Movie Review: All Saints

From the Website:
ALL SAINTS is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all.

After trading in his corporate sales career to become a pastor, Michael’s first assignment is All Saints, a quaint country church with a dozen members. It comes with a catch: he has to close the church doors for good and sell the prime piece of land on which it sits. While developers eagerly eye the property and the congregation mourns the inevitable, Michael and his family look forward to moving on to an established church where they can put down roots.

But when the church hesitantly begins welcoming Karen (kuh-REN) refugees from Burma—former farmers striving for a fresh start in America—Michael feels called to an improbable new mission. Toiling alongside the Karen people, the congregation attempts to turn their fertile land into a working farm to pay the church’s bills and feed its newest people.

Jeopardizing his family’s future by ignoring his superiors, Michael must choose between completing what he was assigned to do—close the church and sell the property—or listening to a still, small voice challenging the people of All Saints to risk it all and provide much-needed hope to their new community.

My thoughts on this movie are somewhat scattered and few, but that's because I watched this movie last week and am just now posting a review. All Saints comes out in theatres tomorrow! 

While I wouldn't say that the production and quality are exemplary in this movie (they aren't bad though), I loved it for the quiet country setting and close community. I also think that two major aspects of this movie apply directly to the North American culture today. Michael comes to a dying church (called All Saints) just after vowing to obey his church authority even when he disagrees (which I don't completely agree with in concept). However, his heart isn't cold towards the small church family and he doesn't desire to kick them out and close the church doors. He struggles with his priorities and responsibity to his denomination, while caring for the people under him. While I don't align myself with Michael's denomination, I think his struggle as a pastor and as a man with those under his care is a real one. Churches today (especially in Canada) are dying and closing often. And sometimes the hours of work placed into people and land and property are unrewarded. Even failure is possible. Michael faces challenges and ultimately failure in this movie and I think that is portrayed well. 

As Michael pastors All Saints, the Karen refugees come seeking shelter and worship. Because only one speaks good English, they end up holding two services: one for the Karen, and one for the previous members. The church members weren't all excited about receiving these poor people, but they do come to accept them and cherish them. I think this is an important part for us today with the amount of refugees. I know that the refugee population isn't something the individual person has much say in, but it is our job to love the foreigner, welcome them, and help them transition to the culture while also respecting their differences. I think there is much hostility to refugees and those attempting to immigrate and it's hard to watch. In the Old Testament God specifically commands the Israelites to love the foreigner and leave some of the crop for them so they would be provided for. They were not Israelite-born, but they were loved by God nonetheless, and He still commands today that we love our neighbors. 

Michael risks his heart, home, and health in staying with the Karen and All Saints, but he does so out of love for them. And I love this about the film--the struggle to commit and to stay even when you face failure and hardship. There was one theological point at the end that was rather glaring and I didn't quite appreciate; that of all religions coming together to create community. Perhaps it was meant well in the setting of the movie, but I do not believe it helps with the "coexist" mentality of todays religions. There is only one God and He does not allow competition with His glory, and there is no rival to His throne. Other religions do not just fall alongside of Him and believers cannot fellowship with those of other faiths like they would among their own. It was a small comment, but it referenced a bigger point of the movie, and it was one I majorly disagreed with and wanted to mention. But despite theological differences, I found much encouragement from this film and I would encourage those who know their beliefs to go watch it and learn to stand strong even when life threatens to capsize our faith. 

*I will hopefully be receiving the book about this film in the next couple months! This film is based on a true story, so I'm excited to read and see how they compare. 

*Movie has been provided courtesy of Sony Entertainment Releasing Canada and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White

From Amazon: 
Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime. How does one steal a family's history, their very name?

Peter Holstein, given his family's German blood, writes his popular series of adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might be answered.

But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his neighbors' scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he's more than his name?

My favorite thing about this book is that it contains authors and stories and libraries. Having a couple author or author-to-be acquaintances myself, I know a little bit of the author and story world from their perspective. 

Rosemary begins a new "assignment"--stealing an estate. While she has no idea where this will lead or who she will meet, she readily takes up the dare...and maybe gets more than she bargained for. However, she quickly takes on the role of librarian with really no idea about what she's getting into. 

I love the character of Peter. While I couldn't really relate to Rosemary as a character, Peter provided a kindred spirit throughout his story. Accused of being a traitor to England (because of his last name), and struggling to be a public figure because of his stutter, Peter relies on his faith to carry him through difficult times. Peter has access to the king, as Peter's family took on the role of counseling the royal families through the years and wants to use this and other documents to prove his loyalty to the Crown. He struggles internally but I love how his faith makes his life real and how he doesn't hesitate to stand up for himself or others who need it.

