Lego-mation

One of my favorite sessions at Vision Forum's Film Academy was Isaac Botkin's dissection of a short film his family made. The Botkin kids made it in one month, especially for the Film Academy. Benjamin, Anna Sofia, and Elizabeth Botkin composed and digitally orchestrated the music. Isaac, Benjamin, Noah, and Lucas Botkin did the voices. Benjamin, Noah, and Lucas built the ships on the computer out of digital Legos that Isaac created. Isaac Botkin animated the film.

It was so interesting to see all of the behind-the-scenes work on this 3-minute film at the Academy. The work that went into it was amazing!

None of the Botkin kids have been to college. Instead, they have practical, real-life experience, and they can figure things out for themselves. Besides, they are extremely industrious and motivated. It's amazing what a family can accomplish when its members work together!

To see more extremely interesting information about this film, as well as some behind-the-scenes videos, go to Isaac Botkin's Blog.

Isaac Botkin said that one of the most difficult aspect was getting the Lego men to look Lego-realistic. Since they only have seven joints in their entire bodies, this was quite a feat!

Facing the Giants

This afternoon, our grandpa took us to see the movie "Facing the Giants." It was amazing! It would have been like just another sports success story if it weren't for one thing: all the credit for every success was given to God. There are so many sports stories out there which all have the same story line: a team keeps losing, but because a coach or somebody inspires them, they start winning.

Everything fell into place at the end of the movie. If all of this were just attributed to chance, or luck, this movie would have been essentially meaningless. But, the complete glory was given to God. In the story, He was the One who orchestrated all of the circumstances and events - as He does everyday in "real life"! He was - and is - in charge.

What a wonderful message this movie had! It's definitely a must-see!

"Grandmother's Point of View" - Issue II

Grandmother’s Point of View

by Grandma Betty

There are 46 chromosomes in the one initial cell of each human life. Animals were created with different numbers of chromosomes than humans, so they never did and never can evolve into human beings. As you can see, I find the science of genetics very fascinating! It is amazing to my finite mind that each of us has the same number of chromosomes in our initial life cell, yet out of these 46 chromosomes come all the variations of the characteristics and “bents” governing our appearance, sex, personality, capabilities, talents, and emotional make-up.

It has occurred to me that the potential in that initial life cell embodies the make-up of the “old man” (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9). We are aware that it isn’t necessary to teach a child to lie, deceive, or steal – he is born with these tendencies toward sin. Psalm 51:5 tells us that even before our birth, we were “shapen in iniquity.” Each of us not only inherits a unique combination of the 46 chromosomes of our forebearers, but also the fallen nature of Adam (Romans 5:12). We do not inherit any of the characteristics of the “new birth” (I Corinthians 2:14).

As Christian grandparents, we must realize that God has given us the responsibility of establishing and endowing our children and grandchildren with a Christian heritage through the guidelines of His Word. In Deuteronomy 6:2-9 God commanded parents to teach Biblical principles to their children and children’s children. Psalm 78:2-7 concludes, “Shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done.”

We had an opportunity to do this last summer as our extended family gathered for a reunion. It was a joy to see how many of our children, nephews and nieces were carrying on the principles of their faith in Christ in their own families. We publicly remembered the Godly example of our parents who are now with the Lord. Before we parted, we made a circle and each person lit a small candle by turn to signify their Christian testimony to the world. Then we sang, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Each branch of the family left with a copy of our “family tree.” How thankful I am for the Christian heritage of my family that spans the generations! All Christian grandparents have the privilege of establishing a Biblical heritage for their children’s children. Will your grandchildren be able to say as David in Psalm 16:6, “I have a goodly heritage”?

To see the information about when and where this article appeared, who exactly wrote it, and other interesting facts, click here.

Testimony From Vision Forum Film Festival

This was posted on Mr. Phillips' blog today. What a blessing! As you can see, there was a lot more to this film festival than simply films!

