Chase and Keith thanked him for his help and Dayne promised to check back in as the ordeal played out. When he was gone, Keith dismissed the cast and crew and told everyone to be on call for the morning. Just in case. After that, he and Chase withdrew to the production trailer to do the only thing they could do until Luke Baxter arrived.
Beg God for a miracle.
NEGOTIATIONS STARTED AT FOUR O’CLOCK THAT day and broke at ten for the night. As far as Keith could tell, they hadn’t made much progress, but Luke Baxter was staying overnight at his father’s house, committed to stick with the process until they reached a breakthrough.
The issue was simple, for as complex and heated as the arguments in the production trailer had become. Larry and three of his cronies from the union were unmoved in their demands, insisting on full union wages and complete back pay. Luke had gone round and round with them, trying to talk reason into the situation. Keith and Chase had given him full access to their accounts and financing, so they could dispel what Larry had already suggested—that this was in fact a big-budget film because of Rita Reynolds and Jake Olson. The books told the real story. For very minimal union pay, the two actors had agreed to star in this project because they believed in it.
“Everything is not dependent on money,” Luke eloquently told the union reps. “Even in Hollywood.”
Larry and his team looked over the finances, but still they were skeptical. “There’s more money somewhere. There always is.” He leaned back and tried to assume a friendly air. “I only want what’s coming to my people. Fair wages, nothing more.”
Of course, he really wanted more than that—the additional insurance and back pay. But all of his demands were irrelevant, because the truth was, they didn’t have the money.
When they were on a break, Luke pulled Keith and Chase aside. “To be honest, I talked with Dayne about putting in money as an investment, but his funds are tied up until March.”
Keith was touched that Luke would even ask his brother. It wasn’t something he or Chase would’ve considered.
“Dayne told me he would’ve offered when he met you in person, but his financial advisor saw the unstable market looming and had him invest in some longer term savings. By the time March comes, it’ll be too late for you.”
“We need more money, that’s for sure. But even then it isn’t right that we pay these guys what the union wants. This crew agreed to their contract, and they’re good wages.”
Luke whistled. “Very high for a non-union job.”
“And they weren’t working anyway.” Chase looked beat, defeated by the hours of talks. Already he’d told the cast and crew they wouldn’t be needed until lunchtime tomorrow. And that was if everything went very well in the morning. “What time do we start up again?”
“Let’s be here at eight. That’s the earliest the union reps are willing to meet.”
The night was a restless one, with Keith’s wife, Lisa, up at different times, unable to sleep. “I need to pray more than I need to sleep,” she told Keith. “Don’t worry about me.”
At eight the next morning they were gathered around the table again and Larry started the dialogue. “We’re not going anywhere. I have twenty guys willing to picket around the clock if they have to. Those are union workers and they should get union wages.”
“That’s not what they agreed to …” Luke had a copy of the below-the-line contracts for each of the crew in a large folder. He slid it across the table. “Take a look, Mr. Fields. A producer can’t ask for more than a worker’s word. And they each gave their word in writing—agreeing to work for the pay being offered.”
“They never checked with us.” He swapped a look with his men. “Union workers take union jobs. Every one of them stands to lose their card at this point, and that means they’re finished in this industry.”
Keith hated when Larry talked about pulling the union cards of the crew. There weren’t enough non-union films around for the cameramen and electricians and grips to make a living. Larry was right. Without their cards, they were finished. He felt his stomach twist in knots and he leaned back in his seat, helpless to do anything but listen and pray.
The hours passed slowly, and after lunch Keith made one more call, giving the cast and crew the rest of the day off and again telling them to be ready for a morning shoot. This time the DP had a request. “Tomorrow’s Friday. The cast wants to know if they should just take a three-day weekend—unpaid—and show up again on Monday.”
