Christian Filmmakers to Gather in San Antonio to Discuss Replacement Industry for Hollywood

By Wesley Strackbein — July 20, 2007

Hundreds of culture changers will be gathering in San Antonio on October 22-24 to discuss a replacement industry for Hollywood as part of the Third Annual Christian Filmmakers Academy. The Academy, a project of Vision Forum Ministries, is designed to give Christian filmmakers the nuts-and-bolts skills to succeed in creating films for the glory of God.
“In the past, Christian filmmakers who have grown up with Hollywood have been prone to create culturally poisonous and financially wasteful films,” noted Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries and founder of the Christian Filmmakers Academy. “While desiring to be different from Hollywood, they’ve tended to unwittingly default to the destructive Tinseltown trends in structuring their projects.”
“Today’s filmmakers need some historical perspective,” remarked Geoff Botkin, a seasoned filmmaker and faculty member of the 2007 Christian Filmmakers Academy. “In the late 1920s, the Hays Code committed Hollywood filmmakers to the responsibility of producing films that would be ‘directly responsible for spiritual or moral progress, for higher types of social life, and for much correct moral thinking.’
“In departing from this responsibility, the modern cinema industry has departed from both culturally uplifting and intellectually stimulating content,” Botkin explained. “Habitual movie-goers have been compromised mentally as well as morally. Almost by default, the current Hollywood industry reinforces this feeblemindedness with each studio project. Sadly, many Christian filmmakers who aspire to make superior films have sought to do so on this bankrupt foundation.”
“But a new generation of Christian filmmakers has come to the fore,” said Phillips. “The Christian Filmmakers Academy exists to help these aspiring culture changers find success outside of Hollywood as part of a rising replacement industry built on biblical presuppositions of aesthetics, morality and cultural influence.”
“Our goal is to help students recover the lost traditions that will equip them to make films that advance rather than undermine the Christian worldview ethic &mdash films with cultural, moral, and artistic integrity,” Phillips continued.
The Academy will offer more than sixteen hours of formal classroom instruction from seasoned industry professionals, personal discussion and interaction with school faculty and guest lecturers, and the opportunity to network and build professional personal relations with like-minded individuals interested in independent Christian filmmaking. Panavision and Final Draft, industry leaders in precision camera systems and script-authoring software, have returned as sponsors for this year’s event.
“We are endeavoring to give our film students the best tools and the best training available so that they can engage successfully for Christ’s glory in this critical arena of the arts,” remarked Phillips.
Classroom topics will include: an introduction to Christian philosophy of independent film, lighting techniques, camera-work, editing basics, animation, production logistics, choosing projects, making public affairs documentaries, producing a human interest short, how to direct a television multi-camera studio project, a live critique/analysis of students’ work, ideas, projects, and more.
“Hollywood elites have defined the terms of engagement in the film industry for far too long,” observed Phillips, “We reject their standards, but rather than curse the darkness, we are here to light a candle — to create an alternative industry that gives hope through films that champion the standards found in the Word of God.”
“The motion picture is one of the most influential cultural tools for shaping the thoughts and behavior of modern nations,” continued Phillips. “Movies can be used for good or ill. Any serious effort to recover coherent foundations of civil society must include an effort to replace the disintegrative cinema traditions of today’s corrupt industry, and this is where we’ve set our sights.”
Following the Third Annual Christian Filmmakers Academy, Vision Forum Ministries will host the Fourth Annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival on October 25-27 which features a $10,000 Jubilee Award for the top film submission. For more information on the Film Academy and Film Festival, visit www.independentchristianfilms.com.

Musical Monday's

Sorry I've been so bad about posting. It's been a busy time for us... Hopefully I'll be better this week...


Last week I was looking for some good music to buy and ordered a CD from Amazon.com. It's titled 30 Classical Hymns. You can find it at Amazon.com used (it says used, but mine was brand new) for 0.01 plus 2.99 shipping. I'm really enjoying it. It's a mix of soft, gentle hymns and a few "spiritual" style songs. I tried to find a place where you could hear clips of it, but wasn't able to find any.

