Positive ID

The opposite of Insecurity is Identity-- or more precisely, understanding and comprehending your TRUE identity.  For the Disciple, this is an understanding of the duality-- that there is the me, fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Ps. 139), and there's the sin nature, the flesh, the ego, that is evil and must be denied, crucified, and killed.

It's a wonderful thing to see a Disciple who is down the road a ways on understanding his true Identity.  For instance, watch the video below on Kerry Livgren (who plays "Proff" in The Imposter.)  Kerry suffered a stroke last fall-- a pretty serious one.  This is a man known worldwide to millions as the creator of such classics as "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry On Wayward Son."  Many musicians find their VALUE in what they create.  So when that's taken from them, they lose their perceived value (falling into despair, depression and insecurity).

Think about this-- what do you think is something you consider yourself good at?  Now, what if that was gone.  How do you feel?  Romans 8:28 tells us that "All things work together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose."  Kerry, in the video below certainly has a solid grasp on this spiritual concept.

Kerry-- Another Story from the Set of Imposter (Redux)

I'd like to pull from the archive a great story from the set of Imposter. For those following on Facebook-- I posted a video on the Imposter Group with Dr. Mike Riggins. (I'll post it below). It goes hand in hand with this story about Kerry.
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It was the second week of shooting and we lost some crew people due to the flu. We were shooting at Compass Church in Colleyville, Texas and we were shooting the scene where Johnny's evangelist dad (played by Mike Riggins) is preaching. The sermon he preaches hits a popular note, but I twisted we twisted it ever so much towards a narcissistic bent. What was amazing was that several extras came up to Mike playing the evangelist and told him what an awesome sermon that was.

At lunch, Kerry had arrived and we talked about it. He told this story:
You have a barrel of fine wine and you have a barrel of sewage. You take a spoonful of sewage and drop it in the barrel of fine wine, what do you have? Sewage. You take a spoonful of fine wine and drop it in the barrel of sewage and what do you have? Sewage.

I know in my own life, straining out the sewage is difficult but imperative. I also listen to many fine songs and hear just a spoonful of sewage. I hear wonderful sermons that have a spoonful of sewage. Lot of sewage all around. Phew.

The Imposter Street Date

Well, I had heard we were releasing February 23. Then there was a chance we'd delay the release to early summer, so I was a little hesitant to announce. But we are officially on track to hit the streets with the DVD's of "The Imposter."

For those new to this blog, "The Imposter" is a faith-based film, made for the Christian, church-going audience. I feel non-Believers will enjoy the movie as well, especially since this one flies in the face of the traditional "Christian" movie.

Johnny C (played by Kevin Max of dcTalk) is the lead singer for the hottest Christian rock band. But unfortunately, what he sings about at night before thousands, isn't what he lives when off the stage. He's been hiding a drug problem and not hiding so well a womanizing problem. And this doesn't set too well with his long suffering wife who finally gets the courage to practice some tough love and takes their daughter back to her parents.

James (played by Jeff Deyo), is the leader of the band and he can't turn a blind eye any longer either and has some tough choices to make. After losing everything, Johnny C has a gut check time-- does he determine to be a true Believer, no matter who is watching, or does he continue to play the game? Johnny is mentored by mysterious "Proff" played by the legendary Kerry Livgren of Kansas fame.

I wrote this story for the Church-- this is my fourth movie and the other three I wrote for the secular audience. I wanted to present a more realistic portrayal of faith in action-- something that everyone can relate to. And it is my hope that as you discover your true identity in God that you begin to take off the masks and masquerades of a delusional reality.

And my wife tells me not to get too preachy. That wasn't so bad was it?

On the Set of Imposter

I often get asked when working with famous people "what are they like?" So let me talk about some of the people on the set of "The Imposter," (soon to be released in early 2010).

Kevin Max-- I first met KMax at a hip LA restaurant, where you paid big bucks to have green things mixed into your beef burger. Kevin was interesting to talk to and extremely approachable. Later, when he got to the set, he got hammered with the flu while shooting, so I pretty much tried to leave him alone. Didn't spend much time with Kevin.

