Director's Blog

Recently, I began reading the book, “Angels On Assignment” by Roland Buck. A friend who I respect and trust recommended this to me, and although my “to do” list is ridiculous these days, I have found time to steal away some precious moments to read. Early in the book, there is one passage that I found especially wonderful, mostly because it reminded me of my own journey these past few years. For anyone who is reading this who carries your own dreams or desires to serve the Lord but don’t yet know how to begin, check this out:

(a little backstory: Roland Buck wrote this book back in the 70s, and it detailed his pretty dramatic angelic encounters. This passage came from one of his conversations with an angel…)

“God let me know that events which he has decreed HAVE TO HAPPEN! When he decrees it, an irreversible force is set in motion that nothing can stop. IT HAS TO HAPPEN! People he has included in his unfolding plan are not irreversibly stuck with that plan for themselves unless they want to be. God has predestined the event, but not the individuals. He said, “If you will link arms with me, there will be joy and happiness in it for you. I have FOREORDAINED you to be a partner with me in the great work that I am doing, but I will not hold you to it.”

My own experience is a great example of this truth. For 15 years I did what I wanted to do creatively. I worked harder than anyone else, wrote more than anyone else, and generally willed myself to become a good storyteller. I didn’t believe in “partnering” with God creatively, because I believed that God had given me His creative spirit, and I was to hone it, use it, and create things of beauty myself. I would then “give God the glory”, which basically meant I would say that I did this thing, wrote this story, for Him. That, of course, was only partially true. Deep down, I really did it for myself. For fame. For money. For glory. But hey, at least I was saying the right thing.

The funny thing was, I never succeeded. I knew I was creating good stories; stories people would probably like if they read them or saw them on the big screen, but it was as if there was an invisible forcefield that blocked all my creative endeavors from succeeding. It became the running joke in my family, actually. My failure was becoming something of legend.

But then, God came and asked me to do something. Most of you probably know about my angelic encounter with the angel Breakthrough, so I won’t go into it here. See it here.

Needless to say, for the first time, I decided to “link arms with God” and do what He wanted me to do, even though it sounded terrifying, stupid, and completely out of my comfort zone.

What Roland Buck wrote spoke to me so deeply because I had actually experienced this truth. God asked me to partner with Him, and I could very easily have said no. My wife and I often talk about that–what if I had let the call fade from my memory? What if I had let it sit idle for so long that it became something more out of a dream than reality? What if I had never made Finger of God? I would have never made Furious Love. How would my life be different? Would I still be thrashing around trying to get people to like my creations? How many people would still be locked in their old ways of thinking? I shudder at the thought.

But God, in His graciousness, is calling us to partner with him, but in the end, it’s up to us to say yes. He won’t hold us to it. If we say no, or forget, or hesitate, then He’ll simply move on to someone else, hoping they’ll say yes to His call. He’ll still love us outlandishly, and He won’t hold it against us, but we’ll lose out. Fear or apathy will have held us back from our destiny. I love how the Lord spoke to Roland and told him that “if you link arms with me, there will be joy and happiness in it for you.”

I’m living proof of that.

It has been exactly 10 days since Furious Love was released around the world, and I have to admit, this whole experience is quite weird. Immediately after the release, we began receiving some of the most wonderful testimonies and words of thanks and gratitude I could ever imagine. They continue to come in, but it’s odd how little a creator of something gets to actually hear about how their creation is affecting the world at large. I know a few things. I know that the response has been universally positive, with many claiming this to be the best film they have ever seen. I know that most of the churches who had showings this past week are now feverishly working to set up subsequent showings, due to the incredible response they experienced. I know a great number of people have gotten saved after the film, and and even greater number have been challenged and spurred on to love more ferociously themselves. This is all good news.

It’s funny, because even now, I still get emails from people telling me some story about how Finger of God changed their life. It has been over two years since I last worked on that film, so when people bring it up to me, it’s kind of like, “Huh? Oh yeah…” I’m still so grateful for how God continues to use that little movie, and I’ve come to grips with the fact that I will never know the true extent of the fruit God has brought from that film.

