September 2006 Archives

One of the most remarkable events on cable television took place when hundreds of thousands of viewers watched as a Christian home school family with sixteen biological children raised their family, worked together, and managed a happy, orderly household to the glory of God. Entitled “Raising 16 Children,” this Discovery Health Channel documentary series soon became the number one special on the network. Letters began to pour in with questions and praises from men and women across the nation who were profoundly impacted by a Christian family on television that was not ashamed of their faith, and who deeply, passionately loved children. The response was so overwhelming that Discovery commissioned three other specials including “On the Road With Sixteen Children,” and “16 Children and Moving In!,” the later of which was broadcast on The Learning Channel.

God has richly blessed the Duggar family’s comittment to their faith in Christ, their joyful presentation of the blessing of trusting the Lord for the fruit of the womb, and the spirit of revival they have demonstrated in their approach to family life. The success of the television series attracted a great deal of national attention. The Duggar family has appeared on national television on The Today Show, CNN, the CBS Early Show, and many others, where they have shared their faith and their love for the Christian family. After the birth of their last child they did seven live broadcasts in front of their house in one day.

Now the family of six girls and ten boys travels to Texas to be featured speakers at the 2006 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Attendees will get a powerful look into the way a large Christian family works together as a team in a successful project of national impact, where the goal of the family is to bless the broader culture with a love for Christ. In addition to a behind-the-scenes look at a television documentary sensation, attendees will be able to interact and ask questions and gain insights concerning the successful management of a large family. This is a very special opportunity for filmmakers, home educators, and Christian parents.

Some Fascinating Background Facts on this Precious Family

• A former candidate for United States Senate, Mr. Duggar served two terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives, where he was a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Back when the Duggars only had a few children and were living at a home on their car lot, Mr. Duggar was the victim of an armed robbery during which he was bound and gagged. The incident helps him keep things in perspective today. He likes to share: “I feel like I’m living on overtime.”

• Michelle has been pregnant for 126 months of her life.

• Average number of months between Duggar births is 18.

• The Duggars wash approximately 200 loads of laundry each month.

• Every Duggar child learns to play both violin and piano.

• The Duggars feed their entire brood for less than $2,000 per month.

• The only person in the Duggar family whose name doesn’t start with “J” is Mom — Michelle. The children’s names are Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1; Johannah, the newborn.

• The Duggars first came to the attention of the media when their family went to vote in a state election. A photographer snapped a picture of them which was featured the next day in the New York Times. Soon after, Parent Magazine ran an article on the Duggars, and next the Discovery Channel contacted the Duggars, wanting to do a documentary. The Duggars agreed to do the show on the condition that they could openly discuss their Christian faith. Discovery agreed.

• They have also appeared on national and international TV shows including The Early Show, The Today Show, The View, Italian Public Television, KBS (Korean Broadcasting System), Discovery Home & Health (UK & Australia), Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fox News Network, CNN, MSNBC, and others. They have done numerous interviews with radio talk show hosts around the world as well as magazine and newspaper articles in China, India, New Zealand, Australia, France, and Germany.

• The children include two sets of fraternal twins.

• The Duggar family lives a debt-free lifestyle.

• They recently completed a 7,000 square foot house on 20 acres which had been in the works for three years and which was built debt free. As a result of the television show, several sponsors donated food and appliances for the new home, which features among other things a complete commercial kitchen (the items were purchased at auction for $11,000 and according to the Duggars were valued at over $100,000) and eight commercial washers and dryers.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 28, 2006 | Permalink

Across the nation tomorow a unique film produced by independent Christian filmmakers with an all-Christian cast and crew hits theaters. Produced and co-written by Stephen Kendrick, the film Facing the Giants represents yet another remarkable experiment in privately financed, independent Christian filmmaking.

Using an all volunteer cast and crew from their local church and community, Stephen and his brother Alex (who served as the film’s director, co-writer, and lead actor) have demonstrated the spirit of innovation and creativity which must become the standard for filmmakers working outside the compromised leviathan of Hollywood. Of note, many of the volunteers were homeschooling young people who were more available due to the flexibility of their schedules.

