Fireproof - A Review

I’ll be honest. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the film Fireproof. I’m typically a go against the flow type of a guy, so you see my conundrum. Do I go with the flow of all my Christian Friends who are yelling at me to go see this “Christian Film” or do I go against the world and actually see it. I chose to see it reluctantly and not expecting much. After all, it stars Kirk Cameron. What I found was surprising. It was a well done film that boldly attempts to reach into the heart of marital conflict.
Caleb is a firefighter who seems to be a hero to everyone in the world, except his wife. Catherine is lamenting the train wreck her 7 year marriage has become. They both need a miracle. The Story follows their conflict in some detail as they explore such marriage killers as infidelity, selfishness and addictions in the marriage covenant.
Ready to call it quits, Caleb is asked by his father to complete a 40 day “Love dare” if he has any desire to see his marriage succeed. He reluctantly accepts the challenge, but finds much more than he anticipated as he comes to realize that the ‘never leave your partner behind’ motto relates to much more than his job.
Expect to see the obligatory conversion scene, which you come to expect from a film by a mainstream Christian organization. This might be a turn off for some, but for me, it fits in this story. Every major story deals with a character whose life fundamentally changes somehow during the story. This is a standard storytelling formula. In this case, the change just happens to be that he chooses to follow Christ, which in my opinion is the pinnacle of change. So, it works. The film is quite heavy so there are several moments of comic relief, which at times, seems out of place and a bit forced. Nevertheless, some of those moments are very humorous.
This is the 3rd major release from Sherwood Pictures, the previous being ‘Facing the Giants.’ The truth is they are getting better. This is a marked improvement. At times, the acting appears amateurish, but not terrible. This could be said about other films as well. Overall, I recommend this movie. If people need motivation for their relationships, then this movie will help them in that direction. I left the theater with a better idea of how much God loves me and how much I love my wife.

Marital Bliss?

I performed a wedding last weekend. I haven't done many, but each time I have the opportunity, I'm reminded of many things. My own marriage...of course. I'm reminded of how young I was, not physically mind you, but mentally. I don't think I had maintained my preconceptions by the time I got married, but I did have some idea as to what it might involve. For the most part, though, I discovered that marital bliss isn't a long term reality. I love my marriage, don't get me wrong, but when I think of "bliss," I don't also think of "work." But moments of bliss...those moments come in-between bills and talking about what's for dinner and working through issues...bliss creeps into those unexpected moments. When it does, it's like a drug. Those moments justify the work. They solidify the bond. I'm becoming better at recognizing those moments and when they come, I drink them in. So, for my friends who marry, I pray for the ability to work as well as the ability to recognize and enjoy those moments of bliss.

The Sound of Your Love

I don't think I've never blogged about my Haiti Adventure. Experiencing the poorest of the poor in the Western Hemisphere has changed my life. Since returning from Haiti over a year ago, I've thought to myself that I'll be going back. Hope for Haiti's Children is an organization that I plan to be involved with for some time to come. You can find out more by visiting their website at http://www.hfhcministries.org/.

This is a video that I made of the orphans that HFHC houses. Their love for singing is evident here as they sing for us the song they have learned from the group Leeland. Take a look.

Freedom

I just finished this piece on Freedom. It isn't my best work by any stretch, but it is fun and was a good segue into our Wednesday night lesson time. Take a look and I'd love to hear your comments.

Facebook

I resisted at first, yes. I have, however, seen the light. Facebook really can bring the world together. At least it can bring friendships together in the shallow end of the relational pool. What I find is that the seeing an old friend after a long time of...well...not seeing them is very exciting and moving. You know, those friends I had when I was in High School, college and beyond. I mean, after all, I was voted "friendliest" in my class like 3 years in a row. I never did get best looking or most athletic. Sigh! Oh well.
When I do get some communication from one of my old friends the pattern becomes more or less a 'HEY! How's it Going!" and then they reply pretty quickly with a, "great! it's great here...and you?" And then I reply a little less quickly with, "yeah, family's good and so is the job! Man you look great after all of these years!" And then, a few days later they might reply with a, "well, it's good to see you..." and then...well, that's pretty much it. I find that those relationships I had so long ago were fantastic in the moment, but life does move on and it's difficult to share what's really gone on in my life- the ups and downs -the tragedies and successes- those things that have formed my spirit, personality and my purpose...it's hard to share these things in a short email. It's hard to briefly say, yeah, we've been trying for a kid for about 4 years and oh yeah, my wife almost died last labor day from what we thought was a muscle pull...yada yada yada... So, without really going into the details, I put forth the Cliff's notes version of my life. I know that there is so much I truly want to say, but I'm not sure how to write it all down.

It's not that my Facebook friends aren't important...it's just that, well a lot has happened in 10+ years...with all of us. But it's nothing to regret I guess. We offer pockets of communication...like our facebook profiles...or a blog, like this one. I think that blogs are a great way to peer into someone's life. Of course, you have to update it. And I try.

One thing I do not like about Facebook is an application I'm trying to get rid of...compare people...so far I'm on the low end of the most date able and best looking rating scale. Of course, I'm sure that if there were a 'friendliest' section, I'd probably be at the top. I guess after 10+ years, not much has changed.

Liam's Blessing

I love the idea of a moment of blessing. When it comes to Children, typically more conservative churches have shunned the idea of blessing infants in a public way because it looks too much like dedicating or baptizing babies. I guess this is bad because when it comes to infants the baptists dedicate and the catholics baptize. I reference these two because deliniating one segment of christians from the other usually lies in areas of practice right? And we all know that practice makes perfect right? ( I hope you see the sarcasm in that statement.)

