Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Submitted...
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Next Great Adventure
So, you all knew from my earlier post that I submitted my best song to a Christian song competition.
Well.. I have just discovered a competition for Film scripts! Yep. The Steeltown Film Factory (based out of Pittsburgh) (Steeltown FilmFactory General Rules ) is now accepting early entries for a 12 page screenplay set in the great city of Pitt! ...Oh the picture above? That's just so there's something other than white space at the top. It's me and a couple Christian artists I've met over the years... Anyway!
Since the Burgh is my Grandma's stomping ground, I am comfortable and joyed with this setting. I already had a movie plot set in a university town. It's a drama, but not the one I posted about earlier. This will be a great readjustment to the story, and it even enhances the characters quite a bit. So, what I need from you readers, again, is prayer. Just that whatever God wants to happen with my entry happens.
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| Where I was when I wrote some of this plot |
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| What I looked like while writing it. ha ha :) |
That's all. I don't really care if I win or not. It's just a cool opportunity. I also need help with getting the time and gumption to squish and format my plot into a 12 page film. I have already pulled together a draft of key parts. But I just need to locate my paper copies of the scenes and dialogue and type them up correctly into the software I have which formats the script into a knock-off (and FREE) version of what Final Draft does.
Some help on finding the proper ways to format action segments that show time passing, I could use that too. So, any comments on where to look for that, would be great too! :)
So...if you all could keep the Steeltown Film Factory competition in your prayers for me, that'd be sweet!
Thanks!
Be blessed!
Debbie D.
Screenwriter ;-)
Spoke With A Friend
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| Charis Chiu Intervarsity Christian Fellowship |
[Last Week's post....]
The sound of the cell phone alarm at 5:30AM. Wandering in the dark to find my anti-biotics. Yes. A sinus cold has given me reason to stick to a strict regimen. In the struggle to stop the noise and fumble open the cap, a paper fell to the floor from my desk. It was another laundry list of to-dos that needed checked off as I dragged myself out of bed this morning.
>Burn CD for the songwriter contest
>Prepare skits/props for filming tonight
>Call work about that thing
>Meet friend at 1pm @ Panera
>Finish props, go to CAT TV
I know, right? Great fun list, huh? Well of course. It was my day off. BUT! Sometimes it would be nice to just see nothing listed. Anyway. Got my morning coffee. Listened to my music. And yes. Checked Twitter and Facebook. Despite the laundry list - Oh, yeah. Forgot about laundry. Technical difficulties with the CD burning. Emails told of cancellations by friends on the filming tonight. The list was beginning to unravel.
11:55AM. I'd better get ready to go see my friend. 12:25 AM, call software company for help on CD burning. Yay! Amen. It only took a 5 minute phone call and he would be sending me a link. (I have yet to know if that link has worked, the day is not yet over). Off to Panera! [Editor's note. It DID work. Praise God! I got it in the mail.]
The smell of coffee and bagels filled the atmosphere and general ambiance. Macaroni and Cheese, an apple and an Asiago bagel. Now to wait on my friend. Text a little. Pretend text. Receive glances from guys coming into the shop. Return the glances with "I'm not the droid you're looking for" eyes.
....Look at the pictures of myself on my phone.
Charis!
She walks in and we embrace.
Enjoying the company of good friends couldn't be more relaxing. We share stories and get caught up. She then mentions something she and I had discussed earlier in the year. She had asked me to help brainstorm for ideas for fundraising for a charity that she said God put on her heart. "It's about reaching people" she told me. About transforming lives for God on campuses where God is often a bad word (in more ways than one).
In those few months my small tidbits of ideas that were just based off small trials I'd had at attempting to start a student group once at Columbia College, (ideas like, "well make an information flyer or packet so people can see your vision. Something that has a link to Intervarsity's website and mission. You know, I dunno...") those ideas and more of her own had fully developed!
On the cherry wood table she slips me this nifty 5x7 blue pocket folder with an embossed Intervarsity logo that reads "Intervarsity Christian Fellowship/USA." Cool. I open it and it is a full blown information packet that feels like a mini college admissions pack. She discusses in her kind and gentle way how she currently serves with the Mizzou Asian Christian Fellowship and how she is now focusing on growing a fellowship that focuses on reaching out to the Asian/Asian American students on campus.
Not only that, she's been looking into trying to reach out to Columbia College students as well of all ethnicities. She said "Utimately, I pray and hope to see campuses as a whole reached so that no student can graduate saying they've never heard the Gospel."
I very well know what it's like going through a mainstream College Biology degree. While you're there, it's a dark silence that tries to subdue your every inner passion. Especially your faith in God. So what did I do in School?
