The Men of St. Joseph

Recently I had the opportunity to go with several Men of St. Joseph members to the set of the upcoming film, Courageous. We traveled through small town America, north to Albany Georgia. It is safe to say that we were not sure why we

were going, but we knew God had a plan.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the energetic support staff and were introduced to several other visitors. As the next couple of days unfolded we came to see that God was working. We listened to co-writer Stephen Kendrick explain how God inspired this story. What is the story and why were we there? The answer is clear- God wants to speak to fathers! When you look at the family today and how men are portrayed in popular media, what do you see? Single parent families, broken homes, weak or absent fathers. You see daughters who do not know love from their fathers and so look for it elsewhere; you see young men who do not know what a real man looks like because they have never seen one. These tragedies are shown as normal; portraits of the family and fathers today. This is what you see from Hollywood. The media has an overwhelming ability to influence the hearts and minds of our culture, but where is it leading us? Imagine, however, what would happen if popular media became a tool in God's hands? That is the story here. Stephen Kendrick explained, God wants fathers to know all things are possible with Him. It is never too late to be the father He calls you to be. We were privileged to see a collection of scenes and we laughed together and even shed a tear or two as we watched. This film will inspire and encourage men across the country to hear God's voice and to follow Him. As a member of the Men of St. Joseph I believe that God is speaking to fathers around the world. He is calling us to the sacraments to fill us with his Spirit. He is calling us to be fathers who love their families so much that their greatest desire, hope, and prayer is to lead them to heaven; he is calling us to action. We left Albany with a renewed fire in our hearts to be men who "put the family back in the hands of the Father." I am excited for the release of Courageous in the fall of 2011 and encourage everyone to please take your families to see it. For more information on the film please visit- www.thenextsherwoodmovie.com