By John D. Pierce
Had Jesus lived on earth at a much later time his poetic and revealing Beatitudes (in Matthew 5) might have been released under the title “Greatest Hits.”
He opened what is called the Sermon on the Mount with these blessings that provide a better understanding of the Kingdom of God and direction for living in ways that bring spiritual well being.
Two Tennesseans — author/pastor Mike Smith and singer/songwriter Scott Willis — bring these blessings to our ears, hearts and minds through a just-released audio book from Nurturing Faith.
“The audio book is perfect for the morning and evening work commute, listening to while doing chores about the house, or while exercising,” said Mike, who offers an introduction and then insights into each of the eight beatitudes.
Mike’s words are followed by an original song from Scott in each of the nine tracks.
In addition to personal devotions, Mike said this new worshipful resource can be used by small groups exploring these important teachings of Jesus.
Each track is approximately 10 minutes long and can become “a focus for the day,” said Scott.
The nine tracks within the audio book, he added, could serve as individual podcasts focused on the meaning and implications of each beatitude.
For those wanting to use this resource in a larger worship setting, lyric/chord charts for each song are available free of charge at Worship150.com. Soundtracks for the songs can be made available upon request from Scott at [email protected].
The audio book Words of Jesus: Reflections on the Beatitudes by Michael Smith and Scott Willis is available for $18 at http://books.nurturingfaith.net/product/words-of-jesus-audio/.
Purchase and download it today. Your heart will thank you.
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.