January 26, 2010
By Josh Kimball
as appeared on The Christian Post, January 19, 2001
With the story leading to his birth and the story leading to his crucifixion having already reached 21st Century moviegoers on the big screen, it was only matter a time before the story following Jesus Christ’s resurrection would reach the box office.
And now, Easter 2011 looks to be when Jesus’ rise from the dead will be witnessed by people across America. (International release dates for “The Resurrection of the Christ,” meanwhile, are still waiting in the wings.)
According to weekly entertainment-trade magazine Variety, shooting for “The Resurrection of the Christ” is set to start in July with indie filmmaker Billy McKay producing, Jonas McCord directing, and Dan Gordon penning the screenplay, which is expected to focus on the power, greed and ambition of those involved in the crucifixion – Pontius Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas and Judas.
“It’s as much about the key players as it is about Jesus,” McKay told Variety. “We want to bring in the ‘Gladiator’ dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time.”
McKay, who was one of three producers behind “Billy: The Early Years,” which told the story of evangelist Billy Graham’s rise to prominence, also said “Resurrection” will remain faithful to biblical and historical records.
The film is set to shoot in Israel, Morocco and Europe and will be distributed domestically through Samuel Goldwyn Films, which has been behind faith-based favorites such as “Amazing Grace” and “Fireproof” as well as upcoming movie “To Save a Life,” which hits theaters this Friday.
Notably, while Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” chalked up over $611 million worldwide in 2004, “Nativity Story” only picked up $46 million after its December 2006 release.
A production budget of $20 million has so far been planned for “Resurrection” – significantly less than was reported for “Passion” ($30 million) and “Nativity Story” ($35 million).
Easter next year falls on Apr. 24.
January 24, 2010
by Duane Careb
President of RVchurchesUSA and a Teaching Pastor
There is a plethora (I just learned that word) of GPS devices available in the market place today – cell phones, hand-held units, marine, aircraft and those more
familiar to us RVers (the walking/car/biking/truck combination models).
Like you, we use our find-a-campground/resort-across-America road atlas to get a general overview of the area in which we are planning to travel. But if you’re like Erika and me (Seniors), we usually pull out the magnifying glass to identify and navigate the tiny side-roads sprouting from the national and state highways. We need a more detailed understanding of where we’ll drive our motor home without regret.
On the other hand, a GPS streamlines that process simply by entering the address and pressing the “Go” icon. By setting the correct parameters for your vehicle (type, avoidances, detailed view, etc), the GPS provides pre-programed best routes which generally result in less confusion and – at times – even less conflict! You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?
Consider this: invest in a non-traditional GPS (God’s Perfect Solutions) device called the Bible that could be used to give clear direction when trying to navigate the many “life side-roads” in your life – challenges we face every day. Unlike conventional GPS devices which is limited to displaying streets and objects, God’s GPS offers guidance and solutions to real-life scenarios while providing long lasting relief from anxiety, disorientation and even relational separation. God’s GPS is never dependent upon any other power source, does not require frequent updates and usually causes you to “re-calculate” pathways on your own.
We’ve all asked ourselves or others, “What should I do next?” or “Where can I gain discerning knowledge to make the best decision?” I propose we consult God’s GPS to gain the same benefits of Jesus’ teachings, principles and wisdom that empowered the characters of Old and New Testaments to apply to their everyday life. All parables and stories of the Bible address our present-day challenges concerning issues like health (John 5:3-9), relationships (Matt 22: 37-39), finances (1Tim 6: 10)- just to name a few.
God’s Perfect Solutions can help navigate obstacles in your path by providing fuel (encouragement Psalm 37: 7), maintaining your mind’s GVWR (keeping balanced 2 Cor 13: 7) and even becoming de-laminated (tempted 1 Cor 10: 13). The Bible also offers full-hook ups, a trickle charge for your battery, inverts your little energy to passionate serving, auto-levels your systems and even enables your slide-outs to expand your territory.
