Writing as Catharsis… Tuesday, Jun 15 2010

In my last blog, I mentioned that I had lost a friend of mine in a traffic accident. It was pretty painful for me. Mainly because I had not talked to him in a while, and was thinking I should. But alas, it was not to be. A lot of people find ways of dealing with the grief. For me, I decided to use writing as a catharsis (or “purging of emotion”) for dealing with the issue.

As many of you may know, I previously had written a play called Redemption Trail, a western-themed story about a Pastor who is forced to face his past as a gun-slinging U.S. Marshal when his past catches up with him in the town of Redemption. The theme of that story was putting faith in God, even in the gravest of circumstances, and trusting Him to show the way.

For my latest play, the theme is a slightly different take on the same issue. It deals with the question of loss, and why God allows bad things to happen to good people. A lot of what I wrote came from the heart, and questions I posed to God after my friend’s death. And, hopefully, the answers that I put in really shed light on the great mystery we call the Mercy of God.

A lot of what came down on the pages were definitely breathed, or inspired, by God. I just typed the words as they came out. I was near tears several times as I wrote, so I hope that means something good, because it is an emotional play about loss, pain, and the realization that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. As Christ told His followers before ascending to heaven: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.”

So, ladies and gentlemen, for your reading pleasure, I present you with the synopsis for my latest play, Sin & Salvation:

Joshua Chapman is the youth pastor of Salvation Baptist Church. He loves God, and loves the Church, though the recent loss of a friend has him questioning God. Sylvia Washington is a party girl in the literal sense. She drinks, does drugs, and sleeps around. She has no need for God in her life.

Samuel Washington, Josh’s friend and Sylvia’s brother, boards a plane heading to Haiti for a Missionary trip to that troubled country. But before the plane is even taxied to the air strip, it explodes while at the terminal, killing all aboard, including Sam. The death has a huge impact on both of their lives. Josh turns his back on his church and on God, while Sylvia embraces both.

Six months later, Sylvia, who has completely cleaned up her life, has become interim youth pastor at the church. She is placing flowers on a monument dedicated to Sam, when Josh suddenly appears after being MIA for months. Josh is now like she was: sleeping around, doing drugs, and drinking heavily. But unlike her, he has jumped off the deep end, and is in the lifestyle heavier than she ever was.

With this revelation, Sylvia knows that time is running out for Josh. But in order to save him, she must put her full trust in God. For she will not only face a troubling situation, but a temptation that will test both her strength and her newly-found faith.

A rumination on grief and faith, “Sin & Salvation” is a powerful story of how loss affects people, and how faith can weather through the storm.

Well, there you are. Anybody who’s interested in reading it, let me know. Just send your e-mail, and I will send it to you.

Hope that all are doing well. God bless!

In Christ,

Steven Hancock

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Finding Inspiration… Monday, May 24 2010

Recently, I have dived in to the work of amateur playwright. After having worked with the theater company Crosslove Theatre before its demise in December 2009, I decided to try my hand at writing plays. Nothing for making money or anything, but just something new to try, and see if God blesses the work. But as with all artists who begin a new work, I realized I needed inspiration. And sometimes, it takes a while for it to come.

The first bit of inspiration for writing a play came back in 2008, when seeing a movie ignited the inspiration to write my first play. The film: “Appaloosa,” a western starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen. After seeing the film, I felt God tell me that it was time to write one of the many stories I had rattling around in my brain. And from that bit of inspiration, “Redemption Trail” was born. It’s the story of a Pastor who is forced to confront the demons of his past, all told within the setting of a western adventure/drama.

I had the first draft finished back in March of 2009. While I have yet to go back and do finishing touches on it, I was pleased with how the first draft came out. The story I had developed in my mind was even better once it was on paper. I give myself no credit. God supplied the inspiration. And I just wrote down what He willed me to write.

Since then, I haven’t had much inspiration to get down the other stories in my head. There has been one that has been with me about as long as the western one was. The story really grapples with issues such as Pain, Death, and the Will of God. It asks the big questions, like: “If God loves us, why does He allow so much pain in the world?” “Why does a loving God take away those we love?” But until recently, I’ve had no push to work on this story. Until recently.

Last week, one of my friends from high school, Josh Butler, was killed in a horrible accident in Winston. I won’t go into details about what happened, for it is hard for me to even tell people what I heard happened. But with this accident, I found myself asking those questions I mentioned before, as well as others. Why, God? Why take your children home so young?

