Scripture talks about Jesus sending out his disciples to preach the good news. Here is the passage in Luke:
He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (the sick). He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
We are informed that season 3 of the Chosen depicts this and shows the disciples preaching on their own. Since scripture does not specify WHICH disciples paired off during this time Dallas Jenkins was able to choose his own pairings. This is how he did it.
John and Thomas
Peter and Judas
Matthew and Simon the Zealot
Big James (John’s Brother) and Little James
Nathanael and Thaddeus
Andrew (Simon Peter’s Brother) and Phillip
The parings are interesting. It is in John’s Gospel where Thomas’ doubting is mentioned, John is portrayed in the show as very emotional while Thomas is very calculating. That clash will be interesting as will Thomas’ and John’s reaction when they start healing people and driving out demons.
Peter and Judas is an even more interesting paring in the sense that both are huge at the time he was crucified. Both of them betray Jesus after the last supper, Judas by delivering him to his enemies and Peter by denying him before others. The Gospel specifies that Judas realized what he had done and it drove him to suicide, while it doesn’t specify what happened with Peter in terms of going back to the disciples. Imagine if Peter had simply run away in shame or if Judas had, like Peter gone back to the disciples and repented. There would be cathedrals to “St. Judas the repentant” all over the world while Peter would be considered a coward. For the two of them working together gives the chance to emphasize that any of us could go in either direction.
Simon Z and Matthew is, next to Judas and Peter the most interesting pairing. The Zealot deep into scripture who would have killed a tax collector without a second thought and the Tax Collector who at the call of Christ left it all to follow him. The interactions between the pair has great dramatic potential and like Thomas Matthew’s reactions to miracles when he himself performs them has drama written all over it.
The contrast between Big and Little James physically has a lot of potential. The idea that both will be healing people while Little James has a malady (one not mentioned in scripture btw) is another potential for drama the whole “physician heal thyself” but the real story is going to be John’s brother who we will be seeing for the first time without John. Those interactions should be interesting.
Nathanael and Thaddeus will be interesting simply because we haven’t seen a lot of either. This gives plenty of leeway for the creative team. An architect and a stone mason should get along like a house afire and complement each other quite a bit. Add to that Thaddeus being one of the first disciples (at least per the show) and Nathanael being 10th coming in only before Simon the Zealot & Judas and you have a lot to work with.
Finally we have Andrew and Phillip which would seem to me the least interesting pairing of the group. Both were followers of John the Baptist, both were well known to each other and in terms of this kind of preaching they would be the two most experienced. Of course Andrew has been portrayed as very high strung while Phillip is portrayed as the calmest of the crew and most comfortable in this life. Given that we’ve already seen previews of Andrew and Philip being kicked out of at least one village it does have potential, specifically in terms of trusting the message.
We don’t know how many episodes these travels will entail, I would think you would need at least two or three to cover it all and that doesn’t even talk about:
The interaction of the women who are not traveling
What Jesus is doing during this time
Again none of this is specified in scripture so how it is played should be interesting to see. What I want to know is how they are going to handle Jesus sending out the 72.
One of the more amusing things of the past week that I didn’t bother to write about was the incredible tirade by director Billy Eichner concerning the reaction to his movie Bros.
His unmitigated rage at those unwilling to contribute their hard earned money and time which one can not supplement betrays one of the most common problems among people.
White the two of us are very much unlike in terms of age, cultural background and certain tastes, allow me to provide some perspective that he apparently lacks.
There was a time when this blog’s readership was in the hundreds of thousands a year, where we were in the top 100 conservative blogs regularly and that my blogsite actually had cracked the top 100,000 website in the world. At that time I dreamt of making a living doing this full time and providing for my family in this way, of my secular radio show DaTechGuy on DaRadio going beyond the small syndication that it had and being a national figure and there have been several big moments and several big stories that we have covered that makes me extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished in the days when the blog started when the election of Obama heralded the end to my tech career.
As you can see this has not happened. Our monthly draw of readers is what we used to do on one good day. We rarely draw links from the larger blogs as we used to. Our tip jar hits are nearly non-existent and the subscriber base while not at the point where it fails to cover expenses is slowly heading in that direction.
