Reviews 2015: The Movies and TV Shows/Series I Watched In 2015

Okay. I'm a movie fan. Yes, I am. That's what I do to cool my head down after a long day...

This year, as far as the box office and TV shows are concerned, it has been great. Really great.

The list below has been being updated thought-out the year, so don't be dumbfounded on how sketchy (but long) it is. You may check out what I watched last year (2014) by clicking here.

Also, here is a list of the Best of 2015 in Movies from IMDb that you may be interested in. (By the way, some of their movies happen to make it on my list.) (^Δ^)

Anyway, without much talk, here's what I watched in the year 2015;

Reviews 2015: Movies & TV Shows 2015.

A. MOVIES

Genre: Action/Thriller/Sci-Fi
1. Fury (2014)
This is a war movie featuring Brad Pitt.
A battle-hardened Army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and his five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany. (IMDb)

2. Dracula Untold  (2014)
The story of one Vlad. Medieval. Gothic. Tension. Pain. Betrayal. Service to family and nation. Now, this's the kind of movie men watch.

3. John Wick (2014)
Wife dies. His dog is killed. His sweet Mustang '69 is robbed. Result? War and revenge are journeys of graves.

4. Vice (2015)
There's a place of total freedom and no law called Vice. There are also beings within it that are artificial and whose memory is autodeleted every 24 hours. But everything changes once Kelly (one of the artificial ladies) starts remembering things... and escapes into the real world...

5. Wild Card (2015)
Nick Wild aka Jason Statham (y'all know Statham) is caught in a counter revenge mission and he has to fight it out right.

6. Equalizer (2014)
Sometimes the only thing that makes a man what he claims to be is fighting for the rights of the oppressed. PS: One great guy is starring in this one.

7. Northmen - A Viking Saga (2014)
One Asbjorn, son of a Northmen/Viking king, survives a storm at sea and he and his men find themselves in Scotland. After kidnapping the Scottish king's daughter in exchange for ransom, they have to get a way to survive.

8. Drones (2013)
US Marshals are out to take down an Al Qaeda terrorist using drones placed 5miles up in the sky. After identifying the terrorist, one Lt. Lawson is reluctant to take him down due to collateral damage and civilians involved... The rest is drama.

9. Black Sea (2014)
After being sacked by a marine company, Robinson together with a group of Russian and English crooks embark on a mission to get a submarine drowned in the Ukrainian sea during Nazi reign...

10. Everly (2014)
Everly. Let's call her Everly. Her life is in a total mess. There is betrayal on one side and there is revenge on the other. In the name of protecting her mother and her four year old daughter, she has to fight through both...

11. The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
JRR Tolkien in film. The Hobbit sequel continues. The dragon is awake. Yes, and this means trouble. But he is killed. Then I'm gazing at Bilbo's legs... are they supposed to be this big?
There is a battle. It seems five armies are fighting to take over the land after the death of the dragon.

12. Survivor (2015)
She has to prove them wrong. She is exactly what they knew she was. Not a traitor, but a good officer of the state.

13. Fast And Furious 7 (2015)
I don't need to stub this one, do I?

14. Turkey Shoot (2014)
A video game and a game of blackmail and revenge all in one film.

15. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
One good one from Marvel's "Avengers" films. Let the avengers save the world from the wrath of the Ultron!!

16. Southpaw (2015)
Watched this one with bae. Boxer Billy Hope turns to trainer Tick Willis to help him get his life back on track after losing his wife in a tragic accident and his daughter to child protection services. (IMDb)

17. Mad Max - Fury Road (2015)
Let's just say that of all the movies I watched this year, this was the craziest and weirdest of them all.

18. The Mercenary: Absolution (2015)
Steven Seagull has to abandon his mercenary ways and save a lady who's become victimized by the very gang he works for.

19. Jurassic World (2015)
A genetically modified "dinosaur" goes rogue on an island with 20,000 tourists.

20. Barely Lethal (2015)
An organization trains girls as assassins, but it all runs wild when a second girl goes rogue.

21. Momentum (2015) 

Alex, a mysterious thief, is pulled in by her former partner for one last heist. She quickly finds it was never just about the diamonds. A brutal murder sparks a cat and mouse chase between Alex and a master assassin. Now she must uncover the lies behind the heist and discover the secrets behind the men who have made her a target. (IMDb)

22. Hitman Agent 47 (2015)
A genetically modified man/agent is trying to save a lady whose father was his maker.

23. Dragon Blade (2015)
A medieval movie starring and produced by Jackie Chan. Yes, Jackie Chan. But it ain't kung-fu. It is a story of a Roman invasion of China in around 46 B.C.

24. Terminator Genisys (2015)
I guess this movie is part of the "Terminator" sequel. It is all about surviving an apocalyptic war between humans and machines.

Genre: Animation

1. Dragon Nest - Warriors' Dawn (2014)
Action animation.

2. Minions (2015)
A minion by the name of Kevin goes to Orlando together with his two minion friends seeking for someone to lead their minion community.

3. Big Hero 6 (2014)
The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.

4. Inside Out (2015)
Bae watched this one. It seemed like her type of movie. I in person have nothing to say about it. 

5. Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel. (IMDb)

Genre: Real Life & Drama
1. Boyhood  (2014)
Slightly overrated.

2. The Theory of Everything (2014)
The story of Stephen Hawking. A physicist. He is a genius. In love. Then he's diagnosed with neuron motor disease...

3. Big Driver  (2014)
A renowned writer gets gagged and raped after attending a book launch. She decides not to report it - not to anyone but to take revenge. Well, you know how revenge ends up: bad.

4. Nightcrawler  (2014)
Here's a hustler trying to survive, and he takes the work of a freelance photojournalist to make it. He's smart. And savvy. The good thing is that this thing is soo real. But the guy gets evil and greedy due to hustle competition.

