The Celebrity Everyone Likes but God Loves More!

This is part three of my series, but I changed the title to this last post. I don’t want to come across negative, but I have to say what God is telling me to say even if it’s not positive. But please bear with me, because I must obey God.

This morning I was looking at my YouTube timeline and was surprised to see a recommendation to watch a video about Joyce Meyer’s ministry and how she was a false teacher. The video featured a couple who were former employees of Joyce’s ministry. They really had no issues with Joyce other than not agreeing with her Word of Faith theology. Now I’m not even going to open that can of worms, but I do want to say that this doctrine (Word of Faith) has crippled the church to the point where we can no longer hear anything that is not positive. But the Bible and truth are not always positive, and here is how I know:

I was visiting a church back in September and the Pastor of the church prophesied and said: “You need to prepare this month for what is going to happen next month.” Well, my natural thought process was that I was preparing for something good, however, that was not the case. In the next month, my oldest brother died. That was what God was speaking to me about. Certainly, it was NOT positive.

So God wants to warn this Celebrity (because he loves him) that he must make some changes. In this season, it will not be good enough to just keep going as is. This is a season where he must make changes. And if he doesn’t the results will be on him.

Read Ezekiel 33:1-20 New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)

I know people don’t think that God will allow judgment, but I know he does because God has disciplined me. But my calling is to share what I see even if the person thinks I am being mean and doesn’t understand.

I remember years ago, the Lord admonished me to warn my Pastor at the time, to come off the road (traveling in ministry), take a salary and spend more time at his home church. He got fighting mad at me for telling him this, but the SAME DAY that I shared the Word of the Lord, he had several mini-strokes and was out of his pulpit for MONTHS. The next time I saw him, he was no longer mad at me. He was encouraging me about how powerful the Word of the Lord was in my mouth. You see it’s not me. It was GOD speaking through me.

So let me admonish the “celebrity who everyone likes, but God loves more”. This is the season of change. I see him cleaning up his life, living right, and changing his artistry. I see him going back to former movies and TV shows, REMOVING the vulgar content and doing a 180 where his artistry is concerned.  He needs to make clean content again. This next season will come either before a Damascus Road experience or after. The choice is HIS. Listen, this is not doom and gloom, but it is the truth. Read and meditate on the above scripture. PLEASE.

So before I end this blog post, I must say that I know this man is not a bad person. In fact, I read about a very kind act that he did for a couple just recently and it almost made me not share any of this. But God told me one has nothing to do with the other. I’ve read about many kind acts this man has done. I know he has blessed thousands of people, some things have been published, and I’m sure others have not. But this has to do with God’s requirement for being raised up to such a place of prominence. When God raises us up, we don’t get to do what we want to do.

Maybe one day, I will get to shake his hand or give him a hug and tell him how I have interceded and how I have ALWAYS wished nothing but the best for him. God bless you Mr. Celebrity!

The Celebrity Everyone Likes, but Nobody Loves Part 1

I have wrestled with writing this post for weeks now. I know that whenever you are this specific in giving a Word from the Lord, there will be a prophetic backlash. But I love this brother with the love of the Lord, and God has for many years been warning me of something impending, giving me many details along the way, so I must share this Word of warning. I have decided to not use his name, but it may be obvious to some, who I am referring to. My purpose is not to shame him because even though I don’t know him personally, I have interceded for him for many years and I still feel a connection to him. I can’t explain it, but I feel a sense of spiritual responsibility (as an intercessor) to him if that makes sense.

A few weeks ago, I was watching the Dr. Phil show on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) and a commercial for a show called Ambitions came on. The OWN network can be notorious for playing the SAME commercials over and over again. I usually mute the TV and a lot of times look away because the commercials can be on the explicit side. The commercials for Ambitions are that way and when I saw a shower and bedroom scene the Lord spoke to me and said: “This stuff is corrupting those who watch it”. Not surprising to hear, but in my spirit, I knew the Lord was very serious about what he had spoken.

³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37 (ESV)

You see some stuff is WORTHLESS. It carries no value and is not edifying to your spirit or soul, so you need not even watch it. It’s designed to corrupt you.

