Hot 'n Cold...

A shot from the big doc I've been working on for the last year and a half.

I can't believe it's been that long.

Traditionally I'm a little more leveraged towards the 'Come UP with a bunch of good ideas...' side of the equation rather than the 'Carry those ideas THROUGH to completion...' side of things; but with this project I've actually got no choice.

It's so huge and so much is riding on it that there's no room (not even in my mind) for me to suck-out or whine about how hard it is or how much drudgery is involved.

I just have to keep doing the work.

The irony is not lost on me that there were times (many times) in the past where I WISHED I could be involved in something like this; times I would have given ANYTHING to be part of something this potentially huge and life-changing; and now I sometimes find myself having to PUSH myself to keep going with the level of stamina, focus and passion required.

(usually only two or three times per week)

But, there's the truth, right?

Making anything good (or even potentially 'great') involves pain, toil and a marathon-like approach to sustaining your work ethic long enough to get the job done.

I know this from renovating houses, from planting churches, from building a happy marriage, from raising kids, from sailing to a far off shore, from seeing a TV concept through from idea to reality and, now, from making an honest-to-goodness 'real', full-sized feature-length documentary film and series.

So, when I stumble (like in todays edit session) on a great shot that just 'happened' and that shows me (even in one simple frame) that I haven't lost my way; I ask my editor to screen-grab it so I can share it with you (and with me) and maybe learn from it...

So that I can encourage myself (and hopefully you) to keep going.

T

Top of mind...

I have two offices.

That's the 'blackboard wall' in my second one. Why do I have a 'blackboard wall'? So I can keep the most important ideas that are currently driving my work right in front of my face (and in front of EVERYONE who sets foot inside my office).

It's like my 'propaganda wall'.

I need it 'cause I forget. I need it 'cause I get busy. I need it because I stop doing the 'first things' and get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent.

Unless I stop myself by reminding myself what's really important.

Maybe click on the picture above (it'll expand larger) and see if any of the core ideas up there are transferrable to YOUR context.

If they are, write 'em down somewhere VISIBLE so you can keep 'em...

Top of mind.

T

Milestone...

They tell you that, at some point, you're gonna' "Make it..." like you'll wake up and have 'arrived' or something.

So far, from my journey, it looks like that's absolutely NOT the case.

See, here I am, in my edit suite working on VFX shots that are being built at two Effects Firms (one in Toronto, one in the Philippines) and looking at comps built on plate shots we did months ago with a 24 foot crane and the best (give or take) digital cinema imaging systems you can get in a place almost no-one ever gets to shoot; and--all that said, and though I'm working on a 'dream project' to be sure--the hard truth is; I'm no-where near 'there' yet.

Add to that the call I get a couple times each week from my biz partner (and exec producer on this project) reporting to me on another meeting he's had with another top-level decision-maker at one of the largest Bible-interested organizations in the World and they're TOTALLY into this project; we haven't had a lukewarm reply yet, and you'd think we were really onto something.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you what a rare experience that is.

His top-level meeting this week told him, "Look we get, literally, thousands of proposals each year, and THIS one is directly, exactly, aligned with our mission, values and current strategy..."

That's music to your ears.

And I've never heard it before.

That's right. In 20 years of trying THIS is the first time we've produced something that is potentially VERY interesting to a VERY large segment of the viewing public. THIS is the FIRST time we've had players of that caliber coming to the table wanting 'in'.

In 20 years of trying.

So, have I arrived? Don't think so. I mean, in some ways 'sure', maybe. Would I have given anything ten years ago to be doing what I'm doing today? Yes. So in that sense, I've moved from 'there' to 'here' from 'then' to 'now'. But, in another (and very real sense) where I sit today is nowhere NEAR where I want to be five to ten years from now.

And what's MOST daunting about all of this is that the path from 'here' to 'there' is paved with unrelenting toil. I'm talking small detailed step after small detailed step running uphill the whole way against resistance and conflict and time management issues and personality issues and resource shortages and lack of inspiration.

And the craziest thing is there's NO guarantee that if you keep putting one foot in front of the other you'll end up where you WANT to be or where you THOUGHT you'd be.

One thing you CAN be sure of though...

If you stop walking you're guaranteed to STAY where you ARE.

So, lace 'em up and get moving.

T

Take it...

Sometimes you just gotta' take a risk.

Those are my two 'littles'. Yes, we call their older sister and brother the 'bigs'. Anyway, those are my two 'littles' perched atop a 350ft sand cliff overlooking Lake Erie.

