The Christmas Playlist

Hey bloggers,

I'm going to go ahead and post my Christmas playlist. I was planning to wait until Thanksgiving to put it up, but I've invested so much time in assembling it that I want to make it worth my while, and use it as much as I can. Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining...I love the music so much that it has totally been a labor of love to create this collection. I've been using spare time here and there since the first week in September to get it exactly the way I wanted it.

There's a little bit of everything here (currently 101 songs)...pretty much all of my favorites, and, hopefully, yours. The only thing I couldn't get that I wanted was 'Riu Chiu' by the Monkees. They did a really beautiful version of the ancient Spanish hymn (it's on YouTube), but it wasn't available on the site that I use.

A few things I want to mention:

1 - Joy To The World — (covers by Mariah Carey, Nat King Cole, and a trio consisting of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. It also appears here, in part, in a few carol medleys...)
I included JTTW several times in the playlist because, in my opinion, this great hymn is the official dominion anthem. It jubilantly declares that the earth is the Lord's, and that He is her King. I especially love it because it has a paradigm of universal and ultimate reconciliation: "Let EVERY heart prepare Him room!" ...and of all things being consummated in Christ...AND HEAVEN AND NATURE SING! Heaven and nature singing together...the true manifestation of the concept of the UNI-verse!



2 - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing — (covers by Mahalia Jackson, Nat King Cole, Take 6, and the Vince Guaraldi Trio from the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack...)
I used this powerful carol multiple times because it also has a very pro-reconciliation viewpoint. The phrase "God and sinners reconciled" in the lyrics speaks of reconciliation in past tense...as if it is a fact that has already occurred. It has beautiful theology in every verse, and is my sentimental favorite because both It's a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas conclude with it.



3 - Christmas In Dixie — (Alabama)
Although I do like some country music, I'm not necessarily an Alabama fan. And yet I love this song, and I want to tell you why. Normally, I would never use a song with "dixie" in the title becuase of the potentially perceived political incorrectness of it. But this song came out right after the end of the Atlanta child murders of the early 80's, which coincided with the arrest of Wayne Williams. Those of you who lived here then undoubtedly recall what a nightmare that whole thing was, and how relieved we all were when it was over. I remember the first time I heard the line "...and in Atlanta, Georgia, there's peace on earth tonight", just a few days after the arrest. I remember what it meant to me at the time, and how I wept when I heard it. And all these years later, I still get chills every time I hear those guys sing that line because I relate it to that time...and because I love Atlanta...and so I love this song.



4 - O Holy Night — (covers by Mariah Carey and David Phelps)
My favorite Christmas song...especially the third verse.



5 - Auld Lang Syne Millenium Mix — (Kenny G)
Take some time and listen to the whole thing, especially if you're in my age demographic (or just a history buff). It's really cool.



6 - The Meaning of Christmas — (Linus Van Pelt)
What can I say? It's a classic.



7 - Glory to God in the Highest — (The Specks)
Some of you may wonder why I included a Southern Gospel song here, but it's because of the message (and the song is kind of peppy and catchy, too). I like it because it talks about Jesus being born to save "the world" from sin, a concept that you don't hear expressed very often in this music genre.



8 - The Little Drummer Boy — (Bob Seger)
This is a true Kingdom song. It's about using what's in your hand to serve the King, and Seger's cover of it really captures the essence of the message.



9 - Dream Child (A Christmas Dream) — (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
This could potentially become my new favorite Christmas song. Everything about it just blows me away. Take the time to listen to all of it (you can Google the lyrics so you can follow along).



