Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / The Power of Identity | a conversation with Stephen Kendrick

Transcript

The Power of Identity | a conversation with Stephen Kendrick · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hi friends, welcome back to the Simply Wholehearted podcast.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: It means so much to have you choose to take this conversation along with you today.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Amy Wicks, your host, and here at Simply Wholehearted, we provide perspective, purpose, and plans to help you love God, love others, and live your best life.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now we've wrapped up our travels through the Anneagram for now, but trust me, you'll be hearing so much more insight on this valuable resource throughout each episode coming up this fall and winter.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: And you guys, I have so many fun Anneagram ideas in the works, and I can't hardly wait to share them with you all.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: But today, I am sharing a first-time adventure with you.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: The Kendrick Brothers are well known for their faith-based films like War Room, Fireproof, Courageous, and Facing the Giants.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: When their media group reached out to see if I'd be interested in hosting one of them on the podcast, I said yes, of course.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Not only is their newest movie, Overcomer, a safe family film, but my whole family was inspired, entertained, and encouraged by this moving story.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, of course, we did all try to determine the character's Aneagram types, but we were also writing down the many life messages sprinkled throughout the film.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: So if you haven't yet decided to watch this one in the theater, I hope you listen to this conversation and make some movie night plans today.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so one of the first things that I was curious to know is we've noticed that you have some of the same actors in your movies, and we love that.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's super great to see some familiar faces from movie to movie.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm curious to know, did you write the part for the actor or did the actor happen to fit the part?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Well, in our situation, we we're thinking about impact at every level.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we don't want people just to be blown away or moved emotionally or inspired by a movie, but we know that they will tend to respect and want to follow who they've been staring at for two hours on the screen.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it's so important to us that the people who are representing specifically the gospel and the truths of God's word are not walking out of, you know, after the credits and totally dishonoring and disregarding everything, saying, I don't even believe in that, you know, because uh I don't we don't want them to be a stumbling block to other people.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: So uh we're not only looking for talented actors and actresses, uh, but specifically those that we know we're giving a platform to to represent Christ.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: We want them to love Christ and to be committed to God's word.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so that really narrows down.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: It does.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: It does, I can't imagine.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: And it ends up affecting there have been times where the Lord has said, go with this B actor who's committed to me rather than this A plus well-known actor who's not committed to me.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: And we by faith have trusted the Lord.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's funny how we'll pray over uh some of these actors before we'll shoot a scene, and in between action and cut, we'll watch God step in and do something just for those few seconds that's way better than what they usually, you know, are able to execute.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's a testimony to answered prayer and to God's faithfulness.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: So, but and to answer your question, for Overcomer, all of the characters were new for us except for the coach character.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, Alex, we wanted Alex to play the coach because he did an amazing job in facing the Giants, and his acting has improved since facing the Giants.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but um, he had coached all six of his kids to state championships and cross-country.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: No kidding.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so he knows coaching well.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: And he, Alex is, I know my brother well.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, he is in the word every day.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: He loves the Lord, he loves his family.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, he has tried to, with humility, leverage the platform that God has given him uh with every film to point people uh to Christ and to honoring him.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm grateful to continue to support Alex in having that platform.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: But anyway, other than that, other than his role, well, I take that back.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: The principal role Priscilla, yeah, Priscilla would play the principal.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: She nailed it.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she was incredible.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: She, I mean, it's funny how she did so good in War Room when that was her first film.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: And but he was like, I need somebody who's gonna be this classy principal, intelligent, uh, who can be seen as this authority leader who you're like, you totally buy that she's the principal of that school.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: And she it was really good.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: She did, she did fantastic.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, uh, our podcast and our community, we talk a lot about the Enneagram.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Have you heard about that?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we were sitting there, I was sitting there with my three kids and my husband, and we were typing all the characters, and we decided that Priscilla was playing an Enneagram 8, who was take charge, leader, challenger, and she did it so well.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: She embodied it perfectly.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: She did.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: And it was funny, like when she's telling him you need to coach cross country, and he's like, it's not even a real sport.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, responses are funny, yes, uh, but you can tell she's not just a pushover, nope, don't mess, you know, whatever kind of person.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, no, I love it.