Creator of The Chosen Dallas Jenkins’ new independent studio 5&2 Studios is currently working on a New Children’s Animated Series called The Chosen Adventures.
The Chosen Adventures follows nine-year-old Abby in the Galilean city of Capernaum, circa 30 CE. Inquisitive young Abby is bursting at the seams with questions and feels she doesn’t have the kinds of answers she’s looking for. When she and her best friend, Joshua, meet Jesus will all that change?
The 14 episode animated series features the voice talents of Emmy® winner Paul Walter Hauser(Black Bird, I, Tonya), Emmy® nominee Yvonne Orji (Insecure) and two-time GRAMMY®-nominated artist Jordin Sparks. In addition there well loved cast members from The Chosen, including Jonathan Roumie, Paras Patel, Elizabeth Tabish, Noah James, Joey Vahedi, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Brandon Potter and George H. Xanthis.
Ryan Swanson, Creator/Executive Producer of The Chosen Adventures and Executive Producer of The Chosen said: ;“I’m thrilled to welcome Paul, Yvonne, and Jordin into The Chosen family as we continue to produce more incredible content for our fans. We were surprised and encouraged to discover that children have been watching The Chosen alongside their parents, so we wanted to continue the family co-viewing experience by creating an animated series that is full of humour, heartfelt life lessons, and loveable characters.”
Creator of The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins (pictured on the left above) embarks on his next chapter with the formation of 5&2 Studios, a new independent studio that will now oversee production of The Chosen franchise in addition to a future line-up of film and television projects set in the biblical world. The announcement was made during the first day of the ChosenCon fan convention in Orlando.
Dallas Jenkins is Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at 5&2 Studios and Creator and Executive Producer of The Chosen. Jenkin’s is also Director of Lionsgate’s upcoming film The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Jenkins explained: “Nearly every time I encounter a viewer, they say something about wanting more Bible content from us. I always say we need to not get ahead of ourselves and remain focused, but now we’ve got a robust enough team to expand our efforts. I’m very excited to bring our ‘Chosen way’ to more great stories from the Bible, and it’s awesome that we get to first announce it to the fans who helped get us here long before we were popular.”
Over 5,000 fans of The Chosen gathered at The Chosen Insiders Conference (ChosenCon) for the two-day fan convention in Orlando. The conference featured panel discussions, cast meet-and-greets, special announcements, sneak previews, and more. The first ChosenCon was held in Dallas, TX in 2023 with over 3,500 attendees.
Digital Editor’s Note: I’m delighted to welcome Matthew White as our Sorted Magazine Guest Writer. Matthew is a priest, poet and songwriter as well as an accomplished musician and singer. He is passionate about faith, poetry and music and has always had a keen fascination with words. His debut book Propelled into Wonder was released in September 2024 (Wipf and Stock Publishers).
Matthew writes: Did you know that approximately 33% of the Bible is poetry? That’s effectively one third of the entire canon of Scripture devoted to various kinds of songs and poems! Followers of Jesus who regularly attend a church will be familiar with the singing of songs as an integral part of Christian worship and discipleship but how many of us actively make room in our lives (or in our services of worship for that matter) for poetry?
If you’re anything like me, you can probably recall, hum, sing or whistle the words or tune belonging to your favourite songs or pieces of music but how many of us can confidently recite a favourite poem that perhaps over time we may even have committed to learning by heart?
For indeed, the “heart” is both pertinent and significant when it comes to engaging with poetry as this is where the best poems emanate from and where the best poems gladly make themselves at home.
In stark contrast to the often laborious and tedious experience of reading a set of instructions or pouring over an academic textbook, the beauty and “magic” of poetry is that it is a medium which demands to be savoured, chewed, interrogated, ingested and pondered. Or, to put it another way, poetry is that which encounters us.
I am more convinced than ever before that poetry is a rich and dynamic gift from God, the very same God who is himself a dynamic hum of perfect relationship and who “spoke”1 the world into being. I am also convinced that good poetry necessitates being felt as well as read and, sadly, there are plenty of people out there who haven’t tried either.
