our Little League Team (in the dark blue shirts and also gold jerseys).

I saved the home run as the last highlight. If you watch closely, our player running home before Gabe never touches the base. Caught up in the excitement, he drops his helmet, turns around and greets Gabe.

Ahhh, Little League.

Enjoy.

Updated PS - I've been playing around with some editing SW and came up with a high-def output. I shortened it A LOT (only just over 1 minute now) and you can see it in HIGH DEF HERE or Standard Def below.




Gabe's HR Reel - Short Version on Vimeo.


For the original extended SD version, click here.

Club God Gets Festive

We’re happy to announce that Club God has been accepted into the Faith Film Festival in New York. The films will be aired on cable television in the New York area and showcased on the festival’s website.

Congrats to the Club God cast and crew for their success.

Praise God!