Some of the songs include:
~Amazing Grace
~He's got the whole world in His hands
~How great Thou art
~Kumbaya
~Rock of ages
~And many more!!

I hope you'll enjoy this CD as much as I did!

~Bethany

Word's of Wisdom Wednesday's...

Sorry for being so bad about posting. I've just had too much else to do recently.

Today's words of wisdom come from www.makingahouseahome.blogspot.com. I'll just give you the link, and let you check it out for yourself!!

http://makingahouseahome.blogspot.com/2007/08/where-king-lays-his-head.html

Hope you all are doing well!!

Bethany


P.S.
Just a quick note... all of the ad's on our blog, are afilliate links. So... if you click on them and buy something, I get part of the sale. Just a little hint:)
Thanks!!

For those who are dying to know....

We had our midwife appointment today, and they did a sonogram. However, we were unsucessful in determing either the gender or how many little one(s) there might be. It was a little frusterating, but we'll try again next time.

So.... there you have it. You know as much as we do. I did get to see a really cute profile of the baby's face. It was so precious!! I wish we had gotten a picture so we could share, but we didn't... Sorry!!

Another highlight of our day, was that we found and bought a car. It's really nice and I enjoyed driving it in town. It's a 2001 Ford Escort with really low miles and a nice interior/exterior. I'll try to post pictures this week.

Well, I need to close for now. Sorry I didn't post my usual. We were in town most of the day and wore ourselves out and we still have some things to do before bed.

So until later...

Bethany

Frugal Friday's...

This is my first time to do this, so hopefully everything will work like it's supposed to:)

I've been finding lots of free things lately, as well as some things that cost a little, but are worth every penny. I'm going to list them out below so that you can enjoy them with me! Just be sure to open them in a new window, so that you can see all of the ones I have listed.











SUPERMARKET SAVINGS This is a course you won't regret taking. The e-books themselves are worth every penny, but you will also learn wonderful money saving techniques. I HIGHLY recommend this course!!



Also, here are some neat links I've found recently:

Season Delights This magazine is free if you sign up before the end of September... it's wonderful!!

Cooks.com - A wonderful website with tons of free recipes!!

Hope you enjoy each of these sites as much as I did. Also, check out Crystal's blog for more frugal ideas!!!

A neat website to check out...

Thought you all might enjoy this website!! They have a lot of great resources.



BTW, I'm having a lot of fun with affiliate programs. Which means, that all these banners, ads, etc. were placed here by me and if you click on them and purchase something, I get a commission:) (Hint hint!) I've known about others who have done this with great success, but now I'm giving it a try!

I'll probably write more about it later once I see how well it really works... so far I've made about $25!!

Thoughtful Thursdays

I think this is going to be a fun day to do. First before I give you some ideas I found, I want to tell you about a really neat e-magazine I found titled Seasonal Delights. Just go to www.sdquarterly.com and you can sign up and then download the magazine free through the end of September. I did this, and it's chock full of neat ideas of different things you can do to make fall a special season. It's worth checking out...

OK, now on to some neat gift ideas that I found. These are gift ideas that can be done for free. Their "specialness" is found in the thought that is placed behind the gift.

1. Give them breakfast in bed.
2. Print them off a handmade coupon for a back massage.
3. Cook a special dinner for a friend or loved one.
4. Give someone a special day of pampering.
5. Write a poem or a quote in honor of someone's birthday.
6. Clip the coupons from Sunday's paper and mail them in a card to a frugal shopper.
7. Create a gift voucher for one hour of doing whatever they want.
8. Weed their garden for them or rake their lawn.
9. Give them a hug.
10. Light a candle and run a warm bath for that special person.
11. Send an e-card or online greeting.
12. Print off information on a topic of interest to someone.
13. Pass along a family heirloom or something that has sentimental value.
14. Surprise someone with a picnic using food that you already have on hand.
15. Give them a seedling to grow using one of your own plants.
16. Make cookies or fudge and wrap them in tissue paper.
17. Send an e-mail that lists out the reasons why they are special or why you love them.
18. Sew together pieces of old clothing for a truly unique table runner or quilt.
19. Give them an old photograph that has been tucked away for some time.
20. Create a hobby scrapbook with images, articles and tidbits about their favorite activity

So there you have it... 20 ideas for giving a gift that will mean alot, but won't cost you much.

