Here's a part of the conclusion from Plugged In online reveiw of the new movie Fireproof.
Writer/director Alex Kendrick and his writer/producer brother, Stephen, aren't under any illusions that this small-budget movie will turn Hollywood on its head. Stephen told Plugged In Online, "When people butcher our films on Rotten Tomatoes and say, 'This isn't Oscar-winning material,' we say, 'We know!' We're just people who are working with what we have at a small church in Georgia. It's truly a loaves and fishes story."
What they do want is for their earnest project to turn your marriage upside down.
You might notice that some of the lines in Fireproof feel a little wooden. And you might notice that the script indulges more dialogue (most of it spiritual) than you're used to hearing in movies about firemen. But the honest truth is that you don't really care by the time the credits roll, because you're too busy feeling your own feelings and thinking your own thoughts about your own relationships. This is the kind of movie that succeeds, sometimes despite itself, because it does a superlative job of digging into serious issues that so deeply affect so many of us every day.
To read the entire review CLICK HERE
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Pray for Fireproof
I put together some of the things that God brought to my mind that we can be praying about as the movie Fireproof opens in more than 800 theaters nationwide this Friday, September 26. So, for what it's worth, maybe these will help stir ways you can pray this week for those who see this movie!
Prayer time for Fireproof
- Pray for the attendees that are going
- Pray for the theater staff and management
- Pray for the churches that have stood beside this so that they can follow up with those who experience connection and need hope and help
- Pray for FL and how we can continue to reach out to those who now realize that there is hope for their marriage
- Pray that youth would go so that they get an idea that even difficult marriages can be redeemed
- Pray that the gospel message would cause many to accept Christ or become more inquisitive about what that looks like for them.
- Pray that Believers would stand in the gap, both for Christ by being bold in proclaiming the truth in love and grace and for marriages. I pray the impact on “church” marriages would be significantly impacted by seeing this movie and knowing of God’s plan for marriages. The easy way is not God’s way. How can we speak for marriages when the divorce rate by stated churchgoer's is as high or higher than for those who don't go to church (I know there is a debate about this statistic when you slice it down to "true" believers, evangelicals, marginal Christians, etc...fact is that it's too high ALL over).
- Pray that this shows that we are much more about what a marriage should look like instead of the general portrayal that we care more about what marriages are NOT.
- Pray for the resource, Love Dare, and that God would use this tool as a great "so what" next step resource.
- MOSTLY, pray that God is glorified as He is ultimately the creator and guardian of godly marriages.
UPDATED for requests from Provident:
- Pray for the Northeast US which sometimes has difficulty in accepting faith-based films and with the population base, it's a critical part of the country for determining ongoing showings
- Pray for the Houston area...due to the damage from Hurricane Ike, Provident tried to get the opening date moved back but the theaters wouldn't let them so pray that many will need the break from cleanup and issues they are dealing with and will spend a night getting out by going to Fireproof. And, of course, continue to pray for those who have been impacted by Hurricane Ike, for the relief efforts and the quick restoration back to some normalcy for so many people.
- Also, with a movie like this there tends to be a split in those who want to go and those who don't or are less interested. So, pray for likemindedness when husbands and wives talk about going.
Prayer time for Fireproof
- Pray for the attendees that are going
- Pray for the theater staff and management
- Pray for the churches that have stood beside this so that they can follow up with those who experience connection and need hope and help
- Pray for FL and how we can continue to reach out to those who now realize that there is hope for their marriage
- Pray that youth would go so that they get an idea that even difficult marriages can be redeemed
- Pray that the gospel message would cause many to accept Christ or become more inquisitive about what that looks like for them.
- Pray that Believers would stand in the gap, both for Christ by being bold in proclaiming the truth in love and grace and for marriages. I pray the impact on “church” marriages would be significantly impacted by seeing this movie and knowing of God’s plan for marriages. The easy way is not God’s way. How can we speak for marriages when the divorce rate by stated churchgoer's is as high or higher than for those who don't go to church (I know there is a debate about this statistic when you slice it down to "true" believers, evangelicals, marginal Christians, etc...fact is that it's too high ALL over).
