Interview: Matthew Faraci on His New Series About Faith, “Frankly Faraci”

The first episode of Frankly Faraci is premiering March 21, 2017 on Dove Channel, Featuring The Piano Guys. In each episode, Matthew Faraci talks with someone who is doing great things in the world because of their Christian faith. Guest from the arts, sports, politics, and other disciplines talk about their faith and how it inspires their choices. The series is available on Roku, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, iOS, and Google Play.

In an interview, Matthew Faraci told me how he finds guests and makes them comfortable talking about their beliefs, and what he has learned.

Where do you find the guests for the show?

I am an avid researcher, and Dove Channel also has a very sharp team who knows how to dig. We’re looking for very specific voices—we want people who are well-known, doing amazing things in the world, and driven to do so by their faith. When we find personalities that fit these criteria, we reach out and ask for an interview.

What faiths and faith traditions do you include?

All good people who follow the Good Book.

How do you make your guests feel comfortable talking about faith?

To begin, we don’t select people who are shy about their faith. If a guest comes on Frankly Faraci, he or she is happy to discuss it. Then there’s a deeper answer. We sit down with people in environments where they are most comfortable and feel most at home, and then have a conversation almost as if the cameras aren’t there. This “magic formula” creates the right conditions for an interview that really delves into what ’s inside our guests.

Do the guests discuss their own faith journeys? For most of them, did it begin with their families when they were children or was it something they came to as adults?

The most beautiful thing—to me—is to see the wide ranges of people’s stories. Everyone has their own journey and their own story, the best part of the job is to get to ask those questions.

What Bible verses do you find most quoted by your guests as inspirational?

I most often quote a verse which sums up the show. Matthew 5:16 says “…let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” That’s the common thread, that’s what all each and every one of these people are doing. As they shine their light, our job is to shine a light on them!

In your homeschooling, how do you connect lessons of faith to opportunities to solve problems and help others for your children?

Our educational approach is to mirror as closely as we can the education that many of America’s Founders received through the Noah Plan. This Biblical-centric approach informs us that faith is not a supplement to dealing with life’s challenges but rather the very foundation. In this sense, every challenge and every opportunity can be approached through that lens.

How can parents set a good example of showing how faith connects their beliefs and their actions?

I don’t believe kids listen to what parents say as much as they watch what we do. If you want your kids to be faithful, you have to live out your faith in your own life. When they see that you are authentic and that you mean it, as Proverbs says “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” In the 2nd episode of season one, we interviewed Bryan and Diane Schwartz who have a group called FamilyGoals.co. Their approach is amazing! They are empowering parents to win at home, and to have the kind of family they’ve always hoped for!

What have you learned from your guests?

Biggest Lesson: diversity was God’s invention, and it’s mind-blowing to see the way He uses different people to bless the world. For example, Studio C reaches families and kids through their amazingly funny, family-friendly comedy, The Piano Guys do the same but through their music, and Propaganda is reaching young people in a way that I never could. That blesses me so much.

I often sit back and pinch myself and ask, why do I get to do this show? How is it that I have the opportunity to interview these people? It is an absolute thrill to be a part of this show, and I believe that people will see my passion and excitement and getting excited right along with me. Joy is infectious, positivity is infectious!

I want people to take two things away from this show. First, for people who don’t come from a faith background, I want them to see that faithful people are cool, fun-loving, carefree, and amazing…because that is my own experience. And for people that do come from a faith background, I want them to be inspired, to understand that they can climb to new heights and there are no limits. As the Good Book says, with God, all things are possible.