Kerry Livgren-- I was so excited about having Kerry agree to do this movie. And it wasn't as hard a task as I thought it might be. We had talked to several other "founding fathers of Christian Rock" but this one I was really excited about. To get in touch with Kerry began with a simple google search for Kerry's manager, which came up with Dutch Dehnert.

I sent off a hasty email of introduction and he responded pretty quick. Though he didn't think Kerry would end up doing it, he was intrigued and passed the project along. Long story short, Kerry liked the script, the message and the role he was to play is not too terribly far from who he is in real life.

I first met Kerry late one night right before we started shooting. He and his wife Vicci drove down from Kansas and got a little turned around in the metroplex. So Jeff Rodgers and I went out and found them, then we had dinner at Fuddruckers talking about all sorts of things. I will always remember this dinner-- a very special night. I asked him about covers of Carry On Wayward Son that he actually liked through the years, and he mentioned, of all tings, the Oakridge Boys. I still haven't heard that one. I need to check it out.

Kerry was a great rpesence ont he set. A quiet gentleman. I recall there were a few times, while shooting at Bethesda Church, the piano would come alive. I peeked inside the sanctuary, and it was Kerry. Very cool.

Then, I remember the first time through shooting his guitar playing for the COWS music video. My then 6 year old daughter, upon completion of take one, said in a loud voice... "Hey, you're pretty good!"

Jeff Deyo was a surprise. I had heard of Sonicflood but didn't know much else before Jeff Rodgers brought him to the table. Jeff turned out to be another great find. He is a man who definitely loves God and it shows. I know in our first face to face on the set, I overloaded on him, about the backstory of his character, the philosophy of the movie and about a billion other things. He must have thought me pretty intense and strange.

I also remember when on the set, I got a phone call that my wife and son had been in a traffic accident (that they were okay but going to the hospital in case), it was Jeff asking if he could pray that really touched me.

Tom Wright, who plays the crazy homeless guy is also great to have around on a set. Tom has been around for and his movie and tv show credit list is extremely long. I hired Tom to act in my first movie and out of my first four movies, he's in four. Tom challenges me to be a better director and I feel like I've improved with each movie. I knew when about to do his scenes, I'd better have done my homework, because Tom was going to ask great and tough questions.

So that's what it's like on the set with some of these people. If you've had some experience with one, tell us about it.

Letter From Kerry Livgren

Thanks Kerry for sharing this. For the rest of us, here's a letter Kerry has sent out to friends, fans and family.


It was a typical Monday morning in late summer. I had started the day with the barn chores and followed by a few hours in the recording studio. The lazy afternoon was so pleasant that I decided to give up the rest of the workday and fly one of my radio-controlled planes in the pasture.

I had enjoyed good health for all of my life, except for an occasional bout with a cold. After reaching 50, I was more vigilant, but never a need to see a doctor. My cholesterol and blood pressure were at modest levels, and I got plenty of exercise here at the farm. I thought I had nothing to worry about, but that was about to change.

I went to bed about ten-thirty, read a little bit and went shortly to sleep. From this point on, I remember little, which must have been God's mercy.

It was about 3:30 in the morning. I rose and headed for the bathroom.
Vicci said she remembered me splashing water on my face, and then dropping to the floor. I didn't know it, but a massive blood clot had just entered my carotid artery, working it's way to my brain. Vicci called 911, thinking perhaps this was a heart attack. I have vague recollections of struggling unsuccessfully to get to my feet – and a strange bewilderment as to why my right side would not function. I lost consciousness. After lying on the floor for a indeterminate amount of time, the paramedics arrived and took me to the hospital.

I was taken to the emergency room, and from there to surgery at seven o'clock. The surgeons strove to keep my arteries open, with some success. Two stents were placed in the blood vessel. Eventually I was to find out that, for a time, my life hung in the balance, but there on the operating table the balance swung in my favor. Despite the successful surgery however, later tests showed that a second blood clot had again blocked the carotid artery. There was not an attempt to remove this one - there was just too much mass of coagulation. It remains blocked. For the next three and a half days, I knew nothing. I was in a black vacuous void, lacking sound, sight and feeling.

I began waking up, as if in a fog. I could see shadowy figures moving.
My right side was dead, and I couldn't speak. There had been dozens of friends and well-wishers in the emergency recovery room, but I hardly remember their presence. Many of my friends were there praying for me, and they had notified many others I'm not acquainted with, who joined them in prayer.

