Jayceoneal.com

I want to thank all of those who follow my updates and the fun, crazy, and mundane aspects of our lives. Many of you check in on us regularly and others just every now and then, but either way thanks for being interested. 

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Hope all is well!

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Nearly every morning Erica and I go on a walk. On our walk we pray about our friends and family, the day at hand, our future, and for protection for each other. Well today our walk got interrupted. As we were crossing a main street near Warner Brothers Studios a crazy man nearly ran us over. Seriously. 

We were in the middle of the crosswalk (we had the right of way) when a silver car zipped around the corner. When he saw us he didn't slow down, but instead sped up. It all happened so fast that I barely had time to push Erica out of the way and just barely missed getting hit myself. The car was so fast and so close that it nicked my pant legs. 

Thank God for prayer and answers to prayer, because with as fast as it all happened we did not have much time to think in the moment. Had I not pushed Erica out of the way she most definitely would have been hit. To be honest I am not fully sure how I avoided getting hit either. All of the other cars stopped on the busy street to see if we were alright, because it was so close they all thought we HAD been hit. I believe one of the cars even tried to follow the silver car to get his plates. 

So after are heart rates returned to normal we finished our walk and our prayer. It is turning out to be a good Thursday after all. 

God bless. 

I NEED YOUR HELP:

Before Christmas I was approached by someone who asked me, "What are you best at?" I have been asked that a lot in job interviews, but the question always seemed easier to answer, because the context of the situation helped bring an answer to light. In a job interview they could care less if I won an arm wrestling contest in college or that I am able to blow spit bubbles off my tongue. Therefore I am able to prioritize my strengths to those that are relevant to the job at hand. 

When the man asked me this question I honestly can't remember what my answer was, but I have been thinking about it ever since. The truth is I am not sure I know. I have acted, written books and articles, taught at a university, done my fair share of public speaking, been a talent agent, did some casting, a bit of producing, led teams, gone on the mission field, been involved in a variety of ministry endeavors, gotten a bachelors degree, 2 masters degrees, and a doctorate. I have studied in Europe, Israel, and with a leading astrophysicist. I have traveled all over the world, worked in soup kitchens, directed plays, counseled and consulted individuals and organizations, and even ran a school for a short time. I have lead small groups, worked with kids, teens, young couples, and adults. 

But what I do the best. I am clueless. I could make something up, but in truth maybe I don't have the answer. The Gallup Strength Finder says my top 5 strengths are: coming up with ideas, leadership, communication, strategy, and achievement. The MBTI says that I am a people person and enjoy creativity...I am not sure these help me pin down what it is I seem to do the best. I tend do look at myself as someone who is good at a lot of things, but not the best at any one thing. Maybe I'm wrong.

Besides even if I THOUGHT I knew the answer I could be wrong. If I thought I was the world's greatest singer (which I most definitely am not) I could waste a ton of time pursing something that I never had a chance at. I know of lots of people who think they are good at things they are not. So instead of answering myself I AM ASKING YOU. 

HELP ME ANSWER THIS QUESTION. In your experience what am I best at? You can post it as a comment on this blog, email me, facebook, or twitter me. (Most of the links are on the homepage of this site.)

WHAT AM I BEST AT?

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Erica and I spent some time with family on the Oregon coast for Thanksgiving. It is nice to get away from time to time and enjoy nature. Here are some pics from our trip.

I love this time of the year. In most normal places the leaves have changed and the brisk air has made its way in and the holidays are knocking at our doors. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, because it is difficult to commercialize it...so far at least. 

Last week I was being interviewed for a feature story and they kept asking about my life and the things I had worked on and I was again reminded of how thankful I should be. Most of you know that I am a person with goals. Once I finish one goal I move onto the next one, so I often don't think about what I have done in the past, but what I can do in the future. However, it is easy to forget to be thankful for what God has brought into my life already. We can forget what we do have when we spend any time at all thinking, worrying, or complaining what we don't. 

• I am so thankful for my wonderful wife. (Hopefully more of you will get to meet her at some point)
• I am thankful for friends and family
• I am especially thankful for quality friendships that stay strong despite human imperfections
• I am thankful for new open doors
• I am thankful for non-psycho in laws (they are great people)
• (and many other things too!)

As an actor you are able to see the future. You get a script and you know what will be said and what will happen in the scenes you are in. As a writer you can create the future. You write what you want to happen and it does. Life however is not so straight forward and you rarely have the control to dictate every outcome. There are twists and turns that are not always seen until they are staring you right in the face. Sometimes you don't see them until after you have passed them by completely. Life is often less straight ahead highway and more of a maze which we all enter and eventually exit, but everything in-between is a bit of a quandary. Hamlet once asked the famous question, "To be or not to be? That is the question."

