FIREPROOF: a new movie from the makers of “Facing the Giants”

My wife and I had a chance to see a sneak preview of the new movie, Fireproof, this week. A church in Georgia put this film together. You may have seen their first films, Facing the Giants and Flywheel, which are great movies to show the whole family. While this new movie is not for really little children, it is for everyone else! 

I like movies with superheroes but I honestly get tired of movies glorifying evil and corruption. Even the “good guys” are often portrayed as villains or with a dark side.

This is a movie that elevates Christ and glorifies good. It’s an honest movie about the struggles of marriage and will make you laugh, cry, think of your own marriage and its struggles, and think of Jesus. I must say we laughed more in this movie than we have in any movie in recent times! It’s very honest and funny!

Needless to say, my wife and I both highly recommend this movie to anyone but little children. I foresee this movie being a handy homework assignment for future married couples who come in for biblical counseling.

To see a trailer of the movie, go to www.fireproofthemovie.com and watch a preview of it.

The movie comes out Friday, September 26th. Please go to the theater to support this movie and to tell Hollywood that we want more movies that openly lift up Christ and the Christian faith in a favorable manner.

-Mark (thankful to churches that are on the “cutting edge” of reaching the lost with the good news of redemption)

Ministry update on our first 3 months at TIL!

We’ve just completed our first 3 months of ministry in two churches. It’s been an exciting time for us as we’ve seen 4 conversions and 2 re-commitments to Christ. Several couples are reconciling their relationships as God produces fruit through our humble ministry.

The numbers below reflect a day and a half of biblical counseling per week at 2 churches totalling 24 days:

140 Counselees have been seen (64 of those were new, 76 of those were repeat counselees)

We utilized 99 biblical counselors (10 people used 99 times) in 104 total sessions of team counseling and discipleship.

168.5 hours of biblical counseling occurred on 24 days of counseling (many of those were merely half days).

Most of our counselees are between 30-39 years of age (41%).

We received 22 people who were referred to us by a friend and 16 more who were sent to us by their pastor.

51% of our counselees were women, 37% were men, and the rest (12%) were children.

And now for the most impressive statistic thus far…One God in Three Persons was glorified in this ministry during the past 3 months: the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Matthew 10:30: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (ESV)

I’d say it is pretty obvious that He is an awesome God.

-Mark (statistically impressed with the infinite, Great Statistician Who knows every stat everywhere about everything)

A challenging song

An older gentleman in my church congregation read me this old song when I visited him a few days ago. It convicted me personally so I thought I would “blog” it for you to read. It made me think. See if it challenges you, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE

 

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two

If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored guest,

And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best,

And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there

That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.

 

But — when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door

With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?

Or hide some magazine and put the Bible where they’d been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard?

And wished you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

 

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?

Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder — if the Savior spent a day or two with you,

Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?

Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

 

Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?

And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read,

And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go?

Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

 

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends?

Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?

Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do

If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

 

 

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE!

 

 

-Mark (striving to live a transparent and authentic life before my loving and forgiving Savior)