Died, and lived to talk about it…

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Movies/Theatre

“After Death,” is a new movie released by Angel Studios which visits this subject from the perspective of several people, among countless who claim to have experienced NDEs, (Near Death Experiences).

While their stories are all different in their own way, there are a lot of similarities as well.  The biggest takeaway is that the movie should definitely rekindle the conversation about what, if anything happens when we breathe our last breath on this side of Eternity between those who ponder the question, and perhaps cause others to finally consider it.  

Until fairly recently, few people have come forward with claims that they had “died,” were no longer in their physical body, and witnessed everything that was happening around them.  

Many claim to have experienced indescribable light while approaching and entering Heaven, seeing and talking with deceased loved ones, and feeling the presence of God and unimaginable peace and love.  Still others claim to have been surrounded by darkness and mercilessly tormented by unseen forces within that darkness.  I find it interesting that those were the only two categories of the experience.  That is to say, there was either a Heaven or hell experience.

The biggest question for me and a lot of others is why..?!  Why have some people who were absolutely and unquestionably medically deceased, if only “temporarily,” able to come back after having an almost “Christmas Carol” type experience to whatever Eternity awaited them..?  

I guess before attempting to answer that question, one has to decide if one believes such accounts are real or not.

I must admit, there was a time when I rejected the idea as total hogwash, and that people making such claims were looking to make a fast buck on their sensational stories.  Because, after all, there is no lacking of people “gullible” enough to buy such stories.  

That said, I do now believe that more people than we know about have had such encounters and have been able to share their story.  And I believe that for several reasons.  

First of all, I’m not aware of any of them making a windfall from their story, and, because I am a man of faith and I believe with every fiber of my being that we are witnessing the fulfillment of end time prophecy everywhere we look.  Additionally, I think that some people are being allowed to have a glimpse as to both options that await us, and that those glimpses are there as yet another caveat of sorts from our Heavenly Father who doesn’t want to see anyone perish, and that fulfillment of end times prophecy means that time is running out.

If these NDEs, or more accurately, “death and return” experiences are true, I am hopeful that many will take them seriously and really consider what can occur at any given moment, and ultimately look to Jesus for Redemption.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I would strongly urge you to see it while you still can.  Visit for locations and times in your area. 

Final note, this may be a little intense for anyone under 13 years of age.

The Jesus Revolution, come as you are…

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Movies/Theatre

If you are a baby boomer, you will remember the “Jesus Freaks” back in the late sixties and early seventies who could be found in airports, train stations, just about every street corner in every city across America, and lots of other places proclaiming the message of Jesus the Christ and the Salvation offered by His Work on the Cross.

The ”movement,” which started in San Francisco, CA, (of all places) swept across America very rapidly during a time of war and cultural upheaval when so many were embracing very hedonistic lifestyles including casual sex, orgies, homosexuality, extreme drug abuse, mysticism, and a whole lot more.  

Indeed, one of the co-founders of that movement by the name of Lonnie Frisbee, leaned upon his own experiences living in that culture and led many out of it while freely indulging his own fleshly lusts in the growing gay community, a situation which he, a married man never repented of and which saw him rightfully ostracized by the very churches and groups he played a major role in organizing, and sadly cost him his life as he succumbed to AIDs in 1992.  

I mention all of the above because I recently had a chance to pre-screen a new movie called, “Jesus Revolution,” which will be released in February, and is about that movement of which Mr. Frisbee was a central character.  Prior to viewing the movie, I had never heard of Mr. Frisbee, however I did do some research and was surprised as well as dismayed at how the movie did not mention his lifestyle.  Given that the point of the movie was to show how, with one exception, God has always used imperfect people to spread His message, I think this issue should have been more transparent because while Lonnie did live an abhorrent lifestyle according to Scripture, he did in fact lead many to salvation.  

That aside, the movie chronicles the humble if rapid growth of that movement and the church, (Calvary Church) which sprang from it and still exists and is growing today.  

It tells the story of another time in America and the world when God showed Himself through fallen men and women and revived the Book of Acts starting in a place called Haight/Ashbury, which mirrors John 1:46, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth..?”

I have to admit that while watching the movie, I had some flashbacks of my own mis-spent youth, and I felt a twinge of shame because, having not found Jesus and my Salvation yet, I was often less than kind to some of those I encountered.  However, I know that every one of those encounters left its mark and planted a seed, because not really long after, I did in fact come to faith and gave my life to Him at the age of twenty-five.