I love Peter's life...how he writes so intensely that people can knock on his door for hours and he won't notice them, and yet how he remembers to provide for his librarian should she need food. He writes secretly under a pen name, but doesn't shirk from asking for criticism in an indirect way. He and Rosemary have an interesting relationship, and I'll leave you to decide how it all works together. I had a hard time getting into the book and actually getting through it; somehow it felt like something "big" was missing in plot or action, but I can't put my finger on it yet. The romance wasn't completely to my taste, but for those who enjoy that sort of thing, it was written well. I don't know that I'll pick up the next books in the series, but perhaps I will because they'll be set during the war years. And I want to see who Mr. V really is. ;) 

Check this book out if you're interested in thieves, royalty, romance, and libraries! :) 

*Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Movie Review: The Case for Christ

Movie Website: 

A hard-driving journalist, Lee Strobel was exactly where he expected to be at work: on top. His award-winning investigative reporting recently earned him a promotion to legal editor at the Chicago Tribune. But things weren’t going nearly as well at home where his wife Leslie’s newfound faith in Christ went against everything Lee believed—or didn’t believe—as an avowed atheist.

Utilizing his journalistic and legal training, Lee begins a quest to debunk the claims of Christianity in order to save his crumbling marriage. Chasing down the biggest story of his career, Lee comes face-to-face with unexpected results that could change everything he knows to be true.

Based on Lee Strobel’s award-winning bestselling book and starring Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway, and Robert Forster, THE CASE FOR CHRIST will be available on Blu-ray™, DVD & Digital HD August 15.

I haven't done a movie review for a while, and I'm still deciding if I'd like to make it a habit, but when I heard of The Case for Christ coming out, I wanted to see it. When scouring through second-hand bookshelves and thrift stores for hidden treasures, I have often seen the book The Case for Christ sitting in the "religious" section, and I picked it up and skimmed through it a couple times but never bought it (yet ;). 

I really enjoyed this film. While though not one of external drama and action, the quiet workings of the Lord in people's lives was refreshing. Lee Strobel begins the movie accepting a promotion and we soon find out that he is a staunch atheist. He has a precious daughter, however, and an incident in her life begins the conversion of Leslie, Lee's wife. I loved Leslie as a character. She didn't try to change her husband, though she didn't hesitate to witness to him. But she loved him for who he was and prayed faithfully for him. There are moments of tension in their relationship simply because of the opposing faith backgrounds for them. Lee begins a project to destroy the arguments for Leslie's faith and ends up with answers that are different than he expected--answers coming from even those who don't profess Christianity. 

The message of this movie is definitely the story of Lee's journey to demolish the Christian faith. However, my favorite part of it was Leslie's story and faith through it all. The actors portray emotions and scenarios well. I would have liked the arguments for true Christianity to be a little more fleshed out and full, but the foundation was there, and I realize that a movie can only contain so much. I have found it a recent "trend" in current Christian movies though to portray a strong message, but not always strong logic for Christianity. Today's generations are in need of good arguments to answer skeptics questions, defend the faith against persecutors, and quiet the doubts of our own hearts at times. And I do think this is an area that needs to be improved in. But all in all, it was a good movie--one that captured my attention and told the story of a young family who found Jesus in unexpected ways. 

You can find out more details about The Case for Christ HERE. 

*Movie has been provided courtesy of Mongrel Media and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

High as the Heavens by Kate Breslin

From Amazon:
In 1917, Evelyn Marche is just one of many women who has been widowed by the war. A British nurse trapped in German-occupied Brussels, she spends her days working at a hospital and her nights as a waitress in her aunt and uncle's café. Eve also has a carefully guarded secret keeping her in constant danger: She's a spy working for a Belgian resistance group in league with the British Secret Service.

When a British plane crashes in Brussels Park, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to discover she recognizes the badly injured pilot. British RFC Captain Simon Forrester is now a prisoner of war, and Eve knows he could be shot as a spy at any time. She risks her own life to hide him from the Germans, but as the danger mounts and the secrets between them grow, their chance of survival looks grim. And even if they do make it out alive, the truth of what lies between them may be more than any love can overcome.

Sometimes the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" holds true. I don't really like the covers of the previous book I reviewed or this one, but I decided not to let the cover stand in the way. I'm glad I didn't. After all when it comes to a book, I'd rather have one with good, solid content, than just an appealing cover. 

I've always loved the World War periods, and while I don't find the heartache and destruction a pleasant thing to read about, I appreciate the history and find it interesting. 

I found this book an amazing read. The plot captured my attention quickly, and it taught me a little bit more of the hidden side of the war, the guilt people can carry, the killings that tore through peoples' hearts, and the inner wrestlings of those who stood with the Allied forces. It also demonstrated that there were good Germans sympathetic to the plight of those less fortunate, and while they couldn't necessarily do much, we do wrong if we think that all Germans were enemies. 