From an International Attendee at the Film Festival:

"What a blessing last week has been for me and my family, even though they could not be there with me. The day after I came back we watched Facing the Giants in the cinema and my family was stunned. What a work God had done through these brothers at Sherwood. The same day I told my wife we had to come up with a concept to take our children out of public school and start home education. Yesterday I scheduled an appointment to have a vasectomy reserval operation to reverse a bad choice that I had made in the old life. This and much more is what God had prepared for last week and had used you and those lovely people to accomplish it."

Vision Forum's Christian Film Academy and Festival

Leslie and I, and Grandma and Pop Fitz are in San Antonio TX this week for Vision Forum's Independent Christian Film Academy and Festival. It's hard to believe that we only have one full day left! I'll be posting soon about our first few exciting days at Pearl Stables for the Film Academy. In between the Film Academy and the Film Festival, we took a roadtrip around this area of TX, visiting where Pop grew up and some other very interesting places. The Lord really had His hand in that trip, and gave us some wonderful experiences and opportunities. Right now, we are in the midst of the exciting Film Festival.

I don't have time to tell about everything now, but new posts will hopefully come soon! Let me just leave you with this thought:

Don't watch films passively. Don't allow the philosophies and underlying messages of every film to slowly and subtly influence your worldview.
Always watch films actively. Engage your mind; always compare every aspect of each film with the Bible. We must guard our hearts and minds against the ungodly worldviews evidenced in virtually every Hollywood film in existence today!

More coming soon!

"Practical Skills" Follow-up

The skirt is finished! Shannon worked hard on it the last couple of days, and finished it up very nicely with Mom's help. Here are a few pictures of the finished product, with Shannon inside of it.
When asked what she learned, Shannon responded that she learned "how to sew on the sewing machine, and how to follow directions." She says that she enjoyed working with Mom, and that making the skirt was "really fun." Her parting comment: "I hope everyone likes it!"

To see the original "Practical Skills" post, click here.

A Letter From the 17th Century

Leslie and I wanted to post something tonight, so she dictated most of Pastor John Robinson's Farewell Letter to the Pilgrims to me, from memory - punctuation and all!

While we were taking a walk the other evening, Leslie started reciting Pastor Robinson's letter while pretending to write it on a railing.

(She can also recite Patrick Henry's Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech from start to finish - all seven-and-a-half minutes of it!)

Gesturing over the Harbor, with a little help from Shannon there on the left

"...King George's warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land...."
-excerpt from Patrick Henry's speech

Pastor John Robinson (1575-1625) was a Puritan minister in Holland. This letter was written to the small group of Pilgrims which was leaving on the Mayflower from Holland for America in 1620. (How's that for prepositional phrases?)

A note from Leslie:

I have really enjoyed memorizing this letter, which I found on Vision Forum's website. The first time I read it, I hardly understood anything Pastor Robinson was saying. However, it looked like a good memory project [note from Lauren: I'll never understand why she likes those massive "memory projects" so much!], so I decided to start memorizing it! As I began to memorize, I also began to understand more of what the letter was saying. You will notice that Pastor Robinson fills about half of his letter with advice on how to handle offenses. I can see why he spent so much time on offenses because a small group of people like the Pilgrims could so easily have been divided into discordant factions. Today, many churches and friendships are split too easily over offenses. It's important that we follow God's instructions given in Matthew 18 and elsewhere on how to handle offenses, and that we avoid giving offense whenever possible.

As you read this, consider Pastor Robinson's wise advice: ... we are carefully to provide for peace with all men ... how imperfect is the work of grace in that person who lacks charity to cover offenses ... persons ready to take offense either lack charity to cover offenses, or wisdom to properly take into account human frailty ... we must take care not to take offense at God himself, which we do when we murmur at His providence in our burdens ...

