Best of the Program | Guest: Dallas Jenkins | 11/21/24

Summary

Summary of "The Glenn Beck Program" Featuring Dallas Jenkins | Episode: Best of the Program | 11/21/24

Release Date: November 21, 2024
Host: Glenn Beck
Guest: Dallas Jenkins, Creator and Director of The Chosen and Best Christmas Pageant Ever

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1. Introduction and Thanksgiving Message

Glenn Beck opens the episode with heartfelt reflections on the significance of Thanksgiving. He announces that this will be his last podcast before the holiday break and emphasizes the importance of gratitude and recognizing divine blessings in American lives.

Notable Quote:

• Glenn Beck [00:00]: "We have lost that deep, deep gratitude for our lives. I have felt it over the last year unlike I've ever felt gratitude for my freedom, my safety, my family's safety."

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2. Discussion on the Lake and Riley Murder Case

The conversation shifts to the high-profile Lake and Riley murder case. Glenn reads the judge's unambiguous guilty verdict, highlighting the multiple charges against the defendant.

Notable Quote:

• Judge [02:29]: "Count one, malice murder, I find the defendant guilty... Count ten, peeping Tom. I find the defendant guilty."

Glenn and Dallas Jenkins express their emotions regarding the case, discussing the broader implications of justice and the impact of immigration policies.

Notable Quotes:

• Dallas Jenkins [03:35]: "I'm happy that justice is at some level hitting the sky, but more just anger of how unnecessary it all was."
• Glenn Beck [04:09]: "Justice is back. That makes me feel good. All this bull crap of all these poor immigrants that have come in. They're not all bad."

They delve into the failures of the Biden administration's immigration policies, criticizing the lack of principles and the inconsistent handling of immigration across states.

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3. Introduction of Guest: Dallas Jenkins

Glenn introduces Dallas Jenkins, praising his work on The Chosen and his new film, Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The discussion centers around Jenkins' creative vision and the deeper messages within his latest movie.

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4. In-Depth Conversation: Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Glenn and Dallas explore the themes of Best Christmas Pageant Ever, contrasting it with other Christmas classics. They discuss how the film portrays outsiders and the true story of Christmas with authenticity and humor.

Notable Quotes:

• Dallas Jenkins [18:42]: "The story is just so beautiful because it's because of these kids' poverty, because of their outsider status. They're actually closer to the heart of the true story than anyone else's."
• Glenn Beck [23:48]: "Jesus was born into a stable, into a rough environment, on the run, hiding outsiders. He came as a suffering servant, not as a conquering king."

The conversation highlights the transformation of the town through the inclusion of the Herdman kids, emphasizing themes of acceptance, redemption, and the true essence of the Christmas story.

Notable Quote:

• Dallas Jenkins [22:37]: "Jesus was born into a stable, into a rough environment, on the run, hiding outsiders. Refuges all that stuff. He came as a suffering servant, not as a conquering king."

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5. Reflections on Christianity and Gratitude

Glenn shares personal anecdotes reflecting on the resilience and faith of Christians, both in America and globally. He recounts experiences from Iraq, witnessing unwavering faith amidst adversity, illustrating the profound need for genuine spiritual connection.

Notable Quotes:

• Glenn Beck [24:03]: "The best Christians that I have met, regular people, are those people usually from the Middle East or from China. They have to know God, because it's literally all that gets them through their day."
• Dallas Jenkins [25:56]: "Jesus was born into a stable, into a rough environment, on the run, hiding outsiders."

They discuss the contrast between outward appearances of faith and the deep, authentic need for redemption that genuine believers possess.

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6. Thanksgiving Reflections and Miracles

As Thanksgiving approaches, Glenn reflects on recent events he considers miraculous, including an assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the subsequent resilience displayed. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and giving thanks for these moments of divine intervention and national unity.

Notable Quotes:

• Glenn Beck [30:06]: "We've lost that deep, deep gratitude for our lives... Miracles can happen in your life all the time."
• Glenn Beck [37:50]: "All of that was a miracle. Let's not forget that... America woke up."

Dallas concurs, acknowledging the unity and renewed effort within the GOP as a response to these miraculous events.

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7. Closing Thoughts and Thanksgiving Blessings

In his final remarks, Glenn urges listeners to express gratitude and recognize the blessings in their lives. He thanks God for the country's experiences and encourages a spirit of thankfulness and unity during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Notable Quotes:

• Glenn Beck [37:53]: "Thank you, Lord, for an incredible experience. Thank you for letting us live at this time to be in your service."
• Glenn Beck [37:53]: "Happy Thanksgiving."