A few weeks before Furious Love was released, I had a profound dream that I knew was from the Lord. I have only had maybe four dreams like this in my entire life. In it, my wife and I were in the backseat of a open-top jeep, driving along a huge beach. The beach was massive, at least a half-mile of sand lay between our jeep and the ocean. People were everywhere. Two men drove the jeep (I have since learned that these are, apparently, my two angels who have been assigned to me–I dreamed of them once before, when I was making Finger of God). Suddenly, I saw a big wave in the distance. From this far away, it was still fairly small, but it rose probably 30 feet out of the water and made a resounding crash on the shoreline. Then, shortly after that, an otherworldly, enormous wave rose up behind it. It stretched up to the sky, and was, easily, 1000 feet high. It towered over the entire beach, then slammed down onto the sand. Everyone on the beach was completely covered by this wave. I remember, the tip of the wave crashed right next to our jeep, and some of the spray got on me. Then I woke up.

I immediately understood what this dream meant, although it was hard for me to accept it. The first wave was Finger of God. It caused a stir, to be sure, and many were affected by it. It was a pretty big wave, but nothing like what was coming after it. The second, enormous wave, was Furious Love. I have gotten word after word after word from everyone from close prophetic friends to perfect strangers who all reiterate the same thing: that I have no idea the impact that Furious Love is going to have on the world. In my dream, the impact was enormous and all-encompassing. Everyone who came in contact with it was completely covered by God’s “furious wave”. Interestingly, though, I only felt a splashing of the impact.

I now realize that I probably never will know the true impact these films have, and in reality, that’s probably a good thing. There isn’t much I can take credit for with these things. Obviously, I’m obedient and do what I feel God is asking me to do, and yes, I needed to train enough in my past to be able to tell a good, tight story, but in the end, these are God’s films. If He doesn’t show up, I’ve got nothing to write about. If He doesn’t move on people, then no lives get changed.

So am I bummed that I don’t know what’s going on out there? Sort of, but not really. The Lord gives me enough feedback to keep me moving forward, but not so much that I start to think that, yeah, I really am kind of a genius. If I ever get to that point, I’ve ordered my family and friends to hold an intervention and remind me just how much of an idiot I really am.

All artists have egos. I am no exception. But God is bringing me to a place where my ego, my identity, is not wrapped up in what I create or how many people it affects. My identity is found in Him and Him alone.

Thank God for that.

Yesterday someone asked me what it felt like to work so hard on something for two years, then see it be even more popular, and have more impact than we dreamed it would. It’s funny, because even while we were filming Furious Love, we knew we were on to something pretty special. Then when I started putting it together in my studio, and found myself in tears nearly everyday because I was being so moved by stuff I had already seen, I knew the film was going to be pretty good. I knew people would like Furious Love, and that it would probably be accepted by more people than Finger of God was, but I was wholly unprepared for the response we are currently getting.

In three days we have passed 100,000 tickets sent out. Churches are still surging to sign up as the word spreads, and churches who have already had showings are scrambling to add more because of the overwhelming response they are getting. By all intensive purposes, Furious Love is shaping up to be a monster. And while that is very, very cool and personally gratifying, it’s nothing compared to this…

Testimony #1: At a premiere in Aurora, Illinois, over 1000 people show up. We find out just before showtime that witches are in the audience. After the showing, people are streaming down the aisles to receive Jesus or get prayer, and one man approaches Robby Dawkins (the big scary bald guy at the end of the film) and informs him that he’s a witch. He then says, “I have to have this power in my life, mine is so inferior.” Robby prays with the man, and someone who had originally come to curse the film leaves with a brand new relationship with the King of Kings.

Testimony #2: At another showing, a church is so rocked and convicted to love their fallen world, that they corporately, after the film, begin to pray and intercede for the strip club that is just down the street from them. Their prayers are born out of love and compassion, not judgment. The next day, a woman who works at the strip club calls the church, out of the blue, and asks for their help in getting her out of the club and the sex industry.

How do I feel to see my two years of sacrifice and hard work being received with such fervor and excitement all across the globe? Feels great. How do I feel about those two testimonies, and the countless others we’re receiving everyday? Words cannot describe.

Please, send us your testimonies as they happen. Or comment on this post and share them with the world. But above all, love extravagantly. Love without agenda. Love as you are loved.

