Coming Nov. 29th for One Night Only... It's Christmas Again! Fathom Events will be screening this fun, modern-day musical about the birth of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine what that night must have been like? Jake is about to find out!
Jake Young (Lawson Touliatos) wants nothing more than to spend his
Christmas vacation with his girlfriend, Abbey Walker (Leela Owen). So
when Abbey volunteers for her church’s Christmas play, Jake is ready to
skip Christmas this year until an unexpected turn of events lands him in
a field outside Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born. While on his
journey with the shepherds to find the promised Messiah, Jake discovers
the true meaning of Christmas.
See the trailer below:
I love musicals! And this one looks like it will be fun to watch with the kids. I also saw that a familiar face in Christian films, Jason Burkey (October Baby, I Can Only Imagine), is one of the co-stars.
Plus one of the fan favorites from Season 1 of The Chosen, Reina Özbay, will be featured in the role of Mary. It's Christmas Againis her feature film debut. Two others I recognized are Willie Mellina (Washington's Armor) and Candace Kirkpatrick (Vindication). Sandra L. Martin is the writer/director.
Set in the peak of the 1960s Civil Rights movement, “Paul's Promise” is the inspiring true story of Paul Holderfield, former racist firefighter-turned-pastor, who started one of the first integrated churches in the American South. It’s one man’s journey to hope and healing during a troubled time in our Nation’s history that resulted in one man’s decision to serve God and stand up to injustice - a story that continues to make a huge impact on the community to this day.
The film will open in select theaters across the U.S. on October 21, 2022. Look for the theaters nearest you when you Click HERE! Check daily on the same page for additions; you can also request a theater. Learn more at PaulsPromisemovie.com and you can watch the trailer below:
My Review: One of the most important messages you can receive from "Paul's Promise" is the power of a praying mama! Linda Purl gives a moving performance as a woman who is determined to spend her last days praying for her son Paul (Ryan O'Quinn) to commit his life to Jesus. Paul's story is told in real time (1967) and flashbacks about the influence his father (Zacciah Hanson) had on his life and why Paul turned against his childhood best friend, Jimmy.
Paul turned to resentment,
but Jimmy (Josef Cannon) chose forgiveness and faith. My favorite lines in the film is when Jimmy tells Paul, "We all get lost sometimes. The important thing is what we do with our life when we find our way back."
Shari Rigby as Paul's wife and Suzanne R Neff as his sister are welcome additions to the cast as is Dean Cain as Paul's boss. But my favorite character was the strong and sassy Judy, played by Nancy Stafford. Not only was she a source of strength for others, but provided the touches of humor always needed in serious films. DirectorMatthew Reithmayr and writer Vitya Stevens are both to be congratulated for bringing Paul Holderfield's story to life.Giveaway:
One $10 Amazon gift card will be given to 1 person who enters by using
#PaulsPromiseMIN in a comment on this blog or another Social Media post.
Deadline is 10/29/22. Must be a resident of the USA.
Disclosure: Many thanks to Damascus Road Productions for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.
The most recent release on PureFlix.com is Nothing Is Impossible. In this film, we will take a center-court seat to a journey of transformation as Scott Beck (David A. R. White) gets a second chance at life and love. Can he let go of past pains and open himself to God’s purpose? Or will new challenges keep him from the future he always hoped for?
20 years after being the high school basketball star, Scott is now working as a janitor at the same school and volunteers as the assistant basketball coach. His trophies line the halls, but his former dreams faded as he struggles just to make ends meet. When the local NBA team, whose new owner is the woman Scott once hoped to marry, suddenly announces open tryouts, a high school janitor gets a second chance at both love and life. Will Ryan (Nadia Bjorlin) and Scott overcome the past failures and broken dreams? This time will Scott trust God’s plan and purpose to learn that with Him, nothing is impossible?
