Facing the Giants is more than a movie about a football team that rises out of nowhere to play in a state championship game. Alex and Stephen Kendrick, associate pastors of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., and a cast of more than 500 church members and its Christian academy have brought to the big screen a story about facing the giants of fear and failure, which offers a wonderful message that everyone needs to hear: Give God your best, and praise him in your victories and in your defeats.
Todd DeatonThe movie, which was recently previewed by ministers and Christian leaders in Columbia and Greenville, was picked up by Provident and Sony, and will open in theaters Sept. 29 in 85 cities on about 400 screens. Pastor Michael Catt envisions the film as a unique way of reaching people with the gospel. The church’s vision was to produce a family-friendly movie that was fun to watch, would have a strong spiritual impact on viewers, and would glorify God in its content.
And the Kendricks are hoping that a large opening-week turnout will send a signal to Hollywood filmmakers. “I believe there is a huge culture of people like us who love movies, but continually leave theaters disappointed by films with profanity, immorality, and messages that trample their family values and faith,” said Stephen Kendrick.
For some, Facing the Giants will be about father-and-son relationships, as a son reaches out to restore a broken relationship, and as a dad in a wheelchair teaches his son to rise above self-imposed limitations. For others, the movie will be about a couple desperately wanting to have a child and clinging to their faith, regardless of the outcome. For others, the story is about coping with life’s nagging little problems – an old car, constantly in need of repair; a stove that won’t work; financial woes caused by inadequate income; a lingering, unexplained, foul smell in the house – without being consumed by self-pity or a defeated attitude. Still others will see a husband grappling with his own feelings of inadequacy and failure, possible job termination, and the fear of losing the means of providing for his family.
Whatever the story line one follows, Facing the Giants leaves the audience encouraged, reassuring believers that with God all things are possible.
“To know that a local church, through the vision and passion of two of their ministers, could produce such a quality work, I found Facing the Giants to be very inspirational,” said Cory Singleton, associate director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s youth ministry group. “It was a quality film that I would encourage any family to see.
“The greatest part was that I left the theater with a greater awareness of my closeness to God as I saw the main character trust God through all the storms in his life. How many movies can you identify that have done that?” he added.
Chet Andrews, student pastor at Fairview Baptist Church, Greer, agreed, “Facing the Giants reminded me of the impact we can make when we surrender all to Christ.?This movie tells a great story about loving Jesus despite circumstances and how truly sovereign our God is.?
“Facing the Giants has a little something for everyone,” Andrews noted.?”The guys will love the football action, and the ladies will love the story of the love between Coach Taylor and his wife.?You will leave the theater emotionally spent.?You will laugh, you will cry, and you will marvel at the personal nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”?
?Jim Murphy, WMU associate in coed ministries at the SCBC, was “pleasantly surprised” by the movie. Even though the story line is the same as many other movies where “the underdogs fight their way against all odds and make it to the top,” Murphy observed, “the movie still gets to you emotionally.”
The film also deals with many of the life issues facing adults and youth in churches and communities, Murphy commented. “I think one of the lines in the movie that stuck with me was the statement by Grant Taylor, coach of the Eagles. He said, ‘We praise God if we win, and we praise God if we lose.’ God can made a difference in us through all the tough times in our lives; we just need to keep trusting God and praising Him” – along the Way.