P.O.D. - Alive

Ray Comfort's Weekly Wild and Wonderful World--chalk-talked by Kirk Cameron

www.livingwaters.com, www.wayofthemaster.com

One Night With The King (2006 movie)

A sweeping epic about Hadassah, the young Jewish orphan who becomes the biblical Esther, Queen of Persia.

Trials & Faith

1 Peter 1:6-7

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Some trials come to our life because God has brought them. He has brought certain problems to your life, not because he hates you but because he loves you and as His child He is trying you in order to purify you, make you better. Sometimes it's because He's trying to make you see something that you didn't see. There is a lot that can come through a trial in your life. My pastor explained it like this: when you have problems in your life it can make you sin more, certain things come up in your life and that is what happens when your faith is test like fire. The impurities come to the surface, but then God wipes it away. It is a great illustration for me and even though I already basically knew about trials and God bringing certain trials to our lives and that these things only last for a season; it was just the way that my pastor explained it like that it made me feel like more insight into it. I have personally been going through a lot of problems/trials in my life and sometimes I feel like "when's it going to end?" or "why me" or "did I do something wrong, am I making my life like this?" and I get really confused sometimes and don't know what to do or how to look at it. I just keep trying to lean on God and continue to trust in Him despite whatever's going on in my life. Since He is my #1 and because He is completely loving and trustworthy, then I know that I can trust that no matter what happens in my life God is in control and He is here with me, not letting me out of His sight. He hasn't forgotten about me. He's right here. And I've heard it more than once before that it's often when God is "being quiet or silent" with us that He is actually the closest to us.

Mainstream Acts Head Upstream

By Andy Argyrakis, senior music editor, gmclife.com

The changing dichotomy of today’s music industry finds a number of spiritually minded artists resonating with a growing fan base. Now that we’re a decade or two removed from Amy Grant conquering the pop charts, P.O.D. ruling MTV’s “Total Request Live” or Sixpence None the Richer sharing their faith on the late night talk show circuit, today’s climate is also marked by Christian press embracing mainstream acts, as much as the other way around, creating a phenomenon we’ll call “reverse crossover.”

Enter Collin Raye, the country mega-star with an astounding 15 chart-topping tunes and 24 consecutive tracks to hit the top ten (a rarely rivaled status shared only with Alabama and George Strait). The longtime Sony artist has since signed with Time Life for his latest CD Never Going Back and continues dominating the mainstream side of the dial, with spiritual stations also taking notice now that the lifelong believer is “upping the uplifting ante.”

“I’d always wanted to have a full-on Christian album because that’s where my heart and musical soul has been for quite a few years now,” relates Raye of the natural transition. “For some reason, prior to this record, every time I would attempt to make a Christian album, the ‘powers that be’ would always pull me back to the genre where I’d had so much success before. This project with Time Life was perfect for me because they basically gave me the green light to make whatever kind of record I wanted.”

Though Raye keeps performing concerts on the country circuit and maintains strong musical ties to the style, his foray into Christian music was also met with some curious observations about both scenes.

“I don’t think I’m being naive when I say that from what I know of the Christian market, everyone from Christian radio to each listener chooses the songs they like based on how good it is and what the song actually says and how much the singer ‘speaks’ to them, so to speak,” continues Raye. “By contrast, the country music market, for quite a few years now, has been going through an identity crisis, and the market itself seems to be content in just forcing whatever the labels seem ‘sellable’ down the listener’s throat under the premise that if you play it often enough, someone’s bound to like it.”

Even with their differences, the multi-million selling hit-maker feels many fans have always listened to country and Christian music simultaneously. And if Raye has his way when it comes to the acceptance of Never Going Back, he’ll be able to hang onto his original audience, while welcoming new listeners.

“I believe that a lot of my audience has already been listening to Christian music,” he suggests. “I don’t feel that the music actually changed very much – only in the label that’s put on it. I’ve always felt that the majority of my audience are believers and would expect a record like this from me. Obviously by putting out a mainstream Christian album, the hope would be to attract new listeners from that format. It is my fondest hope that the Christian market in general has already or will embrace me as one of their own.”