Here’s a tip for the next time you frequent a dump station; consider flushing all negative thoughts (temptations, anger, guilt), unacceptable actions (sins) and self-righteous attitudes (”I only depend on me”) out of your system – forever to be washed away! Then rinse thoroughly with fresh “living” water (God’s free gift of unconditional forgiveness Rev 7: 17) to begin your new life-journey using His GPS to maintain your course and direction. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? IT IS!
In Christian-ezze that process is called “praying the sinner’s prayer”. Initially you may experience feelings of awkwardness, humiliation and even shame. But after you have sincerely turned your gaze to God through this process, you will be overcome with the joy and a sense of peace that “surpasses all understanding” – God’s total unconditional love and forgiveness!
If you would like discover more about this simple life-changing process of beginning a new life in Jesus, please call 1- 888 NEED-HIM (633-3446) anytime – even from your cell that has a GPS in it!
You can email Duane at dcareb@RVchurchrsUSA.org
January 24, 2010
by John Imler
John is the author of It’s Never Too Late
In 2007 my wife Ruth and I made plans to venture to Alaska in our RV. We knew it would need to be well planned, as we would go over roadways
that we had never traveled I obtained an up-to-date road atlas so I could choose each road through the several states and provinces. We researched sites we wanted to see and accommodations available.
Others who had taken a similar trip told of a book that would be a big help in our final plans, although it would require a lot of study. They said it was a must read, if I were to be adequately prepared for some of the difficulties we might face. It had everything the atlas had and much more. It was called The Milepost and took me milepost by milepost along each road I had selected warning me of every possible hazard to be encountered.
Other books are available on Alaska that would give opinions on what to see and the best road to take. However, The Milepost was written by those who had driven every mile. It was available to me if I wanted to take the time to not only just read it but study it. Once I read it I could take the word of someone who had driven the road or disregard their advice. It was my choice.
The Bible is like that. We can just read it or we can study it. We can take its advice about the journey called our “lifetime’ or we can disregard its advice. It is always our choice. Granted it is easier to just disregard it and travel whatever roadway unfolds before us, assuming that God has no interest in us and that whatever will be will be. However, there is One who has traveled this journey before us, and He invites us to allow Him to provide a mile by mile description of every roadway that lies ahead.
It is my recommendation that you not just own this Book but that you take the time to read it and study it. You will want to memorize some of it (Psalms 119:11). So on your journey, don’t be tempted to travel without consulting the Guidebook of life, for though “there is a way that seems right to man” it leads to the wrong destination (Proverbs 14:12). God’s way is the perfect way (2 Samuel 22:31). He has offered to “show you the way you should go” (Deut. 1:33); however, the decision as to taking His advice is up to you.
John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com
January 22, 2010
by Jennifer Riley
The Christian Post reporter
Controversial charismatic Pat Robertson has put his foot in his mouth with yet another post-disaster remark – this time regarding the hard-hit country of Haiti.
While hosting “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network Wednesday, Robertson said the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti a day earlier was the consequence of the curse that had befallen the country’s people after its founding fathers made a “pact to the Devil” in exchange for Haiti’s independence from France.
“[E]ver since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor,” Robertson said.
He noted how Haiti shares the Island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic and how the latter is “prosperous, healthy, full of resorts” while Haiti is “in desperate poverty.”
“Same island,” he emphasized.
Robertson based his comment on a well-known folk tale among Haitians that not all citizens believe.
Robertson’s latest remark – coming as television screens are filled with images of bloody survivors and dead bodies stacked on streets – hit a sensitive nerve with secular commentators as well as conservative evangelical leaders.
Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas called Robertson arrogant during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.
“It is absolute arrogance to try to interpret any of God’s actions as a judgment against this person or that person,” the Southern Baptist minister said. “ Our duty as Christians is to try to help these people pray for these people and to help them.”
Similarly, Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, responded to Robertson’s “embarrassing” remarks by highlighting the“Theological arrogance matched to ignorance.”
In a commentary posted Thursday, Mohler acknowledged that Haiti has a well-known history of the occult, voodoo, and sorcery. He also said he agrees that God does and will judge the nations and has sovereign power over everything.
