Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
ENCINO, Calif. -- For three weeks, Israeli filmmakers have showcased their works in and around Los Angeles. The 29th annual Israel Film Festival wraps up this week.
Organizers of the annual event are happy with this year's turnout. Meir Fenigstein, founder and executive director of IsraFest Foundation, Inc., says the films on display in Hollywood's backyard featured young filmmakers.
"Almost, I can say, 29 years, we never had so many first-time filmmakers making their first feature film," he said. "And that's very interesting because you feel that it is a new upcoming industry, a new wave of younger filmmakers."
Fenigstein says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the dominant theme in past years, but today's films deal with Israeli culture and tell stories.
And while the films about faith are growing in the U.S., they're not so popular in Israel, the cradle of both Judaism and Christianity. In the future, organizers hope to include more films about faith.
"You don't see many films about faith -- very few. I don't know why. Maybe the Israelis are not very religious -- at least the filmmakers. So this is not such a topic they are interested in," he said.
But that may change. Fenigstein is already planning for next year's festival, the 30th anniversary, and he hopes to include Christians.
"We want to be more connected to the Christian community," he said. "We're already there. And we want to do a really special event with the Christian community and to bring them in to see at least one right Israeli film -- that would be right for them to watch -- and to bring them to be close to Israel."
LOS ANGELES- Friends, family members and people from the Hollywood community gathered Saturday at Church on the Way in Van Nuys to honor the life of Dean Jones, stage and screen star who died September 1 at age 84.
Jones is best known for his starring role "The Love Bug" and other Disney films of the 60's and 70's. Friends drove several Volkswagens, including two that appeared in the movies, to the site of the service to honor him.
Despite Jones's film and theatre success, the emphasis in the memorial service was on his deep Christian faith and the spiritual legacy he left to friends and family.
Several speakers also recognized his work on behalf of persecuted Christians and people of other faiths from around the world who have been threatened with death.
Pat Boone, a friend of Jones for decades, hosted the service. The Rev. Jack Hayford served communion. Hayford is the founder and former pastor of Church on the Way, where Jones and his wife served as elders.
Boone, a fellow elder, noted that Jones had now put aside his earthly body, and has heard the Lord saying, "Wait until you see the home I have prepared for you, so that where I am, you may be also."
Jones's wife Lory and others in his family testified to the inheritance of faith and love he left to them. His son-in-law recalled, "I literally never heard him utter an unkind word about anyone--ever."
In addition to dozens of film acting credits, Jones played the apostle John in a one-man stage production, "St. John in Exile," which one reviewer called" "phenomenal."
His fellow actor and friend, Emmy Award winner Gavin McLeod, delivered a message by video, praising Jones's ability as an actor and as a mentor in the Christian faith. He said God "has us all in special places to get the word out that Jesus is Lord." McLeod closed his message with a gesture from one of his television characters, Captain Merrill Stubing of "The Love Boat." His voice choking with emotion, he said, "Dean Jones, I salute you."
JERUSALEM, Israel -- British actress Helen Mirren warmed the hearts of many at the 29th Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles when she said the best thing about Israel is Israelis.
The 70-year-old award-winning actress received IFF’s Career Achievement Award while American screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, 54, received the Film and Television Achievement Award.
Mirren said a visit to Israel early in her career was “one of the building blocks that have made me into the actress that I am, doing the kind of work I do, that I seek to do and the way in which I seek to do it.”
“Likewise, I was thinking about the building blocks that made Israel the great country that it is and the courage and the commitment of those early people working on the kibbutz that I was lucky enough in those days to meet and work alongside briefly,” Mirren said.
“I love Israel. I think it’s a great, great country,” she continued. “I think that through all the difficulties and all the pain that Israel has suffered in the past and will in the future, the great thing that Israel has is Israelis, and they will guide it through.”
Among her many accomplishments, Mirren won best actress at the 2007 Academy Awards for her performance as Queen Elizabeth.
Sorkin, 54, has also enjoyed many successes as a Hollywood screenwriter. He’s been nominated at this year’s Academy Award for the screenplay for “Steve Jobs.”
“It couldn’t be more important to support Israel,” Sorkin said at the ceremonies.
