Let me explain.
25 years ago, I was writing my first movie – Do You Wanna Dance?
While writing the script, I had the strangest feeling at times. It was like I wasn’t writing the movie alone. It felt like something unseen was guiding me.
I couldn’t understand the feeling and I couldn’t really explain it to anyone.
So, I said nothing.
Around that time, I was watching a retrospective interview about Marvin Gaye and the writing of his seminal album, “What’s Going On?” At that time, he was visited by Smokey Robinson and he told him that he felt like God was writing the album.
When I heard that, it put into words exactly what I was feeling when I was writing Do You Wanna Dance? I felt like God was helping me write the script.
After hearing that, I didn’t feel quite so crazy, anymore.
When Do You Wanna Dance? came out, the reaction to it was incredible.
This will give you an idea of how shocked I was at the audience’s response; at the Premiere screening in Chicago, there were a thousand people in the theater. At the climactic moment of the movie, I suddenly could hear people blowing their noses. I sat there thinking, “You’re kidding? Right at the climactic moment of the movie, all of you need to start blowing your noses?”
It never dawned on me that they were all crying and had to blow their noses, because they were so moved by the movie.
From that moment on, until this very day, decades later, I have received countless, cards, emails, letters, etc. from people telling me how much this movie meant to them.
Each movie I wrote after that (Christmas with the Karountzoses, Faith, Hope & Love, and A Marriage Made in Heaven), the same thing happened, in even greater numbers.
To give you a quick example, here’s a letter I received today about Faith, Hope & Love:
“First watched FHL about 1 wk ago and have watched it EVERY day since. It is a work of art to bring the reality of our Christian life to the screen in a way that is simple yet powerful. His love for God is sincere and passionate and absolutely contagious. Lives will be forever changed by watching this movie. I know mine has been. Excited to know there is another in the works!!! Thank you Robert Krantz!! Job well done J.“ Patty Potter-Turke
I’ve received thousands of letters, emails, etc. like that. Every time I read a letter like that; I think back to that feeling I have when I write something.
It feels like God is in the room when I’m writing.
That’s why when people compliment me on my work, I never think it’s me; I always think it’s God.
I’ve grown so used to that feeling that, now, when I write a scene that I know is going to touch people, I will look up at my icon of Christ, on my wall, and say, “Thank you.” Sometimes, I can’t help but laugh when I’m thanking Him, because it’s so obvious to me where it came from.
Recently, I read something that cemented all of this for me. The famous music producer Quincy Jones was asked how he creates great music with the singers he’s worked with.
He said, “Leave space for God to walk through the room.”
For me, that is the secret ingredient.
I would add this – the way you leave space for God to come into the room is by leaving your ego outside the room. I can’t tell you how many great moments in movies I’ve been in came about by me just being open to other people’s ideas and thoughts and leaving my ego outside.
What about you?
Are you letting God into the room of your life – to help you plan, prepare and execute the purpose of your life?
I hope so. I can’t imagine being in the room without Him.
]]>Can you imagine that? The devil went to Jesus and asked (some versions say “demanded”) permission to take His disciples away from Him.
In biblical times, wheat used to be put through a large strainer. The person would then violently shake the strainer to get the dirt and other impurities to separate from the good, usable grain.
So, Satan was talking about going after the disciples and their faith, in a violent way.
Jesus then said to Peter, “But, I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”
Gulp.
Jesus didn’t say, “I told Satan no.” or “I told Satan to stay away from all of you.”
Jesus, in essence, consented to it and told Peter that He was praying for him that his faith would not fail.
Why didn’t Jesus simply tell Satan that He wouldn’t consent to it?
I believe Jesus knew that what Peter was about to go through (denying knowing Jesus three times) was a crisis of faith, a crisis of courage, a tornado of confusion and it would be something all of us would go through in our lives and Jesus wanted Peter to be an example to us that we will get through our troubling times or situation and He will still be there for us.
That’s why He said, “… once you have turned back again (to Me), strengthen, and support your brothers (in the faith). Luke 22:32
Jesus was foreshadowing Peter’s denial of him and letting Peter know that he would be turning back to Jesus once the sifting stopped.
Most importantly, Jesus wanted Peter to know that even after he denied knowing Jesus three times, Jesus still loved him. That is why when Jesus rose from the dead, and the women went to his tomb and say he’d risen, the young man, dressed in the white robe said, “… go tell the disciples and Peter…” Mark 16:7
When the women went back and told the disciples what had happened, you can almost hear Peter asking, “Are you sure he said tell Peter, too?”
Can this sifting happen in our lives?
I believe so.
The more of a Christian life we live, the more Satan wants to derail us.
I know I have felt it when I’m making my faith-based films. So many problems arise, seemingly out of nowhere. Some last for days, some for weeks and some much longer than that.
Always remember this: when Jesus prayed for His disciples, He said to God, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15
I believe He prays the same prayer for all of us who believe in Him (“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who believe in me…” (John 17:20)
With Jesus praying for us and protecting us, we must move full steam ahead and keep on doing what He put each of us here to do.
Keep the faith.
Robert
]]>I told our casting director that we had a signed deal with this actress, and she couldn’t do that.
To say I was angry is an understatement.
I sat back and thought about it and realized I didn’t want to work with someone who behaved this way. So, I let her out of her contract.
The problem was that this role was the hardest to cast in A Marriage Made in Heaven. There were not a lot of older actresses available who looked Greek.
So, I prayed about it. Although I didn’t hear God’s voice, looking back now, I’m pretty sure this is how the conversation sounded in Heaven.
Me: God, I’ve got a big problem. We just lost the actress who was going to play my mother.
God: I know.
Me: And I have no idea who we can get to replace her.
God: Yeah.
Me: I really need your help to find me someone to play this role. We start filming in a few weeks.
God: I took care of it already.
Me: You did? When?
God: In 1986.
Me: I don’t understand.
God: Just keep moving forward. It will make sense in the end.
So, I emailed the casting director, still very upset and said, “Do you have any ideas who we can hire for this role?”
She emailed me back one name: Connie Sellecca. It was the only name she sent me.
I wrote her back and told her Connie Sellecca was a great idea.
Why did I think that?
Over 35 years earlier, I had gotten my first acting job on the show Hotel. Connie was one of the stars of that show.
On the day I found out I got the job on Hotel, I found out that my longtime acting coach, Peggy Feury had died in a car crash. It was one of the saddest times of my life.
As I began working on the show, I kept remembering Peggy’s voice as I would act in the scenes. I wept many a day in my trailer, during that week.
One day, we were about to film a scene where I burst into James Brolin’s office and Connie Sellecca came on the set to film the scene with me.
As the director prepared to call action, it was just Connie and I in a side room, alone, silently waiting for the scene to begin. It was at that moment, that, for some reason, I remember suddenly having this thought about what a kind and good person she was.
But, here’s the funny thing: we hadn’t said more than hello to each other.
In fact, I don’t remember much else of that whole week, other than that one moment where I just had this feeling that she was a really good person… and I never forgot it.
Looking back, I can’t help but believe that God orchestrated this. In the depths of my sadness, over learning about Peggy’s passing away, God planted a wonderful seed: Connie Sellecca.
Over 35 years later, that seed came to fruition. I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie, but Connie’s performance was pitch perfect. So wonderful.
Beyond her performance, what really stuck with me as I got to work with Connie and get to know her was that the feeling I had in the room that day, 35 years ago, was true and accurate.
She is one of the kindest, funniest, and hardworking people I’ve ever been blessed to work with.
One moment underscored it all for me. On the morning of our premiere, it was so hectic. There were so many details and so many things I was trying to get done, in the few hours we had before the screening.
Just then, I saw yet another text come through on my phone. I looked down and saw Connie had sent it. I quickly read it, thinking she needed help with something. She didn’t need anything. She was just texting me to let me know that she and her husband, John, had just prayed for me and for our film.
I was so touched by that. It reminded me of that same feeling I had 35 years ago.
Below is a picture of Connie and I at the premiere of A Marriage Made in Heaven.
Keep the faith…
Robert
To purchase a copy of A Marriage Made in Heaven, go to www.EllinasMultimedia.com
]]>These can be very difficult times for us to get through.
When we look for an answer from God to a problem or a troubling situation, in our life, we seemingly get silence.
I’ve been through several of these times in my life. It can be very rough.
It’s like being on a plane that has turbulence. The pilot says, “Fasten your seatbelts.” Then, the turbulence begins, and you wonder how long is this going to last? Is this going to get worse? Are we going to land safely?
Even Mother Teresa struggled with God going silent in her life. In the book, “The Love that Made Mother Teresa”, we see a note she wrote to her spiritual director in 1957 wherein she expresses the pain of God going silent in her life:
“In the darkness… Lord, my God, who am I that you should forsake me? The child of your love – and now become as the most hated one. The one – you have thrown away as unwanted – unloved, I call, I cling, I want, and there is no one to answer… Where I try and raise my thoughts to heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. Love – the word – it brings nothing. I am told God lives in me – and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.”
It's amazing to read that even the saintly Mother Teresa felt this pain of God going silent.
So, why does God allow us to go through these ‘silent’ periods in our lives?
