Happy last weekend of August, friends!
The leaves aren't turning just yet; however, the *ber* months are only a few days away, and we have another *Fall into Love* movie premiering this weekend on the Hallmark Channel, another exciting adventure on INSP with Blue Ridge, and classic movies you don't want to miss, including a special tribute!
See all of the details below, plus see a praise report for a Great American Family actress at the end of this post...
Friday, August 28, 2026:
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| movie images: Hallmark Media |
The Christmas classics airing Friday night include a special movie tribute to country singer Dolly Parton with Christmas at Dollywood. It's also a double-feature movie night for Niall Matter, who stars in Christmas at Dollywood and We Met in December.
Friday Christmas Movie Schedule:
A Royal Icing Christmas ... Great American Family ... 4pm
Catering Christmas ... Great American Family ... 6pm
Christmas at Dollywood ... Hallmark Channel ... 6pm
Christmas Joy ... Hallmark Family ... 6pm
We Met in December ... Hallmark Channel ... 8pm
Another Sweet Christmas ... Great American Family ... 8pm
Hitched for the Holidays ... Hallmark Family ... 8pm
Christmas of Giving ... Great American Family ... 10pm
Catering Christmas ... Great American Family ... 12am
Another Sweet Christmas ... Great American Family ... 2am
Christmas of Giving ... Great American Family ... 4am
For more upcoming Christmas movie classics, visit the Christmas Movie Schedule!
Saturday, August 29, 2026:
Season 1 Marathon
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Crossroad Springs - images: Great American Media |
Crossroad Springs Saturday Marathon - 10am to 3pm
Episode 6 - Sunrise and Still Water:
A member of the Newman family returns and threatens the Hamilton's land deal.
Episode 7 - Stay in Your Lane:
As spring arrives, James launches his Cowboy Church amid his family's struggles.
Episode 8 - The Divine Search:
As the past resurfaces, James questions his calling; Janet fights to protect her family.
Episode 9 - Patience:
James must choose between the ranch and the church he built; tensions rise with Janet and Layla.
Episode 10 - Joy:
On Easter Sunday, James opens the Cowboy Church as faith calls for sacrifice and forgiveness.
Season 1 Marathon
Saturday, August 22, 2026
10am - 3pm on Great American Family
*Plus, if you enjoy reality series, catch a new episode of Jep & Jess: Beyond the Bayou - Saturday night at 9pm/8c on Great American Family.
Saturday, August 29, 2026:
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image: Hallmark Media |
Storyline: A TV director returns to her theater roots for a Shakespeare festival and runs into an old flame, rekindling a merry war of wits in this modern retelling of "Much Ado About Nothing."
Premieres Saturday, August 29, 2026
at 8pm/7c on the Hallmark Channel
Sunday, August 30, 2026:
Episode 7
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| image: INSP |
Guest stars: Annabeth Gish and Nicholas Gonzalez
Episode 7: “A Matter of Perspective”
Storyline: After an officer-involved shooting threatens to ignite a long-standing feud in Blue Ridge, Justin must wade through the fog of the incident to find the truth.
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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - sharing special time with family or friends, and perhaps enjoying a great movie or two!Episode 7: “A Matter of Perspective”
Storyline: After an officer-involved shooting threatens to ignite a long-standing feud in Blue Ridge, Justin must wade through the fog of the incident to find the truth.
Premieres Sunday, August 30, 2026
at 10pm/9c on INSP
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| image via: Jillian Cardarelli album cover |
I also wanted to share another beautiful praise report with you all… actress and singer Jillian Cardarelli recently shared on Instagram that, after surgery and 19 rounds of radiation, she is cancer-free and praising God! What an incredible answer to prayer and such a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness!.
Jillian shared these touching words: “One minute at a time, trusting God with everything that comes next!” Isn’t that just beautiful? I just had to share this encouraging news with all of you!
You can see Jillian Cardarelli in both the first and upcoming second season of Crossroad Springs. And if you’ve heard her sing, you know she truly has the voice of an angel! You can hear her beautiful voice in Season 1, Episode 10, which will encore Saturday afternoon. (See the schedule above.)