Dallas Jenkins adds his sentiments, reinforcing the message of gratitude and the importance of authentic connections with faith.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Glenn Beck Program offers a blend of current events analysis, in-depth discussions on meaningful media like Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and profound reflections on faith and gratitude. Featuring insightful dialogue with Dallas Jenkins, the program underscores themes of justice, redemption, and the power of genuine thankfulness, making it a compelling listen for those seeking thoughtful perspectives on American culture and politics.

Transcript

[Glenn Beck]

Hey, today's podcast is really, really good. We talk about Lake and Riley and why that feels different when the judge said, guilty, guilty, guilty. And we also then go into our Thanksgiving message. As of today, this will be the last podcast from me until after the holiday. And so I wanted to talk to you about why Thanksgiving is so important. And Dallas Jenkins joins us. He's the creative, the creator, and the director of the Chosen, but he's got a new movie out called the Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It's. You don't want to miss a second of today's podcast. Time to fight, fight, fight for the lives of the unborn children in this country. Roe versus Wade has been overturned. The pro life party is elected. Now to the halls of power. But the journey does not end there. We have to change the hearts and minds of people. This is why I'm so proud to be a part of Preborn. Their network of clinics saves 200 babies every single day by offering free ultrasounds to expecting moms. That doubles that baby's chance for mom to choose life. For $28, you can sponsor an ultrasound, and through a match, your tax deductible gift is doubled. Preborn also supplies moms with diapers, car seats, counseling, and so much more for up to two years after that. I am so incredibly proud of the work this audience has done to support preborn. And I wish I could tell you all of the things that I know they're working on in the future, but they don't want to tip their hands. They are. They are the tip of the spear, and they are moving to the future. Would you help rescue babies? 28 bucks. We'll get one ultrasound. Five for 140. Whatever you can donate. Dial pound 250. Say the keyword baby. Pound 250. Keyword baby or preborn.com Beck.

[Stu Burguiere]

You're listening to the Best of the Glenn Beck.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay, so yesterday, the judge found found Lake and Riley's murderer guilty on all charges. Now listen to this. But I want you to listen to this and notice your reaction to it. Maybe. Maybe it's just me. I don't know. But listen to this and notice your reaction to it. Go ahead.

[Judge]

Count one, malice murder, I find the defendant guilty. Count two, felony murder. I find the defendant guilty. Count three, felony murder. I find the defendant guilty. Count for felony murder, I find the defendant guilty. Count five, kidnapping with bodily injury, I find the defendant guilty. Count six, aggravated assault with intent to rape, I find the defendant guilty. Count seven, aggravated battery, I find the defendant guilty. Count eight, obstructing or hindering a 911 call. I find the defendant guilty. Count nine, tampering with evidence. I find the defendant guilty. Count ten, peeping Tom. I find the defendant guilty.

[Glenn Beck]

What are you feeling? Could just be me. What are you feeling?

[Dallas Jenkins]

What am I feeling? Am I hearing that? I mean, I'm happy that justice is at some level hitting the sky, but more just anger of how unnecessary it all was. The fact that he got on a free flight to go to Georgia in the first place.

[Glenn Beck]

No. Yeah. No. The Biden administration deteriorating put him on one of those ghost flights in the middle of the night so he could live in Georgia. Yeah.

[Dallas Jenkins]

And it cost this poor woman her life. And, you know, she's just one prominent example. This story has been told way too many times.

[Glenn Beck]

Here's what I feel. First, emotional, because you can hear the parents gasp and cry in the back. And happy for them, sad at the waist. But also, we're not going to take it any more. Justice is back. That makes me feel good. All this bull crap of all these poor immigrants that have come in. They're not all bad. This guy was in the Venezuel gang, and so was his brother. And you know how he tried to get off? He tried to get off saying, it was my brother, not me. And his brother was like, no, it wasn't me. It was my brother.

[Dallas Jenkins]

It was basically a version of the OJ Defense of, like, DNA. Can't really tell between me and my brother.

