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The Chosen, the story of Jesus told in a TV series on Amazon Prime Video that also grossed over $140 million in movie theaters, is by all objective measures a significant success. It’s been watched by more than 200 million people and has appeared in the top five in both streaming and theatrical box office lists.
We’re currently filming Season 6 while enjoying the positive global response to Season 5. On the ratings site Rotten Tomatoes, The Chosen debuted with a perfect 100 percent score from critics, and audiences rated Season 5 a near-perfect 97 percent. Obviously, my career is in a place far beyond anything I ever imagined.
But it was born from failure.
And it was also birthed from plans God had for me that were quite different from my own. So it’s very easy for me to admit that this current success has very little to do with my strategies or skills.
Let me take you back to 2008. I was an independent filmmaker who’d been trying desperately not to be a “Christian filmmaker.” Faith-based films were pretty awful, and I didn’t want to be associated with that genre. I just wanted to make normal films and be taken seriously. Being affirmed by Hollywood and fans was my drug of choice.

But one day, as I was mowing my lawn — I’m a good Midwesterner — I was praying about my career. I felt God put it on my heart pretty clearly to stop being embarrassed by the topic of faith and to start making films about Him. I thought, “But these films are so bad.” And I felt God say, “So make good ones.” To be clear, this wasn’t an audible voice, just a strong impression that God was telling me that He and those who followed Him deserved good movies, too.
So, much to the chagrin of my wife’s and my pride, I shifted gears and started to focus on films about God and his people. I had varying degrees of success, and I felt much more like I was in God’s will. But my drug of choice remained the same: I wanted legitimacy and success, fueled by affirmation.
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