We were climbing (my wife and older two a ways behind us on the ridge), I looked up, the sun was setting, the light was perfect so I told 'em to hop right up on the ledge (yes, I tested it first) so I could grab this shot.

Pretty epic.

Was it risky? Slightly.

Was it worth it? Certainly.

After I took the shot, my 'littles' walked ten feet further (away from the actual ledge) and began their jumping, hopping descent; kind of like slalom skiing, but on sand with no skis.

I did the same, except I walked up to the ledge they'd been standing on, took a good look, took a moment to hope that my 42 year old body could do what it did when I visited the same ledge a decade ago and...

I jumped.

Slalomed MY way down, like on sand but without skis.

Super fun.

Yes I'm sore today. Yes I was stressed about it at the time, thinking concurrently how awesome the moment was and how quickly it could turn from awesome to horrible.

But, as I look at life I don't see any way around it. Risk and reward are intrinsically linked. If you want that moment of reward, sometimes you just gotta' jump.

So, next time you're contemplating a risk, consider the many facets at hand, then...

Take it.

T

Offspring...

Went to watch some of 'my' boys play and some of 'my' coaches, coach the other night.

Why do I call them 'mine'?

Because they're part of 'my' coaching tree. 

Coaching Tree:

"...if a coach worked as an assistant on a particular head coach's staff for at least a season then that coach can be counted as being a branch on the head coach's coaching tree. Coaching trees can also show philosophical influence from one head coach to an assistant."

Love it.

I have 'coaching trees' in football and also in my dual career of ministry and production; these are (in my case) generally 'guys' who have grown up to do things in a way/style that reflects the way/style I tended to employ when they were part of my sphere of influence (as a coach/pastor/producer) at some point in the past.

Sometimes I see this echoed in actual words they say, or in how they carry themselves, or what they emphasize as important. Sometimes they do things differently but with a similar 'spirit', sometimes they do things with a 1:1 approach.

Regardless, it's humbling.

Also makes me feel old. I remember when much of what I did was rooted in the 'coaching trees' that I descended from. It took many years to see 'my' own distinctives added to things that I'd adopted from my mentors. Now that I'm resolutely middle-aged, it's cool and also strange to see some of the things my wife and I have been working on for some time, beginning to show up in the ethics and approaches of some of our peers.

What I really take from this is the power of 'long obedience in the same direction...' (Peterson) There hasn't really been anything spectacular about what we've been doing and, to be honest, I've sometimes felt like that's a problem to be overcome. But, now that we've got some water under the keel, I can see the early signs of some very real impact and influence.

So, if you are out there today, putting one foot in front of the other feeling like you're getting nowhere and making no difference; keeping going.

Before you know it you'll be in the stands watching a game you're not physically a part of but over which you have influence nonetheless and that's a very satisfying sort of impact.

Keep at it!

Best,

T

1000:1

Ok, so you're trying to follow your dreams. You're trying to do the impossible. You've set a goal that seems unattainable. You've found the situation where faith is possible.

Now what?

Bust your ass, that's what.

Did you see my moment of glory on IG the other day? Looked cool, right? Looked like a writer/director savouring a moment of victory, of relief, of catharsis. Right?

Well, it was.

But you know what? That moment was one moment after a thousand moments of toil, uncertainty, conflict, and drudgery. No joke. Honestly, that one 'good moment' came after more than a thousand moments of trial. I spent, for sure, several hundred moments of trial writing the episode I'd just watched that made me cry in that photo. Then I spent several hundred more while prepping to shoot and shooting the thing. We haven't even talked about sitting for, literally, WEEKS watching every single shot in nearly 25 TB of footage.

Try that one on for size.

That's all before I had to sit down and watch all the 'story content' (as opposed to the visual stuff) and try to find a way to make ten different perspectives work together to tell, not just a coherent story, but an inspiring one that will make people cry with joy.

What a task.

How does this apply to you?

Well, you might not be a husband/father/filmmaker/pastor/preacher/coach/sailor but there's a very good chance you're right in the middle of trying to do something VERY hard and you're feeling like the task is all but impossible.

My word of encouragement to you today? 

Keep going.

Trudging.

Climbing.

Striving.

Busting your tail to try and make the thing happen that you're seeing in your mind's eye.

You can do it. You just have to hang on, log the hours, do the work.

Even if you're facing a 1000:1 ratio.

Have at it kids.

T

Step by step...

Been a while.

I've been thinking that I'll try to get a little more reliable in this here space.

