Thursday, January 12, 2017

The Walk Away


I am discovering it seems to be a right of passage for the independent filmmaker for their investor to walk away suddenly at the last moment before closing.  I've seen it happen to my friends.  And now I am apart of the club.  

Here's how I am processing this disappointment.  First off, forgive.  My wife and I forgive and bless our now ex-investors daily.  Everyday I feel lighter and more peace.  They didn't intentionally hurt us. It's going to take an investor with a passion for Jesus, Christian Filmmaking and our Family to help us create, Perfect Swing Movie.  Secondly, I am strengthening myself in the Lord by reminding myself of His promises for Perfect Swing.  My wife and I were trying to remember specific promises that we knew had to be from God and not our own fantasies.  We've heard plenty of encouraging words ourselves and from friends and family who love us and want to see us succeed and we need and receive those encouragements but in a time like this we needed to remember the promises that came supernaturally through perfect strangers.  We remembered two.  The first one we received in August 2015 from the manager of the golf club in Shreveport while visiting family on our way to Dallas.  He heard from the Lord a couple days before we even met and before he let me introduce myself he told me that God said, "A golf movie will be shot here and Bubba Watson is coming."  Right now I still hold the gate key to the now closed country club and have free reign to film on the entire location without any members, staff or events to schedule around.  It's a perfect studio backlot for our movie and it's available now, for a limited time.  Because of that promise we decided not to look any further for golf courses in Dallas and decided to make the movie in Shreveport.  Our second promise we remembered from perfect strangers and now dear friends is when our investment was delayed last October 2015 and we didn't know where we should live after just receiving our golf course location.  We met them for the first time at church in the morning and by that evening they offered us a fully-furnished 1800 sq ft Loft Apartment in Downtown Shreveport right next to them.  They were trying to lease it but after meeting us they said that, "Jesus wanted us to have this place for as long as we need it."  They are the most amazing generous people I have ever met and our children play so well together.  Those two promises are why we are in Shreveport.  We didn't stay here because of a promise from our investor.  We stayed here and I have planned out every detail of the movie on this specific location because God spoke and said, "Film here."  Live here."  God hasn't changed His mind even though our investor did.

It's a daily battle for me to hold onto these promises.  December was full of disappointment.  I am reminded how disappointed Peter must have been after his Lord died on the cross after expecting Jesus to reign as King and overthrow the Romans.  Peter couldn't grasp the marvel of what Jesus had planned for him and the whole world.  But I can understand why Peter went fishing.  He didn't know what else to do after such a shock.  He caught nothing that night.  This week that's how I feel as I reach out to every person I know asking for help to keep this project alive.  I am waiting for Jesus to walk along the shore and say, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”  Bill Johnson from Bethel Redding says, "Love and faith are the greatest absolutes in the Bible. No one can live without them. When we do not get an immediate breakthrough, it is because a delayed answer has a higher purpose. When you receive a word of promise and the answer delays, it is only because your answer is gaining interest so that your promise will have a greater, lasting impact."  Don't cry for us.  God's plan for the Himes family is greater then we can even imagine.  He loved on us by giving us a puppy for Christmas and a $10k gift so we can continue on.  Keep praying.  It's Act 3. Resurrection power time when the hero overcomes all!


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