Latest / How to Faith a Life Podcast with Faith Womack / This Actress is shining a Light for Jesus: My interview with Masey Mclain

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This Actress is shining a Light for Jesus: My interview with Masey Mclain · How to Faith a Life Podcast with Faith Womack

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: If you're listening to the How to Faith a Life podcast, where we wrestle with questions on how to live a life of faith, from everything from books to Bible studies, even Bible study tips.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: This is your place to wrestle with the hard questions and dive deep into what scripture really says for the Christian walk.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Make sure you've subscribed to this podcast and your favorite podcast streaming services.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Review this podcast so other people can find it and share with other believers who want to ask the hard questions.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Now, with all that said, let's begin.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Hi friends, welcome back to the How to Faith a Life podcast, a ministry of Bible Nerd Ministries.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: Today I am so excited for our special guest, Macy McLean.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: Now, if you do not know who she is, where have you been?
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: You must be living underneath a rock.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Macy is an actress, a screenwriter, a producer, best known for her leading roles in I'm not ashamed, and the hit Amazon Prime series, The Baxters, where her performances have been praised for their emotional depth.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: I loved The Baxters, and it was one of those shows that I was addicted to.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: I consumed it like an addict.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: It was really bad.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: She's also one half of a Powerhouse creative team alongside her writing and producing partner, Taylor Kalupa.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Together, their projects include the award-winning film A Christmas Less Traveled, starring Candace Cameron Buret, as well as their work in the action-packed TV series Blue Ridge.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: They are currently developing a television series with John Irwin's The Wonder Project, which did I Can Only Imagine in House of David.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: They're also set to adapt and produce a number one New York Times bestselling novel alongside producer Ramona Downey.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Off screen, Macy is a sought-after speaker known for inspiring women to step boldly into their purpose, whether on set, in a writer's room, or on stage.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: She's committed to telling stories that matter and to make an impact that lasts far beyond screen.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone, welcome, Macy.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the podcast.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Hi.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So good to be here, Faith.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just, I'm just excited to chat with you.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so happy you're here.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm laughing because reading that long, like all the good stuff that you do, it's like, how do I even start with a conversation?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Because you've truly made such an impact, especially in media, for our generation.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Growing up, you know, we had a few good Christian movies, but for the most part, I didn't see any female actresses that I could look at and say, you know, they are women in this typically very pagan field that are showing what it looks like to live unto Christ and to make stories that are highlighting redemption.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm just so glad that you were willing to come on because I want to expose you to my audience as someone who's truly so incredibly faithful and passionate about telling stories of redemption.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Will you tell us a little bit about how you got into acting and all of this?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, first of all, I just have to say I love that you kept using the word redemption because as I've been praying about the move the movies and shows and everything that first I'm acting in, and also that me and my creative partner are developing and writing and producing.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: The word redemption has been kind of the stamp of a word that we've been kind of using as just kind of the banner we want to be over all of our projects.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that can be more overt in like a faith forward message, or like the movie I have coming out so on fire, it's more woven subtly throughout it, but is the most redemptive, you know, one of the most redemptive projects I've ever been a part of.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, so that was just I felt like a godwink that you just said that.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: That was really cool.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I got involved in acting when I was 15.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: I just decided to do plays in high school.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it was kind of the one thing that I felt like I could fly when I was acting.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I've never felt this before.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: I was really into sports in high school and I loved playing basketball.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: I was a runner.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was really dedicated to like cross-country and track.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: But there was something about acting that I was like, oh, I feel like I come alive when I do this.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: And have you ever seen the movie Chariots of Fire?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a phrase that he says in the movies, like, when I run, I feel the Lord's pleasure.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I felt that when I was on stage for the first time, I felt like, oh, when I when I do this, I feel the Lord's pleasure.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I feel like, oh, this ignites something in me.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: I just fell in love with it.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: I ended up getting an agent, and my first thing I ever did was a commercial with the Jonas brothers, which for my 15-year-old self was really, really fun.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: I had to sing Burning Up.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: No, for the Jonas.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it was a karaoke like commercial for Disney.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: And they were like, Who who wants to sing?
