'Courageous' Movie Review

Action packed, funny moments, awkward moments, tears of joy and sadness. No, I'm not talking about the new "Steel" movie, I'm talking about the latest movie from Sherwood Pictures, Courageous!

I had the pleasure of watching a pre-screening of this movie with a local Men's Group called 'Noble Warriors'. This group is a powerful men's resource for our area that prepares and engages men in our community. There was a great variety of men in the theater differing in age and race. We were all there for the same reason. And the reason is this 'We want to be courageous men!' The movie starts out with an intense scene and gets your blood pumping right from the get go. As a matter of fact, check out the video below. This is the opening scene!

Intense right! As the movie continues, you get a glimpse into the lives of four men, Policemen, and their families. Each man is at a different stage in his life and struggling to fight his own battles. An incident occurs about half way through the film that will make the lead character, Adam Mitchell, make some drastic changes in his life. After reviewing and studying the scriptures on how to be a better father, he develops an idea called 'The Resolution '. The Resolution is a like a contract, it states very specific guidelines on how a man is going to live the rest of his life. Each man in the movie signs The Resolution and they hold each other accountable thereafter. Here is an example of one of them.

'I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.'

Overall this is a powerful movie. And just like the book 'The Resolution for Men' , it is not for the faint of heart or the weak. It is meant to wake men up and challenge them in every area of their life! Click the image below to get it today!

Are you a man of Courage? 

Are you ready to take on The Resolution?

It will take courage, but it will be worth it! 

Understanding Desire

In previous posts, we discussed some of the false desires of the world. We talked about how we can discover desire and the pressure the world puts on our desires. Believe it or not, things like movies, shows, commercials, cars and more are all made to capture our desire. Advertisers understand the word and quietly build it into their branding.

If you have started to truly understand desire from God’s point of view. You will start to feel a shift in what you desire in the world. In a sense, the “desires” of this world will start to lose their luster. What you once thought was so amazing, has now been downgraded. For example; theme parks, certain hobbies, habits. Why is this? Because God is starting to reveal to you your true desires. (Psalm 37:4) You are now in a position with God that He is able to reveal your desires to you. You are trustworthy enough. As you make this shift, the desires of this world will no longer have a stronghold on you. I like to refer to bible verse for this which says ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh’, Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV). Because you have delighted yourself in the Lord, he has given you a new perspective. A new outlook on the way you see and do life. And it’s good!

As I started to understand desire and realize the true desires of my heart. The meaningless things of this world started to really become meaningless (Ecclesiastes 12:8). I still enjoy going to theme parks, racing and building things for people (I do carpentry for fun). But the thing that matters most now is the people I am there with; whether its building relationships with family, making friends that enjoy similar hobbies, or seeing someone smile from a finished product. Another desire that becomes stronger is your marriage. Culture says it’s fine to look at other women and it’s alright to “search the internet”. But the truth is we are to desire our wife more than any other woman. She deserves our attention and our love. My marriage has been fundamentally transformed by God. When we allowed Him in, He revealed our desire for each other. Since then our marriage hasn't been the same and we never want to go back to the old ways. It's just that good.  Finally, your desire is focused on what God would have you desire. You are no longer attached to what the enemy tries to make you desire, although he will still tempt you. Pray for God to reveal to you the desires He has for you. Pray that your desire would never stray again!

Have you experienced true desire? Have you been given a new heart and Spirit?