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Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Tag Archives: Fernando Ortega


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


McCartney III – Paul McCartney
*** ½

Former Beatle, 78-year-old Paul McCartney, follows up his chart-topping 2018 album Egypt Station with McCartney III, his eighteenth solo album, and the third in his series of recorded at home McCartney albums. The new album, recorded at his Sussex estate in the spring during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, follows 1970’s McCartney (“Maybe I’m Amazed”), which was released as the Beatles were breaking up and McCartney II (Coming Up”), released in 1980 as Wings was breaking up. The new album is a pleasing eclectic collection (acoustic, rock, pop) of eleven songs which you will appreciate more with each repeated listening. McCartney wrote all of the songs, plays almost all of the instruments (“Slidin’” being the only exception), handles all vocals and produced the album (with the exception of “Slidin’”, which he co-produced with Egypt Station producer Greg Kurstin). I’ve been enjoying Sir Paul’s music for 56 years, and thoroughly enjoyed this new release.
Below are a few comments about each of the songs:

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More of this review and a review of Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (EP) by Fernando Ortega
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics

Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

The Crucifixion of Jesus – Fernando Ortega
****

Fernando Ortega, one of our most beloved Christian artists, returns with his first album since 2011’s Come Down O Love Divine. The Crucifixion of Jesus, which features eleven contemplative songs and six readings (which were selected and edited by his pastor), is a wonderful project about Holy Week, that will allow you to meditate on Jesus’ arrest and death and sacrifice. Ortega co-produced the album with Bernard Chadwick, and it was engineered and mixed by Brandon Bell.

Below are a few brief comments on each song:

Blessed Be Our God – This is a beautiful song that features Ortega’s vocal over piano and cello and light backing vocals.

Prepare The Way, O Zion – This song was written by Frans Mikael Franzen. It features light drums, piano and cello. It is about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem where he will be crucified.

House of Prayer – This short song is about Jesus cleansing the temple (John 11:15-18). His house shall be called a prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.

In My Father’s Kingdom – This song is about the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Mark 12-24). It features piano and cello.

Stay with Me Here – The song is about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 26: 26-42). Jesus’ soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He pleads for his disciples to stay with him and keep watch with him. Features piano and cello.

Your Will Be Done – This short song is a prayer to the Father that His will be done. It features a light guitar.

O Great Love, O Love Beyond Measure – He sings about a great love beyond measure that Jesus would lay down his life for a faithless sinner. He didn’t turn away from those who struck his face. It features piano and guitar.

Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended? – The was written by Johann Heermann in 1630 about the doctrine of Christ’s atonement. We denied Christ. We crucified him. The song features piano, cello, and backing vocals from Audrey Assad, Jonathan Noel and Amanda Noel. Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Best of Fernando Ortega: Live in St. Paul
****

I was introduced to Fernando Ortega years ago when he opened for Michael Card. He has since become one of my favorite artists. This concert recording was originally available only as a DVD, but is now fortunately also available as an audio recording.  Including 19 songs, this concert was recorded in 2004 at Northwestern College’s Maranatha Hall as Fernando was on tour supporting his 2004 album Fernando Ortega.  He plays 7 of that album’s 12 songs here, including the touching and humorous “Mildred Madalyn Johnson”. The recording features Ortega and band, including an accordion, but the focus is on Ortega’s gentle vocals over his piano.
If you’ve seen Ortega in concert you know that one of the best things is often times humorous introductions to his songs, which are not included here, the focus being solely on the music. In addition to the songs from Fernando Ortega, he includes many of his most-loved songs, such as “Creation Song”, “Lord of Eternity”, “Children of the Living God”, “This Good Day”, “Sing to Jesus” and “Our Great God”. This is Ortega’s only live album and it’s a gem.

Flowers in the Dirt (Special Edition) – Paul McCartney
****
This 2-CD “Special Edition” (the release comes in a number of different configurations), of McCartney’s excellent 1989 album Flowers in the Dirt features a remastered version of the original 13-song album (plus Où Est Le Soleil?, which wasn’t on the original album), on one disc, and nine previously unreleased demos McCartney recorded with Elvis Costello on the second disc. The demos are what really got my attention on this release, the 10th installment of McCartney’s Archive Collection, all of which have been personally supervised by McCartney. This album has special significance for me as well. It was the album McCartney toured on for his 1989-90 World Tour, on which I saw three of the shows, the first of now twelve concerts I’ve seen of the former Beatle.
Listeners will be pleased with the remastered version of the original album. It features such strong songs as “My Brave Face” (his last Billboard solo Top 40 hit), “This One”, “Put it There” and the 89-90 World Tour opener “Figure of Eight”. The original demos with Costello are: Continue reading →


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Brrrrrrr !!!