Pastor John Robinson taking leave of the Pilgrims

"Loving Christian friends, I do heartily and in the Lord salute you all, as being they with whom I am present in my best affections, and most earnest longings after you, though I be constrained for a while to be bodily absent from you. I say constrained, God knowing how willingly, and much rather than otherwise, I would have borne my part with you in this first brunt, were I not by strong necessity held back for the present. Make account of me in the meanwhile, as of a man divided in myself with great pain, and as, natural bonds set aside, having my better part with you. And, though I doubt not but in your godly wisdoms, you both foresee and resolve upon that which concerns your present state and condition, both severally [individually] and jointly, yet have I thought it but my duty to add some further spur of provocation to them who run already, if not because you need it, but because I owe it in love and duty. And first, as we are daily to renew our repentance with our God, especially for sins known, and generally for our unknown trespasses, so doth the Lord call us in a singular manner upon occasion of such difficulty and danger as lies upon you to a both more narrow search and careful reformation of your ways in His sight, least He, calling to remembrance sins forgotten by us or unrepented of, take advantage against us, and in judgment leave us for the same to be swallowed up in one danger or other; whereas, on the contrary, sins being taken away by earnest repentance, and the pardon thereof from the Lord sealed up unto a man's conscience by His Spirit, great shall be his security and peace in all dangers, sweet his comforts in all distresses, with happy deliverance from all evil, whether or in life or in death.

"Now next after this heavenly peace with God and our own consciences, we are carefully to provide for peace with all men, what in us lies, especially with our associates; and for that watchfulness must be had, that we neither at all in ourselves do give, no nor easily take offense being given by others. Woe be unto the world for offenses! For though it be necessary (considering the malice of Satan and man's corruption) that offenses come, yet woe unto the man or woman either, by whom the offense cometh, says Christ. And if offense in the unseasonable [inappropriate] use of things in themselves indifferent [neither good nor bad in themselves], be more to be feared than death itself, as the Apostle teaches, how much more in things simply evil, in which neither honor of God nor love of man are thought worthy to be regarded. Neither yet is it sufficient that we keep ourselves by the grace of God from giving offense, except withal we be armed against the taking of them when they be given by others. For how imperfect and lame is the work of grace in that person who wants [lacks] charity to cover a multitude of offenses as the Scriptures speak. Neither are you to be exhorted to this grace only upon the common grounds of Christianity, which are, that persons ready to take offense either want [lack] charity to cover offense, or wisdom duly to weigh human frailty, or lastly, are gross, though close hypocrites, as Christ our Lord teaches, as indeed in my own experience, few or none have been found which sooner give offense than such as easily take it, neither have they ever proved sound and profitable members of societies, which have nourished this touchy humor. But besides these, there are diverse other motives provoking you above others to great care and conscience this way. As first, you are many of you strangers, as to the persons, so to the infirmities one of another and so stand in need of more watchfulness this way; least when such things fall out in men and women as ye suspected not, you be inordinately affected with them, which does require at your hands much wisdom and charity for the covering and preventing of incident offenses that way. And lastly, your intended course of civil community will minister continual occasion of offense, except you diligently quench it with brotherly forbearance. And if taking of offense causelessly or easily at men's doings be so carefully to be avoided, how much more care must be taken that we take not offense at God himself; which yet we surely do so often as we do murmur at His providence in our crosses, or bear impatiently such burdens as wherewith He pleases to visit us. Store up therefore patience against the evil day without which we do murmur at the Lord himself in His holy and just works.

"Another thing there is carefully to be provided for: to wit, that with your common employments you join common affections truly bent upon the general good, avoiding as a deadly plague of your both common and special interests all retiredness of mind for proper advantage, or any singularly affected any manner of way...."

-Pastor John Robinson, 1620

Random Quote of the Day

"Oh look! A towtruck! It has yellow tows and purple truck!"
-Shannon

"Grandmother's Point of View" - Issue I

I had to laugh to myself when I read this article. It is very characteristic of Grandma Ardt. She has always possessed a love for flowers and plants in general. I remember we were going for a walk together around our neighborhood once when she and Grandpa Ardt came to visit. Pointing out a particular plant, she said, "See those plants? They are called 'yuccas.'" Now, these happened to be some plants that I liked very much (for some reason ... I don't quite see why now). Being the eight-year-old that I was, I replied somewhat indignantly, "Oh Grandma! Those shouldn't be called 'yuccas'! They should be called 'yummas'!"