5. The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
Why didn't I watch this last year? I should have... Her name is Hazel. She has thyroid cancer. While undergoing medication and therapy, she meets one Augustus, a victim of cancer too. They fall in love. And they manage to survive together. This's one of the most inspiring movies, ever. (And hey, it made me cry. Yes, a movie made Morris cry!!!)

6. Night at the Museum - Secret of the Tomb (2014)
A certain tablet found in the remains of a secret tomb in Egypt in 1938 is now at a museum in New York. The tablet has supernatural powers.

7. Cop Car (2015)
Two boys out in the woods happen to meet an abandoned cop car... Then... Well this was epic!!

8. Now Add Honey (2015)
A celebrity teenager really has her personal and family life upside down.

9. HairBrained (2013)
A genius boy, Eli Pettifog, strives to overcome both his "enemies" and the battle raging deep within while at Whitman College.

10. 10,000 Saints (2015)
The story of a family affected by drugs, love, romance, betrayal, greed, reconciliation and hope.

11. Me And Earl And the Dying Girl (2015)
A story about a girl with leukemia, two buddy friends, film making and love.

Genre: Comedy

1. The Interview (2014)
I just wondered why it had been banned. I think the only reason it should have been banned is because of explicit language used.

2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
What can I say? Here's a family, and they are having one neeeeasty day, lol. But they decide to turn it all around for good.

3. The Love Punch (2013)
Good all-old comedy. That's all I have to say.

4. Horrible Bosses 1 (2011) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
Well, due to explicit language, don't watch these with a minor.

5. See You in Valhalla (2015)
A family reunites after the death of their "Viking" brother... Then sarcasm and real life drama fills the air.

7. The Wedding Ringer (2015)
A guy has no friends so he decides to hire the services of a bridesmaids and groomsmen company...

8. The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)
He is diagnosed with brain aneurysm and is told he only has 90 minutes to live...

9. Hot Pursuit (2015)
Cooper, a shot "rookie" lady police is taking the wife of a drug lord to confess against another drug lord. They are caught in the crosshairs of cartel rivalry. Someone is about to get Coopered! Lol.

Genre: Romance

1. Cinderella (2015)
The story of one young lady called Ella under the guardianship of her stepmother after the death of her parents.

2. Amira And Sam (2014)
An ex American soldier comes back home and while "hustling" meets the love of his life in one Iraqi lady called Amira...

3. Accidental Love (2015)
It's Romance Comedy. She's called Alice. (Phew!!) She got a nail in the head. And it's gotta be removed somehow... But former boyfriend breaks the engagement, yet she still gotta be smart enough to get that nail out.

4. If I Stay (2014)
The story of Adam, Mia, music, guitars and cellos... Love, comatose, pain and death.

5. The Best of Me (2014)
The romantic story of one Dawson, a guy neglected and oppressed by his family, and Amanda - a lady from an affluent family.

(Genre?): Overrated Movies
1. American Sniper
I never watched it past the 12th minute.

 
2. Birdman
Again, what is this movie about?

3. We'll Never Have Paris (2014) (Comedy)
Starring Simon Helberg from The Big Bang Theory. Thought it should be awesome. First, dude has an eye problem. Then he's a wimp. Third, he's a bit funny. Fourth, it all gets down to boring.

4. Get Hard (2015)
Boring comedy. Kevin Hart. Like, really?

5. Vacation (2015)
Boring comedy.

6. Fantastic Four (2015)
Disjointed plot. The 2004 one was more original.

Genre: Christian

1. The Drop Box (2015)
A movie on babies and adoption.

2. Heaven - Are You Ready? (2015)
A movie by Billy Graham on whether, as we engage in day to day activities, we are ready and sure that we are going to Heaven.

3. War Room (2015)
A great movie about the effectiveness of fervent prayer. A must watch for all Christians.

4. AD: The Bible Continues (2015)
History Channel chose to continue with The Bible TV mini series. It wasn't embarrassing.

5. Hillsong: Let Hope Rise Documentary (2015)
I whispered something on Hillsong prospecting to release a documentary this year. I only watched the trailer. I bet I'll be able to watch the full documentary soon when it comes out.

6. Do You Believe? 

Was recommended to be added here by a friend. I'm yet to watch it. Reviews say it's a great movie. 

B. TV SHOWS (SERIES)

1. Galavant (2015)
Both a musical and an epic comedy show. Medieval.

2. Awkward
I would recommend this drama/comedy to freshers in both High School and campus. (Especially ladies). It has its own tiny lessons.

3. Mom  Season 2 and 3
A great sitcom. Revolves around the life of a single mother of two who's both a waitress and her mother.

4. Black-ish
If you don't love Black-ish, then you'll never love modern black comedy.

5. Salem (2014)
Gothic drama/supernatural show whose theme revolves around this phrase: the problem with knowing things is that you can never unknow them.

6. 12 Monkeys
A bit of sci-fi here: epidemics, time travel and saving the world.

7. Stalker (2014)
A police department with officers plagued by past relationship and career problems/challenges is out to catch every kind of illegal stalker.

8. Empire (2015)
Music, drama, power, scandals and control mark the theme of this show.

9. Vikings Season 3
The Viking adventures continue in gothic Britain.

10. Helix
A team of doctors from CDC in Atlanta are sent to a facility in the arctic circle to diagnose and contain an unknown viral disease that has multiple hosts...

11. Under the Dome Season 3
The people in a certain small town called Chester's Mill are all of a sudden trapped under a dome and they need to find ways to survive together.

12. Sense8
Weird Netflix exclusive on the psychological and physiological interjection of the lives of a group of people.

13. Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Season 2 and 3
The adventures of Marvel special agents ready to save the world from all kinds of terror and attacks and they struggle to resolve their own personal issues.

14. Young & Hungry  Season 1 and 2
Great and awesome sitcom. (I bet they have decided to make first seasons on most sitcoms short and brilliant in order to charm us into watching the next season.)

15. 2 Broke Girls Season 1 to 4
Bae said this sitcom was awesome. Haven't watched it yet.

