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.
Now Think On This – The Inspiration Continues are more messages that I have written and shared on my two blogs Love For His People and Now Think On This. They cover a variety of topics that believers in Jesus (Yeshua) are interested in. Each one can also be a means of bringing encouragement to you as you walk the daily walk.
Many times these messages came as a result of inspiration by the Holy Spirit. I would be driving along, and He would give me a thought, which I would then write down on a notecard or whatever piece of paper was handy.
My previous books, Ahava Love Letters (2013) and Now Think On This (2014) began after I had returned from Israel for the 10th time. We had just established our ministry to bless friends in Israel and the nations, which we named Love For His People, Inc, in April of 2010. I was asking the Lord for the next directive. His response was to use one of the gifts He had given me – to write. Some would call it a teaching gift. It took me a long time to see it that way, but now I do. And so I write.
Daily we are bombarded with negative news, pressures of the job, and conflicts to be dealt with. We all need encouragement. We need the assurance that our Creator, the One who knows the plans He has for us, is still in control.
These messages will bring you hope, give you the solid sense of His hand on all, and increase your faith to stand strong on your convictions. I purposely kept each one short so you can read them alongside your Bible or other daily material.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. -- For many, watching the movie "Ben-Hur" has become an Easter tradition. The 1959 blockbuster, starring Charlton Heston, made history with a record 11 Academy Awards.
Now, the 1925 silent version is making a comeback. But what many may not know is that Hollywood didn't create this classic story.
The idea came from the best-selling novel,Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, published in 1880. The book tells the story of a life-altering encounter between a first century Jewish prince and Jesus of Nazareth.
The author is Lew Wallace -- a true renaissance man.
Without Real Conviction
"He tried different things," said Larry Paarlberg, director of the Lew Wallace Study and Museum in Crawfordsville, Ind.
"He loved to paint, he loved to write, he loved to do creative things, he loved the military," he explained. "He became a prosecuting attorney; he was in the legislature for a term."
Download CBN original covers of classic hymns by Sound Engineer Bob Womack:
Wallace showed a talent for writing early in life. He learned about the Bible from his favorite teacher. And while he didn't care for church, the story of the three wise men fascinated him.
As Wallace later wrote in his autobiography, "Little did I dream then what those few verses were to bring me -- that out of them Ben-Hur was one day to be evoked."
In the meantime, Wallace's writing took a back seat to other priorities. He fought in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War, becoming the youngest major general in the Union Army. He also married and had a son.
Throughout the years, he kept coming back to the biblical account of the three wise men. So, he decided to write a magazine article about them.
"I had no convictions about God or Christ. I neither believed nor disbelieved in them… Yet when the work was fairly begun, I found myself writing reverentially, with awe," Wallace wrote.
His Own 'Tale of Christ'
Still, Wallace had much to learn about God -- as he found out in a chance encounter with a well-known atheist named Robert Ingersoll.
"Robert Ingersoll knew far more about the Bible," Paarlberg said."You don't preach against something unless you know it. And so he just filleted Lew."
Walking alone to his hotel that night, Wallace realized the time had come to form his own opinion on the subject of religion.
"My ignorance of it was painfully a spot of deeper darkness in the darkness," he wrote. "I was ashamed of myself."
Paarlberg sees this as a pivotal moment in Wallace's life.
"He realized at that point, 'I have no business submitting this story for publication. I don't know what I was talking about… I need to do the research; I need to learn the Bible; I need to learn the story," he said.
Early in his research, Wallace created the fictional character of Judah Ben-Hur, a witness to the real-life events leading up to the death and resurrection of Christ.
Wallace soon began to see God through the eyes of his character.
"Long before I was through with my book, I became a believer in God and Christ," the author wrote.
A Classic Masterpiece
The original manuscript of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is kept at The Lilly Library on the campus of Indiana University.
Curator of Manuscripts Cherry Dunham Williams gently lifted the tall stack of papers from the special box where it is stored to show CBN News. There are 650 pages, hand-written in purple ink.
When Wallace delivered his manuscript to Harper & Brothers in 1880, they had no idea it would make publishing history. The book became the best-selling novel of the 19th century and has been translated into more than 40 languages. It has never been out of print.