Early Bird Pricing for Michael Card’s Matthew: The Gospel of Identity Conference and Concert ends FEBRUARY 25!
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Click below for a larger version:
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Just a reminder that early bird pricing for Michael Card’s April 25-26 conference on the gospel of Matthew at Christ Church and his April 27 concert at East White Oak Bible Church ends February 25.

You can purchase conference tickets (which includes the concert) at: http://store.michaelcard.com/conference.aspx

You can purchase concert only tickets at:http://store.michaelcard.com/concerttickets.aspx

Conference (includes the concert) tickets are now $48; after February 25, $58. Tickets for the concert only are now $13; after February 25, $18.

Please write me at bntpence@msn.com if you have any questions about these events.

Matthew - St. Andrews CommentaryRecommended Resource

To prepare for Michael Card’s conference on the gospel of Matthew, I’m reading R.C. Sproul’s St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary on Matthew. This book contains the written version of 128 sermons on Matthew that Sproul delivered at his home church of St. Andrews in Sanford, Florida, where he has been pastor since 1997. This volume is part of a series of books containing Sproul’s sermons from Saint Andrews. The sermons are very easy to read and can be used for devotional reading.

~ UPDATED PAGES ON THE BLOG ~

Concert Review of Fernando Ortega at First Baptist Church in Pekin

Movie Review of August: Osage County

The Leadership Library ~ The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Andy Stanley

Leadership Book Club

WEEK FIVE 

As we continue working through John Maxwell’s classic book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, this week we’ll look at the following two laws:

  • The Law of Timing: When to Lead Is As Important at What to Do and Where to Go
  • The Law of Explosive Growth: To Add Growth, Lead Followers – To Multiply, Lead Leaders

 

~ THIS AND THAT ~

Read about Joni’s reaction to the Oscar nomination here: http://www.worldmag.com/2014/01/joni_eareckson_tada_oscar_nod_is_incredible

  • MovieGuide.org writes “When Calls The Heart is a beautiful, exciting TV series about a wealthy young woman who comes to teach in an isolated coal-mining town in 1910 Canada. The first episode, “Lost and Found,” is absolutely beautiful and very entertaining, with a strong Christian, moral worldview and no objectionable content. Read more here: http://www.movieguide.org/reviews/when-calls-the-heart-lost-and-found.html
  • In Christian movie news from Men of A.I.M. – http://www.menofaim.org/movies/
    • Gimme Shelter opened 1/24 at Carmike Grand Prairie 18.  Incredible pro-life film that also addresses the pain these decisions can cause in men looking back on these decisions, but the focal point is on a Christian shelter for pregnant teenagers providing a family to one another.  Read this article from World magazine about the film: http://www.worldmag.com/2014/01/another_juno
    • Ragamuffin: The True Rich Mullins Story:  Recently added a SECOND showing in the Peoria region.  Now playing February 3 at Eureka College and February 23 at Riverside Community Church.  (click locations to purchase tickets)
    • A Kewanee actress is in a film The Current that plays one night only February 6 at Carmike Grand Prairie.  They have already sold out one theater so we got bumped to a larger room – 44 seats left!  Buy The Current Tix here.
    • Oscar Nominee:  The title song from Alone Yet Not Alone sung by Joni Eareckson Tada has been nominated for Best Original Song – much to the surprise and disappointment of many in the industry.  We hope to see this film open in Peoria June 13, but need several hundred tickets sold to do so.  It’s a film based on a true story from during the French & Indian War in 1755.  BUY tickets to Alone Yet Not Alone here
  • You may have seen or heard about Blackfish, the controversial documentary that is critical of Sea World. This has led several music artists, including Willie Nelson and the Beach Boys, to back out of commitments to perform at Sea World. Recently, the family of the trainer who was killed by a killer whale at Sea World distanced themselves from the documentary. Read more here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-sea-world-blackfish-statment-20140121,0,6739959.story
  • The 56th Grammy Awards were presented on January 26. Congratulations to Mandisa who won Best Contemporary Christian Album for Overcomer, as well as the Best Contemporary Christian Music Song for “Overcomer”.  See all the winners here: http://www.grammy.com/nominees
  • “Invisible”, a new song from U2, will be available for a free download on February 2, Super Bowl Sunday. Read more here: http://www.u2.com/news/title/invisible-free-for-red