Poetry has many benefits to offer those who afford it proper time and due reverence. One of the main things I have benefitted from is poetry’s uncanny ability to give a voice to those emotions and experiences that perhaps I would have otherwise found difficult to talk about or make sense of myself.
Poetry has the power to profoundly and wonderfully enrich our lives. Poetry can be a source of healing. Poetry can soothe and comfort as well as stir and agitate. Poetry can lead us to meditate and poetry can provoke us into action. Poetry invites us to slow down and helps us to become present, serving the particular moment or text that we find ourselves in.
As we continually open ourselves to a varied plethora of poets and poems and as we spend time reading (and I would advise speaking and listening to) the Psalms, we quickly discover that our experiences of loss, heartache, abandonment, bewilderment, anger and hopelessness are perhaps not as uncommon as we might think.
My new book, Propelled into Wonder (Wipf and Stock Publishers), is an original poetry collection containing many highs and sighs from the past decade of my life. Several of the poems in the book were written in the gruelling aftermath of losing my beloved father unexpectedly and suddenly to Covid during the lead up to Christmas in 2021. Others were inspired by a selection of my favourite people and places or born out of several incredibly joyful and unsavoury experiences from both within and outside the walls of the Church.
Propelled into Wonder is home to poems about faith, doubt, grief, leadership, beauty, childhood and love (among others). Many of the poems are accompanied by original hand drawn illustrations. My hope is that this book will inspire and speak to others in the same way that the poetry of others so often ministers and speaks to me.
In the book’s introduction, I write the following words: “If nothing else, my hope is that the words on the pages that follow are honest. Moreover, that they are honest in the way that the Psalms are honest, holding nothing back and declining that dangerous invitation to adopt an unrealistic state of permanent politeness, all in the name of showing God due reverence.”
If you are kind enough to pick up a copy of my book, my heart’s desire is that my words will speak to you, or even help you speak, and I am praying that my poems will become both friend and firebrand.
It was one of my favourite poets, Gerard Manley Hopkins, who famously observed in one of his most well known poems2: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” Perhaps your world needs to be charged with poetry!
Genesis 1:3, Psalm 33:9
From the poem God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Digital Editor’s Note: I’m delighted to welcome longstanding friend of Sorted Magazine and the host of Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, Simon Thomas, as our Guest Writer. In this surprisingly honest article Simon opens up about the difficulties, and the triumphs of his personal journey over the last few years.
Simon writes: One of my favourite TV shows is The Repair Shop on the BBC. It’s become a hugely popular show. In a nutshell (if you’ve never seen it) the show is filmed in a beautiful old barn in West Sussex, and in the barn are a whole group of expert craftspeople.
In each episode members of the public bring in items from old clocks that no longer work, to pieces of broken jewellery to tired old pieces of furniture. Often these items have very little monetary value; but to the person who owns them they mean everything. They might be an old family heirloom or something that reminds them of a loved one who has passed away or an old toy that evokes memories of a happy childhood. The emotional value of these items to the people bringing them in is immeasurable.
Photo Credit: Gorodenkoff via Getty Images
Each show follows the story of these heirlooms being restored to their former glory, and the show always finishes with them being reunited with their owners. As the cover is lifted from the restored clock or childhood teddy bear, there is often a visible emotional reaction, as they see that beloved item restored to its former glory. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has found myself shedding a tear as you witness this moving moment.
But for me it isn’t just about the restored item; it isn’t just the joy of seeing these highly skilled men and women in action; it isn’t even just the emotional reaction of the owner that has caused this show to connect with so many people, I think it taps into something much deeper – as people, we love stories of restoration.
We are drawn to the power of the restoration narrative. Whether it’s the story of a football team that has risen from the ashes of almost going out of business, or the moment Tiger Woods came back from his life implosion and injury hell to win The Masters in 2019; or a classic car being brought back to life, we love seeing life being restored.
