The Well Palmdale, CA

Recently I sat down to watch a movie that, to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to watching..."We Are Marshall" (that's why it has taken me so long to rent it...it came out in 2006). It just looked like something Disney dreamt up to make people cry (I'm not a huge fan of those types of movies). Just too forewarn you...the makers of this movie have included all of the "crying tricks" as I like to call them like: triumphant music, overcoming adversity, big sweeping shots, perfectly timed slow motion scenes, loving spouses, loving father figures, powerful speeches/monologues, other people crying, a town rallying behind the underdog, etc. I also know that with the label of "family friendly", it typically means that it's dumbed down and just for kids. For those of you who know me well, you know that I typically like movies that challenge me to think in different ways and movies that show me something new.

Well, my 14 year old brother in law was in town and we wanted to watch a movie, and this seemed to be our best bet. After taking advantage of the local Red Box (movies are only $1!!!), we headed on home and popped it into the DVD player with low expectations and...it was actually good.

Without giving anything away, "We Are Marshall" is based on a true story about the Marshall University football team from 1970. Almost all of the players, coaches, and a number of prominent local team supporters went down in a plane crash after one of their games. The rest of the film is the rebuilding of their football program along with helping the town heal.

**If you haven't watched it yet, then skip this paragraph!** Sorry, I hate it when people spoil movies. While I was watching "We Are Marshall" I realized that this movie provides a wonderful analogy for church. Now, at The Well, we are quite young. We not only have only had a handful of worship services but both staff are in their 20's and we don't have many people hanging around in their 50's. That being said...it won't take too long before The Well, becomes established and gets older as a church. It may take 10 years, or it may take 30 years. Regardless, there comes a time in every church's life where things are going as they are supposed togo and then all of a sudden some sort of travesty happens. Maybe it's not a plane crash...but maybe it's a staff leaving, a natural disaster, a prominent member dying, a scandal, worship attendance shrinking, or maybe things just changing. It is at that point that the church is faced with the same problems that the townspeople were in the movie..."should we play?" Everyone in the movie had to answer that question, and most really struggled with it. I think as a church, we are asked with whether or not doing this whole church thing is worth it and should we press on as a congregation even though things are different than before. Just like the first Marshall team, in order to press on, it demands a great deal of heart and sacrifice. It also means that in order to get past the struggle...one must be willing to let go of how things used to be. The character "Nate Ruffin" had the hardest time with that in the beginning...even to the point of not wanting one of the new players wearing one of the deceased player's number on his jersey. Sometimes it doesn't take too long for us to assume too much ownership in what we do as a church. What we must realize is that we are servants and that we have a greater goal in mind as we go about the work of the church. And whether we are confronted with a travesty or not...God always wants us to go out there and "play the game" (See Romans 5:3-5).

So, overall, I would recommend "We Are Marshall". It really adds something significant to the Sports movie genre. Though it's no "Hoosiers" or "The Natural", it was still good. I thought McG, the director, did a great job at taking a real story and making it into something interesting and worth watching. I honestly think that some of my favorite parts were the some of the fast cuts that occurred throughout. It was shot quite differently than most sports movies. It had many different camera angles, zooms, and cinematography. It's only rated PG due to a little bad language and a pretty scary plane crash but I'm not sure that little kids would like it (they may get bored unless they have a fascination with either football or Mathew MaConaughey...and if the latter is the case then you and your family are probably reading too many celebrity magazines). It's honestly a movie that adults will enjoy and not just a movie that adults can put up with. Overall, I would give it an "7.8". If you want to know more just check out the movie description on IMDB.

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