Following the Star

We are students - the phrase, "lifelong learners," has been used - and we are being trained by the best teacher of all, the Holy Spirit, and we can be confident He is guiding our lives. In John 14, Jesus says:
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We never truly arrive as Christian believers on this earth - and there is a sense of adventure along the way.  If we look back, perhaps we can identity times in which the Holy Spirit was leading in a profound way, and as we consider God's work in our life, we can know that as He took great care to guide us in the past, so He will lead us into the future.  He is equipping and encouraging us, and He provides incredible guidance, certifying His presence with us.

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We can know that God has plans for each of us, in order to accomplish His purposes. There is great excitement when we consider how He is governing our lives. Psalm 37 provides encouragement:
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.

When Yarrow and Carrie Cheney were in an arts school together and not married to one another, they were paired together in class. When they first met, according to ChristianCinema.com, they shared their views on animation, their favorite types, and even decided, way back then, in 1992, that they would make an animated special.  Fast forward seven years later - Yarrow and Carrie, who had decided to work together, began to brainstorm this film. In 2006, it came to fruition as a story of the wise men called, The Very First Noel.  It developed a following at the time.  And, along the way, the Cheneys became husband and wife.

Now, Yarrow went on to work on projects like The Secret Life of Pets and The Grinch, on which he was co-director.  He had also been a designer on two of the Despicable Me movies. 

And, The Very First Noel is now The Three Wise Men, an animated feature that released late last year.  Christian Cinema relates:

Now, Yarrow says that it’s amazing that the film is coming back around in this way to a new audience. “It’s divine intervention, really,” he says. “It’s a wonderful thing that’s happening. We’re so excited it’s going to reach a new audience.”

Carrie adds, “We’re seeing the sovereignty of God, that this plan has always been in the works, and that it’s so much richer than what we hoped or imagined. And God always had in mind for Jonas Myrin to write and perform the song “Just a Breath Away” for the film.”

Myrin had collaborated with Matt Redman for the classic worship song, 10,000 Reasons. 

Yarrow had these comments about the concept:

“We started with the premise of these three men,” Yarrow explains, “but we didn’t know much about them so we started studying. We’d gone through college and drifted from church. Neither of us had actually ever studied the Bible, but suddenly we were studying the infancy narrative in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke asking, ‘Who were these guys who arrived in Jerusalem from the East?'"

They did their research and continued to collaborate.

In another Christian Cinema story, we drop in on a conversation with Yarrow and Carrie Cheney about thematic material in the film, beginning with Yarrow:

“Stories are always about transformation, how people go through an ordeal and learn a deeper truth, they realize something they didn’t see before. The Grinch can meet so many people in a world that doesn’t often offer grace.”

Carrie adds, “Or believe that people can change. We were so excited that God’s plan was for Yarrow to work on the film.”

The article goes on to say:

That brings them back to The Three Wise Men. Three out-of-towners. Three people who are respected in their own element but nearly deceived by a manipulative king. And they’re not alone in the Christmas story.

Yarrow says, "The Christmas story reminds us of His love and how He pursues us.”

The Wise Men followed God's guidance to visit Jesus - the tool He used was the star. This can really remind us of how God leads us; I am reminded of how he brought Yarrow and Carrie Cheney together to be husband and wife, as well as business and creative partners, out of a seemingly random meeting in a school classroom. We can be confident that God is ordering our steps in order to accomplish His purposes.

The Cheneys took Bible study and began to ask questions.  That is certainly a technique that we can apply to our own study of the Word.  As we approach stories or passages, we can ask what we can glean. Perhaps in a character study, we can set out to learn more about the character and ultimately discover what we can learn from him or her. 

Yesterday, I shared a Scripture reference on the air about how God uses a person's gift that might be applicable to Yarrow and Carrie, who have, according to one of those articles I referenced, said, "The goal is to end up with this finished movie that feels like one piece of art,”adding,“There are tons of conversations all along the way, with other people who are catching the vision and bringing their skills and gifts to make the project better.” Christian Cinema reports:

That sense of collaboration has opened doors for the Cheneys, primarily through Universal’s Illumination Entertainment. But they have always had an eye for the way that the stories can bring people together, how they can exhibit faith.

Proverbs 18:16 states, "A man's gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men."  God has certainly used their giftedness in order to make a place in the entertainment industry to glorify God.