{"id":568,"date":"2019-01-31T07:58:05","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T13:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wandertruenorth.com\/?p=568"},"modified":"2019-01-31T08:03:45","modified_gmt":"2019-01-31T14:03:45","slug":"the-least-of-these-reminding-us-the-potential-cost-of-following-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wandertruenorth.com\/?p=568","title":{"rendered":"The Least of These, Reminding us the potential cost of following Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I don\u2019t often think about the daily lives of missionaries\naround the world. While I live in my all-American, suburban fixer-upper, I get\ncomfortable. I may not take my daily time with Christ as seriously as I should.\nI don\u2019t live in a sense of taking everything to the Lord in prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get stuck in my western world. I know we need to get\nplugged into a local church, but there are so many to choose from. I get\noptions paralysis and listen to a podcast or an online church instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All Christians deal with that stuff, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So stories that describe the reality of life for Christians in other countries often blindside me.  I forget the struggles faced by the majority of the world. I forget the numbers of my faithful brothers and sisters who are persecuted each day. I often need a reminder that not everyone lives as I do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first experienced this film at the 2018 National Religious\nBroadcaster\u2019s convention, when we got a few minutes to chat with Stephen\nBaldwin. He was sharing about his career and his life (and preparing to jump in\na motorhome and travel the US with his dog\u2026) but highlighted the experience\nworking on the film. At the time of NRB, the film still didn\u2019t have a firm\nrelease date, and the working title was simply STAINES. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He told about the power of this incredible story and the\nchallenge of honoring the life of a real person. How filming in India gave him\na new perspective. (He shared the all too real struggle of not being able to\njust run down the street to grab a Starbucks!) \nHow he hopes that the film will spark a revival \u2013 not because God needs\nit, but because WE need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like I\u2019m pretty up on Christian happenings around the\nworld, but the story of the Staines family floored me. And I had to ask \u2013 how\ndid I not hear this story before?  The 1999\ndeath of Graham and his 2 sons had a massive ripple effect across India and the\nmissions community \u2026 but how did I not know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since NRB last year, I\u2019ve had the honor to watch the film\nagain, now rebranded as THE LEAST OF THESE. \nThe story chronicles a young aspiring journalist named Manav (Bollywood\nStar Sharmin Joshi) who is trying to make a name for himself. When he and his\npregnant wife move to the Odisha area of India with the hopes of finding a\ncareer, they encounter Graham Staines picking up and caring for a young victim\nof leprosy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Graham and Gladys Staines are missionaries from Australia\nwho work to heal and help those afflicted by leprosy in the area. Their love\nand care for people is apparent in every moment of their lives. They are\nraising their three children in a family where everyone is equal. God\u2019s love is\nfor everyone, no matter their skin color, accent, economic condition, or\nmedical needs. They work to not only care for the needs of the needy in their\ncommunity, they seek to restore their hope and their dignity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after their first encounter with Graham, Manav\u2019s\neditor promises him a permanent position if he can prove that Graham Staines is\npaying people to convert to Christianity, which is illegal in India. Manav goes\nin search of the truth, and, unknowingly sets of a series of events that have\nbeen felt around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I won\u2019t add in spoilers, cause, well, that\u2019s just mean, but\nlet me say THE LEAST OF THESE does not disappoint.  The cinematography is gorgeous, with many of\nthe settings looking like they were just dropped out of a National Geographic.\nThe script is solid, and I have to admit that Baldwin\u2019s portrayal of Graham\nStaines is understated and honoring, a man not seeking praise, just wanting to\nbe known as being a follower of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have to say I was surprised and moved by this beautiful\nfilm, and I have to take stock in what I am doing to help build the Kingdom of\nGod.  While not everyone is called to be\na missionary, we are all called to love our neighbors \u2013 even the ones that\ndon\u2019t look like us, and who our outcasts in our communities. He calls us to be\nnot afraid even in the midst of dangers. And we are all called to forgive\u2026which\nmay be the hardest part of the story to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One big recommendation \u2013 make sure you bring along a friend, a spouse, or your small group when you see THE LEAST OF THESE.\u00a0 It begs for discussion after viewing. It will sit with you long after the credits roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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