What a crazy week this has been. After a worldwind trip around Florida I returned on Monday. What an amazing trip. I started in Daytona Beach, spent a few days in the Orlando area, then a week teaching The Jesus Lens at a YWAM base in Sarasota through a German translator. After which I finished up in West Palm Beach reconnecting with some old friends and enjoying time with some new ones. This was a wonderful trip and I met so many people who are learning to live in the reality of Father’s affection and break free fo the trappings of religious obligation and performance. I am always amazed by what God lets me do in the world and who he gives me to know. And I admire the courage of so many who are willing to take the road less traveled even when suffering the judgment and abuse of friends and family who regard them now with suspicion simply for rejecting the idea that Jesus came to start a religion. He didn’t. He came to invite us alongside his Father, to freely embrace his love and to freely share it in the world.
I only had a couple of days to re-orient from the trip, try to catch-up on my email backlog and make the few appointments I had previous scheduled before the lead producer, Kevin, and the screen writer, Angela, for the movie adaptation of So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore arrive for a weekend of trying to finalize the script. Tomorrow someone else, Eugene, will join us who might be the director of this picture. I am still amazed that this book is making progress through the machinery that tries to cough out a movie.
But I’ve had a lot of fun living inside the story again. Tentatively called, “Out of the Game,” it takes the major parts of that story and reshapes them in a way that will help it communicate with a different audience on the big screen. I’ve enjoyed working with all the people on this project and the passion they have shown for this story. We’re still not agreed on every detail, but having just finished my most recent read of the manuscript, I’m convinced we’re getting very close. So the next three days we will be refining the screenplay as well as making some critical decisions about moving the process forward. And on Saturday we wil be sitting with a group of actors who will read through it so we can see how the dialog sounds in their mouths. It’s an adventure to be sure and I love at this stage of my life revisiting that story and my own life being a bit re-shaped by it. I don’t usually get touched reading my own words, but some of this I worked on fifteen years ago and have enjoyed the re-focus and the gracious invitation of a Father into a life better lived in the security of his affection rather than the rabid fears religion often uses to make people conform. Only about 15% of the projects that get this far actually get made. There are so many parts that have t come together for this to work. So, we’ll see. One step at a time.
And for those who ask about the film adaptation of The Shack, that is still in process as well. Lionsgate is the studio and they’ve already selected a director and are now workiing to cast the movie and schedule production. There is no clear release date on this movie though it should be sometime late in 2015 or early in 2016. There are lots of rumors floating around about who is involved. Just remember, Hollywood types do a lot of negotiation and compete for media attention by using rumors and leaks. Until you read, “Lionsgate announces…”, don’t believe everything you read.
Aah Wayne, I wish we had you travelling around South Africa. Especially Pretoria!!
It would be great to meet more like minded family in Christ close by …….
Aah Wayne, I wish we had you travelling around South Africa. Especially Pretoria!!
It would be great to meet more like minded family in Christ close by …….