While I think perhaps the movie could have done a little better on total transparency, it was well done with superb acting by Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen”. 

The movie will leave younger people wondering and asking questions about the hippy element, so it might do well for someone who can remember back to that time to accompany them.

The bigger question for adults will be how successful Calvary Church was and is in spite of Mr. Frisbee’s chosen lifestyle, and also, that those who came to faith then and now should not point to his example and think that it’s okay to continue in blatant sin once saved.  

We are all sinners and nothing can change that.  However, those who have accepted the free gift of Salvation found only in the shed blood of Jesus the Christ have been forgiven of our sins.  And while that is true for all believers, it is critical to point out that Salvation is NOT a license to sin, and His Word admonishes us to turn away from it, I.E., repent. 

This great ministry now called Calvary Church, so tainted by the not talked about, but open secret of one of its founders has managed to prevail and lead countless men and women to faith.  It is important to mention this because He has and does use men and women to accomplish His ends. 

As we look around the world we see a lot of darkness being embraced, however we also see a lot of Light and I truly believe we are about to witness a final, strong revival led by ministries like Calvary Church and a handful of others before the event known as The Rapture and His Triumphant Return after that.

Click here to learn more about the movie “Jesus Revolution”

Click here to find a Calvary Church near you.

 

“Left Behind, Rise Of The AntiChrist"...getting closer by the moment…

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Movies/Theatre

Back in 1995, Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins began writing the book titled “Left Behind” and the ensuing series.  If you don’t know about it, the series discusses the end times prophecy of The Rapture and what the immediate aftermath might look like.  It was written in such a way as to build a great and realistic story line around this future event.  

Since that time, a number of people have attempted to bring this series to the silver screen, and while some of those have been okay, most of them lacked the “I gotta tell all of my friends about this.”  That said, the last rendition of this movie which I touched on in this article from 2014, was the best, until now.

Actor/Director Kevin Sorbo and his team put their heads together and while they absolutely stuck to the base story line from the original book, they had to update things a bit to bring the story current with the ever-increasing insanity that is happening in today’s world.  They included such things as the recent/ongoing pandemic, current state of world unrest, failing economies, and, if one was paying attention, they even mentioned “Davos.”

In short, they laid out the condition of the world that we all know about and live in, and show just how easily the world power structure could and will be consolidated into the hands of one singular leader, and how so many would willingly allow themselves to be deceived and follow such a leader just as they donned masks and lined up for an untested “vaccine” without question.  And, dear readers, before you get upset by that, I totally understand that many were forced to comply with “pandemic mandates” for many reasons including employment, travel, and a host of other reasons.  Which by the way, this writer believes will seem a trivial inconvenience by comparison to what the one called "antichrist" will attempt to force upon the world with an "or else" threat attached.

The most important thing is that we don’t miss the point of the books and subsequent movies, and that point copied below is taken from my last article on the subject:

“Throughout history God has done many dramatic things to send wake-up calls our way and remind us of Who He is. Lots of people have heeded those things and lots of others have ignored them.  This will be very different though and here’s why.  

With the exception of the world-wide flood of Noah’s day, anytime He has wanted to get our attention in the past, the events were mostly confined to smaller specific regions. Given that there was no electronic mass media to record and distribute the information, His prophets spread the word, and the information was spread and shared throughout the ages.”

My friends, none of this, not the books or the movies, are meant to cause fear or panic or anything like that.  My goal, which is the same as the authors and the movie makers is to hopefully awaken an awareness of the very real state of the Biblical prophetic timeline and hopefully lead some or many to faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

I would never attach a specific day and time to this or any other future Biblical event, and you shouldn’t listen to anyone who does offer specific dates; however for those with “eyes to see and ears to hear,” He did in fact give us clear signs to watch for, and those signs are everywhere, and I join many in believing that this event is imminent. The great news is that you and your loved ones can avoid the aftermath of this event simply by putting your trust in Him today.  

If you are reading this after the event, you were “left behind,” and as scary a thought as that is, you can still come to saving faith by putting your trust in Him.  You need to know that you are living in the worst time in history and half of mankind will be killed by the evil ruler known as the anti-christ who will come to power very soon after the event.  Don’t accept his mark and don’t believe his lies.  Trust in Jesus only.

The test of the prophets is 100% accuracy and if one looks back on history and views what has been prophesied and what has been fulfilled, it is clear that every true message/warning/prophecy from our Heavenly Father has occurred exactly as He said.  