So recently, I saw this celebrity, who professes Christianity on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) and he also spoke at Joel Osteen’s Church in Texas. The messages were very positive, encouraging people to follow their dreams. What was striking to me was that this celebrities’ last movie was his first R-rated comedy. When he talked about his reasoning for the R-rating, he seemed to talk as though this decision was out of his control. Like there was no way he could make a clean version even though he has COMPLETE creative control. Then I saw this same man on a couple of talk shows using profanity. Yes, cursing. It kind of surprised me because my mind went back to years ago when he wore the following shirt on his movie set:

Even though he wore this shirt many years ago, clearly, something has changed and this was is longer his conviction.

Below is my go-to place for movies (christian site) and here is what they said about the Christian celebrities last movie.

Plugged In review:

“This Director gets his share of grief from movie snobs, but from a Plugged In point of view, his stuff can be pretty interesting—even he typically makes us reviewers work overtime. Many of his movies are filled with all manner of sexual and violent and drug content. But many of them have some positive lessons they want to convey, too. And given that he is a Christian, his movies can often be overtly and encouragingly spiritual.

But his latest comedy, unfortunately, is not one of those films. This R-rated raunchfest is stripped of any real spirituality and largely free of positive or redemptive lessons. And that frees me from having to say, “Well, the movie’s terrible, but at least it had this going for it.”

No, this movie’s just terrible. Terrible aesthetically, terrible ethically, terrible in every which way a movie can be. For discerning moviegoers, it’s an assault on their eyes and ears and better standards.

Perhaps the Director made this movie with us in mind, knowing how hard we at Plugged In work to count swear words in his films. Why even this film’s title does some of our work for us: Nobody’s Fool? Nobody should be foolish enough to see it.”

So why do I say that everyone likes this man, but nobody loves him? Because with the exception of this review, nobody is telling him the truth. In my next post, I am going to share why I believe this man is in grave danger even though he is at the peak of his success, and why I think he could lose it all.

Overcomer the Movie

Yesterday, I went to the movies like I often do on a Saturday. It was a toss-up between Angel Has Fallen and Overcomer. But instinctively, I chose Overcomer, because I am a big fan of The Kendricks Brothers movies. They were behind the acclaimed movie War Room, which I loved.

Well, I made the right decision. I came out of this movie, overwhelmed with the presence of God and encouraged. I laughed and I cried (boy did I cry). This movie is incredible! Unlike Angel Has Fallen, they didn’t have a huge budget and there were no great special effects, but if you go see this movie, I promise it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

I honestly believe that for this generation, the movie theater is the greatest evangelistic tool the church has. I remember the days when going to the movies was looked down on in some denominations in the Christian faith; but I now see it as the best pulpit to win the lost. Why do I say that? Because a lot of people will never venture into a church. I mean the thought is not even in their minds, but everyone goes to the movies.

I’ve always said that if you are a Christian filmmaker, you must have a purpose and it shouldn’t be about your own ego and making a name for yourself. If you truly are a Christian and you are in the entertainment industry, your purpose must be to save souls. I mean that is what Christianity is all about right? After we get saved, we want to take others with us right? And if God gives you a platform, why wouldn’t you use it to promote your faith.

Overcomer is a movie for the family. It’s about pain, love, redemption and it is unapologetically Christian. It’s clean. No curse words, nudity or violence.

I think a lot of people are afraid of living out loud with their faith, but that is what pleases God. And I know that THIS movie is pleasing to the Lord. Please support these two anointed filmmakers. PLEASE GO SEE IT!

Follow God-Tyler Perry

Hollywood: The Real Wolf

The people say the rating should have been NC-17

I’ve been wanting to write this post for some time and was trying to come up with a good title to get your attention and I think I got it. So when I saw the nominations this morning for the 86th annual Academy awards, I thought this would be a great time to post this.

Last year, for some reason, I probably saw more R-rated movies than I have seen in probably the last 20 years (pray for me). I saw Fruitvale Station (which was excellent). It was based on the true story of a young African-American man who was unjustly shot and killed. The movie was chilling and left me in tears. Then I think I rented Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, also based on true stories. Then against my better judgment, I went to see The Heat, which could have easily been reduced to PG 13 just by eliminating the 50 plus times the F word was used. But in all of the cases I saw something R-rated, I knew what to expect because I checked to see what was in the movie ahead of time. This year, I’ll probably go back to my PG only rule and here is why:

This morning when I saw the Wolf of Wall Street was nominated for an Academy award for Best Picture, it hit home how much you cannot trust Hollywood and how they are the real “wolf”.

