Gods at war launches this summer

Your first look at the next release from city on a hill
Written by shanesooter on April 18, 2012 - 1 Comment

We’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about our upcoming shoots…because production is exciting. When we martial an army of people and resources and spend 6 to 8 weeks in the gladiatorial effort of filming, it’s just flat-out thrilling. But there are other important developments going on here that just aren’t as exciting to watch or talk about. THE CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE is well into post production, with a gorgeous score about to hit final mix. H2O is weeks away from a re-release, and a teen version of NOT A FAN is nearing the end of post production. But perhaps the biggest thing coming down the pike is the release of our newest flagship series, GODS AT WAR.

In GODS AT WAR, longtime City on a Hill partner Kyle Ildeman hits the subject of idolatry. While it may at first glance seem to be an outdated, irrelevant issue, Kyle proposes that it’s actually the central issue. Behind whatever sin we’re struggling with, behind all the disappointment and frustration we’re living with, we usually find a false god that is winning the war for our heart. Until that god is dethroned, and Jesus is placed in his rightful place in our lives, we will never truly live. Take a look at how that plays out through Kyle’s teaching and five remarkable stories:

So it’s 2012, and we’re still talking about idolatry. What do you think? Do you think this is still a driving issue in peoples lives? Will you be using this study? Let me know in the comments below.

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Merry Christmas to all… in March?

First trailer for our upcoming release: The Christmas Experience
Written by shanesooter on March 30, 2012 - 2 Comments

If you’re hardly in the Christmas spirit, mowing the grass for the first time this year as the trees and flowers blossom around you, put yourself in our shoes. We’ve been all about Christmas since last July. I remember driving to work through the sweltering summer heat, then settling in at my desk to focus on telling the story of the Baby Jesus. That’s tough.

But the work is nearing an end. I spent the morning approving color correction, will spend two days next week approving the full score, and then final mix lies ahead of us. Despite the daily seasonal whiplash I suffer, it’s great to spend so much time dwelling on the real meaning of Christmas. There is an important truth that we discover as we experience that first Christmas….God always keeps His promises. For all of us who find ourselves feeling like it is always winter and never Christmas, we find out out that we can always trust God’s timing.

Check out this trailer to see what lies ahead:

So what do you think? Did that give you the urge to put up your nativity scene nine months early? Better yet, did it inspire you to consider what friends you’d want to gather around you later this year to engage with this fresh new way to experience Christmas? Let me know your plans in the comments below!

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Invited to Drink

A New invitation for H2O's re-release
Written by shanesooter on March 30, 2012 - 2 Comments

Four shooting blocks over nine months across six states. Ten episodes, five hours of content. For me and the rest of the City on a Hill Productions team, a trial-by-fire course in guerrilla Christian filmmaking. H2O was our first major production, the project that would put us on the map, forge a new genere, and establish the direction of the ministry for years to come.

And that was seven years ago. I can’t believe it.

But fortunately, H2O has stood the test of time. It continues to be a great tool for both church growth and one-on-one personal evangelism. The stories still challenge the mind and move the heart. Thats why we’re doing an official re-release of the whole series of H2O resources later this spring. We’ve done some re-configuring of the series, and we’ve gone back into the editing room to tweak some things we had always wanted to address. Most significantly, we’ll be running the ball ourselves, as our hugely successful experience self-distributing NOT A FAN has put us in a perfect position to get H2O into the hands of those who need it most.

If you havent seen H2O, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing a ton of clips as the re-release date approaches. For now, let me turn things over to longtime partner Kyle Idleman. This particular invitation isn’t meant for churches or small-group leaders. It’s for the person considering joining an H2O group… the person with questions, with hopes, but also with a healthy dose of skepticism about all things churchy:

Do you like the spirit of that invitation? Does that sound like something you’d be comfortable sharing with someone you know who is just at the point of asking questions about Jesus and Christianity? Let me know!

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