LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 248
Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick started making movies when they were kids growing up in Smyrna, Georgia. “They all had the same plot,” Alex tells us on The Plugged In Show. “Chase ‘em down, and beat ‘em up.”
And even at that young age, they were thinking about taking their love of film and turning it toward God.
“We were wanting to make movies as Christians, but similar to Hollywood,” Alex says. “In other words, we wanted to use Hollywood’s recipes and just sprinkle Jesus on it.”
But over time, the Kendrick brothers realized that you couldn’t just sprinkle a little Jesus on a film and call it good. Faith had to be baked in from the get-go.
“I do believe that the desire to tell stories and make movies was from the Lord,” Alex continues. “But the Lord wanted us to do it for His glory, not our own. … It wasn’t until we died to [that selfish desire], surrendered it to the Lord that He then opened the door with Flywheel.”
And Flywheel—a film the Kendrick brothers made for $20,000 and released in 2003—was the first step in a joint career that now spans more than two decades and helped reshape the Christian film industry.
Their ninth film, The Forge, is coming out this weekend. Directed by Alex and written by both brothers, the film focuses on the hard, glorious work of Christian discipleship. We sat down with the brothers to talk about the movie, their sprawling shared career and who, of the two of them, is the better pickleball player. Oh, and we force them to share their favorite dad jokes, too. It’s a pretty fun conversation that you won’t want to miss.
And, as always, we’d love for you to stop by and share your own thoughts. Do you have a favorite film from the Kendrick brothers? Have you discipled someone—or been discipled—in your own walk of faith? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below, or via email ([email protected]), or on voicemail (which you can access through our Plugged In Show homepage). And, of course, you can talk to us on Facebook and Instagram, too.
And join us for our next episode, when we dive deep into Tolkien and the new season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. And we talk about the new movie Reagan, too!
3 Responses
I have loved all of the Kendrick brothers movies and look forward to the next one. The one that is my favorite and continues to impact my life has been Flywheel. It’s the idea that so many times you hit rock bottom and turn to God and prayer in desperation with every thing you have and then things you never expected begin to happen. I admit I’m going through that season again now with having to care for a semi-invalid elderly mother. Just hearing this podcast reminds me to hope in Him and not in this fallen world. Thank you!
My mom and my’s favorite Kendrick film is Facing The Giants!!!
I was saved at 39. My neighbor had a Bible study and mailed invitations. She argues with the Lord about inviting me. She lost and I was the only one to attend. She realized why God insisted I come. We met daily in person or by phone. That was 54 years ago. She was my mentor and set me on a path to follow Jesus and know who He wants me to reach.