If you have a gift idea, feel free to post it in the comments, or send it to me at maxsonblog@yahoo.com.

A quick little something...

I'm going to bump this up so that those who are just now reading this, will be able to take advantage of this great deal. A couple of you already have, and I hope you're enjoying it. Even when it gets up to the price that I paid for it (17.97) I would still say it was worth every penny!!!


Would you like to know how to significantly cut your grocery bill without spending hours each week doing so? Do you feel like you're spending a lot of money but not getting what you need?
If your answer is "yes," then Supermarket Savings 101 is for you!

What is included? Well a whole lot... here's just a few things.
-Designing a menu plan that really works -Menu planning on a budget
-Simple, no-fuss, frugal menu ideas and recipes
-Creating a workable grocery budget and how to stick with it
-Learning how to find good deals
-Time management and efficiency in frugal shopping
-The basics of using coupons - where to find them, which coupons to cut, how to organize them
-Step-by-step explanations on how to make the most of deals at CVS and Walgreens
-A photo tutorial of a typical $35/week grocery shopping trip for our family including some of our favorite $35/week menu ideas.
-Links to helpful resources and websites to aid you in this money-saving journey
-And much more!

Plus you'll also recieve the following:
Bonus #1 - Thriving on One Income ($7.97 value!) - an 80-page eBook chock full of practical ideas which can be accomplished on the tightest of budgets. Personal testimonies, down-to-earth wisdom, and encouragement..
Bonus #2 - Momma's Guide to Growing Your Groceries ($7.97 value!) - Over the last several years, Kimberly Eddy has been canning an average of 500 jars per year, and dehydrating, freezing, and eating fresh vegetables and fruits that she and her family have grown in their own backyard at their lovely Michigan villa. Kimberly has five young children who help her out in this venture and in this eBook she shares with you many helpful tips and tricks she has learned over the past few years to help you to also grow your own groceries and lower your food bill. 69 pages.
Bonus #3 - Simply Centsible Breakfasts ($4.97 value!) - All of our family's favorite frugal breakfast recipes including all my make-ahead batter recipes, bargain banana breakfast recipes, marvelous muffin recipes, and much more. Sprinkled throughout are quick and frugal tips to help you get breakfast on the table in an easy, inexpensive manner. 17 pages.
Bonus #4 - Simply Centsible Suppers ($4.97 value!) - Short on Time and Money? Simply Centsible Suppers is the surefire solution! 10 complete dinner menus which are quick and easy, inexpensive, and most importantly, delicious! Crystal also shares tips and ideas for eating well on a tight budget gleaned from the past two years while her husband was in law school and they lived off of a small part-time income.20 pages.
Bonus #5 - Menu Planning Made Easy ($5.97 value!) - This ebook contains four weeks worth of dinner menus, recipes, and shopping lists in addition to cooking and money-saving tips to make your life easier! Recipes and ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with forms and instructions to make your own menus easily. 54 pages.
Bonus #6 - The Bread by Hand eBook ($4.97 value!) - This ebook explains the bread-baking process in detail and even helps the most inexperienced baker understand the ins and outs of baking bread by hand. Whether you are interested in learning how to bake white bread, wheat bread, or any other sort of bread, you will learn how in this ebook. In fact, this ebook doesn't just stop at baking basic breads, but also covers sourdough bread, rye bread, homemade soft pretzels, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and more. 43 pages.

So, When you purchase this course, you will receive:
1. Six simple and easy-to-understand audio lessons, including a question and answer lesson at the end where I address many questions submitted by those in the pilot class.
2. A 57-page course handbook including all the transcripts from the audio lessons, assignments to help you learn the ropes, and lots of extra helpful information.
3. Six bonus ebooks mentioned above to encourage you as you seek to save your family money.
4. Access to a private, members-only interactive message forum which includes all of the original lessons, assignments, and questions and answers from the pilot class. This is a place where you can chat with others who are on the same journey as you in seeking to save money on groceries, share what you are learning, ask questions, share your experiences, and swap great deal finds!

