The Ice Is Getting Thinner

Pilot Me

2012-01-15T19:38:00.003-06:00

Download this album. It's FREE 99!!!
Josh Garrels is rather talented and his gospel-soaked lyrics have been refreshing me all week! Here's a sampling from my three fav songs off the album:

"Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I'm free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I'll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levee and my bluff
Let the flood wash me"
-Josh Garrels, Farther Along

"Holy, holy, is the one
Who was, and is, and is to come
In a robe as red as blood
He comes forth
Ride like lightning in the sky
On the war horse he draws nigh
The same one we crucified
Will return again"
-Josh Garrels, Revelator

"I will arise and follow you over
Savior please, pilot me
Over the waves and through every sorrow
Savior please, pilot me
When I have no more strength left to follow
Fall on my knees, pilot me
May your sun rise and lead me on
Over the seas, savior pilot me"
-Josh Garrels, Pilot Me

Late to the Party...

2012-01-07T09:36:00.005-06:00

...but here are my top 10 albums of 2011. Some made it due to amazing musicianship, some due to how they impacted me in a given phase of my life, and the best due to both.

10. Lucinda Williams - Blessed
"We were blessed by the minister who practiced what he preached...we were blessed by the neglected child who knew how to forgive...we were blessed by the mystic who turned water into wine...we were blessed by the forlorn, forsaken, and abused." from 'Blessed'

9. The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
"As the blind walk the blind through the blackness of freedom, who writes the songs that we will all be singing?" from 'Golden Cattle'

8. Tom Waits - Bad as Me
I absolutely love Tom Waits and, both musically and lyrically, his new album further proves he can do nothing wrong.
"Time it don't mean nothing, money means even less. Don't bring nothin baby, you're better than all the rest. I wanna go get lost." from 'Get Lost'

7. Hello Seahorse! - Lejos, no tan Lejos
The perfect combination of electronic music and superb high-pitched vocals. I spun it for months; likely to resonate only with the musical tastes of select ears. Weird vid, but listen.

6. Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside - Dirty Radio
Heavily influenced by Tom Waits and Cat Power, Sallie's songs are lyrically raw and pack the musical punches. The range of emotions from angst to sentimental reflections on love resonate with any listener. One of my highlights of the Newport Folk Festival (see photo).
"Just like they took away the polaroid picture, they're gonna take away everything that means something. Today I think I saw ten thousand cell phones but not one decent conversation." from 'Write me a Letter'

5. Dawes - Nothing is Wrong
Try to not learn 8 billion life lessons from Dawes. Amazing songwriting coupled with outstanding Americana rock 'n' roll.
"I think that love is so much easier than you realize. If you can give yourself to someone, then you should." from 'A Little Bit of Everything'

4. Gaby Moreno - Illustrated Songs
Blending her Guatemalan roots with her passion for blues, soul, and jazz, Gaby creates nothing short of a musical masterpiece. The opening track was my "go-to" song of the year when I needed a pick-me-up!
"Talvez disfrutas como nunca de tu nueva vida, Talvez no hay son ni canto que te pueda conmover." from 'Intento'

3. The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
See my previous blog post. Yes, from October.

2. Sojourn - The Water & The Blood
The intentionality and fervor with which Sojourn rewrites music behind old school hymns creates a rich worship experience every time this album spins.
"The lying tempter would persuade my heart to doubt your aid. And all my swelling sins appear much greater than your grace. Arise, Oh Lord, fulfill your grace while I your glory sing. My God has broke the serpent's teeth and death has lost it's sting." from 'Death has lost its Sting' (please watch)

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
I will always associate this album with having a much-needed calming effect on me as I traversed the not-so-safe parts of Denver on random busses after midnight...
"And at once I knew I was not magnificent." from 'Holocene'

I've been around a few times,

2011-10-02T20:35:00.004-05:00

Never caught a fever like you.
-The Horrible Crowes, "Ladykiller"

Every year, there are a handful of records that I can't stop spinning. Albums that seep deep beneath your skin and infect you in a way that is hard to articulate. As good music should. This year, for me, these have included albums by Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Dawes, and The Horrible Crowes (THC).

THC represents the side project of Brian Fallon (of the tremendous Gaslight Anthem) with his guitar technician, Ian Perkins. The album starts out with songs (Sugar, Behold the Hurricane) that don't venture far from the American Rock-n-Roll sound of the Gaslight Anthem. But, from there, Ian and Brian pull out trick after trick in songs that allow them to tap their Tom Waits, U2, and PJ Harvey roots. Fallon's Springsteen-esque growl gets more Waits-esque on songs like "Go Tell Everybody" and "Mary Ann" before he slows down for gorgeous U2-esque songs like "Ladykiller."

Lyrically, Fallon said, "the record is about three relationships that I had -- one when I was 18, one when I was 19 or 20, and my current one now...[They] ended up causing me a lot of grief and a lot of sorrow from the process of living through [them]." While we've felt some of the resulting anger in Gaslight songs like "Film Noir" and remorse in Gaslight songs like "We did it when we were young," this album (musically) let's Fallon put all of his cards (feelings) on the table. Behold the Hurricane portrays a "man being lost." Black Betty & The Moon reflects on a former lover throwing her life away. "Ladykiller" starts out beautifully promising, as Ian sings "I've been around a few times, never caught a fever like you." Then, in his Springsteen-esque growl, Brian comes in singing, "and you must've met a man, tall and handsome at that" and you know the song's headed on a downward spiral of tragedy.

But the reason I love this album is the last two songs, towards which the entire album builds. The penultimate song, "Blood Loss", builds on the pent-up rage seen fleetingly on "Go Tell Everybody". The lyrics cut deep and are tough to swallow, reminiscent of Bob Dylan's Idiot Wind. The song starts slow and, as the guitars uproariously enter, Fallon growls, "I'll tell you when you cried long enough till your blood fills my cup and my footsteps they hung in your hallways enough for you to be truly haunted." The softspoken resignation expressed in the repeated lines "sirens they come and the sirens they leave" allows the song to simmer to its finish.

If Fallon ended the album here, you'd either be depressed or ready to give up on him as a masochist who takes things too personally. But then comes the finisher, "I believe Jesus brought us together." Fallon goes for a minimalistic style here, crooning softly and soulfully over a muted organ. But despite its minor-key tempo, this song holds out the most hope of any on the album. On lines like "did you say your lovers were liars? all my lovers were liars too" and "In the engines of desire, in the come down daylight, I believe my trouble and your trouble shook hands," Fallon recognizes that every human carries baggage. From past experiences and relationships. Into present experiences and relationships. But he also recognizes the other side of the coin: how beautiful relationships can be. The song, and the album at that, ends with the beautiful lines "did you wanna come over? I was just about to miss you. did you say you were lonely? I was just about to call you. do you believe there's a heaven? do you think we're invited?"

There is something to be said for tenacity...

2011-08-14T17:19:00.002-05:00

...I'll hold onto you if you hold onto me.

Happy Sunday, everybody:

Here's the lyrics from Over the Rhine's cover of Angel Band that got me thinking of them. And are a bit more geared for a Sunday:

"Bear my longing heart to him, who bled and died for me. Whose blood now covers me from all sin and gives me victory. Oh come, angel band. Come and around me stand."

Antsy in Vail

2011-08-09T14:01:00.002-05:00

An intensely awesome at Newport Folk Festival with little sleep followed by a crazy busy week followed by a lipid conference in Vail, CO has me worn out. Add to that two piling frustrations: 1) I missed the deadline of the rigid ten day window to turn in my classmate's thesis after he left for a roadtrip and this conference and 2) who knows what I'm doing for housing come September and I'm flattened. Not to mention my flight back tonight is a redeye flight getting me to Boston at 5AM tomorrow morning and...I definitely have to go into lab tomorrow. Needless to say, in this 5 hour waiting period between the end of the conference and my ride to Denver International Airport, I'm rather antsy.

So I'm going to take time to reflect on three things:

1) God's provision. The Psalms have become my friend the past few days as I need to rely on God's ever-sustaining provision. If God "raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap" and "gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children" (Ps. 113:7,9 ESV), I must put my absolute faith in God to get me through these situations that seem stressful in the moment. And He is abundantly worthy of my praise, in all circumstances.

2) As a reflection of God's provision, my day in Denver was a testament to that. Going for economy, my motel 6 was on the outskirts of Aurora, the sketchy part of Denver. It took me three public buses to get from the airport to the hotel. While waiting for the third bus, I started to realize I may not be in the best of areas. First, I let a stranger use my cell phone. Probably not the smartest thing, but if she took my phone I didn't really care. Second, I got advice on when the bus comes from a woman going for food stamps. And, finally, walking up (with my luggage) to the motel 6, a woman and her dog ran up to me, hoping I was a fellow homeless person. Her stuff had been robbed from the rundown motel next to the motel 6 and she was looking for a church or a shelter to stay at. Sadly, with my lack of knowledge of the area, I couldn't help her much. From there, I took two buses to get to downtown Denver and spent the entire day there, going to a Rockies game at night. But, let me tell you, I was praying for safety on my bus rides back at midnight. God watched over me.

3) My dreams. In Colorado, I have had a vivid dream every night I have been here. And different friends appear in each one, so you've probably been in one. They've ranged from interacting with Elvis Costello (last night) to waking up (in my dream) to find that a bomb had been thrown through my motel 6 window into the building behind the motel 6 (my night in Denver). That dream had heavy Sherlock Holmes influences as I've been reading some Conan Doyle quite recently.

Miles

2011-08-02T21:59:00.006-05:00

That day your kindness shown through.
Pictures and stories told of you.
I felt as if I had known you for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles

-Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Miles

Buy this album if you don't have it, I think it's my frontrunner for album of the year.

With the terrible traffic to get into Newport, I was lucky enough to catch the last four songs of Sallie's set (Cage, Danger, Miles, and I Swear) first off on Saturday. And, boy howdy, they were a delight. I also hear she powered through a power outage, belting Dolly Parton's "Jolene" in the meantime.

P.S. I took that picture; more Newport pictures to come...eventually.

Amy Winehouse; Sherlock Holmes

2011-07-23T16:04:00.005-05:00

First, the tragic news of Amy Winehouse cuts deep. 'Back to Black' was a phenomenal record, both for her tremendous musicianship on it (she has incredible pipes) and for the wave of female UK pop stars that rose to prominence (Adele, Duffy, etc.) on the trail of Winehouse and Lily Allen. Personally, Amy's death takes me back to the end of my freshman year at Calvin, when I trekked to the Best Buy on the Beltline to snag 'Back to Black' the day it came out. But her death reminds us of two things: even with tremendous talent (if put to Godly use), all our righteous acts "are like filthy rags" in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6). And we're also reminded that God's common grace sustains all of humanity, preventing mankind from falling into utter depravity (Ps. 119:64, Ps. 145:9, Luke 6:35, Acts 17:25). Absence of that common grace allows people to fully yield to the true passions of their heart (Romans 1:24-27). Hence, it is tragic to see someone created in the image of God feed her drug addiction to the extent of death.

Second, in honor of the first part of the fantastic BBC miniseries (on Netflix) on 'modern takes' of classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries, I snagged 'A Study in Scarlet,' the very first Holmes mystery from the BPL. I love the scientific nature of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing and here's a quote I greatly appreciated:

"'You see,' he explained, 'I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It's a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.'"

I'm sure responses would be rather different, based on your theory of education. :-)

Fighting the Appetites pt. 2: Fighting Desire with Desire

2011-07-17T22:30:00.004-05:00

So a few weeks back I posted a quote from Russell Moore which you can read here. In it, he focuses on how our struggles against our appetites come in the form of constantly resisting temptations; temptations that could last for days, years, or lifetimes. As I was running yesterday, I was thinking of the nature of courage. And I honestly think it takes more courage to constantly fight one's sinful desires, to daily live as a "living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rom. 12:1) and "to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him" (Col. 1:10) than it does to jump in front of a bullet. Because, let's be honest; you receive praise and respect from your fellow man for sacrificing yourself for a cause or a fellow human. But you rarely receive praise for putting to death "what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5). But if indeed, "On account of these the wrath of God is coming" (Col. 3:6), the daily, hourly courageous struggle against these sinful desires should be greatly praised.

