 Welcome to Hope Today. We hope you're having a great day so far. This is a wonderful day to serve the Lord. It's actually the first day of Hanukkah. You know, happy Hanukkah to all of our Jewish friends, Jewish believers. And I'm Tom Hollis, I'm here with Angela Madden. We've got a great show planned for you. We believe God has got something to say today to you in this program, Angela. Yes, I am so excited for today's program. You know, I don't know if you're like me, but in today's culture, it's really impossible to find well-produced, family-friendly films that you can actually enjoy. And if you are like me, you probably spend a lot of time researching to find something to watch and still find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, anticipating the moment you'll have to shut it off because it's inappropriate in situations or conversations. Today's guest, Alexandra Boylan, a Hollywood actress, writer, and producer, is diligently working to change the landscape of entertainment by producing brand new films that scream excellence and are not only appropriate for your family, but reinforce Christian family values. Tom, it is so important. I'm telling you, I have found these movies and they have been so enriching for my girls. And for me, I love it. You know, for a long time, Cornerstone, we've had a movie night here. Why do we do that? Why don't we just preach the gospel all the time? Well, there's different ways to preach the gospel. There's different ways to share the truths of the gospel and to open people's hearts. And movies are one of the greatest ways to do that because, I mean, why did Jesus use parables, Angela? Right? I mean, why didn't he just say, hey, God loves you? No, he used parables, he used stories, he used the prodigal son, you know, he used search for search, a woman searching for the coins in her house, ways to focus our attention in a way that gets past the things that are kind of guarding our hearts. That's exactly right. He meets us where we are. And that's why I love Alexandra. I love that she is literally meeting viewers where they are to bring the gospel message to their hearts on a Friday night. That's right, that's right. You know, it's also Pearl Harbor Day, interestingly. And so, you know, we have, just wanna honor all those who gave their lives with all those who fought in World War II. This is a significant day in the history of our country. And it's interesting, we have a special we play here about Pearl Harbor and about how the fellow who led the raid also became a Christian, eventually, the Japanese fellow. And he used to tour with one of the soldiers who fought against Japan on the American soldiers. They used to tour later on, sharing the gospel. I love that story because that's one of those stories where you see transformation. Just like what Alexandra's doing with her movies, you see something change in somebody's life. That's it. It's the mandate of the gospel. It's the demand that Jesus puts on us. When we meet Jesus, he transforms us. And so we figure out, what did God give me to make this world reflect his glory? Well, I can tell you, most Hollywood producers, when they're trying to reflect some kind of glory, it's typically their own. And they use millions of dollars to make a single film that most of us don't want our kids or grandkids to see. But today's guest is a living example of how God's kingdom will take whatever we give and multiply it in extraordinary ways. Alexandra Bowlin is an actress, a writer and producer who along with her co-producer and phenomenal writer sister Andrea are determined to shift the entertainment industry and change lives for the kingdom. The Boyland sisters just released their sixth film, Identity Crisis, which by the way, my girls and I love. And they're only getting started. Alexandra, welcome to Hope Today. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here and thank you for such a beautiful introduction. Oh, you are welcome. I am telling you when my daughters and I discovered you just a few months ago and we have fallen in love with what you are doing. Can you tell us a little bit for our viewers and us to come along the journey with you? How does this beautiful Christian woman get involved in producing films in Hollywood? Yeah, so I grew up as a minister's kid in Massachusetts, loved the entertainment space, love movies, telling stories. And at 19, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting actually. I thought God had put that upon my life to be an actress. But after 10 years of pounding the pavement, I was having a really rough go at it and 10 years later, around 2010, God called me into creating faith-based family movies. And once I started, I have never looked back. I love acting, but I love writing and producing. I care so much about the audience that we're talking to. So I feel so grateful that God pivoted my heart and mind to be like, you're not gonna act, you're gonna step behind the camera and you're gonna create stories for me to glorify the Lord. And in just 10 years, we've made six films. So that's the power of God when he says, go, go. So we've been going. He really does expand all things within you when you submit it back to him. So, Alexander, tell us a little bit about your creative process. How on earth do you come up with enough ideas to create six successful films? Thank you. Well, we're always, we're always having conversation and we're always looking at the landscape of what's going on and entertainment and with young people and families. And then we're always thinking, how can we tell those stories? I love that you said, Tom, parables. Our movies are parables. Our movie, Switched, is about two girls in high school. One's the bully, one's the girl she bullies. The girl she bullies prays that the other girl would know what it's like to walk a day in her shoes and they wake up switched. It's a complete parable to explain that we don't know what anyone is going through until we walk a day in their shoes and how to lead with love and so we're always just kind of finding fun ways to tell stories that have a strong meaning but are really fun to watch, you know? And so, and I think