TD Jakes, DeVon Franklin Talk Church Hurt, Family Crisis and 'Miracles From Heaven' (Interview)
While promoting their upcoming film "Miracles From Heaven," Bishop T.D. Jakes and DeVon Franklin, who serve as producers for the film slated for March 16, spoke about navigating through some of the crises seen in the movie.
Many people leave church because they get hurt. In "Miracles from Heaven," actress Jennifer Garner, who plays Christy Beam, has a season where she leaves her place of worship because of criticisms she encounter after her daughter becomes ill.
"I think people have to realize that they don't go to church for other people. Until they realize that, they will always get disappointed and leave because other people are just as flawed as you are," Bishop Jakes told The Christian Post when asked how he, as a man of the cloth, would handle that situation.
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"You go to church to have an encounter with God in the midst of other people, so as long as we understand that clearly, we'll get around it, but people don't understand it and they get wounded at a moment of vulnerability," he continued.
As senior pastor at The Potter's House in Dallas Texas, Jakes said he and his church family work really hard to safeguard people from church hurt but he admitted that "things are [still] going to happen."
"The real sign of maturity is that you can be who you are in spite of who's around you. The sooner you mature as a Christian the less likely you are to quit because of what somebody said around you," he advised.
"Miracles From Heaven" recounts the real-life story of a 12-year-old girl name Anna (Kylie Rogers), who is the daughter of Christy Beam (Garner). Anna is suffering from a pseudo-obstruction motility disorder and is unable to eat, using feeding tubes for nutrition. One day, she has a near-death experience after falling from a tree and is subsequently cured of her disorder – a miracle that the Beam family credit to their Christian faith.
Watch CP's full interview with Jakes and Franklin below.
Throughout the film viewers are given a glimpse into how a small-town Christian family navigates through crisis. Like the film, co-producer Franklin and his wife, actress Meagan Good, have also made it a point to publicly display a good example of a loving Christian couple since marrying in 2012.
When asked how important it is for people to see how a healthy couple gets through a crisis, Franklin maintained that it was "very important."
"Life is hard and we all go through challenges and as a family you go through trauma. What I love about when you watch the film closely and read the book closely [which] that film is based upon, is that when you look at what ultimately happened to Anna, her family had to fight for her healing so that she would have even been alive for the miracle to happen," Franklin stated.
Adding, "I think we underestimate the power of fighting and staying in it and continuing to go against the odds and be there for each other, because we have no idea when God is going to show up and how He's going to show up. Sometimes we need to do the work because when He does show up we're in a position to receive it."
Since the sleeper hit "Heaven is for Real," which was made on a modest $12 million budget and went on to gross over $100 million worldwide, Jakes and Franklin have capitalized on people's fascination with heaven. "Miracles from Heaven" is their second heaven-focused film and is already garnering attention from believers from all different walks of life.
When questioned on why people are so intrigued by heaven, Jakes responded, "I think that either you are old enough that you're getting closer to it or you love someone who is, and the more you love someone who is, the more concerned you are about it."
Jakes assured that this film will resonate with any mother who's lost a child or dealt with some tragedy in their life. "Those notions of a reunion become all the more special regardless of what belief system you have," he explained.
The popular preacher concluded by saying, "I think that has made 'Miracles from Heaven,' [an] ecumenical, universal expression of God's love."
"Miracles From Heaven" is scheduled to hit theaters March 16th. For more information visit sonypictures.com
