November 2015 - Breaking News!

The film Tez wrote titled "Jangled" has recently been nominated for "Best Screenplay" at the Florida Film Festival and was also nominated as "Best Comedy" at the Central Florida Short Film Festival. These nominations make the films credibility enhanced as audiences see the awards and are more apt to watch the film.

OCT 2015 -- Discipleship Film Report

In a small African village, a village elder gave this comment after seeing two episodes of the “Walking With Jesus”* videos: “It was very nice and wonderful, and it has a message for the older men, the old women, the younger mothers, and the kids. We look forward to seeing the rest of the videos. These can help us grow, as we see more of what we need to change in our lives, just like the changes that happened to the chief and everyone else (in the videos). We want to learn more about Christ. This is wonderful in helping us learn what Christ requires of us once we have given our lives to him.”

* Walking With Jesus, a five-part follow-up film series contextualized for Africans, teaches new believers how to grow in their relationship with Christ. Created for members of an oral culture, this video-based discipleship series depicts common African life scenarios, modeling committed Christian discipleship.

OCT 2015 -- Short Films Prepare Hearts

A university student in Asia shared about using [JESUS Film®] short films in ministry: "I am a member of [a local] church. My cell group members organized a Christmas evangelistic program .... During this program we were able to create a safe and comfortable environment in which we showed short films such as 'CTRL Z,' 'La Búsqueda' and 'FallingPlates.' After the films, which served to prepare the hearts of the attendees, we shared the gospel using the Four Spiritual Laws booklet that was published especially for this Christmas outreach. I am very glad to have been chosen from my cell group to share my testimony during the program. With joy overflowing in my heart, I shared the good news about my Savior. A dozen people heard the gospel that day, most of whom accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Throughout this program I was blessed to see the faithfulness and supremacy of our Lord.”

Zombies Teaching the Gospel???

(From a staff worker for Fellowship of Christian Athletes)

“Tez, I got asked by a college buddy to speak at an FCA retreat in Columbus, Ohio. I found out there were going to be over 200 high school students and counselors. After much prayer, I nervously agreed.

My buddy told me many of the students were not yet believers. It seemed best to me, then, to make the gospel clear and compelling over my three talks. I used Eph 2 as my main text, basing the talks around the idea of coming alive in Christ.

• The living dead
• The dead living
• The living fully alive

I knew I needed a way to win their attention and grip their hearts, especially before telling them that they were, or are, dead. Fortunately, I remembered the zombie short films your team made. I used two or three of the videos as a primer for the talks, then referenced the concept of being spiritually dead through out the talks. The guy in the films (who was in denial about becoming a zombie) was a funny yet clear way to show them how futile it is to attempt living without Christ. We can't! We are already dead. Only Christ can save us now.

I took a huge risk and decided to do an alter call of sorts. I began with a piece of white poster board and wrote my name on the side. Using a red permanent marker, I wrote my sin all over the board. This conveyed my spiritual condition before Christ (Eph 2:1-3.) Then I took another white board and wrote Jesus on the top. After explaining Eph 4 and how, by faith, God made me alive in Christ, I nailed the Jesus board over the Eric board so the audience could see both names but no sin.

I planed, at that point, to invite the audience to place their faith in Christ and, as a symbolic demonstration, to write their names next to mine on the board covered by Jesus. However, I felt that my delivery was a little sloppy, possibly confusing. After I prayed, asking God to open hearts and make us alive in Christ, I signaled for the band to play ambient music and I continued praying by myself. I quickly jammed my head in-between my knees and covered it with my hands because I didn't want to see a crowed of confused, uncomfortable kids. Honestly, I thought, "no one is going to publicly write their name on this silly board- these are high schoolers! They all desperately want to be cool and this is an uncool thing."

But the music kept playing- I began to hear chairs sliding and feet shuffling. When I looked up, I saw a line of thirty plus kids! Then I noticed the audience- many of them were praying or in tears. Finally, around the edges of the room, I saw the leaders praying and crying with many of the kids!

I had another ridiculous thought then, "this is probably what happens at all of these retreats- these are just emotional Christians who've prayed many prayers to receive Christ." After the session ended though, over an hour after later, several of the leaders came up to me and said they had never seen anything like this at an FCA retreat. I couldn't believe it; I was stunned! The Spirit moved and used several talks about zombies to awaken over thirty high school students into true life in Jesus! Thanks to the missionaries at The Jesus Film for writing these films.”    

Jangled Grabs Lots of Views ... and Shares!

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We recently heard some encouraging news about Jangled, the short film I (Tez) wrote and starred in.

Besides having 140,000 views in the Middle East, 958 shared the film on their FB pages. Usually when someone shares a video on FB it's because it means something personal to them. 


http://honorshame.com/jangled-short-video-cru/

Hide! It's a human sacrifice.

For just a moment, imagine...

Picture yourself walking through the jungle, on a difficult trek. As though in a movie, you hear distant, eerie drums.

Closer now—you hear dancing and strange cries. You see smoke rising through the trees and thick bush. Your guide motions you to stop.

"Don't let them see us...it's a human sacrifice!"

Is this even possible in this day and age? Unfortunately, yes. but read this account of how God transformed a man actually involved with this practice, and today uses him for His glory

Human sacrifice remains a reality in some animist communities in Nigeria, the most populated nation in Africa. In fact, Jigar’s role was to beat the drums during many sacrifice ceremonies. His village was so dark spiritually that when children became old enough, they would flee, fearing they might be the next human sacrifice.

Not long ago a courageous film team came and showed these people “JESUS.” Jigar watched and his heart was flooded with light—a light he didn’t even know existed. He saw God’s sacrifice for the sins of the world, including his own. His soul was stirred to the core. He believed and gave his life to the Lord.

Today Jigar is a joyful and committed film team member* bringing hope and life through “JESUS.” When asked about the dangers he faces, having abandoned that dark world, Jigar replies: “If I die, I am dying in the Lord…. Though I have lost everything in the world, yet I have gained all in the heavenly realm.”

Church-planting film teams are made up of men and women committed to Christ, like Jigar, many of whom came to Christ when someone showed them “JESUS.” Now they show their own people “JESUS,” shining spiritual light in their darkness and planting churches.

*Although his name has been changed for security, Jigar is a member of the Great Commission Movement of Nigeria.

Jesus in a Nursing Home

For the past five to six years, Bill Goodrich has used the 90-minute edition of JESUS during the Easter season to reach out to nursing home residents in Cleveland, Ohio. Bill remarked: “You would think that many of the folks might sleep through this … movie, but not so! Almost all of the people watched the entire movie with much interest. … Other gospel films are just too long to show in a nursing home context. This one is perfect.” In April 2015 Bill showed JESUS in two nursing homes. He and his team witnessed first-time decisions and renewed commitments from more than 60 people in both homes. One resident commented: “It is a beautiful movie, a beautiful presentation. I’ve read the Bible a lot and now I got to see it, and it was wonderful.”