Woman At The Well

01/07/2024

🙌I’m so Cheering for you!! ☝️

02/23/2023

We are made to do Hard Things

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01/14/2023

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08/01/2022

Today in Rock History by Mitch Michaels

1965, In England, the Yardbirds with Jeff Beck perform at the Cleethorpes Jazz Festival.

1965, Beatles VI enters the fourth of its six weeks atop the US album charts. Beatles VI includes two tracks recorded specifically for the North American market, “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” both covers of Larry Williams songs.

1966, Cream play their first gig in Windsor, England.

1966, The Who perform at Brittania Pier in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England.

1967, Mick Jagger was given a conditional discharge, and Keith Richard’s conviction for permitting his house to be used for the purpose of smoking cannabis resin was quashed by appeal court.

1968, Tommy James and The Shondells were at number one on the singles chart with “Mony Mony.” The song was also a hit for Billy Idol in 1987.

1968, Working at Trident studios in London, England, (with its 8-track equipment, EMI was still using 4-track recorders), The Beatles recorded four takes of “Hey Jude.”

1969, Ten Years After played at the Boston Tea Party in Boston. Magic Terry & The Universe were the support act.

1969, Elvis Presley kicked off a four week run at the Las Vegas International Hotel, his first live show since 1961. He reportedly netted $1.5 million (£937,500) for the shows. On the menu was an Elvis special, polk salad with corn muffins and honey.

1970, After Decca Records demands a final single from the Rolling Stones to make them fulfill their contract, Richards and Jagger deliver the unreleasable “Cocksucker Blues.” The single becomes the title of a Stones documentary that the band decides is also unreleasable.

1970, The Powder Ridge Festival was supposed to take place from July 31st through August 2nd in Middlefield, Connecticut. None of the advertised acts performed due to a last minute court injunction initiated by the local township. Only Melanie performed on a small stage. In addition to the Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Jethro Tull, Joe Cocker, Little Richard and others were on the intended lineup.

1971, Pink Floyd leave England to set out on their first tour of the Far East.

1971, The documentary Gimme Shelter premieres at London’s Rialto cinema. The film includes footage from the infamous concert at Altamont.

1971, James Taylor went to number one on the singles chart with the Carole King song “You Got A Friend.” The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

1971, A security guard was stabbed to death during a concert by The Who at New York’s Forest Hill Stadium.

1972, Yes appeared at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas.

1974, The Grateful Dead performed at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut.

1975, Aerosmith played at Market Hall, Dallas, Texas.

1975, The Rolling Stones appeared at the Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina.

1976, George Benson started a two-week run at number one on the album chart with Breezin.

1977, Yes played at the Civic Center, Wheeling, West Virginia.

1979, AC/DC appeared at The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana on their If You Want Blood Tour.

1979, James Taylor plays New York’s Central Park for free to show his support for a campaign to restore the park’s Sheep Meadow.

1980, During An Eagles concert at Long Beach, California, tempers boiled over between Glen Frey and Don Felder, who spent the entire show describing to each other the beating each planned to administer backstage. “Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal,” Frey told Felder. The group’s next album was mixed by Frey and Felder on opposite coasts after the two decided they couldn’t bear to be in the same state, let alone the same studio.

1980, Van Halen performed at the Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri.

1982, King Crimson appeared at The Convention Hall, Asbury Park, New Jersey.

1983, David Bowie played at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1985, The Eurythmics had the number one position on the UK singles chart with “There Must Be An Angel, (Playing With My Heart.”) The song which was the Eurythmics’ first and only chart topping single features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder.

1992, Michael Jackson made an unscheduled appearance on his hotel balcony in London after a man had threatened to jump from an apartment building across the street. 28 year-old Eric Herminie told police he would leap to his death if he didn’t see Jackson, who was in Britain for a series of concerts. Jackson spent a couple of minutes waving to Herminie, who then climbed back into the building.

2001, BBC producer John Walters died at age 63. Walters produced and worked with Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Peel teamed up with Walters to broadcast some of the most groundbreaking music of an era. He joined the BBC in 1967, and became producer on John Peel’s Top Gear show two years later. Walters played the trumpet with the Alan Price Set in the 1960’s.

2012, Bruce Springsteen played his longest show ever – 4 hours and 6 minutes, at the Helsinki Olympiastadionin Finland, at the end of a European tour.

Born on July 31: Amhet Ertegun (1923) Bob Welch (1943) Gary Lewis (1946); Hugh McDowell, cello, Electric Light Orchestra (1953); Bill Berry, R.E.M. ( 1958); Jim Corr, guitar, keyboards, vocals, The Corrs (1964); John Lowery, guitar, Marilyn Manson (1971); Will Champion, drummer, Coldplay (1978)

07/30/2022

I LOVE READING THERE RAW REAL POSTS!

MY DATE WITH A PR******TE
By Josh Stoneman

While in Malaysia in November, I had a weekend to rest and explore the city. I headed out without a plan, other than the goal to take pictures around the city and river.

After winding through huge markets and different areas of the city, I had finally made it to the river. Spotting a nearby bench, I sat down for a little while to scope out the surroundings.

