SPEAKER_03 0:07

Jaron Lockridge is a filmmaker, full-time police officer, and founder of Cinema Ministry Productions. Through both law enforcement and personal life experience, he has seen firsthand the realities of addiction, shame, trauma, emotional pain, broken relationships, and spiritual hopelessness. After a life-changing encounter with Jesus, he shifted from independent media into creating Christ-centered stories focused on redemption, healing, and restoration. His upcoming streaming series, House for the Broken, featured on Amazon, explores themes like addiction, broken families, discipleship, emotional healing, shame, and freedom, inspired by real-life experiences he's lived through and witnessed firsthand.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Welcome to the Pursuing Redemption Podcast with Heather Shore.

SPEAKER_03 1:31

Well, welcome, Jaron, to the show. We're excited to have you. Yeah. Well, it's just we're gonna hop right in. Tell us a little bit about your journey of coming to know Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Uh yeah, I've been pretty much uh raised in a Christian family my entire life. Uh my uncle uh was my pastor for the majority of my life until he retired. And uh my uh cousin, her husband, is my pastor now. Uh my closest cousin is a pastor. I've always been close to the faith um growing up, but I would probably say uh this last year, I'm 40 now, so I would say this last year was probably a turning point to where I've probably been the closest to Christ that I've ever been, uh, for a lot of different reasons. Uh so yeah, I've always been um close uh as far as raised in a in a Christian household and uh you know just familiar with Jesus. Um but yeah, this that's that's been a story uh that I've been familiar with for most of my life.

unknown 2:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

That's awesome. Well, can you explain a little bit of what you went through in your childhood and how this has sort of impacted your journey overall? And we'll get into all the amazing things you're doing in TV and film.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

Yeah. Um, you know, I I t I like to tell people I had I didn't have this this storybook movie uh style childhood. I had I was just a normal kid, uh nerdy kid. I uh uh a lot of uh what I went through, you know, growing up was just trying to be accepted, you know, uh was uh you know very smart, you know, mostly to myself. Uh my ears were the exact same now that they were when I was six, so I had to grow into them. So, you know, there was a cause of a lot of uh bullying and whatnot, and you know, getting in the high school and finally becoming the cool kid. So a lot of just trying to find myself. I had amazing parents, um, amazing parents. You know, we were poor growing up, but you know, they they never made you feel like it, you know. Um so uh a lot of those values and stuff were instilled in me when I was younger, and uh I carry them uh with me today. So uh, you know, I just um nowadays uh I see the how valuable it is to have great parents and having a great father and a great mother, uh, you know, that was a blessing in itself before I even realized it. So yeah, I I I love to tell people I didn't have this major uh you know um eventful childhood. I was just a normal kid in Tennessee growing up in the country. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

That's wonderful. So what led you into sort of cinema and like writing and telling stories and and where you are today?

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Um well, I've always been a part of a creative family, you know, always been you know, songwriting and stuff like that. So um, and when I was in high school, I ended up um taking this theater arts class by example. I mean by uh accident. Uh I just needed a class that year, and uh I I took this theater arts class and just fell in love with it and noticed that I had a a real God-given gift for writing. Um yeah, jumped directly into I wrote an entire stage play, first time ever writing. And uh they they were using it uh, you know, even after I graduated, they were still using it for the spring play. So I've just always had a gift for writing, and um, I kind of got away from it and uh entered a career in law enforcement and um got back into it, you know, kind of like a you know, as an outlet, a creative outlet to kind of get away from the job and started my um production company in 2016 and and been doing yeah, pretty, pretty steady since then with uh, you know, a lot of feature-linked films and series and stuff like that, and been um producing until um here recently when I kind of rebranded my company and went a different way. So yeah, I've always been a part of the arts, been a part of a creative family. Uh just I've always been uh blessed with that that God-given talent to be a creative.

SPEAKER_03 6:09

That's amazing. So, what were some of the things you worked on in the past before like pivoting to what you're doing now?

