Do you ever just want a moment?

Sometimes I just need a moment with God and in the middle of the day with so much going on, it is very hard to have that moment or to really be able to focus in that moment.

Audrey Assad, who just released her debut album, has an incredibly beautiful song called “Restless”, co-written by Matt Maher, that helps me enter into God’s presence in an instant. I thought I’d share this song with you in hopes that you might be able to pause and reflect on God’s love for even just a few minutes.

I encourage you to sit with this song for a few minutes and then take one to five minutes of silence, knowing that God’s is there loving you.

Unfortunately I can’t embed the video here, but you can find it through this link to YouTube:

Here is a link to a YouTube video of “Restless” with the lyrics.

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If you like what you hear, I encourage you to head on over to Amazon and purchase the entire album, which is full of beautiful songs to help you pray.

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8/3/10

The Power of Prayer

This past week, we witnessed the incredible power of prayer. Melanie Pritchard was incredibly close to death, but through the power of prayer she is heading home from the hospital today. This is incredible news. Through my estimation, counting all of the different ways that prayer requests went out and all of the different communities that pledged their prayers, I would venture to guess that tens of thousands of people prayed for Melanie. Prayer truly is powerful.

All we have to do is ask

The Gospel of Matthew says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

Indeed, our asking is all that is required in order for God to work. We just need to take our concerns to him, and pray fervently for his reply. Often times our prayer may not be answered in the way we desire, but it will be answered in deed. I’ve found that when it is not answered in the way I desire, God helps me to understand why and gives me peace about his will. It is when I don’t pray, or don’t ask that I can’t seem to understand why things aren’t working out.

God knows our needs

Often we feel as though we don’t know how to ask God, or what to even say. Many have exclaimed, “I don’t even know where to start.” We simply have to start where we are and put ourselves in the presence of his grace. It only takes a simple entry into prayer for God to hear our cry.

As St. Paul says,  “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” *(Romans 8:26-27) – God knows our needs, he hears our cry. We simply have to go to him, don’t worry about what words to say, just tell him from the place you are. You can simply say “Lord, I don’t know where to start.” and “the one who searches hearts” will help you and will most certainly hear you.

So today, we “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help” as one community praying in love for one another.

Please offer prayers this week for these requests:

I ask you to continue praying for Melanie’s recovery and for her family as they transition back home. Thanking God, but asking his continued mercy and grace in that situation. We also pray that many will help with the financial burden that they will bear due to medical bills.

From Beverly: Pray for Karen, diagnosed w/ cervical cancer & Jesse who is overladen with many troubles, & Sarah who is going thru a difficult time at work.

From Carmen: Please pray for all couples trying to conceive and for all addicts.

From Andrea: Please pray for Kathy, a woman of great courage who is fighting cancer alone and with no money or insurance.  She is dear to me.

From Dominick: Pray for Janelle who is in premature labor at 24 weeks. She is in the hospital. Docs were able to slow the labor and did a procedure to prolong it even longer.Let’s storm the heavens for another great family.

From Honour: Brian has contracted typhoid while serving as a Catholic Missionary serving in South America. While he is being treated. He is scheduled to come home in August if he is well enough to travel.

From Kathleen: Please pray for a special intention for my son.

From Steph: Please pray for all of us that are traveling to the Catholic New Media Conference this week.

From John: Prayers needed for the young man who tried unsuccessfully to help his girlfriend choose life. On Thursday I got a call from a young man whose girlfriend was being pressured into an abortion. Saturday her mother took the girl to the mill for an abortion. The young man is devastated. I found out this morning when I called him not having heard from him or her. Tragic.

Anonymous: please pray for a family in financial need both in the immediate, and the long term, they are really struggling with what to do.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for praying for Melanie – she was healed. Thank you for prayer for your brothers and sisters in this community. May God continue to draw us closer to into union with Him. May you be enfolded in the enduring love of Our Lord’s Sacred Heart.

In Christ,

Chris Faddis

If you have a prayer request you’d like to add, please post it in the comments below.

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Publisher’s Note: This post originally appeared on John’s blog which you can find here. He has graciously agreed to let me share it with you. It is a beautiful tribute to Melanie Pritchard and her incredible and miraculous recovery from a potentially fatal medical emergency. Doctor’s are calling it a “miracle they cannot begin to explain” and those of us in the praying world agree with Mark Hart who proclaimed “I can (explain it), it’s called the Divine Mercy of God.”

