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Actual Reality
an interactive Christian CD presented exclusively
by
Sunday Software
An excellent interactive software CD for teenagers, college
students, and pre-adolescent kids, ...and even younger children
(selectively). Available
exclusively in the U.S. through us. After you read this webpage,
go to our free 17 page Outline & Study
Guide to read the contents of Actual Reality in detail. We also have free professionally
formatted lesson plans
for this great CD. Read more below... |
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Check out our new Actual Reality
Video Demo... I've
edited together some of my favorite clips and music from the
CD to show you just how good Actual Reality is. Even if you have
a slow internet connection, I guarantee a peek at Actual Reality
will be worth you wait. 1.7 mb to download. It's pretty
heavily edited and compressed, but the goods still come through.
If you have IE and are prompted to run the
video Active X control, it's safe to click "yes". |
This CD ROCKS!
...and has great interactive content.
When Actual Reality
first
came out --it was the first CD since Pathways Through Jerusalem
to give me goosebumps.
 Pardon my superlatives, but this
is a stunning achievement in interactive Christian multimedia.
Actual Reality rocks both literally and figuratively --reaching
out to teens (and some of us old folks) by sharing the basic
message of Jesus through hot
Christian music, state-of-the-art graphics, a witty and well written script, and plenty of
youth smart cool interactive stuff. If I sound "beside myself"
about this program, it's because I am. Parents, pastors and teens
take note, Actuality Reality is proof that God is calling us
forward in this medium. Actual Reality sets a new standard other
Christian software developers would be wise to notice.
Actual Reality boasts over 8
hours of video and 200 interactive screens.
 Actual Reality guides
teens in an exploration of the basic beliefs of Christianity. Users search an interactive inner-city landscape
encountering Christian rockers talking about their faith,
how God changed their lives, and what the Bible has to say to
teens today. OR....they might encounter special animated dudes
or celebrity clips. The message is straightforward and hip. Who
is Jesus... What does it mean to follow him.What is sin, grace,
prayer, etc....and
it is done through very cool interactive graphics.
- View the "Jesus line-up"
and read "Jesus rap sheets" in the Police Station:
Jesus the rebel, the prophet, the preacher, etc. Click on the
wall clock and the tiny little preacher dude comes out thundering.
(He's cool).
- Jump in the '57 Chevy
and tune into audio clips on the radio and videos in the rear
view mirror.
- Open the newspaper box and click
on the headlines to hear what Christ says about issues kids face
today:
RACIAL PREJUDICE
(a particularly good section in the CD), SEX, SELF-ESTEEM. (The NBA and ESPN star
Clark Kellogg has a clip. A former American Gladiator does a
little rock climbing talking about "having something you
can stand on." ...This is very well done folks).
- Browse a futuristic landscape
and encounter a Christian rapper talking about his lyrics, how
he deals with stress in his life, and how God is part of his
life. Sincere and insightful.
- Check out video clips
featuring what teens are thinking, believing and doubting about
these days.
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In
addition to great interactive/animated content, Actual Reality
is full of interviews with young Christian rock 'n roll bands
and individual artists.
Hear
and see ...
- The Supertones talk about self-esteem.
- The Newsboys
talk about sharing your faith.
- Church of Rhythm (these guys can sing) talk about prejudice.
- Rebecca St.
James talks about God's love.
- T-bone talk about what it means to praise God.Third
Day, Audio Adrenaline, World Wide Message Tribe.
- And a little animated preacher
dude who pops up on occasion with his own brand of wild
raise the dead sermonettes.
- and
many more...
Pictured here : An interactive lyrics screen featuring
video clip discussions about the lyrics from one of the Supertones.
In all, there are 17 lesson topics
and nearly 250 verses to check out.
I am most impressed with the
section of this CD titled: "The Actual Reality Observor"
...and in particular, a section in the Observor titled "COLOR
BLIND." Color Blind has numerous interactive presentations
and even a guessing game that help create healthy discussion
on RACE and PREJUDICE. This section alone is worth the price
of the CD.
<>< Neil
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This CD ROCKS!
 One
of Actual Reality's many triumphs is it's ability to pull together
a wide range of Christian hip-hopsters, rappers, Christian pop
divas, guys with earrings, and radical hair dudes. You'll hear
a very 1998 soundtrack throughout the CD, meet the bands, and
be able to tune in to 25
MTv quality music video clips.
