Top Ten of Twenty-Ten

I love the beginning of Christmas break for several reasons, yet one of them, in my nerdiness, is putting down into cyber-writing my top 10 albums of 2010, whether you care or not. This year, the list was mighty hard to compile with so many great albums coming out and I even have to include some honorable mentions that didn't quite make the cut:

Honorable mentions: Beach House - Teen Dream, Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone, The New Pornographers - Together

10. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Notable songs include Dance Yrself Clean, Home, and I Can Change. And watch the video for Pow Pow, rather fascinating to say the least. James Murphy ends his solo career (if he is?) with a fantastic, artsy bang.

9. She & Him - Volume Two
Notable songs include Thieves, Lingering Still, and Over it Over Again. M. Ward creates even richer, lusher musical sounds than those on Volume One to highlight Zooey Deschanel's enchanting vocals.

8. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Notable songs include Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), We Used to Wait, Empty Room, and City With No Children. Regine and Win deliver another KO punch with this 16-song gem criticizing life in the suburbs.

7. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Notable songs include Boxer, The Spirit of Jazz, and Bring it On. Americana lyric-writing at some of its finest backed by Brian Fallon's amazing guitar tones.

6. Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away
Notable songs include Change of Time, Southern Pacifica, Folk Bloodbath, and Orbital. And watch the video for The Curse; gorgeous beyond belief. JR continues to write the most amazing love songs out there through the medium of historical folk narratives.

5. Over the Rhine - The Long Surrender
**So this album technically comes out next year, but I've already received my physical copy, so I'm counting it; suck it up.
Notable songs include The Laugh of Recognition, Only God Can Save Us Now, and All My Favorite People. Teaming up with producer Joe Henry and welcoming Lucinda Williams on Undamned further enhanced the musical versatility and abilities of Karin and Linford.

4. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Notable songs include Roll Away Your Stone, Awake My Soul, and After the Storm. Wonderful Biblical references within their lyrics abound, and I even recommended this album to the worship pastor for my church.

3. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt , Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird
Notable songs include The Drying of the Lawns, King of Spain, and Like the Wheel. Swede Kristian Matsson allows simple guitar arrangements to highlight the incredible versatility of his voice (easily his best 'instrument') and beautiful lyrics tapping the deepest of human emotions.

2. Javiera Mena - Mena
Notable songs include Hasta La Verdad, Luz de Piedra de Luna, and Sufrir. Taking four years to release her sophomore album, Chilean Javiera Mena perfects layer after layer of electrical goodness on each of her canciones. The album that, along with Tom Waits' Blood Money, defined my fall.

1. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
Notable songs include Compliments, Laredo, Older, and Dilly. The album that single-handedly defined my summer and erased the 'overrated' picture I had of BoH. These boys know how to play nearly perfect, gritty, folky rock 'n' roll.

Just enough dark to see, how you're the light over me

Being done with finals signifies...kickin' back and doing nothing for a few days before heading back home!!

Between switching out loads of laundry, I rewatched "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" and was, yet again, amazed by this amazing movie.

It's an epically long 160 minutes and moves along really slow. Long scenes and the slow, precise manner of speaking of Jesse James (Brad Pitt) contributes to this. But, as one review put it, the movie "is a throwback to another time when films were allowed to be unhurried, when audiences trusted multiple story lines to converge organically, and time and place were evoked with consummate craft. The old is new again, and it has never looked so breathtaking."

It's the attention to detail that not only so elegantly crafts the movie, but crafts the character of Jesse James. More than anything else, we see an outlaw driven by insomnia and paranoia as the bounty on his head gains appeal for those in his gang. Paranoia, as it usually works, drives more people away than it attracts. We see the effects of this in Robert Ford, played so marvelously by Casey Affleck, as his childhood dreams of emulating Jesse James come crashing to the floor upon meeting him. Additionally, Robert Ford has grown up coating a desire to be Jesse James with attempts to be like Jesse James.

Ultimately, this is a slow-moving movie that climaxes in a tremendous ending, showing how Robert Ford fails to get the attention and fame he desires and loses a friend in Jesse after offing him. But every time I watch this movie, my favorite acting performance changes. The first time through, I loved Affleck's portrayal of Bob Ford, but this time I was mesmerized by Sam Rockwell's performance as Charley Ford, Bob's older brother. Additionally, I noticed the guest appearance of Zooey Deschanel as the singer Dorothy Evans who is Bob's sole friend after the assasination of Jesse. Though not a Weeds fan myself, MLP also appears in this movie, as Jesse's wife. But, seriously, watch this movie. It's tremendous from start to finish.

Still Beating

"You're not the fastest draw in town now
How many times have you been shot down now?
Seems like everybody else could see the things you never did
But if you could yourself you'd probably never have
made it through the things you did
with your heart still beating" -Still Beating, Jo$h Ritter

When I grow up, I want to be just like Josh Ritter. Seriously, he's hilarious and oh so good. Examples....

1) how could you pass up this opportunity?? A valentine's day brawl! who knows what that will even entail.
2) I want this shirt real bad. you should too.
3) Best music video of the year? His album's in my top 10, perhaps top 5 for sure.
4) He gave up neuroscience or something similar to get a degree in historic folklore as told through narrative songwriting or something obscure like that.
5) He's effectively distracting me from studying. :-)

Conclusion: Josh Ritter, you are one classy dude.

When you first took my hand on a cold Christmas eve

you promised me broadway was waiting for me...

This blog will, simply put, be a brain dumping of the theology threads weaving through my brain recently and giving me gut punch after gut punch of challenges as to how I live my life. I hope, if you read this, that some of it is coherent and it might challenge and bless you as it has me. Most of this comes from two sermons (one, two) by C. J. Mahaney offering reflections on Jude and you should check them out. I proceed by presenting the two passages gnawing on my heart like amyloid plaques on organs:

"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you." Jude 1,2 (ESV)

"But you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." Jude 20, 21 (ESV)

As C. J. points out, Jude establishes the indicative in verses 1 and 2 that gives backbone and meaning to the imperative in verses 20 and 21. The indicative is that those who are called are kept for Jesus Christ by God. The imperative, then, is the command to keep yourselves in the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. In many ways it seems a bit circular, but ultimately it reveals the calling, drawing action of God, but the responsibility of us to work out our salvation; to keep ourselves in Christ. In other words, while we do not work for our salvation, we work out our salvation.