Then watch the world change around you.

 It’s one thing to know that something big is about to happen.

It’s another thing entirely to watch it unfold right before your eyes.

Furious Love premiered in over 500 locations in 19 countries around the world last night.  I attended two premiere’s here in Chicago last night, one of which had over 1000 people in attendance.  I stood there and watched all these people stream in; they had all gotten babysitters, paid their hard earned money, and ventured out into the cold night to come see a movie I made.  My crew, Matt and Braden, stood by my side all night, and we kept looking at each other in disbelief.  How could this be happening? 

We spoke to the crowds, not really knowing what we were saying.  Then the movie began.  I kept hearing audible gasps, crying, and words of praise to a God who was suddenly becoming bigger than ever to everyone in the theater.  The movie ended, and streams of people began filing to the front.  So many came forward that the churches putting this on had to go recruit more people to help pray.  A witch got saved.  I met two young girls afterwards who accepted Christ at the showing.  People walked up to me afterwards in a daze, not knowing exactly what to say, so they just mumbled "thank you".  The whole thing was surreal and humbling.  

And now there’s today.  The testimonies are beginning to pour in.  All around the world people are waking up to the reality of God’s ferocious love for them; for those around them.  People are getting saved.  Many are still trying to process what they saw, what they experienced.  

I spent 18 months living with this thing, experiencing all of this firsthand.  I had some of the most intense spiritual experiences of my entire life while sitting alone in my studio, putting this story together.  Often times I would emerge like an animal coming out of hibernation–shocked that there was still a world filled with bright lights and loud cars.  I made this movie in a sort of spiritual cocoon, and now I’m realizing that those who watch it are entering that cocoon as well.  When many of them emerge, they are, like me, new creatures.  More beautiful than they were before, simply because their eyes have been freshly opened to the majesty, power, and greatness of Love incarnate.  

Many churches are scrambling to set up more showings of the film, and that’s exactly what I hoped would happen.  Use this film as a launching pad to more and more opened eyes, but then take it further.  This film is not the revolution.  It is simply the spark.  

You are the real revolution.

 My wife left for India today.  We’re helping to start a children’s home there, and she will also be attending a meeting for Christian women who have survived the horrific persecution in Orissa at the hands of Hindu extremists (which you will see in Furious Love).  

That, of course, leaves me home alone with the kids.  And here I am, on the night before my life will most likely change forever, alone in my living room as my children sleep peacefully upstairs.  I guess it’s time to ruminate, look back, and wonder about what is to come.  The only problem is, I’m as numb as can be.  

People keep asking me if I’m excited.  I’m excited for what God is about to do, absolutely.  Am I excited about the praise and adulation that’s about to come?  Not really.  Am I excited for the hate mail that’s bound to come as well?  Definitely not.  Am I excited about speaking engagements, interviews, and all the stuff that goes with that?  Yes and no.  But do I actually FEEL anything at the moment?  Strangely, no.

Before I started making Finger of God, my greatest desire was to be well known.  I wanted people to love the things I wrote, and in turn I figured they would love me as well.  Of course, if you asked, I would have told you that my greatest aim was to glorify God through my work, but in my heart of hearts I wanted to glorify God AND be made famous in the process.  And of course, my entire life, I failed at everything I ever tried creatively.  It’s a longer story than I have time for here, but something happened that finally (and mercifully) killed my dream of fame forever.  It was one of the worst yet best days of my life.

So here I am.  Millions have seen my first film.  Hundreds of thousands of people are about to watch my second film all at the same time.  And I can’t help but note the oddity of my numbness.  Maybe it’s simply too much to handle.  I’ve been getting a glimpse all week of the types of reactions this film is about to get, and it’s overwhelming to say the least.  And that’s all from just one showing.  What’s going to happen when God unleashes His Love on over 500 churches around the world at the same time?  And how is that going to change my life?  

My goal with you all has always been honesty.  When you watch my movies, you’re hearing the God’s honest truth as I witnessed it.  I won’t hype anything beyond what actually happened, and I have the same questions about it all that most of you do.  And now, 24 hours before an atomic bomb of love is about to go off, I don’t know what to think.  I’m not really sure what to do.  

