Just watched, "Facing the Giants."
All I can say is AWESOME MOVIE!

A new interview with Renee O'Connor about her "Boogeyman 2" role, her divorce, writing, and future plans.

Ruth Stafford Peale has gone home to be with Jesus

I'm sorry, but I didn't find out about this until today.
Pawling, NY — Ruth Stafford Peale, chairman of the board emeritus and co-founder of Guideposts, died Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at her home in Pawling, NY. She was 101.

"The Book and the Rose"

Just watched this short flick (30 minutes) on TBN. Pretty great. Based upon a Max Lucado short story.

Churches vital after deadly storms

LAFAYETTE, Tenn. - On the way to this storm-ravaged community, a billboard bubbling with fresh paste rises over a rural road with a message from the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
MORE ...

The Associated Press & CNN are reporting that Mitt Romney is suspending his campaign for Republican nominee for the presidency.

Please help my fellow Tennesseans devasted by the flooding. If you can give, please do. One place I suggest is Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief. I'm sure there will be other organizations providing relief, I watched a television broadcast of Operation Blessing helping them this morning.

It's not only Tennessee hurting, but several states in the South. I'll post some other articles dealing with this shortly.

"SNOW BUDDIES"

The newspaper where I work got this letter yesterday. Thought I'd pass it along.

February 5, 2008
Dear Editor: People who care about animals should bypass Disney’s straight-to-video movie Snow Buddies. Not only is the story line trite and stale, at least 25 puppy “actors” were removed from the set during filming when many of them fell ill. Three of the puppies had to be euthanized. These weeks-old puppies were taken from their nursing mothers to be used like disposable props. The producers of this movie exploited these babies specifically to target the lucrative children’s movie audience. Kids love puppies, but animals should not suffer and die so that studios can sell tickets. In addition, movies that use purebred dogs often cause people who see the film to impulsively run out and buy a dog of that breed. When the novelty quickly fades, animal shelters become flooded with dogs who were “stars” one day and inconveniences the next. Parents can use this opportunity to explain to their puppy-loving children what happens to the animals when a movie like Snow Buddies wraps.
Sincerely, Kristie PhelpsAnimals in Film, TV, and Advertising SpecialistPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals501 Front St.Norfolk, VA 23510757-763-0626 (cell)

'XENA' Star

New Renee O'Connor interview! If you don't know who she is -- shame on you -- she is most widely known as "Gabrielle" in "Xena: Warrior Princess."

WHY GOD'S PEOPLE NEED TO VOTE!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Evangelicals have a pitiful record when it comes to voting. Over the last 30 years, on average only half of eligible evangelicals took the time and made the effort to go to vote in a general election for a president, and far fewer bothered to vote in the primaries.
It's fair to ask, "So what?" Does this really matter to God? Is He really concerned about the primaries?
MORE ....

GET OUT AND VOTE
I know you've all been waiting anxiously to find out who the Newscat is going to cast her vote for on Super Tuesday.
Well, drum roll please, it's ...........
Hillary Clinton. Click the link to learn more about her views.

Archeological find linked to another obscure O.T. figure

JERUSALEM (BP)--A 2,500-year-old stone seal unearthed during a Jerusalem archeological dig in early January isn't tied to the obscure Old Testament family initially thought, but instead possibly to an equally obscure and completely different biblical family.In mid-January, archeologist Eilat Mazar told the Jerusalem Post she had found a seal -- designed to make impressions in soft clay -- engraved with the name of the "Temech" family, the same family found in the list of Jewish families in Nehemiah 7 that returned to Jerusalem after being taken into exile by the Babylonians.But as it turns out, Mazar was misreading the inscription. Because the seal is designed to make an impression, the letters are written in mirror-image form, similar to how the word "ambulance" is written on the front of such a vehicle. Following critiques from scholars such as the ones associated with the Biblical Archeology Society, Mazar now acknowledges the letters should read Sh-l-m-t. (Hebrew had no vowels.) If that's the case, then scholars believe it could refer to Shelomith, a man mentioned in Ezra 8:10 who also returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, or to Shelomith, the daughter of Zerubbabel mentioned in 1 Chronicles 3:19. MORE HERE ....

My friend Jeff Calloway's first book has been published. Check out VisionalLife.
It's also available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

Hi all,
It's a new year and a new chance to make a nice looking, interesting blog.
This is just the start. Let me know what you think.

