Hurricane Irma Evacuees to Alabama

Evacuating to Alabama?

If you are Evacuating to Alabama, please know our state agencies are ready and here to serve you during this difficult time. From the office of Governor Kay Ivey:

Alabama Tourism Department's Listing of Emergency Accommodations

Listing of Alabama State Parks with Available Accommodations

Alabama EMA's Listing of Available Shelters and Campgrounds

Alabama Department of Agriculture Livestock Shelters

Alabama Department of Transportation Current Road Conditions

Governor of Alabama/Hurricane Irma info

James Spann - Weather

Alabama Weather Website

My prayers are will all being impacted. May God bless, protect, and provide for your needs.

Call For Prayer This September

Today, September 3, 2017, has been declared Day of Prayer for Texas, following the tremendous impact felt by Hurricane Harvey as it swept across SE Texas, leaving a path of devastation as record flooding went across the land. I know I joined a multitude of others in praying for those who lost so much more than I can imagine, including loved ones, and mourned with them. So many others have had their lives changed as well. Property is replaceable, sometimes repairable, but it's not as though we should treat these losses as trivial. This is a time to reach out to others to give them hope and help in rebuilding. This is who we are as Americans.

To hear the news reports and read social media posts, we are a country divided. To be sure, there is an anger and bitterness among many just as there are the gloaters on the "winning" side. There should not be winners and losers when it comes to our country. Shouldn't we have the same goal? Of course, there are issues that will always separate and divide us, but our words should not always belittle others. Compromise is not always possible when people completely disagree, but hatred and acrimony resolves nothing.

Hurricane Harvey did demonstrate again that we can come together as a nation when disaster strikes. Many people who were unaffected by Harvey still pulled together whether it was physically going to the distressed areas or sending money and other donations via charitable organizations. And...we prayed. 

Do you remember the days and weeks following September 11, 2001? Just as vivid as the tragic images are the ones of my fellow Americans coming together as one people in love of country and each other. And...we prayed.

Marlene Salcher

Marlene Salcher, the author of “God Speaks to Me? Tuning into the Living God” and leader of prayer groups for over 20 years, calls on Christians across the nation to follow the scriptural mandate to repent of their sins and call on God in remembrance of 911. Many Christian leaders have issued similar challenges in previous years, including Anne Graham Lotz and Michael Youssef. “I ask that September 11, 2017, be a new beginning for Christians to pray every day for our nation until we see revival and a return to our Christian heritage,” challenges Salcher.

Just as we pray today for the Texans who underwent damages by a weather event that was unprecedented with record rainfall, America is under an internal assault like any I have ever witnessed. Today I encourage all Christians to accept Salcher's challenge to let September 11, 2017 be a new beginning of prayer for our nation. America needs Revival and Restoration and a Return to our basic values and heritage. Through God, this is possible.

To read more about prayer advocate Marlene Salcher's Prayer Challenge: September 11, 2017 Prayer Challenge

Altar Egos

Desperate to see their church grow, Pastor John (Robert Amaya, MOM’S NIGHT OUT, COURAGEOUS) and wife Betsy (Erin Bethea, FIREPROOF) do the unthinkable and change their church Christmas pageant. Flabbergasted, elderly choir director Mary Margaret (Sallie Wanchisn) leads the choir to boycott. Facing termination, Pastor John resorts to disguising himself as an old man to bridge the generation gap, win over Mary, and lead the choir back to the church. When he discovers that the wounds run deeper than he first suspected, Pastor John must learn to love the unlovable or risk the ruin of his church and family. Also stars Victoria Jackson (SNL). Written and directed by Sean Morgan, the film uses the themes of loving the "unloveable," reconciliation, conflict resolution, and change vs tradition. 

Altar Egos is a good "popcorn" movie to enjoy with family or friends. It's not one of the funniest films I have ever seen, but it is amusing. The themes of the film can be told in a very heavy-handed way, so it is refreshing to see points made in a more humorous way. To quote Mary Poppins, a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down. Some of the scenes were a bit too silly for me, and some left me puzzled, but it was overall entertaining. There were also a couple of editing issues that I wish had been fixed, but that is not uncommon in any movie. 

