If you are the father of a daughter, see this movie.

If you are the wife of a husband you want to know better, see this movie.

If you are a parent who has lost a child, see this movie.

If you are a mother to a child who’s father is checked out or absent, see this movie.

If you want to stop living life by default, paycheck to paycheck, wondering about the purpose, see this movie.

And, if you are a dad to a son, see this movie.

I love Christ.  I love his heart.  I’m all-in.  But I’m the last guy to push an overtly “Jesus-saves” flick.  I just don’t think that’s how he himself reached people.  I was apprehensive that the “Courageous” movie trailer would give the impression of a fast-paced, emotional drama and then just turn into a pulpit pitch.

As I write this after a short nap from 1am to sunrise (the early show was sold out…all weekend) I realize that my sleep was restful for the first time in several weeks.

Maybe it was the beautiful sushi dinner Judy and I shared for nearly two hours.  Maybe it was just unplugging from the Matrix with her for the evening.  Or maybe it was the tears and laughter for over two hours watching Courageous.

What REALLY surprised me was how hard I laughed!  The dialogues were hysterical.  No exaggeration.

And maybe I’m a bit emotionally raw from fatigue right now, but this movie hit some serious chords for me and I found tears very near the surface all through the second half.  Perhaps the most poignant question from the movie for me was “I just want to know what God expects from me?”.

My heart was filled by this movie.  I was so impressed.  So blessed by it.

If this is still opening weekend when you read this (Oct. 1/2), go see this movie.  For all the obvious reasons of wanting to put more life-giving movies into theatres but mostly because it will do your heart good.  I’m certain of that.

P.S. “Courageous” is centered around 4 men and their families and their walk with God.  They talk about God.  They talk about Jesus.  They talk about accepting him.  And that’s OK.  Don’t be afraid to get into this conversation with a friend, a spouse or even with your own heart.  Yes, take a non-believer to this film.  No hesitations there.

I have come to love the season of Advent. And having our own kids, it’s become even cooler.

Every night at the dinner table during Advent we sing a ridiculously silly song to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and I do stress EVERY night, for 25 days ….. I wouldn’t change a thing.

“Advent is a time to wait, not quite time to celebrate. Light the candles one by one, till this Advent time is done. Christmas day will soon be here. Time for joy and time for cheer.”

Blessings y’all.

Going where called,
Doing what is asked,

Doug

(**IMPORTANT NOTE** – For those readers unfamiliar with my family, my wife and I are the joyous and sleep-deprived parents of six beautiful children ranging in age from 4 months up to 14 years. Three boys and three girls.  This is a little story from our past night-time adventures.  I remember it fondly.  I remember how much I love kids.  I love my kids.)

“Doug….”

“Doug……Jonathan is with you, right?”

“Huh?”

“Are you sleeping with Jonathan?”

You see, on any given night in our house, there is a complicated game of musical beds going on. It is a dance of parents and children and beds which often includes a dog, an E-Z chair and a couch. On this particular night, in the midst of our packing, we have also re-arranged said beds to clean and store until we can move. This involved the rearrangement of the room that contains our 17 month old son, Jonathan, and our 4 and 7 year old daughters, Kateri and Gabrielle. Simply, the girls have been sleeping in bunk beds for several years and they have requested to have “side-by-side beds so we can talk and tell stories”. Cute right? Right. Jonathan has been, up to this point, in a crib. Sorry, let me re-phrase. There is a crib in this room that Jonathan occassionally occupies. Last night, we pulled the bunks apart, put them both on ground level, took apart the crib and put the crib mattress on the floor between the now dual single beds. A rite of passage to be sure, the transition from crib to bed. But no ceremony or four day fast or anything. This is, after all, the fifth time we’ve done it. We kept it simple. All three kids were thrilled. And, around 11:00pm they were all actually in their respective beds making us believe they were sleeping. Enter 5 am.

“No. Jonathan isn’t with me. You got him last night when he cried. Kateri is here beside me.”

Honestly, I couldn’t answer this question without first patting down Kateri from head to toe. She could have been any one of three children. I then proceeded to pat down the bed to my left and at my feet. And, a thorough search is not complete until I check the floor beside the bed. After which I confirmed…

“No hon, Jonathan isn’t here.”