Paarlberg said Ben-Hur had a big impact on the post-Civil War country.
"It sort of was a touch point that people could understand and relate to. People were looking for ways to reconcile, to come together," he explained. "They were exploring, 'How can there be a God that would allow a war to happen like this?'"
Soon after its publication, letters began flooding in, including one from President James Garfield.
"With this beautiful and reverent book you have lightened the burden of my daily life," Garfield wrote.
A Lasting Heritage
Wallace's own burdens had always been lightened outdoors. He did most of his writing under what came to be known as the Wallace Beech Tree.
"Its spreading branches droop to the ground, weighed down by their wealth of foliage, and under them I am shut in as by the walls of a towering green tent," he wrote of it in his autobiography.
The Wallace Beech is no longer there; it died shortly after Wallace did and was replaced by a bronze statue of the author.
What does remain from Wallace's time is a building that he dreamed about for decades, but never had the resources to build -- until the success of Ben-Hur.
Wallace designed an extraordinary 19th century "man cave," a free-standing building that holds books, paintings, and memorabilia from his life.
"Lew built this as his private retreat," Paarlberg said.
Wallace spent his golden years in Crawfordsville, writing every day until his death in 1905.
His grave marker is inscribed with a quote from Ben-Hur, by one of his beloved wise men: "I would not give one hour of life as a Soul for a thousand years of life as a man."
Jesus of Nazareth,the son of God raised by a Jewish carpenter. Based on the gospel of Luke in the New Testament,here is the life of Jesus from the miraculous virgin birth to the calling of his disciples, public miracles and ministry, ending with his death by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman empire and resurrection on the third day.
DeVon Franklin, Senior Vice President of Production for Columbia TriStar Pictures, is praying for a major turnout for the new film, Heaven Is for Real, in theaters this week. Blockbuster sales at the box office would, according to the Hollywood executive and devout Christian, result in more faith-friendly features on the big screen.
"The success of this movie opening weekend directly correlates to the decision to green-light and make more of them. It's an immediate thing," Franklin told The Christian Post via phone on Tuesday. "If there's a sense that there's a growing market and a growing hunger for more films like this, then the desire to continue to provide more films will increase, and decisions will be made to be able to make more films like this.
"With the success of this movie this weekend, I'm praying and believing and trusting God that it will be successful, then decisions will be made quickly on continuing to make sure that this audience and audiences like it that want more product like this will have more products available for them."
Heaven Is for Real, based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name, dramatizes the real-life story of the Burpos family, whose youngest son, Colton believes he visited heaven during a near-death experience and shares his story with the world.
The story behind the film, distributed by Franklin's TriStar Pictures and that counts T.D. Jakes among its list of producers, packs the kind of punch that will draw audiences into theaters, or so the 44-year-old executive believes.
Franklin, also an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister and author of the bestselling book, Produced by Faith, recently shared with CP what decision-makers like himself look for when choosing quality projects for the big screen. Also, he talked about why he believes Christians should engage more in Hollywood and the film industry if they want to see more films made that are reflective of their faith, values and interests.
Below is a transcript of CP's interview with Franklin, which has been edited for clarity.
CP: What kind of elements do you look for when a project or pitch comes your way? What makes you say this could be a hit?
Franklin: One is just do I connect to it? That's the number one thing. The other thing is, is it commercial? Is there a concept being explored in the idea that it seems like it would make sense for a wide audience to see it? Those are just really two of the key things. Reading the script, if it's a spec script or a book, [and determining] how well am I connecting to it. Am I turning the page? Is the concept marketable? Is there an idea or a hook that an audience would find interesting? Those are really two key fundamental areas that I use to evaluate which projects to do.
CP: Tell me a little about Heaven Is for Real. What elements does the movie have that will attract not only people of faith, but just an audience in general?
Franklin: When you read the book, the book was just incredibly interesting, and the mystery of it. I actually remember reading it and just turning the pages, I literally could not stop. After getting done with the book it was like, "Wow, this is a book and a story that really needs to be heard and needs to be seen around the world." So it really came down to that connection. The book itself was a New York Times Bestseller and sold millions of copies around the world, and I understand why. The book feels really, really powerful. With bringing it to the screen, it just was a matter of how to preserve the integrity of the story. Because it's a true story, preserving the integrity of it was very, very important in making sure that the same power of the book, we could try and demonstrate that power in the film.
