Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview


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My Review of SONG SUNG BLUE

Song Sung Blue, rated PG-13
***

Song Sung Blue is the true story of Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee based husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act in the 1990’s. It was an enjoyable film, though much heavier than I had expected.
The film was directed by Craig Brewer, and was written by Brewer, based on Greg Kohs’s 2008 documentary Song Sung Blue.
The film begins at the Wisconsin State Fair with a Legends show. Claire Stingl, a divorced  mom of two, played by Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), is portraying Patsy Cline. Mike Sardina, played by Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables), is a Vietnam veteran, mechanic, and alcoholic who has been clean for twenty years and attends AA meetings. He is divorced and the father of a teenage daughter. When Mike, who prefers to portray Elvis, is asked to fill in as Don Ho, he refuses to do so, and quits the show. But he is soon taken by Claire’s performance as Patsy Cline.

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My Review of the movie DAVID

David, rated PG
***

David is an animated musical drama film that covers the latter half of the biblical book of 1 Samuel. The film is very well made, with excellent animation and catchy songs, and will be enjoyable for children and adults, though some of the film may be too dark and scary for very young children.
The film from Angel Studios (Sound of Freedom), was directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes, and written by Dawes, Kyle Portbury and Sam Wilson.
The film begins with the young David, voiced by Brandon Engman, happily tending to his sheep. We then see Samuel, voiced by Brian Stivale, come to anoint David as Israel’s next king, as God has rejected Saul (1 Samuel 15), voiced by Adam Michael Gold. The film covers the familiar story of David confronting the giant Philistine Goliath, voiced by Kamran Nikhad, Saul pursuing David, through to the battle with the Amalekites from 1 Samuel 30.

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A Prayer for the New Year

Father in Heaven,

We come to You this morning as we welcome in a new year with much anticipation. Today, we look forward to a day of rest, perhaps time with friends and family, enjoying a meal, going to a movie or watching football.
What do You have planned for us in 2026? How can we serve You and others with the gifts, talents and resources You have blessed and equipped us with? How can we make a difference in the lives of others this year?
As we look forward to a new year, and for some of us, a much-needed fresh new start, we also look back at 2025. Thank You for all of the blessings You have given us in our vocations, in relationships, and in our educational pursuits. Thank You for those who came to a new relationship with Jesus, Your Son, during the year. Thank You for the memories made with loved ones on vacations throughout the year. You have been so good to us.

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Six New Resources for Your 2026 Devotional Reading

There are many excellent resources for you to choose for your devotional reading. For example, here is an article I wrote sharing several resources for use in 2025. I would now like to highlight six new devotional books (published in 2024 and 2025) that you may want to consider for your 2026 devotional reading:

  1. The Sing! Hymnal – Keith Getty and Kristyn Getty

This hymnal was released at the 2025 Sing! Getty Music Worship Conference. The hymnal includes 498 classic and contemporary hymns carefully curated and beautifully presented in a treasured resource you can carry with you through life. There are also 403 liturgical readings, psalms paired with popular hymns, and stories about each hymn. This resource is perfect for church services and group gatherings, as well as private and family worship. My wife Tammy and I have been using the hymnal as a part of our devotional reading, with Tammy often singing the hymn for us! Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

When I Think of Christmas – Amy Grant and Vince Gill
***

Amy Grant and Vince Gill’s annual Christmas at the Ryman is one of the most successful residencies in the history of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Ole Opry).
Since 1993, Grant and Gill have celebrated Christmas with hometown concerts. What began at the Opry House as “A Tennessee Christmas”, opened Bridgestone Arena, moved to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and finally took up residence at The Ryman Auditorium. They have now performed their Christmas show more than 100 times in front of nearly a quarter-million people. This new collection of songs captures the spirit of those shows.
When I Think of Christmas is a compilation featuring nine of Gill and Grant’s favorite holiday songs along with two brand-new recordings. The new songs are  including Grant’s version of the album’s title track and “Til the Season Comes Round Again,” a Grant/Gill duet, the song they end their Christmas concerts with.
The track list includes holiday favorites like “The Christmas Song”, “Winter Wonderland”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “O Holy Night” and more.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More of this review and a review of Hallelujah! It’s Christmas by Phil Wickham and In Excelsis (EP) by Matt Redman
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics

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A Prayer for Christmas

Father in Heaven,
Tomorrow will be Christmas Day! As we prepare to celebrate this joyous day, we look forward to gathering with family and friends to worship at Christmas Eve church services, exchange gifts, enjoy meals and our family traditions. But most importantly, we remember the incarnation, the day when everything changed. On that day, Jesus, your only Son, left Heaven and came to earth to live as a man. This was a plan that was made in perfect unity with the Trinity before the foundation of the world. That baby in the manger, the baby that would one day go to the cross for us, was your beloved only Son – truly and fully both God and man. He came to earth to save us from our sins and reconcile us to You, and we are so thankful. Continue reading →

Book Reviews


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Recapturing the Glory of Christmas: A 25-Day Advent Devotional by Albert Mohler. B&H Books. 162 pages. 2024
****

In this Advent devotional, Albert Mohler tells us that Christmas means worship and adoration. He intends this devotional as a call to worship and praise. In each of the twenty-five devotions leading up to Christmas, Mohler mines the depths of the Bible and its teachings about Advent and Christmas. He dwells on all the theological riches God has gifted to his people through Christmas.
Each daily reading begins with a verse or short passage from Scripture followed by a devotion that you can read in five or six minutes that will help you recapture the glory of Christmas. This is a wonderful resource to read either individually or with your family.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and a review of Let Earth Receive Her King: Daily Readings for Advent by Alistair Begg
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Work as Worship. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question based on “I’ve been reflecting on a few verses in Ecclesiastes lately, particularly Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:13, 3:22, and 5:19. Those texts repeatedly speak about enjoying the fruit of our labor as a gift from God to be enjoyed. But I struggle a bit to know exactly what that looks like in real life.”
  • Does God Really Care About My Job? In this video, Bryan Chapell tells us that our jobs are important because they are a primary place that we are reflecting our God in what we do and how we do it.
  • “Our Secular Vocation” Interview. This conversation is part of an interview between  J. Daryl Charles, senior fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy, and CRCD’s executive director, Dr. Jordan Ballor.

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Leadership Attributes: Leaders Leave a Positive Legacy

In our series on leadership attributes, we now look at the legacy that a leader leaves. I’ve previously written an article titled What Will Your Legacy Be? This article will focus specifically on the legacy that we leave as leaders.
In the Law of Legacy from John Maxwell’s classic book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Maxwell writes:
“Every person leaves some kind of legacy. For some it’s positive. For others it’s negative. But here’s what I know: we have a choice about what legacy we will leave, and we must work and be intentional to leave the legacy we want.” Continue reading →