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Yeah, a lot mostly a lot of uh secular projects. Um I've uh I've I because of my law enforcement background, I I loved crime dramas. So uh a lot of stuff that I did were in the you know, mostly in the crime drama drama uh genre. And um I I started, I I went under this mantra called the Gorilla Filmer, which is basically no gorilla filmmaking and a skeleton crew. Uh so I would I was able to find a way, a system that worked for me to where I could produce these projects very low front end, um, but keep the quality high. So uh yeah, a lot of people, you know, when they see my work, they're like, it's no way that you did this, you know, with one or two people behind the camera. And you know, that's something that I was proud of. I was able to uh you know write stuff that I was able to do rare uh pretty easily uh with my budget level and um just keep it high quality that way people wouldn't even realize that I was doing it with a skeleton crew. So uh yeah, very, very successful um as you know, for the level that I was at. Um, I just felt that that pull to um to change directions and and do work that uh glorified the Lord more. So uh yeah, that's kind of what led to that that pivot uh for my brand.

unknown 7:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:42

Ah, I gotcha. So can you tell us a little bit of like your inner healing journey and how God has really brought redemption into your life? You mentioned you had a background in law enforcement.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Yeah, uh, so yeah, I I um went to the academy in 2010. Um and uh you know got into law enforcement. And uh one thing about this this job is uh you see a lot of stuff normal people probably wouldn't see uh, you know, often. So uh it wasn't it didn't take long before I realized that this job was different. Uh you know, kind of seeing these uh I started off in this real rural town, uh very small department, uh mostly, you know, fatality wrecks, and it was a prison there, so you would see um you have to take these prison assaults and stuff like that, and then I moved to a bigger department. And you know, just you just see so much trauma, you see the worst of humanity for a living, and that kind of uh takes a toll on you. So I uh that's when I got back into writing because I kind of took a hiatus from writing. So I got back into writing as a as an outlet, uh in a way. Um and just to just to get away from the job, and um along these lines, um ended up getting into you know kind of a point of addiction, you know, like just kind of in the midst of all of that, um, and dealing with that in my life and just continuously, you know, going through this and that, and just came to this point to where I was in this this this crisis of faith is the way I put it uh to where uh you just looking back now, that's why I say uh I've always grew up in a Christian family, uh, but I wasn't very intentional with it, uh, if I could put it that way. Uh you know, now that if you can now that I'm at the point where I am now, you can kind of look and see that's probably the story of a lot of people. They just they grow up around it and you know, they assume, you know, this and that. But if you're not intentional in getting to know him, like when life starts to to to hit you in the face, uh it kind of brings you to that to the parable of the sower, you know, how deep is your roots uh in the faith. You know, when when stuff starts to get hard, how how deep are those roots before you start to fall off the faith? So I kind of got to that point. Um, and you know, God just met me in the middle of it. Uh I I would say it was the probably the clearest that I felt the Holy Spirit um uh pull me to him and and deliver me from the things that I was dealing with. So um, yeah, I I the from that point, you know, I just kind of felt this conviction um to turn my my career around, to start producing projects solely for him. Uh and that's where I got to uh rebranding my company, Cinema Ministry Productions, and just basically going, you know, mostly to a faith-based route, uh, just basically off of that. Uh, you know, this last year he's been just doing a work on me uh to the point I just can't get enough. You know, like um, you know, uh I hadn't read the the the Bible uh probably my entire life until last year. And then I read through, you know, I was just so hungry, I read through the entire thing in six months and just come with such a clarity that I I never had before. Uh just because I I just wasn't that intentional uh with my relationship with them. So uh yeah, I just you know that that's probably the the biggest changing point in my life is when um you know I uh came to this point to like is God real or is he is you know is he not and just had to go and uh rebuild my faith from the foundation up. You know, you couldn't lean on your mother's faith. You had to go for yourself. So uh yeah, I went on a deep dive through everything. I went to looking like I really had to build it up uh intellectually uh to match you know the spiritual end of it, and you know, just went through you know the origins of the Bible, you know, going through all of it. And and one thing you'll find out that is God can stand up to your questions, he can stand up to your questions. Amen. And the evidence is there if you really want to find it. So uh yeah, this last year I would say was you know my you know, my last year of my 30s was probably a turning point in my life that I'm I'm so grateful to God for.