WATCH: New CBS Medical Drama Celebrates Saving Baby in the Womb
WATCH: New CBS Medical Drama Celebrates Saving Baby in the Womb
"Life is measured here in split seconds; hesitate and people die."
From the opening minutes of CBS' new medical drama Code Black, the characters and narrative reveal this could be a bright spot among the 20 new broadcast TV shows debuting this fall.
Thrusting viewers into a real-world emergency room, it dramatizes the great lengths medical professionals go to save a single life—including one in the womb.
Created through a collaboration of former physician Ryan McGarry and writer/producer Michael Seitzman, Code Black takes place in a fast-paced trauma center in Los Angeles. In the ER, it's known as "code black" when the volume of patients exceeds resources; then even first-day medical residents deal directly with patients' life-and-death traumas.
Life-affirming moments shine through in the chaotic, intense pilot episode. Medical residents conflict over the best way to treat a nine-month pregnant woman, who appears to have flu symptoms.
After the young mother is released from the hospital, one doctor-in-training realizes it could be carbon monoxide poisoning. She ends up in an ambulance with the unconscious pregnant patient.
Stuck in LA traffic, the resident calls in and learns the ER is facing a "code black" status; she'll have to deliver the baby by C-Section in the ambulance. "You've done an OB rotation, you've witnessed plenty of these," her supervising physician says on the call.
With guidance from the experienced doctors by phone, who continue their lifesaving efforts on other patients near death, ultimately the sound of the baby's first cry brings a hush in the ER—then, slowly, smiles on every face.
"I've got her!" announces the medical resident on speakerphone. "She's so beautiful." This climactic scene was such a powerful statement for life, bringing me to tears.
Men and women on the front lines rescuing citizens from accidents, medical trauma, fires and crime see death daily. They encounter the worst of everything life can bring, as we see in the characters played by veteran actors Luis Guzmán (Traffic, The Count of Monte Cristo) and Marcia Gay Harden (Mona Lisa Smile, The Hoax).
Yet when a new life is born as a result of their efforts, it brings them peace and joy. It breathes renewed life into what they do. It is not an inconvenience for them. Life is precious and they know it.
Many of the best stories in film and television, from family-friendly movies to edgierscience-fiction sagas, celebrate new life and uphold the value of every human being—bringing hope to those caught up in the storyline. Most of all, I picture God smiling and celebrating this new creation of His.
Code Black points to the noble purpose of medical science: to save and preserve lives. Though sometimes overlooked by a politicized health care industry—where many defend a woman's right to end her baby's life at any stage in the womb—this medical drama plot is quite revealing.
What it reveals is that deep inside every human is the appreciation of new life, no matter how inconvenient. God, the author of life, designed a man and woman together to bring forth offspring in His image. Most of us instinctively recognize this miracle.
But many are not willing to admit it because of out-of-control political correctness. They come up with right-sounding arguments to explain away the evil being perpetrated by Planned Parenthood. Try as they might to ignore this miracle of life in the womb, they cannot deny the truth in all honesty.
More and more people today, particularly Christian leaders, are finding it harder to deny the immorality and corruption of the abortion industry. The exception seems to be elected officials who rely on Planned Parenthood funds in order to be re-elected.
Every year, the pro-life movement gains more ground as science confirms what we see revealed in Scripture: that life begins at conception. Truly, humans made in the image of God are the apple of His eye.
Our nation faces an emergency. Now the pro-life movement needs to a call a "code black" status—all hands on deck during this critical moment. In a culture hungry for truth, the value of every precious life must come front and center.
The pilot episode of Code Black is currently available to watch free of charge. Rated TV-14 for realistic medical trauma situations and some language.
Carol Sewellis the Founder of Generation to Generation, dedicated to teaching the foundational principles upon which America was founded. She is the author of What Were They Thinking? – On Truth, Liberty and Legacy (foreword by David Barton). Carol and her husband reside in Plano, Texas where they enjoy living near their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!
(NEWSER) – NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is out with a study predicting that Los Angeles has a 99.9% chance of experiencing an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater within the next two and a half years.
