Skip to content ↓

The Stranger: A Short Film For You

The Stranger

A very long time ago I wrote an article entitled The Humble Celebrity. That article was based on a real-life anecdote a gentleman named Doug Nichols had once recounted. Like most of my articles, it got a little bit of attention at the time I wrote it and then faded into the archives.

A few years later, though, an aspiring filmmaker named J.R. Fountain got in touch to ask if he could make a short film based the article. I gladly granted permission (as did Doug), so he filmed it and is now glad to provide it for free as The Stranger. I hope you’ll watch it because I think you’ll enjoy it! (If you can’t see it below, you can find it at TheStrangerMovie.ca.)

What’s it all about?

It’s midnight the day before the big annual conference, Doug Nichols, a would-be missionary at Operation Mobilization sweeps the front steps when suddenly an oddly dressed man appears before him.

The man says he’s attending the conference, but who shows up in the middle of the night to a church conference?

Based on a true story and inspired by the truth that character comes before competence, “The Stranger” is an honest, light-hearted and meaningful picture of what it means to truly serve others.

If you appreciated it or would like to learn more, visit TheStrangerMovie.ca.


  • The Stranger

    The Stranger: A Short Film For You

    Based on a true story and inspired by the truth that character comes before competence, “The Stranger” is an honest, light-hearted and meaningful picture of what it means to truly serve others.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 9)

    A La Carte: The singer who changed the course of my life / Stay on the line / Incompatible thick communities / Lulla-Bible? / The solution is not megachurch / Who were the Anabaptists? / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 8)

    A La Carte: 15 ways to discern false teaching / The queering of history / The best part of my day / 6 kinds of hearers of God’s Word / Countering Muslim attacks on the Bible / Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Wonder of the Human Face

    The Wonder of the Human Face

    Then there are the wonders of human ingenuity: the machines, the inventions, the works of art. One lifetime is not nearly enough to explore or appreciate even the smallest fraction of them all.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 7)

    A La Carte: A Christian patriot and his wayward nation / Outprinting the prosperity gospel / The organic church / A stranger in my homeland / Friendship’s faithful wounds / Sharing the gospel with someone who keeps rejecting it / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pray Until You Feel Like It

    It is wise to set aside a time and place to pray—to build the habit and to then maintain it. But creating the habit may not always create the desire.