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: No one raised their hand.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, um, I do.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, and in that moment, even taught me say yes.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, say yes to things, take the chance.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just like, I mean, that didn't lead to anything of, you know, but it but it was just like I got to do it, you know.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: The journey of acting and the roller coaster, even before you just said, you know, I've done so many things or something, but I will say, over this over the span that I've been in it, it doesn't feel like it's all just like happened, like, oh my gosh, this happened and this happened.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's been such a long journey.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um really low lows, really high highs, and a lot of wilderness, quote unquote, you know, times in between where you're like, what am I even doing with my life?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: I really got serious about it in college.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: All of my friends were doing really regular jobs.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, like they were gonna be a nurse or a teacher.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like some sorcus performer that was leaving college classes to go audition for who knows what, you know?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, what am I doing with my life?
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I almost completely got out of acting, and I ended up booking a series regular role on the TV show Nashville.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, and it was a dream role for me.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was I was gonna be a country artist, I was gonna be a you know, a singer.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was I mean, this was like the cream of the crop of what I wanted to do in acting.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I booked the role, I went and filmed, the cast was like, welcome to the family, you're one of us now.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was so amazing.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I got home and two weeks later, my agent called me and they canceled my character.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: They and it was so devastating.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: I was 17.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: They were like, you know, what the storyline is too similar to one of the characters they already have.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: It just doesn't make sense to have your character.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And also, my character was supposed to be kind of the good girl, like a very bright light.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, oh my gosh, like this is perfect.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I get to be this.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it was devastating.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, God, why in the world would that happen?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like it felt like such a tease.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why in the world?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And after that, and before that, I was constantly getting number two for things.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was like everything I went out for, it was almost.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I finally got to a point, it was like the end of my freshman year of college, I believe.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: I was studying the book of Gideon, not the book of Gideon.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: I say this every time.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: The story.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: The story of Gideon.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: I I promise I know the Bible.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am on Bible Nerds.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is like the worst place I could have said the book of Gideon.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: I know my Bible, I promise.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was studying the story of Gideon.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: And it was the moment where Gideon, you know, lays out his fleece and he's like, God, if this is you, make the fleece wet, you know, with the dew.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: And God does.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't tell this story because I think people should test God, because it also says, Don't test the Lord your God.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: And Gideon was not great for doing this.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I was like, you know what, Lord, I am at this point.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: You say your word is alive and active, and I feel like you're speaking to me through this study.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna lay out my fleece and I'm just gonna see what you do.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: So that day I had a an audition for a Papa John's commercial.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why it's funny, but it is.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: For a Papa John's commercial, it's like so stupid.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like I had to go, you know, get your pizza, you know.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, this is humiliating.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: The Papa John's commercial is gonna be my fleece.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it is what it is.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, if the casting director, I didn't even say if I booked the role, I said if the casting director says something to me about staying in acting and not leaving the industry, I will stay.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: If not, this is my last audition and I'm out.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I made it very specific what the casting director had to say.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I brought two friends with me to the audition, which is again that this is very frowned upon.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: You're not supposed to bring people to an audition.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I walk in this room and there's like 30 other girls that look just like me because you're all going out for the same role.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I got my friends and I was like, sit right here.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I made them sit like right outside of the audition door so they could hear.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, if something happens, I don't want to second guess it, I don't want to think I'm crazy, whatever.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Go in, I do my thing, pizza spiel, whatever.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of it, he was like, Okay, Macy, thanks.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Okay.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I go to leave, and I kid you not, my hand is on the doorknob.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: And he goes, Macy, wait.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Yeah.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, Don't quit.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: You're supposed to stay in it.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be a really good year for you.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, It gives me chills.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: I have chills just even saying it.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm like, God is so kind.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: And also a crazy thing, casting directors never say things like this.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it is very rare.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: They always say, Thank you so much, have a good day.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I got outside the room, and my friends, too, both of my friends' eyes were just this wide, like they heard it, and they were like, you know, we're all just like bouncing around in the audition room, like, oh my gosh, Gideon, Gideon! And you know, the other girls are like, What are they?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: What is happening?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this is Papa John's.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Did she book the commercial?