Next: Understanding Owl City

Very few one-man bands ever make it out of the basement, but thanks to some heavy duty social networking (resulting in 16 million profile views and over 80 million plays), Owl City went from a homespun affair to an international phenomenon.

Singer/songwriter/keyboard player/programmer Adam Young was literally living at his parents’ house in Owatonna, Minnesota one night and on a tour bus the next, complete with a Universal Republic record deal and an impressive debut on the Billboard Top 200 for last year’s Ocean Eyes, thanks to the disc’s chart-topping single “Fireflies.” Even amidst all the accolades, the leader is fearless when it comes to talking about his faith whenever asked, though there’s also plenty of evidence in his songwriting.

“I recognize the value of faith and morality and I acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ over mankind, and thus, choose to follow Him wholeheartedly,” assures Young. “I fully believe that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man goes unto the Father but by Him. I believe that Jesus Christ made the way to God for us by His death on the cross and that He purchased our salvation by the shedding of His blood and His death and resurrection made a new and everlasting covenant between God and humanity. I believe that the way to God is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Intellectual acceptance of Christ is not enough. You must come to Him determined to turn from what displeases Him with a total trust in His saving power. That’s why I write music. That’s what Owl City is about.”

Blessid Union is back
To dedicated Blessid Union of Souls fans, the band’s spiritual allusions throughout its chart-topping days are no surprise. Hits like “I Believe,” “I Wanna Be There,” “Light In Your Eyes” and “Let Me Be the One” all incorporated subtle (and sometimes overt) inspirational references, even as the band became MTV staples for the monster hit “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)” and toured alongside Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel and Vertical Horizon.

“To me personally, it’s not really a stretch in the sense of where I am personally with my faith and especially because the band is working on a Christian record as a whole right now,” ponders frontman Eliot Sloan of the group’s reverse crossover goals. “It’s exciting for us because it’s something that’s been in us as individuals and now as a group. I try not to over-think it and just put in it God’s hands. I think it’s dangerous to over-analyze, but I don’t worry about it because we’re doing what’s in our hearts, and wherever that takes us, that’s where we’re gonna go.”

Letter to a Crazy Friend: Strange Work

Thursday E-mail - May 20, 2010
by Hollywood Connect (www.hollywoodconnect.com)

Dear Crazy Friend,

Thanks for your recent note of encouragement! It was good to hear from you, and your encouraging words couldn’t have come at a better time.

I noticed in your letter that perhaps you could use a little encouragement yourself. I know both by observation and reputation that you’ve been working hard at your craft and career and that you bring a lot of talent and ideas to the table. But as you hinted in your letter, in spite of all your prominent abilities, you feel as if you’ve encountered a wall that stands in the way of moving forward in your career. And it’s hard not to notice all the other people who seem to get to bypass that wall altogether, leaving you feeling frustrated and maybe just a little bit… well, jealous.

I’ve stood before that wall too, with nothing better to do than count the bricks that stand between me and achievement. In fact, every artist I’ve known who is worth his or her salt has stood there too, even those ones who currently seem to be moving forward with ease while you stand there and wait.

It’s a funny thing about being an artist. It requires a tremendous amount of faith to get up every day and try to move forward, and we’d like to believe that God sees that faith and rewards it with breakthrough. And I’m here to tell you that He actually does, in spite of the fact that you’ve now hit this obstacle that has you at a standstill. It’s just that His breakthrough may not look anything like what you expected.

When it comes down too it, God doesn’t make a lot of sense to us sometimes – in fact, sometimes He comes across as just plain odd. We really shouldn’t be surprised by His quirky ways, however, since He pretty much warned us that He was going to work that way in our lives. I was reading a Bible passage this morning that couldn’t be any more clear about that fact:

The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon – to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task. (Isaiah 28:21)

It appears that God, who is good, has plans that just seems strange to us. Oddly enough, the Hebrew name of the mountain mentioned in that verse is instructive as well – Perazim means “breakthrough”. Which is to say that the breakthrough He has for you more than likely will come about by His strange work too.

