GIGS – Stryper at The O2 Academy, London
EXHIBITION – The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters
FILM – Meet the Browns with Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, Rick Fox and David Mann
Nativity! (U) starring Martin Freeman, Ashley Jensen, Jason Watkins and Marc Wootton
EVENTS - Hammersmith Apollo: Delirious farewell gig
An Atheist's Guide to Christmas
GAMES – PopCap's Zuma, Peggle and Bookwork Adventures; iGame
London O2 Academy: Stryper
Christian music's answer to glam rock heavy metal played their first UK gig for 22 years at the weekend. PETER BILLETT reports on the return of Stryper
Stryper are a Christian metal band from Orange County, California, USA. Formed in 1983, they were really the pioneers of Christian metal music, with Michael Sweet as vocalist and guitarist, his brother Robert on drums, Oz Fox on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Tim Gaines on bass and backing vocals.
The band enjoyed great success during the mid-late 1980s, with one Platinum and two Gold records, before breaking up in 1992 at a time when most metal (especially glam metal) groups of the 1980s were losing popularity. However, the band reunited in 2003 and have so far released two new albums (Reborn in 2005 and Murder By Pride in 2009).
The name "Stryper" is based on the King James Version of Isaiah 53:5: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
We went to take in their gig at London's O2 Academy in Islington to see if they still had what it takes!
Their set list comprised 18 songs from almost all of their albums and the audience truly appreciated a band that knows how to play metal. It was intense, it was loud (we apologised to our ear drums!) but above all it was Christian. It was a wonderful experience to hear someone singing at the top of their lungs:
"God, I will follow you because you died for me.
Gave to me your life to set me free.
Anyone who asks shall receive,
Jesus in your heart
It's time for you to start
Giving God all the glory"
Then, halfway through the concert, the guys stopped playing, came down to the front of the stage and threw Bibles out into the audience, they even quietened the audience down right at the end of the evening for a closing prayer.
Perhaps the moment everyone (including us!) was waiting for was the final song To Hell With The Devil, which has become Stryper’s best known and best loved song (the album of the same name went on to sell more than 2 million copies).
It sounded incredible live, and despite being in his late forties, Michael can still hit those high notes and his low range vocals have, if anything got better over time. What a way to end a show!
It was an evening we will never forget, and one that hopefully our ear drums will recover from!
Peter Billett works in the Finishing Department at CPO
Royal Academy, London: The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters
This extraordinary exhibition of the work and letters of Vincent van Gogh is an absolute must for not just lovers of art, but for anyone wanting to see a life mapped out in creativity and correspondence.
It's an enduring mystery that Van Gogh barely sold a painting during his painfully short lifetime (he shot himself aged just 37), particularly when - as this superbly laid out exhibition shows - you see the quantity of amazing work turned out by this Dutch son of the manse.
Most of the correspondence on show is with his younger brother Theo, a successful art dealer who gave him moral and financial backing during his 10-year artistic career.
He has sent me to preach the Gospel to the poor, Vincent wrote to Theo in 1876, and for the next three years he pursued his calling, first as a theology student and then as a missionary to the coal miners in the Belgian Borinage. Distraught at the poverty he saw, he ended up giving all his possessions including most of his clothing to the miners, and the Dutch Reformed Church ended up rejecting him after his 'scandalous' behaviour was reported to the authorities.
He left the Church, embittered and poverty-stricken, yet stayed in the region, beginning his artistic career making sketches of rural life of Belgian peasants.
The Academy's exhibition walks you through the different phases of his painting progression, from the early landscapes and sketches from peasant life, on to his dramatic change into a colourist on arriving in Paris early in 1886, greatly influenced by the Impressionists and pointillists Seurat and Signac.
You also get the chance to see much of the other art and literature that influenced his work, notably Japanese prints, the paintings of Millet and Delacroix, and the novels of the great British, French and American writers of the time.
His unique portraiture is amply represented, as well as his work in Arles on the River Rhone. Many of the letters featured include sketches and drawings as he describes to Theo what he is working on. The recurring theme of nature and his later landscapes are explored in depth, along with his mental breakdowns and eventual suicide.
The picture that emerges is very far from the stereotype of the tortured artist derived from his final two years. An erudite man and deep thinker, constantly influenced yet wrestling with his spiritual sensibilities, he wrote to his brother of his "terrible need of – shall I say the word, religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars."
- The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters runs from 23 January until 18 April 2010. Full price tickets are £12 (reductions for students, OAPs, U18s etc) and can be booked on www.royalacademy.org.uk
Russ Bravo
FILM
Meet the Browns – by Tyler Perry with Angela Bassett, Rick Fox and David Mann
Adapted from his infamous stage production, Meet the Browns, Tyler Perry’s film is both a moving family drama and extremely funny romantic comedy.
