Greetings!
Thanks for reading! Here’s six timely topics.
- Past interview with new NCIS: LA star
In 2015, I had the opportunity to interview Caleb Castille, the star of the faith-based film Woodlawn. If you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend it. I consider it one of my favorite Christian-themed movies, and it is very well done.
Castille and his father Jeremiah were special guests at Duncan, First, where his father preached one Sunday morning, and the church hosted two showings of Woodlawn.
You can read the Q&A article I wrote from the interview here.
I asked Castille what was next for him after filming Woodlawn, and did he intend to do more faith-based movies. His response:
“I’m going to continue acting. I’ve spent three years chasing this opportunity, and I will pursue it with a full head of steam into this industry and hope to have an impact. I think there is a hunger for these kind of films, and given the opportunities, I’m going to take them. I always want to do positive, purposeful movies. And there are movies that are not faith-based films, but you can find faith-based messages. I am drawn to stories like that.”
Lo and behold, on a recent Sunday night, Karen was watching NCIS: Los Angeles, and I recognize a new character on that show named Devin Rountree. It didn’t come to me at first, but when I saw the name “Caleb Castille” appear in the show’s credits, I remembered my interview with him.
That was a neat, unexpected viewing.
- Becket on Page
I’ve written about Becket Cook before. He is a Christian writer who once embraced the LGBTQ lifestyle. He recently wrote about the announcement of film star formerly known as Ellen Page changing her name to Elliot Page.
Check out “Why Hollywood Praised Elliot Page (and Blacklists Me).”
I pray God will use Becket Cook to reach people who may seem to be unreachable.
- Christian case for importance of history
Tracy McKenzie wrote a very thought-provoking article titled “A Christian Case for the Importance of History.”
The article has a lot of deep content that I need to read again. One thing that stood out is McKenzie emphasizing how cultural values shape us. He expresses concern over the younger generations thinking critically about digital devices “shaping us because they’ve never known a world without them.”
McKenzie also challenges American Christians yielding to “radical individualism.” Past generations turned their eye on racist behavior, if not outright condoning or even embracing the practice of segregation and slavery. This behavior seems incomprehensible today, and many Evangelical Christians outright oppose such ungodly actions.
I welcome your feedback to McKenzie’s conclusions.
- Church attendance helps mental health
Aaron Earls reported that weekly churchgoers are the only demographic group surveyed claiming “their mental health this year is better than 2019.”
That’s a fascinating discovery, considering the many stipulations that churches across the country are observing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out Earls’ article “Mental Health Declines Among Americans, Except Weekly Churchgoers.”
Earls offers much more information, including results that emphasize the importance of church leaders addressing the need for caring for those who struggle with mental illnesses.
- The Christmas star
Have you been looking lately to the southwest in the sky after sunset? It’s been discuss quite a bit on social media about Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest to each other in 400 years, especially by Dec. 21. Check it out when you can.
One thing about this phenomenon is how some observers confuse this for the Christmas star when Christ was born in Bethlehem. Baptist Press’ Diana Chandler reported that the Christmas star was a miracle, not planetary alignment.
Chandler’s article may provide interesting conversation content with unbelievers.
- Thunder thoughts
NBA season is almost here. The Thunder is putting together a rather unidentifiable team for many. I’ve discussed on DHD before that this season could be difficult for many Thunder fans, but what will happen will be beneficial for seasons to come.
If you’d like to read a great summary about the recent preseason moves Sam Presti and the Thunder have made, check out Jared Dubin’s article “The Thunder Have Been Busier This Offseason Than Any Other Team in NBA History.”
Do you think you can tell from that headline what Dubin is going to present (sarcasm)?
