Burning Questions - DVD Series

TITLE: Burning Questions DVD: Exploring Where the Evidence Leads (DVD-Video)
AUTHOR/NARRATOR: Dr Andy Bannister
PUBLISHER: Tricord Media with Talon Productions and RZIM Canada

Every generation needs to deal with their respective cultural challenges.  This includes questions about faith and religious ideas. In this DVD-video series containing interviews, dialogues, and concise summaries of various viewpoints, Dr Andy Barrister, Director of RZIM Canada ministries anchors the discussion of six major issues that concerns many people, especially Christians today.

1. Is there a God?
2. If so...why is there evil and suffering? 
3. Has science eliminated religion? 
4. There are thousands of different religions: which one is true? 
5. Can we take the Bible seriously, or is it just a myth? 
6. Who was Jesus of Nazareth and does it matter?

Unlike some works that concentrated merely on Christian scholars or authors, this DVD series brings together people of different faiths, alternative viewpoints, and even secularists and atheists. Letting these individuals speak for themselves, viewers can make their own interpretations and understand the matter from the various perspectives and to appreciate why the producers call them "burning question." There are Jewish rabbis, Hindu leaders, Unitarians, Muslim clerics, atheists, Buddhist monks, spiritual leaders, academic professors, as well as Christian apologists all offering their take on the six big questions above. In each episode, various individuals offer up their opinions, their doubts, their questions, followed by their own versions of what faith and religion mean. Many of the contributors are from the UK and Toronto Canada.

I appreciate Andy Barrister summarizing at various junctures the historical background of each issue, the reasons behind the major questions, the reasons for faith in Christianity, as well as a rationale approach to understanding the reasons behind why people choose to believe what they believe. Beginning with the question about God, each episode increases in intensity, from faith in God above to the issues of pain, evil and suffering below on earth. The final episode about Jesus raises an important question about Jesus, why despite the many objections, there are people willing to die for Jesus and their Christian faith.

This is not simply a DVD about disparate opinions about religions and faith matters. It is about life and the increasingly pluralistic society we live in. Whether one is a believer or not, the DVD offers food for thought for everyone. Each episode is about 30-40 minutes long and can be used in group discussions rather effectively as the questions offered within the videos are open ended and viewpoints so compelling that they are bound to evoke some responses.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

Study Guide can be downloaded here.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of RZIM Canada and Graf-Martin Communications and in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Film: "Season of a Lifetime"

TITLE: Season of a Lifetime
PRODUCER: Rick Cohen
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Word Entertainment, 2013.

[Release Date: August 27, 2013]

Can a relatively unknown high school ever become known in public eyes? Can a small football team in a small town ever make it to the big stage? Can a man diagnosed with ALS help in 2008 help lead a football team to success in the 2010 high school football season? As far as Jeremy Williams is concerned, the answer is a resounding YES!

"It ain't over until it's over!" comes the refrain of Jeremy Williams. His never say die attitude is infectious. It turns around a group of football players into greatness. It gives national attention to the spirit of the human soul. It provides a can-do attitude for anyone who tends to be discouraged by illness, disease, and dire situations.

This is an inspirational documentary about a man who dares to defy the odds. It is about how one looks at the word "impossible" into "I am Possible." The can-do attitude defines the life and determination of Jeremy Williams, who suffers a progressing ALS disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Despite the condition and the deteriorating effects of the disease, Williams lets his actions talk. He commits himself to be the head coach of his hometown's Greenville Patriots for one last season, to give of his best, but more importantly, to challenge others around him to give of their best and be at their best. The results are phenomenal. Greenville High School is the only high school in Greenville town, about 60 miles south west of Atlanta, Georgia. With a population of less than a thousand people, the documentary even says that it has just one red light junction!

How on earth can a small team make it to the big arena? By winning? Not really. It is not the winning per se, but the winning attitude that grows from largely the energy and determination of one man. Voted the National High School Coach of the Year for 2010, Jeremy Williams shares his family, his faith, while others revel in his fame and fantastic life of courage. Williams garners many public recognition. From being a recipient of the national show, Extreme Makeover, to the 2010 High School football season that epitomizes his life, Williams has become a symbol of hope and courage. Producer Rick Cohen, after reading about the inspiring story of Williams in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, decides to make a film that traces the life, and the gruelling challenges of being a head coach, who eventually leads the team to its first ever undefeated season, and to play in the coveted playoffs for the championship.

So What?