[Glenn Beck]

My brother. Yeah, right. And she. The reason why they had DNA is because it was under her fingernails as she scraped his arms, his face and his back. And they had pictures of the claw marks that she left on him. So justice is served. Now, here's the other thing. He's not going to get the death penalty. Maybe life in prison, no chance of parole, but I don't even trust that stuff. He's not going to get the death penalty. Why? Because the prosecutor, which was a Soros prosecutor, said that's not real justice. Now they're talking about reversing that. This new prosecutor, because I don't know if you know this. That prosecutor lost, I think, by 17 points. It's over. It's over. Now there are some states now that are saying, you know what? This drives me out of my mind. These people are so lacking of any kind of principles. They change with the wind. There are no principles. Just a few. What? A month ago, two months ago, all of the cities. All of the people in the cities from San Francisco to New York were saying this is going to collapse our city. We can't handle all of these people that have come across the borders where they were sending them to Texas. New York was taking people and sending them from New York to Texas because they just couldn't handle it like Texas could. Okay? Now they're all. They've all changed overnight now. Oh, we're going to protect these people. How dare the big bad government come in and try to take. We're just going to cuddle these people. It's over, gang. It's over. And I hope that the President finds the constitutionally legal way to cut you off from every funding. You want to play that game? Fine. Then your city doesn't get any federal dollars. You want to do that, that's fine. Because you're costing all of us. You're costing us money because you're going to ask for a federal bailout. And the other part of that should be you're not getting one. California. You want to play this game, we're not going to pay for it. I love California. I think California is the most beautiful state in the. In the union. I've always, since a kid, I've always wanted to live in California. The reason why I don't is because they're insane. They're insane. I don't want to live with the insanity. And I know that I'll be impoverished in the end by it and so will all of my neighbors. I don't want to live in that. So I don't live in California because you want your California. I live in Texas because I would like to be have California more like Texas, but it's not so. I live in Texas because I know the state won't impoverish me. I know the state won't take all of my rights away from. I know they won't coddle criminals, so I live in Texas. Don't you dare come for a handout from me. You made your bed, you pay for it. And if you want to keep criminals in your state, if you want to coddle those people, that's totally fine with me. But I honestly believe maybe we should check your passports when you come across the border of California or New York. Are you here legally? Because if they leave those states, they should be arrested and deported. And I don't want any of them moving into my city or my state. But they're going to eventually, and your people eventually are going to move to my state and they're going to vote for the same damn things because they're too stupid to understand what caused their state to become like that? I got to get to Florida.

[Stu Burguiere]

Who?

[Glenn Beck]

Why are there no progressives we can vote for? Because you haven't wrecked it yet.

[Dallas Jenkins]

I think, too. And I know you say this, you know, you want to deal with these people, fine. In reality, of course, I know we have to. It is a federal issue. I mean, this is the left that prevented states like Arizona from implementing and enforcing immigration law, because this has to be done at the federal level. Well, hopefully Trump's about to show you what that looks like.

[Glenn Beck]

Yep.

[Dallas Jenkins]

And it should be done at the federal level. So he will, I think, overrule and overrun some of these people who are trying to avoid the law in their local jurisdictions. And he should do that. You know, Glenn, one of the most frustrating things about the Lake and Riley thing is we talk about the borders being open, people flowing over all the time, and that is awful. And obviously, the border at times can be difficult to protect completely. People are going to get across it at some level. But we caught this guy. This isn't an example of a guy sneaking across the border. We caught him and then put him on a plane and then released him into the country. He got arrested multiple more times while he was here. We still gave him a free flight. We still put him up in the Roosevelt Hotel, Hotel with free lodging, and then we sent him to Georgia with a free flight. He got arrested there with his brother. We still kept releasing him. And then after all of that, he murdered this poor woman. It's not even a case where like, okay, this is difficult. I get that. That can happen.

[Glenn Beck]

This one's not.

[Dallas Jenkins]

This is not what that is. And it happens over and over and over again. And, God, if we could just stop some of those.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Dallas Jenkins]

Talking about standing up, maybe we could at least stop some of those.

