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| ".. With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." - Matt. 19:26 |
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AT THE MOVIES
Dreams Come True for 'Dreamgirls' Too
By Jennifer E. Jones
CBN.com Producer
CBN.com
– I just read 300 pages in 5 minutes. Of course, I skipped around a little.
At my job, we get lots of stuff -- people wanting us to write about their DVD, book, CD, ministry, diet product, exercise machine, etc. The other day I took home a chick-lit book that could easily be a romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks (or, for you younger readers, Lindsay Lohan and that guy from High School Musical). That's the book I read in less than 10 minutes
I read the beginning, a few pages in the middle and the end. Let me spoil it for you. It starts with a single girl and a guy she knows. It ends in a wedding. Surprise, surprise.
This book and entertainment like it is mostly formula, and I’ve long since been convinced that it's rotting our brains. It leads us to believe that our lives should wrap up nicely and neatly in 300 pages or less.
As I tossed the book into the trash, I ran to my computer and blogged with all my might.
“That's not real life. Real life is divorce and war and unexpected twists in the road. It doesn’t always end the way you want it to.”
I went on a pessimistic tirade -- fully confident that I had a firm grip on real life. However, the next morning in my devotion time, I felt the Lord challenging my thoughts on “reality”.
I didn't see Dreamgirls, and in spite of awards and rave reviews, I probably won't. I have a serious disdain for any film with Beyonce in it. I call it "post-Austin-Powers-3-traumatic-stress syndrome". Just can't handle it. Yet, I've been fascinated by the stories on one of the film’s actresses, Jennifer Hudson.
She was a semi-finalist on the third season of the wildly popular talent show American Idol. Several singers from the reality hit have gone on to have massively successful careers (Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, and of course the multi-award winning Carrie Underwood). But for every winner there are thousands who will disappear into a pop culture graveyard. Hudson was certainly on her way.
She was told by Idol judge Simon Cowell in so many words that she didn’t have what it took to be a superstar, and she didn't get much further in the competition. Fast forward a few years, her debut film performance is the talk of Hollywood. She already won a Golden Globe and an Oscar. She has since been profiled and interviewed by all the major news outlets including Entertainment Weekly and TIME. She even appeared on Oprah, and the most successful woman on daytime TV hailed Hudson as the next big thing. As if that wasn't enough, Hudson will grace the cover of the March issue of Vogue – an honor few African-American women have enjoyed.
To God, that's real life. One year, you're in a glorified karaoke contest; another year, you're in a film with Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. One year, you're eating bon-bons watching the Golden Globes on TV; the next you're on stage in front of a nationally televised audience trying to remember your acceptance speech.
It's amazing, isn’t it? Life can change in a matter of moments. It’s hard to believe, but God is an unbelievable God. He is an expert at making something out of nothing. He can turn a life around 180 degrees and blast it off into hemispheres that we never dreamed.
International prophet Duane White of Beyond These Shores recently visited my church and broke down Ephesians 3:20 [KSV] – “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” He told us to close our eyes and envision our dream life. What would it include? Financial freedom? A loving supportive marriage? Success in career? Then he said, “God can do better than that."
Exceedingly. Abundantly. Above All. That’s the kind of God we serve.
Makes one a bit more optimistic about the future, doesn’t it?
I’m sure that you’re in the middle of your life’s novel. Nothing is wrapping up neatly. If anything, things may appear as though they’re falling apart. However, I encourage you today to look to the “author and finisher of our faith” and our story (Hebrews 12:2). He’s planning the plot twist in your life right now that you never saw coming. So dream big, because you never know when it will be your turn to shine.
Got comments? Drop me a line.
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