John J. Jakubczyk served as President of Arizona Right to Life, Arizona’s largest, oldest and strongest pro-life organization and has been active in the Pro-life movement for 35 years. Currently he sits on the board of AZRTL. He is an attorney in private practice, active in his church, married , the father of 11 children, and now a proud grandfather.

The Miracle that is Melanie

Those of us in the pro-life movement will speak about every human life being a miracle of God. We say it so many times that it is easy for the meaning of the words to become lost on us or even worse to take for granted the unique gift that is every human life and what God intends for that person should he or she seek to do His will.

Our energy and focus on stopping the killing that goes on all around us and our efforts to educate our friends, neighbors and fellow citizens can be draining and often frustrating. The infighting, the failure to treat people with respect, the sometimes deliberate attacks on well meaning efforts, will drive people away and tempt them to give up the fight.

A Crisis Unites Us

So when a crisis occurs that requires us to direct our attention toward that which is most important, it is amazing to see the hand of God at work.

Melanie Pritchard is a dynamic young woman whom I have had been privileged to work with for many years now. I watched how her passion for the right to life developed and how her enthusiasm for teaching young people to respect themselves, their lives and others infected her friends and students such that they became ambassadors for the pro-life message. I witnessed her love for Doug and how their beautiful relationship led to marriage and children. Watching her be mom was a kick. As I saw my own two daughters grow into examples of Christian women, so i saw Melanie become an example of what happens when we say yes to God.

So it was only too shocking when I received a call from Melanie’s mother, Sherry, telling me of the crisis of events and that Melanie was near death after the trauma during labor and delivery.

Pray.

That was all we could do. Pass the word for everyone to pray. And so we did. And so we all did. And by the grace and mercy of God. Our prayers were answered.

Doug, Melanie, and Baby Ella Pritchard

I saw Melanie this afternoon. She is awake, alert, making jokes, eating, sitting up and still in need of our prayers. Her heart is “tired” after all this trauma and needs to get stronger. Her surgery is still very painful. But her determination is inspiring. As the saying goes, she isn’t out of the woods yet. So please pray for her and Doug and the family. Pray for her parents Jim and Sherry and for Sherry’s parents who have serious health issues. Pray for the doctors and nurses who have been and are caring for her. Please give thanks to Almighty God for her life and those who were there to assist and treat her. And a special thanks to God for Melanie’s brother Larry, who was able to advise and act in ways to get her the advanced medical care she needed.

A Call to Prayer

But most important pray that throughout this nation we may once again value and cherish every human life as those of us who know Melanie cherish her. Think about those in your family and take a moment to reconcile any issues that are separating you from them. Forgive any grievances and ask forgiveness for any hurts you have caused along the way. Realize that God loves us through others and we in turn express the love of God when we love one another. In thanking God for His mercy in healing Melanie and bringing us all through this situation, let us use this moment to become better people; first in our homes, then in our schools, our churches, and at work. Let us recommit ourselves to defending innocent human life at all stages, at all times, in all situations. Let us be about the work that God has intended.

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SUPPORT NEEDED

Friends and Family have set up a website and Facebook page to support Doug and Melanie. Assumptions are that many of the costs of Melanie’s medical care and rehab will not be fully covered. Please check out their webpage and Facebook page and do what you can to support this incredible family. You may also sign up or this email list to receive updates on Melanie’s progress and find out how you can help. In addition Melanie’s recovery will take a long time, please continue to pray for her healing.

For another article that gives some more background to Melanie’s crisis and the incredible events that transpired, you can check out “Pray it Forward” over on Catholic.org

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I often wonder if Venerable John Paul II had any idea the kind of lasting impact he would have on the world. On that September day when the white smoke announced to the world that we indeed had a new Pope, did he know in those moments that God would use him to not only affect the Church during the time of his Papacy, but the entire world for many years to come?

During his first five years as Pontiff, His Holiness, dedicated his Wednesday Audiences to deliver one message, it is a body of talks we now know as The Theology of the Body. It is a collection of “129 short talks between September of 1979 and November of 1984 – to providing a profoundly beautiful vision of human embodiment and erotic love. He gave this project the working title ‘theology of the body.’”  (www.tobinstitute.org)

To put it very simply, the Theology of the Body teaches us that the body reveals God.