I absolutely understand that this will fall on a lot of deaf ears and I cannot tell you what to believe, however I implore you to do some investigating and look up the Biblical prophetic timeline through history and consider my original question from my original article.

“What if….?!”

 

Click here for more information about the movie, viewings, etc.  

Do you believe in miracles..?

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Movies/Theatre

Just in time for Resurrection Sunday, “The Girl Who Believes In Miracles” has hit the theaters.  

Without giving it away, this story centers around a young girl living in an idyllic looking town that could have been designed by Norman Rockwell, and it speaks to the reality that we are all His children and that miracles happen all around us, all the time.  The girl has the kind of faith we should all have and she does not question what God reveals to her and accepts that He is doing miracles through her just as He did through His disciples and apostles, and has continued to do very often over the centuries.  Early on in the movie we discover that she has suddenly been given an artistic gift which prompts her to expertly draw events that have or are about to happen around her.

Several of the miracles He does through her are bringing animals back to life while she prays over them; always with at least a few people nearby as witnesses, and many other miracles that resemble famous miracles from Scripture.  Naturally, the movie, just as it would be in reality, has its share of skeptics and massive media coverage.

I’m not going to hide the fact that it is a good thing I was wearing a long sleeved, absorbent sweatshirt, because there were a lot of moments when “something was in my eyes”.

I don’t know how long this will be in the theaters because it is of course a special seasonal movie.  However, I give this latest triumph of Kevin Sorbo, Mira Sorvino and the entire cast and crew five Easter Eggs and a great take in for the entire family after services Easter Sunday. 

And don't forget the tissue or absorbent sweatshirt..

Check your local theater for viewing times, and click here for the trailer.

Can You Say Movie With A Great Message..?

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Movies/Theatre

Few people in America are not familiar with the catch phrase, “Can you say…, I knew you could”.  From 1968 until 2001, Fred Rogers invited everyone into his neighborhood and while his target audience was children from 2 – 5 years old, many who grew up watching as children continued to watch and introduced it to their own children.

I had personally never watched the show mainly because I was already far beyond the target audience when it began airing, but also, I suppose like many people, the theme music did not attract me.  However, after viewing a pre-screening of the movie “A beautiful day in the neighborhood” by Affirm Films, I know that I missed something very much worth watching.  You can view the trailer here.

There is so much I never knew about Fred Rogers that I wish I had, and while I admit that I have a very difficult time with the outspoken politics of Tom Hanks who portrayed him, I have to hand it to him that he once again did a magnificent job with the role and proved why he is such a bankable actor. 

In the approximately hour and a half or so duration of the movie I felt like I got to know Fred Rogers and really wish that I could have met him, and I came away from this movie as a fan of his and maybe even softened my opinion of Mr. Hanks just a tad.

The movie itself was based upon the Esquire article written by Tom Junod back in 1998, which saw he and Fred Rogers become friends during the many conversations between the two.

The twist and the meat of the story is that their friendship had a major life changing redemptive impact on Mr. Junod and his entire family.  The story also highlights the fact that by virtue of the way Fred Rogers lived his life, he had that impact on just about everyone who was blessed to meet him, and without a doubt many of the lives of his countless fans were also impacted very positively by the simple life lessons he shared.

Fred Rogers was a very kind, decent man who was an ordained Presbyterian Minister and was among those ministers who actually walked the talk and allowed the Lord Jesus Christ to shine through him.  Just like the Lord, he had a passion for children and he devoted his life to making the world a better place for them through education, love, patience, and kindness. 

Interestingly, there have been long debunked rumors circulating for years that his persona was a cover for a non-existent military career which the rumors paint him as some sort of Rambo type killing machine.  Nothing could be further from the truth and those rumors have been debunked by reputable sources including the US Military.

My friends, this is the must see movie of the year for all ages, and I believe that every church in America should form groups and bring families to see this excellent film about a really great man of God who lived and breathed his faith every day of his life.  We at The Patriots Press give this movie Five “Won’t You Be My Neighbors”.

The movie opens for Thanksgiving week on November 22, 2019 and you should consider getting your tickets early. 

For Resources, Videos, Share Tools and more, go to:
www.Resources.ABeautifulDay.Movie

For Group Sales & Advanced Buyouts, go to:
www.SonyPicturesGroupSales.com

There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind.  The second way is to be kind.  The third way is to be kind.”  Fred Rogers