Faith is the most important thing for Christian writers whether they are writing Christian fiction, nonfiction, devotionals or whether they are writing for the mainstream. "If God ain't in it, it's going nowhere."
But our faith needs a little tune up every now and then. Even if we are reading the word a lot, attending church when the doors are open, feeling like we are doing what we need to be doing, we can start just going through the motions. Christians just going through the motions are why this nation is in the shape it is in.
Churches have revivals and that helps jump start our faith to revive our passion. Our church has one scheduled in a few weeks. But if you need a little shot of adrenaline injected right into your faith I recommend seeing this movie. The little old lady that is the focal character of the movie is sure to give you a fresh feel for your faith and particularly for your prayer life.
Don't let the title throw you off, you will love the explanation of what a war room is and how it impacts the way she prays. I don't have a war room, but I do start the day every day with a cup of coffee on the porch talking to the Lord.
I've seen where critics pan Christian movies as "too simplistic and generally with bad acting." Of course they are simplistic. God wants it that way. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, it is a gift and often people just can't believe it is that simple. Christians want movies that are powerful spiritually, that are packed with passion and move the audience. When we went to see it there was often applause and people commenting aloud, and crying . . . yes there was crying.
Believers came out of the movie feeling refreshed and wanting to put a new life in their prayer life. How about non-believers? Hopefully their minds and hearts were opened as they got a first hand look at what it is like to come to the Lord.
But this is a writing blog, what does this have to do with writing? The lady in the movie was a powerful prayer warrior and we all need to be that. But it was also a call to arms and as writers we are uniquely equipped to make our words count for the Lord. We need a fresh dedication of our desires and our efforts.
It's why I felt the need to write this blog.
5 comments:
Yes! I saw it with a friend, then went back with my husband. And I just may go again. I loved it. The movie's author said he chose black characters because they generally have more passion in their prayer and worship. The way people have received this movie, maybe we're showing we all need a little more of that. :)
Can't wait to see it!
Terry, I agree, if a Christian writers spiritual walk is lukewarm it will impact their writing. I liked what you said about the simplicity of our message. I do not know if I will get to see this while it is in the theater, but I will see it once it is out of DVD. But the way I stir up my faith is to gather together with my church family, and in my daily devotional period, I read the bible and a nonfiction book that challenges me. Right now I am re-reading Donald Miller's book, 'Searching for God Knows What' and it reminds us Christianity is a relationship. No other religion has a God like ours, that initiated a relationship by sending his son to live a human life and then pay the penalty of our sin. What a mighty awesome God we serve. Beautiful post Terry.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We plan to see it this weekend.
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