10 - The other artists: Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, The Judds, Joshua James, Mannheim Steamroller, Mahalia Jackson, Diana Krall, The Roches, Hillsong Australia, Harry Connick, Jr., Kelly Clarkson, Vince Gill, George Winston, Luther Vandross, First Call, Wendy Francisco, Boyz II Men, Chris Botti, Shirley Caesar, Johnny Mathis, Michael W. Smith, Celine Dion, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah McLachlan, Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Boston Pops, The Sojourners, Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, Clay Aiken, BeBe & CeCe Winans, 4Him, Boney M., Carnie & Wendy Wilson, Marc Anthony, Josh Groban, MercyMe, The Monks and Choirs of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Vienna Boys Choir, U2, Lauryn Hill, Sparrow Artists, Paul McCartney, Anne Murray, David Crowder Band, Trisha Yearwood, Point of Grace, Hymns on Guitar, Jewel, Angie Winans, Relient K, Sarah McLachlan, The Carpenters, Sixpence None The Richer, Angels & Airwaves, Red Nativity, Wayne Watson, BarlowGirl, Jars Of Clay, Destiny's Child, Kathy Mattea, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, The Temptations, John Coltrane, and Messiah — A Soulful Celebration.


Your feedback is appreciated.


Enjoy!

"Lord God Said"

Last night I talked about how each one of us is literally a word from God. You were born, and continue to exist, because God wanted to say something individually and uniquely through you. As Jesus was the Word made flesh (the "Firstborn Among Many Brethren"), He is also the first word among many subsequent words that needed to be spoken in the God-story...

Here are some Bible Wordles for your consideration and viewing pleasure. If you don't know what a Wordle is, look it up (or Google it)...

Click on a picture for a larger image.

First, here is the New Testament in a Wordle:



Most prominent words in the New Testament: “Lord God Jesus Christ”



Here is a Wordle for the Psalms:



Most prominent words in the Psalms: “Lord God shall; steadfast love forever”



And here is a Wordle for the whole Bible:




Most prominent words in the Bible: “Lord God said”



Is God is trying to tell you something, or is He just trying to tell "YOU"?! You believe that God created you, but in actuality, He really "said" you...and no word of God will return to Him void, but it will accomplish that which He sent it to do!

Just Do It! (And Then Some...)

____________

Later that day (currently 22 comments)...

Yesterday River wrote this:

Man, Bishop, you've done more traveling in one year than most of us would do in a life time and yet you still keep in touch with all of us. Thanks & Welcome Home

Thanks, R., your acknowledgment meant a lot to me...

Hey bloggers,

Do you think it's too early to put my holiday playlist on the blog?

_____________

Even later (currently 26 comments)...

Bishop,

I had to send this to you. One morning at Virginia Beach I opened the door to the balcony to look out at the ocean and had to rub my eyes… “Jesus is that you?”

Pastor Nancy

Thanks, P. Nancy...

Hope 2 C U all ITB 2nite!

Happy Monthaversary, BLOGINTHENOW!

Hey, I'm home...everything was perfect...thanks for the great comments, everyone...really good stuff...I've missed connecting with all of you every day...

Big love to all...

Hey bloggers,

We're leaving for the airport in a few hours, so I have a little time to write something...and I was finally able to get on the page where you post articles.

Thanks for all of your comments about Judah's sermon...I loved every one of them, including the ones on the CITN blog (Pastor Lou, I think I liked yours the best)...and speaking of comments...thanks, Donald, for bringing it to my attention that I asked for you all to agree for a safe "fight". Of course I meant "flight"...or did I?

Also, please read my comment about the estimated number of the crowd at the GPF...

It has been very interesting being with people from all over the world for the last few days. They all want to ask questions about our newly elected President, and, for the most part, they are extremely excited about what his candidacy represents to the world.

We had a meeting at the Korean Parliament earlier in the week, and there is some concern among Korean leaders about how he will treat the trade agreement that the U.S. has with this country. All in all, it has been fascinating to see the whole thing from the perspective of the global village.

There's no way to tell you how much favor we've had here, and I have to say that I liked Korea a lot when we came here in April, but this time I totally fell in love with it. When I spoke at the GPF, I had the entire crowd (all 25,000 to 75,000 of them) stand and stretch their hands toward North Korea and pray for the unification of the two countries, and I believe it was one of the most anointed moments of my entire life. And they totally got it! It was beautiful, and I hope to show you a video of it soon.