- Pray that this shows that we are much more about what a marriage should look like instead of the general portrayal that we care more about what marriages are NOT.
- Pray for the resource, Love Dare, and that God would use this tool as a great "so what" next step resource.
- MOSTLY, pray that God is glorified as He is ultimately the creator and guardian of godly marriages.
UPDATED for requests from Provident:
- Pray for the Northeast US which sometimes has difficulty in accepting faith-based films and with the population base, it's a critical part of the country for determining ongoing showings
- Pray for the Houston area...due to the damage from Hurricane Ike, Provident tried to get the opening date moved back but the theaters wouldn't let them so pray that many will need the break from cleanup and issues they are dealing with and will spend a night getting out by going to Fireproof. And, of course, continue to pray for those who have been impacted by Hurricane Ike, for the relief efforts and the quick restoration back to some normalcy for so many people.
- Also, with a movie like this there tends to be a split in those who want to go and those who don't or are less interested. So, pray for likemindedness when husbands and wives talk about going.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Too Close to Home
Some news happens "out there". You hear about it but it's real impact is peripheral to your life. Then, there are times it's too close to home.
Yesterday was one of those times. We heard about a woman who was murdered right in our quiet neighborhood. We live in Otter Creek which is a community on the southwest corner of Little Rock. Little Rock has one of the highest crime rates per-capita in the United States. Yet, though we've had some reports of break ins, muggings and some other minor incidents, it's a relatively friendly and quiet neighborhood. Until yesterday.
We don't know the details of the murder and whether it was a random act of violence or if the woman knew her assassins. Knowing that might make us all feel either a little less concerned or more. However, there is one thing that came to my mind.
It's so easy for me in light of this to think, "what a CRAZY, MIXED-UP world we live in with such violent and wicked people OUT THERE who would do such a thing". Then, I'm reminded...but for the grace of God, there go I. It's easy for all of us, I think, to say to ourselves, "at least I'm not THAT bad". But, there lies the problem. We determine our own goodness or lack thereof COMPARED to others. Yet, if we compare ourselves to God's standard and His Word, "We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Jesus told the Pharisees that if you've even had a THOUGHT of hatred or anger toward another, you are as guilty as the person who murdered this young mother. I'm not trying to trivialize the pain or suffering this family is going through. I simply am reminded once again how sin has not only captured this murderer's soul, if not for Christ's saving work on the cross, it has captured mine as well.
The kind of sin that God refers to in the above references is sin that entered our soul through the fall of mankind when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. Need any proof...just watch a very young child lose their temper and do things that they have never seen modeled. It's in their soul. So, just as there is nothing that we DID to sin against God (we inherited it), therefore there is nothing we can DO to eradicate it. Only one who didn't inherit it could pay the price of sin that can't be paid by good works. That's what Jesus did on the Cross. He paid the price of a sin I could do nothing about. THAT'S GRACE! So, when I hear of these heinous crimes and feel compassion for the families I'm reminded of the pain our God feels when he sees us commit those same crimes against each other because that sin was too close to home...the rebellion of his own creation.
Please, today stop and pray for this family as they weep the loss of a mother, wife, sister, friend and family member. Then, do some reflection about the state of your soul. Is the sin within you paid for? Our comparison is not against one another...we have ALL sinned...our comparison is against a mighty, loving and Holy God. We can't stack up against that on our own and through our own righteousness. It's only through the righteousness that Christ imparted to us on the cross that we can stand without sin before God. So, for me, sin is never out there. It's always too close to home.