But most of all we love seeing the restoration of people. We love the comeback narrative. We find inspiration in seeing someone for whom life looked almost over, rising from the ashes and becoming their glorious old selves again.
The Christian faith I have had since I was just a young lad is all about restoration. The God I follow is in the business of restoring broken lives. The story at the centre of the Christian faith is the ultimate story of restoration, with Jesus rising from the dead having been brutally crucified three days before.
In late 2017 and for the next couple of years, I was like one of those items brought into The Repair Shop. I was broken, I was in pieces, I was an emotional mess, the colour had left my life and I feared I was beyond repair.
In the space of a few short weeks towards the end of 2017 my life was turned upside down and inside out, after my first wife Gemma died very suddenly from a rare, but aggressive strain of blood cancer at the age of just 40.
In three short days from her diagnosis to her death I had gone from a 44 year old happily married man with a brilliant eight year old son and a wonderful job presenting Premier League football on Sky Sports, to being in the darkest and most fear filled place I had ever been.
Life for me now felt over. I was beyond repair. My only aim in life after this biggest of blows was to somehow keep it together for my boy Ethan, get him through school and college and then my work was done. Beyond this life felt pointless, and more worryingly it felt devoid of hope. Over many moths my life descended into a dark period of alcohol abuse and despair. On more than one occasion it led me to the precipice of ending it all.
Photo credit: Rod Long via Unsplash
But somehow throughout this; despite my anger with God that this had all happened; I held on to my faith – even if at times it was by a single finger nail. If my life was ever to become something again, a life worth living again I had to find hope – I had to find purpose again. Time and time again a verse from the Old Testament would come to me during those dark months and it’s a verse from Micah, chapter seven:
“Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be my light.”
The story of my life over the past few years has been this – in the same way The Repair Shop brings loved family heirlooms back to life; the God I follow has been the master of turning devastation into restoration.
Somehow out of the wreckage of late 2017 he has done something extraordinary in my life. It’s been a tough and rocky road to walk at times; but God has been incredibly faithful, he has never left my side.
I have met and married the most amazing woman Derrina, I have been blessed with two more children (Talitha and Theo) and having been in the career wilderness for may years after leaving Sky in early 2018, last year I became the new host of Sky Sports Soccer Saturday. And after years of alcohol self medication, I have now been sober for over two years.
I don’t write this last part as a boast, or a moment of ‘look at me now’ I write it to be an encouragement. Whatever your story is; however much you may feel battered and bruised by the storms of life; God is still massively interested in you. There is no situation too hopeless for him; no life so broken it’s beyond repair. And in Him there is always, always hope.
He is the master craftsman; he is the God who brings restoration, life and hope out of the ashes.
Tributes are pouring in for the founder and editor of Sorted Magazine, Steve Legg, who died on Monday September 16th. His wife Bekah, told Christian Daily: “Steve was one of a kind and the best of men. And I am so grateful I could call him mine for 16 years. His love and joy and relentless cheerleading encouraged me to do things I never could have imagined. But it wasn’t just me, he did that for so many people. He leaves a legacy in the lives of all those he met and believed in.”
Writing in Premier Christianity magazine, Steve’s friend of 20 years, Carl Beech said: “When we were both diagnosed with serious health conditions, we kept cheering each other on. A message here, a catch up there. As his cancer started to grip him, his unwavering faith and constant humour inspired me so much. We were real with each other though. The odd tear was shed. The last time I saw him, he answered the door wearing sunglasses, explaining that it was so ‘you wouldn’t see me crying when I give you a hug.’ I’m going to miss my mate like you won’t believe, but my faith in Jesus assures me that we will see each other again soon. Perhaps in the blink of an eye. Until then, I know he will bring joy and laughter to the heavenly host. See you soon mate.” Read Carl’s tribute in full here: Steve Legg (1967-2024): The comedian who covered one million miles for the gospel | Opinion | Premier Christianity
Those of us who’ve had the privilege of working with Steve on Sorted Magazine have been sharing our memories, remembering our happy “Steve stories”, counting our blessings and missing him lots. It seems only right to give Steve the last word on this subject, so here’s an extract from his candid book The Last Laugh. Steve Legg: “I chose to get busy writing” – Sorted Magazine
The Word One to One is a UK-based ministry dedicated to mobilising and equipping believers to evangelise through Bible-sharing. Simon Lennox, previously of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) International, has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Since its founding in 2006 by businessman Richard Borgonon, The Word One to One has empowered thousands of Christians to read God’s Word with their non-Christian connections through its books, mobile app and other resources. Simon, brings extensive experience in both business and ministry. He steps into this role at a pivotal moment as the ministry embraces a fresh vision, strategy, and direction. Simon explained, “There are so many incredible stories of Christians bringing people to Christ through simply reading God’s Word together. I am thrilled to join this movement.”
