WalkerFamilyLife Blog

I’ve just started as the Scoutmaster of our local Boy Scout troop and have been heavily engaged in preparing for this new responsibility. I have a deep respect for Scouting and what it can mean to a boy because I know what it did in my life. I recently ran across this video that shows the difference a good Scouting program can make in a young man’s life and wanted to share it.

I just joined over 11,000 others (and growing) in signing The Manhattan Declaration, a statement released yesterday by Christians of all traditions joining together to take a stand on three core truths:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

The declaration goes on to say:

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I encourage you to read and, if you agree, sign this important statement of truths then join the battle to defend them as well.

Press release today from Sherwood Pictures:

COURAGEOUS
Honor Begins at Home
www.CourageoustheMovie.com

ALBANY GA – Nov. 15, 2009 – Sherwood Church, home of the hit independent movies FLYWHEEL (DVD only), FACING THE GIANTS, and FIREPROOF (2008’s top indie film), at its Sunday evening service tonight, announced the theme and title for Sherwood Pictures’ fourth movie.  Senior Pastor Michael Catt, Executive Pastor Jim McBride, and ministers Stephen and Alex Kendrick—collectively the leadership team of Sherwood Pictures—made the announcement.

“The movie is about fatherhood and the title is one word:  COURAGEOUS,” Alex Kendrick said, briefly outlining the plot.  “Four fathers who are all in law enforcement—who protect and serve together—go through a terrible tragedy,” he said. “They begin looking at their role as fathers . . . and they begin challenging one another to fulfill God’s intention for fathers.”

That single-word title, Pastor Catt said, echoes God’s call for men to “rise with courage” in their homes and as leaders.  This at a time when 4 of 10 marriages end in divorce* and more than a third of all children live away from their biological fathers.

“The statistics on fatherless children are devastating,” McBride said. “And because the family is the building block of society, one important place to rebuild families is through fathers who stay and lead and love.”

“God led us,” co-writer and producer Stephen Kendrick said to the audience of church members, many of them volunteer crew, cast, or catering in earlier Sherwood movies.  “We believe God is calling men to rise up with strength and with leadership in their homes, with their families and with their children.”

“For more then a year we’ve prayed to be sure that we’re pursuing God’s idea and not our own,” Catt said.  “With action, drama, and humor, this film will embrace God’s promise in the Bible to, turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.”

Focusing on Fatherhood

“We focus on the crucial role of father; it’s not just to be a father who loves his kids,” said Alex Kendrick, co-writer/director of COURAGEOUS.  “It’s to be engaged with a purpose—to be a father on purpose.”

All four leaders of Sherwood Pictures are husbands and fathers.  Pastor Catt has two children; Pastor McBride has four; Stephen Kendrick has four; and Alex Kendrick has six.

More Than a Movie

Sherwood movies entertain as they touch audiences where they live, and they show the means to live more fully through faith in God.  FLYWHEEL focused on compromise and business integrity; FACING THE GIANTS on despair and hope; FIREPROOF on a dying marriage rekindled.

With previous Sherwood movies, fans, churches, and organizations across the country (and world) became “partners” in the movie’s impact—giving prayer support for production, distribution, and the movies’ messages. Ministries and outreaches used the films in creative ways.  Churches built series and group studies on the topics; Sunday schools seized the momentum of good entertainment that emphasizes life-changing truths.

“It’s been the Bible’s story of Jesus multiplying the boy’s fish and loaves,” Alex Kendrick said.  “God has multiplied these movies beyond our wildest dreams.”

Principle filming of COURAGEOUS begins March 2010 in Albany.  Like the previous three Sherwood films, COURAGEOUS will be marketed by Provident Films.

Sherwood Pictures is a ministry of Sherwood Church of Albany, Georgia, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Michael Catt and Executive Pastor Jim McBride.

To learn more, visit:

• COURAGEOUS www.CourageoustheMovie.com
• COURAGEOUS Pressroom www.CourageoustheMovie.com/pressroom
• Sherwood Pictures www.SherwoodPictures.com
• Provident Films www.ProvidentFilms.org
• Sherwood Baptist Church www.SherwoodBaptist.net

When Maine voted this week to reject “gay marriage” they became te 31st state in a row to reject this notion in a popular vote. It was a great victory for maintaining the only true definition if marriage, regardless of what Websters may say.
That being said, we must be aware that it was a close vote in Maine and that the media is doing all they can to change the public perception of homosexuality so that it is viewed as normal rather than as sin. We must be very engaged with our children and those around us if we hope to continue winning votes and not allow the culture to normalize a lifestyle of sin that imprisons many.