As I continue to wrestle with these questions, I found myself feeling that the time was right to start this work I have thought about for so long. I feel as if God is wanting me to use this as a catharsis for dealing with this loss.

While I won’t go into detail about this story, I will reveal to you all the name of the story. It is simply called: “Sin & Salvation.” It will deal with the issues of loss, faith, and the will of God, while showing that everything that happens does so for a reason, even if we cannot see it for ourselves.

I’m not doing this for fame or glory. I’m doing this for the God that I love and trust, and in the memory of my friend, whom I will dedicate this work to. As soon as I have finished this work, I will submit it to people for revising. Anybody who wishes to review my work, feel free to ask.

I love you all, and hope that you will have a blessed week. Vaya con Dios, my friends!

In Christ,

Steven

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Humbled: A Request for Prayer! Friday, May 23 2008

You know, God has a way of humbling people when they complain about things. I am definitely no exception. He humbled me today in a very huge way. Today, I complained about the fact that I didn’t have much money in my account as I had figured. It seems like every time I think that I keep my check book up to date, something happens to make sure that I have much less money than I had figured when balancing my book. I was very angry about that. I complained and moaned at God at the fact I can never seem to hold on to any money whatsoever.

Well, later on that day, I got the slap in the face that brought me back to earth. I don’t know if any of you have heard of Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman. He’s my favorite artist; his music has always connected me with our Lord. Every time a new CD of his comes out, I’m usually there on its release date to get it.

To make a long story short, I checked my e-mail today, and learned of the tragic death of one of his three adopted daughters. She was accidentally struck while playing in the Chapman’s driveway. When I read about this, I was deeply shocked and saddened by this news.

God humbled me by this. He basically said to me: “Steven. You actually think that you’re having a bad day? Look at the Chapman family. They lost their daughter. Your problems are nowhere near as hard as theirs.” I begged for forgiveness soon after.

Before I close, I ask that everybody who reads this takes time to say a prayer for the Chapman family as they go through this time of grief. Even though I’ve only met him once, I always considered him a part of our family, as everybody in our family loves his music.

I hope that everybody is doing well. Take care, and may God bless you!

In Christ, Steven

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The Ultimate Sacrifice… Friday, Apr 18 2008

The other day, I was watching the film “Superman: Doomsday” (Yeah, I’m a geek at heart. And yeah, Superman is the greatest superhero. Period.). Unless you’ve been living with your head in the ground, you’ll know that it’s based on the best-selling graphic novels about the death and resurrection of the Man of Steel. As a animated film, I was a tad bit disappointed. Mainly because they compressed what was a fantastic story told over the length of three graphic novels into a short, 75-minute film. They took out a lot of great stuff, and added stuff that didn’t add to the story. But overall, it was a pretty good Superman film.

But that’s not the point of this blog. As I was watching this film, I started thinking about the death and Resurrection of our Lord. Now, I know that this sounds cliché to talk about, but it’s hard not to make the connection between Superman and Christ. The similarities are there, but I won’t go into details about them. But it comes out more strongly in this story than in any other of the Superman stories. Superman faces the creature Doomsday, and sacrifices himself for the people of Metropolis, ultimately giving what Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion,” and dying in the arms of Lois Lane.

But of course, real superheroes never truly die. And it turns out that there was still a glimmer of life left in him, but it took some equipment, and a robot in the Fortress of Solitude (?) to retrieve him and revive him.

Of course, while the resurrection part of the Superman story is fanciful, the Resurrection of our Lord is not. God has given us the path to Salvation, and that is through Christ our Lord, Who shed His blood for us on the Cross, dying a criminal’s death, to save us from sin and hell. No tales of Krypton or red capes can ever be as dramatic as this one. The words of John 11:25 and 26 ring true:

I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

I hope that all is well with you. I wish you peace. May God bless you!

In Christ,

Steven Hancock

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The Battle Lines are Drawn… Friday, Apr 11 2008

This weekend, a great battle is about to be fought. This battle will be one of the most important ever fought. But it will not break the evening news. No victory celebrations will be heard, at least not visibly, or to the naked sound. This will be a battle fought within one person. The battle will decide what kind this person does with the rest of their lives. But, like on all the fields of battle that have come before or since, the lines are drawn. The drums will soon call to war, and enemies will fight to decide who wins, and who loses.