Folded my hands before every meal with the Deans, held open my Bible proudly in the break room and the student lounges, and folded my hands before every meal no matter where on campus I was sitting. Put up pro-life flyers for annual walks for life. Made pro-life posters that explained the details about abortion and its effects on the last 30 + years of generations of women in America. Made posters detailing what Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research was and why it and cloning humans is equal to taking a life. Wrote every science project paper with well-researched content that never conflicted with my convictions. Stood my ground in class when others nodded their heads to the story that we came from fish, or other animals. Found in all my years of research and learning as a Biology major with a minor in Chem, that God and science have no conflicts. Discussed my convictions when relevant in science papers. Received respect from several teachers and other peers. I did my research and cited sources correctly.
My posters didn't stay up too long. Nor did I get enough takers to start a group. But I did get good grades on my papers. But I have seen Bible studies and Christian campus groups crop up on campus over the last 5 years, whereas, when I started, there were none to be found except one original group that was only in the catalog but never had enough members yearly to resurrect it.
I am thankful for the friends I have come to know that currently run Crossfire Campus Ministry on Columbia College's main campus. Gina and David Croft. They are how I came to know Charis. But that is for another blog. They told me that "sometimes before seeds can be planted, the stones on the stony ground must be removed. You removed those stones." Don't know if that's really true, but it was nice to hear after the 8 years it took me to obtain my 4-year degree while working full-time and attending College in the evenings and some day classes.
So, as I looked among yet another chance at reaching those desperately silenced kids of my Alma Mater, all I could say was, "Cool beans, Charis. How do I give?"
So, with that said, I have just begun giving a monthly donation to Charis Chiu's Intervasity campus ministry. To find out more visit:
Intervarsity Home
You can make friends with Charis and have her chat with you about it, if you'd like to know more about it to consider just praying for her ministry or whatever fits what is on your heart and in your budget. Her email is graceingreek@gmail.com
If you wanna know more about another ministry currently On CAMPUS at Columbia College, Columbia MO - check out the Fairview Road Church of Christ (Columbia, MO) and ask about David and Gina Croft's Crossfire Campus Ministry.
Search them on Facebook or email David and Gina at dagicroft@aol.com
So glad to see the body of Christ working together in many facets to build the Kingdom and bring strong leaders out of those that are at pivotal points in their lifetime. Praise God for both these ministries!!!
Friends, we are never alone with God. One and God are the majority. So wherever you are, on whatever campus, or soil, hold on to 1st Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (KJV).
In three simple words... Never Give Up.
Be blessed ya'll!
Debbie D.
B.S. BIOL Minor in Chem
Beloved follower of Jesus
Truth Seeker
Redeemed
Titles Don't Matter
You get the point
:P
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Brandon Heath Concert - Springfield, MO - October 18, 2012
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| Deborah Dickson speaks candidly with Christian recording artist Brandon Heath at a concert VIP session |
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| Heath sings to VIPs before the show |
Photos taken by Brandon Heath's staff were provided and sent to the Brandon Heath Facebook page. Brandon told of the inspiration behind the album (stemming from a C.S. Lewis quote that people are like Blue Mountains) "Blue and mysterious in the distance, but when you get up close, they are brown and green like everyone else" he said.
Later, Heath referred to this and explained his "characters" behind the songs, most of which told stories "from my imagination" Heath stated. He went on to explain that as an author, the songs revealed himself through the characters he created for the songs.
One special moment occurred when Heath sang the one song on the album not written for a fictional character, Paul Brown Petty, (a song written for Heath's Grandfather on his mother's side). The microphones went out as he sang from the back of the audience amongst the concert seats. A silence fell upon the curious audience as they listened eagerly for each next word. He finished this song and the mics came back up.
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| Deborah Dickson Photography - 2012 |
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| Deborah Dickson Photography - 2012 |
He returned to the stage as he went on to sing "Dyin Day" (a song written for a character on his imaginary Blue Mountain Penitentiary's death row). "This is a song about a man who is guilty...but is innocent." Heath stated in a serious low voice as he went into the ballad.
The concert covered almost every new cut from Blue Mountain and all of his hits. After the last song, he returned with all acts that had previously joined him on stage for the sake of the audience which was still standing and applauding. The encore was truly a good 35 minutes if not 45. A very worthwhile experience.
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| Heath's feet during a song. ~ D. Dickson pics, 2012 |
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| Heath's guitar before show. ~ D. Dickson pics, 2012 |
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| Give Me Your Eyes. ~ D. Dickson pics, 2012 |
I give Blue Mountain two thumbs up and would have to be honest that if you don't buy it - you are missing out! Visit Brandon Heath's Website for more info! For more concert photos see my Facebook page. My Facebook Springfield Concert Photos Page
Be Blessed!