I believe the answer is because it is in these silent times, our faith matures and gets stronger.
Let me give you an analogy.
When our boys were very young, we would read them a story, tuck each one of them into bed, give them a kiss goodnight and turn out the lights.
Now, because there were three of them in one room, I would sit in the doorway for a while to make sure they didn’t start talking to each other and stay awake.
One day, after a few minutes of silence, in the darkness, I heard one of my sons say, “Dad, are you still here?” I told him I was.
Within a few minutes, he was sound asleep.
Even thinking back on this now, it’s emotional for me to think what it would have felt like for him if I would have been gone and there would have been silence.
He needed that reassurance at that age.
He was developing what psychologists call Object Constancy. It’s the ability to believe that a relationship is stable, hopeful, and intact, despite the other person not being immediately present in their lives.
Over time, the boys didn’t need any reassurance that myself or my wife were “there”. They had grown and matured. They knew we were watching over them without us being present in their room.
Ironically, years later, it would be us calling them, as we were trying to go to sleep, asking them, “When will you be home? We can’t go to sleep until we know you are home.”
Such is the circles of life.
Nowadays, we live on separate coasts from each other, but that bond of love and trust, that was built over decades, connects us, no matter how far apart we are.
It’s the same with our relationship with God. As we grow and mature in our relationship with Him and in our faith, we don’t need to ask Him, “Are you there still?”
He is.
And those “silent” moments are simply nothing more than God letting you know that He is stretching and growing your faith. It’s like when you were growing as a child and you had some aches and pains and your mother would say, “You must be going through a growth phase.”
As we mature from childhood to adulthood, our faith will continuously go through “growth phases” and our faith will grow stronger and stronger. As St. Paul explained it, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Keep the faith,
Robert
Click here to see information on my latest movie: https://bit.ly/AMarriageMadeinHeaven
]]>
I just needed to tell everyone what the start date would be. But there was one problem.
CoVid.
I had been talking to other producers, in the industry, who were trying to film their movies and they were telling me how CoVid was ruining their productions.
If just one person got CoVid, entire productions were being shut down. It was horrible.
And so, I waited and prayed.
One year went by. I waited and prayed some more.
As we approached the end of the second year of CoVid, the end of the pandemic was in sight.
In December of 2021, the CoVid case numbers (which I looked at daily!) had gone down to their lowest since the pandemic began.
I prayed about it, and then felt like God had given me the green light to start production.
So, I told everyone we would begin pre-production on January 1st of 2022.
And then something unexpected happened…
CoVid suddenly got worse.
A lot worse.
Day by day, everyone I knew was getting CoVid. The CoVid case numbers kept growing and growing. The cases in California went from a low of a couple hundred daily cases to a high of 159,000+ in one day.
Then, I got CoVid.
I couldn’t understand why God would have me start this movie at the exact moment things were getting worse. In fact, for the entire duration of CoVid, this outbreak of cases was the worst ever.
We were beginning filming in a matter of weeks, and I couldn’t see any way we could avoid getting hit with a serious outbreak of the virus on our set and that would shut us down.
Then, something incredible starting happening. As quickly as the surge of CoVid cases had begun, it suddenly began to decline.
Day by day, the numbers of CoVid cases kept going lower and lower.
To my amazement, when we began production, a few weeks later, the number of daily CoVid cases had dropped to some of the lowest ever.
We had a CoVid compliance officer on the set. Every day, she would test everyone.
We did not have one positive CoVid test for the entire movie.
Right when we finished filming the movie, CoVid cases began to rise again.
It was as though God had picked the absolute perfect days for us to film the movie and avoid the CoVid outbreak.
I was so grateful to God.
With life moving as fast as it does these days, I found that It’s easy to forget moments like this, but I do my best to remember these victories that God has led me through.
What I learned is that God’s timing often is different than the timing we think is best.
However, in the end, I have found, His timing is always perfect.
Keep the faith…
Robert
P.S. Go to www.EllinasMultimedia.com and type FHLGroup into the Discount Coupon field and you’ll get a 10% discount on your order!
]]>It is one of the earliest childhood memories I have.
I was in grade school, and it was Father Visit Day – the day all the fathers came to the classroom to visit their kids.
However, on this day, there was a snowstorm and the teacher told us that our fathers probably wouldn’t be able to make it, because of the snow.
I remember playing in the back of the room with building blocks when a group of my classmates started saying something to me, about my dad.
I turned and looked… and there was my father, snow covering his overcoat, standing by the door.
I couldn’t believe it.
No other father came to the classroom that day.
My dad quietly made his way to the back of the classroom where I was playing with the building blocks, and I remember he asked me what I was building.
I was so overjoyed that I could hardly speak.
Why?
Simply because… he was there.
He didn’t have to say anything.
His simply presence said, “I love you.”
It’s interesting that this is one of the earliest memories I have in my life.
Now, let me advance the story many, many years…
My wife, Tricia and I had three boys. At one point, two of our sons, Chris and Nicholas were playing football at one high school and our other son, George, was playing at a different high school (long story, I’ll tell you about it another time).
So, we would split up which games we watched. On this night, we were watching our son George’s game and my sister, Cathy, was watching Nicholas and Chris’ game.
I was only able to stay until half time, because I had to take a red eye back east for a speaking engagement.
At half time, as I was getting in my car to go to the airport, I spoke to my sister, and she said Nicholas’ game was close. I don’t know why, but something told me to get to the game as soon as I could (and pray that I would still make my flight).
I threw my luggage in the car and raced to Nicholas’ game. I saw the scoreboard and there was only a minute left, so I ran into the stadium.
Our team had the ball at the other team’s 10 yard line. On three consecutive plays they handed the ball to my son, Nicholas. Each time he got closer to the goal line.
On fourth down, with the crowd screaming, he tried one last time. From my vantage point, in the stands about 40 yards away, he clearly got in. From the vantage point of the clearly visually impaired referee only two feet away, he signaled Nicholas did not score.
The game was over.
Afterwards, I watched as our coach spoke to the entire team. Nicholas, with his head hung, was disconsolate.
I knew I had a plane to catch, but I wanted to let Nicholas know I was there.
As he began walking to the locker room, I tried getting his attention.
I began running along the chain link fence, yelling out his name. But, he couldn’t hear me. I was too far away.
He kept walking and now was getting closer to the locker room.
I began sprinting along the chain link fence.
I rounded the corner and just as Nicholas was about to enter the locker room, I ran in front of him.
He looked up, saw me, and slumped into my arms, crying, exhausted and dejected.
I wish I could tell you that I said something brilliant, at that moment. I didn’t.
That didn’t matter. What mattered when my father came to school that day and what mattered when I hugged my son that day is the one piece of advice I’d give every parent…
Be there.
Be there for their medical exams. Be there for their parent-teacher conferences. Be there when they have nightmares. Be there when they are in a good mood or a bad mood. Be there in the good times and the bad times. Be there for the boring times.
In doing this, I have found you, as a parent, will leave a trail of love. It’s a trail of love that they will see one day goes from your heart to their heart.
Simply… Be there.
And if the referee happens to not be able to see that your son clearly has scored a touchdown, it doesn’t hurt to let loose with a few well-chosen colorful words expressing to your son that the referee needs to get his eyesight checked.
Keep the faith…
Bob
P.S. Here is the link to my latest movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven, which is full of faith, family and fun: https://bit.ly/AMarriageMadeinHeaven
]]>I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and a man introduced himself. He said, “I’m Clifford Argue.”
Something about his last name rang a bell, but I couldn’t quite place it.
I had just finished a screening of one of my movies and there were quite a few people I was saying hello to and signing things for.
I turned to him and said, “Argue. Why does that name sound familiar to me?”
He said, “My father knew your father.”
And then, it dawned on me as to who he was.
For decades, I had been told a story by my father that changed his life.
My father was in the Army in World War II. He was in his early 20’s, and was a driver for a man named Colonel Argue. My father was Greek and so was Colonel Argue.
As the war was ending, they were liberating the concentration camps. One cold night, they hunkered down in a small town. Some of the buildings had been blown apart from all the bombing and some buildings were still intact.
As the hours went by, the temperature got colder and colder. My dad asked Colonel Argue if they could go inside one of the buildings that had not been blown apart, so they could sleep in a warm building.
Colonel Argue said no. He explained to my father that the protocol was that didn’t sleep inside those buildings, because there was always the chance that the Germans had planted explosives in those buildings knowing that the American soldiers would seek warmth in buildings that hadn’t been blown up.
As the night drew colder and colder, my dad asked the Colonel a couple more times, but the Colonel stuck to the plan and the soldiers slept outside in the freezing cold.
The next morning, the soldiers began to wake up and gather their belonging when they suddenly heard an enormous explosion.
My father looked over and saw the building, that he had been asking Colonel Argue to sleep in, had been blown up by explosives that had been hidden in the building.
Had my dad and the Colonel been in the building, they would have been killed instantly.
This became one of the most profound events of my father’s life. It also contributed greatly to him being very religious. He knew God had spared his life.
I talked to Clifford Argue and he knew the story very well. In fact, he had a tape recording of my father talking about that very story.
My dad had passed away several years before I met Clifford Argue. So, I asked him if I could hear the tape.
