Christian Actor FAQs
Okay, so when I started this blog, I thought that I should just get something out there, but I am seeing a pattern starting to emerge, and I think I want to do a whole category of posts on here about being a Christian actor.
Because, in my journey as a Christian actor, I have often felt that I am venturing into uncharted territory, much like the American pioneers making their way to the Pacific. And this suits me well, as I have always been an adventurer at heart, and I love a good JOURNEY. And at the same time, I have internet searched on numerous occasions using the words "Christian Actor" and found surprisingly little in the way of guidance from fellow travelers. I did find a lot of information about the actor, Christian Bale, but that wasn't particularly the point of my search, as much as I like him in Batman.
Then, today, as I was emailing back and forth with my friend, Erin, about her thoughts of going to New York to pursue acting, and I watched as word after word, sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph emerged from my eager fingers, and I realized I had something! Something to share. I want to write and I want to write about something that matters, and this matters to me--a LOT. How to be 100% Christian and 100% artist, sold out for both? How to navigate as a Jesus-lover, instructed by my captain to be humble, while madly in love with the pursuit of a dream in which "success" means the spotlight? And the big question, to quote Elphaba in the musical Wicked:
"Was I really seeking good, or just seeking attention?"
That has been my prayer over and over again, and I have found myself more than once on an altar similar to that of the character Abraham in the Bible--bringing the substance of my dream before God, facing the choice between love for God first, or love for God's gifts first. To put it this way: If I was offered the role of my dream, but God asked me not to take it, what would I do? When I really get down to it, if I could choose between the Oscars and a different way that God said was better, which desire would ultimately win my affections? This is a very real and palpable dilemma when you are the one standing on the altar, and it is your prized treasure.
But maybe I am getting ahead of myself.
The plan is for me to start sharing with you, my blog community, the kinds of questions I have wrestled with, and I mean cried over, dreamed over, prayed and wept and journaled over...my good friend Virginia calls me "angsty". And I will be sharing these questions and what I have learned in hopes that it might help other pioneers, Christ-followers who love acting, the arts, etc. And in hopes that we might learn more together.
And if you are not an actor? Keep reading. I have a feeling my struggles and BIG QUESTIONS are not limited to the world of the entertainment industry...
And I welcome your feedback: maybe we can get a community going, a haven for all of those other people who have fruitlessly searched the internet for "Christian Actor"...and found Batman.
Here we go!
Because, in my journey as a Christian actor, I have often felt that I am venturing into uncharted territory, much like the American pioneers making their way to the Pacific. And this suits me well, as I have always been an adventurer at heart, and I love a good JOURNEY. And at the same time, I have internet searched on numerous occasions using the words "Christian Actor" and found surprisingly little in the way of guidance from fellow travelers. I did find a lot of information about the actor, Christian Bale, but that wasn't particularly the point of my search, as much as I like him in Batman.
Then, today, as I was emailing back and forth with my friend, Erin, about her thoughts of going to New York to pursue acting, and I watched as word after word, sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph emerged from my eager fingers, and I realized I had something! Something to share. I want to write and I want to write about something that matters, and this matters to me--a LOT. How to be 100% Christian and 100% artist, sold out for both? How to navigate as a Jesus-lover, instructed by my captain to be humble, while madly in love with the pursuit of a dream in which "success" means the spotlight? And the big question, to quote Elphaba in the musical Wicked:
"Was I really seeking good, or just seeking attention?"
That has been my prayer over and over again, and I have found myself more than once on an altar similar to that of the character Abraham in the Bible--bringing the substance of my dream before God, facing the choice between love for God first, or love for God's gifts first. To put it this way: If I was offered the role of my dream, but God asked me not to take it, what would I do? When I really get down to it, if I could choose between the Oscars and a different way that God said was better, which desire would ultimately win my affections? This is a very real and palpable dilemma when you are the one standing on the altar, and it is your prized treasure.
But maybe I am getting ahead of myself.
The plan is for me to start sharing with you, my blog community, the kinds of questions I have wrestled with, and I mean cried over, dreamed over, prayed and wept and journaled over...my good friend Virginia calls me "angsty". And I will be sharing these questions and what I have learned in hopes that it might help other pioneers, Christ-followers who love acting, the arts, etc. And in hopes that we might learn more together.
And if you are not an actor? Keep reading. I have a feeling my struggles and BIG QUESTIONS are not limited to the world of the entertainment industry...
And I welcome your feedback: maybe we can get a community going, a haven for all of those other people who have fruitlessly searched the internet for "Christian Actor"...and found Batman.
Here we go!
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