I was considering being a part of the ‘Blogger Idol’ competition currently running on various blogs but then I read Bryan’s entry. How could I top that? Very funny stuff.
Following the premiere of the trailer to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ on ET in the US on Friday the official website received in excess of 3,000,000 hits over a 24 hour period. It was peaking at 92 hits per second.
Here in Australia, Icon, the film’s distributor, is partnering with The Bible Society to put resources in the hands of Christians who wish to use the film evangelistically.
If you want to get on board with what The Bible Society is doing with The Passion of the Christ, check out the website that has been put together for the movie by them. (I should declare the fact that I work for The Bible Society in Western Australia.)
A few quotes from those who are backing the film.
“The film is faithful to the Bible’s teaching that we are all responsible for Jesus’ death, because we have all sinned… No one who views this film’s compelling imagery will ever be the same.”
Billy Graham
“The greatest evangelistic tool I have ever seen in my life.”
Brian Houston
“…an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.”
Keith A Fournier
(Constitutional lawyer and graduate of the John Paul II Institute of the Lateran University, Franciscan University and the University of Pittsburgh)
We have a powerful tool at our disposal. Let’s not miss this opportunity.
I mentioned a couple a days ago that I was trying to sing my boy to sleep so that he could get an afternoon rest. Singing him to sleep is something I used to do regularly some time back when he was much smaller.
Tonight I sang to him again as he went off to sleep. This time he asked me to sing Amazing Grace. It’s a very special song for us. I used to sing it to him a couple of years ago and he really loves the song.
In August of 2002, my father was seriously ill in hospital. Although he was a Christian in his teens, he had not followed Christ after his service as a cook in the second world war.
As he put it he “made his peace with Jesus” while in hospital. In the week following his decision he talked about going home to Jesus his Saviour and of seeing his wife again. (Mum passed away in 1987.) Our family had never heard dad talk that way before. There had been a huge change in him.
On Saturday at the end of that week he was in a pretty bad way. We went to the hospital to visit and he wasn’t really there. Most of the time he was in a very deep sleep. James was just three and a half at the time and I held him in my arms beside the bed. James then started to sing Amazing Grace. I joined him quietly to help him with the words. Dad opened his eyes and acknowledged us there. We stayed a little longer and then headed home. Dad passed away that night.
We were the last visitors to see dad and I imagine the last thing he would have seen and heard while on this earth was a very small boy, his grandson, singing about the Amazing Grace that he now knew so well.
Darren Rowse is running his Blogathon today. He is blogging for 24 hours straight with the hope of posting at least once every 15 minutes.
He’s raising money to purchase pedicabs for those trapped by poverty in The Phillipines.
Why not stop by and give him some encouragement – and perhaps a donation?
At the start of every year we find lists that tell us what’s in and out. Dave Cook found a great list of words that are definitely out.
Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.
He previously worked in radio for about 25 years but these days he spends his time at Compassion Australia, working towards releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.
The views he expresses here are his own.
