The Conversation Every Married Couple Has
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
191.26167
Summary
In this special Saturday edition of the show, host Candice chats with Josh and Rebecca Weigel, the filmmakers behind the new film, The Sound of Hope, about foster care and adoption. Join us as we discuss adoption, foster care, and what it takes to be a good foster or adoptive parent. Weigel and co-director Josh Weigel are also foster and adoptive parents themselves, and have been in the foster care system for over 20 years. In this episode, they talk about what it's like being a foster or adopted parent, the challenges they face, and why it's important to be involved in foster care. They also talk about their own experiences with fostering and adoptions, and how they've been able to see their kids grow and flourish in the care system. Thank you so much for being a part of this amazing community, and thank you to everyone who has been a supporter of this podcast and the films they've produced. We can't wait to do it again next Saturday! - Candice and Candice Music: "In Need of a Savior (feat. Andrea Thomas) and "Possum Trot" by The Weigel's Band - "Songs of Hope" by Fountains of Wayne (Music: "Somewhere in Time" by Ian Dorsch "A Little Late" by Zapsplat & "The Good Thing" by John Singleton by The Good Fightin' It (ft. ) Join the Good Thing Project - "The Badger" by Shady and , "Goodbye" by Lizzie , "Thank You" by Sisyphus to go to The Good Thing Thanks to our sponsor, Angel ( ) and for sponsoring the show! - Thank you, Candice ( ) & . Please like and subscribe to our FB page! and tag us on Insta: ! so we can keep spreading the love and support the good vibes and positivity! by spreading the word about this podcast! , and help spread the word! . Thank you for all the love & support! (featuring: Candice & Candice's Good Thing. - The Good Talk! & the Good Talk Network. , Candice, @ Candice25
Transcript
00:00:01.000
Metrolinx and Crosslinks are reminding everyone to be careful as Eglinton Crosstown LRT train testing is in progress.
00:00:09.120
Please be alert as trains can pass at any time on the tracks.
00:00:16.520
Be careful along our tracks and only make left turns where it's safe to do so.
00:00:25.140
All right, guys, so we are doing a special Saturday edition of the show here, asking a question that I know a lot, maybe every single married couple ever has privately asked one another, which is, would we ever adopt or foster a child?
00:00:40.480
And privately, one of you probably or maybe said, no, I would never adopt.
00:00:46.260
And you'd likely offer some reason that you proceed to be valid as to why you couldn't.
00:00:50.700
It's definitely a heavy topic, and fortunately, fortunately, it is going to get a lot lighter and easier to discuss it, thanks to the incredible film, Sound of Hope.
00:01:01.060
In this Saturday interview, I'm bringing you such a wonderfully inspired conversation with the filmmakers themselves, Josh and Rebecca Weigel.
00:01:09.300
They're also foster and adoptive parents themselves.
00:01:12.620
And before we bring them in, I'd like to offer you guys this short preview of the film, Sound of Hope.
00:01:27.400
It's hard to feel like I'm the only one who sees these things.
00:01:33.080
70% of the kids in the system are there because of neglect.
00:02:08.820
If we can't wrap our arms around the most vulnerable, then what do we have?
00:02:36.380
What's happening with Possum Trot could mean a huge change for the system.
00:03:26.900
We are going to have a most powerful discussion that will both move and uplift you.
00:03:32.760
And we get to do some good in the process because in the corner of your screen,
00:03:36.400
you'll notice some names of people who are buying tickets live.
00:03:48.380
And if you want a discount, use my code Candice25 at checkout.
00:04:09.920
I promised you we are back now with Rebecca and Josh Weigel, an amazing company who brought
00:04:18.120
And I know a lot more than you guys know back at home.
00:04:20.820
It's an incredible story, as I said, an important topic that a lot of us are not comfortable
00:04:28.460
And I want to start with you, Rebecca, because I was looking into your bio and your background
00:04:38.760
When you think about the foster care system, when you think about adoption, you know that
00:04:45.300
What is it that makes it so difficult for us to take the next step and just want to completely
00:04:51.360
transform it, get involved with it, especially as parents?
00:04:56.360
I mean, I think there's a lot of fears around foster care.
00:04:59.720
As soon as you say foster care, people are like, oh, OK, those kids are troubled and they
00:05:05.220
And, you know, we're not thinking about the kids are the victims.