But the highly respected evangelical scholar said “we have no right to claim that we know why a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti happened at just that place and at just that moment.”
“We can trace the effects of a drunk driver to a car accident, but we cannot trace the effects of voodoo to an earthquake – at least not so directly,” Mohler contended.
“Will God judge Haiti for its spiritual darkness? Of course,” he added. But humans cannot claim to understand the judgment of God.
To illustrate his point, Mohler brought out a series of unanswerable questions.
“Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?” he posed.
Mohler argued that instead of asking if God hates Haiti, people should simply say that God hates sin and know that individual sinners and nations will be punished.
“[T]he earthquake reminds us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only real message of hope. The cross of Christ declares that Jesus loves Haiti – and the Haitian people are the objects of his love,” Mohler concluded. “Christ would have us show the Haitian nation his love, and share his Gospel. In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.”
Robertson has a history of making controversial remarks following major disasters and crises. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Robertson laid blame on “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way – all of them who have tried to secularize America.”
“I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen,’” Robertson had said.
Then after Hurricane Katrina, Robertson came out and said it was God’s punishment of the United States for allowing abortions.
Robertson has also called for the assassination of Venezuela president Hugo Chavez.
Robertson’s latest comments came as the estimated death toll for Haiti reached as high as 500,000, though most news agencies are reporting the toll more conservatively – at around 50,000. Relief teams, meanwhile, are flooding into Haiti to try to beat the clock and rescue as many victims still buried under rubble as possible. Aid workers say there are only so many hours someone can survive under collapsed infrastructure without water and food.
January 22, 2010
by John Imler
RVchurchesUSA Ambassor and author of It’s Never Too Late
How Do We Decide To Believe The Bible?
The first thing we do when we want to obtain knowledge about any subject or issue is to study it. We can do that with formal schooling or we can choose to educate ourselves.
To accomplish this we must use the Bible as our 
textbook and then choose other books as workbooks. Since returning to my faith, I have found a number of books that have helped me grow in my own faith. If you would like to read some of those books, I would be most happy to share them with you, if you will contact me.
As you start to study the Bible, I would suggest that you do the following:
1. Obtain a modern translation of the Bible such as the New International Version (NIV).
2. Find a Bible-believing church where you can find Bible study groups to assist you.
This will provide you with an opportunity for examine your questions so that you may do so with an open mind. The truth does not object to being questioned.
You may also want to obtain other books such as A Case for Christ and A Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. His life as an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist provides a unique approach to why we should believe the Bible.
Often I hear people say that they don’t understand the Bible. The real truth is that they have never studied it. Many have never read it. This is no different from any other aspect of life. Ignorance of the issues generally produces disbelief.
A Gallup poll taken in 2000 indicated that 92% of Americans household own at least one Bible (a drop from 73% in 1980). Of the 92%, only 59% indicated they read it even occasionally.
This seems to add up to the fact that fewer and fewer people read, study or believe the Bible and God’s plan for mankind’s salvation. As I read the newspaper and listen to the news, I believe that is a fact. While the Bible is often bought, its wisdom is seldom sought. This is truly a tragedy of our times which results in many if not most of societies problems.
As always I welcome your comments either below or email me at john@faithrescued.com
January 20, 2010
a devotional by Floyd Pratt – RVchurchesUSA Ambassador
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” The Bible
The word crisis came form a word that means ‘decision’. The same Greek word is often translated “judgment”.
I am not talking about a crisis in your life – like that of an accident or death, but rather the “crisis of belief” – as in belief vs. unbelief. This is when you face a critical turning point or fork in life’s road which may demand a life changing decision.
As a child, we often played the game of “blind man’s bluff.” With a blindfold around my eyes, I nervously anticipated (crisis) to trust (believe) completely on my “guide”. I blindly obeyed instructions (commands) such as “turn to the right and take four steps” or “back up two steps while tilting your head forward” and others! Eventually, by listening attentively and following instructions as given, I arrived safely at the destination.
