LIVING HOPE is the story of three extraordinary individuals who have devoted their lives to serving the poor in South Africa. It is a feature length documentary created by the filmmakers behind Journey to Everest, Apostles of Comedy, and Honoring a Father’s Dream: Sons of Lwala. John Thomas, a pastor who is leading his church to serve the sick, hungry, and dying in the communities that surround them. Journey beside John through the neighborhoods where they work, meet the people their ministry has impacted, and hear from his heart why they chose to make a stand for the poor. Joey Lankford, a businessman and father of four who moved his young family from the United States to Cape Town. Journey beside Joey as he equips men and women with job skills, and leads them out of the bondage of poverty. Leonie Rustin, a single mom and nursing assistant, who turned from a life of crippling drug addiction to follow Christ. Journey beside Leonie as she attempts to help other in her community unshackle the chains of addiction and prostitution.
My Review: I am not always a fan of documentaries, but this is a well made film that draws you into the lives of the people who have been impacted by Living Hope Ministries. The stories were not necessarily connected, but were smoothly woven together to give an overall view of the impressive work being done by those who simply want to love Jesus through others, and how the results have made a difference that keep giving. I loved the way Living Hope is split into 4 ministries that deal with specific issues: Living Care - Healthcare Living Grace - Homeless and addiction Living Right - HIV education and prevention Living Way - Economic empowerment
John Thomas, a pastor who is leading his church to serve the sick, hungry, and dying in the communities that surround them. Journey beside John and his wife, Avril, through the neighborhoods where they work, meet the people their ministry has impacted, and hear from his heart why they chose to make a stand for the poor.
Leonie Rustin, a single mom and nursing assistant, who turned from a life of crippling drug addiction to follow Christ. Journey beside Leonie as she attempts to help other in her community unshackle the chains of addiction and prostitution. She now works as a nursing assistant at Living Care Health Care and speaks to others who are going through the Living Grace system.
Joey Lankford, a businessman and wife Courtney, along with their four children, moved from the United States to Cape Town. Journey beside Joey as he equips men and women with job skills, and leads them out of the bondage of poverty as part of Living Way. (Today Joey is the executive director of Nashville-based Cul2vate poverty alleviation ministry).
'Living Hope' also features President George W. Bush, Dana Perino and Michael W. Smith with narration by Joel Smallbone of King and Country and was created by the filmmakers David Kiern and Mitchell Galin. 'Living Hope' was the official selection at the UK Christian Film Festival. To learn more about Living Hope Ministries, the website is www.livinghope.co.za
I received Living Hope by Word Films compliments of Word Films and Edify Media Inc for my honest review. I did not receive any compensation aside from a free copy of this DVD.
The Prince Warriors is the first in a new trilogy by Priscilla Shirer with Gina Detwiler. Written for upper elementary to middle school aged kids, the book is designed to make the invisible spiritual battles surrounding us come to life in a way that kids can be more aware that there is more to life than what can be seen. Based on Ephesians 6:10-18 (Armor of God), the importance of being prepared for spiritual battle is clearly laid out through the adventures of 2 brothers and their friends.
Synopsis: As brothers, Xavier and Evan are used to battling each other. But now
they’re discovering that there is a much bigger battle going on all
around them. And it’s their turn to fight. Xavier,
Evan, and their friends have typical lives until they enter a
mysterious land called Ahoratos. There they meet their guide, Ruwach,
who offers wisdom and direction as the kids’ initial adventure begins—an
adventure filled with armor and danger and a very real enemy. (from the website)
My Review: Written for middle grade school aged kids, but this middle-aged woman enjoyed the book too! The adventurous stories are certainly appealing to boys and girls from 8-14, but there are truths to be found in the pages of this book for those way beyond those years. Naturally, I tried to read this through the eyes of a child instead of something I would choose for myself, but I did find myself getting caught up in the story and actually read it in one sitting since my curiosity of what would happen next got the better of me.
Storytelliing is an excellent way to teach a truth in a way that sticks with a person and I believe this book will provide lessons that can impact the reader. The fictional world of Ahoratos is an interesting place to explore and the characters created by the authors had a few surprising twists as we learned more about them. I highly recommend the book and I really want to see what will happen in the next 2 in the series. Be sure to go to The Prince Warriors website to learn more about the characters, secrets, and more. I received a free copy of this book from Shelton Interactive in for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
Priscilla Shirer is a homemade cinnamon-roll baker, Bible teacher, and best-selling author who didn’t know her books (The Resolution for Women and Fervent) were on the New York Times
Best Seller list until somebody else had told her. Because who has time
to check such things while raising three rapidly growing sons? When she
and Jerry, her husband of sixteen years, are not busy leading Going Beyond Ministries, they spend most of their time cleaning up after and
trying to satisfy the appetites of these guys. And that is what first
drove Priscilla to dream up this fictional story about the very
un-fictional topic of spiritual warfare to help raise up a new
generation of Prince Warriors under her roof. And under yours.
Little One, God Made You Special by Amy Warren Hilliker is a 14 page board book for toddlers inspired by Rick Warren's best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life. Written by his daughter, Amy, the book is just the right size for toddlers to old on to and has simple sentences that are just the right length for a toddler's attention span. You can even use interactions to correspond with each sentence to make it an additional learning lesson.
Cute adult and child animals give the book an appealing charm, thanks to illustrator Polona Lovsin, and a child is sure to be delighted with the drawings. This is also a sturdy book that holds together well (tested by my 8 month old great-granddaughter). Published by Zonderkidz.
I received a copy of this book from the BookLook Bloggers program at no cost to myself for review purposes. I was not required to give a good review.
Behold the Man is the final book in the Jerusalem Chronicles series. This is the story of Jesus’s
last days as viewed through the eyes of three people: Pontius Pilate who knows that this assignment may be his final chance to redeem his political career; Claudia, wife of Pilate and daughter of the emperor who wants to protect her crippled son, Philo, from danger and the disinterest of Pilate; and Centurion Marcus Longinus, former childhood friend of Pilate who loved Claudia but is sworn his loyalty to the Empire.
My Review: I have not read the first 2 books in this series, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. Honestly, I have some mixed feelings. It was a compelling story with familiar historical characters as well as fictional ones to drive the story along. I confess that I did expect a bit more focus on Jesus as a main character although the effect he had on the other characters was more than satisfying. And since fictionalizing historical events needs careful handling, I can't really criticize; I would have been upset to see broad changes to the facts we have from the Bible and 1st Century historians. And, the relationship between Claudia and Marcus sometimes felt a bit forced. But, life is complicated, and I am sure that is one thing that has been true since the beginning of time.
As with all Thoene novels I have read, the details and historical accuracy, mixed with well developed characters, makes for a fascinating read...and left me wanting more. While this isn't my favorite book of theirs, it is an interesting look at one of the most impacting historical times of our lives, and gave me a new perspective and visualization when I reflect upon the life of Jesus and those who encountered Him in the flesh.
*I received this free book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