SPEAKER_03 12:16

Yeah, that's amazing. So can you tell us about the TV series that you've developed called House for the Broken? It looks very good. And you know, where is it going to stream and and what is it about?

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Yeah, House for the Broken uh is a show that like it basically came up from this last year. Um uh because I knew if you know if I was dealing with that, a lot of other people were. Sure. So like uh House for the Broken is basically it's it surrounds a church. Uh this pastor and his family shepherding this church, and you just follow um a group of characters uh as they go through different things. You have one who's dealing with a life of domestic abuse. Um she's you know, was invited to church by a co-worker, and she's just trying to see what the faith is about, and then you have another one who's um she has a past and uh a dark past, a little bit of prostitution, stuff like that. So she's coming to the faith as well. You have another one who's dealing with grief, and the pastor himself who's dealing with uh a family life to where he's uh he's shepherding a church, but his own uh son is kind of going his own way, so he's feeling a failure as a as a father. So you see a lot of brokenness uh in the faith. And that's something that I I was passionate about bringing like a lot of faith-based content. They show you the glossiness, and and you you you have a lot of them that show brokenness, but it's always this happy ending, it's always this like you know, just call on the Lord and everything will be all right, type of thing. And yeah, I wanted to show a more raw, authentic um way that people live and struggle with stuff through this show that um that people can can see this and feel like they're part of stories themselves. So that's where uh House for the Broken came. Um I'm I'm very passionate as a storyteller myself of telling human authentic stories. And by being in law enforcement, by witnessing so many people's lives and seeing so many different situations, I can speak to that it with an authentic voice that I feel like a lot of writers may not be uh able to do in such a way. So I'm able to pour that into these stories, and also being a person of faith and experiencing stuff myself, I'm able to pour uh some authentic stuff into these stories. So yeah, right now um it's gonna be on Amazon uh and Ubi, uh, and we're pitching it for licensing to a couple other platforms like Peacock, Paramount. Uh so you know, uh I I just said like, hey, I'm I'm just being obedient. Uh I'm gonna let the Lord the rest, and you know, wherever the show goes, it goes. But yeah, for a start, it'll be those couple platforms. Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:11

Do you see this sort of developing into a series?

SPEAKER_02 15:14

Yeah, yeah. Okay. So the plan is to keep it going. Um this first uh season is eight episodes. They they all average about 35 minutes a piece.

SPEAKER_05 15:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Um, and my goal is to keep this thing going. Um, and and a lot of that is gonna be based off of audience feedback. Um you know, if you know they enjoy it, uh, I'll keep it going. But if you know everybody was like, I I hate it, I don't know. I might have to kind of be even another way. Uh but yeah, this is this is my passion now, uh, is trying to spread the gospel through cinema. That's the reason why I name my company Cinema Ministry Productions, because it's gonna be a ministry through cinema. Uh, media is such a powerful platform nowadays. Uh media is such a uh influential platform as everybody can see nowadays. So I I just want to use media to kind of spread the gospel without banging it over your head. Um that's that's a very uh difficult thing that I'm I'm noticing is just trying to uh make it entertaining without just being only entertainment. You kind of want to uh still spread the gospel and be effective, but you want to do it in in a very authentic way to the way people are, man. This thing's just preaching at me. You want to make it uh the way people can see it and observe it and and and and absorb that without feeling like they're being preached to. So that's awesome. Yeah, that's that's my my what I feel my purpose is. Um, you know, I I've been blessed with this talent and I feel like this is what uh I'm supposed to do with it. So yeah, House for the Broken is the lead project on a array of projects that are scheduled here in the future.

