Brian ‘Head’ Welch says ‘Foolishness’ DVD is ‘about real faith presented in a very cool way’

As teenagers, skateboarding legends Brian Sumner and Christian Hosoi helped shape a culture, reaching amazing heights and breaking numerous records in the sport. 

Sumner and Hosoi said they were also “fools” until they traded in their destructive habits to become “fools for Christ.” Armed with biblical teachings, stirring testimony and authentic, street-level insight, the two have joined forces in Foolishness, which “takes viewers on a skateboarding thrill ride, offering a vibrant new way to connect with God’s Word as some of the world’s best skaters display their skills and declare eternal truths from the Bible.”

The title of the DVD comes from 1 Cor. 1:18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (NIV).

Produced by SkateBible and distributed by EchoLight Studios, Foolishness (8-46041-092792, $9.98), which will be released March 5, aims to “help young people be as fearless in their faith as they are at the skate park.”

“Foolishness is the fullest 60-minute gospel word I’ve heard,” said best-selling author and pastor John Piper.

Brian “Head” Welch, former guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Korn, agreed. 

“Foolishness is a movie about real faith presented in a very cool way,” said Welch, author of Save Me From Myself.

Alistair Begg, author and pastor, said he was “stirred by the stories of the transforming power of Christ.” “It deserves to be widely distributed and viewed,” he said.

Besides Sumner and Hosoi, skaters featured include Jay Haizlip, Shawn Mendoli, Steve Caballero, Anthony Carney and Richard Muldar.

“Foolishness is a daily devotional,” Sumner said. “It’s a witness tool. It’s an exciting, artfully made skate video featuring some of the biggest names in professional skateboarding—men now living as dedicated servants of the Lord.”

For more information and to watch a video trailer, visit <a href="http://www.echolight.com/foolishness" target="_blank">www.echolight.com/foolishness</a>.

‘The Little House That Stood’ offers lessons on making good choices

Big Idea’s latest release in the VeggieTales franchise parodies one of the most popular nursery rhymes, while meshing it with one of the most beloved parables of Jesus.

In VeggieTales: The Little House That Stood, the three little pigs roll into Cabbageville looking to build some new houses, where they meet one builder with a plan and two without a clue. Larry the Cucumber builds with hay and Mr. Lunt with bricks, but only Bob the Tomato builds his house on a firm foundation—following the wise plans from the “Master Builder’s Handbook.” 

Set for release March 2 in the Christian market and March 5 in the general market, The Little House That Stood (8-20413-128906, $14.99) will “help kids build their lives on solid stuff,” Big Idea officials said.  

 The video is based on Matt. 7:24-27, the parable of the wise and foolish builders: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Capitalizing on the popularity of builder/construction themes with children, The Little House That Stood introduces kids to the basic foundations of a life guided by wise choices, which will help them stand strong when the storms come.

To be distributed by Word Distribution, the video also includes a fun “egg-stra”—a retelling of the classic Humpty Dumpty story, a timely Easter tie-in. In “The Good Egg of Gooseville,” kids will learn that a good neighbor always “lends a little hand” to those in need. 

To order, call Word Distribution at 800-876-WORD (9673).

The Gospels made easy: In the latest from Phil Vischer’s “What’s in the Bible?” series, Volume 10: Jesus Is the Good News! explores the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, then shares about the life and ministry of Christ from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Releasing this month by Jellyfish Labs and distributed by EMI CMG Distribution, the 60-minute video retails for $14.99. 

Hope and healing: From Vision Video, Into My Arms is a revealing documentary featuring the personal stories of five women who chose abortion. Their stories are explored by leading Christian counselors, including best-selling author John Eldredge, Christopher West and Jan Frank, who offer hope for forgiveness and restoration. Released in January to coincide with Sanctity of Life Month, the 58-minute documentary retails for $19.99.

Conflict and compassion: Redemption tells the tale of Henry Heath, a lawman on the western frontier in 1862. After the grieving sheriff buries his only child, he learns that an impoverished French immigrant has been robbing the graves of the recently deceased. Torn between duty, outrage and guilt about his own past, Heath ponders showing compassion and forgiveness toward the man who seems the least deserving of love. Released last month, the 105-minute drama retails for $19.95 and is distributed by Bridgestone Multimedia Group.

History Channel to show drama that reflects on the ‘grand narrative’ of the Scriptures

Editor’s Note:  A 10-hour dramatic miniseries simply called The Bible received a rousing reception at the International Christian Retail Show last summer during a sneak peak of the project launched by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.

Best known for producing the TV shows Survivor, The Voice and The Apprentice, Burnett and his wife, Downey, of Touched by an Angel fame, gave attendees a first look at the series, slated to air on the History Channel this Easter season. 

Downey and Burnett share the inspiration behind the series here:

Two things are irrefutably true when it comes to the Bible’s place in popular culture. First, it’s hard to find anyone in the world whose lives the Scriptures haven’t touched. Second, people aren’t as well-versed in the Bible today as they were a generation ago. About 70% of Americans believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, yet only 26% say they read it more than once a week.

