Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Jerusalem Dateline: Christmas –‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’, Handel's "Messiah"
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Winter Seasons Produce Stronger Roots by Michelle Holderman
Winter Seasons Produce Stronger Roots
by Michelle Holderman
Identity Network
When we're going through something painful, especially when it's long term, it can leave us feeling weary, frustrated, and forgotten. After so long it feels like nothing will ever change. We feel stuck in it. Stuck in a barren, lonely place. What once used to be vibrant and full of color has now muted into a hundred shades of dull gray.
This is actually a truth I see expressed through nature this time of year. Those vibrant, beautiful colors in the peak of fall will eventually give way to the barrenness and harsh cold of winter. And during those long winter days, it can feel like spring will never come much less summer.
But even winter has its beauty. Even winter holds value and significance. Winter is a season that is more about unseen preparation than outward adornment. All the action is happening underground and out of sight. The beauty of spring, summer, and fall is more tangibly visible. And although I personally find tangible beauty in it, winter is not nearly the eye candy that spring, summer, and fall are.
Unseen Preparations
But, and this is a big but, the sweet eye candy we start seeing in spring that proliferates through summer and fall would not be possible if it weren't for the unseen preparations of winter. What goes on in winter - the barrenness and dormancy - has everything to do with preparing for the budding and blooming of spring. Summer leaves, plants, and flowers cannot blossom without spring's buds and blooms. And autumn's brilliant colors would never show apart from summer's fullness. It's the cycle of growth. The cycle of life. We cannot have one without the other. They're all necessary.
Root systems are what nourish and anchor trees and plants. While everything above ground is in dormancy during the winter months; roots maintain a readiness to grow. In fact, winter causes root systems to dig deeper underground and expand in search of nutrients and water in advance of spring budding. What beauty we see with our eyes - the limbs, the leaves, the stems, the buds, the flowers - is but a reflection of what is unseen beneath the ground. A tree, a plant, or a flower is only as strong as its roots. Roots are the life source.
God is our life source. And when we are rooted more deeply in Him, we can better endure the elements and outward assaults that come our way. Including all those He allows into our lives. In fact, they can drive us deeper into Him. I know it doesn't feel like anything comforting or miraculous while it's happening. Believe me, I understand well. It can actually feel pretty harsh, agonizing, lonely, and perhaps even a bit maddening. But if I've learned one thing it's this: growth is painful but oh so necessary.
Pruning and Purging
And the Father is very interested in our proper growth. He wants us to excel and succeed in what He's called us to do for the Kingdom. That means we will all go through times of pruning and purging, as well as times when He will place us in a winter season, what appears to be a state of dormancy, in order to mature and nourish our roots deeper in Him. There isn't as much outward growth happening because it is an appointed time for inner growth. This is also a time when we can learn how to truly rest in Him. A place where we come to learn for ourselves more of who He is.
It's necessary.
He is a really good God. He is. And He loves us so much and has a deep longing for us to really know Him. He also likes to bless us. However, we aren't always ready to handle the greatness of what He desires to bless and entrust us with. So He will place us in His designated growth process. And it usually hurts. Just like we experience growing pains during the physical or natural process of growing up, so do we experience growing pains in the process of our spiritual growth.
But here's the good news; it draws us closer to Jesus. It roots us deeper in His love, truth, hope, and grace.
This will produce beautiful, abiding fruit in our lives - that sweet eye candy. The harvest we reap for Him will also be greater because of it. And our faith will expand and grow stronger as well. We will have more productive and abundant spiritual seasons as a result. But never forget that eye candy is only a reflection of what's been really going on down in our root systems; deep down where the Holy Spirit has been at work in us, in our hearts. That's where the producing of greater things starts taking its form. That's the part we can't always see or fully understand during those long winter seasons. But He does. And this is where our trust in Him is required. He's safe.
I believe when we live and move and have our being in God; nothing is wasted. Absolutely nothing. Not even the winters of our lives.