MY REVIEW: I enjoyed the film! The perseverance of Scott to accept life without simply spiraling downward despite shattered dreams is to his credit, but he's now at a crossroad with an ailing father, mounting bills, and a future that is looking bleak. A glimpse at another chance of the career he dreamed of, plus love restored gives him hope, but will fear of failure stop him. Scott's willingness to surrender to God's plan rather than fighting for his own way is a wonderful lesson. Trusting God with your needs makes a tremendous difference.
There's also a wonderful cast that includes fan favorite, Robert Amaya, Stella Parton (yes, Dolly's sister), Mark Christopher Lawrence as Pastor Lawrence and Vincent de Paul as Coach Hamilton. Scroll down to see all.
Giveaway: 3-month subscription to Pure Flix! This is limited to US winners only, and only to those who have NOT won a subscription in the last 6 months. The deadline to enter is 10/18/22. Use #NothingIsImpossibleMIN in a comment to enter.
Disclosure: Many thanks to PureFlix for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.
Please enjoy this interview of Nothing Is Impossiblestar David A R White with Momentum Influencer Network's Jean Thomason.
Cast
David A.R. White, Scott Beck (“Love on the Rock,” “God’s Not Dead,” “Revelation Road”)
Nadia Bjorlin, Ryan Aikens (“Days of Our Lives”)
Harry Lennix, Coach Russell Banks (“The Blacklist,” “Justice League,” “Transformers,” “Batman v. Superman”)
Steven Bauer, Archie Touraine (“Love on the Rock,” “Better Call Saul”)
Robert Amaya, Nick Carter (“An Unlikely Angel,” “The Farmer and the Belle,” “God’s Compass,” “War Room,” “Mom’s Night Out”)
Mark Christopher Lawrence, Pastor Lawrence (“Family Camp”)
Stella Parton, Ruby (singer and songwriter, younger sister of Dolly Parton)
Leanne Crawford
Ethan White (“Me Again”)
Marcus Haislip (former NBA player)
Vincent De Paul, Coach Hamilton ("TESLA," "Gods Not Dead: We the People," "Love on the Rock,” “Madam Secretary") Writers Tommy Blaze Andrea Gyertson Nasfell Director Matt Shapira
Pure Flix is a one-stop shop for faith and family-friendly movies and shows where you can confidently stream in your home with the entire family. With new premium and exclusive original entertainment choices every week, Pure Flix streaming service has the largest variety of high-quality, curated, positive, encouraging, wholesome movies, series and kids' content in one service. Pure Flix is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment, alongside AFFIRM Films.
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Pure Family. Pure Fun. Pure Faith.
Bible Verse
Whatever is pure … what is admirable … think about such things – Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Crazy
Joy by Mary Katherine Backstrom is a Christian Living book published by
Worthy, a division of Hachette Book Group. Ms. Backstrom is best known
to many for her videos and candid writing on family, faith, and mental
illness. The intention of this book is to persuade the reader to embark
on a journey to a life of Crazy Joy.
Crazy Joy is organized
into twelve, easy-to-read
chapters with each chapter ending Tour Guide Takeaways. I loved many of
the quotes at the beginning of and scattered throughout each chapter. My
favorite was "The beauty of joy isn't found in a
garden. It doesn't grow in neat little rows. It's found in the crevices, the
cracks, and the chaos." - Mary Katherine Backstrom.
The book is filled with many stories of her personal life, and several
of the anecdotes are amusing and relatable. However, it's also obvious
that she's much younger than me... and my children (all in their 40s).
Backstrom uses many cultural references that are meaningless to me, but I
did not take the time to research them. Even movies from the 80s that
"Everyone" has seen are ones I never finished watching. ("Labyrinth" is
the exception. I loved that movie.) Because of the cultural differences
that are time-related and having a different mindset than mine, I simply
did not connect with her writing.
I didn't dislike
the book, but it wasn't a page-turner that I devoured. I am more likely
to suggest it to someone in their 20s or 30s, especially if they relate
more to personal experience with a touch of faith included.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from
the marketing agency. My comments are an independent and honest review. They also kindly sent an extra copy for a giveaway. Enter by commenting #CrazyJoy under a post. Deadline October 16, 2002.