On the one side, whom we will dub the “bad guys,” is a monstrous beast. He has been the cause of great strife in our world. He makes men do terrible things, and not repent for any of it. It makes him stand high over others, thinking he is greater than any person, and is beyond corruption. He will destroy lives, friendships and relationships because he thinks himself better than it. The beast which controls him is called “the ego.”

Also standing with the ego are Satan and his minions. Satan manipulates the ego, making a person think that which I have stated above. He will twist, contort, and lie to make sure that this person is undone for good. The minions that stand with him will shout with glee if they are victorious.

On the other side of the battlefield are our “good guys.” On this field stands the man. His goal is simple: defeat this army arrayed against him, so that he may be rid of the ego forever.

But, like the ego, the man doesn’t stand alone. Beside him stands the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ! He robes the man in the Armor of God, which will shield him from all things thrown at him. The man is not given a sword to wield in battle. Instead, he is handed the Word of God. With this word, he will find comfort, peace, and the means to destroy the old man, and become made new in His Grace!

Also standing with him are the man’s brothers and sisters in Christ. They, too, have no swords or shields in the traditional sense. Instead, what they carry is a weapon mightier than any made by man. It is the weapon of prayer, which they will use to bring God’s Grace, Love, and Mercy to the man, so that he might be successful in defeating the enemy, with the help of God.

If the man is victorious, then Satan, his minions, and even his ego cannot get in the way. The man will finally be able to do the will of Him that created all life. He will be made Righteous through Him, and all things will be made new. The path to redemption is waiting, but the army of evil stands in his way.

The battle lines are drawn. The trumpets sound. The battle is about to commence…

Of course, what you have just read is highly dramatic, but inspired by things that are going on. This weekend, I will be fighting the enemies that seek to destroy me. But I will not be doing it alone. I have God on my side, and also those whom I ask to pray for me. As I go about my regular routine, the battle will be raging.

I hope that you all are doing well. Take care, and God bless!

In Christ,

Steven Hancock

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Killing the Beast called the Ego… Thursday, Apr 10 2008

As I sit to write this post, I can’t help but wonder at what six months can be like. Better yet, it’s hard to believe how 2+ months can be like. I’ve had some hard stuff thrown at me as I attempt to finish this semester of college, putting me only two summer classes away from graduating. Well, I won’t go into details about “everything” that’s happened in this semester. Instead, I wanted to dedicate this post to something that happened in the past week, and what I’ve learned about killing the beast called “the ego.”

Just so I don’t give away any names or details about what happened, I’ll be brief about the incident. A friend of mine was going through a difficult time in her life. She got some help, and got past some of the stuff. It was then that I felt called by God to give her further moral support. But me and my big mouth ruined the opportunity! It turned out, I said something that was derogatory about said girl. I said this while I was sick with the flu, and was taking medication for it, so I wasn’t in the right state of mind. But I’m not trying to defend what I said. It was something that shouldn’t have been said, regardless of whether or not I was sick.

As the week has progressed, I’ve talked a little with this person. But the one thing I haven’t been able to do openly is come up front with her and apologize for what I said. There are two reasons why I haven’t done this, and it only partially occurred to me when I talked with some of my fellow Christian men. The first one I knew right off. Even after praying to God for forgiveness, I haven’t felt forgiven yet. I’m not sure if it’s because He hasn’t yet, and wants me to realize something, or whether or not I’ve forgiven myself.

The second reason came up in our discussion recently, and might even be connected with reason one. One of my friends said that I might be letting my ego get in the way, and I need to let it go and just apologize to my friend for what I said. I need to loose the ego, and do what is right.

So I guess that the point of this post is this: starting tonight, I will be praying for the grace and the courage to destroy my ego for good. It has been a burden on me all my life, especially in this past week. The ego is causing me so much trouble. I’m letting it get in the way of doing what’s right. And because of that, my relationship with God is becoming strained. So tonight, my mission to destroy the ego beast begins. Keep me all in your prayers.

My ego is going down…

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A Retreat to God Tuesday, Oct 2 2007

Last weekend proved to be one of the greatest weekends ever. I joined several of my brothers and sisters from 24/7 Christian Ministries on a retreat to Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, NC. This retreat came at a crossroads in my life. I no longer felt like I was doing God’s will by pursuing a career as a historian/teacher. I was physically, mentally and spiritually drained from the load of work I was doing in and out of class. I hoped to use this retreat to re-connect with God, connect with everyone on the retreat, and figure out what my true calling was. Well, God answered my prayers.