“No.” Keith was slightly tempted by the unpaid offer, but once his cast spread out and left town, the chances of getting everyone back together again Monday would be very small. “We have to work this through. Something will give today, I promise you. Tell everyone we’ll shoot tomorrow and Saturday, so we can catch up. They all agreed to work two Saturdays—so this will be one of them.”
Even as he said the words, Keith had no idea how they would make up the time they were losing, or how working Saturday would help even a little. They could afford to pay the crew this week and next, but after that? He came back into the room of negotiations and struggled to keep his head up. All he wanted to do was find a quiet place in the woods somewhere and cry out to God, beg Him for a miracle meeting of the minds between Luke Baxter and Larry Fields.
Instead he sat down next to Chase and watched the hours slip away. Sometime around five o’clock, both sides broke for dinner, with plans to talk all through the night if that’s what it took. Larry and his team wanted to go over each individual contract and the entire set of financials. “It could take us all night,” Luke warned them. “We’ll need lots of coffee.”
Before they met back for what figured to be a marathon session of negotiations, Keith placed a call to Lisa. “I feel drugged, like I’m playing the role in some bad movie without any sign of resolution.”
“Honey, I’m so sorry.” Lisa sounded like she’d been crying. “I want to help, but there’s nothing I can do except pray.”
“That’s exactly what we need, baby. God knows what’s happening here.”
“But you’ve been talking with these people all day and all last night. What more could there be to say?”
“Luke’s handling it. He’s amazing, and to think Dayne’s covering his fees. We’re in great hands, but meanwhile our cast is losing interest hanging out in Bloomington. We need to reach an agreement tonight.”
Lisa was quiet for a moment, and then she drew a sharp breath. “I have an idea. There’s power in numbers, especially when it comes to praying. I think I’ll call my new friends—and see if any of them would like to meet me somewhere to pray. If we raise enough voices to heaven, God’s bound to have mercy on us, right?”
Keith pictured a town of strangers surrounding his wife, gathering with her to pray about this crisis. He was sure Dr. Baxter’s married daughters and other family members would rise to the challenge before them, and he wanted to say so. Lisa was waiting for an answer, after all. But he couldn’t say a word.
The tears choking his throat wouldn’t let him.
Sixteen
THE PHONE CHAIN STARTED IMMEDIATELY. Lisa called Ashley, the one who had given her number as the Baxter family contact, and though she tried to talk with a clear voice, her composure cracked and she started crying.
“Lisa, what is it? What happened?” In the background at Ashley’s house, there was the sound of a baby crying.
Lisa felt terrible for troubling her new friend, but she had no choice. Her husband was out of options. She struggled and finally found her voice. “The union for the crew is in town. They’ve stopped all filming, and they’re picketing the set.”
Ashley didn’t understand, and Lisa took a few minutes to explain the situation. “So Luke’s helping with negotiations?”
“Yes, but … the union leaders are being very difficult. Your brother’s afraid they might be trying to make an example out of our movie. Prove that they have the power to take down a film if they want to.”
“
That’s terrible!”
“Yes.” Lisa didn’t let Ashley hear her sniff. She drew a steadying breath. “The talks tonight are crucial. I told Keith I’d see if there was a place where we could pray.”
Ashley thought for a few seconds. “The theater! I’ll call Dayne and Katy. I’m sure they’d be okay with it. Classes meet there tonight, but they’re over by seven. We could meet there and lock up whenever we’re done.”
Lisa caught Ashley’s enthusiasm. “Really? You think we can do that?”
“Definitely. Let me make a few calls, but plan to meet me and my family at the theater at seven tonight. Even if it’s just us, we’ll pray together.”
The next hours passed slowly, and at seven o’clock Lisa parked her car across the street from the Bloomington Community Theater and headed inside. Katy Matthews met her just inside. “Classes are over, come on in. Ashley told us about the prayer meeting. We can stay here all night if we need to.” She hugged Lisa. “Whatever it takes.”