But if our sins are first and foremost against God (see this recent blog post), then how do we put to death the sinful desires that come from our very own hearts (Matt. 15:18-19)? If we put them to death, but don't put anything in their place, we will surely fall back into them. In my devotional today, Kevin DeYoung, reflects on the Heidelberg Catechism section dealing with the Seventh Commandment. He offers 12 verses and reflections thereof as a source of strength and encouragement to those fighting lustful desires. This one I found particularly encouraging, no matter what sins you are fighting and/or conquering:

"Matthew 5:8: "Blesses are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." This has been the most helpful verse for me in fighting lust and temptation to sexual immorality. We need to fight desire with desire. Satan tempts us by holding out something that will be pleasurable to us. We aren't tempted to gorge ourselves on liverwurst, because for most it doesn't hold out the promise of great pleasure. But sex does. Pornography does. A second look does. The Bible gives us many weapons to fight temptation. We need to fight the fleeting pleasure of sexual sin with the far greater, more abiding pleasure of knowing God. The fight for sexual purity is the fight of faith. It may sound like nothing but hard work and gritting your teeth, the very opposite of faith. But faith is at the heart of this struggle. Do we believe that a glimpse of God is better than a glimpse of skin? Do we believe that God's steadfast love is better than life (Ps. 63:3)? We'd probably sin less if we spent less time thinking about our sins, sexual or otherwise, and more time meditating on the love and holiness of God." -KDY, The Good News We Almost Forgot

Just like they took away the Polaroid picture

2011-07-11T21:10:00.003-05:00

They're gonna take away everything that means something.
Today I think I saw ten thousand cellphones
But not one decent conversation.
-Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Write Me a Letter

One of the frustrations of Newport Folk Festival now that the printable schedule is out is making the tough decisions of Emmylou Harris or M. Ward (or the Civil Wars), Gillian Welch or Tegan and Sara, etc. But one of the perks is figuring out what to see when there are no scheduling conflicts. Hence, over the weekend I checked out The Head and The Heart, with whom I am quite impressed. Rivers & Roads is one of the most gorgeous arrangements I've heard in a while. And while their lyrics need work, the driving force of the piano and Charity's violin make this young band one I'm considerably looking forward to seeing (and dancing to).

However, today my ears feasted on another band from the Pacific Northwest. Namely, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, and I am blown away. Drawing on inspirations such as Tom Waits and Cat Power, the band is extremely talented, ranging from ragtime to jazz to blues, rocking a mean upright base and a vast array of other instruments the whole way through. But the carrying power rests in Ford's unrestrained voice. In its rawness, it jerks you out of your seat and takes you down a wonderful road. I urge you to buy their album, Dirty Radio, as it's easily one of the best I've heard in a while. And if you need convincing, check out this video for Cage (where Ford's use of the megaphone is a direct shout-out to Waits' Chocolate Jesus).

How do we view sin?

2011-07-02T15:36:00.002-05:00

"The Bible focuses on the vertical breach of God's law as the source of weal or woe in horizontal relationships. The curse of original sin and guilt is God's judgment based on his unalterable holiness and righteousness. The word "curse" belongs to the world of ancient Near Eastern diplomacy, with its threats for violating a treaty. God's curse upon humanity (and creation because of humankind) was the sanction that God warned about when he commissioned Adam as his covenant servant.

It is striking that even though he had seduced Bathsheba and then had her husband sent to his death in battle, David's confession begins with the cry, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:4-5). Can we identify today with that sharply vertical sense of sin--even horrible atrocities committed against our neighbor--as first and foremost an offense against God?

The impression that we often get today is that sin offends God only indirectly--because it hurts other people or ourselves, not because it is first and foremost an act of treason against our good and faithful Creator. Ironically, fundamentalism and the emergent movement sound alike at this point. The former may single out sex, drugs, and rock and roll while the latter targets militarism, greed, and environmental recklessness. However, both reduce sin primarily to sins (bad behaviors) apart from seeing the latter as the fruit of a moral condition that has swallowed our entire race and provoked the wrath of God: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Rom. 3:10-12, citing Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3).

Once we lose the vertical dimension of sin--that makes it truly sinful--there is no longer any place for understanding the cross as that marvelous paradox of love and wrath, mercy and justice. No longer a vicarious and propitiatory sacrifice (as if there was anything like God's wrath to worry about), Christ's work simply becomes a paradigmatic act of healing and restoring relationships between human beings and the environment."

-Michael Horton, The Gospel Commission

God's Presence and Our Presence in His Script

2011-06-26T18:56:00.003-05:00

"The main point to always bear in mind is that God is present where he promises to be present. We don't pull him down out of heaven or bring him up from the grave; rather, he comes to us through his Word, especially as it is preached. God is omnipresent, but the question for us is not where he is present in his majesty and glory, but where he is present in his mercy and grace toward us as sinners. Surely God is present in a beautiful sunset, in a violin concerto, in the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, and in the kindness even of my non-Christian neighbors. However, the question is where God is present in peace, with the assurance that he accepts me, forgives me, and adopts me as an heir of his estate. This comes only through the gospel--a strange and surprising report that we do not know as a matter of course or learn about through common culture. It is a story that can only be told, Good News that can only be announced...
The Bible is a grand story, from Genesis to Revelation, with Christ as the lead character. The more we hear the story, the more we find ourselves being written into it as characters. We discover ourselves not in the fading scripts of this age or in glossy magazine images but in the story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. We are there with Adam and Eve, capitulating to the lie. We are there with Abraham and Sarah, hearing and believing the gospel and being justified. We are walking along with the disciples, not getting it, then getting it, then not getting it again, and then really discovering what his journey was all about. And we are there with the company of heaven, worshiping the Lamb. It is the purpose of preaching and sacrament to put us there, to kill our dead-end character and to write us into God's script."
-Michael Horton, The Gospel Commission

Bold I Approach

2011-06-24T17:43:00.005-05:00

In my Bible study, we're working through a study on prayer called Bold I approach. Admittedly, I thought it was Bold-Roman Numeral I-Approach. It's Bold, I Approach. They seriously need a comma. But I'm reading through the third book in what is one of the best trilogies ever written, Michael Horton's Christless Christianity, The Gospel-Driven Life, and The Gospel Commission. If there's one word I could choose to sum up why I am appreciative for Michael Horton, it's for his boldness. Both in arguing against what the Gospel is not and in arguing for what it is. While Christless Christianity (which is so, so worth reading) provides a much-needed critique of Christianity in America, The Gospel-Driven Life offers the alternative, the solution, to many of those issues. As I read The Gospel Commission, I am challenged in a gut-wrenching way as I see what we are called to do in this time between Christ's first coming and His return. So many passages have weighed on my heart thus far, but I thought I'd share this one, as he sums things up so clearly:

"The mere fact that we live in a religiously pluralistic society today creates new pressures to soften the message, to remove its offense, and to present it as helpful for everybody rather than saving for those who believe.
In recent years, different views regarding the destiny of the unevangelized have been grouped under three classifications: pluralism, which holds that all paths lead to God; inclusivism, which teaches that although Christ is the only Savior, explicit faith in Christ is not ordinarily necessary for salvation; and exclusivism, which maintains that ordinarily there is no salvation apart from hearing and believing in Jesus Christ.
I am not a fan of these terms. Although I believe that the third view is consistently and clearly taught in Scripture, calling it "exclusive" stacks the deck against it. God loves the world and sent his Son so that whoever believes in him has eternal life (John 3:16). God includes in Christ a vast number from every nation who would have excluded themselves if it were not for God's sovereign, gracious intervention. It hardly seems appropriate to denigrate this announcement with the epithet "exclusive.""
-Michael Horton, The Gospel Commission

Fighting the Appetites

2011-06-20T12:32:00.003-05:00

"Sometimes we actually empower Satan by the way we speak of Christian conversion. We highlight the testimony of the ex-alcoholic who says, "Since I met Jesus I've never wanted another drink." Now that happens sometimes, and we should give thanks for God's power here. But this liberation is no more miraculous, indeed in some ways less so, than the testimony of the repentant drunk who says, "Every time I hear a clink of ice in a glass I tremble with desire, but God is faithful in keeping me sober."
The girl with same-sex desires might conclude she is doomed to be a lesbian because she isn't drawn to boys and still fights her attraction to girls. Family members who have to cut up their credit cards to keep from spending every paycheck on what they see advertised may conclude they're just not "spiritual" enough to follow Christ because they still war against their wants. Nonsense. You are not what you want. You are who you are. And that's defined by the Word of God. It might be that God frees your appetite from whatever it's drawn toward, but usually he instead enables you to fight it. This might go on for forty days, for forty years, for an entire lifetime. That's all right. There must be room then in our churches for a genuine bearing of one another's burdens when it comes to the appetites. Pretending the appetites are instantly nullified by conversion is a rejection of what God has told us--that we are still in the war zone."
-Russell Moore, Tempted and Tried

There's plenty of time to make you mine

2011-06-16T09:34:00.002-05:00

"We expect Jesus to have endured temptation as we endure temptation--and he did. But much of what we include in "temptation" isn't temptation at all. It's beyond our good, created desires being appealed to. It's instead those embryonic stages of sinful desire. Jesus' desert testing was indeed forty days of torture, but his torture was not because he, like we, longed to do the forbidden. It is because embedded with those good, natural human desires, he longed for what was good in each of the things he was (temporarily) denied." -Russell Moore, Tempted and Tried

Seriously, though, buy this book or let me buy it for you. It's been a personally convicting and challenging page-turner thus far. The chapter "Starved to Death: Why We'd Rather Be Fed Than Fathered" hit me on so many levels. Buy it or let me buy it for you, seriously: Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ

I am very far

2011-06-09T19:25:00.005-05:00

And I want to tell her, "your love isn't lost"
Say, "my heart is still crossed"
Scream, "you're so wonderful!"
-Okkervil River, Unless it's Kicks

The Hold Steady wisely penned the line, "certain songs, they get scratched into our souls." This statement is certainly true, but true in so many forms. On the one hand, the lyrics to a particular song can help you through troubling times or allow you to weep with joy as they express feelings you could never find words for. On a different note, the beat to a particular song may have you dancing for days. On the other end of the spectrum, certain songs and albums can be so ingrained in you that they take you to a particular place. You identify those albums with a certain place in time.

For me, the albums The Stage Names and The Stand Ins by Okkervil River do just that. They take me back to 1916 Eastern, junior year of college. They bring back joyous memories of living with some of the coolest guys on the planet. And those memories started to come up full-boar last night as I saw Okkervil River live. While Boston's thrown at me one of the worst concerts I've been to (The Decemberists), it's also thrown at me some of the best (Julieta Venegas, Lucinda Williams, and now OR). Despite breaking down in New York, the band hauled to get to Boston and played for as long as they could (~2 hours) before the show had to end so no one missed the last train. They did an absolutely phenomenal job of playing a variety of songs from across their discography, including a handful of tunes from Black Sheep Boy, one from Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See, several from The Stage Names and The Stand Ins, and, of course, quite a bit from their new album, I am Very Far. Highlights included a gorgeous Will Scheff solo acoustic rendition of "A Stone", ending the set with an extended version of "Lost Coastlines", melting my heart with "A Girl in Port" with Lauren on the slide (see picture), and ending the encore with "Unless it's Kicks."

And everything from their new album. Seriously, if you don't have I am Very Far, you must get it. With a big budget, Scheff goes big. The instrumentation is explosive and the production is maximalist, in contrast to OR's previous albums. But live, the songs are incredible, rich with layers of musical genius.

