Latest / Voices for Voices® / God's Storytellers: Reaching Audiences Beyond the Pews | Episode 209

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God's Storytellers: Reaching Audiences Beyond the Pews | Episode 209 · Voices for Voices®

• 0:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: Welcome to this version of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast.
• 0:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: I'm your host, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices, justin Althais.
• 0:14
  Justin Alan Hayes: Thank you for joining us today, as always.
• 0:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: Thank you for your love and support to keep us going.
• 0:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: We're over 207 episodes at this point, hitting 300 at least by year end, and we are bringing voices from all walks of life to you, whether you're watching on the video TV or you're listening to this on the way to work or just on a just hanging out for the day.
• 0:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: So this episode we're going to be we'll be discussing the author and kind of what goes into being an author, not just from like a hobby, but for like a profession, because that is what there's a lot of people that do that, and we want to make sure we're we're sharing that because we think that can be very helpful for for you and then, just as information, that, if you're interested, you know this is the, this is the type of work that goes into it, which I've been just amazed on, how much focus and work goes into being an author is David Solomon, and we're going to be talking about the kind of creative process, the works that he has done.
• 1:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: So he has, as he's mentioned on prior episodes, he's written scripts, he's written long novels, he's ghostwritten.
• 2:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: He's done a lot of things.
• 2:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: So he can talk about that a little bit in depth.
• 2:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: And then there are some works that we want to plug first before we jump over to David.
• 2:13
  Justin Alan Hayes: It is Destiny Halls is the name of the book by David Solomon.
• 2:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: You can find that on Amazon and hopefully you'll be able to see that here.
• 2:30
  Justin Alan Hayes: And then, after that we have let me see if I can get the there we go God's Heroes also.
• 2:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: So these are works that are and David can talk a little bit more about it, whether they're the most recent.
• 2:50
  Justin Alan Hayes: Anyways, I'll be quiet for now.
• 2:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: So, david, thank you so much for joining us again on the show and being so transparent and open about your story.
• 2:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: We've touched on the trafficking, so there's that aspect that you're working through every day, no matter what what you do, but this being more of a we talk about more uplifting as as we go go through this particular episode.
• 3:18
  Justin Alan Hayes: So, david, thanks for coming on the show again and feel free to take the conversation from here.
• 3:26
  David Solomon: Well, I appreciate that.
• 3:27
  David Solomon: You know what a blessing it is to just have that ability to write and just uplift and touch people and Destiny Halls.
• 3:38
  David Solomon: I really tried to do that with that project and I kind of want to dive deep today into what it looks like being a full-time author, but also for inspiring authors out there who say they can't do this, or people are breaking them down saying you know, you're never going to amount to anything or you have to know someone in the industry in order to get in, and I kind of just want to dive deep into that and kind of look at you know the myth versus you know reality and try to open some eyes and hopefully inspire some authors along the way.
• 4:17
  David Solomon: So, those of you who do know me, my name is David Solomon.
• 4:22
  David Solomon: I'm the ghostwriter of Sound of Freedom.
• 4:24
  David Solomon: Who do know me, my name is david solomon.
• 4:27
  David Solomon: I'm the ghost writer of sound of freedom.
• 4:28
  David Solomon: Uh, I've written over 400 different projects throughout the entertainment industry, including tv, novels and comic books, movies and a few video games along the way.
• 4:39
  David Solomon: Um, I've had the honor of working with some greats and I want to share some advice and kind of a little bit of my journey as an author and also, more importantly, as an author of faith, because I know a lot of listeners are going to be coming from a Christian point of view.
• 5:01
  David Solomon: So this one is for you.
• 5:03
  David Solomon: A Christian point of view, so this one is for you.
• 5:11
  David Solomon: So when I knew that I first wanted to become an author, I fell in love with TV and I watched a show called Smallville and I watched the dynamic of the characters and I saw that every episode made me or the watcher want to become a better person, because Smallville was about morals.
• 5:29
  David Solomon: And so I said well, I want to create something like that.
• 5:35
  David Solomon: I want to make my readers and if I do a TV show, the watchers become a better person at the end of that journey.
• 5:43
  David Solomon: And so that is a very important question to ask yourself why does one become an author?
• 5:49
  David Solomon: Why are you doing this?
• 5:52
  David Solomon: So number one is why do you become an author?
