From Orphanage to 'I Can Only Imagine' & 'Unplanned' : Meet Joe Knopp

This is the Truth Network. I can only imagine I'm not using anymore than that, but when you hear me say that you hear those words even in my rough non-singing voice. You think about an amazing song you think about an amazing movie I'm Stu Epperson your hosting wow, that movie touched so many souls I'm in the a screening with a bunch of pastors watching the movie.

I can only imagine based on the hit song and there's tears like there's the silk that they had a box of Kleenex is by everyone in that movie and I get there like what the were they think they can manipulate me to cry annexing our grab and rip of those handkerchiefs out the box and people are crying there with my wife and everyone just but what a blessing. The guy who was very involved in that movie in the making of it. One of the executives of that movie and also the movie unplanned is sitting with me right now and his name is Joe not KN OPP Joe good to have you here with us. My friend, a brother's always good to be with you a mural making movies are at the White House.

Your your all the world and you can't yet time to sit down with your little buddies do to to talk about what God is doing, man.

Nothing arose and reads the word little and still the same as and when I tried well. He shifted but but man is so good to have you here and what's awesome is what God's done in your life and how God can use a movie to touch many lives insincerely levels these movies that you been a part of, have reflected, what God's done in your heart, yes, so you know will have a story and you know we would read the Bible and we have learned how God works with us three-story so you know I have a story. I grew up in an orphanage in Philadelphia got there, while seven my family before that was very broken. A lot of addiction and drugs alcohol involved. So my sisters and I got places orphanage when I was seven and stayed at I graduate from high school, so that story that I had the older I've gotten the more I be able to share that with people and how the age of seven alone and orphanage in Philadelphia. My sisters were actually at a different one. I was introduced at a chapel to God the father and eyes member. The chaplain speaking about Deuteronomy 316, he promised to never leave me nor forsake me, and despite my no effort to leave him.

He has never left me. He's been that perfect image of a father to me. So now that I get to be in the business of telling stories. My desire is just to use truth that no one can argue with to share the love of Christ and his is fun to be a part on how many people can identify with that so many folks listening to this and on all the different platforms that that carry this this broadcast is podcast or listening in there like wow I didn't have a father growing up her while I'm in major fractured relationships and I'm struggling I'm always mad, always anger them always pent up and pumped up and angry and in in in just kind of reacting and things are rough and things are going terrible in this and that, in it all changes when you connect with Jesus Christ in all changes when you realize you have a father that your loved that God sent his only son to die on the cross for you and Joe.

Not that that came to full reality of your life. It has an and the older we get, the more mature we get in that relationship.

The more we can have a better understanding of some the stuff that you know you and God allows us to go through and I would encourage people that we are all in the midst of our story and our story. It's about us, but God didn't give us our story for us. He gave us our story to help others. So use to myself. Everyone listening.

We all have a story we've all been on a journey to get to where we are today. And when we can look back and see despite some of the big challenges that we've had to face God brought us through that and we understand that some of that heat.

He loves us.

They need us to experience that that kind of gives us bulletproof faith for going for that. Look, I've early been through really tough times. And God got me through it and I read the stories in the Bible, and about other people that God gets us through these parts, and if we truly believe that which we we say we do. But if we truly believe the stories that we hear, then we should have this bulletproof faith going Laura to build face whatever is in front of us so we hear someone just just start tearing up and crying as they tell you about how the movie I can only imagine change their life.

We hear about someone who saw that movie in the were able to connect with God. They were able to to get in discipleship to get to to ask Christ in their life to be born again to turn to the Savior church to believe the gospel hear those stories is that hit you, being a young man who had father wounds all over the place used to grub this orphanage and who kinda got cast offered to different places separated from your family, etc. etc. it's growing up in orphanage. I hey, I think, for a period of time. I shut down a lot of my emotions and these stories I get to be a part of today affect me and then it is interesting so I watch these movies hundreds of times with different audiences and my kids are with me. Sometimes my daddy got emotional watching that movie still gets to your heart and or I get emotional is that I get to be a part of telling other people stories and knowing how that Mysore has impacted people and how these stories are impacting people.

