Last week I saw the movie FIREPROOF three times as we showed it five times at our church here at Friendship Community. It is a powerful movie and I highly recommend it. If you have seen it you may appreciate the humor in this 60 second version of it found here.
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Another day that it was supposed to snow, but nothing has happened yet. I gotta say that as a Worship Leader I'm glad for people to be able to get out to worship tonight and Sunday. So hold off snow, OK? This weekend we are going to introduce a new song at worship. It's called Pass It On. No, not the 1960's one that was a good one (and still is)... this is a more upbeat song from Tommy Walker. You can hear it and see it on video here:
The discussion for The Shack went well last night, there were 14 people out. It has such meaning and touches people differently with new insights and brings up emotions. I'm glad to have read it (twice) and glad to get to talk with others about it. Now I'm looking forward to our showing of "Fireproof" five times this next week. It ended up doing well in theatres and is coming out on DVD in a few weeks. We are showing it for free on our big screen in our Worship Center/Gym. We will be showing it Sunday at 5 p.m. (children are watching another movie in the teen room during this showing). Then we are showing it Tuesday at 6:45 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and there is a special showing for Teens at 12 Noon on Wednesday. It is about the need to fireproof our marriages. Kirk Cameron, the Growing Pains and Left Behind guy, stars in it and is a fireman who becomes a hero but not to his wife.
I went back to my first post on this blog and found this prayer. May it touch your life, encourage you, strengthen you, and remind you of what you need to be reminded of today...and may it be our true prayer to God. O Lord, by your dealings with us, whether of joy or pain, of light or darkness, let us be brought to you. Let us value no treatment of your grace simply because it makes us happy or because it makes us sad, because it gives us or denies us what we want; but may all that you send us bring us to you; that knowing your perfectness, we may be sure in every disappointment you are still loving us, in every darkness you are still enlightening us, and in every enforced idleness you are giving us life, as in his death you gave life to your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. [Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) Praise and Worship Study Bible, Tyndale House, 2002, page 54]
Today I am taking the day off. Still, I have been online searching for some discussion questions to use about The Shack for my Thursday night group. There are a ton of questions out there. Lots of people have been getting together with others to discuss this book. Meanwhile I have been reading the book again. It's interesting the things I missed the first time around and the things I anticipate happening. It should be fun to hear what others think of the book and the experiences they will share. I know some people think The Shack is way off base. I happen to think it is a good work of fiction with a lot of truth in it. The kind of book that is ripe for discussion. Bring it on!
This week I am re-reading "The Shack" by William Paul Young. I have been wanting to read it again since finishing it in August but just hadn't gotten around to it. But this Thursday at 7 PM I am leading a discussion group on it so I thought it would be a good idea to reacquaint myself with it. Between last night and this morning I have read the first 114 pages. It is an intriguing book, this story of Mack who feels The Great Sadness and is given an opportunity to share time with someone who can transform him. I've known The Great Sadness and experience it from time to time. A book like "The Shack" helps me to realize I'm not alone.
As the new year has begun I have been hanging out at home. My oldest daughter, Rosie, was home with her boyfriend, Sean, for the last few days. Today they took off to be with his family and go skiing before returning to college. Early in the morning, about 1:15 a.m., my youngest daughter, Emily, returned from her band trip to California. What a great time it was for her. I am so fortunate to have two such terrific daughters. My wonderful wife, Diane, and I are so blessed to share life with them. And I am blessed to have my beautiful wife Diane with me throughout life. I look forward to 2009 as we experience more change and live through it all together. All of this as we grow in our faith in Christ and try to share Him with others in very unique ways.