Truth really can be stranger than fiction.

First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.

La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.

First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.

Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.

Manna Minutes en español:

Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.

Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:

Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.

Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?

The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!

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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried

Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.

Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6

Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.

Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6

Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!

A Review of the Movie Holiday Heart starring Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard

Holiday Heart, in which talented actors such as Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard star, is a sad, but very good and real-to-life movie depicting the ugliness of drug addiction, life in most inner city neighborhoods, life in prison, betrayal, and hypocrisy in the church. This isn't a movie that attracted my attention as it's not the type of movie that I'd ever think I'd be interested in. Someone suggested I give it a try; I did, and I must admit that I've watched it over and over and I give it two thumbs up.

Holiday (Ving Rhames) is a middle-aged, caring man who is still affected by the years of a hellish nightmare through which he had to live when he was sent to prison at a tender age after protecting his mother from an abusive man. Instead of caring about what would become of her loyal son, his mother turns her back on him in her worship of her abuser. Active in his church as piano player and choir director while also working as a female impersonator in night clubs, Holiday is a caring and understanding man who befriends a little girl named Nikki shortly after going to the rescue of her mother (Alfre Woodard) who is involved in an abusive relationship. Although the movie suggests that his experiences years ago while serving a prison term as a youth twisted his thinking and led to him taking up the gay lifestyle, Holiday is otherwise a very strong and remarkable man.

Despite being shamefully betrayed by his own mother, he continues to believe in love and loyalty although he was himself betrayed. He continues to hope even after his life fell apart as a youngster; he holds on to his dreams instead of giving up because his life turned into a nightmare as a youth. He lives life to the fullest although many things are wrong, missing, and unfulfilled in his life despite how hard he has worked to make them right. He continues to show himself a genuine and faithful friend to others, not allowing the many enemies that crossed his path to kill the good he has to offer the world. He encourages others while battling to keep himself encouraged and is fair to others although he endured a great injustice.

Nikki's mother whom Holiday not only defended in a fight, but for whom he also provided shelter and food for her and her daughter, battles drug addiction and eventually meets with an unfortunate end despite the help she received from him and the encouragement she was offered by her daughter. Woodward did an outstanding job of playing a drug addict. Although she struggles to be free, she loses the battle because she doesn't have her priorities straight and gets involved with a drug-dealing man whom she allows to come between herself, her daughter Nikki, and Holiday who was her only true friend at the time. I found her attitude toward Holiday repulsive, selfish, disloyal, and inexcusable. Although Nikki, being just a child who wants her mother to live, to have success, and to be a mother to her is truly pitiful, I also found her irritating when she clamored after her mother's boyfriend who hadn't done half of what Holiday had done for her. Even children need to consider who has been there for them and who has been good to them.

The movie gives a realistic glimpse into the vile happenings in many inner cities, the drugs, abuse, filth, and violence. It gives a glimpse into the hypocrisy and weakness found in so many Christian churches who can't help those who regularly attend services, such as Holiday, to be free, much less reach out to others on the streets. Some people criticize the movie saying that it promotes the gay lifestyle. I don't see promotion of the gay lifestyle anywhere in this movie. If I did, I would never be entertained by it or recommend watching it because homosexuality is repeatedly and clearly called an abomination before God by the scriptures which are filled with accurate teachings in all branches of science, history, mathematics, psychology, and is perfect in prophecies, many of which have been fulfilled in our modern lifetime. I'm not strictly speaking of the prediction of the birth of the Savior, but of other fulfilled predictions as well such as the creation of the modern state of Israel. What I see in Holiday Heart are realistic depictions of the harsh reality that so many people face everyday.

Ving Rhames did such a fine job portraying the character Holiday that he made public statements affirming that he was not gay in real life and that he had never endured the abuse that the character had. This is a wonderful movie filled with many encouraging messages that will cause those who are not selfish to consider the awful things that some people have had to go through and yet have remained strong.

Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.

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