TV and film director Dallas Jenkins has forever etched a name for himself in Hollywood history with his record-breaking creation of “The Chosen,” the Jesus-themed series that has taken the world by storm.
But Jenkins recently recognized another dream of his: bringing author Barbara Robinson’s 1972 novel “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” to the big screen. The film by the same name, which released Nov. 8 in theaters nationwide, was very literally an answer to Jenkins’ long-uttered prayers.
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The director recently appeared on “Higher Ground With Billy Hallowell” to share how his faith and the power of prayer led to some truly incredible events and, ultimately, the making of that film.
According to Jenkins, he simply felt called by God to make the movie.
“The difference between my own desire and God’s desire … one of the best tests of that is … when you first have an idea or … something God puts on your heart, and if it just doesn’t let go of you … I think that’s one of the best signs that it could be a calling from God,” Jenkins said. “And there’s others as well.”
He said he immediately knew after reading the novel that he was “born to make this movie.”
“I just said, ‘I believe this is a movie that I was born to make,’” Jenkins said.
He immediately began reaching out to the rights holders to share his vision and heart for the movie, but he soon discovered they were already working with another studio.
Jenkins was saddened but undeterred.
“Every year, I would check in,” he said. “Every year, I would bug them, and every year the answer was the same.”
During that time, Jenkins also did something else: he created a recurring calendar reminder on his phone and laptop that included just three words: “Pray for Pageant.” It was a reminder for him to take time each and every week to pray for God to open a pathway to make the movie.
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Reprinted with permission from faithwire.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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