The War Room

Opening this weekend in theaters is an inspirational movie called "The War Room." It's a insightful look at the how the power of prayer can change lives, even in situations that seem far beyond hope. I was lucky enough to attend a pre-screening of the film a few months ago and have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that the target demographic for this film is primarily for people who would already claim faith in God and it sets out to light a fire under anyone who is lukewarm about their beliefs. However, this story had me both laughing and crying at different points - it definitely covers the whole spectrum of emotions! There were a few scenes that had the entire theater erupting in side-splitting laughter such as the delivery guy, and also the dinner scene at home with Tony (played by T.C. Stallings) and his wife Elizabeth, played by renowned women’s speaker and author Priscilla Shirer. Shirer makes her film debut playing the lead character who finds herself and her family in a less-than-desirable position without much hope to overcome it. Elizabeth then meets Miss Clara (played by Karen Abercrombie) who introduces her to what Miss Clara calls her “war room” and that begins to change Elizabeth’s life forever.

However the limelight for acting was completely stolen by the *outstanding* and adorable performance of Tony and Elizabeth’s 10 year old daughter, Danielle Jordan, played by Alena Pitts. The skill level of the kids’ jump-roping antics alone is really impressive and the filmmakers did a great job of clearly integrating real-life jump rope teams into the film. But Danielle and her friend Jennifer provide quite a bit of comedic relief to the story. The uber-famous Beth Moore, speaker, author and Bible study leader also makes her film debut here. However, I found Moore’s character to be a very minor one overall, especially in comparison to the rest of the story.

A few of Miss Clara’s insights that I picked up: “You’ve got to have the right strategies and resources, because victory don’t come by accident.” Also “You’ve got to plead with God to do what only He can do, and then get out of His way to let Him do it.”

Since I’m not one for spoilers, I’ll leave it at that and give you a short clip of Miss Clara and Elizabeth when they met for the first time. Enjoy!

Starbucks to close 600 stores

Starbucks announced yesterday that they will be closing 600 stores and will scale back the opening of new stores in 2009. I guess "a Starbucks on every corner" didn't turn out to be quite as profitable for them as they had imagined. Perhaps it was the $4+ cup of coffee which never really seems worth it to me. I am far from a coffee connoisseur however, as I proclaim myself to only be a "social [coffee] drinker," so what do I know? Could it be that clown Ronald and his ubiquitous chain of Mickey D's restaurants and their new low-cost specialty coffees that gave Starbucks a run for its money? Even more likely, it's the sky-high gas prices that drove people to reconsider their financial priorities and cut back on their luxurious lattes.

Personally, I'd like to engage in wishful thinking and believe that it was The Mocha Club which changed Americans' coffee buying habits. Check it out!