Story Summary
Wandering through the forest in the middle of the night, Jim Hanna has a miraculous encounter with God that transforms his life. But as many often find out, following God does not come without pain and struggle. In this beautiful story of tragedy and redemption, Jim must choose to see a bigger picture to save his family or lose everything.
1976 Northern Minnesota
Jim Hanna is a wild and lively young man who drives like everything’s a race while frequenting bars, telling fun stories, and getting a good laugh wherever he goes. One night after an argument with his Grandpa, Jim decides to race a train and ends up in a terrible accident. At the exact same time Jim crashes, Grandpa dies of a heart attack. Grandpa always told Jim that he loved him so much that he’d give his life for him, so after hearing the news, Jim believes that his Grandpa died in his place and is suffocated by guilt.
13 Years Later
Jim’s a mechanic for the railroad working long hours in the heat and freezing cold. He now has a beautiful wife Vicky, an 11 year old daughter Jessica, and a 12 year old son Jamie. Jim’s a stern but fair father and also a heavy drinker. One night, secluded in the woods, a series of strange events lead him to what he thought was a deserted cabin. He’s surprised that a man and woman are there waiting for him. Strangely, they can perceive the burden of guilt he carries so Jim tells them the story about his Grandpa’s death and how he blamed himself for it. But Jim’s world changes when the couple offers him a different perspective and he finally forgives himself, exchanging guilt for gratitude.
Jim’s New World
Now as a person of faith and a new perspective, Jim experiences many challenges. His wife Vicky is pleased with the changes but is also worried because Jim’s a guy that goes overboard, doing everything
to the extreme. Jim becomes an evangelist and after a series of ministry outings he shows up late to Jessica’s birthday party enraging Vicky. To make up for it, Jim promises to take Jessica shopping. But on the way home, Jim and Jessica are hit by a semi truck resulting in a devastating accident. Vicky, Jamie, and Jim’s brother John rush to the scene to find Jim and Jessica hopelessly injured. While the emergency services arrive, Vicky can only hope that her husband and daughter will survive. Sadly, Jessica dies and Jim is so horribly injured that he can’t even make it to her funeral. Jim also loses his favorite Bible.
The Aftermath
After Jim learns of Jessica’s death, he’s stricken with grief, and tears out his life support attempting to end his own life as well. Finally, Jim is able to visit Jessica’s grave along with his brother John. There he tries to come to terms with what happened but is overcome with grief and anger. But John challenges Jim, wondering if Jim has put God “in a box” failing to see a larger picture which only enrages him. For Jim, things on the homefront are only getting worse. Jamie and Jessica made a pact to be friends right before she died, but now that she’s gone and his parents are constantly fighting, Jamie decides to run away. Vicky’s so depressed and suicidal that she threatens to leave Jim if he doesn’t get Jamie back and fix their lives. This finally pushes Jim to check into a psych ward.
The Way Home
At the psych ward, Jim is challenged by an unlikely fellow patient to stop conforming to the same patterns that everyone else follows, to stop looking at himself and all that is negative, to decide to do things differently and finally put others first. Inspired, Jim returns home confessing his terrible brokenness to Vicky and pleads for reconciliation and help finding their lost son. Jim learns that Jamie is determined to run away on a train and comes up with a brilliant plan to gather his family and friends to intercept him. The plan is surprising, and incredibly heartfelt! Through all of his trials, successes and failures, Jim learns that God balances all things in time and to truly see God at work you must always be humble, open, and especially patient.
This is a story about overcoming tragedy and all of the struggles that life throws at us. It’s about choosing to see a bigger picture and realizing that the hand of God is always upon us whether we sense it or not. The story is about restoration and hope that we are not alone on the journey of life. And finally it’s about choosing to trust God or not. Yes, the story is intense but Jim has a wonderful, warm sense of humor perfect for balancing the seriousness of his life. This is a rich and gritty film, think a PG version of “Father Stu”.
Audience
Countless people have experienced tragedy, addiction, and hopelessness and have wondered if God cared or even existed. As our culture drifts further toward materialism and away from God, this story provides hope and an inspiration to restore relationships with each other and our creator. We anticipate a broad audience including families and young people.
