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The meal wasn’t particularly memorable, but the ending was a pleasant surprise. “I couldn’t help but overhear part of your conversation,” said our waiter, handing us our check, “and I realized you must be Christians. I became a Christian in prison a few years ago, and God has done more for me since that time than I could ever have imagined possible, just as it says in Ephesians 3:20.” We talked for several minutes more, and when my wife, Cheryl, and I went to the cash register to pay the bill, I saw our waiter again. I asked him if he would kindly write out the verse from Ephesians he had quoted earlier. He made a duplicate of the receipt and wrote the words on the back. “Trust and believe,” he said to me as we headed out the door. “God is able.”
This happened in 2019, and as you might imagine, I’ve held on to that restaurant “bill” ever since. For months, it remained tucked away in my wallet, but I’ve had it on my desk of late, repeating those words again and again. I want them to sink in. I want them to register profoundly in my soul; to leave an indelible imprint. Here am I… a mere mortal with so many flaws… yet the God of the Universe is choosing to work through me… accomplishing infinitely more in the process than I could ever imagine or think!
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Jesus Appears to the Holy Women / Apparition de Jésus aux saintes femmes
1886-1894, by James Tissot
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Today, Easter Sunday, we proclaim God’s mighty power in raising Jesus from the dead. In so doing, I’m reminded that the Spirit that conquered death two thousand years ago is alive and well in me today, giving me “the desire and power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). And what pleases him? In my case, it is making movies! Movies that declare his glory to the nations.
I’m making a film right now, Let Me Have My Son, and if you’ve read our previous newsletters, you’re aware that progress has sometimes been slow but also tangible and measurable. We’ve now completed approximately one-third of the film! Soon, we hope to enter Phase 3 of production, which represents the next quarter of the movie. How will we cross the finish line? I don’t know. But I do know the Lord's mighty power is at work within me, and through that power he is able to accomplish much more than I could ever imagine or think possible!
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From the opening scene of Let Me Have My Son
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Let Me Have My Son began in the secret place of the heart. It is the outworking of my cry to honor the lives of my two sons as well as people everywhere who struggle with mental health conditions that too often lead to stigma and marginalization. I am on a mission—to bring hope and healing to the afflicted! “To comfort those who mourn… to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3). I can—and do—speak on the subject from personal experience, which lends Let Me Have My Son, I believe, a particularly powerful and persuasive voice in the times in which we live.
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Cris with Daniel (left) and David (right) in Belize City 2010
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And so, friend, what does this have to do with you? I honestly don’t know, though I do know some of you understand what it means to have loved ones go through hell when their minds become unglued. Perhaps you will see supporting this film as a way of honoring your friends and loved ones who have suffered. Beyond that, I hope you will come to the premiere of the movie when it is finished and give glory to God with me!
I close with these words written by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:17: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
God bless you and thank you for reading and praying!
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On a cold winter's morn, our ropmaster, Mark Wojahn, set out these memorabilia in the snow for Scene 101, filmed last month in Minnesota. Production of Let Me Have My Son continues, in part depending on generous charitable contributions from readers like you. Consider making a donation today to help us continue making films of beauty, stories of hope.
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