Leary Gates: September 2011 Archives

On Friday, September 30th, Courageous will open across the country on 1400 screens. As everyone knows, opening weekend is critical in the movie business. A film's ultimate success nearly always depends on a strong first showing. Yet, no matter how many weeks Courageous ultimately runs in the theaters, it's already a success. And it has nothing to do with the film, but everything to do with following a passion. 

Courageous is the fourth release of Sherwood Pictures, a ministry founded nearly ten years ago by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Believing that even the small community of Albany could make a difference in the world, the church raised $20,000 to create their first film, Flywheel, which opened in a whopping 3 theaters. Yet, the proceeds and learnings from that film enabled them to make Facing the Giants and after that Fireproof, the latter becoming the highest grossing independent film of 2008 taking in more than $33 million. In my opinion, their latest installment is poised to have an even greater impact. 

While male moviegoers will be inspired to be better dads, the more transcendent message of Courageous is in the belief of a small community in Georgia who trusted God that they could make a difference around the world by going into the moviemaking business. 

The next time you wonder about what kind of difference you can make, think of the creators of Courageous--their passion will be on display this coming weekend and beyond. If you don't think you have the talent, think Courageous--their skill improved with each movie they made. When you think your dream requires more resource than you have, think Courageous--they trusted God in prayer and stepped out in faith to achieve what no other church in the world has done. And all this from little Albany, Georgia. 

Imagine what you can do with the dream God's put inside of you. From your own little Albany, you, too, can put your faith on display for all to see. Start the way they did, ask God to show you His dream for you, then step out in faith and act on it. If you're ripe for that journey, attending a Dream Intensive might be a helpful next step. And for your own inspiration, take in a showing of Courageous this weekend too. 

In what ways does the Sherwood example of faith inspire you?

For years I've been meeting with people just like you. They know there's a lot more potential in their tank than they're currently releasing; and it bothers them. They know something is holding them back. Fear? Lack of a plan? Little encouragement from others? Maybe all of these. I designed the Dream Intensive to tackle these issues head-on. It's a highly creative and interactive exploratory of the dream God's planted in your heart. It will help you create greater clarity of your dream and how to pursue it--even if you're not aware that you have one. 

This is the workshop that I want to go to for my own dream. Because it's highly participative, the enrollment is limited to 20 people, Christian adult men and women, who want to experience breakthrough in their life. If that sounds appealing to you, I invite you to visit the Dream Intensive website at www.dreamintensive.com to learn more. 

I hope to see you on October 14th at the Dream Intensive.