“Revival” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard taken from the album “The Season of Singing” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Many thanks to all who supported Risen! The Musical,  performed and filmed last weekend at The New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

A massive thanks also to:

James and all the staff at the Brewhouse and Kitchen who hosted us so wonderfully well.

The staff at the New Theatre Royal, including Lexi, Steve, Martin, Luc together with James and all the box office staff.

The Risen! technical team of Adam, Darren, Lee, Zak and Doug.

Musical Director Joffy Girling

Ross Gill and the film crew from Global Fire Creative

Dr Graham Giles, James and Chris and all those on the merchandise selling team

And of course the fabulous London Touring Cast and Director Ennio Ficiur.

The Show was a huge success with comments that included “Phenomenal” “Magnificent” “Uplifting” “The Best” and “I was in a place of prayer from the beginning to the end.”

Where Risen! The Musical goes next will be published on this blog- we have another performance on May 14^th at my brother’s church, St Peter’s in Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire. After that plans are afoot for a UK tour. However next week I will return to the theme of “Why there is suffering in the world.”

“Because of Your Grace” co written with Darren Bovis- Coulter featuring Harun Kotch from The Season of Singing album recorded and produced by Ross Gill

The featured photo is of the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth – iconic Victorian venue for Risen! The Musical to be performed by the fabulous London Touring Cast on Saturday April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Tickets are still available from www.risenthemusical.com and www.newtheatreroyal.com

I was not going to mention suffering, as in self -sacrifice, yet but I changed my mind are reading yesterday’s devotion in Every Day with Jesus. Selwyn Hughes, who is focusing on St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, wrote concerning Chapter 3: 10-11 “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.”

I thought the link to Risen! The Musical which, of course, centres on the resurrection of Jesus was too strong to ignore. Selwyn writes:

So important are these verses- I want to know the … the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. What can this mean?

It means holding shares in Jesus’ sufferings. The resurrection did not cancel out the cross, so that Jesus did all the dying, while we do all the triumphing. No! By raising Jesus from the dead God endorsed the whole self- giving servant lifestyle that had taken Him to the cross. So if we enjoy the power of His resurrection working in us- and by the Spirit we certainly do- then we must realise it is intended to empower us to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings in the real world, to carry the pain of rejection as He carried it, to bear scorn as He bore it. Nothing could be more relevant in today’s Church, especially those over – triumphalist sections that want all the glory, but may not necessarily be prepared to accept the cross.

The second phrase we consider is found in verse 11 in which Paul talks about attaining “to the resurrection of the dead.” Paul’s great anticipation – and indeed that of everyone who believes that Jesus rose from the dead- was resurrection. He knew the statistics concerning death are impressive- one out of every one dies. But his confidence was in the fact that through death he would eventually come out on the other side into life- endless life. Resurrection is the way God ultimately restores His people and demonstrates that they really are His. The whole of the message of verses 5- 11 can be summed up like this: the way of the cross leads home, the way of death leads to life and the way down is the way up. That’s the gospel.

So looking forward to seeing some of you on Saturday or Sunday at Risen! The Musical.

“This Is Not Heaven” – featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Uplifted” recorded and produced by Bob Ross

Of course a plug first ! – Risen! The Musical at the New Theatre Royal on Saturday, April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday, April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Featuring the fabulous 18 strong London Touring Cast. Tickets available from www.newtheatreroyal.com and www.risenthemusical.com.

In order to find another jig saw puzzle to help our understanding of suffering in the world this week I have turned to another book “Puzzling questions” by Paul Griffiths and Martin Robinson. They tell of a personal story -“Andy’s story.”

Andy was a Christian and first his best friend died in a motorbike accident and then his father became crippled after an unsuccessful operation. Andy says “I don’t understand the ways of God, but I am learning to trust that He is good. That does not mean that people who trust Him always come up trumps.”

He continues “A friend of mine lost one son to suicide and almost lost another to illness. She says something wise when you speak to her. She says that God is God and life is life. I think she means that bad stuff happens but it does not stop God being good. I know there are a lot of theological words that explain this more deeply, but what she says is good enough for me, because I’ve experienced the truth of this myself.”

Andy explains “Whether it is the tragic loss due to a flood or that of a devastating earthquake, pain is everywhere. It’s the way of the world, but I also see that God is everywhere too and His love and peace can be found in the midst of the pain and I guess what I am learning is that finding it may mean letting go of anger, blame and recrimination although that is easier said than done.