It's very humbling and emotional for me just to be up one of God's tools are helping to tell the stories so I hear people tell their story and their journey to get to the movie theater. I encourage them, remind them that hey you watching this story and unleashing all this emotion because of your journey. Now you have a fiduciary responsibility yellow stewardship of your story to share with others as there are people in your life who don't know your story and there that are gonna watch this in a movie. I can't imagine but God gave your story to help others you don't know who is going to be, but now it's your responsibility to share your journey okay well so the movie I can only imagine the movie unplanned so many things and there's a new one you're working on that is so coda can you at least tell us a little teaser gutter. You can't give us a lot and know that they had gone the full production yet but you're going back to 400 A.D. Leon that we we we get a pinch out of but that's about all we know about them so you know it every year. You know the different holidays have lots of stories being told Odyssey Christmas being the lead.

One. The story of St. Patrick note March 17 every every year we wear green will we celebrate so many people don't know who Saint Patrick was and that you know he wasn't born in St. he became St. Patrick's. Our desire is to help the world understand who is Saint Patrick and why he has a day celebrate around the world on his behalf that is amazing so you that story you get Exley something we talk about we goof around with in the are you wearing green.

You know that's that's about the extent of this culture you you sadly you don't.

So the point is that we the day Joe this is just mind-boggling.

When Stu Epperson thanks for joining us for this. This just just in a brief broadcast podcast of encouragement. So grateful all of our many listeners all across Jesus daily all across the radio station to carry the program all across her wonderful folks have downloaded this from wherever were glad you're here and we want introduce you to someone who will change your life forever. His name is Jesus Christ. That's why we do this in our so encouraged to have thought leaders and men of God who have just powerful stories like Joe not is a Jew you've made these movies. I can only imagine you made this movie unplanned you both movies were me. There were points, there were hinge points with both those movies very redemptive universe. Very powerful movies that they could have just gone flat. Your author try to raise money you're telling the way can you write a check and you've got the either the third movie now is about Saint Patrick in his life.

You know you got that coming out, which again this is so fascinating that someone was telling the days as you know my kids really know what what happened at 9/11 know you think about that 9/11. If you don't know what I'm talking about, and I'm not done a dog if you don't, but you know the that that the airplanes you know a horrible euro suicide bombing airplanes. Thousands lost their lives in the bloodiest ever events on the is a history of America right there in New York City receiving World Trade Center than at the Pentagon and one tribunal plane crash in Pennsylvania and so he lives were lost but just don't know about that is if they they were born after that right that generation now born after that.

So there they go to school and the teacher says: I like 9/11 you made maybe like you know you know we were born in the 70s, maybe like the Vietnam War, for us, which again we must remember what happened in there so many slogans. We will not forget. Right everywhere so it's really interesting that you know so you go back to 480 was Saint Patrick you're scared who's coming up or you got enough of our brother we better be prayerful listing. Pray for this guy yet. You know it's an Ireland at the time was a very agonistic evil country and evil cultural that that Patrick had to diss him alone with God went against so yet is a lot of you know, urban myths and legends have come from that story being the over 1500 years old, but unfortunately there's some some letters that Patrick Road and everyone agrees that there were his writings that I really tell the heart of his story, so, so it is time were excited to tell the story over grades retell the stories in.

We are again until more of your story.

You guys are to be blown away by this I mean every time he tells us. I get teared up in and in and I may lose it on the show were to come back and were to take a break for all of our euro a radial friends were to take a quick break for all of our nobody. Everyone is listening on this podcast and Jesus daily and in on on ice tunes and other places Instagram make sure was followed by the went social media because you can connect with Joan after we got videos of there may me and this guy is pretty damn you look a lot like Joe in Europe when you come on socially with me, why is it a doubles likes to go from we go from 48 has that happened. Jeff, I mentally looked at Manuel, you have some famous my friend so this guy is a real deal. Humble loves Jesus when we come back and you gotta tell everyone about just at that church. They threw someone upon a sign you're starving literally for food you there with your sisters walking down the street and they said something enticing that sign in that change your life forever. And it's a great encouragement out there, but just to have a cool non-cheesy church sign but how are you reaching this world with good news. Whether it's making a movie with her to make a quilt making a record house got using you for that. So we'll talk about that because God's given you always given you these downloaded an amazing DNA and are wealthier to introduce the world to the Savior who came to save the world. He shed his blood died on the cross so we can be free Roshan the debts we get a life and that's why love Dr. Joan up so don't I said I would back in just a second. With more of the guy who was involved in the making of I can only imagine unplanned in the new movie coming up about Saint Patrick, Robbie Gilmore here in the Truth Network podcasts of help make my pillow the company it is today, and now Mike Lindell, who by the way, I've met is a great guy, the inventor and CEO of my pillow wants to get back to our listeners for the first time you can get deep discounts on all my pill products. If you go to my pillow.com right now, and click on the new radio listener specials who never thought that my dream job would be selling my pillows and you're getting tired of these sleeping droughts, but you can get deep discounts on my pillows and mattress toppers bedsheets, and so much more. For example, the body pillow is regularly 89, 99, but with a promo code get truth it's only 2999 remember all my fellow products, the 60 day moneyback guarantee in a 10 year warranty. Just go to my pillow.com and click on the new radio listeners specials and get deep discounts on all my pillow products including the body pillow for only 2999, and a promo code get truth or call 800-942-9613 for these great radio specials so awesome to sit down with one of the producers of the blockbuster movie. I can only imagine he is also had his hands is a is one of the producers of unplanned.