“Far from being a footnote in the Christian life, the way we understand the body and the sexual relationship ‘concerns the whole Bible’ (TOB 69:8). It plunges us into ‘the perspective of the whole Gospel, of the whole teaching, even more, of the whole mission of Christ’ (TOB 49:3). Christ’s mission, according to the spousal analogy of the Scriptures, is to “marry” us. He invites us to live with him in an eternal life-giving union of love… John Paul’s theology of the body not only paves the way for lasting renewal of marriage and the family; it enables everyone to rediscover “the meaning of the whole of existence, the meaning of life” (TOB 46:6).” (www.tobinstitute.org)

This teaching has been called a “theological time-bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences …perhaps in the twenty-first century.” (George Weigel, The Biography of Pope John Paul II)

Let the Explosion Begin

My friends, I am here to testify that this “time-bomb” is about to explode in a powerful ways. Already small charges have gone off as the groundwork is laid for an incredibly powerful renewal of the culture as we see it today.

Several years ago I first heard about the Theology of the Body through a friend who had been to a conference and learned about it. The simple explanation I received changed the way I saw life in a profound way. As I delved into the topic more, I could sense myself being transformed. It was as if I knew the truth of this teaching long before but had forgotten it in the confusion of sin. I recall going to a class put on by a Priest in our Diocese every Tuesday night and being floored each week but the incredible depth of this work. At the time, while the teaching was gaining steam, it was still a long way off.

It has been incredible to see how the Theology of the Body has made it’s way into so many circles and so much more is being done to teach it to the faithful. Many, many people have dedicated their lives to be missionaries of this great message – some in simple ways, like leading study groups in their parishes, and others in large ways, like raising funds to begin non-profit organizations whose mission is to spread this message.

The groundwork is being laid for an incredible work of evangelization which will lead to a profound renewal of our culture. This groundwork is coming in the way of people who are dedicating their lives to learning this message and then spreading it in many ways, it is being laid in the marriages that are being lived in truth because of this teaching, the children who are the fruit of these faith-filled marriages will be the new priests, the new evangelists, the new parents who will live in truth and their lives will change our world.

The Theology of the Body Congress

This week 450 people have gathered in Philadelphia for the first ever, Theology of the Body Congress, sponsored by the TOB Institute. The congress brought together the leading speakers and thinkers on Theology of the Body to teach Priests, lay evangelists, and ministry leaders and to celebrate this incredible work that is underway in our Church.

The Congress is reported to have been a huge success, having sold out weeks in advance. In fact, the response after selling out was so big that the TOB Institute offered a “live streaming” option to folks who wanted to watch the congress from their home, office, or parish.

The online response has also been huge. The Theology of the Body Congress has been “live tweeted” from the ground with quotes from speakers and insights into what was going on throughout and has been spread all across Twitter using the hashtag #TOBcongress. You can see a stream of these updates from many at the event and from the congress organizers themselves here. (NOTE: Hashtags are added to posts to categorize the topic and help it aggregate and gain attention) Posts were also updated on the congress’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tobcongress.

There is no doubt that people will be talking about this event for a long time and many more will seek to attend next year’s event. In fact, in closing remarks at the end of the closing Mass this morning, the Theology of the Body Institute board chairman shared that seed money is needed for next years congress so they can make it bigger and better. Shortly after a twitter post came out that a generous supporter has offered a $30,000 dollar for dollar match to the institute to help them fund next years event. If you would like to support the event please go to their donation page.

Reader’s Respond

I’ve got two questions and I’d love your response below:

1. Do you think the “time-bomb” has gone off or about to go off and why?

2. If you were at the Theology of the Body Congress,  please leave your comments on your highlights and aha moments below. What do you think will come out of this great event? What will you do with what you learned?

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Click here for video of the closing Mass with Cardinal Justin Rigali. Attendees  sing “Joyful, Joyful”, a fitting song.

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UPDATED AT 4:36pm (AZ Time) 8/2/10

Melanie Pritchard, Catholic speaker, Pro-Life Educator, Chastity speaker, and a true woman of God is in critical condition after giving birth to her second child. During labor there were complications and Melanie was rushed into an emergency C-section. During the C-section Melanie’s heart stopped beating. The baby was born and is doing great. But Melanie’s condition is very serious. She has now had surgery on her heart and while she is stable on machines, is not recovering well. They are now transporting her to the Mayo Clinic and putting her on specialized equipment.