Of course we know that Jesus blessed the children. (Mark 10) How, we're not sure. Many Christians are intimidated by things that they don't know much about. Moments of Blessing are found throughout the bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament. My opinion is simple. Blessing occurs when your words give encouragement, direction and a realization of power. My son was blessed at our church on April 13th of this year and this is what was said. I'd love to hear your comments.

Some More Pics

I thought I'd go ahead and publish some more pics our experience.  I'm working on a short piece on our adventure...I'll publish that soon. But for now...here are some more pics. 

 

He's Here!

We've been waiting quite a long time and he's finally made his appearance.

He Showed up at 4:04 on Tuesday APRIL 1st.  Can you believe it?  Liv showed on Halloween and Liam is here on April Fools day.  God is Good...too slow sometimes for my impatient self, but I'm not complaining.  I feel fortunate to have captured his attention.  He loves us...And as I look at my son, I can see how much he loves mankind.  Wow... Thanks for your prayers.  Here are some pictures. 

We're ready to come home.  It's been a wonderful experience.  More soon...

Horton Hears a Who.

"I said what I meant and I meant what I said; an elephant is faithful One Hundred Percent." This tale from the mind of Dr. Seuss weaves a story of faithfulness and forgiveness.

Horton, voiced by Jim Carrey, is an unassuming character who seems to be more in tune with his he hears a sound from a passing speck. He recognizes the sound as a small voice calling for help. He immediately drops everything to investigate this sound and save the speck from certain doom as it flits and floats helplessly through the jungle. Those around him are seemingly unaffected by this sound except for the local self-appointed morality police/kangaroo voiced by Carol Burnett. She sees Horton as one who would disrupt the status quo of the serene jungle life with fantastical tales about a speck bearing life. The main character, Horton, is loyal and simple. And his best trait seems to be that he does not regard his neighbor's view of his seemingly crazy behavior as something to deter his quest to fulfill his vow of faith. Meanwhile, in the middle of the speck, the mayor (voiced by Steve Carell) is faced with questions about the fragility of life in his seemingly serene world of Whoville. Unexpectedly, he meets a disembodied voice that, interestingly, only he can hear. When near catastrophic events occur in Whoville, the mayor risks reputation and family to save his world by putting a little faith in his new, but unseen friend.

Horton Hears A Who is a story about characters who discover that their worlds aren't as large or small as they seem. It's a story about a journey of faith and courage. Interestingly, both main characters never actually see each other. In moments they can hear what the other is saying, but without sight must rely on this faith to save the day.

I'm a fan of both of the actors in this film - Jim Carrey and Steve Carell – as is my family. I decided to take my wife and my 5 year old daughter to see the film and didn't see or hear anything that caused me regret. The film wasn't as funny as I had hoped, but what it did provide was a great opportunity to discuss what it means to keep your word even in the most difficult of situations; especially in a world that fights against those who would do right regardless of the cost. Horton Hears a Who is playing now in a theater near you. Horton Hears a Who is Rated "G."

Love this Video

I'm an office fan. I recently came across Jenna Fischer's my space page and saw this video. It's very intriguing for the production quality. Plus, I just like the song. Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVpBw5V7sPU

Dogmatic

I was looking for some similar words to Dogmatic today and this is what I came up with. "Rigid. Inflexible. Unbending. Strict. Narrow. Authoritarian. Dictatorial."

I grew up in an independent, Fundamental, Bible believing Baptist world. (I get tired just typing that phrase.) And yes, it did shape my beliefs a bit. I was raised to think that a few arguments and questions could be won and answered by just a few well selected scripture references. I was taught (informally) that once a question was answered, then you really didn't have to think about it again. You knew the answer. Therefore, the focus became making sure that others know the answers you know. Just the facts.

Yes…I really was sure of myself for quite a while. When people asked about Revelation and the end of the world, I knew the answer. In fact, I knew exactly how it would play out. I could type it up for you now in all its literal detail, but I would probably lose the few of you who actually take time to read this stuff. You want to know what happens when you die? I knew it! What about those in the world who have never heard about Jesus. Those who have never even heard the name of Jesus? Well, I knew…and frankly, it's really too bad for them. Bummer.

Of course, we were taught about God's grace, but weren't really taught that we should show such grace. There was a time when I was, sad to say, DOGMATIC. Rigid…Inflexible…Unbending…

But a bit later in life I discovered something about myself. When someone lacks Grace, there lacks personal experience. No grace…No experience. And I really had not experienced normal, living-in-the-world people. Fortunately, from knowing such people I've learned that there are fewer and fewer Black and White areas anymore. Grayness seems to be moving in like a typical April day on the shores of Galveston. Does this mean my faith is shaken? No. It means that I have more experiences now. I have several friends that weren't raised in a little fundamentalist bubble. And that is good.

So, why should you care about this? After all it is a bit of personal discovery really. I think you should care because at any given moment what someone needs more than a proof text or a solid, though out answer is this. A hug. You were expecting more weren't you? Actually to break it apart…what people need are words that encourage, arms that comfort, tears that sympathize, and feet that will meet them where they are. They need the real love of God showed from a living body. When you hug someone fully…dogmatics aren't present. Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever experienced a rigid, inflexible and unbending hug.