• 5:58
  David Solomon: What is your motive?
• 5:59
  David Solomon: Are you doing it just for fun?
• 6:01
  David Solomon: Are you doing it because you have meaning behind it?
• 6:04
  David Solomon: What is your purpose of becoming an author?
• 6:09
  David Solomon: A lot of authors start out as creative independents, and what that means is we see a lot of junior high and a lot of high school kids and they just have these brilliant ideas and I speak from experience and saying that a lot of parents don't support that.
• 6:29
  David Solomon: They're going.
• 6:30
  David Solomon: You know that's not going to go anywhere.
• 6:33
  David Solomon: You can't make a living and I'm here to tell you that's a lie.
• 6:37
  David Solomon: You actually can, but you have to push and you have to want to push and make your goal forward.
• 6:44
  David Solomon: Remember, if you want something, then you can have it, but you have to be able to put the weight and get to the finish line.
• 6:54
  David Solomon: That's something my mom taught me.
• 6:58
  David Solomon: So at an early age I knew I was going to become an author.
• 7:01
  David Solomon: I knew that's what I wanted more than ever.
• 7:03
  David Solomon: I wanted to make the world a better place.
• 7:06
  David Solomon: I wanted to make people think again and I wanted my work, at the end of the day, to make people go.
• 7:12
  David Solomon: You know what I want?
• 7:16
  David Solomon: To become a better person, and so I wanted that impact.
• 7:20
  David Solomon: So that's why I became an author.
• 7:22
  David Solomon: First and foremost.
• 7:25
  David Solomon: I've always considered myself a Christian author, because God has been just the rock and the light of my life, and that is the love that has carried in my heart and the torch that I bear since I was a child, writing since I was a child writing, and I always pray before I pick up the pen and the paper and I go.
• 7:49
  David Solomon: God, I want you to anoint these words, speak through me and let your message come through clearly to those that will read this later on or watch that later on or play that video game later on and I always watch that manifest, if you will, into people coming to God through different works and through different creations, and that really just not only warms my heart but speaks volumes to reach the lost for the kingdom of God, and so God has really blessed me in that way.
• 8:22
  David Solomon: About 2012, I created a Facebook page called Mythical Creatures Around the World, and it was after I survived human trafficking.
• 8:35
  David Solomon: It was after a time in the period where I had given up on my faith and one of my doctors was from another country and I said you know what country are you from?
• 8:50
  David Solomon: And so I've never heard of the country, and that showed you where I was.
• 8:54
  David Solomon: I'm like you know, we live in the United States, we live in North America.
• 8:58
  David Solomon: We don't really think about little countries in South America or, you know, asia or East Asia.
• 9:05
  David Solomon: We don't think about that.
• 9:06
  David Solomon: We just think that we're the only country.
• 9:09
  David Solomon: Basically, americans think that this is the only life that really opened my eyes, to know that there are other people out there.
• 9:18
  David Solomon: I guess I never thought that way before.
• 9:23
  David Solomon: The doctor told me about his culture and that he loved God.
• 9:26
  David Solomon: But it was a little different.
• 9:28
  David Solomon: He still worshiped Jesus, but it was in a different language, and that really opened my eyes and I went, wow, okay, so you go to church, you speak a different language.
• 9:40
  David Solomon: This is really cool.
• 9:42
  David Solomon: You have different culture.
• 9:43
  David Solomon: They even go into detail that they wear different clothing at church.
• 9:50
  David Solomon: I'm speaking primarily for the Korean independent church, but also for the African-American minority of churches in America.
• 9:59
  David Solomon: There's these different cultures of different people that come together and at the end of the day, they are worshiping Jesus and we just cannot fathom that.
• 10:10
  David Solomon: A lot of us just go to our Baptist churches and we sit in the pew and we watch the pastor preach and we hear the sermon and we sing our hymns or we sing our modern-day good songs and we don't appreciate how many millions of believers are worshiping God in their own language, in their own way, in their own culture, and it's just a beautiful thing.
• 10:37
  David Solomon: So I created Mythical Creatures because I wanted to reach those audiences.
• 10:43
  David Solomon: I created Mythical Creatures because I wanted to reach those audiences.
• 10:55
  David Solomon: And about a month into it, a Philippine newspaper contacted me and saw one of my posts and said we want you to be featured in this magazine.
