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.
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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.
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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.

Amazing Grace featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from CD “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

If I make take a short break from this blog’s “Why does God allow suffering?” theme to announce that Risen!- The Musical is to return to the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth on April 9^th and 10^th 2016.

There will be two performances- Saturday April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Tickets will soon be available from www.risenthemusical.com and www.newtheatreroyal.com  Box- Office 02393 649000.  Prices are just £10.00 for dress circle and stalls with £5.00 for upper circle. There are concessions for families of two adults and two children.

The Show will again feature the London Touring Cast together with The Portsmouth University Gospel Choir.  The production has moved on with the London Touring Cast increased to eighteen – there will be a stage set and projected images- improvements have also been made to the script.

In addition to the two live performances,  Risen!- The Musical is being filmed by Global Fire Creative for future broadcast on Christian cable TV.

Please watch this space for more announcements.

“Out of the Depths” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Love is the Way” recorded by Bob Ross.

So last week I started to look at the most challenging of questions- Why is there suffering in the world?

I referred to a book called “It Makes Sense” written by Stephen Gaukroger.  Although he makes it clear that there are no easy answers Gaukroger  suggests that what we can do is fit together some jigsaw pieces in order to get a picture and last week we looked at his first jigsaw piece which is that a lot of suffering in this world is caused by our own fault.

Now before looking at Gaukroger’s second jigsaw piece  I would like to bring in John Young who also has a chapter on the subject of suffering in his book “The Case Against Christ” (not be confused with Lee Stobel’s  “The Case for Christ” to which I have  referred in earlier blogs.)

Young writes that we live in “a world that makes itself”.  He says that as science has shed more light on our world, we have discovered that the finely tuned processes which enable and sustain life are inevitably fragile; good outcomes contain risks. The movements of the continental plates- an essential aspect of our eco system- can also cause earthquakes. The weather system on which life depends is extremely sensitive and climatic events in the Artic can lead to hurricanes in New York.

God, continues Young, has created this amazing world with a life of its own – “a world that makes itself”. Accidents happen, they are not “sent”. We live in a beautiful and exciting world but it is unpredictable, often dangerous and sometimes downright terrifying. Perhaps the act of creation inescapably involves the fact of suffering. Can we have one without the other?  Jesus Himself accepted suffering as an inescapable ingredient of life.

It would seem that it is impossible to come through this life without experiencing some form of suffering – so perhaps we should not be surprised when it does come our way- and perhaps also appreciate the good times more than we do.

In Times of Trouble featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “I Look Up To The Heavens” recorded and produced by John Hodgkinson

Last week I suggested that there is evil in the world as a consequence of God giving us the capacity to love.  Love is not love if it is forced and that’s why God gave us free will. The problem with having free will is that some will choose to harm one another rather than love.

But what about suffering – why does God allow that? One could hardly say that suffering is always the consequence of evil ,although of course it can be.

When I first attended an Alpha Course a number of books were recommended, including one by a guy with a great name – Stephen Gaukroger.  It’s called “It Makes Sense” and its chapters include “What about other religions? “Can we trust the Bible?” and “Science and Faith – is there a conflict?”  There is also a chapter “What about all the suffering?”  Looking through my bookshelf I also found “The Case against Christ” by John Young that has a chapter “Why does God allow Suffering?” Alpha originator, Nicky Gumbel has something similar in his book “Searching Issues”

All three authors accept that there are no easy answers to this most difficult of questions; however Glaukroger suggests that what we can do is fit together some jigsaw pieces in order to get a picture.  So let’s have a look at some of these jigsaw pieces.

Jigsaw piece one:

A lot of suffering is our own fault – it is not fair to blame God when a drunken driver kills an innocent pedestrian of if somebody is knifed over the colour of their skin, religion, or politics or because they looked at someone the “wrong way.”

It is man’s inhumanity to man  that condemns  people to poverty and hunger and even war.  No doubt we can say that we are not to blame for such horror but can any of us say we have never caused anyone any suffering – have never said an angry word or being guilty of selfishness?  Glaukroger concludes that we are all guilty of contributing to the suffering in the world and the only way that God could get rid of all the suffering is my getting rid of us- humankind, or by turning us into robots with no free will.

But of course  not all  suffering  in the world  is caused by us humans and next week  I will look at jigsaw piece number two which is “What about natural disasters? ”

“This is not Heaven” recorded live from the  musical “His Story” featuring Fiona Poustie and the Mustard Seed Soul Band

One of the classic questions often asked is “Why does God allow evil in the world?” or perhaps “How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?”
I believe it I can be argued that man’s greatest quality is the capacity to love. However love has to be freely given – it is not true love if we are forced into it – we have to be able to choose whether to love or not – hence we need to have a free will. A consequence of having a free will is that we may choose not to love – in fact to do the opposite which is to hate – hate and evil are closely related. I appreciate that hatred can be positive if we hate, for example injustice, however hatred normally spurns bad things and bad things can be so bad that they can be regarded as evil. So it could, perhaps be said that there is evil in the world as a consequence of God giving us the capacity to love, together with a free will to choose whether to love or not.
In the featured video Dr Ravi Zacharias argues this issue much more articulately than I have, but the issue of why there is suffering in the world is something I wish to consider in the forthcoming blogs.