He's one of those guys is behind the scenes you'll see the sky on the big the big lights of the big red carpet, but he still friends with me.

I just Joe I told you man, when you get up there you don't forget the little people you still show up in into humble little Winston-Salem North Carolina were rebroadcast all over the world all over Facebook all over ice tunes and Stu Toobin everywhere in radio. The good news of Christ and you're out you're a guest, so thank you for for you know get over your man. A brother is always good to be here with you. It is too cool in your testimony.

Wow, and if so, you are just to join his midstride here. Go back and listen to the whole deal as a podcast. You will be blessed to hear how this guy came to know Christ. How he got connected as an orphan with his heavily father but one of those points I want to talk you a little bit about what it's like to make a Christian movie and what is like to make a quality Christian movie because Christians get knocked all the time for putting some up there that cheesy this just not really connected and it's because it's Christian. We are got got all go see it and we want to support it, and inference listen closely I'm knocking to get on my you know you my big box feature in a box here and say to everyone you know horrible what Hollywood is doing a calm Holly weird always terrible movies badly was intercourse.

I do warn a lot of it a lot in my ministry to warn people moms and dads.

He just read a review of your go to movie guide go to Christian funeral services that will tell you what's up you before you just walk into a movie that's fraught with bad language and in lewd content so there we do need a caution but rather than just below that what I love about the mansard in front of me, friends, is he is making movies that are redemptive directly bringing people to Jesus returning the culture toward redemption toward God toward life and so Joe, that's it.

That's a big difference and I mean is, like you're doing something positive in no as an answer you're entering the warrior, playing offense, right, we are you know people love redemptive stories and Hollywood has understood that for decades. The problem is you I would believe you.

These these tentpole movies that you know that the marble of the Disney seven. Some of them are good stories are okay to go see but financially then they know that those are better bets than telling a you know I a true story, redemptive story so forcefully for us who know there are amazing God centered you know heroic stories that need to be told, and in the audience they love them.

We have do a good job of making them appealing enough and grabbing the right stories so the audience will come and see them yet, and the quality of the quality production. The shooting the framing the best cameras the best of me all that stuff is important regularly really are your saying to the world.

Honestly, it's like a Christian whose going door-to-door sure Jesus people will put a gag on Bressman and friend, you know you're you're representing the King of the universe in your cured knocking that homeowner overwinter halitosis in it. So now suddenly my in the case of a movie.

My poor production for acting in the case of of evangelizing her case I going to battle course on cussing everyone out in the cheap shots at him.

What kind of platform I had to leave those guys to cry so it's honestly being excellent write Joe and in all you're doing in and boy that's that's a big thing that stood to speak prophetically to different Christians out there every way home yet amid excellence will we have to strive for her. So we we serve a very creative God is our bar should be pretty high for now were trying to create and when we truly know.

