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40-Day Program Can Test Couples

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 27, 2008

We usually go to movies simply to be entertained.

We buy our tickets, mortgage the house for some popcorn and a soft drink, and settle in with Dolby surround sound.

But "Fireproof" has another motive. This Christian film is capitalizing on the plot to turn the experience into a teaching moment - with a companion book that challenges couples to take "The Love Dare."

The 40-day program saves the seemingly doomed marriage of the two lead characters in the movie. But it's no fictional twist. Movie co-writers Stephen and Alex Kendrick, also associate pastors, wrote the "The Love Dare" ($14.99; B & H Publishing) as a guided devotional to help husbands and wives learn the meaning of "true love." (Hint: This is an overtly Christian film, so that means putting Christ at the center of it all.)

Each chapter includes a Scriptural reference, a statement of principle, the day's "dare" and a journaling area. Among some of the challenges: Choose a gesture that says "I love you" and do it with a smile; remove anything that is hindering your relationship, such as an addiction to something unhealthy, because it's turning your heart and head away from your spouse; contact your mate in the middle of the day and ask if there is anything you can do for him or her; try to initiate sex on this day.

Although the movie just opened, churches and Christian counseling centers have already made the book a best-seller. "The Love Dare" is now in its fifth printing with more than 500,000 copies.

And the book is no lark. On the front page, the Kendricks issue this caveat: "Receive this as a warning. This 40-day journal cannot be taken lightly.

"It is a challenging and often difficult process, but an incredibly fulfilling one. To take this dare requires a resolute mind and a steadfast determination.

"It is not meant to be sampled or briefly tested, and those who quit early will forfeit the greatest memories. If you will commit to a day at a time for 40 days, the results could change your life and your marriage.

"Consider it a dare, from others who have done it years before you."

No word yet as to how many people in the Tampa Bay area are taking the love dare. If flowers are showing up at your co-worker's cubicle for no apparent reason, the sender could be on Day 10:

"Do something out of the ordinary today for your spouse - something that proves that your love is based on your choice and nothing else. Wash her car. Clean the kitchen. Buy his favorite dessert. Fold the laundry. Demonstrate love to them for the sheer joy of being their partner in marriage."

For more on the book, go to lovedare.com.

Michelle Bearden

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