Tag: music

Michael Review

Like a gazillion other people, I saw the Michael biopic this weekend.

From my reclining leather theatre seat, my first thoughts weren’t about critic’s reviews or controversial opinions. 

Instead, I thought about December 23, 1983. 

On that night, Michael Jackson’s 14-minute “Thriller” music video premiered on network television via NBC’s Friday Night Videos. This short film event had actually premiered on MTV on December 2, but since my family did not have cable or a giant satellite receiver, I was forced to wait three weeks to watch the video. 

(Click here to watch the Dec 23, 1983 episode of Friday Night Videos)

Just like the rest of the world, I was mesmerized with Michael Jackson’s talent and style.

Watching Michael transported me back to an era when I listened to Casey Casum’s weekly top 40 radio show religiously. No matter what I was doing, my hand was always near the record button of my jam box ready to capture my favorite songs as I made mixtapes for school trips and pool side summer afternoons. Those tapes always included half-caught intros by Mr. Casum and whatever Michael Jackson song (or two) that was currently in the top 40. 

Following that thought, I watched as the performance-driven biopic wonderfully displayed Michael Jackson’s talent through a top notch portrayal by his nephew Jaafar Jackson. I was equally, if not more impressed by 12-year old Juliano Krue Valdi who portrayed Michael during his younger years. And I must add, it should be a rule from now on that Mike Myers gets a small role in every biopic that is ever made. 

The film has been criticized for not including more of the controversies of Michael’s younger years. If I desired anything in the movie, it was to see more of the story of his younger years, especially the music. However, you can only do so much in a just over two hour time span. So, here is my review:

Michael is not a documentary, but is truly a classic coming of age story showcased with some really, really good music. It helped us see how Michael Jackson came to be Michael Jackson. There are classic and yet complicated portrayals of good versus evil between Michael and his father Joe, played by Colman Domingo. I believe the story will inspire people to believe in their God-given dreams and destiny in the face of doubt and oppression.

*Image courtesy of Mathew Browne

by Categories: Creativity, Response, Review, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Jingle Bell Joy” Kid’s Christmas Object Lesson

Props Needed: Hand held jingle bells

(Gather kids around you, dialogue with them about what they want for Christmas, then move into the children’s sermon).

What kinds of sounds do you hear at Christmas? 

(listen for answers – they might say Christmas music, singing, shopping, traffic, etc…) 

I have one more sound for you to hear. 

(Pull your jingle bells out from a bag and ring it loudly)

These are jingle bells. What does it make you think of when you hear them ring? 

(Let one or two of the children answer) 

Some people think of the song, “Jingle bells.” Other people think of horses pulling sleighs through the snow. Other people think of Santa’s reindeer. All of these things are happy sounds for many people. 

Do you know what makes the sound of a jingle bell? There’s a small ball on the inside of this jingle bell and hits against the sides of the metal bell causing the sound. 

And what causes the bell to make the sound? (when it’s shaken).

So the sound is caused by something on the outside (the shaking) but it’s made by something on the inside (the ball). 

Even at a happy time like Christmas, life can sometimes shake us up. This happens when someone is mean to us or if we don’t get something we really want. Sometimes it might happen if we have to move from a house we really like or if we lose someone who is really close to us. 

One group of people who were shaken in the Bible were the shepherds. They were out in the fields in the middle of the night when an angel appeared to them and really scared them a lot. They were probably shaking with fear. But the Bible says that “the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people!’” (Luke 2:10)

What was the good news they were talking about? 

(Wait for a couple of answers) 

That’s right, the angel was talking about Jesus being born. That’s the best news anyone could ever hear because the Bible says Jesus “would save His people from their sins.” That’s a good reason for us to have joy, isn’t it?

Even now, when our lives are shaken, we may feel bad and quiet, but if we know Jesus, we can still ring with joy because Jesus lives inside us! 

Let me pray with you before you go back to your seats… 

(Depending on the kids, you may choose to have them pray with you or have one of them pray. After praying, send them back to their seats.)

by Categories: Christmas, Church and Christian Life, Creativity, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Why I Choose To Be Thin-Skinned

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King David was a king, a warrior, and a man after God’s own heart.  He was also an artist, a musician and a writer.  Who else but a sensitive person with an artistic heart could have written so many heart felt psalms?  Who else but a talented artist could have played so skillfully that demons fled from Saul as he listened?  The church needs artists today.  We need people who cry when listening to beautiful pieces of music.  We need people who stop running so frantically and see the beauty, hurt, and awe around us.  We need people who pay more attention to God’s creation than business plans.  We need people who feel deeply and have the ability to communicate those feelings to everyone else.

Rory Noland, in The Heart of the Artist, writes that “Everyone with an artistic temperament has been told at some point in his or her life to develop a thicker skin.  That’s nonsense!  The world doesn’t need more thick-skinned people.  It needs more people who are sensitive and tender.”  I agree with Rory’s sentiment for the most part.  I suggest that artists, in the church at least, need to be thin-skinned people when experiencing beauty and hearing from God but who also have the ability to put on full-body armor when experiencing evaluation and criticism.

I am a firm believer that God determines what He wants someone to do by who He made them to be.  I also believe that everyday, as we grow closer to Him, experience life’s victories and defeats, learn new skills, and tolerate pain and resistance, that we are in a constant state of becoming.  So, the two questions are, “Who did God create you to be?” and “How has God being creating you recently?” 

Did He create you to be an artist of some kind?  Then keep reading.

The world pushes artists of all kinds down from the time they are young.  Think about it.  Adults ignore or laugh at children’s artwork when presented to them, kids taking artistic lessons are often downplayed by those in sports leagues, Jr. High students are merciless in their teasing of anyone trying to express themselves in any way, high school and college standards weed out those who simply want to create art for enjoyment, and then adulthood comes along and presents us with the immediate priorities of financial obligations, thank you very much.  I know, I know.  Life happens and people have to grow up and find real jobs in order to stay alive.  That’s true, but what fun is life is there isn’t some kind of beauty that we can experience along the way?  What good is the money we make if we are numb to art and beauty?

I want to encourage artists, especially those in the church, to not be afraid of your own sensitivity.  Feel what’s going on around you.  Experience it.  Live it.  Make it a part of you.  Then communicate it to the world around you in beautiful, unique ways.  Write, sing, sculpt, paint, draw, play, act, compose, speak, direct, form, whatever…

Just don’t stop.  If you do, it’s not just you who loses.  It’s all of us.  

 

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Difference Makers, Uncategorized, WorshipTags: , , , , , , , , 3 Comments