16. Tut (2015)
A History Channel miniseries set in a context in 1332 BC when Egypt was the most powerful nation in the world.

17. Texas Rising (2015)
Another History Channel six episode miniseries on how Texas fought to become an independent Republic from the Mexican government.

18. Grandfathered (2015)
A comedy on the life of a young grandfather.

19. Allegiance (2014)
A crime show on a family whose parents were once underground agents for the Russian government on US soil.

20. Fresh Off the Boat
A comedy show on the daily life of a Korean family living in US.

21. Being Mary Jane
The personal life of a black American lady who is a renown TV Presenter.

22. Tyrant Season 1 and 2
Political feuds between the ruling family and a polarized and torn Republic (Abbudin).

23. Selfie (2014)
Yes, y'all with phone and narcissistic social media and a socialite lifestyle addictions should watch this one.

24. Banshee
An identity thief becomes the Sheriff of a crime-torn town called "Banshee".

25. Manhattan Love Story Season 1
Romance and comedy are never bad together (says bae.)

26. The Strain (2014)
A virus that makes victims become vampires breaks out in Manhattan. A team of doctors and civilians must fight it to the end.

27. Quantico (2015)
I'll start watching it once the first season is done.

28. Amazon dropped us "Man In the High Castle" and we love it. Somehow.

Then there was Arrow, Scandal, The Flash...
This list can never be conclusive guys, so let's leave it at that for now.

Let's do a music review tomorrow.
See yah.

Bonface Morris.

Random Posts: Love Fought. And It Won.

Love fought. And won. 

There's a battle - there are battles - in every soul.

Such battles are never easy.
They are never easily won.
We fight for control,
We fight against the grizzly.
We fight with a brawl,
We fight against the beastly.
And in most of our fights, we fight with our backs against the wall,
Yet we mostly fight cunningly, treacherously and unscrupulously.

We sometimes pick the wrong fights.
It happens to the best of us.
We beat air, we stuff our minds with empty despair.
We stage rings and make plots.
We wait for our opponent with a joint of a flair.
Then when they come, we put on our fighting lights.
Then we fight.
We fight like it's our share.
We fight as if the world plus all we think we're fighting for will ultimately pull us out of our plight.
Sometimes it turns out alright, Sometimes it is unfair.
But we still fight.
We fight our wars until our breath seems to lose its flare.

But there is One I know,
I'll tell you about Him.
This One, after I had fought all I can,
And after I had thrown in every blow,
Even after I thought, "Aaah, I know I can. I can make a win", and eventually lost,
He chose to pick the biggest of all fights.
He picked not ONLY my biggest fights,
But He picked all the fights I "could" and couldn't fight because, yes, I was not able to.
For He said this to the Holy One of Israel after everyone else refused to pick my fights, "I'll go fight for him. Send me, I'll go."
He is the only man that faces battles instead of running away from them.

So He came crushing in, yet stooping low.
He came knowing who, why, how and when to fight.
He had the right experience and His battle had already been declared won.
He came and fooled His opponent.
Babies can't fight, right?
This baby we're celebrating today couldn't fight, could He?
This made His adversary think, "Aaah, this war, I've already won. Babies can't win a war."
He didn't know what was coming to him.
His opponent had no idea of what was coming to him.
He fought not like men fight their wars,
Not like we fight our wars - with mortal strength and soaring, nor with shouts and oars
He came down and staged His own ring
This was his battle, so the devil had no idea what was coming to him...

Yes, He picked one eternal battle and won it for eternity.
When I still didn't know I'll ever need to know how to fight,
Before I even knew there was a war that needed fighting,
Before I even had guts to fight,
Before I even knew about wars and losing and winning and brawls,
He picked all my fights and won them all into eternity.
See? That's how love fought, and it won.
He came down, fought, and won.
He is not like me. Not like us.
He didn't fight aimlessly.
He didn't fight like us.
This was His battle, His war, and there was no way He was gonna lose it carelessly.

That's the One I'm celebrating today.
I'm celebrating the fact that He could see my battles and win them before I even begun fighting.
Jesus Christ is the man I'm celebrating today.
That He could come and fight on my behalf, and win on my behalf.
Not that He needed the victory - because it was already His,
But because I needed THAT victory - because it had never been mine.
Without Him, I cannot even win half of what I face.
I am counted to have won because He won. See?
That's why He is the One I am picking on to teach me the art of war.
Because before his opponent even thought there was a fight, he had already beat him down.
Who doesn't want such a tutor?
And, again, who am I that He should fight my meaningless wars?
What a Savior!!!

Merry Christmas people!!

He came. He fought. He won.
Love came. Love fought. Love won.

Cc

1. Hillsong Worship - Love On the Line 

2. Chris Tomlin - At the Cross (Love Ran Red) 

Bonface Morris.

Review and MP3 Download: 2015 Christmas Albums from Chris Tomlin and Danny Gokey

Official album art for Chris Tomlin's 2015 Christmas album "Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship"

Chris Tomlin - "Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship" 2015 Album Download (43MB)

Chris Tomlin's Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship is the go to album as far as congregational worship over the festive season is concerned.

Though the market is saturated with seasonal outputs every year and though it's almost mandatory for every artist to release a Christmas album somewhere along his/her career, few are the Christmas songs made for congregational worship.

Tomlin whose pen has supplied the vocabulary and scores of countless worship services with staples such as "Love Ran Red," "Our God, "How Great is Our God," is back with his festive debut Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship. The titular is most revealing, this is an 11-track record made for the service of the church. This is arguably the CD's chief strength.

