TheMorningFive 08/07/09
Blair and Bono speak, Cliff gets spiritual, a blogger's last letter and more ....
Rock ‘n Roll Leadership
U2 frontman and AIDS relief activist Bono and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair are among the speakers who will be featured at the leadership summit this weekend being organized by the Willow Creek Association. Willow Creek Church, which is one of the most influential evangelical churches in America, will broadcast the summit to affiliated churches across the country.
What If …
Jenkins Entertainment (the movie production house from father and son team Dallas and Jerry Jenkins—one of the authors of the “Left Behind” series) is reportedly working on a new film starring Kevin Sorbo and John Ratzenberger. In “What If …” Sorbo, who is best known for his roll as TV’s Hercules, plays Ben, a high-powered businessman who abandoned his calling and the love of his life years ago in favor of wealth and status. According to a press release, “Ben is visited by a mysterious (divine, perhaps?) tow truck driver (Ratzenberger) who knocks Ben into an alternative reality--the life he should have had. Ben awakens on a Sunday with his wife Wendy and two daughters getting ready for church, where Ben is scheduled to give his first sermon as the new pastor. If Ben wants to escape this "What If..." scenario, he must first learn the value of faith and family.”
You may recognize Ratzenberger—he played Cliff on "Cheers" and voices characters in all of the Pixar films. The film kind of sounds reminiscent of the Nicolas Cage Christmas movie “The Family Man”, but it sounds like an interesting project. You can check out the filmmaker’s blog to learn more about the movie: http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com
God of this City
A church in Michigan has responded to the recession by setting up a booth at city hall and offering a unique service—prayer. The prayer station has become so popular (they say they’re averaging about 125 prayers a week), that word is spreading around town. Even the manager of a local 7-Eleven and a the owner of a gas station in town want prayer stations set up at their businesses. The church volunteers (who take turns manning the prayer booth) say that residents, who have been hit hard after the loss of so many auto-industry jobs, appreciate the opportunity receive ministry.
A Blogger’s Last Letter
Blogger Ed Stetzer has posted the result of an interesting and solemn exercise called “The Last Letter.” The idea is based on the tradition of soldiers and missionaries to write letters to their families before embarking on dangerous journeys in case they do not return. Obviously, it’s an incredibly vulnerable and introspective writing exercise, but, as you can read from the couple examples on Stetzer’s blog, it can yield powerful results.
U2 frontman and AIDS relief activist Bono and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair are among the speakers who will be featured at the leadership summit this weekend being organized by the Willow Creek Association. Willow Creek Church, which is one of the most influential evangelical churches in America, will broadcast the summit to affiliated churches across the country.
What If …
Jenkins Entertainment (the movie production house from father and son team Dallas and Jerry Jenkins—one of the authors of the “Left Behind” series) is reportedly working on a new film starring Kevin Sorbo and John Ratzenberger. In “What If …” Sorbo, who is best known for his roll as TV’s Hercules, plays Ben, a high-powered businessman who abandoned his calling and the love of his life years ago in favor of wealth and status. According to a press release, “Ben is visited by a mysterious (divine, perhaps?) tow truck driver (Ratzenberger) who knocks Ben into an alternative reality--the life he should have had. Ben awakens on a Sunday with his wife Wendy and two daughters getting ready for church, where Ben is scheduled to give his first sermon as the new pastor. If Ben wants to escape this "What If..." scenario, he must first learn the value of faith and family.”
You may recognize Ratzenberger—he played Cliff on "Cheers" and voices characters in all of the Pixar films. The film kind of sounds reminiscent of the Nicolas Cage Christmas movie “The Family Man”, but it sounds like an interesting project. You can check out the filmmaker’s blog to learn more about the movie: http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com
God of this City
A church in Michigan has responded to the recession by setting up a booth at city hall and offering a unique service—prayer. The prayer station has become so popular (they say they’re averaging about 125 prayers a week), that word is spreading around town. Even the manager of a local 7-Eleven and a the owner of a gas station in town want prayer stations set up at their businesses. The church volunteers (who take turns manning the prayer booth) say that residents, who have been hit hard after the loss of so many auto-industry jobs, appreciate the opportunity receive ministry.
A Blogger’s Last Letter
Blogger Ed Stetzer has posted the result of an interesting and solemn exercise called “The Last Letter.” The idea is based on the tradition of soldiers and missionaries to write letters to their families before embarking on dangerous journeys in case they do not return. Obviously, it’s an incredibly vulnerable and introspective writing exercise, but, as you can read from the couple examples on Stetzer’s blog, it can yield powerful results.