Focus on the Family's 'Irreplaceable' a True 'Journey to Honesty' Says Narrator Tim Sisarich (Interview, Video)
Focus on the Family is planning a special one-night event with the airing of "Irreplaceable," a documentary on the importance of family. The Christian Post spoke with the narrator and lead reporter of the documentary, Tim Sisarich, who spent a full year exploring the idea of family and its importance to Christians and society in general.
The Christian Post: You worked on this project for a full year. What toll did that take on your family?
Tim Sisarich: The project, the filming took about nine months. I'd go away for three weeks and then be home for two weeks. It was hard, but it wasn't nine months straight. It was a real roller-coaster ride of emotions for me. Every time I came home I tried to put into practice a little bit of what I had been learning. And from the beginning of the film to the end of the film, I think I came a huge way. It was an interesting juggling act.
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CP: What made you decide to take on this project?
TS: Had I known it was going to be so personal, I wouldn't have taken it on. But I'd been working with Focus on the Family for the past eight years and I understood what they were all about and The Family Project, which has a message that God has a purpose for people and families. Also, as a dad, I was concerned that culture was going to come and rob me of my kids. If I didn't know what was out there, then I wouldn't be equipped or prepared. To be fair, I went into it with a "boxing ring" stance and was ready to fight for my family. By the time [I was finished], my view was quite different from when I started. I went in wondering how I could keep culture from robbing me of my little girl and was looking for some more bricks to put up around my family. But at the end of the documentary, I tell people, I wasn't teaching my family to thrive but merely to survive. Now that's different.
CP: You started out on a macro level – What is family – but ended on a micro level of finding out what family means to you personally. How did that come about?
TS: That's a great summary. The truth of the matter was, I started out at the micro level but I wasn't honest enough to say that it's about my struggles. My hope is that when the church sees this, they recognize they're not being honest enough to say: "I know you're busted up" but still offer that healing and love. I'd summarize the whole thing as a journey of honesty.
CP: What was it like finally being that honest?
TS: I didn't have a choice. God almost ganged up on me and took me by surprise. Sometimes I wish that he didn't use me but someone else to bring the message. But seriously, by the time I got to the end of the journey, my feelings were "I don't care anymore. I just want to know what God is saying. I want to hear Him." That vulnerability can only come when you truly ask God to open your eyes to something.
For me, that came during my visit to prison and hearing the convicts say that they did not blame anyone else for their situations. I honestly tried to get them to blame someone, to give me an excuse to be angry with my dad, or for us as Christians to have the right to be angry at someone. By the end of the journey, I saw myself as the Prodigal Son, with God's arms around me and Him saying, "I know the things you've done – I love you anyway." Then I saw myself become as the father and my own father leaning before me as the Prodigal. I realized I had a part to play in my father's healing.
For those unfamiliar with the story of the Prodigal Son, found in the book of Luke, the younger of two sons demands his inheritance from his father. He goes out into the world, squanders the money, and hits rock bottom. Every day and night his father watches for him to return, and one day, with no other options, the son decides to return home. Before he can even reach the house, his father runs out to greet him, welcomes him back into the family, and orders that a celebration be held in his honor becuase the son that was once lost has now been found. There were no harsh words exchanged, and the father expressed his deep gratitude that his son was home and demonstrated profound love for his child.
As Christians, we all have the opportunity to offer that forgiveness and healing. We all have a part to play in each other's healing.
CP: Where did we come up with the family ideal of perfectionism?
TS: As the church, over the centuries, began building walls. We see it in the Old Testament as Israel built structures. You tell me "A plus B so I can get to C," but life is not like that. It's a journey. Our humanity desires religion. And my hope is that this documentary can be a starting point for the church to be honest and admit that it is struggling. Through the Family Project, we have some tools to offer people as they engage in conversation.
The documentary is a starting point – I hope that people realize that no matter where they are, God wants to love them. And I hope that will lead to more love among people.
I realized that God loves me as I am and there's nothing I can do to make Him love me more. When you go to the Family Project, you'll be given tools to see just how important you are to God. I hope this changes the church and the way they pretend that everything is okay. Imagine what that would say to people outside the church!
"Irreplaceable" is in theaters for one night only on Tuesday, May 6. Find out more information about the movie here and the Family Project here.
Watch a trailer for "Irreplaceable" here:
