Courageous Living

A Four Week Study based on the film, Courageous.

A dynamic four-week small group Bible study based on the bold fatherhood and family principles featured in the film Courageous (from the makers of Fireproof)

The Courageous Living Bible Study will help facilitate leading men toward living more courageously in four key areas:

• Responsibility: serving, protecting, and casting a vision for their family
• Priorities: focusing on eternal things rather than what is temporary
• Legacy: recognizing a father's potential impact as a godly role model
• Faith: strengthening a father's identity in Christ, increasing in wisdom

Courageous is the fourth release from the movie-making ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, and its first since Fireproof , the No. 1 independent film of 2008.

Why Participate?
The word pandemic describes a disease outbreak that is larger in sale than expected and covers a large geographical area, often crossing international borders. It is broader in scope than an epidemic and often more threatening.

Studies today prove that children living without fathers are more likely to be poor and to endure significant emotional, educational, medical, and psychological problems. Similar studies reveal that more than 24 million American children currently live without their biological fathers. That statistic is in excess of the 36 percent of American children, making fatherlessness a problem of pandemic proportions.

The only solution to this widespread problem is a return to biblical fatherhood: men of courage taking a powerful stand in their homes and communities to love, lead, and protect their children and thereby eliminating the problems associated with fatherlessness.  In the COURAGEOUS movie, four men recognize this need and boldly answer the call to be better fathers.

Who is this study for?  This study is for the:

• Father who is always working and feels somewhat disconnected at home

• Service member who has been deployed for months and can’t wait to engage with his wife and kids
• Dad who is home on weekends but flies out every Monday morning to work out of town
• Young guy whose relationship went too far too quickly and who became a dad too young
• Divorced dad who becomes a full-time dad every other weekend and one month during the summer
• Stepdad who lives full time with step kids
• Single mom raising three children while wearing both parent hats every day
• Young man with a new wife waiting for the arrival of their first child
• Mature father who looks back on his life with regrets and wants to now impact his grandkids
• Dad who never knew his father and longs to discover how to lead his family well
• ANYONE is welcome!

A special note to women:
Undoubtedly you entertained the question, "What's in this for me?" as a wife, mother, or woman of faith engaged in this study.  You are not alone. The movie COURAGEOUS is first targeted at men.  There is an unmistakable void of biblical fatherhood in this country and its effects are far-reaching. As a mom, you have a direct hand in raising sons who will one day be fathers as well as in raising daughters who will one day choose a man to marry who will serve as father to her children.

You have an incredible responsibility before you.  Even if you don't have children, you have a father, and you know the effect that either his presence or his absence has had on your life. This study is not only an opportunity for you to unpack the relationship you have with your own dad but also an opportunity for you to draw closer to your Heavenly Father.

While we desperately need men to step up and be the fathers that God has called and equipped them to be, we also need women to understand that call and to provide the necessary support and daily encouragement to make it a reality for families. Thank you for recognizing the value of this study and for engaging it with an open heart and mind. There is a specific application portion in each session just for you.

When / Where will the Study be held?
This four-week study series will be held the four Friday nights in September (7, 14, 21, 28).  Our hosts will be Curt & Lindsy.