Shortly after sitting on a small bench, a young woman came and sat next to me. I could see from her poorly done makeup and the way she dressed that I was probably a customer to her.

I suspected her business was prostitution.

She introduced herself as Anette*. I told her my name, and as we sat in silence, my heart began to break.

My question of, “how are you today?” broke the silence. Although she didn’t speak fluent English, she spoke it well enough for small talk. We spent a few minutes talking about the river and the city, small things like that.

Finally, I asked what she did for work. She explained in broken English that her job was to have s*x. When she said this I could tell she was partly ashamed to admit this and also partly wondering if I was interested.

I told her, “I am not a customer; I am a friend.”
By looking at her somewhat anorexic figure, I assumed she didn’t eat often. So I asked her what restaurants she recommended in the area. After she said the name of a place within sight, I offered to buy her lunch. She agreed and I wondered what I had just done! This woman’s appearance made it obvious about her trade… what would people think?

As we walked I looked to see the faces turn to watch her. Other women looked at her in a disapproving way, men looked at her and then me as if knowing what was going on.

Out of insecurity of the situation, I explained to her again that I was not a customer and did not want anything in return. She said she understood so I let the situation play out.

When we sat down at this riverside restaurant, I could tell from her body language she felt out-of-place. “Have people taken you out to eat before?” I asked. She said, “No, never!”

While waiting for our food, I got to know Anette a little better. She is 25 and travels back and forth from the rice fields for work. It’s the off-season, however, so she doesn’t have any work back at her home.

Meaning she has to find an alternative to afford things like food, water, and a place to live.

I asked her a little bit more about her work. She explained, “I don’t like my work but what can I do?” The way she said this made it obvious that she didn’t want to do this work at all.

But she couldn’t figure out another way.

When she locked eyes with me and said, “You are good man,” I took the opportunity to share the Gospel with her. I tried my best to explain it in a way that she would understand, but the language barrier was strong. I tried to make sure that she at least knew the name Jesus.

After that, I knew the best thing I could do was show Jesus to her.

I kept prodding about her life and found out that because her mom passed away, she takes care of her 7-year-old sister. I then asked Anette what she liked to do for fun. She said, “I don’t like work but I like having a customer. At least then I’m not alone. I don’t like being alone. Because of travel and work I have no friends.”

After our food came to the table, she asked my permission to get it to-go so her sister could eat some of it. I agreed even after she refused to let me buy her sister her own meal. Then I remembered the market I walked through earlier. I asked her if she and her sister had enough clothes. She said no so I offered to buy her clothes and she excitedly agreed.

My experience in the market was very different this time. Before, every vendor called out to me, “SIR SIR, would you like shirt? Would you like camera?” Whatever the vendor was selling was being called out to me, but not this time.

Vendors saw me with this woman and looked away, embarrassed. It was a lot quieter than before. We eventually found jeans and shirts, and for $32 she was able to get a few outfits for her and her sister, including a brand new pair of shoes.

As we continued to talk and get to know each other, my heart continued to break. It broke for the way people looked at her, it broke for the way she looked at herself, and it broke for the way people looked at us together.

People assumed they knew what’s going on. They looked at her with contempt for what she does and what she represents.

But I know the truth
I know that this woman isn’t just a pr******te, she is an heir. I know that this precious woman is a princess and the King of Kings died for her. I know she is worth more than $20 dollars for 4 hours and that she is treasured beyond belief.

I know she is valued and loved to an extent I will only fully comprehend in heaven.

After she got her outfit, I gave her a few extra dollars and we parted ways. It was only then that Anette finally believed that I didn’t want anything.

When I told her I had to go I could see [the] shock on her face. Her expression showed her disbelief in what just happened.

I saw her walk away happy to find her sister with new clothes in one hand and a meal in the other. I realized, this is what Jesus does for us. He sees us in a way that no one else may. He gives us more than new clothes and a meal — He gives us a new name. We sell ourselves to the things in this world all the time, but He takes us and buys us back. He loves us with a love that cannot be described.

We can more accurately demonstrate this love through actions rather than words. Go show people love today!

*The true name of this woman has been changed to protect her privacy.*

About the Author: Josh Stoneman is an author at Path & Pavement who has a passion for loving people and finding adventure! He graduated with a Bachelors in Religion from Liberty University and has been working with churches and missions organizations for 8 years. Check out more from Josh at his website or follow him on Instagram.

07/27/2022

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07/26/2022

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This article was a MUST READ for me this morning! So encouraging for how we do things at the FHMCC! Tell us what YOU think.

THE PROBLEM WITH 'NICE GUY JESUS' by Ethan Renoe

You’ve definitely heard it in the songs. Take for instance The Killers, who make Jesus seem like a guy you’d like to bring home to mom & dad:

He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
but he talks like a gentleman
like you imagined when you were young

Think about it for a second…how closely does this line up with the Jesus presented to us in the Bible?

-He’s homeless.

-He is relatively ugly.