Let your roots grow down into him [Christ], and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with gratitude.Colossians 2:6-7
There is a season for everything, and a time for every purpose under heaven.Ecclesiastes 3:1
That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Michelle Holderman
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Unbroken: POW Set to Capture Hearts on Big Screen
Louis Zamperini with Billy Graham
Unbroken: POW Set to Capture Hearts on Big Screen
By Efrem Graham
News Anchor & Reporter
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
NEW YORK CITY -- Louis Zamperini'sincredible story of courage has captured hearts and minds around the world. The Olympian and former prisoner of war shared his faith on The 700 Club and in his biography, Unbroken which became a bestseller.
Zamperini's remarkable life story is now hitting the big screen in time Christmas, and just five months after the 97-year-old WWII veteran died of pneumonia.
Hollywood heavyweight Angelina Jolie directed the epic drama.
"What we tried to do was the themes of Louis's story; we would put into this dramatic period of his life, but make sure all of the themes were present," Jolie told CBN News.
Survival, resilience, and redemption are themes Jolie aimed to capture in the film that takes viewers on a journey from Zamperini's troubled childhood to his Olympic journey to his time as a soldier.
During his time in the military, Zamperini's plane crashed and left him stranded him for 47 days on a raft in the Pacific. Following that time, he became a prisoner of war when the Japanese Navy captured him.
He then faced years of unspeakable torture.
British actor Jack O'Connell plays the role of Zamperini in the film. O'Connell spoke with CBN News about how he prepared for the role.
"I just had to know him. I felt like I had to at least connect with him once. And the rest was the result of Laura Hillenbrand's very informative book," O'Connell said.
"And so I wasn't short of resources," he continued. "And Angelina knew him. So, she was able to constantly refer back to the man himself. And we could make decisions based on whether that was Louis or wasn't Louis basically."
Hints of Faith
"Unbroken" is an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling book of the same name.
But Jolie ends her cinema story with Zamperini's return home at the end of the war. That was a year before the war hero became an alcoholic and before he met a then-popular young evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham.
Still, Jolie hints at Zamperini's faith in the film.
"That is what we tried to get into the film. We wanted people to understand that it is not that you suddenly realize there is something beyond you in the world," Jolie told CBN News.
"That man is not alone is something we wanted to say from early on in the raft to the prison camp, that there is this, whatever your faith, there is something there," she added. "And whether you choose to see it is your choice and when you come to it and when you feel it, it is there for you."
"And so, it was very important to us that sometimes in the mother praying, sometimes in the sunrise, there is always what we would refer to as the light in the film," she said.
Unbroken Spirit
There is also darkness in the film.
Jolie tapped Japanese singer and guitarist Takamasa Ishihara, whose stage name is Miyavi, to play Mutsushiro Watanabe. Watanabe was also known as "Birdman" and he made it his mission to break Zamperini's spirit.
Miyavi had to learn English for this intense role, which was also his acting debut.
"Actually I was so nervous and hesitant to tackle this role," Miyavi told CBN News. "But I met Angelina in Tokyo and she said she wanted to make a creation that could be a bridge between America and Japan, countries that have had similar issues in conflict."
"So, even as Japanese I was scared, but I thought it was really meaningful," he explained. "It is not about the war. It's not about the conflict between America and Japan. It's about forgiveness and an unbroken spirit."
Jolie: 'He Inspired Me'
Zamperini met the cast before Jolie wrapped production of the film in in February. He also saw the film before he died.
Angelina showed it to him on her computer. It's a film and a relationship that deeply touched the Academy Award-winning actress.
"It made me, it made me a better person," Jolie told CBN News. "It reminded me, re-inspired me in my faith in the human spirit and the power of brotherhood and love and family and faith that we often, many people don't lean on enough in life, and we often lose and forget that it is there."
"And in Louis' story, I think and we hope that when people leave the theater, they hold themselves a little higher," she said. "And they face their next challenge with a little more strength."