Here are just a few of the findings:

a. 76% marry for keeps or just once

b. 5% have been married 3 or more times

c. there were 200,000 LESS same sex marriages from 2007 to 2008.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2009-09-21-marriage-gay_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

This was posted on Dennis Rainey’s facebook page recently and Dennis passed it along to some of us. We both thought it was well said and representative of how we should be responding to the culture. It was attributed to Tom Schmidt pastor of Christ Pres (PCA) of Clarkesville GA. It might be good to share/discuss with your family.

By the perspective received from the media you would readily conclude with me that Michael Jackson’s life story is tragic. The desperate alterations of his appearance in repeated surgeries, his apparent drug addiction, the odd and dysfunctional web of marriage and children, his highly questionable fixation on young boys, the enormously extravagant financial insolvency, all these things are all the more heartbreaking when juxtapostioned against his incredible talent. Review any video of his performances and you observe breathtaking timing, a keen sense of musical style, athletic performance, and a wonderful singing ability. He obviously worked hard at his craft. In many ways Michael displayed an image of a gloriously wonderful Creator.

I wish I could have confidence that Michael is with his Creator now. The combination of his admirable qualities with tragedy evokes from us a yearning for redemption and triumph. Perhaps Michael has found redemption, I don’t know, I’m not the Judge of mankind. But I hope my life story leaves more evidence than Michael’s that redemption was at work in me. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father, but through me.” Someone might ask, did Michael know Jesus? A more pertinent question is, do you know Jesus? If the Spirit of God is a work in my life through my relationship to Jesus Christ then there should be evidence of such a thing. Hopefully, as a person grows older, there is a growing body of evidence. A Chinese proverb says, “When you see a good man, emulate him; when you see a bad man, examine your heart.” Will your life story be a tale of tragedy? Will you make an investment in self-indulgence, sensuality and immorality that dominates any remembrance of you and wrecks havoc in your personal relationships?

Michael Jackson’s brokenness is not confirmation of his damnation. It is confirmation of his fallenness. We all have that, and we all live with varying degrees of brokenness. Jesus came to seek and save the broken. His love can heal our hurts. His redemptive work can turn our tragedies to triumphs. When I follow Jesus Christ he leads me away from the destruction that I would readily make of my life. I want that for you and me.

It’s something worth dancing about!

From FamilyLife Culture Watch

Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World by C. J. Mahaney

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very balanced book dealing with our hearts and our love for the things of the world, especially around media, music, stuff and clothes. The final chapter is on the proper way to love the world. This is not a list of rules but rather a biblical viewpoint on how to evaluate your own choices. We read this as a morning devotion with our kids aged 8-18. Very Helpful!

View all my reviews.

Couldn’t have said it better myself

I am convinced that we have rounded a corner as a society and it is leading us down a very dark alley.

Consider the two stories I’ve run across in just the past 16 hours:

First, I see this story on ABC World News Tonight about how 40% of new births are to unwed mothers, not because of an increase in teen pregnancy which has actually dropped slightly, but because of adult women in their 20’s who are simply cohabitating and feel no responsibility to marry. In fact, a staggering 60% of births to women 20-24 were to unwed mothers!

Then, Dennis Rainey sends me this link about how an educator in Australia is suggesting that we have 5-year renewable marriage contracts rather than lifetime covenants. Unbelievable!

We have been speaking for a number of years about being in a “post-Christian” culture. I believe we are rapidly heading into a “post-marriage” culture. Marriage is no longer viewed as the bedrock of the family and has become completely optional to most.

Let me share with you this quote from Dennis Rainey:

A Harvard sociologist and professor by the name of Carle Zimmerman studied civilizations and determined that no nation can outlive the strength of its families. He said “Nations and empires rise and fall on the strength of their families.”

He identified three phases that the family went through as civilizations rose to power and then fell apart. What the family went through during the last stages of the fall was described by the following: marriage lost its sacredness, alternative forms of marriage were advocated, feminist movements flourished, parenting became more difficult, adultery was celebrated, women lost their inclination for childbearing, and sexual perversions abounded, including bestiality, but especially homosexuality and infidelity.

Zimmerman said this marked the final stage of societal disintegration.

If his book had been written last year, you would accuse him of just reading newspapers and being a fear monger. But his book was written in 1947.

This is a critical battle that we are fighting! If you are not engaged, find a way to join the battle or partner with us and our work at FamilyLife.