He sent it to me and, sure enough, there was an audio recording of my father telling the story that I had heard for so many years, growing up.
How ironic that the sons of those two men would meet up years later.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve thought about that story and realized had the Colonel decided to sleep in that warm building that night, both men would have been killed.
I would have never been born. I would have never met my wife. Our children would never have been born.
That one night, that one decision, that one moment held so much future life in it.
Only God can know these things.
Recently, I attended my High School Reunion.
It had the usual moments: stories remembered, old friends greeted, many laughs and a few tears.
At one point, a video played and showed the faces of fellow alumni who had passed away.
I knew about some of those who had passed, and some of the people I didn’t really remember.
However, when a photo of one person came up, it was someone I remembered immediately.
His name was Bruce Gutting.
Bruce wasn’t the High School football star, Homecoming King or voted Most Likely to Succeed.
What I vaguely remembered about Bruce was that he wasn’t like the other students at our school.
He spoke slower, he moved a bit awkwardly and, at times, would be a bit disheveled.
However, the one thing I remembered clearly about him was how absolutely kind, gentle, and innocent he was.
After I left the reunion, I couldn’t help but think about him.
It was only after looking up his funeral notice that I learned he had Muscular Dystrophy.
In all the years in High School, no one ever mentioned that.
In the epilogue of his obituary, it stated simply, “Mr. Gutting was a grocery store bagger.”
I was so touched when I read that. Something about that struck me as so poetically beautiful.
After High School, I moved to California and he stayed and worked in Wisconsin, where I grew up. I can’t tell you how much I wish I would have had the opportunity to visit him in that grocery store.
Boy, do I wish I would have had just a few minutes to have spoken to him. I don’t know if he would have even remembered me from High School. But, I remembered him. Such a kind soul.
I’ve thought about him many times since that High School reunion.
I wondered what it must have been like for him in High School to watch the popular athletes, the star students and all those noted people getting all the accolades and attention.
It’s been many years, but I don’t recall ever seeing him with a date at a school dance or Homecoming Formal. What must that have been like for him to not participate in those memorable days of our youth?
No, he didn’t go on to be an investment banker, a doctor, a lawyer, or someone the world tells us we must become.
He didn’t have a wife or children.
Yet, I find it interesting, that of all the people I knew in High School, he is the one I wish I could go back and spend some time with, catching up.
I would have treasured that.
Why? Because, he reminds me of the scripture found in Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
I think that people like Bruce are closer to God than so many of the rest of us.
It would be nice to spend some time with someone who is so close to God.
I think I could learn a lot from them.
I take comfort in the fact that Jesus said, “The last will be first.” (Matthew 20:16).
Whatever ailed Bruce on Earth, I know God has made it right in Heaven.
God willing, I will have a chance to have that conversation with Bruce one day, in Heaven.
I’m looking forward to that.
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to personally invite you to the Virtual Premiere of my new faith-based, movie - A Marriage Made in Heaven.
It is a romantic-comedy with great music, wonderful acting and, of course, some fun dance numbers.
Along with myself, the movies stars: Tom Arnold, Vivica Fox, Connie Sellecca, Paul Rodriguez, Elisabeth Rohm, Emma Slater and Kim Coles.
Here is a link to purchase the Virtual Premiere tickets: https://bit.ly/MMIH_Virtual_Tickets
With the Virtual Premiere ticket, you will get to Walk the Red Carpet from your Living Room Carpet and see:
An exclusive, behind-the-scenes video - The Making of A Marriage Made in Heaven.
The Red Carpet Festivities before the screening.
The World Premiere Screening of A Marriage Made in Heaven.
For these past few years, so many people have reached out to me and told me they want more movies that are family-friendly, entertaining and have a faith-based message.
That is what A Marriage Made in Heaven is.
By purchasing a ticket, you will be sending a message to Hollywood that they need to make more movies like this and you will be empowering my company to make more faith-based movies.
A Marriage Made in Heaven is a beautiful movie.
I hope you get to see it: https://bit.ly/MMIH_Virtual_Tickets
God bless,
Robert Krantz
Actor, Writer, Producer and Director - A Marriage Made in Heaven
https://bit.ly/MMIH_Virtual_Tickets
During a television interview, a well-known author was asked what made him write his latest book. He said, “God led me to write this book.” The famous interviewer scrunched up her nose, pursed her lips and with disdain said, “God spoke to you?”
As I watched the interview, I remember wanting to yell out, “Yes! It’s called ‘prayer’!"
However, it then occurred to me, if someone has never tried speaking to God, they wouldn’t know what the voice of God sounds like.
When I say the “voice of God”, what do I mean?
I’m talking about a communication with God that gives you guidance, that gives you understanding, that gives you peace, that gives you discernment, that gives you guidance, that gives you hope.
God speaks to everyone, not a select few.
However, so many people choose to ignore it, dismiss it, or forget about it. I have seen God do incredible things in people’s lives, only to have them ignore Him as time went on.
For those that do not ignore God and develop a relationship with Him, it develops into a lifetime relationship (and an eternal one) that underscores the Bible verse: My sheep know my voice. And I know them.” (John 10:27)
In other words, as the years go by and you constantly are communicating with God, it will not take much communication, with God, for Him to know exactly what you are going through, because you know each other so well: “… for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)
The best example I can give you of this is… my mom.
I would often call my mother as I was leaving the office, heading home, after work.
On days where I when I had a lot of worries on my mind, I would remind myself to put on a “happy voice” when I called her, because I didn’t want her to worry about whatever troubles I was going through. This is how the conversation would go:
Mom: Hello.
Me (cheerfully): Hi Mom.
Mom: What’s the matter? You don’t sound good.
Seriously, all I said was, “Hi Mom.”
My point is, when you know someone’s ‘voice’, your communication becomes shorthand. All it takes is a slight look, a slight smile or a slight gesture and because you have years of communication between you two, you both understand what the other is going through or trying to say.
And the love deepens.
As many of you know, my wife and I have triplet boys. I was in the delivery room when they were born. I loved them, the moment they were born. They are now 23 years old, and my love for them is even deeper now.
Why?
Because we have 23 years of day-to-day life wherein, we have shared life’s ups and down, triumphs and losses, and everything in between. We know each other on a much deeper level now than when they were born. It takes very little communication for us to know what the other is thinking.
This is the relationship God wants to have with us. A love so deep that with the slightest action, we will hear God’s voice for discernment, for understanding, for peace, for love.
The closer you draw near to God, the closer God draws near to you (James 4:8). When that happens, we allow the wonderful counselor to guide our lives (Isaiah 9:6) and instruct us in our lives (Psalm 32:8)
So, don’t be afraid to start or to continue that conversation with God.
It’s life changing.
Keep the faith….
Robert
]]>There was a place where Jesus could not perform any miracles.
That is what the Bible says: “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” (Mark 6:5)
Where was this place where Jesus could not perform any miracles?
His hometown.
When Jesus came back to his hometown and taught in the synagogues, the citizens thought it was preposterous that Jesus had anything to offer. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been
given? And how can He perform such miracles? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him. (Mark 6:2-3)
So, what caused Jesus to be unable to perform miracles there?
Was he angry that they mocked him, and, accordingly, he refused to perform any miracles?
No.
He couldn’t perform any miracles… because they did not have faith in Him.
The key component in Jesus performing miracles then, and now, is our faith in Him.
Time and time again, in the bible, after Jesus performed a miracle, he would not say, “I have healed you.” Rather, he would say, “Your faith has healed you.” (Mark 5:34, Mark 10:52, Luke 8:48, Luke 18:42)
The greater a person’s faith in Jesus, the greater the miracle.
One of my absolute favorite stories, in the bible, was the one about Centurion who sent word to Jesus, begging him to heal one of his servants, who was deathly ill.
As Jesus approached the man’s house, the Centurion ran out and told Jesus, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to You. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, He marveled at the centurion. Turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” And when the messengers returned to the house, they found the servant in good health. (Luke 7: 1-10)
The greater the faith, the greater the miracle.
Jesus loved the fact that this Centurion had such great faith.
So, if you had to rate the strength of your faith, on a scale of 1-10, what would you give it?
If your number is low, what do you do then? How does one build up their faith in God?
Well, think about people that you already have faith in.
For me, I have faith in my wife, my kids, my sister and close friends. I know if I need something, I can always count on them.
The faith I have in them was built over many years and many situations.
In other words, true faith takes time to build up.
So, start ascending your mountain of faith with God, one step at a time. I have found that if you begin trusting and having faith in God for small things, before long, you will begin to have faith in God for bigger situations and more trying circumstances.
Why am I so sure of this?
Because God will never let you down. Not once.
He has never let me down.
Sometimes the answers were not what I asked for. Sometimes the answers took a long time to arrive. However, in the end, when I looked back, God always answered my prayers and did what was best for me.
And my faith grew.
Keep the faith…
Robert
P.S. If you haven’t already done so, click here and watch the trailer to my new movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven: https://bit.ly/MMIH_Official_Trailer
The shortest sentence in the Bible is also one of the most heartfelt and compassionate sentences in the Bible: Jesus wept (John 11:35).