00:05:12.880
And as people of faith, we should have the most compassion and really step into their
00:05:17.920
story and help help change the narrative, help change their story.
00:05:23.860
I think it's a question that every couple asks themselves when they get married, like,
00:05:29.180
That's like one of the conversations that you have.
00:05:32.920
And part of that is coming from media depictions and believing that you could end up with a totally
00:05:40.360
There's all these documentaries about, you know, children that then try to kill other
00:05:44.480
And it's hard for us to sort of face this reality that we do have a crisis in America.
00:05:50.080
And so, Josh, let's move to you, because reading how you guys picked up your entire lives and
00:05:57.300
moved to Possum Trot because you wanted to understand out in East Texas the story of this
00:06:02.880
community that got this involved in the foster process.
00:06:08.180
And when did you know that this was a story that you needed to bring the big screen?
00:06:14.640
I would say that we kind of all, if you're in this space at all, you'd sort of heard rumors
00:06:18.560
about this community somewhere that had adopted all these kids.
00:06:21.720
And so Rebecca, she was looking for someone to speak at a conference.
00:06:26.720
She did a lot of work in Los Angeles in this space and ran into Bishop Martin and this whole
00:06:32.400
So they connected and on the phone, it did not take long to, you know, decide that this
00:06:39.460
And we just, you know, move some things off of our plate and decided this was the project
00:06:46.400
We could tell that there was something really important about it beyond us.
00:06:50.480
It wasn't, you know, we never do movies just to do a movie.
00:06:53.800
Um, what we hope to do are films that are really great cinematically.
00:07:02.620
So it's got to be that first, but this story had so much drama, so much importance, all
00:07:09.100
these things mixed into it that it really took over, really took over our lives.
00:07:17.680
And what were some of the early struggles that you went through just kind of learning about
00:07:22.560
Well, first we, we did the typical research, you know, we met with, we traveled out from
00:07:28.560
California and met with them a number of times and took all of that information and experience
00:07:34.860
back and kind of got through our first few drafts.
00:07:38.360
And one of the most important things to us about this was that it was authentic and that
00:07:43.500
we were giving people a fair perspective of what this is about, what it takes, what it's
00:07:51.100
I'm not into sweet little movies about orphans.
00:07:57.460
A lot of people had suffered through, kids had suffered, families raising them, like there's
00:08:04.020
And so we got to a point where we felt like we got to be all in on this.
00:08:08.640
And so it doesn't feel like we've hit the deepest places.
00:08:12.280
And so we decided at that point, let's, let's move out there and see what we can do just
00:08:17.540
So they welcomed us with open arms after they got through the whole surprise of it all.
00:08:30.160
So, so we just, we just immersed ourselves as much as we could.
00:08:38.240
There was a whole trust level barrier that we broke through, I think.
00:08:45.520
And we got to meet a lot of the other kids too.
00:08:49.400
They like came to our house when we moved there and like brought the whole church and
00:08:53.480
prayed over our family and anointed us with oil.
00:08:56.020
And, you know, they've prayed through this whole process.
00:08:58.720
So it's been really cool to like connect with this little church, you know, this mighty
00:09:02.000
church in the woods that prays and, and has brought us in and, and just loved our family
00:09:09.820
I think that was one of the things that was really compelling for me watching this film was
00:09:15.320
And I went into it thinking, you know, I guess I'm a bit cynical, but I'm not.
00:09:18.840
I thought, okay, they're going to make it seem like this process is just so easy so
00:09:24.120
And I think part of my perspective was colored because I have situations in my family and I
00:09:31.580
And yet you guys just confront it like head on in this film.
00:09:36.940
You guys, I'm going to keep saying this as we have this conversation, but please head
00:09:41.920
You can use code Candace 25 and you can see the available showtimes and purchase tickets.
00:09:47.380
But that was, that was one of the things is, is you confronted it.
00:09:51.040
Like, yes, this, this is going to be difficult.
00:09:55.460
And this story is a story that I think you guys were well equipped to tell because of
00:10:05.600
Now, was that before you jumped onto the film or is it because of learning this possum trot
00:10:09.880
story that you decided to become foster and adoptive parents?
00:10:15.520
I mean, I think I can remember even being a kid thinking about this, um, not too seriously,
00:10:23.540
I'm sure one day I want to, I'm going to do this.