The strength of this album is that many of these songs are going to work their way into the soundtrack of many worship services in the years to come. Already making its way into this reviewer's church Christmas repertoire is the worship ballad "A King Like This." Capturing melodiously both the majesty of the Christ-child as well as the palatability of his incarnation, "A King Like This" is both intimate as well as Christ-exalting. "Adore" has all the melodic arrays of a Tomlin ballad (a la "Love Ran Red" and "Jesus Messiah"). And the choir which gives the chorus a more substantial backing creates an inviting atmosphere that calls forth the worship in us.
Worship leaders who get tired of just churning "O Little Town of Bethlehem" year after year may check out Tomlin's newly written "Bethlehem." Just like the hymn, "Bethlehem" is a show and tell worship number where Tomlin gets us up, close, and personal with the Christ-child in the stable in Bethlehem. "He Shall Reign Forevermore" is lifted as the album's introductory single. One can grasp the reason behind the choice with one listen. It's an anthemic worship piece that traverses through from the softer notes to those high and glorious crescendos. But at the end of the day, "He Shall Reign Forevermore" borders on the safe and clich side.

Besides the brand new songs, Tomlin also does what is quite a prevalent move these days, that is to weave a new song into an old hymn. In this regard, Tomlin does an A+ job with "Midnight Clear (Love Song)." Here "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" becomes not just a song about
Christ but it becomes a song of love to Jesus. Kristyn Getty, on the other hand, doesn't add much to "Silent Night" and Lauren Daigle would be better off doing one of Tomlin's original rather than a rehash of "Noel." Precisely because this CD is made for congregational singing, Tomlin is not as creative as say MercyMe (on their newest Christmas album) with his re-imaginations of the old carols.

Bearing all the marks of Tomlin's worship albums, "Adore" carries on Tomlin's rich legacy of making music for the church. If you are looking for songs made to be sung as worship pieces to God, this is a treasure trove.

Official album art for Danny Gokey's 2015 Christmas album "Christmas Is Here"

Danny Gokey - "Christmas Is Here" 2015 Album Download (38MB)

Danny Gokey, well known for his mega hit singles “Hope In Front of Me” and “More Than You Think I Am”, brings his own style and flair to a new holiday album, Christmas Is Here. 

In addition to featuring a few brand new songs, the record is full of holiday classics like “White Christmas,” “Mary Did You Know?,” and “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Each song is unique from past versions because his unparalleled voice and musical style bring such a soulful and powerful flavor to each track. Speaking about his new release, Gokey says, “My fans have been asking for a Christmas album for years, telling me my voice would be perfect for these songs. Everyone had their favorite songs that they wanted me to include, so we tried to get in as many as possible. I’m really proud of the way it turned out."

“Give Me Jesus” truly reflects the meaning of the Christmas season. Danny turns this familiar hymn into a Christmas song that you won’t soon forget. This song is soft and quiet but carries a strong message that is meaningful for the Christmas season. Gokey yet again brings so much heartfelt emotion into the lyrics he sings in a way that only he can.

“What Christmas Means to Me” has everything you expect a truly great Christmas song to have. It’s even complete with a choir and a trumpet section. Danny fills this song with Christmas spirit, love, and joy. When you listen to this song, if close your eyes, you will be instantly able to vividly picture Christmas trees, lights, family, and friends!

“Lift Up Your Eyes” is fast and upbeat. This song talks about lifting up your eyes to the Savior, Jesus Christ, during the Christmas season. “Lift Up Your Eyes” is unique from most traditional holiday songs in that it focuses on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birth! This song can really be played any time of the year, because its message stays the same, powerful and encouraging.

Danny Gokey’s Christmas Is Here is definitely the perfect album to get you in the holiday spirit. Whether it's a beautifully written original song or a fresh take on a holiday classic, Danny brings a unique sound to Christmas music with this record. This album proves what Gokey’s fans have been saying for years, that his voice is perfect for Christmas songs!

I hope you'll enjoy both albums and we celebrate the birth of our Savior. 

References

1. Hallels.com
2. TheChristianBeat.org

Bonface Morris. 

Review and MP3 Download: Hillsong Worship - OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild 2015 Album

Hillsong Worship's OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild official album art.

Hillsong Worship - OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild (2015) Deluxe Edition Download (92 MB)

In summary (all you may need to know about this album):

1. OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild is the 24th annual live worship album by Hillsong.

2. It is a live recording done between June and July this year (29 June to 3 July) during the Annual Hillsong Conference in Sydney, Australia; and it features all the Hillsong worship teams (Worship. UNITED & Y&F). 

3. It is the first album that Hillsong Church has recorded live at its Annual Conference in Sydney, Australia, and more than 25,000 people were in attendance. 

3. This album was released worldwide on October 16, 2015.

4.  It includes Hillsong's free Easter single released in March this year: O Praise the Name (Anástasis).

5. The Album Hit No. 1 On Australia's ARIA Album Chart  on the week of release and was touted "One Of The Best Worship Albums Of The Year" and "A Lyrical Masterpiece". (JFH)

Track listing
Below is the Deluxe Edition track listing (16 tracks).
Note that the standard edition only has the first 12 tracks in the same order.

01. O Praise The Name (Anastasis)
02. Love On The Line
03. One Thing
04. Open Heaven (River Wild)
05. Transfiguration
06. What A Saviour
07. Heart Like Heaven
08. Jesus I Need You
09. Here With You
10. In God We Trust
11. Faithfulness
12. Never Forsaken 13. Here Now (Madness) (ft. UNITED) 14. Rule (ft. UNITED) 15. This Is Living (ft. Y&F) 16. Medley: Pursue/All I Need Is You (ft. Y&F)

Music style and acceptability
Hillsong continues with their contemporary approach to worship music; using acoustics, drums, percussions and synths to move one from low pitches to high and overlapping sounds.
Unique to this album is the ability of having a good sync of backup vocalists coming in strongly to bring about a "duet kind-of sound" to every song.

Worship leaders from several Hillsong Church locations, such as Aryel Murphy from Hillsong Los Angeles, Chris Davenport from Hillsong New York, Tarryn Stokes from Hillsong Stockholm and Reuben Morgan from Hillsong London, were included in the recording.

You are able to get both a modern sound and a swing of the old Hillsong music style: near alternative, almost folk/pop but majorly contemporary. But as I mentioned in my review of Hillsong Worship's 2015 album "No Other Name" here, there are still no high tempo songs on this album. This  already seems to be a trend we can confidently predict. 