Simon is eager to build on the foundation laid by founder Richard Borgonon and Le Fras Strydom, who led the organisation to date and remains as Chief Operating Officer. Richard Borgonon, Founder and Chairman of The Word One to One said: “With this great addition we are massively blessed to have such a complementarily gifted leadership team and hugely excited to see what God has in store as The Word One to One continues to expand worldwide. It’s not our ministry, it’s our Saviour’s, and it’s His Word that is so very clearly changing lives wherever it’s introduced.”
Simon previously worked at Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) International, where he played a crucial role in overseeing innovation projects that expanded the reach of their Bible engagement resources. His work at BSF included the launch of the WordGo Bible study app, which helped thousands worldwide to connect more deeply with God through Scripture.
Simon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role of CEO, within Christian ministry and evangelism and in the business world. He studied theology at Oxford University, served as the youth ministry coordinator at his home church in Belfast and then spent several years in business and finance roles, led by his interest in people, travel and entrepreneurship.
Visit theword121.com for more information on The Word One to One’s resources.
I looked around. I was the guest speaker in a large, successful church, and the service was hopping – literally. The congregation were well into the songs, and a gaggle of enthusiastic teens had rushed to the front of the auditorium to the edge of the stage, where they were dancing to the high energy tunes. On stage, the worship team were technically brilliant, the graphics on the huge screen behind them stunning. Each member of the band (there were about ten of them) looked like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Fabulous teeth that facilitated gleaming smiles, the ladies all young and beautiful, and the chaps all appeared to be sporting six-pack abs and fruit-of-many-workouts biceps. (I wondered if slightly overweight, average-looking folks were banned from the platform, but surely the ‘ugly’ quota would be more than fulfilled once I got up to preach.)
Everything looked great, but inwardly, something still wasn’t right with me. I often feel like that in church. Everyone else seems totally caught up in the holy moment, and I catch myself fretting; distracted; questioning; anxious. I feel more like a refugee than a local. Perhaps you know the feeling.
What’s wrong? I asked myself. This church had grown from a fledgling plant to a thriving congregation of 2,000 people in ten years, and had planted other congregations in that fruitful decade. I didn’t know the pastor well, but he came across as an authentic leader and a brilliant communicator. So what was up?
I wondered if I was struggling because this was the third service of the morning. I had sat through all the songs, announcements, the ‘spontaneous’ witty asides twice already, and perhaps this was just beginning to feel a little redundant.
But that was not it. My home church has three Sunday morning services, which means that I get to hear myself three times over when I preach. I’m used to repetition. And then I identified the source of my vague disquiet. These are great people. The music is wonderful.
And, beneath the surface, they are truly committed to the gospel – the financial giving of the church shows that they mean business and are willing to sacrifice to full their mission. It’s all good … but … it’s all just too exciting. I couldn’t attend this church regularly, because I can’t be that thrilled about being a Christian that regularly. Being ecstatic about being a follower of Jesus on a weekly basis is just beyond me.
As the thought registered, the worship leader stepped up a gear in terms of exhortation, yelled that Jesus was awesome, and with a hint of rebuke in his voice, commanded the now sweaty congregation to dance more, shout louder, clap together, because Jesus was worth it. Inwardly, I groaned.
