The Twenty-First Time

Another great song!


***************************************************************************************

Nowhere to live
Nowhere to fall
He used to have money
But he’s wasted it all
His face is a photograph burned in mind
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He sleeps under stars, it’s all he can afford
His blanket’s an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He may be a drifter who’s grown old and gray
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

She’s 29 but she feels 48
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s crying in back of the welfare line
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

She may be a stranger trying to get through the day
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I’ve not been doing my part
When I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them

Drifter or stranger, daughter or son
I’ll look for Jesus in everyone
‘Cause I am the body and drink of the wine
And I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time

Surely We Can Change

Great song!


****************************************************************************************************
And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn’t hit

And I don’t know
What to do with a love like that
And I don’t know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something

Oh, the world’s about to change
The whole world’s about to change

Shooting Jesus

Dennis Morris is a phenomenon in photographic circles. At the age of 11, a photo he took of a Palestine Liberation Organisation demonstration featured on the front page of The Daily Mirror.

In 1973, aged 14, he was invited by Bob Marley to photograph the reggae singer’s UK tour. From then until Marley’s death in 1981, Dennis took iconic images of him and the Wailers that appeared on the covers of Time Out and Melody Maker.

As a result, Johnny Rotten, a big reggae fan, asked personally for Dennis to take the first official pictures of the Sex Pistols when they signed to Virgin Records.

Despite his track record, however, Dennis might have been forgiven if he’d taken a deep breath at one particular commission, brought to him by a vicar and a youth worker last year. They wanted him to take photographs that would give the Easter story contemporary relevance for young people.

Nevertheless, Dennis agreed, and for a fee that was a seventh the size of what he could usually command for a commission from the music industry.

The images form part of an Easter resource pack jointly sponsored by the Diocese of London and CMS. A grant from the Westhill Foundation enabled CMS to part fund the resource.

The pack has already been distributed to all Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education in local education authorities nationwide and to selected media.

Also, a flyer for the pack has been sent to every primary school in the UK with the ultimate aim of helping young people to make connections between the Easter story and their own lives.

It has been designed to be highly flexible for use in a variety of ways in churches or schools, including workshops, assemblies, all-age worship, young people’s groups, in part or as a complete package.

The concept and responsibility for the resource rested with Bob Mayo, priest of a London parish, and youth worker Ben Bell, who co-ordinated the involvement of a group of non-Christian young people from St Mary's Youth Club, Islington, to play ‘roles’ in the photos.

Some of them helped to recreate the scene of the Last Supper in Shepherd’s Bush.

One of them played the role of a black teenage ‘Jesus’ in the rain on a concrete playground in a deserted park doubling for the Garden of Gethsemane.

“I wanted to give a spontaneous feel and quality to each photo,” says Dennis. “I focused on ensuring that each of them looked like it wasn’t too set or staged. I was going for a snapshot feel, immediacy, capturing a moment in time.”

Nonetheless, all the shots took several hours of pre-planning and thought beforehand, “even if taking a particular shot only took five minutes,” says Dennis.

The contact with the project prompted him to admire Ben’s ability to reach out to the youngsters, because some of them, he points out, were “quite hardcore”.

“Three of them had confidence, a light to them, hopeful futures. What the three had was very clear to me. But it’s a pity that youth clubs aren’t seen in the same light as they were when I was young. Then they were where things were ‘happening’. Now, if you attend a youth club, you’re seen as ‘weak’ by other teenagers.”

Bob was delighted with the results of the photographer’s work, “Dennis is an absolute genius at what he does.

“The young people wanted short, sharp bursts of activity followed by long periods for them to relax and talk together.

“Dennis wanted patience and precision in order to capture on camera what he was picturing in his head.

“Ben and I had our own understanding of how the events should be pictured but we needed to give the story away in order to get it back reshaped and re-invigorated through these pictures.”

The project soon took on a life of its own, he says. “It drew together the curiosity and boredom of the young people, Dennis' imagination and intuition as the photographer, and Ben's and my need to get the project completed. Each of us fought the others for control.”

Summing up, Bob admits, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It enabled us to look at the world through different eyes.”

From: http://www.cms-uk.org/tabid/151/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/144/Shooting-Jesus.aspx
*************************************************************************************
Luke 19:28-Luke 24:50

A Moment of Courage

Today was one of the more difficult days at Charis House. But it was a day of bravery. Monday night a new resident moved into CH. She is 18 years old with a gorgeous 6 month old son. After being at CH this week it became obvious she was too immature to be a mom. This morning the residents were all quite upset because Social Services would be coming in the afternoon to take the baby boy into foster care. It was heartbreaking to see this girl upset about losing her son. The staff and residents had all grown attached to the chunky blue-eyed boy with the big smile.

Holly, a 4 year old who lives at Charis House asked her mom at lunch "Did you know that **** isn't coming back. Someone's going to take him this afternoon. Will they bring him back after?... I'm going to miss him." I hate that these children live in an environment that robs them of the innocence that is essential to every childhood. I hate that from such tender ages they must learn that there is no stability in their lives; that things can change in a heartbeat.

After social services came around 3:30pm it was revealed that the mom had made the choice to put him in foster care because she knew that she didn't love him a way a mom should and therefore couldn't provide for him the way he needed. Although it brought me to tears to see this handsome baby taken away from his mom, I was touched that she made the best decision for her son. That showed maturity and courage beyond measure--especially for a teenager.