I wonder if this is true...

Heaven Is For Real

I hope everyone sees this movie!  I believe it will be a great faith builder and an effective tool in dealing with skepticism.  I loved the book!

 Aimee Herd - Breaking Christian News:

BCN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: "HEAVEN IS FOR REAL's" Todd Burpo—Father Whose Son Experienced Heaven—Talks About His Story and the New Movie

The movie, "Heaven Is For Real" opens in theaters on April 16th!

Having recently screened the new movie adaptation of the book, "Heaven Is For Real," I spoke with Colton Burpo's dad, Todd, about all that his son experienced, and what he thought of the movie that tells their story.

Aimee Herd: As you've written the book and now the movie is finished and set to be released, do you feel it was accurate to what Colton and you and Sonja experienced?

Todd Burpo: That was one of the big concerns and overwhelming questions as we started this project; [because of legalities] they had to create a town and create some characters... I asked, "How do you avoid the legal obstacles and still tell the same story?" I really struggled with that, but at the end of the day—three years later—they really accomplished that. They did create characters who were compilations of [real] people, but they had all the same conversations that Colton had—just different characters, but the same events.

Of course our family was the same, and especially when it came to the family dynamic and interaction, even people who have read the book, and who have seen the movie (in a pre-screening) really love it, because it's so true to the book and what really happened.

AH: That's good to know, because I loved the book, so I admit to feeling a little doubtful prior to the screening, but once I saw the movie, I was really impressed.

Tell us about Connor Corum, who played the role of Colton; he was an amazing little actor, and I thought he did a phenomenal job, but you're Colton's dad, so what did you think of his portrayal of your son?

TB: Well, you almost have to understand how God brought Connor to this movie. Conner has never acted before. It's miracle after miracle in the way that God selected Connor—God had to find a kid who was just like Colton. My wife and I were having lunch one day with Connor's parents (he was with them), and while we watched him and talked with him, we said, "This is Colton!" When Colton met Connor, it was like him meeting his "mini me." Essentially, Connor was not acting. In the scene where Connor holds the spider at the butterfly pavilion, he was really scared—he was not acting—we didn't know whether we would get him to hold the spider or not. (Laughs) But at the same time, that's why Connor does an incredible job [in the movie].

AH: When your son Colton first began to speak about Heaven, how long did it take before you were sure that his experiences were real, that he had truly experienced Heaven?

Milky Way's Kittens Are Growing

       Milky Way's kittens are getting so cute!  She has 5.  Two of the gray ones look like twins with almost the exact same markings on their faces.  All of them will be looking for new homes in about 4 weeks so if you know of anyone who would like a free kitten, let us know.

 This little buff colored one might be my favorite. 

Would you help us out?

      I received this email announcing the opportunity for Martinsville On The Move to receive $5 for each customer who shops at AmazonSmiles this week. (This is in addition to the donation of .05% of the cost of the purchase.)  The offer ends March 31, so I thought I would ask if you are considering making an online purchase through Amazon.com would you instead consider shopping through AmazonSmiles and choosing Martinsville on the Move as the charity you would like to support?  (We are a small 501(c)3 that was formed to help keep our small town from dying.  Since we rely on donations to fund our projects this program through Amazon is a great bonus for us.)
     You, of course, may decide to choose some other charity to support if you don't wish the donation to go to Martinsville On The Move.  Since the funds are available free of charge someone might as well be receiving the help so I am posting the information to let you know about it, if you weren't already aware of the opportunity.

Dear Charity Administrator, From now through 3/31/2014, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate an extra $5 for each customer who makes an eligible purchase at smile.amazon.com in support of Martinsville On The Move. This is in addition to the regular donation of 0.5% of the purchase price. Up to $1,000,000 extra will be donated to eligible charities as a result of this promotion. To take advantage of this offer and increase your AmazonSmile donations: 1. Put the message below in your email newsletter. 2. Post the message to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. 3. Announce the promotion on your website. Shop at AmazonSmile now through 3/31/14 and Amazon will donate an extra $5 to Martinsville On The Move. Click on this link to get started: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/27-1192842 See promotion details    Go to Org Central

May The Lamb That Was Slain Receive The Reward Of His Suffering!

      Last week I heard Bill Johnson tell a story about the Moravians.  He said some were so surrendered to Christ they sold themselves into slavery so that those slaves who wouldn't otherwise have a chance to hear could learn of the love of Christ.  When their families stood on the shore as they were sailing away, knowing they would never see each other again, they would shout, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!" Do we love Jesus that much?
       I couldn't remember the exact wording of the cry so I googled it.  I found this wonderful article by John Piper.  I have included some of it here, and a link to continue reading it on the Be Strong In The Lord website if you want.