Stephen is a special guest speaker at this year’s San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. He and Ken Carpenter (producer of The Making of Facing the Giants) will give filmmakers a behind-the-scenes tour of how Facing the Giants was made.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 28, 2006 | Permalink

I am delighted to see that No Greater Love, which made its debut at the 2005 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and won the $10,000 award for Best of Festival, is receiving wide distribution with Vision Video.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 26, 2006 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 26, 2006 | Permalink

Since the founding of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and the Christian Filmmakers Academy, the importance of writing has been stressed by our faculty as foundational to the craft of filmmaking. All film production begins with the script, and the script must communicate more than the wisdom, theology, and insight of the writer. The script format communicates instructions to all senior personnel on a film production.

We are pleased to announce that the motion picture industry’s leading script authoring software company has joined the Academy in a sponsorship arrangement to assist students in the craft of writing and reading the complex screenplay format. This is a skill every filmmaker must master, no matter what his specialty or gift. The hundreds of professionals who must come together to make a film all work from the same script. All rely on the wealth of information contained in strict formatting rules. Every professional script must have this formatting.

In 1991, Final Draft, Inc. developed a software program that allows the writer to concentrate on the creative process and not on the industry’s stringent and highly complex formatting rules. Today it is used by the more productive writers, producers, and directors.

Promising writers and producers will have an opportunity to win a personal license for Final Draft software as the SAICFF launches The Treatment Contest. This year’s attendees will hear about the scope of the contest and the benefits for entrants. Treatments do not require the complex guidelines of full length screenplays, but winning treatments will be most easily converted into winning scripts with the kind of software help Final Draft can provide.

“Final Draft is an amazing piece of software,” says producer Mace Neufeld (Gods and Generals, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger), “and the only program around that allows me to instantly get rewrites of a script no matter where I am shooting, from the most remote film location in the Moroccan desert, to the frozen landscape of Montreal’s countryside during one of their harshest winters. These days I don’t know any writer, studio, agency, or line producer who doesn’t use Final Draft — it’s essential.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 26, 2006 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 25, 2006 | Permalink

Vision Forum is pleased to announce that Christian-owned and operated Extreme Meetings has joined as a sponsor for this year’s Christian Filmmakers Academy and will be making its advanced technology available to every student, giving them the power to interact live with instructors during many of the complex lectures designed to sharpen their filmmaking skills.

Wireless keypads in the hands of every student will give them yet additional advantages students in other film courses do not enjoy. “We try to only cover the material the students need,” says instructor Geoffrey Botkin. “This phenomenal tool helps us fine-tune our lectures as we go. The Academy has a very fast-paced schedule, and it’s packed with customized material. This outstanding tool also allows the students to learn more about the skills and background of their peers, and to become more aware of the unique demographics of the independent Christian film movement.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 25, 2006 | Permalink

More than forty semi-finalists for the 2006 Jubilee Awards for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival have been selected from over 140 submissions. This year, semi-finalists will compete for awards in categories that include Best Narrative, Best Documentary, Best Biblical Family, and more. The winner of the Best of Festival will receive our Jubilee Award and a check for $10,000. Visit www.independentchristianfilms.com tomorrow for information on the semi-finalists.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 25, 2006 | Permalink

I am so grateful for the exceptional line-up of faculty and the rich practical content of this year’s innovative program for Christian culture changers—The Christian Filmmaker’s Academy.

In the span of less than a week students attending the Christian Filmmaker’s Academy are going to be treated to training on state-of-the-art film equipment and lectures by seasoned professionals in the area of lighting, scripts, camera work, directing, production, and much more. On top of this, they will receive crucial apologetic tools for developing a rigorously biblical grid for filmmaking ethics.

Just for the 2006 Film Academy: Production Process of a Short Film

There are some things you’ll never learn by watching a “Making Of” documentary about a popular film. At this year’s 2006 San Antonio Christian Fimmaker’s Academy, you will have an opportunity to learn from our faculty as they dissect a short film made exclusively for students at the Academy.

In “Production process of a Short Film, all the hidden parts of production will be revealed and then explained, including the details that came together in the many stages of production. At every step you will be able to ask questions. The Christian Filmmaker’s Academy is determined to help you master every step of the production process.

