Facing the Giants
Facing the Giants is an overtly Christian movie, unapologetic and fully loaded with spiritual messages. Despite a slow beginning, some moments of bad acting and phases of heavy spiritual "preaching," the film presents some advanced spiritual truths. I say advanced because most people who call themselves Christians never get out of morality mode. While good morals are a nice thing, it is not what walking with Christ is all about. Look at the parables and lessons Christ taught his disciples in the New Testament. He continually called them away from the empty task of honing their good works and led them into the adventure of stretching their faith. And still, having read those passages from childhood, many Christians today never manage to make that important leap either.
Surprisingly, the film addresses the meaning of life and encourages believers to step outside their comfort zones of self-promotion. Coach Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) fails time and again to achieve success according to his own and others' standards. Only when he hits bottom and turns his life over to the use of God does he experience anything meaningful and successful in his life. That doesn't sound like too complicated a spiritual truth, does it? Well, maybe not in theory, but in practice, most people never go there. Those that do, experience the unmistakable work of God in their lives - on both a small and large scale. Like Coach Taylor, they see and live out things that are absolutely surreal (like the student revival meeting on the football field). Ask anyone who has had a true life change as a result of their faith in Christ and you'll be amazed at the stories they have to tell.
The ending initially seemed a little hoaky since Coach Taylor received everything he ever wanted. But as I thought about it more, I couldn't deny the truth behind it. All I had to do was look at my own life and the many, many ways God has met my needs and unspoken desires through the years. Not only has he met, but he has exceeded most of them on a regular basis. This is also true of the lives of my dearest, most faith-driven friends. There definitely seems to be a link between glorifying God over self and experiencing a full, redeemed life. Oh, that's right - it's a promise from God, right there in the Bible..."Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." I'm not saying life won't have its trials, but I am saying there's a principle in the Bible and in this movie that's worth giving some thought. Maybe success is neither defined nor achieved in the ways we tend to think.
In the end, this film left me with mixed emotions. Its direct, unfiltered Christian messages coupled with a predictable plot progression make the film seem like it belongs less on the silver screen than in the church recreation center on a Saturday night. Nevertheless, the messages are so powerful and so true, I can't help but be excited that it actually opened in theaters this past weekend. After all, why keep a good life principle to yourself? Why hide it behind the confines of church walls? Why NOT pass on the good news of the promises of God? If one person's life is challenged and changed by this film, then I give it a resounding 10 - regardless of anything my movie critic mind might find wrong with it. Despite any shortcomings, it manages to tell the truth about God and what he can do in our simple little lives. And that's something we all need to hear.
"Tell me again, what's impossible with God?" - Coach Taylor, Facing the Giants
Surprisingly, the film addresses the meaning of life and encourages believers to step outside their comfort zones of self-promotion. Coach Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) fails time and again to achieve success according to his own and others' standards. Only when he hits bottom and turns his life over to the use of God does he experience anything meaningful and successful in his life. That doesn't sound like too complicated a spiritual truth, does it? Well, maybe not in theory, but in practice, most people never go there. Those that do, experience the unmistakable work of God in their lives - on both a small and large scale. Like Coach Taylor, they see and live out things that are absolutely surreal (like the student revival meeting on the football field). Ask anyone who has had a true life change as a result of their faith in Christ and you'll be amazed at the stories they have to tell.
The ending initially seemed a little hoaky since Coach Taylor received everything he ever wanted. But as I thought about it more, I couldn't deny the truth behind it. All I had to do was look at my own life and the many, many ways God has met my needs and unspoken desires through the years. Not only has he met, but he has exceeded most of them on a regular basis. This is also true of the lives of my dearest, most faith-driven friends. There definitely seems to be a link between glorifying God over self and experiencing a full, redeemed life. Oh, that's right - it's a promise from God, right there in the Bible..."Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." I'm not saying life won't have its trials, but I am saying there's a principle in the Bible and in this movie that's worth giving some thought. Maybe success is neither defined nor achieved in the ways we tend to think.
In the end, this film left me with mixed emotions. Its direct, unfiltered Christian messages coupled with a predictable plot progression make the film seem like it belongs less on the silver screen than in the church recreation center on a Saturday night. Nevertheless, the messages are so powerful and so true, I can't help but be excited that it actually opened in theaters this past weekend. After all, why keep a good life principle to yourself? Why hide it behind the confines of church walls? Why NOT pass on the good news of the promises of God? If one person's life is challenged and changed by this film, then I give it a resounding 10 - regardless of anything my movie critic mind might find wrong with it. Despite any shortcomings, it manages to tell the truth about God and what he can do in our simple little lives. And that's something we all need to hear.
"Tell me again, what's impossible with God?" - Coach Taylor, Facing the Giants
1 Comments:
I appreciate your approach to this review. I was involved in the making of Facing the Giants and you have hit on something the writers/producers, and all involved in the movie, have as the purpose of this film - to change hearts and lives of people for God.
Considering that our expectaions for its release were along the lines of - maybe in the local theater and straight to DVD (as was the first movie), we have been overwhelmed by God's goodness and the impact He is having on people across the country through this movie!
The great thing about it is, no person or group of people can take credit for how well received it has been - only God can get the glory because He is the only one with the power to touch people as He is doing.
It's been exciting (and amazing) watching the box office numbers for the last 6 weeks, but the film makers will be the first to tell you that if they don't make a dime on this movie (and at 7.2 million current estimated gross, it will take millions more for them to see any of it), that would be okay. The concept of this church doing a movie was never to make money, but "to touch the world from Albany, GA" - as our pastor likes to say. So the only number that really matters is the 743 people (that we know of) that have come to know Jesus as their Savior as a result of the movie and the countless others whose lives have been impacted by it - thousands of them having emailed the church to share how God has been working in there lives.
I just thought you'd be interested in that aspect of the movie. To God be the glory!
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