On my mind...

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Movie Review - Soul Surfer

Just watched Soul Surfer, an inspirational movie we rented from Netflix. I love Netflix! Soul Surfer is a true story about a teenage girl, Bethany Hamilton, who loses her arm in a shark attack. Great surfing scenes set against the backdrop of Kauai, Hawaii. Beautifully acted by Anna Sophia Robb. The determination that she has to get back in the water and the faith that carries her through is truly inspiring. Great family movie, highly recommend it.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

My Church

In October 2010 we started attending a church in Lincoln Park called Emergence. The above video is not the best quality but it captures the Emergence Worship band led by Steve Hawthorne. Steve has a great voice and plays acoustic guitar, which is my favorite lead instrument. This is one of my many favorite songs that we sing on a Sunday morning.

Emergence is a bible teaching church. The service is 1 hour comprised of worship and a bible study. It is very simple and has a coffee house feel, very casual and very relaxed. Yes, they serve coffee. The majority of the people that attend are young, 18-30 year olds. One year later and we absolutely love it!!! Excellent teaching and excellent worship, Sunday does not get any better than this.

To learn more, visit emergence.jacksonvillechapel. org or visit them on facebook at www.facebook.com/emergencenj

Mystery - Lyrics by Charlie Hall

Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity
Bread of heaven, broken for me
Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus the Mystery

Christ has died and Christ is risen, and Christ will come again

(Repeat)

Celebrate his death and rising
Lift your eyes, proclaim his coming
Celebrate his death and rising
Lift your eyes, lift your eyes

Monday, October 3, 2011

Book Review

Secrets

Long-hidden secrets come to light in the shadowed halls of a California villa

Antonia stared out the Studebaker’s rear window as it sped away from her grandfather Quillan’s Sonoma villa, leaving behind the vineyard that had been life to her family — a life now lost….

The old villa needed what Rese Barrett could do as well as any man on the crew. Trained by the best, she had honed her skills with a passion for quality, an eye for detail, and no room for compromise.Renovation was her joy–taking something old and making it new without changing the heart if it. But this time the inn she restored was hers, and this time she worked alone….

The answers were there if he could find them, and the commission from his grandmother Antonia compelled him to do so. Brash and impulsive, Lance Michelli arrived at the inn sure of his quest and sensing his right. After all, it was part of his heritage.

Chef, musician, and spellbinder, Lance talked his way into her plans before she’d even made them and had Rese telling secrets she’d never before revealed. He spoke of faith as if he could touch it, but how much more was left unsaid?

Winner of the Christy Award, presented by the Christian Bookseller Association to honor the best in Christian fiction.

Selected by ForeWord Magazine as a 2003 Book of the Year (Gold Award in Romance category)

I loved this book!! While I was reading I wanted to restore an old home and cook!!! The author has an amazing ability to capture these two things. Wonderful love story too.

Movie Review

I recently watched Mao's Last Dancer. I watched this film with my mother in law who was visiting from California. We had a wonderful movie night for just us girls. Excellent story about a ballet dancer who defected to the United States from China. See the trailer below. I highly recommend this movie, the Asian actors far outperform the American actors. I loved the end of this film.

Enjoy...