I am still working on the second part of the Spiritual Disciplines, but I thought I would share this review of Facing the Giants that I have posted on a few other blogs.


I usually go to the movies on my Fridays off from work. Today I was trying to decide, do I want to see School of Scoundrels or Facing the Giants? It really was not a hard decision, especially after reading the School of Scoundrels review and realizing that the only movies I really wanted to see that came out today were Facing the Giants and Open Season. I am a movie buff and I have to say, there is absolutely nothing that is coming out of Hollywood lately with any redeeming qualities or originality. After choosing to see Facing the Giants, I realized that it was not me, but the Lord trying to tell me something with this movie.

One thing about Facing the Giants, it is not the best-acted movie. No one is going to win an Oscar(but I think there is more to it than the acting on that account). The depth of the characters, the depth of the story, and its relatability to not only every Christian, but also everyone that has the normal weight of life on their shoulders was inspiring. This movie is for anyone that has a problem being afraid to try; for anyone looking for answers when they think there are none.

Grant Taylor is the coach of a Georgia Christian High School, Shiloh Christian Academy (SCA). For the last 6 years, he has been a mediocre coach, and on the first day of the new school year, he learns that his best player has left SCA for a rival school so he can have an opportunity to win. As the movie progresses, we also learn that Coach Taylor and his wife, Brooke, have been trying to have a child for 4 years and are struggling with infertility; their car is about to fall apart, they are struggling to make ends meet, and to top it all off, their house smells like a dead animal.

After finding out that Brooke is not the reason for the infertility, Coach Taylor goes to get himself checked. It is then that his world begins to fall apart. A week or so later, he finds out that he is infertile. He then spends a long afternoon at the school contemplating how to tell Brooke. Before Coach Taylor leaves, he offers to close the school and let the janitor go home early. While closing up, he overhears the fathers of the players having a meeting about terminating his employment. "He is a nice guy, but he is not a winner."

Coach Taylor goes home and breaks down in front of Brooke. He lets her know everything that has happened. Unlike most people today who would try to fix things themselves, Coach Taylor turns to the only things that he knows can guide him: Scripture and prayer. He stays up the entire night asking God for guidance and strength and a couple of days later, he gets his answer.

I will not share any more of the story, but I will share this: Facing the Giants will challenge you and inspire you. There were times in the movie that I could not help but cry. Some times it was for Coach Taylor and his multitude of problems. Other times, it was for the joy of a young man that accepted Christ and apologizes to his father for being disobedient.

Facing the Giants challenges us to trust the Lord, to take chances when we are afraid, to realize that everything in this life that we think is important, isn't unless you are doing it for the glory of God.

I would love to share more about the movie, but it would ruin some of the surprises. Pay particular attention to the scriptures used in the film, they may just speak to you as they did to me.

Facing the Giants can be summed up as this:

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (NIV) Matthew 19:26.

Never forget that with God in your life, anything is possible, and go, ENJOY THE FILM!

PAX
JD

PS: The only mature theme in the entire movie was the problems surrounding their infertility. The football was no more violent that going to a Friday night High School game. There was no crude humor, no language, one or two controlled, appropriate outbursts of anger, but nothing that I could see that would earn it a PG rating. I have seen G reated movies from Disney with more violence and adult themes than this film. I'm just sayin'!