Fireproof

Yesterday our church had the unique opportunity to view the entire film "Fireproof" before it comes out in theaters on September 26, 2008. We were able to see it for the express purpose of promoting the film in our community and trying to get as many other people to go see it on opening weekend as possible. I haven't seen the other films by Sherwood Pictures, Facing the Giants and Flywheel, but I intend to see them as soon as I can.

Fireproof is a film dealing with a couple whose marriage is on the verge of divorce. It really hit home for me. Especially the opening scenes where the couple argues about money. "My money" and "your money" and how much the other person works vs brings home, etc. It was like I was witnessing conversations from my recently failed marriage from a third person point of view. I think the premise of the movie is a good one, and that it soundly points to the need for a relationship with Christ Jesus. One thing that bothers me a little, and granted this is because of my own baggage, but it seems like the 'solution' is just to become a Christian and your marriage will be saved. The sad truth is, that's not always the case. The movie deals with addictions, specifically internet porn addiction, and plainly says that anything that has your heart and your attention that you're not willing to give up for the sake of your marriage is a parasite it will suck the life out of your marriage. In the movie, the character of Caleb, the husband (played by Kirk Cameron), gives up an internet porn addiction (actually takes a baseball bat to the computer and monitor!) and gets it OUT of the house. That was pretty powerful stuff. Other addictions aren't so easily handled however, and if you or your spouse are facing issues like alcoholism, gambling, or drugs, those addictions are harder to break and it's going to take more than just getting it out of the house, it's going to require some professional help. This movie also touches on the effects of pornography from the woman's perspective and shows how damaging it can be to a woman's psyche to know her husband engages in viewing porn. The woman doesn't get off scott free here however as it shows the wife slowly slipping into a workplace affair. Red flags started going up for me because of the reading I've done recently on 'affair proofing your marriage'. Sure enough, the woman starts becoming emotionally attached to someone other than her husband and sharing personal, emotional energy with that man rather than speaking to her husband about her feelings. Admittedly, the time frame for this is while the woman is filing divorce papers and is totally confused by her husbands new actions. But there's a twist to it I'll let you discover when you go see the movie for yourself. I took my teenage daughter with me to see it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for younger children. It's not a movie a young child will get much out of.

All that being said, I'd really encourage anyone, everyone, to go see this movie on opening weekend, September 26-28. I laughed, I cried, I saw myself up on the screen. The book "The Love Dare" is already out and available for purchase and, even though I'm not currently married, I bought two.

Official Website
Buy The Love Dare Book