We got down there Friday evening around six. We set up camp while Tom and a couple of others prepared our evening meal: a fantastic roast and mashed potatoes. This was a meal sent from heaven itself. After some worship time and talk, we all turned in. It was amazing, being able to fit four grown men in a two-person tent. With the blessing of God, we did it!

Saturday was the day where I found the answers that I sought. After a hearty breakfast, Steve (not me) spoke for a little bit after some music. After words, we were given thirty minutes to spend in quiet time before lunch. We were each handed a passage to read, and then left to spend time with God. The passage began with Matthew 6:1, which reads: Beware of practicing righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward for your Father who is in heaven.“

I was then going to start reading from Leviticus, but then felt strongly in my heart that I needed to praise Him, and this is what I did for nearly twenty minutes. In that time, God spoke to my heart, saying: Steven, you are on the path I have sent you on. Continue on, My beloved child. In that moment, I felt God rejuvenate me mentally, physically, and spiritually. I was humbled by His Grace and Mercy, and thought of nothing but Him for the rest of the day.

Later that day, after lunch, we were given time to go out on our own. Some decided to hike, while others would go to town for supplies. I decided to go to town. While waiting in the parking lot, I heard a noise coming from the woods. As I turned to look, I saw two dear: a mother and child. And they were not more than fifteen feet away. The mother looked at me for a few seconds, and would continue to look back, as I watched this awesome sight. I was humbled again by God as I looked at two of His creation in their habitat. It was awesome.

That evening, after a dinner of hot dogs and smores for dessert, we had praise and worship, and God was definitely there as Mike spoke, and Tom and Steve sang. We turned in very late that night, around 1:30 in the morning.

Sunday was fantastic as well. We had praise and worship, and Time spoke before twenty minutes of quiet time. During this time, I promised my Father that I would not forget what I had learned on this retreat, and thanked him for the illumination shown to me then. We then had a time of sharing what we had experienced on the trip, and closed in prayer, before packing to return home. We left around 12:30, stopped for lunch, and got back home around 4:00 that evening.

This weekend was a time that I will never forget. I grew closer to God, and to my family at 24/7. I’m very grateful to God for this opportunity.

Well, that’s about it. I hope that everyone who reads this will know how much God loves you, and how He showed that love by dying on the cross at Calvary, just for you. May God bless you all.

In Christ,

Steven

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Can God talk through films? Sunday, Aug 26 2007

I was thinking of a theme to talk about for my first blog. With me, any discussion always seems to come around to movies. I have a pretty considerable collection of films, ranging from drama to comedy. The two largest sections of movies I have are of Biblical/Christian films and Historical films. But recently, I have come across an interesting question: is it possible for God to talk through films? Can His will for your life be told to you through celluloid?

I received an answer to this question just this week, as I was pondering the current path that had been set before me. I am a member of a Christian ministry on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in North Carolina, and the leader of the ministry, a very good friend of mine, had asked me to take on a larger leadership role in the ministry. This includes leading Bible study once a month.

Not only was this a pretty big shock for me, but I was also a bit apprehensive of doing this. Even though I feel truly blessed and honored to be asked to take part in leading the study if His Holy Word, I felt a bit unworthy of doing this. This is the Holy Word of our Lord. How can I, a man of no consequence, help to better our understanding of the Holy Scripture?  I prayed about it, and bled sweat and tears over this for a couple of weeks.

Then, the answer came to me this past week as I was watching “The Ten Commandments.” This film was made back in 1956, and stars Charlton Heston as Moses. In the film, Moses is seen questioning why God would use him as the deliverer of the Hebrews from Egypt into the Promised Land. In the film, we see Moses, who was once a Prince of Egypt, give up his royal life, take on the life of a Hebrew slave, slay an Egyptian, and be banished from Egypt by Prince Ramses (Yeah, it’s not a straight-forward adaptation of the Book of Exodus), and become the lowest of men.  Then, God sets him on the path of delivering his people to freedom.

As I watched this film, I realized that God was answering my prayer. Moses became a common man, but was still seen fit in God’s eyes to help those who sought to be free. He used an ordinary man. If an ordinary man could lead the Hebrews from freedom, why can’t an ordinary man lead a Bible study every now and then?

While I am still nervous about doing this, I am very grateful to Him for choosing me to become a leader in the ministry. I just hope and pray that I serve Him well in this service to the King of Kings.

I can ask for only one thing from all of you. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I help to prepare, with the help of God, His people for the future Kingdom. May God be with you all.

In Christ,

Steven

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