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Movie Review- “What if…”

April 27, 2011 By
Film Strip

Did you ever make a decision in your life, and later wonder “what if” I had made a different choice?  Well, the movie “What if…” from PUREFLIX entertainment addresses this question.   “What if…” ran in theaters for awhile and then was released to DVD about 2 months ago.  “What if…” is a Christian/faith based movie and was produced by Jerry B. Jenkins, and in my personal opinion it is one of the best Christian movies I have seen to date.

This new movie stars very well known actors that are currently starring in movies today.  The lead role is played by Kevin Sorbo (remember “Hercules”?) and his fiance/wife is played by Kristy Swanson.  Fans of “Cheers” will smile when they see who stars in the role of God’s messenger, John Ratzenberger (Cliff).  Even fans of the Disney Channel will be able to see Debby Ryan on the big screen as Kevin Sorbo’s daughter.   So rest assured that the acting in this movie was not “che

The plot of “What if…” reminds me of the movie “The Family Man” starring Nicolas Cage, but with a Christian twist.  Even though the movies are similar “What if…” definitely stands alone.  I don’t want to really give away too many details about the movie, as I want to encourage you to go rent or purchase the movie for yourself.  However, I will say that this movie is so wonderful because it expresses the message of the gospel pretty clearly.  This would be a perfect movie for you to watch with other Christians, but even more importantly to watch with others who maybe asking questions about God and the Christian faith.

I recently had a movie night at my house with about 9 people, and everyone agreed that the movie was good, if not great.  “What if…” is also a movie that you could watch with your family, or even host a movie night of your own at your local church.  You will not be disappointed!!!

Please let me know if you have seen the movie, or if you go and rent or purchase it please come back here and let me know what you thought of it.   Blessings to all…

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The Freedom Dance Continues…

April 26, 2011 By
white dove

Hello friends…  In February I wrote my first article titled “The Freedom Dance“ here at the AMH website, and I committed  to come back here periodically and give an update on how I was doing on my journey to become spiritually free from my food addiction.  Well, it has been about 2 months and I can tell you I am not completely “free” yet, but I have experienced little glimpses of what freedom feels like.

In my first article, I mentioned that I was reading Lysa Terkeurst’s new book “Made To Crave”. This book has been so instrumental in my journey to freedom.  I am so convinced that God is using Lysa Terkeurst as a mighty warrior to help women become free from food addiction, and I am so glad to be one of these women.  In addition to the the book, Lysa also taped a 6 week teaching session/Bible study for “Made to Crave”. The book is wonderful, and the teaching sessions on the DVD are amazing.  As mentioned in my earlier article, “Made to Crave” is not a “how to” book, or another “dieting” book, but a book about how to become free spiritually.  Actually, the principles taught in Lysa’s book could be applied to any addiction.

Since I began my journey in January I have lost about 13 pounds and have started to work out regularly.  I even joined a gym and signed up to take some “boot camp” type classes.  If you knew me, that would astound you :)   Normally me mentioning that I lost weight would make me feel happy and I would think that I am “free”.  However,  what I have come to realize is that I am far from being “free” because the war in my mind is still raging strong.

When I began this journey this time around I said I was going to seek God to become free from food addiction.  I have in some ways, but I see now that I still have been fighting this journey in my own strength, and have really only been treating this journey like a “diet”.  Lysa’s “Made to Crave” book has help me to see this reality, and at this point I am recommitting myself to seek God to become free.

I have a long way to go, but I learn something new everyday.  If you are like me and need some encouragement and guidance when it comes to food addiction/issues, I am asking you to consider purchasing Lysa Terkeurst’s new book, “Made to Crave”. You will not be disappointed, and you might just find yourself “free” in the process.

So the dance continues…I will check in soon.

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The Best Advice I Could Ever Give…Myself

March 28, 2011 By
a100078_carnationbouquet_l

  In general, I think most people learn best from their mistakes, but it is always nice when I don’t have to learn lessons the hard way.  This month at the “AMH” website the contributors were asked to write a letter to their “past” or “future” self.  It didn’t take me long to figure out what I would write to my “past” self.  

