So I know I haven't written in a while...Ok...for a looooong while, but I've been inspired again to write again, so I'll try to sum up the past year. I think I last told you Steven was looking for a job and in the meantime starting his own business. Well, I'm so happy to tell you that as of Februrary 2010, Steven has been employed as a Senior Consultant with AccuData Systems. God truly got us through this past year. We feel blessed that He took care of us through that time. He was growing us. And during this time, Steven received his MBA, he had to have an emergency appendectomy (all of which was paid for by a fund from the hospital), we would just receive money in the mail from someone who remained anonymous and my daughters school still continues to grow AND we have even added a new building in the process! God is so good! So here's a recap of our year.........................in a nutshell anyway... Daddy taking Ashlyn and Abby to the Daddy Daughter dance. We got to serve with our church by going to the fire station and making breakfast for them. We enjoyed ICE at the Gaylord Texan....part of our Christmas present. And here is our TCU graduate! I'm so proud of Steven for hanging in there and getting his MBA while he was looking for a job at the same time. What an accomplishment!
So that's what's been going on....I know I've missed telling you some things, but hopefully we will be able to catch up. I know God has to take us through some storms to grow and that's exactly what He did. I just don't ever want to forget what God did for us this past year!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Jesus…No Greater Love The Jesus Movie for the Next Generation You know the story. You know the ending. Now know the heart of the Man.
The truth of the gospel never changes. But Christianity has many faces. They reflect the customs and cultures and the beautiful diversity of the global church. They are lined with the wisdom of age and vibrant with the passion of youth. One gospel for all the world…but how will we deliver it in a way that reaches the whole world? How will we reach the next generation?
Young Christians today are more like St. Francis of Assisi than a circuit riding preacher. “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” This is a generation focused on being the hands and feet of Christ and meeting the physical needs of those in both the local and global community. They are building houses, planting gardens, taking food and clothes to the poor and helping the widows and orphans… and then they are sharing the gospel. And they are using technology like never before. They communicate the message through audio, film, video and the internet, and they strive for excellence within those mediums. They must. This is how they will reach their generation for Christ.
Bruce Marchiano shares their passion. As an actor, author and international speaker, Bruce is the founder of Marchiano Ministries, a non-profit organization reaching out to people both spiritually and practically in the USA and across the world. He is best known for his joyful, passionate portrayal of Jesus in the film, The Gospel According to Matthew. Marchiano captures the heart of Christ that is so often missing in Christian films, but the quality of the film making was constrained by an $800,000 budget. Now Marchiano is inspiring a movement that will bring Jesus to film in a version that literally leaps off the screen and into the hearts of viewers.
Jesus…No Greater Love, the new Jesus movie, (see www.NewJesusMovie.com) will be a word for word, verse by verse film adaption of the Gospel according to John. “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That’s really our concept, that the gospel would go out in the power of the film medium, unaltered by any human script writer,” Marchiano says.
The new Jesus movie is more than just a technological update of previous films in the genre. “The story as it is traditionally told begins in a manger or with John the Baptist and takes us through the events of Jesus’ human life—healing, teaching, the cross and the resurrection,” Marchiano says. “This new Jesus movie tells the story from the point where it truly began—‘in the beginning’ as John writes, with Jesus as God before the dawn of time and creation.”
Many people have formed their understanding of Jesus from the images that movies have shown—Jesus as a weakling, showing little emotion and pausing often to gaze at the heavens. Marchiano’s Jesus is a passionate hero, God’s perfect embodiment of manhood, who gives everything to complete His mission. For the first time, the gospel will be revealed through the prophetic, holistic, kingdom perspective of Jesus, whose every move fulfilled the past, reached out to the present and provided for the future. The script includes imagery that ties specific moments in Jesus’ ministry to Old Testament prophecy, Israel’s past, and glimpses of Revelation.
