In honor of her 20th birthday, my daughter wanted our family to get
together to see a movie. She chose McFarland, USA. As a former Cross
Country runner, she was interested in the story line.
Kevin Costner plays the part of Coach Jim White. Coach White’s lack of
control over his temper gets him relieved from his football coaching
job, forcing him to move his family to McFarland, a predominately Latino
community in California. The town is also one of the poorest
communities in the country – or at least it was in 1987. McFarland, USA
is based on the true story of Coach Jim White and several young
students who form a small “under-dog” Cross Country team. During the
team’s quest to rise from the bottom, Coach White has a lot to learn
about the culture of his new community and the lives of his new
students. The 7 boys who agree to form the team learn a lot about Coach
White too.
This movie is a fantastic family movie highlighting family loyalty,
excellent work ethics, setting priorities, friendships, and of course,
overcoming obstacles.
This film is a Disney movie which is rated PG for thematic material,
some violence, and language. It is directed by Niki Caro and written by
William Broyles Jr. , Grant Thompson, Bettina Gilois, Christopher
Cleveland, and Chris Cleveland. It runs approximately 2 hours and 9
minutes.
Watch the movie trailer!
I am passionate about clean family drama films and even though this
movie does have a couple of words that I consider bad words and there
are some adult themes that very young children will not necessarily
understand, I recommend this film. You can take your entire
family and leave the theater knowing your kids learned something about
life, inspiration, overcoming obstacles, family loyalty, work ethics,
cultural differences, developing relationships, and making and keeping
commitments. You will also know your money was well spent.
Images Used by Permission via Fireproof Press Release
Christian Marriage: What Romance Looks Like
“You never, ever leave your partner, especially in a fire.” ~ Caleb Holt, Fireproof
That is one of the first lines in one of the first scenes from the
movie, Fireproof. Kirk Cameron’s character, Caleb Holt, was referring
to a standard rule in a fire fight, but his passion for this rule proves
powerful in marriage as well. The rest of the film builds on this
truth.
Marriage is hard even in the best of circumstances. Even the strongest
Christian marriages are not immune from destructive influences. In
fact, Godly homes are a threat to the devil, so he will most certainly
try to destroy them. In the movie, Caleb and Catherine Holt are ready
to end a marriage destroyed by internet pornography, materialistic
selfishness, and temptations of adultery. Catherine wants out of the
marriage and that is fine with Caleb
Caleb’s own parents have endured their own marital problems, but one of
them came to know Jesus and God led the couple through something called
the Love Dare. Through the Love Dare, couples learn to nurture their
marriages by honoring God first and then loving one another selflessly.
Caleb learns about the Love Dare and then, half-heartedly at first,
begins his 40 Day journey.
As a fire-fighter, Caleb knows the life-saving value of sticking with
your partner in a fire fight. He knows this rule is vital for survival
and if abandoned, can result in the death of the abandoned fire-fighter,
permanently ending the partnership. Caleb learns to apply this truth
to his failing marriage and he is resolved to “never leave his partner,
especially in the middle of the fire.”
I don’t want to give away too much for those who have not seen it, but
when I was asked to participate in a collaborative post effort about
Biblical marriage and what romance really looks like, I could not think
of a better example than the one given in the movie Fireproof.
When we think of romance, we tend to think like teenagers. We associate
romance with flowers, candy, and surprise date nights. Those things
are wonderful and as a wife of almost 24 years, I love those things but
I’ve also learned that romance is much more than that.
Honestly, sometimes romance within the boundaries of Biblical marriage is nothing like that at all.
Romance within a Biblical marriage sometimes means doing the hard
thing. It means we realize that love is not just a feeling, but also a
commitment.
So to answer the question, what does romance look like in the context of a Biblical marriage?
It is a decision to remain committed through better or worse. It
is a decision to love intentionally, unconditionally, and selflessly,
like Christ loves His church. It is a decision to show
that love even when it is hard. It is a commitment. It is a covenant
before God to be protected and honored, not a contract to be broken
simply because life together gets tough. It is a resolution to never,
ever leave your partner, especially in the middle of the fire-fight.
When married couples learn to love in this way, the candy, flowers, and
surprise gifts and date nights are more fun and meaningful than ever
before. - The Love Dare
I know that sometimes, in spite of all their efforts, some couples
choose to end their marriages. Sometimes couples have Biblical grounds
to do so, but sometimes they just give up because their idea of romance
is out of touch with reality, leaving them hopelessly disappointed. If
you have not watched Fireproof or have not been introduced to the Love
Dare, then I encourage you to view the following official trailer and
clip, then see the film and go through the materials offered after the
videos. The truths presented about marriage and romance will change
your marriage and your life. I promise.
Enjoy the official move trailer:
How do we show love to someone over and over and over again who constantly rejects us? We have a good example.
Bible Verses Concerning Marriage
Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ~ Genesis 2:22-24
Haven’t you read,”that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” ~ Matthew 19:4-6
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.- 1 Peter 4:8
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:12 (The third cord represents God.)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ~ 2 Corinthians 6:14
Image Credit: Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)
Mema’s Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
No one could make desserts better than my grandmother (we called her
Mema). I am blessed to be the first of fourteen cousins and when we
were younger, we all gathered at Mema’s house often. At Mema’s house,
we could always count on lots of food including the best desserts ever
made. One of my favorites was her chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies.
It is a simple recipe with no secret ingredients, but it does take a
little bit of practice to get them just right.
Ingredients:
2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Stick Butter
1/4 Cup Cocoa
1 and 1/2 Cups Quick One-Minute Oatmeal (I use Quaker)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring
1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
Directions: In a boiler, add sugar, butter, milk, and
cocoa. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the
mixture reaches the boiling point, reduce heat from high to medium-high
and continue stirring for another 1 min. 30 seconds. At the sound of
the timer, remove from heat and add peanut butter immediately. Stir in
the peanut butter quickly. Add vanilla. Then add the oatmeal. Stir
quickly as the mixture will begin to harden immediately. Spoon onto
aluminum foil and allow the cookies to cool. Enjoy with a tall glass of
cold milk.
Tips: These cookies can be tricky. If they turn out too firm, try
adding less oatmeal. If they don’t harden at all, add more oatmeal. If
you still have trouble getting them to turn out just right, adjust the
amount of peanut butter. They also turn out differently, depending on
the humidity. The trick is to experiment with the recipe until you get
it just right.
Enjoy!
Need a visual? This lady might do things slightly different but this is a great video to show you how it’s done.
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