Lisa could hardly believe the kindness of these people. They barely knew each other, and yet Katy and Dayne, Ashley and her family, were all willing to stop what they were doing and pray about her husband’s movie. Lisa followed Katy into the theater, and though classes had just been dismissed, dozens of kids still sat in the rows of seats. Every few seconds another parent or set of parents entered the theater, but instead of collecting their kids and leaving, they took seats with their children.
“What’s happening?” Lisa found Ashley, baffled at the crowd that was starting to fill up the theater.
“CKT is a pretty tight group. They understand the kind of film your husband’s trying to make. We need to stick together. We got word to the parents. Most of them asked if they could stay and pray too.”
Tears sprang to Lisa’s eyes, and she put her fingers to her mouth. “I … I don’t know how to thank you, Ashley.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Ashley touched Lisa’s shoulder. “I know what it feels like to have half the town praying for me. There’s something very powerful in that kind of love.”
“Yes.” Lisa wasn’t sure she could say anything else. She took a seat next to Ashley and her husband, Landon, and their three kids, and over the next ten minutes Ashley’s sisters and their families arrived. Erin, the youngest of Ashley’s sisters, explained that her husband was at home with their little girls. “If we’re still here in an hour, I’ll take the other kids to my house. That way the rest of you can stay here and pray.”
“Stay?” Again Lisa was baffled.
“We have to stay.” Cole, Ashley’s fifth-grade son, held up his arm and showed Lisa a bracelet that read, “P.U.S.H.” He grinned at her. “Know what that means?”
“Not really.” Lisa’s heart was beating hard. She had the thrilling feeling that God was going to work a miracle tonight. The people still pouring through the front doors were living proof.
“It means, ‘Pray Until Something Happens.’” He grinned big. “That’s what we’re going to do tonight, the whole team of us. Pray until something happens.”
Lisa looked quickly from Cole to Ashley. “I … I don’t understand.”
“We’re not putting an end time on this prayer meeting.” Ashley patted Lisa’s hand. “You’ll keep in contact with your husband, and we’ll keep praying.”
“Yeah.” Cole looked thrilled with the idea. “Until something happens.”
There was no easy way to comprehend the love of this family, of these people who until a week ago were strangers. This was how the family of God was supposed to operate, and Lisa could only silently thank Him. A few more minutes passed, and still people were coming in and taking seats and again Lisa was confused. All these people couldn’t be CKT families. Once more she asked Ashley what was happening.
“Our pastor at church put it on the emergency prayer chain. People are calling each other and getting the word out.”
This time Lisa only hugged Ashley. As she drew back she looked long into the eyes of her new friend. “Time will take us from this place, and we’ll go back to our separate lives soon. But as long as I live, I’ll never forget this.”
“It’s nothing.” Ashley returned the hug. “Now let’s get this group praying.”
Just as Dayne walked up to start the impromptu meeting, Bailey Flanigan and her family and Andi Ellison entered the theater. By then the place was so full they had to take a spot standing along the wall. Lisa waved to them, silently expressing her thanks as Dayne took hold of the microphone at center stage. “Thanks for coming, everyone. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, and that where two or more are gathered, there He is also.” He smiled at the group, his expression tender. “That’s definitely the case tonight.”
A round of hearty applause came from the crowd, and Dayne continued. “Friends of ours—Keith Ellison and Chase Ryan—are making a movie they hope will glorify God. Their story has been covered by the local press, and many of you are aware of their presence in town. I’ve met with the producers, and they’re the real deal. They were missionaries before deciding to make movies.” He paused. “Tonight Keith Ellison’s wife, Lisa, has asked us to pray because her husband and his co-producer face a dire situation. Very dire.” Dayne explained in simple terms what was happening on the set.
“And so, like my nephew Cole likes to say, tonight we will pray until something happens. We’ll give you updates as we hear anything, and please feel free to leave whenever you need to. We realize it’s a school night.”
