The following video clip was produced by, "The Way of The Master."  It is a Christian production company headed by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort.  You can check out their other stuff at this website:  www.wayofthemaster.com 

In the following clip they do several man on the street interviews after the death of Michael Jackson.  Take a few minutes to check out the responses presented.

Last summer our church was able to meet an incredible family.  Josh and Susan Bailey came to Beale to share their story of faith and hope after she lost her legs to an infection.  They quickly won our hearts and our time with them was too brief.

The video of Susan's message has generated over 35,000 views. By far the most viewed item on our website.

This past weekend, Susan was invited to a water ski clinic in Ohio.  The local television ran a story based on this event and it is now on Youtube.  Take a few moments and re-connect with Susan.

Last week I stopped by the Family Christian Book Store in Fredericksburg.  While looking for a book, my eye caught a new CD being displayed.  It was under $10 which is hard to find these days, so I picked it up and checked out who was featured.  I bought it and have enjoyed listening to it since then.

Yesterday I did a little a research on this group and was amazed at who they are and what they are doing.  If you are a fan of Christian music, you will know many of these artists.  If you are not a fan of Christian music, you will know many of these artists!  You can read about them on their website at:  www.compassionart.tv

Here is an exert from their website and following this you will find two clips of the music.

The Album

It reads like a bad gag; what do you get when you leave 12 Christian songwriters in a remote Scottish house for five days? Answer: anything but a joke. CompassionArt: The Album is one of the most remarkable releases of recent years. Read on to find out how it all happened…

In January 2008 – after a year and a half of planning – Martin and Anna Smith were joined by 11 other songwriters for the first CompassionArt retreat. Next to a Scottish Loch a few hours north of Glasgow were these dozen writers who between them had written pretty much every song the church has been singing over the last decade.

A week later and the group emerged with a whole load of new songs that are bound to provide the soundtrack for the coming years; songs that answered the question 'what's faith got to do with poverty?'

Four weeks later and the writers were gathered in Abbey Road to record the best fifteen tracks from the retreat.

Five days later and they had the bones of an album.

In the months that followed Martin and fellow producers Les Moir and Matt Bronleewe added the flesh, drawing in yet more artists from the world of Christian music.

And as the music took shape so too did the plot; each of the twelve writers nominated a charity to which 1/24th of CompassionArt royalties will go to. The remaining 50 per cent of the funds raised will be distributed among projects that CompassionArt wants to give extra support – such as the Watoto community in Uganda. There, orphaned children are given food, shelter, education and a loving, caring home as they rebuild their lives. CompassionArt will provide funding for a series of music and arts centres that support the world-famous Watoto Children's Choir, as well as offering essential training for those wanting to pursue a future in the arts.

The involvement of the twelve writers; Michael W. Smith, Israel Houghton, Darlene Zschech, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Stu G, Chris Tomlin, Graham Kendrick, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Andy Park and Paul Baloche didn't just guarantee plenty of exposure. Their skills have combined to make an album that pushes, inspires and challenges in all the right places.

The story has covered so many pages already, yet in many ways it has yet to really begin. This first album – as well as the book that partners it – will generate income for years to come, giving compassion and art a more meaningful way of working together.

12 CompassionArt Songwriters

Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis Chapman, Stu G (Delirious?), Israel Houghton, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Martin Smith (Delirious?), Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Darlene Zschech

7 Special Guest Vocalists

Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston, Leeland Mooring, Christy Nockels, tobyMac, CeCe Winans

John Ortburg is the pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA.  He is a prolific writer and conference speaker.  

This week an article was published in Leadership Journal that I wanted to pass on to you.  Check it out.

The Sin Tamer

Do we ever get to stop fighting against the evil within?

John Ortberg | posted 6/29/2009

 

How much sin should we expect in the church? We have gauges for other elements of church life. We generally monitor attendance. We know how many people are in small groups. Somebody counts the offerings. And often we don't just measure what we're interested in—we set goals.

Anybody hear of a church that set a goal for a 5-percent sin reduction next year?

I don't mean to be glib about this. Sin is, somehow, at the root of all human misery. Sin is what keeps us from God and from life. It is in the face of every battered woman, the cry of every neglected child, the despair of every addict, the death of every victim of every war.

Pastors have historically understood their primary battle to be not the battle to build a big church, but the battle against the power of sin. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood … ." Christians have measured the seriousness of the battle by the suffering and bleeding of Calvary.