Ask him and seek his guidance to and understand what were competing against in order to compete against the other Christian films that were behind us were competing with are the eyes of this audience the eyes of the millennial generation and where they had their eyes are focused on this quality stuff. The Hollywood spawning out so that is who we have to compete with the week we have to understand that there are ways to compete in Christians early on were dominant in the arts in these signs you think of any of you know Lisa Pascal you think of these great mathematicians using these sir Isaac Newton. These these brilliant inventors so so there there's maybe a research is that coming. We need to dominate in the arts and media Y interview quality people like you because if I can have something something out to bid nobody as a guest to you is connected but no believes it's great. It helps to for people to hear your story and hear a man of God who God used in a huge way reflect the impact of I can imagine a couple sentences you know I think a lot of people had heard that song you know whether was that at a funeral or challenging time in someone's life but to connect those lyrics with what really happened to Bart in his life and to generally understand the journey that God had to take Bart through for him to surrender at different moments in his life to understand, to be able to deal with the relationship with his dad for people to to see what Bart went through what God helped him understand a lot of times when you have a successful person. Successful song successful movie people gloss over the challenging parts in life. That's why love about Bart story like you, I shouldn't be here when everything is going on in his life, but God had a plan for him and it wasn't until he finally surrendered through his hands up and said God all do what ever you want me to do that.

And God just note blessed the song blessed his career. And to this day. Bart is an amazing guy and is still impacting really millions of people around the root because of his story greatest impact of the movie unplanned, which was really surprising movie a lot of controversy out there but really you're simply just try to tell a story again and create a culture of life, giving a quick couple sentences on the greatest impact of that movie lots of children have been born as a result of that story and a lot of thousands brought greater than thousands of women and men who had had abortion as part of their history are dealing with it for the first time in their life and they are understanding that God still loves them. It is a forgivable sin, and so just the impact that has had on people who have been dealing with abortion for decades that they are just at a totally different spot in life that isn't really encouraging fans as just a way to tell the story be positive you can get a union job in the political and wave applicable flag and the new movie Telstra quick. The name of it, and in one sentence description. Patrick of Ireland is the title and telling the story of St. Patrick a day that we all celebrate every year and most of us, including myself, yours note. Don't know why what is over and find out and let's take you back to was it. Where was it was a Philadelphia enough in your walking with your family just a little guy and everything changed when you walk by church what it say intolerable whenever Quakers have a minute left yet so my parents want with us.

We had a very broken families, my two sisters and I were walking on the streets in Philly and walked to the church and had a sign welcoming ahead of free Dunkin' Donuts and orange juice and we were three starving little kids.

We had no food, so we went in and part of the deal was we could eat the donors if we stay for Sunday school and that was the life-changing moments analytical in connection with your heavenly father, your chosen one out there.

Whether they're making movies, going to movies serving is struggling as a single mom just to get their kid did to drop the kid off at school wherever they are. Your Charles everyone out there. Joe Knopf is someone who's you know you you have that you have that the bruised knees you have that the shoe leather that's worn out is an orphan who came to know Christ you're no longer living as your adopted by God. What's your challenge other folks about finding Lauren about finding his meaning how their dear.

Now Sharon Nasser leveraging earrings have them into reaching other people what your challenge understand your story. Note even if you feel like you're not out of it. Go back and look what God has delivered for you personally in your life and by challenging to do that he will point out those moments of your life. So understand that and take that love that he has shown you before and know he's going be with you going forward. Well behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we could be called the sons of God. A look at the sunny gutter and Ellen Joe Knopp if if you become a son and daughter. The most highly trusted Jesus as your Savior. That's why were sent here that's why you're listening to us. We can invite you into the greatest relations of all turn from your sin. Admit that your sin kill Jesus. Admit that you deserve judgment and receive his grace, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he died across and rose from the dead to give you life. And while at your heart in the Joe the people find Christ they find their Hadley father, everything changes. They bit they become truly heirs right. I don't know how to get through this world without him.

He doesn't promise Detroit area, but he deftly promises a blessing beyond what we can and I love the wealth of having his peace. You still may be broke but guess what will be broke. We do have God in your life you got have in common right so it is and he's brought you to him. So you can bring others to him so who are you bringing the message of Jesus to today because of what he's done in your life. Do not thank you for being on my friend, your second lesson thousand eight brought a powerful story of regular closeout by singing, but I will say I could only imagine what a deal want to song what a movie Joe Knopp the preprint producer of I can only imagine of unplanned in a new movie coming.

Stay tuned, about this will tell you more will have you back on again movie about the life of St. Patrick a Amanda God, who really set out to change his world, against all odds because he came in contact with his heavenly father is well want to trust God today. If you have go tell someone about it. Don't waste people's time. Tell him about Jesus