Watch CBN interview: Unbroken
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Monday, December 22, 2014
Faith-Friendly Film Review—UNBROKEN
As Hollywood’s self-proclaimed 2014 “Year of the Bible Movie” draws to a close, we’re pleased to share with you our Faith-Friendly Film Review of the Universal Pictures release, UNBROKEN, opening in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day – December 25th.Faith Driven Consumer™ has given UNBROKEN a faith-friendly rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Click here to read the full review for UNBROKEN.
UNBROKEN (4 stars)
Overall Rating
Leans strongly toward a biblical worldview
As you know, we’ve developed a set of five specific criteria to measure the compatibility of entertainment products for Faith Driven Consumers like you and me.
By weighing in on faith-themed entertainment like UNBROKEN with constructive feedback, Faith Driven Consumers encourage Hollywood to continue producing more products that resonate with the 41 million Americans who are Faith Driven Consumers and spend $2 trillion annually.
Share this review with your family and friends. We hope you will use it to make an informed stewardship decision about supporting UNBROKEN during its theatrical release.
Thanks for helping to create a more faith-compatible marketplace of goods, services and ideas.
Sincerely,
Chris Stone
Founder
http://www.faithdrivenconsumer.com/
Faith Driven Consumer · 3906 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609, United States
This email was sent to martinlighthouse@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here.
You can also keep up with Chris Stone on Twitter.
Overall Rating
Leans strongly toward a biblical worldview
As you know, we’ve developed a set of five specific criteria to measure the compatibility of entertainment products for Faith Driven Consumers like you and me.
By weighing in on faith-themed entertainment like UNBROKEN with constructive feedback, Faith Driven Consumers encourage Hollywood to continue producing more products that resonate with the 41 million Americans who are Faith Driven Consumers and spend $2 trillion annually.
Share this review with your family and friends. We hope you will use it to make an informed stewardship decision about supporting UNBROKEN during its theatrical release.
Thanks for helping to create a more faith-compatible marketplace of goods, services and ideas.
Sincerely,
Chris Stone
Founder
http://www.faithdrivenconsumer.com/
Faith Driven Consumer · 3906 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609, United States
This email was sent to martinlighthouse@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here.
You can also keep up with Chris Stone on Twitter.
'Unbroken' completes epic journey to screen
'Unbroken' completes epic journey to screen
Andrea Mandell, USA TODAYDecember 21, 2014
LOS ANGELES — Forty-seven days wasting away on a bobbing raft in the Pacific Ocean . Two years of torture in Japanese prison camps. Fifty-seven years of life rights languishing in Hollywood. A 400-page epic by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand . And one international movie star/director.
That's Unbroken in shorthand. The story of Louis Zamperini (played by Jack O'Connell), whose World War II bomber crashed in the ocean in 1943, is astonishing: a reckless child-turned-Olympic athlete-turned soldier who endured shark attacks and unspeakable acts of torture, yet ultimately achieved forgiveness for his most violent captor.
Hollywood initially jumped at the rights in the 1950s, with Tony Curtis signed on to play him — but the film remained stuck in development. Decades later, Angelina Jolie , bitten by the directing bug after her 2011 debut feature In the Land of Blood and Honey, got wind of the tale. She fell for the story, and Zamperini, her unlikely neighbor in the Hollywood Hills, hard.
"I remember while we were waiting (for a green light), which seems very sad in retrospect, (Zamperini) sat me down and said, 'Let's not take forever, girl. I'm not 20 years old. I really want to see this one,' " says Jolie, surrounded by O'Connell, Garrett Hedlund (as POW John Fitzgerald) and Japanese rock star-turned-actor Miyavi (who takes on the ruthless guard known as The Bird).
"In some beautiful way, so much of his life was spreading the message of his story. And maybe in some way, that's what he felt — it's the last thing he wanted to make sure happened before he could let go."
Before his death in July at age 97, Jolie showed Zamperini the film in the hospital on her laptop. She says she was careful balancing the wrenching war tale with warm elements from his youth, including his achievements on the track.
"We didn't want to torture the audience, we wanted to help the audience through the experience of the film and help them take the journey with us. But we wanted it to be real and we wanted to pay respect to the men who suffered through this," she says.
How did Zamperini react to finally seeing his story on screen?