00:10:25.700
And so, yeah, we were, we had three of our own biological kids and we talked about it and
00:10:31.560
it got to that point where you're like, this is never going to happen unless we just do
00:10:34.920
So we had already jumped in, um, and we're in that, the thick of it all and experiencing
00:10:44.280
And so we had a lot to draw from, but we definitely put our foot in the water first and, and learned
00:10:50.560
Rebecca's work, uh, just, just put us on the front lines of a lot of data and information
00:10:57.980
And all kinds of connections we can get into, uh, with other issues, but it, it, it, there
00:11:05.620
And then the story felt like the right time just kind of came into our lives at the right
00:11:10.940
So you had three, we adopted, it really just broke our heart for this issue and opened
00:11:20.060
And, and I think too, like we were longing for more support from our church.
00:11:24.820
You know, we felt like we were kind of alone in this journey and we were going through really
00:11:29.140
hard things and we were writing at the same time and, and just seeing how this church like
00:11:34.460
came around and did it together and wrapped around each other.
00:11:37.720
I think it was such a beautiful picture of what the church can be and, and I think should
00:11:43.020
And so, I mean, some of it is we really wanted to elevate the church and show what's possible
00:11:48.920
through churches when they really confront this issue and step in and care for kids together.
00:11:54.820
You know, one of the things that I speak to my audience about and what I love about this
00:11:58.840
story and what you guys are bringing to the big screen is this topic of spirituality.
00:12:02.500
And I think for whatever reason, America has really kind of departed from that conversation
00:12:08.320
And maybe it's because everyone's on their smartphones and we've become so technological
00:12:12.120
and in many ways we've become spiritually quite backwards, quite archaic spiritually.
00:12:16.940
And you kind of can feel that there, there, there's sort of this resurgence happening
00:12:21.080
right now and people are beginning to speak a lot more about spirituality.
00:12:24.700
And I can't think of anything that is more crucial to an upbringing of a child than to
00:12:31.340
come from a steady household and how much their spirits are disrupted when that steadiness
00:12:38.320
And in particular, one issue that you tackle, and this is the biggest fear, even for people
00:12:42.220
that are adopting and people that are taking in foster children is older children in the
00:12:53.960
So one of the things that really stands out about this community in this story is that
00:12:58.700
they asked for the ones that nobody wanted, the most difficult to place, we say.
00:13:11.900
It's really difficult to find families for teenagers.
00:13:14.560
And so they, they focused on that and that's like going headlong into fear.
00:13:20.440
The things you are most afraid of, they just took this on.
00:13:27.980
We've seen that just in, you know, in our experience, talking to others and the work
00:13:33.240
we've done, it's hard enough to get someone to be open to adopting a baby, you know, but
00:13:37.960
when you, when you know that there are challenges to other children that you are going to have
00:13:45.480
And I, to me, this all comes down to, you know, what are we really willing to do about
00:13:54.480
You've got, you've got, you're compelled by your faith.
00:14:00.000
You feel that sense that you ought to do certain things.
00:14:03.720
Um, and then it's like, we complain or we think a lot about and talk a lot about all of these
00:14:10.160
issues around us, but we don't often either have a way to do anything about it other than
00:14:17.500
But this issue, like you can dive into this, you can actually get into it and you can start
00:14:25.720
And so it's really, in one sense, a question of, are we really serious about taking on the
00:14:34.220
And are we really serious as Christians being Jesus in those places where he already is?
00:14:49.800
And what comes with that is everything you need.
00:14:54.320
And it's, it's, we've made sure that that's depicted in the film.
00:14:59.040
We're honest about the things that you're going to face.
00:15:01.580
But the difference is, you know, you genuinely have what you need and you are genuinely changing
00:15:08.400
You are in, in something that's so dynamic and important.
00:15:16.640
You are, you are doing something spiritually dynamic.
00:15:21.160
Literally, you're, you know, you're changing this kid's life, but your, your whole family's
00:15:25.620
There's just a lot going on that people don't necessarily think about, but it takes that
00:15:30.440
willingness to, to dive into the problems and not leave them to somebody else.
00:15:38.320
Apparently I can't hold water because I, there's another moment in the film that is coming to
00:15:44.040
I really want, I want to ask you about it, Rebecca.