John the Baptist, one of the great heroes of the faith, had to struggle with God’s strange ways of doing business too. After years of proclaiming that Jesus was the promised Messiah who would deliver God’s people, John unjustly ended up sitting, of all places, in prison. Disappointed and wondering whether he had been wrong about Jesus in the first place, John sent a few messengers to find out whether he had made a big mistake. Jesus told the messengers to go back to John and report that all the prophecies that had foretold the signs of the Messiah’s coming were indeed happening – miraculous wonders were occurring and the good news of God’s Kingdom was being given freely to everyone. And then Jesus said something that cut to the quick of John’s real question of disappointment:

Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me. (Luke 7:23)

You see, God has His strange ways of doing things, and sometimes they can seem painful, unintelligible, and even downright obstructive to the very thing He has called you to do. Anyone who implies to you that you will always understand what God is up to has not yet fully lived life. In the end, however, God promises blessings for those who can embrace His strange ways without being offended by Him.

So take heart, my dear Crazy Friend: God sees the big picture of His Kingdom and the role He created you to play in it, and He is actively taking steps to ensure that you do play that role. As in all the good things He does, it just may take some strange work to get there. God’s ways are strange, but they sure are extraordinary.

Your crazy friend,

Shun Lee
Director
Hollywood Connect

© 2010. All rights reserved.
You should also follow us on: Twitter: @Shun_Lee @HwoodConnect
Facebook: Hollywood Connect

Missing the forest for the trees

by John Paul Jackson, May 2010 article
April Article: What has God put in your heart to do?

Some followers of Christ can get so wrapped up in pursuing the details of His direction that they ignore the “road signs” He has put right in front of them. They don’t realize that in many cases, He has already prepared them for the journey, and all they need to do is move forward.

Take a look at some of the heroes of the faith. Gideon was told he would defeat the Midianites. He was told to kill the second calf, tear down the altars of Baal, send home anyone who was afraid — and 22,000 men left, which dwindled his army to a mere 10,000. Then, to prove a point, God separated out the remaining men and sent home 9,700 more. Gideon now had an army of 300, and apparently, the only instruction God gave him was to sneak down to the Midianite camp to be strengthened “if” he needed it. That was it; that was all the direction Gideon received. Yet he and his small group of soldiers attacked the eastern tribes who had come against Israel and killed 120,000 men.

Before Gideon, there was Abraham, who was told to go to a land promised him by God. But he was never told how to get there. Then there is the case of Elijah, who, during a harsh drought, was sent by God to a woman in Zarephath — a woman God had prepared to take care of him. But when Elijah got there, the woman had no clue what was going on. She had one meal of flour and oil left for her and her son; then they were going to die. God said He had prepared her, but she had no idea Elijah was coming. What kind of “preparation” is that?

My point is this: Too many times we expect God to tell us more than He plans to tell us. As the days and years pass, we often find ourselves wondering when He is going to give us clearer direction. I will do what You want me to do, God — I just need to know how. You have told me to take these steps, but I don’t know how to start. Could You give me specifics? Details would be great. I’ll go forward the moment You tell me what to do.

Frequently, it seems to me that God tells us what to do in the beginning (He gives us His vision), then He places within our hearts everything else we need for the choices we will have to make in the journey, even down to the way we sling our sword in the midst of the battle. Conversely, if we wait until we have all the answers before we take any action, we won’t get very far, and we’ll eventually find ourselves sitting down and doing nothing. There, in that place of spiritual paralysis, we quickly atrophy and wonder why the prophecy never came to pass. We are waiting on God, and all the while, God is waiting on us.

Can we move forward presumptuously? Yes — but only if we do more than God said or add to what He said. Admittedly it is a fine line, but those sensitive to God’s voice will not cross it. They will feel the check or nudge of the Spirit before they go too far.

God wants us to reach what we were meant to reach, to be the people He created us to be. Just as He gives a way out of temptation every time (1 Corinthians 10:13), so He will prepare us to do what He has for us to do, whatever that is, every time.

We live in a day and age when we must be sensitive to God’s immediate plan. If we wait to start the journey until we have all the answers, we may find that we are full of potential but never achieve that potential. It is sad to see a life wasted for lack of movement. I have seen that far too often.