 Dear Kim,

    This letter is a gift and will probably change your life and save you a lot of pain if you let it.  I know right now you are struggling with your relationship with the Lord, and because of that fact you are not in a great place in your marriage.   Just know that things will get better as the Lord is for you and He will never leave you.   However, before I close this letter I want to share some words of wisdom that the Lord has taught me over the past 17 years.  If you really take them to heart, it will change your life.

  Right now, I know that married life is hard and at times all you can see is what is wrong with “Aaron” (hubby).  Aaron is a flawed man, as you are a very flawed woman (that might be a shock to you at this stage).  Very soon you will come to a place of desperation and you will cry out to God and beg for His help.  He will answer you and you will begin a new journey with Him.  During this time, God will speak to your heart and tell you that you need to stop worrying about trying to change Aaron and to work on changing yourself.   It is time for you to take a look in the mirror and allow God to show you the truth about yourself, even when the truth is hard and ugly.  It will change your life in the best way possible.

  God is the only one that can truly change your heart, and know that He  will also change the heart of Aaron, but for now take your focus off Aaron and put it on God.  He will do amazing things in your heart and in the heart of your future family.   Remember these words from the Bible…

                                                                                      Matthew 6:33

   But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

  PS.  Enjoy your Disney Princess Days as you will become very familiar with Hot Wheels in the future :)

 Love,

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The Freedom Dance

February 15, 2011 By
MP900405192

At the beginning of 2011, after years and years of dealing with food addiction I decided that it was time to truly surrender this issue to the Lord.   My past has been marked with many defeats and a few victories when it comes to my food addiction, but sadly I have not really been set free spiritually when it comes to this struggle.   Even as I write this review I am not completely “free” from my food addiction, but I have such tremendous hope that soon I will be doing a little freedom dance with the Lord.  That is the wonderful thing about being a Christ follower, you always have hope :)

This time around I am not on a “diet” as my goal is to change the way I eat completely for the rest of my life.  Diets work, but for me they have only been a temporary solution to a reoccurring problem.  So if I am not on a diet, how am I going to conquer my food addiction?  Simply put, I am placing my trust in God to work in and through me to conquer this addiction that I have not been able to conquer on my own for over 25 years.  Yes, I still need to exercise and eat healthy, but my goal is to change the way I think about food.  I am going for a complete mind overhaul, and hoping that my body will follow suit.

God’s timing is perfect, and as I submitted to Him to help me with my food addiction, He led me to a resource that would encourage and help set me free from my addiction.   That resource is Lysa Terkeurst’s book “Made to Crave”.   This book is so different from all the other “diet” books out there as this book focuses in on the spiritual battle of food addiction.  The book does not come with a ready made eating plan for you to follow, but it is jammed packed with information about how we become free from our addictions through surrendering our self to God through prayer and reading His Word. 

Through reading Lysa’s book I have realized that I have craved food more than God.  I have made food my idol.  I have made food my god, and unless I change the way I view food I will never have victory over my addiction.  To be honest, up until this point I have never really viewed my battle with food as spiritual one.  I didn’t really want it to be a spiritual battle, because deep down inside I didn’t really want God to change my heart about food because I didn’t really want to change.  That attitude was sin in my life, because I am to put no person or thing (food) in front of God, and I have placed food in God’s place for over half of my life.  With God’s supernatural help this will change.

As mentioned above I am only just beginning my journey to break free from food addiction, so I invite you to go on this journey with me.  I will try to share my ups and downs as I strive to become spiritually free from my addiction to food.  One part of this journey has to do with reading Lysa’s book “Made To Crave”.  Lysa also created a bible study that goes with the book, and I will be going through that study as well with a few friends.  As I work my way through the book and Bible study I will share insights from the book that will hopefully help and encourage the readers here at the AMH website.   However, I will tell you now that if you are struggling with any form of a food addiction, I would encourage you to buy Lysa’s new book “Made To Crave” today.

As I end my post today, I am nervous because I have just told the Internet world that I am tackling my food addiction and my past experiences have ended in failure.  However, if I truly am putting my trust and hope in God to win this battle, I will most assuredly win.  That statement is true for you too, no matter what battle you face.  If you put your hope and trust in God and not yourself, you will stand on victory’s side, and I just might get to see you do a little “freedom dance” of your own.