that, you know, we didn't see a lot of things being told from the female perspective in the face space, especially back in 2010. And we felt like God was like, you're gonna speak to the women. So we went after the mission of making female-driven faith-based films and then we saw a huge need in the teen girl's face. We wanted to make like mean girls meets Freaky Friday for Christian girls and make it fun. And so we're kind of filling a void that nobody's really doing right now and it's important. Alexander, that is so good. Let me ask you what kind of response have you been getting? What have girls said to you? What have audiences said to you? What's been the response to the films? Overwhelmingly amazing because girls, you know, for us, we wanna make things that girls are proud of, that they wanna take to school and show their friends. A lot of times in the face space, they're skewed older and the kids don't have anything or they're watching it because their parents told them to watch it. We wanted them to watch it and go, this is for me? I'm gonna go to school and tell all my friends. I wanna show this at a slumber party. And we get so many great messages from girls who are like, thank you for creating this. Like what Angela was saying, thank you for making this. Our film Catching in Faith, our first female-driven faith-based film released in South Africa before it even released in America. And we got an email from a woman in a village who said it was the first time in her life. She saw herself represented on camera and she's gonna show the whole film and do the books with her village because she was like, this was an incredible thing for me to see myself as a woman represented where I can also share that with my friends. And that's what we always want to do. Create things that start conversations that you can invite other people into. Alexandra, what's your films? What is the main idea that you want people to walk away from? What is it that you're trying to accomplish by way of impact in the kingdom? Yeah, well I really want young girls to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, that they were made on purpose for a purpose. And I feel like with entertainment, we've seen things getting, I don't love the content that goes out to our young girls. They don't like what they're saying. So I'm being the change that I want to see in the entertainment industry. I think the other thing we're really passionate, my sister and I talk a lot about is, we grew up as minister kids. Being a Christian is an every single day walk that is an average every day. Sometimes in films you see it have to be like someone's hit by a car and then they come to know the Lord. And we want you to know that we understand that the walk every day is hard and life is messy. And so our movies are just about every day struggles you have and that we want to reflect, we don't want to reflect a broken culture. We want to create a culture that leads with love. So all of our films are showing how life can be if we step into a relationship with God. And then what does it look like to walk that out every single day with your family? Alexandra, you guys do that effortlessly in your movies. My daughters and I have so loved. I love the lightheartedness of it, but the messaging is so rich and good. And you just released your latest movie, Identity Crisis. This was the second film that I had the opportunity to watch. And I want to show our viewers just a little clip of this movie. Vermeer, who's the fairest of them all? However you are the fairest of them all. How did you do this? You should get dressed up and come with us. I can't, but thank you. You got to put yourself out there, Madison. Or you might end up regretting all the things you never did. How do you create a perfect clone? I don't think perfection is possible. You can make something better than the original. You can't tell anyone. How are we going to do this if we can't be seen together? I'll be the one to hide if you do the things I need you to do for me. I have a confession to make, Trevor. I have a crush on you. No, no, no, no, no, no. Would you like to go on a date with me? Sure. How about the party tonight? Do you want to dance? I would love to. Awesome. Does your roommate seem very different all of a sudden? Tonight she is the life of the party. I've had a crush on you since the minute I saw you. I just used to be really shy. But you're not anymore. I changed my genetic coding. No idea who I am anymore. I thought I knew what I wanted to be, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe it's time to come clean. And then everyone will find out it wasn't really me all alone and I'll lose everything. I want to live my life, but I'm used. There's nothing wrong with you being shy. Just be you. Over the genetic. I changed my genetic coding. I just think it's a great line. Love that you shared that trailer. And what I really want viewers to know is that you didn't just stop at these movies. Tell us a little bit more about what you've done that is unique with this entertainment space. Yeah, so my sister who's my partner is also a clinical licensed social worker by trade. And all of our movies come with companion materials that she writes. We do Bible studies, youth group curriculums, high school curriculums, journals, meditations. Because we want our films to, it's not just about one movie, right? It's about watching something with your family and then be able to start a conversation and then diving deeper into that. So you can sit down with your kids and talk about the depth of the film. And we even, on identity crisis, we wrote a novel that goes deeper into the character and it has a fun surprise ending. And we also looked at the landscape of YA novels and didn't see a lot of clean inspiring content for young people. So we are just constantly going, how can we fill this void more and more and more? And what's so incredible about identity crisis is the Lord put this idea in my sisters and I heart three years ago, where at the time it was really just more about confidence and that God created us with a purpose. And so what would it look like if you cloned yourself to create