Book Sneeze Review: The Least Among You DVD Published By Lionsgate

This movie is aimed at many audiences. I say this because there was a clear battle between religiosity vs. faith, racists vs. those who see no distinction in color and those who get involved and those who watch others be involved. There are many angles to this story but it is no doubt God-centered and Holy Spirit driven.

Clearly the takeway was the importance of surrendering to God - to not just knowing His Word, but living it, hiding it in one's heart to use when one must go on the offensive against evil. This movie was also a reminder to true believers in Christ to constantly look for others (the underdogs) to help along the way.

Richard Kelly (Cedric Sanders) got a scholarship to Wesbury Theological College in or around 1965 (this is based on a true story) by writing an essay - and by being a "Negro." Without spoiling the story I will leave out some details which are later presented which form the true foundation of the reason Richard avoids prison.

Oh the blessed brother in Christ that comes alongside Richard! Samuel J. Bennett(Louis Gossett Jr.) befriends Richard and welcomes him into his home whereby his wife also shares godly wisdom and points out the Holy Spirit's leading in Richard's life. This relationship is a trinity of true believers who band together against the evil forces hell-bent on tripping Richard up with the intention of sending him to prison.

Female teacher "Kate" is living in the past. She was a former missionary to Africa. She is hopeless yet she is a teacher of the Bible. Richard seeks her out for help with racism. Right after his room is set on fire, actually a cross that his Mother gave him is lit in his room. Kate has no solutions biblical or other. She is self-absorbed with her loss from the past.

Throughout this movie the battle of good vs. evil is hammered and hung high making it impossible to miss. The struggle to survive is demonstrated in Richard's battle to get money to help his sick mother. Throughout this movie Samuel is a father figure/big brother hero. The relationship is not only heartwarming but inspiring. Seeing the love of God and the understanding of Spirit-led faith lived out by Samuel is something we all need to witness more often. I was inspired by his willingness to lose alot by being a helper to Richard.

The fact that Richard was the first and only person (and the only person of color) to quote Scripture was not lost on me. A scene with Kate teaching the class stuck with me. The students were parsing Scripture with no context whatsoever and Richard set them all straight with his declaration of Isaiah 55:11 and Proverbs 3:5-6. He did not state the actual references however he quoted verbatim (I looked them up).

The title is the theme of this movie. I found four references to the theme, "The Least Among You.' http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=The+Least+Among+You&t=NIV Matthew 2:6, Matthew 11:11, Luke 7:28, Luke 9:48. Richard also quoted Heb 4:14-16.

Lastly, the President of the college exited the movie with his admitting he basically wanted to be God by stating, "I am the Gardener. I do the pruning." He hung up his pruning shears in that scene. He won't be needing his gardening gloves in Hades.

Not about to be a spoiler, I just want to close with this. In summation, Richard Kelly knew the Word, hid it in his heart. He may have been many things, but he was not a hypocrite like the rest of the class. I cheered for this hero and his friend. I cheered because the world needs the Word not religiosity. I grieved because sadly the rest of the class represents much of 'Christianity' today. However, God will always provide the hero in each generation. They just have to show up for class. He will do the rest. Rent it today!
 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.

Software Review: SnapIt Screen Capture by Digeus

Currently this product is in review. Find product information at http://www.digeus.com/products/snapit/snapit_screen_capture_3_5.html Please check back soon for a full review.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this software free from Digeus as part of their software review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.

Software Review: System Optimizer 8.2 by Digeus Incorporation

This software was super easy to install. With the exception of the Registry Cleaner button (it is not a "repair button" but instead choose "Fix selected invalid entries") enabling the tasks was easy as the buttons were laid out in a square. The Junk Files cleaner processed quickly and easily. Kaboom I instantly cleaned out the junk in my C drive! Disk Space Analyzer was quite informative however since I was testing on a relatively new laptop I was not surprised to see the results. If you were looking to optimize an older computer this task would be helpful.

Process Manager: I would have appreciated a filter. Because many of the well-known companies in our systems are legit though their signatures did not come up as verified. I would have appreciated being able to program a filter for this task. Microsoft came up in red and I was supposed to manually approve them as safe. Possibly spending the time to personalize this process a first time may allow the user to create their own filter for the next scan.

 

Defragment Your Registry I was not able to fully complete this task. I received this error loading it "Hive:unable to map Path:{/Device\Hard Disk Volume 1\Boot\BCD]. I also was not able to minimize the screen as in other tasks though there was a minimize option at the top right of the pane.

 

Duplicate File Folder this was a progress line but no green fillin so I had know way of knowing how much longer the scan would be. I hung in there though and was clearly impressed by how many duplicate file folders the scan located and removed.

 

Services Manager: I do not know enough techie talk to know what to do with this task. However, for someone willing to learn more about their system, this task may be a benefit.

 

Overall, I would recommend anyone looking to optimize their system to contact Digeus and check out this product first-hand. Good news! This product is a freebie for christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com readers! The kind people at Digeus are offering all readers of christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com the opportunity to review a full version of this product for the asking (in exchange for the promise to post a review)!

 

To receive a free full version:

1. Email Alise/Juliet (contact emails below) Mention this blog
2. Request the FULL VERSION of System Optimizer.

 

Product keys will be emailed to you. The license you will receive releases all restrictions.

Digeus' promise to you:

From Alise Johnson alise.johnson@digeus.com
PR Manager, Digeus, Inc.

"In exchange for an unbiased review, We will provide a copy of the product for free! We will also place link to your review from our product's page with your logo. The review may be written in any language you want, min 100 words. You are free to get photos and sample description from our site: http://digeus.com/products/systemoptimizer/system-optimizer.html

If you use Facebook, Twitter, Digg or MySpace, please add this tool to your bookmarks. The button for adding to bookmarks is located here: http://digeus.com/products/systemoptimizer/system-optimizer.html"

If you hit a roadblock with Alise, email Julia Taylor julia.taylor@digeus.com

Happy optimizing...and reviewing!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free from the manufacturer. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.