I still didn't know what had happened to me. Unfortunately, in the days to follow, it did begin to dawn on me. My wife had been with me throughout the ordeal, and she began trying to tell me what had happened to me. I had suffered a stoke, and a very serious one.
Initially I couldn't move my arm or hand, but over the next several days I began to show some improvements such as wiggling my fingers and toes. My right leg was recovering more rapidly, and eventually I stood upright.

I don't know what the Doctors expected regarding recuperation, especially with that artery still blocked. I knew little of strokes - just what I had heard from friends and family. I knew they were serious, even life threatening. I suppose, giving the nature of strokes, that anything was possible. Some recovery could take place, or none at all, but that was now in God's hands.

Still, the improvements came. Though it was tremendously frustrating, I began to be able to say a few understandable words, and I could now, with assistance, stand and walk some cautious steps. Therapists were now visiting me regularly and helping with speech and physical therapy. My thought processes and memory were coming back. I remember so desperately wanting to get better, and be able to go home, but that was not yet to be.

After eleven days in the hospital, the decision was made to move me to a Rehab facility. Several different places were discussed, but it was decided that I would be moved to a very highly thought-of clinic in Lincoln, Nebraska. I wanted to stay in Topeka, but I certainly was in no position to protest. Vicci wanted me to have the best care. After one more, and rather lengthy blood test, they loaded me in an ambulance and off I went. The scenery on the way up to Lincoln was very refreshing to me – the first I had seen in a long while.

The clinic was very nice. I arrived late in the afternoon and was checked into a very elegant room, right next to the dining room. At the call to dinner, I got up and walked to the table, though a nurse tried to assist me. The first thing I noticed was that I was the only one walking. The rest of the people were in wheelchairs. Most were considerably older than I, and many were obviously fellow stroke victims. I remember thinking that most of these people were hurting much worse than I. There wasn't much conversation at the table, presumably because of their vocal problems, and mine. The meal was very good, but I noticed, really for the first time, that I had great difficulty holding the fork. (I had previously been fed.)

The therapists began early, with a series of tests. From morning til'
late afternoon, this was to be my schedule for the next three weeks – speech, occupational, and physical therapies. The staff were all very nice. I even began to enjoy the therapy a little, as long as it got my mind off of the real implications of my situation. Everyone said I was making great progress.

After the first week, we drove home for my first brief visit home. My home seemed welcoming, but unfamiliar and strange in the way that places do when you've been gone. Still, I relished the time. When we returned to Nebraska, one of the more bizarre events of my ordeal took place. Since I was now on out-patient status, we were staying in a local hotel. I was about to go to sleep when suddenly I thought of the Bible. I realized that I could not think of a single verse. I could think of none of the names of the books, no names of Bible characters, none of the stories, nothing! I was slowly panicking when I asked Vicci to grab the Gideon Bible and read me something – anything. With a puzzled look, she opened the Bible and began to read from John Chapter 6, the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. After thirty years of personal Bible study, I was hearing it for the first time! I was such a strange sensation. There was a faint air of familiarity about it, and yet it was all new. What a peculiar thing, that a stroke can destroy a portion of the brain, and be that selective. Though I had panicked, because I instinctively knew how important it was, this Jesus I was hearing about was soothing, and I was able to go to sleep.
(fortunately as of this writing, my Bible knowledge has returned).

I returned to the clinic for two more weeks, and continued to improve and grow stronger. One day I discovered that there was a piano in an open room on the second floor. I had not been thinking much about one of my greatest fears – not being able to make music. I sat down at the piano, my right arm in my lap, and played a few figures with my left hand. Then came the great test. I lifted my right arm and played a simple scale, although somewhat haltingly. I was surprised that I was even able to press the keys. However the real surprise happened when I tried to play with both hands. I found that I could play with right or left hand independently, but not with both hands. I just could not do it. It was actually quite a peculiar sensation. Initially I felt tremendously frustrated, and then panic, but the Lord gave me a peace about it.. I decided it would do no good to worry about it, and it would be best to leave my future in His hands. I did not visit that piano again.