• 10:59
  David Solomon: And my mom was ecstatic and I was like, okay, I can do this.
• 11:05
  David Solomon: And so that was one of my first official moments where I saw that I could try to touch a little bit of this world in a huge way.
• 11:17
  David Solomon: So I published a story that is based on a myth in the Philippines, but it's also based in Egypt and it's not preaching but it does teach about the Bible and that opened eyes.
• 11:34
  David Solomon: And not only that, but that open conversation and about maybe eight years later I watched that Facebook page grow to the point where it had 100,000 people a day, and even more so on some days.
• 11:54
  David Solomon: Just watch the post and message me and constantly go.
• 12:00
  David Solomon: You know, I learned something from this myth, and a myth in itself is a beautiful thing.
• 12:08
  David Solomon: So Jesus taught parables and it's kind of the same thing with myths and legends and lore.
• 12:18
  David Solomon: The indigenous tribes or, as you know, us Native Americans, we tell stories around the campfire, not because necessarily we believe them, but because we want to keep the children safe.
• 12:31
  David Solomon: I'll give you an example.
• 12:32
  David Solomon: You go to the beach in Oregon, where I grew up, and a mom says don't go out there because you know this water woman, as we called her, is going to take you and she's going to keep you for herself and she's going to become your mother.
• 12:59
  David Solomon: And you tell a six-year-old or an eight-year-old or a nine or ten-year-old that, and they don't, they're going to believe it and they're not going to wander out to the beach.
• 13:10
  David Solomon: Of course there are some curious ones that do Amen, but you know, that's kind of the same idea of don't go outside at night, or someone's going to get you, you know, don't be online, you know, and talk to strangers, don't answer the door and talk to strangers.
• 13:29
  David Solomon: And we're doing the same thing.
• 13:32
  David Solomon: It's just a different cultural change.
• 13:35
  David Solomon: So what is a myth really?
• 13:37
  David Solomon: What is a legend?
• 13:39
  David Solomon: Well, it's a parable.
• 13:40
  David Solomon: It's a parable to teach, sometimes teaching to children, but even sometimes adults, and so that's really interesting.
• 13:48
  David Solomon: And second, I discovered that every myth, every legend, every mythology ties to the Bible.
• 13:55
  David Solomon: What do I mean by that?
• 13:58
  David Solomon: I'm sure a lot of listeners know what Aztec mythology is.
• 14:03
  David Solomon: I'm sure you know what Aztec mythology is.
• 14:05
  David Solomon: It comes from Mexico.
• 14:07
  David Solomon: You don't, and this is very interesting.
• 14:11
  David Solomon: The Aztecs believed that there was a pyramid and the pyramid was built by the people to reach heaven and God, the creator they call him well.
• 14:35
  David Solomon: He destroyed it and he scattered the people to speak different languages and confused them so they could never build it again.
• 14:49
  David Solomon: Now this refers back to the biblical story in Genesis, the Tower of Babel.
• 14:58
  David Solomon: The same thing happened, just not in Aztec and not in Mexico.
• 15:03
  David Solomon: But isn't that interesting that that happened all the way near Israel and this is on the other side of the world.
• 15:21
  David Solomon: These are cultures that didn't know each other, and so that's a beautiful thing to find.
• 15:26
  David Solomon: Native American legend in Canada has another one that coyote whispered to man, to to build a mountain.
• 15:35
  David Solomon: So they built the mountain to touch heaven and be one with God and the creator.
• 15:42
  David Solomon: In in that folklore confused the tribes and the tribes could not reach heaven anymore and so they scattered and you know they spoke different languages and there's that story again, that beautiful story of the Tower of Babel.
• 16:04
  David Solomon: But also every culture has a flood myth, because Noah and the ark happened, and that is a very interesting and curious thing in itself.
• 16:19
  David Solomon: A lot of people don't talk about the fact that.
• 16:22
  David Solomon: Well, china, you know, there was the dragon and the dragon saved the human.
• 16:31
  David Solomon: And the human there's different versions, but the human boarded a canoe or a bamboo canoe down the ocean, but it's all the same.
• 16:41
  David Solomon: And especially in Native American culture, you always find first woman, first man, and they're actually called that and they come from the tree of life.
• 16:59
  David Solomon: You can't dismiss that all these stem from one book, the Bible.