00:15:45.520
And you guys, please go to angel.com slash Candace, use code Candace25 and just, let's
00:15:50.960
make this the best July 4th weekend where we can really start to confront these issues
00:15:55.740
But going to that moment, and this really is the question that I think everybody asks
00:16:00.000
themselves, you know, if I adopt a child, am I actually going to see this child as my
00:16:07.520
And there was this moment in the film where this woman really dealt with this really subconsciously.
00:16:16.620
She just, the child was giving her trouble and giving her, her biological daughter trouble.
00:16:21.240
And that to me, like to see that question that I think is in the back of everyone's minds
00:16:26.040
before they ever get to the adoption phase, play out on the big screen.
00:16:29.200
I just have to ask you, Rebecca, you know, is that a conversation that you had with yourself
00:16:34.000
before you jumped into the foster process and the adoption process?
00:16:37.300
Is that a conversation that the two of you have with one another?
00:16:39.800
Like, am I, I want to be the best person that I can be, but we can't stop being ourselves.
00:16:45.520
Is there, is there something bigger going on here?
00:16:48.760
Yeah, I mean, I think it's interesting as foster adoptive parents are watching this film,
00:16:55.840
a lot of them are saying like, were you in my closet?
00:17:00.260
You know, and, and I think sometimes we're scared to be honest as foster adoptive parents
00:17:04.680
because people put you on a pedestal and they act like, oh, you're some hero or you're special
00:17:09.880
or, and you're feeling weak and vulnerable and like, man, I, I've never felt, you know,
00:17:18.560
And, and so a lot of it was, you know, we experienced a lot of these things personally.
00:17:23.660
I mean, we, when we adopted our children, we adopted a seven, she was seven and her brother
00:17:29.100
was three and, and that was definitely challenging, but, and we had a lot of those, you know, especially
00:17:36.140
when you adopt older children, you don't have that, you miss out on all of that bonding that
00:17:40.720
happens, you know, when you have a baby and you nurse and you wake up with them and you
00:17:44.660
feed them and you watch some, take their first steps and all these things, um, that creates
00:17:49.480
this, this bonding and you don't get that when you adopt older children.
00:17:53.700
So it takes more work and you have to work at it.
00:17:55.640
So it was definitely, you know, we went through a lot of those challenges and, and didn't want
00:18:01.500
to sugarcoat it because the last thing we wanted to do was like draw people into something,
00:18:06.200
make it look easy and have them become disillusioned.
00:18:08.820
So we thought, well, make it look hard, but encourage people that we're called to do hard
00:18:20.640
There's like, there's a few key things, you know, fear being one of them, but this is another
00:18:24.640
one I think a lot of people are concerned about.
00:18:27.140
And, you know, I think about it, um, you know, if you have your own biological, biological
00:18:32.540
child, that's acting out and, and doing things that are hard to like because of whatever reason
00:18:39.640
you can have a difficult time liking your own child.
00:18:45.400
Um, and so you've got children who are traumatized.
00:18:48.520
They've gone through some of the worst things you can go through, losing your biological parents,
00:18:56.760
And so to be healed, to go through the process of being healed, that's messy.
00:19:02.680
And it can be hard just because of what, how they're processing.
00:19:08.720
And it's like, it's like a really practical thing.
00:19:10.940
Like it's hard to like a kid sometimes that's, that's going through that process.
00:19:16.440
And so it's something I hope people understand it.
00:19:20.240
It's relevant to parenthood and yeah, it's a thing with kids who need healing and it's
00:19:26.140
challenging to keep that perspective, that this, this child is going through something
00:19:35.320
Give me the patience to, to as a human process with them.
00:19:41.320
That's not like now you're an evil person because you don't feel the way you're supposed
00:19:47.580
But as we've gone through that with our own kids, it's there.
00:19:51.160
I mean, it's, it's, it really is something that just takes time.
00:19:57.780
It's different for everybody and every, every child, but so good.
00:20:01.240
You're asking because it's, it's something that as you process that with people who walk
00:20:06.240
through it, um, it's not as scary as you think.
00:20:09.640
And there are, there are things you can do to help that as certain kinds of parenting,
00:20:13.680
different, different things you can do to make the process easier and more harder for
00:20:18.140
So it's a really important issue, but, um, shouldn't scare people off.
00:20:22.640
And it's so funny that you say that because it is very true that it is the fear that paralyzes
00:20:27.660
They keep these questions in the back of their minds.
00:20:30.260
And I've recognized that there's a psychology to that.