It is the events surrounding this short sentence that made this moment so magnificent.
In John, Chapter 11, Jesus had just received word that Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was dying. Jesus went back to Judea, a place where people there had recently tried to stone him.
However, by the time Jesus got back to Judea, Lazarus had passed away and had been in the tomb already for 4 days.
Relatives and friends were mourning deeply. It was how Jesus reacted when He saw their pain that John wrote the shortest sentence in the Bible:
Jesus wept.
What is so striking to me about this two-word sentence is that Jesus had already told them that Lazarus was only “sleeping”, and furthermore Jesus knew that He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead.
So, I wondered, if Jesus knew He was about to bring Lazarus back to life, why was he crying?
I believe Jesus was brought to tears because of the deep compassion and love He has for all of us. He doesn’t want to see us in pain.
If you’ve ever lost a loved one whom you were close to, you know what that pain feels like.
This past weekend marked the fourth anniversary of my mother’s passing away. I was with my mother when she took her last breath. Saying goodbye to someone you love so deeply is so heart wrenching. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over the sadness of her not being in my life, anymore. The picture you see is a picture of me praying one last time, before saying goodbye to my mother.
Likewise, throughout the year, there are so many people that have contacted me and told me me about a parent, a child, or a spouse that they have lost. It’s heartbreaking to hear their stories.
However, when I read that Jesus wept, it gave me great comfort knowing that God, who sees the pain we all go through when we lose a loved one, has such a deep love and compassion for us. He doesn’t let us suffer alone, but instead has given us The Great Comforter - The Holy Spirit(John 14:26).
I’m also comforted greatly by the second part of the story: Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. God is telling us that He will comfort us in our times of pain, and when the pain of this life is gone, we will have a pain-free life, in eternity, with Him.
Keep the faith….
Robert
P.S. We are going to be revealing the Official Trailer for A Marriage Made in Heaven on Friday! Go to The Faith Hope and Love Community Facebook page and you will see it there!
]]>The conversion of St. Paul is one of the great moments in the bible.
On the road to Damascus, St. Paul was blinded by the light of God. Three days later, he went to Damascus, regained his sight, and began to preach the word of God, in the synagogues.
However, after several days, something happened to St. Paul that is rarely noted.
He went away for three years.
Why did he do this?
I believe it was because it was his season of preparation.
During this season of preparation, many people believe that St. Paul went into relative seclusion, maybe even living as a desert hermit. Others believe, although he continued to preach, he was also absorbed in spending solitary time in the study of scriptures, and prayer.
In the mini-series Peter and Paul, St. Paul (portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) was incredibly frustrated during this time. He angrily lamented the fact that he wanted to go to Jerusalem and begin his full ministry.
However, his season of preparation continued for three full years.
It was after this season of preparation that God sent St. Paul out to fulfill the works that God had put before him and begin his season of the harvest.
In the end, St. Paul was responsible for nearly half of the New Testament and was a pillar in the spreading of the Christian faith.
I think this is how God works in our lives.
There is a purpose for each of our lives; something that God planned for you and me to do while we are here on earth.
That is a wonderful thought, isn’t it?
When I first began acting, they were having auditions for a movie called St. Elmo’s Fire. All the young stars, of the day, were auditioning, and I was asked to read with them.
In other words, I wasn’t good enough to audition for the roles in the movie but was considered good enough to read with the actors while they auditioned.
All the young stars came in that day, and I read with all of them.
When the day was finished, I went back to my apartment and my best friend Gary Hershberger (who you see in all my movies) called me and he asked me one question, “How good are we compared to them?”
I said, “On our best day we are as good as them, but on a normal day, they are better than us.”
It was humbling to say that.
It was like knowing there was a team that you were not good enough to play on… yet.
We had just begun acting and they were more experienced than us.
However, I was not dissuaded.
I knew this was my season of preparation for the work God had put in front of me.
So, I studied acting day and night, I learned screenwriting, I took more dance classes than I could ever count.
I worked as hard as I could through my season of preparation because I believed in my heart, I was doing the work God wanted me to do and one day… the season of the harvest would come.
And I would be ready.
It has been many, many years since that St. Elmo’s Fire audition. I find it so interesting that nearly every one of those actors (some who were so famous) that were ahead of us that day have quit acting, gone to another profession or had a few acting roles here and there.
I can guarantee you that if someone would have stood up and asked, “Who do you think, in this room, will still have a career, thirty-five years from now?”, I would have been the last person picked.
Honestly, I’m not sure I would have picked myself.
Yet here I am making these faith-based movies that are touching so many lives.
It is a strange and humbling feeling to be partaking in my harvest season and looking around to see so many others have packed up and gone home.
By the way, speaking of the harvest season, I wanted to let you know that the premier of my new movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven, has been pushed back to late September or early October. We’ve had such an incredible response to the Virtual Screening that we need more time to accommodate everyone who is interested.
Whether you are in your season of preparation or your season of harvest, I wish you continued success in your fulfilling the work God has put before you.
Keep the faith,
Robert
]]>Last week, I wrote to you how during each faith-based film I have made, I’ve gotten “lucky”. However, after decades of making faith-based movies, I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t “luck”…
It was God.
I promised I would tell you how I felt that “luck” occurred during my new movie, “A Marriage Made in Heaven.”
Here is how it happened…
It started four years ago, when I volunteered to work the lamp chop booth at my church’s Greek Festival. One might think that my lucky moment was the fact that I got to eat one lamb chop for every one I served, but you would be wrong.
The “lucky” moment began when I entered the premises and Despina greeted me. She told me she had just seen my new movie, Faith, Hope & Love and loved it. I thanked her and she held up the festival brochure and said "I should contact a lady who helped the church promote the festival."
A couple days later, I contacted the lady she referred me to. As were talking, I heard some children playing in the background. She apologized for their noise, and I said I understood, because my wife and I had raised triplet boys.
She laughed and said that she had triplets, too.
I asked her how old her triplets were, and she told me they were 3 years old. She asked how old mine were, and I told her they were 21 years old.
We laughed at the age difference, and she asked me if I wished I could go back to when they were young again.
My answer would change the next four years (and more) of my life…
I told her it would be great if I could go back for a week.
As I said that, I immediately wrote down on a note pad – “What if God let you go back and relive one week of your life? Which week would you choose?”
I got off the phone and as I drove home, I began to think of which week in my life I would choose to relive.
It was a 20 minute drive, but by the time I got home, the genesis of my next movie was born.
Four years and many thousands of hours of hard work later, I am happy to say that I have completed that movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven.
It is a beautiful, faith-based, romantic-comedy, family film that has some great dance and music in it.
I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if I would not have walked by Despina that day?
The truth is that I probably would never have made this movie.
It is so strange for me to think about that, because this movie changed my life and, I could be wrong, but I think it is going to resonate and touch the lives of so many people who see it.
I understand that some people will call it luck.
I call it God.
I think that God’s plan for my life was to make faith-based movies that were
entertaining, family oriented and gave people hope.
So, that is what I have done to the best of my ability.
Here is the really cool part – in a couple of weeks, on August 27th, we are going to have the world premier of A Marriage Made in Heaven… and you are going to be invited to be part of that premier.
While we are having the actual premier, we will be having a Virtual Premier (we are calling it Walk the Red Carpet from Your Living Room Carpet).
We are going to be selling tickets to this event in the coming days and it is going to be a blast. People from all around the country and the world will be watching the premier virtually (the red carpet walk up and then the movie itself).
It has never been done before.
I cannot wait for you to be part of it! It is going to be so much fun!
More on all this very soon.
Keep the faith,
Robert Krantz
P.S. Along with myself, the other actors in the movie are Tom Arnold, Vivica A. Fox, Paul Rodriguez, Elisabeth Rohm, Connie Sellecca, and Kim Coles. They are all great in the movie!
]]>During the making of the first faith-based movie I ever made (Do You Wanna Dance?), we didn’t have a lot of money to make the movie and one of the most expensive items was purchasing the actual film. We needed thousands of feet of different kinds of film stock.
Then, right as we were beginning filming, a production company called up and said they had finished a film and had an enormous amount of leftover film stock.
They gave it to us. For free.
A couple weeks later, we were filming in a gym, and needed to get the lights set up high on the ceiling but we had no way of getting them there. Someone mentioned there was a construction crew next door.
We asked them if we could use their forklift. They were happy to help.
And the lights went up.
The entire filming went this way. Over and over again, we would need something, and somehow, someway… we would get it.
Finally, a Co-Producer came up to me and said, “I don’t want to be around you when your luck runs out.”
I understood what he was saying. I did seem to be really “lucky” in producing that movie.
But, a funny thing happened…
When I produced my next faith-based film (Christmas with the Karountzoses)… I got really “lucky” while producing that film, too.
We could only afford two cameras for part of the filming. After a week, we went to turn in the second camera and the owner said, “Just keep it for the rest of your shoot.” And on it went… time after time, during that filming, I kept getting “lucky”.
By the time I made Faith, Hope & Love, my third faith-based film, I told the cast and crew, “I know this might sound strange, but whatever you need, just let me know and, if it’s right for this movie, we will get it.” I got a lot of strange looks. I know what they were thinking, “Really? How is that going to happen?”