With that, he suggested a pattern whereby he would start the praying, and then anyone who wanted to could take a turn and come up on stage to lead the prayer. Lisa watched, disbelieving. The faith of the people in Bloomington was enough to make her want to flee their home in San Jose and move here tomorrow. Andi was fortunate to be connected to this group. Lisa would never again worry about her having a support group.
Dayne began the prayer, and even when an occasional baby cried out or a bit of whispering came from one or more of the kids, the focus remained. One after another they lifted fervent, heartfelt prayers up to God on behalf of Keith and Chase and the battle they were waging against the union.
At eight o’clock, Lisa texted Keith, looking for some sign of improvement, but there was none. By nine she stepped outside the theater and placed a call directly to him. “You can’t believe what’s happening here. The whole town showed up to pray, Keith. Something’s going to break through, I have to believe it.”
“I hope so.” He sounded beaten and weary. “They’re going over every document line by line. So far we haven’t made even a step in the right direction. Luke’s relentless, though. Keep praying.”
By ten o’clock, many of the families with young kids had to leave, and Erin made good on her offer, taking the little kids, except for Cole and Maddie, home so they could get some sleep. The two cousins who stayed were intent on making good on their promise. Praying until some sort of answer came along. As eleven neared, Lisa found Ashley and conveyed her concerns. “Really, you all need sleep. You don’t have to stay.”
“It’s fine.” She didn’t look tired whatsoever. “This is what we’re supposed to do. We’ll keep praying. God’s not finished with this night yet.”
One of the CKT dads was at the microphone, and as he stepped down Lisa realized she hadn’t taken a turn. Her voice was steadier now, God giving her strength for a battle they never intended to fight. She made her way up the stairs and spoke clearly, confidently.
“God, we beseech You, give us a miracle tonight. Speak to the hearts of those men who have come against this movie, and let a breakthrough happen even this very moment. We need You, Lord … we can’t fight this battle alone. Thank You for all …” her voice cracked and she blinked back tears as she looked out at the still fifty or so people who remained. She stared at the stage floor and managed to regain her composure. “Thank You for all our new friends. In Christ’s name, amen.”
Cole had already been up to the microphone a numb
er of times, but he was quick to follow her. Lisa found him adorable, the sort of boy she had once hoped for back when she thought they’d have a houseful of children one day. Before getting word from her doctor that she couldn’t possibly have more children, Lisa had three late miscarriages. All three babies were boys.
She smiled at Cole as he started to pray. “You’re a very big God, because we’ve seen You do all sorts of miracles. My baby sister, my dad, our old Baxter house. Hayley’s bike-riding.” He gave an adorable shrug. “Too many to count, God. So we know for sure You can get this movie back on track. I’m not even going to ask You again. Instead, I’m just going to thank You because I know You’ll get this done. In Jesus’ name.”
And so it went.
Eleven became midnight, and though people began to yawn, still twenty-three people remained, committed to pray through the night. The breakthrough didn’t happen until two thirty that morning, just when Lisa was feeling horribly guilty for having cost these wonderful friends a perfectly good night of sleep. Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she slipped outside to take the call.
“We’re back in business.” Keith was on the other line, tears in his voice. “It’s a long story, but somehow the news station got hold of what was happening and a reporter from the Indianapolis paper began calling Larry Fields. Everything that happened next was so that he could save face.” Keith sighed, and the relief in his voice was thick and heartrending.
“So what’s the compromise?”
“We pay union wages from here out. It’s a few thousand more per crew member, per week, but Luke was brilliant. Because this means we’re union, he recognized that we were giving the crew a hundred dollars a day for location spending money. Union rules don’t require that, so starting tomorrow we save that much. The difference isn’t going to break us.”
Lisa wanted to point out the obvious, that even before agreeing to union wages they didn’t have enough money to finish the film. Now that they were behind two full days, they would still need an investor to come through. But they could wage that battle later. For now all that mattered was that she get word to the praying people inside. God had won; the producers could begin filming again tomorrow.
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