[Glenn Beck]

We are going to. We are going to. That's what we voted for. We voted for an end of all of this. By the way, have you heard that the DOJ has just put a paper shredder truck outside of the FBI office? I swear to you, if they shred anything that we need and they're like, we lost it. We shredded it. We don't know what happened to it. Put them in jail. Don't fire them, put them in jail. It is time that we say into this government, enough is enough. We're going to live by the laws of the land, and that includes all of this red tape bull crap, all of it. You want that law? Pass it through Congress. Not through some bureaucrat that we don't even know who they are. We never voted for them. Why do they rule over our life? By the way, the House Ethics Committee has decided not to release the Gates investigation. Okay? At least temporarily. They're not sure because it's not finished now. The DOJ finished it over two years ago. Okay? This has got to stop. I don't know if Matt Gates is guilty or innocent of what they accuse him of. I have no idea. But just like Brett Kavanaugh, this smearing of people has got to stop. If he's guilty, charge him. Make sure he has a fair trial, and let the chips fall where they may. But they won't charge. They're not charging because they know that the people who are, including the women, they know that they are not trustworthy. The doj. This is the guy, the biggest opponent of the doj. He's got real teeth on the doj. So all of a sudden, the DOJ finds these accusations. Okay, all right, maybe he did them. Then investigate. And if you don't have enough to charge him, then you shut your mouth. Now, you might continue to investigate, but you shut your mouth. When you have enough to charge, then charge. We are not a country that should allow for another day the smearing of individuals based on stuff that is not chargeable. They've made this guy practically into a pedophile. Where do you go to get your reputation back? Because if they can do it to him, they'll do it to you. Now, he may not be. I don't think he is a saint. I think he's a long way away from a saint. But I don't know who to believe. That's for a jury to decide. But once somebody is charged, not investigated, charged, if this the Democrats or some of the sleazy Republicans decide to release this, all of those people should either be impeached or we should primary them, because this kind of stuff has got to stop. Does it mean we let some bad guys get away? Yes. But wouldn't you rather have one bad guy get away than one good person gets smeared and their life destroyed? That is justice. Relief factor. If you're living with pain in your life, probably tired of, you know, having the pain and then giving things up. Everyone else around you just blast through their days like it's nothing. And there you are, having to catch up, you know, when you can, because you hurt. Fortunately, there's relief factor. Now, this is a daily supplement that helps your body fight pain by fighting inflammation, which is the source of most of the pain in our bodies. And a Lot of the disease as well. 100% drug free. Developed by doctors to help reduce or eliminate pain. Whether it's neck, back, joint, muscle pain, whatever it is. Relief factor can help you feel better and that can help you start to live better. Over a million people have tried Relief Factor's Quick Start kit, including yours truly. And 70% of them, also including yours truly, has gone on to order it again and again. So stop masking your pain and start fighting back naturally. Give Relief factor a try. Right now, their three week quick start is only $19.95, less than a dollar a day. Visit Reliefactor.com or call 800, the number four relief. 800, the number four relief. It's Reliefactor.com now back to the podcast. You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck Program. Dallas Jenkins joins us. Hello, Dallas. How are you?

[Stu Burguiere]

Good. I'm actually wanting to write down what you were just talking about. I'm like, this sounds great.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm telling you, every school should have these things. Yes, we were. You know, nobody wants to arm teachers. If you put your hand around the corner outside the door and somebody's in the hallway. Yes. Kids will be hit with tear gas, but nobody will die.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

And the police can take that guy down.

[Stu Burguiere]

Wow.

[Glenn Beck]

It's. It's crazy.

[Stu Burguiere]

No, I know. It sounds amazing. I'm, I'm literally going, I'm going to get this for my home.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Yeah. They're great. How are you?

[Stu Burguiere]

I'm good. I'm. Here's the thing. I'm looking at you and you're a handsome guy, but behind you is this big picture where you look phenomenal and it's, and it's like, it's not good for you to put it right behind you. Because then I'm like, wow, that's. Wait a second. There's a difference. Like, you're like, you know, again, you look good in person.

[Glenn Beck]

Happy.

[Stu Burguiere]

But, yeah, that's you happy and rugged and handsome and.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, right.

[Stu Burguiere]

I'm like, wait a minute. There's a.

[Glenn Beck]

So, so tell me, tell me the. The story of the film Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I have, I have to admit to you, I have not seen it. I've had others who have seen it and just rave about it. I've seen the trailer. This is before you ever sent me anything or, you know, was going to become. I didn't know who it was. And I watched the trailer and I'm like, this looks fantastic. It looks heartwarming and funny and all of it. And it's true.

