Best Man Holiday: Movie Review

After hearing so many rave reviews from my Facebook friends and family, I was very excited today when the hubby and I finally got the chance to steal away to go see the movie Best Man Holiday. I promise not to include any spoilers. I find myself conflicted while writing this review. The movie’s core message was unexpectedly heartwarming but the actual execution of the entire movie itself has me on edge as a Christian.

While the movie comes complete with adulterated yet comedic drama, I have to give props to the movie’s writer and director Malcolm D. Lee for not going overboard like Tyler Perry did with his melodramatic soap opera movies “Why Did I Get Married” and “Why Did I Get Married Too”.

HOWEVER, I would be remised if I didn’t say how disappointed I am in my fellow “brothers and sisters in Christ” who positively cosigned on this movie (Amos 3:3). Yes, I fought emotion during certain scenes but as a child of God and the wife of a newly ordained Pastor I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this movie for anyone to go and see. My emotions were touched but my spirit was grieved. While the life lesson in the movie is one that will probably make the majority of us all stop, think and reflect, the constant use of God’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7), vulgar profanity (especially the F bombs) (James 3:10) and the sexual references (I John 2:16) (which includes oral and anal sex) are way too explicit for any Christian too ignore. For those of you who watched the original Best Man, you know the character Lance, played by Morris Chestnut, to be the cursing-christian pro athlete who is preparing to marry his love Mia. In the Best Man Holiday, Lance is still the same cursing-christian. As long as we as a body of Christ continues to accept Hollywood’s persona of what true Christian living is all about, these examples will continue to be exhibited in the movies. Unfortunately, we have become desensitized to the enemy’s plot (John 10:10) to contaminate the minds of the people by presenting a false sense of holiness through the movie screen (Matthew 7:15). By saying nothing, we are telling the unbeliever they don’t have to totally surrender their lives to Christ. We are saying “It’s okay to be the Lance Christian”. (Galatians 1:10)

This movie would have been just as enjoyable without the vulgar language and sexual liaisons: the extremely talented cast and heart touching core message alone was enough to make this a FAMILY movie that could have broken records at the box office.

The Best Man Holiday was a pretty good movie but it could have been even better if it was kept clean and family friendly. It would be nice to see standards established in Hollywood and resumed in Christianity. And before you go there, I’m not judging. I’m standing. Matthew 16:18

Starting from Scratch

It is with my husband’s permission that I will begin blogging about our family’s journey to the next level in ministry. The thought was inspired after hearing Travis teach our children during a bible study session in our living room on “The Parable of the Talents”. Travis taught our children about the man who before going on a journey entrusted his servants with his property by giving each servant talents according to his own ability. The first two of the servants immediately invested the talents doubling their Master’s money. However, the servant who only received one talent chose to bury his instead. When the Master returned, each man gave report of how they handled the money.  The one with five talents earned five more and the one with two talents earned two more. In those two servants, the Master was well pleased and he blessed them. When the last servant told that he had buried the money for fear of losing it, the Master scolded him and called him wicked and lazy. (Matthew 25:14-30)

Travis looked deep into the eyes of our children and said,” God has given us only one talent to start this church and we WILL NOT bury it. We are starting from scratch. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and it’s going to be lonely at times but WE WILL work for the Kingdom of God.”

Sometimes we get discouraged because we feel like we don’t have what’s needed to effectively operate in God’s call. We quickly forget Matthew 6:34, where it says to “Take no thought for tomorrow…”  Other times we disobey God because in our minds we have failed before we even started. We quickly forget God doesn’t call those who are qualified; he qualifies those who he calls. Don’t believe me? Remember Moses and his speech impairment? What about Abraham, married to barren Sarah but called to be the Father of many nations? I’m sure you didn’t forget about the Virgin Mary. The young woman who had never known a man but still became pregnant with the Son of God.

Most people don’t know me but just about everyone who has ever met has to admit this, I’m honest. God has given me the gift to pen and I promised to use it for his glory so I’d be remised if I didn’t say this.

Starting a new church frightens me. I was three when my parents got saved so for the past 34 years, the church is all I’ve ever known. And in the last three decades, I’ve watched the “church” (some not all) evolve into a palace of glitz, glam and hypocrisy. We don’t want to be placed in that category. Back in the day, soldiers for Christ were literally trained up in the word and sent out to reach the lost. Today, starting new ministries is frowned upon. Sunday has become the most segregated day of the week. Churches no longer fellowship with each other.  There is no trust in the congregation. The church has become a place where a person in sin come and hide not be redeemed. Whenever there is a national tragedy, it’s the celebrities you see coming to the rescue. Our pastors are too busy producing movies and hosting TV shows. Our First Ladies are throwing catty tea parties. Big name preachers are too busy working the red carpet, taking pictures along-side cleavage showing actresses. The church(some not all) has become a clique filled cultish empire where any and everything goes. Travis explained to our children, we WILL NOT have any part of that. We pray the body of Christ begins to come together and work in unity. We rebuke the spirit of fear and confusion. We pray wounds and scars within the body of Christ is healed so that we can effectually lay claim on the lost and hurting souls. We pray for the return of God’s unconditional love. In Jesus Name Amen.

So with our one talent in hand, we are stepping out to put ten thousand to flight…. starting from scratch.  

PS: The wonderful thing about scratch is God gets to choose the ingredients of the genetic make up for Real Faith Ministries

Please enjoy this attached video of an interpretive dance, our daughters (Driven Dance Team) ministered recently.