It was one of those nights......Preacher Man went to a Men's Retreat at Falls Creek in April. It was a very busy month for us, but I felt that he needed some guy time with some other men in the church. While they were there, they were able to pre-screen a new movie coming out, Courageous. Preacher Man couldn't say enough things about it, but trying very hard not to give too much of it away. He knew there would be another screening near us that we could go to together. Yay! Today, we had a lady in our church bless again tonight with watching our girls all night. She said that she thought we needed a night out before Preacher Man left for a few weeks in South Africa. We went with our El Pastor and his espouse to dinner, the movie, and a little coffee after. It was a wonderful evening.
Courageous was a movie about men stepping up in their family lives and truly leading their family in God's plan. There were many more complex sides to it, but the main theme of the movie was having a resolution to have integrity, to put God's desire first, to bring his children up with God as the center of their lives. Much like other movies produced by Sherwood Baptist, Courageous shows four different men at different stages in their lives. Most of those men couldn't pin point a time they felt like a man for the first time. Most didn't have a present father in their lives. Several of those men thought that playing with their kids each week was what it meant to being a good 'enough' father. The movie does have some action to it, there are a couple of points that you need to find some Kleenex near you. I don't want that last statement to deter anyone from coming to see this when it comes out in theaters on September 30.
It is very difficult for me to remember back to a time when my Dad wasn't a Christian and following God. It was around the time of Kindergarten, my Dad accepted Christ into his life and radically changed his life and my families life. My Dad had a very rough childhood and teenage years too. Too many things happened that shaped the angry young man he became. When he and my mom met, he was still very angry. It wasn't until my brother and I came into his world that he softened a bit, but when Christ entered his heart. All those walls came tumbling down around him. When I was a kid, there was a "Promise Keepers" movement that Dad was a part of. I noticed a huge change in the way that he was leading by example. When he and my Mom were new to their walk with God, I remember going to a home bible study (much like a small group) and it wasn't uncommon for us to eat dinner, and later all of us kids to fall asleep on the couches and floors while they prayed and read scripture for hours on end. I remember many times my dad and mom trying very hard to do family devotionals with us and we would make it the longest 15-20 minutes of the evening. It wasn't something that other 'kids' had to do with their families. At the same time, I had many friends that didn't have their dads around all the time, or they had a stepdad. Some of my friends told me how cool it was for my parents to still be married. There were some statistics that were said several times about fatherless homes and the effects it has been having on drugs, gangs, alcohol, premarital pregnancy, etc. Those similar thoughts were talked about in the 'Promise Keepers' material. It is so crucial to the design God has made with marriage and family to have the man as the head of the household.
I pray that many people with go to see this movie and take time to take stock of their family. Even if your kids are grown, you NEVER stop being a father or grandfather. Even if you live away from your kids or grandkids, there are many many youth or children that don't have a father in their lives. Mentoring and discipling other people in the faith is crucial to leaving a legacy.
P.S. I have not forgotten about the posts about camp. It has just been a little fast around here with VBS prep and Africa prep (in other words, Brian doing the helping and I am busy at home doing my part.). I haven't had time yet, but they will be coming soon. God did some outstanding things during last week and I will share.
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