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is Papa John's.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: She's confused.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, should we go there and talk about Gideon?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: I probably messed up everyone's day that day.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, everyone's audition was like, they're like, Gideon?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: They're calling the casting director Gideon the whole day.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, God is so kind.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like you have to be careful with uh telling God, like, if you don't do this, then I'm gonna do this.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: I just I tell that story because I think it was so kind of God to meet me in my weakness and answer me so specifically.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: So that year was actually the year I booked I'm not ashamed.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a process in itself, but it was the Lord, you know, he was he just we was there.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: He's so I just sometimes we figure I I feel like sometimes at least I view God subconsciously as just someone that's like figure it out, you know, or like I have to please or I have to get this right.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: And he's just so good, he's so with us, he's a good father, and he kept me in it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, after that it was just kind of like, okay, I'm I'm supposed to stay in this.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hiya friends, I'm gonna interrupt this podcast really quickly because I wanted to make sure you don't miss out.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: You see, most Christians say they want to go deeper in their Bible, but here's the hard truth.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: Most of us are studying it completely wrong, and that's why we can't go any deeper.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: But my new book, published by Zondervin, comes out November 18th, and it's titled No More Boring Bible Study.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: I wrote it because I'm tired of watching Christians settle for shallow devotionals and misuse Bible verses that just end up robbing the word of its power.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: This book gives you the tools you were never taught, the stuff pastors learn in seminary, but most Christians never even hear.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking how to actually handle different types of biblical literature, how to stop twisting scripture to fit into your life, and how to finally hear God's word.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: In truth, if you believe the Bible is true, you cannot afford to keep skimming it or even not understanding it.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: If it really is true, let's treat it like it is and feast on it.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: If you care about being faithful to God's word, this is the book you're going to want to pre-order.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: So here's my challenge.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: Pause this podcast right now, go to Amazon and pre-order No More Boring Bible Study.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's also on all the other websites that you get books.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: But don't wait until you forget.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is your moment to choose.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want shallow flimsy faith or deeper, richer study of the Bible that will actually change your life?
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's No More Boring Bible Study by me, Faith Womack.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: And you can pre-order today so that as soon as it's out, it's on your doorstep, reminding you, oh yeah, this is what matters.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Let's read this.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Don't miss out and forget because if we really believe the Bible's true, we're gonna prioritize it.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: Now let's get back to the podcast.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And then now, like fast forward to today, we see God's sovereignty and his faithfulness in Soul on Fire coming out.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: What?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now, as they're listening, tomorrow.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, tomorrow.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: Guys, y'all gotta go see it.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Can you share a little bit about Soul on Fire and what led you to this project and what you love the most about this project?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yes.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Man, so that was a God story as well.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: I was actually pretty discouraged right before I got this role because COVID happened, tons of strikes happened.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: I filmed the Baxters, but the Baxters sat on a shelf.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: People don't know this, but the Baxters sat on a shelf for like five years.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: We filmed the Baxters in 2018.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: It didn't air till 2024.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was that long.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I was just like, what is happening?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: It was again a very wilderness season for me.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I had just gone through a really hard time personally.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I just felt like I was just really in the pit.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I got this script, and my manager called me and he was like, hey, this doesn't happen often.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: I hadn't worked on a set in like four years because of everything.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: And he was like, you are the number one pick for this role.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, they just called and they want you to read with the director.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, what?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: Many times you go off of momentum in acting, of like, oh, they were just on this and this release.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like the Baxters hadn't released.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was just like, how in the world am I the number one pick right now?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it was with really great actors, like Joel Courtney, you know, John Corbett, William H.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Macy.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, what in the world?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I I read with the director and and I booked it.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like they just were like, yeah, you're the girl.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I got the script.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: And when I read the script, I mean, even right before I read the director, I was like, oh, this is from God.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I this is mine to do.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it was just so, so crazy because I felt like I had just walked out of a season that mirrored the movie in some way.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just like, man, I feel like the Lord's been almost preparing me for this.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it is such an amazing feeling when you know something is from God that you're just like, no matter what any casting person says, anything, I know that I will receive whatever's from the hand of God.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, so that's kind of what I went into my audition or with the director, like the confidence I could have.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: And man, this movie, what I love about it is it is not a faith-forward movie.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like it is not a quote unquote Christian film.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually an inspirational film, but it is the gospel.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like the whole film and the story and the message is the gospel woven all throughout it.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: And that is what I'm so excited for viewers to walk out with.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, one of the themes of it is that every single one of us have scars, right?