Visual Aids for (Modern) Men and Women

2011-06-04T12:44:00.002-05:00

"Too many churches overlook God's preferred visual aids--the sacraments--and jump right to video, drama, and props to get people's attention. We are making a big mistake when we think these "signs and seals" will be anywhere as effective as the ones instituted by Christ Himself. Pastors who don't explain the sacraments and very rarely administer them are robbing their people of tremendous encouragement in their Christian walk. We can hear the gospel every Sunday, and eat it too.

Of course, this eating and drinking must be undertaken in faith. The elements themselves do not save us. But when we eat and drink them in faith, we can be assured that we receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. More than that, we get a picture of our union with Christ. As we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we literally have communion with Him, not by dragging Christ down from heaven but by experiencing His presence through His Spirit. Shame on parishioners for coming to the Lord's Supper with nothing but drudgery and low expectations. And shame on pastors for not instructing their people in the gospel joy available to us in Communion."

-Kevin DeYoung

Why there is division in the church...

2011-05-28T11:33:00.002-05:00

...and ultimately why we fight for the gospel.

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." -Galations 1:6-10 (ESV)

As I was reading these verses this morning, a few things struck me. First, verse 8 rang home. We have the extremely hard privilege of holding high the gospel of Christ, but in a day and age (like any other) where Biblical ideas such as 'original sin' and 'hell' and 'God is love' are thrown aside or greatly cheapened, we cannot back down on our stance to uphold the gospel. Paul says "even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." That's some mighty strong language. But it also means we should be more firmly planted in the Word of God than in the teachings of our most revered pastor, or scholar.

Second, in verse 10 Paul asks us twice if we are trying to please men. Repetition is key to driving home a point and this question is so challenging he asks it twice. Then, he writes, "If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." It's like Paul gets you to realize that in some, if not many, areas of your life, you esteem man higher than you esteem God. Only to then make another extremely strong statement, challenging you to realize that, in Christ, your new identity defines you.

How many ears must one man have

2011-05-24T15:53:00.003-05:00

before he can hear people cry?
Yes, how many deaths will it take til he knows
that too many people have died?
The answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
-Bob Dylan, Blowin' in the Wind

One day after Lady Gaga's new album caused an amazon overload because it was $1, Bob Dylan turned 70. On the one hand, we have a woman capable of entertaining like the best of them. Of writing songs so catchy, we could care less about the content, but download her album like crazy because it's $1. On the other hand, we have someone who pissed people off because he wouldn't fit one music mold, but still wrote songs that became anthems for a generation (i.e. 'Blowin' in the Wind', 'The Times They are a-Changing', 'Forever Young'). Someone who's personal life remains an enigma. Someone who, along with the likes of Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young, remains one of the greatest living song-writers. Someone who's voice is so raspy that it takes nothing less than a long journey to appreciate his music. To that end, I offer 7 brief reflections based on my 7 favorite Bob Dylan songs that shed light on my journey to a full-boar appreciation of Bob Dylan's music:

7. Desolation Row, off Highway 61 Revisited
This 11-minute ballad has no chorus, taking your imagination down countless trails, ranging from Cinderella to the Hunchback of Notre Dame to the Phantom of the Opera to Einstein disguised as Robin Hood. To me, the largest impact comes in the verse on Ophelia, sadly, but vividly portraying someone who grew old long before her time: "Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window. For her I feel so afraid. On her 22nd birthday, she already is an old maid. To her, death is quite romantic...And though her eyes are fixed on Noah's great rainbow, she spends her time peeking into desolation row."

6. It Ain't Me Babe off Another Side of Bob Dylan
Yeah, this song was NOT written by Johnny Cash. And Bob Dylan's version is better. Bob Dylan was the master of writing all kinds of love songs, whether it's on a worked-at, enduring love (i.e. Nettie Moore, Make You Feel My Love), on love that dissolves into animosity (i.e. Idiot Wind, Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat), or, as in this case, on mistaken love (also see: Visions of Joanna).

5. Lay Lady Lay off Nashville Skyline
Suffice it to say I totally thought the chorus to this song was something different. And sung it that way until my roomates laughed at me and corrected me on the way home from a Dylan concert. This song is the one that brings back great memories of good times with friends and actually seeing Bob Dylan (though, ironically, he didn't play this song that night).

4. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again off Blonde on Blonde
The first Bob Dylan song I fell in love with. As such, it holds a special spot in my heart. The lyrics to this song are amazing, as Bob subtly interchanges verbs. For example, "And I would send a message, to find out if she's talked. But the post office has been stolen, and the mailbox is locked."

3. Tangled up in Blue off Blood on the Tracks
For one, I would argue that Blood on the Tracks is Dylan's most accessible album, as his voice is the most melodic. Additionally, my favorite authors include Steinbeck and Irving, two authors who fully embrace the 'americana theme.' So much so that Irving quotes this song in his latest novel: "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."

2. Mississippi off Love & Theft
With an 'americana' setting, this song represents a tragic reflection on and the desire to rekindle a love that went south. It's also proof that Dylan can still make some of his best music in his 60's. "Only one thing I did wrong, stayed in Mississippi a day too long."

1. Positively 4th Street found on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits
At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, Dylan went electric, creating an uproar from fans who thought he was 'selling out.' He wrote this in response, criticizing his fans for trying to keep him in a particular mold, while lamenting on how difficult it is to be a musician. "You say, how are you? Good luck. But you don't mean it, when you know as well as me, you'd rather see me paralyzed. Why don't you just come out once and scream it?"

Happy 70th, Robert Zimmerman!

Rain Down, Summer!

2011-05-17T18:46:00.003-05:00

It may be raining outside and I may be burying my head into science paper-writing for the next couple weeks, but it's starting to feel like summer for these amazing reasons:

1) No more classes!! (duh...)

2) I now have time to read 'Conversacion en la Catedral' again! And this book just gets better with every page turned.

3) Several rousing games of ultimate frisbee last night simply felt so good and summertastic.

4) Moby's and Company of Thieves' new albums came out today! Their last two albums were my faves of 2009. Additionally, my summer last year ended with seeing CoT (among other bands) at Lollapalooza. Hence, the picture on this blogpost was taken by...me! Seriously, this Chicago band rocks like very few bands can and Genevieve's vocals are so wistfully powerful, it's mind-numbing. Use this coupon and get the album for FREE at FYE (I did!). And, what's not to love about Moby when he's at his best; producing the sweetest chill music known to mankind. So pick up Destroyed too, you won't be disappointed.

So let the Boston rain pour down; summer's here!

Thinking about our Nonbiblical Terminology

2011-05-14T09:37:00.002-05:00

Among the phrases Christians toss around as if they make complete sense, is the notion that you "accept Jesus into your heart" and thereby receive the gift of salvation. Over the past year or so, I've been struggling with this idea, as this language is found nowhere in Scripture (though ideas behind this idea are) and can overly personalize the gospel. The gospel is the greatest news this world has and will ever see: that God in flesh, came as Christ, dying for our sins and rising from the dead so that we, too, one day will do the same and glorify Him forever. On the one hand, this is personal as Christ took on flesh to become like us and die for us. But in addition to subjectively moving us, this gospel is objective: it is the greatest event in human history. Ever. In discussing the Holy Spirit, I think this quote provided me with some much-needed illumination:

"The first thing the [Heidelberg] Catechism notes here is that the Holy Spirit "has been given to me personally." The Holy Spirit is not simply an omnipresent being who is with us in the sense that He is everywhere and so wherever we go there He will be also. The Spirit lives within us (1 Cor. 6:19) and makes His dwelling in our hearts (2 Cor. 1:22, Gal. 4:6). We have fellowship with Him (2 Cor. 13:14). This physical imagery should not be understood spatially as if the Spirit gets His mail delivered in the upper left chamber of that beating muscle in the chest. Rather, the Spirit dwells in us by animating our personality, shaping our character, renewing our mind, and stirring our emotions. His presence is not a physical residence as much as an experienced reality."
-KDY, The Good News We Almost Forgot

A loaded quote, especially the last two sentences. But I hope if grants you joy as you reflect on the amazingness of the Holy Spirit working within you!

Man is a Giddy Thing

2011-05-12T13:28:00.000-05:00

Having finished another round of finals and my first year of graduate school, these next couple days are going to be rather relaxing. Among things I'm now finding time to do, today I wrote a letter to my grandparents (!) and dived into the devotional I've been picking at for some time now. I know eternity scares the living daylights out of many people, but my favorite theological topic remains eschatology (studying the "end things"). Eschatology echoes through the core of my being, because there is so much that is broken. Both in my personal life and globally. And while it's often difficult (try as hard as I might) to have faith that God's going to fix things now (which, sometimes He will, sometimes He won't), it's immeasurably uplifting to think about that day when the whole earth will be transformed and the tears wiped from every believer's eye.

So....today's devotional was on the Ascension and the importance of it to our faith. Here are a few selections that tickled my heartstrings, and I hope they may encourage you as well:

"Christ's ascension benefits us because we now have our own flesh in heaven; our lives are hidden with Christ who dwells in glory above (Col. 3:3-4). Christ's flesh in heaven is a guarantee that ours will be there too someday. Our hope is not an eternity as disembodied souls but real, resurrected, material human bodies in God's presence forever. Christ's body is the first one there, but not the last."

"The ascension also implies that "asking Jesus into your heart" does not mean inviting a kind friend or comforting therapist into your life. It means--if we are using the nonbiblical phrase in a biblical way--that we are expressing our desire to be one with the king of the universe. The Jesus who lives within our hearts is sitting exalted at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."

He to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood

2011-04-24T21:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!

I, for one, walked out of Gordon Hugenburger's sermon at Park Street this morning a bit disappointed. I suppose it's because what I wanted was a sermon scratching through the layers of dragon scales and reaching my heart. He preached a solid sermon on the apologetic bases for why Christ actually physically died and I know the man next to me loved it. But I think (my spiritual man crush) CJ Mahaney puts it best when he says...

"It's possible for us to study the resurrection technically, to affirm the resurrection theologically, and to argue for the resurrection historically and yet fail to apply the resurrection to our hearts, particularly in relation to death."

I encourage you to watch/listen to this sermon, even if you just put it on in the background.

Before leaving you, two other CJ quotes that resonated with me:

"Death is God's determination to limit our arrogance."

"The resurrection prepares us for death by assuring us that what awaits us on the other side of death is not eternal judgment and condemnation, but instead eternal life. Because the Savior went before us into death, we have no reason to fear death. And because He died as a substitute for sinners like you and me, satisfying the wrath of God, we have been forgiven of our many sins. And because He was raised from the dead, we will be raised as well."

Amen.

Good Friday; Pet Peeve

2011-04-22T20:48:00.003-05:00

"Seen your face in every child that smiles,
but I can't help but rejoice.
And I've heard the song called thunder,
but I knew it was your voice.
Touched the holes in your calloused hands,
stuck my fingers in your side.
oh I was six-feet-deep in doubt but
now I'm sure that you're alive."
-Dustin Kensrue, I Believe

Lately I've been worn out, tired out, and exasperated. Slightly with the church not living like the church, but mainly with myself not living like Jesus paid the ultimate cost to save me. This is a loaded statement and if you want me to unpack the facets of it (or try to), let's grab coffee sometime. Here, suffice it to say much of it has come from being kicked in the pants lately through Mark Driscoll sermons.

In one of them, he was talking about how parents must be careful to punish their children for sins, and not simply for mistakes. On Good Friday, we remember how sin renders us all wrecked, destroyed, dead...without a pulse....dead. Enter God: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6, ESV, emphasis mine).

Needless to say, we rarely feel this dependence on Christ's atoning work; we rarely see how wretched we are and how urgently we need to adopt attitudes of repentance. Trigger my pet peeve: apologizing to others for mistakes, instead of sins. In lab today, a German visitor apologized profusely to me for mistaking me for someone else. I completely understood what she was getting at, but my stomach was knotting up. I often internally cringe when people apologize for simple mistakes (or for nothing at all such as stepping on the back of your shoe), though I understand their intentions. I think it's because I used to do it all the time...apologizing for trivial things. I did it so much I had a friend tell me I had to stop using the word 'sorry' and we made a bet to see how long I could go. I think, in this way (by apologizing for mistakes) we can 1) cheapen the act of repentance and forgiveness and can 2) avoid apologizing for the significant sins we have done to others. So I urge us, as a Christian community, let's bring 'sorry' back into 'sorry.' Let's not cheapen what it means to be repentant or we will fail to build real relationships with others and fail to understand how much we truly depend on Christ.

