Remembering Bruce Gentry

October 30th, 2015 will mark the four year anniversary of the death of my best friend, Bruce Gentry. It's a tough day for all who loved this man, but I can never let it pass without saying something about him. This year, I have revised a post that I wrote back in 2011, shortly after his passing. Here it is.

I met Bruce Gentry on a film shoot during my sophomore year at North Greenville University. The very day that we met, I felt as though I had known him for years. He kept me laughing the entire day. We exchanged numbers, and the very next day at 7 a.m., I got a phone call reminding me to get to my Biology class on time. From then on, we talked on the phone constantly. Bruce became as close as a brother. We shared a love of film and of music that only served to bring us closer together. Bruce was a wellspring of knowledge, and he was always willing to teach me new things, to expand my horizons artistically, and to keep my ADD riddled mind on task. 

When I entered an internship in Marietta, GA, it was one of the first times that I had ever been away from home, living on my own. As a result of my panic disorder, I was plagued with attacks for many nights. I spoke with Bruce for hours every night that summer, and every time I would call him in a panic, he would calmly recite Psalm 91 for me, and before I knew it, the wave of fear had passed and had lulled me into a place of peace. Bruce always said, "when you share a burden, it's divided; when you share a joy, it's multiplied". During the tough times in my life, he always reminded me that I was loved, and I could always depend on him. I would find myself calling him when I was in need of comfort. He never missed a phone call. He was most definitely a caretaker. During a recent film shoot, I became ill with dehydration. There was Bruce, running to the nearest drug store, forcing me to drink Pedialyte and pulling me off the set. I would have been angry with anyone else, but because it was Bruce, because he was my brother, my best friend, and my artistic soul mate, it didn't matter. I just sat down for the remainder of the shoot, and listened to Bruce talk away about Charles Laughton and Bette Davis. I often joke that I would have listened to Bruce Gentry read the phone book for hours. The man had the richest voice. He'd often leave voicemails on my phone, where he'd recite long monologues from Shakespeare, and fill up my entire inbox. I never complained. I loved every minute. He was one of the greatest actors that ever lived. Those who have worked with him one on one know this to be true. He was a consummate professional, and he absolutely adored the stage and screen. Everyone wanted to work with him. To know Bruce was to love him - that's all there is to it. I could go on and on about this beloved man.  

My friend, James Turner, and I were lucky enough to capture footage of Bruce and his beloved Aunt Doris a few years previous. James and I have many memories of those two. As you can see in the video above, they had a way with one another. They kept us laughing. As incredibly gifted as he was, Bruce dedicated the latter part of his life to caring for his aunt, as well as others. He put his own dreams to the side, making huge sacrifices for the ones that he loved. But he always planned to return to the arts. There were many projects that Bruce and I discussed over the years that never saw the light of day. I regret that wholeheartedly. However, Bruce touched my life in a way that few have. I have so many memories that I will cherish forever, and thank God that I saved most of his voicemails. I will miss him so much. My heart is breaking. I am devastated because of this tragedy, but I do know that he is with the Lord now. He's with his Doris. And Lord knows, they're probably fussing at and joking with each other like they always did.

Bruce, my brother, my best friend, I will miss you more than you will ever know, but I will see you again. 

I love you. 

The Journey Continues

Some of our friends in the world of social media would have us believe that we are living in the “end times”. We’re told that the world is heading straight for hell, that God is wrath, and that our days are numbered.

The only problem with all of this is that none of it is true. Despite what you may have heard over the years, we aren’t living in the end times. Despite what the street prophets and televangelists are shouting from the sidewalks and atop the New York Times bestseller list, Jesus is not coming back. Speaking for myself as someone who professes Christ, I believe that He’s here, in this time and place, right now. The very essence of Christ abounds in every person who has the capability to love another.

Yes, there is injustice in the world. Yes, there is violence and death. Yes, there is inequality. But I do believe that the human race is progressing towards a greater good in spite of it all. We may not be there just yet, but even so, we are pressing forward.

