Facing the Giants at Easter

Dear TWG colleagues,

It has been a privilege to be invited by N. J. Lindquist to join your TWG writers network. I have had a second book stuck inside of me for years. Two years ago, it began emerging. In November 2006, the 1st 2,000 copies were printed, and I have since been privileged to speak of five national TV programs about the book "Battle for the Soul of Canada", including "It's A New Day" this past Friday and "100 Huntley Street."

Dr. J.I. Packer of Regent College wrote the foreword for my book, and also did a TV interview for Miracle Channel which can be viewed here or here

This week, the 2nd printing of 5,000 copies are being shipped from Friesens. So far the book is in 44 bookstores, and I just picked up my first distributor, Living Books. So the whole process has been a most interesting learning curve.

I have written over 250 articles in secular and christian newspapers for the past 25 years, particularly on the North Shore of Vancouver. I am including my most recent Easter publication in this posting.

An article for the April 2007 Deep Cove Crier

Some of my greatest joys and greatest disappointments have been movies that I have watched with my three sons and wife. Recently we watched Charles Dickens’ classic Martin Chuzzlewit, a brilliant movie about how family inheritances can devastate family relationships. I was so inspired that I am currently reading the Chuzzlewit book in order to pick up all the subtleties that movies leave out. Sometimes though our family is deeply disappointed by a particular movie and regrets the investment of our time and/or money.

One rental movie that did not disappoint us this week was Facing the Giants by Alex Kendrick. We laughed, wept, and quietly reflected on how one person can make a profound difference in the lives of an emerging generation. The movie is about a football coach, his wife and his team, all of whom have to face giants of fear and failure. Grant Taylor, the head football coach at Shiloh Academy, faces some overwhelming giants in his own life. His best player moves away to another school, the boys’ fathers want him sacked, and his GP diagnoses him as unable to have children. Most of us can relate to feeling like a failure at one time or another. Coach Taylor set his goals beyond mere success to following God.

One of the greatest miracles was how the movie made it to the big screen. With a $100,000 budget, only six weeks of shooting time, and one rented camera, the film made it as high as number 14 in weekend box office earnings. To date, Facing the Giants has made over more than 10 Million dollars. Part of that breakthrough was that Sony, through its Samuel Goldwyn Films, unexpectedly decided to give this movie national coverage. Brandon Gray, the president and publisher of Box Office Mojo, commented that it is rare for an independently made, non-studio movie to open at more than 100 theaters - while Giants opened on 441 screens.

The two most gripping parts of the movie are probably the ‘death crawl’ sequence and the championship game. Our 20th Annual Renewal Mission speaker, the Rev. David Rich+, showed us the "Death Crawl" sequence in Sunday morning worship. Coach Taylor had his top player carry a man on his back while blindfolded. The turn-around in their football season came from this act of giving one’s all. As Lord Baden Powell, founder of Scouting, taught, we can called to D.O.B. (Do Our Best). The Facing the Giants movie teaches that when we choose to do our very best, God will do the impossible.

Alex Kendrick, the producer and writer, puts it this way: “We worship the God of the impossible. I truly believe that God can do anything. He’s certainly not a genie in a lamp. It’s the part where you get to the point that you say, ‘God, I’m in a situation here, and I fully believe that you can give us a solution or do a miracle. But if you choose not to, then I’m going to worship you anyway.”

Jesus, as he was going to the cross on Good Friday, faced the giants in the Garden of Gesthemane. He didn’t hold back but gave his all for us on that old rugged cross. Because Jesus destroyed the ‘Giants’ of death, fear, guilt, and shame on Easter Sunday, we too can live as over-comers. Christ is Risen Indeed...

http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr0704.html

http://acicanada.ca/node/124

The Rev Ed Hird+
Rector, St. Simon’s North Vancouver, BC
http://www3.telus.net/st_simons
Anglican Coalition in Canada