A small discussion ensued here about who picked up who and put who back and where. These details are often obscure and based mostly on what we thought we did that night.

“I can’t find him. He’s not in his bed.”

“Weird.” I thought. But nothing to get too excited about. I rolled over and let Judy look for him. Often it’s just a matter of moving a sheet or lifting a pillow and the missing, sleeping child is found. But, not the case this bleary eyed morn.

After 30 seconds of Judy being unable to locate him, I went into investigator mode. I grabbed my Garrity LED Tactical Flashlight (http://www.garritylites.com/) and began my search.

Now, I must admit, as cool and calm as I am, the thoughts still go through my head. My fifth born child, who we safely tucked in last night, is missing, six hours of darkness and silence later. Did he wander the house and fall down the stairs? Kidnapped and ransomed for our fortune? Sleeping in the dog’s nest? Did the aliens come for him as they once came for me?

As a warrior, the calm mind, the deep mind must always prevail so these thoughts, through intense and rigorous training, are pushed down, allowing clarity to prevail. I first played my flashlights beam over the floor of our bedroom, moving aside piles of clothes and books, lifting laundry baskets and hampers. Nothing.

I proceed to the PLS. In search and rescue operations, this is the “point-last-seen”. It’s where we first begin looking for tracks and sign of the missing subject. I cleared off the blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. The crib mattress was indeed empty. I got down on it on my hands and knees. And then I saw it. Could it be? I highlighted the tiny foot with my flashlight beam. Reaching under my oldest daughters single bed, I confirmed it. The foot belonged to Jonathan! Thankfully, it wasn’t just his foot. I traced my hand up his body and bent over low to have a good look. With the side of my head on the floor, I could see the full form of his body. As any good dad would do, I tickled his foot to see that he was responsive. He shifted slightly and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sound asleep.

What did I do next? Well, when a 17 month old male whirlwind is sleeping soundly, and there is no clear and present danger to his person, you leave him sleep. I returned to our bed and reported my findings. The child was sleeping and safe, under the bed. Not a word was said after that. My wife knows the value of sleep, ours and theirs, better than even I.

As I said, I’m not ready to be out of the crib yet.

I had the honor of visiting with a true Elder today.  His name (as I know him) is Father Jean Paul.  He is an 85 year old missionary priest.

Pause.  Note:  We have completely lost the value of the word “missionary”. A true missionary is on a mission.  This involves a quest.  Danger.  Allies and enemies.  Search and rescue.  Difficulty.  Returning home.  A real mission!  This describes the man I got to know today.  He lived with and fought for the hearts of the people of the deep north.  He remembers traveling from village to village by dog sled, across the tundra.  He prayed, with nothing but faith, at the bedside of his dying people.  He saw life birthed from harshness.  He lived true community.  A true missionary.

He asked me questions with a sharpness of mind that belied his aging body.  As I shared with him my family and the ages of my kids, he grinned.  I paused and waited for him to speak.  (Hint – In the presence of an Elder, spend about 80% of your time listening.  15% asking questions and 5% remembering what they said.)

In his pause he said,

“When you are raising boys you need this…” and he raised his fists in an honorable stance, like an old style French boxer. “Power.”

“To raise girls, you need this…” and he lifted a bony finger and tapped his temple.  “Understanding.”

Oh, what it is to sit at the feet of a man who willing shares his years of wisdom.  Seek it out.  And listen carefully.

I’ve been thinking of you often.  Stay awake!

Blessings.

Doug

Good morning! Oh my Lord. There is SO much in my little ol’ pea brain right now! Right now, I wanted to share with you that if your group, company, church or other organization is in need of some renewal, focus, vision or bonding, Judy and I are available for a very limited number of speaking and facilitation engagements in the next year!

We want to hear from you and see if there is a place we can serve you and your mission. From one hour consultations to three day retreats.

Please contact us and book early!

We can cover any number of topics. Have a look around the blog and you’ll get an idea of our vision and mission.

E-mail me at intothewilderness@gmail.com.

Looking forward!

Doug and Judy