Show Me The Father

Okay I'm very excited it's movie date night. That's one of our favorite night and I don't know her listeners know how excited I get to go to the movies. Thank you for because I love popcorn would real butter and then the Diet Coke that cancels that out right. You know this.

I love going to movies. In fact in our church people are now texting us to get movie review because we go to so many attempts such power in a great story yeah and in my noses. We love thrillers, action movies, comedies add a break from real life specially during this pandemic.

Id that's been nice. But when you get to go to a movie that's literally life-changing. I mean that changes you for the future of the best movies ever welcomed a family life today where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most and Wilson and Dave Wilson and you can find us if we live today.com or on our family life is family life today, so today we have two movie directors, producers, writers, Kendrick brothers, Alec and Stephen Kendrick are with us today. Welcome to family life today. A guess it's good to be with you guys and talk about this. This is fun yet. I guess a lot of our listeners know you too but you guys.

I did not even know this one looking up your bio you have written and produced whole bunch of movies I just one or two, and I've seen them all, but I can't remember boss on the list of movies overcome her war room, courageous fireproof, facing the Giants and flywheel to get them all the new ones we have worked on you both coproduced and wrote all of these movies together, we can we tag teamed on every movie and really starting with prayer on every film and we've learned there's a big difference when a good idea. I got idea. And the Lord's ideas were always way better than ours. Everybody has a movie idea we found send to us and try to call a sudden stop was at the gas pump and you know please break my story and maybe you know but we found that when you really seek the Lord. He knows what's going to happen.

The culture he knows what can happen the future, and so you just trust him and walk by faith and so that's been the journey for us all. Add to that, you know it's interesting to see both grew up Baptist, but there is however you want to phrase this when the Lord is pleased with something I don't know if you want to call it an anointing or blessing, or extra grace or favor.

Whatever he does to it that touches people's lives and we would rather have that ingredient on our movies than any budget that man could provide us and so we've learned. We seek after the Lord that he does that saying to it that only God can do.

People are drawn to it changes hearts and lives were just amazed at what he does.

Another way to say that is instead of being the best caterer in Jerusalem.

I would rather be the board with five loaves and two fish, handing it into Jesus and watching him doing something right with us right just based on how you said that Stephen you guys are incredible communicators, preachers, authors, pastors, married you both have six kids. I know you guys clones cannot it all while we have a praying mama gets up early every morning and as cried out to God on our behalf and all of her 19 grandchildren. We got a dad who I think were to talk a little bit about today who really deeply impacted our lives and prayed over us, blessed us and then through his scars and brokenness pointed us to Christ and I were just so grateful for the Lord's mercy really you end up getting into writing, producing, directing movies is that some you knew in middle school, high school, you want to do or how do you agenda for your well.

The Lord has gifted each of us with a different bent. Shannon is so gifted at technology.

Stephen is gifted at really drawing people in the biblical principles. I've always enjoyed storytelling. So growing up. If I could do my book report in school in video form. I begged my teachers to let me do that that I would edit between the VCR in our camcorder even would help me. Stephen actually I told him in as a stuntman for all our crazy videos in each of his so all of them had the same plot. We were very young, which was chase him down and beat him up, but that we would pull in our neighborhood friends since all of them weighed about 32 kids in our neighborhood there. There were all in our movies and then as Steve is your older brothers of the middle Stevens, the youngest unit is the oldest in so Shannon would figure out the technological aspects of editing of a recording sound even doing early special-effects. We could stop going to nation, things like that and Stephen, I would come up with the with the harebrained ideas of how to use those tools.

It was in high school right now as we mentioned earlier, parents, reporting parents, it was in high school, but that the Lord get a hold of our hearts and we said God. Whatever we do, we want to do it to honor you and what your blessing on it and that had changed our trajectory from just wanting to make entertainment to wanting to make something that was purposeful. That would draw people to a closer walk with God and so we have enjoyed going into ministry of both of us are ordained been to seminary and spent a number of years as youth pastors, but over the last 20 years we've developed a love for telling stories in movie form and started with flywheel in 2002 in each one. The Lord is stretched us and taught us, and now here we are, you know, making movies that the Lord has allowed to go worldwide and were very grateful I want to feel like as you release a movie because you know we've released a couple books but when you know when a book goes out you were afraid, here I go much this healthy fear is. Is it the same with the movie.

Here is a different well I think we have the benefit of screening. It dozens of times before it comes out in theaters. And so it's always a joy to sit on the second row over on the side and watch the audience. Watch your film and we try to take cues from that sometimes and walk out say that Joe didn't work. Let's edit that out. You know the ending is good, but it needs to be sped up or whatever.