Intimacy with God

2011-04-10T21:06:00.003-05:00

"If you want to be a Christian, of course you'll repent of your sins. But after you've repented of your sins you'll have to repent of how you have used the good things in your life to fill the place where God should be. If you want intimacy with God, if you want to get over this sense that something is missing, it will have to become God that you love with all your heart and strength."
-Tim Keller, King's Cross

Your heart is still young: how Jesus emptied Himself

2011-04-04T23:47:00.002-05:00

"Allow me to give you an illustration of what subtraction by addition might look like and how it might take place. Imagine for a moment that someone, say, an older brother of yours, was shopping for a new car. He went to a BMW car dealership and asked to test-drive a beautiful, shiny, brand-new sports car. The dealer handed him the keys, and off he drove. Now, you need to know that for the past several days it had rained buckets in your area, and your brother decided to drive this shiny new car on the dirt roads out in the country. Well, as you can imagine, the roads were muddy as could be, and your brother drove this car wildly, turning and sliding every which way in the mud before he brought it back to the showroom floor. When he drove it in, absolutely covered in mud, the car dealer exclaimed, "What have you done to my car!" But to this, your brother calmly said, "Oh, you needn't worry. I've not taken anything away from the car, I've only added to it." And, of course, your brother was right. Every quality of that car was still there. It still had its beautiful coat of paint and its luster; nothing had been removed from what was there before. Rather, something had been added to it--a thick coat of mud! But notice what this mud did. It covered over that beautiful shine so that, even though it was still there, you couldn't see it. You might even say that the mud worked to hide the glory and brilliance of the car even though those qualities were still there, just hidden.
In a similar way, the fullness of the Son with every quality of his deity was poured out. Nothing from his deity was lost, but rather his full life was poured out as he took on the form of a servant. As that human nature enveloped, as it were, his divine nature, something of the glory and splendor of who he is as God was covered over--not lost or given up, mind you, but covered over. Since he chose now to live fully as a man, this required that certain aspects of his deity would have to stay hidden. To be a man, for example, he would have to accept the limitations of being at one place at one time, of learning new things as he grew from infancy to manhood, of experiencing hunger, thirst, tiredness, and weakness as all human beings do, and so on. Given this, are we required to say that Jesus gave up these qualities of his deity? No, and again I say, no! Rather, we say that Christ willingly gave up the rightful use of some of the abilities of his divine nature in order to experience fully his life now as a man. So, while he was in nature fully God, yet in order to live in nature fully as a man, he gave up the expression or exercise of some of his divine abilities. He did not give up those divine abilities themselves. In this way, Christ emptied himself by adding; there was a subtraction of the use of certain aspects of his deity by taking on the full experience of his humanity. And why? All for the purpose of humbling himself to become our servant, a full human being who would obey his Father to the point of death, even death on the cross. What a humbling he underwent. What a Savior he is!"
-Bruce Ware, Big Truths for Young Hearts, pg. 111-113

Worshipful Brain-Dumpings

2011-03-27T22:27:00.003-05:00

First, a quote:

"How can you live with the terrifying thought that the hurricane has become human, that fire has become flesh, that life itself became life and walked in our midst? Christianity either means that, or it means nothing. It is either the most devastating disclosure of the deepest reality of the world, or it is a sham, a nonsense, a bit of deceitful playacting. Most of us, unable to cope with saying either of those things, condemn ourselves to live in the shallow world in between."
-N.T. Wright

Chew on this. Read it several times. It should be smacking you upside the head, hopefully in a wonderfully challenging way as it has me.

Second, my recent individual worship has led me back to wonderfully rich hymns. The thing I miss most about not ending up in Louisville is Mike Cosper and Sojourn Community Church, what a blessing. That's what makes the opening worship night of TGC so epic.

More importantly, I recommend you download these two worship albums for free:

Page CXVI's hymns sampler, including one of the most beautiful, unique versions of 'Be Thou My Vision.'

And Ascend the Hill's hymns project. Do it, it's free so I almost guarantee you won't regret it.

P.S. get this when it comes out, it will be the most amazing worship CD you've perhaps ever heard. Right now, volume I holds that spot in my book.

How is that love?

2011-03-23T22:32:00.003-05:00

'Do we get what we want?...the answer to that is a resounding, affirming, sure and positive yes. Yes, we get what we want.

God is that loving.

If we want isolation, despair, and the right to be our own god, God graciously grants us that option. If we insist on using our God-given power and strength to make the world in our own image, God allows us that freedom; we have the kind of license to that. If we want nothing to do with light, hope, love, grace, and peace, God respects that desire on our part, and we are given a life free from any of those realities. The more we want nothing to do with all God is, the more distance and space are created. If we want nothing to do with love, we are given a reality free from love."
-Rob Bell, Love Wins, 116-117

That sounds awful. That sounds like a parent should be loving by letting their kid run in the middle of the street to fetch a lost ball, with a car barreling down the middle of it. That sounds like loving your best friend by letting them drink poison. That's awful...how is that love?

Is not the love of Christ in the Bible that we don't get what our sinful nature wants? Because of the fall and original sin, we all choose a way of destruction...we all choose hell. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander" (Matthew 15:19, emphasis mine). "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6a, emphasis mine).

Whenever God gives us up to our sinful desires, it's because we've chosen them over Him. And it's not a 'gracious' thing God is doing here (like Bell suggests)...it's horrendous. "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen" (Romans 1:21-25).

No, God's gracious love is that in Christ, we have salvation! We are set free from our sin...we are set free from what our sinful nature desires and given a new heart. "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:12-14). "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). etc.

Note: the restoration of Israel in Ezekiel 36:26 is because God wants to preserve His holy name...His holiness! Despite how Israel has sinned by their deeds (read from verse 16 on, or the whole chapter).

Lesson(s) Learned

2011-03-20T20:55:00.002-05:00

Sometimes the greatest lessons learned in life come from simple song lyrics. Hence, even the title of this post is a Ray LaMontagne song. Having been on a Lucinda Williams and National tear, here's a sampling of what's been running through my head lately:

"Ada, hold onto yourself by the sleeves, I think everything counts a little more than we think." -The National, Ada

"Everything means everything." -The National, Conversation 16

"I'll try to be more romantic. I want to believe in everything you believe." -The National, Conversation 16

"It takes an ocean not to break." -The National, Terrible Love

"We were blessed by the minister who practiced what he preached. We were blessed by the poor man who said heaven is within reach." -Lucinda Williams, Blessed

"I drove my car in the middle of the night, I just wanted to see you so bad. The road was dark, but the stars were bright, I just wanted to see you so bad." -Lucinda Williams, I Just Wanted to See You so Bad

"You wait in the car on the side of the road, lemme go and stand awhile. I wanna know you're there but I wanna be alone. If only for a minute or two, I wanna see what it feels like to be without you." -Lucinda Williams, Side of the Road

With that, I'm out. Time to go pick up babes at the laundromat.

Addendum, including Natalia LaFourcade

2011-02-28T21:49:00.003-06:00

First, watch this. And try not listening to 'Ella es Bonita' on repeat for the rest of your life. Natalia LaFourcade is the real deal, get your mitts on Hu Hu Hu if you don't have it. Seriously. Now.

Second, Kevin DeYoung wrote (easily) the best thing I've read yet on the Rob Bell Brouhaha that's taking the interwebs by storm (and, admittedly, I hopped into). Please follow this link and read what he says.

Subtly Selling Lies as Truth

2011-02-26T16:17:00.003-06:00

Follow this link. Read Justin Taylor's blog, but more importantly watch the Rob Bell video. But you might not want to watch it more than once, it has the ability to put a bad taste in your mouth. **Note: I saw this by Kevin DeYoung right after I posted this entry. If you skip my blog and read it instead, it's even more enlightening.

And if Rob Bell turns out to be either a full-blown universalist or Karl Barth-type universalist (i.e. his arguments lead him to the logical conclusion of universalism, but he can't quite go there) it wouldn't surprise me. But the philosophically-appealing idea of universalism is unfortunately found nowhere in the Bible, so it simply isn't something we can hold to as Christians.

But what raises an internal sorrow and an internal uproar are the following comments Rob Bell makes in his video:

"Millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message of the gospel...is that God is going to send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God."

Everything about this statement is as Biblically unsound as the idea of universalism and it grieves my heart that Christians can buy even these ideas as truth...The truth is that we chose hell, we chose to disobey God and our sin brought upon us all the punishment we deserved. But in His love, God sent Christ to die to offer salvation to all. So ultimately Jesus rescues you from YOURSELF, and from the wrath of God that your actions merit. Romans 5 gives an excellent picture of what our sin has brought upon ourselves and the righteousness Christ's obedience grants us.

Consequently, "we should rejoice that God is gracious and merciful in saving anyone" (Mark Driscoll). And this grace should change us so much that the gospel truly becomes good news--good news that we wish to share with a lost and broken world. Read this book for lots of amazing tidbits, especially the chapters on Predestination and Grace.

So, I guess in the end, I'm worried that Rob Bell, while fighting against this untruth, replaces it with the untruth of universalism. And I'm worried that part of the major reason he may do this is because he fails to see our responsibility and place as ill-deserving sinners who have spat in the face of God. And because he ultimately fails to see what true grace is: a divine miracle that God, through Jesus, offers salvation to all, though only some will respond. A salvation that empowers us, like Paul, to spread it like the good news that it is.

When you met me you were numb...

2011-02-22T18:31:00.002-06:00

...from the voice in your head
Conspiracy delusions that your boyfriend kept fed
I swear I want nothing, just give me your hand
I've got the cure for the shape that you're in
-The Low Anthem, "Apothecary Love"

I think I've found my calling. If Jocie Adams worked at NASA and then left that life behind to play a mean clarinet for the Low Anthem, I can easily leave science, take up a woodwind instrument, and join a folk band...

But seriously, the Rhode Island (semi-local!) band, The Low Anthem, make some of the most gorgeous music known to mankind. 'Smart Flesh' (out today) delivers with moving lyrics, sweeping harmonies, heart-stopping clarinet, crooning pedal steel, and the Low Anthem staple, the pump organ. Watch their performance on Letterman here.

Well, so long grad school, I've gotta go learn me a woodwind instrument.

We set controls for the heart of the sun

2011-02-17T22:23:00.003-06:00

one of the ways we show our age...

For some reason, I've been excessively tired over the past couple weeks. So with the warmer weather, I had this idea that if I went running, it would give me more energy. You know, like finally burning all that energy I've been storing up in my heavy-carb diet? You see the logic, and you're not even a biophysicist.

Well, instead I'm extremely tired and gave up all attempts at productivity. On the positive side of things, I ran in shorts and ran 6 miles!

Anyways, watch this video. And, as a bonus, this one. James Murphy is seriously one of the coolest people and best songwriters alive. Seeing the end of LCD Soundsystem is quite sad.

Why the Trinity matters...

2011-02-12T13:11:00.003-06:00

In his devotional on Lord's Day 8 of the Heidelberg Catechism, KDY ends his discussion on the doctrine of the trinity with highlight three ways this doctrine should affect our lives as Christians. Here, I share two:

"Two, the trinity matters for evangelism and cultural engagement. I've heard it said that the two main rivals to a Christian worldview at present are Islam and postmodernism. Islam emphasizes unity--unity of language, culture, and expression--without allowing much variance for diversity. Postmodernism, on the other hand, emphasizes diversity--diversity of opinion, beliefs, and background--without attempting to see things in any kind of meta-unity. Christianity, with it understanding of God as three in one, allows for diversity and unity. If God exists in three distinct persons who all share the same essence, then it is possible to hope that God's creation may exhibit stunning variety and individuality while still holding together in a genuine oneness.