Who is Melanie Pritchard?

Melanie would probably first tell you that she is Doug’s wife and a mother of two who seeks to be sure her children always know their incredible worth. But Melanie is also a powerful force for changing lives. She is a chastity speaker, a Pro-Life Educator and advocate, she is a game changer in the Church. She has created movements in Phoenix that have truly changed lives. She’s educated many young people in defending life and standing up for truth, she has trained other young people to teach Chastity and she is personally responsible for guiding many to live lives of Chastity and even to keep their children. On top of that she is an incredible friend to many which has been testified to by the outpouring of prayer that is being spread throughout Phoenix and across the country through Twitter and Facebook.

Melanie’s work with Arizona Right to Life, her creation of Refuge Clothing, and her many projects to educate and rally young people for Life and Chastity are truly legendary. She most recently founded Foundation for Life and Love in Phoenix to offer speakers and education programs on many topics related to Pro-Life and the Theology of the Body.

Where two or more are gathered in my name…

The outpouring of prayer and support has been incredible and awe-inspiring. Since 3pm EDT when I first learned of this there have been hundreds of Twitter and Facebook updates posted, and hundreds of responses of prayers offered. Two parishes in the Phoenix Diocese hosted prayer vigil’s for Melanie tonight and many more prayed from their homes. I also heard from Lisa Wheeler of the Maximus Group, that the Theology of the Body Congress paused to pray for Melanie tonight after Dr. Janet Smith’s talk during the main session. Yes, many are gathered in Jesus’ name on Melanie’s behalf!

I’m personally begging you to get on your knees and pray for Melanie and her family. Chastity Speaker and friend, Mary Beth Bonnacci, offered this suggestion today, “My friend Julie Alexander, also a passionate defender of life, came back from a should-have-been-fatal heart emergency, through the intercession of John Paul II. I’m going to start praying for his intercession!”

It is fitting that Melanie, who has been so inspired and guided by John Paul II’s teachings and writings would deserve his intercession and prayers. So I ask you to pray and continue praying, asking venerable John Paul the Great to pray for Melanie and to intercede on her behalf. I’m hoping and praying that this LivingGracefully community will come together in sincere prayer for this holy woman of God and for her wonderful husband Doug and their children. We are hoping and praying for a miracle and ultimately asking God’s grace in this situation.

“Let us confidently approach the throne of Grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” – Hebrews 4:16

Want continued updates on Melanie’s progress and to find out how you can help the family in this long road ahead? Click here to sign up for our “Praying for Melanie” email list.

UPDATES:

11:30 pm (Arizona Time) 7/28/10 – Kemi Ndolo (Bass player of the Matt Maher Band, and childhood friend of Melanie’s husband Doug) posted: “Just left the hospital, Melanie is doing better. Still needs lot’s and lot’s of prayers. Gabriella is gorgeous and healthy. Doug is staying strong and Positive.”

9:42 am (AZ Time) 7/29/10 - Mark Hart, Vice-President of LIFE TEEN and long time friend of Melanie’s posted to Twitter: “Melanie was stable through the night. She’s heading back into surgery soon. Keep the prayers coming, please!”

10:07 am (AZ Time) 7/29/10 – Word is that Melanie was weaned off of sedation this morning to see how “neurologically intact” she was and woke up and began reaching for Doug and crying. She was trying to get out of bed. Her lungs and heart have improved and she is now headed in for another surgery. – GOD IS GOOD! – Keep those prayers coming as she is not out of the water yet. This is the first major sign of improvement.

1pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 – Brooke Burns, long time friend of Mel’s and collaborator at the Foundation for Life and Love with Melanie posted this great news on Facebook: “I just want to pass along some GREAT news regarding Melanie. She is out of surgery… and is in stable condition. This morning, she responded to Doug’s voice with tears and attempting to pull her tubes out…a real fighter She is now heavily sedated and as we know more we will pass on more. THANK YOU for your prayers…keep them coming. She and her family need them now…so don’t let up!”

I’ve also been told that she recognized her mother’s voice. Things are most definitely improving. Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and outpouring of love and support. It has been incredible to see the response from all over the country and world. – Chris

3pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 – John J. Jakubczyk of Arizona Right to Life emailed this note to me today: “Just spoke with Melanie’s mom. Melanie recognized her and was alert. She is being weaned off of the medications that were helping her heart and lungs. She continues to need our prayers as there are some additional hurdles – BUT – all is looking so much better. THANK YOU all for your prayers. Our God is a mighty God. He reigns and His mercy endures forever. Give thanks to Our Lord for hearing our prayers and to Our Blessed Mother,all the angels and saints for their intercession. And special thumbs up to St. Anthony and St. Philomena.”

