Today scientists talk about the so-called Butterfly Effect. The theory goes that the wings of a butterfly beating in one part of the world can actually lead to changes in conditions many hundreds of miles away, even on the other side of the world. Everything in nature is, in some way, connected; every cause has an effect. In the same way, individual choices made by individual people – even insignificant people – can change situations and events, sometimes on a huge scale, and sometimes many miles away or many years into the future.
In John 12:3 we read about someones “butterfly effect”… ‘Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.’ (NIV)
There is no way that Mary, a forgiven sinner, could possibly have foreseen the impact her one simple act of devotion would have on people around her let alone the whole world over. How could she have known, when she walked into that room filled with hostile faces, that her simple but brave act of anointing the feet of Jesus would warmly touch the hearts of shame-filled people of every nation and race? Or that Jesus’ response to her would inspire untold millions to reach out for divine forgiveness, whatever their sin. If your heart is pure toward God, and you do what you do out of devotion to him, you may be surprised how big an impact it will have.
Prayer: ‘Lord Jesus, I love you. Please help me to set in motion good things, simply because I act out of humble devotion to you, with a heart of worship and love.’- Artisticked
Hollywood is a business. And I don’t fault it for that. It’s a business about money and advertising, and we don’t translate in the foreign market. And a lot of people want to indict Hollywood for that, but I don’t think it’s just an indictment on Hollywood; it may be more of an indictment on people who go to the theatre to put their money down – to see what? You see a film with a predominantly black cast and you don’t see it as inclusive, but you see a film with a predominantly white cast and it is. Why?
I want to be a pioneer; I want to take on the responsibility and the weight of something bigger than myself, which is more diverse storylines, especially for African-American actresses. But I can only do what I do. I certainly can’t change Hollywood’s complete perception of black actresses – I need help.
It would probably be a cliché to state that Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is the opposite of the all-beef persona he proffers in song and video, but he is soft-spoken and polite. As he finishes his lunch at the Brooklyn studio where we did the photo shoot for this story, he asks for something to drink. “Snapple, I guess,” he says. “Bring me something red with that excess verbiage on the label. Although, I guess that could be any of ’em.” He pays the kind of attention that’s reflected in his lyric choices.
