That wonderful battle-cry was made semi-famous by Tim Allen in the movie Galaxy Quest, (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177789/) but is very relevent to the story I'm going to share with you, which was forwarded to me by the author, Pam Kumpe, through Shoutlife.com (http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=21767332)
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She writes....
Terry Fator of Mesquite, Texas is the winner of the TV show, "America's Got Talent" (http://www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/)
BUT DID YOU KNOW- This time last year, he was getting ready for a show and had booked a 1,000 seat auditorium. As he took the stage, only one person sat in the audience! Yes, one lone 12-year old boy came to his show.
Terry sings, does ventriloquism, and his dummies impersonate celebrities. He's the best I've ever watched, absolutely pure entertainment.But when no one came to his show last year, he almost gave up his dream after 32 years of practicing and performing. All those years, he worked hard. He practiced. He developed skills. He kept trying. He knocked on doors. He sang. He made up new skits. He created. He performed. He dreamed.
Did I say -- he never gave up?
What an inspiration for all of us. Dreams do come true. Terry went from "one" fan, to number one on this show. He is a winner. The Lord says, he knows the plans he has for us, plans to prosper us, not to harm us, and he will give us hope and a future. I personally am not praying for a million dollars, although you can write me a check if you want to. But I am praying with a hopeful heart about my writing pursuits. How about you?
Are you working hard to see your dreams come true?I don't want to look back, and wish I had tried.
Blessings from East Texas
Pam Kumpe
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Pam really hit the nail on the head! How many of us have the persistence to follow our dreams for 32 years until it becomes a reality? We live in the fast-food-overnight-sensational-world, which has conditioned us, that if "IT" (being our dreams) don't happen now...or in the time table we set for them...than they are not going to.
Remember, Noah labored over 70 years, before he completed the arc!
NEVER GIVE UP...DOING RIGHT. NEVER SURRENDER...THE DREAMS GOD HAS PLACED IN YOUR HEART (ESPECIALLY WHEN OTHERS TELL YOU, YOU'RE CRAZY....THAT'S THE BEST SIGNAL YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH)!
Robert Luedke
www.headpress.info
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
RJ Luedke Featured Arist at Urban Arts Festival
Author and illustrator of the award winning Eye Witness graphic novel series, Robert James Luedke, be a participating artist in the latest live arts event sponsored by ArtLoveMagic (www.artlovemagic.com) in conjunction with the Urban Arts Festival of Dallas....(for full details visit: http://www.urbanartsfest.com/aspotlight.html) ... On Friday night Sept 7th at the Jannette Kennedy Gallery:
(Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1409+S+Lamar+St,+Dallas,+Texas+75215&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.038806,82.265625&ie=UTF8&ll=32.767844,-96.795666&spn=0.008823,0.020084&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1).
Robert will be working live inking pages from the upcoming Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle, (see: www.headpress.info ...for sample pages), along with selling some T-shirts (both mine and some from LifeCoBrands... http://www.lifecobrands.com ), copies of EW 1 & 2 along with talking about drawing, inking, comics and publishing graphic novels with anyone who is interested.
On Saturday, Sept 8th, Robert will be a part of a panel on the comic arts and self-publishing during the Urban Arts Festival (see their website for full details).
If you reside in and/or around DFW, stop in and say hi and explore all the wonderful things happening in the world of arts around Dallas/Fort Worth.
For further details visit: www.artlovemagic.com
(Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1409+S+Lamar+St,+Dallas,+Texas+75215&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.038806,82.265625&ie=UTF8&ll=32.767844,-96.795666&spn=0.008823,0.020084&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1).
Robert will be working live inking pages from the upcoming Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle, (see: www.headpress.info ...for sample pages), along with selling some T-shirts (both mine and some from LifeCoBrands... http://www.lifecobrands.com ), copies of EW 1 & 2 along with talking about drawing, inking, comics and publishing graphic novels with anyone who is interested.
On Saturday, Sept 8th, Robert will be a part of a panel on the comic arts and self-publishing during the Urban Arts Festival (see their website for full details).
If you reside in and/or around DFW, stop in and say hi and explore all the wonderful things happening in the world of arts around Dallas/Fort Worth.