After three weeks it was time to come home, and transfer to another Re-Hab Hospital in Topeka. I left Nebraska on a Friday, and was to enroll in the outpatient clinic in Topeka on the following Monday. I would be staying at home! The first night at home, I was awakened by a loud crashing, followed shortly by someone moaning. Startled awake, I lay there thinking I was dreaming. I got up and went to the bathroom, the same one in which I had the stroke, and I found Vicci lying in our sunken bathtub. I stared at her for a moment thinking “what are you doing?” before I managed, with some difficulty, to get her back to bed. I knew she was hurt, but I thought it was just bruises.

The morning told a different story. Vicci was completely unable to move, and in great pain. My daughter Kate, who was staying with us, called 911. Here was I, partially disabled and unable to drive, and now my wife was facing a trial. I began to feel a bit like Job. The ambulance took her to the same hospital that I had been taken to, where we found out it was not bruises, but a fractured spine. After a painful night, she was scheduled for surgery the next day – with the same doctor who had operated on me. Everyone was stunned that we were back in the hospital again, and this time with my wife. We sent out prayer requests – this time for Vicci.

They performed the surgery, a relatively new procedure using a balloon and a type of cement, to rebuild her vertebrae. There was no incision.
After one more night, she was already home, and feeling nearly normal.
I couldn't believe she was back home after breaking her back. The doctor said that were it not for this type of surgery, she would have been months recovering. I thanked him work his work on her, and myself. I felt that we had narrowly escaped a calamity.

Vicci's incident had fallen right on the day that I had an appointment to enroll in the Re-Hab program, so it was delayed, but I started it the following week. The clinic was similar to the one in Nebraska.
They tested my hand for numbness, as well as a full battery of other tests.

The various therapies continued – as did the improvements. I was basically aware that I was slowly getting better, but I really didn't grasp how much I was improving. People that I spoke to on an occasional basis always remarked about how much better I was speaking.
The change was so gradual, that I could scarcely notice it. Over time, the feeling was coming back to my hand. I finally sat down at my piano, and suddenly I could play with both hands. It was nowhere near my former ability, but now I had hope. As the days have passed, my playing improves slowly – I can even pick a few notes on the guitar.

I am now, as of this writing, four months from the date of my stroke.
I still have some speech problems, and some trouble with my right arm.
It has been a long and hard struggle, and there is still a ways to go.
I did not know it at first, but this stroke was serious. I just now am finding out how serious. My Doctor, after conferring with several other physicians including a hematologist, told me that what had caused the stroke was a blood disorder called “antiphospholipid syndrome.” He said that it was unlikely that a physical exam would have revealed it. It is a type of auto-immune disorder, and he informed me that I must be on blood-thinner drugs, presumably for the rest of my life. I was not pleased about having to take Coumadin, but I left his office resolved.

More significant is what one of my other doctors told me. (a
Neurologist) I went to see him just a few days ago. He had not see me in many weeks, in fact since the days in the emergency room in the Hospital. When he walked into the room, I jumped to my feet, held out my hand, and said “Hi, Doc!”. It would be hard to miss the look of astonishment on his face. He was clearly pleased with my progress, but then he told me “Mr. Livgren, you had as bad a stroke as a man can have.” He said “Once in a while, a Doctor gets to see someone like you.”

I had been getting comments like this all along, but I was just now starting to get it. Clearly, something was going on. I should, by all rights, be either deceased, or one of the people in a wheelchair, yet I am not disabled. The comment was made that I was “like Job”, yet Job received back all that he lost and more besides. I have come to believe that my Father in Heaven has once again shown us His kind mercies. I have may times been the recipient of His mercies before, ( He saved Vicci from her head injury in 1998). Now, He has saved me. He exists, and he hears the prayers of His people. I know I am nothing special. I know that sometimes there are good, prayerful people whose prayers are not answered, and I have no explanation. He is the Lord God and mercy is His to give, and He gave it.

Throughout this whole ordeal, I somehow knew that it was going to be alright. I felt a kind of calming presence, the presence of Christ, telling me that I need not fear. I pray that I be fully recovered but if not, then whatever the Lord gives me is enough.

Kerry Livgren
Christmas Eve, 2009
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What gets shipped to the Churches?