Blessings Friends…

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Heart Prompt #12

December 9, 2010 By
j0149232

Here at “AMH” we are encouraging you to take time to sit at Jesus’ feet this Christmas season.   I so hope that you are able to stop and rest in Jesus’ presence this month.   However, I know that the Christmas season can be filled with so much activity and busyness.  While you are “busy” this Christmas season take time to listen to God’s Word.  You can even listen, while you are at work (in some workplaces).

 There are many different ways you can listen to God’s Word.  There are many different versions of the Bible on CD (eg: Word of Promise), and there are also MP3′s that have the entire Bible downloaded into them.  I own the Go Bible and I love it. 

 So this season take time to listen to God’s Word while you go about your daily activities.  I know you will be blessed.

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Family Movie Night

November 17, 2010 By
j0438571

Hello Friends…

My family and I quite often have “Family Movie Nights” on Fridays in our home.  I have three young boys, so our movie nights normally consist of some type of Pixar or Disney movie, however my boys are getting older so they can watch movies that are not animated.  As a mother, or shall I say as Christian mother I am always looking for movies that are faith based and family friendly.  Today I am reviewing three DVDs that meet that criteria.

The three movies that I chose today are primarily for older children (8 and up, but ages can vary).  If you are not sure about whether or not your child should watch the movie, I would suggest that you preview it first as each child is different.  My next review for “AMH” will be about DVDS that younger children can watch with the family.

All three of these faith based movies are recent releases to DVD.  The first movie is “The Way Home” and is based on a true story.  The neat thing about this movie is that it is almost all true.  Many movies that are based on true stories have bits of information that are true in the movie, but much of the movie is fictional.  This movie is about a couple named Randy and Christal Simpkins that were planning on going on vacation, but on the day they were to leave their two year old son, Joe vanishes from their front yard.  The Simpkins’ world quickly turns upside down, but you will see how the body of Christ and many others rally around the Simpkins family to help find their little Joe.   I don’t want to spoil any of the film as it is a must see for yourself, but be prepared for the miraculous workings of our God.    Don’t forget to watch the special features of this DVD as you will get to meet the real life Randy and Christal Simpkins, but get your tissues out first.

The second DVD is another movie that is based on a true story.  “The Least Among You” is about a man named “Richard Kelly” who was arrested during the 1965 Watts riots.  As part of Richard’s probation he has to attend an all white seminary.  The school’s president (with his own agenda) hopes that Richard can break the color barrier that exists at the school.  Richard encounters racism and prejudices while at the school, but at the same time he must face his own past and find forgiveness and healing.  The best part of the film is watching Richard discover what God’s will and plan is for his life.

” The Least Among You” deals with issues that are mature and can be graphic, but the way these issues are portrayed in the movie is not offensive to the viewer (at least in my opinion).  This movie has well known actors in it, such as Louis Gossett, Jr., Lauren Holly and William Devane.  The actor that portrays “Richard Kelly” is Cedric Sanders.  Cedric is not as well known, but he really did a great job as the main character in this movie.   Like the first movie, this movie also includes a short film in the bonus section of the DVD that features the man the movie is based on.

The last DVD which offers the strongest Christian message is the new film, “WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)”. The acting in this movie is good and mostly consists of newer actors, or actors that are not as well known.  However, the main character of this movie is John Schneider (think the old “Dukes of Hazzard”).   John plays the role of a drifter that comes into the town of Raymond and turns life upside down for a pastor and several of his church members.  Life will never be the same for this small group of believers as they are challenged to the core by one simple question, What Would Jesus Do? I will not give away any more of the movie, but I will say that this movie made me think about whether or not I am living out what I believe Jesus would do.  This movie would be a wonderful one to watch with a group of people, and then have a discussion time afterward.

All three of these movies are available for purchase online, and at most of your local christian bookstores.  I was also pleased to find all three of these movies available for rental at my local video store (Family Vide0).  I am excited to see more faith based films being released, and also to see them showing up for rental in a video store.  This means that the market for these types of movies is growing.   Yay!!!

So, if you are looking for something to do with your family this weekend, pick up one or all of these movies, grab some popcorn and turn down the lights (grab the blankets if it is getting cold where you live :) .   With movies like the ones I have reviewed today you can feel good about what you and your family are watching.  I do.

I would love for you to leave a comment if you have seen any of these movies, and to let me know how you liked them.  If you have not seen the movies yet, make sure to come back here and leave a comment once you watch them.