This course is being offered at a special price for a limited time, and I would highly recommend that you take advantage of it. Just go to this link to sign up. It's quick and easy, and you'll be thankful you did.

Also, when you purchase the course above, I get a comission on each purchase. Please help me get the word out!! Feel free to copy this and send an email out to all your friends, or post it on your blog if you have one. If you go to the link, you'll see that the course will more than pay for itself. Also, feel free to ask me any questions you might have, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks so much,
Bethany

P.S.
*EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!*
The sooner you order, the less you pay!
Since I know all of you want to get good deals and stretch your hard-earned money as far as possible, I have a very special deal for you. For the release week of this brand-new Supermarket Savings 101 course package, we are offering an incredible deal, but you must act fast to take advantage of this savings opportunity.
The retail value of this package would be much more than $17.97, but we've decided to offer this package at that discounted price since we're all about you getting a bang for your buck! However, since this is the very first week for this course to be available to the public, we're offering it at less than half the greatly discounted package price. That's right, for today only you can get this entire package for $11.97. But it won't stay at that price for long because every 24 hours until Friday, September 8, 2007, we will raise the price by $3.00 until it is up to the discounted price of $17.97.
So, HURRY and SAVE while you can!
$11.97 *Today Only*

Words of Wisdom Wednesday's

Sorry about not posting yesterday. I had a couple of ideas, but I just got super busy and didn't have time to post them, so I'll have to wait till next week.

This week's words of wisdom come from a blog that I really like to frequent. Crystal Paine's blog has been a great encouragement to me, and I really enjoy reading it every day just about. You can check it out for yourself by going to http://www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/blog.htm. I know you'll be blessed.

Here though, I'd like to put in a little something that she wrote that I thought you all might enjoy...

The Best Things
I look down into her precious eyes. I see her smile. I hear her gurgle and coo. Why me, Lord? Why did you entrust me with this precious gift? I'm not worthy, Lord.

These thoughts have been running through my head a lot the past few days. Some friends of ours - friends who were married soon after us and had twins soon after Kathrynne was born - lost their little three-month-old baby boy this week.My heart breaks for this young couple. I can't even begin to imagine the pain, the heartbreak, the agony of losing a little precious child, a child you loved so dearly. There are no words to describe what the pain must feel like.I look at my two precious girls - one scampering about the house, the other cuddled in my arms - and a lump arises in my throat. I don't deserve these precious gifts. I never want to take them for granted. However little or much time God gives me to be their mother, I want to be faithful, I want to make the most of it.

There are so many good things in life that constantly creep in to try and crowd out the best things. The good things can wait, being a mommy and investing in these precious lives cannot.

Lord, help me to be faithful!

See the full article at:http://www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/2007/08/best-things.html

Some quick pics...

At Victor's encouragement, I'm going to post some pictures from our visit to the Natural Bridge Caverns yesterday. We enjoyed ourselves, and Victor got some really good pics. He also got a few pictures that included my belly, so all you who have been wanting a good pic will get one now!!
I hope to post more on Saturday during my overview, but I'll post most of the pictures now!!

Outside the entrance to the cave

Now inside the cave (note my big eyes, the flash was super bright:)

A beautiful shot in one of the rooms.

Another beautiful shot at one of the auqifer "pools". It was even prettier in real life.

Victor really was there, it was just that he had the camera most of the time, so I was usually the one in front of the camera and he was behind. But I did get this one shot.

This huge room looked almost like a picture you would see in a fairy tale book. It was much more beautiful in real life though!!

Here's a shot from our 100 foot climb upwards!! It didn't look doable from the bottom, but we managed to do it:)

Here I am again... this time I'm sitting down to rest after the long climb up out of the cave. You can see my protruding belly pretty well here!!