What gut punches me over and over, though, is the three ways Jude lays out to keep ourselves in Christ: 1) build yourself up in your most holy faith 2) pray in the Holy Spirit and 3) wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. In my walk, I find that I gather the most strength, the most passion in what I have designated point 3. In short form, I am an eschatology junkie. A Christianity without hope in God righting all wrongs and redeeming His children along with the non-human world (which won't burn up, sorry to disappoint you, but the Bible told me so), is not a Christianity worth fighting for. And we fix our eyes on Jesus, whose death and resurrection provides the hope for the future resurrection of believers. I can't wait for, in the words of Mumford & Sons, when there will come a time with no more tears, and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

But this is just one building block of keeping ourselves in Christ. The other two are integral as well. And, oh, how I need to preach the gospel to myself daily (check out this resource for expansion on this idea). And, oh, my prayer life needs a kick-start....almost all the time. So, if making disciples of ourselves and our brothers involves developing habits, developing spiritual disciplines, God (through Mahaney) has gut punched me yet again, yet encouraged me in such a rich way. Where is the encouragement you may ask? In the steady, unwavering love of God. Check out the closing verses:

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Jude 24, 25 (emphasis mine, ESV)

Where could I go but to the Lord?

While feeding my brain with (too much) cell biology, I've been filling my soul with gospel gems. Namely, two of the greatest albums ever made. That you should, by now, own. If not, just follow the links I've so generously provided:

Mavis Staples - You are not alone
Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama - There will be a light

Also, there are parts of various songs on There will be a light that I couldn't help but sing aloud in the supermarket tonight. So, I hope I brightened your day, fellow customers.

The Promise

"At twenty-seven, that is what I'd hoped for, that I'd written something that would continue to fill me with purpose and meaning in the years to come, that would continue to mean something to me and to you. The original "Darkness on the Edge of Town" has done that for me and I hope it's done that for you as well. I owe the choices we made then and that young man their respect." -Bruce, on the songs picked for "Darkness"

Seriously, y'all should go pick up a copy of "The Promise," two CD's jam-packed with songs Bruce Springsteen made, but didn't make the 'cut' for "Darkness." The album's a rare treat on the ears and well worth your money and time.

Memoirs, Biopics, and Leo Tolstoy.

"A doctrinaire known for his "heartless indifference to human contingencies," Chertkov made it his mission to bring Tolstoy's entire life and work into accord with the principles of Tolstoyanism. He became Tolstoy's constant companion, and eventually gained editorial control over all his new writings--including the diaries, which treated the Tolstoy's conjugal life in great detail. Sonya [Tolstoy] never forgave her husband. The Tolstoys began to fight constantly, long into the night. Their shouting and sobbing would make the walls shake. Tolstoy would bellow that he was fleeing to America; Sonya would run screaming into the garden, threatening suicide. According to Tolstoy's secretary, Chertkov was succeeding in his plan: to achieve "the moral destruction of Tolstoy's wife in order to get control of his manuscripts." During this stormy period in his marriage, Tolstoy wrote The Kreutzer Sonata--a novella in which a husband resembling Tolstoy brutally murders a wife resembling Sonya. Anyone investigating foul play in the death of Tolstoy would find much of interest in The Kreutzer Sonata." -Elif Batuman, The Possessed

After reading a string of great memoirs, 'Waiting for Snow in Havana' is so cynical and poorly written that I don't think I'm going to finish it. While I wait for my next read to arrive, I started to think about how much I loved Batuman's gem of a memoir. Two things: I'm actually really upset I missed Batuman at Boston College in October and I'm stoked to relax and watch a movie for the first time in a while. That movie, fittingly, will be the Leo Tolstoy biopic, The Last Station.

Breakthrough!

I'm rotating in the coolest lab ever. The other students are so chill and Dr. Gursky knows her stuff. Quick example of why our lab is awesome: today, the fire alarm went off while I was working with the postdoc in the lab on making SUV's (Small Unilamellar Vesicles). As the safety officer in the lab, the postdoc tried to 'wait it out' so we could get more work done. Alas, we had to evacuate as we were called out by the department chairman.

but...I left at 5:30 perplexed by this terribly written, but crucial part of the paper I present next week. I thought about it the whole way home and for hours after that, rifling through paper after paper on the topic. And then the mathematical breakthrough came at 11:30! This sounds so lame to explain, but let's just say I might have ended up like Sheldon in the ball pit if things didn't click. well, maybe not. also, this is one of the cheesiest fan videos I've ever seen. what are we coming to?

finally, James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) is a lyrical and musical genius. and I love recruiting actors/actresses for music videos. but I don't know how I feel about his new music video. creative, but weird.

Waves of regret, waves of joy

I reached out for the one I tried to destroy.
You, you said you'd wait till the end of the world.
-U2, Until the End of the World

I think I might agree with Spin Magazine on their number one choice. But just like I forgot how amazing this song by U2 is (especially when viewed through the lens of Judas), I forgot how much this book helped me this summer. And continues to. Two quotes for you, the first for background:

"I firmly believe that the Land Between--that space where we feel lost or lonely or deeply hurt--is fertile ground for our spiritual transformation and for God's grace to be revealed in magnificent ways." -Jeff Manion

"The climate of the Land Between can be so harsh that neutrality is not an option. The conditions have a way of either drawing us toward God or driving us away from him. While the desert is the ideal climate for transformational growth, it is also the place where faith can shrivel and die. Refuse to cave in to a pattern of complaint. A spirit of complaint is lethal to the trust that God intends to grow. As you journey through the Land Between, remember that God desires your trust more than anything else. The question he will ask repeatedly is the same question he asked Abraham, Joseph, and Moses: Will you trust me? In the barren landscape of wilderness God desires to forge a relationship of trust.
Remember that God cares deeply for you. Remember that nothing can separate you from his love. He sees, he knows, and he is concerned. In your weary fatigue, pour out your heart to him. His shoulders are strong enough to bear your confusion and frustration. Turn toward God and speak candidly about your pain and disappointment. He really wants to hear from you and can absorb whatever it is you have to say. But turn to him in trust and hope, believing that he is there, that he is wise, and that he is at work. Trust that God will provide. In your season of shortage, open your hands to receive his blessing and provision. He loves to provide. It is a reflection of his generous giving heart." -Jeff Manion

So Long, Study Guilt

This morning marks the first Saturday in the past three or so that I have not woken with 'study guilt.' With graduate school midterms out of the way (for better or for worse), the pressing burden of having to study literally all day has fled and the result is a most joyous exuberance.

In the realm of the blogosphere, my presence has not graced it for over a month. And my presence here now will be brief, only tossing a few gems your way.

First, I had been reading The Jesus Storybook Bible as my nightly devotion reading for the past couple months and I finished it! As I plugged it when I first started reading it, I recommend it even more highly here! Sally Lloyd-Jones does an outstanding job of showing how the entire Bible points to Jesus. So if you have kids, if you work with kids, or if you just want to be refreshed by hearing Bible Stories at a child's level again, please pick up your own copy.

