New York Times best-selling author DeVon Franklin is president of Franklin Entertainment, which has produced blockbuster inspirational films Breakthrough and Miracles From Heaven. DeVon lost his dad at a young age and credits the women in his family for shaping him into a man of strong faith. He features a multigenerational conversation with them in his Audible Original book It Takes a Woman.
How did a community of faith help you growing up? I was nine years old when my dad passed of alcohol addiction that led to a heart attack. I was in my most formative years, with more cards stacked against me than for me. Here was my mom raising three boys on her own.
“The village” as I call them—my grandmother and her seven sisters—selflessly came together to help my mom raise my two brothers and me. The role of prayer has been integral from the beginning. There was a lot of praying—days when my mother didn’t know how she was going to provide food or pay the rent.
The life I’m living now is a direct answer to her prayers and the prayers of the women in my family. If not for them, I don’t know where I’d be. They taught us to express ourselves and speak with confidence—not hide our light under a bushel. Right now we need community and connection more than ever. In a time where there’s a lot of division, it is a key to overcoming and withstanding whatever may come our way.
What’s crucial to remember about God’s timing? There’s a lot of things that happen in certain periods of time that only God can control. We have to be open to how God wants to do things in the way that only he can. The same year my aunt Ida married my uncle Pastor D. J. Williams, they started an independent ministry in East Oakland, California.
That ministry, called Wings of Love, became our family church and helped save all of our family’s lives. That happening the year my father died was a lifeline. We were active in the church; we felt ownership of the church. We would not only go to church every Sabbath but have Bible study during the week, sing songs and read Scripture on Friday night. We would listen to gospel music while getting ready for school in the morning.
My mother was very much of the mindset “as for me and my house we’re going to serve the Lord,” and I’m grateful for that.
You lost your dad 35 years ago and still talk about it. Why is it important to continue to express our grief? We all go through tragedies and challenges. Being open and honest about what I’ve been through is a way to help others find healing. Doing this project, talking with my mom and aunts about what they were experiencing during this time, was a way to heal.
Being honest and transparent about what I’ve gone through helped me build a stronger community because a lot of people out there—families—have been impacted by alcoholism. They’ve connected to my story and found help. For me, that’s one of the main reasons to continue to be open and transparent.
Sometimes we don’t want to go back, but when I allowed myself to, I began to realize this is why I’m created: because I want to inspire people and help them live their best life.
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