August 2022

STAR POWER

“I am the product of persistence. Legend has it…my father was driving down the street on the island of Montreal, and he saw this beautiful lady walking down the street…he pulled over, asked her if she wanted a ride, and she said no, so he drove away, but he said she was just too beautiful, so he wheeled around…after being rejected six times, the walls of emotional Jericho came down, and she finally said, ‘Yes, I’ll take the ride for one block.’ Then, he got her number, and the rest is history: I’m here.” The challenge for Nwamiko Madden’s father, a Seventh-day Adventist, was that he didn’t want to marry his Roman Catholic sweetheart until she had a chance to be exposed to the Adventist message, so Nwamiko’s grandmother gently led her through the teachings of scripture to a deep conviction and commitment to the remnant message.

“When she was about 17 years old, she had a ‘charismatic experience’ where she felt she had to become a nun: this deeply spiritual, pivotal moment in her life where she was crying, ‘But I don’t want to become a nun! I’m just going to live my life.’ And she suppressed that feeling, as deep as it was.” Nwamiko Madden’s expression grew serious: “When she was pregnant with me, she found out she was going to have a boy, and for some reason it triggered that experience again…but she said, ‘I can’t become a nun now, I’m Adventist…but what I’m going to do is I’m going to dedicate this child to you.’ So, she got down on her knees, put her hands on her stomach, and she said, ‘This child is dedicated to your service, Lord.’ … I remember, ever since childhood, I came out of the womb, and God was real. I believed in God from the get-go. I never doubted Him and His existence. I felt if I turned around quick enough, I would see God or my guardian angel.”

Growing up attending public school, Nwamiko’s expression of his peculiar faith, attending church on Sabbath, refusing to eat pork, not celebrating “the devil’s holiday” (Halloween) did not yield the kind of acceptance he expected. “The more I tried to share my faith, in the young, pharisaical way that I had at that time, I realized that people were not catching on. So, there’s a problem: Adventism needs some Star Power…You know how Ronald McDonald is the mascot for McDonald’s, Tom Cruise is a mascot for Scientology, I’m going to be the Adventist Will Smith. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to be the first well-known Adventist actor to promote my faith. That was my idea.”

Nwamiko attended drama classes in high school and celebrated when he landed his first audition for a TV show. Unfortunately, the audition was scheduled for Friday evening after sunset: during the Sabbath hours. “This was a dilemma, and one night God gave me a view, twenty years into the future, and it’s the Academy Awards: ‘And the best actor goes to Nwamiko Madden!’” Magical music filled the air, his hand grabbed the golden Oscar, he tapped the microphone and pointed toward the sky and announced: “’The first person I’d like to thank is…’

“‘Stop! Don’t thank Me,’ God declared to Nwamiko’s conscience, ‘because you broke the Sabbath on your very first step.’

“It was true: if my very first career step is breeching God’s commandments, how in the world could I expect that it was His success the rest of the way? So, I said, ‘I can’t do it. I can’t do it.’”

Nwamiko’s chance at attaining “star power” seemed to be slipping away before he had a chance. Then, he landed his first role—a Christmas movie with Vanessa Williams. Overnight, Nwamiko’s popularity escalated; parts were offered him, without an audition. Nwamiko didn’t have to work on Sabbaths or perform compromising scenes; he was even served vegetarian meals on set.

However, despite all his dreams materializing, he felt like something was wrong—like the rich young ruler—he sensed God telling him to walk away from his acting career.

How could he possibly give up his dream, and why was God asking him to do this?

To understand how Nwamiko was guided by God, you can watch his entire incredible story on It Is Written Canada this month on CTV, 3ABN, Hope Channel, Yes-TV, Miracle Channel, or any of the many other networks where It Is Written Canada is aired. Or simply go to itiswrittencanada.ca or It Is Written Canada’s YouTube or Facebook videos and click on the programs entitled: “Star Power – Parts 1 & 2.”

Thanks to your generous contributions, It Is Written Canada’s film crew was able to film Nwamiko in Alberta and capture his story.

~ Mike Lemon