The Greatest Movie of All Times

I just sat down about ten minutes ago and turned on my t.v. I checked to see what was on, and I turned it to TNT HD. As I turned to the channel, the end of Forrest Gump was on. Every time I watch this movie I am blown away all over again! I believe that this movie has to be the greatest movie ever written. I am not sure if I can pinpoint why this movie is so great, but there are probably many reasons! It is a love story. It is an adventure. It is a comedy. It is a drama. It just is. It is the story of a guy who, though simple, faces lifes challenges with extreme optimism and unexplainable joy. He changes lives, changes hearts, and changes situations! Whether standing in the rain in Vietnam, staring at the horizon on a shrimp boat, or running beside the mountain lakes of the midwest, Forest Gump saw the world in a way that most people only dream of. Maybe that is why I believe it is the greatest movie of all times. Because it is the fictional story of a man who encompasses so many of our dreams. The dream to experience something new, the dream to be loved, the dream to live an adventure, the dream to make a difference.

I am not sure how many times I have seen the movie, but I will always remember the first time I saw it. I was 16 years old and lived in Havelock, N.C. I was with my parents and two brothers. It was the night before my older brother and I would leave to drive 27 hours to the great state of Texas. In a way, I guess it was a glimpse into the adventure I would begin the next day. That trip to Texas was the start of my adult life, as it was the day that I moved out of my house, and moved back to Texas to pursue God's calling in my life. My brother had signed up for the Air Force and was supposed to report to Lackland AFB in San Antonio three days later. I was moving back to Victoria, TX to rejoin the church where I had been saved and discipled for my first year as a Christian. I left my house at the age of 16 because I knew that going back to Texas was the only way that I would be able to grow into who God wanted me to be. If I hadn't ever made that drive, I don't believe that I ever would have ended up in Virginia pastoring Freedom Life Church today. It is amazing how the choices we make can impact the future in ways we will never know!

When I got back to Texas I jumped back into my involvement in the youth ministry at First Baptist Church, Victoria. After graduating from high school I went to Victoria College and became a college intern for the youth group. Because I was an intern I was asked to help chaperone a two week mission trip to Newport News, VA, in the summer of 1996. While on that mission trip God called me to move here and be part of the church plant we were here to help start, Hope Community Church. The rest is HIStory.

Where were you the first time you saw Forest Gump?