Besides having all this talent and gifting on the album, I still have a feeling that it would have been a bonus if Lecrae was invited to do his thing on "This Is Living" just as he had done it on the original track on the This Is Living EP. It would have given the album a wider audience and reception.

The album, as noted in the summary above, has been widely accepted by music fans across the globe. Gospel music enthusiasts and reviewers from The Christian Beat, New Release Today, Jesus Freak Hideout and Worship Leader have also agreed that OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild is a remarkable album.

Album art, album title and song titles
The waves that are the main view of the album art march well with the title and songs therein. In their blog (read it here: Art Behind OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild) Jay Argaet says, "I don’t know about you – but I love this title. I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when I first heard the lyric “…open heaven crashing over me”. Creatively, I knew this artwork needed to visualise His spirit crashing towards us. There were a few preliminary failed attempts when first capturing this idea, but it was when we found inspiration in ocean waves that it started to come together. We first attempted to use photos from the coast of Sydney – however, when you think about the Holy Spirit crashing over me, I couldn’t help but  envision enormous waves not just small shore breaks. This is what led us to Shipstern’s Bluff in Tasmania – one of the biggest known breaks on earth, at times reaching 30ft... This wave exemplifies the Holy Spirit in my eyes – an untameable, unbreakable wave crashing towards us. It makes me think of Jesus’ heart towards a lost humanity – an unstoppable wave of grace, love, forgiveness, and acceptance rolling towards those who let Him in. Shooting the wave was no easy walk in the park – with the generous help of our Hillsong Hobart location, we shot the break from both boat and shore."

If you've read my review on tobyMac's ***THIS IS NOT A TEST***, you heard me mention that stylization seems to be "the in thing" today as far as album titles and artist names are concerned, thus in this spirit, Hillsong named this album OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild. It is not a bad thing, more so considering that Heaven (where greatness and salvation come from) is capitalized to imply this attribute...

The song titles and the content within are okay (according to me).

Audibility, singability, fluidity, quality and flow of music

The album generally has a smooth flow from song to song. Considering that almost all songs in the standard edition of the album are low tempo songs (way below 80BPM), transition from track to track is undisturbed. (Try listening to the album with a 5 seconds crossfade and you'll prove me right.)
The album is of good quality both soundwise and vocal-wise. All songs are singable in a congregation of people of all age groups. (But, again, this depends on a church's music style.)

Lyrical content

This album features songs written by a variety of Hillsong worship leaders including Reuben Morgan, Taya Smith, Marty Sampson, Joel Houston, Ben Fielding and others. 

"In Jesus... heaven opens, and in us He stirs a 'River Wild'... a passionate explosive love for God and for the humanity He created," explained Hillsong's Global Creative Director Cassandra Langton. "This is the premise of the album and our prayer is that these songs would ignite and stir within you a passion for God and a love for people."
I am sure that this album, together with the wonderful placement of words and Scripture within the songs, will minister to the global church.

Read the various song stories here;

1. Love on the Line Song Story

2. Transfiguration Song Story

3. Open Heaven (River Wild) Song Story

Read on the meaning of OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild here.

Conclusion

Fans of Hillsong will be as captivated as ever by the definitive sound of this live album. Lush keyboards, booming drums, ornate and driving guitars, passionate lead vocals, and the compelling landscape of several thousand voices in the conference crowd… all of this and more provides for a heartfelt album that worshippers and worship leaders around the world will draw from for years to come!" - LifeWay's WorshipLife,

Christian Living: God, Why Don't You Come to My Aid?

Note: This is a re-posted blog from one Craig Gross, founder of www.xxxchurch.com. (Yes, that website is cool like that. And, by the way, if any of you is struggling with porn addiction or you know a friend who is, I highly recommend it for you). The post was originally titled "Recognize Your Rescue". You can read it here. 

Re-posted with permission.

*******

There's an old joke that old preachers like to use. It goes something like this:

Torrential rains cause a river to rise and a dam to break, flooding a valley. There is a small cabin in that valley, so the lone occupant heads for the roof and prays that God would miraculously rescue him. Moments later, as the waters have reached halfway up the house, a boat full of people comes by.

"Hey," they call out, "we have room for you! Come aboard!""No thanks," the man says, "I prayed and I know God's going to rescue me!"The boat floats on and the man waits some more while the waters continue to rise to the level of the roof.A helicopter flies into the valley and the pilot lowers a rope ladder. But the man waves it off."No thanks," he says again, "I prayed and I know God's going to rescue me!"So off flies the helicopter as the waters rise higher and higher. They engulf the man, who passes away and is immediately met at the Gates of Heaven by God."God!" the man says. "I prayed and prayed! Why didn't you rescue me?"God looks him in the eye and says, "I sent you a boat and a helicopter. What more do you want?"

I thought of this joke recently because I've noticed a lot of people in my world keep talking about "surrendering to God" or how "God is teaching them something in a difficult time."

I don't know... what does "surrendering to God" really mean other than just being super-Christian? 

What, practically, does surrender to God look like?

My wife has a friend who has some health problems and has put on a lot of excess weight. She's gone to every doctor and specialist and tried all kinds of medical means to drop the weight - medicine, procedures, all that - but nothing's working.

My wife has also had medical issues - different ones, but still the kinds of things that don't have an immediate solution. During the course of these, my wife saw a natural doctor who recommended a book that caused her to radically rethink her philosophy on food.

As Jeanette (my wife) read this book, she kept thinking about her friend, of all the ways her friend might benefit from this new philosophy of food, of all the reasons why her friend probably wouldn't subscribe to it. After all, this new method of thinking about food is hard. It's difficult, it's rigid, it's scheduled, it's time-consuming, it's expensive. You have to regulate what you eat, down to packing your own salad dressing when you go to a friend's house for dinner. But: it's totally changed and helped Jeanette.

