Fireproof (30 page)
We began praying that this movie would throw a lifeline to couples considering divorce and that we would also inspire strong marriages toward greater love and intimacy. Ultimately, we hoped to directly affect the rate of divorce in our culture.
SUMMER 2007
After Alex and I developed the plot, my mother-in-law suggested we tell the story through the backdrop of a firefighter. When we thought about it, the parallels between the two worked. Fire-fighters constantly respond to fires that spark up around themâand so must husbands and wives. Firefighters must communicate well, learn to protect one another, and be willing to lay down their lives for each otherâso must husbands for their wives. Fire-fighters never leave their partnerâand neither should couples.
Alex suggested the title
Fireproof
since it carried multiple meanings, both spiritually and literally. I looked up the word in the dictionary to find a unique definition. When something is fireproof, it does not mean it prevents fire, but that it is able to withstand it when it comes. Since all marriages encounter “fires” of some sort, this seemed fitting.
FALL 2007
After our pastors agreed that
Fireproof
would be Sherwood's next production, our church's prayer ministry began praying for the needed resources. God confirmed the direction by delivering in amazing ways! More than twelve hundred people from our community volunteered to serve in some capacity. The Albany fire department offered their stations, equipment, and new trucks for our use. Multiple homes and businesses were opened to us, and a local hospital offered an entire wing for the shoot. Before we knew it, we had all sixteen needed locations available for free.
We prayed for the right people to play the lead roles of Caleb and Catherine Holt, and began the casting process at the church. After pouring through many auditions, a young lady named Erin Bethea was cast as Catherine after grasping the heart of the role and making us cry with her performance. For Caleb, our pastor,Michael Catt, suggested we call Kirk Cameron because of his acting experience and passion for the gospel. Kirk, who is a big
Facing the Giants
fan, quickly caught the vision behind
Fireproof
and volunteered to invest in this ministry. And our friends at Provident Films agreed to distribute the movie before the first frame was shot.
Kirk was blessed to be on a set where daily prayer and encouragement were the norm, not to mention the Southern cheese grits and boiled peanuts he learned to love. We were blessed by his professionalism, and to have him help Alex and me craft the scene where the gospel is presented.
As the production picked up speed, we were amazed at how the church family rallied together in service and prayer. Ministry leaders from around the nation flew in to see part of the production and watched our church members cooking, sewing, building, acting, and praying together. The Lord was showing up daily to enable and provide.
While filming a rescue scene, we needed to place a wrecked car onto train tracks but found it too heavy to move. While our crew stood around staring at it, the man who lives next to the tracks walked out into his front yard and said, “You need a forklift? I've got one in my backyard you can use.” He then drove it around his house, picked up the car, and moved it in place. Our director of photography looked at me and said, “Unbelievable! What are the chances that anyone within a hundred-mile radius of where we are has a forklift in their backyard ready to be used?” God is good.
Although we were consistently amazed at answered prayer, the production was not all peaches and cream. Hundreds of people working sixteen-hour days in close quarters for months can be challenging. Equipment failure, personal injury, and family needs are all part of the equation. One Sunday, during church, we received word that one of our cameramen, Robert “Chip”Monk, had flipped his car on the way back to Albany and was tragically killed. The crew was shocked and chose to shut down production for a week to mourn and minister to his pregnant wife. This only drew us closer together and ignited a greater passion for investing in eternal things.
The other dynamic is spiritual warfare. We've found that the enemy knows where to attack based on where God is working and where believers are praying. Satan is always trying to discourage, divide, and distract the body of Christ. We sought to daily guard against this by having morning devotions together and prayer times on the set. Churches from across the nation also began e-mailing us of their corporate prayer support for the project.
We praise God for the way the body of Christ is working together to try to save and fireproof marriages. When the movie was completed, we were thrilled to have more than fifty marriage ministries extend their support for the ministry of the movie.
The more we looked at the dynamic of marriage, the more we saw the fires that could naturally ignite. When a man and woman tie the knot, they are joining their hurts, fears, baggage, and imperfections. They unpleasantly discover how selfish they are and how sinful their spouse is. At the same time, communication barriers, work pressures, health issues, and financial needs usually flare up at some point and add heat to the relationship.
God's Word declares that God is sovereign in the midst of all of this. He created marriage as a good thing. He uses it as a tool to eliminate loneliness, establish families, raise children, and bless us with relational intimacy. Marriage also forces us to grow up and deal with our own issues with the help of a permanent partner. It causes us to die to ourselves in order to love another person unconditionally. Marriage can really test us and purify us by fire! It is a picture of what Jesus does for us.
Through the story of
Fireproof
, we want movie fans and readers to see a marriage go through the fire and then see what happens when God's truth and love get involved. Our hope is to use the art form of movie making and novels to realistically show some of the fights and struggles that married couples experience daily and then hold up the truth of God's Word to deal with those struggles.
Our prayer at Sherwood has been that the Lord would help us take the gospel to the ends of the earth and to help prepare the Bride of Christ for His soon return! May God get the glory!
For more information, visit
www.fireproofthemovie.com
.
1. Young Catherine gets a kiss from Daddy
2. Caleb struggles with temptation
3. Caleb surfs the Internet
1. Catherine vents her marital frustration with friends
2. Caleb complains to his friend Michael
3. Caleb gets a lesson from salt and pepper shakers
1. The train heads for a stranded car
2. Captain Caleb Holt tries to stop the train
3. The firemen attempt to move the car
1. Catherine's friends spread some gossip
2. Lt. Michael Simmons
3.Wayne “The Man” Floyd
1. Caleb's father, John, discusses what love means
2. Caleb tries to save Lacey
3. Caleb attempts a daring rescue
4. Catherine gets an apology from Caleb
1. The Fireproof production slate
2. Producer Stephen Kendrick leads the opening prayer
3. Shooting the Apology Scene with Erin Bethea
4. Director Alex Kendrick discusses a scene with Kirk Cameron
1. Curry Bushnell touches up Erin's makeup
2. Alex Kendrick plans a shot with Bob Scott
3. Assistant director David Nixon calls action
4. Sherwood church members pray for the cast