What is the difference between a mediocre life and that of a champion? One significant difference is this: When they know God has spoken, leaders and champions go toward the sound of His voice. Not all of them know how to get there. For some, not even the next step is visible. But they know what has stirred their hearts — the draw of the Holy Spirit that directs them toward a goal — and they fully believe that what God has said, He will do.

Sometimes it is good to wait for God to give us details. But often, He is waiting for us to trust Him and make the next move.

http://www.streamsministries.com/index.php?page=eletter&article_id=162

Who or what determines cultural morality?

An Atheist on a Talk Show
from Answers In Genesis (www.aig.org)

This background is helpful in offering the context of a conversation I had with a caller on a radio talk show. The conversation went something like this:

Caller: “I’m an atheist, and I want to tell you Christians that if you believe Cain married his sister, then that’s immoral.”

AiG: “If you’re an atheist, then that means you don’t believe in any personal God, right?”

Caller: “Correct!”

AiG: “Then if you don’t believe in God, you don’t believe there’s such a thing as an absolute authority. Therefore, you believe everyone has a right to their own opinions—to make their own rules about life if they can get away with it, correct?”

Caller: “Yes, you’re right.”

AiG: “Then, sir, you can’t call me immoral; after all, you’re an atheist, who doesn’t believe in any absolute authority.”

AiG: “Do you believe all humans evolved from apelike ancestors?”

Caller: “Yes, I certainly believe evolution is fact.”

AiG: “Then, sir, from your perspective on life, if man is just some sort of animal who evolved, and if there’s no absolute authority, then marriage is whatever you want to define it to be—if you can get away with it in the culture you live in.

“It could be two men, two women or one man and ten women; in fact, it doesn’t even have to be a man with another human—it could be a man with an animal.2

“I’m sorry, sir, that you think Christians have a problem. I think it’s you who has the problem. Without an absolute authority, marriage, or any other aspect of how to live in society, is determined on the basis of opinion and ultimately could be anything one decides—if the culture as a whole will allow you to get away with this. You have the problem, not me.”

It was a fascinating—and revealing—exchange.

So the questions, then, that could be posed to this caller and other skeptics are: “Who has the right to determine what is good or bad, or what is morally right or wrong in the culture? Who determines whether marriage as an institution should be adhered to, and if so, what the rules should be?”

www.aig.org

"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." — Psalm 91:11-12

Faith Team (Update)

Well, tonight ended this semester of Faith Team. One of my team members wasn't there tonight, so we ended up going out with Brother Tim (our music minister/sunday school director). We visited four people.

The first was a teenage boy named Austin. I gave him the Faith Outline, afterwards he said that he had accepted Christ a few weeks ago on april 29th. So, we just encouraged him in that and told him about our youth group. He mentioned that his brother, who is 13, is sick. But, he didn't say from what. But, at the end we prayed.

Then, we went to see Amy who said that she got saved when she was 15 and was baptized. She wasn't really into church back then and stopped going for a long time, but has been going to church for the past five years now. She goes to a church in a different town and her dad is actually the pastor of the church she goes to.

Then, we visted Ashley who had made a profession of faith at our church's programme of "Heaven's Gate, Hell's Flames." So, we came and spoke to her about baptism. She said that she really wanted to get baptized. But, she hadn't been coming to church for a while, and she felt bad about that. We encouraged her to come and to get baptized.

The last visit we had was to Jose and he hadn't been in church for a while, so we encouraged him to come to church. He said that he would be there this sunday.

Overall, a good night with a lot of visits. What a way to end a semester of Faith Team.

www.lifeway.com/faith

Make A Faith Statement

Movie Preview: To Save A Life

To Save a Life Movie With NOTW from NOTW on Vimeo.

After a childhood friend's death, Jake Taylor, an all-star athlete must change his life - and sacrifice his dreams to save the lives of others.
http://tosavealifemovie.com/

Pentecost (New Testament)

The Biblical narrative of Pentecost is given in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. As recounted in Acts 2:1-4:[4]

On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind. It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.

