WHAT IS THE REAL MIRACLE BEHIND THE DOCUMENTARY "SEND PROOF"?

I'll be honest. I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of a miracle documentary. The opening sequence gives off the impression of a biased Christian eager to shed light on every miracle claim performed on TV. Fear not, dear reader. Such is not the case. Director Elijah Stephens steps into this difficult project with a skeptical eye and an open mind.

In fact, we can see his passion dissipate into despair as the film progresses and he continues to come up empty-handed time and again. With all the claims running rampant in our culture, especially televangelism and infomercials, it shouldn't be this hard to dig up more than one story. Where are all the recipients of these miracles hiding? Do they simply not exist, or is something more nefarious at foot?

I applaud Elijah Stephens. He is willing to address a very controversial topic, regardless of the outcome. We deserve the truth no matter how difficult it is to swallow. There are a lot of false teachers throughout the world who seek to profit off lies. This film can educate their victims and teach them to approach the subject of miracles with a critical mind. We need to shut down these charlatans. They make the rest of us look bad. That's one of many reasons that God drives Stephens to make this film.

Another reason, which may be the most important, is the story of Stephens. The film revolves around his story. Ergo, there is a hidden miracle at the core of a film that nearly disproves miracles. We simply need to sit back and take notes. The very reason Stephens sets out to make this documentary occurs after a dear friend of his denounces his faith and pastorship after a lifelong career with no miracles of his own. Such an event can be detrimental to one's faith: your own spiritual leader, teacher, and friend loses confidence in the God they claim to serve.

Stephens, however, doesn't allow that event to affect him. With his spiritual leader vacancy open, he searches for a new one by interviewing believers, pastors, atheists, skeptics, medical researchers, doctors, and academics. He leaves no stone unturned. The loss of one teacher inspires him to gain dozens more.

All the while, he struggles with past trauma. His mother, who on the surface attended church and claimed to love God, turns out to be a monster behind closed doors. She is the very definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing. A false believer and hypocrite. That one instance alone would cause several people's faith to crumble. Not Stephens.

His mind becomes a vacuum for knowledge. The Send Proof websitecites his wide variety of education, which leads him to this documentary. He is a man who seeks the truth at any cost. The Christian church could use more leaders like him, a man whose faith cannot be shaken regardless of his past experiences. His story is the miracle at the core of this film, and I don't think he even realizes it.

"Send Proof" should not deter us from believing in miracles or God himself. If anything, it should be a tool we use to crush the false teachers among us who would seek to destroy the faith of any more believers. Quite frankly, those charlatans make my blood boil. We must remember, the Lord works in mysterious ways. There is more than one kind of miracle. Not all of them are medical.

Stay strong, brothers and sisters. The Lord is here.