Fireproof

Rhonda and I went to see Fireproof last night. I have to confess that I am not a big fan of Christian films because they tend to be poor quality and a little too "tidy." what I mean by "tidy" is, they tend to make the story and situations a little too easy to fix. I will be the first to proclaim that with Jesus anything can be fixed. But sometimes the road is a difficult one and often very painful.

I felt that Fireproof was a little bit predictable and "tidy" but I also thought that of all the Christian films I've seen, it was the most realistic. I appreciated the fact that they dealt with addiction, fantasy, anger and marital unfaithfulness. Those are issues that many people face in today's world. I also appreciated the fact that both characters struggled with whether they really wanted to make the marriage work or not. Again, very real struggles that people face.

I left the movie wishing that I saw more reconciliation in marriages. Often couples have just given up and have no desire or energy to work on the marriage. The truth is, at least in the short term, it is easier to get divorced than to go through hard work of making the marriage work. If your marriage is struggling, will you please face the issues and work on the marriage before it's too late? Even though divorce may be the easier option in the short term, in the long term divorce leaves deep pain, destruction and conflict that lasts for years. In the long run, working on your relationship, learning to serve each other and founding your marriage in relationship with God will be the greatest thing you could ever do.

Go see Fireproof together. I am going to be purchasing some of the 40 day love challenge books that the writers of the movie have made available. Ask me for one and I'll give it to you for free.I believe you will look back 6 months or a year from now and be glad you put the time and effort into your marriage that it has needed for a long time.


Pastor Jeff

I was at a funeral today. Not my favorite way to start my week. There was a little 96 year old lady named Iva who had passed away without too many people noticing. Though I don't really like funerals, one thing I do enjoy is looking at the photos of an elderly person when they were young. Iva wasn't too much to look at as a 96 year old but she was beautiful as a 20 year old. She had gone to business college then to bible college then to seminary. She ministered in several different churches. Quite an impressive resume for a woman in the early 1900's.

I've decided that I judge too many people by their cover. I assume to much about people. when I really stop to listen, everyone is interesting. Everyone is worth knowing. God created us so diversely and given us such great opportunities to live. The next time I speak with an elderly person, I'm going to ask more questions. What were the highlights of your life? What interesting things have you done? I want to know more people. I mean really know them. Not just where they are now but where they have been and where they are going.

Maybe going to this funeral today wasn't all about Iva. Maybe it had a lot more to do with what God is teaching me. Maybe that is the way Iva would have wanted it.