Musical Monday's...

I LOVE having music playing during the day while Victor's at work. It helps me not to get that lonely feeling that likes to creep over me. :) The difficult for me, though, is finding beautiful, God honoring music to listen to. That is why I'm beginning this section. I hope it will be of help to those of you who also like music, but don't like having to buy a CD and find out it's no good...

The first CD I'm going to overview for you, is a CD entitled "Hymns for the Morning" by Our Daily Bread. I just recently came across this CD while cleaning out some not so favorite CD's, and have been listening to it alot. It has beautiful arrangements of some familar hymns including the following:

1.Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
2.For the Beauty of the Earth
3.What a Friend We Have in Jesus
4.Fairest Lord Jesus
5.Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
6.This Is My Father's World
7.When Morning Gilds the Skies
8.Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
9.All Creatures of Our God and King
10.Holy, Holy, Holy
11.Great Is Thy Faithfulness



If you are interested in more info about this CD, as well as others in the series (there's quite a few) you can go to: http://www.worshipmusic.com/1733624982.html. You can also listen to a few clips as well.





If you have a favorite CD that you would like me to review, you can contact me at maxsonblog@yahoo.com. If you would like to send me a copy of a CD to listen to, email me at that same address and I'll get back with you!! Until next week...

A Piece of Advice from Thomas Watson (posted by Victor)

"I beseech you, keep your constant hours every day with God. The godly man is a man 'set apart,' Ps. 4:3, not only because God has set him apart by election, but because he has set himself apart by devotion. Begin the day with God, visit God in the morning before you make any other visit. Wind up your hearts toward heaven in the morning, and they will go the better all the day after. O turn your houses into temples. Read the Scriptures. The two Testaments are the two lips by which God speaks to us; these will make you wise unto salvation. The Scripture is both a glass to show you your spots, and a laver to wash them away. Besiege heaven every day with prayer; thus perfume your houses, and keep a constant intercourse with heaven."
(Taken from Watson's sermon entitled "Parting Counsels" in Sermons of the Great Ejection, one of my favorite books.)

Summary Saturday...

Thanks to a couple of my faithful readers, I have decided to do summary Saturdays with a summary of our week and pictures. Maybe this will help me be more faithful in taking pictures (maybe:).

This week has been a busy one. Victor preached out of Malachi again on Sunday. This week he'll be preaching his last message on Malachi before he gets a couple weeks break from teaching. We're hoping to use the time to get some things done that have kind of piled up a little. Once he starts up again, he'll be speaking on his views on missions. I'm looking forward to this :).

Monday was little Seth's birthday. I can't believe he's already six years old (or that Joseph will be seven in October:). Monday I spent most of the day at mom and dad's house. I had some laundry that needed to be done, so I got that started and then Angie and I swam in the pool for a while with Matthew. I have been having quite a problem with a sciatic nerve in my right leg, and it's been causing me a lot of pain. I had read on the internet, that swimming is supposed to help somewhat, and it did seem to help for a couple of days. I think I would need to do it more faithfully for it to work totally. I've had problems with it again the last few days.

Tuesday, I spent around the house cleaning and resting. Dad and a few of the boys came over Tuesday afternoon to work on our bedroom. They installed a closet and shelving in our bedroom, cause there wasn't any. I have pictures at the bottom, cause they finished it later in the week.

Once Victor got home, we took Seth out to Burger King to celebrate his birthday. He had a lot of fun...

After we ate, we took him shopping with us. He said he had a very fun night!!

The rest of the week was pretty normal. Dad and the boys finished our room and I'm really enjoying the added storage space.

If you can imagine (I forgot to take before pictures) there used to just be a plain wall there. They added the center wall and the closet and shelving. We're still moving back in, so it's not totally organized, but we're getting there.

Some more renovations are being planned for our little place, so hopefully I'll remember to take some before pictures.

Today was mostly spent around the house, getting ready for company tomorrow. I never totally cleaned and organized when we moved in here, so I'm working to try and get all that done.

Well, I need to go. My to-do list still isn't complete...