5PM (AZ TIME) 7/29/10 – Kemi Ndolo just posted this update to Facebook with a request for specific prayers: “Pray for a very exhausted husband and father, Doug. Melanie is at one hospital, Gabriella is at another Hospital and Brady is away from both parents for now. Doug is beyond physical and emotional exhaustion, but he’s staying strong for his family. A facebook page and website will be up soon where you can support them with cards, financially, and with prayers. Help spread the word.” - I’ll post a Facebook page link as soon as I have it. -CF

8pm (AZ time) 7/29/10 – Kemi Ndolo gave another wondeful update: “Melanie is of ventilators and talking. It’s a miracle but not a surprise because miracles can and do happen. Continue to pray for the Pritchards. There will be a website and a method to help financially off-set what will be some astounding medical bills. More on that tomorrow. Praise Him.”

8:24pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 Publisher’s note: Please check back in the morning for updates on: what you can do to help the Pritchard’s, how you can send mail, and encouragement, plus the website and Facebook page that is being set up on their behalf. – cf

9:44pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 Publisher’s Note: I’ve set up an email list for continued updates on Melanie’s progress and so you can be aware of ways you can help the family in this long road ahead. Sign-Up Here.

9am (AZ Time) 7/30/10 Kemi Ndolo posted this note to Facebook: “Melanie Pritchard has to be one of the strongest women I know…she has overcome an amniotic fluid embolism, DIC, lung failure and heart failure. The only tube left in her is an iV with saline drip. Incredible turnaround since two night’s ago. She will see her baby for the first time tomorrow morning!!! Continue to pray for Mel, Doug, and their precious children.”

11am (AZ Time) From Brooke Burns: “Chris, this is the website that you can post on your site to financially support Mel and Doug due to insurance not covering all of their costs and Mel will be in recovery for months.
It’s a paypal link that will go directly into Doug’s account. Please spread the word like wildfire.

The latest update on Mel is that she is with her baby Ella right now as we speak…UNBELIEVABLE! My sister and I saw her last night. She is coherent and recognized us and was able to say I love you. She is in a tremendous amount of pain and has a long, long road of recovery from here.”

Alright folks, let’s respond in generous support of this family through prayer and giving. Anything you can do will make a difference.  - Chris

3:30pm (AZ Time) 7/30/10 John Jakubzcyk sent this great news: “Latest on Melanie:( I feel like the “news” guy – FLASH – This just in) Melanie is alert, walked around her room today. She is much better. She saw her baby girl – probably the best medicine – and appreciates all the prayers and sacrifices being offered up. She is getting ready to be transferred out of ICU and to her own room. That will take place later today. Please continue the prayers for her recovery.”

3:30pm (AZ Time) 7/30/10 Mark Hart posted this incredible news to Facebook: “The doctors are calling Melanie Pritchard’s recovery a miracle that they “cannot begin to explain.” I can. It’s called the power of prayer. It’s called the Divine Mercy of God.”

5:00pm (AZ Time) 7/30/10 Kemi Ndolo Posted this picture to “Support Doug and Melanie”, the Facebook page that has been set up

Doug, Melanie, and Baby Ella Pritchard

4:36pm (AZ Time) 8/2/10 This update was just posted to “Support Doug and Melanie Pritchard” (the Facebook page set up for the Pritchards) “The good news continues to roll in. Melanie is going home far sooner than expected! Melanie is ALIVE by the grace and compassion of Our Lord, because of our pleas for a miracle. Matthew 7:7, ask and it shall be given unto you. Doug and the Family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, for spreading the word, for donations, for continued support, continued prayers and for the out pouring of Love.”

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Please continue to share this story and ask for prayers. If you use Twitter, please use the Hashtag #prayformelanie to help the news be spread more effectively. You can follow updates from twitter by clicking here.

**I will continue to post updates as I receive them online or through friends who have been keeping me posted.

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“When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness; welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence.”

- St. Francis de Sales

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“O Lord, we cannot go to the pool of Siloe to which you sent the blind man. But we have the chalice of Your Precious Blood, filled with life and light. The purer we are, the more we receive.”