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Young Man Who Understands What True Success Is
What a great story and one that reminds us that there are a lot of people who are making a difference for the Kingdom! Way to go, Tim! Enjoy
Friday, September 5, 2008
Good Bye, Scotty
It was a little over a year ago when a homeless man, living out of his truck, came into our lives. More specifically, stumbled into our lives. As you may have heard previously, Sue spotted an elderly man shuffling his way through our housing development (Otter Creek) carrying a bag of groceries on a very hot summer day. What originated as a simple gesture to take a man home ended up being a God-sized involvement in a life.
Sue's involvement in Scotty's life was orchestrated by God. He was a nearly blind, elderly man who had virtually no family or anyone to care for him. He lived in his rundown truck and walked over 6 miles at least four days a week to get food for his cadre of dogs, sheep and cats. Sleeping in the leaky cab of a broken down truck amidst food and who knows what else is not my idea of "living the good life". That was Scotty's life. Enter Sue. With the help of others, Sue was moved enough by the Spirit of God to be Scotty's "neighbor". She didn't settle with simply taking him to and from the store to pick up his food. She invested in his life---in eternity. She took it upon herself to see if he qualified for assisted housing and got him a place in a retirement complex. Our small group and other friends helped him move in last fall. And, for the first time in at least three or four years (and probably longer), Scotty had a bed to sleep on and a place to call his own.
Then, last February, Sue and another caring woman, Jennifer, had an 80th birthday party for Scotty. We invited a number of people over to help him celebrate his birthday. I was moved when he told us that this was the first birthday party he had EVER had.
Sue's involvement didn't stop there. Again, with the help of others, she shuttled him between his new home and his old so that he could feed his animals. Then, she was able to get his goats sold. That left the dogs to feed. Unfortunately, we could never get rid of those dogs. But, we just couldn't bring it upon ourselves to put the only "friends" Scotty really had prior to us entering his life, to sleep.
In addition to his newfound friends, his neighbors helped look after him and his animals, too. Ultimately, it was the dogs that kept Scotty on the move. Though Sue had to reduce her chauffeuring frequency, she still had to get Scotty "home" to feed the dogs. As she cut back due to schedule conflicts, Scotty began to take a bus from his "new" home to the "dog palace" via a stop at a WalMart about 4-5 miles away. After walking approximately 8 miles round trip at least one or two times per week, he would board a return bus at that same WalMart and go home. Until today.
Yesterday, someone reported that an elderly man was laying face down in the street near the Otter Creek sign that greets all cars turning into our development. Sue got a call from a police officer that told her Scotty had died. Ironically, he was apparently walking the same route on his last day as when Sue spotted him and invested in him to help give him a better life.
The news of his death brought sadness and a few tears. Though we didn't know him for long, he was an example of someone who just needed a helping hand. He said many times to me during my fill-in efforts at replicating my wife's loving care, that she "saved his life". I also know that Sue took the opportunity to share with him that there is only ONE who SAVES lives. Jesus. We don't know the ultimate condition of his heart and where he was at spiritually on the day of his death but I'm so thankful that my wife showed me first hand what sacrificially loving your neighbor means. And, that he heard the message of Christ before he died. As the bible says, "Paul planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who makes the plant grow". Sue planted and watered as did others (Kathi, Spencer, Jennifer, Steve, Laura, Tracey, Judy, Rodney, Judy and others) by sharing words and their lives. We pray that God caused this plant to grow.
I shed a tear thinking about Scotty and how he easily could've passed away, in the cab of his old truck, without anyone seeing him for days. Instead, he passed away doing what he had done so often before (walking to and from the store) and knowing that he was loved by others and by God. I'm glad we got to know you, Scotty. Good Bye.