Another suffering jig saw puzzle next week and no doubt one final plug for Risen! The Musical as the New Theatre Royal production will follow two days later!

“My Beloved King” featuring Chloe Brokenshire from the album “Risen! The Musical recorded and produced by Joffy Girling

First I would like to point out the nice big poster outside the New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth advertising Risen! The Musical. If you have already seen Risen! The Musical (not to be confused with Risen!- The Movie – see last week’s blog) then please come again on April 9^th or 10^th as the fabulous London Touring Cast now numbers eighteen and we also have a fantastic new stage set and revised script. If you are not sure if Risen!- The Musical is any good please read this Facebook post I have just seen.

I have seen Risen! 3 times and would love to see it again. It is a very powerful and emotional show, superbly cast and wonderful songs. I was really moved by the emotional performances of the talented young cast and was in tears several times throughout the show and it was the same at each performance. “My Beloved Kin” is a particularly emotional song being both uplifting and heart-breaking at the same time, just brilliant. Take lots of tissues, you will need then, but you will leave totally uplifted.

In last week’s blog I spoke of the belief that God understands and has empathy with our suffering because He himself has experienced it. Many find great comfort from the knowledge that God has endured human suffering and understands what we go through.

Of course tomorrow is Good Friday and we come face to face with God’s suffering – Jesus suffering the agony of the cross and yes it can be of comfort to us to know that God has suffered too and so knows how we feel. But there is more and Stephen Gaukroger offers another jig saw piece to help our understanding of suffering. He writes in his book “It Makes Sense”

Christianity is not pie in the sky when you die its life here on the ground while you are still around. It is about a relationship with someone who is with us in every difficulty and who promises to never leave us no matter how tough it gets. Furthermore God gives every Christian a guarantee that all unanswered questions will one day have answers, all wrongs be put right and life will be enjoyed forever without suffering of any kind.

I don’t know about you but both these thoughts give me great comfort – that when I am in trouble I have someone all powerful and all understanding to turn to for comfort and strength and that one day I will be with God, free from pain, trouble and suffering; enjoying His perfect peace.

All at Mustard Seed Songs and Risen! The Musical wish you a very blessed and happy Easter

Risen! from the album Risen!- The Musical featuring the Original Cast – recorded and produced by Joffy Girling

So tomorrow Risen The Movie is released and on April 9th Risen! – The Musical is being filmed. So what is the difference? Well for a start Risen- The Movie www.risen-movie.com is showing at the Vue Cinema in Gun Wharf whereas Risen!- The Musical www.risenthemuscal.com will be playing at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth on April 9th and 10th.
Both “Risens” are, of course focused on the Resurrection of Jesus and approach it from a Christian perspective. One is backed by Sony Pictures the other by charity Mustard Seed Songs- One is a play the other a musical.
Risen- The Movie portrays the first forty days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and is told through the eyes of an agnostic Roman Centurion charged by Pontius Pilate to investigate rumors of a risen Jewish Messiah and locate the missing deceased body of Jesus of Nazareth in order to subdue an imminent uprising in Jerusalem. During the Centurion’s mission, his doubts of such a supernatural occurrence peel away as he encounters the Apostles and other historic biblical characters and bears witness to the legendary stories that followed.
Follow on Twitter @RisenMovie and Facebook
Risen!- The Musical begins a little earlier – one week before Jesus was crucified and concludes with His Ascension to heaven. It is seen through the eyes of all Jesus’ followers including Mary His Mother, Mary Magdalene, Mary wife of Clopas and the twelve disciples. It is a faithful synopsis of the Gospel accounts from the Bible. It features the eighteen strong London Touring Cast and is portrayed through acting, song, recitative and dance. It is being filmed by Global Fire Creative for broadcast on Cable TV.
Follow on Twitter @risenthemusical and Facebook
So may I politely suggest you see both Risen The Movie and Risen! -The Musical?
Sorry there is no room today for another jigsaw piece of why God allows suffering in the world- but there will be next week I promise.

Inside the New Theatre Royal

When You Walk With God – featuring Harun Kotch from the album The Season of Singing – recorded and produced by Ross Gill

First a plug for Risen!- The Musical at the New Theatre Royal , Portsmouth on Saturday April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Featuring the 18 strong professional London Touring Cast and filmed by Global Fire Creative for broadcast on cable TV. All details including ticket sales at r £5.00 for upper circle or £10.00 for stalls and dress circle from www.risenthemusical.com We also have a Twitter account giving you Risen! updates @risenthemusical.