“May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!” – Moravian Missionary Cry

The reward of His suffering:
The Holiness of His people (Ephesians 5:25-27)
The zeal of His people for good deeds (Titus 2:14)
The passion of His people for World Evangelization (Revelation 5:9)

The reward of his suffering is also:
The forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7)
Justification by faith (Romans 5:1) and (Romans 5:9)
Reconciliation with God (Romans 5:10)
Cleansing of conscience (Hebrews 9:14)
Final victory over Satan (Revelation 12:11).

- From John Piper 5/7/89
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/at-the-price-of-gods-own-blood
The following is the whole message:
At the Price of God’s Own Blood - May 07, 1989 | by John Piper | Topic: Pastoral Ministry
Series: Eldership: Serving the Lord with Humility, Tears, and Trials

Acts 20:28
“Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.”

I have been moved deeply recently in reading about the life of Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Many of you know about him. Some don’t. He was a German, born in 1700, who founded a community of earnest Christians called Herrnhut (“The Lord’s Watch”). The community became part of the Moravian Church and was best known for its unparalleled missionary zeal.

Zinzendorf’s Commitment to the Blood of Jesus
In 1727 the community started a round the clock “prayer watch” that lasted unbroken for 100 years. There were about 300 persons in the community at the beginning, and various ones covenanted to pray for one of the 24 hours in the day. In 1792, 65 years later, with the lamp of prayer still burning, the little community had sent out 300 missionaries to the unreached peoples of the West Indies, Greenland, Lapland, Turkey, and North America. They were utterly, and radically dedicated to making Jesus known.

I mention this not only because I dream of a church saturated with prayer and sold out utterly to Christ and ready to leave everything for his call. I mention it this morning because behind this community at Herrnhut there was an experience of deep humbling, and cleansing, and power based on the blood of Jesus.

After Zinzendorf had finished the university, he took a trip throughout Europe looking at some of the cultural high-spots. And something very unexpected happened. In the art museum at Dusseldorf he saw a painting by Domenico Feti entitled “Ecce Homo” (“Behold the Man”). It was a portrait of Christ with the crown of thorns pressed down on his head and blood running down his face.

Beneath the portrait were the words, “I have done this for you; what have you done for me?” All of his life Zinzendorf looked back to that encounter as utterly life-changing. As he stood there, as it were, watching his Savior suffer and bleed, he said to himself, “I have loved him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for him. From now on I will do whatever he leads me to do.”

For the rest of his life the blood of Jesus had a central place in the doctrine and devotion of Zinzendorf and his community at Herrnhut. And the story goes that when the first two young missionaries boarded the ship in Copenhagen to sail for the West Indies, perhaps never to return (20 out of the first 29 missionaries to St. Thomas and St. Croix died in those first years), they lifted their hands as if in sacred pledge and called out to their friends on shore, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!”

The Question Before Us Today
My message is going to be short today because I want to save a good portion of time to worship the Lord and to pray together before we take the Lord’s Supper. And the question I want you to ask yourself and ask the Lord as you prepare for the Lord’s Table is this: “Has the Lord obtained the reward of his sufferings in your life?” When you think about the blood of Jesus running down his face from the thorns, and from his hands and feet and his pouring side, are you content with what he has of you? Has the purchase that he made been obtained freely from your hand. Or are you withholding any of the reward of his suffering?

What God Purchased at the Price of His Own Blood
To help us answer that very personal question, let me take a few minutes and meditate with you on the blood of Christ. What did God purchase at the price of his own blood?

Continue reading here

Meet the Most Powerful Woman In America

      Click here to read an article on World Net Daily that I found very interesting-- a new(to me) perspective on the influence of Valerie Jarrett on Barrack Obama.

Golda Meir Quote

"We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." Golda Meir 

I Am Excited!

         Construction of the Linn Park Amphitheater has finally begun!  It has taken almost 2 years to raise the money and to get the plans done right and the approval of authorities.  I don't know whether if our committee had known all the headaches associated with the project that we would have taken it on.   I guess it is sort of like having children.  You have no idea what you're in for when the child is first conceived.  But in the end you are very glad you started down the road.  I am believing that will be the case with the amphitheater--that the benefits will far outweight the difficulties. 