Sue's involvement in Scotty's life was orchestrated by God. He was a nearly blind, elderly man who had virtually no family or anyone to care for him. He lived in his rundown truck and walked over 6 miles at least four days a week to get food for his cadre of dogs, sheep and cats. Sleeping in the leaky cab of a broken down truck amidst food and who knows what else is not my idea of "living the good life". That was Scotty's life. Enter Sue. With the help of others, Sue was moved enough by the Spirit of God to be Scotty's "neighbor". She didn't settle with simply taking him to and from the store to pick up his food. She invested in his life---in eternity. She took it upon herself to see if he qualified for assisted housing and got him a place in a retirement complex. Our small group and other friends helped him move in last fall. And, for the first time in at least three or four years (and probably longer), Scotty had a bed to sleep on and a place to call his own.
Then, last February, Sue and another caring woman, Jennifer, had an 80th birthday party for Scotty. We invited a number of people over to help him celebrate his birthday. I was moved when he told us that this was the first birthday party he had EVER had.
Sue's involvement didn't stop there. Again, with the help of others, she shuttled him between his new home and his old so that he could feed his animals. Then, she was able to get his goats sold. That left the dogs to feed. Unfortunately, we could never get rid of those dogs. But, we just couldn't bring it upon ourselves to put the only "friends" Scotty really had prior to us entering his life, to sleep.
In addition to his newfound friends, his neighbors helped look after him and his animals, too. Ultimately, it was the dogs that kept Scotty on the move. Though Sue had to reduce her chauffeuring frequency, she still had to get Scotty "home" to feed the dogs. As she cut back due to schedule conflicts, Scotty began to take a bus from his "new" home to the "dog palace" via a stop at a WalMart about 4-5 miles away. After walking approximately 8 miles round trip at least one or two times per week, he would board a return bus at that same WalMart and go home. Until today.
Yesterday, someone reported that an elderly man was laying face down in the street near the Otter Creek sign that greets all cars turning into our development. Sue got a call from a police officer that told her Scotty had died. Ironically, he was apparently walking the same route on his last day as when Sue spotted him and invested in him to help give him a better life.
The news of his death brought sadness and a few tears. Though we didn't know him for long, he was an example of someone who just needed a helping hand. He said many times to me during my fill-in efforts at replicating my wife's loving care, that she "saved his life". I also know that Sue took the opportunity to share with him that there is only ONE who SAVES lives. Jesus. We don't know the ultimate condition of his heart and where he was at spiritually on the day of his death but I'm so thankful that my wife showed me first hand what sacrificially loving your neighbor means. And, that he heard the message of Christ before he died. As the bible says, "Paul planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who makes the plant grow". Sue planted and watered as did others (Kathi, Spencer, Jennifer, Steve, Laura, Tracey, Judy, Rodney, Judy and others) by sharing words and their lives. We pray that God caused this plant to grow.
I shed a tear thinking about Scotty and how he easily could've passed away, in the cab of his old truck, without anyone seeing him for days. Instead, he passed away doing what he had done so often before (walking to and from the store) and knowing that he was loved by others and by God. I'm glad we got to know you, Scotty. Good Bye.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
And the Rain Came Down...
Gustav is a real guy's name. Just saying it elicits a grunt. Go ahead. Say it. G U S T A V. Well, it's turning out to be a real groaner for us in Arkansas. Though we are glad as a nation that it didn't wreak the havoc that Katrina or Rita wrought in the same area almost exactly 3 years ago, it's still creating some trouble. For us it's more of a nuisance that's turning into some localized flooding. So, other than losing power for a few hours this morning, the main trouble has been the amount of rain we've received.
Our backyard has a river running through it. That didn't come with the landscape when we bought it. We found out it was an "added nicety" after the first torrential rain we received after moving in. All of this takes me back to an experience we had as a family after Rita ripped through the region with a lot of rain and tornadic activity three years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday.
