Screenplay

(Atlanta, GA) May 8, 2008....I don’t want to sound “spooky spiritual,” but I can honestly say that this project is a direct word from the Lord, given in 1987. It was given to me and my husband, separately, before we even met.

In 1987 while on staff at at church in Atlanta, I received a very abrupt and direct word from the Lord. It was right after our morning hour of intercessory prayer, and I was on my way down the hall to my office. The Lord spoke to me, “You are going to make a movie about the life of Smith Wigglesworth,” at which point, I had a vision of the name WIGGLESWORTH scrolling across a black movie screen.

I was young in the Lord at the time, and felt a little timid about repeating it. However, I walked through the associate pastor’s office and told him. Pastor Keith smiled and said to me, “That’s great, Steph. Can’t wait to see it.” Of course I knew that he probably thought I was being a bit flakey, but that was okay.

At the time I had no involvement with film, television, media or anything other than ministry in the church. But in 1989 when the Lord brought me together with my future husband, the word of the Lord came again. This time it was in the form of confirmation. Rob and I had met for dinner. It was the second time we had gotten together, and I knew that there this was a special meeting. When I met him at the restaurant, he showed me a notebook of the things which the Lord had told him to do. He opened the book, and said, “I am supposed to make a movie about the life of Smith Wigglesworth.” Again, I had the vision of the name “WIGGLESWORTH” scrolling across the black movie screen. Needless to say, the Holy Spirit leapt within me.

God’s timing never seems to line up with our own, and when it is a prophetic word, it can be years and years before it is meant to begin. Rob and I were married, had three children, went on the mission field, and continued in life and ministry. We often talked about the WIGGLESWORTH word from the Lord, but did not have the unction to move ahead.....until now.

In April I attended the Gideon conference for Christian screenwriters which was held outside of Asheville, NC. I felt a strong leading to attend the meeting, and the Lord made it possible. After all - I have been writing, editing and publishing books for almost twenty years. It is high time that I completed one of my own projects! (Right?!)

Also, I have been working with Ted Baehr and MOVIEGUIDE® doing film reviews, and I wanted to attend his seminar on screenwriting. This, I was convinced, was all about my animated project, “Millard: Warrior of the King.”

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The second day of class we were given the assignment to write a premise for our screenplay. I sat and struggled. The project that I had spent so many years writing - and I couldn’t even get out two sentences! Then all of a sudden, the word of the Lord spoke to me a third time, “You are going to make a movie about the life of Smith Wigglesworth.” Again, I saw the name scroll across the black screen.

The class ended, and we all went to lunch. Ted was standing behind me in the lunch line, and I turned to him and told him about the Wigglesworth project. As I did, the Holy Spirit jumped inside of me. That was all I needed. The unction fell, and the screenplay of “WIGGLESWORTH-The Movie,” is being written.

This is not being written as a “Christian” film, but as one that will be released to the masses. It chronicles the life of an ordinary man - and his struggles with alcohol and extreme anger - and his absolute surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. His greatest adversary at the time was organized religion which scoffed at his methods. (Organized religion thought that God had stopped performing miracles and healing.) It will be an artistic film, and it will show the world that it is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that one can overcome the things of this world. And through faith in Him, one can walk in miralces.

I will update as the project progresses.

If any of you feels a leading to get involved in this project, we would love to hear from you. At this point we are in the developmental stages and are not in a position to hire. However, we do want to know who may have talents and gifts that can be shared on this project.

Please complete the form below and give us of your creative talents. We will see how the Lord leads!

I am interested in working on WIGGLESWORTH