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Whether they're physical, emotional, spiritual.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: We're all just walking around kind of with turtlenecks too, trying to cover up those scars, right?
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because we don't want people to see the things that we're most ashamed of.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want people to see the things that we're fearful of or scared of, whatever cripples us.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Cover up, put on, you know, especially, I mean, social media, like everything, put on.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And this movie just strips all of that away.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Just one of the biggest parts about it, especially with my character, is Beth.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: I play Beth O'Leary, who's John O'Leary's wife.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the way that she loves John is the purest example of love.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And the way that his family, the people that call him forth into his destiny, like the kind of love they have, they look at his brokenness.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: They look at the things he he's most ashamed of, and they call him into the light.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: They call him out of shame, really.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And the whole time I was like, this is what God does for us.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like he looks at us in our most broken, just worst parts that is we don't want anyone to see, and the worst versions of ourselves, and he says, I love you.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like I choose you.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what Beth does.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, she doesn't see him as his scars, she doesn't see him as his shame, she doesn't see him as his insecurities.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: She sees him and she chooses him.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: If people even left the theater, having one person on their heart that they could be that for, that they could call forth into their purpose and bring out of darkness or choose, or say, like, I'm with you in this brokenness.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to have the turtleneck.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you could do that for one person, I just think it would not to be cliche, but it would set the world on fire in the best way if we could have that kind of agape love for the person in front of us.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's that's a message that I'm one of the messages I'm just I'm so excited for audiences to resonate with and be inspired by.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: For anyone who hasn't seen the trailer or hasn't heard the story of Kevin O'Leary, can you give a quick summary of his accident and then kind of the story that the movie walks the viewer through so they can, you know, be a little bit more compelled to go buy tickets, guys?
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so John O'Leary, he was a burn victim when he was little.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: He was playing with some matches and he wanted to fit in with the older kids, and he thought, you know, oh, here's some gasoline.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is what they were doing.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: And he ended up just completely exploding, basically, uh, when he set the match on the gasoline.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it blew up, I mean, his house completely caught on fire.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: He was completely engulfed in flames, and he had less than a 1% chance of living.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: I will say the film does a really good job of you're not just watching someone get mauled by flames.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like they they edit it in such a way that you're not gonna be like, oh, I can't stomach this.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I just want viewers to know that.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, especially if kids go see it, it's not rated R, if that makes sense.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um We're taking our boys.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yes, that makes me so happy.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, they're gonna love it.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: But he has once less than a 1% chance of living.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when they tell John's mom that, uh, she goes to John and he asks her, he's like, Mom, am I gonna die?
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and he's completely, I mean, just he's been engulfed in flames, you know, laying in a hospital bed.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: And she asks him, she says, John, do you want to die?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: And she puts the choice in his camp.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like for a mom, I mean, you're a mom, like, you know, and she even says, She's like, I don't know what came over me.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because a mom usually is gonna be like, Yes, you're gonna be great, you're gonna be fine, everything's gonna be fine.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: She really knew in that moment that the power of choice that we have, and he had to choose.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: And he says, and he's like, Yeah, I want to live.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I know, like, God is sovereign over our days.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: I completely know believe that, but there's just something so powerful of the choice to live, and not just live physically, but the choice to live no matter what we're walking through.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, one of the quotes that John says is, You don't always get to choose the path you walk.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: What you're gonna see in this movie and who John is in real life.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness, talk about someone that chooses every single day to live in the way he lives.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: He is the epitome of the power of choice that we all have.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: No matter how big our scars are, no matter how big our story is, what's happened, how much of a victim we are, how brutal the scars are, we all have a choice in the way we walk the path that we're on.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: And gosh, his life has just absolutely transformed millions of people's lives because of the choice that he made to live and not just to live that day, but to live every single day after that.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: In his mindset, in his heart, in the way he loves people, in the way he impacts people, and the way he chooses not to be a victim.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: It is just, it challenges me every single time I think about it.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: I bet it does.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Man, that's convicting to me.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think so often we take the normal day-to-day for granted and we're like, yeah, but like my dryer broke.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, all the time.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: And we like as if we have a reason to be like so ungrateful for our blessed lives, you know?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: It puts everything in perspective.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I love how, in like, you were sharing your role and how you felt like God called you to it.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: And you literally said, like, this was from God, and I felt like I got to mirror God's love for us.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's all God-centric for you.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's all a worshipful act for you.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: And what does that look like for you as somebody in Hollywood with your faith so core to who you are?
