In the Spirit of Christmas by Chuck Cape

The season is almost upon us. The time for celebrating the birth of Jesus. One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the music. Late November and December have a melody of their own and the joy and peace is captured in them. You hear it in laughter and even in the background of the hustle and bustle of shoppers at the mall. I look forward to Christmas each year in hopes that a new selection of holiday songs will catch my ear and be added to my collection of favorites. This year it is In the Spirit of Christmas by Chuck Cape. You might not see this CD displayed at your local music store, but don't let it slip past you (it can be purchased at iTunes).
I am a big fan of instrumental keyboard music, especially solo piano, and George Winston's December has been my all-time favorite piano CD. In the Spirit of Christmas belongs right next to it and if I keep listening to it, it may even surpass George on my Christmas instrumental favorites list. Cape has painted musical decorations and a snowfall of notes that fill any room with the joy and wonder of Christmas.

"A Winter's Hymn", with it's beautiful melody has an undercurrent of sadness, much like the sadness that come in the cold, chilly months of winter when all of nature seems to come to a standstill, waiting in silence for the first ray of spring and the dawning of new life. The title fits perfectly the feelings that stirred in me when I first listened: I wanted to kneel in awe of God and His mysterious gift of winter. Capes unique renderings of traditional Christmas carols such as Away in a Manger, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, and Jingle Bells are refreshing and warm the heart like a hot mug of wassail or a cup of hot chocolate warm the body.
I have included a video below for "The Remembrance Carol." I love what Cape says about where the song came from. He says, "My mom was the one that showed me the spirit of Christmas, but life moves on and she passed away a few years ago. I wrote this song the first Christmas after she passed. So, this song is dedicated to my Mom and anyone who has ever missed someone at Christmas." His words breathe life into the song and I can relate to them. This year will mark the 10th year anniversary of the death of my father, who left us suddenly two weeks before Christmas that year and only one week before our annual family Christmas get together. Knowing the story behind the song, it is hard for me not to listen as tears fill my eyes as I remember in sadness, but also in thankfulness of the time I had with my father. So, like Chuck Cape says, this song is for those of us that know what it is like to miss someone as you take in the sights and sound of Christmas.





As you can tell, I recommend this CD to all lovers of Christmas music, especially those of you who, like me, love to hear piano music blanketing the landscape during Christmas. Thank you, Chuck Cape, for a brilliant addition to the ever-expanding playlist of Christmas music.

Adventures in Booga Booga Land-Volume 1

In Adventures in Booga Booga Land, we follow Gerard the Giraffe and Marty the monkey as they go through life in Booga Booga Land, living out the parables of Jesus. The first two segments cover the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) and the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 5:24-27). These parts told the parables correctly, but I thought they failed in overall application when they didn't even mention Jesus. The only place it was even mentioned as being from Jesus was in the titles of the segments. If I was a child unable to read, I would have no idea these had anything to do with God or Jesus' teaching.

The final segment, based on the Light of the World/Lamp under a bowl passage in Matthew 5:14-16, just didn't seem to make much sense with regard to what the segment was supposed to be based on. On top of this, the voices for the various characters were nothing unique and the script was lame. Attempts at humor fell flat. Maybe the books are better. As much as I was hoping to like this DVD, I'm not even sure if I would be willing to give it another chance. Farewell, Booga Booga Land.

Retiring my Bible

I decided several weeks back, maybe even months, that on my birthday this year I would retire my Bible. I received this NIV Disciple's Study Bible from my parents on my birthday 1990, the year that Michelle and I returned to Christ after a time of wandering aimlessly. The truth contained in this book has carried me from the desert of Arizona back to Georgia and then to Tennessee. It has held me up through the death of my father and my brother. It has given me hope in the troubled waters of strained relationships and shined light into the dark places of my soul when I chose to hide in the shadows. In those twenty years, I have cried into it's pages over disappointments in life and unfulfilled dreams. It has consistently reminded me that I must die so Christ may live in me. Some lessons I learned and some I ignored, but it never gave up on me. The pages are filled with notes from my journey, so I will keep this treasured book in hopes that someone travelling behind me in later generations may pick it up and use it on the journey. So now I lay my friend aside and begin the next 20 years with my ESV Study Bible. I may consult my old friend occasionally to talk about "the good ole days" and see what it has been up to, but for now I say "Thank you" for a great 20 years.

The Least Among You-DVD Review

The Least Among You, inspired by a true story, tells the story of Richard Kelly, a young black man, who is sent to serve probation at an all-white seminary after being arrested in the 1965 Watts riots. As Kelly faces racial obstacles to his acceptance at the seminary, he receives guidance from Samual Benton, the seminary's gardener and the only other black person on campus. Kelly finds that he is not only battling racism, but he is at the same time wrestling with God as the external war becomes one of an inner spiritual nature.Kelly must have an answer to a question: Is his purpose for being at the seminary a punishment or the providence of God?