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's so refreshing to actually be able to promote something that's coming out of Hollywood, quote unquote, that you can that I'm not worried about my kids maybe following the actors and actresses and digging behind their stories in their real life, because there's plenty of things that we've watched, and you go and Google the actor or actress, and it's really disappointing and disheartening.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's heartbreaking.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Most of the time it's heartbreaking because you're seeing these people and you're like, I really admire them now, or I really want to know do they are they really that kind in real life?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then you find out, you know, the script they didn't write.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's really kind of sad because so many of them they're wearing wardrobe they didn't pick out, their environments they didn't create, uh looking good under lighting that they didn't develop, saying lines that they didn't write, and uh and acting is is very difficult.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's why I totally cheer on anybody who has the ability to act, you know.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: But it's really sad when you find out that devastating relationships, depression, lack of faith in God, and and you're like, man, I I would love to sit down with you over a cup of coffee and introduce you to Jesus, you know.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So absolutely.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I've known several people over the years and even more recently who have a desire to maybe infiltrate Hollywood sounds so dramatic, but in a way, pray for the actors and actresses and even feel called themselves and see it as a mission field.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like you guys have taken this approach as well in your filmmaking endeavors.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me a little bit about your heart behind you know what you produce and what your desire is in the long run.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, um, we want to be salt and light.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: And Jesus said, let your light so shine before people that when they see your good works that you do, they will glorify God in heaven.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we started in church ministry, and um, we were doing for 20 years serving in different positions in the church.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so our primary audience uh was the body of Christ, you know, that on a Sunday morning, you have the full gambit on a Sunday morning in a church with people that are you may have an atheist walk in the door, people with addictions that are walking in the door, people that are brand new believers, uh, or people that have been sold out to Christ and are very mature in their faith.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: You have anything and everything.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: But um, so we're trying to reach people where they are, love on them, connect them into an abiding relationship with Christ.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so as we started working on films, our films were aimed first at the church because God, God's word says that he wants to bless, reach, help the world through his church, yeah, his body.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that's been his plan from the beginning.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: But if we're broken and we we're having marriage and depression and dysfunction in the church, we're not in a good position to then go out and help the world.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: So we can't believe we that's right.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to go and we want to help the church first, and then secondly, we will aim beyond the church with all of our films to try to present a universal theme that anybody can relate to, whether it's marriage or fatherhood or identity, like in this film, and then incorporate somehow the gospel in the film so that because there's bleed over, and we know that there's millions of people in 76 countries around the world that will watch these films who may not have a relationship with Christ.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so awesome.
• 8:52
  unknown: That's it.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: So that's our that's how we specifically have gone after.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: If you look at how Jesus taught, he's doing parables to non-believers, right?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so telling emotional stories that have heaven's truth embedded in them, and then he's like the Sermon on the Mount to his disciples, he's very overt with them.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so one of the reasons that we've been overt, like we've had other filmmakers go, Well, you're preaching to the choir.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: And we're like, right, that's what we're aiming for.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: You're so overt in your messages.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: You're talking openly about Jesus.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: We're like, yeah, that's that's the audience we're going after.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: We're they were like, you mean you're intentionally going after the church?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the plan.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: We would make different movies if we were only going after non-believers, which is one of the reasons we are so grateful for the Irwin brothers that are friends of ours, is they have decided more recently to take true stories of changed lives and aim specifically at non-believers to present the gospel with them, which we think is fantastic.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we think that's that's we you need both, you know, you need the parables and you need the Sermon on the Mount too.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so and I love that you guys are staying in your lane, you see what your calling is.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: You're able then to produce something really, really great.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of mediocre, lukewarm, you've infiltrated the gospel throughout it, and it's not just and it's not candy coated, you have it really clear and distinct.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, my husband and I and family, we watched the movie, and we probably throughout it saw maybe 10 different amazing life lesson themes.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: What went throughout it, and we it was great conversation with the kids about it.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: We we talked about it afterwards on a date.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, the main theme is identity.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: What was the reason that you went after that message?
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well, with every film, we're asking God, what do you want us to do?
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Because we everybody has a movie idea we found out.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: They'll stop you at the gas pump and tell you their movie idea, you know, if they know if you're a filmmaker and so I buy.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: So we get this ongoing flood of people contacting us saying, please make a movie about you know, termite repair man guys, you know, whatever.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: And you're like, that's my world.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, um, so we're praying, God, what is on your heart?