Debbie D.
Taking On A Great Adventure
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| Colorado River, Grand Canyon, U.S.A - 2011 D. Dickson |
Well ... Small ordeal anyway. Yes. I have decided after some prayer and chit chat that I am going to submit a song of mine to http://www.createsongwriter.com/submit/ .
So any prayers anyone wants to send up would be appreciated. :)
The picture? ...oh, that is just from another time when I embarked on a great adventure with my friend and my sister. But I'll save that for another blog. If I blog at all about it.
But indeed I have decided on submitting what I consider is my best song to the above linked contest. However, for lack of knowing the whole copy rights bit, I will post a lesser of one of my songs so you readers can have an idea of my songwriting that is touted all across every page of social media I am on. So here goes. This is one of my not-so-best songs.
So Many needing Souls D.R.D
5/19/06
V1.
There’s a soul crying
There’s a soul out on the road to
dying
Jesus, hold these lonely souls to
You
Jesus, take these lonely hearts
Your Truth
V2.
There’s a flowing River
There’s a healing touch
Sent by the Giver
Jesus wash these lonely souls for
You
Jesus take these lonely hearts
Your Truth
‘Cause (Repeat V 1) (or music)
V3
There’s a wayward stranger
There’s a heart who’s always
filled with anger
Jesus heal these lonely souls for
You
Jesus take these lonely hearts
Your Truth
‘Cause (Repeat V1 again)
Last Line
Yes, Jesus take these broken
hearts Your Truth
Well there it is. So, now you have seen one of my songs, BlogWorld. Have a great weekend!
DD (Or sometimes Just Deb)
Well I Was Told to Blog
Okay - enough about me. The reason for why I have entered BlogSpace...the final frontier, is so that I can share fun and inspiring ideas, stories, skits, movies, plot lines, and/or whatever else decides to jump out at me to blog about. Since my life on a sticky note states I love Jesus, expect some of the blogs to be Christian, or 'religious' or whatever terminology you subscribe to.
So, I don't know. Maybe I'll post some of my song lyrics one day, and a log line for one of my movie ideas the next. I am known to be a creature of habit, but sometimes unpredictable. Not in the Willy Wonka sense of the word, but, indeed, even I sometimes don't expect the funny things that fly out of my mouth before my mind catches up with me.
Two paragraphs back I said 'enough about me' and here I am, not finished telling my story. Expect that too. I have been called "quirky" "the exception" "That's Deb" and a number of other names I'd rather leave off of TheBlogSpace. But my humor is usually on the dry side, engulfed in cultural references to television, music or movies ranging anywhere from the late 1800's to approximately 2008 when I went hardcore at studying science and lost sight of the entertainment world.
Did I really mean "lost sight?"....Oh yeah, and sometimes I question myself in text. I think it's funny. Personalities that I wouldn't be afraid to equate/associate mine to/with would be Lucille Ball (yes, from back then) Laurel of Laurel and Hardy, however, sometimes I can have a serious edge and go all Jack Shephard from Lost. Amanda Bynes is another close personality to mine. At least how she was in the Disney shows and movies she has been in. I always thought I looked kind of like Gwenyth Paltrow. ...I'm really only naming these figures so my blog gets hits on Google. Ha ha! Kidding! Because I don't even know if it works that way or not. Baby blogger here.
Here's a story - and then I'm done for my first blog.
I used to own the Spiderman 2 video game on the original XBOX. I won several levels and I was sure I was the nicest Spidey character ever played, because anyone who has played the game knows that just when you get to fighting off 6 muggers, and a truckload of bank thieves, that's when you hear that all-too-un-ignorable sound. A child's voice. "I lost my ballooooon!" And yes. I was the Spidey who ALWAYS stopped what I was doing to go climb a building and get it for the little tyke.
Well - all that said, the XBOX Spiderman 2 from the Tobey Macguire series of Spiderman movies was a scaled version of the real Manhattan Island. Guess what? When my family vacationed there on a whim's notice, the first thing we did was duck into a Holiday Inn (more tagged words to get views ;-) ) get a street map, and I instantaneously became the navigator of that trip from day 1 to finish.
Yep. I knew you would find that pretty sweet. Hadn't lived in New York a day in my life, but I found out all those lost balloons weren't a waste. We saw Lady Liberty, Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Central Park, the Empire State Building and most of it was on foot. That is a trip I will never forget.
I guess that is all for tonight. Let's see how this uploads. Good night, America....and the World Wide Blog Space.
~ Debbie D. (or sometimes DD, or Facebook DJ)
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