Second, since I tweeted this amongst exams, I reiterate it here. Here are four albums you absolutely have to pick up and are my front runners for the best albums of this year:

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
Javiera Mena - Mena
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

You are not alone

I'm with you.
I'm lonely too.

Instead of reading (more) biophysics, I just wanted to say that the album 'You Are Not Alone' by Mavis Staples (and produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy) has been an extreme breath of much-needed fresh air this past week. The whole album is amazing, but here are a few highlights and reasons you should pick it up:

1) Gospel records are so amazing. Not only do you get the wonderful Gospel vocals of Mavis Staples overlaying bluesy guitar, but you get lyrics with a heavy emphasis on a heaven-bound existence, lost in most thought and music today.

2) Mavis Staples' versatile vocals. Even in her 70's, this Gospel legend still has the pipes. Check out 'Last Train' and 'We're Gonna Make It.'

3) The variety of songs. From the comforting, bluesy 'You are not alone' to the Gospel hoe-down 'Creep Along Moses,' to the whimsical, crisp 'In Christ there is no East or West,' this album's fantastic.

4) The way the lyrics speak to you. 'You are not alone' is perfect for when you're feeling down or lonely. 'Wrote a song for everyone' is a smack in the face for when you go through the motions to avoid one real hard confrontation or conversation. And the list goes on.

So go out and buy it. And you won't regret it; I promise.

Nick Cave's Western

I don't know if I've ever blogged about a movie before. But I also don't know many movies I've been affected by as much as 'The Proposition.'

I don't watch too many Westerns, a genre that is perhaps overshadowed nowadays. But the 'Proposition' weaved in-and-out of the Western genre, occasionally following and other times breaking traditional genre norms. In the end, I think Nick Cave's screenplay was even better than the music he wrote for the film.

The premise of the film, as outlined in the trailer is that outlaws Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his brother, Mikey, have been caught by Captain Mo Stanley (Ray Winstone). The entire Burns gang is wanted for the slaughtering of the Hopkins family. But the Burns brother still at large, Arthur Burns, is the ringleader and orchestrator of the slaughtering. Captain Stanley makes a gamble and offers Charlie and Mikey freedom if Charlie tracks down and kills Arthur.

Here are the parts that I think that made this Western unique that I can't stop thinking about:
1) The lack of dialogue leaves most of the events open to subjective interpretation. The amazing cinematography also contributes to this.
2) Captain Stanley makes his deal with Charlie, knowing that the whole town wants all of the Burns' dead. Consequently, when his wife, a dear friend of Eliza Hopkins, and the villagers discover his plot and opt to flog (the young kid) Mikey instead, Stanley is left in desperation mode, having briefly lost everything. The flogging scene is real hard to handle, but ultimately shows how the town has turned into animals just as bad as Arthur (who is even called a dog).
3) Stanley's tragic wife, Martha, played by Emily Watson. A woman of little dialogue, she is a sad, tragic figure. Dominated by the sadness and fear of what happened to Mrs. Hopkins (she was killed with a child in her belly).
4) Pearce's character Charlie. You never know what he's going to do with his brother when he finds him. He's clearly torn between keeping his family together and ending Arthur's violent rampage, but he never voices any of it.
5) The ending. Phenomenal. But so hard to take. Martha's greatest fears come to a head, Captain Stanley is rendered useless, and Charlie has to make his ultimate decision.

Such a great film. But be warned, it is real hard to handle. It has its violent parts, especially the ending. Also, Guy Pearce looks just like Viggo Mortensen in this movie.

It's temporary, this place I'm in

I permanently won't do this again.

"More muscular than The Avett Brothers or Iron & Wine, less concerned with experimentation than Wilco, and free of the folk prison occupied by Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses...might be the best traditional rock band in America not named My Morning Jacket."
From Paste Magazine's review of Infinite Arms

Get the album folks, it's some of the best rock n' roll in town. And it's only $5 on amazon mp3. Here, to help you out: Laredo & Compliments.

Upwind is the best place...

...to roll and proceed to smoke a joint. especially when you're in a family-oriented park adjacent to an elementary school.

I live in a sweet neighborhood near an elementary school and its adjacent playground (Longwood playground). See here. Having stumbled upon the absolutely amazing Brookline Booksmith earlier today, I brought my freshly purchased used copy of Tobias Wolff's well-respected memoir, This Boy's Life, down to the playground to read. But when you read a memoir you fall into the blissful mindset that all of life can be put into humorous, nearly factual writing. So you start people-watching and it can be a rather joyous or peculiar thing.

So on the joyous side of things, a father brought his little girl down to the park with a new, training-wheels free bike. The young girl, at first, could barely pedal with one foot before quickly putting down both feet so as not to fall over. By the time I left, she was riding confidently for long strips on the quarter-mile perimeter of the park.

Speaking of leaving, some young teens decided to choose a bench slightly uphill and upwind of the entire park and...light up. Failing, perhaps, in their drug-addled mind to realize that the odors will drift for a ways. Preferring reading in my room to reading to the odors of marijuana, I packed up and headed home. But walking through the playground towards my home, I felt bad for all the young children playing with their parents, because the odor was so strong. Teenagers can be so dumb.

Sharpe's Zeroes

If you don't already, I implore you to listen to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes. I just recently delved into their album 'Up From Above' and have simply been blown away. They remind me of what the Psalters would have been like if they were good. Or, boasting 11 members, they remind me of an orchestral folk version of The Arcade Fire. Alex Ebert has the perfect, rugged vocals that make it work. But many of the songs are made even better by the complement of Jade Castrinos' chalky vocals.

Such as here, on this performance of 'Home' on Letterman.

I absolutely love the part that rings a chord of the old Johnny & June Cash tunes, when the song allows for a brief dialogue. What fantastic lyrics (A = Alex and J = Jade):

A: Jade
J: Alexander
A: Do you remember that day you fell out of my window?
J: I sure do, you came jumping out after me.
A: Well, you fell on the concrete, nearly broke your [tookus], you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed you out to the hospital, you remember that?
J: Yes I do.
A: Well, there's something I never told you about that night.
J: What didn't you tell me?
A: While you were sitting in the backseat smoking a cigarette you thought was going to be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you, and I never told you until just now.

Something so beautiful and 'old-fashioned' you can easily picture it. Nicely done, Ebert & Co.