       I can't wait till it's done and we can have our first concert!

"Noah: One of the Most Moral Stories Ever Told" by Dennis Prager

I like this article by Dennis Prager and it was written just in time for the opening of the movie, "Noah."  I agree with Dennis, hopefully the movie has even a fraction of the wisdom as the original Biblical story.

Noah: One of the Most Moral Stories Ever Told 

by Dennis Prager

Tuesday, Mar 18, 2014

Next week, the film “Noah” opens.

Having taught the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) from the Hebrew for more than 40 years (hundreds of hours are available by download through my website), I consider the biblical flood story one of the world’s most profound moral teachings. As I will show, it means that God cares about goodness more than anything else.

Let me explain by answering the most frequent challenges to the story.

Q: Why did God destroy the world?

A: Because “The Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth. … And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth and His heart was saddened” (Genesis 6:5-6).

When God created the world, He announced after each day’s creations, “It was good.” But only after His final creation — the human being — on the sixth day, did God say, “It was very good.” God was particularly pleased with, and had the highest hopes for, this creation, the only one created “in His image.” This is not about man having God’s physical attributes (God is not physical). It is about humans being infinitely more precious than all other creations; and only man, like God, has moral knowledge and therefore moral free will.

When God saw how cruelly human beings treated one another, He decided that He would start over. Once people reach a certain level of widespread evil, life is pointless.

Q: Why did God destroy animals as well?

A: In the biblical worldview, the purpose of all creation is to benefit man. This anthropocentric view of nature, and indeed of the whole universe, is completely at odds with the current secular idealization of nature. This secular view posits that nature has its own intrinsic meaning and purpose, independent of man.

All of creation, in the biblical view, was to ultimately prepare the way for the creation of man. But one does not need the Bible alone to hold this view. A purely scientific reading of the universe is in keeping with this view. Everything — every natural and physical law — is exquisitely tuned to produce life, and ultimately man, on earth.

Q: Isn’t the biblical flood story just a fairy tale?

A: Two responses:

Continue reading on Dennis' website:  http://www.dennisprager.com/noah-one-moral-stories-ever-told/

Books Of The Bible

      I came across this helpful tool recently that clearly defines the categories of the books of the Bible, so I took a screen shot of it.  Click on the picture and it will enlarge so you can more easily read the print.  Click here for a link to the original.

How St. Patrick Won Dublin to the Lord

This is interesting--and something I didn't know:

How St. Patrick Won Dublin to the Lord (Patrick A.D. 389-461) From "Celtic Flames"

As Patrick came near to Dublin, at that time a small village, he prophesied, "This village which is now very small shall hereafter become very eminent. It shall be enlarged in riches and dignity. Neither shall it cease to grow until it has become the principal seat of all the kingdom."

When the people of Dublin, having heard of the great signs and miracles that were done through Patrick, and when they saw that he was coming to that village, they went out to meet him.

At this time, Alphinus was the king over Dublin. He and all the citizens were in great sorrow, for the death of the king's two children. The king's only son, called Eochadh, had died a sickness in his bedroom. The king's daughter, and a sister to the young prince, had just been drowned in the adjoining river, now known as the Liffey.

She had ventured into the deep part for the purpose of bathing. Her name was Dublinia, and from her Dublin is thought to have derived its name (Joceylyn note). The young lady's body was drawn out of the waters after some considerable search and laid by her brother's corps in order that their funeral rites might be solemnized together.

According to the superstition of the Druids, the tombs were prepared. In the meantime, news was spread over all the city that "St. Patrick, the powerful reviver of many dead persons" (what a reputation!!), had been seen in the town. For He, who burst asunder the gates of death and of Hell, smoothed the path for his servant.

The king and the people, who before had said to the Lord, "Depart from us, we will not acknowledge any of Thy ways," were so cast down, saddened with grief, that all of their rebellion and all their barbarous rudeness, and all the pride of their idolatry, were utterly subdued. The king had previously rejected the Gospel because he had his druid wizards, who were pretty powerful. And so the king, hearing of St. Patrick's arrival, sent messengers to ask him to come in where his two children lay dead.

When Patrick came to the room in which the two children were laid, the king asked him if he could do anything. Patrick replied that he could, but if the children were raised then he would do it in the Name of Jesus – and told the king that if God did this for him then he would have to promise to serve his God, the God of the Christians. The king agreed before all those present, that if God restored his children to life, that he and all the citizens would become Christians.