LUCY LAWLESS -- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Lucy Lawless is good with a sword. Now, she’ll take a stab at singing.
The 38-year-old actress, best known for her role as “Xena: Warrior Princess,” will make her rock concert debut at a sold-out show Saturday night at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood.
Lawless recently appeared on Fox’s “Celebrity Duets” and performed with music icons Smokey Robinson and Dionne Warwick. The appearances left her inspired to start her own singing career.
“I’ve become a junkie for live performance,” she said in a statement. “I can’t get enough and I can’t give enough.”
Lawless plans to sing some of her own songs as well as those of Etta James, Nina Simone and Melissa Etheridge.

PRAY FOR STUDENTS — Bathe Schools, Students in Prayer, Says Christian Educator
The recent spate of school shootings in the U.S. have parents worried about the safety of their children -- and that's how it should be, according to a Christian educator. AgapePress reports that Finn Laursen, president of Christian Educators Association International, says the recent shootings -- and the Amish school tragedy, in particular -- should be a wake-up call to those parents who are not concerned. "We need to be aware that as over 50 million students are sent off to school every day, there is no such thing as a place or a school classroom that is totally safe," says Laursen. The CEAI leader believes that all schools need a crisis plan of operation in which everyone knows just what action to take. "And even more importantly, we need to be sure that every single school is covered in prayer," he adds. "And we need to be sure that every single child is prayed over."

COAL CREEK HISTORY -- This is one of my favorite Web sites, http://www.coalcreekaml.com/. It includes information on history of my area, including the Fraterville Mining Explosion of 1902, the Cross Mountain Mine Explosion of 1911, and the Coal Creek Rebellion of 1891 and 1892.

Solomon-era Fortifications Revealed in Israel Excavation -- More than 30 years have passed since a major expedition has attempted to reveal the history of Tel Gezer, the ancient city of King Solomon fame located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Baptist Press reports that this summer the biblical site has been re-excavated by a joint expedition of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the Israel Antiquities Authority. The expedition is led by co-directors Steven M. Ortiz of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Sam Wolff of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Some secular archaeologists doubt the reality of many people and places named in the Bible, but the current work at the Tel Gezer location may prove useful in verifying various biblical accounts. This year's excavations have revealed more than 40 meters of a massive fortification system associated with the six-chambered gate common in the building projects of King Solomon. Solomon’s extensive building projects are recorded in the biblical account of his activities throughout his kingdom and at his capital city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 9:15-17).

DUDLEYTOWN? -- Los Angeles-based multimedia company Good News Holdings and Wheaton, Illinois-based Tyndale House Publishers have announced their intent to work together on THE ATTICUS PROJECT, a partnership designed to leverage the power of print media with the magic of film. Religion News Service states the project was announced this week by George Barna, Chairman of Good News, and Doug Knox, Senior VP at Tyndale House. One of their first projects together will be a horror series designed for release both in film and book-form called DUDLEYTOWN, based on a true story concerning the legendary evil that has held Dudleytown, Connecticut in its grip for hundreds of years. Dudleytown has been pronounced by some, including film star Dan Aykroyd, to be "the scariest place on earth." This venture is expected to yield seven projects targeting a teen audience. "Our objective is to be the forerunner in a new genre of multimedia we are calling spiritainment," says Barna. "Our research has shown that people -- especially young people -- absorb an amazing degree of their values, beliefs and lifestyle practices from the media content to which they are exposed. Our desire is to raise spiritual questions and draw people closer to God and His truths."

JESUS AS 'BRAVEHEART?'

Move To Make Churches More Attractive To Men

Is Jesus more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace? That is the question asked by John Eldredge in Wild at Heart, his popular book for men. Eldredge suggests that the answer depends on what you need from Jesus right now. If you’re a leper, an outcast, a pariah of society whom no-one will touch, then you’d probably want Jesus to be like the saintly nun who ministered in the streets of Calcutta. However, if you’re more concerned with how we tackle the moral challenges of society and advance the values of the kingdom of God, then he suggests we need Jesus to be more like the liberator of Scotland, made famous by Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart. At the heart of this question is how the Church ministers to men. One organization that has successfully turned the spotlight on men’s issues in the church is Promise Keepers. After 12 years of running large Events for Men, Promise Keepers is sharpening its focus on ministry with men at a local church level. National director of Promise Keepers, Paul Subritzky, says “We are convinced that if men are to be reached in ever-increasing numbers, we have to do all we can to support the churches."