"I spent most of my time watching his eyes," says Jolie. "I was watching this extraordinary person at the end of his life, reflecting on the friends that have all since passed. He was the last one alive. And coming to terms with preparing to leave this life. So really, I just felt honored to be in the room."
'Unbroken' is based on the true story of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini who survived a near-fatal plane crash in WWII only to be caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. VPC
Mandatory Verses Have City Driving for Jesus
Mandatory Verses Have City
Driving for Jesus
By George Thomas
CBN News Sr. Reporter
Monday, December 22, 2014
TAGBILARAN, Philippines-- One city in the Philippines requires that a scripture be painted on the main public transportation method -- a three-wheeled motorcycle.
Any driver caught without a Bible verse is fined or has their license revoked. The city wants the world to know how much they love God's Word.
Smack in the middle of the Philippines, 395 miles south of Manila, lies a tropical paradise dripping with natural beauty.
It's easy to see why the island province of Bohol is one of the country's famous tourist destinations.
Mile after mile of pristine white sandy beaches and crystal clear water attracts scores of outdoor enthusiasts from around the world.
But the tranquil island getaway is also famous for something else: thousands of noisy, but fast three-wheeled motorized taxis known as tricycles that serve as the island's main mode of public transportation.
"It can get you to any part of the island. It's cheap and you can fit between four and seven people at one time," said Dennis Cantina, who has built these tricycles for 10 years.
But he and many others who live in Bohol will tell you these are no ordinary tricycles.
"Not only is this the most reliable form of transportation, but on the back of every tricycle is a message of hope and that makes me very proud to build them," he said.
The Rolling Gospel
Twenty-two years ago, officials in Bohol's provincial capital Tagbilaran passed a city ordinance requiring that a Scripture be painted on the back of all tricycles.
"With a Biblical message at the back of the units commuters get to see the message every day and it helps in way to preserve the peace in our city," Lucille Lagunay, a city councilor,said.
Lagunay said the Bible of wheels idea has resulted in lower crime rates, stronger families, and a relatively peaceful city compared to other big cities in the Philippines.
"Everyday commuters get to see the biblical messages on the tricycles and who would want to think of crime when they see biblical passages everywhere," Lagunay said.
At Tagbilaran's City Hall, Samuel Belderol has been handing out tricycle licenses, along with Bible verses, for the last 20 years to drivers who want to operate the three-wheeled taxi.
A City Driving for Jesus
"This is the only city in the Philippines that has such an ordinance. We want the world to know that we are a God-fearing city and that these Bible verses help us draw closer to God," Belderol said.
Belderol said any operator who refuses to put one on will be fined or his or her license revoked.
"We only issue 3,000 licenses every year and each one must have a unique verse on it, no duplicate verses allowed," he said.
When a tricycle driver gets his new vehicle, he goes to city hall. City hall officials will give him a permit and a Bible verse.
He then takes that Bible verse and he comes to Mr. Buala who has for the last 20 years been painting scriptures on the back of these vehicles.
"I love the scriptures," Buala Siongiex said as he was painting on of his favorite verses. "As I paint them on the tricycles I also get inspired by them. This is the Word of God and it gives us guidance."
The scripture verse for today is from John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
God's Word, Happier City
"Years ago people used to paint obscene messages and images on their tricycles but the city ordinance changed that. Now when you read the Word of God you can't help but feel alive, even a little bit of God's Word makes you happy."
It's a sentiment echoed by many drivers and tricycle passengers CBN News met on the streets.
"People thank me all the time for my scripture verse," Crisenel Escudero, a tricycle owner, said. "They say it touched them. It is always a good reminder that there is a God."
One resident of Tagbilaran told CBN News that she was "happy to read the Bible passages, especially when I have a problem. It gives me hope."
Locals admit the tricycles are noisy and at times can be an eyesore. But apart from their convenience, Cantina and others here say it is the message on the back that residents and visitors alike should focus on.
"It reminds us of the importance of the Bible and that we can focus on the goodness of God and all the things He has done for us," he said.
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