Praying with Understanding

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Prayer, I believe is a conversation between us and God, either we are giving thanks, making requests or even asking questions. Yet it is not uncommon to feel like a prayer could be such a complicated and maybe even a delicate conversation to have, after all, it's God we are talking to here. There is no way that wouldn't be somehow daunting! I remember learning to pray as a child during family devotions and how nervous I'd get, mumbling through my words, hardly able to get anything coherent out. My auntie, bless her, would jump in the middle of one of my many long pauses to rescue me and carry on with the prayer but once we were done, my uncle would almost chide her for not giving me a chance to learn and develop my confidence. I didn't blame her; I found those long pauses very uncomfortable too! So, I usually understand when people tell me they do not know how to pray and would prefer others to pray for them or they'll just avoid it altogether and some even ask if
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It does matter: what they watch

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So recently I was referred to a movie on YouTube called ‘The Train’, a movie by Mount Zion Film Production based in Nigeria.

I remember as a child I had watched their movies such as Agbara Nla (Ultimate Power) and Apoti Eri (Ark of the Covenant), perhaps these two movies will only be familiar to some but not all Nigerians as I believe Nollywood movies are more known and also these two movies are pretty old. They were not produced under the popular Nollywood umbrella, and that’s because it stays respectfully in a class of it’s own: Christian Movies. It might not usually have all the glitz and glamour of Nollywood movies as they tend to sway to the side of modesty in most cases but the knowledge they impart is so vital, they minister the gospel to us through their acting.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a long list of Nollywood movies I have seen over time and enjoyed in some ways and still do but not as profoundly as MZFM movies.

Some Favourites

I am extremely cautious about what my kids watch on TV and I usually try to ensure it is age appropriate, but it gets tricky as they grow older. There are some movies that even when the classification says PG, 12+ , you still cringe at some stuff on there (or maybe it’s just me!), I find myself coughing loudly to drown out some words or trying to distract their attention by just saying something totally irrelevant or telling them to look away. I do try to skip forward at times but that means I am being asked unwanted questions and accused of ruining the movie as they are now unable to follow anymore, in short, mom=spoil sport!

I am particular about the lessons they learn from movies even books as I know how much they enjoy those activities (reading and watching movies). I usually have some sort of book/film review with them after they have finished one just to see if they were impacted by anything and believe me, I do hear different things. It helps me to see where their mind is at and have some healthy conversations with them. It also gives me a chance to explain things better especially if they have gotten somethings mixed up.

I watched ‘The Train’ with my kids and they watched the whole thing with rapt attention, thanks to the subtitling. They had a discussion with me afterward about a few things that stood out to them and I was so proud of the many lessons they learnt from it, even some bible verses!
I realized at that point how vividly I could still remember the two movies I mentioned above and the impact on me even as a child and how it somehow stayed with me and helped my faith especially ‘Apoti Eri’. This is what I have been looking for: a balanced way for the kids to be entertained, be inspired and learn positive behaviours because in all MZFM movies, there is more than one lesson to be learnt. We have since watched a few more together and they have loved it all and of course….no need for unnecessary distractions or annoying fake coughs!

As a family we love watching movies, it is one of our favourite pastimes but you’ve got to be careful what you let your kids access especially in this world which is so different to the one I was growing up in at their age! Kids pick up things easily from stuff they watch on TV and of course on other digital devices which many seem to own.

Kudos to Mount Zion Faith Ministries, I wish them every success to enable them come up with more wholesome and inspiring productions.

Love you all.

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