I am awed and humbled by the excitement I have seen from many of you regarding this film.  I can’t wait to hear the testimonies of what God does through it.  But I guess I just want to point out, before all heaven breaks loose, that although, yes, I did make this movie, and although, yes, it was without question the hardest spiritual journey I’ve ever had to go through, it doesn’t make me special.  Certainly not any more special than you.  

I’m the donkey Jesus decided to ride in on tomorrow night.  What He will unleash once He dismounts me and speaks to you…well…now THAT gets me excited.

Enjoy the film, everyone.  The King approaches… 

 I have been hesitant to write this post, but through the urgings of my wife and a few close friends (who are usually right about such things) I am going forward with this.  I am not a man who jumps on every word I receive, but when something gets three, four, five different, unrelated confirmations, I tend to sit up and take notice.  So here it is.  I submit this to you for your prayer and consideration.

At 4 am on Wednesday morning, February 10, Chicago had an earthquake.  My wife and I were awakened by it, and our whole house shook.  It happened at exactly 4 am, and also happened to be 4 days before the release of Furious Love.  Not only is this a pretty rare occurrence for Chicago, the epicenter of the earthquake just happened to be a mile from my house.

Later that morning, I began to receive emails and phone calls from people I trust, people who have proven themselves to me, over and over, as accurate hearers of the Lord.  They were all telling me the same thing: this was no ordinary earthquake.  This was a prophetic sign from the Lord that a great shaking of His church, of the world, is coming.  

I have a group of people I refer to as my "ring of fire".  These are people to whom I submit myself–they are my spiritual brothers, fathers, and mothers.  They are spread around the world, and are some of the most extraordinary, humble, God-fearing people I have ever met.  They also care about me in a very deep way, and don’t give a rip about how I can advance them or their ministries.  They just want to stand beside me and lift me up in prayer.  I mention them, because they began to contact me as well, and they were all telling me the same thing: that God had been waking them up at 4 am for weeks!  They had never understood why…until now.  

Robbie Dawkins, who is in Furious Love, called me and told me that God woke him up just before 4 am that morning and said, "I want to tell you something."  10 minutes later, his house was shook to its foundation by the earthquake.  The Lord then spoke to him and said, "The earth groans for the sons of God to reveal themselves." 

Now, do I think that the imminent release of a movie caused this earthquake?  I’m not ready to go there yet, but the sheer amount of words I’ve been receiving are certainly giving me pause.  God is getting ready to do something extraordinary, and if this little donkey can be of some assistant to Him, then it is the greatest blessing of my life to play even a small part.  

Later in the day, I received a copy of a prophetic word spoken by Kim Clement back in 2008, when he prophesied that there would be an earthquake in Chicago, and that God would be bringing forth righteous media.  Hmm…

What does all this mean?  I have no idea.  I am a little nonplussed, intimidated, and humbled at the moment.  Part of me wants to just bury my head and let this firestorm pass, while another part of me doesn’t want to miss a thing.  I started this process just wanting to make a really good movie about God’s love.  As I continuously learn, though, God’s plans for us are always bigger than we could ever imagine.  

Please join with me in prayer for God’s love to truly shake the very foundation of unbelief and passivity.  Pray that He use this film, and the tens of thousands who are about to see it, to storm the gates of hell and reclaim that which was lost.  Pray for the revolution of love to begin.

 We premiered Furious Love at Bethel Church, in Redding, California last night.  2500 people (1500 at the church, another 1000 online) were the first to see the fruit of our 2 year labors.  I’ve never had a more special night in my life. 

Last night my sister had a vision after the film.  She said she saw a train breaking through a wall and leaving a station, full speed ahead.  The train was empty, and with the release last night, it was heading out into the world looking for people to get on the train (of God’s love).  

So with the pre-premiere having just occurred, I wanted to open up this blog to anyone who has seen the film to share your experience of watching the film.  Tell us what God did to your heart.  How He changed or affected you.  What did you think about His Furious Love?

