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If You Build It, Will They Really Come?













For most of us as artists who are Christian - this is not true - that people will come just because you make something or do something - even if God told you to do it - because making art (in my case - making films) is not about winning the lottery or God being a candy machine for us... but it's about working hard to enhance your talent, preparation, good planning. However this quote from this amazing movie Field of Dreams does inspire us to do something rather than nothing - because if we do nothing - we can be assured that we will have no success at all. So like Nike says "Just Do It!" because when you do it - you have many potential opportunities for great success or positioning yourself for success.

A lot of Christian filmmakers believe that just because they follow God that they will make an amazing work of art or an amazing film, but this is just not the way things work. It's being spiritually minded but no earthly good. Imagine asking for a surgeon to do heart surgery on someone you know or love and they bring in your pastor to do heart surgery. You ask if he had any training - but no - he certainly knows the Bible. That's really not practical or wise. Now if your pastor is a surgeon and studied or if this was a situation where you were stranded int he desert and God moves in this particular moment - yeah that can happen - God can do a miracle with someone who knows nothing of the sort - but this is not the norm.

If you have an opportunity to read Fox's Book of Martyrs there are many examples that people who loved God were killed in the arena - not rescued as Daniel was from the lion's den. God does not always rescue His children and provide the miracle. Their testimony is their faith in God no matter whether God saved them or didn't. And in any other situation - having faith in God is not necessarily the only ingredient for success - in particular with making art. The hard work of doing the things necessary to be prepared and sharpening your skills are just as important.

So working hard and trying to become better at our craft and trusting God is the ultimate formula for success.

Certainly doing nothing will not bring success. WE must do something. But we must also work at it and do things wisely.

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