Fortunately if I want to confront the person most responsible for this turn of events all I have to do is walk in front of a mirror
While there may be a few extenuating circumstances here and there and a bit of bad luck occasionally when it comes right down to do it the reason this blog isn’t as big as Instapundit, or as well read as HotAir or as edgy as Ace of Spades or as prominent in the Conservative press as The Gateway Pundit or as skillfully written as The Other McCain or as able to cover large events as Legal Insurrection or as respected as Don Surber all comes down to me either not working hard enough or making the wrong calls or wanting a particular direction or simply not being as good a writer or promoter as others who have done a better job in this business better over the years with their eyes on the goal of achieving what those giants in the conservative blogosphere have done.
I’ve reached an age where it’s not prudent to take the risks necessary to try to change this direction nor do I have the ambition that I once had to make those goals. For now I’m content to rest on the laurels I have (there are a few) to keep thinks rolling and to put my two cents in along with the excellent writers who remain until I’m too old to go on or until they censor me away.
and that brings me back to Mr. Eichner.
He is still a lot younger than me and in the end he has produced a large movie with a large cast that has been shown in thousands of theaters across the nation which is an achievement.
But if he is looking for a larger scale of success the first thing he has to learn is to take ownership of failure and learn from it rather than blaming people he hates for it.
Until and unless the likes of Billy Eichner can understand that the father of one’s failures is almost ourselves he will will go from an angry young man to an angrier old man.
Take my advice, that’s no way to live.
Closing thought. If anyone of you think we’re still worth a ten spot a month or more your tip jar and or subscription will not be unappreciated.
A few months ago Van Morrison released his 43rd studio album, What’s It Gonna Take? It’s a stupendous work, and most of its songs focus on the COVID-19 lockdown. Van the Man gives well-deserved musical punch in the nose to lockdown zealots Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Klaus Schwab.
This week, on August 31, Van Morrison turns 77. He’s still touring, in fact, he begins a short American tour the day after his birthday, which includes, hello Peter, two gigs in Massachusetts.
In 2020 was a rare year for Morrison as he didn’t release a studio album, but he did issue three anti-lockdown songs, “Born to Be Free,” “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdowns.” Eric Clapton, another foe of lockdowns, recorded a Morrison-penned anti-lockdown song, “Stand And Deliver.” Morrison has been the most prominent artist who has stood up to opposition to the 2020-2021 shutdown of musical venues.
Of course Morrison is rich, but most musicians aren’t. Many are just getting by.
My DTG review of “What’s It Gonna Take?”is here. And yes, sometimes I am wrong. I predicted the mainstream media, as it did with the collection’s predecessor, the double album Latest Record Project: Volume 1, would savage it. On the contrary, because the hostile reviews of that collection probably helped sales–it charted well, the media took a different approach this time. By mostly ignoring What’s It Gonna Take? But not entirely. Morrison has “descended into lunacy,” is what one reviewer, Arthur Lazarus, a psychiatry professor, said of the album in his review. I was under the impression that mental health professionals now avoid words like “lunacy.” Who is the “crazy” one here, Lazarus? On a positive note, National Reviewgave a favorable notice to What’s It Gonna Take?
To a small extent, Van Morrison, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has become a non-person. Oh, he appears in Google News searches, as the media dutifully covers his concert appearances. I follow Morrison on Twitter. And like myself, likely because he shares views that run counter to those of the Twitter leftists, in his case about COVID, he’s almost certainly been shadowbanned. I never see the Belfast Lion’s Tweets on my feed, although he has been quiet there lately. Remember, this is a person whose first hit, “Brown Eyed Girl,” is one of the most-played songs on radio–ever.
I’ve been a Van Morrison fan for decades, so I decided to listen to every studio album of his, remember, there are 43 of them–in succession–about a week after I posted my Da Tech Guy writeup on What’s It Gonna Take? It was a wondrous musical adventure that took me through many musical genres, mainly, especially in the second half of his career, Chicago blues, but also of course rock, as well as jazz, country, Celtic, swing, as well as Van the Man’s stream-of-consciousness works, best exemplified on his Astral Works landmark album.
