*This is the10th Anniversary of the filming of the award winning Christian film Polycarp in which I play the title character. The experience of making that film proved to be far more momentous and impactful in my life than I ever anticipated. To celebrate this anniversary I am re-publishing my diary from those days which I wrote on the back of the daily sides.

This day we began on the schedule we would follow basically for the rest of the film shoot—3 p.m. to 3 a.m. The day was one of the most memorable, and the nighttime schedule was the least of the reasons why. My call time was 3 p.m. It was a full day of shooting, and I was in most of the scenes. Some scenes were light, some were emotionally and dramatically pretty heavy. But by far the one that stands out for me was the second one, which was of Polycarp teaching a gathering of Christians.

Thursday, July 25, 2013 - On site from beginning to end—not continuously on set, of course. Shot several scenes: Anna’s freedom party, the prayer meeting for Germanicus, but probably the most important was Polycarp’s sermon to the Christians meeting in Elias’s villa.

The sermon is adapted from the writings of Polycarp himself, and is an attempt to bring several of his emphases together into a coherent message by which he may have exhorted Christians.

Before the scene, with the permission of the director, I spoke to the assembled cast and crew. I told them that we were conducting a worship service, and that I don’t ever want to play act at worship. I then led them in prayer before shooting the scene. I believe the Lord’s presence was evident on the set as his word was preached. The freshness may have ben worn out after about 20 total takes and resets, but there was power in the total event.

After all the shooting, Joe expressed that he thought we had filmed a very special scene. He said, "I believe the Lord has given you a special gift.” Praise to God for making these efforts effective, and enabling me to be part of this project at all.

Above left: Candid shot of Garry Nation, getting mentally focused for the next take. Above right: Production still of Polycarp teaching Christians at a villa gathering. Click on the picture to view the scene.

Polycarpmovie.com

https://vimeo.com/236610583?share=copy