SPEAKER_03 17:01

Okay, that's amazing. And I know one of the things that you talk about is that um, you know, no one is too far gone for redemption. So how do you really weave that into your storylines? Because I think a lot of us judge people, right? We do based on stories and histories, and and you know, you just you just don't ever know who you might be talking to.

SPEAKER_02 17:25

Yeah, yeah. It's and then that's one thing that you know I was very passionate about with this to kind of show that because uh you have two characters on here who feel like um they're too far gone. Uh one even makes the statement, maybe I can't be saved. And and a lot of that is to show you uh is that you can't uh it's no how far you can go, it's no hole too deep to where Jesus can come and grab you out of it. Um I mean that that was a lot of his you know at in on his ministry here on earth, he would go to people that you know they wouldn't normally go to. He would go down there and meet them where they are, not to affirm or tell them to keep doing what they're doing, but to show them, look, you can come and you can follow me. Uh so that's a lot of it uh is just showing that it's no matter what you've done, redemption is available for you. Uh and and uh uh just trying to push the importance of biblical you know literacy. Um a lot of stuff that we see out here nowadays, uh, you know, a lot of people put a Christian stamp on it, but yeah, um you have to look for the fruit of what people are uh bringing to whatever thing that they're doing. It's a lot of you know, you know, politics and anything else. You know, sometimes when uh an agenda is behind stuff, you know, the people love to put God on it and you know, dress it up with God when their actions aren't responsive to that. So I know how that can probably be very um dissuading to somebody who feels like they're not worthy enough when you see like these Christians, they got it all together and they don't ever go with anything, and that's farthest from the truth. We deal with stuff uh just like everybody else. So that was my intent with this show is just to show the real side that you you rarely ever see, how Christians struggle uh behind the scenes, and how you know suffering is mentioned quite a bit uh in the Bible for a reason because you're not gonna dodge suffering just because you're part of this faith. But uh you have a God that will be there with you through it all. So um just trying to show that to people and and hopefully, you know, it it somebody sees this show. If I can just get one person, uh, you know, I feel like my job is um well done. If I could just get one person to think and think, you know, maybe, you know, maybe I'm not too far gone and and sold Christ. Uh yeah, that's that's um mission accomplished uh to me. Yeah. How far this show goes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

Amen. And and think about it, you know, he left the 99 for the one.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Exactly, exactly. And and um, you know, it and I can't think of the exact story, but you see that uh I believe what it says that uh he when one sinner um repents and comes, he rejoices heaven rejoices, you know. I mean, anybody um you know anybody can turn around and come to the faith and and and God will be elated for you. So that's that's why I just I I have a passion of showing people is no matter what you've done in your past, you can always turn around and come to the Lord and He will welcome you with open arms.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Yeah, yeah, amen. One of the things that I think this is just really cool after reading your you know your story and your bio is that to me, a lot of the arts and media feels like it's chasing a dream, right? Like because a lot of people see it as you know a cost center and not something that you make a lot of money on. You know, if if we're being real from a business standpoint. So if you could give someone, you know, hope and encouragement to really chase after their dreams, right? Because it sounds like that's what you're doing and that's what the Lord's led you to, what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_02 21:19