I took it upon myself to email Jeanette's friend and suggest she check out this book. She wrote me back: "I'm sure God's just teaching me something through this and I have to surrender."

Why, as Christians, do we think that God wants us to struggle like this? Because I hear things like this so many times. But rather than think that God could provide us with a way out, we just chalk our struggles up to "teaching" and needing to "surrender."

Maybe God puts people in your life who actually have the opportunity to point you toward something great, who can teach you something. But for some reason, so many people think it sounds more spiritual to say "I'm going to suffer for Jesus" or "I'm going to surrender to God"?

And again, I ask: what does that look like?

When you say "Not my will but His will be done," do you think it's God's will for you to suffer? To battle against your desires your entire life?

This isn't just about my wife's friend. I also hear this all the time with porn, where people think it's their lifelong struggle or battle. But surrendering to your own desires is harder than surrendering to God.

In the case of my wife's friend, "surrender" apparently means that, rather than challenge her own assumptions or her actions, she's going to spiritualize the issue rather than give up her current practices. Saying, "I'm going to try this new philosophy behind eating, even though it goes against what I've done my whole life and even though I know it's going to be hard and will stretch me beyond anything I've ever done," is a much more difficult type of surrender than just saying, "I'm surrendering to God."

Now, I don't want to sound like Joel Osteen.
I don't believe God has promised us a life free of suffering.

I know there are things that bring suffering into just about everyone's life. Yet there are a lot of Christians who are content in the struggle, thinking that this is God's will for them so they can "learn" something. 

That's not me.

My nature is to fix things. If I'm in trouble, I want to find a way out. I don't want to just sit in the suffering. I want to find an answer so I'm not stuck in this place anymore. I understand that God can teach me something in the midst of my struggle, but I also know he can provide a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13.)  It just might not be the obvious way or the easy way or the way that requires no work from me. Why don't we connect the dots on that?

Are we too content in the struggle? Have we already determined that this is how it will always be? That we'll always be fighting and battling so that God can "teach us" something? And is that keeping us from looking for a way out?

Maybe God's already tried to send you rescue out of your situation. What more do you want?

Short Stories and Relationships: Adios Teen, Part 1

Written by: Alice Ogutu

Alice tells of the story of a lady, Lia, after her High School and almost out of her teen age moving from her paternal home to live in the city with her sister, gain an education and meet her first love right in her naivety…

Short Stories and Relationships - Adios Teen

Her name is Lia.

She was so happy to know that she had been accepted to the Art School in the City, Sony School of Art. It was a prestigious art school. She had heard and seen good reviews about the school and that it provided a variety of great art courses.

She was so happy to go to the City and have a new experience. Also, all this furore about her going to the city escalated because her High School BFF, Tala (short for Talaty), had moved there a while back. Life in the city was always spoken of as something one would not want to skip yet with extremes, you know, things like; having to go to clubs, shopping and to the theatre/cinema.

It was both a wonderful surprise and a reunion between herself and Tala.

Although she had not informed Tala about her acceptance to the Art School, and her stay there as well, she was happy to see her. Tala promised to show her around the city. This excited her.

*******

A month later, as she strolled in the evening in the ambience of the setting sun, as was her routine, she met this cute guy. She had never seen him in the neighborhood before. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She didn’t say anything and neither did he – they simply exchanged glances and that was just about it.

She went on with her walk in the neighborhood for another fifteen minutes, all the while thinking of the cute guy she had just met. The thoughts completely overwhelmed her - in a good way. She couldn’t wait to tell her friend Tala. She knew Tala will be excited.

Later, after Tala came in from her mini-business from which she worked in the afternoons, she encouraged her to work on her feelings soon before the guy was taken by someone else. She had no clue of how to do this but thought, “Why not?” Obviously, she had seen many soap operas and read many romantic novels and was sure, right in that tiny head of hers, that she was up to the task at hand. She told herself that she would strive to do something about it.

For the few days that followed, she studied his movements, and learned that he stayed in the same block and same floor as she did. This was an advantage to her, or so she thought. After carefully knowing the where and what, she was ready.

*******

On this particular day, she waited to hear him leave and she left as well to catch up with him on the stairs down.

“Hello”, she greeted him.

“Hello”, he replied, and added, “So you live on this floor too, huh?!”

She nodded

The rest of the walk down the stairs was in silence.

It was a chilly morning, and the sun was yet to peep its head from the clouds in the sky. She was not wearing any warm clothes because she was rushing to pick something from the shop down the road where another friend also happened to work. (From time to time, she loiters around the friend’s place to chat with her on some girly stuff before heading back to the house.) She, in her determined mind, had decided to wait at the shop and chat the guy on their way back.

So far, her stalking had proved to be fruitful, and she had already known his name: Idris. But this kept her worried because she wondered what would be the best communication starter if she already knew his name. She left her friend at the shop after promising to fill her in with all the details later. She left before he reached the shop so that it would not seem as though she was waiting for him. She walked along slowly, her heart racing, her mind wondering on the possible conversation that was yet to follow.

As she neared the gate and was about to open it, she heard a voice from behind,

“Please allow me milady” he said.

She froze on the spot as he opened the gate and said, “After you…”

She walked in quietly and waited for him to catch up, so that they would climb up the steps together. Till now, she had not made her name known to him, and she didn’t want to seem in a hurry, so she let things unfold.

He walked up to her and struck a conversation,

“So which number is your apartment?”

“12”, she replied.  

"Hmm, that's just two doors from mine on the other side. How comes I have never seen you around?"

"Well that may be because I have classes in the morning and a job at the boutique in the afternoons. As for those days am free, I go to the gym with my friend from the shop down the block."

"I see. So where's this gym you guys go to?"

"Near the mall. It is a great place – it gives us a great opportunity for window shopping and a health snack or two after workouts. You know the place, right? "

"Yea, I do, I go to the Potters Gym. It is also near the mall. "

"Oh my, this world should really be a small place, huh? The place you are mentioning is the same gym I've told you about, the one I go to. "

"Hmm, indeed it is."

