If you only see one movie this year, go see I’m Not Ashamed. In fact, every pastor and especially youth pastor, should take their entire church to see this incredible film. I’m Not Ashamed was created from the journals of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the horrific Columbine High School massacre.
Anyone old enough to remember April 20th, 1999 will never forget the images we saw as two gunmen brutally murdered 12 students and one brave coach. This event forever changed the way we would view school safety and the lives of our students. However, in the midst of this tragedy, the Christian witness of Rachel has impacted the lives of millions of people.
Much of the film’s dialogue is taken directly from her actual journals. Rachel’s mother, Beth Nimmo, also contributed much of the context and perspective of the storyline. Like any teenager, Rachel, played wonderfully by Masey McLain, struggles with young adult issues like peer pressure, self-worth, relationships, and where is God in the midst of life’s challenges.
However, her incredible faith in Christ and strong witness impacted many but also made her a target. Many died that day because of issues stemming from bullying. Though the media does not widely report it, Rachel was martyred because of her relationship with Jesus Christ.
The following are 27 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From I’m Not Ashamed, the must-see movie of 2016. All quotes are from Rachel unless otherwise noted.
- One Of Greatest Gifts God Gives Leaders Is Vision – In the opening scene, Rachel wrote the following words on the back of her chest of drawers, “These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of people’s lives.”
- Divorce Has Devastating Results – I was shocked by how many teenagers in the movie were from broken and dysfunctional homes. Each of these situations had a ripple effect which resulted in much destructive behavior. Rachel later acknowledge her own father’s abandonment “leaves a hole inside.”
- Parents Should Model What It Means To Follow Jesus – There was a moving scene early in the movie when Rachel’s now-single mom rallied her four children together and prayed for gas money. This reliance on God would prove foundational throughout Rachel’s life.
- Living For Jesus Requires Both A Vertical And Horizontal Relationship – Being a Christian means being right with God, which in turn makes you want to be right with others. Rachel said, “I just want to live my life for Jesus and care about people.”
- Christian Leaders Must Have Perseverance – “I want to be a light but it feels so dark.”
- Bad Company Corrupts Good Morales – In her desire to fit in and have normal teenage relationships, Rachel acknowledge, “I want a guy to see me for what I am.”
- Living For Jesus Brings You Peace – Rachel’s cousin Charity, played by Sadie Robertson, said, “This is about living your life for Jesus and then you’ll have this sense of peace.”
- God Does Not Waste Your Pain – Rachel’s Aunt Bea, played by Corie Robertson, said, “God does not waste anything, even if it’s hard.”
- Godly Leaders Don’t Desire Position. Godly Leaders Desire Influence And Impact – “I want to change the world.”
- Nothing Worth Having Is Ever Easy – “Living for Jesus is not always easy but it’s always right.”
- Great Leaders Are Great Bridge Builders – Rachel showed compassion to a homeless individual named Nathan, played by Ben Davies, who would ultimately become her best friend and “big brother”.
- Christian Leaders Need To Have A Biblical Worldview When It Comes To Decision-Making – “We seek truth in a world full of lives.”
- Being A Christian Often Means Being Unpopular – Much of the Western presentation of what it means to follow Jesus omits the price needed to follow Him. Rachel was ostracized and made fun of by her closest friends because of her faith.
- We Exist For The Applause Of Nail Scarred Hands – We live first and foremost for the approval of Jesus Christ. Our lives are to be lived to bring Him glory and honor. Rachel said, “I just want to live my for Jesus and let people take from that what they want.”
- Church Should Be The Most Welcoming Place In The World – Rachel’s small group was outstanding at including people like Nathan and made sure all his needs were met.
- Christians Should Never Apologize For Their Faith – Rachel reached an “enough is enough” moment and put a stake in the ground regarding her faith. She proclaimed, “I’m not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus.”
- Christian Leaders Will Be Known By Their Fruit – After breaking up with her boyfriend because he was making out with her best friend, Rachel acknowledged, “Being betrayed by your best friend sucks but the worst part was he didn’t know I was a Christian.” Business leaders, if your customers, vendors, and employees do not know about your faith in Jesus, something is wrong.
- “Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer.”
- Compassion Is Contagious – “I have a theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, it might start a chain reaction.”
- Jesus Is The Greatest Leader Who Ever Lived – “Jesus gave His life for me and I’ll give my life to Him.”
- “Forgiveness is one of the things that can change the world.”
- Christian Leaders Should Always Sense And Seize Opportunity – “Tomorrow’s not a promise. But it’s a chance. You just might start a chain reaction.”
- God Is Always In Control – Nathan reminded Rachel, “Life’s going to be hard sometimes but He’s there. As hard as that is to grasp, He’s in control.”
- Christians Should Always Be Kind And Gracious But Never Doormats – “I am not going to hide the light that God has put into me.”
- Christian Leaders Are Reconcilers – Just prior to her death Rachel reconciled with her former best friend for her betrayal.
- You Die Like You Lived – Rachel was killed while counseling a young man from a broken home. She was showing him compassion, providing hope, and sharing the love of Christ when she died.
- “You Know I Do.” – When asked by her eventual killer, “Do you still believe in God?”, Rachel last words on this planet were, “You know I do.” May all our last words be the same.
Once again, I cannot stress enough you see this movie. Few movies I have ever seen will impact you like this one.
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