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we talked about this in June, but like, you know, your faith is so defining for everything that you do, every project that you take on.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: What is that like being such a light in this dark world?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't separate who I am in my personal life versus who I am in my professional life, if that makes sense.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you know who you are in Christ and you know the purpose of your life, it affects everything.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there's nothing that can't be infected by that or affected by that.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: So even in my career, I mean, sometimes I look back and I'm like, the purpose of my life is not to be an actor.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's not to do great roles, it's not to write great movies.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: It is to glorify God and whatever he's given me to steward, whatever it is.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I look back and I'm like, sometimes it feels like the gifts he's given us is actually the means for our sanctification rather than even just the things we're gonna do.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Does that make sense?
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I always say that because sometimes I look back and I'm like, Lord, you have used this career to sanctify me to the core in the wilderness seasons, in the highs, in the low lows.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like it has all been a sanctification process and all for your glory.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: So at the end of the day, you're gonna use every piece and part of it.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: Because some of the, you know, because we can get so stuck in the mindset of what am I gonna do?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: What is the, you know, what am I gonna do for God?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: And he's just like, oh honey, I actually don't need you, but I'm gonna work through you.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: And one of my favorite quotes, Roma Downey, who plays my mom in the Baxters.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'm producing something with her now, which I'm very excited about.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's cool.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't announced it what it is yet, but oh, I just love her so, so much.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: But she always says the quote, it is better to light a candle in the darkness than to curse the darkness.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, uh isn't that good?
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so even in in spaces I walk into, or you know, in this industry, I know a lot of uh it can feel very dark.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's just better to light a candle in the darkness.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: And you never know what that's illuminating for who to see God and who to see uh the light that you carry.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes, I mean, sometimes it is very difficult.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: To discern in the gray areas, there's a lot of gray of what can I do and what I can't.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes me and other believers in this industry have different convictions.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we have different lines that is like, oh, that's that's a line for me, or I don't need to step into that space or that project.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: But I will say, uh I mean it all comes down to me to walking with the spirit.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're walking with the spirit, then case by case, project by project, movie by movie, he will speak.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know that feeling when you're convicted by the Holy Spirit of not to do something.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I've had that before where I didn't understand it.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, God, this feels like a good thing, but I feel like you're telling me no, like this is not, like there's something I don't see, and I had to listen to it.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: So my prayer lately, I even prayed this this morning.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: I was on a walk with the Lord and I just asked him, I was like, Lord, help me be more present to your spirit.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like you want to be present with someone you're talking to.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, help me be more present with the Holy Spirit so I can discern these things.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of decisions all the time.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: It just takes walking with the Holy Spirit to know what to do and how to be a light.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: I love that, man.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's so hard as Christians to sit back and say, okay, Lord, you've truly got this.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna try and control this.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna try and tell you what I want from this.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like this is yours entirely.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's really hard.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: But I love hearing the testimony of how you putting it in his hands has truly wrecked everything in a good way, like totally put it on its own trajectory and brought so many great, amazing projects that you probably never even saw coming.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um reaching people.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like I remember, and I know I've already told you this, but I want my audience to hear this.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I remember turning on the boxers and being like, ugh, you know, another like cheesy TV show.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see, maybe it'll be okay.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: And then falling in love with the storyline and being like, This is juicy.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: The level of drama had me hooked.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: And being there at 2 a.m., not being able to turn it off because I was so like, what is God doing here in this story?
