Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: July 2020


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My Review of HAMILTON

Hamilton, rated PG-13
****

Hamilton, showing exclusively on the Disney+ network (which paid $75 million for the worldwide rights to the film), is a live taping of the award-winning stage production (11 Tony Awards, Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize for Drama). The musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of our Founding Fathers, was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was inspired by Ron Chernow’s book Alexander Hamilton.
My wife and I saw the musical a few years ago in Chicago. The film version adds to that experience with excellent cinematography and sound quality. The film provides close ups that you couldn’t experience in the theatre, unless you had (very expensive) seats close to the stage.
Two things I highly recommend before watching the film are:

  1. Become familiar with Alexander Hamilton’s incredible life story. You can do that by reading my review of Chernow’s book here.
  2. Listen to the Original Broadway Cast recording of the musical. The story is told almost entirely in song. Miranda uses a variety of musical styles, mostly rap, and the lyrics come very fast. It will help you to enjoy the film if you are somewhat familiar with the songs.

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Called to Lead Book. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace was recently released. The book is now available on Amazon for all Kindle devices and Kindle apps.
  • Grief, Hope, and Work in a Time of Pandemic. Gage Arnold writes “Even amid a pandemic, our need for work and our need to continue the Genesis 1:27 cultural mandate of being fruitful and multiplying still holds fast. While the work may look different, the promises of scripture stand firm amidst the shaking of our own infrastructures and idols of comfort.
  • Work is a Way to Love Our Neighbors. Watch this message from Katherine Leary Alsdorf, founder and former executive director of Redeemer Presbyterian’s Center for Faith & Work, and co-author with Tim Keller of Every Good Endeavor.
  • God’s Presence with Moses. Russell Gehrlein, author of Immanuel Labor-God’s Presence in Our Profession, writes “Having a good understanding of what it means to be a coworker with God as He works through us to meet the needs of our customers, fellow employees, subordinates, and supervisors makes all the difference in how we approach our own jobs every day, no matter what job we have.”
  • JOB vs. CAREER vs. CALLING: What’s the Difference? In this video, Paul Sohn explains the difference between a job, career and calling. Often, we use these words interchangeably but the actual meaning of them are quite different. At the end, Paul shares tips on how to transform your job into a calling.
  • The Simple, Effective, and Free Path to Loving Your Work. Everyone needs three things in order to love their work. This episode of the At the Table podcast with Patrick Lencioni addresses job fulfillment, employee satisfaction, and what managers need to give the people they lead.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More links to interesting articles
  • The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
  • My Review of “The Economics of Neighborly Good: Investing in Your Community’s Compassion and Capacity” by Tom Nelson
  • Snippets from Os Guinness’ book “The Call: Finding and Fulfilling God’s Purpose For Your Life”

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3 Powerful Books for Such a Time as This

Many have been looking for something to “do” during this time in which many of our black brothers and sisters are hurting and protesting about racial injustice. One thing that you can do to start with is to read good books, as well as watch good videos. Below are a few recommendations:

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My 2020 Mid-Year Favorites


As I’ve done for a number of years now, I want to share with you my favorites for the first half of 2020 in a variety of categories. As we have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic the past few months, this list will look different from years past. Concerts and conferences have been cancelled, and movie theatres have been closed.
Except for books, and the film A Hidden Life (which wasn’t available for me to see until 2020), these are all items that were released in 2020. For books, I include my favorite books that I’ve read during 2020, regardless of when the book was published.
Enjoy, and please let me know what you think of my list, as well as what would be on your list. Continue reading →


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My Summer Reading Plan

I love to read, and enjoy books in a variety of genres – theology, Christian living, biography, leadership, professional and personal development, sports, etc. Here are the books I’m planning to read this summer along with a short synopsis of each:

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