Not to put down Mr. Ham or Shakes the Spear himself, but I don't think that is the question. In fact, I think there a million questions, but none of them have to do with to be or not to be. I am already, therefore I "be". Meaning, I am already here, so that is not something I wonder about. To be is already answered in my eyes. Being was out of my control, so I don't waste much time trying to figure that out.

I guess we all have our own questions. My brother Josh has been visiting Erica and me in LA and he has his questions. Erica also has a lot of her own questions. For the past few weeks we have all gone back and forth talking about each of our questions. Sure there are some basic answers like, how am I supposed to live? You live by inhaling and exhaling. If you cease to do either than you will not stay living for long. But what if you want to do more than just survive? If you are like me and are a bit of a dreamer than just surviving does not even come close to cutting it.

Other times it’s not that there are no answers, but WAY too many answers to choose from. It's like being hungry and going into a 5,022 piece buffet. You want to try everything, but there's no chance of that being possible (trust me I've tried).

I can't speak to anyone else's questions, but I can speak to mine. Currently there are numerous opportunities in front of me and I am unsure which to choose. I love acting, writing, travelling, directing, producing, ministering, meeting new people, connecting with old friends, and making a difference in life. There's a lot of room in there to do a lot of different things.

My questions are not based in what I believe or my value system. Those I have a decent grasp on. My questions are not in the meaning of life or why are we here at all, because some questions are so big that even if we have a clue I doubt anyone completely understands it ALL. My questions right now have more to do with "what's next" and "when".

If you will keep us in your thoughts and prayers we would greatly appreciate it. We would like some insight as to which way to go. As much as we like options and possibilities we would like a bit of a nudge or even a push in the right direction.

If you want to get in contact with us please email me via this website, post a message, or look me up via twitter, YouTube, or face book.

Thanks for reading!

Other than the HOT weather life is going well. It should NEVER be over 100 degrees when it is fall. I don?t care what anyone says. When autumn comes it should be cool and the leaves should change color.

Here are some updates:

Erica & I

Life has been busy the past month. Erica and I are doing great. She just celebrated her birthday this past week and is excited that she got a new look and a massage. Her bright smile is as illuminating as ever. She is an amazing nanny! Big named celebrities and high up business folk out here have tried to steal her away from her current family, because as many of you already know she is great at what she does. Erica is good at lots of things so she is trying to find outlets for her creativity. For her birthday she got her hair done, we had a nice lunch at George Clooney?s favorite ribs joint, and we got a wonderful couple?s massage.

Writing

I finished my latest book a few weeks ago. The next phase is edits, but the bulk of the work is done. Tyndale has it slated to come out fall of 2010. I currently have about 8 other proposals out there that are drawing interest from various publishers, so we pray for the right home for each project. Also I have been writing articles and reviews for different websites and that has been fun. The Internet is so useful for a lot of different things. Crazy Circus World continues to sell well despite the fact that it is only out on a soft release (my website). The hard release should be later this year so people will be able to order the book through Amazon and Barnes and Noble?etc. BUT ORDER THROUGH MY WEBSITE AND I CAN SIGN IT FOR YOU.

Acting

I have been out on auditions a lot recently, but the entertainment industry like so many others is taking a hit, because of the economy. Last week I did a Young and the Restless and a Subway audition. I am thankful for these auditions, especially since several of my friends can?t even get their foot in the door. It is a crazy place. We keep hoping for the best.

Producing

In the next month or so my brother and I and a few others will be laying down the foundation to produce our own projects. More about this will come later, but the first project is starting to take shape and the possibilities are very exciting. If you are interested in making movies, being involved, or even investing feel free to contact me via this site. Even if you know of potential investors contact me.

Movie

House of Fallen did very well in the festival. It was nominated for best director and best film. C. Thomas Howell won for best actor for the film.

For Fun

I came across this video about G.I. Joe and I think it?s hilarious, so check it out if you want.

p.s. I still have not figured out why my " ' " keep turning into "?" on here.

House of Fallen opens it's festival premiere on August 27th, 2009. It stars C. Thomas Howell, Corbin Bernsen, & Jayce O'Neal.  

House of Fallen -Three tales one ancient evil. House of Fallen describes the tales of a shadowy group known as The Twelve, whose mission is to destroy the fallen angels who still walk among us. Its a classic and timeless tale of good versus evil. The film also features heavy doses of ancient prophecy and mystery and recurring elements of suspense & action. The film is divided into three tales that intertwine and enrich each other.

Here are the details:

When: August 27th, 5pm

Where: AMC 12 Downtown Disney,

           1565 South Disneyland Drive Anaheim, CA 92802 (order tickets)

Who: You and your friends

What: House of Fallen

How: For more information email: info@jayceoneal.com

Read more about Indie Fest 2009 at OC or in this press release.