Morrison is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, harmonica, keyboards, and saxophone. But outside of the craftmanship of the songs he writes, he’s best know for his vocals. Morrison’s singing style is a combination of Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, James Brown, and here’s an obscure name for you, Louis Prima. Oh, on a side note, Prima was one of my mother’s favorites. And about that voice, it’s most distinctive quality is “the growl,” which I believe is inspired by bluesmen like Waters.
Morrison has influenced many artists, including Bob Seger, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, and Bruce Springsteen. Of the latter two, on their debut albums the feel of Van is quite apparent.
During my Morrison musical sojourn, during which I ironically contracted COVID-19–I am fully recovered–I decided to write a blog post where I list, well, in my opinion at least, his ten best albums. It’s time for me to be Casey Kasem–so let the countdown begin!
Oh, but first, links in the album’s titles bring you Morrison’s website, where you can purchase or download each collection, and also find the Wikipedia article on each of them.
10: Hymns To The Silence (1991). Morrison’s first double album is a tad long, but it contains one of his best ballads, “Carrying A Torch.” You’ll find an even better rendition of that song on Morrison’s duet album, where Clare Teal accompanies him. Van the Man on this record takes a song that has been covered countless times, Ray Charles’ hit “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” but he gives it a fresh take by having traditional Irish musicians the Chieftains accompany him. There’s also an intriguing spoken word piece too, “On Hyndford Street.”
9: No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986). Morrison’s 1980s efforts were mostly jazz and Celtic-influenced songs, many of them expressing a love of nature, with some stream-of consciousness songs throw in. The best of these is No Guru, No Method, No Teacher. Its highlights include “In The Garden,” “Tir Na Nog,” and an homage to his 1970s pop hits, “Ivory Tower.” It was around this time I saw Morrison in concert–so far the only time I have done so. I was under the impression, based on his ’80s works, that the Belfast Lion had lost the roar of his growl. Wrong. He growled a lot that night and it returned to his later studio albums.
8: Three Chords & the Truth (2019). The title alone makes this effort at least an honorable mention. “Angry Van” of the 2020s didn’t emerge once the COVID lockdowns kicked in. In “Nobody In Charge” Morrison decries, “politicians that waffle endlessly.” A haunting love sing, “Dark Night Of The Soul,” is another highlight. And Van offers a gorgeous re-working of “Auld Lang Syne” on “Days Gone By.”
7: What’s It Gonna Take? (2022). I’ve discussed this work already in this blog post–but to flesh out my love for this album, it’s as fresh as breathing in, mask-free, mountain air in spring. While anti-COVID lockdown songs dominate the collection, including “Dangerous,” which Morrison’s response to comments about him made by Northern Ireland’s health minister, Robin Swann, as well as “Fighting Back Is The New Normal” and “Fodder For The Masses,” the collection ends with another great love ballad, “Pretending.”
6: Veedon Fleece (1974). Stream-of consciousness Van is at the forefront here. Like gourmet cuisine, you may not appreciate Veedon Fleece at first bite, but it’s a hearty musical meal. “Bulbs,” “Linden Arden Stole The Highlights,” and “Streets Of Arklow” are among the great tracks.
5: Saint Dominic’s Preview (1972). Released 50 summers ago, this album contains two of Morrison’s best-known songs, the title track and “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile).” Van the Man’s greatest “stream” work, “Listen To The Lion,” is an 11-minute long masterpiece.
4: Magic Time (2005). This is the best Van Morrison album you’ve never heard of. There is quite a bit of swing music influence on Magic Time. While Van the Man, as we discussed early, re-worked “Auld Lang Syne” in 2019, he gifts us a New Year’s Eve alternative here with “Celtic New Year.” There’s another preview of “Angry Van” on “Keep Mediocrity At Bay.” Magic Time opens with another great ballad, “Stranded.” And there is a luscious sequel to “Listen To the Lion” in “The Lion This Time.”
3: Into The Music (1979). The Belfast Cowboy–Morrison has a lot of nicknames–ended the 1970s with a bang. It opens with two now-familiar songs, “Bright Side Of The Road” and “Full Force Gale.” There is rock, blues, gospel, and more here. And if Morrison’s “growl” is what you enjoy about him the most, then Into The Music is your album.