However, if I chose not to totally trust my guide, modified the instructions or relied on my own instincts, I most likely would have been headed for disaster.
Are you tracking with me here?
For the believer in Jesus Christ, our crisis of belief concerning our future in Heaven has passed! The assurance of our salvation is the result of total trust and obedience – even when we are blindfolded.
Does this mean we will never have crisis-requiring decisions again in our faith-walk? NO!
Jesus even address that very issue in John 16:33. In our remaining years, we will experience crisis after crisis – seemingly as though blindfolded while filled with anticipation and fear of disaster. However, we can focus our eyes on Christ, trusting that His leading is for our best and the completion of His will for us.
How about you? How do you handle the crisis of belief?
Do you focus on your own intuitions or is your gaze and trust on Christ Jesus for guidance, resolution and assurance that you will reach His destination for you – eternal life in Heaven?
Claim it! Hebrews 11:6
You can leave a comment below or email Floyd at fpratt@calvarycrossroads.org
January 19, 2010
by Josh Kimball
The Christian Post reporter
Will a movie about a man in post-apocalyptic 2043 carrying the last remaining copy of the Bible draw believers in the pews into the theaters?
What if that man also carries with him a knife and shotgun, which he uses to kick tail?
That’s what America will find out by the end of this weekend with “The Book of Eli” hitting the big screen Friday.
The New York Post’s Kyle Smith calls the movie an “overtly, unabashedly Christian one” as well as a “well-done action picture.”
Denver Post Film Critic Lisa Kennedy, meanwhile, says the movie is “as likely to make Good Book-thumpers squirm in their pews as it is to rouse atheist point-guard Christopher Hitchens and team from the bench.”
“That such a spiritual film enthralls in violence so much (the body count is in the dozens) is contradictory to its message of civilization saved by the Bible,” adds Jake Coyle of The Associated Press.
Set some 30 years after war has turned the world into a wasteland, “The Book of Eli” follows Denzel Washington’s character, Eli, as he makes his divinely-inspired, on-foot journey toward America’s West Coast, carrying with him the last known copy of the Bible – a King James Version Bible.
Along the way, Eli comes across a town controlled by a villainous man who is among the few who lived before all but a few books in the world were burned (many blamed religion for the troubles that emerged after Earth was hit by a meteorite).
Believing that The Book will enable him to control the world, the Mussolini-loving leader (played by Gary Oldman) sends out his minions to fetch out the Bible, which Eli guards like a character out of “The Matrix.”
Though Eli is supposedly a man of peace, he proves to be a formidable opponent, who can kick butt and somehow elude the bullets fired at him.
Divinely protected?
That’s how the New York Post’s Smith describes him.
And from what he’s seen so far, Smith predicts the movie is “going to do heavenly business at the box office.”
LA Times Blogger Patrick Goldstein, however, wonders if Smith is being “too optimistic.”
“I’m not so sure that Middle American evangelicals will flock to see a film with so much bloody mayhem and such a grim view of the future,” Goldstein writes.
“We’ll be watching the film’s box-office numbers this weekend – and its all-important CinemaScore rating – and see whether we’ve got a true Christian blockbuster or just another futuristic dud on our hands,” he adds.
Directed by the Hughes brothers and written by English video game expert Gary Whitta, “The Book of Eli” stars Washington, Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Frances de la Tour, and Michael Gambon.
The film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
January 19, 2010
By Erika Careb
Co-founder of RVchurchesUSA
Why are the names of God important?
God gave us a glimpse of His character and love as He reveals Himself through his names. By understanding and studying His names, we can enter into a more deeper and satisfying relationship with Him by communicating regularly in prayer.
By praying the names of God, we can learn to live in the promise of His love and faithfulness in times of praise, joy, challenges, despair – in all things (Phil 4: 4-8).
So what are the names of God and when can you use them in your prayers (Psalm 9: 10)?