Get a close-up look at how the storyboards were converted into the animatic that guided the SFX and music composition, and how the final scenes were created without wasting a frame of film. Every aspiring director, art director, editor, IT specialist, composer, gaffer, and animator needs to hear this lecture.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 22, 2006 | Permalink

Antithesis

Culture is not neutral. It either reflects the priorities of Christianity or the priorities of godless man. Antithesis is the distinction between the two. There is no neutrality. While Hollywood continues to besiege the families and youth of America with the images and philosophies of godless man, the Lord is raising up a replacement industry of filmmakers committed to presuppositionally biblical filmmaking for the glory of God. At the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, you will meet these filmmaking mavericks and learn why our mission is neither to retreat from society, nor is it to synthesize with paganism — our mission is to do God’s work, God’s way, from the ground level up. In so doing, in the name of Christ, we are to force the antithesis between cultural righteousness and cultural evil.

Controversy

This film festival is controversial — not because it seeks to be avant-garde or push the envelope of visual acceptability. It is controversial because it dares to proclaim that the Lordship of Christ applies to our methodologies as well as our ends. It is controversial, not because of the offensive things you will see, but because of what you will not see. You will not see, for example, God’s name taken in vain, unbiblical presentations of romance and sexuality, or the glorification of effeminate men and masculine women. It is controversial because it rejects the notion that the legitimate goal of presenting culturally relevant media means that filmmakers have to adopt and glorify the worst elements and attitudes of modern culture in order to reach the culture.

Honor

A crucial element of this film festival is honor. We seek first to honor our Lord and Savior. In His name, we seek to honor others, to recognize and reward filmmakers whose projects lift high the standard of Jesus Christ. Throughout the festival, attendees will watch films that honor God’s vision for the biblical family.

Refreshment

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to watch many dozens of hours of refreshing films; to enjoy live stage performances and musical presentations designed to encourage believers with courage and hope. It is our experience, however, that the greatest refreshment comes through the interaction of the people attending with many other like-minded families and individuals of vision.

Opportunity

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with and meet other like-minded filmmakers, producers, and industry specialists who share a vision for building and financing the independent Christian film market.

Hope

We live at a time of great doubts about the future of our once-great Christian civilization. There is desperate need for our sons and daughters to receive a message of hope. That message is found in God’s Word and is made alive and real by the power of the Holy Spirit as we apply the message of His Word to the real world around us. At the SAICFF, participants will not only receive a message of hope, but they will witness the fruits of the hopeful — men and women laboring to advance the crown rights of Christ in a medium of defining significance for twenty-first century Christians.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 22, 2006 | Permalink

Hollywood’s war with God continues to fan the flames of hatred and bigotry against biblical Christianity. This year millions of people tuned in to see a film glorifying sodomy capture three of Hollywood’s most prestigious awards — the Oscar. This February, millions again will tune in to see the Oscars hosted by nationally-known lesbian actress/activist Ellen DeGeneres. In sharp contrast, those attending the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival can choose from more than forty Christ-glorifying, encouraging, family-friendly films written, produced, and directed by a generation of up-and-coming Davids with their cameras in-hand and their hearts determined to take on the Goliath of the Hollywood elites.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 22, 2006 | Permalink

Panavision, the motion picture industry’s leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of high-precision camera systems has joined the San Antonio Christian Filmmakers Academy as a sponsor. We are pleased to announce that, this year, Panavision will be sending James Finn to the Academy to lecture on cinematography and the future of high-definition technologies. Finn will be bringing one of the famous Panavision cameras with lenses so that students can learn about proper setup and handling of industry-standard 35mm film equipment. This presentation is a must for serious students of filmmaking.

Academy faculty believe Panavision is well positioned to take advantage of the emerging markets for the capture of images in digital format and the use of digital technologies for post-production work. In addition to 35mm film support, Panavision offers a complete state-of-the-art high definition digital camera system comprised of a modified version of Sony’s 24P CINEALTA™ high-definition digital camera, coupled with Panavision’s series of specially designed PRIMO DIGITAL® lenses and other accessories for use in the motion picture and television industries.

Space at the Christian Filmmakers Academy is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 18, 2006 | Permalink

Dr. Voddie Baucham	Geoffrey Botkin	Scott Brown	William Einwechter	Don Hart	Wade Myers

Arnold Pent	Doug Phillips	Jeff Pollard	Alexander Strauch	Kevin Swanson

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 14, 2006 | Permalink

Join Lucas as he interviews local Henty experts Samuel and Joshua regarding their favorite G.A. Henty books. Watch the ENN episode!