Blessings to your family, and save me some popcorn :)

 (To Know Him)

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The Least of These…

October 15, 2010 By
Laying in the leaves

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV) (emphasis mine)

Today’s article will be a little different due to the fact that I am going to reference a link of an audio recording for you to listen to. I know that if you are like me at all you will probably have a hard time carving out time in your day to listen to an audio archive, but I assure you that if you do you will be blessed, and possibly changed in some way.  You also will more than likely be brought to tears as I was, but you will feel so encouraged in the deepest part of your heart.  So are you wondering what kind of audio link would make you cry and be encouraged at the same time? It is a story that has been around for some time about “A Man Called Norman”.

The story is actually about two men: one man named Norman, and one man named Mike Adkins. A story about two men that are as different as night and day. One man is an outcast according to the world, and one an evangelist that preaches the love of Jesus.  One day God had the two men cross paths, and neither of the lives would be the same again. I will stop here, and direct you to the link because the story is best told by one who lived it, Mike Adkins. (CLICK HERE TO HEAR AN AMAZING STORY OF THE GOSPEL LIVED OUT)

(Make sure to click on the link to Part 2 of the story when Part 1 finishes)

When I think about the story of Mike and Norman, I think about the verse in Matthew (noted above) when Jesus says whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.  Who are the “least of these” that Jesus references? In Matthew it says they are the hungry, the stranger, the sick and the prisoner. Based on the description above, I come in contact with “the least of these” daily or at least weekly. So I ask myself,  am I reaching out and loving those people that Jesus is referring to in Matthew? Sadly, at times in my life I have to answer this question with a “no”.  That doesn’t sit right with me at all, and I want that to change. So how do I change? Change is hard, but with Jesus we can do all things.

I feel blessed to be a contributor here at the AMH website because one of the main purposes of this site is to challenge women (and any men that read) to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him. So the first thing I need to do if I want to love the “least of these” is to love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind. If I love Jesus more, I will love people more. Another thing I can do is to reach out to the body of Christ for help and encouragement. Although I do not know Mike Adkins personally, I was encouraged in my spirit after listening to his audio archive about his relationship with Norman. I think you will be too.

So I leave you today asking you to first sit and spend time with Jesus through prayer and reading His Word. Then I am challenging you to carve out a little bit of time in your day to listen to the story of  “A Man Called Norman“. You can sit and put your feet up as you listen to the story, or if you are like me listen while you are cleaning. Either way will work :) .

May the Lord speak to you as you ponder about how you can reach out to “the least of these” that you encounter in your daily life.   Please make sure to stop by and leave a comment once you listen to the story as I would love to hear how it ministered to you.

Blessings,

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What’s In Your Cup?

October 1, 2010 By
Young Woman Sitting and Holding a Cup of Coffee

Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Matthew 23:26 (NIV)

I am so glad to get an opportunity to visit and write for a different room here at the AMH website.   You normally will find me in the Family Room writing reviews on all kinds of Christian resources for the family, but today I am in the Laundry Room discussing matters of the heart.   The Laundry Room is the perfect place to talk about the sin in our hearts and how we can be cleansed from that sin through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Over the last decade Jesus has allowed me to see into depths of my heart. I have not always liked what I have seen, but it has always been beneficial in my walk with Him.  When I was thinking about writing this post the verse from Matthew 23 came to my mind (see top of post).   I didn’t know where the verse was found, so I used the Bible Gateway website to find the reference.  All I could remember was something about a clean cup on the outside, but that the inside of the cup was dirty.  I easily found the verse, but I didn’t remember that the first two words of the verse were “Blind Pharisee”.   I thought to myself how appropriate those two words were as they described me for a very long time in my life.

Sadly, at one point in my life I was as blind as the Pharisees that Jesus rebuked when he walked the earth. It was in my mid twenties that Jesus opened my eyes just a little to see that I too was blind.  That realization caused me to make some major changes in my life, however I didn’t realize that I was trying to make those major life changes in my own strength.  I had much to learn.

You see I began to make all of these changes so that outwardly I looked like what a “good Christian” should look like, but I forgot to let Jesus have full access to my heart and do the inside work that so needed to be done in my life.  That is why I quoted the verse in Matthew; it reminded me very much of how I lived for a period of time.  I was working on the “outside” of my cup, and neglecting the “inside” of my cup which I relate to my heart.