[Stu Burguiere]

And I really think you and I've talked before. This is your kind of movie. I really think you'd love it. I read this book almost 20 years ago to my kids. My wife brought it home, and the first couple chapters. I'm reading it now. This book's been around for 50 years. I read it in public school, which is why I was so surprised by what happened when I read it again to my kids. First few chapters, I'm laughing. It's very witty, very nostalgic. Just a terrific story. And I get to the last chapter, and I'm going, I didn't remember how. Jesusy. This was like, I don't know how we got a chance. We got away with reading this in public school, I guess, because of the Christmas of it all, but I get to the last.

[Glenn Beck]

Grow up in Oklahoma.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah. No, Illinois. Wow. Yeah. A little different.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

But. But anyway, the first. The story is these six Herdman kids, the worst kids in the world, the ones that everyone is looking down on. And this is.

[Glenn Beck]

I just want to re. Ramp.

[Stu Burguiere]

No, no, it's not. It's not.

[Glenn Beck]

It's not true.

[Stu Burguiere]

No, no.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay, okay. Somebody told me it was a true story. No, no, no. Okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

That's the chosen.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay, That's a true story.

[Stu Burguiere]

But this she captured. It feels very real. It's very nostalgic. It's. It. You remember the movie A Christmas Story?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

Very much that feel to it. But in this case, these six kids, they're on the wrong side of the tracks. They're in poverty, they're mean, they're feral. And this church in this town don't want them around. And they hijack the town's Christmas pageant and they take over the roles. They bully the other kids into saying, we're gonna play these roles of Mary and Joseph. So, of course, everyone's scandalized and thinks it's gonna be the worst Christmas pageant.

[Glenn Beck]

Ever because they're so unchrist.

[Stu Burguiere]

Like, right?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

And so much like Mary and Joseph. Like, you can't have this awful girl playing the mother Mary. Mother Mary is beautiful and sweet and pretty and always looks clean. So they get to the performance of the pageant, and I don't want to give anything away. Of course, it is called the best Christmas pageant ever. But we get to that last chapter, I start crying so hard I can't see the pages. My kids are looking at me like, what is going on? And my wife Amanda goes, all right, give me the book. Let me read it. She starts reading, she starts crying. We're passing the book back and forth to each other while the other one recovers. The story is just so beautiful because it's because of these kids poverty, because of their outsider status. They're actually closer to the heart of the true story than anyone else's. And so it ends up transforming this town and the town, of course. So everyone is learning something new because these kids have never heard the story before. So they're asking all these questions, well.

[Glenn Beck]

That'S a better ending than I thought. I thought it was that the people that were helping the kids actually kind of changed the kids to have those kids right transform the right fantastic.

[Stu Burguiere]

That's the thing the church learns from these outsiders because we've taken for granted the Christmas story and the Christmas pageants. And we think of the sweet little nativity and the halo around everyone's head, and these kids are going, wait a minute. Why wouldn't they let a pregnant woman into the inn? And they're asking all these questions that we take for granted. And so their perspective on the story is just closer to the truth of it because of their unique perspective and outsider status. And so it just was so beautiful. And there's a very common. A connective thread between that and the chosen. My passion has always been. And we've talked about this before, I'm like, I'm taking. I'm taking Jesus and the apostles down from stained glass windows, down from the pretty paintings that we've seen, and trying to give you the most accurate, direct portrayal of the humanity of these people and the true story. And that's what really stood out to me about the best Christmas pageant ever. Now, it's funny, it's witty, it's a traditional Christmas classic, but it's got this. It's. It's probably the only of the. Of the movies that I would consider to be Christmas classics. And hopefully this becomes one of them that really does put a spotlight on the true story of Jesus, but in a fun way.

[Glenn Beck]

It's. It's. It's amazing to me how snotty Christians can get. And maybe it's because they either they either didn't have that kind of experience or didn't need the redemption of Christ as much as others do. But, you know, Christ came for the ones that needed redemption, and we all need it, but needed the redemption really badly. He was always around those kinds of things.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, he's saying, I came for the sick, not for the healthy. And there's a line in the trailer and in the movie where the mom who's volunteering to do this pageant. Everyone in the church is telling her, no, just get rid of the Herdmans. We need to protect our sacred Christmas pageant. And at one point, her daughter says, shouldn't we just get rid of. And she says, I think that would contradict the whole point of the story. And she says, the point of the story is that Jesus came for the Herdmans as much as he came for you and me.