Starring renowned American actors and actresses such as Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, David Mann and Tyler Perry himself, this film takes you on a whirlwind of emotion but leaves you feeling satiated and satisfied.
Angela Bassett (Brenda) gives a heart-rending performance as a single mother of three who tries her best to raise her children in the dangerous and poverty-stricken Chicago projects. She's up against it: having lost her job she can't afford rent, electricity, day care or even food for her youngest.
When on the brink of giving up, losing all hope and faith in God, she receives a mysterious letter which informs her of the death of her father – a man she never knew. And this is where the fun starts!
Her sudden trip to Georgia introduces you to her over-emotional yet incredibly comical extended family. This especially includes the wacky David Mann (Leroy Brown) who steals the show with his eccentric dress and unique grasp of the English language.
Moreover, Tyler Perry makes a brief, silly, amusing appearance as Madea near the finale which restores some comedy to what is primarily an emotional film.
There's romance as well: as a woman hurt by so many men in her life, Brenda adamantly refuses the steadfast love which Rick Fox (Harry) displays as her love interest. However, the reading of her father’s will turns her life around in so many ways.
Without ruining the movie’s climax, it is a truly feel-good film, filled with integrity, sensitivity, forgiveness and of course comedy. It also reminds us that we should never give up on God, no matter how difficult a situation might be.
With hope and unfaltering faith we can rest assured that “God will meet all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).
Shari Mitchell is from Trinidad and a second year student at the University of Reading, studying International Relations and Economics
Nativity! (Cert U) Starring Martin Freeman, Ashley Jensen, Jason Watkins and Marc Wootton, with Pam Ferris, Ricky Tomlinson, Alan Carr and John Sessions
There's a special appeal about a film which you read was shot "entirely on location in Coventry and Los Angeles". And this is a very British Christmas family film, and all the better for it.
Martin Freeman is a failed actor who retrains as a school teacher (Mr Maddens) and ends up in charge of a class at unfashionable St Bernadette's RC primary school in Coventry. Having broken up with his girlfriend (Ashley Jensen) at Christmas, he's become a real Scrooge when it comes to the festive season.
So when his headmistress (Pam Ferris) decides he's going to produce the school's traditional nativity play, things go from bad to worse. The last time he'd done it, the production was trashed by the local drama critic (Alan Carr), who always gives a rave review to the posh independent school up the road, whose play is produced by his long-time adversary Gordon Shakespeare (Jason Watkins).
When Maddens runs into Shakespeare at a local garden centre, he is goaded into saying that the St Bernadette's production is pulling out all the stops - and has attracted the attention of Hollywood. Childlike classroom assistant Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton) overhears, tells the children ... and mayhem ensues.
I won't spoil the plot by telling you more but it all builds to a typically feelgood climactic ending.
While the film is about a school putting on a nativity play – and manages to retain a down to earth, comic documentary feel much of the time – don't go expecting a detailed explanation of the nativity story.
However, do expect to be moved when you least expect it, do expect to enjoy a funny, heartwarming movie that you can enjoy with the whole family, and do expect to hear some of the songs that feature popping up in a primary school nativity near you in the future.
Turning the Christmas story into an all-singing, all-dancing musical extravaganza means a few liberties are taken, but go with it and you'll be surprised what comes out by the end.
Martin Freeman holds things together as an ordinary bloke struggling with a situation that has blown completely out of control, and there is strong support from Ashley Jensen and Jason Watkins, with nice character parts from Pam Ferris, Ricky Tomlinson and Alan Carr.
Marc Wootton shines as puppyish man-child Mr Poppy, and delivers some real laugh out loud moments.
But – as it should be – the kids really steal the show. Ben Wilbey (Bob, above) is one of the standouts. With director Debbie Isitt's decision not to use professional child actors but instead to audition local kids in Coventry, she ended up with an appealing bunch with raw talent but just normal kids, not performing moppets.
And that makes all the difference: this is a family Christmas film that delivers – a fun idea, great performances, highly entertaining and with a strong message that great things can come from the most unlikely places.
See it. And don't forget to check out the back-up resources at www.damaris.org/nativity
Russ Bravo
Hammersmith Apollo: Delirious (+ The Cutting Edge Band)
It's hard to overestimate the impact that Delirious have had on at least a couple of generations of young Christians.
From the early days of The Cutting Edge Band, excitedly heading up a growing youth event in a sleepy Sussex coastal town, to the days of high profile, high impact gigs at Wembley, Willow Creek, Greenbelt, top UK venues and packed stadiums around the world, the band have always had hearts for God, and a strong sense of community.
So it was fitting that the final gig at the Hammersmith Apollo last night felt like a family gathering. Albeit with a storming lights show and a crowd of 5000 packed in.