There have been a few things on the go that have kept me rather chained to my desk (or to the steering wheel of my car or to the seat of a trans-oceanic jet or to the couch of an edit suite) principally, shooting and beginning to cut THE BOOK: fact or fairytale, the biggest filmmaking endeavour of my and my business partners career, working to lock, locking and starting in the Lead Pastor role at a new church, getting the kids back to school while launching my seventh season as a football coach and re-building our backyard shed, just for fun.

Sheesh.

It's been crazy.

Shooting THE BOOK was one of the most immersive, difficult and challenging things I've ever done as a director but, once I got into the edit suite, it became quickly apparent that it's--by far--the best thing I've ever been a part of. This is due, in large part, to a very compelling subject, very excellent collaborators, and enough resources to (for the FIRST time in my ENTIRE life) capture, in real life, what I initially saw in my imagination. Seriously, the first time in 20 years of doing this. I'm either a really 'late bloomer' or it's REALLY hard to 'make it' on your own terms in this crazy show-business world.

Anyway, it makes me emotional every time I get to work with the material; that's how thankful I am to have this kind of stuff to work with.

Grateful.

That's also an apt description of how I feel to be back in the pulpit/pastorate again. It's funny, maybe I've mellowed significantly over the years, or maybe--after a fairly long layoff and some cataclysmic years on a personal level--I'm just 'broken' enough to be thankful enough that things that used to really 'bug' me about this side of my career, don't seem to get under my skin like they used to. I'm just happy to be there doing what I can to partner with God in His ongoing work of seeing hope brought to people who need it.

My wife thinks it's much simpler than all that...

She thinks I'm having a mid-life crisis.

My line to that is equally simple; "Well, at least I'm not buying convertibles and going after strange flesh; I'm making movies and taking churches..."

To which, she just shrugs her shoulders and smiles that knowing smile which suggests to me she might be hedging her bets.

Sweet girl.

(I'll show you girl, with houses and happiness and holidays)

Bottom line, it's a crazy time, a good time and I'm doing everything I can to simply 'do the work' required to try and achieve greatness.

Which usually means waking up at 3:15AM 'cause I can't stop my mind from racing...

Happy times.

T

Underwater...

Show business is equal parts inspiration, drudgery and magic.

You work for months and months gestating an idea and, most of the time, it goes nowhere. I was telling someone today that, if I had ten bucks for every treatment I've written that went nowhere, I'd be able to finance one of 'em.

Seriously.

Then, a couple of times every ten years or so, something gets off the ground and then you gird yourself for the soul-killing drudgery of it; where you walk, lift, lug, trouble shoot, travel, lift, lug, eat at crappy buffets, lift, lug, sleep on hard beds, travel, lift, lug, climb, trouble shoot, sit in traffic, travel, lift, lug, argue, fight, try to sleep, get lost, skip some meals, get sunburned...

You get the idea.

Several times on 'first unit' we laughed about how 'manual labour' filmmaking is.

Then, once is a while, you get a couple of hours of downtime and you go snorkelling.

Naturally, your wife (and friends) rib you a bit, about how 'hard' you've got it ('cause all everyone sees with social media is your highlight reel) but you know the truth.

You're underwater with all this work you've got to get done.

T-minus 18 days 'till I board a plane to go shoot 'second unit'.

And we start editing tomorrow.

Here we go...

T

Airborne...

Spent my week shooting the aerial unit for the big documentary series (and feature-length doc) my biz-partner and I are producing (with our team and some key collaborators) this year. When I was trying to explain to my wife why I was so fried each night after flying and filming all day, the best I could come up with was...

"Imagine getting up at 4am, driving an hour and half to the airport--skipping breakfast 'cause you're up before all the restaurants--then jumping into a helicopter that's alternately roasting (sun) or freezing (high altitude) and flying around like you're--literally--riding a roller coaster all day, then driving home (2 hours now 'cause of traffic) collapsing into bed, sleeping three hours ('cause you're jet-lagged) then doing it all again the next day, and then the next..."

Something like that.

Thing is, we're getting awesome (and I mean AWESOME) footage.

By FAR the best thing I've ever done as a director. Much of it has to do with our amazing cinematographer (a long-time collaborator and friend) as well as a wonderful setting and amazing gear and crew (all set up by my exec-producer/producer biz-partner) along with a very compelling subject, but still.

It's still little 'ol me writing and directing, and it's gigantic and awesome and amazing.

I felt almost emotional seeing the 'rushes' from day two.

"It's like we're actually making a movie or something..." I said. "Like, this NEEDS to be seen on the big-screen..."

A powerful moment.

Pretty cool.

Something to be very thankful for.

I feel like I'm flying...

T

Again...

We opened the pool this past weekend.

Crazy Canadians.

One week ago, we had eight inches of snow on the ground, this week our pool is open. Death gives way to life, blah to blast, cold to warm, dark to light. It all comes back 'round...

Again.

It's a fun thing about life. Don't forget it; especially if you're going through a tough time today.

One of the best things about growing older is that you gain a certain degree of perspective; you realize that, even if things SEEM really bad right now (like when it snows in April), if you just hang on long enough, things will turn around.

There's a lot to be said for just putting one foot in front of the other, continuing to move forward (however slowly) until things turn back 'round...

Again.

I find myself dealing with levels of tension and dysfunction at work these days that would have absolutely crushed me years ago. These days I just keep moving forward (one tiny step at a time sometimes) and *know* that it's gonna' break eventually.

Now--pay attention--when it *breaks* it doesn't mean you immediately go from zero to hero.

Sometimes you have to let the water warm up for a few weeks.

Right?

And then, after some time and some Sun, you'll be able to jump back in...

Again.

T

'till you start bumping into things...

When was the last time you worked so hard you could hardly see straight? I mean SO hard you couldn't stand, could barely walk and, when you did, you started randomly bumping into things?

Think about what you do, and ponder that one a moment.

When was the last time you pushed yourself to the brink, the real edge-of-your-ability limit where you absolutely, positively, unashamedly can't do any better or any more.

Do you preach that good? Write that good? Love that good?

Do I?

Better hope so 'cause I'm smack dab in the middle of the biggest, most important production of my ENTIRE life, and I've been doing this for TWENTY years!

That story board up there is the 'private' one that only me and my associate Jeff get to use; it's the one with the most 'mojo' the most 'possa' the most magic. It's the one where we go to sweat the details and push the limits. I spent two full days at its altar this week, busting my a$$ to try and achieve greatness. My business partner made the mistake of calling me halfway through and you bet your butt I snapped at him; 

"I'm not in the MOOD to argue semantics with you right now, I'M WRITING!!"

(Poor guy; it's not his fault. Patient man)

I'm writing this today to try to inspire YOU to reach for more; to dig deeper, to go farther to push yourself...

'till you start bumping into things...

T

Begin. Again.

My shoes at the end of last week's first 'real' run as part of training for this year's triathlon.

The first week is always the toughest.

It's almost as if you haven't already run all the races you've run, like you've haven't logged the miles you've logged, like you have no experience at all.

It's this same way every time you begin again, doing whatever.

Start a new job. Start a new relationship. Tackle a new assignment. Cook that favourite recipe you haven't touched in years. Open your Bible. Go for a run.

Begin. Again.

It's tough. Halfway through starting up that new thing you'll be wondering if you can finish, wondering how you ever did this before, questioning whether or not you've got what it takes, wondering why you started up again in the first place.

Waiting for your left ankle to go numb so your achilles will stop hurting.

"Why did I do this?"

Ever felt that way?

It's amazing to me (being as old as I now am, and having done as much as I've now done) to realize how relentless life is. See, it doesn't CARE what you DID. It cares about what you're DOING. Your body doesn't give you credit for the miles you ran last year, it wants to know what you've done for it lately.

True, muscles have 'memory' and you will get up to race-shape much faster than the first time you started doing this, but it's still gonna be hard, you're still gonna' wish for death several times along the way and wonder why you thought you were fit for this anyway?

What have you done lately?

How good was your last sermon? Did you hit it out of the park? How good was your last pitch meeting? Did you change your client's life (even just a little bit?). What about last shoot? Did you nail it in every aspect? Did the client leave feeling well-served and lucky to have you? How about your last staff confrontation. Did you handle it with grace AND truth? Did your last disappointment or betrayal destroy you and steal your joy, or did you shoulder it, mourn, and then keep going?

When was the last time you ran 5K? The last time you read your Bible every day for a week? When was the last time you ate fresh-cooked Oatmeal instead of the packaged kind? When did you last complete your wife's 'honey-do list' on the weekend without complaining? When was the last time you were happy and fun with your kids at breakfast instead of grumpy and tuned-out? When was the last time your friends felt like you loved them? Did you chase your wife around the house this weekend? Last weekend? When was the last time 'bro? When was the last time you took responsibility for your actions without begging off, by subtly shifting the blame to someone else? When was the last time you were completely honest, regardless of what it was going to cost you? When was the last time you walked by faith and not by sight?

