Opening Next Weekend... Expelled

There is a new documentary coming out next Friday that I believe that we should support. It was produced by Ben Stein and challenges academia's rather unscientific defense of Darwin's theory of evolution. Here's the trailer:



Stein's approach seems to be dogged but respectful. Based on the trailer, I think that you may be surprised at just how much hostility exists in academia and general society towards God's existence and His role in the creation.

If you can see the movie on opening weekend it will be the most helpful. The opening box office will help to determine how many screens will show the movie. I plan to go. I expect it to be a most eye-opening film.

Thanks

A big thanks to Chad Rochester of the band Baumer who sat in with the StillWaters Music Team this past Sunday. Chad, you added a lot, and it was great getting to know you better and have the opportunity to jam with you!

By the way, Baumer will be playing this weekend in Greensboro and next weekend in Charlotte. Check them out if you can!

A Useful Tool

Have you ever managed to read the Bible through from cover to cover? It can be a daunting task, especially when you are struggling through the opening chapters of 2 Chronicles! However, to develop the "global picture" of God's Word that is necessary to interpret the Bible correctly, there is no discipline more critical than the regular, repeated reading through the entirety of the Scriptures.

I have found The One Year Bible a valuable aid in achieving that goal. The Bible is broken down into 365 daily readings that include an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a passage from the Psalms and a passage from Proverbs. So when you get to one of those passages that are more difficult you know that you will be gleaning from a different passage before long. It also comes in many different translations. I switch translations every year or so to get a different perspective on the texts. It aids my understanding and helps to keep things fresh.

I have a leather Bible that was given to me for my 21st birthday. I don't write in that Bible. However, I do make notes and write questions in my One Year Bible as thoughts come to me. I started using the One Year Bible 10-years ago, and as a result have managed to actually complete 5 trips through the entire Bible. There are also chronological versions as well although I think a different publisher produces them. I may take that up in the near future. It would probably help to draw better connections between people and events in the different books of the Bible.

Another strategy that I use is that each year I try to pick a theme and look for Scriptures that pertain to that theme as I am reading that year. It is a really helpful exercise. This year I was focusing on the nature of God. It was very enlightening.

So there you go. Something that might help you on the way!

The Best Play I Have Seen In A Long Time

If you can, you would be incredibly blessed to see this play that is being performed at the Triad Stage in Greensboro. I saw it last year and enjoyed it so much that I took my parents back a week later. It was absolutely wonderful. If I had the money I would take each of you.

In this return of last season's sold out holiday hit, Reverend Roy Ledbetter and his congregation are back to bring the Christmas story to life in an Appalachian setting with down home laughter, toe-tapping music and a tug at the heart. Developed by Triad Stage Artistic Director Preston Lane and Laurelyn Dossett of Polecat Creek, the same creative team behind Brother Wolf and the upcoming Bloody Blackbeard, this new holiday tradition is a musical and storytelling journey from the creation of the world to the birth of Jesus. In the tradition of the medieval mystery plays of Old England, Beautiful Star weaves music, humor and awe together, re-telling great stories from the Bible in a festive gathering of family, friends and faith.

Beautiful Star is set on a cold winter evening, high in the mountains of North Carolina, where the members of a small Open Heart Community Fellowship gather to tell the story of the first Christmas. But this is no ordinary Christmas pageant. As this fellowship brings these glorious stories to life, their simple mountain church is transformed by the power of music, the telling of tales and pure faith into a world of magic and wonder.

See what critics called, "the best show I've seen in this or any holiday season" (The Charlotte Observer) and "perfect family fare...[that] will lighten your heart and put a lump in your throat." (Greensboro's News & Record)

Click HERE to buy tickets.

Groups of 10 - 49 persons save 15%. For more information and to reserve your group's seats, call Sherry Barr, Director of Audience Services, at 336.274.0067 ext. 218 or email groupsales@triadstage.org.

And click HERE to download the podcast.

I was impressed by the insight into the stories of the Old Testament that Preston Lane showed as he wrote this play. I was especially impressed by his understanding of the significance of the story of Abraham and Isaak on Mt. Moriah. (This was also the most poignant moment of the play.) The fellow that played the enemy was especially good too. I would consider his performance last year the strongest. The music is fabulous too. It well worth every penny that you will pay for a ticket.