Faith is the substance of things hoped for...

'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...' Heb 11:1

Sister Act 2 is one of my favourite films. I played it repeatedly on VCR when I was young to the point my Nan feared the tape would snap and would hide it away.

It's only now I look back and realise how much I actually understood when I was younger.

Sister Act, for those of you who have never seen the film, is the ultimate 'feel good' movie. The only film that comes close to this, in my eyes is Coach Carter. Although I'm not much of a movie buff I will say that a lot of other films which have tried to run with it's formula haven't quite managed to pull it off, too much formula and not enough heart.

If someone asked me at 24, what it is that I enjoy about this film [Sister Act 2] I would probably say the narrative first and foremost. The story intrinsically shows the link between dreams and faith. It's beautifully based on biblical principals and delivered without blaspheming, offending or throwing Christianity needlessly into your face. It's an easy watch and is uplifting and inspiring, it does everything it needs to.

I do believe at 7 years of age this is something I understood without really articulating it to anyone.

This film clip in particular has popped into my head on more than one occasion recently as I've been really putting some serious thought into my writing. I've always dreamt of becoming a writer and hopefully doing it for a living one day but never really understood until recently that if that's what I really want then it's going to take time, discipline and practice and most importantly prayer. I heard a really good quote the other day that said 'Dreams without actions are just ideas...' and I'd really like this to become more than just a nice idea that I had when I was young.

In the film, Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) speaks to Rita (Lauryn Hill) as she is drowning in frustration. She has a deep passion for music and singing is her gift but she sees no way of making the one thing she truly loves something that can help her 'make it in the real world.' With her Mom dead set against her dreams too Rita has developed despondent and bitter feelings towards any hope of singing ever becoming more than just a fantasy. Sister Mary Clarence goes out on a limb because she sees the potential in Rita- she sees the light. She encourages her in spite of her bad attitude and tough faced facade. She breaks through and encourages her through a story she read about being a writer.

I'm sure we can all relate. We all have dreams and a hope to make our mark on this world whatever our gifts are. As a child everything seems possible and that's because we try, we fail and we bounce back. And then try again! We're a lot more 'teachable' when we're younger, not taking correction as rejection but taking it as encouragement.

'If you wake up in the morning and you can't think of anything but singing first - you suppose to be a singer gurl!'