It was late in the evening, about 10pm on a Friday or Saturday night. Ok, so maybe I don't recall ALL of the details like it was yesterday. Anyway...Erin, a friend of Erin's (Jordan), Jaclyn and I were playing a game. Bryan was with his (now ex) girlfriend. It was raining out and had been all day, just like today. The remnants of the hurricane hung over Arkansas like all of the Minnesota Viking Super Bowl losses hang over another NFL season. I digress...so, Bryan said, "I'm going to take [name withheld to protect the innocent ;-)] home." A few minutes later I got a phone call. Let me just say that it's NEVER good to see your child's cell phone number show up on caller ID just minutes after leaving the house. And, that held true in this case too. "Dad...ummm, I'm in some trouble" or something like that was uttered from the other end of the line.
"What's wrong?", I firmly spoke.
"Well, the car is stalled in the middle of the road and the water is rising almost to the bottom of the door. What should I do?"
"Get out", I shouted. "There will not be an airlift rescue here."
He had only driven about 1/3 of a mile away when he ran into a flooded street which just a few hours earlier had been wet but driveable. There was a lot of construction of new homes on this street and the geniuses put material to plug up the sewer drains to keep construction material from plugging up the sewer system. Unfortunately, it also kept the water from draining. A lake was quickly formed.
Well, the short story is that we all left our game, went to help move the car from the deeper water into the shallow end not thinking about what could have been waiting for us under the water. Eventually, we got it dried out and it's still running today. Oh, I guess I should share that I lost my temper a little. It wasn't his fault (well it was but there were no street lights and it was very difficult to see) but I did the typical father thing..."Why did you drive the car into rising water?" Of course he had no answer. That didn't stop me from explaining to him that if "this happens again, go the other way". Great wisdom, don't you think?
It's all now just a memory but every time we get these torrential storms, I'll remember that scene of our family, pushing our car back to our house and, eventually, laughing about it. So, go ahead, GUSTAV, let the rains fall. They only remind me of family!
Our backyard has a river running through it. That didn't come with the landscape when we bought it. We found out it was an "added nicety" after the first torrential rain we received after moving in. All of this takes me back to an experience we had as a family after Rita ripped through the region with a lot of rain and tornadic activity three years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday.
It was late in the evening, about 10pm on a Friday or Saturday night. Ok, so maybe I don't recall ALL of the details like it was yesterday. Anyway...Erin, a friend of Erin's (Jordan), Jaclyn and I were playing a game. Bryan was with his (now ex) girlfriend. It was raining out and had been all day, just like today. The remnants of the hurricane hung over Arkansas like all of the Minnesota Viking Super Bowl losses hang over another NFL season. I digress...so, Bryan said, "I'm going to take [name withheld to protect the innocent ;-)] home." A few minutes later I got a phone call. Let me just say that it's NEVER good to see your child's cell phone number show up on caller ID just minutes after leaving the house. And, that held true in this case too. "Dad...ummm, I'm in some trouble" or something like that was uttered from the other end of the line.
"What's wrong?", I firmly spoke.
"Well, the car is stalled in the middle of the road and the water is rising almost to the bottom of the door. What should I do?"
"Get out", I shouted. "There will not be an airlift rescue here."
He had only driven about 1/3 of a mile away when he ran into a flooded street which just a few hours earlier had been wet but driveable. There was a lot of construction of new homes on this street and the geniuses put material to plug up the sewer drains to keep construction material from plugging up the sewer system. Unfortunately, it also kept the water from draining. A lake was quickly formed.
Well, the short story is that we all left our game, went to help move the car from the deeper water into the shallow end not thinking about what could have been waiting for us under the water. Eventually, we got it dried out and it's still running today. Oh, I guess I should share that I lost my temper a little. It wasn't his fault (well it was but there were no street lights and it was very difficult to see) but I did the typical father thing..."Why did you drive the car into rising water?" Of course he had no answer. That didn't stop me from explaining to him that if "this happens again, go the other way". Great wisdom, don't you think?
It's all now just a memory but every time we get these torrential storms, I'll remember that scene of our family, pushing our car back to our house and, eventually, laughing about it. So, go ahead, GUSTAV, let the rains fall. They only remind me of family!
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