It was not too long after these changes that Jesus began to reveal to me the sin that resided in my heart.  I could perform “good” acts, but I couldn’t do anything to change the way my heart was.  True heart change comes from Jesus alone.   I didn’t like at all to be confronted with the sin in my heart, but at the same time it was only after I saw my sin that I could confess it and ask Jesus to cleanse me from my sin.  Not only would I ask Jesus to forgive me from my sin, I began to also pray that Jesus would change my heart.   He did!!!

I got things backward.  I began with outward works, and neglected the inward work of my heart.  I am not saying that we should not work on the outward things in our life, we definitely should, but I believe that we must also submit ourselves to Jesus and let Him change our hearts.  When our hearts are changed, our outward actions will change too.

So how do you begin to let Jesus change your heart?   First, spend time with Him and sit at His feet.  One of the main purposes here at AMH is to help you do that. Pray to Him, and ask Him to reveal what lies deep within in your heart. Then ask Him to give you strength and courage as He performs the “heart surgery” necessary for you to look more like Him.  It is worth it!!!

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“Choosing to See” (A Book Review)

September 27, 2010 By
Choosing to See

Have you ever read a book and hoped that it would not come to an end? I have; many times. I actually just finished a book that I didn’t want to end by Mary Beth Chapman (with Ellen Vaughn). You probably have heard of her, as she is the wife of Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian musician extraordinaire (that is my way of saying he is great). I have been a big fan and lover of Steven’s music for a long time now, but I really didn’t know much about Mary Beth until 2 years ago. In May of 2008, Mary Beth and her whole family were thrust into the world’s spotlight due to a very tragic accident at their family home. And so began a new chapter in the Chapman family’s life, an unimaginable one.

It is odd, I don’t remember details and dates about events that have happened in my life, but I actually remember where I was when I heard the tragic news about what happened to Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. I was actually in bed (probably finishing up a nice nap), and my husband was on the computer. My husband must have been looking at the breaking news, and then he told me what had happened to Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest daughter, Maria. Then he went onto to share that Maria’s older brother Will was the driver of the car that hit her. Sadly, I must admit that often I am not burdened when something tragic happens to someone I don’t personally know. I feel bad, but not broken or burdened. It was different when I heard the news about Steven’s daughter Maria being killed. I just felt so sad and could not even imagine what their family must have been going through. I began praying for the Chapmans right then, and tried to remember to pray for them in the future as they would come to my mind.

I remember watching and listening to interviews with the Chapman family soon after Maria had died. I cried when they cried, and I was blown away by the presence of Jesus that rested on each member of the Chapman family. I believe God was receiving glory every time the Chapmans would share their story with the world. I could see Jesus all over them.

Fast forward 2 years later, and Mary Beth Chapman is sharing the events of that tragic day and what has happened in her family’s life since then in her new book, Choosing to See (A Journey of Struggle and Hope). However, Mary Beth doesn’t just share about what happened to her precious little Maria, but also shares the story of her life from the time she was a little girl. With gut level honesty Mary Beth shares about her struggles with depression, marital trouble and so much more. As I mentioned before, I didn’t really know anything about Mary Beth, and now after reading her book I love her as a dear sister in Christ.

I have been known to bawl at movies, but I don’t often cry when I read a book. Well, I didn’t bawl when I read “Choosing to See“, but I did have tears in my eyes as I read the details about what happened when the Chapmans lost Maria. I can’t even imagine what they were feeling, but through Mary Beth’s writings you feel like you were there. Mary Beth constantly shows her readers how God was there in the midst of their pain. It is beautiful…

“Choosing to See” is definitely marked by sad and tragic events, but surprisingly the book is full of events that will make you laugh; belly laugh. One of my favorite parts of the book, is that it is full of miracles. God performed miracle after miracle in Mary Beth’s life, big and small miracles. Honestly, there is not one part of the book that I didn’t love.

I end my post today by recommending Mary Beth Chapman’s book, “Choosing to See”.  You will be challenged and encouraged in your walk with Christ. Mary Beth and her family make me want to love and trust God more in my own life. The Chapman family have lived through the unimaginable and they are living proof that our God is real and loving and so much more. We just need to choose to see that…

If you are interested in finding out more about Mary Beth’s new book, click here.

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