Ken Wales
Creator and Executive Producer of Christy
In 1983 I agreed to produce The Prodigal for Billy Graham. While we were filming, Catherine's husband, Leonard LeSourd, called me to tell me that she had passed away. With great sadness I told him I wouldn't be able to attend the funeral service. But after I hung up the phone, I changed my mind. Where else would I be but at the service commemorating Catherine's homegoing?
Catching an overnight flight to Washington, D.C., I made it to the church just before the service was beginning. An usher greeted me by name. "Mr. Wales, we're so glad you could be here. Please come with me." And he led me to the front of the sanctuary, where I was seated just behind Catherine's mother [Leonora Wood], then 94.
After the service, I thanked the family for having an usher greet me so graciously and reserve a place for me. They looked at each other. "Ken," said Len, "we didn't know you were coming. And there were no ushers today." There was no doubt in any of our minds that an angel had been in our midst. We keenly felt God's Spirit.
In 1986 God sent another messenger to me. This time he was a flesh-and-blood friend I'd known for years: Frank Davis, and MGM vice-president who knew of my many attempts to buy the rights to Christy. By seeming happenstance, we ran into each other at a church service. "Ken," said Frank, "MGM is about to be sold. If you still want Christy, you may have a two-day window of opportunity."
That was all I needed to hear. MGM accepted my offer, and I mortgaged my home to satisfy the purchase requirements. My only regret was that Catherine had not lived to share my joy.
Immediately I devoted full time to bringing Christy to the screen. Every year I paid an enormous amount of money to keeps the rights and to pay legal and other costs. Funneling all the money I had into the project, I lined up a group of investors for the film. But when the stock market crashed, they backed out.
In 1990 CBS expressed interest in trying Christy as a TV series. But I turned them down; I still wanted a feature film. In hindsight, I think my refusal was rooted in my stubborn pride. I can't look back, but with God I went forward.
By 1993 I had reached a turning point. For 17 years I had been consumed by Christy, and nothing had worked out. I didn't regret my perseverance; like my preacher-father, I knew that many good things can only be achieved by sheer endurance. When people in the film industry ridiculed me--"Ken, you're just living on dreams. Why don't you get another film?"--I knew that their goals were different than mine. But I wasn't sure I should renew the expensive rights for another fruitless year. Finally, I was ready to give up my struggles and to place them in God's hands.
I prayed sincerely, "Father, I'm simply out of gas. Christy has to be totally in your hands. And whatever comes out of this, I'm prepared. I no longer have to have my dream."
Through that kind of surrender, which Catherine Marshall wrote much about--the prayer of relinquishment--God often meets us. Just a few days later, CBS called again. This time, when they asked about a Christy TV series, I knew it was right. My certainty came not just from the timing of the call, but also in direct response to that God-given inner computer which works in microseconds when we are completely honest with our sense about something and with God. When we peel aside all the camouflage we put on a situation, His answer is clear.
Imagine what a thrilling day it was for me when we began filming Christy. God continued to reveal why his timing had finally been fulfilled. I discovered that actress Kellie Martin, who plays Christy, had been born in the very month when God first called me to be a steward of the story. I had to wait for her to grow up to play Christy! Also, several young ladies on our TV crew are named Christy, literally for the book's title character. When we're connected with God, we recognize these miracles as His signposts.
Leonora Wood, the real-life Christy, gave the world two major contributions: her example of faith in action and the Christian nurture of her daughter, Catherine Marshall, whose writings have let many to experience God. I've been uniquely privileged to participate in both stories. Like these great women, I've learned that when I pay attention to God's signposts, each new path that I am to take is clear. When we are obedient to God, put our feet on His path, and are faithful, the results are extraordinary.
- from Christy: in the fullness of time, by Ken Wales, 1995