"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I work at a film and acting camp where it’s pretty expensive for kids to spend a week, sometimes two, of their lives but completely worth it. A lot of ‘celebrity offspring’, as we call them are our students. Growing up in Ohio in a middle-class town was much different from the lives these kids are experiencing and often times it is quite comical to me. Especially when things like this are said, “Backstage Justin Bieber tickets were going for several thousands of dollars, my mom looked into it but we just got front row instead because those we could get for a thousand.” Really? A thousand? Duh. Of course that’s chump change. Yeesh haha.
MOVIE NEWS
SAW –
SEEING NEXT-
WILL SEE -
I absolutely love love LOVE….LOVE my job! I work with 9-13 year old acting and film students and they just bless me so much. I love their innocence, simplicity, and overall excitement towards life. “Oh my gosh, you should hear some of the things the slutty girls at my school teach me”. Why are there slutty girls at age 11? That part kind of saddens me but, that’s our fallen world for ya. Or when they say things that just should NOT be said aloud…. At a normal casual lunch time conversation,
”Oh my gosh! That guy with the afro totally has a boner!” one of my 11-yr olds said.
“Shhhh shh shh! It’s probably fake, just don’t say that okay.” –Me
“Wait wait, the boner is fake or the afro?” –another 11 yr old
“Okay okay, just stop saying that word. What was your favorite part about our workshop this morning?” –Me
“Oh!! When we played that one….”
Kids crack me up and… I love how their attention is so easily diverted. A lot of times that bothers people but, I look at it as a challenge, and as a game. Each student is so different, but ultimately they all need the same thing, to know they’re loved and to know they’re awesome. By getting to know each one personally allows me to understand what they need, how they learn, and how to discipline them—or in real terms- how to get them to do what I want them to/what they need to be doing.
In addition to working closely with the kids, the instructors are fantastic! One of the improve instructor’s (for those of you who don’t know, I used to coach Improv Comedy and I still love it!) was actually one of the main writers for Pee Wee’s Playhouse and starred in several episodes. He’s hands down, one of the funniest dudes on the planet; he was a great guy to work with too.
Another crazy-goofy story… one of the acting groups I had, there was 5 girls and 1 guy. The guy was a little weird, and hated Justin Bieber so of course all of the girls were mean to him… During one of the acting workshops, Cliff, the instructor said,
“Okay now John* envision your best friend in the world—what’s his name?”
“He doesn’t have friends! Hahaha he won’t have anyone to say!” – Amy*
“Mr. Krispy” –John
“Okay, um… now John, is Mr. Krispy a real person? Or no?”
“Mr. Krispy”-John (mind you, this kid is 13 and should be well past the invisible-friend stage)
“He can’t name one because he doesn’t’ have one! Baahh! Hahah.”
“Okay, Mr. Krispy it is. Moving on…” – Cliff
Oh man. These are the convos that keep my life entertaining.
This past week at film and acting camp we shot in “New York”, the back lot of Universal Studios. The kids filmed and acted in short films on the same set that “Back to the Future” was filmed on, this is ‘Courthouse Square’.
In addition to this, a little bit over on the lot, this is the outside apt building from one of my fav movies, “Bruce Almighty”.
Now as far as….LOOKING INSIDE…
A great personal theme for me this summer has been embracing change and things that are new. Just like in the 2 Corinthians, ““Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” I wanted this summer to be a great experience, inside and out. Both what is going on in my heart, and what is going on for any outsiders to see. I came back to Hollywood with an open mind but of course, there were still a few things I held near and dear to me that I was ready to revisit. Most of such things came in the form of relationships. Some of my ‘greatest friends’ I was stoked to spend the summer with!! But after some time had passed…things changed, I’d changed, etc etc. My cousins aside, the people I was looking forward to coming and seeing, some of them have slowly dwindled away. It’s unfortunate, but where something dies, there is new life right around the corner. Much of that new life I have found is through the people at my lovely church, Reality LA, and my awesome workplace, NYFA.
I’ve been able to connect so well with these people in both places and I am entirely blessed to have them in my life! They’ve brought me laughter, love, support, perspective,comfort, their love reflections of Christ, their journeys. The latter of those, is one of my favorites. It is quite evident that I highly enjoy talking…but I believe I enjoy even more so, to listen. To learn and understand people, where they come from, and why they are the way they are, is a blessing. Everyone has a unique story and it brings me joy to see how God has used His gift of life in so many different ways <3
C.S Lewis once said, ““Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
FAVORITE QUOTES OF THE WEEK!!
From Elyse Parks
“Smart People Love You”
From David Vandergriff
“Haha well you're alive, healthy, have a job with kids who wear pink and call you ke$ha and still get to go back for senior year of college and have a plan for the next year of your life”
