Often the most beautiful parts of our lives are the very ones we tuck away.

We hide them in closets, leave them in boxes, store them in corners, push them back into the shadows. We forget about them, all they meant, and the beauty they still possess until something draws those pieces of our lives back into the light.

I saw this on full display during the final day of filming SOUL ON FIRE. Let me explain.

This week, The Voices of SOUL ON FIRE series welcomes Masey McLain, the gifted actress who portrays my wife, Beth O’Leary, in our upcoming film.

Casting Beth was one of the most important decisions of the film, and in Masey we found someone who truly embodies her grace, strength, and unshakable love. Beyond the screen, Masey is an author, singer, producer, and speaker. She lives with mission and purpose, and she’s a dear friend whose light shines every bit as brightly as her performance.

Recorded in Hogansville, Georgia (Masey’s small hometown!), she opens up about what it meant to step into Beth’s shoes and portray a love that sees the scars and chooses them anyway. Masey also shares on her journey of faith, the lessons she carried from set, and how she radiates beauty, humility, joy, and resilience both onscreen and off.

My friends, if you need a reminder that love is the foundation for courage, and that faith and laughter can carry us through any season, this conversation is for you.

I’m too busy.

I’ll get back to them later.

I'll just ignore it.

These are common ways to respond to life’s interruptions.

But while filming SOUL ON FIRE, I was reminded by some remarkably busy people just how powerful it is to say yes instead. Let me explain.

This week, The Voices of SOUL ON FIRE shines a spotlight on one of the youngest members of the cast: James McCracken.

At just nine years old, James stepped into the unforgettable role of young John O’Leary in the upcoming film SOUL ON FIRE. Despite his age, this rising star brings remarkable heart and depth to the screen with talent nurtured with the encouragement of his family, including his mom Becca, who joins us for part of this conversation.

Today, James shares what it was like stepping onto set with legends like John Corbett and William H. Macy, how he navigated the challenge of prosthetics and long filming days, and what he’s learning about courage, resilience, and adventure. Alongside his mom, Becca, we hear the story of how a simple spark of curiosity during the pandemic has become a passion shaping James’s future.

My friends, you’ll leave this conversation reminded that age is never a barrier to living with purpose, that wonder and courage can be found at every stage of life, and that sometimes the boldest dreams come from the smallest voices.

While visiting patients at a children’s hospital last week, a little boy asked who my favorite nurse was during my own hospital stay. It felt a bit like being asked to pick a favorite child, but I shared the story of how one nurse’s seemingly simple acts had a mighty impact on my life.

The list of extraordinary caregivers at Mercy who helped me survive burns over my entire body is long—Cissy the brilliant charge nurse, Lisa the fiery floor nurse, Roy the visionary man who helped me walk forward, and Delores the lovely CNA with a contagious laugh. But the one I told that boy about last week was Sue Rodrigues. Let me explain.

This week, The Voices of SOUL ON FIRE series turns up the volume as we’re joined by the man whose song has become the heartbeat of the film: Mac Powell.

Mac Powell has spent over three decades sharing his voice and his heart with the world. As the Grammy-winning lead singer of Third Day, he helped shape Christian music, selling over 10 million albums and filling arenas across the globe, and has continued that legacy as a solo artist, blending faith, music, and life in powerful ways.

Today, Mac shares how faith reshaped his path from “band nerd” to frontman, the adoption journey that transformed his family, and the stories behind songs like Cry Out to Jesus and Soul On Fire—a song that has now become the anthem for the upcoming film SOUL ON FIRE.

My friends, you’ll leave this conversation reminded that faith can turn fear into courage, interruptions into blessings, and ordinary moments into something extraordinary.

As we step into a new school year, many of us are in a season of transition. Sending little ones off to kindergarten, big kids off to high school, and young adults off to college means a time filled with backpacks, checklists, early bedtimes and busy mornings. It also means waving goodbye not just to the kids as they leave the house, but chapters of life that will never return.

Last summer around this time, I was struggling mightily. In the span of about a week, a dear friend passed away, my father’s health declined significantly, and we packed up my oldest son, Jack, to head off to college out of state. Everything around me felt chaotic and unmoored. A chapter I had loved living was ending and a new one was beginning. The sadness lingered long after leaving my friend’s wake, visiting Dad at the hospital or driving away from the dorm where Jack now lived.

This year as we grieve the loss of my dad and prepare to send Jack back to college, two more boys into high school, and my daughter Grace into her final year of middle school, I’m trying something different to help me cope: I’m reframing the goodbye.

Let me explain.

As we begin the Voices of SOUL ON FIRE series, it only makes sense to start with the man who’s been with this story from the very beginning: Sean McNamara.

Sean McNamara is the director behind beloved films like Soul Surfer, Spare Parts, The Miracle Season, Reagan, and many more. Known in Hollywood as an “actor’s director,” he’s celebrated not only for the powerful performances he brings to the screen, but also for the humility, kindness, and joy he brings behind the camera.

More than seven years ago, Sean first read the script that would become SOUL ON FIRE, and he never let it go. From the earliest drafts to its upcoming nationwide release, his vision, passion, and persistence have been at the heart of bringing this story to life.

Today, Sean shares about childhood in a big Irish family, how his parents challenged him to dream big and do mighty things, his journey from delivering scripts as a production assistant to directing box-office hits, and what it meant to shepherd SOUL ON FIRE from page to screen.

My friends, if you’ve ever wondered what it takes to hold onto a dream, to pursue it with persistence, and to create with both excellence and heart, this conversation is for you. You’ll walk away reminded that great stories aren’t just told on screen... they’re lived out by those who refuse to let them go.