Monthly Archives: March 2014

To Communicate Joy

2 Replies

I grew up listening to John Denver. In fact the very first concert I ever attended was a John Denver concert with my parents at the age of 5. His sweet, smooth voice seemed to comfort me and infuse me with a sense of peace. You can literally hear him smiling as he sings. I really wish he had come to know Jesus – I think they would have been best friends.

Just a few years ago I stumbled upon his website and found a quote from John Denver that stirred my soul.

“My purpose in performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living.”

I love that! The quote breaks down a little when we apply it to worship because singing worship songs is not a performance (really). Although an argument could be made that corporate/congregational worship is a joint performance, with the audience being God. So that we are together performing for an audience of One. Continue reading →

Share Button

Worship set for March 2, 2014

Leave a reply

Your Name Will Be Praised, Be Thou My Vision, More Than A Friend, Faithful God, Never Once Continue reading →

Share Button

Film Portrayals of Jesus

Leave a reply

With the release of the new movie “Son Of God” out this weekend (I haven’t seen it yet, but was very unimpressed with the few minutes I watched of “The Bible” which was produced by the same people and features the same actor as Jesus), I was reflecting on the various film portrayals of Jesus I’ve seen. I actually haven’t seen that many, but I can definitely name a few standouts.

Of course Jim Caviezal’s performance in The Passion of The Christ (2004) is a standout. He does a great job of acting, but there are several other things that make it stand out even more. First of course is the focus on the brutality of Jesus’ experience. It’s not that I’m a fan of watching people get beaten or killed (I can’t stand horror flicks or even UFC), but I think that we tend to forget, ignore, or overlook the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice. He didn’t just take a bullet for us and die quickly; He was beaten to a pulp and hung on a cross for hours. Whenever I watch this sobering film I find myself feeling how much I hurt God when I sin. And that allows me to appreciate His grace all the more.

The second thing I appreciate about The Passion of The Christ is Continue reading →

Share Button