Happy 75th, Dolly Parton!

I asked my student, Misty, to share with my readers some of her vast knowledge about her shero, Dolly Parton, who turns 75 today. Misty's mom went to high school with Dolly, and when Misty asked her parents to host us in their home this past fall, they pulled out the yearbooks. That's Misty's index finger on Dolly's senior picture. In the group shot below, we show off the "What Would Dolly Do?" t-shirts Misty (second from left) gave us.

So now from Misty Hedrick I give you...

Five Reasons to Love Dolly Parton

1. Billboard estimates Dolly's current catalog at nearly 5,000 songs. That makes Dolly Partonthe most prolific living songwriter. She writes poetry, screenplays, and Broadway musicals, and she starred in hit movies like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias. And Dolly now churns out Netflix specials based on her songs, like Jolene and Two Doors Down.  

2. From farm-raised to superstardom, Dolly probably never worked 9 to 5 a day in her life. Actually, she recently stated her day begins at 3 AM. Dolly’s business acumen speaks for itself. She owns a publishing company and the rights to her songs. Her award-winning theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, attracts 4 million visitors a year while providing four thousand jobs and invigorating job growth in surrounding communities. Although she visits the park often, she never rides the roller coasters. 

3. Dolly Parton gives back. She raised $9M for victims of wildfires that swept through the Smokies in 2016; and she donated $1M to Covid-19 vaccine research. But the real jewel in her generous crown? Dolly’s Imagination Library sends books to children ages birth to 5 years (130 million books at last count). She credits her father, who could not read or write, as the inspiration behind Imagination Library and her title “the Book Lady.”

4. Dolly loves her husband. She met Carl Dean, her husband of 54 years, at the Wishy-Washy Laundromat one day after she moved to Nashville. They eloped two years later, though her new record label wanted her to stay single. At 50 years, they renewed their vows, prompting Dean to dub Dolly his second wife. He stays out of the limelight, but Dolly says they enjoy road-tripping in their camper, and he loves her fried chicken.

5. Dolly Parton loves Jesus. Her faith shines through in her grateful, humble attitude, hard-working spirit, and ever-inclusive soul. Her songs speak of prayer and the power of the gospel to help her through hard times. Dolly’s latest hits include God Only Knows with For King & Country, and There Was Jesus with Zach Williams. Although she calls herself a “Backwoods Barbie,” Dolly always says, “where it counts, I’m real.”

Review: Risen Movie: Through the Eyes of a Soldier

Today I have a guest post from my friend, Chrissy Segulin, who lives in Vicenza, Italy. She and her husband, Dave, attended the European premiere of Risen.  Like CSI, the film “Risen”—a Sony/TriStar production that opens today—starts after “the main event” has happened and follows the main character as he seeks to piece together evidence. Set in Jerusalem at the time of Christ, the story begins with the Crucifixion rather than ending with it. It follows the fictional hero, Clavius (Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love), an ambitious, high-ranking Roman tribune, and his aide, Lucius (Tom Felton, Harry Potter), as they sort rumor from reality.Clavius has already seen enough of death; he wants only to retire in peace. But Pontius Pilate tasks him with maintaining order in the city before a visit from the Emperor. Pilate is specifically concerned with the followers of a rabbi who has been crucified. The governor wants everyone to forget about this man, so he orders the body guarded.Once the corpse is removed from the cross, it is released to Joseph of Arimethia and the tomb sealed with wax. Soldiers also secure the site with ropes so that the rabbi’s followers can’t steal the body. When it comes up missing anyway, jeopardizing Clavius’s future, Pilate charges him with finding it. What follows is the “greatest manhunt in history.”Like Ben-Hur, the historical-fiction approach provides a vehicle for a fresh telling of the Passion and Resurrection. Yet unlike some of the great classics, this film does add scenes with Jesus using words the Gospels do not record him as saying. Some audience members have found such scenes quite moving. But biblical purists will probably find more compelling the testimony of the story’s “eyewitnesses.”The skeptic Clavius is totally believable as a soldier doing his duty as he hunts for Jesus. He examines the tomb, burial cloths, and the stone at the grave. He also interrogates guards, witnesses on the streets, and Jesus’s friends and disciples. Because Clavius is a soldier, those who live in service of country as well as those who have seen too much of death—such as military, police and EMT personnel—will especially appreciate seeing the events from his unique point of view.The Crucifixion is gory, and death is ugly. This film shows such realities as they are. The first fifteen minutes include an intense, violent battle scene. Jesus and two others are seen nailed to crosses. Christ’s side is pierced. And soldiers break the legs of those flanking him. Consequently, the film has a PG-13 (USA) rating "for biblical violence, including some disturbing images." Parents and youth leaders will need to consider whether such scenes are age-appropriate for younger audiences.Having attended the Rome premier, I recommend the film both for the committed Christian and the non-devout. There is no altar call at the end—just maybe a call to examine the evidence for yourself.