The answer was that I had become aware of something: when you are doing the work God has put in front of you, God will provide for you. Yes, there were many nerve wracking moments, but in the end, God always provided what we needed.
The best example I can give you on Faith, Hope & Love? 40 days (interesting number, no?) before we began filming, we had hired an actress who was skipping rehearsals. I had spoken to her manager multiple times and told him that if she skipped one more rehearsal, I would have to let her go.
Sure enough, she skipped another rehearsal.
They never thought I would follow through on what I said. But, I did.
I let her go (I’m trying so hard not to use the word “fired”).
The casting directors freaked out. They told me there was no way we could find someone who could dance and act in 40 days.
It just so happened, that week, Peta Murgatroyd, had finished her season on Dancing with the Stars. She came to the last audition we had. She told me, later, she had a rough morning and was downstairs and almost didn’t come upstairs to the audition.
She read with me and she was outstanding. Some of you may have seen the video of her audition on our social media sites.
Everyone tried to talk me out of hiring her. They all told me that she had never acted before. But, that “voice” (yes, Holy Spirit) inside of me said, this is what God wants you to do.
So, I hired her. And I got “lucky” again. She was absolutely fantastic.
My point in all of this is… whatever your work may be, if you are doing God’s work, He will make the crooked path straight and the narrow road wide. He will also send angels from on high to strengthen you for your journey. The journey is not easy, but God never leaves you.
I bear witness to that.
I have just completed my latest film, “A Marriage Made in Heaven”, which comes out August 27th! So, did I get “lucky” again?
Yep.
I’ll be telling you all about it, next week.
Keep the faith…
Robert
]]>When the teacher, Olga, a Russian-Orthodox lady spoke to me after the class, she pointed out everything that was wrong with my paper. She almost began crying, as she lamented the fact that I was a freshman in college and had no idea how to write.
She was right. My writing was simply awful.
I became her project. Assignment after assignment she would walk me through each paper and teach me how to become a better writer, and…
I listened. I learned. I got better.
Eventually, I transferred to USC’s film school. After our first weekend of filming, our instructor, Mel Sloan, asked if any of us had any problems or questions. I raised my hand. I knew I was about to get laughed out of class. Mr. Sloan motioned to me, “What’s your question?”
“I don’t know how to focus my camera”, I said.
The classroom erupted with laughter. I knew what they all were wondering: How in the world was I able to get into this elite film school when I didn’t even know how to focus a camera? Everyone continued laughing. Except for one person.
Mel Sloan.
He stared at me, ignored the laughter, and addressed me as if I had asked him the most important question he’d ever been asked.
He then instructed me on exactly what I had to do to focus my camera. I nodded when he was done. He smiled at me and said, “Great question.”
I ended up getting the best grade in that class. In truth, it was namely because they graded you, not on how good you were, but rather how much better you got during the class. I started out at the bottom, but…
I listened. I learned. I got better.
As I was graduating college, I was auditioning for the movie Footloose. They wanted to see if I could dance. So, I went to a local dance studio and took a class. Afterwards the owner of the studio came up and said, “So, how do you think that went?” That was a very polite way of saying, “That was a trainwreck.” And it was. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing out there on the floor.
A few days later, I went to a Pre-Jazz 1 Introductory Class. There were maybe 5 people in the class. The instructor, Ann Olsen, was an incredible dancer. One of the first things she wanted to teach us was a ‘Jazz Walk’. Huh? I kind of thought there was only one way to walk in life. In my baggy sweats and basketball shoes I meandered across the floor. I looked ridiculous.
But, Ann looked at me and marveled at the slightest things I did correctly. Step by step, I began to learn how to dance. I was horrible, but…
I listened. I learned. I got better.
I had also begun seriously studying acting at an actor’s studio. In this studio were some of the most famous actors of that time; Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc. I was clearly out of my league in this class. All of these actors were stars and I had not even gotten my first job. However, the owner of the studio, Peggy Feury, addressed me and spoke to me like I was one of her top students. I never understood what she saw in me. But, class after class, I would sit there and…
I listened. I learned. I got better.
So, why point all this out now? Two reasons. Number one, in looking back, I realize what it means for one person to show an interest in another person. When I think about Ann, Peggy, Olga, Mel and many others, I can see their faces smiling at me, nodding, encouraging me and pulling for me.
The power of their collective kindness is something I try to carry with me and pass on.
Two; when you look at the poster from our new movie, at the bottom you will see what they call the Credit Block. In that block, you’ll see that I’m credited as the writer, producer, director, and actor of this movie. As you can see from the poster, I dance in the movie, too.
The work hasn’t been easy. It’s taken decades. But…
I listened. I learned. I got better.
In fact, with this movie, I became the first person in the history of film to write, produce, direct, act, edit, dance, and distribute a movie.
How crazy is that?
Keep the faith,
Robert
P.S. The movie will be released in late August. More details soon.
]]>Who is the humblest person you know?
I have known some genuinely humble people in my life.
However, one day, I was writing a book (Guide to Holy Week) and I came across something that redefined humility to me.
In this particular chapter, I was writing about Jesus and his disciples, at the last supper.
As an adult and a parent, I looked at this moment differently than when I was younger.
I kept thinking of the absolute anguish Jesus must have been in, knowing that this was the last time he would be with his disciples. He had built such a bond with them. Day in and day out, they had been through so much with him. How painful it must have been for him to say goodbye to those he loved so much.
On top of that, Jesus knew the horrible, painful death he was going to suffer through.
In fact, all of this was so great that he asked God if this cup could be passed from him. Matthew 26:39
What is more amazing to me is Jesus acknowledged his anguish, in private, to God, but when he was with his disciples, in those last hours, he kept teaching them and guiding them.
In fact, one of his greatest admonitions came at this moment, when he told the disciples to “Do this (communion) in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19
However, it was something that happened after that moment that really caught my eye…
Jesus took off his outer garment and insisted to his disciples that he wash their feet. John 13:1-17
Think about this; Jesus knew these were his last moments with his disciples and he chose to remind them about the importance of humility.
If you’ve ever been around someone who is nearing the end of their life, you know that only the most essential and important things are said.
Jesus chose to talk about humility.
As I wrote about these last moments Jesus had with his disciples, wherein he washed all their feet, I found it so poignant. A moment later, I realized something, and it touched me so much, I put my pen down and got choked up…
Jesus washed Judas’ feet.
Jesus new Judas was about to betray him (John 13:26), yet he actually washed Judas’ feet.
As I sat there staring at my screen, I could not believe it. Jesus easily could have waited a few moments, until Judas left, and then turned to his disciples to wash their feet.
But, he didn’t.
He washed Judas’ feet, knowing Judas’ was about to betray him.
Can you imagine the humility that takes to do that?
This redefined humility to me.
I believe there is a love, a kindness, and a humility that Jesus has that is beyond anything we’ve ever encountered.
I think it’s worth trying to emulate.
Keep the faith,
Robert
P.S. By the way, as a thank you to you and everyone who has been following along, as we made my new movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven, I will be sending you a sneak peek at the poster of the movie next week! I think you will like it.
]]>When our three boys were young teenagers, my wife and I decided to watch some old family videos with them.
We laughed as we watched videos of them as babies, and for my wife and I, it was a sentimental walk back to the past, remembering those early days of raising triplet boys.
We then started playing videos when the boys were a bit older and playing T-Ball (hitting a baseball off a cone). On the video, one of our boys was upset over something. I was a coach for their team and went over, knelt, hugged him, talked to him, and comforted him.
As we watched this video, the room got quiet. I wasn’t sure why.
Video after video played and our boys watched as my wife, and I loved our three boys. Whether it was Christmas day, a baseball game, or a family picnic, one thing was clear to them; they were loved by their parents.
I still didn’t quite understand why this made them so quiet. Wasn’t that expected? Parents love their children, right?
When we turned the videos off and asked them what they thought, I finally understood why they had gotten so quiet…
They told us they didn’t remember much of what was in those videos because they were so young.
Infants and toddlers do not have a fully developed memory. In fact, some studies show that we don’t remember much before the age of 7 years old.
And in watching those videos, our sons came to realize that they were loved by their parents long before they knew it.
They saw the love that my wife and I had for them, for years and years, and it went way beyond what they knew.
When we said goodnight to them that night, the hugs from them were more heartfelt, and the “I love you’s” were more pronounced.
I’ve come to realize; this is how God’s love is for us. He has loved us long before we ever realized it.
In Jeremiah 1:5, it is written, “I knew you before you were born.” And in Luke 12:7, Christ said, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are numbered.”
What a feeling that is to know that someone (God) has loved us longer, deeper and in more detail than we could ever imagine.
It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?
I can only imagine if God could play videos for us and show us every time he has loved us when we weren’t even aware of it.
I think we would go to sleep that night and the prayers would be more heartfelt and the “I love you” to Him would be deeper.
I know they would be for me.
Keep the faith,
Robert
]]>A few years back I was at a relative’s house, and he was showing me a new function on his television: he could hit the pause button and then go and get something to eat, then come back and hit play… and the show would pick up right where it left off!
Now, to those of you who are very young, this sounds basic. Every television does that now.