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: And almost forgetting that it wasn't real.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you have a captivating presence on screen where it really doesn't feel like just another cheesy TV show or another cheesy movie, like it really truly does grip people.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: And even through like this interview, you keep telling multiple stories because it just shows like God's giving you this heart for story to tell the great story, right?
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: And you get to do that on screen, but you do it in a stewarding, worshipful way.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to applaud you and like everyone go check out Solemn Fire because I'm so excited to watch it and just cry with you.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: You love me real.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: Every project or crying with me.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's like Yeah, hey, I love it.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's a good time.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: Hey friends, I'm gonna interrupt this podcast real quick because what if I told you your Bible study could actually change someone's life half a world away?
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: Not just your life, but their life too.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: In Kaunguari, Kenya, families wake up every day with zero access to clean water.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: But for$50, we can step in not only with a water filter that lasts 20 years, but with three discipleship visits, gospel conversations by local missionaries, and a connection to a solid local church.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: This isn't charity that replaces the church, it strengthens it.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: And the best part, it's not Americans flying in to save the day, it's local Kenyans, neighbors discipling neighbors in their own community.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: I went myself to check it all out.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: I paid my own way, it's not like they asked me to come out, but I can tell you, this ministry is the real deal.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: And they're doing kingdom work, and that's why I want us Bible nerds to be a part of it.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Joe and I already gave$5,000, which is 100 water filters with the discipleship and the missionaries coming to the homes and all of that.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm asking the Bible nerd community to join me to do something bigger.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: Let's fund 2,000 filters together.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: That's 2,000 families with clean water in the living water.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: Please don't assume someone else will cover it.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: If you're hearing this, the need is still real.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: There's something so valuable in the worshipful response of saying, yes, Lord, use me, even with my couple of bucks.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: So before you keep listening to this awesome podcast, pull up the show notes.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: You'll see there a link to give as a Bible nerd, and even the map of where you can track the impact of our Bible nerd community in Kawangwari.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: You can see their faces, their names, some of the families I even got to meet who now have water because of you guys.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: Let's stop just reading the word and start living it out in our lives, even where it hurts, even in our wallets.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: Will you join me?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Open the show notes now as we get back to this podcast.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I wanted to ask you, what do you hope audiences walk away with after they watch Soul on Fire?
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like what's your prayer?
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think my prayer really comes back, especially I think in the day we live in, in the generation we're in, is the power that we have to choose.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: I always keep coming back to that because I will say, in the hardest times of my life, you know, those pit times, which I think we all have them, where you're like, I am in the pit and I cannot get out.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you are in a season of something's happened to you or you've done something, or I don't know, just life is hard.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: But in the hardest times of my life, I have felt the Holy Spirit say to me, You have a choice.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like you have a choice in this.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can either stay here and self-destruct, or you can choose to trust me with everything you have, and you can choose life.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like I even think scripture talks a lot about choosing life.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: I want audiences to walk away with that because I do think in our day, I think we can have such a like, oh, this has happened to me.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: I just need to, you know, uh, and it's we can get stuck in it.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: God just has so much on the other side of us choosing to trust him and choosing life.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I want people to walk out of the theater making that choice.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: Now I ask everybody this season, what are some tools or practices that have helped you grow in your walk with the Lord or in Bible study?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: I know you talked about going on a walk with God.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: I need to go do that.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: Where are you seeking the Lord, reading, studying?