00:20:31.920
If I don't talk about it, maybe, maybe nobody else is thinking that, but once you ask the
00:20:35.340
question and you hear the answer and you go, yeah, okay, that you might go through this
00:20:39.180
and it's going to take a little bit more work and you realize, okay, this is not going
00:20:43.540
And yes, whether you have biological children, I have three, you go through days where I say to my
00:20:47.840
husband, you know, I always wondered whether or not when I had children, if I was going
00:20:52.740
And I said, the answer is, it depends on what day it is.
00:20:58.720
You're like, and, and, and it is a total normal part of parenting and you, you're not,
00:21:07.900
And then that's the beauty of having a relationship with God is because you know that you're not
00:21:12.800
And you can always just be better the next day, make, make a real attempt to be better
00:21:17.840
And then you have moments of just sheer happiness and glee and you're, and you're grateful that
00:21:23.760
And as we all know, God does not give you more than you can handle.
00:21:26.980
Even in the moment when you think, no, there's just no way I could possibly handle anymore.
00:21:31.640
That's usually about the time that I always say you should, you should thank God because
00:21:37.060
He is seeing ahead and he is putting you through that.
00:21:39.540
And that is something that you really saw with the, with the possum trot community and
00:21:44.060
community is also what's so important in this world where we've just gotten so far from
00:21:50.500
There is no sense of community and that's the beauty of the church.
00:21:56.380
You're not alone here as a community of people.
00:21:58.680
So I'd love to ask you, what is your relationship now with the possum trot community?
00:22:12.340
We have, so we have five kids, three are still living with us.
00:22:16.660
And so we knew that if we go, you know, we got to think about school and their life too.
00:22:21.380
We don't want to, you know, be constantly unsettling them, but no, we're still, we're still nearby.
00:22:25.440
We don't know what the future will hold, but you know, it's, it's really nice to be in an area
00:22:30.920
like that with a whole different perspective on life and life together.
00:22:35.700
And, you know, being in LA for so long, it's just very tough to find community like what
00:22:44.860
Yeah, it's been really good for our kids just to experience a different part of the country
00:22:48.360
and see that not everybody thinks the same, you know, growing up in LA, like everyone
00:22:53.800
And, you know, now they're in Texas and like, wow, people in Texas don't like people.
00:23:00.220
They're like, careful, like we're not from LA, we're from, yeah, it's, it's been a good
00:23:08.760
We moved to the, the big town outside of possum trot, which is still a small town, but there's
00:23:14.680
The biggest, we didn't send our kids into shock completely, so.
00:23:22.000
So what are you guys hoping is going to be the response to this film, if, if, if anything?
00:23:30.240
Well, you know, our hope is, cause I mean, we were talking a little bit about the foster
00:23:37.020
And that's what we saw when we stepped in is there's just a lack of awareness.
00:23:40.640
People don't know what kids are going through and because they're in the system, they're
00:23:47.180
You know, we wanted to really make this issue, like put it out front, highlight it, bring awareness
00:23:54.020
and have people, you know, really we want to bring people's hearts for the kids and see
00:23:59.100
what they're going through so that they'll act and they'll get involved because when they
00:24:03.680
actually see and meet Terry in the story, they're connecting on a deep level emotionally
00:24:09.340
and going, okay, I think I could love like that.
00:24:12.740
And I want to, and we want to see the whole crisis turned around.
00:24:17.400
We want to see this movement of churches all over the country and then see the church
00:24:29.720
So that came through some discussions with Angel Studios and, you know, we've learned
00:24:35.340
over the years that, you know, some of the, let me just name a few of them, like child
00:24:40.500
trafficking itself, anywhere between 70, 90% of those kids have spent time in the foster
00:24:47.600
And homeless, you know, 50% of the homeless, 70% of the prison population, you know, there's
00:24:52.700
these areas of life where these, these, these people have had history with the foster system,
00:24:58.260
which means brokenness and trauma and all of those things that come with it.
00:25:01.380
So when Sound of Freedom was released and people, you could just feel people were so moved and
00:25:07.620
we were in theaters where, you know, you could feel that people wanted to do something, but
00:25:12.480
not everybody can go be a Green Beret Christian and, or, you know, you know, child trafficking
00:25:20.440
So we talked about it with Angel Studios and said, Hey, look, this is a way to follow
00:25:24.340
up the, the Sound of Freedom phenomenon and not only continue creating awareness and spreading
00:25:34.480
How can they actually get involved in and affect the trafficking issue?
