Into the Fire

I know there are plenty of those out there who decry the watching, the owning, and any defense of television. I’m not one of them. I think it’s a marvelous medium that is not being used effectively—or perhaps I should say instead that it’s not being used to its full potential.

For those of us who love drama and can find precious little of it that we enjoy at the movie theatre, there are a few things on that small screen (as compared to the original “big” screen) which are genuinely well done. I know I will offend those of you who watch today’s sitcoms with this comment: they’re horrid. The over the top sexual humor, references, and perversions frankly turn my stomach. Little of it is remotely funny to me. And I like funny. I just don’t see any on TV.

Nothing makes a show shine like good writing. One of the best television writers I know of is a man by the name of Dana Coen. He used to write for the JAG series. His Christmas episodes were incredible, and by his own admission he was neither Jew nor Christian, or anything else really. Mostly agnostic.

I’m not going to bore you with my favorite television dramas, but I am going to mention one of the newer series because of its writing. The show stars James Woods, normally a big screen actor, who plays a D.A., nicknamed “Shark” (the name of the series), in Los Angeles after being a successful defense attorney for years, in other words a devoted adversary to the prosecutor’s office. James Woods is phenomenal in this role, and the dialogue is written to perfection for him—snappy, sharp, biting, cynical, and hopeful all at the same time. Some of the best writing to come along in awhile, finely tuned so that actor and story mesh inextricably. Well done.

Writing has so many uses. To make us laugh, to make us cry, to make us think, to make us react, to make us challenge, to make us be challenged. Regardless of your objective in your own writing, the benefit of knowing Jesus Christ elevates purpose and also presents a few higher rungs on the ladder to “success”. Now I know there are those Christians who will argue that they just write for the sake of writing, to make it the best quality writing they can produce. I don’t want to debate this. I simply want to state that for me the addition of the Truth of knowing the Savior requires a clear honesty in however and whatever story is presented. Honesty requires a contemplation of some kind of the Holy One. Somehow. Some way. Jesus needs to be there. For me.

Lord, writing is where you have me now. My purpose at this time. To glorify you at all times. Give me the words that I might present you the way you want to be known. In my little sphere of influence, shine through the writing. Be made real in the words you give to me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.