I would just say find your gift. Um, I would say it's a difference between having a talent and having a gift in a way. Um okay. Sometimes your gift you you'll notice uh will will leave you feeling a lot more fulfilled. You'll notice that it impacts people uh a little differently. Um and then when you operate in your gift, uh is this guy from my area, he always says that operate in your gift. Uh and he, you know, that that's such a a truth when you can when you can do that. You you feel more fulfilled, you feel like what you're doing means more. Uh so I would just say that find what your gift is. You know, you you can be talented in a bunch of things, but Something means more to you. Something means more to others. Uh and and chase that. And uh one thing that's valuable that a lot of people don't don't mention, especially in the faith-based space, if you're you know, if you're a part of the church or part of the faith, pray about it. You know, like always uh pray about it and he'll he'll guide you one way or another. He either affirm it or or deter you from it uh one way or another. So uh I would just tell people that like uh once you figure that out and and once he leads you the way that you need to go, uh the rest is history. He will always provide and push you to where you need to be. Um and sometimes you you know, whatever it is, you may not feel comfortable doing it, or you may not like it at first, but you'll find out that what exactly you're supposed to do, what your purpose is, and and just use that to whatever um advantage that you have. And and just mine just happen to be uh filmmaking. I'm talented in I I can write music, I can sing, but I don't necessarily enjoy neither one of them. I I love writing, um, and I love filmmaking, and I feel like that's what I put on this earth for because it just comes effortlessly to me, effortless, and I see how uh stories that I've produced have uh affected people. I've gotten messages um about uh especially like um on some of my past work. I I remember this guy in particular from New York that called me and we just talked for hours. Uh really. Yeah, I I don't know how he got my number, maybe online somehow. But like he was just telling me how that story, you know, just seeing that story affected him. Uh and and that's what I'm hoping for myself for shows like what I'm producing now is that hopefully I can just see how it made somebody think. Uh maybe they didn't didn't didn't realize something that they saw in this show before and then made them, you know, kind of just open their mind to it. Uh so like I just feel like that is my talent, that is my gift, and whatever, you know, even if yours is cooking, you know, like just you know pursue it and and pursue it faithfully, be consistent. Um, you know, uh for always find out time to work on something that you love to do that you feel is your purpose, and just continue to continue to go after it. Uh, you know, you may not get the likes or the shares or the attention at first, but continue, continue, and that consistency will bring results eventually.

SPEAKER_03 24:41

Amen. Do you can you look back now and sort of see like the progression over time of what God was doing?

SPEAKER_02 24:49

Oh, exactly, exactly. Like I I was uh telling somebody else recently, like even me being in law enforcement.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

I was gonna ask, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:57

Yeah, like uh that was never a dream. I never grew up wanting to be a cop. Like that. That was so odd the way I came into it. But like now I've seen how you know, just the kind of person that I am, where I I had to see firsthand um humanity, like how broken we are. Because that was one thing early in my life. I used to always wonder, like, you know, just the whole thought of, you know, you're you're a sinner, or how you could still be looked at as a through God's lens, as a uh sinner, because like I I don't steal, I don't kill, I don't this, this, and that. But you know, the the seeds of that, that you know, the you know, usually murder and all this are the results of the the seeds of sin, pride, envy, you know, all the stuff that you know uh God looks at as detestable. So a lot of that seeing firsthand and just seeing how broken people are, how um because I've seen it, I've seen it all. I've seen you know, people who are highly adored fall. Uh that's why now like when you see uh people fall, like I'm just it it doesn't shock me. I don't judge people because I I just realize that we're all broken in one way or another. It takes just one temptation for you to fall for it, and everything you built, you know, like uh can fall uh to pieces, or just one false move here, wrong move here can break down, you know, uh this person. So I just see how how fragile and and broken humanity is, and and that's helped me uh immensely with my faith to the point where I am now, to where a lot of those questions I could see me still having by me experiencing certain things firsthand, like you just kind of answer those questions naturally for me. And I kind of have a perspective that a lot of people don't have.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

I bet. Yeah, that's so cool. So if you could tell someone to pursue redemption and chase after Jesus, what would you say?