But when the movie comes out itself were praying and just asking Laura do something with it, but it feels like were sending our children often to the world and it's completely out of control. At that point you know it's just Lord whatever you want to do it and I want to add Steve and I have been very appreciative of family life doing early screenings of our films to your audience.

When we do events in a love like you mean a cruise or other things and we have gleaned responses from those showings and made the movies better before they hit theaters right so you guys that helped us make better movies certain authority to do it again on the next love like you me a cruise and we had talked about the movie is coming out today this weekend. Show me the father yes is it your first documentary. It is we love documentaries and I love watching them. I love that the amount of information you can pack into such a short amount of time we've been focusing on the feature films, the bigger budget feature films, but there's so many different powerful messages that need to be communicated to every generation. You know we talked about the Bible being the word of God salvation through Christ alone standing up for the unborn. There's other things, but this one specifically was so dear to our hearts.

It was so jugular vein for us and that's the issue of fatherhood in Scripture and in practice everyday life. So but translated into shall be the father. What I have to tell you that we got a chance to preview that I'm telling you we are crying the entire time is powerful, powerful, as the Lord can't wait for our listeners to get the movie theater and watch it and then again to go back and take friends with talk about a little bit was the inspiration behind why the movie about fatherhood only made courageous 10 years ago when we got courageous legacy come out, you know, in theaters soon. As well, but the movie was so dear to our hearts because we saw God transform our family tree. When our father surrendered his life to Christ and the statistics show that that when a man is that being placed in the driver seat of his home, whether he realizes it or not, when he surrenders his life to Christ, everything changes and he'll begin to lead his family spiritually and step up a thousand different ways. As the Holy Spirit enables him to do that, but our father made a resolution and it was as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, you his own father had been alcoholic. His grandfather had been whiled away from God and our dad said the buck stops here know I want to be faithful to my wife will be faithful to the Lord and to my kids and that one commitment and decision really shifted our whole family tree and so he was the chain breaker. He stood in the gap who had to throw off all those old patterns and habits and laid them at the foot of the cross and then put on Christ and his word and trying to be a spiritual leader in his home and he didn't know what he was doing.

He felt totally inadequate, but we would stumble upon him, on his knees crying out to God you know to help him to be the dad, the father he that he needed to be and because of that we made the movie courageous showing what is it look like when men make this resolution. This kind of commitment and how will affect our lives will out from that launched the fatherhood commission over 150 fathering ministries from across the nation for the last 10 years have been meeting every year together, praying together, supporting each other and talking about the crisis of fatherlessness and the need for fathers to step up in so many amazing stories came out of that some of the stories that are featured in this documentary came out of our relationships in the father commissions were so excited about people getting to see the stories and show me the father and then like you talk about crying the whole way through is not because it's sad. I think it's because so many inspirational moments in this and show me the father is basically four stories for real-life stories of various father scenarios the father that wasn't there for his son or children. The father that was gone and then returned father that made the change in his life, and you see the ramifications of that big change made in his life and then understanding who God is, is our heavenly father. Ultimately he is the perfect role model for a father and he that he fathers a spiritually of course he knows he's the creator first, but then he wants a relationship with us and he can take the place of those voids were an earthly father should have been for each of us and so you'll see a piece of yourself at some point in this movie. You'll recognize where the real stories are annual you'll say hey I felt that before been there before but by the end we hope that people understand who God the father is more clearly through Jesus Christ and if there were dad or if they have certain feelings toward their dad that they know the steps to take to continue growing. When the film was exactly what I felt. As I talked about that we were crying. There were tears and inspiration of our heavenly father has always been there.

He loves us so much and he's always drying us and calling us to himself and because of every listener has either a great a mediocre or bad experience with either. Maybe not even having a father that dear sets a goodness and father God, who is continually wooing us to himself and that's what you guys did you make me here, and even more to know our heavenly father.

In that way.

So well done.

Praise the Lord well and it's not just for men.

Some people may think of the study. Harry is only for men to go learn how to be better dad and that's not really what it's about.

It's about everybody has a fatherhood story right. And God wants to be the father of everyone and all of us have broken fathers on earth in Scripture actually uses the word perfect tied specifically to the fatherhood of God that his will is good, pleasing and perfect his provision every good and perfect gift comes from him Jesus and some of them out to be perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect. So God wants to be the perfect father to all of us that we haven't had on earth, but he longs to be that in our lives and what we wanted to happen.

