One thing I love about this day and age is that Christian culture has so much more of a voice. A lot of this is due to social media, and regular people sharing and "going viral". Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I would never have guessed that I'd one day live in a world where Christian movies (quality ones at that!) would be released in regular theaters. There have been some great Christian movies released in the last 15 or so years, getting higher and higher quality. My very favorite is an early one, 2006's Facing the Giants.
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| Facing the Giants was one of the early Christian movies to reach a level of success in this modern era of quality films. This one is probably a little lower quality than some that have come out in the years since, and it has some corny aspects to it, but it is deeply encouraging to me...and I'm not even much of a football fan. |
On March 13 (ten days from this writing), another quality Christian film will be released. This film is entitled I Still Believe, and is based on the true story of Christian musician Jeremy Camp. You can watch the theatrical trailer here. Jeremy Camp had quite a journey with the love of his life, Melissa. This journey was filled with heartache, hope, healing, bewilderment...and God's glory. I understand the movie portrays this journey as such.
While I am inspired by testimonies like this, this movie is personal for some other reasons, not all of them good. You see, my husband Walter attended Bible College with Jeremy Camp during the events in the movie. Jeremy was an acquaintance of his. A pretty nice guy. Everyone at the college rallied around Jeremy. There were daily updates on the situation. If anyone felt the support of the Body of Christ, it was Jeremy Camp. Later on, when Jeremy became famous for his music, he continued to receive support from this group of believers. It hasn't been an easy road, but Jeremy has been blessed. True redemption has occurred for all he experienced.
This is all well and good. Romans 12:15 says that Christians are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Galatians 6:2 says we are to bear one another's burdens. From Jeremy's perspective, the Bible College was doing that. But were they really?
Jeremy Camp was not the only struggling, hurting person on that campus. He was very popular, as a musician on the worship team who was obviously going places. As such, it was easy for others to support him. This isn't his fault. He did need that support, and it was good he received it. But so many others were neglected. At least one I know quite well.
My husband Walter wasn't even supposed to be at that college. He was set to go to the Air Force Academy after high school graduation. He had a lot of hopes and dreams, and believed this was the direction God had for him. On the side, he really enjoyed using his guitar playing for God's glory. He was getting quite good, and had even started a band with some friends. By all appearances, he was going places too.
Two weeks before his high school graduation, Walter was involved in an auto accident. He should have died. He was hit by a double semi going 80 miles per hour. His little 1988 Toyota (which was 11 years old then) didn't stand a chance. It stalled as he was making a turn, putting him in the path of the double semi. In the split-second before he was hit, he saw what was about to happen and knew he was going to die...and yet he didn't.
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| Walter's car after the accident |
God miraculously preserved his life (and I am incredibly grateful!). Healing has been ongoing, even today (21 years later). He had been left-handed before, but lost most use of his left arm. He suffered a concussion. He has extensive nerve damage. But he is alive and well, and is a wonderful husband...and person. Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do. God still had (and has) plans for Walter on this earth.
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| Our wedding picture |
Three months after his accident, he walked (another miracle!) onto the Bible College campus. In that time, he had learned to play the guitar again (only He now played a left-handed, or "backwards" guitar). He plays this way for our church now.
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| You will notice that he is holding the guitar the opposite way that most guitarists do. The guitar is a specially-made left-handed guitar. He does the chords with this right hand, and strums with a special pick strapped to his left hand. |
Unfortunately, since he wasn't a popular guitarist on the worship team like Jeremy Camp, he wasn't offered compassion. In fact, his pain was minimized and compared to Jeremy's. A side note on that was that when he did try out for the worship team, the leader told him his playing was s***, and his guitar equipment was referred to as another expletive. This is certainly not the love believers are supposed to be demonstrating. First Thessalonians 5:11 tells us we are to encourage one another and build each other up. That certainly wasn't happening. Walter has shared with me that others on campus had similar experiences of their pain being ignored and minimized in light of Jeremy Camp.
Pain comes in many forms, and all have experienced it. It doesn't need to be justified or explained away by comparing it to someone else' pain. There is really no way to compare people's pain. What Walter went through was very different from Jeremy's journey. But that doesn't make it less. It was devastating for him. The same is true for anyone's pain. God cares deeply. Psalm 56:8 says, You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book? God clearly cares about what each of us goes through. We all have a story, and as Christians, these stories are part of our testimonies. God will use it, if we let Him. A promise I love is from Romans 8:28. All things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose. This verse has given me so much comfort amidst rejections and disappointments I have faced. In fact, all of Romans 8 is a comfort. God is working on our behalf all the time. I can't answer the why, but I'm eager for the redemption.
While I strongly suggest studying the Bible out of a word for word translation (as opposed to a paraphrase or looser translation), I have been deeply ministered to at my lowest moments by Second Corinthians 4:8-9 out of the Living Bible. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.
Jeremy Camp is a faithful believer who has been on quite a journey. Not in any way am I suggesting he didn't deserve the support he received, nor do I blame him for the lack of compassion others received. From all accounts, he was a nice guy who had no part in mistreating anyone. He wasn't aware people used his pain as an excuse not to care about other people's hurts. What I am suggesting is that the hurting are all around us, and they all need the Body of Christ to rally around them. Most of them are not popular or famous. Most of their journeys won't be made into a motion picture. Very few experience the success Jeremy Camp has. While you're watching this new movie, think about the people whose stories aren't being told, but who are suffering just as deeply as Jeremy Camp did. Ask God to use you in their lives. That counts for eternity!
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