all the things you think you didn't have and then you realized that God already created you the perfect version of yourself and he gave you all the courage. You just had to try. But then in the next couple of years, we saw such a shift in culture of what people are telling young people. And Andrew and I were like, oh my gosh, I can't believe God called us three years ago to speak into this in such a powerful way, but a delightful story. And a way that kids can really hear that they were created by a creator who loves them and knitted them together in the womb and that they're perfect by his design. Alexander, what is the future look like? What are the future projects that the Boilin sisters will be working on? We have so many things in the works. So please pray for us. We, as Angela and I talked, we're all independently funded by people who believe in our work. So we're out there right now trying to get the next one going. We have a film called Technology Tripping, which is about a girl who's addicted to her technology and she gets in a text-related car accident is court ordered on a technology-free road trip with her grandmother and it all talks about technology and the power it has on our brain and how important it is to put it away and look up and spend time with people. And it's a beautiful story. And then we have a couple of other scripts we've been working on and always just conversations of what needs to be told right now, how can we speak into culture and how can we bring an amazing Christian viewpoint in a fun way? Because like I said, a lot of our films go mainstream and it's so exciting to know that these kids are watching our films over and over and over and getting this really powerful message. So we're just like, okay, God, what's next? So we've been working on lots of different things. You really are everywhere. I mean, you can be, your movies are found on Tubi and Hulu and Netflix and all of these streaming services. And I love that you already have future plans for the next one because we need it. You are filling a gap that is huge. And as a parent, I just thank you for what it is that you and your sister have committed to doing. For those watching, is this an easy task, Alexander? Cause we know that Hollywood movies are millions of dollars to produce. Has it been easy for you? But you know, it's been 10 years. So sometimes I look back going, oh yeah. And then I'm like, oh wait, I forgot about this. No, I actually, when I got the opportunity to make Catching Faith, I was living in Los Angeles. The budget was so small that I could either make the movie or keep my apartment. And I felt so much that God wanted me to do this, that I gave up my apartment, I put everything I owned in storage and I lived out of one suitcase for a year to make Catching Faith a reality. I lived with my sister, I couch hopped. We made that movie that summer. And you never know when you're making something, if it'll even get finished or get out there and to see what God did with Catching Faith and my small sacrifice of giving up my home, I would do it a million times over. And we just continue to step out in faith and make things. Sometimes we don't have enough money and we're like, but God's like, you gotta do this anyway. What's impossible for us is possible for God. So even if we don't have quite the budget we had hoped for, we still step out and do it. And then we watch God provide miracle after miracle. And so it's definitely hard, but yet so rewarding that it's like, I don't even think about the hardship. Just once it's out there, we get the messages. I'm just like, I'll do it again. Let's do it again. Such tenacity to pursue your dreams in such beauty. Your movies, they look excellent as if you had the millions of dollars to produce it. I mean, you do such a well, a good job with that. That could you just maybe take a moment to the person who's watching today and they have big dreams in their own heart and they are just like, man, I don't know how this is possible. Could you take a moment to look in your camera and encourage them to go after the God dream? Yes, I have learned that living in the will of the Lord is incredible. I used to live in my own will. And once I finally gave up my will and really followed after God, he gave my life back 10 fold. And it is so important to know that God has created you and put you here for a reason. And whatever that is, you need to step into it fearlessly because God is working with you and you will not fail if you have God. And sometimes when I go into something where I think, oh my gosh, this is impossible or I'm stepping into a major studio meeting and I start doubting myself, I think, uh-uh, I have the creator of the universe is right behind me, with me, for me, and he will work through me. But if I don't go, then he will have no one to work through him. So if God calls you to do it, step into it, trust him and just take one step at a time. I think a big thing about creating is that you must be a finisher. So it's really important that when you start something, finish it. Even if like you don't know what you're doing just every day, continue until that is done because something in my career, I've learned that I am a person of my word and when I say I'm gonna do something, I finish it. And to see all of what God has done with that, that promise that I make to the team around me and the people we work with, that I will be a person of my word. So step out and go for it and trust God and watch the incredible things that God had planned for your life. But first you gotta step out and do it. That is a good word. Be a finisher, be willing to be tenacious just like Alexandra. Alexandra, thank you so much. Please, everyone check out their movies on Switch or Identity Crisis or any of the other four. She has six total. They're streaming on Hulu, Voodoo, on Netflix, on all of the major streaming platforms. Please be sure to check her out. And Alexandra, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. We will be right back for a personal time of ministry. Hope happens here at Cornerstone Television. All this month, we're offering a joy-filled DVD, Christmas with the Chosen, The Messengers for your best gift to the ministry. 