Three, the Trinity matters for relationships. We worship a God who is in constant and eternal relationship with Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Community is a buzz word in American culture, but it is only in a Christian framework that communion and interpersonal community are seen as expressions of the eternal nature of God. Likewise, it is only with a Trinitarian God that love can be an eternal attribute of God. Without a plurality of persons in the Godhead, we would be forced to think that God created humans so that He might show love and know love, thereby making love a created thing (and God a needy deity). But with a biblical understanding of the Trinity, we can say that God did not create in order to be loved, but rather created out of the overflow of the perfect love that had always existed among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who ever live in perfect and mutual relationship and delight."

-KDY, The Good News We Almost Forgot

M. Horts & Biblical Testimonies

2011-01-24T21:44:00.004-06:00

Whenever I think of what a 'testimony' should be, I'm reminded of, humbled by, and challenged with this quote. But I can never find it when I want it. So I sat down and spent about 40 minutes finding it. It's long, but at least chew on the bolded sections:

"Evangelicals, of course, have courageously defended the historicity of Christ's bodily resurrection and return in glory against the dogmatic anti-supernaturalism of liberalism. At the same time, when it comes to popular piety, both evangelicals and liberals (to the extent that they share a common heritage in pietism) often emphasize the immediacy of Jesus to our experience more than the reality of his bodily resurrection, ascension, and return. Whenever this happens, however important these dogmas may be for defending Christ's diety, his humanity seems to play a minor role. For example, why should we long for Jesus Christ's appearing in the flesh when he already lives in our heart? As one gospel song puts it, "You ask me how I know he lives, he lives within my heart," but this is a sentiment that could just as easily warm the heart of any liberal protestant. It makes no difference whether Jesus rose from the dead in the flesh two thousand years ago, as long as he is somehow "still with us" in our personal experience today.

In sharp contrast, Paul defended the resurrection in the flesh as a datable event with eyewitnesses. John begins his letter of warning about the "antichrists" who deny that Christ has come in the flesh by immediately stating, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it" (1 John 1:1-2). Similarly, Peter testifies, "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Peter 1:16). It is significant that for the apostles, offering their testimony meant witnessing to the concrete person and work of Christ in history, where for us today it usually means witnessing to our personal experience and moral improvement."

-Michael Horton, Christless Christianity, p. 182-3

Guerra del Fin del Mundo

2011-01-17T19:41:00.005-06:00

"Desde el fondo de esa ambigua realidad de fuego y hielo que era su cuerpo encogido en la oscuridad de la gruta, siguió oyendo todavía el relato de Antonio el Fogueteiro, reproduciendo, viendo ese fin del mundo que él ya había anticipado, conocido, sin necesidad de que ese resucitado de entre los carbones y los cadáveres se lo relatara." -Mario Vargas Llosa, La Guerra del Fin del Mundo

This past week, I've definitely been a recluse, using all my free time to read. And it was worth it, Guerra was so good it was ridiculous. I mean, Vargas Llosa did just win the nobel prize in literature. So read it, whether you do in English or in Spanish (I chose the latter). As his first book to take place out of his native Peru, Guerra is a wonderfully written, engrossing, fictional retelling of Brazil's bloodiest war.

Tom Waits, Total Depravity, & Grace

2011-01-13T19:41:00.004-06:00

Tom Waits continues to impress me as a musician, songwriter, and human being. Today, he released an amazing poem, whose purchase will help fund agencies providing relief to the homeless (Redwood Food Bank, Sonoma County's Homeless Referral Services, & Family Support Center).

But, as to why his lyric-writing greatly impresses me (drawing mostly from Blood Money and Mule Variations) is Tom's recognition of total depravity and God's grace. How often we forget that we are dead in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1), "bad through and through (in head and heart and will)" (KDY), and even (as Christians) our righteous deeds are like filthy rags before God (Isa. 64:6).

Though the Bible does it better, T$Waits helps us out:

"If there's one thing you can say about mankind, there's nothing kind about man." -Misery is the River of the World

"All the good in the world you can put inside a thimble and still have room for you and me." -Misery is the River of the World

"I don't believe you go to heaven when you're good, everything goes to hell, anyway." -Everything Goes to Hell

"We are all lost in the wilderness, we're as blind as can be." -Eyeball Kid

"Man's a fiddle that life plays on. When the day breaks, and the earth quakes, life's a mistake all day long...a man must test his mettle in a crooked ol' world." -Starving in the Belly of a Whale

But, luckily, Tom doesn't leave it there. Again, while the Bible does it much better, Tommy boy has songs pointing to God's common grace evidenced among mankind (so that we don't bask in utter depravity) and in God's grace through His own action. But this grace can only be appreciated upon understanding our fallen state.

"The face forgives the mirror, the worm forgives the plow, the questions beg the answer, can you forgive me somehow? Maybe when our story's over, we'll go where it's always spring, the band is playing our song again and all the world is green." -All the World is Green

"So if you find someone, someone to have, someone to hold, don't trade it for silver, don't trade it for gold. I have all of life's treasures and they are fine and they are good. They remind me that houses are just made of wood, what makes a house grand ain't the roof or the doors, if there's love in a house...it's a palace for sure." -House Where Nobody Lives

"We are all lost in the wilderness, we're as blind as can be. He came down to teach us how to really see." -Eyeball Kid

"Does life seem nasty, brutish and short? Come on up to the house. The seas are stormy and you can't find no port. Come on up to the house...And you been whipped by the forces that are inside you. Come on up to the house." -Come on Up to the House

"Come down off the cross, we can use the wood. Come on Up to the House." -Come on Up to the House

Amigos en Boston: La Oportunidad de su Vida

2011-01-11T21:16:00.004-06:00

Julieta Venegas, la leyenda de Mexico

Saturday, February 26 here in Boston!!

$42, but that's cheap for this Mexican Legend. Serious vocals, serious street cred.

I'm definitely going and would love to go with friendz. so if anyone in B*town is interested in going, please hit me up soon as I want to purchase tickets soon!

You are always mine to keep when you're gone

2011-01-05T12:03:00.004-06:00

I knew what you were doing
That summer when Candy came around
But I had too much hurt to bother you
When we lost our first child I thought a little payment was overdue
And I want you so bad...

Cause you are always mine to keep when you're gone
Two silver rings, one's on my finger and the other one's gone
It went underground with you, oh John.

-Ryan Adams & Norah Jones, 'Dear John'

I love songs that capture the bleakest of human emotions, yet hold out hope at the end. This song, as well as almost every song on Jacksonville City Nights does just that. Though perhaps this song's bleak points are even drearier than most. Do yourself a mighty big favor and pick up this album if you don't have it.

KDY

2011-01-04T14:20:00.002-06:00

"We are unable to do good and are bent toward evil, unless we are born again by the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, the phrase "born again" has become just another sociopolitical category. We have forgotten where it comes from. Jesus, borrowing from the prophet Ezekiel, is the one who first used the phrase. "You must be born again," He told Nicodemus (John 3:7).
We must not forget this command from Jesus. Yes, Jesus wants us to love, to forgive, to pray, to be humble, to do justice, and to love mercy. But we must not forget the fountainhead command from which the river of obedience flows. Trying to live a Jesus life won't help us get into heaven and it will only discourage us over the long haul if we are not born again. This is where well-meaning socially minded Christians sometimes get off track. They want the world to live like Jesus, but forget that we can't live like Jesus unless the Spirit of Jesus first changes us.
We must be given a new heart. We must be regenerated. We must be converted. We must be changed. The Christian life--the life of faith in God, hope in Christ, and love for others--necessitates, first of all, a life that has been given a supernatural new start by the Holy Spirit. We must be born again."
-Kevin DeYoung, "The Good News We Almost Forgot," pg. 31
seriously good stuff (reflections on each Lord's Day from the Heidelberg Catechism). and my devotional for this first part of the year.

Top Ten of Twenty-Ten

2010-12-21T14:18:00.005-06:00

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

2010-12-17T10:22:00.003-06:00

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

2010-12-11T12:53:00.002-06:00

"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

2010-12-05T22:01:00.003-06:00

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?

2010-11-30T18:07:00.003-06:00

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

2010-11-19T18:45:00.002-06:00

"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.

2010-11-13T18:14:00.003-06:00

"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!

2010-11-04T22:53:00.002-05:00

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

2010-10-31T20:38:00.002-05:00

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

2010-10-23T09:46:00.003-05:00

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

2010-09-19T19:35:00.002-05:00

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

2010-09-13T20:42:00.003-05:00

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

2010-09-05T08:52:00.002-05:00

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...

2010-09-04T14:55:00.003-05:00

...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

2010-08-31T20:47:00.005-05:00

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

2010-08-21T15:54:00.004-05:00

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

2010-08-11T18:42:00.009-05:00

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.

2010-08-05T19:13:00.002-05:00

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

2010-08-02T20:59:00.002-05:00

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

2010-07-17T15:49:00.002-05:00

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

2010-07-14T17:51:00.004-05:00

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

2010-07-07T19:41:00.005-05:00

"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

2010-07-05T14:04:00.002-05:00

"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

2010-06-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

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

2010-06-18T21:49:00.003-05:00

*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

2010-05-30T16:54:00.002-05:00

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.

2010-05-24T16:28:00.002-05:00

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 Churc h!! 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!

2010-05-03T23:32:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-25T20:37:00.002-05:00

"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

2010-04-11T20:44:00.007-05:00

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

2010-03-27T10:59:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-10T21:58:00.003-06:00

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...

2010-01-20T20:37:00.003-06:00

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.

The Sovereignty of God amidst Evil

2010-01-19T20:59:00.002-06:00

I think that one of the questions a Christian faces in his or her life constantly is that of Where is God amidst what seems to be prevailing evils? We see this afresh in the disaster that hit Haiti. So upset, we often question the goodness of God, or if there even is a God. Or, if there is a God, He must not have fully conquered evil, and, if he hasn't conquered it yet--will He ever?

A book I read over break and encourage every Christian to read is "Spectacular Sins And their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ" by John Piper. It's short and I think one could easily read it within half a day. But it allows for a great deal of reflection.

In the book, John talks about Colossians 1:15-16, which says: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of authorities--all things were created through him and for him." Paul knows full well that these "rulers" and "authorities" include evil supernatural powers. As Piper says, "Therefore, when Paul says 'rulers [and] authorities' were created by Christ and for Christ, he means that they were created knowing what they would become and how it is that precisely in that evil role they would glorify Christ--knowing everything they would become, they were created for the glory of Christ" (pg. 35).

Therefore, whether God causes or permits evil to happen (which He does so without sinning), it is so that His glory may shine forth. While much of this remains a mystery, God has chosen this way of working in the world to bring Himself the most glory. And it must be said that since everything is created by Christ and for Christ, God is sovereign over all evils.

I have rambled and wish that everything that is not of Christ would be forgotten. But I encourage everyone (Christian and non-Christian) to read this book. The Sovereignty of God is not mere intellectual fuel, but a precious truth that is to be applied and fleshed out in our lives.

Best New Underwater Trends of 2009...

2009-12-30T11:24:00.004-06:00

Ok, not really. That would be ridiculous, though possibly hilarious. I did think, however, that I would give a go at listing my favorite albums of 2009 (of the ones I have listened to, of course). Without further ado, my top 10, counting down:

10. Wilco (the Album) - Wilco
Notable songs include One Wing, Bull Black Nova, and Wilco (the Song)

9. Two Suns - Bat for Lashes
Notable songs include Daniel, Siren Song, and Traveling Woman
Also, Daniel may be the best song of the year--check it out here

8. Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack - Karen O and the Kids
Notable songs include All is Love, Rumpus, and Heads Up

7. It's Blitz! - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Notable songs include Hysteric, Runaway, and Zero
*For my less attentive readers, both 7 and 8 acknowledge the huge splash Karen O (and her band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) have made on the music scene this year.