• 17:06
  David Solomon: And then it's very curious to me, I was actually speaking to someone in hollywood the other day.
• 17:13
  David Solomon: The hollywood people claim to not know the bible and claim to uh, to have an agenda.
• 17:22
  David Solomon: And they do, given they do.
• 17:23
  David Solomon: But you know, I call out the great cassandra cla, who I got to work with, and other people like that.
• 17:31
  David Solomon: They know the Bible, they twist the Bible, but they still got the Bible, they still got the characters.
• 17:41
  David Solomon: They may have altered the version, but they still got Adam and Eve, they still got Noah, they still got the fallen angels and the demons.
• 18:05
  David Solomon: Hollywood got that part right.
• 18:06
  David Solomon: What they didn't get right is that Jesus saves.
• 18:07
  David Solomon: So that is really interesting to note up.
• 18:08
  David Solomon: People like doing their own thing.
• 18:09
  David Solomon: That I've learned, uh, over the course of the years, like the orisha with the african-american community, they, they, uh, they changed their um, their god's name of worship.
• 18:22
  David Solomon: Because, uh, way back when the uh, the african-americans were brought from africa, they were slaves and they were forbidden to pray to slaves and they were forbidden to pray to God and they were forbidden to pray to their own God.
• 18:35
  David Solomon: And so, when the Americans brought them over, they worshiped the saints, the Catholics, and so they had this idea that they could pray to their gods, but they would change the name of their African Yoruba gods to be the saints of the Christians, and it's called Santa Risha, and that is practiced today.
• 19:11
  David Solomon: And, yes, it's wrong, but it also opened my eyes that we, as Christians, can persecute too, and we're not called to do that.
• 19:27
  David Solomon: And so, in talking to that community, they think that they are worshiping God and they're not.
• 19:39
  David Solomon: And so then my next question is well, who ministers to them?
• 19:45
  David Solomon: Who talks to them?
• 19:48
  David Solomon: And then the church doesn't.
• 19:53
  David Solomon: Well, the church doesn't want to talk about reincarnation and it doesn't want to talk about the new age, and it doesn't want to address these folklores and these superstitions.
• 20:08
  David Solomon: It just wants to say don't do them.
• 20:10
  David Solomon: But what happens to the people that do and don't know God.
• 20:15
  David Solomon: What happens to them?
• 20:16
  David Solomon: Are they welcomed in the church?
• 20:17
  David Solomon: So that's why I started.
• 20:21
  David Solomon: Mythical Creatures is to reach that audience, to tell parables, to tell parables, and to this day.
• 20:37
  David Solomon: That's why I write.
• 20:37
  David Solomon: To tell parables, to make someone a better person after they finish the story, because if you're not, I haven't done my job, and so I really want the reader to think and the watcher, the player of the game, to think about that choice.
• 20:54
  David Solomon: One of my favorite games is Star Wars games, especially RPGs that I got to help with, because every move you have a choice and every choice has a consequence.
• 21:15
  David Solomon: I love writing that way, and some of my characters, you know, are not Christian.
• 21:26
  David Solomon: In fact, for a while I wrote in the secular world of DC and Marvel.
• 21:32
  David Solomon: I loved it, but something was missing, and so I'm eager to dive deep into what God has called me to do, which brings me to my next point Writing with purpose and asking yourself, as an inspiring author why am I on this journey?
• 21:56
  David Solomon: What am I doing here?
• 21:58
  David Solomon: And you really got to find the answer on your own.
• 22:03
  David Solomon: Sometimes you can pray about it and God will reveal that to you in time, and sometimes it takes more than that, and Me personally I knew I wanted to write for God because my faith was on fire and I wanted to reach the world and let them know the joy that I felt and the security I felt in my faith and in my walk with God.
• 22:36
  David Solomon: But I wanted that for other people.
• 22:38
  David Solomon: In Maryland about four years ago, I was working with a studio and I was doing this secular project and God spoke to me and said you know, I want you to drop that literally in the middle of it and I want you to write this real quick.
• 23:06
  David Solomon: So I took my notebook out in the studio and I wrote this story and it saved somebody.
• 23:11
  David Solomon: It never got produced, but it saved somebody from committing suicide, and that was because I heard God say write that story.
• 23:24
  David Solomon: And that's happened more than once.
• 23:27
  David Solomon: See, god uses his storytellers to touch the world.