Why John Iriving is one of my two favorite living authors

I just finished Irving's most recent, Last Night in Twisted River, and, while the whole novel was engrossing, the ending was utterly fantastic. Having read his classics Cider House Rules (twice, in fact), The World According to Garp, and A Prayer for Owen Meany, and the non-classic Until I Find You, I was comfortable calling myself a major Irving afficionado. Until I realized many critics and readers alike believe he has written four classics, with the fourth being A Widow For One Year. So I'm now reading that, but I just love how it starts, especially the second paragraph. So, here you go (since you asked):

One night when she was four and sleeping in the bottom bunk of her bunk bed, Ruth Cole woke to the sound of lovemaking--it was coming from her parents' bedroom. It was a totally unfamiliar sound to her. Ruth had recently been ill with a stomach flu; when she first heard her mother making love, Ruth thought that her mother was throwing up.

It was not as simple a matter as her parents having separate bedrooms; that summer they had separate houses, although Ruth never saw the other house. Her parents spent alternate nights in the family house with Ruth; there was a rental house nearby, where Ruth's mother or father stayed when they weren't staying with Ruth. It was one of those ridiculous arrangements that couples make when they are separating, but before they are divorced--when they still imagine that children and property can be shared with more magnanimity than recrimination.

My First Time Music-Festivalling

As an avid fan of music and concerts, I typically avoid festivals as the price is always too high to justify it. I usually even avoid single-day passes as the artists I love are typically smattered over the course of the festival. All that changed this past Sunday when A) I went to a music festival. namely, lollapalooza and B) there were enough bands I loved playing in one day for me to justify spending $90. My friend and I chose to use our gaps to get 'good' (relative to a festival) spots rather than dash from band to band. But here's the recap from the four bands upon which we feasted our eyes.

First up, was the amazing (and local) Company of Thieves. Genevieve (the lead singer) has such a mesmerizing voice; quite whimsical at times and smokily angry at others. In addition, she has a fantastic 'rocker' persona on stage that made the entire set a delight. Highlights included hearing many of their brilliant new songs and rocking out to 'Under the Umbrella.'

After a quick food break, we headed over and waited for about a half hour for Mumford & Sons. This was one of the most enjoyable shows of the day as the four-piece band from London had such joy in playing. Highlights include chanting 'Love it will not betray you dismay or enslave you, it will set you free' from Sigh No More with the crowd, the horns on a new song and Thistle & Weeds, and calling the set-closer to be 'Dust Bowl Dance' along with so many others.

We stood through the end of Yeasayer's set plus an hour before we then saw MGMT. While the band themselves were awesome, the crowd was full of absolute jerks. Let's suffice it to say you could barely breathe, let alone move and spent roughly a third of the show passing off body-surfers. Highlights include opening with a brilliant version of Pieces of What and the dance hits that got the crowd rocking; namely, Kids, Time to Pretend, and Electric Feel.Finally, in a tough (*cough cough) choice between Soundgarden and the Arcade Fire, my friend and I saw the Arcade Fire. Almost needless to say, if you haven't seen this band life, you desperately need to. There was eight of 'em onstage, absolutely rocking out and not losing the crowd for a minute. Highlights included absolutely losing it (dancing) on Sprawl II, a most delicious rockin' rendition of Haiti, and Crown of Love with a special dedication to the National.

A Simple Twist of Fate; or, a BIG life update.

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell.
-Bob Dylan, Tangled Up in Blue

Dear friends, family, and other loved ones, I am writing this to inform you that in a few weeks I am headed East. However, due to a most unforeseen twist of fate, I am headed both farther East and farther North than previously presumed. I am returning to the place where I spent my formulative years (a.k.a. middle school). That place where the ocean sprays fresh on your face. That place where clam chowder is the thing to do. And, of course, that place where the Red Sox are all the rage.

Perhaps if I were a writer, I would have seen the foreshadowing on the night of Wednesday, July 28. Reading John Irving's latest, Last Night in Twisted River, I left the two main characters (a cook and his son) headed towards Boston. Having accidentally mistaken his father's lover for a grizzly bear and killing her with an eight-inch skillet, the 12-year old Danny, accompanied by his father flee the logging town in which they live in Coos County, New Hampshire. I closed the book that night with the two heading towards Boston, to track down the mother of another recently deceased logger.

Earlier this semester, I applied to four graduate schools for biophysics. I never heard back from Boston University (BU). This past Thursday, I received a call notifying me that my application had been lost and just recently found. The professor who called me asked if I would still like the admissions committee to review my application and (of course) I said yes.

The rest is melodramatic history worthy of an Almodovar film (ok, perhaps not), but in the end I have been generously offered a position as a graduate student, taking classes and doing research to one day receive a PhD. And the research at BUMC (The Medical School of BU, of which I will be a part, is quite fascinating). After much thinking and praying, I accepted this offer and am rather excited about this stage in my life. I realize that this path will be drastically different from the immediate path seminary would have laid out for me. The decision was hard, but for a smorgasbord of reasons, I ended up choosing BU. I am quite excited about this path and can always attend seminary later in life.

So in the next couple weeks I will be visiting BUMC and working on finding housing (any leads would be sweet!). And in the words of Tobias, Let the great experiment begin! Though admittedly, attending BU is quite different from having an open marriage...

Summer Tuneskis

With The Arcade Fire's Suburbs coming out tomorrow, I will be adding another fantastic album to my summer listening list. But here's some of the music that's defined my summer thus far in ascending order of importance:

Ray LaMontagne. All three of his albums. But some of the tunes off Gossip in the Grain, such as A Falling Through and I Still Care for You have helped me through quite a few rough patches.

Stars. One of those not-necessarily-exceptional bands that when listened to at just the right time hit the spot. A super melodramatic band. Their new album, The Five Ghosts, is no Set Yourself on Fire or In Our Bedroom After the War, but it is still a solid record.

MGMT. As a fan of more 'obscure' electronic music (i.e. Goldfrapp, Fever Ray, and LCD Soundsystem to name a few), I was very late in hopping on this bandwagon. But it was well worth it. For a dance record, get Oracular Spectacular. For a musically diverse and rich album, get Congratulations.

Mumford & Sons. An absolutely phenomenal debut album. In the running for best album of the year. Incredible banjo/folk music to accompany top-notch lyrics. Little Lion Man is the perfect song to listen to while pissed, while the incredible Christian eschatological hope offered in After the Storm has comforted me like nothing else.

The Gaslight Anthem. Just see my previous blog post. Such a talented band.

