"THE MOVIES"

Now I'm not a real movie kind of guy. I have trouble sitting still for 2 hours but on occasion I actually take a little time to kick back with my wife and watch a movie. (Usually rent a dvd. Rarely go to the theatre).

This past weekend I actually watched a movie with ML 2 nights in a row. Friday night we watched a show called Nights at Rathande (sp?). A good one for valentine's weekend. And then we gathered with about 30 folks at church and watched Fireproof. A great show dealing with what it takes to make a marriage work. I mentioned the movie before on an an earlier blog (as did my son Todd, on his blog).

Both of these movies dealt with broken relationships within the context of marriage. The first movie came to the conclusion that it was best to get out, that there was somebody better than the one with whom the vows were exchanged, and that within one weekend a person could get to know another person so well that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Hmmm. Now I liked the move, just didn't agree with its answer to the problem.

Regarding Fireproof, the reality is that marriage is hard work and things don't just fall apart overnight nor do they get fixed overnight. I appreciated the fact that God was a necessary componant to the restoration of the relationship in the movie. And I thought that it was evident that just buying flowers does not a relationship make. One thing I must mention however is that sometimes it doesn't always work out. Sometimes the ending is different than what takes place in the movie. And it's not because God was not desired as a part of the solution. Sadly, that's the cold hard facts of life when one person will do whatever it takes and the other won't. Thankfully God can still work in those situations. I've seen it many times.

Okay, enough rambling. Take some time this week and pay attention to relationships. Watch what's happening. Observe whether God is welcomed or rejected within those relationships. And in the process, acknowledge that life is not a reel deal, it's the "real" deal! Include the Lord - he's got an Oscar in store for you.