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WEEKEND,
OCTOBER 4-6, 2003
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Phil Lambert
Columnist
Jesus at
the movies
“The Ten Command
ments” and Ben Hur are
two of the more well-known
epic movies that prove that
the Bible can be an excel
lent source for quality film
making when placed in the
hands of a capable director
and cast. One of my person
al favorites is the made-for-
TV miniseries “Jesus of
Nazareth” which used the
Gospel accounts and some
excellent acting to portray
the life, death, and resurrec
tion of Jesus.
Some of the more recent
Bible-based movies, espe
cially those dealing with the
end-times, have left a lot to
be desired in terms of quali
ty. Low budgets and limited
advertising generally keep
these movies out of the
mainstream which means
you’re most likely going to
find them on the shelf at the
video store rather than at
the theatre.
Well, if you’re hungry for
a Biblical fdm that doesn’t
sacrifice quality there are
not one, but two good choic
es on the horizon. Just
released in a few select
cities is a movie called The
Gospel of John. Using the
Good News Bible’s transla
tion of the fourth gospel, it
is the first major theatrical
picture of an entire book of
the Bible adapted on a word
for word basis. The movie
was produced by Visual
Bible International, Inc., a
faith-based media company
in Toronto, Ontario.
If the movie doesn’t make
it to any of our area the
atres, you’ll have the oppor
tunity to see it sooner than
you think. The DVD and
VHS versions will be
released on Nov. 5t which
means you can watch it
from the comfort of your
home well before the end of
the year. If you want to find
out more about The Gospel
of John movie, visit the offi
cial movie Website at
www.gospelofjohnthefilm.co
m.
The other film is one
you’ve probably heard
about due to the somewhat
negative publicity it has
already received. I’m talk
ing about Mel Gibson’s
movie, “The Passion.”
Scheduled for release some
time around March or April
of next year, this movie
focuses solely on the final 12
hours of Jesus’ life.
Some groups have
expressed concern that
Gibson’s film will fuel an
anti-Semitic sentiment by
placing the blame for Jesus’
crucifixion on the Jews.
Gibson has stated that his
intent is simply to portray
these last hours of Jesus life
as the Bible tells it. In a
previous interview with
international news agency
Zenit, Gibson stated,
“We’ve done the research.
I’m telling the story as the
Bible tells it. I think the
story, as it really happened,
speaks for itself. The Gospel
is a complete script, and
that’s what we’re filming.”
Gibson’s own passion for
the film is amazing. Not
only is he serving as the
film’s producer, co-writer,
and director, but the
Associated Press has report
ed that he has poured S3O
See LAMBERT, page 7A
Spiritual Living
Wednesday night 'battery charging'
Midweek gathering
offers food for the
body and spirit at
Unity Baptist
BONAIRE - A fixture of
Southern life for genera
tions past, Wednesday night
prayer meetings have gradu
ally changed with the times,
offering a range of activities
for all ages.
So if you haven’t Been in a
while, and you’ve been won
dering about all those cars
in the parking lot, here’s a
Wednesday night report
from one Houston County
church.
Pastor Mike Parker says
that it’s like “the pole that
holds the clothes line up in
the middle,” or, putting it
another way, “ a kind of bat
tery charge” between
Sundays.
And here’s how it goes:
5:30 p.m. There’s supper
on the table in the
Fellowship Hall. Sometimes,
the volunteer cooks report,
they have chicken amandine
or lasagne, but this time it’s
grilled hot dogs and ham
burgers, with all the fixin’s,
and everybody’s filling up
paper plates. Over in anoth
er corner, there’s plenty of
sweet tea.
This is an all-ages church,
Kris Krirat and Ellie Byington enjoy getting together at
the A WAN A meeting.
aafl I
Kris Krirat and Ellie Byington enjoy getting together at
the AWANA meeting.
Treat children with love, not harsh discipline
QUESTION: My wife
and I have a strong
willed child who is
incredibly difficult to
handle. I honestly
believe we are doing our
job about as well as any
parents could do under
the circumstances, yet
she still breaks the rules
and challenges our
authority. I guess I need
some encouragement.
First, tell me if an espe
cially strong-willed kid
can be made to smile,
give, work and cooper
ate. If so, how is that
accomplished? And sec
ond, what is my daugh
ter’s future? I see trou
ble ahead, but don’t
know if that gloomy fore
cast is justified.
DR. DOBSON: There is no
with every generation repre
sented, and many of the
children are disguised as
animals. Tigers. Kangaroos.
Bears. The reason will
become clear at a later
point.
5:45 p.m. Gayle Billingsley
is feeding her granddaugh
ter, who would much rather
just munch on her french
fry.