6. Sainthood - Tegan and Sara
Notable songs include Hell, The Cure, and The Ocean

5. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists
This album is a concept album--listen to the whole thing many times through.

4. Middle Cyclone - Neko Case
Notable songs include This Tornado Loves You, I'm and Animal, and Magpie to the Morning

3. I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers
Notable songs include I and Love and You, Laundry Room, and Tin Man

2. Wait for Me - Moby
Notable songs include Shot in the Back of the Head, Mistake, and Jltf 1

1. Ordinary Riches - Company of Thieves
Notable songs include In Passing, Under the Umbrella, The Fire Song, and Quiet on the Front
I debated putting this album in the top spot, but I am a sucker for bands with incredible debut albums. And this album is incredible. Genevieve's voice is ridiculously good and the guitar is phenomenal. Trample people at Best Buy, rush to amazon mp3, or pay an obscene amount at Barnes & Noble--I don't care how you do it, just get this album.

"When we're older and full of cancer...

2009-12-19T11:05:00.003-06:00

...it doesn't matter now, come on get happy. 'cause nothing lasts forever...but I will always love you." -Neko Case, Don't Forget Me

While the introduction to this post has nothing whatsoever to do with the further content of the post, it acts as a shout out to the marvelous Neko Case and the song Don't Forget Me off her year-topping album, Middle Cyclone.

Anyways, I've been recently thinking about the importance of worship through corporate song. Rather than go into a long-winded monologue on the subject, I thought I would provide y'all with three quotes to chew on:

"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God...Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" -Psalm 84:2,4 ESV

"The duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned, why we should express ourselves to God in verse, rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only that such is our nature and frame, that these things have a tendency to move our affections." -Jonathan Edwards

"Some of us are afraid of getting too emotional when we sing. But the problem isn't emotions. It's emotionalism. Emotionalism pursues feelings as ends in themselves. It's wanting to feel something with no regard for how that feeling is produced or its ultimate purpose. Emotionalism can also assume that heightened feelings are the infallible sign that God is present. They're not. The emotions that singing is meant to evoke are responses to the truths we're singing about God--his glory, his greatness, and his goodness. Vibrant singing enables us to connect truth about God seamlessly, with passion, so that we can combine doctrine and devotion, edification and expression, mind and heart." -Bob Kauflin

Oh deary me, have the lights gone out?

2009-11-19T21:31:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's seemed like forever since I've opened blospot.com, let alone posted an actual, real, live blog. So what do you have to say for yourself, Nathan? Something so profound I will start drooling as I read this? Something so drastic that even drama needs to be renamed? Or a post about your an electropop artist you are currently thoroughly digging (digging being slang for "enjoying the music of...")?

Well, I find myself at a loss for drama and at an unease with the drool of others. As such, I will write to y'all (y'all being the slang word typically associated with Southerners meaning you all--hey look, mom, I combined two words) about electropop. Electropop is, again, a slang word which in my book means something along the lines of combining electronic sounds (synths, drum kits, funky noises, etc.) with pop music. Often times, such combinations result in dreadfully hoky songs that don't merit a listen. However, some songs are solid gold, such as the vintage hit "Here (in your arms)" by hellogoodbye (yes, hellogoodbye--does anyone even remember them?).

Typically, I avoid electropop at all costs, yearning for more "real" and "pure" music. Yet when a friend introduced me to Lights (a wonderful female artist from Canada that I think is younger than me...wow, I'm aged), I took a few listens and ended up purchasing the album on amazon. And since then, I have been sucked into the music of Lights. Rare gems, such as Quiet, Savior, and the Last Thing on Your Mind remind me that electropop can still have pizzazz (has that word ever been using in a cool way, ever?). While ranting on and on about lights would be about as much good as me telling you what to eat for lunch tomorrow, I think you should check her out yourself on her myspace (look, I combined two more words to form the word belonging to the internet social website that everyone forgot existed).

With all this slang and craziness, all I have left to say is: electropop the night away, my friends. or, at least give it a listen after you have seen new moon 17 times.

You go easy little doves; i'll be fine

2009-09-19T17:28:00.003-05:00

i need no money, i need no one to understand, but i need your love...

There is always something magical about meeting one of your favorite artists. That is, when such favorite artist is actually nice and fits a good chunk of if not all of your mental image of how such a person would act. Well, this past week, before seeing Brooke Waggoner perform at a rather small venue (Grace College), I was able to meet her and chat for several minutes. I felt like a giddy nerdy fan who has to restrain himself crossing into the dreaded territory of obnoxious fan.

But meeting Brooke also just put a stronger mental image behind the person so invested in her absolutely gorgeous music. While Brooke has to be (yes Sam Haist, this is objective, not subjective) one of the best musicians at coming up with piano and string(ed?) arrangements, she has some songs that just grab you instantly. For example, Hush If you Must may be my favorite song ever made (which can be found on her website, www.brookewaggonermusic.com). She also has a CD coming out on October 6 (digitally), which I cannot wait for and has such an instantaneously catchy song, called Go Easy Little Doves, I'll be Fine (also found on her website). She simply belts it vocally on that song. But more than just a few songs, Brooke is able to put together simply beautiful CD's, which grow on you over time until the whole thing does something in your soul. Anyways, please, please, please check her out and I hope you are not disappointed!

Bat for Lashes and the Divine Order

2009-08-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

As the quirky title suggests, this blog post will be about two things. The first, is issues concerns a musical artist I recently discovered, while the second thing discussing my musings on the divine order of the Bible. Completely unrelated topics, but, hey, this can be a "choose your own adventure" type of blog.

First, after hearing several pretty good reviews, I recently purchased the album "Two Suns" by Bat for Lashes. Looking at the album cover, I expected something experimental and trippy similar to a female version of antony and the johnsons, though natasha kahn (the lead singer of bat for lashes) is probably not nearly as messed up as antony. But I have thoroughly enjoyed natasha kahn and her band's album for several reasons. First, natasha's voice is simply mesmerizing. While on parts of the record it can sound almost gothic, on songs such as daniel (my personal favorite), her vocal chords warm for a beautiful pop song. Second, many times she reminds me of cat power, my favorite female vocalists. Songs like "moon and moon" and "traveling woman" have a minimalist instrumentation and vocal overlay sounding a lot like cat power. Third, her lyrics are incredible, though often dark. Like the hold steady, natasha creates a character (pearl) that carries throughout the album. In the song siren song, pearl is introduced, citing her willingness to love despite her wickedness. The song pearl's dream then carries through a vision of pearl's. Finally, as the album has an overarching theme of love and loss (and of broken relationships), pearl ultimately dies in the big sleep. I would recommend listening to her music on her website as well as reading this excellent article from spin magazine.

Second, something I've been thinking of a lot recently is the divine order of the Bible. The Bible is first meant to be read objectively and then subjectively. Too many times we read the Bible looking to feel a certain way about some issue or another, but that is not the case. Granted, the Bible creates feelings through being objective, but these feelings are a result of objective facts and statements. You may be saying, "nathan, you're going in circles, not making any sense" and perhaps the following quote by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones will help: "most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself." What if each and every day, despite feeling happy or sad or depressed or bubbly, we allowed the power of the cross and the wonderful nature of grace to dominate our lives??? Everything changes. I probably haven't painted a very clear picture, but I encourage you all to read "The Cross Centered Life" by C. J. Mahaney. It's a small, 86 page book, but Mahaney is a man truly humbled and broken by what Jesus did on the cross and what we did as sinners to put him there. The chapter out of which most of my ideas come is chapter 5.

That's all for now. Just some of my pondering.

Church and Ed Stetzer = Awesome.

2009-07-29T19:44:00.002-05:00

So I just finished reading Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer. It was one of the most detailed books I've ever read, but is a wonderful, God-inspired resource for church planters everywhere (as well as those who care about church planting). Ed lays out many of the details behind planting a church as well as Biblical qualifications for leaders and whatnot. But most importantly, a church should reach people in culture while being Biblically sound. In addition, church planters should rely most heavily on Jesus and the gospel as the power behind their church.

However, one of the things which the Lord laid on my heart while reading this book is the necessity of evangelism in every Christian's life (particularly evangelism through developing relationships). The Great Commission has always made me uncomfortable and I think this is why: evangelism is the hardest practice for me to put in my life as a Christian. What I mean to say is that while I can humbly come before God in prayer and serve through actions and whatnot, it's so hard for me to seek out building relationships with others (particularly non-Christians) that eventually lead to evangelism (and do NOT end there). But this is something that is essential for church planting. As Ed Stetzer puts it, "it's easier to start a church by drawing Christians from other churches than to win new disciples from the community." But church plants should be seeking to draw most of their members from new converts. So interesting, yet so scripturally relevant. Anyways, I know I barely scratched the surface, but those are just my (initial) thoughts.

Psalm 127:1 - Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Best Albums of 2009 (Thus Far)

2009-07-10T22:05:00.003-05:00

This, in many ways, is a good blog to look back on at the end of the year to compare the wonderful albums yet to be released with the fantastic albums already released this year. So I've thought of my top four so far this year and will now present them from 4 to 1.

4. It's Blitz! by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's - a completely revamped sound, but a change for the better. noteworthy tracks include hysteric and runaway.

3. Middle Cylone by Neko Case - Case has finally developed into a stand-alone artist, with a fantastic smattering of fanciful, imaginative songs. noteworthy tracks include fever, magpie to the morning, prison girls, and pretty much the whole album.

2. Hazards of Love by the Decemberists - as a concept album, this album tells a story, but takes a while to grow on you. by far their most ambitious project yet to date, I would also declare it their best. As a concept album, there really are no stand-alone tracks.

1. Wait for Me by Moby - possibly his best since Play (so in about 10 years). A beautiful mix of instrumental tracks as well as those with vocals, wait for me bleeds themes of mortality and loss. Noteworthy tracks include Shot in the back of the head, Mistake, and Jltf.

P. S. I know Sam might yell at me for not putting Wilco (the album) on here. And while it's a good album, I don't (personally) think it's among the best so far this year.

An interesting quote on Rob Bell

2009-07-09T22:36:00.002-05:00

...that I think may offend some. though i think it's quite insightful (for all y'all who don't live in or near Grand Rapids, this may not be that applicable) and true.

"I think there is (ironically) a peculiar cultural reason that helps to explain Bell's remarkable "success": he is located in Grand Rapids. The city is populated by large numbers of Dutch Reformed believers who have been well catechized and indoctrinated, but who were brought up in churches that increasingly feel old-fashioned and culturally dated. When such Christians are exposed to Bell, not only do they feel and enjoy the pulse of something contemporary, they are inclined to read their strong Christian assumptions into what he is doing. The see his "Nooma" video on forgiveness, say, and read in a lot of Christian assumptions, making the video quite a powerful tool. But if a biblically-illiterate New Yorker were seeing the same clip, I doubt that he or she would find much in it that is distinctively Christian. In other words, as Bell has progressed, he has provided less and less material that is distinctively gospel-shaped, or even Christian. I suspect he would be neither popular nor effective in either Seattle or New York. The irony, then, is that in allegedly reaching out to a new generation of non-Christians, in the Grand Rapids environment a fair bit of his success can be credited to the fact that he is in reality reaching out to substantial numbers of disgruntled (former) conservatives who are (unknowingly) bringing a lot of their Christian baggage with them."
-D. A. Carson (in an e-mail to Mark Driscoll). That is quite well-said.

Moby: to what do I owe this honor?

2009-07-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

So, as some may recall, Moby used to be my favorite musical artist. I was as crazy about Moby as a porker on a harley is crazy for a Mickey-Dees double cheeseburger. Or, perhaps more appealing and more accurate, as crazy about Moby as a hawk is about cottage cheese. Or, to avoid the food analogies, as emo kids are about tight pants.

However, due to his super-opinionated nature and the fact that last night wore off after a while as a semi-forgettable album, I kind of gave up on Moby. Replacing the whole in my heart for Moby were artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Cat Power, and most recently Amanda Palmer (whose twitter posts are hilarious). However, both Paste Magazine and npr labeled Moby's newest, Wait for Me, as his best in 10 years (since Play). And a good friend told me that he completely agrees. So I'm giving it a shot--especially since it was only $3.99 on Amazon. Maybe for some of you (such as those who made the paper mache head of moby for me), your hope in my love for Moby will be restored.