The apostles received the Holy Spirit and were miraculously enabled to go out into Jerusalem prophesying and speaking in languages that all the visitors to Jerusalem could understand as told further in Acts 2:5-6:[5]

Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem ... they were hearing everything in their own languages.

The noise and activity attracted a huge crowd and the Apostle Peter preached a sermon to the crowd with great effectiveness, as Acts 2:41[6] reports: "On that day about three thousand believed his message and were baptised."

Many Jews from throughout the world were coming to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot (also called Pentecost or the Feast of First Fruits) as was the custom and commandment of God (as shown in the Old Testament). The event that is spoken of in the Book of Acts took place on Pentecost and was soon after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. At this point the Apostles, taking after Jesus, were now leading the church yet hadn't yet received the Holy Spirit of God. They were waiting. Then, they received it and it was like "great, mighty tongues of fire coming down on them." This gave them the power and insight from God to be able to do what they did that day. Many people came to faith in Jesus after that day. It is traditionally referred to as the birth of the Church and the day they received the Holy Spirit, as all of those who come to the faith receive.

Shavuot (Pentecost)

IFCJ: Celebrating Shavuot in the Holy Land
Dear Friend of Israel,

At sundown on Tuesday, May 18, Jews will celebrate the festival of Shavuot, a holiday with dual significance. The Bible states, "From the day after the Sabbath … count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:15-16). Thus, on Shavuot Jews commemorate the time in ancient days when the “first fruits” were harvested and brought to the holy Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God.

The second event commemorated on Shavuot is the giving of the Torah (the first five books of what Christians call the Old Testament) to Moses on Mount Sinai. God's law, as expressed in the Torah, is the source of the unique character, faith, and destiny of the Jewish people. It also forms the moral foundation of Western civilization and its institutions, which makes it of critical importance not just for Jews, but for Christians, and indeed the entire world.

As I discussed last week, Israel has just marked the 43rd anniversary of the liberation of the city of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. Shavuot that year fell just six days after the Holy City was reclaimed, and on that holiday thousands of grateful Jewish pilgrims were able to see the holy sites to which they had so long been denied access. One Israeli magazine described the extraordinary scene on Shavuot, 1967:

"For the first time since the Dispersion in the year 70 C.E. a pilgrimage numbering two hundred thousand persons moved under the Flag of Israel through the streets of King David's City to the last surviving relic of the Second Temple. Every section of the population was represented, kibbutz members and soldiers in tallitot (prayer shawls) rubbing shoulders with ultra-orthodox rabbis. Mothers came with children in prams, and old men trudged steeply up Mount Zion, supported by youngsters on either side, to see the Wall of the Temple before the end of their days… Some wept, but most faces were wreathed in smiles."

Every year now on Shavuot people from all over Jerusalem stream to the Western Wall in early morning to pray at a sunrise service. It is a fitting way to observe this significant Jewish festival, to honor their biblical commitment, and to give thanks to God.

Today, I ask you to please say a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray that the Jewish people will always be able to celebrate the festival of Shavuot in Jerusalem, the holiest city of all Judaism, and the capital of the sovereign Jewish State. And let us all - Jews and Christians alike - give thanks to God for the precious gift of His word.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Yechiel Eckstein
President

Faith Team

Today is my last day for Faith Team at church. It is an evangelism group that we have twice a year for 3 months each. We go out on Tuesday nights and witness, minister and welcome new people to the community (welcome wagons). So far this season has been pretty good for me. I missed two weeks for being ill, but I got to share the Faith Outline several times (basically an outline of the Gospel message) and re-learnt the basics of the training. I liked the team I was on. We planted a lot of seed. It was a much better season for me than the last one I had I think because I shared the outline a lot more. I was picked a lot because I have a good memory and it was easy for me to remember the outline. The more experience I had, the easier it was for me and the less nervous I was in giving it. So far in the season we've had a lot of professions of faith, some baptisms and new people attend and join our church as a result of the efforts of Faith Team. But, of course, all the glory goes to God as the whole point of Faith Team is to bring glory to God, and to help people to know the Lord and connect with our churches.

http://www.lifeway.com/faith/

Fatboy Slim - Praise You

We've come a long long way together,
Through the hard times and the good,
I have to celebrate you baby,
I have to praise you like I should

I have to praise you
I have to praise you
I have to praise you
I have to praise you like I should

"Judah" T-Shirt by NOTW

Girl's "Judah" Shirt from NOTW on Vimeo.

http://www.c28.com/shopping/productdetails.asp?recordid=12285

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." ~Abraham Lincoln

Stephen Baldwin Testimony (I am Second)

http://www.stephenbaldwin.com/
http://www.iamsecond.com/

Church Bulletin Bloopers

Actual mistakes on church bulletins.