For further details visit: www.artlovemagic.com
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Prayer for an Atheist
I opened my Dallas Morning News today, to read about a man who lives right here in DFW, (Carrollton to be specific), by the name of David Kroft. Mr. Kroft is about to take on the state of Texas in federal district court, over our student's "moment of silence" each morning.
Mr. Kroft has a long history of complaints and actions taken against the school system and his children's school in particular over anything having to do with even mildly suggesting God in what he feels should be a 100% secular setting, (re: No Cub Scout meetings at school because they don't allow atheists; no Silent Night at the Christmas Pagent; doesn't allow his children to say or to stand during the pledge of alligence, because of the words "under God and many more other examples *)...you get the picture!
*I don't know if you can pull the article up online @ www.dallasnews.com, (it's entitled, "Moment of Silence begins court battle", from 8.7/07), but it would be worth it to understand the depths to which Mr. Kroft has been willing to go in this crusade).
As a person who took almost 40 years to embrace the "supernatural" (as Mr. Kroft calls it), in my own life, I don't know whether to be angry with Mr. Croft or have pity on him. Having lived most of my life as a skeptic who believed that Christianity and the concept of God was closer to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings than a healthy way of life, I can understand people who either reject or keep belief in God at arms length...'cause I was one of them. But to see someone who approaches his atheism with an almost evangelical fervor, like Mr. Kroft does, begs the question....why?
When you sit down and listen to, or research the background of many high profile atheists there seems to be a common thread you can find of either pain, devastation or resentment of authority somewhere in their background which many people may not understand. Some might have had a devastating incident somewhere in their past, (death of a family member or loved one, lost of job or career, illness), some may have felt rejected or ostracized by a church or someone representing the church and some may generally just reject the concept of having respect, fear or worshipping "any authority" within their lives, (that was me).
I truly find it kind of hard to believe though, that Mr. Kroft's mission began (as he states in his blog), purely by reading George Orwell's 1984 in high school. We've all heard of this book making people afraid of intrusive government (I.E: the Patriot Act, speeding camera's, police sobriety checkpoints etc...), but that's the first time I've heard people site this book as a reason to reject the concept of God. But I can't help but feel there is something more there...some incident in his past that is eating Mr. Kroft up inside. Maybe only he and his wife know what that is. Maybe he's never shared it with anyone...or even been honest with himself about it!
He will not appreciate it's "supernatural" implications, but after thinking at length about this article, I ask that we all include Mr. Kroft, his wife and especially his children, (who are truly the victims here because of what they must have to endure at school ever time their father goes on the warpath against God, down here in the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt), in our prayers that God will reach out to him in some way or fashion to help soften his hardened heart and release his emotional burden, so that he might truly be able to heal and find some inner peace.
It is a gesture he would not understand, but as we all know, God always finds a way to reach people...and many times in a way they'd never look to or a time when they least expect it.
Let's make this a chain-prayer...and pass this on to your brothers and sisters on the web!
Whether he wants it or not, we'll all be prayin' for ya David!
R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Mr. Kroft has a long history of complaints and actions taken against the school system and his children's school in particular over anything having to do with even mildly suggesting God in what he feels should be a 100% secular setting, (re: No Cub Scout meetings at school because they don't allow atheists; no Silent Night at the Christmas Pagent; doesn't allow his children to say or to stand during the pledge of alligence, because of the words "under God and many more other examples *)...you get the picture!
*I don't know if you can pull the article up online @ www.dallasnews.com, (it's entitled, "Moment of Silence begins court battle", from 8.7/07), but it would be worth it to understand the depths to which Mr. Kroft has been willing to go in this crusade).
As a person who took almost 40 years to embrace the "supernatural" (as Mr. Kroft calls it), in my own life, I don't know whether to be angry with Mr. Croft or have pity on him. Having lived most of my life as a skeptic who believed that Christianity and the concept of God was closer to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings than a healthy way of life, I can understand people who either reject or keep belief in God at arms length...'cause I was one of them. But to see someone who approaches his atheism with an almost evangelical fervor, like Mr. Kroft does, begs the question....why?
When you sit down and listen to, or research the background of many high profile atheists there seems to be a common thread you can find of either pain, devastation or resentment of authority somewhere in their background which many people may not understand. Some might have had a devastating incident somewhere in their past, (death of a family member or loved one, lost of job or career, illness), some may have felt rejected or ostracized by a church or someone representing the church and some may generally just reject the concept of having respect, fear or worshipping "any authority" within their lives, (that was me).