On another note, I'm reading Mark Driscoll's most recent, entitled Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions. I highly recommend it. In answering nine popular questions his "web viewers" had, Driscoll is both Biblical and inspiring. He can write on such topics as Birth Control and Humor in sermons that most Christians don't even think about (but should). And he writes in such a clear, concise, and most-importantly Biblically-inspired manner. So pick yourselves up a copy and start reading it!

Excuses, Half-Truths, and Fortified Wine

2009-06-20T08:55:00.002-05:00

Summer comes and along with that arrival is my launch into the twitter world. I could spend hours on twitter...but alas, that would be a waste of my time and probably sinful in all the other things I would be avoiding. But, hey, if Amanda Palmer can twitter so much and still find time to blog, then anyone can.

Recently, I finished the book "Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate" by Jerry Bridges. The book begins by approaching the magnitude of sin, something that is so often left out in today's society. However, we must also realize that just as much as the cross was done by us and by our sins, it was also done for us. So there is this beautiful balance between acknowledging our sin and embracing Christ as our mediator. (Lots of this terminology regarding the cross comes from C. J. Mahaney books and sermons). Jerry Bridges then launches into respectable sins, those sins we so often lose sight of in the big picture sins (abortion, homosexuality, etc.). But just as real, and just as grave in that they separate us from God, are sins like anger, envy, judgmentalism, ungodliness (the root of all sin), pride, etc. If God is allowed to work through the book, it is a humbling experience. I encourage all Christians everywhere to read the book as it is simply phenomenal.

In Nathan's music world, tomorrow I will be seeing the Hold Steady in downtown Chicago with Sam. The Hold Steady confronts the drug, alcohol, sex, and religious scenes head on, singing of stories of hopelessness and helplessness. But instead of leaving it at that, the Hold Steady sings of redemption (such as in my favorite song of theirs, How a Resurrection Really Feels). And they write some of the best lyrics (period). Check this excerpt out from How a Resurrection Really Feels:

her parents named her halleluiah, the kids all called her holly. if she scared you then she's sorry. she's been stranded at these parties. these parties they start lovely but they get druggy and they get ugly and they get bloody. the priest just kinda laughed. the deacon caught a draft. she crashed into the easter mass with her hair done up in broken glass. she was limping left on broken heels. when she said father can i tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?

Lost Coastlines: discovering Okkervil River

2009-05-27T09:26:00.003-05:00

Recently, I have (after quite a prolonged period of time), dived (head-first) into the music of Okkervil River. As the number of listens increase, so does my affection for the band. Much like the Decemberists, Okkervil River is a band not afraid of using multi-syllable words in run-on sentences. Much like the Hold Steady (and the Decemberists), Okkervil River tells the story of specific characters in their songs (for example, "Starry Stairs," my favorite of the Stand Ins, is a sequel to "Savannah Smiles" off The Stage Names, both of which eulogize actress Shannon "Savannah" Wilsey).

Musically, Okkervil River never ceases to impress. The theme that seems to run through most of their songs is a wonderful use of horns. On "A Girl in Port," off Stage Names, OR does a terrific job of blending horns with the slow croon of pedal steel alongside Will Sheff's vocals. On "Savannah Smiles," OR slows the pace as Will Sheff expresses a slow ballad, revealing his fatherly tenderness. "On Lost Coastlines" (the first full song off Stand Ins), the band picks it up, wonderfully blending banjo and guitar as they tell of their tumultuous times as a band. In fact, you can get Lost Coastlines for free here. So to all you out there, I recommend (as the summer dawns upon us) you pick up Stage Names first and, then, (if not at the same time) obtain a copy of the Stand Ins. Stage Names, while criticizing pop glory and the limelight, gives way to its sequel, Stand Ins, which highlights those working behind the scene to make pop stars what they are. My favorite songs (if you're one of those "song" people) are "Lost Coastlines," "Starry Stairs," "A Girl in Port," and "You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man." Finally, for you fans of the Arcade Fire out there, please, please, please check out this band. While the Arcade Fire tries to be "epic" and fails, Okkervil River succeeds in almost every area the Arcade Fire fails.

Flying with Amanda Palmer in an Aeroplane over the Sea

2009-05-20T19:14:00.002-05:00

It's always refreshing when a musical artist is actually working for art. In other words, instead of singing about the next boyfriend or girlfriend to be dumped or the fact that love just isn't working out, an artist puts his or her soul into a lasting work of genius. A work that makes you shiver in the spine or just simply start to cry. A work that leaves you with a lot to think about. A work that leaves you disturbed. But, most importantly, a work that is ultimately redemptive.

Amanda Palmer is (simply put) one of these artists. After embarking on an incredible solo project with the help of Ben Folds (Who Killed Amanda Palmer) as well as touring the record, Amanda returned to her former high school (Lexington High School) to work with the play/musical director there, Steve Bogart, on a musical adaptation of Neutral Milk Hotel's CD In an Aeroplane Over the Sea. An album I often ignored, In an Aeroplane deals heavily with Jeff Magnum's (the lead singer's) pondering on the Diary of Anne Frank. The musical (entitled With the Needle that Sings in Her Heart--a line from the song, Two Headed Boy) is basically the story of Anne Frank and deals with many of the harsh realities of the Holocaust, but ultimately holds out hope and redemptive themes. Although I have not seen it, I look forward to purchasing the DVD version as it is simply one of the most interesting, thought-provoking musicals I have ever heard of.

To read more:
a highlight of the story from npr
a sweet article on the musical/play

Heart-carved tree trunk, Yankee bayonet

2009-05-15T15:14:00.004-05:00

A sweetheart left behind
Far from the hills of the sea-swelled Carolinas
That's where my true love lies.

None write stories the was Colin Meloy and his buddies do it. Whether it be the messed up family dynamics of a man in love with the daughter of a mob boss (O Valencia), a shipwrecked sailor finding the heartless man who murdered his mother (The Mariner's Revenge Song), or the love song between a woman and her lover, taken down as a casualty of war (Yankee Bayonet--whic is partially quote above), the Decemberists write some of the most imaginative stories and, consequently, lyrics.

So what happens when Colin cannot fit a full story in one song (even a nearly 10 minute song)? He writes a 17-track album (Hazards of Love) that covers one fleshed-out story. As Paste Magazine says, "Hazards, the Decemberists Capitol follow-up [to Crane Wife] is both the most daring and logical leap of the band's career." The saga includes guest voices, such as Shara Worden of my Brightest Diamond, to cover the four main characters (William, Margaret, the Rake, and the Queen). As the album builds, pivotal songs include The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid (where Shona, as the Queen, enters to debate with William, sung by Colin), Annan Water (where William begs for the water to calm so he can pursue his lover, Margaret), and The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned). I encourage everyone to procure a copy as Hazards of Love, next to Neko Case's Middle Cyclone is arguably the best album of 2009 thus far. In addition, to follow along with the story, the Decemberists have made the cd jacket available for free digitally on their website.

A word from my good friend (if only) Tullian Tchividjian

2009-04-28T13:30:00.002-05:00

In his (quite good) book "Unfashionable," Tullian Tchividjian talks about the unity that Christians should be developing among each other, basing his arguments heavily on Ephesians 4:1-7. He talks about having traditional versus contemporary worship services and he makes this really interesting point I never thought about:

"I understand the good intentions behind these seemingly harmless efforts, but they evidence a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the gospel. We're not only feeding toxic tribalism; we're also saying the gospel can't successfully bring these two different groups together. It's a declaration of doubt about the unifying power of God's gospel. Generational appeal in worship is an unintentional admission that the gospel is powerless to join together what man has separated.

Building the church on stylistic preferences or age appeal (whether old or young) is just as contrary to the reconciling effect of the gospel as building it on class, race, or gender distinctions. In a recent interview, J.I. Packer said, 'If worship styles are so fixed that what's being offered fits the expectations, the hopes, even the prejudices or any of these groups as opposed to the others, I don't believe the worship style glorifies God.'"

wow. quite interesting, though (I think) profoundly true.

It's Blitz! and Full Moons

2009-04-02T10:25:00.003-05:00

Every full moon, an artist changes their style completely and releases an album that catches you by complete surprise. Goldfrapp did this when they went from the tense electronic music of Supernature to the melodic, yet magnificent Seventh Tree. Dido also did this with incredible success when she ditched electronic sounds for pure instruments and more minor key music on Safe Trip Home. For more information on Safe Trip Home, see my earlier blogs (and, yes, just as Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls sings of referencing your own songs within songs, I am referencing my own blog within my blog posts). Although I am not sure to what full moon the Yeah Yeah Yeahs responded, their newest album, It's Blitz! is a drastic change of style.

At first, I was shocked that Karen O. would so recklessly abandon her emotional, and at times semi-screaming rock music and encourage (legendary) guitarist Nick Zinner to lay down his guitar and pick up the synthesizers (which did have their glory days, such as on the album Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen). What results, however, is an album just as raw with emotion and diverse in songs as both Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones. Much akin to Ray LaMontagne's newest album, It's Blitz! starts with songs (in this case two--Zero and Heads will Roll) that are quite upbeat and prepare you to dance your way through the album. However, the album quickly settles down with Soft Shock and pretty much remains on a mellow, chill-out mood. Karen O's desires to just bellow reveal themselves on the fifth track, the Dull Life. My personal favorite on the album is Runaway, an emotional saga about the inability to make love stay (a popular theme of the book Still Life with Woodpecker--again, see a previous blog entry). The song also maintains a steady build until it just explodes with goodness.

Overall, everyone should check out It's Blitz! It won't give you the same feel as playing Maps on guitar hero or listening to Show Your Bones will give you, but it is still a most excellent place to start (or resume) listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Lincoln, Nebraska

2009-03-19T19:06:00.002-05:00

For all those of you who have the same upcoming spring break that I do (or a later one), I thought I'd grant you all a suggestion of three cd's you should listen to on you're time off. Consider it a spring break gift!!!!
First off, if you're just relaxing and what some soothing, but incredible Jazz, listen to Bare Bones by Madeleine Peyroux. This CD just came out a couple weeks ago and is her first full-length album free of any covers.
Second, if you want some folk rock, check out Neko Case's newest Middle Cyclone. While you're at her website, watch the music video for Maybe Sparrow. It's beautiful.
Finally, if you want the best rock 'n' roll you have ever heard (I know it's a bold, unprovable statement, but I'll make it anyways), listen to Magic by Bruce Springsteen.

Speaking of Bruce Springsteen, thanks to his "Hangin' out on E Street" promotion, an artist will put up a video every week of him or her covering a Bruce Song and then talking about how Bruce has inspired him or her. This week, it's my boy Josh Ritter with a fabulous cover of "The River." Bruce has so many songs with overly powerful lyrics, singing about the dark parts of life, but always leaving shreds of hope. The River and Nebraska are two of the most powerful (in my opinion. But, watch the videos here and please, please, please read the lyrics to "The River" here.

Princess Leigh-Cheri & the Outlaw, Bernard Wrangler

2009-03-12T22:00:00.002-05:00

Frustrated with itunes as I merely opened it to listen to a sermon I missed by Jeff Manion and instead have to wait for it to download endless updates, I find myself here, reflecting. Taking up a recommendation by a friend of mine to read "Still Life with the Woodpecker" by Tom Robbins, I wasn't sure what to think at first. An overly cynical, but fantastic writer Robbins took a little while to get used to. The story is most literally "a sort of love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes." I'm not going to explain the story to you--read it if you want--but that is the best description I can give. There's a quote in the end that I particularly liked, about the two main characters (and lovers) Princess Leigh-Cheri and the outlaw, Bernard Wrangler. It reads:

"But having acquired a taste for solitude, each of them spent days separate and alone, Leigh-Cheri in the attic, Bernard in the pantry. Funny how we think of romance as always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense. Alone, the world offers itself freely to us. To be unmasked, it has no choice."

