Episode 17: How Movies Move Us

This episode is choc full of talking. And laughing. And thinking. And movie talking. And being 48 minutes long, this is our longest episode to date, I believe. So today I will be with you as you finish any and every chore you possibly have to do!

Our guest this week is Eric Epperson, who is a good friend and co-worker of our friends of our hearts - Mike and Cindy Branton. Eric is in the movie making business, or in the social justice documentaries making business. His role at CIY has allowed him to make several incredible films that revolve around serious world wide issues, in glorious fashion. His films have taken him to Iraq, Ireland, India, and now - Arizona.

In hopes to immerse himself in foster care life, he stayed at our crazy house for 2 days, and met with different people for his project. And so we asked him to join us on the podcast to share about his upcoming film that should be out next year.

Eric brought up a great point that we started fostering, in response to several videos that were shown at our church. Hopefully this film about foster care will awaken something, even just conversation to start off with. As Eric puts it: "Films open our minds to what's possible."

We talked about A LOT of stuff and there were some classic quotes!

• "Allegiant - the Kmart of the Skies."
• To learn more about CIY: Christ In Youth
• Get on Amazon Prime to watch 3 of CIY Aeffect's films: Aullido, Love Costs Everything, Unseen
• To download for free: Unseenfilm.org Mental Health and Suicide film
• Primary shirts and Secondary Shirts. They are important and make you look respectable in case of emergency, or the opposite.
• CAMMIES. Not Camis. Chris mentioned that in the Marine Corps, they talked about getting your Cammies. But I was picturing them saying 'Get your spaghetti strapped tank tops/camis'. A fellow Marine texted and stood by his military brother and told me that Chris was right and I was wrong. Whatevs.
• If you have NO IDEA what Tornado we are talking about (I did not know about this tornado until I went to Joplin, 3 years ago), you can find out more here. The fact that Eric and his family (his wife hid in a basement with their 4 week old daughter!) survived that thing makes them some of the most incredible people in the world

Missouri vs Arizona

Missouri Population: 6.1 million

#of kids in foster care: 19,400 kids in care

Arizona Population: 7.2 million

# of kids in foster: 15,000

The (Good) Word of the Day

" If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father."

Philippians 2:1-11 The Message (emphasis added)

SO GOOD. Read it again my friends, and let it all soak in to your hearts and minds.

Special thanks to Eric for joining us on the podcast today. We will be praying for your journey in making this film, and we hope that it makes people move to compassion and action.

We hope you enjoyed it, and that it made you think of different ways that you can get involved in the foster care crisis that spans the entire country, and world that we live in. Wherever you are, foster kids are there too. And they need your help.

To connect with Eric:

Eric's Work Bio

Eric on Instagram

Eric on Facebook