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 14, 2006 | Permalink

“I look forward to better days, and trust that time and experience, the great teachers of men, under the guidance of an ever-merciful God, may save us from destruction and restore to us the bright hopes and prospects of the past.

We failed, but in the good providence of God, apparent failure often proves a blessing.

My experience of men has neither disposed me to think worse of them nor indisposed me to serve them; nor, in spite of failures which I lament, of errors which I now see and acknowledge, or of the present aspect of affairs, do I despair of the future. The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope.”

As quoted in Douglas Southall Freeman’s R. E. Lee, volume IV, pp. 483-484, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 14, 2006 | Permalink

Coming soon from Vision Forum: A story of providence and perseverence in colonial Jamestown.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 14, 2006 | Permalink

Dear Vision Forum, I graduated from the same class at Wheaton College (1991) as Todd Beamer. Did not know him, but knew Lisa very casually. (Sort of surprising considering there were only about 5-600 of us in the class.)

Very sobering for me to have two young children with another in the womb just as they did.....to know that he was exactly my age and station in life.....and to look in the mirror and wonder if I would have had the same courage and trust in God.

Wheaton has a tradition of such manliness...Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCulley included.

Eric N.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 12, 2006 | Permalink

Thank you for this wonderful message - I am a mother of seven wonderful children - As I sat with my children yesterday evening, watching the events of 9/11 recounted, I prayed for wisdom to answer the many questions asked by my children. This morning upon waking, I checked my email, and I believe, in response to my prayer, our Great Lord allowed you to send me this amazing message - I just came from my kitchen table, with all my children assembled around me, and I shared your letter with them all. I praise God for this timely gift - I know that I am just one of probably thousands that receive your e-news, but I am so grateful to be able to share your inspiring thoughts. Thank you for helping me show my children “where God was on 9/11,” as well as, where He is each and every day of our lives.

Last night, before I received this email, I was reminding my children why we homeschool, why it is imperative in God’s eyes that they study hard and become successful students, and why with God’s help I continue to help train them up for God’s calling to each and every one of these precious children. God’s purpose for just my family alone is one that is “daily in the making.” His children, with my help, will rise to serve Him, humbly, along with me. Thank you for your wonderful, inspiring gift of wisdom today, as always. Always in Christ, Linda V.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 12, 2006 | Permalink

“Let’s roll.” —Todd Beamer

A grateful America remembers the heroes of United flight 93 who may have prevented the destruction of our nation’s Capitol. We are so thankful for the few, who died for the many.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 11, 2006 | Permalink

On behalf of the families of The Vision Forum, Inc. and Vision Forum Ministries, our very special and heartfelt prayers go out to the widows and fatherless children of 9/11.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 11, 2006 | Permalink

I recently purchased the book So Much More written by the Botkin sisters. I cannot tell you how much this book has touched my life. I had been searching for months for the answer to emptiness and discontent I was feeling inside. I am twenty years old and am still living at home living with by parents working an average job. I have not attended college. I was unhappy with my life and what I was making of it. I thought perhaps if I moved out from under my parents’ roof. If I pursued a career that would bring me contentment and fill the void that was inside me.

I couldn’t understand why there seemed to be this emptiness when I was a Christian after all. Wasn’t God supposed to satisfy me?I sought after God, I searched for answers. I felt as if God was telling me to do something and I was resisting him, But I couldn’t figure out what it was he wanted. I finally came across this book which seemed to hold the answers I was looking for. I discovered God’s plan for woman... It was as if my heart gave a sigh of relief. This was something I could do. To serve my Father and then someday serve my husband.

I will be quitting my full time job at the end of the year to stay home and help my father with his business and to clean the house and cook dinner and help my mother homeschool my younger siblings and whatever else they need. I know it will require many sacrifices on my part, but I am willing, perhaps to even give up things very dear to me. I have found my life’s purpose in a sense. All the years of asking and the anxiousness of discovering “God’s will for my life.” The answer is so simple and fulfilling. It is so foreign from what the what the world has taught me, yet as I look in God’s word I see that it is truth...Thank you so much for your ministry. May God Bless you.

—Melody V.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 11, 2006 | Permalink

The following e-mail was broadcast five years ago today, a few hours after the 9/11 attack. Please consider gathering your children around you and reading this note to your family today as a testimony and memorial.