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What a great conversation we just had with Alexandra Boylan and the movies that her and her sister are producing and the willingness, the willingness to follow that dream, not just a dream, but follow something the Lord's spoken to your heart and not just something the Lord's spoken to her heart for herself, but to influence the culture around her and the people around her. Now, I have a scripture that really ties right into this. It's Matthew 5, 14, and Jesus says this, you are the light of the world. Let that sink in for a second. Let's just let that part sink in. You are the light of the world, okay? Because we tend to think Jesus is the light of the world and he is, but right here, he's saying you. You can get up, look in the mirror, and you say, hello, light of the world. Okay, you probably don't do that, but you should do it because you are the light of the world. Now let's look at the second part of the verse. It says, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. All right, we don't want to hide the gospel. We don't want to hide the love of God. We wanna be those people that when we shine our light, it can't be hidden. Okay, if you read on a little bit, it says don't light a lamp and put a bushel basket over it, right? We don't wanna do that. Now listen, sometimes we have a direct outward presentation of the gospel. I love that. I've been able to do that in several different continents, see people come to the Lord and respond, but it's not always like that. Wherever you are, you have the opportunity to share and shine that light. Don't put it under a bushel. Don't hide it. You are the one that is gonna be that light, that love. And you think, oh, look, I don't make movies. I'm not on TV. I don't preach on Sunday morning. That doesn't matter, right? Where you are, you have the opportunity to do that. God's calling you to do that. In fact, he's empowering you to do that. Look at Alexander. Angela, she lived out of her suitcase for a year to get this done, to impact the culture, to impact people with the love of God. And are we willing, are we willing as people to do that? Are we willing to be the people that say, this is so important. Look how important the gospel is. Look how important the love of God is. Jesus came and lived as a man, left heaven, lived as a man and died so that this could happen. Let's not neglect that. And let's realize that that is something that is so important. If Jesus was willing to do that, what are we willing to do? If Alexander is willing to live out of her suitcase to get this done, what are we willing to do to reach our neighbor, to touch a life, to touch a family member we haven't spoke to a while, to touch somebody in our schools, somebody in our circle of influence. God has put us there for that purpose. You are the light of the world, let your light shine. Yeah, I mean, we were called out of the darkness into his marvelous light to be the light for others. And so in any space or place that you feel like you're hiding or you're not sure if you should utilize that gift or talent that God gave you, it is a resounding yes. If he has placed it in you and he has brought his great light to you, it is for you to use that light, to illuminate that gifting in you, to bring him glory and bring others to the knowledge of Christ. You know, Tom, I love Alexander's story and I love that she was so tenacious with her faith to say, you know what, God, you've given this to me, you've called me to be a light and I'm giving it all to pursue bringing your light to this world. I know, I love that, I love that tenacity. You know, I think about the light, you know? Movies use light, television uses light, you know, all the things our phones use light. We're surrounded by light. But maybe, I just want to take a moment to speak to someone and maybe you don't feel like there's light in your life. You don't feel like that, maybe you're sitting in a dark place right now. I want to say the love of God is for you. The love of God is yours today. Just reach out and receive it. Reach out and say, God, I need you. I don't see that light. The light flickered out in my life a long time ago. Listen, we've been there. Many of us have been there at different times where we say, God, I don't understand what's going on. I served you and things didn't go the way I thought or I didn't know you. And I just sort of got going on my own way. I'm here to say that the love of God, the light of God is yours today. Reach out and receive that and see God do a new thing in your life. Yeah. You know, I love the definition of darkness. Darkness is literally just the absence of light. He is the King of glory and the light of the world that inflames our hearts and gives us true hope and meaning. Today, if you are sitting and you feel surrounded by darkness, grab a hold of the truth of the word. Darkness is just the absence of light. So open up, let His great light in, let it illuminate your heart and bring you into a new knowledge of His power, of His peace and of His goodness today. You know, with that illustration, there's another little illustration I heard. We all know what the speed of light is. Well, what's the speed of darkness? The speed of darkness is 186,000 miles a second running away from the light, okay? And so that's what happens to the darkness in your situation when you open up to the light. God is calling you to that today. God is desiring to pour that out on you. That's what this program is for, to bring you hope today, to bring you light and love today. God loves you. He cares for you. Just open up your heart to Him. Let His light shine in and then let it shine on other people too. On Tomorrow's Hope Today, why choosing to be real is far more important than choosing to be perfect. Pastor and author Justin Davis shares why being real with ourselves, God and others can lead to peace and hope through our identity in Christ. Don't miss Tomorrow's Hope Today. Cornerstone Television wishes to thank all our faithful viewers, whose consistent prayers and financial support have made this program possible.