Grace will abound in the end, for all. Not just for an elect group of people, but for everyone. What we need to keep in mind is that none of this change will happen without us - the world working together as a whole. Every person from every walk of life - black, white, gay, straight, Christian, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, etc. Let’s work together and try to stop spreading the gloom and doom propaganda that is depressing and false and only serves one purpose - to obliterate hope and keep us afraid.

Break free and keep pressing on. Cleave to that precious and small circle of friends who can embark on this journey with you. Live your life without fear, without regret, make the most of every moment, and never apologize for who you are.

In this way, there is always love, always hope, and the end is nowhere in sight. 

On Charisma News And Willful Ignorance

For years now, Charisma News has been a thorn in the side of many progressives - those on the left, right, and middle of the spectrum - due to a pattern of blatant hatred and an attitude of willful ignorance regarding issues of social justice and equality.

Just recently, Charisma News published an article authored by a woman named Chelsen Vicari, who has also written a book entitled, "Distorted". The article in question was titled "How The New Christian Left Is Twisting The Gospel". Admittedly, this was a well-written - albeit largely naive - attempt to attack "hip" evangelical congregations by making the unfounded argument that we have abandoned traditional teaching in favor of cherry picking Scriptures that "jive" with the culture. The article featured a photo of a young tattooed couple in causal clothing (as if being young and tattooed is something to be ashamed of) and then proceeded to break down liberal Christians into three convenient categories. In doing so, Little Miss Chelsen entirely missed the mark - several times over.

You see, Little Miss Chelsen used to a progressive. By progressive, I mean that she used to stand for the raw, unadulterated teachings of Christ, championed equality for all people, and placed grace at the forefront of all things. She "loved her neighbor as herself". She was a free thinker. All good things. We each have a personal journey, each to walk out in his or her own fashion. But along the way, Little Miss Chelsen suffered some type of a relapse. Before long, social justice wasn't good enough. Feminists became evil. And capitalism was a-okay - not to be questioned. She then decided that "liberal Christianity" was all about "issues" and nothing else. She decided to stop dancing and opted for a march instead. And then someone gave her an outlet to write about this. And, boy oh boy, here comes Charisma. They posted her article, which contains the following quote:

Popular liberal evangelical writers and preachers tell young evangelicals that if they accept abortion and same-sex marriage, then the media, academia and Hollywood will finally accept Christians. Out of fear of being falsely dubbed "intolerant" or "uncompassionate," many young Christians are buying into theological falsehoods. Instead of standing up as a voice for the innocent unborn or marriage as God intended, millennials are forgoing the authority of Scripture and embracing a couch potato, cafeteria-style Christianity all in the name of tolerance.

A bit shallow. Totally untrue. In Little Miss Chelsen's eyes, we're all blind, incapable of thinking for ourselves, and are all nazis. This is where Little Miss Chelsen screwed up, by allowing her mind to become warped by the extreme right and then sitting down at a keyboard to share her thoughts before she even had a moment to ponder them, to seriously consider what she was saying. She's so out of the  loop, she no longer understands what it is to be "progressive" anymore. She also assumes that all progressives are liberal.

And Charisma News is eating it up. Last week, they posted an article about Rachel Held Evans' departure from the Evangelical church. They made it seem like Rachel had abandoned Christ altogether, and that every follower of hers was going to do the same. But this is what they do. Charisma News likes to instill fear by telling lies. And now, they are using Little Miss Chelsen as a way to promote that sickening agenda. This is what the extreme right excels at. They see progressive Christians who celebrate freedom, and they are mad because they see that we have discovered truth. They then set out to attack that freedom by any means necessary - even if they have to flat-out lie to do it.

It's time that true Christ followers took a stand. Let Charisma News and Little Miss Chelsen know that you are tired of their kind. That you are fed up with the abuse. That you will no longer allow them to speak for all believers. In the meantime, pray that Little Miss Chelsen comes back to her senses. Pray that she finds a group that will help to undo much of the brainwashing that has apparently gone on over the past few years. Pray that she finds freedom.

And most of all, pray for an end to Charisma News.