The reason we’re doing this is to create a teaching supplement for Furious Love and Finger of God, in a way. We (meaning my team and I) will be producing and filming the entire conference, and will create a unique set of teaching DVDs that people will be able to watch as part of small groups, Sunday Schools, and of course, individually. Unfortunately, we won’t be including even a fraction of the amount of teaching that will be happening during those four days, so if you want the full teaching experience, you’re going to have to attend the conference!

Please understand that space is limited, so when it’s sold out, that’s it. I’d recommend signing up as soon as you know you want to attend to be certain you get your tickets. Also, due to the extreme costs of putting something like this together and bringing so many major speakers from all parts of the world, as well as transforming the space to look amazing on camera, we cannot offer any discounts. This is going to be a pretty hot ticket, so we have to leave ticket prices as they are. Sorry folks! But like I say on the website, this isn’t your typical conference, it’s an Event. And it won’t happen again.

If you want to learn more or sign up, please visit our website Furious Love Event

Darren

In the meantime, we are moving forward with the things God is placing before us, and we’re quite excited about it all. For this cartoon, I’m working with the head of a ministry called Anointed Fighter (Danny White) and we’re creating a cartoon that has elements of mixed martial arts/The Matrix/God’s kingdom of love tightly wound together. We’ll be going into production at the end of July, and the episode should be available on DVD late 2010/early 2011. Right now, the title of the cartoon is: Eternal Fighting Champions (or EFC for short).

On July 6, we travel to Reno, Nevada, to begin a very different kind of documentary–our third feature film. I’m making this one with secular television in mind, so we’ll see how it turns out. We’re making a movie about the life and faith of UFC legend, Ken Shamrock. After spending four years making two VERY hard core spiritual films (the last of which, Furious Love, took a lot out of me), I needed something completely different for my next film. God obliged me with this project, and told me to “just have fun” making it. And that’s exactly what I plan to do! We’ll film with Ken in Reno for a few days, then travel to Sydney, Australia to film a fight he is doing. We’ll continue to film with him throughout the summer, and will spend most of the Fall editing.

Whenever I begin a film, I always start with a totally blank canvas. It seems like I always head into territory I know nothing about, and the same is true with this project. I’m not a fan of UFC at all (I’d never even heard of Ken Shamrock before he contacted me, truth be told). But here I am, making a movie about an incredibly violent sport and an incredibly complicated man (who also happens to be a really cool dude). I’m making this movie for the UFC crowd, so don’t expect to show this one to the kids. But never fear, God has told me to start filming the follow up to Furious Love, titled: Father Of Lights, in September.

All that to say, I could sure use your prayers. Wanderlust Productions is still a VERY small company (we have four full-time people, that’s it!) and all of this stuff rests on my shoulders to create. Matt and Braden are literal godsends to me–both are way more talented and technically gifted than I am, but I’m still the main storyteller. I have learned from my first two films that if I want to produce anything of real lasting quality, I need to partner with the Holy Spirit in a very deep, very real way. And that is where I need prayer the most. My relationship with the Father is the oil that runs this entire engine, and I’ve recently been pondering the concept of a “lifestyle of pursuit”. This is my desire. I don’t want to go to Him just when I need something. I want to pursue Him as a lifestyle. In fact, I think I’ll write a chapter about that, just so I can figure out what exactly it means!

Thank you for your constant support and prayers. I love nothing more than hearing the wonderful things God does through my films. Please lift us up in prayer this summer, preferably on a regular basis, so that we can confidently and wonderfully tell great stories about the king of kings.

Let’s start at the beginning. Just over a month ago, Furious Love was released on DVD. Sales have been incredible, and we were able to move over 15,000 copies in the first month alone. In fact, things sold so well that we quickly sold out of nearly EVERYTHING (Furious and Finger) and have been scrambling to get new copies made and sent out to the people who are desperate for them. Thank you for your patience!

Word of mouth is even better for Furious than it was for Finger, and I personally thank you for continuing to tell your friends and pastors about this special little film. I’m so excited to see God’s hand upon it and how He is using it for His kingdom. That was always our hope and prayer.

We have recently begun filming our first “television show”, which is basically two short films that we’ll put together to see if anyone is interested. Tentatively titled, “Three Idiots and the Truth”, it involves me and my crew delving a little deeper into the types of things I filmed in Finger of God, checking medical and dental records, and getting a fuller picture of the stories surrounding the miracle occurrences we are filming. The feel will be MUCH different than you might be used to for a Wanderlust Production, as it’s going to be fast paced and very, very funny. Look for those to be finished by the end of the summer, and they will premiere on the 700 Club Interactive.

We are also very close to having Furious Love and Finger of God on iTunes (so you’ll finally get to see Furious in all it’s HD glory!), as well as the Furious Love Soundtrack, which we have remastered and sounds great.

Our first non-profit organization, The Wanderlust Foundation, has gone live and we’re super excited for people to begin to catch the vision for this. Check it out at wanderlustfoundation.org. This is your chance to help out the Children’s home in Bokaro, India, or help Wanderlust continue its goal of bringing to light the true heroes of the faith around the world, and training others to do what we do as well.

I have recently finished the script for our first cartoon, which should be released by the end of the year (fingers crossed). We’re keeping the story under wraps for the time being, but rest assured it will be fun, challenging, and powerful. I wanted to make a cartoon that my kids would love, but would also expose them to the spiritual war that is raging around them.

I have finished my first book, which will be released through Destiny Image Publishing next April. Still no title yet…

We begin filming with UFC legend Ken Shamrock for our next film in July. We’ll film with Ken and other fighters in Reno, Australia, Vegas, and the Bahamas (tough life, I know). There is no release date as of yet, but we’re hoping for a Spring ‘11 release. The film will most likely come in at around 60 minutes, and we’re hoping for a television premiere.