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: What do you know people need to hear around the world?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what is the message you want us to communicate?
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: And consistently, he directs us towards something that was not our plan, you know?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so Alex and I, with our first film, he had this time travel rapture kind of thing going on with all this drama.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like God said, no, it's gonna be about a used car salesman.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: And Alex is like, I don't really want to be community about that.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: Or with War Room, it's like make a movie about a black woman's prayer closet.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, and Sony was like, is that even a thing?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what is that?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: So by faith, we've tried to move forward in obedience.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so after War Room, Alex had been coaching cross-country with his six kids, and he gets this storyline idea about identity.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: And at the same time, my wife and I had adopted a baby girl from China, and we watched her identity completely change.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: You know, she's Zheng Yi fan, and now she's me Elizabeth Kendrick.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: She was abandoned with no known family, and now she has a loving mom and dad.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: And instead of being this unwanted burden, she's this welcome blessing.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: Before she had no hope, you know, kids in China will get trafficked if they age out of the, you know, the orphanages.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: And in our situation, she's now in this safe environment with all the educational, the medical support for her heart condition, all of that stuff.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: Complete identity change because she's in Kendrick, you know, we adopted her into our family.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Ephesians 1 and 2 is this abstract, deep two chapters that kind of people glaze over when they read it.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: But if you understand that it's about identity, and it's explaining what does it mean to be not in Kendrick, but in Christ, that when we believe the gospel and we give our lives to Christ, our spiritual identity completely changes.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: And he lays out in those two chapters here's who you are now.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: You are now God's beloved child.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: You are wanted, you're chosen, you're forgiven, you're adopted into his kingdom, you have this inheritance in Christ, you're valuable to God.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: He's got a purpose and a plan for your life, you're his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: All of these things are now true of you that you didn't deserve or earn.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: God, because of his loving heart, has just given you all these things because he loves you as his child.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I totally get that now because that's what's happened to our daughter through adoption.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so while God's teaching me this stuff, he's giving Alex this storyline about identity and cross-country running.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: And it was those, it was that light bulb moment where we realized God wants us to make a movie about identity.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: We're interweaving both what we're learning together into the storyline of Overcomer.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: So oh man, and you've done it beautifully.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's come across in just so many different ways, from the identity of the coach to the main character, the runner, um, even to the, you know, the kids who are playing their different roles, just all all throughout it.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And it's oh, it's just beautiful.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's really, really if you haven't already gathered, the Enneagram is something I chat about often on this podcast, and of course, in my everyday.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I've created several ways to help you learn more about this invaluable resource.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: First, you can check out our Instagram feed for weekly Enneagram postings, and then you can get the Wholehearted Enneagram Quick Start, which is my step-by-step guide to help you gain clearer understanding on your dominant type.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're looking for an overview, my wholehearted Enneagram summary gives you the highlights of all my types on one page.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: It is super helpful as you talk to others about this awesome resource.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: And last but not least, I have a few more coaching spots so you can get on the waitlist for a free 30-minute consult.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: All the info is in the show notes or at simply wholehearted.com.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for saying that.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: That is our hope.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: We're very critical of our own work, and uh, we recognize when they finished product, we're like, ah, that's kind of cheesy.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, we were working with volunteers from our church in this situation.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're trying to grow as filmmakers.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: We know some of some of the aspects of our films that have not been as stellar quality or our fault, you know, in our growth process.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: But with every film, we've tried to say, okay, how can we grow at every level in our writing, in our directing, and the cinematography?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so I can say Overcomer is definitely the biggest budget, the best shot, the best lit, uh, in many ways, the best acted of all of our films.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: I love the the last 20 minutes with the state championship race as Hannah's running uh and watching that with crowds as people are coming unglued, cheering her on, trying to get her across the finish line.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's it's just been a lot of fun to watch it that come together.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: So oh yeah, no, it's it's absolutely, and you got to begin somewhere.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: There's a ton of grace for that because honestly, people like me, we're just it's hard to find anything that the whole family can watch anymore.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, especially it's probably even harder as we have teenagers because we're being even more particular and thoughtful because they're actually understanding.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: There's no like going in one ear and out the other.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's they're digesting it and they're internalizing it.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: We want to make sure what we're putting before them is wholesome and encouraging and edifying to them.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: I've got six kids and I totally agree.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, on a regular basis, they're saying, can we watch a movie or can we watch something?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, all right, well, what's out there and what's in it?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: We're checking on plugged in online, you know, what content is the thing, and then we're trying to clear play it sometime to filter out the stuff.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: And even then, with the language filtered out and some of the, you know, the sexuality filter out and those things, many times it's a worldview that's totally contrary to what we believe.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I try to turn it into a discipleship discussion with my kids on what is this movie communicating about what's right and wrong in God and and what's valuable and what does God's word say about that?