Rendering comprehensible different kinds of unhappiness

While it's true that, as Tolstoy observed, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, and everyone on planet Earth, vale of tears that it is, is certainly entitled to the specificity of his or her suffering, one nonetheless likes to think that literature has the power to render comprehensible different kinds of unhappiness. If it can't do that, what's it good for?
-Elif Batuman, The Possessed

Redemption and the Memoir

To claim that my experience reading memoirs is vast, would be a gross overstatement. The memoirs I've read include the loosely Christian, more 'spiritual' memoirs of Don Miller and Anne Lamott. These memoirs seem to unpack a spirituality found through cool encounters or experiences of the heart. On the other end of the Christian memoir spectrum, I read Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God. The intrigue in reading this book came in her chronicling her experiences with Judaism and how that played into her eventual conversion. I can proudly claim that I have read the absolute classic Confessions, by Augustine. Finally, I have read a few memoirs chronicling the hard times experienced by children in Africa or the Middle East. These include What is the What, A Long Way Gone, and the graphic novel Persepolis. What is the What merits mentioning as Eggers notably intertwines and connects Valentino Achek Deng's terrible experiences as a "lost boy" during the Sudanese civil war with a burglary of Deng's house in America.

Within this quite limited memoir experience, I have found one memoirist in particular who I thoroughly enjoy reading, namely, Mary Karr. Her books are not as grave as What is the What or Long Way Gone and do not inspire geopolitical change as these two do. Nor are they the 'fluff' received in many Christian memoirs. Instead, they are raw memoirs chronicling her life. In The Liar's Club, Karr explores much of her childhood, including growing up with a mother who was married seven times (three in her lifetime). She explores how experiences such as sexual molestation and her drunk mother attempting to kill her and her sister with a butcher knife deeply affected her as a girl. In fact, she need vast amounts of therapy to overcome much of this. Karr writes with such wit and ingenuity that all of her memoirs are mesmerizing from the first page.

What I love about her third, and most recent, memoir, Lit, is that it is essentially a redemption memoir. With her other memoirs (Liar's Club & Cherry), it's tempting to get so caught up in her troubled life that you're left licking wounds from the terribleness of the various events. Though it is also rewarding to have seen her grow from such events. In Lit, however, the redemptive trajectory of Karr's life is glaringly obvious. This memoir chronicles how Karr became a raging alcoholic, just like her mother, despite her best intentions. Amidst this, Karr had to raise a young child while experiencing difficulties in her marriage. But the best part of Lit is that it chronicles Karr's rescue from this lifestyle. And her rescue ultimately comes through simple, frequent prayers to a God she has much trouble believing in. She finds great strength in the various spiritual exercises of the Catholic Church, witnessing how efficacious they are in her life.

This is a triumph in itself as it shows the disciplines involved in a Christian life defining one's experiences, rather than the inversion of this. It shows how powerful God is in simple prayers. And ultimately it shows redemption that only comes through a transformed life. But Karr's audience is primarily non-Christians. Which is why this memoir is so wonderful. She makes it accessible to those on the outside, who understand little of the Christian faith. I could go on and on, but you should just read it. Here's an excerpt to get you started (Dev's her son by the way):

"One Sunday after church, the kids are playing in the basement corner, and I'm studying the mangled body of Jesus on a small icon when I say to Dev--now age nine--Why the crucifixion?
He's fiddling with the knot in his shoe. What? he says. His interest in what I say is fast diminishing.
Why does redemption have to come through the crucifixion? I mean, why couldn't you play hopscotch or win at solitaire?
He rolls his eyes and picks at the knot.
I'm thinking of my pal Nick Flynn, I say. He has a poem about somebody giving him Mass cards of Jesus with His heart on fire. It ends, My version of hell/is someone ripping open his/shirt & saying,/look what I did for you.
That's funny, Dev says. He puts his shoe up so I can get the knot loose. I'm picking at it when he says, Who'd pay attention to hopscotch?
Whaddya mean? I say.
He says, I mean, the crucifixion is like Pulp Fiction (the film Mother illicitly showed him years before). Nobody would pay any attention to some goofy song that got sung. Or if God just went poof over you. People get baptized all the time. It's a big miracle to was a person's sins away. Nobody pays any attention at all to it.
That's it! I say. It's marketing. God reaches people by giving them the only kind of gory crap they'll pay attention to.
But Dev has slipped off his other dress shoe and run in stocking feet to join his noisy pals in their game. The bull's eye he hits is original sin. We are a hard-to-sell people--so venal and nuts that we'll crowd into the Coliseum, jubilant to see people hacked to death or devoured by beasts. Or we'll sit drooling before comparably horrific TV images. Only a crucifixion is awful enough to compel public imagination."

Granted, God could have redeemed humankind however he wanted. This was His sovereign and glorious (in the resurrection!) choice.

Every story whispers his name

"No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne--everything--to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best thing about this Story is--it's true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue Them.
It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle--the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture."
-From the opening section of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

This Children's Bible is in a league of its own because it aims to show how every story in the Bible points to Jesus. In this way, the Bible teaches children that Christianity is not about what we do, but about what God has done. In speaking about the Bible at chapel this past semester, Sally concluded by quoting Karl Barth, who coined "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Check out the resources on the Bible's website here. Or buy it on amazon. But get it. for you. for your friends. for your kids. for your future kids. for the kids at your church. etc.

Sad Songs

"But before I reached the door I heard whistling. I stopped to listen: it was a slow, melancholy air, simple, repetitive, haunting. Bill Bob was the whistler. I snuck up to listen. There was something odd in the song; after a time I realized that this was the first time I'd heard him in a minor key. It made him seem old; it made me feel sad. And it made me feel good. Because sometimes happy songs will make sad people miserable, because they feel guilty that they aren't happy, on top of the sadness. But a sad song talks to the part that hurts, says, Yeah I know, yeah it's bad, yeah it hurts: but I'm with you. I feel it too." -David James Duncan, The River Why

such a great book. David James Duncan is a brilliant author and creates timeless characters. read it.

That bridge is on fire going back to where I've been

Yes, I promise that a non-music related post is coming soon. In fact, it's in the works. I hit writer's block on a post connecting N. T. Wright, Six Feet Under, Pedro Almodovar, and the World Cup. But the draft has been saved and I will finish! But, for now, I need to briefly yell at y'all and tell you to immediately purchase or obtain a copy of the xx, the debut album by the artist The Xx.

Musically, The Xx is very similar to Beach House as they are both very minimalistic in their sound. I would contest that the basic difference is that Beach House can afford to be instrumentally more tepid as Victoria Legrand's smoky vocals can carry entire songs. On the other hand, the boy-girl duet vocals provided by Romy Madly Croft and Oliver Sim are good, but not exceptional. Consequently, the instrumentation has to be (and is) better.

To save your eyes the trouble, a list of why this band is worth checking out:

1) They are three 20 year-olds from London.

2) Obviously, this is not enough to make good music as even a young insomniac can't make good music (see: owl city). But this band creates incredible music. Simple guitar, fuzzy keyboard, wordless vocals and other effects create an energizing 'instrumental' opening track, called intro. Yes, that is the song from the commercial from the olympics. The bass parts on the closing track, Stars, highlight the vocals quite well. Other songs worth checking out are Islands, Cristalized, Heart Skipped a Beat, and Shelter.

