The Bible Recap Reading: Number 7 The Bible Recap Podcast Day 57 Here is my review of "Jesus Revolution", as posted on my other site.... it's lengthy. Sorry.... I did make it to Jesus Revolution yesterday. It did not disappoint. So nice to see a movie in a theater that I can truly find a deep connection with. Now, I was only seven years old in 1969 and while, like everyone else in the world, I knew about "hippies" and the rebellion of the younger generation against the "establishment" ... somewhat. When you're seven, watching the news isn't a priority. I always had my nose in a book, even that young. But I was touched by this "Jesus Revolution" when I met Jesus in a small, non-denominational church at the age of sixteen. You see, I didn't grow up in church at all. Though my parents were both Christians when they passed, they didn't raise us that way. This movie tells the story of how non-denominational churches like the one I met Jesus in were born in the early 70's. And how through a "spiritual awakening", God reset the steps of many in that younger generation back towards Him. The movie is a true story and a love story, focused on Greg Laurie and his wife Kathe (played by Joel Courtney and Anna Grace Barlow), meeting for the first time in 1969 and following the "hippie" path into drugs and rebellion, only to walk away from that feeling empty and lost. Until crossing paths with a street preacher named Lonnie Frisbee (played by Johnathan Rhoumie, who I know and love as Jesus in The Chosen - maybe the best portrayal of Jesus in the history of the entertainment world). I can say, I didn't know anything at all about the real Lonnie Frisbee before hearing about this movie, so I did spend a bit of time doing some research on him before watching the film. Lonnie Frisbee, walked into town one day and was picked up by the daughter of Pastor Chuck Smith (played by Kelsey Grammar - who was brilliant in this part. I've never liked Kelsey Grammar so much as I did watching him in this movie). Chuck Smith was the Pastor of a struggling Church called Calvary Church who, like most adults in that time thought the world was going to HELL literally while watching news reports of all the protests and violence and rebellion going on in the Country. Jeannette (played by Alley Loannides) was cynical about Church and her Father's inability to even try to understand her generation. And while she herself was not walking in rebellion or doing drugs, she was struggling with wanting to remain a part of a Church who refused to walk in love and support for those searching for hope. After hearing her father say, "if a hippie walks through the door, I'll ask him what they're thinking), the minute she met Lonnie, she knew this was the Hippie that could help her father understand. In the end, Chuck Smith embraced Lonnie and his "friends" and invited them all into his Church where Lonnie was allowed to preach his message, much to the frustration of the old board who ended up leaving. What followed was a "spiritual awakening" across the country, not just in California, that people still talk about today. Calvery Church exploded with so many young people on a search for God, they had to set up a large tent just to make room for them all. There were so many kids wanting to be baptized, they moved the baptisms to a beach (Pirates Cove) to make sure they all could be. Amazing to watch on screen. The testimony of those present that day is that on the day those "baptism" scenes were filmed, people were actually asking to be baptized and choosing Jesus for the first time during the filming of this movie with the real Pastor Greg Laurie on set to help. Amazing. The inspiration to tell this story on screen came when the folks at Kingdom Story began researching a couple of Time magazine covers from the late 60's - early 70's, one which asked the question "Is God Dead" and a few short years later which declared our country was having a "Jesus Revolution". After meeting Pastor Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Ministries in California - one of the largest ministries of its kind), he knew he needed to tell the story from the perspective of one who not only lived it but had the steps of his life reset because of this Jesus Movement. Believe it or not, nothing I said up there is anything one couldn't get from one of the many previews of the movie. It was a wonderful experience watching this story unfold in such a beautiful way. It didn't leave out anything... even the fact that Lonnie Frisbee himself walked away from this movement he was so instrumental in establishing and fell away from his faith for a while, divorcing his wife and returning somewhat back to his "before Jesus" life. However, he did find his way back to Jesus before he died in 1993. Lonnie Frisbee is a clear picture of how God chooses to use "flawed" people to accomplish his purposes. So many times in history, even in Bible history, we see this. We are all human. We are all subject to making mistakes. In fact, we all do. It's the human condition. But if we are open, God can use us anyway to do great things. That is what this movie illustrates so beautifully. More than you all wanted to know, I'm sure. Go see the movie. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You might even see Jesus in a way you never have before through the telling of the 1969 Jesus Revolution. Have a blessed day.
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July 2024
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