[Glenn Beck]

Everybody in that story was rejected and despised.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yes. And there's also a moment where the Herdmans walk out on stage, and they're wearing the clothes they cobbled together at home to portray Mary and Joseph instead of the pretty costumes that were given to them by the church. Right. And one of the girls in the choir who's against them goes, look at them. They look like refugees. And the main character's looking at them. She goes, yeah, they do. And she's smiling, going, this is what Mary and Joseph were. They were refugees. They were outsiders. So it's those kinds of moments that unlike, again, some of these other Christmas classics that I love, you know, elf and Christmas Story and some of these Home Alone, they're all great. But this. This is a movie that has all those elements of humor and whatnot. But then there's these moments where you go, oh, my goodness, that's. That is the true story. And I think, to your point about Christians and those of us, especially here in America, I think sometimes we. It's not that we need redemption less. If anything, we need it more, but it's. It's our awareness of our need, which sometimes goes away. When you are living comfortably, comfort can oftentimes cause you to take for granted.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

What. Who. Who. Who came for us? Not comfortable. Jesus was born into a stable, into a rough environment, on the run, hiding outsiders. Refug all that stuff. He came as a suffering servant, not as a conquering king. And we sometimes forget that.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. And it's remarkable to me, the best Christians. I put a few people like Billy Graham into other categories, but the best Christians that I have met, regular people, are those people usually from the Middle east or from China.

[Stu Burguiere]

Oh, yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

The ones who are just like, they. Oh, they. They have to know God, because it's literally all that gets them through their day.

[Stu Burguiere]

Oh, yeah. I have a friend who runs this ministry called World Relief, and he said the church in Iran is cool, man. He's like, they just. He's like, they're like, we just had another great bombing. And they're like, what? Like, we had a bombing of One of our churches. We've never been closer to God. We've never been more desperate for him. We've never. And I'm like, man, I hope. I wish I could reach that level of passion, desperation without needing to be oppressed.

[Glenn Beck]

I went to Iraq years ago and we were rescuing the Yazidis and I was supposed to come pick them up and then we're going to take them to some other country in Europe. And so when I get on the plane in New York, I'm told you may not be able to go see them because ISIS has just targeted the church at the time you're supposed to arrive. And they're having a final service. And so I'm on the, I'm on the plane wondering, I mean, what am I going to do when we get there? And I get there and they say, I said, so where are we meeting? And they like, oh, the church. And I said, did isis? And they said, no, they are, they're not changing their plans. And I said, okay. And then halfway through church Russia said that they were going to start bombing that city. And yeah, and I'm laughing just because.

[Stu Burguiere]

It'S like, this is not something we think about in America, right?

[Glenn Beck]

And I'm like, should we all maybe. Is there a shelter around here? They just kept singing and praying and they said to me, oh, if we die, we're with God right now, we're fine. This is great. It was amazing to see it.

[Stu Burguiere]

Very humbling. And so that's the kind of thing I'm hoping, not only that it reaches me, but the viewer when I do the chosen when I do a movie like Best Christmas Pageant Ever, it's. Can we somehow remove these. Sometimes it's religion, sometimes it's our sin, sometimes it's our art that gets us further away from what actually happened and from that desperation and from that authenticity. And so, yes, in this case, it's wrapped in a fun PG rated Christmas movie. But it's all the same intention of man, I'd love to get that level of direct connection so connected to Jesus that everything around you is irrelevant.

[Glenn Beck]

And this is so important, this Christmas. I mean, I've been fighting Santa and not in a bad. I didn't want to be that bad, dad. That's like, we're not Santa. Santa. Yeah. You know, I had fun as a kid with Santa, but I. It was a different culture. The culture said Christmas was about Jesus, not Santa. And Santa was just the fun part. And it is so important. And this is a fun way to bring your Kids, to the true story of Christmas. It's called the Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It's in theaters now. Are you going to release it on video on demand before Christmas or not?

[Stu Burguiere]

Just close to. Close to around Christmas.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

But I do hope that people go see it in theaters now. We want it to last in theaters as long as possible. But yes, eventually before. Right. Shortly before Christmas. It'll be available at home as well.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, I will tell you that the. It speaks a lot. I think this came out November 5th, 8th.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, yeah, right after the election.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. And you know, it is doing really well this early in New York Times.

[Stu Burguiere]

Liked it, Glenn. Like I got. It's got a 91% on rotten tomatoes, wormholes. I know there's a glitch in the Matrix, but there seems to be this reaction of like, wow, this is this, this movie does take me to where Christmas should be about. And it's been a really, really cool, really cool experience to see the reaction.