Here are a few names of God and samples of how to use them while praying:
Elohim – the Creator (Deut 10:17)
“Thank you God for being my Elohim….”
ElRoi – God who sees me (Gen 16: 13-14)
“You are my ElRoi who knows the past, present and future ….”
El Shaddai – All sufficient One (Gen 17:1)
“Lord you are my El Shaddi, please go befor me in my works for you …”
Adonai – Lord and Master (Psalm 16: 2)
“Lord, here am I. send me, You are my Adonai ..”
Jehovah-jireh – the Lord will provide (Gen 22: 1-19)
“Lord, help me not become anxious for you are my Jeova-jireh …”
Jehova-rapha – the Lord who heals (Jer 17:14)
“Lord, you are my Jehova-rapha. In you I comforted in knowing that you will heal me – body, mind and soul …”
Jehova-shalom – the Lord of peace (John 14: 27)
“ Lord, you are my Johova-shalom, I will not be afraid but comnforted …..”
The Bible is filled with many more names of G, both in the Old as well as New Testament. As you read and study the names of God you will find encouragement and comfort as you grow in a deeper relationship with Him.
A great resource to learn more about this topic is “Praying the Names of God” by Ann Spagler – Zondervan, grand Rapids, Michigan 2004
Keep praying!
You can leave a comment below or email Erika at ecareb@rvchurchesusa.org
January 18, 2010
by John Imler
John is the author of It’s Never Too Late
We are each on a journey that started at our birth. This journey will continue over an indefinite period that we call our “lifetime.” At some point unknown to any of us, it will come to an end.
Journey is defined as “travel from one place to another; a trip.” When our lives end, we will have traveled from one place to another, from one world to another.
Before we take a trip we carefully plan for months or even years. Only the most adventurous set out without a definite destination in mind. We may even change our plans one or more times, but we will know our starting point and usually our destination.
Before we are born, others planned for us. Our first years are planned and directed by our parents and are pretty much shaped by the travel map they are using. They usually plan our journey through school, college, a story book marriage, and into a successful career.
But somewhere along your own journey we discover that the planning for the balance of our lives has been turned over to us. We soon realize that the time for the end of our journey has been pre-determined (Ecc 3:1-2. Heb. 9:27).
Each person’s journey will be different. During my journey I have observed those of others that have been much shorter than mine. I reveal several of these in my book, It’s Never Too Late (available at www.faithrescued.com).
At this moment, you are on your journey. The decision as to where you are going may be up in the air. As far as I have been able to determine, there aren’t a lot of options available. While some seem to think that if they believe the end in nothing more than a long sleep that will make it true. If that were true, then all of our lives would be meaningless and of no more value than the life span of the mosquito (1 Cor.15:32).
God has provided a Guidebook or Map to help each of us determine where you are going after this journey ends. The story of our Creator’s efforts to preserve this Book for us is truly amazing.
John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com
January 13, 2010
by John Imler
John is the author of It’s Never Too Late
We have all wished for the opportunity to do things over, feeling assured that we would do them differently or get them right the next time. Life can get frustrating with all of its challenges and required decisions.
Perhaps you have felt like the writer of Ecclesiastes, just as I have, when he penned the words,
“Everything is meaningless” (Ecc. 1:2).
We are at the beginning of another year on the calendar. It is a time when many of us will make resolutions to change certain aspects of our lives or, in a sense, to start over.
As I consider the new year, it seems to me that my number one resolution should be to daily become more conscious of my Creator. After expressing the same questions and frustrations most of us experience, the writer of Ecclesiastes summarizes it all in chapter 12:13-14: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Jesus Himself declared this same truth in Luke 10:27: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.”
There is within all of us a God given sense of right and wrong and when we are conscious of God in our daily lives, the Holy Spirit will, as Christ promised, “teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
So seize the opportunity for a new beginning. 2010 is the first year of the rest of your life. May you have a new consciousness of your Creator in your daily life.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Remember, how much of the Bible we read is not as important as how much of its truths and principles we remember to practice in our daily lives (Luke 8:11-15).
John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com
