Chasing Grace (Movie Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the dvd via Edify Media in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the movie-

A tragic accident threatens to destroy a pastor’s family and sets into motion a complex betrayal between two brothers, while exposing secrets no one wants to face.

Pastor Jonathan Matheson lives in a world of black and white, yet finds a way to navigate the “grey in-between” to work to his advantage, while facing one of the most tragic moments of his life. Set in small-town America and woven inside a tale of redemption, “Chasing Grace” is a story of how one family takes on the burden of guilt in order to make sense of their loss. While pointing the finger of blame at his brother, Pastor Jonathan also chooses to hide from the truth while trying to escape his own personal demons. “Chasing Grace” is loosely based upon true events and provides a powerful story about the redeeming power of forgiveness.

My thoughts-

Tragedies have a way of bringing out some pretty heavy emotions in the affected people, especially when it is unexpected and even more so when it involves a child. The Matheson family exemplifies this statement. They are all spiraling out of control in their own ways after the death of the youngest child (and only girl) in the house after a traumatic accident one of her brothers witnessed. It is a hard movie to watch. It starts with the funeral of the young Matheson daughter and then shows us in bits and pieces what really happened to her. It was really heavy stuff and at times it was hard to stay sympathetic to some of these characters, but in the end I think redemption and forgiveness are the main themes. There are some pretty difficult scenes and themes (a suicide attempt, alchoholism), but movies like this are a good way to broach these kinds of subjects with kids that might not have otherwise have come up organically during a conversation.  I would recommend this movie for adults and older kids and teenagers. 

http://chasinggracemovie.com/

Find a Way (Movie Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the movie via Edify Media in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the movie-

Inspired by a true story

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Finding faith can be difficult for many people on any given day. Imagine an ordinary Sunday morning. It's time to get redy for church and you go to wake your talented, loving, bright, beautiful son. Only, he won't wake up...every again. What happens to faith then?

This is how tragedy began for a Burlington, North Carolina family. Their son, Harry Cohen, was a high school senior- a genuinely inspirational young man, star football player, friend to all and a strong Christian. One morning he didn't wake up. The untimely death of an outstanding young person naturally brings up questions about faith and God's presence. How can God allow such a thing to happen? The event obviously has an immense effect on family, friends, and the community at large.

Things that previously seemed to be so important are put into perspective and we can gain an understanding as to what is truly important in life. Harry is gone from us, but he continues to inspire actions, words and deeds with a message of faith & hope. Find a Way will stand as a tribute to Harry Cohen and be a beacon of hope to anyone who has ever dealt with pain and heartache.

My thoughts-

Tragedy can strike when we least expect it and I think it is always more heartbreaking when a child or young person is the one to go. I lost a couple of classmates in high school and it is a huge overwhelming feeling at that age- feeling invincible and being brought back down from the clouds when something goes wrong with someone the same age as you. Find a Way shows how several different people and families deal with the grief of tragedy striking a well loved teen. It is all the more heartbreaking that it is based on a true story. The story beyond that is reconciliation of relationships within these sub-stories or in some cases making changes where necessary. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has ever lost someone and struggled with their faith. You are not alone.

Watch the trailer for Find a Way- http://youtu.be/CA606vV6ANM

Rumors of War (Movie Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the movie from Edify Media in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 


About the movie-

 is a suspenseful, genre-bending film with two converging storylines. An aspiring college journalist finds herself searching for answers when she investigates end-time prophecies for a term paper. Recording her research in a diary, her findings prove to have more of an impact than she could have ever imagined.
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Her diary is discovered years later, in the rubble of a post-apocalyptic society filled with decay and violence. With the truth of what really happened to the world in its pages, the book finds its way into to the hands of an officer in the New World Army. But what will he do with this new found truth?

My thoughts-

In a time where dystopian movie and books are very popular with the masses, this post-apocalyptic story certainly fits in. What I like about it, is that though it is a work of fiction, it takes it's main idea from Revelations...concerning the rapture and the mark of the beast. It is given a bit of a modern twist with the "chip" that is to be implanted in everyone serving as the mark of the beast and the thing that Christians need to avoid. I thought that the movie was a very interesting concept. It is always interesting to think about how things might go down concerning the mark of the beast and how it could just happen at any time. I enjoyed the movie, the suspenseful and post-apocalyptic aspect of it, but for some reason I felt like it was missing something although I can not quite put my finger on what it was. I thought it was a great effort and an enjoyable movie for the family that could be a great conversation starter. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys movies about the aftermath of the apocalypse or are interested in the points of interest in Revelations.

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Watch the Rumors of War trailer below-

The Genesis Code DVD review & giveaway!

The Genesis Code begins with college journalist Kerry Wells  being assigned to interview the newest hockey star at her school, Blake Truman. As Kerry gets to know Blake and they start to become friends, she learns that Blake is going through a huge personal crisis. She suggests he turn to prayer and he in turn tells her he believes that modern science completely disproves the Bible, especially the story of Genisis. With the help of her brother, who happens to be a science whiz, Kerry sets out to prove that maybe both science AND the Bible are right!



I thought this was a really interesting movie. I found all of the many characters likeable and their questions and reservations to be valid concerns that someone might face, especially in college. I really enjoyed the explination of how science and the Bible are both true because of the difference in how time was perceived in Biblical times and how it is now. I thought this movie did a great job of drawing the parallels between the two. The Genesis Code will cause it's viewers to think outside of the box, a wonderful sign of a good, thought provoking movie.

The only complaint I have is that a good portion of this story is about a hockey player, so I thought there would be at least some hockey in the movie. The beginning starts off with a game, but it also happens to be the beginning of Christmas break, so there wasn't too much hockey. It only bothered me because it seemed to be that it would be a part of the story, however it didn't take away from the story line at all and it wasn't really a big deal. Just a personal bit of knit-pickiness. :)  I still really felt this was a good faith based movie with a great cast. Fans of The Love Comes Softly series will love seeing Logan Bartholomew in an entirely different role and there is even a small part played by Catherine Hicks from the popular television series, Seventh Heaven.


Sound like a movie you would like to check out? One lucky reader will win their very own copy of The Genesis Code. Enter via the rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

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