f i l m
There is a God enthroned in heaven who is surrounded by eyes. Four living creatures behold him day and night with eyes for skin. Eyes cover the surface area of their bodies, and everything they see causes them to eternally erupt, “HOLY!”
This God is beautiful. His beauty demands beholding.
I was surprised to discover that he reveals the fullness of his beauty through family. This whole story he wrote, from garden to garden, is a river of love. Those who jump in find themselves one with God, and then, miraculously, one with each other.
I jumped into this river in 2021, in Kremmling, Colorado. Now, God - or “Papa,” as I’ve come to know him - has invited me and those in Kremmling on an adventure in filmmaking. Together, we’ll discover how he wants to visually convey that which is invisible. (He’s good at that.)
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,” said the little prince. “Everything essential is invisible to the eye.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
When we behold him with our hearts, we find that we are, above all else, Beloved.
what if the final frontier is the human heart?
the film
Beloved will be a feature film that displays the beauty of God in family. Filming began July 2023, and the film is currently in post-production.
the process
Papa invited me to set aside everything I’ve been taught about traditional filmmaking and embark on a “cinematic exegesis” with him. He is the director. Every moment is a film in itself, whether or not the camera is rolling. I’m excited to see the story he reveals.
the cast and crew
If God is a storyteller, and his ultimate desire is relationship, then everything is unto oneness with him - including the filmmaking process. Papa desires not only a “final product” of a two-dimensional film, but also intimacy within every step of the journey.
Truly, each breath we take is its own story. Creation is a silver screen. Only he can be this magnificent and this intimate. Every person involved in this journey is a character in his romance. And because we experience his story just by breathing, we are all crew members too. Words like “production,” “credits,” and “project” don’t quite fit into this move of God.
the plan
Papa hasn’t spoken to me about the film’s distribution yet. But he has ravished my heart with the very invitation into something this holy. Everything is for and with - and even in - him. In this place, essays become letters. Preaching becomes prayer. And filmmaking - well, I guess it’s an incense he really enjoys.
My sister runs with songwriters in Nashville who are the best of the best. Their favorite thing is to “throw songs away on God.” They write songs that would be hits, and then they never publish them. They’re only recorded on Papa’s heart as they sing to him alone in a quiet closet. They become an eternal secret kept between the songwriter and the God of the universe.
This film will be something like that. It might be seen by one person or thousands, whatever he wants. He’s the fairest of them all.