SPEAKER_02 27:02

Um, I would say uh just just do it. Um, I would say, you know, it I mean that's the the simplest way it's a great it's a great slogan. Just do it. I mean it's shame uh is the number one tool of the enemy. Uh and if he can keep you holding on to that shame and keep you crippled by that shame, you will never seek redemption. You never think that you're worthy of redemption when in fact none of us are worthy of redemption. Um the the whole point of you know even Jesus coming um to to be crucified for us is because we were never worthy of it. Um and he did all the work for us, and all we have to do is follow him. And and the one thing that um a lot of people struggle with is you know, seeing like uh like I was mentioning earlier, seeing a lot of people who are you know claiming the Christian faith, uh but don't show fruit of it, and that deters a lot of people. You have a lot of church hurt, um, a lot of um pain that are caused by people who are supposed to be in the faith. And I would tell people, um, first off, I would say um, you know, pray. I would say uh one thing I wish I knew very early in life uh more seriously is how important the Bible is. Like that book is supernatural, uh, in my opinion. And you know, you see a lot of it once you read that and see the heart of God, you see uh the character of God, you and then you can look at um a lot of stuff that goes on around us and you can see where that doesn't match up. You know, like uh you know, I I think of this one instance of a person that I I know where um a a certain pastor uh would do certain things, and I I would tell her this doesn't line up with scripture. Like uh and and the Bible warns you of wolves in sheep's clothing, it warns you of how people will will uh you know claim me with their mouths, but their heart will be far from me. So you have to realize that people are just as broken as you, you know, use people, uh not use is probably the best word, but you know, commune with people, grow with people, but also know that they're people just like you, and you know, don't judge the source off of off of another human. So um I would that would be one thing with anybody finding redemption, like we're all fighting, struggling in one way, and uh they you know if somebody tries to judge your struggle, uh it's not gonna be um um worthy of that. So I would just tell anybody if you're if you're seeking him, seek him and and do it honestly, do it humbly, and I can almost guarantee you, because I know firsthand that he will meet you in the midst of whatever it is, and you just have to be intentional with your relationship with him. And you know, everything is not gonna be peaches and cream, uh, everything is not gonna be, you know, you're not gonna profess and and and become saved and never have a struggle again. Uh, but you you have a God that will walk through through it with you. Uh, and um I'm I'm very passionate about that. I'm very passionate about um meeting people uh at their lows and and just letting them know that that um yeah, you you you can never go too far to where you can't come back and and uh be redeemed uh through Christ.

SPEAKER_03 30:56

Amen. Well, tell everybody where they can find your TV show and when it comes out. I believe it comes out in July.

SPEAKER_02 31:03

Yes, it's uh we'll start to post uh around July 22nd. Uh House for the Broken. It will start on Amazon, Tubi, uh, and more platforms to come. Uh I I encourage everyone to go to my website, uh cinema ministry.com, sign up for the mailing list. Uh, you can also sign up or follow us. Uh I mean on uh TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Facebook on Cinema Ministry. Uh we also on YouTube. Uh we have like a little docus series, uh Making House for the Broken that you can follow and uh a lot of more content that's coming soon. Uh I'm I'm getting into like short form content and trying to do uh this thing I call narrative apologetics, which is just basically informing people using cinema. Uh, you know, I'm I'm gonna go over some scriptures that are kind of take it out of context a lot. And uh yeah, my passion is just to just to inform people um and and and bring forth a level of uh biblical literacy that I feel like a lot of people um aren't akin to. Uh the you know, the Bible's a long book, uh it depending on what translation you read. Sometimes that, you know, like King James that old English is kind of hard to understand. So just kind of want to use cinema uh, you know, uh filmmaking as a medium to just push the gospel out there in more effective ways and reach people to where, you know, maybe you don't like reading, maybe you you are a visual person and showing you this uh can can get to your heart a little easier than you know trying to tell somebody hey you need to read this every day, read this every day. And hopefully they get to a point to where they enjoy and want to read scripture, but sometimes you just have to take different approaches with certain people, and uh that's where I hopefully I can use my medium to do so.

SPEAKER_03 33:00

That's amazing. Well, Jaron, thank you so much for coming on today. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 33:04

Thank you so much for having me. I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_06 33:08

Here I am all right, in the straw Jackson to the rhythm, here I am in the straw jets and to the rhythm, cabin closer, here I am in the store, jets and to the rhythm.