Dear Friends:

This morning, enemies of the United States of America launched the largest successful coordinated attack within our national boundaries since Pearl Harbor. September 11, 2001, will prove to be America’s second day that will go down in infamy. The day we had hoped would never come has finally arrived.

It is one thing to fight a war on foreign soil; it is another to die in your backyard or place of business. For more than a century, Americans have been essentially shielded from such warfare. The events of today indicate that we would be presumptuous to assume our children will enjoy such a shield during their lifetime.

At this point, it seems clear that the individuals or groups behind this attack were highly organized, well funded and systematic in their efforts. The most recent reports indicate that the diabolical schemes of the enemies of this nation have caused the horrific loss of four passenger planes, the destruction of at least three great buildings, which collectively house more than 30,000 workers and visitors, and the loss of life or injury of an untold multitude.

We do not yet know the numbers of the dead and wounded, but it seems reasonable to believe it will be in the thousands. Certainly hundreds of thousands of Americans will feel the pangs of anguish associated with the loss of a loved one or friend. Perhaps it will be you. Perhaps it will be me. I am confident that every true American, regardless of creed or station, mourns and grieves and suffers. For we are all Americans, and our family has been attacked.

Only the Lord knows the hundreds of tales, both of horror and of heroism, which were surely played out today. I want to say for the record that I do not believe for one moment that any of these commercial pilots would fly a plane into a building, even with a gun to their heads. I am confident they would have lost their lives rather than be willing tools in such a vicious act.

We dare not even speculate at this time about the final moments aboard those planes for the many children, teenagers, and adults. Nor can we imagine the unspeakably terrible choices facing those individuals caught high above the ground, trapped by the flames, and forced to jump from the heights of the World Trade Towers. We can only turn humbly to God, in prayer and in supplication, and beg for mercy for the many families who lost loved ones.

Earlier today I received a report from my good friend, Pastor Steve Schlissel, whose congregation is in Brooklyn, just miles from the epicenter of today’s violence. His co-elder in the church was in the second tower when the first was destroyed. He made it to safety. Many of those he left behind did not. Steve shared that this dear brother had to look away as dozens of people fell or jumped from the 70th story of the building. (Thankfully, all but one member of Steve’s congregation has been accounted for; that brother, Mr. Valery, worked in the building next to the Trade Center. Let us remember him in prayer.)

Tomorrow, the world will wake up, and it will be looking for answers. It is our responsibility to offer words of truth. What then should be the response of the Christian Community? What is our course of action? What should we say to our children at this grave moment? Please permit me to humbly offer the following thoughts for your consideration:

1. We must never forget that God is in control of all things, even devastation caused by a terrorist attack. The events of this day came as no surprise to Him. It may be difficult for finite man to understand His infinite counsel and decrees, but we can be assured of the goodness and wisdom of His plan. Furthermore, we can be confident that even this disaster will ultimately bring glory to Him. He is the sovereign God.

2. We must also remember that even wickedness will “work together for good for them that love God, to them who are called,” (Romans 8:28). If you are a child of the King, then all things work together for your ultimate good. Note, however, that all things do not work together for good for everyone. If you are not a Christian, you can find no ultimate hope or solace in a tragedy like the one we have just experienced.

3. Yet to be revealed are the many mercies of God which He extended today. The media has given multiple reports of individuals who found themselves in the World Trade Towers at the time of the crashes, but who inexplicably made it to safety. Thanks to a stray camera flash in the midst of the dust and ashes, one man was able to find an exit door and escape to safety. My own family has friends who work at the Pentagon in the precise region of the plane crash, but who, mercifully, were not there today.

4. Many Christians will be wondering whether they should shield their young children from the events of the day. I want to firmly advocate that we do not hide them from our children. Wisdom may dictate great discretion in how we discuss today’s tragedy with our children, but it is imperative that we do discuss it. Our children must see us praying for our country. They must see us lifting up the families of the dead. They must hear us crying out that the Lord would be merciful to us and future generations. They must know that there are many people around the world who hate God, and that all those who hate God love death.

   It is our role to stand against the hatred of God and to preach and live a message of life. This is an opportunity for every father to exercise his spiritual leadership in the home by demonstrating the right way for Christians to respond to tragedy and national judgment. It is an opportunity to begin to prepare our children for the awesome leadership and wisdom they must demonstrate as future leaders of the 21st century.