I thought the character development of Eve was well done for most of the book. The reader will learn to love her and struggle with her as she works among Germans, but works against their evil methods. She's a nurse, and I love that nurses in the wars took on roles more like doctors when serving the mass amounts of injured soldiers. She helps heal British and Germans alike and remains somewhat protected because of her kindness. But beneath her healing hands lies a wounded heart--one that she's not sure how to heal. 

I do think the resolution of Eve's personal struggle could have been deepened and lengthened. It just felt like a very speedy resolution after a whole book of following her life and then using one scenario and one page to bring her to the ultimate conclusion. I do think it was a good plot and scene to use, but drawing her thought process out more would have helped the reader to follow her victory like we followed her through struggles and failures. 

There is a frequent amount of romance throughout the book. However, since it was between husband and wife, it did not disturb me at all and I thought it was well done. Because of the level of romance, though, I would recommend this book for mature readers. 

Very well done, Kate! Will definitely be picking up your books wherever I can find them. :) 

*Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Egypt's Sister by Angela Hunt

From Amazon:
Five decades before the birth of Christ, Chava, daughter of the royal tutor, grows up with Urbi, a princess in Alexandria's royal palace. When Urbi becomes Queen Cleopatra, Chava vows to be a faithful friend no matter what--but after she and Cleopatra have an argument, she finds herself imprisoned and sold into slavery.

Torn from her family, her community, and her elevated place in Alexandrian society, Chava finds herself cast off and alone in Rome. Forced to learn difficult lessons, she struggles to trust a promise HaShem has given her. After experiencing the best and worst of Roman society, Chava must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life.

The Intertestimental Period isn't one we know much about, and while this silent era spans 400 years between the Old Testament and New Testament, history didn't not end. People kept living and growing as the Lord intended them too. There is much we don't know about these years, and many questions we might have, but some of them won't be answered until we reach heaven. Angela Hunt's story during this period captures a little of what it might have been like and what people might have done.

The history intwined in the pages of this book is amazing. I love how Hunt captures the culture and beliefs of the Jews. HaShem is the name Hunt uses most for the Lord God in the book, and I think it brings the Jewish faith and practices into reality. She uses rabbis, and Scriptures, and other writings to emphasis the continuation of the Old Testament in the lives of the family of Chava. While I don't necessarily care for the way Chava's father continually sought to arrange her marriage and the way in which HaShem supposedly revealed His will to Chava, I don't think they are misused by the author. The Lord does indeed speak to His children in different ways, and some parts of culture (arranged marriages) did, and do, exist.

I love Chava's commitment to HaShem's will. She denies herself, her passions, and her desires because she delights to do the will of God. She suffers for it, and while she searches for resolution in her life, she continues to find refuge in HaShem's words and vision to her.

Cleopatra is an interesting character. I appreciated how Hunt wrote of the pagan, Greek and Roman society without condoning it. Cleopatra's life is not one lived under the guidance of HaShem and royalty's lives are riddled with immorality and violence. While the Jews would never dream of living in the manner of the Alexandrians, they know how to worship despite the culture around them, and they know how to interact and live with those who blatantly sin.

Among the death and sadness that surrounds Egypt and Rome, the Jews continually await the coming of Mashiach--the Prince of the world mentioned in Daniel's prophecy. This is a theme that unites the book and gives the people hope in a pagan culture.

The Author's Note was amazingly helpful. I loved how Hunt detailed which historical details were fictional and which weren't. Because I love history and fiction together, I learn a lot when history is woven into a story. This is a beautiful story of God's revelation to a faithful Jewish girl and His redemption in a nation despite the darkness of the culture.



*I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

War Room by Chris Fabry

Back Cover: 
Tony and Elizabeth Jordan have it all — great jobs, a beautiful daughter, and their dream house. But appearances can be deceiving. Their world is actually crumbling under the strain of a failing marriage. While Tony basks in his professional success and flirts with temptation, Elizabeth resigns herself to increasing bitterness. But their lives take an unexpected turn when Elizabeth meets her newest client, Miss Clara, a wise, older widow who challenges Elizabeth to start fighting for her family instead of fighting against her husband.

From the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous comes War Room, a compelling drama with humor and heart that explores the power that prayer can have over marriages, parenting, careers, friendships, and every other area of our lives.




