Deaf Missions film first Jesus film in ASL; Gen X looking for answers to shallow life; Growth important in the life of a believer

Good News for Today

Communicating with the Deaf community in its heart language is a key concept of Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film portraying the story of Jesus entirely in American Sign Language (ASL), billed by Deaf Missions as the first-ever ASL adaptation for the silver screen.

The film removes all barriers Deaf people face when viewing spoken-language films with subtitles, a standard that Josselyn says makes it difficult for Deaf viewers to experience the emotions critical to any given story.

“Having an experience where Jesus is Deaf, is signing, and a Deaf cast where they’re all signing, so they could see all the emotion, they could see what was happening,” is what Joseph Josselyn sees as critical to the production. “There wasn’t anything they had to detach from. There were no barriers. They didn’t have to go through an interpreter … or a second party to get that information. To me, that’s why this is so important.”

Showings are scheduled in at least 275 theaters in the U.S. June 20 and 23. Deaf Missions recommends early ticket purchases and group attendance to encourage theaters to expand the schedule.

Deaf Missions made the film primarily for Deaf audiences, but included elements such as English subtitles and a soundtrack to accommodate a hearing audience. Also, Deaf people can experience music by feeling the bass.

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The rise of the nones may be declines. The nones are those who claim no religious affiliation. They are mostly younger people in their late teens and 20s.

Trevin Wax, vice president of research and development at NAMB, observed that the “strangeness” of church has become its appeal for Gen Z, given that fewer of them have any family background in church.

“When young people accept the invitation to visit a church, they’ve already committed to experiencing something unusual,” Wax wrote for The Gospel Coalition in April. “Attempts at being overly accommodating or making the church seem ‘cool’ come off as desperate and insecure.”

Young people, Wax wrote, want to be “courted by the church, welcomed into fellowship, entrusted with responsibility and shown they matter.”

“But more than anything, they want to be ushered into splendor, not superficiality. They’re looking for an antidote to the shallow life of swiping and scrolling through endless entertainment.”

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How can you be a valuable team member? Jacki C. King encourages you to be teachable.

Drawing from Prov. 9:9, she writes, “A good team member is always open to learning. Being teachable means recognizing that there is always room for growth and improvement. It involves listening to feedback, seeking out new knowledge and skills, and being willing to adapt and change when necessary. A great supervisor or pastor will help point you in directions for growth both spiritually and professionally, but it is solely your responsibility to own your own leadership development. Find new books to read, listen to podcasts from other thought leaders, and get certified in a new area. A nice byproduct of being busy learning is that you don’t have time to be cynical and complaining. Stay curious and hungry.