October 2007

Beyond The Classroom…

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Just-turned 16 year old Cole got word Sunday night to pack a bag and join his father, who flew to Florida the next day to shoot another episode of a new television series with Joni Eareckson Tada. This homeschool/family business trip put Cole in the middle of the story of Terri Schiavo and her tragic death by starvation and dehydration in 2005.  Here, Cole holds the camera for the D.P. in front of the Pinellas Country Courthouse, where the judge ordered Terri’s feeding tube removed.

Below, Cole is flanked by Bobby Schindler and Suzanne Vitadamo, Terri’s brother and sister. At Franklin Springs, we’re grateful for homeschooling (and the true educational opportunities it affords), for family members working alongside one another (as Bobby and Suzanne do in their Terry Schindler Schiavo Foundation), and for the opportunity to tell stories that affirm the sanctity of God-given life — and the rich value of family.

Posted on 10/18 at 9:26 AM • Permalink

What others are saying about Still Standing…

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

“In true Franklin Springs Family Media fashion, Still Standing: The Stonewall Jackson Story is destined to become a family favorite. Still Standing chronicles the life of a true Christian man brought to fame by his exemplary military acumen in the American Civil War. But it was his faithfulness to the Gospel — in his family, with his children, toward his soldiers, and the Sunday School class for Blacks (freemen and slaves) that he started, taught, and supported — that, no doubt, earned Thomas Jackson the reward of hearing those precious words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’ from his King when he ‘crossed over the river’ and finally ‘rested under the shade of the trees’.

This important documentary will be used in my family to inspire a new generation to look to General Jackson as a man with flaws, but who followed hard after Christ. May mine and I, by God’s grace, stand like a stone wall before the onslaught of the enemy, trusting that we are as safe on the battlefield as we are in our beds.”

— Jim Bob Howard
Editor-In-Chief, Homeschooling Today Magazine

Order your copy today!

Posted on 10/17 at 10:26 AM • Permalink

The first “Still Standing” review

Friday, October 12, 2007

By Bethany Vaughn -- of Vaughnshire.com

The new DVD from Franklin Springs Family Media has just been released. This is yet another excellent film from Franklin Springs that not only excels in masterful workmanship and beauty, but completely captures the Biblical worldview, the gentle heart, and solid character of Stonewall Jackson during a pivotal time in our nation’s history. We especially enjoyed the information presented about Stonewall Jackson’s black Sunday school class in which he labored diligently to share the love of Christ with his black brothers and sisters.  It is a fascinating and inspiring story that still lives on today.

The film is beautiful.  We greatly enjoyed the rich cinematography which is remarkably more vivid and complex with many beautiful intricacies that lent further richness to the well-told storyline. As a home educating family whose children thrive on any bits and pieces of information surrounding the Great War and those involved in it, I appreciate such quality and accuracy in this historical biography of Jackson.  Still Standing highlights a man whose intense love for the Lord, unshakable courage in the face of adversity and stalwart faith in the Almighty still impacts my family today in the year 2007.

Our family will be using the film as an important homeschool tool this Fall.  There is a wealth of historically accurate information from a Biblical worldview that will be used to build the academic knowledge of our children.  More importantly, this film provides yet another reminder of the importance of studying Godly men from the past.  The preparation of Godly men to lead the cultural reformation our nation needs, must include an understanding of our nation’s history.  The character of men like Stonewall is the character of the men that move nations.

Although the film itself did not attempt to tackle the moral difficulties of the time period, it does fully examine the life of a great general who himself wrestled with those issues. The film discusses some little known facts about a man our politically correct institutions have ignored for far too long.  As such the “Vaughnshire Review Board"… that is to say dad and mom along with all the children, gave it a quiverfull thumbs up.

Order your copy now.

Posted on 10/12 at 9:42 AM • Permalink

Young Eyes Are Watching…

Monday, October 8, 2007

On a recent Saturday, Cole and Sam did what outdoors-inclined young men are eager to sometimes do, and they set about the business of tackling several substantial trees that needed cleared…

And their activities did not go unnoticed…

And on this one early-Autumn Tennessee afternoon, the beautiful picture of younger siblings and family friends watching and learning from the older children unfolded once more…

At Franklin Springs, we continue to celebrate the blessing of family and friends, and of older children modeling honorable lifestyles, values, and (in this case) good-old-fashioned hard work for the younger children.

Posted on 10/8 at 10:18 AM • Permalink

Off the Farm…

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Yes, many of our productions take us to picturesque rural settings (Inherit the Land, A Journey Home, The Eden String Quartet).  But now and then, our production travels take us a significant distance from the farm…

And we trade a ride on a tractor or combine for a ride of another sort…

And what would a trip to the Big Apple be without a stop at our favorite computer company?

Truth be told, however, while shooting in New York City is a fun “day at the office”, we prefer pushing the children on a tire swing in the quiet countryside to pushing our way through Manhattan traffic…

Posted on 10/2 at 12:01 PM • Permalink
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