The Kendrick brothers and the Sherwood Pictures films have had incredible impacts on Christians and non-Christians alike. Providing hope and encouragement to thousands, they once again presented a powerful message through their latest film War Room. However, this isn't a movie review, but a book review. Hundreds of books have movies made about them, but several (if not all) of the Sherwood movies have books written after the movies. This is one of them. I read the Courageous book after viewing the movie, and while I was unsure of what I would think, I was amazingly surprised. I had no hesitations about reading War Room after seeing the movie,

While this book centers around Tony and Elizabeth's marriage and family, I especially loved following Miss Clara's story. In the movie, she's mainly the mentor for Elizabeth and indeed that is her position for most of the story. However, a book is able to take the time to enter into each person's thoughts while a movie cannot. Living in Miss Clara's past and hearing her thoughts left me thinking that I got to know her by sitting where Elizabeth sat. Maybe even drinking some of that lukewarm coffee. ;)

Some of the lines I could tell were taken directly from the movie, and I appreciated how the book stayed true to the movie, only adding in extra scenes, thoughts, and dialogue. One of the other things I appreciated about this book is the added scenes regarding Elizabeth's struggle to trust her husband. While she didn't know what was going on in his life all the time (and that didn't automatically change once he repented and surrendered to God), she knew she needed to trust him in order to effectively produce lasting change in his life. You see Elizabeth learn to respond, pray, and interact in solid, biblical manner once she has repented of her own faults. See, in relational difficulties, it won't help to recognize another person's faults--we all know other people have faults. It's only when Elizabeth decides to change her own life and become a prayer warrior that she saw others around her change.

Tony and Danielle's relationship is also detailed more in the book. Danielle wants her father's affection, but senses that he has no time for her, causing her to draw back from him (and his angry outbursts also push her away). Her development throughout the story is precious, and her comments are just as funny as in the movie. Each time I read one of her lines I could hear her voice in my head.

So yes, definitely read the book. It will fill in all the little spaces that a movie cannot. Worth a read.
And maybe a thought or two. ;) 

Grace is Greater by Kyle Idleman

Back Cover:
No sin is so great, no bitterness so deep that God's grace cannot transform the heart and rewrite the story. But grace is so hard for us to understand.

It doesn't make sense.
It's not fair.
It can't possibly cover over what I've done.

Perhaps nothing is as difficult to explain as God's grace. The best way--perhaps the only real way--to understand it is to experience it.

In Grace is Greater, bestselling author and pastor Kyle Idleman leads us past our hang-ups toward an understanding of grace that is bigger than our mistakes, our faiulures, our desire for revenge, and our seemingly impossible situations. Through powerful stories of grace experience, this book will help you truly grasp God's grace...even if the Christians around you have failed to live it.

I requested this book back in February when it was being released, but it ended up somewhere in the mailing system and I didn't receive it. I requested it again because I really wanted to read it and to make a longer story short, I ended up with two copies. Needless to say, one will be a gift for someone. ;)

The news of the bestselling author of Not a Fan spread widely when it was released, and I read and heard smatterings of people's opinions of the book. Other than that, Kyle Idleman was an unknown author to me. And because I sense that the concept of grace (after salvation) is an infrequent one among conservative Christian circles, I needed another reminder of it.

As the subtitle suggests, Idleman writes on "God's plan to overcome your past, redeem your pain, and rewrite your story". This is a big topic, and while not exhaustive, his Biblical details and experiences demonstrate that he has been shown how grace works through his own life. I love his chapter titles and how they contrast two character traits "More Forgiving Than Your Guilt" and "More Beautiful Than Your Brokenness", being the first two. Idleman writes in an informal lecture style and sets apart important quotes every couple of pages.

My favorite chapters dealt with grace and mistakes, brokenness, and regrets. Reading this book reminded me of when I read through Future Grace by John Piper, and while not as extensive, the content was encouraging. Idleman deals with other such topics as remorse, repentance, communities (of grace), forgiveness, obedience, repression, vengeance, gratefulness, and so much more. All backed by Scripture, personal examples, or testimonies of others who have lived, given, and received grace.

Idleman shows us how grace is greater, and how we all need it. He defines grace, explains its purpose, demonstrates its necessity, and gives grace through his writing. Grace isn't something we pay for, earn, hold back from others, or just forget about. We may not ever see examples of it around us, but we have a God of grace who daily showers us with it. We receive grace without asking, but for it to truly be grace received, it must be grace shared.

Favorite Quotes

Grace is only grace if it goes both ways. Receiving it from God but refusing to give it to others isn't an option.

//

People who repress resentment over hurts they've received tend to see everything through a negative lens.

//

...ultimately what matters most, what people need most, is God's forgiveness, not ours.

//

God's power is attracted to weakness. His grace comes running to those in need.

//

When a story has been spoiled, it's easier to follow and understand. We lose some of the suspense, but perhaps knowing how it will end allows us to not just endure the journey, but actually enjoy it.

//

God is good. Grace is greater. 

*I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.