When a church goes to our website and orders a license, we get an email confirming an order has been made with all the details. We send a 2 DVD box that contains a DVD with the movie, suitable for projecting in your church, and a second disc containing a bunch of Extras.

These Extras include Scenes from the movie to use as Discussion clips (with the soon to be completed Study Guide), behind-the-scenes, interviews with the actors, and music videos, including the "Carry On Wayward Son" redone by Kerry Livgren and sung by Kevin Max.

We also send out three to five full size movie posters, with an overprint area for listing the details of your church screening. This all gets shipped in a Fedex Tube via Fedex Ground. Your order usually gets filled in a couple of days, then 3 to 5 days to ship-- so we tell the person who ordered to expect it in ten days.

We have shipped faster for those doing a screening in a shorter time. I suggest that when you get your order, to watch the movie all the way through to make sure it works properly on your system.

I also give the churches a special support website that has downloadable posters, pictures, sample bulletin announcements, ticket templates, quicktime video of the trailer and other helpful items.

Another Common Question

Inevitably, when people find out I have worked with a celebrity, 9 times out of 10, the next question is "What was ______ really like to work with?" So I"m going to answer that question with the people on the set of "The Imposter."

Kevin Max -- Kevin really surprised me, and several others by his natural acting abilities. He quickly found a rhythm and was very believable. And he did this in spite of the fact that he was stricken with the flu for most of the shooting. This movie, more than any other I've shot, put so much onto the lead actor-- there were 136 scenes and Kevin's character was in almost all of them. Usually the lead actor will have some days off from shooting. But not so for Kevin. So he had to really dig deep to bring this character to life and I think he did an exceptional job.

Jeff Deyo -- When you work with Jeff, you realize what a presence he has. I can only guess that this comes from his passion for Jesus. But he is a calming, strong force on the set. We didn't have a lot of time to talk on the set, and he would come in for a day, shoot and then fly away for a bit to whatever concert he was performing. What I remember most is that while shooting in the RV for the scene where James takes the call from Johnny wanting money, I had just gotten a call-- my wife and son were in a traffic accident. I was told it probably wasn't serious, but suddenly I was a mess and didn't know what to do. Jeff took charge for a moment and prayed. And God showed up in a real way.

Later, I've gotten to spend more time with Jeff and I truly love him like a brother. I can't wait to work with him again.

Kerry Livgren -- I was probably the most nervous meeting Kerry for the first time. He decided to drive down with his wonderful wife Vicci from Kansas and called me when he was getting close, so we could meet at a restaurant to eat dinner. Kerry is every bit the actual character of Proff-- he really didn't have to act; he just had to play himself. I loved sitting down to dinner that night and asking all the questions I'm sure he's been asked a zillion times. And maybe a few he hadn't. Questions like how COWS came to be and Dust in the Wind. As well as other people in the industry he's met and worked with (pretty sad... he says "I knew so and so" and my first thing is "Really? What are they like?").
In this picture, left to right, Dan Millican, DP Ron Gonzalez, Sound Mike Gonzalez, Kerry Livgren, Line Producer Stewart Young.

Anyway, it was a real pleasure working with these guys. And I hope you get a chance to meet them some day.

Soundtrack Update

Thanks to all who have pre-ordered the Extended CD version of "The Imposter" movie soundtrack. In an effort to ensure the highest quality of each track, it has taken longer to get the master done, but we are nearing the finish line on that. Jeff Rodgers and I are very excited about the results.

All the art has already been sent to the duplicator, so once we have the master in hand, it will go pretty quickly. What you see here is the front cover of the CD (and below is the back booklet panel). And in previous blog posts, I've uploaded the CD Face and the back of the CD case.

My hope is that we will have the soundtracks in hand in a week to ten days and we will ship out all the pre-orders first. In the meantime, until we have the CD's in hand, we will continue to offer the $5 off for pre-ordering, so if you haven't ordered, now's the time at www.theimpostermovie.com.

For those who don't know, the CD will retail for $18.99 and has 19 tracks, which includes just about every song in the movie, including the new "Carry On Wayward Son" by writer Kerry Livgren and vocals by Kevin Max. It will also have Kevin Max singing a new song "Believe (is an Act)" and Jeff Deyo's new song "Chance to Choose." Both of these songs were written for the movie.