Ed Lukemire (yes, the
Superior Court Judge, but
without the robe and gavel)
is winding up a busy day
with his wife, Trell, and
daughter, Whitney. Trell
Lukemire explains that
they’ll be going to the serv
ice after the meal, and then
she’s staying to practice
with the choir, so it’s a big
help that somebody else did
the cooking.
At another table Randy
Henson is surrounded by
kids, his own and others.
Henson is a lay leader who
coordinatees the AWANA
program for young people,
and he’s hurrying through
supper so that he can put on
his Noah costume for the
kids’ program that’s coming
up later.
Pastor Mike Parker and
Senior Associate Pastor
Mike Scarborough enjoy
telling the visitor about
their church, which was
founded in 1994 and is one
J
■B(rr T i
Til A.
:, ; s s :
Dr. James Dobson
Focus on the Family
www.family.org
question about it, an espe
cially willful child such as
yours can be difficult to
manage even when her par
ents handle her with great
skill and dedication. It may
take several years to bring
Article and photos
by Charlotte Perkins
of those mid-county church
es that is growing as new
comers arrive in the many
surrounding subdivisions.
The talk turns to “church
clothes,” and Parker
explains that dress at Unity
Baptist is casual, even at
Sunday services.
Layman Ron Burnett,
who could be a one-man wel
coming committee, says,
“We’re interested in what’s
in their souls, not what
they’re wearing, and I’ll tell
you one thing. You walk
through our front door and
you’re likely to be hugged by
somebody. It’s that type of
church.
6 p.m. Randy Henson has
put on his robe and beards
and is organizing all the cos
tumed children even the
toddlers, who seem to be gal
vanized by his voice.
He lays down the law.
“No pulling tails! The
lions and tigers will not
scratch and bite.”
The older kids giggle. The
smaller ones nod seriously.
The children recite the
Pledge of Allegiance and
then the Pledge to the
AWANA flag. (AWANA, for
jpjyjP
Robins Air Force Base Tech Sgt. Randy Henson, (seated, second from right,) is an
active member of Unity Baptist, where he coordinates the AWANA youth program.
Henson is shown here enjoying supper with his son Hayden (in face paint) and
Hayden’s friends, Kay Leigh Hazen, Jaci Lehrmann and Kourtney Hemphill.
in—
Unity Baptist Church memers Patsy Hovey, Qlaudette Hanson, Barbara Burnett and
Don Hanson serve hot dogs and hamburgers, beans and French fries to a hungry
crowd at the Wednesday night gathering.
her to a point of relative obe
dience and cooperation
within the family unit, but it
will happen. While this
training program is in
progress, it is important not
to panic. Don’t try to com
plete the transformation
overnight. Treat your child
with sincere love and digni
ty, but require her to follow
your leadership. Choose
carefully the matters that
are worthy of confrontation,
then accept her challenge on
those issues and win deci
sively. Reward every posi
tive, cooperative gesture she
makes by offering your
attention, affection and ver
bal praise. Then take two
aspirin and call me in the
morning.
• • •
QUESTION: As an
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f
No, it wasn’t a sneak preview for Halloween. These kids
were learning about the Bible story of Noah and the ark.
From left, Ariana Woffard as an uptown kitty cat; Cory
Woffard as a distinctly “Tiggerish” tiger, and Destin
Woffard as a kangaroo, pouch and all.
the unitiated, stands for
“Approved Workmen Are
Not Ashamed” , 2 Timothy
2:15).
Workman over in the
Youth department,
teenagers are drifting in
advocate of spankings as
a disciplinary tool, don’t
you worry about the pos
sibility that you might be
contributing to the inci
dence of child abuse in
this country?
DR. DOBSON: Yes, I do
worry about that. One of my
frustrations in teaching par
ents has been the difficulty
in achieving a balance
between permissiveness and
oppression. The tendency is
to drift toward one extreme
or another. Let it never be
said that I favor harshness
of any kind with children. It
can wound the spirit and
inflict permanent scars on
the psyche.
No subject distresses me
more than the phenomenon
of child abuse, which is so
prevalent in North America
PAGE 6A
after finishing supper.
There’s a different look to
this department, with the
whole room set up like a cof
fee house and musical
instruments on small stage.
today. There are millions of
families out there in which
crimes against children are
being committed day after
day. It is hard to believe just
how cruel some mothers and
fathers can be to defense
less, wide-eyed kids who
don’t understand why they
are hated.
I remember the terrible
father who regularly
wrapped his small son’s
head in the sheet that the
boy had wet the night
before. Then he crammed
the tot upside down into the
toilet bowl for punishment. I
also think of the disturbed
mother who cut out her
child’s eyes with a razor
blade. That little girl will be
blind throughout her life,
knowing that her own moth
er deprived her of sight!
See DOBSON, page 7A