By this time, she and Idris had already reached the 3^rd floor (on which they both happened to live). She realized that their apartments were really close to each other – the difference was that he lived on the other side of the same floor – two doors apart, though.

*******

On this day, her sister, June, an air hostess and with whom she lived, was out of town. She was actually mostly away due to the nature of her job, but was expected late that day.

Lia was taking classes in Spanish and Art. She loved drawing and painting, and June allowed her to stay with her as the Art School was near her apartment. As she parted ways with Idris, he gave her a wink and pleaded that it would be his pleasure to meet her again. She agreed and went into the apartment.

June arrived in a little after 8pm. She was tired and happy to be back home. After a bath, a meal and happy smiles from Lia’s side because of the gifts her sister had brought her, they sat down and June begun narrating her stories of the beauty and wonders of the places she gets to set her foot in.

June loved paintings and portraits. She loved to be painted, and at times she would give Lia a picture of a place far away and let her paint her in it. She would later boast to her friends about the awesome young artist sister she has, and occasionally, her friends would come and request to be painted too. This made her appreciate the gift of painting more, and the more she did it, the more she fell in love with it. It became her passion – something she always aspired to do in her free time.

*******

While having a drink the next day at Mardis Mall, she decided to tell June about Idris. June got curious and did not hesitate to give her her mind on men and relationships.

"Come on J, I know what you mean, you know me well enough, and also you know am not the drooling type, I'll be careful and won't go way over my head, okay, feel better?", she maintained.

"Yea, a little bit, you know mom will have my head if I don't watch over you."

"Okay, can we go back home. I have Rita's painting that I have to finish, you know how mad she can get when I don’t do as promised, and you invited her tomorrow in the afternoon..."

"Yea I do, I had totally forgotten."

On our way back, she stopped by at the Garden's Mini-mart, and picked up some stuff for Tala. “She now owes me one”, she thought.

*******

After a long weekend, with everything now calming down, as it always was whenever June left the place, she was waiting to meet Idris again.

She had known that he was not around over the weekend, and the thought of seeing him again made her smile.

Monday was a busy day, but it ended well. She managed to invite Tala for her usual Monday sleep over. When they got home, Tala noticed a letter slipped under her door.

"Strange. I thought June had a key, and anyway, she had already left; so who could have slipped the letter? Hmmm!", Lia wondered.

"I have no idea, open it first, then we will know”

"Okay."

She opened the letter and Lia looked straight on to see the sender first. It was from Idris. She smiled. She was so into the old school way of showing love and emotion, and therefore this meant the whole world to her. Tala was eagerly waiting to see what it was and who had sent it. She inquired to know what each word said. Lia handed her the letter, and she started reading it back aloud at her while mimicking and making fun of her with silly sounds.

Idris had written to show his interest in her, and had left his number that she may call him back. She decided to call him later.

After an hour or so, she called Idris, and was glad that he didn't answer the phone, so she left him a message. He called back after a while.

"Hello milady, I think I will have your voice on my answering machine so that I can always hear it...", he begun after calling back.

"Am flattered, thank you. Are you just getting in? "

"Nah, I was having a bath, wanted to finish with everything else so I can concentrate on talking to you alone."

"Right."

"So how was your day?"

"Hectic. Mondays are usually busy, with classes all day and the store later in the evening."

"It seems you just need to relax, should I let you, I would not like to tire you more..."

"No it's okay, I've had my share of rest, plus I have tomorrow morning to rest, my class will be later in the day."

"Okay, so what is your name? Am Idris."

(If he only knew that she already knew his name… Heh... But she was not ready to let this beautiful moment turn sour with questions that were not necessary, so she simply told him her name and kept things cool. Tala had gone to finish with her reports stuff and it was also a good way of giving her (Lia) some privacy, which she really appreciated.)

"Lia... What a beautiful name you have. So Lia, what do say if I invite you over for breakfast, that way I can let you rest now, and... "

(She cut in before he had finished what he was saying…)

"Breakfast. That sounds great.”  Well, I should let you know that I prefer coffee, with no sugar.”

"That you'll get milady, now rest those eyes so they'll be looking beautiful tomorrow, okay?!"

"Okay, good night."

"Night, sweet dreams."

As soon as she put the phone down, Tala was standing right besides her,

"Gimme the juice gal, c'mon..."

She was so eager and couldn’t help giggling as she recounted their conversation to her…

(To be continued.)

*******

Till next time,

Alice Ogutu.

Live Blogs: Leadership Seminar, K.A.G. Kakamega

Hi guys,

I did write some live notes from the KAG National Youth Office visit to our district (Kakamega) on 28th and 29th October, 2015. Below is a summary of the stuff we learnt (it'll be long, but I guess it is worth it);

National Youth Office Visit
Kakamega District
28-29/10/2015

1st Meeting 

Leaders' Meeting
28/10/2015, Wednesday Night (8pm) 

Speaker: Bishop Alulu

Text: 1 Samuel 7:3
1 Samuel 7:3 (NIV) And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

Notes:
- Samuel tried to so much convince the Israelites that if God was in control, all was well. Him taking the central place in the nation was critical to its success.
- Returning unto God was necessary > committing themselves to the Lord fully and serving Him only; be determined to serve the Lord only.
- Satan cannot be defeated by might or power but by the grace and power of the Spirit of God.
Psalms 37:5, 1 Kings 8:61, 2 Chronicles 16:9.
- We cannot lead on our own to succeed. We need God.
- The best example of true commitment is seen in the sacrifices seen and made in marriage. 1 Peter 3:15-17.

2nd Meeting 

Thursday
29/10/2015
10.30am

PS: There were neither T-shirts nor pens for sale, people. The leaders said that we may be able to buy them during our District Convention. Let's wait and see.

Programmer: Pst Musyoki (Assistant National Youth Director)

Speaker: Pst. Musyoki 

Text »»» Psalms 57:1-3 (NIV)
[For the director of music. To the tune of"Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.]
1. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.
3 He sends from Heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; [Selah] God sends His love and His faithfulness.

