Actress and author Jen Lilley’s new book, “Wake Up Your Faith,” is a call to spiritual action that draws on scripture and her decades in film to urge readers to translate belief into tangible care for others.
Inspired by the Epistle of James, Lilley said the book’s purpose is to “wake up and activate people’s faith.” She leaned on a central biblical injunction, quoting James to emphasize the relationship between belief and deeds: “Faith without works is dead.” The book, she said, grew from a conviction that genuine encounters with God produce outward expressions of love. “If you really encounter God who describes himself as love, he is true love,” Lilley said. “Loving other people is a natural byproduct.”
Lilley, who estimates she has appeared in more than 60 films including a string of popular Hallmark films, wrote “Wake Up Your Faith” after multiple invitations to do so.
“I was asked to write it. It was not on my radar. And I said no several times,” she recounted. Eventually she sought divine guidance on the message she should deliver. “I really asked the Lord, like, what do you want to say to people?” she said.
The result aims to spiritually “rise up the dead bones” evoked in Ezekiel, equipping believers to be a “healthy, radiant” church, Lilley said. “This book is to really almost spiritually rise up the dead bones that are alluded to in Ezekiel, you know, put on flesh like get you equipped and and prepare the Bride of Christ,” she said.
Lilley’s career in faith-based and romantic films has given her a platform to reach audiences during emotionally fraught seasons. Her holiday work, she said, has offered comfort to viewers coping with loss and loneliness. “
I cannot tell you how many times at different events, a fan has come up to me and said, ‘your Christmas movie was the only 90 minutes I didn’t cry the whole season,’ ” Lilley said. “For me that means, honestly, more than an Academy Award.”
Her latest release, “A ChrisMystery,” diverges from traditional holiday fare. Lilley plays a cynical sheriff in a family-friendly indie that revolves around stolen Christmas decorations. She described the film as unconventional: “There’s not a lot of fanfare, there’s not a lot of hot chocolate, there’s not a lot of Christmas decor at all.” Calling it a movie “for people who hate Christmas movies,” Lilley likened its tone to an offbeat mashup: “If the Grinch, Napoleon Dynamite and the cleanest parts of a soap opera had a baby, it would be A Chris Mystery.”
The film is available across digital platforms, Lilley said, including Fandango, Apple and Amazon Prime, after an initial indie release. The eclectic approach is typical of her willingness to embrace diverse projects. “So much of my life is like that. People say, ‘How did you do that?’ Well, it’s just an open door, and I said yes,” she said.
Beyond holiday rom-coms, Lilley is also part of “JIMMY!,” a forthcoming biographical film about Jimmy Stewart. She plays Gloria Stewart, the actor’s wife, in a movie that explores Stewart’s career and wartime service. Lilley said the project, now in post-production, will premiere Nov. 6, 2026.
“Faith was huge for him, and so I’m just excited for audiences to see it,” she said, noting the film’s potential to inspire unity and patriotism.
Lilley also co-hosts a podcast with CBN’s Billy Hallowell that explores supernatural phenomena through a biblical lens. She explained how the show grew from conversations about miracles and the unseen. “I’ve always wanted to tackle the subject of the supernatural, miracles that are still happening today,” she said. Lilley stresses a scriptural framework for topics often treated sensationally in popular culture.
“Ghosts are demons. They are actually not ghosts,” she said, referencing the Bible’s portrayal of occult deceptions and insisting that many supernatural claims ought to be evaluated carefully.
With her book, films and podcast, she said her aim is simple: to help people experience a tangible, sustaining encounter with God.
“People just need to know that God wants to encounter them so much more than we want to encounter him,” she said.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In