Marie Armenia - The Audacious Molly Bruno

Tribute to Our Dear Beloved Friend
Molly Bruno
Uninhibited

One of the greatest treasures of my life during the past year has been the unexpected friendship of a ninety-one-year-old Italian prayer warrior named Molly Bruno.

When I heard about Mollys special relationship with the Lord, her unique prayer life, and her ongoing miraculous circumstances, I wanted to meet her personally. At the same time, we were in the process of writing the script for a movie, called War Room, which was about the power of prayer and, of all things, featured a feisty, lovable old woman who really knew how to get a hold of God on her knees.

When I finally met Molly, I considered it an inspired, divine appointment to see a living representation of the heart and faith we planned to show in the film. I heard about her God-given dreams helping her to know how to pray in light of coming events, her years of serving in ministry with her husband, Joseph, her continued witnessing adventures at Publix to the employees. Molly had me laughing, in tears, and held spellbound with the stories of answered prayer in her life and what it means to walk with God.

As I listened to her, my heart was full. Here is a short, white-haired, unassuming woman with a knowing smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, who has spent countless thousands of hours in prayer, whose family members laugh at the seemingly endless supply of miraculous events connected to her life, and whose morning coffee with Jesus is a sacred daily appointment. She would often shed very tender tears as she talked with me about how much she loved her Savior. You could not interact with Molly without sensing the love, joy, and presence of Christ residing in her. Spending time with her made me want to be a better man and to spend more time with the Lord myself.

After hearing about our next movie, War Room, Molly decided to personally undergird the entire project and our efforts in prayer. From the writing to the casting to the filming, Molly was holding us up and interceding on our behalf. I vividly remember being at the production office in Concord, North Carolina, and seeing our lead actress, Priscilla Shirer, on her knees and in tears as she listened to Molly pray for her over the phone before we began production.

We used Mollys Bible in the film as the main Bible Miss Clara prays with. When we stayed up late filming in North Carolina, Molly would stay up late and pray for us from her modest home in Tennessee.

Looking back, I cant help but thank the Lord for the unexpected, priceless blessing to work on a movie and a book about the power of prayer, and to have Him raise up one of the godliest and most prayerful women in our nation to intercede on our behalf the entire time. We completed the movie in March of 2015 and then finished The Battle Plan for Prayer book on the evening of June 5. Molly passed into eternity less than twenty-four hours later on June 6.

The word that comes to mind when I think of Molly is uninhibited. The Bible talks about how Christ sets us free from guilt, shame, sin, and the bondage of this world. He delivers us from self-centeredness, pride, and the fear of man as we trust Him. He gives us life and life more abundantly beyond the boundaries or limitations accustomed to this world. The Bible says that we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him (Eph. 3:12 NASB ).

Molly Bruno was not inhibited by her past or the worries of the world. She didnt care what other people thought; she was on a mission to love them, pray for them, and tell them about Jesus. She lived full throttle, wide open, speaking boldly, loving freely, and worshiping God wholeheartedly. I am a better man because of her. Even though I knew her for only a year, I grew to love her more deeply than people Ive known for decades. I miss her and am looking forward to seeing her in heaven one day. She will be close to the throne, smiling, worshiping, singing, and loving every minute of itfor all eternity.

The book of Hebrews talks about the hall of faith of men and women who served God with extraordinary faith and passion. Those unique warriors for Gods kingdom were relentless in their pursuit of Him and of taking as many people to Christ as they could while they still had breath. Molly Bruno is definitely one of those, of whom the world is not worthy.

For the skeptic who says that God is not real and prayer does not work, Mollys legacy stands as living proof that there is a powerful God in heaven who is involved in the affairs of men and women and works mightily on behalf of those who are willing to trust Him.

As the Lord willed, we released War Room and The Battle Plan for Prayer all around the world to call people back to our Savior and back to their knees in prayer for our families, cities, and nations. Mollys investment in us and her legacy of prayer will live on through the film and the book as they literally call millions of people to faith and faithfulness in Christ. Truly, precious in the sight of the L ORD is the death of His godly ones (Ps. 116:15 NASB ). Our condolences, prayers, and love go out to her dear family.

Stephen Kendrick, Producer and Co-Writer of War Room ,

on the passing of Molly Bruno