Good acting throughout the film. Robert Amaya and Victoria Jackson are excellent any time they do comedy. But, I have to mention 2 of the younger cast members. Lindsley Register lit up the screen each time she appeared. I loved her portrayal of Holly. But, the standout performance for me was Max Morgan! He was good as the teen-aged Jack, but when he would transform into the elderly Frank, I could not take my eyes off of him as he tried to fit into the senior crowd and made attempts to get them to loosen up a bit.

Conflict and resolution are the major staple of most films, and I thought Altar Egos did a good job in the "and they all lived happily ever after..." style while still making their points. Sometimes we need to see things from a different point of view to gain a greater understanding.
 ALTAR EGO LINKS:

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  Dove Review

Praying For Girls - Teri Lynne Underwood

Praying for Girls: Asking God for the Things They Need Most by Teri Lynne Underwood are Scripture-based prayers for the girls in your life. Raising a daughter can cause a lot of worry and concern, especially when we think of the danger, trials, and temptations that will face her. Yet you can feel the peace that comes when you pray specific Scriptures over her and turn your prayers into hope and promises rather than times of fear over what may happen.

There are five vital areas of a girl's life--her identity, heart, mind, relationships, and purpose-- and you will find guidance and assurance that you may pray with confidence over your child to cover each of these areas. I love the personalized Scripture prayers. Not only does it use God's Word to pray for your daughter, but has the added benefit of making Scripture more personal for yourself. Sometimes we forget this is not simply history or words meant for someone else.

There are also conversation starters and activities to help you raise your child into a confident woman of God. One of the things I enjoyed most is that it incorporates ideas for various stages in life. Each chapter has " Girl Talk" suggestions for a young child, a tween, and for a young woman. I have a daughter, a granddaughter, and 2 great-granddaughters, so I found age-appropriate ideas for each...or ideas that I can personalize. There are also ideas I can use just as easily with sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons. Definitely a multi-generalization book that can be passed on to the next generation.

I received a copy of this book from Cross Focused Reviews (Cross Focused Media). I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Follow Teri Lynne Underwood on social media:

• Facebook - facebook.com/terilynneublog
• Twitter - twitter.com/TeriLynneU
• Instagram - instagram.com/terilynneu

All Saints movie

AllSaintsmovie.com

ALL SAINTS, based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), is the story of a faithful few working together to save their community. Assigned to a small church with only a dozen members, Spurlock has also been given the task of finding a buyer for the prime property and closing the church. But his plans to complete the deal and be transferred to a growing church hits a snag when a group of refugee farmers from Burma arrive to make a fresh start in America.

As the church welcomes the newcomers, a fresh vision is unveiled. Working together, the congregants persevere to turn the land into a working farm that will feed the flock and support church expenses. The film delivers an incredibly relevant and timely message of faith, hope, community and the power of the church.

The film reunites Corbett with his former "Northern Exposure" co-star, Barry Corbin. Other featured stars of All Saints are Chonda Pierce, Cara Buono, Nelson Lee, Gregory Alan Williams, and Myles Moore. Written by Steve Armour and directed by Steve Gomer, the film, released through Sony AFFIRM (Sony Pictures), will open in theaters on August 25, 2017. It is rated PG and running time is 108 minutes.

The trailer looks amazing. Wonderful actors, the cinematography is great, and more importantly, I love the inspirational feel to it. We all need faith... as well as something to hope for and a dream to achieve.

Be sure to check out the website and follow on the All Saints social media platforms. For easy access, click on links below:

• All Saints website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

Buy Tickets HERE

GIVEAWAY: Thanks to Sony AFFIRM, I can offer 2 FREE tickets via Fandango for All Saints when it opens in theaters next month. Please leave a comment to enter. Also, consider sharing this blog to spread the word about this inspirational film. Please use #AllSaintsL3 when you share. Thanks!!

DISCLAIMER: In compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, as a Featured Contributor of Sony’s ALL SAINTS Influencer Program, I received the value of two movie tickets in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I am part of a Blogging Partnership/Marketing Campaign with LEV3L Digital Marketing. 