00:25:43.980
And so they felt like, let's, let's connect it.
00:25:46.020
Like, let's really make sure people understand this is sort of an anthology kind of idea.
00:25:49.940
It's not the same type of movie, but it's, it's actually touching on the same issue and
00:25:56.000
giving people a chance to do maybe more than they could have with that one.
00:25:59.220
Because at the end of this movie, there'll be a website you can go to, you'll be connected
00:26:03.360
to where you can get your church involved to do what Bennett Chapel has done.
00:26:07.360
You can learn how foster and adoption works and be connected to that and get involved there.
00:26:11.720
Or you can get involved in prevention, you know, really keeping kids out of the system.
00:26:17.080
We're helping them reunite with safe, loving families that just are dealing with things
00:26:24.420
And, you know, for us, it's like, it's the best thing.
00:26:27.340
You've got this movie that you'll have a cinematic, fun theatrical experience with, moving, emotional,
00:26:35.080
and then you're going to go out and be able to do something and change the world around
00:26:42.460
Well, I'd like to, again, invite my audience, you guys, for July 3rd and 4th showtimes only
00:26:47.240
go to angel.com slash Candice and use my code Candice25.
00:26:53.800
Maybe you're not in a position right now where you're thinking that you can foster a child,
00:26:57.320
but you can support this movie and getting people to recognize, take a friend, you know,
00:27:05.480
I mean, you probably saw action films and all of this stuff.
00:27:08.420
It's not going to make a difference in your life, but this, this actually will.
00:27:11.140
And I am telling you, my heart was pulled in so many ways, so many directions watching
00:27:16.560
I felt so blessed to be among the first to see it.
00:27:19.080
And it will really force you to examine yourself and whether or not you're making an imprint
00:27:26.800
Well, let me tell you, you can support this film.
00:27:28.560
And then having seen this film, you will then deeply ask yourself, am I, am I doing
00:27:35.380
And sometimes it's just being a part of a community, reaching out to community and letting
00:27:39.780
somebody else know that they're not alone when they are going through this process.
00:27:43.940
And as you mentioned, the statistics are incredible.
00:27:53.380
You hear so much talk about people that are in prison.
00:27:55.520
Well, the reality is that growing up without a father in the home, growing up without a
00:28:00.900
stable two-parent household, that is the greatest disadvantage to a child, without question.
00:28:07.320
It is a direct pipeline to prison, especially for young men.
00:28:10.860
Another statistic is 91% of gang members have been in the foster system.
00:28:17.920
Another statistic is that 80% of the kids entering foster care have notable mental health
00:28:24.080
70% of foster youth will be on government assistance within four years of aging out.
00:28:29.340
And 50% of the foster youth develop substance abuse by the age of 24.
00:28:34.980
You know, I just want to say to you guys, you are just an amazing couple.
00:28:39.740
I mean, what you are doing, the films that you are bringing, they're courageous.
00:28:44.960
You know, so much of what we are looking at are fantasy.
00:28:48.140
And we love to plug ourselves into fantasy and we need to begin plugging ourselves into
00:28:54.900
And I just would love to hear the story about how you two met.
00:28:58.200
And when you decided you guys were going to take a bite out of this and say, you know
00:29:07.960
Well, that goes way back to me being, I think, 12 or 13 years old.
00:29:13.260
And I was struck with like what I want to do in life.
00:29:17.240
I mean, I knew I loved movies, but I had this experience where I just felt there was real
00:29:23.980
And somehow creating movies that were different.
00:29:28.100
And the way I would describe it now is I, what I want people to do is have the best possible
00:29:39.120
We all love movies and they ought to be that and be really, really good.
00:29:44.680
And so many times when you want to, you know, say something important, it turns into propaganda.
00:29:54.100
The faith-based movies are, you know, not sort of my world either.
00:30:00.880
And I want people to experience God when they see these films.
00:30:06.500
I feel like the spiritual nature is an important part of it for me and Rebecca.
00:30:12.420
And, you know, so within a good story, we want them to have hopefully made the choice that
00:30:19.920
And so we've always been kind of designed that way.
00:30:26.460
And she, you know, basically we were surprised with Rebecca's involvement.
00:30:34.660
Like you can be the filmmaker and I'll be the steady and come, you know-
00:30:38.640
Well, she, well, she, we moved in 1998 to Los Angeles for, you know, me to pursue it.