We also include the four songs by Kevin, including the title track "The Imposter" as well as all four songs by the awesome group "Downhere" that were used in the movie. Other songs include several by Kerry, Adele Morgan, and some great score tracks by our composer, Josh Goode.

For those that have pre-ordered, thank you for your patience, we're almost there!

CD Soundtrack Update

Well, we are getting very close. The tracks have all been sent to the mastering company. Then we'll go to the duplicator who has all the art and is ready to go.

Maybe we can have them in hand within a couple of weeks. These will be the extended version, with just about every song represented in the movie, along with the best of Josh's music cues from the score. Kerry Livgren remixed "Carry On Wayward Son" last week, so that will be a new version for everyone as well. I think he's like me-- as long as I can keep editing, I'll keep editing. They say a director never finishes a movie-- he just stops working on it. I'm sure Kerry is that way with his music.

We've got the new Jeff Deyo song "Chance to Choose" as well as Kevin Max singing "Believe (is an Act)" for our movie band Grand_design. And a bunch of other really good songs.

We will keep the $5 pre-order discount active until we have them in hand next week, so if you've been putting it off, now's the time to order at the website. All the pre-orders will go out first.

Spinning Discs

Well, we are officially pushing forward on the soundtrack for "The Imposter." I hope to have the product in hand within six weeks at the latest, maybe earlier. Here's a peek at the songs we're thinking of including:
* Carry On Wayward Son (Kevin Max singing to Kerry Livgren's new arrangement)
* Four songs from Kevin's "The Imposter" (Imposter, Imposter's Song, Sanctuary, Your Beautiful Mind)
* Four downhere songs (my favorite band, songs include The More, A Better Way, Break My Heart, My Last Amen)
* Local star Meredith Mauldin's "Empty" which has been a surprise hit of the movie
* Our movie originals Believe (is an Act) sung by Kevin, and Chance to Choose sung by Jeff Deyo
* Two Kerry Livgren songs (On the Air, No More Time For Love)
* and a couple of choice score cues by Josh Goode.

We will probably put a real huge pre-sale discount up in the next few days. Hope you enjoy!

Kerry Livgren's Testimonial

We've had several people ask to see this video posted. I have been including it in the extras, but here it is. Kerry's story is an amazing one. Here is an individual who was looking for rock n roll success, and trying to find a deeper purpose at the same time. He got the rock n roll success, but that ate away even more.

I don't remember if I included this in the edit here (and I'm too tired to check it right now), but another interesting thing about Kansas-- the band had no problem with Kerry chasing Buddhism, eastern mysticism, even Urantia... but when Kerry became born again, then some problems started. The name of Jesus has incredible power. It makes people flinch to say Jesus. You can say Buddha. You can say Mohammed. But to say Jesus separates and divides people.

Thanks, Kerry, for taking time to talk with me that day on the set.

Interview with Kerry

The local paper for Kerry's hometown of Topeka has a great article. Check it out: CLICK HERE Also, video interview here with clips from the Carry On Wayward Son music video, here: CLICK HERE

I really liked what Kerry had to say. Hope you check it out. Also did get word that they have sold out all 6 screenings for tomorrow in Topeka.

Screenings, screenings everywhere...

Topeka is packing them out this Sunday. Kerry Livgren's home church is buying out a movie theater and doing six screenings on Sunday. Brian at Topeka Bible Church says tickets are all gone for all six. Amazing!!

We're working on a Fort Worth screening to benefit Teen Challenge. Probably late March. More when I get some dates set. It will be interesting to see how much money we can raise for Fort Worth Teen Challenge.

Also, might do something again in Nashville soon, and Jeff Deyo's church there will be screening the movie soon.

We also have other churches around the country setting up screenings. If you want the movie to come to your city-- contact me. Let's see if we can get it going!

What's the deal with "Churches Only?"

The biggest question we get from the website is "when is the home DVD going to be released?" Well, first we are making the movie available to churches for public exhibition. Why? Well, this gives us a chance to have a theatrical "window", a movie industry term for the slot of time for a movie to be in theaters (or in our case, churches).