Grandmother'’s Point of View
by Grandma Betty

A couple weeks ago while driving through our neighborhood,I realized the Rose of Sharon shrubs were in bull bloom. These shrubs bloom in late summer every year – never in spring. I always think of them as a farewell token of our summer season.

Each year, they seem to arrive earlier than the last year, before I’m ready to “shift the gears” of my thinking to the approaching autumn: cold, rainy weather, falling leaves, and school busses. Ecclesiastes 3:1 comes to mind: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” If there is one thing we can count on, it’s that the seasons and situations of life are constantly changing!

As I reflected on the Biblical passage which follows this verse – the listing of all the elements of life, - I was struck with awe at God’s perfect wisdom. In verse 14, the thought of finality is expressed: that whatever has happened can’t be changed or added to later (a sobering though). Solomon says that God does this so “that men should fear before Him.”

The experiences of our lives, as we look back upon all that has happened and how the Lord brought us through, should give us much hope and encouragement for the future. What we were able to do as a younger person, we cannot accomplish in later years. This truth hits full force when I try to carry a two- or three-year-old up a flight of stairs! The Lord knows this and has in His wisdom geared our lives and capabilities accordingly.

The seasons of life change, and so do the opportunities. From a young mother’s point of view, it looks as though she’ll never escape from the crowded house, with the cries of children and unrelenting duties and confinement. But in practically no time at all, the children are grown and gone; and she looks back with some feelings of regret over missed opportunities.

Colossians 4:5 says to “Redeem the time” – use our present opportunities to witness, to help others, and to reflect Christ in our daily contacts with others, because the time is short (Psalm 89:47). As the fall season of our lives rushes upon us, we know for certain that the time will come very soon when “There should be time no longer” (Revelation 10:6).

This thought could be sad, as we look at the experience of life we took for granted when our children were small; and yet it’s cheering to realize that God has even better things in store for the future for those who put their trust in Him (1 Corinthians 2:10).

The blooming of the Rose of Sharon signifies the end of summer and the ushering in of a new season – but the REAL ROSE OF SHARON, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the ever-present Creator, who has all seasons under His control (Isaiah 40:28-31).

To see the information about when and where this article appeared, who exactly wrote it, and other interesting facts, click here.

Grandma Betty's Column

My maternal grandma used to write articles for a publication that was put out by her church in Ohio. (Now, at the age of 84, she and my grandpa - my maternal grandparents - are missionaries down in Mexico.) Her column was entitled "Grandmother's Point of View." In it, she taught little life lessons that every young woman needs to learn.

The Bible commands Christian women who have already experienced much of life to instruct the younger women to be godly wives and mothers.

Titus 2:3-5
"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Grandmothers can have such an impact on the lives of their grandchildren! A grandmother who encourages her granddaughters to follow God's calling for their lives extends her Christian legacy, and many generations to come will benefit from this grandmother's obedience to God's commands. Both of my grandmothers have been wonderful paradigms of the virtuous woman. They truly have shown by their example what it means to be "discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands." Even when the circumstances around them have been less than ideal, they have shone as true models of biblical womanhood.

My grandma is a godly wife, mother, and grandmother. She is a splendid helpmeet to my grandpa in their mission work down in Mexico. Because they lived near us only when I was little more than a toddler, I was not blessed with the many memories of this Grandma's house. Both of my grandmas are such a blessing to me and my family, and unceasingly provide living examples of what it means to follow God's calling for a woman's life.

I will try to post one of my grandmother's articles each month. We only have a small store of her early articles, but I have convinced her to write some more for us periodically! These little bits of wisdom and insight I hope will bless you as they have blessed me!