Pastor’s Message – September 29, 2020

Reading, Watching, and Listening In September

Every month, I’m setting aside one week to share in this space about movies, books, and music that have especially spoken to my heart recently. These are not advertisements for you to go out and buy the items. They are not suitable for everyone, but I hope this will invite us to consider what we’re reading, watching, and hearing. God speaks to us in all kinds of ways, and great conversation can arise among us from where we’re hearing God speak.

1. Rivers In The Wasteland by Needtobreathe (music): I talked about this band in the last sermon of our UNITY series. I had ignored them for years because of the label, “Christian rock,” associated with them. It turns out they are far better than any label. This album is about five years old but does not disappoint. My personal favorite track is, “The Heart.”

2. 42 (movie): Yes, I referenced this movie in a sermon, too. The late Chadwick Boseman marvelously portrays baseball legend, Jackie Robinson, and it sheds light on an important moment in history that still affects us today. Plus, there is a fabulous joke about Methodists in an early scene. I’m slowly making my way through all of Boseman’s movies and am amazed by his gifts that are gone from this world too soon.

3. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land (audiobook): I love listening to memoirs, especially when read by the author. Stephanie Land provides a firsthand look at poverty in North America from the perspective of a single mother trying to make ends meet. Her voice continues to ring in my head when I read Scriptures about how we as communities of faith are called to care for the poor.

Through which books, movies, shows, and podcasts is God speaking to you these days?

all good things to each of you,
Dr. D.

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