Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the grand finale of blogs inspired by the music of the movie The Greatest Showman. Cast your eyes and ears on the center ring as we proudly present to you today a song that features our ringmaster, Hugh Jackman. Before we begin, let us take this opportunity to remind you of all of our posts from this incredible soundtrack:
(Oscar nominee for Song of the Year, #neverwatchtheOscars,#thegreatestshowmangotjipped, #guessI'mnotartsyenoughtogetit
(Who needs an Oscar when your movie is still in theaters and has the 3rd highest gross revenue in the Top Ten. (finished 8th for the weekend and 8th for the week ending March 1 at the box office, better than any of the Oscar nominees))
Like any Tuesday's Musical Note, you can always find The Greatest Showman blogs in the archives by month on the top right-hand side of the screen. Or you can search the archives by artist or song anytime, it doesn't have to be a Tuesday! And now, on with The Greatest Show!!!
In this humble blogger's opinion, today's featured song is the best on the soundtrack. It is reflective and sentimental, all the while being celebratory and hopeful. Ladies and Gents this is the moment you've waited for...
The DVD will be available for this must-have movie on April 10th. One would anticipate many behind the scenes extras upon its release to DVD. Some of the more powerful extras have already leaked onto YouTube. Keala Settles "This Is Me" performance for the greenlight audition has been chronicled in the blog of the same name above and as of today, this behind the scenes video has received 13,151,163 views at YouTube. Here is another example of one of the more compelling extras...
Still the #1 downloaded album at ITunes and #3 on Billboards Top 200 Albums list, The Greatest Showman soundtrack has produced song after song of hopeful and infectious music. But none are quite as poignant as today's feature, for who hasn't had at least 1 time in their lives where they have wished for a new start? What person hasn't wished for the opportunity to gain back trust for those who they have betrayed? Who wouldn't love to have the chance to get back time lost with children who grow up way to fast?
"Let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart, from now on..."
This song, while painfully expressing the regret of the past, paints the determination to no longer let the important things in our life be pushed to the side. The priorities of this life will be love, relationships, and living life well. Seems like that is a theme we have heard before...
This song, while painfully expressing the regret of the past, paints the determination to no longer let the important things in our life be pushed to the side. The priorities of this life will be love, relationships, and living life well. Seems like that is a theme we have heard before...
In His earthly ministry, Jesus was fond of telling stories about the nature of God and the Kingdom that would relate to the group of folks He was with. It isn't too far of a stretch to think that the parables of Jesus were more than just stories. As Jesus was the perfect Son of the all-knowing God, He would have stories upon stories of real-life situations which He could utilize to promote understanding of the more difficult teachings He gave.
"I saw the sun begin to dim and felt that winter wind blow cold..."
"There was a man who had two sons..." begins the familiar tale of a young man who gained far too much, far too fast. Jesus used this story to illustrate several important principles. The most notable being the priority of restoring the broken relationship that mankind has with the Father and ultimately, that you can always come home.
Many sermons have been preached about the story of the prodigal son. It seems that each character has been put under a microscope and theologized to the point that the story should resonate with just about anyone, for, upon reflection, it is easy to find yourself as any one of the characters, or perhaps all of the characters at one point in your life or another. I absolutely love to hear preaching with these types of messages, because they usually cause me to think of aspects of the story I never considered before. But for today, let's focus on the main character, the prodigal.
This young man had taken his inheritance and wasted it on wine, women, and song. With his money, he purchased the kind of friends who would tell him exactly what he wanted to hear. In the society of his day, he had made it. He had need for nothing, until...after he spent everything he had, the famine came.
It has been well said that everyone is in 1 of 3 life situations: 1)They are currently going into a storm/famine. 2)They are currently in the middle of a storm/famine. or 3)They are coming out of a storm/famine. This young man found himself in the first two of these three situations just at the time he had spent his last dime. With his money gone, he had no friends. With his resources spent, his societal status was revoked. When he was tapped out, he was hungry. He was so hungry in fact that he ate with the pigs, the lowest creature in Jewish society. Having seen a few hog pens in my life, one can only imagine that, given conditions in the 1st century, the depravity and filth of this man's situation was unbearable.
"I drank champagne with kings and queens the politicians praised my name. But those are someone else's dreams. The pitfalls of the man I became. For years and years, I chased their cheers. The crazy speed of always needing more.
But when I stop and see you here I remember who all this was for..."
I love the way that the English Standard Version puts the beginning of verse 17 in this passage. "And when he (the prodigal son) came to himself...Finally, the reality of his fall had begun to sink in and he remembered...
Have you ever been to this point in your life? I confess to you dear friend, I think that I have had multiple times where I had to come to myself and then remember. Remember that you have true friends and loving family members that will be there for you regardless of your resources and your societal status. Even more, as a believer, You are reminded that you are loved and kept by a Father who is continually waiting for you to draw near to Him. He is constantly on the lookout for you. Waiting to welcome you back home. Waiting for you to remember who all this is for...The Apostle Paul's Letter to the Colossian Church, chapter 3, verse 23 NIV/The Message/ESV
Have you had that "from now on" moment? Have you ever had that moment where you came to yourself? Have you ever had that instant where you realized you were covered in filth and were eating trash? Have you ever had that moment when you felt the drawing of Holy Spirit begging you to come home? Would you like to have your "from now on" experience where everything becomes new and the Father is waiting to welcome you home?
"And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home again..."
There are many blinding lights out in your world. There are many situations that could wait until tomorrow, but really should start tonight...start them tonight! It's time to allow the promise of the love from the Father to start an anthem of redemption in your heart that ignites your life to proclaim that "From now on" things will be different. He's pleading for you to come back home...
It starts tonight!!!
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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