My husband and I were lucky enough to have a date this past Saturday night. We’ve had about, oh, maybe 3 of those since Annie was born 6 years ago, so this was a real treat. The church had a dinner and movie night with free childcare, so we took them up on the offer and were able to see Fireproof. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend it. I was touched by the movie, and inspired by the story behind it. A nerd at heart, I always love to dig into the background, and this is an amazing story. Grab a cup of tea and read on!
For those who may not be familiar, Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia is the driving force. In fact, they were once upon a time the only force. It all started in 2002, with an associate pastor at the church, Alex Kendrick, and $20,000 in donations. Relying on the time, talents, and generosity of their congregation, they set out to make a movie. In 2003 Flywheel, their first effort, was released. Facing the Giants followed in 2006.
Movies with a positive, Christian outlook on life are rare. Usually when Christianity is mentioned it is in reference to a crazy person, to make fun of believers, or to push the secular agenda that God doesn’t exist. So refreshing to see an honest, accurate portrayal of Christianity and the journey we are on.
These movies were made in a most amazing way. The actors are all unpaid volunteers. Ditto for the stage crew, the caterers, the laborers…everyone donated their time. Flywheel was shot with a single digital video camera, on a homemade dolly and crane. No sets were constructed – church members volunteered their own homes and businesses.
Along with his brother Stephen, the Kendricks comprise the creative core of more
than 500 church members who participate in making the movies. Alex and
Stephen, both associate pastors at Sherwood Baptist, hatched the idea to make
movies nearly six years ago after reading a George Barna poll that said movies
influenced Americans more than the church. “That really grieved us,” Stephen
Kendrick remembers. “We said to our church, ‘We can either curse the darkness or turn on a light.’ I am a firm believer that we should not be overcome by evil but we should overcome evil with good.”
“When we proposed to the church that we go in this direction, it is crazy how many things came together,” Alex Kendrick adds. “People would walk in unannounced and say, ‘We heard you were doing a movie. What do you need?’ They would ask us if we needed money. We said yes. They gave without reservation. Other people offered to sew, cook, or let us use their house or business out of the blue. When that kind of stuff starts happening you can’t give anybody any credit but God.”
The next time around, they had word-of-mouth on their side. Many more volunteers lined up to help, and the money from the first film allowed them to rent more professional movie equipment for Facing The Giants. 6 weeks of filming, again using one camera, and again dependant on the donations and generosity of church and community members. Facing the Giants was a success, and attracted even more attention to their mission.
Enter Fireproof. By far the most critically acclaimed of their films, this movie also had the widest theater release of the 3. This is thanks in no small part to Kirk Cameron, a devout Christian who was so inspired by Facing the Giants that he very generously volunteered to star in Fireproof – for free. (Ever heard of another Hollywood actor doing that?) Another decidedly UN-Hollywood aspect of the movie, as quoted from the website:
In a romantic scene in FIREPROOF, lead actor Kirk Cameron is actually kissing
his wife Chelsea rather than Erin Bethea, who plays Catherine. Chelsea was flown
in from Los Angeles just for that shot.
The scene was filmed in silhouette and works incredibly well, with Chelsea wearing the same outfit and a wig to mirror Erin. Sherwood Pictures has upheld this standard in all their movies: actors and actresses should guard their own marriages while on screen the same way they would do in real life. That’s why you don’t see Coach Taylor (Facing the Giants) or Jay Austin (Flywheel) kissing the women playing the on-screen wives.
Kirk also has long held to a principle that he would kiss no woman other than Chelsea. He was able to honor his marriage while making a movie that inspires others to do
the same.
Fireproof is the story of a marriage in peril, and one man’s journey to save it. Before filing for divorce, his father asks him to commit to a 40-day ‘Love Dare’. For 40 days, he follows the simple instructions in the book, one day at a time, and finds a way to save his marriage.
“This is such an important movie,” says Cameron, who in addition to acting,
has his own ministry called Way of the Master. “Today, we live in a society where
the meaning of love has almost been entirely lost. We reduce love to a quick and easy feeling, something we fall into effortlessly. When that feeling is gone we bail out and find something else to give us that feeling again. God has designed marriage to be a lifelong process of learning how to selflessly give yourself to someone else. That is where character is built. That is where faith is forged.”
“The whole idea of Fireproof is that it’s not that a marriage will never go through trials or fire but when fire comes or trials come it can withstand it,” Alex Kendrick explains. “This is what we mean by being fireproof. It also has a spiritual connotation. The only way you and I can be spiritually fireproof is through Jesus Christ. The only way our marriages can be fireproof is when they are dedicated and lived out using biblical principles.”
We were truly blessed by this movie, and I hope you will be as well. Please take the time to see it. No matter how good your marriage may be, there is always room for improvement. And in that vein, I’d like to bless your marriage as well, with a little commitment from you of course.
I am offering a free copy of the Love Dare to one lucky reader. Just leave me a comment about why you liked this movie, or how the Love Dare would benefit you, and you are eligible! Don’t forget to leave an email address where I can contact you. Winner will be drawn at random, and entries must be received by Thursday, February 12 at midnight EST. Good luck!
Contests, Giveaways, & Freebies! | Heather February 12, 2009 | 
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