The budget for a typical Hollywood production is $100-110 million. Actors’ salaries account for much of that cost. Because the new Jesus movie will be not be paying big name actors, Marchiano and his team feel they can produce a world class, state-of-the-art film incorporating the latest cutting-edge technology for just $45 million. The production will be shot on location in Jerusalem and shot digitally using CGI backgrounds and a green screen stage, providing unlimited potential for sharing the gospel for generations to come.
His experience as a hired actor in The Gospel According To Matthew observing the production of a for-profit project convinced Marchiano that the new Jesus movie would have to be produced differently. “As I sat on the sideline, I saw this clash between business and ministry, and it seemed that ministry tended to lose. When I felt God’s clear call to make a Jesus film that would truly capture the heart of his Son, one that would reach every culture and win souls around the world, I knew it would have to happen apart from the influence of profit seeking investors,” he says.
So who will produce the Jesus film for the next generation? Marchiano and his team are inviting Christians from all nations and all generations to join this movement to bring the gospel to all people. A movement made of 4.5 million Christians contributing a tax deductible donation of $10 each would fund the cost of the film. “In all humility, I am asking Christians around the world to support us, to unite across culture and denomination in the name of Jesus. It will be a long process, but if we all pull together, we can get this movie made—that the nations might be saved.” The Gospel belongs to everyone, and the new Jesus movie will be produced expressly so it can be accessed by everyone, no matter their financial situation. Marchiano’s vision is to see the film translated into as many languages as possible and supplied to mission organizations and churches all over the world.
The new Jesus movie movement (www.NewJesusMovie.com) is already drawing support from noted Christian leaders. "Bruce Marchiano is a gift to the Body of Christ as an accomplished actor, a missionary with a burning passion to spread the Gospel to the multitudes and by the way he lives his life as a vessel for Jesus' glory," says Dr. Jack Hayford, President of International Foursquare Church and founding pastor of The Church on the Way. Friend, best-selling author and popular Bible study leader Kay Arthur comments “What a wonderful tool this will be, the living Word of God. I know lives will be touched all around the world. You can’t make a better investment! Join this life changing and valuable project and make an investment that will have eternal value.”
Many have anticipated the launch of this movement and the grassroots buzz to become producers of the film indicates a growing excitement. The film makers must raise $45 million by March 2010 to begin production of the film in time to make the scheduled premier in 2011.
You can become a part of the movement to reach the next generation. Donations can be made at www.NewJesusMovie.com This article can be used with permission, credit given to Bruce Marchiano and New Jesus Movie 2009.
Ok..so I know I haven't written in a while, but it's been a little stressful lately as you can imagine! School ended, summer began and now I'm not sure where time went. So as many of you know Steven was let go from Microsoft in February. After much prayer, Steven and I decided to start this new business...My Shared IT Resources. I must say I'm amazed at how God has blessed us. We only have 3 customers, but I am very thankful for those 3 customers...and you know who you are ;) !
We do a lot of waiting and seeing, but that's ok too. God has been teaching me a lot of things this summer. I have a new appreciation for what I have now even though it's not enough to live on every month. God has also brought some people closer to us in our lives because of Steven losing his job. We feel very blessed they have been our comfort, support and prayer warriors through this whole ordeal.
So with that being said...we start a new season in our lives right now. A#1 & 2 are getting ready to start school again next Tuesday. I will officially have a 1st and 2nd grader. I still see them as my babies though.
I know the fall will bring new beginnings and more lessons God is going to teach us!
Just thought I would share this very cool story. This man traveled all over the world sharing the Gospel. He has witnessed from everyone from presidents to dictators. Amazing! Highly recommend getting his book!
From Hollywood to Iran, Jerusalem to Poland, One Man with One Message: The Cross
“And then Jesus said to lay it all down, and let your vision be no bigger than the next person you meet. Following that vision has carried me around the world.” -Arthur Blessitt
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX—Over the past thirty-eight years, Arthur Blessitt has walked the globe with one purpose in mind as he carried a twelve-foot wooden cross. Traveling more than 38,000 miles, visiting every sovereign nation and island group in the world, his pursuit has amazed and puzzled the world. This journey, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “World’s Longest Walk,” is one that has taken him through war zones, across jungles, and even to the penguins of Antarctica.
