Always Advent

Other than The Passion of the Christ and Jesus of Nazareth, I mean.

A great movie for the whole family to watch together sometime during Holy Week is The Prince of Egypt. I first saw this movie with my family in the theatre on Holy Saturday, 1998. That was quite an experience. It has some cartoonish elements, like the Egyptian priests and an outlandish chariot race, but overall it is a respectful and moving treatment of the story of Moses.

The direct-to-video sequel, Joseph: King of Dreams is actually quite good also.

Epic Stories of the Bible is a series of animated motion pictures released by Promenade Pictures. Twelve movies are in the works, and first one, available now, is The Ten Commandments. Voice talent on this one includes Ben Kingsley (Narrator), Christian Slater (Moses), Alfred Molina (Ramses), Elliott Gould (God). The screenwriter also wrote the screenplay for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I haven’t seen this one but I heard it was good.

Promenade Pictures
founded 2003
produces family films with Judeo-Christian themes
Frank Yablans (formerly of Paramount and MGM)

the next planned films
Noah’s Ark
David and Goliath

Feel free to weigh in with your recommendations!

Catholic poet and author Kathryn Mulderink has some promising-looking resources for Lent: www.lulu.com/kathryntherese

She also has a nice blog: Exhaling

I have a writing deadline this weekend, so not much to say today other than Come, Lord Jesus! We’re waiting for you!

Go to this link for some awesome Catholic music for kids and adults, with an Advent-themed song called “Jesus, Come Soon”:
http://bsc.weship4you.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=302

Have you ever seen a baseball player make the sign of the cross as he steps up to the plate? Point to the sky acknowledging God after striking out a crucial batter? Ever wondered if those guys are serious about their faith or just superstitious?

This new DVD, produced by Catholic Exchange, answers the question: some of those guys are totally serious about their Catholic faith. They are hard-working professional athletes who put God first in their lives and give Him all the credit for their success. They are devoted to the Mass and to the Holy Eucharist. They are responsible family men who have their priorities in order.

Dozens of Major League baseball players make brief yet inspiring “sound bite” appearances in this lavish and well-produced sports documentary, but the testimonies of the featured Major Leaguers – 4 players, 1 manager, and 1 coach – are simply amazing. It built my faith to listen to these men tell their stories. These guys are at the top of their game—true champions like Mike Piazza and Jeff Suppan—yet they are humble and truly grateful for God’s providence in their lives. These men really are sports heroes. This DVD was moving, heartwarming, exciting, and inspirational—and I don’t even watch baseball.

Highly recommended for the whole family–and not just the baseball fans!

www.championsoffaith.com
www.catholicexchange.com

Just a link today (I’m working on a book review, plus I just watched Into Great Silence and am still a bit stunned…)

This is a link to a monastery of Carmelite monks in Wyoming who support themselves by producing gourment coffee:

http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com