The Website

The Lord has a way of bringing good forth from bad though, and approximately three years ago the thought of the idea to create some sort of website for these films was first born. Originally the site was just going to promote those films I felt passionately about. However, as I searched further for the truth in my personal life, I read more into the field of ‘positive psychology’, and became convinced that this was the way forward. The concept of the site being a tool that could also assist others began to take shape, and I started to mock up a few designs. At this point, though perhaps I didn't know quite why, I was aware of the fact that there were a lot of films out there that had little new to say, and were in fact somewhat of a distraction in my search for the truth.

The psychology was also not bringing me all the answers I was looking for, and finally a couple of years ago, through a combination of incidents in my life (click here to read my testimony) Jesus slowly guided me back to His Church, and introduced me anew to a personal relationship with Himself. As I read the Bible from cover to cover for the first time, I couldn’t believe the similarities between some of the Bible stories and the films that I felt so passionately about; the message was clearly the same. Yet the Bible had the addition of putting the messages of these films in context and allowed me to sort the wheat from the chaff. In the time that followed I axed many a film from my recommended collection; films that had once been staple 'greens' now turned 'red'; even films whose posters once adorned my bedroom walls. Other films I had previously not appreciated were brought in to take their place.

When searching around for a name for the site, thinking of all number of movie-themed word combinations and catchphrases, I realised that the name I had been searching high and low for was, quite literally, right beneath my nose. For I owned a sweater at the time, a sweater that I had owned for years, and on this sweater was emblazoned the logo ‘Soul Food Radio’. It didn’t take me long to make one simple substitution to adopt the name you now see above. As I am now beginning to learn is the way with the Lord, the solution to most of our problems is far more simple than we make it out to be!

It took a dose of humble pie for me to swallow my pride and give the site over to Christ. I now believe that He is with me in this project though. I was hesitant to put the screenshot from The Passion in the header you see above, but I placed it there whilst experimenting with different site designs and left it there for a few days. My pride wasn’t happy with that though, and so I took the photo down and replaced it with a different image. That night I had a dream that I was holding on to a piece of rope that was attached to a sports car that was being driven around recklessly. I had no idea what this meant until reading Isaiah 5:18 soon afterwards: ‘Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope’. Combined with the flashy sports car I knew then what the dream meant and so I replaced the photo. Yet still my pride fought this. I replaced it with a screenshot of Thomas Moore from A Man for all Seasons instead. That night I had a dream in which I saw the wheels of sports car drive right along the edge of some kind of wooden decking over water; one millimetre to the right and the car would’ve been in the water. God was telling me I was cutting it fine. I replaced the picture back again. I have also had other dreams, 'coincidental' instances, insightful words and symbolic images given to me regarding the site.

As I write this now I am in my second week of working on the site on a full-time basis; my previous contract at work finished before that and I decided not to pursue work elsewhere for the time being. The site that you see now is an evolving work; I welcome your ideas, thoughts, suggestions and (constructive) criticism. Most of all I welcome your essays and your prayers, and cannot deny that any financial donations would also be most welcome.

I hope you find Soul Food Cinema and its content can assist you on your journey with the Lord, though please do remember, it is there to assist and not to replace your relationship with Him. That relationship is only found in Prayer, in reading and following the life of Scripture, in partaking in the Sacraments and in our relationships and love for one another.