00:30:43.280
And, and eventually we started doing short films and she kind of chimed in every now
00:30:51.380
And she was pursuing her master's degree in psychology and all of these other things.
00:30:55.440
And so I talked to her, I'm like, I think we should do something together.
00:30:58.340
And I said, you know, in one movie, you'll be able to do more with that person than probably
00:31:07.780
And we started creating short films together and we ended up doing one called The Butterfly
00:31:12.500
Circus that, that just took off for us, went viral, won all these awards and people around
00:31:20.600
And it was about a, a limbless guy who is stuck in the sideshow world and he leaves the sideshow
00:31:27.300
world to join up with something like Cirque du Soleil, where he finds, you know, meaning
00:31:31.440
and we do a lot with identity and things like that.
00:31:37.780
And that's when we really felt like, okay, this is, there's purpose in us working together
00:31:47.180
And we started, and we started getting emails from all over the world of like, I struggled
00:31:51.640
with depression and then I watched this film and I, now I know my purpose.
00:31:55.940
And so we've gotten to see, and Josh's like, that would have taken six years of therapy.
00:32:00.200
So, you know, and, and we really do see how the media is impacting culture so much.
00:32:09.080
They're influencing the minds of this generation.
00:32:11.760
And, and that is something that's very important to us is creating art that influences for the
00:32:21.780
And, and like you said, early on, like faith is a universal thing that everyone wrestles
00:32:27.600
So why are we shying away from faith in Hollywood and putting it in this little corner of faith
00:32:32.200
based films when this is a universal thing that, that people are, you know, deeply moved.
00:32:37.980
Even in pre-screenings of Sound of Hope, even people that don't identify as Christian or
00:32:42.840
having a faith are walking out in tears and saying, you know, I felt something in that
00:32:50.200
And they're saying, if, if church was like that, I would go to church and it's drawing
00:32:57.260
I think there's a hunger and a thirst for, for truth right now because people are wanting
00:33:02.320
these universal truths and, and it's being expressed.
00:33:05.040
Well, they're running into dead ends with the other stuff.
00:33:08.260
And that's, and when you are living through a time of such tremendous darkness, I think
00:33:13.240
people naturally then go and pursue light and you're correct.
00:33:18.520
And that's why many of my listeners, and I love hearing, you know, listening to your show
00:33:22.360
made me want to go to church and some people are not there and you take a different step.
00:33:26.260
Well, I can promise you that if you are thinking about spirituality, if you're grappling
00:33:30.400
with the understanding that we are facing dark times, you're grappling with an understanding
00:33:33.960
that there's, there's a lot going on in this world and, and you, we can't pretend it's
00:33:41.200
It is going to compel you and move you in so many different ways.
00:33:44.280
And so I just want to, again, remind my listeners, please, please, please go to angel.com
00:33:53.860
Give it to someone who, who maybe doesn't have the means to buy a ticket and go with them
00:33:59.160
to the theater and watch this and you will be forever moved by this.
00:34:03.240
You guys, I know that we are coming up against time here.
00:34:05.720
And I just want to say that I truly feel that God has his hand on you.
00:34:09.260
And I know that this film is going to be a tremendous success.
00:34:12.480
And I want to thank you on behalf of everyone, uh, for having the courage because it's, it's
00:34:17.660
not just the heart, but also having the courage to do the work, to bring this film to the
00:34:25.080
And we want to shout out to angel studios too, because as you know, you've seen the
00:34:34.620
I don't know if you recognize Josh from the pastor scene, pastor Mark, he played the mega
00:34:45.900
I told him, I'm like, people all over the country are not going to know who you are.
00:34:48.740
They're just going to not like you for some reason.
00:34:53.280
And, and there was a lot of companies and people that said, you know, you need to take
00:35:00.080
And, but it's not, I mean, people are walking out feeling really, you know, we had one pastor
00:35:05.000
walk out of a screening and say, I'm like that pastor and I need to change.
00:35:09.900
And so, you know, angel studios is taking risks that a lot of people aren't taking.
00:35:14.440
So we're grateful that for the distribution and, and thankful that you're using your voice
00:35:19.220
to bring people out and encourage people to see it.
00:35:25.280
Well, to both of you, Josh, Rebecca, Weigel, this is going to be an amazing success.