The music of Actual Reality may in fact be the biggest surprise
to teenagers, Christian music that isn't all organs and choir
robes. From Point
of Grace (pictured left)
to The
Newsboys and beyond.
The diverse musical styles of this CD give it a longevity
that isn't soon out of date.
Actual Reality's
theology is what I would
call mainstream, Jesus-centered, and traditional with a non-threatening,
un-preachy evangelical flavor. The hip-ness of the program
design, content and recording artists give this CD's content
a great edgy-ness. It does have a little of what some would call
an evangelical vocabulary. But no fire or brimstone here. This
modern and moderate Presbyterian minister and former youth pastor
found the theological expression vital and refreshing. Anyone
could probably find at least one theological nit to pick (I did),
but it would pale in comparison with Actual Reality's huge amount
of content, heart-felt expression and technical achievement.
In addition to our standard evaluation
process -which included youth, I previewed Actual Reality with
a group that included many Presbyterian pastors and educators
as well as three Southern Baptists. Everybody wanted a copy of
this CD. If however, IF you have a sore spot about anything even
mildly evangelical, you may want to avoid this program (which
is too bad).
The content is pure Sunday night
fellowship meeting, which comes as no surprise given program
designer Ray Neu's Youth for Christ background. We've met and
I've heard his story. His work in this CD was truly inspired.
How could you use Actual Reality? This CD belongs in the
hands of teens, whether they are in your Sunday School, youth
fellowship, Confirmation class, or not in your church at all.
This is a CD to share with the kid next door who doesn't go to
church. This is a CD to wrap as a gift for your niece, nephew,
or grandkids. This is a CD for the pastor to slip into the hands
of that lost teenager. Just remember who you lent it to or get
extra copies, you won't be getting it back soon. I've used this
CD on several teaching occasions with teens, older AND even selectively
with younger elementary.
FREE with this CD is our exclusive
17 PAGE STUDY GUIDE and OUTLINE to the
program. With so much to explore, you'll appreciate the guide's
outline and commentary following every section of the CD with
suggested discussion questions.
 Pictured
at right: Screen shot of three Bible character videos you
can see and listen to in the CD.
OUR Recommended & Realistic System
Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/XP/Vista or Mac OS 8/9. 166mhz, 32 mb RAM
minimum, 6 mb videoram. Some decent speakers to play Actual
Reality's terrific music.
Price: $20 for your first
copy..... $16 each for 2 to 4 copies. $14 each for 5 or more
copies.
Check out our new
Actual Reality
Video Demo
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Reviews...
A comment from one of our
teen reviewers:
"I didn't know there was rock 'n roll like this."
Review from a teen at a seminar
I led in East Palestine Ohio:
"You bring any of those with you?"
Review from Cliff Heagy, Zion
UCC Sheboygan WI:
"I need another copy --mine's circulating around my youth
group."
"I love it! I
don't think I have ever started a review with those words, but
in this case, I want to get right to the point! This Actual Reality
CD-ROM is one of the best multimedia programs I have ever seen.
However, it is much more that just a bunch of bells and whistles,
the content of this program is superb." --Steve Hewitt,
Editor of Christian Computing Magazine.
"I have seen nothing in
the Christian sector as good as this... Members of my staff and
I have browsed through it and are totally gobsmacked."--John
Smith, United Kingdom Director of the Evangelical Alliance
The
Actual Reality Story:
Actual Reality's Executive Producer is Ray Neu, the former director
of the Central Ohio Youth for Christ. When I first contacted
Ray back in 1998 about his CD, I was surprised to learn he was
right here in my own backyard.
Ray
and I talked many times about the CD and about our lives and
ministries. He's a terrific man of God. Ray had special backing
(some would say a miracle) to get this CD produced with
huge
high quality. A local multimedia company helped make Ray's vision
a reality. Actual Reality's superior production value means that
it looks state-of-the-art even five years later. And because
the music varies greatly in style --it is still fresh and stirring.
Alas,
we are one of only two or three distributors who have stuck by
Ray's product. We think this CD is awesome. The bookstore
crowd want's to know "what's new," not "what's
still good." And quite frankly, Actual Reality has such
a HIP Youth EDGE to it that bookstore businesses in the traditional
world of praying hands statues and Bible trinkets "don't
get it." It's
a familiar story with many great CDs we carry.
<>< Neil
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