"There’s enough energy stored to produce about a magnitude 6.1 to 6.3 earthquake" with an epicenter in La Habra, which was hit by a quake in 2014, says a JPL geophysicist, per CBS LA. Earthquake scientists used information from the La Habra quake to make their predictions, and found that there's a 35% chance of an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
But other experts aren't convinced; KPCC goes so far as to call the JPL study "controversial."
As the US Geological Survey notes, "the accepted random chance of a (magnitude 5.0) or greater in this area in three years is 85%, independent of the analysis in this paper." Plus, JPL's research "has not yet been examined by the long-established committees that evaluate earthquake forecasts and predictions made by scientists," the USGS says, per LA Weekly. "The lack of details on the method of analysis makes a critical assessment of this approach very difficult."
And, as one Caltech seismologist who read the study notes, "As far as I’m concerned there has never been a successful earthquake prediction, and a scientific breakthrough would be required for us to make a scientifically based prediction." But, he adds, since earthquakes tend to cluster, it's not much of a stretch to assume there will be another one in La Habra. (Only a single survivor remains from another California earthquake.)
Will James Goll's prophetic dream come true? (Will James Goll's prophetic dream come true?)
One of the most consistent ways the Lord speaks to me is through the avenue of dreams. Many of my writing and speaking assignments are given to me in such a manner. Prayer assignments over the years have almost always come in the forms of visitations and visions. This is true especially if it is a strategic assignment.
While ministering in Brazil a couple years ago, I was seeking the Lord for His mind and thoughts concerning future movements of the Holy Spirit. I went to sleep in my hotel room in Belo Horizonte and woke up out of a "stunner of a dream." The manifested presence of God was riveting on my body as an aftereffect of this dream encounter. It shook me.
I SAW SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS A WOMB FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST!
Like an eagle in flight, I was hovering over the globe in search of a place to land. Suddenly the entire west coast of the United States came before me. I was zoomed in upon the state of California and with the eye of an eagle I saw glimpses of redemptive purposes and plans.
I then turned in flight over portions of southern California and I saw something that seemed unusual. Southern California was a womb for the body of Christ. She had been used to conceive the Word and the Spirit over the last 100 years of the church and to bring forth different movements of God.
My "knower" was on high alert as I flew over Los Angeles and Orange County that this womb had already received another word—implanted at least a year earlier—and that another long-term, almost overdue, birth was imminent. I then soared over Pasadena and the next thing I knew, the eagle suddenly flew into the historic Mott Auditorium on the hallowed grounds of William Carey University.
I SAW JOHN WIMBER STANDING ON THE PLATFORM!
The Mott Auditorium was packed with worshipping believers with standing room only. The place was electric with the presence of God. Rabid worship was happening with occasional authoritative declarations by various leaders. I noticed a few desperate pastors know crying out with anguish for God to visit them once again. Then things suddenly shifted.
All of a sudden, the late John Wimber, former leader of the Vineyard Movement and voice for the Third Wave, was firmly standing on the newly purple-carpeted platform. The cultural atmosphere was now pregnant with a realm of the glory and the thick majesty of God. Then I heard and felt the voice of John Wimber echo an invitation that rattled the entire place. He simply declared, "COME AGAIN, HOLY SPIRIT!"
People starting crashing to the floor en masse under the impact of the power and authority that resonated in those simple words. Once again another sound wave was released: "COME AGAIN, HOLY SPIRIT." It was not gentle Jesus showing up or the comforting dove of God manifesting. It was not just another renewal or revival meeting—though it seemed to include all of those qualities. It was the violent invasion of heaven entering a time and space world. It was a church quake.
I felt the reverberation coming off the sound waves of the voice of the invitation. It shook the very building, the grounds and all those present. The fear of the Lord fell and an earthquake of a 5.7 magnitude resulted. The quake resulted in an anointing resting on Psalm 57: "Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me. For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passesby. I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me."
People screamed in terror as the entire grounds and buildings were rattled by the sound of God's voice being heard and felt once again. Signs and wonders broke out but it appeared as an aftereffect, not the primary goal. Then a third time I heard the pronouncement from John Wimber: "COME AGAIN, HOLY SPIRIT!" People crashed onto the floor in droves.