That’s why we are so honored and humbled to be producing The Bible, a 10-hour, five-part miniseries premiering March 3 on the History Channel. This has been a labor of love, not a job, for us. We sincerely believe that it was for such a time as this that we met—to combine our gifts and energies into a project of this importance and a story this inspirational.

What we have tried to do is tell the grand narrative of the Bible in a way people haven’t seen before on television. It is a powerful, inspirational, sacred text that we have tried to breathe fresh, visual life into. We want millions to see it and enjoy these powerful stories of faith, love, joy and sacrifice, and God’s never-ending goodness.

We do not claim to be Bible teachers—that is a role reserved for pastors. We simply hope to be Bible illuminators, capturing the essence and inspiration of the sacred text we love. We have partnered with the History Channel, Fox Home Entertainment, Hachette Book Group and other key allies to help us achieve this goal. 

Fox will release the entire series on DVD, including behind-the-scenes features and other extras, immediately after the final episode airs on the History Channel on Easter Sunday, March 31. While the series will only be broadcast on television in the U.S. at first, the DVDs will be available to a global audience right away.

Hachette will publish three books Feb. 26 in support of the project. One is a novelization of the miniseries, the second an abridged version of the novel for young readers. The third book is a devotional with thoughts from us from our own faith journeys and experiences making the miniseries, which we hope will be thought-provoking and uplifting for readers.

As you read this, we are still putting the finishing touches on The Bible and the complementary projects such as the DVD set and books. We’ve also spent hundreds of hours and will spend scores more over the next several weeks talking with faith leaders and journalists about The Bible in order to share the vision for the series. Our hope is that those who watch it would come to know God better and draw closer to Him. 

As we press onto the premiere, we’d be remiss if we didn’t thank all the people who have prayed for The Bible and for us personally. Some of you we have been privileged enough to meet along the way; others have just felt led to ask God to bless this project and multiply its impact on those who see it. We want you to know that we have only gotten this far, and will draw strength and inspiration the rest of the way because of your faithfulness belief in the story of God and all of us.

Best-selling author and broadcaster Dave Ramsey teams up with his daughter, Rachel Cruze, in Generation Change to help young adults learn about money and life.

Released Jan. 7, the DVD kit features a nine-lesson Bible study that teaches teens about their relationship with God and how to find true value in their lives. Along with Cruze, Ramsey, who will be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in April, shows teens how to better handle their money.

"Generation Change removes the chaos of a teen's life and replaces it with a message of hope," Cruze said. "It shows teens how to prevent financial heartache and live a life free of debt."

In this new edition, lessons are divided into three series: "Be Who God Created" talks about how you are more than what you own and your value in God's eyes; "Do More with Your Money" covers the idea of debt and what affect it can have on your future; and "Go Write Your Story" discusses using your knowledge of money and abilities to find the right college major and to take the right path after college.

Cruze and Ramsey, along with author and speaker Jon Acuff, host the video lessons that help lead into discussion and other activities.

For the church edition, there are three series and each series is $79 or $209 for all three. The kit includes the DVDs, a leader's guide and two student workbooks. To purchase the kit, go to daveramsey.com/gc or by call 877-378-2667.

‘Redemption, rescue and healing’ runs through ‘Trade of Innocents’ starring actress Mira Sorvino

The subject of Mira Sorvino’s latest film was something near and dear to the Academy Award winner. 

Releasing this month to Christian stores, Trade of Innocents tells the story of a couple, Alex and Claire Becker (Sorvino and Dermot Mulroney) grieving the death of their daughter who set out to rescue young girls sold into the sex slave trade.

Sorvino has been a United Nations goodwill ambassador to combat human trafficking since 2009, and has lobbied the U.S. Congress to abolish human trafficking in Darfur, Sudan. She also starred in the Lifetime TV film Human Trafficking in 2005. 

“I am very proud to be a part of this film,” Sorvino, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1995 for Mighty Aphrodite, told Christian Retailing. “Most people are unaware that this terrible trade of children for sexual exploitation flourishes both in the U.S. and around the globe. Trade of Innocents will open their eyes and their hearts, and inspire them to become part of the solution.”

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material involving child sex trafficking and some violence, the thriller is “an accurate depiction of frontline activists fighting for the freedom of enslaved children,” said Christopher Bessette, writer and director of Trade of Innocents. “There is no gratuitous, rather a stark revelation of the facts. The characters are based on characters in organizations with Christian beliefs and roots. 

“The theme of redemption/rescue and healing runs throughout the movie,” he added. “As seen in the reconciliation between the married couple to scenes between the rescued girls and Claire’s [Sorvino] coming to terms with her lost child.”

The film features the tag line “Justice needs a hero.”

“Trade of Innocents exposes light in dark places with truth, with the website at the end of the movie, justice-generation.com,” Bessette said. “It empowers the viewer to be a hero, investigate the organizations linked to justice-generation.com connect and support directly the frontline freedom fighters.

“The Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, social justice and God’s deep concern for both,” he added. “Christian retailers have an opportunity to serve their customers, not only with quality entertainment, but also with practical means of enabling them to reach out in love to those without a voice.”

Trade of Innocents, which retails for $19.98 and runs 91 minutes, is being distributed by Wesscott Marketing. To order, call 800-375-3702.