Blessitt’s new autobiography, The Cross (Authentic), will destroy, and then re-define, every reader’s assumptions about the cross and what it means to follow Jesus. Blessitt’s cross walk converts to action two foundational ideas: The cross is God’s message of love, and the cross is for everyone.
“I have had the privilege of reinterpreting the cross. Many people feel that the cross is against them. They [falsely] think the cross is against my sexual orientation or I had an abortion, so God hates me,” Blessitt says. The Cross is filled with story after story of the miraculous reception the cross—and with it, Blessitt’s delivery of the gospel—has received in unlikely places like Communist Poland, Lebanon, Iran, isolated tribal lands, and Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip. Blessitt explains, “In many places—particularly in Muslim countries—the cross has historically been a sign of offense, due mainly to the actions of ‘Christendom.’ I have carried the cross of love into Muslim countries and not only survived, but I’ve been welcomed.”
Blessitt’s journey has attracted worldwide attention, and his story has been covered by ABC News, Christianity Today, Variety, and a host of other noted media. The Cross offers Blessitt’s perspective on the most fascinating moments such as meeting with Yasser Arafat on two different occasions, once after walking through a battle between five different armies with his twelve-year-old son. Blessitt was also able to share the message of Jesus with Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. On another occasion, he was beaten and jailed along with a group of Spanish pastors under Francisco Franco’s fascist regime.
Blessitt has befriended presidents, held audience with kings, and spoken before crowds 500,000 strong, however, his ministry was never about seeking the spotlight. More often than not, he has sought “the least of these”—the nameless victims of war, the obscure tribe on a hidden island, the oppressed people forgotten by the rest of the world.
The power of Blessitt’s cross has not only changed the world, it has transformed him. “Many people have dreams and visions of doing mighty things for God and making an impact on the world. That was my prayer also.”
This has to be one of my favorite holidays. Every year our neighborhood association puts on a big fireworks show. We invite about 20 or so families every year to come over and watch them with us. We literally have firework shells falling on the tops of our heads. Some friends of ours last year had to throw their blanket away cause of all the burn holes. Here is the Cothran family above. This was Hudson's first fireworks show. He loved it!
Here is just one of the fireworks displays.
Most of the kids did ok. Since they are so close, they are really loud. As they go off, you can hear all the car alarms going off around the neighborhood. Here is my friend Craig and his daughter Hannah holding her ears.
Here are the lovely hosts of the evening.
And finally here is everyone watching them go off. This is the best time to take pictures cause you get some interesting expressions. Looks like someone is covering their face in the second row. So it was another huge success. Now we will be finding firework shells in our yard throughout the year, but I don't mind. I love that we have this event. Happy 4th of July everyone!
So most of you know Steven was let go back in February and after not being called for one single interview and lots of praying, Steven has decided to start his own business with my support of course. Great! We are in the small business world. In the small business world you can set your own schedule, be at your computer in your pj's oh..and yes..you can't lay yourself off. Nice perks! I have to admit, I like Steven being at home. Not that he wasn't before...He only had to go in the office once a week so I'm used to him being here with us. I know...know..it's not going to be easy, but it's better than not earing any income right? I read today in the TCU magazine that owning a small business is like riding a roller coaster, but isn't that the way life is anyway. There will be ups and downs, but I know with God's help, we can do it. He is in control! He has been so good and we have a lot to be thankful for! I have to admit, there are some bad days, but then I remember God is in control.