Alice Cooper's Christian Faith

Famous rock&roll star Alice Cooper shares his story and his Christian faith.

Michael Jr. - TBN Interview

Once in a generation, a comedian comes along who speaks to everyone. Today, that comedian is known simply as Michael Jr.

Imagine a line from Bugs Bunny to Bill Cosby and you’ll have an idea of Michael’s influences. Watch him onstage and you’ll see a man at ease…with himself, his audience, and his message. Listen to his voice and you’ll detect a comfortable, conversational style that hides a sly sense of mischief. Hear his words and you’ll laugh at the universal themes that connect us all.

Michael’s entry into comedy was almost preordained. Years ago in a crowded Grand Rapids, Michigan movie theater, the projector malfunctioned. The film snapped, the house lights came on, and acting on a dare, young Michael jumped in front of the restless crowd and took center stage. When the theater manager tried to usher him out, the audience demanded he stay…and Michael Jr. discovered his gift.

Comedian George Wallace offered Michael his first break when he took him to the legendary Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, home of Jay Leno and “The Tonight Show” staff. The club’s owner slipped Michael onstage…and a week later Michael was performing at the “Just for Laughs” comedy festival in Montreal, where he became the first comedian to ever appear live via satellite on “The Tonight Show.”

That performance catapulted Michael’s career and has resulted in additional appearances on “The Tonight Show,” Comedy Central, “The Late, Late Show, ” BET, “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” SiTV, “The Byron Allen Show,” and any more. You’ll also find him at the most prestigious comedy clubs across he nation, including The Improv, The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, The Punchline, The Comic Strip, and Zany’s. If that weren’t enough, Michael’s versatility takes him from major universities such as Notre Dame, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Alabama, to church events ranging from the 60,000 member Willow Creek Church in Chicago to the 17,000 member West Angeles Church in L.A. And now, you can see him in “Thou Shalt Laugh,” a comedy DVD released by Warner Bros.

How can one man be equally at home in the heartland and the inner city; churches and prisons; corporate events and youth rallies? Michael calls it comedy accountability.

“If I’m in a club, my material has to be clean enough to work in a church. If I’m in a pulpit, it has to be funny enough to work in a club.”

On the home front, Michael is happily married. He and his wife are the proud parents of four beautiful children.

"Most of this world knows that Jesus gave His life on the cross as a sacrifice, but they don't understand why. It was a legal transaction. We have violated God's Law through lying, stealing, blasphemy, lust, adultery, hatred, fornication, selfishness, etc. That Law shows that we are guilty criminals standing before the Judge of the Universe. We are heading for God's prison--a terrible place called "Hell." The gospel tells us that Jesus paid our fine through His sacrifice on the cross. That means because of the suffering death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God can legally dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence and let us live upon our repentance and faith in Jesus, because our "fine" was paid 2,000 years ago. This is how the Bible puts it: "But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us" (Romans 5:8, Amplified Bible). There's the evidence of His love. It's up to you and me to believe it." ~Ray Comfort

Kutless - It Is Well

We began this worship project, IT IS WELL, by asking one question, “Can we do something unique?” There are many worship records; however, we were driven by the challenge to do something different, something Kutless. Although we’ve done a worship-oriented album (“Strong Tower”), we are in a different place right now and wanted this project to reflect our hearts.

From February through May 2009 we poured over hundreds of songs. We looked for songs that had a special meaning to us, songs that were traditional, songs that were modern, and songs we could make our own. As the list of songs started to form, we began arranging the songs to fit our style, after all, we are a rock band. This was a challenge in terms of how to take a hymn written in the late 1800’s and make it sound like a Kutless song.

