When somebody says that the Kendrick Brothers movies are aimed at Christians who should already know these things, they’re exactly right. We are aiming at Christians who should know these things, but we don’t always live them out. The church is not being the church if we stay lukewarm. We’re ineffective. So, some people accuse us of preaching to the choir. I think the choir still needs it. We use story in media forms to remind the church to be the church.
I’m convicted every time we do a film, too, because the Lord really stretches me before we present whatever we’re presenting. I would say every film we’ve done has been both a blessing to me and painful for me. Every one of our six films so far has convicted me terribly.
What does it mean to love your wife like Christ loved the church?
What does it mean to raise children that love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength?
What does it mean to live a life of integrity in front of the world?
Courageous
Although I considered myself the spiritual leader of my home, I was not prioritizing spending time as a family in God’s word or worshiping together as I should. When I was working on courageous the Lord said, “Alex it’s time to turn off the TV more and spend more time investing in the hearts of your children to love me and know Me in the evenings.” And so we went through the entire Bible one chapter at a time for seven years, taking our time with all six of my kids. I have now read the Bible for seven years for all six of my kids. I grew to love that more than I expected. It was not a chore for me.
We would sit down and we’d catch up as a family in the evenings and spend 30 to 45 minutes every night doing this and they came to love and expect it. We would have some great conversations. My kids asked me the hard questions depending on what we were reading in Scripture.
And that was something the Lord put in my heart to do when I was making the movie Courageous.
War Room
The Lord convicted me that I was not praying strategically enough. My prayers were more general — bless us, protect us, guide us. I came to develop a very detailed strategy for prayer for each of my kids, each of their personalities, each of their paths that the Lord was developing, and for my marriage.
Matthew 6:6 says, “When you pray go into your inner room close the door and pray to your Father in secret and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” — He means that!
So, now in the mornings when I spend time alone with the Lord I’m more strategic and specific with what I’m asking of the Lord.
He says, “You have not because you ask not.” …Well, I’m asking!
God is not like a Genie in a lamp, but I have a deeper relationship with Him because of what He taught me during War Room.
Overcomer
I have a better sense of my identity in Christ now doing the research and work on Overcomer. The Lord stretches me with every movie that we do and that’s not always fun. It usually comes through some level of conviction or sometimes rebuke.
The end result is, not only do we have a film that hopefully ministers to people that see it and inspires them, but the Lord has grown me in the process.