Jillian’s journey toward healing is still continuing, as she will need to undergo endocrine therapy, so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Let’s keep praying for complete healing, strength, and peace!
Blessings on your Weekend,
Net
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SHINING HIS LIGHT:
“From his fullness we have all received,
grace upon grace.”
~John 1:16
As August draws to a close this weekend, this verse is a beautiful reminder that God’s grace has been with us through every moment. We may not know exactly what the days ahead will bring, but we can trust that His grace will meet us there! May we step into the coming season with peaceful hearts, knowing God is already ahead of us, preparing the way!
Hi Net,
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Praise be God that Jillian is cancer-free! God is good! I know she has more to go through so I will continue to pray for her and keep her in my thoughts. I really love the verse you choose this week Net. It made me pause and think about him and reflect on what God means to us. He is always with us. When we receive God in our hearts we certainly experience grace upon grace.
I can't believe it is almost September. I don't want to wish my life away, but I always welcome the change of seasons.
Joan, Thank you for sharing in Jillian's joyful news!!! I know she'll appreciate your prayers.
DeleteAnd thank you for sharing how this weekend's scripture touched your heart! It is my prayer each week that the scripture I choose will be meaningful and uplifting.
Happy end of August, my friend! :)
"We may not know exactly what the days ahead will bring, but we can trust that His grace will meet us there! May we step into the coming season with peaceful hearts, knowing God is already ahead of us, preparing the way!"...I so ADMIRE so many of you at this blog. Your faith is sooooo strong and you really believe this and you live your lives completely and fully in this belief. I so want to but I'm that person that 'steps into the coming season' and every season with a fearful heart. I don't see what happened to Jillian as now a blessing. I see it as a horror show that her and her family had and have to live through that leaves lifelong scars, no matter how things may be right now. I speak of this from experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm that person that is so jaded by life's scary happenings that I can mostly only see the bad that is right around every corner and will happen. The proverbial piano waiting to drop at any moment and it is guaranteed that it will at some point. I do understand that peace of God and it is the most wonderful thing, but it is so fleeting and the majority of time there is just fear and anxiety.
Jim, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in how you feel! As much as I strive everyday to be strong and have that child like faith the Bible tells us to have, many days I fall short, as I’m sure many of us here do. I have been through some trials and difficult seasons, but I know that God is still good. If we stop and reflect on the answered prayers (big and small, they all matter to God) the praise reports of our brothers and sisters in Christ, the mercy God has had on us when He kept us when we were undeserving of being kept, the fact that we woke up this morning, all of these things show us how faithful He is. I know it is not always easy, many times I have had to come to God and ask for forgiveness for my unbelief or my doubt of a season I’m going through- but we cannot let the enemy steal our joy! Remember God gives us His peace, not of the world but His peace. I always think of that when I’m having a hard day and I’ll blast my KLove or read my Bible and get my mind back on track. Our mind is such a powerful thing and we must really protect it. Stay strong friend!
Delete~Paula
Paula, your words are always filled with light, love, wisdom, and kindness. You have IT!! Thank you.
DeleteJim, I understand exactly what you mean, and I truly wish we didn’t have to endure so many hurts and difficult situations in this life. But as hard as those times can be, I do believe they can also draw our attention back to God and bring us even closer to Him.
DeleteI absolutely love Paula’s suggestion of blasting Christian radio or spending time reading our Bible to get our hearts and minds back on track! I love doing that, too, and I think it is such wonderful advice. There is something so comforting about filling our minds with God’s Word and worship music when our thoughts are trying to take us somewhere dark or fearful. Sometimes we simply need to turn down the noise of the world and turn up the voice of God.
We can bring every fear to Him, even the ones we wish we didn't have, and trust that He will meet us right there in the middle of it.
By the way, have you heard the song “If It Was Up to Me”? It’s a beautiful duet by Ben Fuller and Carrie Underwood, and I immediately thought you might find it especially meaningful. The song really speaks to that feeling of wishing we could control circumstances and protect ourselves or the people we love, while ultimately recognizing that God sees the bigger picture. I think the message is so beautiful and comforting.
