J. Michael Straczynski had established himself in
Hollywood. Everyday, he contributed to
different TV shows in a number of ways, including that of a scriptwriter. One day, the idea of a “novel for
television,” of a five-year saga concerning a space station, struck him. Suddenly, his former success wasn’t enough
for him. So, even though a Sci-fi series
on this level had never been attempted on American television, he sketched out
the broad strokes of his idea, and embarked on the long and difficult process
of trying to sell it to the major studios.
After he finally sold the series to Warner Brothers, and won the right
to serve as its executive producer, this was only the beginning of his work on
Babylon 5. Throughout the entire series
run, he would oversee every aspect of the show’s production, including writing
most of the scripts, to ensure that the vision he had conceived reached its
fullest potential on our screens. He
even spent time regularly traveling to Science Fiction conventions, personally
answering fan mail, and interacting with fans though the burgeoning power of
the Internet.
A woman at my mother’s church, let’s call her Ms. Milton,
felt so affected by the shooting at Newtown, Connecticut, that she could not
dispel the conflicting emotions and questions raised by the incident. She wondered how and why the event took
place, but came up with no satisfactory answers. Finally, she started writing a poem, and by
the time she finished it, found she had brokered a partial peace in her heart
between the event's physical reality and its spiritual implications. This last Sunday, she shared
the poem with her congregation, in the hopes that it would help others
similarly affected by the tragedy.
Another couple at the church, let’s call them Mr. and Mrs.
Credit, once served as missionaries. To
celebrate his ninetieth birthday, they sold an old trailer they no longer
used, and visited a church in South Africa they had once ministered in. Mrs. Credit shared with the congregation
that, while in college, their denomination rejected them as candidates for
their missionary program. So the couple
opened themselves to any organizations that would send them to the mission
field. They sacrificed in every area of
their lives, always scrambling to fund their endeavors. But because they operated as independent,
“Faith Missionaries,” they visited more countries and ministered to more disparate
groups than they could have, had they been enjoyed the more secure funding from
one denomination. They may be retired
now, but the couple donated the proceeds from the sale to the South African church’s
building program, in the hopes that the congregation could more effectively
serve their community.
 |
A gift from the Credits, to remind us of Africa,
and the importance of following our calling
with A Sense of Mission. |
Mrs. Credit offered this advice: pursue your passion today,
where you live. Don’t wait on fate or
circumstance, or an invitation from anyone.
Whether your calling leads you, like the Credits, to missionary service,
like J. Michael Straczynski, to helm a TV program, or like Ms. Milton, to tackle
smaller (but no less important) tasks such as writing the occasional poem, follow
your calling. What is your passion in
life? Do you feel a sense of mission:
that what you wish to accomplish is not only important to you, but to others as
well? Whatever it is, I wish you all the
success in the world, as you determine, and then pursue your project with the
sense of mission that it deserves.
Starting today.
Dragon Dave
