Friday, April 1, 2016

'God's Not Dead 2'

If you have been a long-time reader of our blog, you may remember our post about Jill and Derick Dillard's at-home date night in December 2014. The two expectant parents enjoyed banana peanut butter shakes while watching the movie God's Not Dead.


For those who enjoyed God's Not Dead, you'll be thrilled to hear that the sequel, God's Not Dead 2, opens in theaters today.

The movie features Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson, who also happens to be a personal friend of the Duggar girls. It has also been endorsed by multiple other friends of the Duggar family, including authors Jason and David Benham.

Visit Ellie's blog, NashvilleWife.com, to read her review of God's Not Dead 2 and to watch the trailer.


Photo courtesy dillardfamily.com

36 comments:

  1. As a Christian, I do think religion needs to stay out of public schools. It's the only way for students of different religions to learn together. We should be grateful to be allowed to worship freely in this country, and focus more on TRUE Christian persecution in Syria or Pakistan.

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  2. Expectant???? What does that mean??

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    1. I believe it was back when they were expecting Israel. The writers are referencing a post from December 2014.

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    2. They were expectant when the first movie came out.

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    3. It is referring to a post from December 2014 when Jill was expecting. She was expecting Baby Israel when this picture was taken.

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    4. They are talking about the original post which was written when Jill was pregnant with Israel.

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    5. Meaning they were expecting their first child at the time this picture was taken.

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    6. Sarah: Expectant mean's their going to have a baby. That was when Jill was pregnant with Isreal

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    7. It means pregnant. As in, expecting a baby. Jill was pregnant at the time.

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    8. It means in December of 2014 Jill was pregnant with Israel.

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    9. Thanks for answering my question everyone!!! The reason I asked is because Jill said in one of the videos when they were in Central America: "We went down as a family of three, we could come back as a family of four"

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  3. I can't get past the banana peanut butter shakes...ugh ugh! LOL

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    1. They're sooo good!!

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    2. Don't knock it til you try it! Think banana split with nuts in it ;-)

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    3. Banana and peanut butter are a classic combination, and so delicious! You should really try it sometime.

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    4. They are delicious. We use the Magic Bullet. In a magic bullet cup, we put a whole banana, a couple heaping tablespoons of peanut butter, one ice cube, and milk to the "fill" line. Blend. It is sooooo yummy.

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    5. Ugh???! Banana peanut butter shakes are awesome!! I absolutely love them!!

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  4. I know that this is off topic, but I have an 8 year old daughter who has Cerebral Palsy, she cannot walk or talk, but she mentally understands EVERYTHING that is normal for a child her age to understand. She communicates through non-verbal body language and sign language combinations. My daughter ABSOLUTELY LOVES watching the Duggars! She loves watching all the children running around playing, it makes her SO happy! We have been so heartbroken about the ways that Satan has been attacking the Duggars in recent years. We have been praying for the Duggars to have strength and God's protection in getting through these trials of life. All that has transpired has just endeared the Duggars to us even more because really literally ANYBODY is capable of having this happen to their family. Nobody is perfect or has a perfect family, people should not expect anyone to wave their sins out in the open for everyone to see as if proud, nor should anyone hide their sins. (Isaiah 3:9 Psalm 19:12) I feel empathy for the Duggars because I know that they were only doing what they felt was the best for everyone and I am 100% certain that they had a lot of prayerful hours spent discerning God's will! It is a difficult situation and nobody can say how they would have reacted unless they have been in that same exact situation. I just wish my little girl could get to see the Duggars grow up more, especially Josie, because Tracy acquired her Cerebral Palsy from lack of oxygen during a traumatic birth, something similar to Josie's experience. We have prayed for Josie so much over the years and our heart ached along with the family when Josie had health crisis. Please keep my daughter, Tracy, in your prayers, we especially want her to learn to read soon so that she can use a computer that will help her communicate and we are hoping to be able to get a handicap accessible vehicle soon. We will certainly keep praying for all of you, including Ellie!!! God Bless 🙏

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    1. Hi Susan! That's a great encouraging comment! Finally something positive. I just wanted to tell you that I taught my 10 and 8 years old to read when they were 4 and 3 by using Hooked on Phonics it was easy for them to learn and ours is an older set without the DVDs. The DVDs look fun! Just google it. Maybe your library will have them or maybe you can just buy them. Sometimes you can buy them used and in really good condition for 1/2 or less of the original price. I highly recommend this program. We'll be praying for blessings for your family.

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    2. Thank you so much for sharing your story! I just sat down and prayed for your family and especially for Tracy. Your story helped put some struggles I have in my life in perspective.

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    3. Aww, I will most certainly be praying for your daughter. God is still more than able to raise the dead so the healing of Tracy is definitely not too much for Him! So many miracles happening every day...and life its self is a miracle:) I'm believing with you... Matthew 19:26

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    4. I am a retired elementary and special education teacher. Public schools are required to provide a free and appropriate education to all students, regardless of disability. Specialists can work with you and your child to determine the best programming to help her reach her potential. My best to you and your family.

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  5. That picture is not Central America. Must be back in Arkansas.

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    1. It says the picture in from December, 2014

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    2. Oooops "is" from

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    3. Yes, it's from 2014.

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    4. It's an old pic of when Jill was pregnant, as they stated.

