Saturday, December 06, 2014

Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet


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Sara Hagerty’s life was busy with God-activities. But when God brought Nate into her life, she came face-to-face with a stark awareness that she was not the person she thought she was—and neither was God.

When she also discovered that she unable to bear children—she who had poured her life into so many kids—she lost her footing and almost fell apart.

Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet (Zondervan) is Sara’s story—a memoir that unveils God’s ingenious plan to conform us to His image as He shatters our concepts and unveils who really is.

Read my full review and learn more about this book in my articles in The Examiner and also in Assist News Service. 

Janey DeMeo M.A.

Copyright © December 2014

JaneyDeMeo.com


Monday, November 24, 2014

Paper Angels and changing children's lives at Christmas

Christmas is a painful time of year for so many underprivileged kids. Thanks to the Angel Tree and to people's generous hearts, some kids will find some hope and joy. (Orphans First also provides Christmas gifts for underprivileged children -- those overseas in our programs and children's homes and in impoverished neighborhoods in Mexico, India, Russia... )

With holidays and Christmas now in full swing, who doesn’t love a feel-good, cozy movie with an inspiring message? Thanks to UPtv there are plenty of those in store. Original movie, Paper Angels, which aired on November 16th, is an example of awesome with a true-to-life powerful message.

Inspired by country singer Jimmy Wayne’s Christmas hit, Paper Angels, as well as by the book of the same title co-written by Jimmy Wayne and Travis Thrasher, the movie tells a compelling story that highlights the value of programs such as the Angel Tree which enable underprivileged children to receive at least one Christmas gift.

Paper Angel weaves together two stories of broken families—broken for different reasons and in different ways. Two children find themselves in a situation where even a Christmas tree seems like a hard-to-reach luxury. After leaving their alcoholic, abusive father, the mother of two children struggles to provide for them. Christmas is looking pretty bleak – until she hears about the Angel Tree program.

Meanwhile, a young couple preparing to greet their first offspring into the world – twins – also find themselves in a less than solid financial situation. Yet, the Angel Tree calls to them.

Highschool basketball and the Angel Tree draw together two unlikely friends, Thomas and Kevin. As they seek to do good to others in spite of their own sorrows, their lives are changed.

From personal experience and vicariously from the kids Jimmy Wayne has worked with, Wayne shows how The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program can make all the difference in a kids’ life. Paper Angel paints a compelling picture and highlights a beacon of hope all the while drawing us into a world where children and adults alike find themselves changed as they look beyond their own needs.

Starring Matthew Settle and Josie Bissett, .Paper Angels also features two new songs written and performed by Jimmy Wayne.

Check out UPtv’s schedule for upcoming movies. 

This story will also appear in Assist News Service. 

Janey DeMeo M.A.

Copyright © November 2014


Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Jerusalem Call, historical San Diego event

Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, under the leadership of Pastor Ray Bentley, is known to be a church that stands behind Israel—even when few others do. Just this week Maranatha Chapel hosted an unprecedented keystone event: the first West Coast conference for The Jerusalem Call.


The Jerusalem Call, launched by the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), is an initiative to unite Jews and Christians together in the common cause of blessing Israel because this is what the Bible—the same Old Testament Scriptures that Jews and Christians share—mandates (Genesis 12:3).

Read my full review of this awesome event in The Examiner here. And in Assist News Service

Janey DeMeo M.A.

Copyright © November 2014