Sermon/teaching topic: "Grace"
- Undeserved favor
- We've all been given grace to do mighty things.
- Such a grace was bestowed upon David to be leader and king over Israel.
•
He insisted on the following :-
- Support both ministry and our leaders. Because our blessings are hidden in supporting and helping the leadership of those above us.
- Be fully dedicated to God's work.

Mike (National Youth Secretary)
He had the following announcements to put across;
- A good number of youth from Kakamega District attended the National Youth Conference. That was a great thing.
- Thanks for giving towards buying ministry vehicle (Toyota Caldina).
- Pst Sammy was elected as the Youth president for East and Central Africa; also as the deputy Secretary General of Africa Assemblies of God Alliance.
- Renovation of Youth Centre has been done to modern standards.
- We need two million KES to continue with renovation of Youth Centre for it to be able to accommodate more people and to be a training centre for leaders.
- Schools ministry.
- The Annual National Youth Conference will be in Kitale next year (2016). Registration: 1,000/=. Dates: 18-23/04/2015.

Pst Monica (National Youth Treasurer)
- Gave our district's full financial report
- The whole district pledged to give KES 20,000 towards renovation and building of the Youth Centre and pledged to have at least KES 100,000 from Youth Day deductions to be send to the National Youth Office next year.

Pst Sammy Kihu (National Youth Director)
- Are we faithful in the capacity and grace God gave us as a district? (In giving, in using our gifts and talents e.t.c.) We should make sure we are.
- Renovation of Youth Centre is intently to train youth workers in liaison with the Global Youth Network.
- Dates for training will be announced to us during the National Youth Conference. Trainings will last 2 days. The program will be spread throughout the year. (4 to 5 times throughout the year where one chooses which one to attend.).
We'll be allowed to testify after every lesson to tell what practical measures we've taken to put the lesson we learnt in action.
After this, there will be a training of trainees to pass the lessons to grassroots levels.
- Trainings seek to bring forth well nurtured youth workers that are well "packaged and empowered". Packaging of information for teachings to reach out to youth will be unique to enhance message reception.

Schools ministry.
• They are purposing to use tools like the "Reach for Life NIV Bible" to reach youth in both Primary schools and High schools. Biblica is giving these Bibles for free after they train you on how to use the Bibles to reach youth.
• Suggestion that each youth group in our local churches should adopt a school to minister to.
• Give contacts of interested people in this ministry to attend training probably early next year.

He taught on the following:-

The 360° Leader

Text: Genesis 1:27
Genesis 1:27 (NIV) "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

- We have a tendency to associate leadership with titles or positions.
- Leadership is influence. We lead best without title or position when we lead with influence.
- Do what you can, where you are at.
- A 360° leader is able to influence people he/she reports to, people at their level and people who report to them. They influence people at all levels of the organization.
- If we are able to prepare to lead in the next level of leadership, then we'll be in position to be efficient in leadership.
- The reality is that 99% of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization. We should seek to unravel the various myths that cripple leadership in order to be effective and efficient.

Here are the various leadership myths;
1. I can't lead if I am not at the top.
2. When I get to the top, then I'll learn to lead.
3. If I were on top, then people would follow me.
4. When I get to the top, I'll be in control.
5. When I get to the top, I'll no longer be limited.
6. I can't reach my potential if I'm not the top leader. (When we begin to live out our potential, we attract positions.)
7. If I can't get to the top, then I won't try to lead.

Truth: Building relationships with others on a team to gain influence naturally has a greater impact than possessing a title.

The Five Levels of Leadership  (adapted from John Maxwell) 
1. Positional Leader
- Lead because they have been elected or appointed to the position of leadership.
- Influence is seen as a "right" and people follow because they have to.

2. Permission Leader
- Leadership is as a result of relationship.
- People follow willingly because they are being impacted.

3. Production Leader
- The leader starts producing visible results. - People follow because of what the leader has done.
- Success is visible.

4. People Development
- The leader is reproducing him/herself.
- People follow because of what you have done for them.
- Impact is felt beyond the current organization.

5. Personhood Leadership
- The highest level of leadership.
- Respect is at the utmost.
- You are followed because of what you represent.

»»» Key Question »»» At what level of leadership am I operating?

How To Lead Up.
(Influencing or adding value to the leaders above you)
1. Lead yourself exceptionally well because the first and the best victory is to conquer self. (Plato).
2. Lighten your leader's load by asking your leader: what can I do to help you?
3. Be willing to do what others won't. Go the extra mile. (Matthew 5:41)
4. Do more than just managing. Lead. Managers know what is to be done, leaders know why it is done.
5. Invest in relational chemistry. Be a friend with your leader.
6. Be prepared every time you take your leader's time. Research. Come to your leader with suggested solutions, not just problems.
7. Know when to push and when to back off. Remember you are a follower.
8. Become a go-to player. Be irreplaceable. Be loyal and hardworking e.t.c.
9. Be better tomorrow than you are today. Read books, go to school, learn from others, learn from your mistakes.

How To Lead Across.
(To lead those at the same level with you).
1. Complement your fellow leaders. Don't seek competition.
2. Be a friend. Make partners out of other leaders.
3. Avoid office politics.
4. Expand your circle of acquaintances. Know people. Learn from them.
5. Let the best idea win.
6. Don't pretend you're perfect. Know this and learn from others.

How To Lead Down.
(Influencing those under you.)
1. Visit those under you. Know where they live if possible. Call them. Pray with them.
2. See the good / the best in everyone.
3. Develop each team member as a person. Deal with each one individually.
4. Place people in their strength zones.
5. Lead by example by modelling the behavior you desire. (1 Peter 5:1ff)
6. Transfer and share the vision with those under you »» you'll then be headed in the same direction.
7. Reward results.

That's all.

Share this with as many leaders you get as possible.

Cheers.

Here are some photos taken during the sessions;

Bonface Morris.