Doin’ Church with Tyler Perry

On Friday, September 18, I chatted with friend and radio personality Liz Lane from Positive Hit Radio The Current about Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

I was talking specifically about how in this particular Lionsgate comedy/drama the audience gets a wonderful taste of church, complete with excellent music from real-life Pastor Marvin Winans and stellar recording artist Gladys Knight. Plus, their is a hope-filled message from the pulpit. It’s enough to make you want to raise your hands in praise, wave a hanky, and say, “Preach it!” That’s exactly how I felt. And believe me, I wasn’t alone in my sentiments in the packed theatre on opening night.

Listen to this short, edited audio clip of our conversation, taken when taping for the radio broadcast. This is not the final on-air version, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.

And be sure to check out Liz Lane’s “Heart of Praise” show Sunday’s from 8 a.m – 11 a.m.

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

‘Time Traveler’s Wife’: Genetic Wardrobe Malfunction Meets Melodrama

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star as two destined lovers, Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, who try desperately to nurture a relationship constantly complicated by Henry’s uncontrollable time traveling tendencies.

Henry has learned to live with this genetic disorder since childhood that not only strips him of his present reality, but literally of his clothes as he travels through time. (Can we say constant ‘wardrobe malfunction’?)

But the faithful Clare is becoming increasingly tired of Henry’s sudden and unpredictable disappearances that have caused him to disappear into thin air at the worst of moments. (I say ditto to that.)

‘Harry Potter’: Spells and the Spoken Word

Proverbs 18:21 says that there is the power of life and death in the tongue. We can bless and curse with the words we say. Words that are said with authority also have creative power to call things into being. We know this because God said, “Let there be light” and light came into existence. We know that Jesus was the “Word made flesh” and that the Bible is also called the “Word of God.”

So how does this relate to the latest box office release of the PG-rated fantasy film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

The power of words in Potter is not Holy Spirit-driven. They are coming from the opposite spirit in the form of spells and incantations – things which the Bible considers detestable.

I discuss more about the power of words in Potter in this edited radio commentary from a discussion I had on the air with radio personality Liz Lane of The Current FM on Thursday, July 3o. Hope this discussion helps you weigh this film in the light of faith.

Radio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’: Overall Spiritual Concerns

I was really concerned about seeing this latest Harry Potter film at the box office for two reasons: one, I hadn’t read any of the books by J.K. Rowling or seen any of the previous films so I wasn’t sure I would get the gist of it, and two, I wasn’t sure if I would feel like my Christian beliefs just got assaulted. Would I feel like I had dishonored God by seeing this film? That was my main question.

Radio personality Liz Lane and I talked about the spiritual undertones of the PG fantasy film on The Current FM yesterday. Here is an edited version of our radio commentary abut the film:

Radio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

‘The Bill Collector’ Sneak Screening

I just got an invite to the screening for an upcoming movie called The Bill Collector, a Moonlit Pictures dramedy written and directed by Cristobal Krusen of Messenger Films. Cris is a talented and humble guy with a really big heart. The film stars Danny Trejo of Disney’s Spy Kids and singer Ron Kenoly. Release date is later this fall.

Watch the trailer

What is great about this film is that it was shot in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, using many locals. Cast and crew were pulled from my church, New Life Providence. If you have heard of Fireproof or Facing the Giants, this is the kind what New Life hopes to do with The Bill Collector.

I am just bummed I wasn’t able to help out with the film back when they shot it in October and November 2008. I was chosen to be an extra and very excited about the prospect. But unforeseen circumstances meant I had to back out. I am sure the experience would have been a blast.

Kudos to you, Cris and crew!

— Laura J. Bagby