3) The lyrics. Like the musical style, they are quite simple. But brilliant. On Islands, Romy sings of having found her lover and not needing to find more. Oliver's vocals come in, singing: see what I've done // that bridge is on fire // going back to where I've been // I'm froze by desire // no need to leave. The song continues by realizing that this relationship may close too many other doors and ends by leaving the door open to this fear. In many ways, the whole album is about commitment (or the fear thereof). On Cristalised, for example, the lyrics struggle with the ability to be close to someone. From Islands, the album continues to explore this theme before ending with Stars. While Stars is, undeniably, a song about sex on the first date, it concludes the commitment in a relationship is something to be pursued. As the chorus points out, 'cos we can give it time // so much time.

4) Their music videos are visually astounding. Most notably, the choreography and repetition of Islands make the video extremely interesting. And the video works wonderfully with the story being sung.

Here's a link to Amazon mp3 to buy the album. And I do promise, a non-musical post is forthcoming.

And your tattooed knuckles oh, how they grind down

*There are those bands that should have never been created. Then there are those artists that everyone should forget quickly. But there is luckily another side to the proverbial music coin. Just barely crossing the chasm of noise, there are those bands that are good, but never great. But journey with me down the halls of music to something beyond mere subjective opinion. I dare you to enter to halls of musicians, who, whether you like, love, dislike, or loathe them, have gained a widespread reputation that lasts for years. I mean, musicians that, for better or worse, have made a lasting mark on history. Such artists include Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, U2, the Rolling Stones, and, disregarding many more, Bruce Springsteen.

Of course the band I wish to present to you may not make such a lasting mark on history. Time will only tell how far down the magical musical road of greatness this band travels in the minds of the general populace. Objectivity aside for a moment, I contest that the Gaslight Anthem is an absolutely tremendous band. Of the musicians to influence this New Jersey four piece, Bruce Springsteen stands out. Their rock 'n roll carries many Bruce overtones and it is quite evident in their lyrics. The Backseat of The '59 Sound is an obvious nod to Bruce's Backstreets. The lyrics and title to Meet Me by the River's Edge off the same album includes nods to (at least) No Surrender, Bobby Jean, and The River. If that wasn't enough, Bruce has played with The Gaslight Anthem in their songs and they have played with him in his.

But so far all I have done is to encourage Bruce fans to listen to The Gaslight Anthem. For all you others, however, I must state that The Gaslight Anthem is what it means to be rock 'n roll. Driving in the car with the windows down this summer, what you need is great, not just good, rock music. And the Gaslight Anthem delivers. The '59 Sound is where I recommend you start as the album is utterly perfect. While songs such as Great Expectations, The '59 Sound, and Casanova are straight up rock 'n roll songs with incredible lyrics, Film Noir changes the pace a little bit, allowing the listener to vent with this angry song. Slower tunes such as Here's Looking at You Kid and Meet Me by the River's Edge grant the ears a pleasant break and create a superb balance to the album.

The Gaslight Anthem just came out with their newest album, American Slang, this past Tuesday and, if you've been seeing my facebook comments and tweets, you will know that I think it's a pretty freakin' big deal. The most I can do is implore you to get both of these albums and give 'em a listen yourself, but let me make a few comments regarding AS. While the opening track (American Slang) lulls you into a sense that this album will be very similar in style to The '59 Sound, the second track (Stay Lucky) immediately changes your mind as Brian Fallon and the boys pull out a few new tricks. The new tricks continue throughout the album and it sounds drastically different from The '59 Sound. Highlights include the down-and-out songs Bring it On and Boxer as well as the interesting choruses and guitar quips that make The Diamond Church Street Choir come to life.

*All-in-all, I think American Slang is the best album to have come out this year and will be hard to top.

The Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ

Having finished the marvelous After You Believe by my good friend N. T. Wright, I moved into my next summer read, The Kingdom of God, a collection of sermons about just that by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I would highly recommend both books (though I have yet to finish the latter).

Today, in The Kingdom of God, I read the following passage. The Biblical passage that Lloyd Jones discusses (Luke 11:14-20) and perhaps more clearly its counterpart in Mark (Mark 3:22-30) show us that Jesus, in ushering in the kingdom, binds Satan in his first coming. Although though Satan still works in this world, God in Christ has ultimate power over him. Consequently, we long for the final coming of the kingdom of God in full power and the abolishment of all evil. At the same time, we work for the kingdom, seeing how through Jesus' life and death Satan has been bound.

"The kingdom of God comes, and came, with the very presence and power manifested by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There is a wonderful illustration of that in Luke 11:14-20: 'And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelsebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.'
Now that is what I mean. The kingdom of God came when the Son of God was in this world. The kingdom of God is a manifestation of the power of God; a manifestation of the fact that God is superior to the elements of nature, that He is superior also to the devils and to everything that is evil. The kingdom of God is God's reign and when Christ was here on earth, and when He worked His miracles and manifested His marvelous powers, He said: 'This is the kingdom of God.' Not legislation, not one army conquering another, but the manifestation of the power of God. And did you notice what Christ did? He could calm a storm at sea; He could heal the blind, heal the lame, heal the deaf. He could even raise the dead! He was the Master of creation; He was the Master over all the devils, and He said that that was proof positive that the kingdom of God had come." -Lloyd-Jones, 57

No I won't be no runaway 'cuz I won't run.

So I will never enter Professor Harper's basement lab to work on lipid biophysics again. On the plus side, three students are replacing me. Though the most logical explanation for such a phenomenon would be that Professor Harper has greater funding than most years, I chalk it up to the need to replace me with three people. That's how good I was...yeah right. But walking out of the lab on Thursday, I realized that I will miss biophysics work.

Now is where I, in rare form, get sentimental about the parts of college I will miss. I guess I can allow myself this as I pick up maintenance work at Wheaton College tomorrow and start a new mini-chapter in my life before going to Seminary at SBTS in the fall!!

For one, I will miss being a Sunday School small group leader with Sam Haist for three years in Discovery Village at Ada Bible Church!! We have taught many of the same boys for two or three years and yesterday was bittersweet as I said goodbye to several of them. What a blessing and privilege it was to serve God and to serve those families for three years!

I will also miss volunteering at ICCF. For those yearning for enlightenment, ICCF stands for Inner City Christian Federation and is an organization in Grand Rapids helping with mortgage foreclosure prevention and placing families in homes or shelters. I have volunteered this past year, working heavily with the foreclosure prevention counselors. They have been so much fun to work for and I will greatly miss them.