I really like Leonardo DiCaprio and when I saw the trailer for this particular movie, for a very brief fleeting moment, I thought I might go see this movie, but one scene in the trailer was definitely a yellow light for me. I don’t do the sex and nudity thing, PERIOD. So I did what I usually do and read what was in the movie and honestly, I couldn’t with all good conscience repeat anything about this movie. Let’s just say, don’t believe the lie of Hollywood and destroy your mind with this trash. And it’s three hours of trash! The movie is three hours long!

I read the reviews of the people and I have never read so many reviews where the people said they had to get up and leave the movies. I mean people were leaving in droves because of the constant salacious drug and sex scenes in this movie. The general consensus, was that this movie was not rated correctly and should have received an NC-17 rating (which is X rated).

Sadly, as I read the responses of the people, I realized that the people were being bamboozled. This movie was released on Christmas Day and people were horrified as they took their parents and teenage children to what they thought would be a routine  R-rated movie only to discover it was pornography.

So what’s my point? My point is you can’t trust Hollywood. ALWAYS do your own research before seeing any movie and remember that Hollywood is NOT our friend. I really believe there is an agenda in the entertainment industry and as Christians  we must maintain our own values and stick to them. No compromise.

We also need more Christian film makers who will not compromise after they become successful. One of the best movies I saw last year (as far as a Godly message) was “I’m in love with a Church Girl”. I remember feeling like I was in church when I saw that movie. I say, if you are supposed to be a Christian and are in the industry, why be like the world? Get God’s agenda for why you are in the industry. Why make more of what is already out there? Do something different!

I wanted to post a link to the news stories about how this movie has been banned in many foreign markets, but most of the articles describe what is in the movie, so I will pass. But the truth of the matter is I guess ratings don’t mean much today because as soon as this movie goes to DVD, many kids will get their hands on it and then of course many have been exposed to filth online already, so what is the point? The point is there are still many moral people who do not want to be fooled into seeing trash (porn) in the name art or entertainment.

Here are a few reviews about the Wolf of Wall Street, from Fandango. See for yourself:

Wolf on Wall Street

by doeallen1

After one hour of this incredibly disappointing film, my party of three left. There were many reasons for leaving the least of which was the intense drug use, explicit sexual encounters and the endless gut wrenching language. Language that was disrespectful of woman and humanity at large. The scenes were graphic and would qualify as hardcore porn. The gifted actors were lost in the intensity and the shock. The most interesting reflection is that this film was released on Christmas day. Now I do not consider myself a self-righteous zealot or a person that has not enjoyed a depiction of a sexual encounter based on human connection in a respectful visual, but people this is way over the top and the reviews need to say so in graphic detail. At least provide the consumer with enough information in order to make a choice based on truth. NOT “wildly entertaining, Nudity and Language kinda of information just does not reveal what is in store. Thank you for the opportunity to express my self.

Should have been a rated x movie

by dmlc313

This movie was basically a porn with a semi-decent story line. The pornographic scenes added nothing to the actual plot line. I would not recommend this movie at all. Leonardo Dicaprio’s worst movie.

No

by kbhaught

Acting was good. Hated the film. An unnecessary assault of pornography, drugs, and non-stop cursing for over three hours. Not for kids of any age, or for adults for that matter–unless you think the world is really like that rather than a small subset of very troubled people. I wish I had read the reviews before going, or at least hadn’t chosen a middle seat as I would have left in the first ten minutes. I found it fascinating that the audience seemed to have no discomfort with full female nudity, a constant barrage of lewd sexual scenes and perversions, graphic drug use, glorification of same, and constant filthy cursing–yet gasped in horror when one character swallowed a live goldfish. Seriously??

The moral is that if you have enough money you can do anything with just a slap on the hand, and then remake yourself as a motivational speaker. Gross, just gross. Okay, I will grant it was a good character study, but was it really necessary? Hardly.

The Wolf of Wall Street

by Merica1

Do not waste your money. It is too long, if you like porn you will like this movie. I did not and I don’t recommend it.