I truly find it kind of hard to believe though, that Mr. Kroft's mission began (as he states in his blog), purely by reading George Orwell's 1984 in high school. We've all heard of this book making people afraid of intrusive government (I.E: the Patriot Act, speeding camera's, police sobriety checkpoints etc...), but that's the first time I've heard people site this book as a reason to reject the concept of God. But I can't help but feel there is something more there...some incident in his past that is eating Mr. Kroft up inside. Maybe only he and his wife know what that is. Maybe he's never shared it with anyone...or even been honest with himself about it!
He will not appreciate it's "supernatural" implications, but after thinking at length about this article, I ask that we all include Mr. Kroft, his wife and especially his children, (who are truly the victims here because of what they must have to endure at school ever time their father goes on the warpath against God, down here in the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt), in our prayers that God will reach out to him in some way or fashion to help soften his hardened heart and release his emotional burden, so that he might truly be able to heal and find some inner peace.
It is a gesture he would not understand, but as we all know, God always finds a way to reach people...and many times in a way they'd never look to or a time when they least expect it.
Let's make this a chain-prayer...and pass this on to your brothers and sisters on the web!
Whether he wants it or not, we'll all be prayin' for ya David!
R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Hollywood Festival Honors Acts of the Spirit
(Hollywood, CA/ August 2nd, 2007): The second book our my graphic novel series, Eye Witness: Acts of the Spirit, took home the top honors in the category of Comics at this year's Hollywood Book Festival, which was held on Saturday July 28th, (see: http://www.hollywoodbookfestival.com/ ).
The purpose of the festival and the awards, is to honor books that deserve greater recognition from the film, television, game and multimedia communities. Criteria used in selecting winners are the story-telling ability of the writer and the potential of the work to be translated into other forms of media.
This is the second major book award for Acts of the Spirit. In June, the book was awarded a Silver medal in the Independent Publisher Awards, (which were announced at this years BEA Convention in New York; see: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1157 ), in the category of Dramatic Graphic Novels, as well as being named as a finalist for the FOREWORD magazine Book of the Year Awards.
This was a very surprising and ironic event for me after returning from a week at the Comic Con International. After listening to enthusiastic fans of the series ask me all weekend about whether I had began development of the books in other media...especially an animated version... then to come back to Texas and see that the Hollywood Festival's judging panel also believed the book deserved further recognition by other media, really blew me away. Although I created the series as a way to convey the story of the birth of the Christian Faith, in an entertaining and attractive way to lovers of comic books and graphic novels, I am not opposed to seeing it adapted into other media, as long as those wishing to do so, do not stray from the original core goal of the project.
We are currently in production on Eye Witness (Book Three): Destiny Road...which is slated for a later summer 2008, release date. We just came to terms with a "world class talent" cover artist for book three, that will blow everyone away! Stay tuned for more details!
For more information about Eye Witness series, come visit our main website: http://www.headpress.info/
The purpose of the festival and the awards, is to honor books that deserve greater recognition from the film, television, game and multimedia communities. Criteria used in selecting winners are the story-telling ability of the writer and the potential of the work to be translated into other forms of media.
This is the second major book award for Acts of the Spirit. In June, the book was awarded a Silver medal in the Independent Publisher Awards, (which were announced at this years BEA Convention in New York; see: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1157 ), in the category of Dramatic Graphic Novels, as well as being named as a finalist for the FOREWORD magazine Book of the Year Awards.
This was a very surprising and ironic event for me after returning from a week at the Comic Con International. After listening to enthusiastic fans of the series ask me all weekend about whether I had began development of the books in other media...especially an animated version... then to come back to Texas and see that the Hollywood Festival's judging panel also believed the book deserved further recognition by other media, really blew me away. Although I created the series as a way to convey the story of the birth of the Christian Faith, in an entertaining and attractive way to lovers of comic books and graphic novels, I am not opposed to seeing it adapted into other media, as long as those wishing to do so, do not stray from the original core goal of the project.
We are currently in production on Eye Witness (Book Three): Destiny Road...which is slated for a later summer 2008, release date. We just came to terms with a "world class talent" cover artist for book three, that will blow everyone away! Stay tuned for more details!
For more information about Eye Witness series, come visit our main website: http://www.headpress.info/
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