10.7.05 The Gospel Movie

I've been wanting to talk about this movie, since they began shooting the film at the beginning of this year, but I was forced into keeping all my behind the scenes info to myself. My sister, MeLana, who's sitting directly behind Boris Kodjoe with a smirk on her face, is in the movie as a choir member. She also performs in the movie as well. She forced me to keep silent (contract violation she claimed. Well, now I have the greenlight to chat about it. Did I tell you my sister can sing the shivers out ya? :)

The cast:
Rainforest Films' The Gospel, which stars Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba (HBO's The Wire), Omar Gooding (Showtime's Barbershop series, Baby Boy) and Nona Gaye (Crash, The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions), Keisha Knight Pulliam(The Cosby Show,Beauty Shop) with a special guest appearance by gospel songstress Yolanda Adams. Others: Clifton Powell, Dwayne Boyd,Frank Taylor, American Idol's Tamyra Gray, Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Martha Munizzi, Michael J. Pagan, John Fitzgerald Page, Brandon Thaxton, Hezekiah Walker, Delores Winans, Aloma Wright. Atlanta's Frank Ski, B Chase Williams, our Music Minister, Ms. Latonya Moore, MeLana Jones-my lil sis.

The Premise as quoted from Upscale Magazine Online:
The Gospel tells the story of David (Boris), an R&B artist who abandoned his church-based family for superstardom. After learning that his pastor father (played by Clifton Powell) is near death, he returns home only to be confronted by his family's hostility. Not to mention his music empire is in jeopardy and his childhood rival (Idris Elba) is campaigning to become his father's successor.

The Heart of the Story as quoted from Yahoo! Movies:
A young singer turns his back on God and his father's church when tragedy strikes. He returns years later to find the once powerful congregation in disarray. With his childhood nemesis creating a "new vision" for the church, he is forced to deal with family turmoil, career suicide and relationship issues that send him on a collision course with redemption or destruction.

The music: Kirk Franklin produced the soundtrack. We have been playing it in our home since August. I'm telling you this is the best gospel album of the past three years. Its's that good.

Click on this Blog Title to direct you to The Gospel Movie Site. The movie will be at a theatre near you 10.07.05.

Dee (Can you see how proud I am of my sister:) )

9.05 Celebration of Christian Fiction

Mary Demuth, author of Building the Christian Family You Never Had, sponsor's this months' Celebration of Christian Fiction.

We writers are a communal bunch. Every month, several writers get together for a writers jamboree, pontificating about some aspect of writing. This month's subject is the craft of writing. Scroll through the entries below to feed your writerly soul.

-Demuth

Writer's blogging this month include:

Marcia Laycock of Writer-Lee
Kathleen Popa
Paula Moldenhauer of GraceReign
Melanie Beroth Dobson
Mary E DeMuth of RelevantBlog, this month's sponsor.
Linda Gillmore
Deborah Gyapong
Dee Stewart of Christian Fiction Blog. Your entry- Writing as Craft
Violet Nesdoly
Sandra Glahn of Aspire2

If you are seeking inspiration for your own writing, or a lover of Christian Fiction, please click on the title of this entry to direct you to this month's Celebration.

Dee

One Nation under an American God

An excerpt from Evangelical Outpost's Rousseau’s Allies:
Civil Religion and the Pledge of Allegiance...
Yesterday a federal judge in California declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional...Our nation has restricted such sentiments of “ceremonial deism” to the most unobtrusive areas, allowing “In God We Trust” to be printed on our coins and the phrase “under God” to slip in our Pledge of Allegiance (which, curiously, isn’t a pledge of “allegiance” to God but to a flag). We allow recognition for a “Divinity, possessed of foresight and providence” but what we don’t allow is the recognition of the Christian God. And that is what should give Christians pause...That is not to say that we can’t say the Pledge and think of the one true God. But we should keep in mind that this fight isn’t our fight and the “god” of America’s civil religion is not the God who died on the Cross.

Writing Prompt: Create a character who is a minister and a lawyer, who agrees with Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost, and who must defend the atheist who brought this case before your own state's court. Could his congregation and family understand his position? Could Christ prevail through the outcome? If you write this story, or at least an outline, shoot it to vidae at writing dot com.

Whoah! Deep POV.

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee