Liberty opened its doors to prospective students for College for a Weekend, and an overflowing crowd welcomed the cast of “The Chosen” – a TV series based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Director and co-writer Dallas Jenkins came to Liberty and spoke regarding his last appearance at Liberty, five years ago when his career looked set to explode into the mainstream media.
Just three days after visiting Liberty in 2017, Jenkins’ future virtually vanished.
Low box office ratings on a film he was working on at the time led many producers to pull out of business ventures with Jenkins.
Reeling from the film’s financial failure, Jenkins was lost, but something called him to read the Bible story of the feeding of the 5,000.
After wrestling with the subject and receiving a Facebook message from an acquaintance in Romania, things eventually clicked for Jenkins.
Jenkins realized that he could not put himself in God’s place. He could only ever do what he is capable of, and God would make the multiplication and success happen.
“All I can tell you and all the advice I can give to you on something like this is how to be surrendered and broken and to stand before God and go ‘this is what I’ve got,’” Jenkins said. “And once you accept that that’s enough, just focus on the loaves and fish, not feeding the 5,000.”
Jenkins went on to co-write and direct “The Chosen,” a series about the life of Christ. The series has gone on to have multiple seasons and has been the most successful crowd-funded media of all time.
Jonathan Roumie, the actor that plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” acknowledged through a video that it took him a while to realize that his career would not advance separately from God – it had to grow with God.
Elizabeth Tabish, the actress that plays Mary Magdalene, told a similar story.
Tabish admitted she was in a depression when she had the opportunity to audition for the role, and she found a chance to restart her career through this role.
Ultimately, the lessons Jenkins learned from the failure of his first film and the success of “The Chosen” have stuck with him.
“I don’t care anymore about numbers,” Jenkins said. “I don’t care anymore about the success. When we hear all the stats about the show, it really doesn’t affect me. What really affects me is the people who come up and say ‘that scene changed my life.’”
He said that many people who watch “The Chosen” were able to relate to characters and their struggles, but they were also able to identify the solutions to those struggles and internal questions. He noted that was immeasurable.
Sophomore Alexis Hale had not previously heard of the TV series but admitted she took away a valuable lesson from convocation.
“It was impactful,” Hale said. “The director gave a pretty inspirational story about how God’s timing is different, and his comparison to the story of the five loaves and two fishes was remarkable. Watching the clips from the show and then hearing from the actors and actresses really gave a look into their personal lives, as well as their walks with God.”
Junior Cassie Kunz was amazed to hear Jenkin’s journey over the last five years.
“I really appreciated hearing about the background of the cast members that came, and how God brought these people together to make such an incredible show,” Kunz said. “It was especially interesting that Dallas brought it all back to when he spoke at Liberty five years ago, right before he hit rock bottom and he thought his career was over — which was the catalyst for the creation of ‘The Chosen.’”
Jenkins announced that more seasons would be on the way, and the crowd cheered in response.
“I don’t care anymore about numbers,” Jenkins said. “I don’t care anymore about the success. When we hear all the stats about the show, it really doesn’t affect me. What really affects me is the people who come up and say ‘that scene changed my life.’”
He said that many people who watch “The Chosen” were able to relate to characters and their struggles, but they were also able to identify the solutions to those struggles and internal questions. He noted that was immeasurable.
Sophomore Alexis Hale had not previously heard of the TV series but admitted she took away a valuable lesson from convocation.
“It was impactful,” Hale said. “The director gave a pretty inspirational story about how God’s timing is different, and his comparison to the story of the five loaves and two fishes was remarkable. Watching the clips from the show and then hearing from the actors and actresses really gave a look into their personal lives, as well as their walks with God.”
Junior Cassie Kunz was amazed to hear Jenkin’s journey over the last five years.
“I really appreciated hearing about the background of the cast members that came, and how God brought these people together to make such an incredible show,” Kunz said. “It was especially interesting that Dallas brought it all back to when he spoke at Liberty five years ago, right before he hit rock bottom and he thought his career was over — which was the catalyst for the creation of ‘The Chosen.’”
Jenkins announced that more seasons would be on the way, and the crowd cheered in response.
“The Chosen” hooded jackets were handed out to everyone in attendance.
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