I will miss several wonderful opportunities I have had to engage with my major (physics) at Calvin within the context of helping other students. This includes tutoring, grading, and lab-assisting.

Finally, I am going to miss my friends. Especially my housemates this past year (Micah, Grant, JJ, and Samikins). But also all you others who made Calvin such a wonderful and enjoyable time. I hope to see many of you again! And, of course, I will miss 80's night with the Ridge and other friends. But I know I will go to an 80's night again...sometime when I visit G-Rap.

As this summer dawns on y'all, do yourselves a favor and get one of these epic albums that have recently been released:
Together by the New Pornographers (indie-rock at its finest)
This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem (electronic/dance)
So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter (rock and roll with a lot of words)
High Violet by The National (abnormal, but beautiful vocals overlaying great rock and roll)

Nice Chatting, Eat the Pizza!

Working at John's Christian Stores in high school, I worked a fair number of various in-store events and concerts. Perhaps the highlight of these experiences was when Joy Williams came and I got to be her bodyguard for a little while (It's really not that glamorous; I just stood by her table while she signed autographs). But the crowning moment of the night was when I was on break in the back eating the dinner I had packed for myself, while there was pizza for the band on the table. Joy came back and we struck up a brief conversation, which ended with her asking why I wasn't eating the pizza. After saying it was for her and her crew, she said I was more than welcome to eat the pizza. At the end of the evening, I got her to sign a poster for me on which she wrote "Nice chatting, eat the pizza!"

Well, like most CCM artists, Joy Williams was nothing special musically. So I quickly forgot her. Since my high school days, Joy has left CCM and moved to Nashville, working on various music projects there. Tonight I stumbled upon her latest, a duo she's formed with John Paul White called the Civil Wars. You can check out their uber-hip myspace here. And their music is some of the most beautiful, refreshing music I have heard in a while. Their voices flow together marvelously, creating gems such as Tip of my Tongue. I implore you to do yourself (at least) two favors. One, watch the video for Poison & Wine. Two, download their FREE live album from their myspace. If this whets your musical palette, please support them and download their EP.

They have been compared to The Swell Season, the couple from the movie Once, whose newest album Strict Joy is incredible.

Choppy Seas

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." Revelation 21:1

So I have been thinking quite a bit on this verse, when pondering the continuity between the earth now and how it will be transformed in being made new. In Romans 1:21-22, we see that at Christ's second coming, all of creation will be set free from its bondage! Not destroyed, but set free from its bondage. Likewise, we see in Revelation 21:1 that the first earth will be transformed into the new earth. Evil and pain will be abolished from the earth we live on as it is transformed; made new.

So what about this statement regarding the sea? Thinking back on the stories of Jonah, God parting the sea for the Israelites, and creation, where God's new order emerged from the dark primal sea, we begin to understand what the sea represented for the Jewish people. "The sea came to symbolize...the dark power of evil, threatening to destroy God's good creation, God's people, God's purposes. In books like Daniel, the sea is where the monsters come from" (N. T. Wright, Mark for Everyone, p. 52). Consequently, just as we see Jesus' power of the agents of chaos in His calming of the storm (Mark 4:35-41), we see that God's visible defeat of chaos and evil will occur at the second coming of Christ. Balancing the idea of the "already and the not yet" we see that Christ has already defeated the forces of evil at the cross, but the final, visible nature of this defeat will be inaugurated in his second coming.

But the main reason I wrote what I have is as an introduction to the next passage. Psalm 107 is a community thanksgiving that accompanies the offering of sacrifices for the Israelites. The thanksgiving has many parts, but in verses 23-30, we find the people extolling the Lord from rescuing them from the dangers of the sea. These verses triumphantly proclaim the power of God over the raging sea, but with Scriptures such as those already outlined, they also attest to God's power over the forces of evil; the forces of chaos.

"Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven;
they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
They they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
They they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven."
-Psalm 107:23-30 (ESV)

Christian Character & A Kingdom View

I've been reading Tom Wright's latest, After You Believe and it's fantastic. He unpacks why virtue (properly defined) matters and why, after you believe, Christian character is of utmost importance. Here he talks about ways to view the New Testament:

"Christians, particularly in the Western world, have for a long time been divided between 'epistles people' and 'gospels people.' The 'epistles people' have thought of Christianity primarily in terms of Jesus's death and resurrection 'saving us from our sins.' The 'gospels people' have thought primarily in terms of following Jesus in feeding the hungry, helping the poor, and so on. The 'epistles people' have often found it difficult to give a clear account of what was going on in Jesus's kingdom-announcement and his call to his followers to be 'perfect.' The 'gospel people'--or perhaps we should say the 'beginning-of-the-gospels people' since the line of thought they embrace usually screens out the last few chapters--have often found it difficult to explain why the Jesus who was doing these remarkable things had to die, and die so soon...The either/or split does no justice, in fact, to either the epistles or the gospels. Still less does it do justice to Jesus himself. For him, the kingdom which he inaugurated could be firmly established only through his death and resurrection. Or, to put it the other way around, the main purpose of his death and resurrection was to establish the kingdom he had already begun to inaugurate." (pg. 110-111)

N. T. Wright unpacks this a little...and then (and this is gold):

"Once again, part of the problem is that for many centuries Christians have assumed that virtually the only point in Jesus's death was "to save us from our sins," understood in a variety of more or less helpful ways. But for the gospels themselves, that rescue of individuals (which of course remains a central element) is designed to serve a larger purpose: God's purpose, the purpose of God's kingdom. And in God's kingdom human beings are rescued, are delivered from their sin, in order to take their place (as Jesus already called the disciples to take theirs) not only as receivers of God's forgiveness and new life, but also as agents of it. In other words: rulers and priests." (pg. 112).

Let's be smarter Christians

So I have not actually read any Dallas Willard to date, but I believe it was him in some form or another who implored modern-day evangelicals to be smart. In addition to being a very good person, Jesus was very smart. As such, I implore us Christians to be smarter about our faith.

I recently read this article off NPR, following a link on Al Mohler's twitter: http://ow.ly/1rvS1
Of course there are many things to rile up Christians in this article. If it isn't obvious by now, Brian McLaren is a heretic, the 'New kind of Christianity' he promotes isn't Christianity at all, and I (at least) feel extremely uncomfortable calling him an evangelical. But here's the quote in this article that really got me thinking:

"We also know that — particularly within the evangelical community — the younger you are, the less likely you are to take the Bible literally, to believe that the Bible is the inerrant 'word of God,' as compared to a book of moral precepts."

This quote gets under my skin for two main reasons: it uses the word 'inerrancy' without defining it and makes the statement that you either have to take the Bible literally or not literally at all. The only 'history' this quote takes into account is that of the world either being 6,000 years old or the earth being much older.

