Can the Holy Spirit Direct a Movie?
That's what the new film "Holy Ghost" a documentary by Darren Wilson, sets out to answer. In this movie, he travels across the world led by God to create a piece of work that proves, once and for all, that the Holy Spirit is real and active today, just as he was in the New Testament.
In a time when churches spend a lot of their energy debating things like tongues and whether God can use people to heal, it's refreshing to see a set of filmmakers go out and boldly try to find examples of Holy Spirit doing tangible things. Regardless of how comfortable you are with such matters (and I admit, not having been raised in the church, it's something that still mystifies and challenges me today), it's really awesome to see these things discussed through lives.
The movie really has three storylines: Brian (Head) Wilson (of Korn fame) sharing Jesus with concertgoers, and how he allows a spirit-lead believer to heal some of them. The trip to a Hindi temple where a musician and prayer-warrior actually lead people there to sing and worship in a place where Christians have never been allowed to go before (much less film.) A man-on-the street type segment where people outside a Mormon college are given the chance to feel the Holy Spirit (and this interaction is then contrasted to a Christian who uses harsher tactics to get people to come to Christ.)
Throughout the film, famous and not-so-famous Christian give their take on how real the Holy Spirit is in their lives; Phil Visher, William P. Young, and even Lenny Kravitz all give intimate glimpses into their relationship with the Holy Ghost.
I watched this movie with my kids, and it was a full 2 hours of experiences that I haven't quite seen before. The younger kids weren't really sure what they were watching, but they enjoyed it. The older ones were visibly moved. It wasn't exactly geared toward kids, and some things went over their heads (one scene at a Korn concert allowed the camera to briefly pause on a pile of bras that fans had tossed up on stage to the performers.) There were also some people at the concert with their middle fingers up. Everything was done tastefully; the focus really was on the Spirit and not our own shortcomings.
I didn't see much media attention from traditional Christian outlets on this movie when I was looking for more information on the suitability for showing my kids. This was disappointing to me, because it shows that this film is really outside of the Christian mainstream and likely will cause some to react negatively. It is bold in its profession of a living God in today's world.
But isn't that a good thing? While I would get skeptical towards anyone claiming to have God heal my hand of tendon pain, I believe that God is doing miracles today. So why not for me? Why does our Western world say that we believe the Holy Spirit can living in us, but only in a limited fashion? What would God look like living completely through our own lives?
Two things I really enjoyed most was the way people in the film said "Holy Spirit", not "The Holy Spirit." Addressing God's spirit as a person, not as a thing really does change the way you interpret how people interact with Him. Another thing I enjoyed was the reminder that Jesus' physical body left, but that he didn't take His Spirit. This Spirit is ALL of Jesus, here today. I need to remind myself that the power of Christ is not diluted or redistricted because He is in Spirit form. What a way we could live if we embraced this!
In a time when we like to stick to our Sunday morning services, "safe" surroundings, and sure things, this film was a challenge to go where it was dark -- so that the light can shine even brighter. What could you do if Holy Spirit was your guiding voice?
Here's a trailer of the film, to get more of an idea of its style...
Learn more about this film before its FREE worldwide premiere on September 6th. You can view the official website, as well as Facebook.
Wanna Win? We are giving one lucky reader the chance to own this film on DVD! It will be great way to share the message with family and friends. To be entered to win, just leave a comment telling us who you will watch it with! You have until September 8th at 11:59 pm CST to get your entries in. One entry per person. U.S. 18+ only.
Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
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