Ok...I can accept the fact we are going to be small business owners. I'm good with that. Now I can tell you about the other issue in our lives right now that only a few good friends know about. Back at the end of January the director of my daughter's school talked to Steven and I and told us she thinks A#1 might have dyslexia. First let me say, she is an awesome director. She has her Phd and is very educated in learning disabilities so I trusted her suspicions about A#1. Steven and I took her advice and had her tested at Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. We went at the end of April and for 3 hours my little girl was in a room with a woman I didn't even know being tested. I sat in the waiting room praying and reading all I could about dyslexia. Then again we had to wait for 2 1/2 months for the results. Finally this past week we received the results. The pediatric MD there on staff came to one conclusion about the diagnosis..., "We don't know if she has dyslexia. You and the school have been working so hard with her that right now it's hard to tell. I do suspect however, she is ADD and I suggest we reevaluate after a month into school and start meds." I'm hearing all this and thinking.....I'm not putting my child on medication when I haven't even done behavioral therapy or tried some nutritional things. Why not try those things first? Why is he suggesting medication be the answer first. I'm not saying medication is a bad thing, but I think that it is not for every kid. A#1 is not a hyper-active kid, but gets easliy distracted in a classroom and at home. This I do agree with since I homeschool her 2 days a week. So after the appointment I talked to everyone I knew..our director, her teacher, etc. They all agreed with me. A#1 is not a child who should be on meds. After our director suspected dyslexia in January, she started her on a curriculum for dyslexic children. She jumped 5 reading levels in 2 months. Amazing! The Socttish Rite doctor's recommendation was to keep doing what we are doing of course and then do the meds. I believe she has dyslexia. I believe A#1 has learned to compensate for this with our director's help and has learned to cope while she is reading. So this is another thing we are giving to God right now. I really believe this is all you can do when life hands you these little surprises.
I am so proud of Steven and A#1! They are so smart and intelligent. And did I mention they are 2 peas in a pod! From the day she was born A#1 and her daddy have a special bond. And I believe even though both of them have had a few obstacles lately, that they can succeed.
I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but starting a business is A LOT of work, but that's another story I have to save for another day. I've been meaning to blog about A#2's graduation for a while now and I'm just getting around to doing it. So sorry blog followers..I haven't been very good about blogging. :( Above is A#2 with her good friend W. I keep telling W's mom that I'm ok with an arranged marriage between these two. Although A#2 has another boy too I wouldn't mind her being with either some day, but he's in Tulsa. W is a good kid! A#2 and W have been in the same class since they were 2 years old. That's right...2. When they were in the 3's class together A#2 would come help fold up W's nap mat after rest time and put his shoes on for him. I know this cause I used to sub in their class every once in while. W won't be back next year cause he's going to a different school. I'm a little sad. So here she is getting her diploma with Mrs. Ford. We love Mrs. Ford. She was A#1's kinder teacher too. She is an incredible teacher! "You Gotta Wear Shades". Remember that song all you peeps of the 80's. That's what they sang during the ceremony. It was pretty much a one hit wonder, but it was fun to watch the kids play their "guitars" and wear shades! Ha! Here is A#2, W and Lise! These three are great friends! And here's the fam after the ceremony! Then we were off to Cheddars for a celebration lunch. Next year I will have a 1st and 2nd grader. Hard to believe!
So I know I haven't written in a while...Ok...for a looooong while, but I've been inspired again to write again, so I'll try to sum up the past year. I think I last told you Steven was looking for a job and in the meantime starting his own business. Well, I'm so happy to tell you that as of Februrary 2010, Steven has been employed as a Senior Consultant with AccuData Systems. God truly got us through this past year. We feel blessed that He took care of us through that time. He was growing us. And during this time, Steven received his MBA, he had to have an emergency appendectomy (all of which was paid for by a fund from the hospital), we would just receive money in the mail from someone who remained anonymous and my daughters school still continues to grow AND we have even added a new building in the process! God is so good! So here's a recap of our year.........................in a nutshell anyway...
Daddy taking Ashlyn and Abby to the Daddy Daughter dance. 
We got to serve with our church by going to the fire station and making breakfast for them. 
We enjoyed ICE at the Gaylord Texan....part of our Christmas present.
And here is our TCU graduate! I'm so proud of Steven for hanging in there and getting his MBA while he was looking for a job at the same time. What an accomplishment!