We recorded in late May and early June at a beautiful 300-acre hazelnut farm south of Portland, OR. The recording process was unique for us for many reasons. For one, it was our first project to co-produce, and secondly, we recorded in the living room of a farmhouse. We also met as a band every morning and dug into the Word and prayed knowing God was there. There was freedom, laughter, and unity. We had one of those incredible experiences that happen to Christ-followers. We started with a goal, but, through the process, God took that goal and turned it back around to Himself. The quest for a special album became a unique time for us to go deeper in worship. The goal of composing original songs became a time for us to grow in our love and appreciation of each other. The epiphany for us was that the purpose of a worship record was to reflect who God is - His peace, freedom, power, and ability to help us grow in relationship with Him and others. In the end, this “unique” experience happened to us in the making of IT IS WELL.

One of the biggest challenges for us on this record was in how to balance the traditional and modern worship songs. We selected to record “It Is Well,” the title track because of the story of the composer, Horatio Spafford, and his faith in God in a time of personal tragedy. We also love Keith Green, and we tried to honor his memory by combining two of his songs “There Is A Redeemer” and “Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful” into a medley we titled “Redeemer.” We recorded several favorite modern songs including “Hungry” and “God Of Wonders.”

For the original songs, we took the opportunity to combine traditional adoration-based worship songs with elements that wouldn’t typically be found on a worship album. “Remember Me” is written from the perspective of the thief on the cross. The idea of a lifetime sinner falling into the arms of salvation at the end of his time on earth was redemptive to us. Our first radio single, “What Faith Can Do,” is more encouragement to all of us that God is there, and His power is real, which makes it a worship song in that realization. It wouldn’t be a Kutless album, without a rock-oriented track, which is “You Save Me.”

www.kutless.com

Flatfoot 56 - Amazing Grace (live)

Flatfoot performing in front of several thousand people at Xnoizz Flevofestival in the Netherlands on aug. 23, 2009.

http://www.flatfoot56.com/

100 Philistine Foreskins

Since their formation in February 2009 the Edinburgh three-piece punk band 100 Philistine Foreskins have clocked up thousands of miles on the road where their furiously madcap live show have made them a firm favourite on the UK underground. They also caused an immense stir at 2009's Greenbelt Festival when, in only their second ever gig, they broke the attendance record at The Underground venue. The band's vocalist and guitarist Dougle 'Doogie' Ross began by explaining their attention-grabbing moniker. "The book of Samuel tells of David who killed this bloke called Goliath and he wanted to marry the king Saul's daughter and Saul wasn't very happy about it because he was very jealous of David's popularity, so he asked David for a dowry payment. David said that he had no money, so Saul wondered how he could make it really hard for him, so he asked him to collect 100 foreskins from the members of the tribe of Philistia in lieu of payment. About a month later, David came back with the 100 Philistine foreskins."

Dougle is particularly outspoken on his views of unnecessary Christian "niceness". He said, "I'm tired of Christians being so desperately polite with each other. Honesty isn't always comfortable - and it's certainly not an excuse for being nasty - but if we can't manage basic honesty then there's no point. Not in the band, not in my faith, not in anything."

Almost from the off 100 Philistine Foreskins holed up in an Edinburgh studio with producer and bass player Robin Young recording four songs which were released by Handmade Overkill Records/Whirlwind Records on a split EP together with six tracks by German band Preacher. The songs on their recording debut demanded attention from a powerful demand for sexual purity "Keep Yer Pants On" to a withering denouncement of our secular culture "We Lament The Death Of God In The Heart Of Man".