5. The Bible teaches that there is a clear connection between national judgment and national sin. Count on the fact that when a nation experiences calamities of this magnitude, the events are meant to get its attention. We should be examining ourselves as a people to see if we have been faithful to the God of our spiritual fathers who forged this nation. If we hope to enjoy the protection of God against our enemies, we must seek His favor by turning from our materialistic idolatries, our perversions, and our child sacrifice.

   Today thousands may have died, but every day thousands of innocent children die grisly and horrible deaths in the State-blessed abortuaries of our nation. Surely this grieves God. Surely he hates this. Let us remember the words of the King of Ninevah: “Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God: Yea let them turn every one from His evil way and from the violence which is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?” (Jonah 3:8-9) The book of Jonah offers us hope: “And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that He had said He would do unto them; and He did it not” (Jonah 3:10).

6. We exist at the mercy of God and only by His mercy. Peace is a blessing, not a right. We must gather as families, as friends, and as congregations to seek the Lord for this blessing.

7. Success breeds a spirit of invincibility. Americans live in a dream world of false security. But all earthly security is illusory. The amazing thing is not that this tragedy happened today, but that it has not happened before. America has long been vulnerable, not only from terrorist bombings, but also from technological and biological attack. It only takes one terrorist and a couple of vials of Anthrax to kill an entire community. We can and must prepare for such terrorism, and we must be thorough in our approach to such defenses. But we must proclaim with every fiber in our bodies that, absent the blessing of God, our defenses are useless. There are no unsinkable ships, and there are no invulnerable nations. The only absolute security is eternal security in Jesus Christ. We must flee to Him and beg Him to be our strong defense, our shield, and buckler.

8. We must recognize the fact that we do have enemies and that objective evil does exist in this world. We must give up the “we are the world” philosophy that all nations, groups, and individuals act with the best intentions toward us. There are groups and individuals who hate God and who hate America and who perceive themselves to be in a state of war against us. Terrorism tends to breed terrorism. We should not be surprised if other groups will be encouraged in their efforts by the events of the day. We must cry out to God and seek His protection and mercy against the agents of Satan.

If you were alive when Pearl Harbor was bombed, you remember. If you were alive when President Kennedy was shot, you remember. We owe it to our children and their posterity that this day be remembered. Our children will only remember this day if we allow them to experience it with us. There is a time for weeping, and this is such a time. Future generations may conclude that this was the most horrible day in our history. But God has allowed you and me to live through it for an important reason.

Let us give thanks to Jehovah for His mercies and the opportunity for a bold Gospel witness facilitated by the darkness of the deed done today. Perhaps the Lord is offering America a wake-up call. Perhaps there is a window of time in which we can seek His mercy.

Your Friend,
Doug Phillips
President, The Vision Forum, Inc.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 11, 2006 | Permalink

The motto of Captain John Smith.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 6, 2006 | Permalink

In 1608, Captain John Smith was in his shallop on an extended journey of exploration when he elected to take a brief detour up the Rappahannock. His encounter with a stingray nearly ended his life. To this day the location is known as Stingray Point.

In the middle of June, not long after leaving the settlement, Smith and his companions spied a huge school of fish swimming in some shallows near their boat. With cries of delight, the explorers jumped into the shallow water and began spearing fish with their swords. The last fish Smith took was a stingray. As he removed it from his sword, it drove its poisonous barb deep into his wrist. In moments, the poison made his hand and arm swell and throb with pain. Smith—who had narrowly escaped death at the hands of Turkish champions, Indian enemies, and both English and Indian executioners—seemed fated to die as the result of a stingray’s attack. In fact, he was so sure he was about to die that he chose a spot on a nearby island where he wished to be buried. Meanwhile, a surgeon who was included in the exploring party treated Smith the best way he could. Eventually the swelling went down and the pain stopped. Then, in a move typical of the feisty captain, John Smith ate the stingray for his evening meal. (To Conquer is To Live: The Life of Captain John Smith of Jamestown, by Kieran Doherty Twenty First Century Books 2001, pg. 84.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 6, 2006 | Permalink

May the comfort of the Lord Jesus Christ be upon his wife and children at this time.

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 6, 2006 | Permalink

My religious beliefs teach me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time of my death. I do not concern myself with that, but to be always ready whenever it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and all men would be equally brave. —Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (1824-1863)

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 4, 2006 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on September 2, 2006 | Permalink