Last summer we were searching for a location to film the PRAZOR Session for The Dawning Fire. Since the song has a rather gritty “feel” we felt it was important to scout out a location that would match that same vibe. Originally, we had planned to find an abandoned house to film in and actually tracked down and contacted several property owners but we were denied each time. Filmmaker (Matt Skow) who oversaw the film production of the session, suggested a location in Vero Beach that had an antique steam engine sitting in a field. A few weeks before the shoot, I was driving home from work and the property owner (Tommy) happened to be at the road checking his mail so I stopped to chat with him. After a short conversation Tommy gave us approval and was excited to have us there. He told me about the history of the steam engine. It was still functional even though it was over a hundred years old. Tommy has been a life long resident of Vero Beach and in times past, he would fire up the engine for neighbors to check out. It had been several years since he had done that but he was positive that it was still operational.
The day of the shoot we set up all the cameras and lights. The steam engine can be seen directly behind the band on the PRAZOR Session. We had run through the song a couple times when someone remarked, “I wish we could put a fire in that steam engine.” Tommy was sitting by watching us film so I hollered at him, “Hey Tommy, can we build a fire in here?” He sort of shrugged and said, “Yeah, go for it.” We all scrambled to find firewood and in a few minutes we had a fire roaring in that old steam engine. The location was perfect as it was but having a fire behind the band as we sang, “…come aboard Heaven’s Ark, before the dawning fire” was such a great addition. In hindsight, I can’t imagine having filmed that song at any other location.
The Lord’s timing and direction are always above and beyond anything we can muster in our own wisdom. If we had kept searching for a location that fit our previous intention we would have missed out on this wonderful spot in Vero Beach and the impact of the song would have suffered. My big takeaway is this…make a plan and start moving with it, even if you don’t have all the details yet. God can’t steer you if you’re standing still. If and when He makes changes to that plan…simply go with it!