We are getting more and more orders and lots of screenings coming up. Today in Kansas, the Wheatheads (hardcore fans of the band "Kansas") are having a showing. Then in a few weeks, Kerry Livgren's home church is renting out the local theater and having a big shindig-- several screenings of the movie... talk with Kerry... sermon around it. That will be Topeka.

Churches in Florida, Virginia, Washington State, Utah, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia have purchased the exhibition license. Want to help with our "theatrical" rollout? We need you. Bring the movie to your city. Ask your church to put on a movie night. Or rent the local theater. I appreciate everyone's support so far!

Christian -- Another Derogatory Term

There are only three places in the Bible where the word "Christian" (Gr. Christos) is used. It means "little christs" and was a derogatory term.

However the word "disciple" has over 250 mentions in the Bible. But that word has a root that sounds like "discipline." Who wants that? Easier to just say Christian. Besides, it's a lot more comfortable to say "I'm a Christian" than to say "I'm a disciple of Jesus." (And a lot more comfortable to say "Christ" than to say "Jesus.")

And in today's semantics, what has the definition of "Christian" come to? Just my personal opinion here, but I wonder if all Christians will make it through the bema seat. I bet a greater number of disciples of Jesus will.

We touch on this in the movie "The Imposter." Our wise sage archtype "Proff" played by Kerry Livgren, doesn't use the word Christian. He uses the word disciple of Jesus, or Believer. We use Believer a lot because of theme "Believe is an Act."

Another Kerry Livgren Story - Sewage by any other name...

It was the second week of shooting and we lost some crew people due to the flu. We were shooting at Compass Church in Colleyville, Texas and we were shooting the scene where Johnny's evangelist dad is preaching. The sermon he preaches hits a popular note, but I twisted we twisted it ever so much towards a narcissistic bent. What was amazing was that several extras came up to the actor playing the evangelist and told him what an awesome sermon that was.

At lunch, Kerry had arrived and we talked about it. He told this story:
You have a barrel of fine wine and you have a barrel of sewage. You take a spoonful of sewage and drop it in the barrel of fine wine, what do you have? Sewage. You take a spoonful of fine wine and drop it in the barrel of sewage and what do you have? Sewage.

I know in my own life, straining out the sewage is difficult but imperative. I also listen to many fine songs and hear just a spoonful of sewage. I hear wonderful sermons that have a spoonful of sewage. Lot of sewage all around. Phew.

Carry On Wayward Son

So how did Kerry Livgren become a part of the movie "The Imposter?" For those that don't know, Kerry was an integral part of the super-group Kansas. He wrote the classics Carry On Wayward Son and Dust in the Wind.

I've always been a fan of Christian rock and enjoyed the work of an all girl band called Rachel Rachel back in the early 90's. They did a cover of COWS and a music video to go with it.

A few months before shooting Imposter, I was cleaning out some VHS tapes and saw one where I had recorded a Christian music video show. I had saved it because of the COWS video. In it, the girls rock out and Kerry comes on stage during the solo. I had been racking my brain for who to play the role of the Mentor in the movie and wanted an older Christian rock icon. I thought Kerry would be perfect.

I did a search on the internet and came up with his manager Dutch Dehnert's email address. After firing off an message, the reply was pretty quick. Dutch would pass the info along, but don't get my hopes up.

Long story short, Kerry wasn't too keen at first, but agreed to read the script. And his wife Vicci read the script. And he decided to do it and the movie was so much better for his participation.

So with Kerry attached, I began to dream. Wouldn't it be great if Kerry re-did the song with Kevin Max singing? I didn't think I would be able to talk Kerry in to it, and at first he wasn't big on the idea (He said he'd like to remake some of his songs-- COWS is not one of them). But then I got a CD in the mail with a return address Kansas. That was the day before shooting started. I popped it into the truck's CD and cranked it up. It had no vocals yet, but it was awesome.

The day after the last day of shooting, Kevin laid down some demo vocal tracks. A few months later, we paid for some studio time and Kevin laid them down for real. I had shot some music video segments on the set and during the summer edited the music video.

*When* we release the soundtrack, I'm sure that will be one of the songs. I might release the COWS video soon as well.