Father of Lights Reviewed

Have finally got round to watching the remainder of Darren Wilson's documentary Father of Lights. Blogged a few days ago after watching the first half and was quite taken with it. Not what I expected.

The film is a documentary style travel around the globe looking at examples of  self-sacrifice, supernatural guidance, remarkable 'coincidences' of faith, and living examples of the power of love as an expression of God's heart for his children. The surprising thing for me was that the people who we observe and follow were 'ordinary'. Ordinary in that my expectation was to see bold, loud, narcissistic, business-men style preachers brow beating the common man and woman sort of thing. But what I got was real people, quiet people, self-sacrificing people and even oddballs all working out their faith under God's guidance.

Here's a few of the characters I got introduced to by the film:

Mike and Deena Vant Hul - Loaves and Fishes International. An ordinary couple and their children moved to adopt a baby from China. God moved in their hearts and they end up selling up, abandoning their undoubtedly comfortable lifestyle and moving to China to start an orphanage cum foster home for babies and children that we would perhaps label as unloved. When they are interviewed their tenderness, passion and love is almost tangible in the room. I also felt that perhaps they battled with the question 'why us?' as they journey along their truly sacrificial path. The picture below sums it up for me.

Ravi - India. This guy is incredible. He audibly hears the voice of God. What's more incredible is that he acts on it. God tells him to go so he goes. Village elders, witch doctors in remote villages and Maharishis all get a personal visit from Ravi. The thing is that Ravi is so quite, unassuming and normal. He isn't preaching fire and brimstone and calling down thunderbolts, he just talks to people that God has guided him to, often with remarkable results. Truly inspiring. There's a worship song by Kim Walker / Jesus Culture which could have been written especially for Ravi. Listen while you continue reading.

Two Indian blokes - India. Didn't write their names down but was absolutely gobsmacked. One of them is blind. One of them is lame. They go preaching and evangelising being led by the spirit. Their disabilities don't get in the way though. They travel by bicycle. The blind man sits at on the front and pedals and steers whilst the lame man sits at the back and tells the blind man where to steer. (Might be the other way round though!). That truly is trust and faith in action!

Latin Kings - Chicago. Evangelists meet with gang thug and pray for him. Perhaps you've seen or read about many situations like this and think it's rather lame but what chimes for me is how even for someone so 'evil' and so entwined in the gang culture he still recognises God. He isn't so highly educated that he thinks he can reason away God through his 'privileged education'. Such honesty was truly a breath of fresh air.

Todd White - Jerusalem. Todd is an ex-drug dealer who's passion and mission is to show love to all peoples. The cameras catch Todd as he's visiting Jerusalem. Todd's work is very simple - to show the love of God to people, regardless of who they are and is summed up in his quote “If people can't see Christ in you, they don't want what you have.” Following Todd you become very aware of some of what some call 'co-incidences' and what others call 'God-incidences'.

Miscellaneous. It's not all light and laughs along the way though. We also meet some victims of torture who have been persecuted simply because of their Christian faith. People such as Majed El Shafie , an Egyptian who became a Christian and suffered terribly, and a Pakistani Christian family who have been hounded from their land and country after their daughter was raped. Some harrowing stuff.

Father of Lights is a very inspiring film/documentary though and I recommend that you find a way to see it if you can.

Authored by Chris Hall