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I I love the fact that families can go see Overcomer in the theaters, your elementary school kids can watch it.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, everyone's gonna get something different out of this film of all ages.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and identity is something 100% of us are dealing with all the time, whether we realize it or not.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's for sure.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: From the from the oldest to the youngest.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now, along those lines, I have three aspiring filmmakers in my home, and they regularly get together with their second cousins who happen to live down the street and they film and edit and all that sort of stuff.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's so great.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I love the creativity.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: And probably because there's access to it, unlike when you know we were kids, it's that they actually can do it.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I didn't have that capability with a big heavy VHS recorder.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, what would you tell those who are inspired by what you guys are doing, especially as a family, um who think, oh man, maybe that's something that I want to be a part of and do someday to contribute positive messages to the world?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, God has entrusted some amazing uh power, influence, and technology to this generation, where um our first film, Flywheel, we shot on a 480p Canon X camera, and your cell phone in your pocket is higher resolution.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: So the the ability to upload something to YouTube and people around the world can watch it is just it's phenomenal that we can that we have the ability to do that.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, because this is a media-driven digital generation, it is important that believers can get into that and do it well.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: So your kids need to learn how to shoot and edit stuff.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and they'll end up using it for college and business and ministry and all these kind of things.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's true.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I tell people start small and tell a 30, make a 30-second commercial or a one-minute thing or a two-minute uh story that you can shoot and edit and put together.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, there will be things about it that stink on your first but that's how you learn and grow.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like you in front of we actually have something called the Christian Worldview Film Festival that we do every year in Franklin, and it's three days of training for young filmmakers and then three days where they can feature their work.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and they can compete and they can do shorts and documentaries and feature films and and they can network with professional filmmakers and those kind of things.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's every year in Franklin, Tennessee.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: But uh, I would also say that whatever uh you whatever you have access to, let them run out in the backyard, start telling stories, start editing things.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: And for filmmakers, what we tell them is you can watch YouTube videos and learn all kinds of skills on filmmaking with lighting and f stops and call sheets and those kind of things.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: But the spiritual aspect of it is more important and your heart being in a place where God can use you to communicate truth and love and light to this world is so important because if we hand you the weapon of filmmaking, but you're gonna end up producing lies and toxic things that are you're communicating to the world, you're gonna be held accountable by God for that one day.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: So true.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say so.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: I would say, in addition to learning the skills and practicing and those kind of things, also be in the Word on a daily basis, pray, say, God, give me, give me funny things that are clean that I can shoot in the films, which is what we pray.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: You know, give me storylines that will work, give me a message that the world needs to hear and uh be walking with the Lord in the process.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to put God, uh just leave him at church on Sunday and you go do stuff during the week and think that you're gonna have more fun without him.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: The truth is, if Jesus is in the boat with you, it's gonna be a much cooler experience than if the boat is collapsing without him, you know?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: So uh we love praying every day on set.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: We love being in the word and letting God inspire cool storyline ideas.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, this generation doesn't read that much, and if you can start reading God's word every day, Psalm says he'll make you wiser than your teachers, more understanding than the aged, you'll be more superior than your peers if you're letting God's word fill your mind and your heart on a daily basis.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I would do both the skills and then the spiritual aspect at the same time.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: That is a good word.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things that I was reading about that you guys have a desire to not just make films but begin or create a movement.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me a little bit more about that.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well, um, a movie can become a hub for a message, and we have seen that television shows come out of movies, Disney rides come out of Disney movies.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's true.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: They're merchandising toys, all that kind of stuff, because they're they're, you know, pitching a toy story, Buzz Light Your Doll, you know, at Tar.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Or whatever.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man, yes.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: For us though, um, if we can take a message from a film and use it to not only move people emotionally, but help them after the credits roll and they're inspired to study about marriage, or they say, I want to learn about fatherhood after seeing courageous, or learn how to pray after War Room, it's a great opportunity for you to then step in and say, Well, let's see what God's Word says about that.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Because we're transformed by the renewing of our minds.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh we will work with different partners and say, what are resources that can change lives that can then come out after a movie so that churches are that are so busy and pastors are worn out and beat up.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: How can we hand them something that's turnkey and biblical and we can say, hey, take your church to see Overcomer in the Theater?