Kicking off as The Cutting Edge Band, it was the early to mid Nineties incarnate as the d: boys revisited their early back catalogue, bassist Jon Thatcher sporting what looked like a Beatles moptop wig. It was great to hear classics I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, Did You Hear The Mountains Tremble?, I'm Not Ashamed (of the Gospel), I've Found Jesus and Thank You For Saving Me again, with a number long established as standards in many churches.
There was even an exhilirating outing for perennial Cutting Edge Band favourite The Happy Song, a country stomp that the band had apparently sworn they'd never play live again. It had the whole place bouncing.
For the second part of the show, as Delirious, the band hopped from album to album, plundering classic live tracks along with memorable singles, and several changes of stage attire.
It was a reminder of the sheer quantity of memorable songs the band have delivered over the years, from modern worship songs like Majesty, My Glorious and Jesus' Blood to indie anthems Rain Down, Solid Rock and Paint the Town Red. Rock gig or passionate worship gathering? As ever with Delirious, it was both.
It was great to hear King of Fools again, with Stu G delivering the bluesy refrain on a guitar "as old as my mum – and it's great to have them both here tonight". Martin Smith delivered a heart-stopping version of It's OK, another reminder of a man who combines a great voice with real songwriter's craft.
While drummer Paul Evans, keyboard maestro Tim Jupp and bassist Jon Thatcher kept a bit more in the background and let Martin and Stu G get on with the showmanship, they put in fantastic performances – testament to what a tight and punchy live band Delirious have become with the years of touring.
Much loved former drummer Stew Smith also put in a guest appearance to team up with Paul Evans on a blistering version of Investigate. Other highlights included cracking takes on Deeper and Historymakers, Martin in white cape and crown for a timely reminder of the spiritual poverty of materialism with King of Comfort, and a straight voiced rendition of the Lord's Prayer - not a regular chorus for the Apollo, one suspects.
Thank yous were effusive, the Delirious daughters appeared on stage a couple of times for energetic dance workouts and all the families came on at the end of the final encore, a heartfelt My Soul Sings ("this is what we do when we run out of words" said Martin).
Video clips reminded us of the band's history, and on screen goodbyes came from each band member. Martin's reminded the audience "it's over to you now" backing up his words from the stage: "it's always been about you rather than us".
Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life boomed cheerily out from the PA as we filed out.
An end of an era – but what a legacy. The dancers who dance upon injustice have only just begun ...
Russ Bravo
The Atheist's Guide to Christmas: Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road, London
George Luke hears a group of non-believers talk turkey about Christmas ...
Featuring: Richard Dawkins, AC Grayling, David Baddiel & Derren Brown.
Host: Ariane Sherine.
The follow-up to the headline-grabbing ‘Atheist bus’ adverts of earlier this year is a book taking an often humorous look at what Christmas means to people who don’t share Christians’ belief in Christ, and offering tips on how to celebrate the season in a non-religious way.
Some 42 celebrity sceptics contributed to the book, which was edited by comedy writer Ariane Sherine (the brains behind the ‘Atheist bus’ ad campaign, and host for the evening).
Thanks to a typo on the website I looked at, I turned up at 6.45pm for an event I thought was starting at 7pm – only to find that it actually started at 6.30pm. I arrived in time to hear David Baddiel saying it was impossible to make a film with a truly atheist storyline, as “fiction has a tendency to reclaim the idea of God” – a point he was to make repeatedly all evening.
I found the evening thought-provoking, occasionally amusing, and tragic in places. It was interesting how even in a roomful of people generally disposed to believing that faith is irrational, there were still some who were willing to admit that there were some mysteries cold rational thinking could not sufficiently explain.
At the same time, some of the contributions made me wonder whether religion (Christianity in my case) wasn’t partly to blame for people’s unbelief. Take Derren Brown, for example, who said he had been a Christian for many years, but had packed it in because he’d found himself unable to defend his faith intellectually as he had wanted to.
I was less impressed by Richard Dawkins’ feigned shock that Jesus was tortured and killed because Adam had “gone scrumping”. Yes, he was being funny (in a PG Wodehouse style), but the way in which he’d completely missed the point of atonement and original sin was just laughable.
Ultimately, you couldn’t help but detect an air of smugness about the whole thing; a smugness aptly summed up by David Baddiel, who said more than once that people who professed a faith were “all wrong” – even his close friend and comedy partner Frank Skinner.
Richard Dawkins was right about one thing, though: Jesus taking the punishment for sins he hadn’t committed himself “just doesn’t add up.” But then, when did grace and unconditional love ever “add up”?
Happy Christmas – whoever you believe in (or don’t) …
George Luke
Want to comment on this review? Send your thoughts in to editor@inspiremagazine.org.uk
Any Minute: A Novel by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford (Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 978 0340 964736)
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will" (NIV Romans 12:2).