Now don’t misunderstand me. Despite my 61 years, I can shout and clap and even bop with the best of them, even if my dancing does look a little uncoordinated and people have been known to want to call for medical assistance when I break into my jerky, frenetic moves. I love to see a congregation giving their best when they praise the Lord. Sullen, spectator churches depress me.
But I worry when church has to always be exciting. When every service has to be a breakthrough, when every gathering has to result in an eye-popping, life-altering encounter with God, and when we have to be excited all the time, surely some unhealthy traits emerge.
First off, life isn’t always exciting. On the contrary, I recently spoke to a young widow whose 35-year-old husband had just passed away following a brave, five-year battle with multiple brain tumours. She’s trusting all right, but she’s far from excited. There’s the danger that we reduce faith to having excited feelings, and then when those feelings fail to appear, we wonder where God has gone.
And then there’s the problem that looms if every service has to be awesome. Quite simply, we can end up faking it, over-egging what happens because we’re desperate for a result.
Surely sometimes church can be predictable. We get together, sing our songs, pray our prayers, open the great Book, ponder its meaning, affirm our faith, and go home. No mountaintop transfiguration experience required, just the people of God huddling together and reminding each other that they are the people of God, and that Jesus is still alive.
Surely we should make allowances for church to be rather ‘boring’ sometimes? The Early Church must have had at least a few services where they weren’t dancing on the tables. Some of their gatherings were punctuated by deep disagreements. And on one glorious occasion, the apostle Paul droned on for so long that a hapless young chap fell asleep and tumbled out of a window. OK, so they raised him up (that bit was exciting) and the slumber was explained by the lulling warmth of oil lamps burning rather than the apostle being tedious, but it happened nonetheless.
Boredom is part of tenacious relationships. Not every conversation with a trusted friend will necessarily be exhilarating. Marriage isn’t scintillating every day. Can’t the same be true of the collective relationships that we call church?
Recently, there’s been a call for worship songs that more accurately reflect the different seasons of life. There’s been a dearth of ‘songs of lament’ that can be used to express struggle, doubt and pain.
While I think such songs would be challenging to write (‘Let’s all stand together and sing number 47: I’m naffed off, how about you?’), surely there should be some songs that are appropriate for when a national disaster is announced, or that can express uncertainty, fear, or despair.
The great songbook of the Bible, the book of Psalms, contains plenty of these statements; frequently the psalmist asks, why, how long, and even “God, where have you gone?” Can we not create songs that express the full texture of life here on this broken planet?
Perhaps I should start a new organisation called the International Federation of Occasionally Boring and Predictable Churches. That’s silly, I know. Nobody would join. But we could at least give each other permission to truthfully say that life is not an endless hop, skip and jump, and that, at times, although we’re still trying to follow Jesus, we’re dragging our feet as we do so. Weekly exuberance is therefore not always required. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit; excitement is not.
This is an extract from Staying in the Boat by Jeff Lucas. It is published by CWR and available here:
Festival Teesside marked the beginning of the summer for the Luis Palau Association in the UK, but that was just a catalyst for things to come.
Through the combined efforts of local churches working hand in hand with their team, they saw people from different communities across Teesside come together to share in family fun and live music and the good news about Jesus was shared.
In the days that followed, the 1,685 people who responded to the Gospel, were personally invited to follow-up events throughout the summer holidays. Additionally, local churches hosted barbecues and picnics and invited their neighbours along, ensuring the presence of the church continued to be felt.
The Palau Association ran a targeted digital evangelism campaign sharing the Gospel through social media channels. This reached over 43,000 people and anyone who was interested in finding out more was given information about the upcoming Alpha courses.
Churches in Teesside, from almost every denomination, are currently preparing for the launch of 46 Alpha courses in the week beginning September 16th.