I’m sitting here, getting ready to head off to California to show Furious Love to thousands of people for the first time in a couple of days, and I guess I’m prone to ponder what is about to happen.  At this point, most pastors who are showing the film to their churches have already seen the finished film, and I wanted to take a moment to speak to those pastors before the world premiere on the 14th.  If you’ve seen the movie, you know what is in store for your congregation; how many of them will not just see, but truly experience the awe inspiring, powerful love the Father has for them.  As we’ve already seen in our test showings, many people are completely overcome by the experience.  Many are crying for days afterwards.  

This may be so obvious that it doesn’t even need mentioning, but I have felt a tug at my spirit lately, and I feel like the Lord wants me to say something to you.  So I’m just going to be obedient and say it.  Hopefully it means something to you.  

I feel like the Lord is saying that how you, as the leader of your congregation, react to this film, is going to define the focus of your church and your congregation in a mighty way.  I don’t think it’s a mistake that the Lord told us to release this film in churches first, because I think He’s got big plans for his bride.  People ask me what I want this film to accomplish.  It’s simple.  My hope is that the bride begins to put on her makeup for her bridegroom.  That she starts to make herself beautiful to him once again.  And what does the bridegroom find most attractive in his bride?  That she loves the lost.  Loves each other.  Loves him.  With all her heart.  

I have no idea what the focus of your church has been.  I don’t know what you want your church to look like.  I don’t know if you’re supposed to lead your congregation in repentance for lovelessness, or if you’re supposed to pray for every person there.  I don’t have a clue what God wants the leaders of His church to do after this film.  But I do know He doesn’t just want everyone to be dismissed, have a safe drive home.  And I do know that you have been made the leader of your congregation for a reason.  

Mine is simply a word of encouragement.  Ask the Father this week, what do you want me to do?  If there’s one thing I’ve learned from making these crazy movies of mine, it’s that when I need to know something–whether it’s where to go next or what to film next–all I have to do is ask.  

He always answers.  Every time.

 For those of you who are not near any showings of Furious Love on February 14, you can tune into ibethel.tv on Feb. 7 at 6pm Pacific time to catch the world premiere of Furious Love at Bethel Church, in Redding, California.  This event will be free for everyone, but will only be available to watch for 24 hours after the live event itself.  There will also be a offer to pre-order the DVD at a discount during this broadcast (the DVD will be released sometime in May).  

So for those of you who are bummed that it’s not playing anywhere near you, there is hope still!  And since it’s available for 24 hours, you won’t even have to miss the Super Bowl (great scheduling on my part!).

 11 days until the premiere of Furious Love at Bethel Church, in Redding, California.  (Super Bowl Sunday–what was I thinking!?)

18 days until the film is released to the world.

I can hardly wait.

A couple of weeks ago, less than 100 people had seen the film, and most of them were pastors.  Even so, I received reports of at least 3 people having accepted Christ as a result of seeing this movie.  I can’t wait until 250,000 eyeballs have a chance to experience the awesome spectacle of God’s radical love for them.  

It’s a weird experience sometimes for me, because we’ve worked on this film for nearly two years, and I’ve poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into it to, watched as my family sacrificed their time with me so I could complete this thing, and have had my own faith stretched and tested to the point of being completely overwhelmed.  Obviously I have a lot invested in this film and the impending release, but without question the most rewarding aspect is going to be the testimonies and the stories of God’s grace and mercy that will inevitably pour in once people see it.  Don’t be afraid to share those stories with us, or think we don’t care.  Those stories are life giving to us, and in particular to me.  I’ve alway said that I cannot foresee making another film as important as this one (until, I’m sure, the final film in the trilogy begins!), and sitting back now, with the film out of my hands, I can only look forward to God’s spirit moving over His people as they see, many for the first time, what His love for them actually looks like.  

Churches continue to pour in at the last minute, which is great for us, but is stretching our distribution company to the brink.  If you’re still waiting for your materials, bear with us.  They’re pulling 20 hour days at this point trying to keep up with the demand.  

As for the rest of you who are just waiting to see the film, please begin praying for the 14th of February.  Pray for God to begin even now to lay the groundwork for a true revolution of love in His name.  If we are to love others, we must first know that love ourselves.  My hope and prayer is that this film will help every one of you to know, truly and deeply, how much He cares for you.  Making this showed me that, and it has branded me and changed me forever.