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: All the ages can watch it, launch into a study about identity in Christ.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: We have resources for all ages.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Use these clips in your sermons and let your church discover the truths of the book of Ephesians, and it will impact their marriages, Ephesians 5, their bitterness, Ephesians 4, spiritual warfare, Ephesians 6, their prayer lives, Ephesians 2 and 3.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: All of these things get blessed when we discover who we are in Christ.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so it is our heart, it is our heart to go beyond just, hey, how many ticket sales did a movie make?
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the biggest reward for us is when you tell us your daughter got saved after seeing a movie, or your marriage got healed after seeing fireproof, or your husband stepped up to a great level level of responsibility after seeing courageous.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's the biggest reward for us.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love it.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's fantastic.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it is really neat how many resources that come out of these movies that people can take and then tangibly practice what they've learned and dive even deeper and apply it to their lives.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's that's right.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's really brilliant.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, for for you guys, what is your hope as you look at the success of your past movies and the hope for success of Overcomer?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: How can we pray?
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: How can we support?
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what is it that that we can do as you guys are going forward?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: This is what we'd really like to see as the outcome.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: I would say pray for strength and endurance.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, making movies is looks cool on the screen, but it's two years of blood swelling.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: It can be hard on your energy level and your parenting with your kids, and uh, you know, just us just trying to guard families while we're working on something like this.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: So for us, that we would always be centered on the Lord and uh guarding those priorities.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the Lord has helped us a lot with that as we've learned with films over the years of learning how to pace ourselves.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: We intentionally try not to come out with another movie every year uh so that we can pace ourselves and spend time with our families.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then I would say um our hope, though, is that the gospel will go to the nations, is that lives will be transformed in the church as they discover identity in Christ.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: Because what we're seeing is this is a root core issue, and that uh right now we're in a generation that's struggling with gender, sexual identity issues, with racial identity issues, political, denominational identity identity issues in the church.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so if we can be founded and grounded in Christ first, it actually will help you have a better marriage.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: It will help you deal with depression.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: Uh if I can come back and remember that even when I'm criticized or I fail or things are taken away from me, if I can remember who I am in Christ, that I'm still God's beloved son, forgiven, adopted, chosen, sealed with a hope in heaven, if I can remember that in those moments, it helps me to stand really strong.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: It helps me to pray with faith.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: It helps me to not have to get the applause of men or win the award or whatever, because I'm I'm good.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm strong in who I am in Christ.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: And so many of the issues, addictions are oftentimes connected to identity issues, depression is oftentimes connected to identity issues.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so us coming back to the Lord first and who we are in Him, if we can lay that foundation strong, so many other things begin to fall into place.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, that's good.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think that would be an amazing outcome.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: How about?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, for me, I tend to I get super excited about a project and it might be really draining and hard, but in the back of the mind, I might have a little seed or hope for the next thing.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: Are you guys already dreaming about the next thing?
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're smiling.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: So we we are um right now because Overcomer is is consuming so much time and energy as we're ramping up for August 23rd.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we're already praying towards the international release.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be in 24 countries.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: We're discussing a Latin American release and and all of that.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of honest.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then the DVD, we've already got some really cool stuff that's gonna be on the DVD that we've never done before at this level, which is gonna be fun for people.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we have we have 20 different potential projects that is on our prayer incubator board.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: We're praying about.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: And that includes feature films, television shows, documentaries, uh, all kinds of things that we're just laying before the Lord and saying, God, what of these is of you and what's the timing of that?
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh there's a project right now that we're excited about, uh, that's a it's connected to adoption and sanctity of life, and and it's just this hopeful, joyful one, and it's based on a true story.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's one that we're working on right now.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, there's actually a biblical epic story.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: We haven't gotten into the biblical epics yet that we're praying about right now.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: That would be if I told you what it was about, you would be like, yes, please make it.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm sure.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm already like so excited.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we've got a lot of things before us, uh, but we don't want to uh spend any time working on something if God doesn't want us to do it.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, life is too short.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: Eternity is too long for us to waste our time on things that are not gonna matter for eternity.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: So we're we're asking God, please show us, please give us direction.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: And he's been faithful uh over every film to do that at the right time.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's good.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, as one creative to another, could you give me maybe just like a snippet of what it looks like to see confirmation or denial?