Independent Book Review: Held By God: Finding Hope by Recognizing His Provision in the Midst of Suffering by Lori Phillips and Lynn Willers

Held By God is an amazing work, penned by two sisters Lynn Willers and Lori Phillips. The dual author's voice lent a warmth to the book - one which I have not come across before. Sisters Lori and Lynn are twins so I should not have been surprised by their united front. However, much more apparent was their shared love for the Lord which was boldly, unabashedly shared throughout this anointed book.

Their passion for coming alongside their reader to comfort and encourage was clear as sisters Lynn and Lori jointly shared not only their trials and tribulations but their faith. Throughout this book the co-authors returned to Being Held By God in any situation. Undoubtedly the content supported the title - the takeaway hope in any circumstance when one enters the valley in the arms of God.

Chapter One ushers in the beautifully shared story which occurred on the walk to school when the girls were six years old.  Lynn cut her hand very badly after dropping a jar that she was bringing for "show and tell." Clearly an angel (possibly Good Samaritan for those less inclined to believe so easily in angels) carries her to a house nearby to get help. The incorporation of Scripture pointing the reader back to God's faithfulness is included in this chapter (as well as all other chapters).

Beginning on page 54 I began to cheer for the sisters! I realized they were educating their readers - no - empowering and encouraging their reader to challenge the western medical establishment. I applauded as the sisters became their own health care advocates when they did not agree fully with their doctor's assessments. The doctor insisting on Lynn having the "pleurodesis treatment" and instead Lynn insisting on speaking to a Thoracic surgeon illustrated the importance of standing firm in all medical situations. Her account is a reminder to us all that we truly are the consumer - customer if you will - even though we may never have realized this role before. We must be Bereans when it comes to the role we play in the health care industry.

I must mention the coffee cup illustration in Chapter Four! Without being a spoiler of course...Danny is the twin's brother. He innocently protects a coffee cup from all harm to find out at the end of the day that his efforts were in vain as what he needed to do was much easier! That story stuck with me as many of the illustrations similar to this one in the book also stuck with me. The tone of Held By God draws you in and you actually feel like you are one of the family. I chuckled along with Lori and Lynn in Chapter Four for sure!

"Why would the Lord bring us all the way out here, just to have this doctor's door slammed shut so abruptly? In retrospect, this was one of those moments that would have made us laugh had we seen it from God's perspective. When God opens a door, sometimes he doesn't want us to just walk through the door. Sometimes He wants us to walk through, turn right, and then go down the hallway." (page 98)

Relatable? Yes. This book asks many "Why?" questions the reader can relate to - but the word "Why?" does not end with a question mark. Before the ink is dry on the 'y" the sisters often give a Scripture verse. God is held high in this book. The authors come alongside their readers (many of whom no doubt are also suffering physically and hurting emotionally) to share their story and explain how asking "Why?" and remaining in the questioning phase of "Why?" too long won't help the situation at all. Only surrendering to God and letting Him endure the pain with you is the answer and is the theme throughout.

I enjoyed hearing the seasons of Women of Faith Conferences and how each topic ministered to the girls right where they were in their healing journeys. Especially the last conference mentioned touched my heart because the girls attended albeit their Mom was not with them that year.

One of my favorite mentions of servant hood in the book was on page 130. I quote, "During those times, we learned alot about sacrificial giving. Caring for someone with cancer is hard. It is messy, and it is heart wrenching. However, it gives us the opportunity to be like Christ and really show people how much we love them. Sacrificial love is when we place ourselves in situations that take us way out of our comfort zones. During those months with Mom, we realized a truth. We don't show our love for someone by doing something that is easy for us to do or doesn't take much effort on our part. We show our love for them by doing the things that are difficult or hard for us to do. That is when we are most like Christ." Amen and Amen sisters!

I found myself weeping unexpectedly in many chapters. Especially in Chapter Seven Silver Linings in a Dark Cloud I could not read the words before me because the tears were in the way. My head ached from crying but then the pain of crying passed as I read on...and then silly me was bawling again but this time with tears of joy! How wonderful to experience so much emotion - pain and suffering but hope and happiness on the same page. I cried with Lynn as she listened to "holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty", when the fellow bed mate in the hospital helped her when she couldn't even help herself....and so very many times throughout this very special work.

A Bittersweet Celebration was my most favorite part of the entire book. Needless to say, I called my Mom right away and told her I loved her. I chatted with her about random topics that we both have in common. We laughed together during this phone call because we could. I thought I heard her sadness when I said Goodbye. I was reminded of Lynn and Lori's mention of their sadness in not being able to call their Mom as they used to do without hesitation. Unlike Lynn and Lori's Mom, my own does not know the Lord (Romans 10:9-11).

However, the fact that this book's final pages presented the Gospel - just one more time was not lost on me. For this book truly glorifies the Lord and is for everyone - no matter who you are or what you are facing. The medical condition CPT may have been the reason for the book being written at first, but clearly the sisters have allowed the Lord to take this topic and use it as a springboard for a relationship with Christ. For that reason, though I do not suffer with CPT or lost a parent to disease I will share this book with one who does not know Christ and as a result - though they may or may not suffer - no matter what they will never again be without hope. For to be Held By God truly begins with surrender.

Thank you Lynn and Lori for this amazingly hopeful, informative, enjoyable warm and comforting work. Many will be ministered to as a result. This book is anointed.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3&4

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author as part of their request for an independent review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.