Uncommon History

Many of you know that I am a big fan of Old Time Radio and Audio Dramas. Last year I came across a new audio drama production company called Spirit Blade Productions. Their first audio drama was titled “Spirit Blade” and it was out of this world fantastic! They soon followed with “Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual” which was yet another incredible story and production.

The latest audio dram from Spirit Blade Productions is a dramatic re-envisioning of Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” I just downloaded it and can tell you that this listener has high hopes that Spirit Blade Productions will be around for a long time to come.

Pilgrim’s Progress comes in a $4.99 download through PayPal and I greatly encourage EVERYONE to get their copy. You just don’t find better Christian productions than those that are put out by Spirit Blade!!!

Here are the trailers for the two of Spirit Blade’s Productions:

Dark Ritual Trailer

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Pilgrim’s Progress Trailer

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Now that you have listened to the trailer, I know you want to listen to more! Visit http://www.spritiblade.com … NOW!!!

The writer of this article did not receive any compensation for this promotion…the views are his own opinion

The sun finally peeked from behind the clouds today and it got me to daydreaming about the coming camping season. When the chill of winter lifts from the land, many people like myself begin to feel the call of the wild. Each spring my family and I spend multiple weekends away from the blue glow of the television set and the dull hum of microwaves, refrigerators and washing machines.

For the seasoned and novice camper alike, it does take the proper equipment and advice in order to completely enjoy a week or weekend in the great outdoors. There is a fine line between taking too much and taking too little. The process can take time, but don’t let the fear of forgetting something keep you from the adventure. In fact, some of the best camping memories arise from trips shared with loved ones with some piece of the equipment puzzle missing. There is one thing though that I must implore upon any camping planner not to forget. I’m not sure why it happens, but even after years of camping, one of the items that I forget to take most often are outdoor chairs.

There are spots where such an item is not too important, but if the ground is muddy or rocky, you’ll wish you had taken something comfortable to sit upon.

*** advertising disclosure ***

I wholeheartedly thank those who have participated in Uncommon History’s Virtual Forager missions to date. Unfortunately, the participation-to-viewer rate simply doesn’t support further missions in its current state.

I truly desire the Virtual Forager missions to continue, but there does need to be more participation. Subsequently, before a Forager mission is launched, there must be at least 5 participants registered to play.

*** When the tally hits 5, the mission will begin ***

Current Tally: 1

Virtual Forager Entry Form

The correct answer to the previous mission was:

Rocky Face, Dalton, GA

Clues will be added daily and the sooner you guess the correct answer, the more points you score for that week. At the end of the month, the forager with the highest score wins the monthly prize.

The prize to the successful forager this month is:

Good luck and good hunting!

Daily Clues (One guess per clue)

Monday’s Clue (10 points):

Tuesday’s Clue (8 points): As with most prison camps, this started out (in 1862) as a training camp for new Confederate recruits

Wednesday’s Clue (6 points):There was no larger camp for Union prisoners than this one, West of the Mississippi

Thursday’s Clue (5 points): This camp was named after a man who was well-known as a lawyer, a doctor, and a ranger

Weekend Clue (2 points): Located in Smith County near Tyler, Texas this camp housed over 6,000 prisoners, guards and slaves

Enter your answer for this week’s Virtual Forager

Current Forager Statistics

Forager Alias	Points This Week	Points This Month
Bunnie	0	0
Ray	5	23
Cats	0	0
J. Avalon	10	10

Virtual Forager Newsletter

To join the Virtual Forager newsletter and keep up with Virtual Forager news, subscribe HERE.

Past Winners of Virtual Forager!

Ray: December 2009

All 2010 Civil War Proceeds to Uncommon History through Civil War Standard will be donated to the Civil War Preservation Trust!

This is a personal review. The author did not receive any compensation for this review.

January 22, 2010, marks the opening weekend for a great new family film titled, “To Save a Life.” It is difficult to be completely objective as this is another in a new vein of great Christian film making, and as a Christian I am genuinely excited to see these films.

To Save a Life is not your average, everyday kind of Christian film. This movie, and the makers of it, delved deep into real humanity and explored real emotions and situations. From the beginning the characters are not fake stand-ins that misrepresent their real-world counterparts. These are real kids experiencing real events. There is exploration of the human condition expressed from the eyes of teenagers.

While in later scenes there are settings in Churches and youth groups, the main backdrop is the average everyday high school. There are jocks, preps, stoners, punks, goths, emos and anything not covered by this short list. To Save a Life honestly approaches the relationships between these groups and the realities of the pressures and emotions experienced by so many thousands of teenagers every single day.

To Save a Life is also not a preachy film. For Christians who want to hear deep theological sermons, they are better off attending their house of worship. This is a relational exploration and hits at the heart. People are messy and relationships are never as polished as they are often portrayed in Christian films.

There are a few curse words and some scenes of sensuality that are typically left out of Christian movies. Make no mistake however, as these scenes are an integral part of the story and are not simply gratuitous add-ins to bring in viewers. The film itself earned a PG rating for these factors, but they should not be seen as a potential danger to children. The actions of the participants in the film are extracted directly from the scripts of daily life.

In fact, To Save a Life examines just about every emotion on the spectrum. Viewers will be shocked, they will laugh, they will cry, they will be entertained, but most of all, everyone will learn something. That is the magic of To Save a Life. Anyone who walks into this movie will walk away with something new. It may not be the same for each viewer, but that is the stellar feat that this movie pulls off in the end.

We all come from different points of view and To Save a Life will no doubt touch a piece of everyone’s heart, mind and soul.

Watch the Trailer