Two weeks ago we showed the Risen! promo video and here is the link to view again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnUHeqw9ROo

So last week I said that I want to consider the belief that God understands and has empathy with our suffering because He himself has experienced it. Again I turn to the book “It Makes Sense” written by Stephen Glaukroger who writes that God understands our suffering because He has experienced it. No one can accuse God of being an uninvolved deity just sitting back and watching us suffer. He sent His son to earth to check it out for Himself, to experience first- hand what life was all about for the human race…… Many find great comfort from the knowledge that God has endured human suffering and understands what we go through. He has been where we are- the Chief Executive has experience of life on the shop floor, the Chief of Police has walked the beat. God has been down here at the sharp end.

Glaukroger quotes Dorothy Sayers who writes in her book “The Man born to be King”

For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is – limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death -He had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine .Whatever game He is playing with His creation He has kept His own rules and played fair. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and lack of money to the worst horrors, pain, humiliation, defeat, despair and death. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and felt it well worthwhile.

So is that the last of the jigsaw pieces that may help us understand why there is suffering in the world? Oh no and I’ll share another next week!

The start of rehearsals for the London Touring Cast performing Risen!- The Musical April 9th and 10th at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth

Gasp in Wonder – featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard from the album The Season of Singing recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Rehearsals for Risen! – The Musical started on Sunday at the London College of Music with Joffy Girling, our Musical Director going through harmonies with the fabulous London Touring Cast. Welcome to new cast members Max Panks who is playing Jesus, Lindsey Sarah Katie Preston who is playing Mary wife of Clopas, Dan Smith who is playing Peter and Craig Kenneth Smith who is playing Cleopas’ friend, Aaron Peat who is playing Nathaniel, Oswald Addo who is playing Simon the Zealot and Adam who is playing James Son of Alpheus.

They all sound fabulous so make sure you don’t miss them at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth on April 9^th and 10^th – tickets and more information from www.risenthemusical.com

Being part of such an exciting project as Risen!- The Musical is simply brilliant, but not all life is great -we only have to look at the plight of the refugees to see that. Some may ask “How can God allow so many people to suffer in this way?” But the refugee crisis is a perfect example of what has been discussed in earlier blogs i.e. It is mankind, not God who is messing things up. Yes God could intervene but if He makes all our difficult choices for us then we end up as robots which are not what we were designed for because robots can only be programmed to simulate love – they cannot express it freely and truly- only humans with a free will can do that.

Today I want to look at another jigsaw piece of explanation of why God allows suffering suggested by Stephen Gaukroger in his book “It Makes Sense.” He says “It would be disastrous if God were to remove pain completely.” He goes on to say that without pain my appendix could burst without warning, my teeth would go rotten and I would never know- I could lose whole limbs in a fire without realising it. When I go to the doctor he/she asks me where the pain is – this helps locate the problem and attempt a diagnosis and cure. Without pain the doctor’s job would be much more difficult. Pain, far from being an enemy, can be our friend. It is the body’s early warning system and without it life would be unimaginably worse than it is now.

I know we still do not have the whole answer to this question of suffering but there are more jigsaw pieces to come and next week I want to consider the belief that God understands and has empathy with our suffering because He himself has experienced it.

So four very different topics this week- first just to flag up Risen!- The Musical’s return to the New Theatre Royal on April 9^th and 10^th There will be two performances – Saturday at 7.30 pm and Sunday at 2.30 pm. The Show is being filmed by Global Fire Creative for broadcast on Christian Cable TV. Ticket prices start at just £5.00 and all details including booking tickets can be found on www.risenthemusical.com

Rehearsals for Risen! start this Sunday and I will be joining our Musical Director, Joffy Girling in Ealing at the London College of Music to be reunited with the fabulous London Touring Cast.

Also I hope you like our promo video also filmed by Global Fire Creative

Second I would like to thank dear Merilyn Christian- Edwards who rang on Monday to remind me that I became a Christian on February 22^nd 1997 – so that’s nineteen years ago- I have to say I am so glad that I did!

Third I forgot to announce a couple of weeks ago that on February 2014 I started writing this blog – so that is over two years now!