The Wolf OfWall Street

by kahn3988

I lucked out, got to theater a little early for my movie, so went in at the beginning of the show, it only took the first minute for me to see it was not my cup of tea. This is a porn movie, Please dont take your kids to this movie, and be prepared for the f word , nudity, drugs, and more. Leonardo can do much better, he is a very talented actor.

The Wolf on Wall Street

by mwilliams8

I thought it was disgusting and trashy. The story could have been told without so much filthy and trashy talk and showing the actual act of intercourse. People got up and left the movie. I love the main actor, but disappointed that he would choose to do this kind of acting.

wolf of Wall street

by krishanand80

Too much sex….. Unnecessary– which makes it difficult to watch.. Last stages were too much of a drag..
Story was good but this much sex is unnecessary– and so unrealistic.

Will not recommend- except for Lio Nardo Di caprios acting.. which is very good

Nothing redeeming about this picture or its message

by Bill Duffey

This over the top movie with its excessive profanity, abundant male and female full frontal nudity, rampant and continuous drug use and valueless message make this a must miss film. Scorsese shocks again with a shockingly bad tale badly told.

Totally Trashy

by Kathyaschuler

We gave the movie one hour and then walked out and asked for our money back. To describe it, it was basically all swearing, drugs and sex bordering on pornography.

Only an R?

by drnason

I walked out of this movie after almost 3 hours, and I never walk out of a movie. The entire movie was profanity and soft porn, I was embarrassed and offended at the content. Do the people in Hollywood think we are too stupid to pay to watch an intelligent movie? I get that it’s a true story, but it was offensive over and over and over again. The manager of the theater said they cut a few scenes to make it “R” and that he had to screen it for work. He gladly gave our money back. Many people got up and walked out of the showing we were in tonight. I love Leo and I was actually interested in seeing this film. I regret that I wasted my time watching it, and I definitely regret wasting the end of my Christmas Day filling my mind with this trash. Not good at all. BEWARE.

Paul Walker Dead at Age 40

Tribune staff and wire reports 10:33 a.m. CST, December 1, 2013

Actor Paul Walker, best known for his roles in the “Fast and the Furious” action movies, died on Saturday in a car crash in Southern California, his publicist said.Walker, 40, who was in five of the six films about illegal street racing and heists, was a passenger in a friend’s car and was attending a charity event, according to a message linked to his Twitter account.”Sadly, I must confirm that Paul did pass away this afternoon in a car accident,” Ame Van Iden, Walker’s publicist, said in an email.The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that two people were killed in a car accident in Valencia, a community in the city of Santa Clarita, at about 5:30 p.m. CT.

Deputies arriving at the scene found the vehicle engulfed in flames. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. The office did not provide the identities of the dead, and said the cause was under investigation.

In the “Fast and Furious” pictures, the blond-haired, blue-eyed actor played Brian O’Conner, a law enforcement official.

The first movie in the series, which stars Vin Diesel, was released in 2001, and a seventh was in development at the time of his death, Universal, the studio behind the franchise, said in a statement. The most recent film, released in May, was one of this year’s biggest box office hits.

“Brother I will miss you very much,” Diesel said in a post on Instagram, adding “I am absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace.”

According to the IMDb.com movie website, Paul William Walker IV was born in Glendale, California, in 1973 and began acting at a very young age, appearing in many commercials.

He played Professor Bennet in the 1987 movie “Monster in the Closet” and starred in the television series “Throb,” IMDb said.

Walker also made guest appearances on television shows, including “Charles in Charge” and “Who’s the Boss?” and had a role in the soap opera, “The Young and the Restless.”

Other film appearances include “Timeline,” “Into the Blue,” “The Lazarus Project” and “Hours,” which is slated for release in December.

According to IMDb, Walker has a daughter named Meadow.

Universal conveyed its condolences to Walker’s family, saying, “All of us at Universal are heartbroken.

“Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furious films, and to countless fans.”

More tributes flowed on social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“So sad. He gave a lot of joy,” wrote James Franco, while model/actor Tyson Beckford posted “Tyson Beckford: RIP Paul Walker, loved working with you on “Into the Blue.”

Television host Carson Daly said that he was “Sick about the tragic loss of #PaulWalker. I enjoyed our time together very much. Such a really nice guy,” while actress Alyssa Milano, current host of “Project Runway All Stars,” protested “No. No. No” before adding “Rest with the angels.”

Carla Rivera of the Los Angeles Times contributed.