[Glenn Beck]

So we're with Dallas Jenkins, creator, director of the Chosen. And the new movie Must see the Best Christmas Pageant Ever. See it this week in theaters. It will be great to kick off the holiday and kind of also remind us, hey, God just played a big role in our lives here recently. We saw some miracles. Let's thank him. Let's thank him for that.

[Stu Burguiere]

You're listening to the Best of the Glenn Beck podcast. Hear more of this interview and others with the full show podcast available wherever you get podcasts.

[Glenn Beck]

So, Stu, how old Were you in 1985?

[Dallas Jenkins]

I was nine.

[Glenn Beck]

You were nine. So you were probably just. You remember Reagan clearly. Yeah, yeah.

[Dallas Jenkins]

I mean, back, Back to the Future, one of my all time favorite movies came out 1980. November 5, 1980.

[Stu Burguiere]

Right.

[Dallas Jenkins]

1955. 1985. Right. That was the year that it was that it took place.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay.

[Dallas Jenkins]

So I remember that distinctly.

[Glenn Beck]

And do you have real memories of the Cold War?

[Dallas Jenkins]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, of course Rocky 4, the movie that ended the Cold War.

[Glenn Beck]

Outside of movies, I mean, that's how.

[Dallas Jenkins]

You can accept those timelines in your life.

[Glenn Beck]

So there was a guy that I don't know if you would have remembered. He was a comedian and he came from around the Iron Curtain and he and his family got out of the former Soviet Union. He became a huge hit at the time because we really. He didn't see former Soviet citizens and especially ones that could tell jokes. And his name was Yakov Smirnoff. Remember him? Yeah, I just saw something from him the other day about Thanksgiving and I haven't seen this. I don't know if I even saw it in 1985, but it's worth listening to. Here he is, Yakov Smirnoff, just fresh from the Soviet Union, talking about Thanksgiving. Listen to this.

[Yakov Smirnoff]

It's Thanksgiving, and I'll tell you, it's my favorite holiday. I like parades without missiles. When I first was explained about Thanksgiving in America, I said, wait a minute, it doesn't make sense. I mean, for every freedom and all the opportunities that you got here, the only thing you gotta say is thanks. It just didn't seem like it was enough. My parents and I had our first Thanksgiving dinner in a little apartment in New York and we joined hands and my father said a prayer to good food and our health. And then something happened. Instead of releasing our hands, we couldn't let go. We kept holding on to each other tighter and tighter, and we realized we were together and we were free, really free. And here we were, three grown people looking for a way we could possibly show our appreciation. And we couldn't. Now I know what it is. It's thanks. Goodnight.

[Glenn Beck]

