Written by God’s Knack for Choosing the Unqualified
“A business executive, a lawyer, and a lead Muppet performer walk into a film studio…”
I know this sentence sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but I assure you it isn’t.
It is the back story of an inspirational film just released.
The film is about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The son of a famous German psychiatrist, Bonhoeffer was a pastor known for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship during WWII. He was arrested by the Gestapo, imprisoned, and martyred for his involvement in a conspiracy to overthrow the Nazi regime. His book, The Cost of Discipleship, is considered a classic in Christian thought.
This is a man whose life deserves to be on the big screen. What’s surprising is that it’s taken this long for the project to come to life—it’s been twelve long years in the making. It’s also somewhat surprising that a business executive, a lawyer, and a lead Muppet performer were the ones to bring Bonhoeffer’s story to life.
Although you could be forgiven for assuming this unconventional trio has no business making movies, let me remind you that God has ordained many unlikely characters over the course of history to carry out missions they weren’t necessarily trained for. (Moses, David, and Peter are but a few.) Why wouldn’t he tap a couple with no prior movie experience to bring this story to life?
The Kampouris’ are that couple.
As faithful Christians, Emmanuel and Camille Kampouris had long been fans of Bonhoeffer. It’s no wonder: His books and personal testimony have passed the test of time and remain inspiring to many Christians today. Still, until the Kampouris’es stepped up, no one had tried to bring his story to the big screen.
Although the oversight is surprising, it’s not nearly as remarkable as people with no prior movie experience taking on the project. Emmanuel is the retired Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of American Standard Companies. Camille was a lead Muppeteer with Jim Henson’s Muppets for 14 years. And together with attorney-come-movie producer John Scanlon, they have created a movie you can watch this weekend.
Although Bonhoeffer deeply inspires me, I’d rather draw attention to the less significant but equally powerful story of John Scanlon.
Why?
Because John’s journey of faith can speak to us all.
God Encounters
John earned his law degree at Georgetown and enjoyed practicing law and working with entrepreneurs who were starting businesses. Although John thoroughly loved his career in law and business, he often wondered what else he might do with his life. The answer became clear when he encountered God at a New Canaan Society men’s conference in upstate New York.
During a break at the conference, Scanlon heard a voice in his head say, “I’m going to move you into the film industry.”
Weird! (John knew that wasn’t his voice.)
Fun! (Sure, making movies sounded neat, but he was a lawyer, for goodness sakes!)
What the heck? (Is that you, God?)
Still confused by what “the voice” had said, John returned to the conference and sat next to a stranger (who turned out to be the modern-day prophet Lance Wallnau.) Lance took one look at him and said, “I feel like God’s going to move you into the movie industry.”
Lance was Scanlon’s burning bush.
And just like it was with Moses, “The rest is history.”
Bonhoeffer is Scanlon’s third film.
Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:2-4)
Interestingly, this was not the first time Scanlon had a supernatural encounter with God. When John was sixteen, he embarked on a spiritual journey to seek what was “out there.” Although unsure whether he was looking for Jesus, Muhammad, or Buddha, he seemed to encounter people in every flavor of spirituality: Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, traveling evangelists—you name it.
Finally, one day, while eating lunch on the steps of his school library, a young man named Mike walked up to Scanlon carrying what looked like “a 40-pound bible.” He asked John if he knew Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. John’s response was, “No, but tell me more.”
Using the book of Romans, Mike explained creation, the fall, depravity, and redemption in Jesus. He then asked John if he wanted to receive Christ. Although his answer was no, Scanlon admits those verses “just kind of burned their way into his heart.”
“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)
When Scanlon was on his way home from school that day, it suddenly occurred to him that Jesus was who he had been looking for. He knelt down in a field and said, “God, if you are real, and if everything that Mike just explained to me is true, then I want to know who you are.”
Scanlon immediately had an incredible “all-five-senses encounter with the Holy Spirit.”
In John’s own words, he was set on fire for Jesus…
And has been walking with the Lord ever since…
Fast forward several decades.
John Scanlon is one of the people God used to bring Bonhoeffer’s story to the big screen. How cool is that?
Although I’m pretty excited to see this movie, I suspect that part of my joy comes from knowing some of the backstory behind how it came about. (Click here to watch a short clip from behind the scenes and meet the people mentioned in this post.)
As I’ve thought about the individual stories of those behind the scenes and every “God moment” that contributed to the greater whole of the movie, I’ve been moved to tears. Seeing God at work in each individual who contributed to this project is awe-inspiring.
Todd Komarinicki, writer and director of Bonhoeffer, would agree. “I may have written the script and can direct the actors, but I can’t tell you how the scene will look before it looks that way. John Matheson (the film cinematographer) can see it for what it will be. That’s why we need each other.”
We NEED each other…
Komarinicki emphasized that Bonhoeffer is a movie “by us.” “It’s a movie by everyone who came together…which knits together into a tapestry that (hopefully) works on screen.”
I have a feeling we won’t be disappointed…
*I wonder what came up for you as you read this post. Here are a few questions to ponder:
- As you look back over your life thus far, ask God to show you divine encounters that pointed you in the direction you needed to go. Did you see that at the time?
- Ask God to show you where your presence has impacted a project or person.
- Do you struggle to see how your life fits into the bigger tapestry of what God is doing in the world? If so, ask God to show you what keeps you from seeing and believing that your life matters.
- Do you sense God is prompting you to move in a direction that feels weird or out of your comfort zone? Ask God to show you what’s keeping you from moving forward.
- Todd Komarinicki believes we are asked to be brave much more than we say yes. Is that true in your life? What stops you from being brave?