Category: Hope

The Chosen

Posted on by Dorci

Hello friends.  I pray this finds you healthy and hopeful and full of faith.  I want to post things to help keep you encouraged, and one of the most encouraging things I can think of is the video series The Chosen.

I’ve been doing my level best to let my friends know about it, and I want to share it with you.

The first season begins with the life of Jesus before he starts his ministry. You are right there with him as Jesus chooses his weary followers, heals Mary Magdalene, meets with a seeking Nicodemus in secret, and attends the wedding that makes everyone sit up and wonder who this man is that can change water into wine. 

It’s unlike anything you have ever seen before, and that’s because it is completely crowdfunded (the largest crowdfunded media project ever) and was able to be made without the constraints of Hollywood.  

And it’s absolutely free.  Creator and director, Dallas Jenkins (son of Jerry B. Jenkins, who brought you the Left Behind series), is making all 8 episodes free (as it usually is) and fully available, with no restrictions, for the next couple of weeks through their free app which you can find on their website. It’s also on dvd and blu-ray, which include extras and the Christmas Special that started it all, and your purchase can help fund Season 2. 

I hope it encourages you and keeps you focused on the grace and mercy of this Man who came to save us, to know us, to die and live for us, because His love chooses us.

Here’s the announcement made by Dallas Jenkins:

“In light of these challenging and fearful times, we believe the message and stories of Christ are more important and relevant than ever. Not to mention, so many of you are stuck in your homes for weeks, some with uncertain financial situations.

To that end, until the end of March, we’ve decided to make every episode of Season One of The Chosen immediately and easily accessible, completely free and without delay, all over the world. “The Chosen” app is already freely available in every country, but this initiative will make it easy to see every episode with zero restrictions.

Considering that streaming costs money, will this delay our momentum towards financing Season Two? Probably, although if you have the means to “pay it forward” to offset the streaming costs, that would be helpful. But there’s no obligation to anyone, and we believe our long-term goals remain safely in God’s hands.”

 

 

 

 

Do Not Worry

Posted on by Dorci

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not
worry about your life, what
you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food, and
the body more than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable
than they?”
Matthew 6:25, 26

Spirit of God

Posted on by Dorci

The Shepherd’s Lamb, and Ours, Too

Posted on by Dorci

A couple of blogs ago I gave a link to the series, The Chosen.  

This time I want to bring to you the short film that started it all. 

Writer and director, Dallas Jenkins (son of Jerry B. Jenkins who gave us the Left Behind series and more), shares here the story of how God led him to make The Chosen through a short film (24 minutes) he made for his church’s Christmas Eve service.  How at the moment he felt like a failure the Lord led him to depend on Him to make a series that is defying all odds.

The Christmas Eve special about the birth of Jesus is told from the perspective of the shepherds, one in particular.  

Grab some tissue.  And maybe share with your family and friends.  I’m going to. Hearing all God did to bring it to pass, I can’t wait to see what He does through it. 

Merry Christmas! 

 

What Hope Looks Like

Posted on by Dorci

Not gonna lie, this Christmas has been a little bit more difficult than usual. 

I’ve needed more recuperating/decorating/planning/shopping time from Thanksgiving to Christmas and had less; we’ve had a storm of things breaking down over the past 8 weeks or so, sometimes two things conspire to break down at once; we’ve had multiple plans change beyond our control; and this Christmas season has been one of those I miss, well, a lot. But I know I’m not alone. 

The holidays are notorious for being stressful, wishful, mournful. We’re worn and weary. Family members can be difficult to deal with, and so can not having them with us. We can compare our lives to others and think theirs looks like a Hallmark Christmas movie or a Rockwell painting.

And then there’s the outside world with its constant fighting, crime, threats.  I can’t read the news without seeing words like hostile, accuses, attacks, and my personal favorite – throws shade.  (Where do people come up with these phrases?) So much pride, so much hate, so much despair.

With all that going on we can start to feel a little lacking in peace. In hope.

So where can we find hope?  What exactly does hope look like?

Hope looks like this. 

 

 

A young woman who humbled herself and answered the call of God on her life no matter the cost.

A young man who humbled himself, obeyed God, and married a pregnant woman.

And Hope Himself, The King and Creator of the world who humbled Himself, giving up all that was rightfully His – His throne, His equality with God, His divine splendor, His right to be treated like the King He was, and was born a helpless babe, for the joy that was set before Him…

And that joy was us.

To forge a relationship with us so that no matter what’s going on in our personal lives or in the world around us, He can be our Light in a dark and weary world, He can give us His peace that passes all understanding, and He can give us hope.

He calls on those of us who are weary to come to Him and He will give us rest. 

I know firsthand that’s true. It doesn’t always come immediately, but if we keep seeking Him, it will come.

I was walking around the house the other day, and though I’m not normally one to spontaneously break out in song (the very next gift I’m getting after my crown is a beautiful singing voice), I suddenly found myself singing a song I hadn’t even thought of in a while. And it made me smile.

My Lord, my Heavenly Father, had heard my cries, seen my weary heart, and turned my focus again toward what’s important – my relationship with Him, my eternal salvation, my hope in the life of the One who came to save me and all this weary world.

It may not be a traditional Christmas song, but it embodies the spirit of it as much as any. 

I hope you’ll come away from the stress of the season, from the world, from life and weariness, and embrace the Hope that was born that day in all humility for the joy of knowing you and giving you hope.