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: Let us know.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: I know we're all kidding.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just kidding.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just kidding.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: I promise to your audience, I'm not a heretic.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love that question.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so walks with God are probably my one of my favorite ways to connect with Him.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: Someone told me one time, whatever makes you feel closest to God, do more of that.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like I kind of always come back to that.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever makes me feel closest to God, do more of that.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I love prayer walks.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: For some reason, it just eliminates distractions.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: I can't be on my phone.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's fresh air.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: But sometimes, so I have a thing where I can't really pray in my head when I'm on a walk.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: I pray out loud.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I live in a town where I mean it's just a main street, like, you know, I'm walking everywhere.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I will go on a walk and put headphones in.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: Some people think I'm talking on the phone, but I'm really talking to God.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a little trick you can do.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't look at me.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, I look like a crazy person.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just talking, you know, just out loud.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's the Macy girl again.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: There she is.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like, people don't know me.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna know I'm not praying, you know.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: I love prayer walks.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: I love prayer journaling.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: I am such a big advocate for prayer journaling because, and I think David with Psalms just exemplifies this so well.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: There's something about I can probably look back on every single one of my journal entries with the Lord, and I start one way and I end completely different.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: I start completely like, whoa is me, what is happening?
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like just completely like, you know, or pouring out my heart to the Lord, like no matter how big or small it is.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: But by the end, I'm like, oh, God is good.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I I definitely think the word, I mean, is everything.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: And if I'm not in scripture, I can see it.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, my husband would even say, like, he's like, I can tell when you're not in the word.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I really, and I don't say the mess because I'm like, no, but he doesn't say it mean.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I can tell when he's not either, you know what I mean?
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm gonna pull that on Jim.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Babe, have you been in the word?
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: People are gonna think, I promise my marriage is great.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: No, but he'll he'll be like, he'll be like, hey, how are you doing?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, are you are you having your quiet times?
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because mine more manifests in like anxiety or like just blazer focused, and I'm not as carefree, honestly.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: I just think there's something about the word that just is like, I mean, his yoke is easy, you know, like his burden is light.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I just think that affects everything.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: Think it's truth.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: So right now I'm doing the Bible recap with Tara Lee Cobble.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I love the Bible recap.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: I am very behind, but I am catching up.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: So hey, grace, man.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm I'm refusing to give up.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: And like I am going to read the Bible through this entire year.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I love Bible studies.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: I really do.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: I love you have you have one coming out.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, got a book coming out.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure we'll put a cheesy little ad in the middle of this podcast.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, November 18th.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for asking.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: Is that something that I can like go through next?
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's to pour in you like a love for God's word.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe if you're burnt out after the Bible recap, like read through it and then you'll be like, oh wait, I now I want to go reread the Bible because this makes me notice so many more things.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's like one of those books like to come alongside and make you like love the word even more.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that's also really unique.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't read anything like that.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited for my audience to go check out Soul on Fire.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited for them to go follow you.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, if you guys do that, comment on her Instagram like hashtag the book of Gideon, and that way she knows you're from the Bible nerds.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, please do.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: I will die when someone does that.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: That is so fun.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: It will be the little Bible nerd insider.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, little inside joke.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: Where can people check out tickets for Soul on Fire?
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they are computer illiterate.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: Where can they find tickets?
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: Where can they find you and follow all your projects and all your work?
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: How can they stay in touch with you?
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: Soul on Firemovie.com is where you can find tickets.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: You can find, you know, what theater has tickets near you.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like I already checked with my theater.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: I walked in the other day and they had the poster up and I was like, oh my gosh.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can also just reach out to your, you can, you know, go to Regal Cinemas or AMC, wherever you go to the movies, and see if it's playing near you.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: If it's not playing in your city, it's very likely in the city really close to you because it's all over the country.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: But if you also follow Soul and Fire on Instagram, we just have fun little clips, you know, media clips that they're releasing of behind the scenes and just some fun press stuff we've done.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm on Instagram.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's at Macy, M-A-S-E-Y.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone spells my name all kinds of crazy ways, but it's M-A-S-E-Y, McLean, M-C-L-A-I-N, at Macy McLean.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll I'll be posting about the movie.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'll be posting fun behind-the-scenes stuff.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, and and the cast is on there too.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: Joel Courtney, like, follow us, it'll be fun.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: And hashtag get in.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Macy, this is an iconic.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you so much, Faith.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: You're listening to the How to Faith a Life podcast, where we wrestle with questions on how to live a life of faith, from everything from books to Bible studies, even Bible study tips.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: This is your place to wrestle with the hard questions and dive deep into what scripture really says for the Christian walk.
• 32:36
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• 32:40
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