What we prayed from the very beginning even before he shot the first interview with this is, we pray God, would you let this documentary be an introduction through Jesus to the heart of our heavenly father and cause people to walk away with a new revelation of the Holy Spirit. When I watch this, that God wants a relationship with me and through Jesus.

I can have it and he his heart is for me he loves me and for people to walk away saying God became my father are intimately stepped into that relationship as father after I watch the documentary. Hey, I don't know if I represent everybody but I can say this, that goal that you had which is first time we've heard that that was your goal. That's exactly what you did gasoline again.

Sitting there on the couch watching that thing when I turned it off. I thought while they captured theology and identity you been preaching for 30 years and anybody my church would know that I always say every decision we make every day is based on what we believe about God. The character of God.

That's theology and what we believe about our identity. So when I turn off the movie.

I thought while I have a better understanding of the character of God, of his perfectness of his tender heart of his care and and you said in the movie he is there he is with you so you felt like you don't have a dad.

You have a dad and he's never left you anywhere but at the other side of also sitting there thinking about my identity as a son and as a dad and it help me understand my goodness, I am a good father. You know I'm not as good father like the father, but I am a good man and I've done a good job and it just inspired me in those two sites.

I'm guessing that's what you were going for my right we were and both Steve and I have six kids, each and we begin understanding that this perfect father who is God when I am reflecting his attributes, his love for my children than they have a better picture of who God is. We all know that there is no perfect father on earth in all of us have flaws but to the degree that I can reflect the desire of our heavenly father to love and want a relationship with us to help us to be there to walk through life with us and I can demonstrate that to my own children.

It will help position them to have a closer walk with God in all of us get our first concept of God through our earthly father.

So if your father was distant. You imagine God to be distant of your father was there for you.

You imagine God being there for you and so it's important for us and equip all of us are at various places in our growth and maturity and understanding this. So whether you feel like I failed as a dad or on figuring it out or anywhere in between.

We hope that this film and the stories that we tell will draw people to instrument that desire to say.

Not only do I want to view God the right way and know God more intimately as my heavenly father.

But I want to reflect his goodness. His love and his attributes to people in my life, especially money, and so that's the outcome.

Then we would count that as a success.

I would also say Stephen as a storyteller. I love watching people as Stephen said earlier I love watching people watch an early cut of the movie showed show me the father to an early audience.

I love watching them gas at a couple months in the movie because they didn't see something coming right and they literally gasp and say I can't believe what I'm watching and so we we love the storytelling aspect of this to. So yes, it's a documentary, but at the end of the day ours. It's for powerful stories that will move your heart. The stories are so powerful and you happy. Keep watching to see the outcome and when I was watching Dave already knew a twist.

One of the twists.

But stood up and I ate and I was so shocked surprise and it made me think oh Lord Jesus, you are such a good good father really amazing in all of these are true. So yeah, they're all truly only we didn't have to change anything. We just had to tell the stories as they happened and what God did through these people's lives and in these father connections was just astonishing, even when we're putting the film together well and we just to give credit to where credit is due. Rick Altizer was the director of this film is an award-winning filmmaker and has made multiple documentaries and did a great job. He has his own journey of fatherhood that he went on in the thing if the amount of your member.

We talked about the piece of glass that's the you have your earthly father scheduled a piece of us that came straight from Rick because that's just his heart about us learning to replace the image of our earthly father with the perfection of God as father in our lives and how that affects us on a daily basis. And so, but Mark Miller is a friend of ours. He's been in ministry a long time. He was the producer of this film and these are praying men. So God has put us together with two really strong praying men have this passionate heart for fatherhood and being able to work together and tell the stories and say watch this watch this new cutting or what's the way the story of and so it is been a lot of fun to go on this journey and to really tell these true stories to the glory of our heavenly father. So NAR I would say so. Many of those stories are truly miraculous and amazing thing that I love is its color documentary, but it doesn't feel like it feels like a film. I'm wondering how did you do that, because often when you watch your documentary. It just feels so I don't know, stale. This one I felt like I was watching a feature film that's really encouraging. That's what we went for a week or used to making feature film so we were trying to capture you notes cinematic footage we were try to be careful.

We actually hired a guy who does cinema score to do all the music behind the scenes, you know you're feeling the music beds in and out so we been behind-the-scenes constantly pushing saying how can we make this more cinematic so it does feel like a preacher from thank you for saying that you not on the expert on film. So if I say no and one other thing that really inspired me was your dad.

Yes, I me. I didn't know that last little back story that he had to change the legacy I have a similar story that I had. I came from two alcoholic parents and divorce and I had to rewrite the Wilson name, but I didn't know that about your dad because when you watch his part of and I will give it away. But when you watch historian your movie.

