Sunday Positive Thoughts (Post The Chosen)

It’s been nice to hear that many of you were inspired by my recent post about how moved I was by the The Chosen, a series about the life of Jesus Christ from the perspective of his disciples. I’m so glad that you have decided to watch it. Certainly, with what is happening in Ukraine right now, combined with it being the Catholic Lenten Season, as I often say out loud, we could all use some of Jesus’s teachings of kindness and love right about now.

Additionally, instead of giving something up for Lent, I decided to focus on doing positive things. The first is that I downloaded the Hallow app onto my iPhone. It’s an amazing and wonderful (truly) app, and it is filled with gospels, homilies, music, psalms, meditations, and more. Jonathan Roumie (who plays Jesus in The Chosen) and Jim Caviezel (who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ) are two of the many narrators who read scripture, including Father Mike Schmitz, who shares the most beautiful homilies I may have ever heard (seriously, these homilies are directed at us today; they are contemporary and very relatable. I mean, Fr. Mike even references Brené Brown and Simon Sinek, two people I quote often in my college communication courses)! This app has everything you could possibly need to help you become more prayerful.

Second, while I do own a lovely Bible, I decided to get another, more interactive one. I bought the Tyndale NLT Inspire PRAISE Bible in purple hardcover. Inside, the Bible offers the opportunity to color and journal your thoughts. My idea is that I will make it my personal Bible journey and leave it behind as an heirloom to my children down the road. They say coloring helps alleviate stress, so what better way to feel at peace than with a Bible that you can write and color in; for $30.99 on Amazon, it’s a great price for a (very) large book with places to scribe your thoughts, prayers, or even journal special moments you are thankful for in life.

Finally, as I’ve moved away from listening to depressing radio talk and news shows and TV shows that are not uplifting and positive, I’ve been tuning into The Message on SiriusXM during my commute to and from work (this is not new for me; I’ve been doing this for years). However, on Friday during the noon hour, the show featured acoustic performances by Jon Reddick, Austin French, and Jason Gray. I caught an acoustic version of God, Turn it Around performed by Jon Reddick, and it was so powerful, it gave me goosebumps. Additionally, on the Hallow app, you can hear music that ranges from choirs to instrumentals to more contemporary groups. I happened to fall in love with the song I’m sharing below by The Vigil Project called Lord Have Mercy.

So, my friends, I’m leaving you with two songs to enjoy on this Sunday, if you are inclined to listen.