"The Words of Jesus remain a soft dream that falls night by night, until the soul is ignited with courage. Our hearts, that did not sing until now, are filled with hope that did not yet dare to dream of freedom from poverty and oppression."
- RICKIE LEE JONES, singer/songwriter

In his modern presentation of the words and teachings of the teacher from Nazareth, Lee Cantelon departs from the traditional layout of the four gospels, offering Jesus' words according to subject, inviting the reader, whether for the first time, or as one already familiar with the message, to encounter their meaning with immediacy and freshness. What is said about prayer, the pursuit of God, human relations, the heavenly kingdom, and practical applications of faith and practicing the presence of God, is rediscovered in a way that is quietly revolutionary.

complete text online



In September of 2006, a rap project emerged based on The Words. Wordz from the Street began with Layzie Bone, of Bone Thugs N-Harmony recording the first track, "Blessed Are You" from the "The Blessings" chapter. Many more artists were drawn to the project.
READ MORE ABOUT WORDZ FROM THE STREET

"Blessed are the ones who read the words and follow them.
 It's all about perfect timing...it's about the blessings."
 - LAYZIE BONE, BONE THUGS N-HARMONY

video: Layzie Bone during the first session, on You Tube!
Layzie Bone reading "The Blessings from The Words at the session that was the beginning of the Wordz from the Street project. Wordz from the Street was born on this night in 2006. More than 20,000 hits so far.


Michael Beckwith on The Words and Wordz from the Street
"This Words project is powerful...for a number of reasons. One of them is that Jesus has been in prison in churches for so long. and that many churches have a story about Jesus, but aren't necessarily telling the story about Jesus' teachings. So many of them, not all, but many of them have lost their "savor." because they keep talking about the historic Jesus, but they don't bring down to earth the teachings, and what would happen to your life -- what would happen to the planet, what would happen to our world if we really practiced these teachings. The Wordz from the Street project is an equally important one...powerful, going into people and seeing how these words of Jesus, an emanation of the Word of God, impact their lives and affect their lives. Because more often than not, we're speaking about "the teacher" which is beautiful, but we're not necessarily practicing the teaching, which is necessary. On these tracks we're listening to these individuals, that are expressing the creativity and the connectivity that comes directly from the word of God ---  and we're all here to do that."

- Rev. Michael Beckwith



 

 



 

 


"The Words, is a book outlining Jesus' teachings — and distinguishing those teachings from what Cantelon views as the dogmatic interpretations that have evolved in organized religion."
– Elysa Gardner, USA Today

“This is the area we need to hold to our hearts--those who think that Christ is somehow a complacent and hypocritical deity for a society which has the same faults. Christ is always rebellion--no-one and no-thing can hold Him.”
- David Tibet, Current 93

about the words
introduction to the project

The message of Christ comes alive In this modern translation, resplen-dent with answers to the most pressing spiritual questions in a post-Christian world."
- Herbert Ros

reviews & comments
press and quotes about The Words




new: the credo edition
Graphic artist Mark Arnold unveils a bold design in a new edition of The Words published by Credo House Publishers. Click here to find out how you can get a copy, or numerous copies of this limited edition.


Rickie Lee Jones
the sermon on exposition blvd. Rickie Lee Jones has written thirteen songs based on The Words. The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard has gone on to become "the best reviewed album of 2007" (Borders) Discover the story behind this incredible album, and the reason why Mojo and Uncut magazine gave it their highest praise, calling it "the best album Rickie Lee Jones has released in two decades."

"Consulting theologians and Bible scholars during the 1990s, photographer, writer, graphic artist, Lee Cantelon assembled a small book presenting the words of Jesus Christ (just Jesus' words, not the stuff surrounding them) in a fitting translation called The Words. He did it for the purpose of presenting those words to people who were not "religious" — people who were put off by organized religion or even offended by it. In 2005, using artist Marc Chiat's studio (on Exposition Boulevard) as the recording space, he invited a number of musicians to begin assembling backing tracks for a spoken word rendition of his book (Mike Watt was just one participant, reading "The Harvest" over the music). Rickie Lee Jones was invited to participate in the summer of 2006..." (read more) - THOM JUREK