Miracles From Heaven: The Christian Film That Does Everything Right - DEWAYNE HAMBY CHARISMA NEWS

Miracles From Heaven: The Christian Film That Does Everything Right

 3/14/2016 DEWAYNE HAMBY  charisma news

Kylie Rogers as Annabel Beam and Jennifer Garner as Christy Beam in 'Miracles From Heaven.' (Courtesy)

In the Bible, Christians are instructed to testify about the great things God has done, because they give Him glory while providing hope to those encountering similar circumstances. With that in mind, the newest faith-based film releasing during this Easter season shines bright at a time when so many in the world need that hope the most.  

Miracles From Heaven is the latest release from producers T.D. Jakes and DeVon Franklin (Heaven Is For Real), along with Joe Roth, telling the story of Christy Beam, the mother of pre-teen Anna who suffers from a seemingly-incurable stomach disorder. The true account, chronicled in a previously-released book, is skillfully brought to the big screen by director Patricia Riggen (The 33).

Jennifer Garner (Alias, 13 Going On 30, Daredevil, Elektra) gives a career-defining performance as Beam, a woman at the end of her rope both spiritually and emotionally. She explores every medical option to alleviate her daughter's pain, even traveling to Boston and tenaciously securing an appointment with a top children's doctor, Dr. Nurko, played by Eugenio Derbez.

Along the way, Beam and Anna (Kylie Rogers) are befriended by Angela (Queen Latifah), who shows them around the city and provides some comic relief from the emotionally-charged film.

Miracles provides an insider's view of a mother pulled between her longstanding dedication to God and the illness ravaging her daughter's body. Beam prays for faith, even in the middle of intense doubt and despair. Things do not immediately get better, but even seem to get much worse, leaving her feeling even further removed from God, her church community and even her husband (played by Martin Henderson). Many viewers will feel and sympathize with Beam's situation, having faced their own spiritual valleys.

It's not a spoiler to report that God does indeed have a plan and it's fully revealed before the end credits roll. Beam's journey is astounding, even more when considering the true story it is based on. The takeaway is simple and inspiring—God is always at work, whether or not His actions are easily recognized.

Miracles From Heaven is being hailed by critics across the board as a Christian film that does everything right. As it attracts a national audience this week, the hope of Jesus Christ has an opportunity to penetrate millions of hearts outside the walls of church buildings.  

Miracles From Heaven, written by Randy Brown and also starring John Carrol Lynch, releases Wednesday, March 16, from Affirm Films, Roth Films and Franklin Entertainment distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Dewayne Hamby is a longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books, and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy, and author of the upcoming book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him atwww.dewaynehamby.com or on Twitter - @dewaynehamby.

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The Powerful Prophetic Message of 'Woodlawn' - J. LEE GRADY FIRE IN MY BONES, CHARISMA MAGAZINE

'Woodlawn' is a must-see film. (Facebook)

The Powerful Prophetic Message of 'Woodlawn'

11/4/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

I rarely endorse films, and I don't get any benefit from movie companies if I do. But I loved the movie Woodlawn so much that I am telling everybody to see it before it leaves the local Cineplex. You will want to buy the DVD too, even if you aren't a fan of high school football. Woodlawn is the most unapologetically Christian film I've ever seen because it maintains an artful quality without ever becoming cheesy.

American audiences are starved for films with positive messages that reinforce Christian faith instead of mocking it, and Hollywood has noticed that faith-based movies are getting better. War Room has already made $66 million since it released in August. Other faith-based films are due out in the next few months, including The 33 (about the miraculous 2010 rescue of Chilean miners, due in theaters Nov. 13) and Risen (about an unbelieving Roman soldier who investigates the resurrection of Jesus, out Jan. 22, 2016).

But Woodlawn, produced by Andrew and Jon Erwin, gets my vote for the best Christian film of the year because its message has relevance far outside the walls of the church.  And it carries a prophetic message about the time we live in—which is really not that different from the turmoil of the early 1970s.

The film is set in 1973 in Birmingham, Alabama—at a time when local schools are required to desegregate. Racial tensions have reached the breaking point at Woodlawn High, a white school that suddenly must accommodate blacks. Students, parents, coaches and the school's principal are all on edge.

People who remember the era of desegregation may also recall that another movement was stirring in America. Time magazine called it the Jesus Revolution. In Woodlawn, the two movements collide.

The school's football coach, Tandy Gerelds (played by Nic Bishop), is trying to get his black and white players to get along, with no success. Then an unassuming evangelist named Hank (played convincingly by Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings) asks if he can give a pep talk to the boys in the school gymnasium. When he does, almost every guy on the team gives his life to Jesus.

"What just happened?" a baffled Coach Gerelds asks his assistant coach. Later in the film, Hank gives the answer: "This is what happens when God shows up."

The film is based on true events and focuses on the life of one student, Tony Nathan (played by Caleb Castille), who becomes the first black football player for Woodlawn High. When he stands in the gym with the rest of his players and becomes a committed Christian, he doesn't realize he's joined a spiritual revolution. But with the word "BELIEVE" scribbled on the back of his helmet, and his index finger raised high to proclaim Jesus as the "one way" to heaven, he leads his team to unexpected victories—not only against opposing teams but also against a vile spirit of racism that has pervaded Birmingham.

The movie gets a special boost from veteran actor Jon Voight, who plays University of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He goes looking to recruit Nathan to play for the Crimson Tide, and in the process is impressed with the young man's faith. After someone burns a cross in front of Nathan's home, Bryant pays a visit and tells him: "You know the difference between you and these people? They're cowards. And you ain't."

Woodlawn is 100 percent inspiration, but it never stoops to being sugar-coated—even when Coach Gerelds walks into a black church and tells the folks he has given his heart to Christ. You could show this film in a Sunday school class, but it has just as much appeal to secular audiences because the acting is first-class, the production values are masterful and the anti-racism message is as needed today as it was in 1973. It's similar in tone to Remember the Titans or The Blind Side, but neither of those films have this much heart.

The film also includes actual footage of a Billy Graham sermon at Explo '72, a huge gathering of young Christians that took place in Dallas and galvanized the Jesus movement. Those images reminded me that during one of the darkest times in American history—when white supremacists were bombing churches in the South and police were spraying black protesters with fire hoses—the gospel was being preached as the only means to achieve racial healing.

Historians have already proven that the young people who came to Christ during the Jesus movement eventually became the leaders of today's church. It was the most powerful move of God in our lifetime. For me, Woodlawn not only chronicles how God poured out His Spirit in one school in Alabama—it also reminds me that He can and will do it again.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.

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