This verse is a great biblical summary of Any Minute, the latest from leading Bible teacher and New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer, written with friend and author Deborah Bedford. It's a book that is eager to evangelise, grab the shoulders of the reader and shake them up to the truth of God’s everlasting joy and mercy.
The story's main character, Sarah Harper, is driven by her need to succeed at any cost. Her ability to climb the corporate ladder, be adored and relied upon by her boss and have the finances to send her children to the best schools in the best neighbourhoods brings her a sense of success and achievement.
However, tortured and tainted by her past and her incompetence in the present, she fails to satisfy her family’s emotional needs – and her salary is no substitute. That is, until one fateful car accident. This transforms her entire view of life -past, present and future. Self-centred Sarah is never the same again.
I found the story particularly enjoyable and inspiring because I was encouraged to think hard about the parts of my life I still retain control over. Does God own you completely? You realise that God provides more than we can think or ask from Him and He is ready to work in us once we offer ourselves to Him.
Intelligently written with a mix of humour and deep spirituality, Any Minute is for everyone from enthusiastic followers of Christ to backsliders who yearn to be on fire for God. This potent read can speak to the heart of anyone.
Shari Mitchell is from Trinidad and a second year student at the University of Reading, studying International Relations and Economics
The Cool of the Day: Poems by S.C. Fordham
This is poet Sarah Fordham's second book, following the publication of Psalm Readings in 2005, a book which has helped many explore both 16 psalms from the Bible and develop their own creative writing.
As a writer keen to bring the arts into the life and experience of the Church, her latest collection incorporates poems from the last 10 years or so, and many reflect both her own grappling with the big themes of the Christian story and a yearning for what is yet to come.
Some include a Bible reference at the end to see either where inspiration has come from, or where to go in God's Word to explore things further. Many are conscious of the tension for many believers between the 'now' and the 'not yet' - that reaching out sometimes from a place of frustration because we glimpse how things should be in God's kingdom, but are only too aware of our own frailties and failings. We see through a glass, darkly.
I found the three poems titled Psalm 23 Trilogy particularly helpful and moving. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want want want ..." God provides all that we need, yet we so often look in the wrong places for our needs to be met. The final poem takes a Psalm Reading approach, prompting a response to each line and giving truths to meditate on and savour.
This collection mixes fragile and delicate lyricism with deep spirituality – highly recommended for fans of thoughtful poetry and followers of Jesus. A potent and exciting mix.
More at www.scfordham.com and www.psalmreadings.com
The Cool of the Day is available at £7.50 (inc p+p) from Amazon
GAMES – PopCap's Zuma, Peggle and Bookwork Adventures; iGame
PopCap games: Peggle, Zuma, Bookworm Adventures (£9.95 or less)
Finding fun computer games that will keep the kids amused but are also age appropriate can be a challenge. Thankfully, some of the fun titles produced by PopCap are a safe bet.
Their most popular game, Bejewelled, has sold 25 million copies and is wildly popular online.
We tested out Peggle and Zuma (left) – two colourful games that combine colourful graphics with the need for quick fingers, multiple levels of gameplay and the kind of games you can dip into for a quick five minutes or a longer session.
Essentially, these are wacky shoot 'em up games with a more than passing resemblance to pinball. In Zuma the setting is the jungle, and you fire balls from a stone frog to match up three colours or more, while in Peggle you get power-ups and bonuses to increase your score.
You can try these out in limited mode online at www.popcap.com or buy the games from PC shops and popular retailers at £9.95 or less. They're also available on a wide range of other platforms for mobile phones and iPhones.
Bookworm Adventures is a more educational game suitable for ages 7+, where players help Lex the Bookworm travel through a collection of storybooks on a valiant quest that tests word power and spelling.
Some games will run on PC and Mac – check requirements to see if your computer will play them.
iGame Family (Elonex, for use with iPod/iPhone, £79)
The growth in popularity of the iPhone and iPod touch has prompted some creativity from games companies and techie accessory businesses, and the Elonex iGame games centre and iPod dock is a good example.
It combines a Wii-like set-up where you can play six fun games ranging from tennis and bowling to table tennis and trampolining, by means of a motion-sensitive controller. And you can also pop your iPod in and route your music and videos through your TV.
The games are simple and fun, although another controller would have been handy, and it's relatively easy to set up. The iPod dock is useful, although the quality you get via your TV will depend very much on the model of TV you have.
There's talk that iGame may be providing new games for download via their website, and there may be an add-on allowing you play games already on your iPod via the TV screen.
Worth a look as a fun family games accessory – provided you have an iPhone/iPod you can use it with.
Russ Bravo