I was so inspired by his heart and even the struggle he went through in the turn.

Again, I don't want you to give too much away, but how does that impacted you just your father's life in fathering of you guys.

We watched our dad do things that we thought were impossible. Once he was tracking with God, he would he would lay the groundwork in prayer and he built a Christian school almost from scratch. There was a few people that had been a part of another school, but he built it from 80 students to 500 and something students and developed all the teachers in the manner in which the school is run and it's still going on today 25 years later and Steve and I were products of that you know we we went through and I graduated from a school yeah and so so were very grateful to have watched him do something with no budget, no resources, very few staff members 80 students and that's barely 2 classes in a public school and so and we watched them build in kindergarten all way through 12th grade and and then graduate hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that are now making a difference for the kingdom.

And so when we saw what he did with almost nothing, by prayer and walking in faith. We said okay we can make movies because we didn't have budget. We didn't have film degrees and so dad influenced almost every aspect of our ministry and filmmaking and storytelling and so he laid the groundwork in faith and obedience to the Lord made us wonder the same thing and he did it after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and after going through 16 months of depression. When God brought him out of that through the revelation of God is a loving father that was mine. That was the key turning point for our dad when God pulled them out of depression, through that revelation. Then he went and lodged at school by faith.

And so we started filmmaking the same way. No money, no experience, no budget, no resources, but we had the Lord and we had a praying church behind us and so to see God. God is an expert at laying tracks in front of the moving train, and if you find out he's in something and he wants you to do it in pieces get in the boat and go to the other side. You don't have to have everything figured out. Abraham didn't know where he was going to get out but by faith we have to trust the Lord and say Lord I can't lean on my own understanding.

You have to trust you with all my own heart a minute get in the boat and move forward and trust that you'll be with me in the storm will provide what we need and that was our dad's journey and that really has been our journey on every film that aspect of a man struggling with the goodness of God and coming to terms with.

He really is a loving father that comes through and I just can't wait for people to see that because so many of us struggle with them, especially when things don't go the way we we want and that that's something theological dilemma for people is he really good.

Is he loving in your dad's wrestle with that impacts greatly through the movie but obviously is impacted you and now can impact millions powerful when you come to a realization that even if you had a good father.

Your dad is not like God in ways God is faithful.

He's eternal he is.

He is completely right.

He is completely holy. He is completely loving. He does see the future and so God is the ideal and perfect father and so for an earthly father to say why can't be all those things perfectly, but if I can just reflect if I can grab a hold of me those principles apply them to my life. In the end point my kids to God, then your kids already have a jumpstart on a more fulfilling, purposeful and spiritual walk with the Lord.

And so God is an amazing father in.

We too often just look at him as God, and not father, and of course he's both. But when you when you know him through Jesus Christ and we are spiritually attached and saved through Jesus Christ and you are part of his family were adopted into his family and then so Jesus is the bread she is the one that connects us in a right relationship to God the father and when you tap into that in a walking and then begin understanding what that means. It makes all the difference in your life and you guys back whole theme was really in your movie courageous to because that was about father's. It was kind of that same experience in wrestling with God and so you are really releasing courageous that's correct were coming up on 10 years since the original release of courageous it is how an international impact with mind blowing stories as to what the Lord is done with it around the world. So we actually are rereleasing a new cut of the film, it's remastered, it's reedited three edited it flows faster. We got some new bonus scenes and there we shot a new ending that people haven't seen yet.

We started off by sharing some of the impact stories as to what God is and around the world. Even before you see the first scene and so it's gonna be a lot of fun for people we really want this to be for a new generation because millions of young men have become dads over the last 10 years and there to be seeing this movie there through a new lens but it's re-colored there's music changes were very excited about Christ's legacy and how it will work together with Jimmy, the father so courageous legacy will look familiar but still be fresh and so 70% of it will say okay I'm familiar with the story of Saul, the original version of courageous, but to see actors literally age 10 years. By the end of the film to watch how these families turn out to see updated shots, you know, we didn't have drones back then we couldn't's epic shots over buildings and down streets adjacent police cars but now we can so we added some shots throughout upgraded the quality of the movie is Stevenson recolored it, reedited it and have a brand-new surprise ending scene in it. So we cling when people see it, they will see a movie if they loved it the first time that they'll be familiar with, and all the powerful moments are still there, but they'll be hopefully encouraged by the new ending where you see what does it look like even one decade later for fathers to implement these biblical principles for their families and so yes we can't wait to release it you think of the characters in the movie and you're updating them heard aging, then 10 years. We literally waited 10 years and shot some new scenes a new ending to the movie.

