His 15 year journey from page to screen for this project should hearten all of us who struggle as we "wait upon the Lord."
Who among us has not had questions and doubts at one time or another about God's timing and why He defers, or even puts off indefinitely, the desires of our heart? The man behind the Christian film Run the Race certainly has.
Jake McEntire is an actor, screenwriter and producer and he played those two latter roles on this picture. And while director Chris Dowling and Jason Baumgardner helped on the screenplay, it was McEntire who came up with the story - some bits are partially autobiographical - and shepherded it along for a decade and a half.
Being a Christian, he is no doubt familiar with the verse from Isaiah 40:31 about "those who wait upon the Lord...will run and not grow weary." But in a social media post, he acknowledges that the long wait was difficult for him.
"There were some dark nights where I honestly felt like, 'I know God loves me, but I just feel like he's forgotten about me.'"
McEntire, who's "unbelievably humbled" by the outpouring of support from fans of the movie, adds that during his 15 year journey to get this film made, it could seem at times like he was on God's "back burner." The Lord, however, would chase those thoughts away.
"A little voice would come to my heart and let me know, 'Jake, I don't have back burners.'"
Run the Race, from executive producers Tim Tebow and Robby Tebow, tells the fictional tale of two brothers relying on each other, their athletic ability and their Christian faith as they confront challenging life circumstances. Tanner Stine and Evan Hofer play the brothers and the film features a strong supporting cast. It has already crossed into the all-time top 50 money-makers in the Christian genre in just its second week in release.
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