- St. Ephraem

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As a new feature, every Sunday I will post a new quote about the Eucharist for your reflection and prayer. I will schedule it to post on Saturday at 4pm Eastern Time to allow for anyone going to the Vigil Mass a chance to read it. The quotes will be taken from the writings of the Saints as well as an occasional quote from a more modern source such as myself or a modern writer or musician.

“If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this Sacrament, I am sure that the thought of Christ’s love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude.”

- St. Angela of Foligno

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After a full day of set visits, being extras, getting to know the makers of the film, and of course a comforting southern meal of Fried chicken Billy Atwell of BreakPoints, Tim Drake of the National Catholic Register, Kenneth Henderson of TrueKnights, and myself sat down to discuss “Courageous” and the effects it will have on men and even the effect it will have on us.

NOTE: This was shot on a video camera w/o proper microphones, in a crowded hotel lobby – Please forgive the loud background noise. Despite the sound quality I think there are some good pieces of conversation. Be sure to check out our quick discussion of the Duggar’s at the end.

“Courageous” Round-table Discussion from Kenneth Henderson on Vimeo.

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This week I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit the set of a new film, Courageous, by Sherwood Pictures (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof). What an incredible week it was.  I was there as a part of media and ministry week. There were over 100 representatives from various media outlets, bloggers (like me), and ministry leaders.

Courageous, is a story of four Sheriff’s Deputy’s who vow to “serve and protect” as officers and who daily fight for good, but in their own lives they struggle with understanding who they are called to be as Father’s.

I must say that without a doubt this film will be a game changer for men. As I sat in the small auditorium at Sherwood Baptist Church to watch a few rough cuts of scenes, I was not only overwhelmed by the quality of the film but was convicted to be a better man, a better husband and a better father. In the eleven scenes that we were shown we found ourselves bent over laughing and often holding back tears.

Writers, Alex and Stephen Kendrick (Associate Pastors of Sherwood Baptist), have outdone themselves with some incredibly well written comedy woven throughout this inspiring film. Many have asked me my initial impressions, and while I will most certainly write more at length on this film and on Fatherhood in the coming week I thought I’d just put down my initial thoughts:

Lives will be changed

It was no doubt to myself or the other guests that this film will have a profound impact on everyone who sees it. It is a gripping story line with a God-inspired message. It is a message that we need in our day and the timing couldn’t be more right.

Sherwood is Committed to Improving Quality

As with each film Sherwood has done, they work on a shoestring budget compared to most films. Yet, with each picture they have stepped up in quality. I must say that after seeing the scenes I was able to see, that the production quality is no less than any other major motion picture. Even the script seems to have improved.

God has his hand on this Church and this film

After spending time with the people behind Sherwood Pictures, I can honestly attest that this dream of creating movies did not come from some egotistical agenda to make a pastor famous or rich. Everything about these people screams of humility and a true service of the Gospel. This film is most definitely the result of a sincere prayer and God is most definitely working in big ways in this Church in the town of Albany, GA.

We were all amazed to hear that after the incredible success of Fireproof, the Sherwood Pictures team did not assume it was time to make a new movie. First, they had to stop and ask God what he wanted them to do. And that is just what they did, they waited and prayed for an entire year as they sought God’s will. It was only through prayer that they found themselves feeling called to make a movie on fatherhood. Every aspect of this film has truly come together in a miraculous ways. We were told story after story this week of the ways God has worked to pave a way for this film.

We need to get behind this

No matter what denomination we are, it is no doubt in my mind that we as a Church need to get behind this. There is most definitely a need for calling men to be better father’s and for men, women, and children to see a film that addresses the issues that we are seeing in our country today. Just like Fireproof transformed marriages, I have no doubt that this film will inspire and convict men to be better father’s and bring about healing for many.

Sherwood Pictures understands that they are not in this alone and that they need others to help get this movie out there. Because of that they have sought to partner with even more ministries and churches to get the word out about this movie and to create a movement that will get many men into theaters to see this film and hear its message.

Start praying about how you can be a part of this movement to “turn back the hearts of father’s to their children”.

For More on Courageous, be sure to check out www.courageousthemovie.com and follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/courageousmovie and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/courageous movie

Look for more articles on fatherhood and Courageous in the coming week in advance of Father’s Day on June 21st.

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