Special thanks to:
Jean Christen at Harvest House, for pursuing me and not giving up; Carolyn McCready, Editorial VP at HH, for making it all easy; and editor Hope Lyda, for taking all the pieces of the puzzle and fashioning them into a coherent and artful mosaic while walking me through this process at the speed of light and doing so with a great sense of humor.
Author/writer/co-warrior Eileen Chambers, who helped me restructure my TV program into a book, praying hard and pulling long, eye-blurring days because she listened to God and heard Him say, “Go.”
Jennifer Giroux, tireless defender of truth and advocate of the film for her support and resources in telling the wonderful prison story.
My pastor, Jack Hayford, for his participation and teaching that has both formed and transformed me; Lee Strobel, one of the smartest and God-revering men I know.
Martha Cotton and Larry Reid, the skilled field producers of my documentary, who assembled many of these moving stories after acquiring the great interviews adapted to these pages.
Anne Sharp, the remarkable producer/writer who discovered most of these remarkable stories, fact-checked them, and pre-interviewed the key players, convincing the more timid to go on-camera and share their new life.
Ken Slater, Rod Spence, and Keith Rousch, the editors of my documentary, who originally pieced together the interviews in a fine, storytelling manner that made my work here much easier than it might have been without them.
Becca Groombridge, for her sensitivity to God’s voice as she created the images of Jesus’ Passion for my DVD and this book.
Mel Gibson, for stepping out and following God’s call to create a no-holdsbarred masterpiece that will touch lives for decades to come.
My mother, Barbara, who prays as if everything depends on God but works as if everything depends on us, for being my biggest cheerleader, encourager, and prayer warrior.
And my eternal thanks and gratitude to Jesus, the God-man, for that incredible price He paid so I might live an abundant life here and now, and in the future with Him.
I can only barely comprehend it. But The Passion of the Christ has helped.