Synopsis:
Teenagers Steve, Carrie, Cooper, and Gameboy embark on a weekend camping trip led by their church youth group leader Stuart (Sean Astin) and his wife Beth (Erin Bethea). Joining them is teen outsider Ashley, who is materialistic and self-involved, and whose bad attitude separates her from the rest of the group.

When a confrontation occurs between Ashley and Carrie, this division widens. Hoping for a resolution, Stuart takes the opportunity to share with the group the touching story of the Old Testament prophet Hosea and his example of true commitment and unconditional love. Is this powerful story enough to inspire the teens to open their hearts to such an amazing love?

Review:
This engaging film tells the little-known story of Hosea from the Old Testament. The film starts off with the story of four youth group friends set to go camping when a troubled girl joins their group at the last minute. As the weekend continues, the girl determinedly tries to remain isolated which comes off as stuck up to at least one other member of the group. Tensions rise as misunderstandings and hurtful words fly. The youth group leader, Stuart, decides to tell the teens the story of the prophet Hosea.

Then, we follow the events of Hosea’s life as he tries to warn the people of God’s coming judgment so they can be saved and he deals with his wife’s hurtful decisions. He faces shame and ridicule as even those that he loves turn against him, but he continues to remain faithful and to give unconditional love, ultimately in such a way that we see a clear, almost unspeakable picture of God’s love for us.

While this movie has a slower pace, the message it conveys about God’s unspeakable, amazing love is powerful. It is an excellent movie to watch about unconditional love and the patience of God, as well as applying that love to our interactions with others.

The movie has no sex, nudity, violence, or language. There is a character who is a harlot, but it is always implied and talked about rather than shown. Also, a woman has been mistreated and you see some bruising on her face. A character’s mom’s boyfriends are mentioned several times (nothing explicit and no innuendos). A man calls Hosea’s children “strange children,” implying they were from a harlot.

— B. Payne