Here’s a link to the song on YouTube: (the lyrics are in the description under the video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjSBj6oj2FU&list=RDFjSBj6oj2FU&start_radio=1
I hope you’ll give it a listen when you have a chance. Just remember, God already knows what tomorrow holds, even when we can't see beyond today. God bless you, my friend!
Wow Net! After listening to that video a couple of times, first came the chills and then came the tears. A very fitting and beautiful song. Blown away. Thank you so much!
DeleteJim, I’m so glad you enjoyed the song!!! It is powerful and truly if it was up to me - life would be smooth sailing for everyone… but God ultimately knows best.
DeleteI wish I could say every prayer would be answered in the way we want, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen. I’ve prayed for loved ones who didn’t get better and that pain is hard to bear. My faith is sometimes - as small as a mustard seed, but I’m thankful to know God, who knows the number of hairs on my head and my innermost being, truly understands my heart.
So glad this song touched you!!!
Net, thank you for mentioning how your pain was so hard to bear when your prayers didn't get answered for loved ones getting better. That is something that has always confused me somewhat. We praise God when someone is healed ("she is cancer-free and praising God! What an incredible answer to prayer and such a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness!."). However, when someone doesn't get healed and passes away for example we tend to not give God the same Praise. It's almost like He failed us, but we don't want to say that so we say something like...we can't understand God's ways as they are way above our ways and yet we give Him all praise and He is so good etc. when those prayers are answered.
DeleteIt seems we should praise God just as enthusiastically EVEN if that person passes away, if we truly have faith and trust in Everything that He allows. Or why do we even pray at all for a healing? We should trust Him no matter what happens. I don't know...just something that has bothered me. We praise when God answers prayers we ask for like healing and yet when they aren't answered in that same way we kind of hide behind how we really feel and seem to make up some excuse for God instead of just praising him just the same. I don't mean this to offend. I have just always been baffled by this.
A quick sports analogy to better clarify what I mean. A team that wins a game will praise God vocally for their victory and yet the losing team is almost always silent. The losing team should be just as enthusiastically praising God also but we as humans tend to not do that. It's like we are saying...okay God I am giving you a pass this time haha.
Paula-I love the beautifukl truth you shared.
DeleteJim-I too know and empathize with your struggles. I have had a harder path than I expected, but the Lord was gracious to give me the gift of faith at a young age and He has kept it steady. It helps me to remind myself that He did tell us in this world we would have tribulation, but He has overcome, and He promises to never leave us or forsake us. I've also recently challenged myself (with my son) to go back to writing out 3 things a day I am thankful for. I hate to admit that some days I pause longer than I'd like, but still, His mercies are new every morning, and His presence is sure, and I know my true Home awaits! Blessings to you.
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been struggling Jim. You’ve been in my prayers. Remember to lean on Christ. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And also remember that all things work for good for those who love the Lord. When I am having a hard time wrestling with my fears I remind myself that. And it helps. So does singing a hymn.
DeleteI also have a really good book to recommend that me and my family loves! It brings so much comfort and peace and we’ve read it over and over. It’s called Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund.
Lizzy and Abigail. Thank you both for encouraging words and a book recommendation. Very lovely thoughts. Like I said in my original post, I am amazed and admire the strong faith by so many on this blog. May God bless you always.
DeleteJim, I totally get you, my friend. I have a framed saying on my dresser that I have had there for years, that was given to me as a gift. It says, "Mark, trust me, I have everything under control. Jesus" Every day I read it, and it definitely helps get me through whatever problems I may face that day!
DeleteIt is so important to put our faith in Jesus. We do not have all of the answers, and we never will during our lifetime. It is a struggle to be sure, but if we remain strong, keep the faith, and put our trust in the Lord, well, then we are doing what he is asking of us.
God is good...all the time! And for that, he deserves our praise!
Oh Abigail! I strongly agree with you on your book reccomendation of Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund! It is such a wonderful book about Jesus and His tender love and mercy for us. I too re-read it often!
DeleteMark, LOVE your framed saying. That is awesome! I have some anxiety issues that just seem to dominate my thinking no matter how hard I try to think otherwise towards that total trust and faith in God. We all have our crosses to bear though. I do know though that my issues over the years have brought me closer to God because I KNOW how much I need Him. In other words, if I didn't have my type of cross which FORCES me to rely on God and pursue Him even when my mind sometimes betrays me, who knows what craziness I might get myself into. Thank you so much for replying. It means a lot to me.