What have you DONE, that's awesome, lately?

Yes. I read Hebrews 11 this morning. And it messed with me.

T

'Uncle Jesus...'

That's right.

My sermon from Sunday was called 'Uncle Jesus...'

Find out why...

HERE.

(sermon starts at 34:50)

T

The realness...

The say Paris is the city of love.

More like the city of cigarettes, congestion, rude waiters, awesome baked goods, tiny spaces and nicked up cars.

Oh, and lovely wives of nearly twenty years.

And my kid (one of four) who took the shot.

That's love that lasts, love that's useful, love that's real.

My take on Paris.

Boom.

T

Wherever, whenever...

Sometimes, we write movies on airplanes.

I was headed to Nashville to speak at a big media conference, while juggling writing deadlines on our TV series' and a big documentary series (and feature) we're producing this year.

So I wrote on the plane.

I enjoy 'plane writing' because it's 100% isolated time. Nobody bugs you, nobody's calling on the phone or texting or emailing, it's just you, your ideas, and the smell of humanity.

(inside joke)

Ok, I'll explain it; mind you, you probably already figured it out, right? That smell that slowly creeps onto a plane as the minutes stretch into hours and the air keeps getting recycled and the people keep getting more and more 'moist'?

That smell.

Anyway, you ignore the smell as best you can and let the ideas flow. I think maybe the white noise of the plane helps you 'fly away' into the land of ideas but, for whatever reason, I find writing on the plane super-productive.

The reminder to me (and maybe to you) is this; wherever you find yourself, DO what it is you have to do, to the best of your ability, moment by moment, day by day, at all times.

I was reminded today (by a John Maxwell tweet) that success comes with just keeping at it. I know he's not the originator of that thought but, regardless of who thought it or said it first, it's a keeper.

Keeping doing your thing, even at 30,000 feet surrounded by the smell of human.

:)

T

Keep at it long enough...

And it'll happen.

Trust me. I know.

I've been married 19 years and, through keeping at it and keeping at it and keeping at it, my wife and I have ended up in this weird space where we're lovers AND friends.

I've walked with Jesus 30 years and, through no strength of my own, after time and joy and pain and mistakes and victories and suffering and disillusionment and encouragement and evils done and received; I've ended up old enough to see (for myself) that Faith really does make good sense.

I've been writing screenplays 14 years and that there picture above is proof that, eventually, if you do the work, and learn the lessons, and apply both to each new project you undertake (no matter how mundane) eventually somebody will pay YOU to write THEIR film.

And, no, it's not a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar commission (that'd be nice; but only happens to a famous few, and even then, more ten years ago then today) but it's real money for a real project that is gonna take real skill, and time and toil to execute.

Pretty fun.

And, listen, I'm not being triumphalist. I'm writing this because *I* need the reminder. *I* need the encouragement every day, sometimes multiple times a day because, as you well know, life is just that hard and the struggle never seems to cease and things just don't ever seem to get easier.

Which is why we keep working.

T

Out of touch...

This used to be a going concern.

The souvenir shop at the top of the stairs as you exit the 'pool of siloam'.

Only, turns out, it's not really the pool of siloam.

When I was a boy, the spot above was packed with tourists buying keepsakes from the famous pool where Jesus would have bathed on His way up to the temple and where he sent the blind man to be healed in John 9. I remember Christian groups worshipping there, getting all emotional and moved by the power of the place. I remember them buying vials of 'holy water' afterward to help them remember their experience in that sacred space.

Then it turned out to NOT be the place.

See, in 2004 they found the REAL pool of siloam (and how and why they found it will be explored in our new documentary) and, since then, no one cares to visit the old spot.

No more visitors, no more souvenir shop.

It lost its relevance because it was out of touch with reality.

Just like you and me, perhaps?

See I heard a preacher recently who was totally, completely, utterly, uselessly, grossly out of touch with reality, with where his audience was at, and--in my opinion--with what the text he was preaching from was all about.

I was so upset, it stayed with me for days.

Here's how it applies to me, and maybe to you.

It's very easy for us to get used to doing things the way we've always done them 'cause that's just how it is. Like the 'tourist site formerly known as the pool of siloam'; it was THE spot for years and years and years and nobody was really worried about it, or interested in digging deeper. You and I can fall into a rut of just doing what we do without really pushing ourselves to achieve greatness, moment by moment, as a hard-won habit.