I was hesitant in agreeing to review this DVD for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program, mainly because I haven't been overly impressed with many of the Christian movies (like Facing the Giants, etc.) that have been released in recent years, primarily because the preachiness of them just didn't feel like real life to me. With that said, I wasn't sure what to expect out of The Least Among You. I enjoyed the movie and had to examine my own heart as I asked myself how I would react or behave in the same situations the character's found themselves in. There were some scenes that lacked in their development and could have been explored a little more, but overall the film accomplished what I generally look for in a movie which is an hour or two of entertainment that doesn't insult my intelligence or overly offend me.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

In recent months, I have read several books that focus on global human needs (hunger, poverty, etc.) and challenge Christians, especially wealthy western Christians, to take a front-line position in helping to meet these needs. Max Lucado's most recent book, Outlive Your Life, is in keeping with this theme.

Lucado is known for his gift of storytelling to make a deeper spiritual point and OYL is no different. This book uses the early chapters of the biblical book of Acts as a springboard to tackle such topics as turning a blind eye to human needs, the importance of community, persecution, defending the helpless, and the power of prayer. I admit that I am not a big fan of Lucado, because I am distracted at times by his attempts to tell an engaging story when an in-your-face point would be more effective. Some topics are best not watered down.

With all that said, I enjoyed this book and, oddly enough, some of the story illustrations were my favorite parts. Go figure, my biggest complaints about Lucado in the past were what I benefited most from in this latest book from him. The opening, Father Benjamin: A Fable, was insightful into what it means to Outlive Your Life.

This book includes a Discussion and Action Guide in the back. I did not work through every question, but the parts I did look over were well done. I am convinced that the book is not intended to be read apart from this action guide. Using this guide would greatly enhance the book and would be a great tool for small groups to use to put the concepts into practice in a community setting.

Radical by David Platt

This book crossed my path several times before I read it. I don't believe it is coincidental that I finally read it after returning from ten days in Kenya. I was, and still am, in a place of trying to sort through the ever-widening gap between how I live and how the average Kenyan lives. In Radical, David Platt addresses a variety of challenges that face western Christians, if they are to journey toward becoming more obedient to the teachings of Christ found in the scriptures. The subtitle of Radical is "taking back your faith from the American dream." Radical is built upon Platt's observation that we, American Christians, have made Jesus into our own image and worship this Jesus that feeds and even approves of our material excesses and devotion to our entertainment, comfort, and conveniences. God's purposes are much greater than this.
I must admit that this book made me uncomfortable as Platt told of his experiences from around the world working with various churches. This book is not just a book of inspiring stories. Platt does an excellent job in pointing to scripture to back up the truths he is sharing. I am confident that my squirming as I read this book came from the conviction of the Holy Spirit in how I have ignored and completely disobeyed the teachings of Christ because they weren't in line with the kingdom I am building for myself.
Here is some chapter titles that will give you a taste of what you can expect from Radical: (1) Someone Worth Losing Everything For (2) The Great Why of God: God's Global Purpose (3) How Much is Enough: American wealth in a World of Poverty.
I was both encouraged and challenged by this book. Encouraged that there are people addressing these topics and taking them seriously and challenged that I haven't been one of those people but have a stirring desire to be counted among them.
In this post, I have included 2 videos for you to watch: a general book video and also one of David Platt himself talking about the book. I strongly recommend this book for all Christians to read. It is in an easy to read style, but the content will not be easy for anyone. I am working my way through it a second time.

David Platt has challenged his church in Alabama to what he calls The Radical Experiment (http://www.radicalexperiment.org/).

Here are the five challenges included in the experiment:

In One Year:

1. To pray for the entire world
2. To read through the entire Bible
3. To commit our lives to a multiplying community
4. To sacrifice our money for a specific purpose
5. To give our time in another context

Details of the above can be found in the "Overview" section of the Experiment website. If you are interested in being part of an "experimental group" at some point in the future, leave a comment on this posting and we can talk about it.

Blessings as you journey in a Radical life for for Jesus.

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews

Everything you do matters. This is the truth that Andy Andrews presents in his new children's book, The Boy Who Changed the World.

The story is about a boy named Norman that decides to change the world and as an adult does just that. However, the story is also about Henry, George, and Moses. You see, each of these people impacted another's life, and that person impacted another and so on. It's the butterfly effect, the name given to the principle that everything triggers an effect on something else . All of these people did something that led to Norman being able to change the world. This book is a wonderful tool to instill in children the truth that that they can make a difference in the world, even if that difference is several generations away. The things we do today impact the future. Nothing is insignificant. As you can imagine, this is a message not just for children. It is a message for grownups, too.

This book is great for kids of all ages with it's wonderful message and beautiful illustrations by Philip Hurst. All will enjoy this as we move toward doing our part in changing the world. It starts today. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze books for bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16CFR, Part 255.