One of the UK’s most unusual exhibitions heads to Milton Keynes for the first time next month (Marshall Arena, October 9th – 10th 2024). The two-day Christian Resources Exhibition (CRE), often dubbed ‘the ideal church show’, will feature up to 160 organisations, displaying everything from eco-friendly heated pew cushions to clergy clothing, contactless donation apps to digital organs. A full list of exhibitors can be viewed here.
Alongside the exhibition will be a series of more than 40 talks and presentations covering fund raising, faith sharing, bereavement support, social media, church security – and much, much more. One of the three talks and presentation areas will be devoted entirely to the theme of worship with renowned practitioners Roger Jones, Devon Brown, Lucy Grimble and Lou (pictured below) and Nathan Fellingham contributing over both days. As well as leading visitors in worship, they will offer an historical perspective on the subject and consider how led worship can be developed in local churches.
Open to everyone, but particularly helpful to those actively involved in their local church, CRE is expected to attract almost 2000 visitors from all major denominations.
World-renowned professional football freestyler Daniel Cutting (main photo above) will open the event (10am, Wed 9 Oct) and remind visitors how churches can use sport as a vital bridge to their local communities. A 10-time Guinness World Record holder, Daniel, who lives in Milton Keynes, specialises in product launches, corporate events, commercials – and school assemblies! Depending on the occasion, he will also tell audiences about his Christian faith. A member of a church in Milton Keynes, where he and his wife run a youth group for 20 or so young people, Daniel said: “I am particularly excited to do events in a Christian setting, using my gift to glorify God.”
CRE MANCHESTER 13/3/2019 Pics by HOWARD BARLOW
Steve Goddard, owner of CRE, said: “By coming to MK for the first time we’re responding to a ‘Macedonian call’ – bringing much-needed new products and services to churches, large and small. We would encourage ordained and lay leaders and office-holders from all denominations to make the very most of an event that cannot return to the region for several years.”
CRE 24 will be held at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes opening hours: Wednesday Oct 9th, 10am-5pm; Thursday Oct 10th, 10am-4.30pm. Advance tickets available from £3 (£8 on the door). Visit www.creonline.co.uk for more information.
A Robert Gordon University (RGU) student who is balancing his studies with a promising athletics career admits he would “love to” compete at the British Championships and Commonwealth Games after a specular recent win.
Luke Davidson, who is studying Sport Coaching, won August’s Scottish 800m title at The Eric Liddell Senior Championships having previously succeeded at various other University level races.
Last month’s triumph was made particularly remarkable as he’d switched from his usual 1500m to the 800m in order to be able to compete at all.
The dedicated and passionate Inverness Harriers’ runner trains six days a week, but never on a Sunday due to his faith. This emulated the same position, and result, taken by Luke’s sporting inspiration and the man in which the year’s championship was named after: Eric Liddell.
The 22-year-old said: “My highlight on the athletics track has to be winning this Scottish 800m title. Not only for the obvious reasons of winning, but this competition was so important to me as it was commemorating a figure that I have always looked up to for so many reasons.
“I’ve been inspired by him from a young age. I have similarly never trained or raced on Sunday, including at the Scottish Championships where I changed from my preferred event that was on a Sunday and chose to compete in the 800m instead. Despite training six days a week, my faith is more important to me than any achievement for my athletic ability.
“Next year I am hoping to get as close to the British Championship qualifying time as I can and if that’s the case, I will compete at that, provided it’s not on a Sunday. I also plan to run the national championships again as well as another Monument Mile.”
Luke explained: “The sports scholarship programme has been a big help to me as it has been able to offer support to me in my training and competition. It has also shown me that despite training on my own most of the time there are plenty other students in RGU that are in the same boat as me trying to balance their studies and compete at the highest level.
“I intend to keep training as hard as I am and as much as I can while I complete my degree. I aim to go as far as I can with the sport. I’d love to get to the level where I can compete at bigger competitions such as British Championships and Commonwealth Games.”
Luke’s story featured on the BBC online and on the radio. RGU SPORT’s scholarship programme attracts new students each year with applications open between May-August and December-January.
Main Photo Credit: Courtesy of Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