2: Moondance (1970). Like many all-time-best albums, Moondance comes across as a greatest hits album. The title track, “Caravan,” “Crazy Love,” and “Into The Mystic” are just four of the great tracks here. And while “Brown Eyed Girl” from Morrison’s first album is one of the most played songs on radio, “Into The Mystic” is a popular song at funerals. And “Crazy Love” is played at many wedding receptions.
1: Astral Weeks (1968). Arguably his first album, as his debut collection, Blowin’ Your Mind, was released without his input, Morrison, with jazz musicians backing him up, recorded a collection that sounded like nothing else up to that point. Is Astral Weeks a rock album? Jazz? Folk? Blues? The answer is none of the above. It’s simply Van Morrison. “The Way Young Lovers Do” foreshadows his 1970s hits, but like Veedon Fleece, stream-of-consciousness dominates here. “Cyprus Avenue” and “Ballerina” are majestic songs. “Madame George” is an enigmatic work, which is one of its enduring qualities.
So, if you are now inclined to explore Van Morrison, you might be wondering “Where do I start?” As I’ve said before, I deplore the term “classic rock,” but if that is your “jones,” then start with Moondance. If your first love is vintage country, then take a look at Pay The Devil. Blues? Get an album that just missed my top ten, Too Long In Exile, where John Lee Hooker teams up Morrison to revisit his “Gloria” hit that he recorded with his band Them in 1964. Are you a punk rocker? Then dig into Morrison’s recordings with Them. If your a jazz aficionado, I recommend Versatile to you. How ’bout Celtic music? Morrison collaborated with The Chieftains on Irish Heartbeat.
Now that I’ve listened to all 43 of Van Morrison’s studio albums I have a plan for what’s next: the Belfast Cowboy’s live albums.
With the left’s stranglehold hold over the past few decades on much of the arts, entertainment, and sporting industries, it’s encouraging to see conservatives gaining ground.
For example, singer John Rich aimed his latest song, Progress, at the left’s agenda—a piece that quickly rose to the top of the charts on most music websites. If you haven’t seen the video, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMEECbKOH7Q
In the song’s lyrics, Rich outlines a variety of divisive subjects, including his views:
–America’s replacement of religion with government –Immigration and the death of American soldiers during the evacuation from Afghanistan –The encroachment on freedoms during the COVID lockdowns –The impact on Main Street as Wall Street profited from government actions
The message of the chorus is hard to miss:
Stick your progress where the sun don’t shine. Keep your big mess away from me and mine. If you leave us alone, we’d all be just fine!
But there’s more. A trio of motion pictures, Top Gun: Maverick, The Gray Man, and The Terminal List, underline individual achievement and patriotism. While the critics may not like these films, audiences love them, highlighting how the elite no longer has much to do with what people like.
In Top Gun, Navy pilots have been tasked with destroying a uranium enrichment plant in a dangerous mission from which few of the fliers are expected to return. Spoiler alert: The pilots complete the difficult mission through individual heroism, military teamwork, and patriotism.
In The Gray Man and The Terminal List, special forces operators fight corruption in the intelligence and military through a determination to fight evil at all costs.
The Gray Man, which appears in theaters and on Netflix, comes from a book by Mark Greaney, who helped Tom Clancy with the Jack Ryan series. Jack Carr, a former Navy Seal, wrote The TerminalList, which is a series on Amazon.com.
All three films are about as red, white, and blue as you can get, emphasizing the importance of moral decisions and individual accomplishment.
But there’s even more.
In the heart of leftist academia in Ann Arbor, Michigan, head football coach Jim Harbaugh underlined his pro-life stance.
Harbaugh told ESPN he encourages his family, players, and staff members that if they could not take care of a baby after an unplanned pregnancy, then he and his wife would take the child and help raise it.
“I encourage them if they have a pregnancy that wasn’t planned, to go through with it, go through with it,” Harbaugh said. “Let that unborn child be born, and if at that time, you don’t feel like you can care for it, you don’t have the means or the wherewithal, then Sarah and I will take that baby.”
In a world where a lot seems headed in the wrong direction, it’s heartening to see conservatives fighting back in arenas long dominated by the left.
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