re-assimilating

Technically we made it back from the Middle East to Kentucky last week, but it took a while for all of us catch up. Our bodies needed a few days to deal with the jet-lag and adjust to the time change. Our hearts and minds needed time for the cultural re-connection as well. Plus we had birthdays, work, family gatherings, as well as teaching, preaching and writing opportunities all based on our trip come up.

I have been in non-stop processing the last week on my own, as well as through dozens of conversations. Over the next week I hope to have some more pictures, stories and reflections from our month in the Middle East.

Until then I want to share a video I assembled last semester for my friend John David to use in his chapel talk last semester to mark the end of the church season of KingdomTide. He used it again during his teaching session at the Passion ’07 conference in Atlanta earlier this month. After many requests he put it on YouTube, so I thought I would offer it here as well.

The music is from a song titled Isaiah 61 by my friend Matt Maher (who you can find on iTunes). The text in the video is taken from Isaiah 1 and 41. The painting of Jesus is from a local artist named Kevin Sparks. The permissions and copyrights are a little trickier with the news footage. Since we made it for the seminary we have been told we can claim an educational usage exception to the copyright laws. We're not selling this resource - simply using it to feature the news in the more hopeful frame of the Kingdom of God.



Let me know what you think. More to come...