“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables;
he did not say anything to them without using a parable.“
Matthew 13:34
Rembrandt 1669
“I will open my mouth in parables,” wrote the psalmist. “I will utter hidden things from of old” (Psalm 78:2). In the Gospels, we read that this verse of Scripture was fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus Christ, who spoke to the crowds in parables.
Which brings me to The Search, the working title of my next film. The idea for The Search first came to me in the early 1990s and I felt from the beginning that the story was to be set in France and filmed in French. When that failed to happen, I transferred the story to a Mexican setting and tried making the film in Spanish in Mexico. I came close to succeeding at that time, but again fell short. And now, though the idea has lain dormant these past thirty years or so, I have recently felt compelled to pick it up again, returning to the original idea of making the film in France.
You’ll recognize the story set-up easily enough: “There was a man who had two sons….” The younger son has left home and cut off all contact with his family. The heartbroken father wonders if he will ever see him again. The older son, meanwhile, takes note of his father’s anguish and, in contrast to the Prodigal Son story, leaves the family-run vineyard to go in search of his missing brother… to find him and—if possible—bring him home to their father. Thus begins an epic journey through the length and breadth of La Belle France. There are many adventures, many challenges, many reasons for the older brother to abandon the search—but his love for his brother pushes him onward until he finds him at last. Bringing him home, however, will be no simple task. The younger brother has fallen in among thieves and the older brother must weigh the price to be paid for setting him free.
It’s the story of the Gospel, my friends, a parable for the people of today—French speakers in particular, but a worldwide audience in general. He who has ears to hear let him hear.
I’ve been here before, and here I am again, standing alone with my old brushes (as Peter Paul Rubens said) asking God for inspiration. Why didn’t The Search happen previously? Why the long delay? I don’t know. Perhaps I’m not meant to know. Here on Earth, we see through a glass darkly even as we make our best efforts to obey God’s leading in all that we do. And this I will say… France is on my heart.
Écoutez mes amis… The journey has begun. I am now raising funds to cover the development budget for The Search. The goal is $50,000. I have already begun working with a French producer to get the ball rolling in France as well as another producer in Germany. And now, my appeal to all of you. Will you help us move ahead?
- Will you pray?
- Will you give?
Thank you for considering!
Faithfully yours,
