De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

A song and video that have been with me right through these past 9 months of turmoil (not just to do with Covid-19) from the great Tenth Avenue North.   “Hallelujah, you are right here with me, Hallelujah, you have always been there, Hallelujah, you will never stop chasing me.” ("Greater Than All My Regrets”, Tenth Avenue North)    

I've recently been reading, reflecting and praying through an excellent series of daily devotionals put together by one of my favourite bands, Tenth Avenue North, primarily their singer, Mike Donehey, to accompany one of their albums from a few years ago, Cathedrals. You can find it on the YouVersion Bible app and website http:/en-GB/reading-plans/1266-tenth-avenue-north-cathedrals-the-overflow-devo . Here's the devotional for Day 2 of the series. Tenth Avenue North - Cathedrals: Day 2 • Devotional STARS IN THE NIGHT Maybe it's because I just finished Jack London's epic novel, "The Sea Wolf," but lately I've found my mind drifting to island images of shipwrecked castaways. I imagine a marauded group being rescued by a nameless vessel. Old ropes have been let out, and haggard survivors wearily hoist themselves up over the rails. Cold and exhausted, this group of worn down survivors sit on the deck of the swaying boat. Everyone'...

I sent the below message to my teaching colleagues in school this evening, braced as we are for the arrival of “those-who-shall-not-be-named” (i.e. OFSTED, national school inspectors) sometime between now and Easter. For those of you who live outside of Britain their job is to monitor and ensure high standards in all schools… the problem is that they keep moving the goalposts. Anyway, enough of that. Here’s what I said: I think that the attached video teaching is for us right now, to help us not lose sight of who we are and why we are here in a Catholic school. It's too late for the weekend just gone, but try to take on board its message of "wasting time for God" over the coming weeks, despite the pressures that we are all under. Even if you are not a believer yourself, give yourself some time alone with your thoughts, if you can… even just a few minutes.  The video teaching is by one of my favourite bands, Tenth Avenue North, and it accompanies a song of ...

Here's a wonderful devotional from Mike Donehey, lead singer of Tenth Avenue North. It's a very moving account of a real incident that involved a personal revelation for the singer as regards supplicatory prayer to God. The following passage, in particular, struck me : "I was suddenly struck with the thought, Father, you can heal him now, or heal him by taking him home, but whatever you decide to do, you do all things well. So I feebly picked up my guitar and began to clumsily strum and sing that simple thought. "You do all things, you do all things, you do all things well." And out of the corner of my eye, I see Travis' mom stand to her feet, lift her hands up in the air, up above her tear stained cheeks, up above the despair crushing down on her heart, and impossibly begin to sing those words with me." The devotional also reminded me of the video to Aaron Shust's wonderful "My Hope Is In You ". I'll add this video at the ...

My favourite track from Tenth Avenue North's latest album.

Another song for those who might be weighed down by the struggles and challenges of life from the great Tenth Avenue North.

"You're not finished with me yet, You're not finished with me yet,  By your power I can change, I can change, ‘Cos you're not finished with me yet!” Last night Rend Collective rounded off their wonderful Manchester gig with a brilliantly uplifting version of this track that had everyone pogoing and singing along, all in Christ’s name. Joyous, liberating, prayerful + fun, children celebrating the love of their Father!! I like to think God was laughing along with us. Heartfelt thanks to Rend Collective + Tenth Avenue North for an amazing night of music and worship and for all you do in God’s name.  Team Win love you!!

I’m sitting here this afternoon after having come back from the Good Friday celebration in our parish, for which I was asked to carry the cross during the Veneration of the Cross section. The Choir there is conducted by one of my old Maths teachers from nearly 30 yrs. ago so if I’m around over Easter I always join his Choir for the Triduum (as I am generally cycling with my club Sunday mornings I normally go to evening Mass in the Southampton parish where I grew up, or another neighbouring one, and so don’t normally sing with this Choir).   Never more than during these days of the Triduum am I struck by the idea of simultaneously living a reality that is both present in the here-and-now and yet is somehow still to come.   It’s the reality of a life standing before the empty tomb and it is the life of our everyday existence: a life torn by the reality of pain and suffering, but where the empty tomb acts as a sign of hope, that there is joy and peace waiting for us if we would b...

An intesting article from Mike Donehey, lead singer/songwriter with Tenth Avenue North (used as part of a devotional Bible reading plan at YouVersion.com - check out their free Bible app). What Donehey says reminds me of the words of French philosopher Maurice Blondel when he talks about all our human desires ultimately being imperfect, human expressions of the one desire: our desire for union with God, a desire w hose satisfaction is the only thing that can break the cycle of human desire and bring us deep happiness and fulfilment (my own emphases in bold ). Here's a fan video for the song that inspired Donehey's words. Shadows I grew up thinking Jesus wanted to ruin my good time. No seriously. Everything I wanted to do, it seemed like Jesus was always telling me I couldn't. My friends would get drunk and party; I wasn't allowed. All the other kids were sleeping around. Jesus said I had to flee sexual immorality. When people wronged me it felt so good to be...

I discovered this young US band a couple of months ago through a Christian music web site. Their album has really grown on me. They won the Best New Artist Of The Year at the US Dove Awards (the Christian Grammys - a big deal in the States). This is my favourite song from their album. This video was done in conjunction with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to promote the work they do with people in need, e.g. here those who have suffered from natural disasters. The band are an impressive group of young men. Their faith shines out in their lyrics + their music. I love the testimonies that the lead singer/main songwriter Mike Donehey gives in the following 2 videos: