If you ever wondered about the healing power of laughter, watch this video, compiled by "Everynone" - made up of videos found on youtube. Enjoy some laughs this Wednesday!

Several years ago I had the opportunity to direct the musical "Children of Eden" at Porchlight Music Theatre. It was so much fun, and very rewarding, as a guy who worked at a church to be able to bring my point of view to a work about the first couple of families in the Old Testament. With a score from Stephen Schwartz, the writer of "Wicked" among other great musicals, it was a blast.

The show uses its Act One to tell the story of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. In the second Act, we visit Noah and learn all about the flood. It's a great story of generations and relationships of family. The show chooses to cast God as "Father", interacting among his "children" in the early stages of planning his great wonderful world. It's when we get in our own way that things get interesting. And no one seems immune. Not even, in this show, "father."

At church we are in a series called "Love at Last Sight", and it's all about making changes in our relationships to make love last - certainly a lesson that this show communicates.

This past weekend, Epic Theatre Company opened our production of the musical, to a standing ovation on the first performance! It runs one more weekend, with three more shows only! You can see the show on:
Friday, September 23rd at 7:30, or
Saturday, September 24th at 8pm, or
Sunday, September 25th at 3pm.
Don't miss it! Click on any one of the dates above to reserve tickets in advance (which isn't a bad idea to make sure you get a seat - after great word of mouth, I suspect that we will be filling the gymnatorasium with lots of Children of Eden fans! (Including my parents, as four of their five grandchildren are in the show!)

Here is a video preview: a segment from the song that closes Act One, "Children of Eden." Get your tickets today!

This week I got a note from a Pop Culture Pulpit listener Murray Blythe - he wanted my take on an artist interview from another podcast.

The podcast in question is called "Who Writes This Stuff" - and it recently featured a two part episode interviewing Derek Webb, a solo artist who happens to be a Christian, but who comes from one of the ole favorites of Contemporary Christian music, Caedmon's Call.

Caedmon's Call was a Godsend to those of us planning weekend services in the late nineties. Here was an intelligent band on a Christian label writing great songs that challenged you lyrically and set the stage for further discussion. Pretty much exactly what you wanted for a special song during a service.

Murray Blythe listens to my podcast from Australia, where he lives and works. This fact has no bearing on my story, other than I think it's cool.

So on this week's podcast, I brought up the podcast and the Derek Webb interview - and I inteved my listeners to listen to the interview and weigh in on the topic discussed - primarily,  the way that Christians must balance expectation and/or restrictions with authenticity in the way they express their art. I haven't listened yet, but my plan is to do so and then offer my take on it as I step up the the pop culture pulpit in a future episode.

So if you'd like, mozy on over to WHO WRITES THIS STUFF and listen to the interview - then head back to the POP CULTURE PULPIT to discuss. Or leave a comment here, and as I'm working on the podcast, I'll incorporate your feedback.

Thanks and have a great rest of your September!