The 100PFs consist of singer, guitarist and one-time member of The Voice Of The Mysterons Dougle, bass player Hef and drummer Ian Purdie. Before God broke into his life Ian was in the original lineup of the notorious mainstream punk band The Exploited back in 1991/'92. He said, "The Exploited were quite hardcore in a rough environment. We came from tour in Holland and my wife, who was a Christian, invited me to church. I didn't go but the pastor came and visited me. I liked the guy. He challenged me and said, 'If you ask God to reveal himself to you and he doesn't, I'll never preach to you again.' Bearing in mind that this guy had been preaching to me for about six months, I did it. And God did reveal himself to me and I was utterly gobsmacked. I packed in The Exploited that day. I was supposed to go away on tour with the band again, but by the grace of God, I got out of that. It wasn't just the music that I gave up, it was a lifestyle change. It was quite hard, but basically I thought if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it 100 per cent. God took me out of the drumming world for about 14 years and allowed me to be smashed to pieces. He allowed things to happen to me and broke me into many bits, and then he put me back together again."
100 Philistine Foreskins: The punk rockers who are tired of Christians being so polite

Ian briefly touched on some of the painful experiences he passed through. "A guy who was a big player in the music industry ran away with my wife. And then he took my kids and he beat them. So I've had to forgive people who have done really bad stuff. But that's what Scripture says, 'Forgive and you'll be forgiven,' you know?"

Today Ian has seen God restore the years the locust had eaten. "It's unbelievably awesome, like the song 'Indescribable'. I've got a new wife and a two year old daughter. My wife is like a middle-class head school teacher, so it's like 'two worlds collide'! One of her friends got The Wire and said, 'You've married the drummer of The Exploited!' That's the kind of reaction we got. But she is an amazing woman in God, incredible. My life is brilliant. I've now got a good relationship with my two sons. They're in a metal band and supported us two weeks ago. My younger son's a drummer following his daddy, but my older son is an amazing guitarist. He said to me one day, 'Dad, how do we get famous?' And I told him to practise six hours a day to try to put him off. Six months later he comes along and he's playing! I couldn't believe it! They're doing great. God's raising me up again, 'coz they were like 'Dad's a loser', but now I see them warming to me again."

Ian continued, "When I played the gig at Greenbelt I was gobsmacked because it was like my heart's desire for me, it was always there, I always wanted to do it for God and I was given that opportunity. I'm a session drummer so I've done big gigs, but to do something like that was special. I love playing punk and to actually have an impact on people, that's why I mentioned a bit about my testimony at Greenbelt, because I want God to get the glory. I'd played a bit with Ross in the band Dragged Out. But from the start 100 Philistine Foreskins has been different. It's been one thing after another, people phoning us up, radio stations contacting us, lots of gigs. When he told me the name of the band I said, 'Ross, I don't think so!' Kids are going to see these posters! But after prayer God actually spoke to me and said 'I want you to go with it'."

A new recording from 100PFs is clearly overdue. In the meantime an enthusiastic and growing following will attend each of their gigs where, as they say themselves, their songs "rarely breach the two minute mark and deal with a variety of subjects that affect us - faith and life, God and monsters, thoughts and ignorance. You know, the usual."

http://www.myspace.com/100philistineforeskins

Braille - The IV Edition

www.syntaxrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/braillehiphop

What would it take?

I once saw a Christian short-film and I don't remember the name of it (like it if I could), and it was about a young man that is an atheist. No matter what God does to show Himself to him, that there is solid evidence/proof of God, the young man won't believe it. Throughout the film, you see different instances when you would think that finally the young man will believe, but everytime the guy just keeps denying it. It doesn't make sense. Eventually, after getting lost and terribly dehydrated out in a desert the young man passes out, becomes unconscious and during this He actually sees God with his own two eyes. He realizes this is real and not a dream or hallucination. He asks God why He never showed Himself like this to him before otherwise he would have believed in Him a long time ago. He decides that when he wakes up he's going to tell people that he's seen God that he now believes. But, when the young man becomes conscience and is asked what happened to him, the young man simply says, "nothing." He actually goes on continuing to deny the existence of God just as he always had.
I think the overall point of the film is to show that unless you are willing to believe in your heart, then no matter what God does to reveal Himself, you will still not believe. Some people think, if God did this then I would believe or if this happened then I would believe. But, the reality is that there is already evidence, proof of His existence everywhere. But, if you are unwilling, if you won't open your eyes and heart then no matter what happens you never will believe. It's not the lack of evidence that's the problem, it's your lack of a willingness to see and believe for yourself. It is through faith that you will truly see God.

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