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  6. I think it is dangerous to exaggerate attacks on religion and religious freedom in schools and the public sector in general. Kids still recite the same pledge - "one nation under God" - and observe moments of silence. When I was in high school, not terribly long ago, every event - from football games to graduation ceremonies to sports banquets - were begun with a (Christian) prayer. We even held a Bible study group before school in a teacher's classroom; they treated it just like any other club. Efforts to not teach a particular religion in the classroom aren't attempts to prevent anyone from being religious; they're meant to keep the education environment religion-neutral so that individual families can instill the values they choose in their children. Just as Baptists may not appreciate their children being taught Catholic values or Catholics may not appreciate their children being taught Buddhist values as truth in schools. Studying religion as a subject rather than presenting it as fact is the key difference. I think when we have a country that is majority Christian, and we have presidents who are all but required to be Christian (look at our current president, a proclaimed Christian, who is attacked simply for suspicions that he is not Christian enough, or the right kind of Christian), it is not honest or a true reality to depict religion as being under attack. Many people - even Christians - do not want to see religious beliefs used as basis or justification in our legislative process. This is not an attack on religion. This is why Americans are free to worship any way they choose. Using personal religious beliefs - which vary dramatically from person to person, even within the same faiths - to justify our laws is dangerous to all of us. A true attack on religion would be what we actually are seeing now - where leaders of our country are proposing to monitor or deport people of certain faiths or prevent their places of worship from being opened and allowed to operate. As the Duggars seem to support various ministries worldwide, they should be well aware of the signs of true religious persecution which are faced by many outside the US borders.

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    1. Excellent comment although I would add that being Christian is not a requirement to be President but an expectation. If it was Bernie would not be running for the Democratic nomination. He is Jewish.

      From what I have read of the plot of this movie, it is one I will not see. I abhor discrimination and slander in any form and this movie, as a means to push it's message, depicts atheists in a distorted, one-dimensional manner.

      The atheists I know are very well educated and well-read. They would have no problems with their children reading the Bible or any other religious text. They would actual encourage it. They mourn the death of love ones as deeply as Christians, even more because they do not believe that life goes on after death. And I know more Christians more interested in accumulating wealth than non-Christians. They value quality of life and their legacy and want to leave this world a better place. That is their immorality.

      What concerns me about this movie is that there will be those that take this movie as fact. And unfortunately, they take advice from reality stars, just because they pepper their speech with religious phrases.

      A teacher quoting the Bible would not concern atheists just as one quoting the Koran or book of mormons. What would be a problem if that teacher's religious views got in her way of her doing her job.

      Public school is meant to be for everyone, regardless of religion or Creed. It is not meant to educate only conservative Baptist Christian children but Hindu, Jews, Muslim, mormon.....It is not a vehicle for conversion to a particular brand of Christianity.

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    2. Very well said! Thank you :)

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    3. This comment is very true and well said.

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  7. Our schools from Kindergarten to Universities are not just trying to remove God from the classroom but from the students minds and hearts also. I just watched a program this weekend on grammar schools that are teaching philosophy to students who are too young to even spell the word. The instructors said that their goal was to teach children that there is no such thing as a wrong answer just different opinions. That seems innocent enough until you find whats really happening is children are learning that anything goes, its what you say and want that matters. The childrens books they highlighted all had undertones that stated all things exist just "because". This isn't about not reciting the pledge in school these are teachers blatantly closing young minds to God and disguising it as curriculum. What about the child that was suspended for saying God bless you to a classmate? Yes we are under attack from the classroom to the military and beyond. Deporting people based on faith? People need to follow the proper channels to become a United States citizen its the safest way to welcome them.

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  8. Having been a public school teacher for over 35 years, I take issue with some of your comments, especially your implication that you are somehow under attack. To paint all educators with the same brush because of one program you watched is a serious error in judgment. It is also a mistake that you suggest schools should be teaching about God. Whose God would that be? We are a country made up of quite a number of diverse religions, all thinking they have all the right answers. This is why our founding fathers were wise in their advocating for separation of church and state. No religious affiliation was ever meant to be a test for lawmakers or citizens.
    Never did I, nor any of my colleagues, tell students they should not believe in God. If a student asked me about the creation, I simply told them that some people believe that and others do not. I never shared my own personal beliefs. Can you imagine the chaos that would insue if public schools started promoting one particular religion? The goal of an education is to instill a love for learning, not to blindly follow an idea or person without asking serious questions. If you want a religious education for your children, there are plenty of fine parochial schools as well as homeschooling options.

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    1. Totally agree, but a teacher telling a student to think for himself or to do his own research would make for an awfully dull and short movie. Obviously this one was made to evoke feelings from people willing to pay to see it. They are going along with the premise because it's speaking to them on some level that the movie makers intended it to reach, whether or not it's a plausible idea.

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    2. Anon 6:38pm - I went back to my comment and realized I should have said this curriculum is being used in "certain" schools from K to Universities. Sometimes I write something that I'm passionate about and I know what I meant but it interprets differently :) Also when I said these instructors are trying to take God out of the classroom I wasn't talking about religious instruction (that doesn't exist in public schools) I meant children being reprimanded for saying God bless you to a classmate that sneezes or other types of instances. My point was these "particular" teachers are trying to change the students existing belief system with this new philosophy. Its coming from a University in New England and is being well received and should be closely watched. Lastly I meant no disrespect I have a personal great admiration for teachers. Anon 11:11am :)

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  9. Ijust love the duggars dearly their show is awesome thx ellie for making the blog for all of us to keep in touch thx alot the duggars are the best

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