Contest Winner

Hey everybody, I know I should have done this a long time ago, but I kept forgetting, so I guess better late than never. :)  We didn't get very many contest entry's, but we did get a few.  Congratulations to the winner, Jessa M.!  I'll send out your certificate as soon as possible, Jessa.  For those of you who didn't win, we'll be having more, hopefully one with #53!  So keep watching!

Giants, Rats, and Billy Graham

I decided to do a post on movies.  Here's a list of movies that I like:  (The links take you to the Plugged In reviews)

Tangled (Disney)

I absolutely love this film!  Saw it for the first time, Tuesday night.  Hilarious. Pixar did a great job (as usual) on the animation.

Time Changer (Rich Christiano)

This is very good, and makes some very good points.  The only objectionable thing is one use of the word "gosh" (which stands for God)   

Ratatouille (Disney)

We love this movie!  Great animation, very funny.

Other Good Movies:

Facing the Giants

Flywheel

Narnia 1

Narnia 3

Billy: The Early Years

What are your thoughts on these movies?  Comment and tell me your favorites.

Surprise Revealed!

I've decided to release the surprise I mentioned a while back.  So here it is:  (Be sure to watch the middle and the end especially!)

Please keep in mind that this is the first video I've done like this, and it's designed to just be silly.  If a lot of people like it, I'll consider doing more, and taking more time to make them, so I really need you to comment and tell me what you think!  Thanks. :)

New Website

Check out AIOFIA (Adventures in Odyssey Information For Anyone.)  It's a cool Odyssey website with links, contest page, blog, and more.  Click on the link and comment on the blog, so the webmaster knows you've found the site.  If I can figure the RSS stuff out, I'll put it in the blog list so you can see when he does a new post..

BTW, if you haven't listened to the first ep. of #53 go to CBD and download it for free.  It's awesome!  And the last character you would expect to be in it is, but I won't tell you who unless you comment and tell me you want to know who, which you probably don't and won't. :)  That's all for now.

Surprise Coming Soon?

I'm working on a project that I might or might not decide to release.  I should have it ready in a 1-2 weeks if everything goes well.  I will let you see a picture that is part of my project, but you will never guess in a million years what I'm working on. :)

You can try to guess in the comments if you'd like, but I won't confirm anything.






If you haven't entered our contest yet, you still have time, but you'd better hurry!  Just click the link at the top of the page for more info.

Please comment!  I'd like to hear your speculations. :)

EDIT:  In case you didn't know, you can download the first episode of #53 for free here!  Make sure you buy just the first episode or else you'll pay $17.49.  :)

Review: The Brotherhood

The Brotherhood
Jerry B. Jenkins

Summary:
Boone Drake has it made.  He’s a young cop rising rapidly through the ranks of the Chicago Police Department.  He has a beautiful wife and son, a nice starter house, a great partner, and a career plan that should land him in the Organized Crime division within five years.

Everything is going right…until everything goes horribly wrong.

His personal life destroyed and his career and future in jeopardy, Boone buries himself in guilt and bitterness as his life spirals out of control.  But when he comes face to face with the most vicious gang leader Chicago has seen in decades, he begins to realize that God is a God of second chances and can change the hardest heart…and forgive the worst of crimes.

Review:
Jerry Jenkins is one of my favorite authors, and he’s written some really great books.  If you’re a fan of his books, then The Brotherhood will be a great addition to add to your collection.  On the upside, it teaches us that God is not the author of death, but does allow people to die to bring glory to himself.  Also, there’s some great action scenes if you like those types of books.  On the downside, there are a number of references to mature themes that some parents may not want their younger children to see.  There’s nothing explicit though.  And if you don’t like reading sad things, you may not want to buy it.  (SPOILER: Boone’s son in killed in a tragic fire and his wife dies later from severe burns.  Boone struggles with their death and resorts to wine to help him sleep, but after a while he resolves to stay away from it.)  Out of five stars, I’ll give this book 3½.  You can order it from Tyndale, or you can enter our contest to win a free copy! (See details below)

About the Author:

Jerry B. Jenkins is a #1 New York Times best-selling author.  His books include The Last Operative, Riven, Shadowed, and many more.  He also wrote the Left Behind series (with Tim LaHaye), the Red Rock Mysteries series (with Chris Fabry) and the Wormling series. (with Chris Fabry)  His writing has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Guideposts, Parade, and dozens of other periodicals.  He is the writer of the comic strip, Gil Thorp and his biographies include books with Bill Gaither, Hank Aaron, Billy Graham, and many others.  His books appear regularly on the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists.





Contest Details:
Use our contact page or email us directly at: theodysseytimes@yahoo.com and provide us with your name, email, and mailing address.  We will draw a random name, and the winner will receive a certificate that they can redeem at their local Christian book store.  Winner will be contacted as soon as possible after the contest ends.  Contest ends 2/20/11.

I’d like to thank the Tyndale Blog Network for providing me with a free review copy of The Brotherhood, and the certificate for the contest.