If you're watching it, you can see that he tears up at the end. There's no words to express thanks. And we have lost. We've lost that. The deep, deep gratitude for our lives. I have felt it over the last year unlike I've ever felt gratitude for my freedom, my safety, my family's safety. Being born here and now, especially after the election. You know, God, miracles can happen in your life all the time. Just quote chance encounters. Is it a chance encounter or is that an answer to a prayer? Is that divine providence? Miracles come when there's really no other explanation, when something that just you all have agreed, that just can't happen happens. Donald Trump getting shot at so close that the camera picks the bullet up, speeding toward his head, and just before it goes into his head, he moves his head in a way he never does before and it clips his ear instead of going right into the temple. That doesn't happen. That doesn't happen. To have a politician or a guy who is constantly beat on, constantly smeared, had more investigations done on him than I, and I believe this to be true. I'd love to see an actual study on this. Somebody who had more investigations, more spies on him, more, you know, going through the trash and everything else more than anyone else in human history by far, because every spy agency in the world did that. And then they went back and said, there's got to be something else for him to just continue to stand and Then when somebody tries to kill him, his first response is stand up. And then for him not to be angry, but instead to be humbled. What are the odds there for him to continue to go on and in fact, continue to stand? Do you know his plane was targeted? His plane was targeted. We know that there are surface to air missiles. We know that he was going to be targeted by foreign entities that are here for him to get on. Just get on his plane every time. The man knew he was risking his life for him to run the campaign that he ran. In the last eight months, you remember what it was like. It was all, you know, they're after me and all of this stuff because they were after him. But did you notice after the assassination attempt when he could have said, ah, instead he had a much more uniting message and a happier message and a positive message. And then for all of these people to come out of the woodwork and start to say, you know what? This is evil. I heard more talk from people who are not Christians. More talk from people going, there is something seriously wrong. And I think it's evil. What's going on? America woke up. I've been doing this for 50 years on the radio, almost 50 years. I've been. I've been doing this warning people for 24 years. I didn't think you'd wake up. Stu brought it up. You know, our theme is, you know, stand up. We wrote that theme four years ago because if you don't stand up, we're done. And we put that on, and I tried to make that an encouraging thing to convince people. You got to stand up right now. We're going to lose everything. You got to stand up. It's okay to stand up. It's the only way. You stood up after 24 years of the same message coming from me in different ways where I had lost hope. I mean, I said to you all last year, we got to find God. We got to. We got to be people where God thinks, you know what, they're worth saving. I said to you over and over again, I can come up with a million ways this is going to go wrong, but there's only one path for it to succeed, and that is God. And he showed up. He showed up. He's not done with us. He should be. Honestly, he should be with everything that we do for as. For as big as a miracle that is. I think a lot of people. I mean, I heard it right after the election. Wow. That. That was a miracle. And people meant it as a literal miracle. That's that was a miracle. Yeah, it was next week. Will we even remember it by next Thursday? Or will we make the holiday that was built to humble ourselves and to thank God for our blessings? Will we even remember the massive miracle? Stu, would you agree one of the biggest miracles you've seen in your life for America? I mean, that was a miracle that that happened in the way that it did. All of a sudden, the messaging was right. All of the right things fell into place. You know, for the first time ever, the GOP was serious on their ground game. I mean, all of these things that happened.

[Dallas Jenkins]

I thought you were just referring to him turning his head.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. And that all of that, from that moment on, all of that was a miracle. Let's not forget that next week, he's not. He's not done with us. You know, I heard somebody say to me on election day, I feel really good. I feel really good. I'm. I'm. I'm cautious, but I feel really good. And here's why. Why would he. Recognizing the miracle of the assassination attempt. Why would he save Donald Trump only to not save it now? I couldn't think of a reason other than I don't understand the mind of God. Think of this miracle. If Donald Trump would have won in 2020, it would have been more of the first term. We wouldn't get what we're about to get now. We wouldn't get the reduction of the government. We wouldn't get possibly the closing down of. Of some agencies, of cutting these agencies in half. We wouldn't have gotten those things. We wouldn't have had Elon Musk. We wouldn't have had Vivek Ramaswamy. We wouldn't have known. Remember, they didn't start cutting our children until the Biden administration. None of us had any idea about all this transgender stuff because that and dei, if you brought it up, it wasn't being done at least as openly, but it was all set to go. It wasn't being done until Biden got in. And then when we said, what the hell is all this? They said it was a conspiracy theory. And it took us three years to go, no, it's not. It's not a conspiracy theory, and it's deadly. It took us three years before the doctors even started to turn. It took Covid to wake people up. There is no bad there. Really. My father used to say this to me, glenn, there is no bad. It's. What do you do with the bad things that happen to you? You can either wallow in and say, oh, that was bad. Or you could recognize that sucked. But what did I learn from it? What did I take? How can I take that and turn that into a blessing? Covid was a blessing in the end because it woke people up. Tomorrow I have some surgery, then I go on vacation. It's not a big surgery. It's just have facial surgery again. Because I guess I'm out of room on my face for more cancer. So they got to take some cancer off my face so I can grow new cancer. I don't know. This never ends. But this is my last chance to talk to you before Thanksgiving. And this is my last chance before Thanksgiving to sincerely thank the Lord for showing up, for sincerely blessing our country, for showing me a miracle, too. One that I saw in North Carolina where people were standing because God told them, come from across the country. I know you don't know anybody. I know you don't think you're going to be able to make a difference, but just go. And they got in their cars and they drove across the country. And those people were put to work in ways that I couldn't have served. Maybe you couldn't have served, but they actually did it. And God worked a miracle. And then he worked this. Please. Even if it is just holding the hands around the table just. Just for an extra minute, there is nothing that we can say to him more meaningful than just thank you. Thank you, Lord, for an incredible experience. Thank you for letting us live at this time to be in your service. Thank you for waking us up. Thank you for giving us the reason to stand. Happy Thanksgiving.