CP: What are you thoughts on controversy that films like Noah and even Son of God faced in terms of being criticized by some Christians as not being "biblical enough?"
Franklin: I think anytime you make a film it's always open to criticism. There's no film that is an exception to that. Some are going to feel that, depending on what the movie is, it's not faithful enough, and some might feel that it's too faithful.
My thing with Heaven Is for Real was, it's based upon a true story, it's based upon the life of the Burpos, a family out of Imperial, Neb., and young Colton, their youngest son [who] had a near-death experience at the time. For Heaven Is for Real, it was so important to preserve the integrity of their story because it's their life. At the end of the day, when the movie is already out and I've moved on to another film and the other producers have moved on to their films, it's still going to be their life. So our goal with this film was to preserve the integrity of the family's journey in a way that they would be proud of it and that it's something they could stand behind their entire lives.
CP: You'll hear some Christian rappers say, "Stop calling it Christian rap, it's just rap or hip-hop." Do you feel like that at all about the film industry?
Franklin: My hope is that one day that will we just get to the place where it's just "movies." When you look at the life of Christ, Jesus didn't come with a faith-based Gospel. He came with a message that would change the world. My hope and prayer is that movies made in this space will have a similar approach and a similar impact. I do think that sometimes putting a label on them can be very, very limiting when in fact there may be people who need the message of the film that may not think it's for them because of the label. So yes, I do hope that eventually we'll be able to break down these labels and these films will be judged on their own merit.
CP: In a 2012 story on your promotion to Senior VP of production, it said you'd be overseeing material geared toward "the urban and faith-based markets." Can you describe those two markets briefly in terms of what it is you believe they want?
Franklin: I think that when you look at those two markets, and the movie-going market in general, people want stories, number one, that are entertaining. If you're asking someone to spend a whole evening when it comes to taking family and what-not, the expense is on there. First and foremost, there has to be a good entertainment proposition. It's really about finding stories that are entertaining. The second thing is finding stories that will connect with audiences in a personal way.
Having been involved in Sparkle, Whitney Houston's last film, the goal there was to make that movie relatable and to make that movie emotional in a way that it would really connect with the audience and strike a chord. So whether it's an urban film, a faith-based film, a superhero movie, it's really truly important to develop the script in a way in which, one it's going to be entertaining; two, what about the story is going to connect to the audience? What about the story is going to inspire the audience? It's really important to think about all of this regardless of the genre.
CP: What do you say to Christians who remain skeptical toward Hollywood due to past negative portrayals of their faith?
Franklin: In order to affect culture, you have to be a part of culture. One of the things that God has been doing in my story is to help break down the barriers that sometimes we as Christians put around Hollywood. I was taught, "Hey, Sodom and Gomorrah, you can't go there and keep your faith." I was like, "Well, I believe God is calling me to this industry, and the industry is an industry that impacts the world. So what better way to impact the world than to be a part of an industry that can do that?" My hope and prayer is that we won't put a stigma on the industry, but that we would look at it the way that maybe God looks at it, as another avenue to reach and help people.
CP: In what ways are you specifically encouraging Christians to get more involved in Hollywood and the film industry?
Franklin: I encourage and counsel Christian filmmakers all the time. The thing that I say is, "At the end of the day, become great at what you do." Whether you're writing scripts, whether you want to direct films, whether you're producing movies, become great. It's so, so important to become a master of your craft. Study it, learn it, absorb it, know how to write great screenplays, get into a screenwriting class, look at books that can help you write better, become a great director, study the greatest directors ever in school. It's so important … the better control you have over the art form, the better art you will make. I really try to drive this home with as many young Christian filmmakers that I come across.
CP: Any final thoughts on Heaven Is for Real as it opens this week?
Franklin: I'm just excited about it, really praying everyone goes to see it. I can't wait to see the response and reaction. I've screened it already for a number of audiences around the country and the response has been incredible. So I'm just praying and believing that it's the same response once it comes out.
Watch a trailer for Heaven Is for Real below in the video player below:
Heaven is for Real Official International Trailer #1 (2014) - Greg Kinnear Movie HD
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