#20: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Believing Is Seeing!

Saturday, 1 March 2025

Glorious Day My Precious Fellow Traveler!

This year I read the remarkable story of a Dutch chocolate factory worker — a “nobody” named Andrew van der Bijl — who, at the height of the Cold War and great risk to his life, felt called by God to smuggle Bibles into communist countries, including Russia. The result of his extraordinary “believing-is-seeing” obedience to God ended up being epic.

Since the start of the new year I’ve also been reading and studying Jesus’ words in chronological order. His words comprise about 20% of the New Testament.

Last Tuesday morning, while studying Jesus’ words in Mark 1:35-38, I had a seismic epiphany. Suddenly, deep within my spirit, I heard God saying to me: “Make your movie! Don’t wait for an investor to fund it; make the movie, even if you have to do it with your iPhone camera!”

Last year I wrote a full-length movie script inspired by my bestselling book Believing Is Seeing. It’s been professionally budgeted out at about $8 million, mainly because it features eye-popping, never-before-seen visual effects.

I’ve made an 8-million-dollar movie before: Little Red Wagon. It debuted in theaters nationwide and won awards. Afterward, the DVD shot to the top of Walmart’s bestseller list, then it streamed on Netflix for four years. Now it’s on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and other top streaming platforms.

Normally, when you have a completed script the next step is to find investors to fund the complex, expensive process of actually making the movie. To do it with excellence, you usually need hundreds of people and millions of dollars.

Which brings me to what happened on Tuesday morning. Out of the blue, God called me to do the seeming impossible — to make my movie before I have the funding!

Yikes!

Committing to making a professional-quality, full-length motion picture before it’s funded is as crazy as Jesus telling the disciples to feed thousands of hungry people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Any self-respecting Hollywood filmmaker would react as incredulously as the disciples did:

That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. Matthew 14:15-17

My five loaves of bread and two fish are these:

• My decades of experience telling stories on TV and the movie screen.

• A completed script that everyone who’s read it absolutely raves about.

• An iPhone and various handheld video cameras.

Most importantly, however, I have Jesus. He’s the only investor I need to move forward!

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

Right this minute, as I write these words to you, I feel stronger physically, mentally & spiritually than I have in a very long time. By committing to making this movie before getting any funding, I’m walking the walk, not just talking the talk. I’m committing to relying on the power of “believing is seeing” — of trusting God to give me what and who I need, exactly when I need them.

That’s what the Bible and the story of God’s Smuggler teaches us to do. For when you become a “believing is seeing” Christian, you open yourself up to God’s unlimited, breathtaking, miraculous power.

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Mark 11:24

And the best part? Jesus will get all the credit for the movie’s completion and success.

So then, my fellow traveler, with this announcement I’m officially stepping forward into the great unknown with complete faith in Jesus. By stepping into the mighty and intimating Jordan River with 100% confidence in Him, I’m deciding to unleash the infinite, divine power of believing is seeing!

“It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water … all the people crossed over … on dry ground.” Joshua 3:13-17

I plan to use this Substack platform to keep you informed of my progress, so be sure you’ve subscribed. That way, you’ll be taking this amazing “Believing Is Seeing” journey with me.

To God alone be the glory!

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Thank you for supporting my efforts to speak truth with love to a world greatly in need of both.

Love,