Pea of Sweetness

Ragamuffin Movie Review

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Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing the DVD for my Ragamuffin movie review. All opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.
Ragamuffin DVD Giveaway
I was really intrigued by the Ragamuffin movie. For one, I was interested to know what the title means, and I also realized I didn’t know very much about Rich Mullins except that he left a legacy of amazing songs. I knew his songs have lived on through his own recordings as well as remakes by several Christian artists.
Ragamuffin is the life story of Rich Mullins from the time he was a child constantly made to feel like a failure by his father to his finally feeling free. It is told to us in an interesting narrative. He is essentially sharing his life story with a radio station, and we see it as it unfolds.
The movie description:

RAGAMUFFIN is based on the life of Rich Mullins, a musical prodigy who rose to Christian music fame and fortune only to walk away and live on a Navajo reservation. An artistic genius, raised on a tree farm in Indiana by a callous father, Rich wrestled all of his life with the brokenness and crippling insecurity born of his childhood. A lover of Jesus and a rebel in the church, Rich refused to let his struggles with his own darkness tear him away from a God he was determined to love. As he struggled with success in Nashville and depression in Wichita, Rich desired most of all to live a life of honest and reckless faith amidst a culture of religion and conformity.

I don’t think it gets any better than that description. Rich Mullins is who he is. He was flawed and broken and appreciated God’s grace. I think a lot of us can learn from this because so often we recognize our faults and our failures and have a hard time acknowledging and accepting God’s grace. Perhaps you battle with challenges like alcoholism like Rich did, or you just feel like you haven’t “done enough,” Ragamuffin will inspire you to know God loves you right where you are.
What I find so inspiring about Ragamuffin is that Rich finally came to peace with the realization that God really does love him, and that despite his feelings and struggles, he shared his heart with others through his words and music. He was honest. He was real. He didn’t sugarcoat anything but instead acknowledged we have challenges. He shared encouragement and hope despite his own struggles.
I also love that I learned more about Rich Mullins in general. I know most of his songs he recorded but didn’t know he also wrote many songs for others artists like Amy Grant. What an impact his songs have made!
Ragamuffin does have some mild adult language and is probably not suitable for children our age (our oldest is 8), but overall, I would most definitely recommend this movie!

For More Information:

Visit the Ragamuffin Movie Website
Connect with the Ragamuffin Movie on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

*Giveaway!!!*

Would you like to win the Ragamuffin DVD? The giveaway will run through 7/21 at 11pm Central Time and is open to US and Canada. Enter the giveaway now!

Ring the Bell movie Review and Giveaway

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Ring the Bell
Ring The Bell is about big city sports agent Rob Decker who enjoys his fast-paced life and luxuries. When he tries to go sign a high school baseball superstar, he becomes stranded in a small town where life is quite different from his own. It’s a small town where they love to enjoy the moments and appreciate their blessings. It challenges Rob to reconsider his own life as he learns more about the broken life the superstar he was pursuing emerged from and how God blessed him with a second chance. He finds inspiration in the stories of not only his life, but many of the lives of those at the boys’ home including the brother and sister that run the boys’ home and learns the meaning behind the excitement when someone rings the bell. God works through the boys and Daisy to challenge Rob to step out of his comfort zone and really step back and look at the big picture.
Ring The Bell also has a few of my favorite Christian music artists, such as Mark Hall (along with his band Casting Crowns), Steven Curtis Chapman, and Matthew West! That was really neat for me. Several former and current Major League Baseball all-stars are also featured in the film: ESPN analysts John Kruk and Rick Sutcliffe (a former Cy Young Award winner), along with Ben Zobrist. Ring the Bell was produced by Mark Miller, Beach Street Records’ founder and Casting Crowns’ producer. Miller, who is also the lead singer and founder of country music group Sawyer Brown, co-wrote the script with Thomas Weber and Weber directed the production.
The bonus of having a few of my favorite Christian music artists was definitely great, but the movie itself was so touching. I think it’s very relevant in today’s world where it’s so easy to get caught up in luxuries and the “riches of this world,” that people forget to step back and look at the bigger picture. I think this movie not only challenges the main character to do so, but all of us as well. I was moved at the ministering of Mark Hall from Casting Crowns at their concert in the movie (and teared up as our 7 year old was raising his hands in worship as they sang!). I think no matter where you are in your walk of faith there is something touching and relevant you can take from this movie. I really found that it is a great family-friendly movie that the kids enjoyed watching with us. When you have younger kids this can be hard to find!

For More Information:

Visit the Ring the Bell Website and view the trailer
Connect with Ring the Bell on Facebook

*Giveaway!!* {ended 5/16/2013} View our Current Giveaways!

Enter to win the Ring the Bell DVD!

This giveaway begins on 5/2 and ends on 5/16 at 11:00pm (times are CST) and is open Worldwide ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.

Disclosure: My opinions are my own and those of my family and may be different than yours. Pea of Sweetness is not responsible for prize fulfillment.