As the very real threat of terrorism continues to rear its ugly head and as our culture gives way to shameful and brutal acts of violence, it is easy to let ourselves become preoccupied with only the fear of a stark and barren future … a world without color and laughter. Thanksgiving stands tall and shouts the same message every year: “There is a better way to think and to live! Your God is still blessing you with the fragrance of forgiveness and the beauty of His bounty.”

- Charles Swindoll, Insight For Living ministries

VICKY BEECHING - ‘Great Is Your Glory’

God came down and gave His life for me
Amen, amen
Through flesh and blood He fought for victory
Amen, amen
Crucified, brought back to life
Amen, amen
Seated at the Father’s hand again
Amen, amen

Great is the glory of the Lord almighty
Great is the glory of the Lord
I will sing will all my heart unto the Lord almighty
Great is Your glory Lord

Crimson covered over sinless hands
Amen, amen
But nails could never hold the Son of Man
Amen, amen
Now the Father’s love flows down on us
Amen, amen
Hallelujah, He will come again
Amen, amen

FIREPROOF is still in theaters, but soon you’ll be able to buy it on DVD. It’s set to be released on January 27. Here’s more info on the DVD release:

• FIREPROOF DVD release news

Meanwhile, the movie continues to make an impact. Here are some quotes from viewers:

“My wife had filed for divorce in August after 20 years of marriage. … Through God, we saved our marriage and the movie was a model for both of us. The music is inspirational; I play it every day, and I gave my wife the soundtrack for her car. We read The Love Dare together at night. We are closer than ever, and we are in a completely different world with God at the center of our lives. FIREPROOF is a God-given message to us to come to Him with our lives and to heal our marriages instead of tossing them aside, as our disposable culture would have us do.”

“FIREPROOF is the most pro-marriage movie that I have ever had the honor of selling in my Christian bookstore! With great joy, I can recommend a movie that changes lives and puts a focus on putting Christ first! I bought out a showing at the theater for pastors and customers to be blessed, and there was hardly a dry eye as people came back out of the theater! My tough brother-in-law cried like a baby! Touching emotions and bringing people back to putting effort into their relationships—that’s what this movie has done for many in my community!”

“This movie has literally saved our marriage. I was on my way out the door (as in leaving the house and everything in it to go find an apartment for me and our children) when I saw a clip of this movie. I told my husband I wanted to go see it with him. It has changed us both. … Not only did the movie save our marriage, but it also brought us closer to God. I think we both realized that while we do have Christian faith and beliefs, we didn’t really have God in our marriage. He is what’s been missing all along. Thank you for this movie. I am pre-ordering the DVD today.”

Related Links:

• FIREPROOF resources
• Should I divorce my husband the porn addict?

The opposite of freedom is not mere slavery, but sin. When Adam lost his freedom, it was in exchange for the knowledge of evil. When man chooses wrong he does not gain more freedom, as he often thinks, but more slavery. Man has the right to choose even wrong, but when he chooses wrong he loses some of his right to choose, for he becomes the servant of wrong. He is like a slave, “sold into the captivity of sin,” as Paul would put it (Romans 7:14). The more wrong he chooses the less freedom he has.

- Albert McClellan

2 Corinthians 3:17

where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty

What is suprising is that there are some who say they subscribe to a religion but when asked to describe it, they answer that it is ‘nothing in particular.’ That’s sad. When it comes down to it, faith is only as good as the object of that faith. How’s the object of your faith? Would you call it ‘nothing?’ Is it dead? Or is it alive and well? Can the object of your faith give you life - not only here and now, but for all eternity?

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Click here to see the video.

Looking for the sheet music for this song? WorshipTogether has it available as a free download this week:

• You Lifted Me Out - sheet music

The little word “indeed” in his saying “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36) speaks clearly to the point of ultimate freedom for me as a person.

- Albert McClellan

There’s no e-mail address or personal information asked for when you download this tune. It’s truly totally free. Just click the link below and the song and a lyric sheet will download to your computer:

Kingdom Coming - MP3 and lyric sheet

For more story behind this song and how it was written, check out this blog post, which also includes a video of the song’s first draft recorded the day it was written:

Kingdom Come - first draft

There is absolutely no problem with you e-mailing this link or the song file itself to as many people as you’d like. It’s much appreciated, in fact. If you’d like to put a widget on your blog, myspace or facebook page to spread the word, please go here and grab it…and thanks for that too:

Downloadable widget

Thank you for listening and helping spread this song around. Drop me a line and let me know what you think or if there’s anything I can do for you.

-Shaun Groves
www.shaungroves.com
www.compassion.com

There were effectively only two responses to the condition of the poor in Wilberforce’s day. One was to look down on them scornfully, moralistically judging them as inferior and unworthy of help. The other was to ignore them entirely, to see their plight as inevitable, part of the unavoidable price of “modern civilization.” But Wilberforce would introduce a third way of responding to the situation. This response would neither judge the poor and suffering nor ignore them, but rather would reach out to them and help them up, so to speak.

- Albert McClellan