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm one of those two.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: On the whiteboard, I have like 20 things, and I'm like, okay, well, Lord, I think you whispered each one of them, but how does it look to, you know, timing and all the pieces that need to happen and that sort of thing?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's uh it's always uh important that we're getting a sense of God's direction on something.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so I will I will run a cycle of three things that I'm doing.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's really asking, seeking, and knocking.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: And basically, we will pray for clarity and direction from the Lord.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: Then we will go into gathering information.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, Lord, like right now, my wife and I are praying specifically about some schooling stuff with our son.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: So, and I we have six kids, but there's one son I'm kind of praying through.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's like, Lord, would you give us direction?
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'm talking to different people about these different options that we have out there.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gathering information, I'm in the word, and then I look for a sense of God's leadership.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I keep those three things going.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: And Alex and I do this on film.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: We just keep praying, keep gathering information, keep looking for a sense of God's leadership.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: Well, how does God speak to us?
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: In Colossians 3 and 4, he gives us eight different things that he can use to speak to us.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: Colossians 3.15, he uses a peace in our hearts.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: Let the peace of God rule in our hearts.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: And if we're stepping in a direction and suddenly there's no peace about it, something's not right about this, many times it's the Lord saying, I'm not in that, go in a different direction.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: He will use his word.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, his word is a lamp to our feet, our feet, and a light to our path.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: He will use the counsel of other believers.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: He will use circumstances, opening and closing doors.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: He'll use authority in our lives.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, he will use prayer as we're praying through things.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: And he's kind of just as we're surrendering to him in a posture of prayer.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: There have been moments when I was surrendering to the Lord in prayer, and it was like the fog lifted in my mind, and it was really clear what he was wanting me to do.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, but all of those things he can use together to point his children in a direction.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: I keep the cycle going, praying, gathering information, looking for a sense of God's direction.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'm watching, Lord, how are you speaking through your word?
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_01: How are you speaking through circumstances?
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: How are you speaking through a peace in my heart and through counsel?
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: And what's interesting and cool is he'll often line all of those things up and they'll all point in the same direction at the same time.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, so that's how he's confirmed with us storyline ideas and major decisions concerning our families.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we like to be able to be uh in the center of his will and know that we're exactly where he wants us to be, doing what he wants us to be doing, and we're not just hoping that he's blessing whatever we've decided.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: Man, we had some church today.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: I know I'm gonna go back and listen and take down notes.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: This was so good.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think um not only are we inspired to go out and see Overcomer, but we're just inspired with our life in general, and it's obvious you guys really live what you believe, and you're communicating that on the big screen, and you're providing just such an amazing resource um for families all over the world.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to see just how the Lord continues to breathe on this and what he does with Overcomer and the message and um just everything yet to come from you guys.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's pretty incredible.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're honored to be doing it.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: It is a it's an honor to represent the gospel.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's an honor to be able to serve the local church and to be able to share a message of of truth and hope and love with people who don't know Christ and that are around the world.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh thank you for what you're doing, and thank you for this podcast.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that you are loving on people through this service and blessing people right where they are, and I think that's wonderful.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: I knew this would be something fun to share with you all, and sometimes it's really hard to find movies for the whole family.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: But my family enjoyed the whole film, and we would all highly recommend supporting this message and seeing it at your next movie night out.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: More details and information about The Overcomer can be found in the show notes.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'd really love it if you text Simply All-Harted when you and your family go see this movie.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: Next week is my conversation with Lisa Joe Baker.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all have to be honest, I had to work hard to not have a fangirl moment.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: Her writing has really blessed me over the years, and I was really excited to get to talk with her.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, she was as lovely, kind, and down-to-earth as you might imagine.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: The Middle Matters is already available, and I'm recommending it to all the women out there.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: We took a really fun Anneagram twist to this conversation and the book, so I know next week's conversation will be one of your favorites.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: Let's continue to invite others to join us as we pursue perspective, purpose, and plans for a simply, wholehearted life.