“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Stretching myself featuring two Country Music songs, but this one and last week’s by Luke Grimesare exceptional.
Father, you know Luke inside and out. You’ve blessed him in his grief, in his journey, with so many talents. May he remember who’s at the source of his life. Please, continue to bless him in ways he’s never expected and to always know what we all must learn: Apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
This series is one of my favorites because, again, of great casting. Kaitlin Olson plays Morgan Gillory, this brilliant, quirky, empath, with an occasional quick trigger on her anger, and the single mother of three children, the oldest a teen girl whose father has been missing since she was a baby. Her wardrobe and makeup (which she pulls off in spades) is as eccentric as her incredible abilities to “see things that others don’t.”
Accompanying “Morgan’s” unique character are true detectives, who often marvel at their consultant’s shocking insights into people and crimes, and who will only occasionally stretch their lawful limitations to accommodate Morgan’s observations and suggested actions.
The writing surpasses the expectations of the marketing description of this series which, granted, is a difficult one to capture. Each episode brings meaningful looks into the compelling characters involved in this series with each actor making them come alive to the viewer.
High Potential will return for a third season but not until 2027. That’s a long time to wait since it ended with a critical cliffhanger.
This series has replaced most of my past favorites. Perfect casting mixed with premium writing and fascinating storylines, few TV shows have offered these three criteria in their first season.
Having never watched an episode of Yellowstone, I came into this viewing “cold” with no previous history of Kayce Dutton or the Dutton clan. I think that gives me an ability to objectively evaluate the series without inferences from being a spin-off.
One of the specific impressive qualities of this series is the cast. Granted, Luke Grimes came into it with a familiar character he’d been creating, but for an “outsider” viewing this character for the first time, Luke’s portrayal is gut-wrenching, stoic, and exceptionally appealing at an emotional heartfelt level. Each member of this cast is developed slowly from the first episode, filling in blanks that those new to Kayce can figure out along the way with eventual flashbacks. With occasional awkward tensions and resentments working out with suitable reformations along the way, the viewer gets to engage in and watch a wonderful group of actors embracing roles they were made to play.
“Now I am going to Him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. . . . “
Chris Walker, former Navy SEAL and CIA ground branch operative, finds himself in a philosopher’s nightmare. A cerebral character with a minimalist existence in the Pacific Northwest near the ocean, his only companion is his military dog Paladin. During a raging thunderstorm with his dog shut outside of his ancient camper and barking furiously, Chris contemplates the very worst of ideas until his cell phone interrupts his hesitation.
That phone call is the only possible deterrent to his tortured plan and results in what he hopes will allow him to fulfill a promise made a long time ago in Afghanistan. Making one stop first, he and Paladin are on their way to New Orleans of all places.
Arriving at the home of his SEAL Team best friend’s widow, he finds he needs to figure out what she’s presented to him. It’s full of potential danger and massive corruption at many levels, but its purpose is critical. He agrees to help her and she supplies him with a deeply coded notebook. His best friend’s and his wife’s son (Connor) is dead because of the information gathered in that notebook, and the given reason for his death is falsified.
Sadly, New Orleans has had the much-deserved reputation for corruption since its existence and this story takes it to the limit. Led by the corrupt narcissist Lieutenant Bates and his select accomplices in the NOPD and in other law enforcement positions, there’s a drug collaboration circulating new variations of killer drugs with well-hidden connections making all of them boatloads of money.
There’s only one person who might have some insight into Connor, his tattoo-artist girlfriend (Belle) who lives with her grandmother (Gloria). When tragedy again strikes, Belle and Chris are left to figure out what – and who – exactly is responsible for the elimination of this family.
Chris does his best to keep Belle uninvolved, but she’s tough and determined to see this through, and, surprisingly, Gloria is just as eager to help.
The irony of Chris’s extreme vigilantism, considering his contemplations before he got that phone call, isn’t lost on the reader. He’s executing the “fourth option” once he learns most of what’s going on. Without his intervention, Belle’s and Gloria’s assistance, and one doubtful FBI agent, the keen efforts of a corrupted multi-institutional organization would’ve continued untouched.
It’s an intricate (as are all of Jack’s stories) storyline with detailed accounts of actions and weaponry, innumerable intense thriller moments, a terrific dog, and a satisfying conclusion. Jack is a terrific writer, and it always shows that he has experienced much of what he writes about.
I personally want to thank the authors for their Pacific Northwest references and especially the shout-out to the Seahawks! (I’m a die-hard Seahawks fan since their inception, and I assume those references might be a part of M. P. Woodward’s collaboration.)
(Plenty of profanity present.)
Father, you know all of our hearts and minds. Apart from you, we can do nothing. I ask that you would bless Jack and M. P. with many more stories you have just for them to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