In beginning to address both issues, I would argue that the Bible was never meant to be a science textbook. The Bible addresses the What and the Why of Creation, for example, but its overarching goal is not to describe the 'scientific how'. That being said, if Christians must subscribe to a definition of inerrancy that holds the Bible to be a science textbook, count me out. I think we should instead hold to the Bible as inerrant in that its divine inspiration prevents errors (*this is a much longer discussion in and of itself, of course). At the same time, the Bible is most assuredly MORE than a book of 'moral precepts.' It is the divinely inspired Word of God, showing us God working in fallen humanity to bring about redemption through Jesus Christ.

Similarly, in addressing the question of the literal nature of the Bible, we must ask, is the younger generation the first that opposes this scientific, cut and dry literacy of the Bible? Or, at least, are we the first generation that wishes to use the word 'allegorical' alongside 'literal'? The answer, my friends, to my great delight, is no. In fact, it is only post-enlightenment that Christians have come to view the Bible in this cut and dry literal manner. Most pre-enlightenment Christian thinkers held to allegorical interpretations of Scriptures alongside its literal nature. For example, Gregory of Nazianzus, came up with all sorts of allegorical interpretations of Job (some of them admittedly a bit far-fetched), but, yes, held that the story of Job literally occurred. In this way, we see that we have a great heritage of Christian thinkers that, yes, literally believed that God created the world, but, no, did not do it in six literal days. It's allowing for both an allegorical interpretation and multiple levels of fulfillment of prophecy, for example, that allowed reformed thinkers to postulate amillennialism, a view of the end times that is extremely Biblical, but allows for great compassion, anticipation, and action in the hear-and-now.

I could go on for a while, but will simply say: let's not limit our understanding of Christianity to what happens now, what happened in Bible times, and when God created the world. Let's look at how earlier Christian thinkers and theologians approached Christianity and the Bible. And, yes, they did disagree over many theological things. And...science and Christianity are not two opposites. My friends, to deny microevolution, for example, is like chopping off your leg and insisting you can walk. Just as many great Christian thinkers, such as Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton, allowed their scientific discoveries to complement the Bible, let us strive to do the same.

MRI's Always Make Me Fall Asleep

So all week I've been gearing up to write about how good the Watson Twins' new album is. And, it truly is quite good. However, I'm one of those people who likes to listen to an album many times. Agreeing with Amanda Palmer's philosophy of music, to really get to know an artist and his or her music, his or her music needs to be listened to many times. So, after listening to Talking to You, Talking to Me a religious amount, I went back to an album I'd purchased a few weeks back, IRM by Charlotte Gainsbourg. For all you musical indie nerds who like to name drop musical artists like your life depended on it, Beck wrote, played, and produced most of the music on IRM along with Charlotte. Check out their handiwork on Heaven Can Wait. Or this sweet performance of Trick Pony on Letterman (note the dude in the werewolf mask).

Now bear with me as I relate what I was thinking about today to Charlotte. First, I was thinking about the fact that graduate school emphasizes gaining knowledge for the sake of knowledge or (to be a bit more generous) for the sake of mankind. As a Christian, this irritates me excessively, as all is to be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). This led me to question how I partake in entertainment, including listening to music. I should, at least at some level, engage it from a Christian worldview. Second, I was arguing with friends about the limitations of science. It seems that science can (and does) provide a lot of God-glorifying mechanical explanations of the world. However, there is always a limitation science cannot go beyond because of its mechanistic constraints. For example, I can explain how neurons in the brain fire and synapses work, but how can I, by science, explain WHY something makes me excited? Or WHY and WHEN I have impulsive decisions? This conversation is not by any means a closed book, so please chime in.

Then I came across this song by Charlotte Gainsbourg. I read this wonderful review and learned about the near-death experience that brought Charlotte to write (the song, which can be hear here) IRM (which is the French abbreviation for MRI). First, I could more fully appreciate the song as I understood the musical effects created to give the feeling of experiencing an MRI. Second, the lyrics simply swept me away, especially the last four lines. Science, in the form of an MRI and EKG (more info on what that is here) can only map so much of the brain. But what about the trauma that lies in the shadow of our sin? Without further ado, the lyrics to IRM:

Take a picture, what's inside?
Ghost image in my mind
Neural pattern like a spider
Capillary to the centre

Hold still and press the button
Looking through a glass onion
Following the X-ray eye
From the cortex to medulla

Analyze EKG
Can you see a memory?
Register all my fear
On a flowchart disappear

Leave my head demagnetized
Tell me where the trauma lies
In the scan of pathogen
Or the shadow of my sin

*Image taken from here
**Lyrics can be found on Charlotte's website

Breaking Things Down...

Having finished the Challenge of Jesus by N. T. Wright, I decided to read a book by Bruce Ware I had been wanting to read for a while. This particular book is called Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God. The book is written on the conversations Bruce has had with his daughters as they grew up, about the core theology of the Christian faith. So, explanations of core theology meant for children.

No, I am not becoming a parent anytime soon. My reasoning for reading the book is twofold: 1) I teach Sunday School to third graders and 2) I want to know how to explain Christian Theology in simpler terms. Reading the first chapter, however, I felt myself amazingly refreshed. The first section covered God's Word and God's Own Life as God.

It is amazing to reflect on things such as God's transcendence hand-in-hand with his imminence. On God's transcendence: "God is the one who gives to all of creation what it needs, while nothing in all of creation can give to God anything that he supposedly lacks...yes, God is God apart from us, in that he possesses within his own life the fullness of all that is good and perfect" (pg. 25). Talking on Isaiah 40:12, which reads, "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?", Ware talks about how he showed his daughters how little of the ocean he could pick up. But God could hold all the waters in his hand...incredible.

At the same time, God is imminent--He is there for us, providing us with everything we need. "God comes to us not so we can fill up some emptiness in God (there is none), but so he can fill up the huge emptiness in us" (pg. 28). God's love is selfless in that "God's love is an in spite of love; God loves us even though we cannot benefit him, and even though we have sinned against him" (pg. 29). Within this same section, Ware talks about how the Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is how God talks to us. In addition, he highlights amazing attributes of God, such as the facts that God is all-powerful, all-wise, and all-good.

Reading these truths about God explained brilliantly but simply (alongside plenty of Scripture) refreshes my love for God. The next nine sections, covering topics such as the Trinity, Human Nature and Sin, Who Jesus Is, The Holy Spirit, etc. will be, God-willing, refreshing, humbling, and awe-inspiring. Seriously, though, everyone should pick up a copy of this book. We all need to return "back to the basics;" that is, assuming the basics were even there in the first place. Especially if we are to teach the younger generation(s) the wonderful, though weighty, truths of Christianity.