Check out the War and Peace Mini-Series

Have you been watching the "War and Peace" four-part miniseries?Simulcasting on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY, the miniseries began on Monday, January 18, at 9pm ET/PT. The epic story features scoundrels and heroes presented by an award-winning cast. These include SAG Award® and Film Independent Spirit Award winner Paul Dano (Love and Mercy), Lily James (Rose on Downton Abbey), James Norton (Happy Valley), Oscar®, Golden Globe and BAFTA winner Jim Broadbent (Iris), Golden Globe® winner Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) and others. The four-week event airs Mondays, 9pm - 11pm ET/PT.A thrilling tale of love, war, and family, War and Peace is widely considered the greatest novel ever written. Set against the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, War & Peace is the ultimate story of passion and romance, scandal and deceit. It follows the rise and fall of five aristocratic families, all jockeying for top position in the waning days of imperial Russia. Pierre Bezukhov (Dano) suddenly finds himself in possession of great wealth at the mercy of fortune-hunters eager to take advantage of his naiveté. His friend, the dashing Andrei Bolkonsky (Norton), yearns for war-glory, but finds only heartbreak and disillusionment, which may be cured by the lovely young Natasha Rostov (James). She needs to marry well to save her family from financial ruin. This version (thankfully) omits the hundreds of pages of Tolstoy's battle scenes, and it goes "light" on the obsession Pierre's character has with reversing the poverty of the peasants on his land.Produced by BBC Cymru Wales Drama, in partnership with others, War & Peace was filmed in Russia, Lithuania, and Latvia. This production remains true to the faith themes that Tolstoy made central to his characters' development. The costumes are superb. The cinematography, fabulous. Enjoy!

Calling All Dallasites Who Love Art of All Kinds

ALL ticket sales and auction sales will go toward Artist Programming in 2014.

Join Art House Dallas as they celebrate three years in Dallas with an anniversary fundraiser! They will mark the occasion on October 17th with a taste of the creativity they cultivate: live painting and a silent art auction featuring work by Dallas artists, live music by local songwriters on the lakeside patio, plus floral design, a photo booth, and happy hour with delicious food by their culinary artist friends. This will be an evening of hospitality. Dallas local artists, patrons, and creative enthusiasts, along with co-founders Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth will be present for the evening.

Why I Love the Arts

LeAnne Martin at the Christians in the Arts blog is running the second part of her three-part interview with me today. Here's what I said:

Why do you love the arts? Have you always loved them?

Since I can remember I have loved the arts, and I hate that so many of today's fine arts--opera, symphony, museums--are inaccessible to those in lower economic groups.

I grew up in Oregon's lush Willamette valley in a modest home that sat on five acres. The two living room windows looked out on Mt. Hood in one direction and the Willamette River in the other. We sang on car trips, and Mom read us great stories. I remember my dad singing me to sleep at bedtime playing the autoharp. Going to the library was a weekly event in the summer.

Then when I was ten, my parents decided my Dad would take a job transfer to Washington, D.C., because they wanted to expose their five kids to culture. So for the next seven years we went to free Juilliard String Quartet concerts and National Geographic lectures and Smithsonian tours. My favorite attractions were Jefferson's Monticello (so much creativity!) and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, where we watched money being made.

By the time I hit ninth grade, I'd had a year of piano and seven years of viola. Every kid in my family played an instrument, and we'd attend each other's endless concerts and we'd also have hootenannies with other families. (As grown ups, we turned out to be a musician, a curator, two teachers and a writer.) We didn't think of ourselves as creative types. We just loved music and history and problem-solving, and we played outside instead of watching a lot of TV (though we complained bitterly at the time). And we watched our mom sketch during afternoons on camping trips.

The arts were not a separate category in our lives. They were interwoven into everything we did. They were just "normal."