The Story Behind the Video

You’ve seen the Via Dolorosa 2010 video, now here’s the behind the scenes…

This was my first completely solo project for FUEL…and what a way to begin. There were so many aspects to this weekend that it was daunting to attempt to capture it. At first, I wanted to portray the journey itself chronologically. Then it became more of a vision to simply tell the story up to that point. The video was to be shown during the Speed-the-Light service, which would be the conclusion of the weekend. FUEL got to lead the ministry that night, which only happens twice a year, so in my perfectionist state of mind, I wanted it to be as perfect as possible. And I wanted it to be an accurate portrayal of the magnitude of the experience thus far.

The first section I titled, Portraits of the Journey. I kept some of the chronological timeline in tact at the beginning. Primarily, because of the way we always begin—in prayer, all touching the cross, asking for the Spirit to open everyone up to what was about to happen in this journey. Aaron took some remarkable pictures during the opening leg of the walk. I was back at the church preparing the evening meal for the team. They made good time and logged about 4 miles, give or take. Aaron said they kept a great pace and were very cooperative and eager. I was so excited because two of our former students began the journey Friday as well. They had experienced it before and decided to return. I think that had to be especially encouraging to the students who were rookies this year.
The next section I titled, Warrior Prayer. That is what Aaron calls fervent prayer. But it took on a whole new meaning in this prayer meeting. I saw students take on demons from their past and slay them with the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. After that experience, on my blog I could only type these words: “broken...undone...proud...humbled...anticipating...amazed...full...overflowing...” I think the pictures tell the story. And some of the stories are very private, so I will let them tell it alone.

The next part that accompanies the bridge of the song is the most powerful to me. It is raw, vulnerable honesty displayed by students who have every reason to want to hide. But instead they chose to be bold and brave and stand up to their past and become a catalyst for other’s healing and victory. As I took the photos for this section, especially the last ones, I fought back tears so hard. As soon as they students left my sight, I wept openly. For so many reasons…I was humbled to be in the presence of such power and anointing that was upon them. I was grieving for the pain these students, MY students had been through in their young lives. I was so proud that they had been so bold in declaring their testimony with their only gain being the freedom of others. As I snapped the last photo, God spoke so clearly and said, “this [these photographs being shown] is going to set some people free.” Such a humbling, powerful moment that I cannot fully convey even so many days later. It was overwhelming. It nearly brought me to my knees right there on the side of the road. It still overwhelms me right now. Wow, God is so good.

Lastly, we wanted to “finish strong,” another of Aaron’s favorite sayings. We wanted the last pictures to show determination, resolve, victory. That is was not the end of an event but the beginning of a movement. They were a start but the pics that came later from the closing service Sunday night continue the story. While they are not included in the video, they are now proudly displayed in Aaron’s office, framed, and included in an earlier blog post (Via Dolorosa 2010 Weekend).

I recount this as a reminder to myself and those who will view this video as a “stone of remembrance.” Not of an event with an ending, but a revolution at its genesis.