Seeing such a gain of souls in the sight of the king, his nobles, and all the common people, Patrick raised from death to life those princely children, whose bodily resurrection co-operated much towards the spiritual resurrection of their father with the rest of his people.

The king and all his subjects, being astonished at this great miracle, turned away from the worship of Druid idols, and they were baptized in the river, Liffey.

From that day the king and all the people worshiped God and gave liberally to Patrick, so that he was able to give to the poor in that place and other places, and have enough to build churches.

From Celtic Flames by Kathie Walters. Celtic Flamescontains accounts of the ministries of Patrick, Brendan, Columba, Comgall, Brigid, Cuthbert. Ref. Lives of the Irish Saints - O'Hanlon. Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, Rev. Dr. Lanigan. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, Joycelin notes.

Kathie Walters
Good News Ministries
Email: kathiewalters@mindspring.com
Website: kathiewaltersministry.com

Let's Pray America

     Have you signed up to join Dale Gentry in daily praying for our country and the world?  If not, you can go to LetsPrayAmerica.com and enroll.  Today's email has many good points of prayer.

Faith Declarations-Wednesday by Dale Gentry Good Wednesday morning everybody. It's time to pray America! Please pray this prayer out loud with me today. And don't forget to make your faith declarations by clicking on the link above. Father God............we pray this morning for Hobby Lobby as they prepare for their Hearing before the United States Supreme Court next week..............we pray for them and every other Christian business that is refusing to provide abortion procedures for their employees..................we pray that You will give Hobby Lobby favor as they present their case to the highest court in the land...............we pray for anther spiritual awakening in America as we continue to view the moral downfall that is taking place in America...............we cry out for revival from the White House to every house...............we pray for a spiritual hunger in this land..............that this country will turn back to You Jehovah God...............we pray today for each county sheriff in our land.............knowing they are the only elected  law enforcement officers in America............we pray for their safety and that they will continued to stand in defense of their constituents.................we ask that You give them favor today...........may each of us pray for our county sheriff and let them know personally that we are praying for them...............we pray this morning for acting president Turchynov of Ukraine.............that You will give him wisdom and boldness to lead his country during these turbulent times...........we pray for this Godly man.............that he will be courageous during these days when his nation is being threatened by their Russian neighbors...............we pray for Christians around the globe who are suffering severe persecution..............we pray for Christians in North Korea, many who have been recently murdered as well as those being tormented in Nigeria and in other parts of the world.............we pray for Christians in the American military who are being persecuted for their faith............we ask You to forgive us as a nation for taking the Bible and the name of Jesus out of many of our Armed Forces units ...................we ask today that You will raise up an army of intercessors in this nation today who will call on You Lord on behalf of our land............standing in the gap.............asking You to heal America and restore us to the foundational principles that we stood for in the beginning..................we realize today that we will either by governed by God or ruled by tyrants.............we need Your help this morning Lord...........we ask these things in Jesus name............amen."

From the Patriot Post - So much for Global Warming

U.S. Winters Cooling It's been a brutal winter for many, and winter refuses to loosen its grip on a good chunk of the country even as spring rapidly approaches. But despite what climate alarmists want you to believe, this season's bone-chilling cold wasn't and isn't some fluke; in fact, according to Meteorologist Joe D'Aleo, average temperatures across the United States in the December-February period have dropped by 2.26 degrees Fahrenheit over the last two decades based on data from the National Climate Data Center. This occurred despite some notably warm winters. Call us crazy, but that sure doesn't sound like global warming to us; in fact, Earth as a whole hasn't experienced any warming for more than 17 years. No wonder they're now calling it "climate change."

Bush In Retirement--A Man Of Character

      I found this article discussing what George & Laura Bush have done since his presidency interesting.  As the article states, you may not have agreed with his policies but it is difficult to fault his intentions and his character.  Even though many in this country no longer care about character, I am inspired to know there are still men (& women) for whom it is important.

     http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/03/17/Bush-in-Retirement-Man-of-Character

Another Mychal Massie Quote

     I love Mychal Massie's way with words!  I often must seek help from the dictionary for the definition of some of the words he uses--like 'transmogrification' (transformation--especially in a surprising or magical manner) but that's one reason I love his writing.  He stretches my vocabulary and shows me new ways to use words while imparting truth and reality.
     Here is a quote from his most recent article:

"Race-based affirmative action is not synonymous with fairness; it is the transmogrification of a merit-based, skilled nation into a color-coded, government-dependent one."