As I pen this, I just now realized some things I had forgotten. I was reminded of them as they just flashed suddenly within me as I compose this. I also saw the late Jill Austin, one of the fieriest prophetesses of the last decade, gazing in upon what was happening and smiling. I heard her laugh echo over the occurrence as to say, "I told you He was coming!"
I saw a great cloud of witnesses including Aimee Simple McPherson and others who were gathering around to peer in upon this strange outbreak. The convergence of old anointings—still seemingly resident upon California—were now colliding.
SUDDENLY I WAS AWAKENED!
My senses were heightened. It was July and I was ministering in Brazil—a land pregnant with revival—but suddenly it appeared to be another season. It was autumn—right at the time of the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah. Then pages of a book flipped quickly from one chapter of time to another and suddenly it was 40 days and nights later. I smelled smoke in Mott Auditorium as if the place had been filled with the burning fiery sacrifices of violent praise and worship. I smelled burnt flesh. I smelled aromas of life and death simultaneously at work.
Short messages from different anointed vessels were a part of this new sound wave but again it was not the main thing. Miracles happened—they just suddenly occurred. But again, this was not the aim. It was not why the people even assembled. Yes, there were even short passionate pleas and desperate cries for help! But even that was not the central focus. This move of God centered on the radical worship of the One—Christ Jesus the Lord—and the welcoming with abandonment of the third person of the Godhead—the Holy Spirit! The jealousy of God permeated the experience.
It was not a conference. It was not polished. It was not even 24/7 as we presently know it. It was raw and overpowering. It was not rehearsed. It was an invasion of the Holy Spirit Himself.
A window of opportunity had opened and this uncontrollable surging sound wave jumped spontaneously around the globe. A man appeared on a pogo stick gleefully jumping from city to city and nation to nation. The man on the stick was William Seymour of the historic Azusa Street Revival. He leapt across the nations and everywhere his pogo stick landed, light came for a brief moment! The nations were in an uproar—and fire and light were falling around the globe.
THEN I HEARD ONE LAST WORD
"A Line Has Been Drawn in the Sand." Terror gripped me. I shook. I honestly did not know what was coming next. I still do not know having pondered deeply on this experience. Was it Days of Glory or impending societal chaos? Was it times of economic collapse or reformation where a new order was created out of tumultuous uncertainty? I honestly was left not knowing what the outcome or the result was or would be.
But this I knew. Hope for the fragmented body of Christ and the nations was being released. An invitation was being sent from heaven to earth and a line was being drawn in the sand.
The word went in me. The word penetrated me. The word has disturbed me. But this I know, heaven has a word that must be heard in the earth realm, "COME AGAIN, HOLY SPIRIT!" And the invitation must have an urgent and appropriate response.
James W. Gollis the co-founder of Encounters Network and director of PrayerStorm. He also coordinates a coalition of leaders called Encounters Alliance. Author of The Beginner's Guide to Signs, Wondersand the Supernatural Life, Goll has shared Jesus in more than 40 nations worldwide teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. For more information, visit encountersnetwork.com.
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Shabbat Inspiration
The first Hebrew word most people learn is “Shalom” שלום - which has three meanings: Hello, Goodbye and Peace. It is the word with which friends greet one another, it is how Israelis answer their phones and begin emails. But, Shalom is more than a greeting, it is also a blessing. Peace is the most important gift we can ask from God, on an individual level, as families and between countries. It is therefore of most significance, that the world’s holiest city, Jerusalem - ירושלים - has the word שלום at its core because it is meant to be the source for all peace on earth.
When Israel celebrates its independence this May, the Los Angeles Jewish community will be celebrating along. Host to the continent’s largest annual Israeli Independence Day event, the Celebrate Israel festival, West LA’s Rancho Park is expected to see some 20,000 people attend.
We are still enjoying your emails and have been very much
educated by them. I am due to do a five minute talk
tomorrow morning at the art club I attend and I decided
to do it on the subject of Tabernacles, so the information
you put on the emails recently about it was very helpful.
Thank you. Blessings and Shalom, Carolyn L., England