Content17 Film Tank Contest

Do you have a Short Film or Trailer? This includes Narrative Film, TV/Web Programs, Docs, Bios and Music Videos. It could be worth up to $20,000 in cash and prizes if entered in Content17 Film Tank Contest! Sponsored by CONTENT17 and Upliftv (which airs in millions of homes reaching every city in America), this is an opportunity to have your project viewed by attending distributors and win an Upliftv Network marketing campaign and cash.

*DEADLINE TO ENTER JULY 31, 2017... and you MUST be registered to attend Christian Media Association Content 17!

Here’s a Summary of How it Works:

PRIZE AWARDS – SHORT FILMS/TRAILERS

• The Top 3 submissions in each Category will be chosen and will be displayed at Judging of the “Film Tank” Contest at CONTENT17.(Distributors will see your trailer and or short film. You might even get a call from one of them before the conference).
• The Films will be voted on by the attendees (audience). The Top Short Film/Trailer in each category will WIN a “CMA Upliftv 2017 Film Award” (plaque), AND be honored at the Concluding Awards Luncheon Session.

The Winners will then go to the Final Judging to Win the Grand Prize.

LINKS:

• Submit Films
• Register for CONTENT17

Prizes and Recognition:

Prizes
BEST ALL AROUND SHORT FILM (of all categories)
Prize: $15k value

• $5,000 in US Funds
• Marketing Campaign w/Upliftv (valued at $5k)
• CONTENT17 Promo Package (valued at $5k)

BEST ALL AROUND TRAILER (of all categories)
Prize: $5k value

• Marketing Campaign w/Upliftv (valued at $5k)

Recognitions Plaque Awards will be decided upon by judges before the conference & will be awarded a plaque at the final awards general session.

• BEST ACTOR
• BEST ACTRESS
• BEST CINEMATIC QUALITY
• BEST STORYTELLING
• BEST CHRISTIAN/BIBLICAL MESSAGE
• BEST MUSICAL SCORE
• BEST MUSIC VIDEO

DEADLINE TO ENTER FILMS - JULY 31, 2017
YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND CONTENT17

FILM TANK SPONSORS

Upliftv.com

ChristianMedia.org

Swipe Right - Levi Lusko

Swipe Right: The Life-and-Death Power of Sex and Romance (Thomas Nelson) by Levi Lusko: Love, sex, romance and relationships are powerful, but too often are treated as trivial and disposable in today's society. In this book, Lusko, pastor of Fresh Life Church, a multisite church in Montana, and the founder of Skull Church and the O2 Experience, shares how to go beyond meaningless sex to a lasting relationship that is much more fulfilling.

Some of the things Levi Lusko shares with honesty from both his own life experiences and God’s Word are:

• regret-proof your marriage bed and your deathbed
• resist settling for instant pleasure by discovering what your heart really longs for
• learn how to avoid and treat sexual scars by careful living today
• turn the clumsy “sex talk” with your child into dialogue that leads to wise choices
• transform a stagnant marriage by trading predictable nearness for mind-blowing intimacy 

God created sex, so His plan is for sex to be a pleasure, but also a part of a committed relationship between a husband and wife. Lusko has written a powerful book that is honest, relatable, and often funny. Going beyond the physical act, he also speaks on emotional intimacy, porn, and how we sometimes block God's best for us by answering the voice that yells, "NOW!" rather than waiting.

This is also a book for those who are thinking, "Too late for me now." Yes, this book is better to read when you are young and willing to commit to God's standards, but there comes a time when you recommit to a standard and set out on a new path. "Sampson's Hair Began to Grow" is one of my favorite chapters. Sampson's story has always been one of my least favorites, but I have been learning a lot lately from this man who was one of God's chosen...yet chose his way over God's every time. Yet, in the end, God was able to use him. 

 My only issue with the book is also one of the reasons I will absolutely recommend it to others. Sometimes I simply did not have a clue what the man was referencing! I am a Pop Culture illiterate. I have never heard of dating apps like Tinder...and I certainly was not going to Google it. I don't watch television, seldom see secular movies, don't play computer games and rarely use my phone. So, I was often puzzled, but have no doubt my children and grandchildren would totally understand. I also loved the section, "Things I Really, Really Want You to Remember." Perfect...even for those who don't like to read. 

I received a copy of this book at no cost to myself for review purposes. I was only required to give an honest review.