Take Three by Karen Kingsbury Page B

half-hearted connections and meaningless run-throughs. Not with Cody or Tim or God Himself.
    And after this weekend, settling for anything less than God’s best wasn’t even an option.

Four
    C HASE WAS GRATEFUL THE PREMIERE WAS almost over. The night seemed to last forever, and he could hardly wait to talk to Kelly, to see how she and the girls were doing. He’d been caught off guard earlier in the limo at the start of the night. He could barely focus on their prayer because of Kendall’s hand in his. And so his prayer had been a personal one. God, thank You for bringing Kendall and her father to us at a time when we were ready to close shop and quit. We’re here at the top of a mountain that belongs only to You. Please…don’t let me forget our mission…
    Keith was looking at him, which could only mean one thing. A question had come his way. He shot his friend a desperate look, one Keith must’ve read immediately.
    “As a director,” Keith spoke into the microphone, showing none of the concern he must’ve been feeling, “what was the most difficult part of making this movie?”
    Chase nodded and took the mic. “The actors made it easy on me, really. The hardest part was making sure the intensity of their emotions came across in every scene.”
    “You pulled it off!” a person from the middle row shouted. “Great job, Chase!”
    He nodded, humbled. How could this be happening, the audience so taken by a film they almost couldn’t make? This moment, this realization that God was opening the floodgates was more than he could fully comprehend. He only wished Kelly were here to share it with him.
    Finally the question-and-answer session ended, and as they filed out of the theater and into the lobby, as one person afteranother congratulated them, Chase’s emotions shifted from exultation to something quite disturbing: Fear. Because the higher God took them, the more difficult the expectations. How were they going to top this moment? Chase swallowed hard and kept his attention on the moment at hand. Don’t be ridiculous , he told himself.
    He put his inner dialogue to rest and focused on the numerous executives in attendance from every major movie studio. Everyone wanted to talk to the up-and-coming producers from Jeremiah Productions—Chase or Keith, Luke or Ben. From across the room, Chase noticed that even Kendall was brought into a number of conversations by executives anxious for a chance. He admired her professionalism and ability to hold her own with Hollywood’s movers and shakers.
    “Where’d you get your experience?” a vice president from one of the top studios caught up with Chase at the food table. “Your work as a director…it’s amazing. Impeccable.”
    “We had training from some of the best college professors in LA before leaving the U.S. for mission work,” Chase said. He tried to sound modest, but he couldn’t fight an overwhelming desire to impress the man. He gave the guy an unassuming smile. “It’s God’s gift, but a highlight of this experience has been winning at the festival.”
    “You deserve it.” The man nodded appreciatively. “It’s uncanny, having the ability to produce and direct a film of this caliber, with virtually no experience.” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t quite get over Chase’s talent. “Our team wants to work something out with you and Keith. For this film or the next. You’re exactly the kind of team we want to work with.”
    They exchanged business cards and the conversation ended, but it was followed by another dozen like it. At the end of two hours, Chase felt the strangest sensation that he’d missed out. Not in making the movie, but because he hadn’t really enjoyed what God had given them this night. He’d been tempted by Kendall,flattered by movie execs, and he’d spent much of the night regretting that he couldn’t be with Kelly when she needed him back home.
    Before the end of the night, Luke Baxter brought them a