Our next full length feature film will be the follow up to Furious Love (still no title) which we’ll begin filming in September. We have a number of locations already lined up, and some AMAZING stories and people on deck to film. We know we’ll be filming in Siberia, India, South Africa, China, and Israel, but as of yet, I still don’t even know what the movie is going to be about! The Lord has been pretty quiet on this one, other than commissioning me to “make a movie without an agenda–simply go film and I’ll take care of the rest” is what He told me to do. So that’s what I’m doing. I have a sense this will be my most uncomfortable film yet, but also the film with the biggest message. I’m so excited to start, but realize I have to take care of my other projects first!

At some point next spring, my father and I will film at Bethel Church, in Redding, California, for a one day event on Creativity. We are working on a book/DVD together that will really highlight our creative journeys in the fine arts as well as writing and media. For all you creative folks out there, this is one you won’t want to miss!

Finally, we are planning a HUGE event we are lovingly calling The Furious Love Event, which is set for next April 6-9, 2011, at Redeemer Fellowship in Monroe, Michigan. This event (we’re not calling it a conference) will be a 3 day extravaganza of teaching from 10 of the main people highlighted in Furious Love (with Rolland and Heidi Baker thrown in for good measure). The goal of the event is for Wanderlust Productions to create a teaching supplement for Furious Love for people who want to go deeper into the truths and concepts that were raised in the film. This will be perfect for churches and small groups, as well as individuals who’s hearts have been melted by the love of God as seen in both Finger and Furious. This will be a once in a lifetime event, and we’re so excited to be bringing all of these people together under one roof. Here is the official lineup:
Rolland and Heidi Baker (Mozambique)
Philip Mantofa (Indonesia)
Robby Dawkins
Greg Boyd
JP Moreland
Angela Greenig
“Shanti” (India)
Will Hart
Mattheus van der Steen (Netherlands)

And with all things Wanderlust, there may be a few surprises thrown in for good measure!

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately! Please keep us in your prayers, as this is a lot of ground to cover, a lot of creative energy to unload, and a lot of money to produce! But we know these things are from the Lord, so we’re simply excited to see what He’s got up His sleeve these next two years.

Thanks everyone for your continued support, love, and prayers. We need it, desperately, every day…

I have dreamed of this day for a very long time.  I can’t tell you how many times I stared out the window of an airplane, 30,000 feet in the air, heading back from some dark place, and wondered what this day might feel like.  Would I be ecstatic?  Nervous?  Overwhelmed?  The reality is far less stark than that.  Today is another day, just like every other day.  At least, that’s what it feels like.  Maybe it’s the fact that we’re starting to gear up for more movies, or the fact that I’m on this crazy deadline to finish the book I’m writing (due out early 2011!) about my adventures.  Then again, maybe it’s just God’s way of keeping me sheltered, of keeping my ego in check.  Yeah, I like that better…

So much has happened over these last couple of months since the church release.  We’ve started a non-profit (www.wanderlustfoundation.org), I was given a book deal with Destiny Image Publishing, we started filming the follow up to Furious Love, I’ve been on a host of TV shows and radio interviews and magazines, and this summer looks to be even busier than ever.  We are working on a cartoon, a film about the UFC with Ken Shamrock, a couple of short films, and a bunch of other stuff as well.

But I just wanted to stop the train at the station for a moment today to mark a milestone in my life, and in the life of this company.  When the masses get their hands on Furious Love, I have a feeling our lives here at Wanderlust Productions will never be the same.  But today, everything is the same.  My prayer is that while success and testimonies and controversy rage around us from here on out, that inside, in our spirits, in my heart, nothing will change.  My crew and I will still be three idiots traveling the world, witnessing the mighty works of God with humble, naive hearts, and that God will still be our Director.

This blog will be a little different than my past entries, though, in that it is a call to young people, particularly those of you who are in high school and are interested in making films for the kingdom of God your life’s passion. I have just agreed to a partnership with Judson University that is truly remarkable and quite unique, and I’d like to invite you to come be a part of it!

We’ll be providing more information in the near future on the details of the program, but I wanted to take a minute to give you some of the highlights here. In case you weren’t aware, my studio is housed on the campus of Judson University, and we are currently expanding to meet the demands of all our current productions in the pipeline.

Beginning next year, we will be starting an “advanced” program in cooperation with Judson Univeristy’s media department, where students will be able to come to Judson and get their core training in media production and creation, but also work exclusively with Wanderlust Productions to receive training for 3 years. You will be trained in advanced editing, sound editing/mixing, color correction, and motion text graphics. In your senior year, you will be assigned an internship in association with my new non-profit organization, The Wanderlust Foundation, where you will travel (either domestic or internationally) to a missionary organization, film with them for a week, and will put together a promotional video for them as part of your internship. All of this will be overseen by myself and my team. This is about as unique of an opportunity as you’re going to find, and I’m very excited to finally be able to offer this program. I am constantly approached by students who want to know how they can do what I do, and now I have an answer for them. Come to Judson and train with me. Be a part of our films. Help us change the world. By the time you graduate, you will be uniquely qualified to work in almost any studio setting.

Again, this is only open to students who are interested in coming to Judson to study. Feel free to visit www.judsonu.edu to learn more about the school, or contact a good friend of mine, Tory Gum, at tgum@judsonu.edu to inquire more. Just tell him you want to study with Darren Wilson, and he’ll be happy to help you with any questions or concerns you might have.

More information will be coming, including a video we will make explaining the program. But that probably won’t come until the summer, and I wanted to let you know about this opportunity sooner rather than later. Please forward this on to any high school students who you might think would be interested in this. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Darren Wilson
March 31, 2010