So when you're watching courageous legacy which is a special edition of the original movie when you're watching courageous legacy when it gets near the end of the movie. It literally jumps 14 years and you catch up with everybody. 10 years later and see all of the fathers, some of the kids and what they're doing what they look like 10 years later and find out what became of them and we have some exciting twist along the way that we can't wait for people to say so were hoping that people will if they've seen courageous in the past. They will take their neighbors, their friends, these young men and young fathers that they know to see the movie and then after they walk out there got me thinking of how I live this out. What I do there. Still, the resources and establish a resource that are correct in that but show me the father picks up also with the theology of the fatherhood of God. So we got both of those, tag teaming together and I were hoping it'll be a great one to punch to the church can used it to really impact families. Yes a kinda as you know all your movies are. This was the kind that you go and you watch and then you go talk you can't not talk you. One is see it in community you want to go somewhere and not just talk about her for one hour but spend some time to say okay what kind of a data my going to be am I gonna forgive my dad I mean there's all kinds of questions are to be raised, but that's why I started our program saying I love movies that change lives is your movies change lives and I just want to say from one movie viewer. Thank you, thank you for what you do what you've done what you gonna do.

I mean, I'm a better preacher for 30 years and it's just one mode of talking head but to sit in a theater and watch story literally go right to the heart or to the soul is a different way to impact somebody's lives in you guys been gifted by God and anointed by God and he's anointed your your writing in your film. I just want to say thank you.

I just want to thank you guys, because not only are you creating these beautiful stories that you guys are the real deal in terms of your passing in your love for Jesus. I think every timely thing around you.

That's the thing I walk away with these guys and their love for God.

Their passion for him and their love for others is the real thing I care really living and you can tell that you spent time with God and that comes through in everything that you've produced.

So, thanks. While that's a very encouraging for us and we hope that is always the case that we will finish well liked to end our lives honoring the Lord and nothing can replace the joy of knowing that you're walking with him and that you're watching him do what only he can do and we just get to be apart well and we know every good thing about our lives is really the Lord and we have so many people.

The body of Christ praying for us on every project and out just so grateful that we have accountability and our pastor, preaching the word, unapologetically calling us to repentance you are calling us to humility and I tell people if you hang out with us, you'll be less impressed with us and you'll be more impressed with the God that we serve as we serve a mighty God know they can and will set up and talking today with our friends Alex and Stephen Kendrick. The filmmakers who have a new film coming out in theaters this weekend. It's a documentary called show me the father and let me just say this is a movie that you will find compelling and moving and challenging and it's really remarkable film, and it's probably been a while since you been to a movie theater. This is a great weekend to head back and to see the new movie show me the father from filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick. There's information about the film on our website@familylifetoday.com there's also information about the 10 year anniversary rerelease of the movie courageous.

That happens next month in theaters. The Kendricks have added a continuing storyline to the movie. We all loved when it came out 10 years ago so there's information about courageous the 10 year anniversary rerelease@familylifetoday.com as well and of course Alex and Stephen to join us on the love like you mean it marriage cruise in February and were to see a sneak preview of their latest movie which will be out next year in theater, so a lot going on with the Kendricks again. You can find out more@familylifetoa.com and if you're not signed up for the cruise you can still sign up to attend the love like you made a marriage cruise in February. Speaking of signing up our weekend to remember marriage getaways. We've got about 30 of those happening this fall in cities all across the country and this is the last weekend for you to sign up and save 50% off the regular registration fee. This is a great getaway for couples. We've had millions of couples who joined us in the 45 years we been hosting these events and they would tell you this weekend has been transformative in so many of their marriages. We could all use a getaway right about now. I think so. You can find out more and register for the weekend to remember marriage getaway when it comes to a city near where you live. Go to our website.

Family life to data.com to find out when and where the getaways are being held, and you can register online or call if you have any questions or if you'd like to register by phone one 803 586-329-1800 F as in family L as in life, and then the word today and plan to join us at the weekend. Remember, marriage getaway, coming to a city near where you live this fall. And with that we can wrap things up for this week. Thanks for joining us. Hope you have a great weekend.

Hope you and your family are able to worship together in your local church this weekend and I hope you can join us back on Monday.

Jim Elmore's gonna be here and he's come to share with us about the mess that his life was that he was involved in substance abuse and destructive behavior and really was right on the edge when God got a hold of him and turn things around. It's a powerful story. Hope you can be here for that on behalf of our hosts Dave and Ann Wilson.

I am Bob Lapine.

Have a great weekend will see you Monday for another edition of family life, family life, accrued ministry helping you pursue the relationships that matter most