I watched something recently that has captivated my attention since. I can’t get it out of my thoughts. Nominated for an academy award, you won’t want to miss the chance to watch it for free.

My Introduction to the Crisis

I’ve been touched by the world crisis captured in my film from my home across the sea long before watching Lifeboat- simply by my profession.

I’ve often found myself teaching or aware of others teaching refugees. I’ve balked at the reality of friends in local churches teaching hundreds at a time back in Indiana. Recently, my church went down to a small town in Missouri with a welcome sign indicating a population of 1,845. Seems small and quaint, but what you don’t see on the sign is that nearly all of the locals moved out to make way for the over 40 cultures represented- largely refugees, all working at a local factory.

And then there was the analysis of the refugee crisis I led one of my classes through at Missouri State. They were from three different countries themselves, with countless biases towards the refugees in their own countries. We looked at it from many perspectives- the lawmakers, the business people, the displaced, the family, the refugees themselves. As we worked, one by one, through the reasons for the crisis, their visages softened, their whole bodies relaxed in the discussion, and some began to open up to their own family members’ refugee status. It has been my experience that with empathy and understanding comes compassion and love.

Images I Won’t Forget

I’m a very visual person. One reason school and I got along so well is that I could remember where on a page the information I needed was. This helped me particularly when I wrote a paper, studied for a test, or filled out worksheets. I would get a question and could easily find it, from the image of where it was on the page in my minds eye. I don’t have a photographic memory in that I could recall things from an image taking a test- but what I could do sure helped me with the arduous task of studying for one.

Images seem to sear in a memory like mine, fading though it may be with age and mommy-brain. The images in this movie turn my soul.

Watch Lifeboat For Free

Lifeboat was nominated for an Academy Award this year for Best Doc Short Film.

Click HERE to Watch Lifeboat

Watching might just be the most soul stirring 34 minutes you could spend this week in front of a screen.

More On This Soon

This got me wondering about the situation-

• What is it like now?
• Are the boats still making rescues?
• Where are all the refugees coming from and why?
• What is happening to them in Libya?

All my research left me thinking and feeling a lot. This is a significant crisis our whole world is facing. It is something even people like you and me, even if you’re across a sea, can help.  I’ll write more about it soon. Subscribe below so you don’t miss:

More Like This

If you enjoy reading and watching things that stir your faith or move you to action, you might enjoy some of the below:

• Stressed? Lift your Gaze
• The Pot Story- A God Story
• The Podium Story (A God Story)
• Where is California’s Water Going?