-He’s poor—to the point that women are traveling with & supporting Him. (But He always pays His taxes…sometimes with coins that pop out of fish mouths)

-He sometimes loses His anger and flips over tables in a fit of rage.

-He is constantly, publicly cursing all the pastors in your town whom the rest of the community reveres. etc.

Would you really want to bring Him home to ma & pa?

How about another example, this one from Tom Petty regarding the followers of Jesus:

She’s a good girl, loves her mamma.
Loves Jesus, and America too.

Same idea. How do we know she’s a good girl? Well, because she loves Jesus and America (but we’ll ignore that association for now). It’s ironic because the most radical, dedicated Christ followers I know are not necessarily what the world would consider nice, quiet girls like the ones Petty refers to. They’re usually the ones who have sold their homes or belongings and live with the poorest of the poor. Or the ones people think are drug addicts.

Rich Mullins went barefoot everywhere, didn’t have a home, and gave the vast majority of his money to Native Americans.

Mother Teresa had disgusting feet because of how she dug through each shoe donation box and pulled out the worst possible pair for herself.

My friend Josh would always scream at the top of his lungs when he saw me in the streets of Chicago, even from three blocks away, “HEY ETHAN! I LOVE YOU MAN! PRAISE GOD MAN!” Everyone on those three blocks hears, then looks at him and then at me. He’s a bit wild and unpredictable, not unlike John the Baptist. Josh and his wife sold all their things and moved to Cambodia a few years ago, where they also work with some of the poorest people in the world.

Are these the type of people who come to mind when you hear “Free Falling”?

Have we replaced the Jesus of the Bible with some soft, mushy milquetoast? Do we imagine a lamb-hugging dude (which…never happened in the Bible) whose greatest characteristic is that He’s really nice?

If that’s all Christianity can cough up in regards to its central figure, I’d want nothing to do with it. Nor would most guys I know. Probably most women, for that matter.

What’s more, if Jesus is nothing more than nice, that means His followers need to do nothing other than be nice. Is that all the kingdom is about? Is that why I got “your kingdom come” tattooed over my heart, just to remind me to be more nice?

Niceness alone won’t save the world. Niceness won’t overthrow the Third Reich, dole out justice for s*x traffickers, or fix systemic racism.

Yet this caricature of Christ has sunk so deeply into our collective subconscious that we blindly accept these references to Nice Guy Jesus without a second thought. Then, when we do get around to cracking our Bibles open, we’re surprised that He sometimes says mean things,
that He gets pretty heated and goes nuts,
that He won’t let go of this idea that He is actually…God,
that He comes a second time wearing a robe drenched in blood,
that He looks at the religious teachers of His time and basically says f— you.

Wait a minute…I thought Jesus was nice!

Are you reading the Bible through the tainted lens of our culture, or are you reading the Bible as it is? Are you letting Jesus be who He is, as presented in the Bible, or have you also fallen prey to this strange character known as Nice Guy Jesus?

Granted, there are myriad weird presentations of Jesus in mainstream media. There’s Kanye West’s Prosperity Jesus (“Man how’s you get so much favor on your side?/ Accept Him as your Lord and Savior, I replied”), or Family Guy’s straight-up weird manifestation who sometimes appears in random episodes.

Perhaps some of the more accurate depictions of the Carpenter from Nazareth come from people earnestly seeking answers to the world’s most complex questions. Noah Gundersen asked Him through heartrending vibrato,

Jesus, Jesus, could you tell me what the problem is
With the world and all the people in it? …

Jesus, Jesus, there are those that say they love you
But they have treated me so goddamn mean…

If all the heathens burn in hell, do all their children burn as well?
What about the Muslims and the g**s and the u***d mothers?
What about me and all my friends? Are we all sinners if we sin?
Does it even matter in the end if we’re unhappy?

More haunting questions are asked by Brand New in their song “Jesus“:

Well, Jesus Christ, I’m not scared to die
I’m a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?
Do I divide and fall apart?
And the ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?

The bottom line here is that, if you get your theology (or your Christology) from pop songs, TV shows, or basically anything but the Bible itself, you’ll end up with an inaccurate picture of who Jesus is and what He came to do. If it’s been a while since you’ve opened the Bible for yourself, you may be surprised at the Jesus you find.

He will not be just nice, nor will He be a tormenting monster trying to throw all the gay people into hell. You’ll find a Jesus who snaps when people are thinking too small of God and His kingdom, but one who is also the friend of pr******tes and other outcasts.

He’s not just any one of those things either; He is a lot of things.

He is complex, and perhaps this is why culture has such a hard time categorizing Him. Sadly, evangelicalism seems to have pigeon-holed Him as just a super nice guy, most likely because this is a safe bet, and if there’s anything we know about evangelical culture, it’s that it’s safe. (Maybe because people get banned when they’re edgy or just use the word ‘pen*s.’ )

The Jesus of the Bible is far more interesting (much less, true) than any of these mainstream iterations of Him. May we familiarize ourselves with Him so much that we can identify fallacies in misrepresentations, but also see truth wherever it may exist.

And as Calvin said, may we seek Christ purely for the joy of seeking Christ.