Indivisible
Page 23
Soon after the release of The Grace Card, I began to work on a story structure for my chaplain film. During my research, I came across a story on a news website about a chaplain who was fighting to save his marriage after a lengthy deployment. I was immediately struck by the fact that no one is safe from the impact that a deployment can have on a marriage—even a chaplain. Despite having a relationship with Christ, and understanding the undeniable protection he offers to every one of us, every soldier can be attacked by the enemy (seen or unseen) at any time. I immediately felt drawn to this story.
I prayed and asked God to open the door for me to meet this chaplain and his family. Within a few weeks, I was able to make contact with Chaplain Turner, and my wife, Esther, and I made the trip to meet the family. We shared our hearts with Darren and Heather and prayed for His direction. After a few months of discussion, Darren and Heather entrusted us with their story and we vowed to give our all in making the film.
Six years had passed since our initial visit together, but God’s timing is always perfect.
Esther and I did not see the Turners in person again after our first meeting for almost six years. Of course, there were countless phone conversations and emails as we struggled to get the script completed and the project fully funded. The next time we saw Darren, Heather and their three children was on the set of Indivisible. What an emotional day! We get tears in our eyes just thinking about it.
It’s been amazing to see how the film is already resonating with people even before its release. We’ve had a peace about that for many years, and it’s one of the reasons that we’ve never given up on telling this story. God has done many miracles for this special film and we’re so glad we can tell the story together!
—DAVID G. AND ESTHER EVANS,
CO-PRODUCERS FOR INDIVISIBLE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Brian Mitchell for bringing this project to me and to David Evans for allowing me to be a part of this incredible story. It’s been an honor to work on this.
Thank you, Darren and Heather Turner, for living a story worth sharing with others, both on the screen and the page. I’ve been privileged to have walked in your shoes through my imagination and storytelling. Darren, thank you for your willingness to answer some very big and very tiny questions I had along the way. I hope I was able to capture the true spirit of your testimony.
Once again, big-time thanks to my editor, L. B. Norton. We’ve traveled from the woods of Solitary, North Carolina, to the desert of Iraq. I treasure our continued partnership.
Thanks to Amanda Bostic and the entire team at Thomas Nelson.
And finally, I’m thankful for my father’s father whom I called Papa. He served under General Patton’s Army in World War II, driving a dozer tank in Europe. Papa passed away when I was young, so I’ll never be able to hear all the stories he carried from the great war. Working on this book allowed me to understand just a tiny bit more what he went through so many years ago.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What are the events that lead to Darren and Heather’s marriage suffering after he comes back from Iraq? What are some things they could have done to avoid this?
2. Darren Turner is inspired by the book, Wild at Heart, when it says the following: “They may be misplaced, forgotten, or misdirected, but in the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.” Do you believe this is true? What are ways you or your spouse can carry out these desires?
3. When Darren leaves Heather and the children behind to head to Iraq, do they have realistic expectations for what’s about to happen? Are there things they could have done to prepare themselves for the next fifteen months?
4. Have you or anybody you’ve known served our country during a time of war? What are ways they’ve been supported?
5. Throughout the story, Darren, Heather, and the children rely on prayers to God. How do you deal with prayers that seem to not be heard and remain unanswered? How can you continue to faithfully pray to God when a situation appears hopeless?
6. As Chaplain Turner begins to experience the brutal realities of the war, he shields his family from the horrors by not telling them what’s happening. Were Darren’s actions justified? Should he have told Heather more of what was happening to him?
7. Darren never gives up on his neighbor, Michael, even though at times it seems pointless to continue to share Christ’s love and hope with him. Do you have similar people in your life? How can you continue to remain a friend and a witness to them even when they refuse to listen?
8. Heather is basically a single parent trying to take care of three young children while Darren is gone for fifteen months. What are the ways she copes and survives?
9. After seeing the loss of the young girl, and then having to deal with the death of Lance, Darren’s faith is severely tested. Even with all of his biblical knowledge and his strength of conviction, Darren ends up confused and disheartened. What are ways we can continue to cling onto hope when bad things happen in our lives?
10. After coming home, Darren hides the hurt and the guilt he’s carrying inside. He continues to help other soldiers going through the same thing, yet he refuses to get help himself. Are there situations in your life where you need to stop and ask for help?
11. Heather eventually refuses to put up with Darren’s moodiness and absence, telling him to leave their home and get some help. Did she do the right thing sending him away like this? Are there people in your life that need this sort of tough love? How can you get someone to realize they need help?
12. “God can take and will always continue to take messed-up people and bring them to a place where they will find hope.” Chaplain Turner shares this at the end of the story. Do you believe this? Why do we need to reach this place in order to find hope?
INDIVISIBLE PHOTOS
Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) checks in with his wife upon arriving in Iraq in INDIVISIBLE.
Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) updates his video diary for his family during deployment in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) and his wife, Heather (Sarah Drew), seek marital counseling upon his return after a difficult fifteen-month deployment in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Army wives Amanda Bradley (Madeline Carroll), Heather Turner (Sarah Drew), and Tonya Lewis (Tia Mowry) seek strength in each other upon hearing news of the troop surge in INDIVISIBLE.
Heather Turner (Sarah Drew) looks on proudly with her children (L to R) Elie (Samra Lee), Meribeth (Abigail Hummel), and Samuel (Lucas Boyle) during an awards ceremony in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Mia (Hannah Samuel), Tonya (Tia Mowry), and Nia (Naomi Samuel) in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Army wives Heather Turner (Sarah Drew) and Tonya Lewis (Tia Mowry) enjoy a moment together in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Chaplain Darren Turner and actor Justin Bruening on set of INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Army wives Tonya Lewis (Tia Mowry), Heather Turner (Sarah Drew), and Amanda Bradley (Madeline Carroll) try to keep up with their kids in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Actors Justin Bruening, Jason George, and Tanner Stine on the set of INDIVISIBLE.
Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) shares words of encouragement with his troops before heading out on patrol in INDIVISIBLE.
R to L: Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) performs an Easter Baptism service in Iraq with Lance Bradley (Tanner Stine) in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Lance Bradley (Tanner Stine) discusses strategy before heading out on patrol with Michael Lewis (Jason George) in INDIVISIBLE.
Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) delivers the eulogy for two fallen troops in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Shonda Peterson (Skye P. Marshall) and Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) share a lighthearted moment on foot patrol in Iraq in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: The Turner family, Heather (Sarah Drew), Meribeth (Abigail Hummel), Samuel (Lucas Boyle), Darren (Justin
Bruening), and Elie (Samra Lee), pose after an awards ceremony in INDIVISIBLE.
L to R: Sarah Drew and Heather Turner pose on set of INDIVISIBLE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bestselling author Travis Thrasher has written over fifty books and worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years. He has written fiction in a variety of genres, from love stories and supernatural thrillers to young adult series. His inspirational stories have included collaborations with filmmakers, musicians, athletes and pastors. He’s also co-written memoirs and self-help books. His novelizations include Do You Believe? and God’s Not Dead 2. Upcoming releases in 2018 include The Black Auxiliary about the lives of the other seventeen American black athletes who competed with Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Travis lives with his wife and three daughters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.