But, for those of us who can remember the days where, if you wanted to change the channel, you had to get up and manually go and change the channel, this concept was very hard to grasp.
Side note: fortunately, there were only 3 channels.
So, as we headed out to dinner, my relative paused the television. During dinner, I kept wondering if the “magic” would happen again. It was like the television gods were saying, “Enjoy your dinner, Robert. We’ll be here, waiting for you to resume the football game, when you get back.”
We returned to my relative’s house. I stared at the television as he hit play and sure enough, the game picked up exactly where we had paused it.
Amazing, I thought.
As I began to drive away that night, I started to wonder if there was anything else in my life like this incredible and then it occurred to me, there was something very similar…
God.
God allows us to click the pause button and He waits patiently for us to return.
And God goes even further…
God never asks us to make an appointment to see Him.
God never puts us on hold.
God doesn’t have an answering machine.
God never tells us to call back.
God never tells us it’s easier to get a hold of Him by text or email.
God doesn’t have office hours.
God doesn’t close for the weekend.
God doesn’t limit our time with Him.
God doesn’t go on vacation.
God doesn’t bill you for overtime.
God doesn’t tell us to talk with His assistant.
Like the television control, God simply waits for us to ‘hit play’ and He is there for us.
Immediately.
And when we get pulled away with all of the many worries that life (and our cell phones) throw at us, God allows us to hit the pause button, knowing that when we decide to comeback to be with Him, He will be there.
Someday, wouldn’t it be great, if we never hit the pause button with God… and talk to him without interruption, throughout our day?
I’ve tried this and you know what I found happened?
Peace.
Like the storm ridden waters that Jesus silenced in Mark 4:35-41, everything around your storm will get quiet. As the disciples said that day, “Even the wind and the waves obey Him.”
Your problems will obey Him, too. Peace will ensue.
Like I said, I’ve tried this. It’s not easy. Old habits die hard, especially for any of you out there who are a “Type A” personality, like me :).
But, let’s give it a try: God, all day, every day.
Let’s see what happens.
Keep the faith…
Robert
]]>My wife and I were finishing our dinner at a small café recently. I couldn’t help but notice a bus boy picking up all the dishes left on the tables while at the same time taking the chairs and stacking them on the tables.
There was no one working harder than him in that restaurant.
All the patrons walked by him. No one noticed him or acknowledged him.
He got to our table, and I put out my hand with a tip in it. He looked at my hand, then looked up at me, with a completely puzzled look on his face.
I’m guessing all night long he’d heard requests for silverware, for more water or for an additional napkin. Those requests he understood immediately.
But, someone, handing him a tip and saying thank you for working so hard, seemed to stun him.
As I handed him the tip, I said, “Thank you for working so hard.”
He looked at me for a moment. You would have thought I handed him a winning lottery ticket.
Then he quietly said, “You made my night.”
I don’t think it was the money that made him say that. I think it was the acknowledgment; I see you. I appreciate you. You’re doing a great job.
What made me think about this was that, on Father’s Day, I received the most wonderful letters and phone calls from our three sons (we have triplet boys who are 23 years old now).
They had all recently graduated college and moved to New York. As you can imagine, a certain quietness has ensued in my life. No more rushing to school events, no more football games, no more urgent matters to deal with. Our three sons were on their way.
In the newfound quiet, I found myself beginning to think about how I’d done as a father. There were certain things I wondered if I could have done better and I thought, one day, I’d like to ask our sons, “How did I do as a father?”
Then, I received their notes on Father’s Day. I was so overwhelmed by what they wrote. They mentioned so many moments, so many lessons, so many observations that impacted them.
I couldn’t believe they noticed most of the things they mentioned or were aware of them.
One of the things they mentioned was the way I treated bus boys in restaurants. I thought I’d been so discreet about that. I’d always tried to wait until our family was leaving the restaurant and then give a tip to our bus boy without drawing attention to it.
However, I do remember, many a time, sitting at dinner with them and saying, “Look how hard that busboy is working.”
I couldn’t help myself. That was the first job I ever had: working as a busboy, serving meals at a banquet hall, and then cleaning hundreds of dishes afterwards.
I absolutely loved that job. What great memories.
As I thought about all this, it occurred to me that our sons will be the first generation in our family that didn’t wash dishes, serve people, and bus tables.
My grandfather did it, my dad did it and I did it.
Our sons worked just as hard as we did, as they grew up, but in different areas of life: selling cars, delivering groceries, internships at a local bank, and more than anything… education. Boy, did they work hard at that. For many, many years.
Whatever success they achieve in life, I hope they always remember to see and acknowledge ‘the bus boy’. And then, ‘the bus driver’. And then, ‘the checkout clerk’. And then ‘the mechanic’. And on and on. Remembering always, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
Their lives will be richer for it.
Keep the faith,
Robert
]]>I heard some yelling in the back of the room, as I was finishing my remarks and about to start the premier screening of my movie, Faith, Hope & Love, for over 700 people.
Who was yelling and what were they yelling about?
It was my sister and my wife. Hmm. They are usually very quiet people, I thought.
Then, I heard what they were saying.
“Mom! Don’t forget Mom!”
I was so concerned about starting the movie on time, I forgot to mention my 89 year old mother who was seated in the middle of the theater.
Fortunately, I had a handheld microphone. So, I was able to walk through the aisle and go up to my mom, in her seat.
It was a bit of a miracle that my mom was able to attend. Her health was failing, and she was in a wheelchair. But that didn’t stop her from attending.
In fact, weeks earlier, when I was editing Faith, Hope & Love, I received a call from her and she said, “Bobby, I’ve made a decision.” It sounded serious, so I asked her what the decision was. She said, “I’m wearing my best pair of shoes. That way even if people don’t like the rest of my outfit, they’ll at least say, ‘Yeah, but she had beautiful shoes on.’”
That was my mom. Always could make me laugh.
The sadness for me was that I knew I was on borrowed time with my mother. When you love someone so deeply, you can just sense these things, I suppose.
So, I walked up to her chair and addressed the 700+ people in the theater. I talked about a couple passages, in the bible, that I’d recently read that reminded me of my mother.
In John 19:26-27 and in John 2:4 when Jesus spoke to his mother, he addressed her by saying, “Dear Woman…” The love and respect Jesus had for his mother seemed so evident in just those two words.
I told the audience that is how I felt about my mother. This dear woman was the soul of my life, and I was so grateful for it.
I am grateful to God for so, so many things in my life, and near the top of that list is being so grateful that she was able to be at the premier of Faith, Hope & Love.
I knew that movie was the accumulation of decades of hard work she had seen me go through, and I wanted her to see the payoff to it all.
And she did.
She not only loved the movie, but to see all those people cheering at the end of it was an amazing moment; one I’ll never forget.
Several weeks later, my mother passed away.
I’m not sure one ever gets over losing a parent, especially your mother.
I think of her daily, and especially when I see those passages.
Keep the faith,
Robert
PS- This is the picture of my sister, my mom, Peta Murgatroyd and myself at the Premier of the movie.
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A couple of years ago, I had just completed the movie Faith, Hope & Love and I knew it was a really good movie, but I also knew that we were not a financial backed studio that could spend millions of dollars advertising and promoting the movie.
So, when it came time to pray, I always found myself avoiding asking God to help me get the movie out into the public’s eye.
Why?
Because I didn’t want to ask God for something I knew was impossible.
I didn’t see any way that our little, independent film could be seen by millions of people.
Then, I read Luke 11:5-8:
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[a] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
That was one of those moments where you are reading the bible and think to yourself, “Wait a second. Has this verse always been in the bible? It feels like God wrote this just for me.”
So, the next night we were screening the movie in Baltimore, and I got up after the audience had watched the movie and loved it. I said that I had prayed about the release of the movie and something great was going to happen with it.
Now, I had absolutely no idea how that was going to happen, but I couldn’t get those words – shameless audacity – out of my mind.
That following weekend, the movie opened in Baltimore and did horribly. Hardly anyone came to the theater!
What was I to make of this?
I just kept praying. Then, a few weeks later, I was on my way to a screening in Boston, when my phone rang. I pulled my car over. A man I was working with told me that Netflix had seen the movie and liked it and wanted to license it for two years.
Netflix has nearly 200 million subscribers.
We signed the deal with Netflix, and they asked me when I would like them to begin offering the movie to their subscribers. Every filmmaker I know would have told them to start showing it immediately.
But, for some reason, I told them to wait six months until Valentine’s Day. They were surprised, but thought it was a good idea.
Valentine’s Day rolled around, and they began showing Faith, Hope & Love. Days later, something happened that changed everything.
Covid.
Governments around the world announced they would be shutting down their countries and within days everyone was inside, and, in many cases… watching Netflix.
Suddenly, countless people were watching our movie and that’s the way it would be for the next two years. I don’t remember a day when our movie wasn’t in the top 5 Faith-based movies on Netflix for two years, before it left Netflix, a few months ago.
It’s amazing what God does, when you give Him control.
My new Faith-based movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven (staring myself, Tom Arnold, Vivica Fox, Paul Rodriguez, Connie Sellecca, and Elisabeth Rohm), will be coming out in August. One of the ideas I came up with recently was having a “Virtual Premier” so that anyone, from around the world, can “walk the Red Carpet from their Living Room Carpet” and then watch the Premier screening of the movie with us.