Then, one day in Jerusalem, a freak snowstorm showed up (whoops, giving away the doc plot a bit there) and, in one fell swoop, everyone realized that the old spot for the pool of siloam was the 'wrong' spot and everything associated with it had been a sham.

Imagine a 'freak snowstorm', some random, un-planned-for event shows up in your life/work/ministry and it exposes the depths of what you're doing (in preparation, or lack thereof, in foresight or lack thereof, in honestly seeking feedback and wise counsel and applying it, or not) and you're found to have been selling holy water that 'aint really holy.

You'd be in deep.

And none of us want to end up there, shuttered and useless and yesterday's news.

I'm taking the warning. I'm determined to do better. I'm scared of making mock of what I've been called to do.

How 'bout you?

T

Everything is connected...

Epic.

In the cistern (a hundred feet from the Royal Davidic Palace) where Jeremiah was probably thrown in Jer 38:6.

Apparently there was no water, only mud. Well, all these years later, there was no water, only mud; and every step you took five or six spiders scurried out from under your feet.

Crazy.

And it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone alone with something I didn't want to do, at the time.

See, the connections we made to get our current (gigantic) documentary series off the ground, exploring 13 significant archaeological 'proofs' of the Bible, happened because I went along (kicking and screaming) with a plan my business partner had that, at the time, I was--shall we say--less than thrilled about.

We often argue, he and I, about what we should do, how we should do it, how we should set it up financially, and what that's going to mean for us, our firm, and our key staff, collaborators and partners. From what I've read (and heard) about successful creative partnership, there is often that kind of push/pull between primarily creative and primarily fiscally minded people.

Anyway, we found a way to agree, and lemme' say that the thing we did was taxing in exactly the ways I thought it would be taxing when I first objected, and it was really tough to do, almost soul-killing, in fact; and it made me bitter, AND...turned out great and made a big impact, all at the same time.

Also, it led to this project.

And that's the point that reverberates with me, in a sobering way. If I hadn't gone along with what my partner wanted, if I hadn't dug really deep to do something (well) that I didn't really want to do and for which I had no real tangible incentive at the time, our path probably wouldn't have led us to where we are today.

Scary, right?

So, I'm trying to be continuously mindful (especially when I'm feeling grumpy or 'put upon') of the fact that everything is connected. Every meeting, appointment, email, phone call, conversation, action, reaction; they're all working together to build a story.

A story in which you are a character and change agent. A story that might end up having you descend 60 feet into first temple era muck that used to be home to a real-live Biblical Prophet.

"I'm not worthy..." doesn't do it justice.

T

Back at it...

Well, it's been a while since I last wrote. 

Figured, it's a good time to start updating things. See, I'm working on a pretty cool project this year that blends the original purpose of this blog quite nicely. The big idea behind this here space was to explore the mesh point between Pastoring and Producing in my life; with the hope of inspiring YOU as you work out the tension between dust and Divinity in your life.

2016 has me working on a significant documentary series exploring 13 big archaeological discoveries that 'authenticate' specific sections of the Bible and, on a larger scale, give credence to some of the big ideas, or themes, we see in Scripture.

Simply put, if you, or someone you know has ever been ridiculed by someone because they think you're foolish for believing, and basing some--or all--of your life on the deep truths explored and revealed in the Bible, then the work I'm doing this year might encourage you.

The series we're shooting is designed to encourage people 'of faith' that their faith is, in fact, rooted in deep historical fact, and we're hoping that people who have no faith background to speak of might see the final product and at least consider that their outright dismissal of the Bible might be a little less grounded in sound, fact-based, history than they previously might have thought.

So, if those ideas interest you, watch this space as I'll be posting about the project as it progresses. It's by far the biggest filmmaking endeavour my business partner and I have ever undertaken and, if we can translate our ideas to the screen, it might end up being something pretty cool.

So, update:

 Walking off a ridge 100m from the Lebanon/Syria border. Yes, I was a little nervous about being that close to Syria. Among other things, a city gate that ABRAHAM would have visited was one of the key discoveries we explored here.

About to enter a section of the 1st Temple period tunnels underneath the Western Wall in Jerusalem, abutting the Temple Mount on my way to descending 40 feet (Indiana Jones style) into a cistern from the time of Solomon's Temple where a mysterious, out of place, wall leads deep into the unknown beneath where the Holy of Holies once stood.

Pretty gnarly.

Welcome back.

T