"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -- Matthew 6:19-21
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NARNIA UPDATE: WEEK FIVE
Associated Press reports that the grisly horror flick Hostel too the new top spot at the box office this weekend -- and that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe slipped from first into second place, and King Kong slipped down to third.
Studio estimates say Narnia took in $15.4M this weekend, raising its domestic total to $247.6 million. King Kong came up with $12.5M for the weekend, raising its domestic total to $192.5 million.
RELATED LINKS FROM CHRIS WELL: LEARNING CURVE
11 PROOFS THE SECRET CONNECTION BETWEEN CCM AND C.S. LEWIS (Expanded from my December list in CCM. )
ASLAN WITH YOUR HAPPY MEAL (Pointing you to an essay about the dangers of commodifying The Chronicles of Narnia. )
SURPRISES IN THE NARNIA FILM (One of my wacky lists.)
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Michael W. Smith has been nominated by the White House to serve a two-year term as a member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. Smith joins a group of leaders who represent the private and non-profit sectors, entertainment, athletics, education and government.
The Council promotes volunteer service and civic participation in American society. It also recognizes outstanding volunteer service, and supports the efforts and needs of local non-profits and volunteer organizations. More information on the Council can be found at www.whitehouse.gov.
Related link: THE SECOND CHANCE (The new film starring Michael W. Smith and directed by Steve Taylor.)
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STREETS OF FAME
Coming up in the March issue of CCM Magazine, Queen Latifah talks to Natalie Grant about a shared love of gospel music -- and about Queen Latifah's new film Last Holiday.
AP also reports that Queen Latifah has became the first hip-hop artist crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"I think the reason I am here is to inspire African-American women who are rappers, full-figured women to know that they can do it, too," Latifah, 35, said at the unveiling of the sidewalk's 2,298th star.
In Last Holiday, Queen Latifah plays meek churchgoer Georgia Byrd, a shy cookware salesperson. When a doctor tells Georgia her days are numbered, she throws caution to the wind and embarks on a dream holiday vacation to a grand resort in Europe. Thinking she has nothing to lose, Georgia undergoes a metamorphosis -- and her transformation affects everyone around her.
One memorable scene finds Georgia lamenting her ill fortune to God in the form of a spiritual. Filmed at First Street United Methodist Church in New Orleans, the sequence involves some 200 extras, a five-piece band, and the 18-member choir from the New Orleans Ebenezer Baptist Church, seen in the Oscar-nominated Ray.
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MY SECRET IDENTITY
Harvest House Publishers has just posted an interview with me, complete with all sorts of personal questions and embarrassing childhood photos.
Here is the introduction that appears on the Featured Interviews page:
Comic books and superheroes aren't just kid stuff to Chris Well. Faster than a speeding bullet, the Homecoming Magazine Editor proposed marriage to his wife, a DC Comics staffer, under the Superman statue in Metropolis, Ill. The surprises continue via virtual tours and blogs launched as a result of Well's groundbreaking Christian mobster novels Forgiving Solomon Long and Deliver Us From Evelyn. More ...
(I hope to explain the firetruck picture in a future blog.)
Related link: FORGIVING SOLOMON LONG: TOP 10 AT BOOKLIST
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