What do you think of that idea?
It feels like another prayer with “shameless audacity” to me. I have no idea if I can make something like that happen, but something tells me this is the direction God wants me to go.
And, so, I go…
I’ll keep you posted on how it all unfolds.
Keep the faith…
Robert Krantz
]]>I had just graduated High School and was at a church camp, walking to lunch with Fay, a camp counselor. I had something on my mind.
Halfway down the dirt road, I mentioned to Fay that I thought God was calling me to be in the movie business, namely acting. Kind Fay stopped and couldn’t help but smile and laugh a bit.
I grew up in Wisconsin and saying you wanted to be in the movie business was like saying you wanted to visit Jupiter someday.
However, after a moment she could see my thoughts were genuine.
Without hesitation, she said, “Well, then, let’s pray about it.”
Wait. What?
I thought we were just talking here. Um, we’re going to pray about it? Like, right here?
All I could think about was the possibility of my buddy Teddy and all my friends coming down the trail to go to lunch and seeing Fay and I praying.
But, before I knew, Fay had bowed her head, I followed, and she didn’t mince words. She said, “God, if it’s your desire for Robert to pursue a career in acting and the movie business, then please clear a path for him. Amen.” She looked up at me and smiled and we proceeded to head towards the lunch hall, again.
That was it.
No bells and whistles went off. No voices suddenly spoke to me.
It was just a simple prayer.
And God heard it and He never forgot it.
How do I know that?
It’s now decades later and God has ‘cleared a path’ that has allowed me to act in many movies, tv shows, sell scripts to movie studios and, most importantly I think, make four faith-based movies: Do You Wanna Dance?, Christmas with the Karountzoses, Faith, Hope & Love, and, my newest movie (coming out soon – I promise!): A Marriage Made in Heaven.
These movies have touched so many lives. Barely a day goes by when I have not received a letter, email, phone call or social media post from someone saying they were touched by one of these movies.
Has it been easy? No. Far from it. That “path” that God cleared for me had many ups and downs, treacherous turns and, at times, what appeared to be a couple of complete dead ends.
However, every time I hit a block in the road, one of you would just happen to email me, text me or post a note telling me how much my movies meant to you. I would often write you back and tell you that your messages were like a note from God letting me know I was going the right direction and to proceed on.
And, so I have…
Not too long ago, I was at the premier of Faith, Hope & Love in Wisconsin and I saw Fay. That’s us in the picture.
When A Marriage Made in Heaven comes out, I hope you see it and can let me know if I’m still on the right path.
Keep the faith,
Robert Krantz
]]>Why did Jesus tell His disciples to go ahead of Him and get a donkey?
He was God. Couldn’t the donkey just be there when He arrived?
In fact, in one of the Gospels, the donkey was just there.
Yet, in the gospel of Matthew it was written, as Jesus approached Jerusalem (for what we now call Palm Sunday), He told his disciples, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." (Matthew 21:1-3)
Why did He make His disciples go through all those actions to get the donkey?
And what really threw me off was the word, “If”, in that passage. It seemed like Jesus wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen.
This seemed so unlike Jesus. For example, look at Matthew 17:27, when Jesus told His disciples to go retrieve a coin from a fish’s mouth to pay the taxes. In that scripture, Jesus is so affirmative in His actions. He tells the disciples go to the lake, find the fish and the coin will be there. Period. No hesitations.
So, why were his instructions to the disciples so different when he told them to get the donkey? Finally, it dawned on me…
As Jesus headed to Jerusalem, He was headed toward His destiny. Jerusalem was where He would be crucified for our salvation.
Riding on the donkey was a fulfillment of scripture and His destiny and all the steps were going to transpire accordingly to God’s plan.
And God had each step planned out.
Likewise, each of us has a destiny that God has planned for us. There is a “Jerusalem” that we are headed towards, in our lives.
What I believe Jesus was trying to teach the disciples and us was that as you fulfill your destiny, God will have all the people, circumstances and answers in place for you. You simply must keep moving towards your destiny.
In Jesus’ day, it was a village, a donkey, and an owner of the donkey. In our day, it might be a business opportunity, a college application, or meeting a soulmate. We must keep moving forward, trusting that God has everything lined up for us.
So, why did Jesus use the word, “If”?
In today’s parlance, it was like Jesus was saying, “If something happens, don’t worry about it… I’ve got this. Here’s what you’ll say and it will be fine.”
So often as we think about making a move in our life, we are defeated by negative thoughts, doubts, and past mistakes. We talk ourselves out of going to “untie the donkey”, never trusting that God has put the right people in the right place and will tell us and them what to say and do.
The key for us is to keep moving toward are destiny and keep going to the places that God guides us and asking for help, follow His instructions and, IF something doesn’t go our way, we must trust that God will let us know exactly how to respond.
Nothing can stop the destiny of your life that God has planned for you. Nothing.
Keep the faith,
Robert Krantz
P.S. I mentioned recently in our Facebook Group – The Faith, Hope and Love Community, we are planning on having a virtual Red Carpet premier of my latest movie, A Marriage Made in Heaven, sometime in August. Stay tuned! You will be able to walk the Red Carpet from your living room couch .
]]>Sometimes when a person fails at something, you’ll hear someone say they went “a bridge too far.”
In life, we constantly come upon problems and battles, and we wonder if it it’s worth fighting or will we look back, in defeat, and say, ‘I shouldn’t have fought it. It was a bridge too far’.
So, what helps us win our ‘battles on the bridge’?
I believe it’s faith in God.
One of the best, literal, examples of this occurred on October 28th, in the year 312AD, when a battle took place on the Milvian Bridge, in Italy.
On one side of the bridge was the Roman Emperor, Maxentius with over 20,000 of his soldiers. On the other side of the bridge was another Roman Emperor, Constantine, also with 20,000 soldiers.
They were about to engage in a ferocious battle that would decide who would be the leader of the entire Western Roman Empire.
As was the custom at the time, the Emperors engaged the services of a soothsayers and magicians to “forecast” the outcome of the battle. The soothsayers and magicians made their proclamation: Maxentius was going to defeat Constantine. Constantine was devastated.
As Constantine rode back to tell his troops the horrible news, a beam of light, in the sky, caught his attention. He paused and stared upward and saw the symbol of the cross with the letters: IC XC NI KA.
The IC C meant: Jesus Christ.
The NI KA meant: Victory.
Constantine believed this was a sign to him that with Christ, he and his troops would have victory.
He rode back to his troops and instructed them to put the sign of the cross on their shields. The troops, at first, refused to do so. To them, the manner in which Christ died, crucified on a cross, was humiliating. Also, since the time of Jesus’ death, if you stated that you were a Christian, you would most likely be tortured or killed.
So, they could not understand why their leader, Constantine, would want them to put such a crushing symbol on their shields.
However, his soldiers finally acquiesced to his request and put the symbol of the cross, on their shields.
The battle the next day was a ferocious one, but in the end Constantine and his soldiers won the battle and Constantine became the leader of the Western Roman Empire.
The following year, 313, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity an officially recognized and accepted religion. This paved the way for Christianity to begin to spread throughout the world.
The irony to all of this was that Constantine, himself, did not become a Christian, at that time. It was only at the end of his life, as he reached his final days, that he took off the purple robe of the Emperor and was baptized in the white robe of a baptized Christian, and became a follower of Christ.
As he was baptized, Constantine said, “I have longed for this day my whole life.”
That has made many people believe that, yes, the sign of the cross, in the sky, was telling Constantine that if he and his soldiers put the sign of the cross on their shields, they would have victory the next day, but, also, it was telling Constantine (and us?) that when we accept the cross (Jesus) in our lives, then we shall have victory in our lives.
That is why, In the movie Faith, Hope & Love, Jimmy, the character I play, wears a sweatshirt with the lettering IC XC NI KA on it.
Jimmy is encountering that bridge of faith moment, in the movie, and I thought it was a great way of showing how he conquers it – and, also I thought it was a cool sweatshirt :).
Keep the faith,
Robert
P.S. I mentioned to you a while ago that I was working on my next faith-based film, A Marriage Made in Heaven. It stars yours truly along with Tom Arnold, Vivica Fox, Paul Rodriguez, Connie Sellecca and Elisabeth Rohm. I’ve seen a rough cut of the movie and it is wonderful. Funny, entertaining, touching and faith-filled. More about this soon. Stay tuned :)
Photo of the Milvian Bridge.
]]>Is it hard for God to be part of your life if you are in the movie industry?
I get asked that question a lot.
Personally, I don’t know how anyone in the movie industry can survive without God.
Recently, I was talking to an actress, who, like me had been in the movie industry for many years. We were talking about actors and actresses we knew who were incredibly successful – they were household names, worth millions – and they lost it all. Some had even passed away.
I asked her what she thought led to the ruin of their careers and their lives. She thought about it for a moment, then said, “I think they were missing a spiritual component in their lives.”
I think she was right. I don’t know how someone finds true happiness, true balance in life, if you don’t have God in your life. Awards and money are transactional, God is eternal.