DeleteWhat a beautiful praise report about Jillian! And amen Net, God will always meet us in the season we are in. I am so excited to be approaching September, although we don’t get much here in CA, I can’t wait for the cooler days and fall leaves.
ReplyDeleteHappy watching this weekend everyone!
~Paula
Paula, Thank you for also sharing in the joy of Jillian's praise report! She is such a sweetheart. It's been really emotional to watch her go through this as she's been very open about sharing her journey.
DeleteI hope you'll have a nice end of August weekend. So far, there aren't many signs of Fall coming for us either, except most of our hydrangeas have turned from white to a blush pink color, but we'll be in the 90s this coming week... so Summer is still holding on here too!!!
Stay cool & happy watching this weekend!!!! :)
So happy for Jillian! What wonderful news for her and her family. And yes, she has the most beautiful voice! I’m gonna be sure to record those CS eps tomorrow to hear her again. Christie
ReplyDeleteChristie, awww... she certainly does have an amazing voice, and I love hearing her sing hymns & Christmas music especially!!! Hope you enjoyed your Crossroad Springs rewatch today! I caught the last two eps! So good!!!! :)
DeleteMuch about Love is fantastic! -Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, this is wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for sharing!
DeleteThat’s good to know, Is it fall themed, I know hallmark air a mix of fall and non fall themed movies in the fall into love block.
Delete@Anon, not it is not at all Fall. Not one single bit. A pretty good movie, but not at all fall. I didn't love it, but didn't hate it. It was confusing with all the fixing and unfixing couples up, but it was not terrible. I was looking for fall, and sadly, not there.
DeleteSabrina
The movie you are looking for is likely Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage, which premieres on September 19, 2026. (You might also be thinking of Garage Sale Mystery: The Novel Murders, where a killing re-enacts a classic mystery novel).
ReplyDeleteWonderful news for Jillian.
ReplyDeletewhile chatting about fall, I'm just going to toss in that Autumn at Apple Hill airs on Tues. Sept. 8th at 8PM EST for those who enjoyed it & like to rewatch. :)--Angie (the book is also sweet/closed door).
ReplyDeleteI started watching Much Ado About Love, but so far, it has been much ado about nothing for me. The movie is slow, the storyline hasn’t grabbed me, and I’m finding it hard to believe that an actress who is starring in a play suddenly can’t remember any of her lines.
ReplyDeleteAs for Kimberley and Niall’s storyline, I feel completely lost, like we missed something along the way and are just supposed to understand their connection. I also found Niall’s beard much too dark and fake looking, which was very distracting.
I usually skip Ashley’s movies because I’m never sure if they’ll be family friendly for my taste. I had heard this one was, so I decided to give it a chance, but unfortunately, it just hasn’t been very good. With only 30 minutes left, I’m still not sure I’ll finish it…and that says a lot!
Sarah, my sentiments exactly on this movie! I couldn't get into it at all, and it felt like Kimberley and Niall were having a tough time of it too. I watched it all the way through, and if you didn't finish watching it, you didn't miss much!
DeleteI finished it, although I’m still not sure why!
Delete😂 Oops... I just noticed I called her Kimberley, but I meant Ashley.
I agree with you, Mark, about Ashley and Niall, their relationship felt forced and not natural. Again, I just couldn't get pass Niall's Just For Men beard... so distracting!
It also made no sense that Ashley’s character never acted again to prove that horrible review from her past wrong. The whole movie was a mess from the start and never recovered. I hope there will not be a sequel.
Sarah L & Mark 25, Thank you both for sharing reviews for Much About Love!!!!!
DeleteI finished it tonight and well, it was rather slow for me, too. I struggled through it. And Sarah, you're so right - Ashley's character Bea never got over her acting fear. That really felt incomplete for me, too. I kept thinking she & Benny would take the stage again together. That was a big miss for me.
It is lighthearted and family-friendly, but a one-time watch for me.
Every time I look at the picture of Lori in the banner, I think she looks sinister...like she could actually be the killer in a murder-mystery. Maybe it's just me, but...
ReplyDelete