• 23:34
  David Solomon: We aren't the pastors at the pulpit, we're the messengers that get the people to be in those pews amen, to listen to the pastor at the pulpit.
• 23:45
  David Solomon: But furthermore, we as Christian believers are called to proclaim our faith in ways to reach people that won't even get into those pews, because you don't know if God is going to use you to preach a sermon and not have a pulpit.
• 24:06
  David Solomon: So when that person read that story, I'm going to be honest with you.
• 24:14
  David Solomon: They were a witch, they believed in Satan and they openly worshiped Satan.
• 24:19
  David Solomon: They believed in Satan and they openly worshipped Satan.
• 24:23
  David Solomon: And I was crucified for wanting to write this story for that community, and then I watched the impact it had on them.
• 24:42
  David Solomon: They became a devout Christian.
• 24:45
  David Solomon: They threw away their demonic ways and their black magic and their voodoo.
• 24:56
  David Solomon: They turned all of that over and they surrendered to Jesus.
• 25:02
  David Solomon: And what a beautiful thing, what a blessing to see that happen in real time.
• 25:08
  David Solomon: And what a blessing to know that you were a seed that God used, that he planted in the ground to grow, and that you helped another plant grow and in time that's going to spread and you're going to have a garden.
• 25:25
  David Solomon: And what a beautiful thought that is that you had a part to play in God's great, beautiful plan.
• 25:33
  David Solomon: So that story I'm going to produce and that same story God told me to preach to a church in Texas.
• 25:46
  David Solomon: There was, there was a lot of people and I was scared and it was.
• 25:51
  David Solomon: It was testimony time and God said you're going to tell this, you're going to share this.
• 25:57
  David Solomon: And I knew the pastor and he said I want you to give your testimony and if God has put a word on your heart as a writer, I want you to share it with us.
• 26:07
  David Solomon: And I shared it and the quick version of it is this You're walking to your car and there's this man with a gun and he cocks the weapon and he says I'm going to shoot you and you go.
• 26:42
  David Solomon: My life is splashing before my very eyes.
• 26:45
  David Solomon: I'm going to die.
• 26:47
  David Solomon: It's over.
• 26:48
  David Solomon: This is it?
• 26:49
  David Solomon: And then this stranger.
• 26:52
  David Solomon: He comes in front of you and he pushes you away and the gunshot fires and it hits that stranger and the stranger dies in front of you.
• 27:11
  David Solomon: And the stranger is this man.
• 27:14
  David Solomon: You don't even know who took a bullet for you and he says I die so you can live, remember me and do good with your life.
• 27:22
  David Solomon: You have been given a second chance.
• 27:24
  David Solomon: So then I asked that person that's been given a second chance Wouldn't you want to know who gave you that second chance?
• 27:33
  David Solomon: Wouldn't you want to know why they took that bullet for you?
• 27:37
  David Solomon: Wouldn't you be on the phone, looking in the phone book or looking online trying to find out who did that for you?
• 27:44
  David Solomon: Are you worthy of that?
• 27:45
  David Solomon: No, you're not worthy of that.
• 27:48
  David Solomon: Someone died for you, someone took a bullet for you, someone got shot for you.
• 27:52
  David Solomon: But that did happen.
• 28:00
  David Solomon: That is the truth.
• 28:04
  David Solomon: That is what Jesus did, isn't it?
• 28:07
  David Solomon: But that's just a parable to make people from another community understand the grace of God and the second chance that Jesus gave us when he saved us, and he paid that price on the cross.
• 28:30
  Justin Alan Hayes: I think this is a good, good spot.
• 28:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: We're running close to our time and so we'll.
• 28:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: We'll pick this up, uh on the next, the next episode, absolutely.
• 28:42
  Justin Alan Hayes: So, if you're watching, listening, uh, stay tuned.
• 28:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: Uh, we're gonna be coming back, uh, with david's just powerful testimony and uh, given his, uh, his experience of how he became interested in being an author and the impact that he has had on not only that individual who didn't choose to take their life, but many, many more.
• 29:11
  Justin Alan Hayes: So we'll pick up with that on our next episode with David.
• 29:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: Thanks for joining us.
• 29:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you can give us a thumbs up, if you can like share, subscribe.
• 29:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: We really appreciate that and until next time, please be a voice for you or somebody in need.