Forth I need to return to the subject of why is there suffering the world. In recent weeks I have been suggesting that much is due to our own fault, however there is, of course suffering which appears to be beyond our control – natural disasters that strike without warning and seemingly without cause. How do we explain these?” In his book “It Makes Sense” Stephen Gaukroger says that another part of the jigsaw puzzle of explanations re suffering is that we live in a fallen world. To use his words;

Christians believe that God made a perfect world. Unfortunately human beings decided they knew better than God how things ought to be run and turned their backs on Him. This resulted in a rift between Him and the human race which like the fall out after a nuclear explosion also had an effect on creation. A once perfect world became imperfect and human beings found themselves in alien, hostile territory surrounded by a natural environment infected by sickness and disease. (You can read the full story in the first three chapters of the Bible) So we are now at the mercy of disasters which are symptoms of the malfunction in the relationship between ourselves and Creator.

So is that the end of the jig saw puzzle pieces that make some sense of why there is suffering in the world? No there are more and I’ll look at another one next week, plus no doubt tell you how that first rehearsal of Risen!- The Musical went.

“I Look Up To Your Heavens” -featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill
This is a reworked version of the original “I Look Up To The Heavens” from the first Mustard Seed Songs album of the same name.

So far we have considered suffering that is caused by our own bad choices or the bad choices of others, but what about suffering that we do not cause like earthquakes and famines, volcanoes and other natural disasters? Who should take responsibility there- surely that has to be God?

Well hold on – Stephen Gaukroger, in this book “It Makes Sense” says even as far back as 1906 much of the San Francisco earthquake damage was caused by corners being cut when reinforcing buildings. Similar accusations were made after the 1935 earthquake in Quetta City, Pakistan and in 1985 in Mexico City – in fact this is still the case today when after earthquakes some buildings continue to stand while others collapse. So it could be argued that if it were not for human greed much of the terrible consequences of natural disasters could be avoided,

So what about famine! Well a recent study by Oxfam states that the wealthiest 1% will soon own more than the rest of the world’s population. If that wealth was more evenly distributed there would not be famines – also corrupt governments of poor countries spend money whilst their people starve.

Gaukroger states that is unreasonable to blame God for our own unwillingness as human beings to act responsibly. Disaster after disaster in our world entails human failure in either causing the catastrophe or making it considerably worst- we need to carry the can for much of this ourselves. Nicky Gumbel, is his book “Searching Issues” carries on this theme saying “Even the Aberfan disaster in Wales was not a natural one. A five month enquiry headed by Lord Justice Edmund Davies ruled that the Coal Board was responsible for the disaster.”

But having said all this there is still suffering which appears to be beyond our control – natural disasters that strike without warning and seemingly without cause. How do we explain these?” Let’s have a look at this next week.

When I Think of You Jesus – featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Before continuing with the series on suffering I would like to let you know that my dear friend Dr Graham Giles has just returned from the 64^th President’s Prayer Breakfast in Washington. He sat close to President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle during the prestigious breakfast which is part of many meals and meetings that take place during the week.  Graham was invited because of his involvement in a number of justice and humanitarian issues – he is now a Trustee of Mustard Seed Songs and used the occasion to promote Risen!- The Musical including the distribution of CDs.

Last week   I found an extract in “Every Day With Jesus” that endorsed the point I made about suffering in the blog of  January 14^th.

Job’s freedom to choose God also, of course, gave him the ability to reject Him. C.S Lewis explains why God gives us this kind of choice. “If a thing is free to be good, it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil to be possible. Why then did God give us free will? Because free will, although it makes evil possible, is also the one thing that makes possible any love or goodness worth having. Without free will, we would simply be like robots.

I have also been thinking that suffering allows us to appreciate how good the good times had been before we started suffering – especially things we had taken for granted like good health and being able to walk and run. It is not until we lose the ability to do something that we fully appreciate how good the thing was that has been lost.

It was Jodie Mitchell in her song “Big Yellow Taxi” who wrote “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”  I am not suggesting that one has to suffer in order to appreciate the good things that have now passed, either temporarily or permanently but that we should make an effort to appreciate all the good things in life that we have and praise God for them. Furthermore I would suggest it is the simple things in life that are the best – things like friends and family rather than material goods- a new car is great fun but the novelty soon wears off and, in my experience it is better to be in the back garden with someone you love than in the Seychelles with someone you don’t.