The film is devoid of all the glitzy and glorious Hollywood style rags to riches atmosphere. Yet, there is a gradual buildup of expectations of great things that are to come from humble beginnings. Inspiration comes not through a superficial bowl of glittering images, but through simple deep and honest doses of energy and belief that cut through the no's of discouragement, to reveal the yes's of determination. Williams's power of belief is infectious. Just seeing how he fights his own physical ailments is enough to energize people around him to achieve what many people say is impossible.

In the first few minutes, viewers will be introduced to the debilitating effect of ALS, the seemingly low probability of success of Greenville football team, and the very ordinary town of Greenville. Filled with snippets of the football team, interviews with family, friends, school staff, and many, we are given an idea how formidable the barriers are to lead the team to success. The producers even included the subtitles to aid viewers to understand what Williams is saying.

Just to give us an idea of the mountain of challenges for the Williams family, not only is Jeremy dealing with ALS, his son Jacob continues to battle Spina Bifida, a birth defect that affects Jacob's ability to walk normally. His wife Jennifer has also been diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. One wonders why this family has to go through so much. You can follow and support the fund raising campaign here. Jeremy and Jennifer will also be publishing a book called "Tenacious" due to be released this month.

(Jacob, Josie, Jennifer, and Jeremy; Sep 2012)
Photo Credit - Robin Trimarchi

If you enjoy football, you will enjoy this film. For the rest, the story itself is bigger than the football. Overall, this is a great film, but don't expect Hollywood style frills. There is no need as the story is already inspiring in itself. For more information click here.

conrade

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This DVD is provided to me free by Word Films without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Singing Grammarian" Video Bundle (H. Daniel Zacharias)

TITLE: Singing Grammarian 17 Video Bundle [Video Download]
AUTHOR: H. Daniel Zacharias
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2013.

With catchy melodies and sometimes humourous linkages of memory mneumonics, this package of videos makes learning Greek memorable and fun. It reminds us again that the study of Greek need not be dry or difficult. If we can be creative in our learning methods, chances are, we can make learning a meaningful experience. Using music, powerpoint transitions, highlighted Greek paradigms, parsing tools, grammatical highlights, vocabulary, pronunciation, and many other tips for learning the biblical Greek, Zacharias sings with an encouraging voice supported by a clear visual presentation.

How should this tool be used? For a start, it can be used by teachers just before the teaching of the grammatical topic, and again at the end of the lesson. In the middle, the student will need to do the hard work of writing down the actual Greek, to be familiar with the words themselves, and how the endings, the nuances of the language, and the way each Greek table is constructed. This is the hard work that needs to be done first, and the video cannot replace this actual learning. The video aids a little bit in terms of helping the student to remember. It cannot be used to replace the need to memorize the table in the first place. Secondly, students will benefit by using these videos to remind them of what they have learned. Especially helpful before any test or exams, the videos can instill a melody to pull out stuff at the back of our heads. That is where the hard work done initially will prove helpful. Learning melodies can be easy, but without the actual content to be reminded about, the melodies remain useless melodies. Thirdly, the tool is a good way to refresh previous Greek students who have long forgotten their introductory Greek. Finally, if you can let your creativity run while, there are many other possible uses of this video bundle. Let me share one creative gem. This is especially for those of us who are young parents. What do we do if we want to sing our kids a bedtime melody, and at the same time, we have to prepare for an upcoming Greek grammar exam the next day? Do not fret. Play the melodies by Zacharias over and over again to charm our kids to sleep. Such parents who are also Greek students will not mind playing the melodies over and over again. The kids will love it. The Greek student will savour it. Maybe, the spouse may not find it as amusing but, well, if the kids can sleep well, and the Greek can be learned well, why not?

The list of 17 videos covers:

1. Articles
2. Greek Alphabet 
3. Aorist Active and Middle
4. Future Active and Middle
5. First Declension
6. Second Declension
7. Third Declension
8. Imperatives
9. Infinitives
10. Liquid Verbs
11. Participles
12. Passives
13. Present Active Indicative
14. PluPerfect
15. Present, Middle and Passive
16. Secondary Endings
17. Subjunctive

I find some of the videos a little too quick, especially with all the different Greek characters coming in and out of the transitions. This should not be a problem with modern technology. With the pause and rewind on the computer, it is easy to either slow down, replay, or to pause at any time to pace ourselves. The first time may take some getting used to. After a while, it's a breeze. Hang on to the videos. Learning Greek need not be dry and monotonous. This singing grammarian puts the fun back into learning Greek.

Note that this item can be purchased from Christian Book Distributors here. It is not available on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This resource is provided to me free by Kregel Publications without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.