As I told you, dad and I had an extra day here after the ILC and the GPF ended, so we were able to go to Prayer Mountain yesterday. We took a cab to Dr. Cho's church, and from there took the shuttle (about an hour and a half ride) out to the place that really was the catalyst for the growth of the world's largest church.

Dad visited there 30 years ago when he was here preaching at the church, and was given admittance to Dr. Cho's personal prayer grotto, where he encountered a life-changing experience with the Holy Spirit. He has talked about it for years, and has always wanted me to go there, too, but we found that the place that he visited back in the 70's has dramatically changed in these last decades. He didn't recognize anything, and the whole place has grown into sort of a huge Christian retreat mega-complex.

We wandered around for about an hour...no signs in English, and no one who spoke English...until we became, shall we say, somewhat frustrated. We not only couldn't find Cho's prayer grotto...we couldn't find any of the grottoes! There is a chapel that seats thousands, a hospital, a restaurant, a sports complex, a youth center, a huge cemetery...even a zoo...but no place to pray that we could find!

Anyway, after asking about a hundred different people, we finally found one guy who spoke a little English, and who led us to where some newly built prayer grottoes are (apparently all of the wooden ones that dad remembered from back in the day are long gone)... so, even though we were disappointed, he got one, and I got one, and we each went into our respective prayer closets for some alone time with God.

While I was in my private grotto, I asked the Spirit to show me what the day was all about, since it definitely did not turn out the way that we had visualized...and He showed me two things...

First, the experience that dad had when he was there before was unique to him...it couldn't be duplicated. Years ago, when I was going through a time of personal crisis in my life, he had wanted to send me to Korea so that I could go to Prayer Mountain and have an experience like he had had...but I didn't want to go then, and now I understand why. Experiences that we have with God are totally unique to us as individuals.

And secondly, He reminded me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Sean Connery played Harrison Ford's father. In the story, he accompanies his son on a mission to find the Holy Grail, and they go through all kinds of trials and adventures in an effort to discover it. At the end of the movie, when Jones lunges for the grail before it falls into the abyss (I'm fast-forwarding, assuming you're familiar with the plot), his father says to him "Indiana, let it go"...and the point of the story is that the father and son thought they were looking for a religious icon, but came to realize that the real spiritual treasure was in the discovery of truth within their own relationship through the process of searching. That's what Korea has meant for my dad and me this week.

Furthermore, we don't have to find Prayer Mountain...we are Prayer Mountain...

I need to go to my room and pack, but I wanted to share this with you. A few weeks ago I was here telling you how much I love Uganda, and now I'm telling you how much I love this country...and I'm not exaggerating. I keep hearing Peacemaker's words to me..."the world is yours"...

Debye and I have been invited to go to Brazil in a few days, and I'm sure I'll love it, too...and for different reasons...but I'll never forget this week...spending time with my father...watching my son preach over the internet from the other side of the world (even though he had had a challenging week...he had to go to court to face the guy who broke into his truck and stole all his stuff on Friday of last week)...

But I love all of you more than ever, and look forward to a big turn-out for Wednesday night. Oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!

God is good.

Hello from Korea!

Hey bloggers.

I have a few minutes with a computer, so I thought I'd open up the shop for business...just streamed the service (it's 2:30 AM here on the Pacific Rim) and I have to say, even if he is my son, that Judah Benjamin rocked the house today! I just sent him an e-mail that said "This is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased"...

Everything is amazing here...perfect trip...spoke to my largest audience ever this afternoon...around 75,000 people...mind boggling...tell you more about it when I get home...lots happening...

Dad and I have had the best time ever, and are going to spend some time tomorrow at Dr. Cho's Prayer Mountain (in case you don't know, his church is the largest in the world...

Dreams do come true...

Love you all,

Peace

Those of you who were ITB today looked great...made me homesick to see everyone, especially my very blond wife...