When making a movie, I try and infuse God into the entire process. From the initial concept to the final touches on distributing my movies, God is always in my thoughts.
When I first conceive of an idea to make into a movie… God is part of that thought process. I won’t move forward on a movie, until I’m convinced that is the direction God wants me to go.
When I’m writing the movie… God is in my thoughts daily. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ll be writing and something wonderful will come to me. I’ll type it in and then look up at my icon of Christ and say, “Thank you.”
When I’m casting the movie… I’m asking God to bring the right people to the project.
When I’m on the set, acting, directing, producing and dancing… oh, man, am I praying then!
When the movie is being distributed… I look to God to give me guidance on how to get the movie out to people, such as yourself and bring them hope.
None of these segments of making a movie are easy. All of them are filled with many setbacks, delays, frustrations, losses, and mistakes. However, I have found, when God is in the mix, there is always an underlying sense of purpose; a sense that everything will work out, in the end.
And it does.
Time and time again, I am amazed at how God has guided myself and my movies through so many turbulent moments and led them to safe harbors.
So, I do my best, to put on the armor of Christ (Ephesians 10-18) and carryout the work God has set before me.
I hope you do the same.
Keep the faith,
Robert
P.S. I recently finished filming my latest faith-based film, A Marriage Made in Heaven. It stars myself, Tom Arnold, Vivica A. Fox, Paul Rodriguez, Connie Sellecca, Elisabeth Rohm and Kim Coles. I’ll be updating you on it soon. I’ve seen a rough cut of the movie. It is soooo good!!
]]>All I remember her saying was, “Mom’s being rushed to the hospital!”
I texted my father-in-law. He texted back. “Pray for her. She’s going into surgery.”
No one knew exactly what was happening to her.
Hours later, with family and friends gathered at the hospital, we learned that my mother-in-law had suffered a brain aneurysm. Her doctor would tell us, later, the impact on her brain, was as if she had stepped on a land mine.
After many hours of surgery to save her life, the doctor walked into the waiting room and asked my father-in-law if he could speak to him. My father-in-law said, “You can tell all of us.”
The doctor took off part of his scrubs and said, “The operation went as well as it could. She is stabilized. Now, we have to pray and see what happens.”
Over the next month, while in an induced coma, she suffered two strokes. At one point, another doctor spoke to my father-in-law, myself, and a family friend. It was grim, grim news. He said that she was going to be in a vegetative state the rest of her life. There was basically no hope. Then, he left.
We walked a few feet over to my mother-in-law’s hospital bed, where a Priest was holding Holy Oil. He anointed my mother-in-law with the oil and said some prayers.
We walked out of the room. I was so angry at what the doctor had said. I turned to my father-in-law and said, “Dad, I don’t care what that doctor said. Mom is going to make it.”
I kept thinking about a bible passage – Matthew 8:5-13 – the Centurion who came to Christ and said that his servant was back home, paralyzed and suffering terribly. He told Jesus, “Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” He was saying to Jesus, that Jesus didn’t even have to come to his house – just by Christ saying the word, the Centurion believed his servant would be healed. Christ was taken by this man’s faith. He said, “Truly I tell you. I have not found anyone in Israel with such great of faith.”
And so, I prayed with the earnestness of the Centurion. Day after day, I would drive an hour to the hospital and kneel at my mother-in-law’s bedside, while she was in a coma, and I would beg God to, ‘Give the word and heal her.’
Well, that was 6 years ago… and my mother-in-law is still alive. She can walk, she can exercise, she can write, she has an incredible memory and has all her faculties about her. She is still learning to speak and use her right arm.
It has been a long journey, especially for my father-in-law, who watches over her, daily. It hasn’t been easy. But, after every family get-together, I will invariably say to my wife, Tricia, “Can you imagine if mom wasn’t here?”
In a few weeks, we are all going to watch one of our sons graduate from college.
God is good.
If you or anyone you know is going through an ailment, remember the faith of the Centurion.
Keep the faith…
Robert
Is it hard for God to be part of your life if you are in the movie industry?
I get asked that question a lot.
Personally, I don’t know how anyone in the movie industry can survive without God.
Recently, I was talking to an actress, who, like me had been in the movie industry for many years. We were talking about actors and actresses we knew who were incredibly successful – they were household names, worth millions – and they lost it all. Some had even passed away.
I asked her what she thought led to the ruin of their careers and their lives. She thought about it for a moment, then said, “I think they were missing a spiritual component in their lives.”
I think she was right. I don’t know how someone finds true happiness, true balance in life, if you don’t have God in your life. Awards and money are transactional, God is eternal.
When making a movie, I try and infuse God into the entire process. From the initial concept to the final touches on distributing my movies, God is always in my thoughts.
When I first conceive of an idea to make into a movie… God is part of that thought process. I won’t move forward on a movie, until I’m convinced that is the direction God wants me to go.
When I’m writing the movie… God is in my thoughts daily. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ll be writing and something wonderful will come to me. I’ll type it in and then look up at my icon of Christ and say, “Thank you.”
When I’m casting the movie… I’m asking God to bring the right people to the project.
When I’m on the set, acting, directing, producing and dancing… oh, man, am I praying then!
When the movie is being distributed… I look to God to give me guidance on how to get the movie out to people, such as yourself and bring them hope.
None of these segments of making a movie are easy. All of them are filled with many setbacks, delays, frustrations, losses, and mistakes. However, I have found, when God is in the mix, there is always an underlying sense of purpose; a sense that everything will work out, in the end.
And it does.
Time and time again, I am amazed at how God has guided myself and my movies through so many turbulent moments and led them to safe harbors.
So, I do my best, to put on the armor of Christ (Ephesians 10-18) and carryout the work God has set before me.
I hope you do the same.
Keep the faith,
Robert
P.S. I recently finished filming my latest faith-based film, A Marriage Made in Heaven. It stars myself, Tom Arnold, Vivica A. Fox, Paul Rodriguez, Connie Sellecca, Elisabeth Rohm and Kim Coles. I’ll be updating you on it soon. I’ve seen a rough cut of the movie. It is soooo good!!]]>When my wife was pregnant with our triplet sons, she started showing signs of going into labor at just 12 weeks.
Our doctor was able to hold off her labor, but he then told us that our three unborn babies may be born invalids or even die in the womb.
He told us that if my wife had another emergency room visit before Labor Day Weekend, he would strongly suggest that we consider “reducing” from 3 to 2 or 1.
Hard work had gotten me through so many tough times in my life, but I could not work extra hours to make this situation better. I could not ask a favor of someone to help get us through this moment.
There was only one thing we could do: pray.
And ask others to pray for us as well.
I have found that, sometimes, God will put you in a position in life where He wants to make it clear to you; there is nothing that you can do to make the situation better, there is nothing anyone else can do to help you, there is only one person, God, who can help you.
He does this, because He wants a loving relationship with you.
As you can imagine, we were stressed, worried, scared… it was a week to week, day to day and, yes, hour to hour journey for us.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, on Labor Day, my wife’s monitor went off and we had to rush to the emergency room.
As the doctor walked in, my wife was coming out of the bathroom. He was over 6’0” tall. She is 5’3”.
She looked up at him and said, “If you came in here to tell me we need to reduce, you can just leave. I’m not giving up on our three babies.”
The doctor looked at her, smiled and said, “Okay, then we will fight to keep them.”
And fight we all did.
On December 20, 1998, our three sons, Chris, Nick and George were born. They were so small (each around 3 pounds), but they were healthy.
Praise God.
Our sons are now 23 years old and became scholar-athletes in high school, graduated college with honors and, most importantly, are great young men.
My friend, I write all this to you, to remind you that there is a mighty God above who knows exactly what you are going through.
He hears your prayers.
I bear witness to that.
Pray and ask Him for help.
He never will let you down.
Remember James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Keep the faith…
Robert
]]>This Sunday, many people will celebrate Easter — a day that is about so much more than decorating eggs, dressing in pastels, and a giant bunny that leaves baskets of treats and hides eggs for children.
Easter is, in many ways, the defining moment in history. It is the joyful day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead after He died on the cross for our sins. The Romans arrested, tried, sentenced, and then crucified Jesus. But just a few days later, God showed us that He is more powerful than any earthly government or human condition.
Can you imagine what that moment was like when his disciples went into the tomb and saw that Christ had risen?
In my faith (Greek Orthodoxy), we sing over and over the triumphant hymn – Christos Anest! – Christ Has Risen! As a young child, I didn’t understand much of what church was about, but that moment gave me chills. It still does to this day.
The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate show of God’s power and of the life that awaits us after we die. And celebrating Easter is the perfect opportunity to reflect on that power, life after our death here on earth, and to reaffirm our faith in Him.
Ephesians 1:19-20, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
As Christians, we know that:
God will always triumph. We live an imperfect existence here on earth. But in the end, God’s plan will always come to fruition and good will always triumph over evil. Always.
An everlasting life with God awaits us after our life on earth ends. If you believe in Him, God will grant you an everlasting life in Heaven. A life better than we, as earthly humans, could ever imagine. As it is written in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
And, also, in John 11:25-26, Jesus asks, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Do you believe?
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