It's a powerful quote, especially with the surrounding context. Just to think how busy we try to make our lives when sometimes solitude is a great way to understand the world and even more so God. On an unrelated note, the book also deals wonderfully with the idea of objects and how animate objects (people) can form such intricate relationships with them. It's quite interesting. And, the book will have you wondering, "what did ever happen to the golden ball?"

I love your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes

2009-03-06T11:58:00.003-06:00

Since this is my first blog entry of March, I must say "Welcome, spring." After coming from the snowy Boston, Grand Rapids, normally a harbor of crappy weather, feels so splendidly nice. On a related note, I entered a Newbury Comics shop in Boston, expecting to be disappointed with the large amount of stocked comics and little amount of anything I'm actually interested in. Instead, I found a huge selection of new and used CD's and was in the shop for nearly 45 minutes.

As if an already dull story couldn't sound anymore less interesting, I left with Neko Case's new album and Blitzen Trapper's newest album in hand. Owning Fox Confessor and Blacklisted, I was never a huge fan of Neko Case. In fact, I listened to those albums a few times after I saw her in concert and then not again. However, after only a few listens, Middle Cyclone (Neko's aformentioned newest) has thoroughly enticed me. While her voice is not what draws me in, her clever melodies and fantastic lyric writing make the song incredible. The most notable songs are Prison Girls, Fever, and Middle Cyclone. The least notable song in my opinion is Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth, a cover that Neko should have turned her back on. In addition, the last track is a thirty minute sound session of the crickets around her Vermont farm. I don't know whether it was an attempt to be artsy, but it is completely uninteresting. However, there are still 13 other tracks that will thoroughly entice you.

Flying in the face of science...or crashing...

2009-02-12T21:16:00.004-06:00

"Like you, I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard Amanda Palmer had been killed. Like you, I know no more than that...It became a national obsession. "Who killed Amanda Palmer?" bubblegum cards were traded and traded again in schoolyards across America."

To put into words the phenomenon that is the music of Amanda Palmer (shown in the image to the right) is truly difficult. As one of the most complex artists I have ever stumbled upon, the music of Amanda Palmer is truly an art. Amanda Palmer, of the Dresden Dolls and of whom I have never heard of before a couple days ago, released a solo CD, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, in late 2008.

To begin, Amanda Palmer writes phenomenal lyrics. The opening track, "Astronaut: A Short History of Nearly Nothing," deals with the difficulty of a person to hold on to their distant lover. As she sings with her extremely powerful voice (think of Tori Amos plus Regina Spektor plus a small portion of Rufus Wainwright come together), she sings "is it enough to have some love / small enough to slip inside a book / small enough to cover with your hand." At the same time, the song deals with the significant others of those who died in the Challenger crash.

The first couple times the chorus is sung, it reads:

but you are, my love, the astronaut
flying in the face of science
i will gladly stay an afterthought
just bring back some nice reminders

until it changes to...

YES you are, my love, the astronaut
crashing in the name of science
just my luck they found your upper half
it’s a very nice reminder

Another ear-catching song, Leeds United deals with the necessity of love in a culture so driven by cheap-thrills and glitzy entertainment. As the title of the CD would suggest, an overarching theme of the album is the triviality of death in American culture. On the hauntingly powerful Guitar Hero, Amanda Palmer contrasts video games with the war in Iraq. In the eyes of a video gamer now at the front, Amanda eerily sings "how do you get them to turn this thing off? / this isn't at all like the ones back at home / just shut your eyes and flip the cassette." To truly understand the complexity of the lyrics, I recommend checking out Amanda's website as it includes videos and pictures pertaining to each song. Be warned: Amanda is a bit eccentric, you could say a bit...gothic.

In addition to incredible, though bone-chilling lyrics, the musical production amazing. The CD was produced by Ben Folds and he plays simply tremendous piano on many of the songs (Thank goodness for this CD, it's been a long time since he's done anything good in the music world). While Leeds United jumps out at you for its powerful horn section and the guitar mastery of East Bay Ray smashes Guitar Hero home, the true power of Amanda's voice comes on slower, piano-driven songs such as Ampersand and the Point of it all.

I could go on and on about the artistic incredibleness of this album and the website associated with it. At the same time, you should go listen to it. And, of course, I would love to sit down and talk with Amanda as a Christian perspective of the world shatters the fatalistic resignation so much of her lyrics express.

What is a revolutionary without love?

2009-01-30T09:52:00.002-06:00

Perhaps one of the most unnoticed actors, but also easily one of my favorites, Benicio del Toro (21 Grams, Snatch, the Usual Suspects) stars in a movie about the life and work of Che Guevara. The 4 plus hour movie will air in the United States in two parts (as none of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films made it to that length). One can watch the trailer here.

Admittedly, I fall in the category of "not knowing very much about Che Guevara" aside from seeing people (many of whom probably fall in the same category) wear t-shirts bearing his image religiously across the United States. And from an article in The Washington Times that one can access here (I think if you're on the facebook-imported version of my blog, the links may not work), it appears that the movie softens the image of Che in various places. Thus, I would encourage all to see the movie (I haven't yet, but really really want to) and then to do a bit of research on their own.

Final word: Benicio del Toro is the man.

Things that I really like right now....

2009-01-22T19:22:00.003-06:00

Take a look if you want--this is kind of random.

TV on the Radio. They are an incredibly fresh band and write amazing lyrics. The song that really grabs me is DLZ, especially the first two stanzas. They read:

Congratulations on the mess you made of things;
On trying to reconstruct the air and all that brings.
And oxidation is the compromise you own
But this is beginning to feel like the dog wants her bones
saved

You force your fire then you falsify your deeds
Your methods dot the disconnect from all your creeds
And fortune strives to fill the vacuum that it feeds
But this is beginning to feel like the dog's lost her lead

Super harsh, but super raw. The song is obviously about hypocrisy, specifically in America, but I think they leave the lyrics the way they are for open interpretation.

Charles H. Spurgeon. I just started reading his devotional book, Morning & Evening, last night. Typically I do not like the short devotionals on one verse of scripture, but I really like what I've been reading--maybe it's just Spurgeon or more likely God (highly more likely).

The Watson Twins blog. Also fresh. And outright hilarious.

Finally, the Blind Boys of Alabama concert was incredible. Gospel concerts always are, but especially with such legends.

Brandon Flowers, Elton John.

2009-01-14T21:44:00.002-06:00

Well my friends, I never expected to be using Brandon Flowers' name right along side that of Elton John--much less with respect to Christmas. Nonetheless, Brandon Flowers (the lead singer of the uber fun band, the Killers) released a Christmas single in which he sings with Elton John and Neil Tennant. I don't know why it took me so long to discover this--the killers for three years running have released a Christmas single, but I am super glad I did discover this.

So y'all better go check out the song "Joseph, better you than me" by the Killers, Elton John, and Neil Tennant.

Please excuse my musical nerdiness, sir

2009-01-12T18:49:00.003-06:00

So, first things first, the Watson Twins are hilarious. I'm sorry, but I died of laughter reading their most recent blog (found at http://thewatsontwins.blogspot.com/). You should all check it out.

Second, the Watson Twins have an EP coming in February!!!!! They're first EP had its moments, but they were few. Their debut album, however, rocked my socks off. That being said, I'm super stoked for the EP.

oh bed of steel, be my winding wheel

2009-01-09T15:36:00.002-06:00

Sometimes you stumble across just the right thing you need to hear for the situation you're in. Today, that happened to me in reading "The Cross of Christ" by John R. W. Stott (who looks extraordinarily similar to Bilbo Baggins). Here's what I read, perhaps it will help you too:

"If our peace-making is to be modeled on our heavenly Father's, however, we will conclude at once that it is quite different from appeasement. For the peace that God secures is never cheap peace, but always costly. He is indeed the world's preeminent peacemaker, but when he determined on reconciliation with us, his "enemies" who had rebelled against him, he "made peace" through the blood of Christ's cross (Col 1:20). To reconcile himself to us, and us to himself, and Jews, Gentiles and other hostile groups to each other, cost him nothing less than the painful shame of the cross. We have no right to expect, therefore, that we will be able to engage in conciliation work at no cost to ourselves, whether our involvement in the dispute is as the offending or offended party, or as a third party anxious to help enemies to become friends again.

What form might the cost take? Often it will begin with sustained, painstaking listening to both sides, the distress of witnessing the mutual bitterness and recriminations, the struggle to sympathize with each position, and the effort to understand the misunderstandings that have caused the communication breakdown. Honest listening may uncover unsuspected faults, which will in their turn necessitate their acknowledgment without resorting to face-saving subterfuges. If we are ourselves to blame, there will be the humiliation of apologizing, the deeper humiliation of making restitution where this is possible, and the deepest humiliation of all, which is to confess that the deep wounds we have caused will take time to heal and cannot light-heartedly be forgotten. If, on the other hand, the wrong has not been done by us, then we may have to bear the embarrassment of reproving or rebuking the other person, and thereby risk forfeiting his or her friendship. Although the followers of Jesus never have the right to refuse forgiveness, let alone to take revenge, we are not permitted to cheapen forgiveness by offering it prematurely when there has been no repentance. "If your brother sins," Jesus said, "rebuke him," and only then "if he repents, forgive him" (Lk 17:3)."

-From "The Cross of Christ" by John Stott (a book I highly recommend reading)

Top 5 Albums of the Year.

2008-12-29T10:26:00.006-06:00

I think everyone knows that I really like listening to music. On such a musical quest, certain albums pop out at me more than others and there are some that I simply cannot stop listening to. Thus, in all my musical nerdiness, I present to you my top five albums of 2008.

5. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie
To be honest, Transatlanticism deserves another chance while Plans never completely sold me. On the other hand, Bixby Canyon Bridge off Narrow Stairs slowly lulls the listener in before I will Possess your Heart captures the full attention of the listener. Death Cab finally shows on this track that they are quite strong instrumentally (an impression I had never gotten from them before) with a four minute instrumental piece before Ben Gibbard comes in vocally.
Songs: Cath..., Long Division, Grapevine Fires (my personal favorite)

4. Volume One - She & Him
Already possessing a strong acting career (see Elf and Yes Man among others), Zooey Deschanel turns to the music scene with the help of indie phenom M. Ward (hence She & Him). Simply put, I cannot get enough of the album these two have pieced together. Deschanel's incredible vocals alongside M. Ward's wonderful instrumentation make for quite the album. And while the album is quite upbeat instrumentally, some of the lyrics are quite the opposite (i.e. Change is Hard). Nowhere is this contrast between an upbeat song with heavy lyrics more evident than in their music video for Why do you let me stay here? As a side note, I recommend trying to leave their website. So informative yet clever.
Songs: Sweet Darlin', Take it Back, Black Hole

3. Seventh Tree - Goldfrapp
A truly good artist will show that their music cannot just fit one label. They will diversify their music as they stretch their musical limits. Goldfrapp has done just that in going from the electronically astounding Supernature to a more stripped down, acoustic album in Seventh Tree. The opening track, Clowns, displays the strange beauty of Allison Goldfrapp's voice among acoustic guitar picking. There is no one single track, such as Supernature's Ooh La La that can carry the whole album, but a medley of wonderful tracks creating a fantastic flow to a new sound from the Goldfrapp duo.
Songs: Clowns, A & E, Eat Yourself

2. This is the Life - Amy MacDonald
Since randomly purchasing This is the Life at the end of the summer, I have been continuously coming back to this album. Amy MacDonald's Scottish voice carries an album of fantastic, fun songs. At the same time, her lyrics are powerful, most of them criticizing a life of power and riches that remains unfulfilled. On the song Footballer's Wife (my personal favorite on the album) Amy sings "oh i don't believe in the selling of your glories before you leave this life there's so much more to see, i don't believe this is how the world should be." While in itself a rather lame music video, go watch This is the Life just to catch the drift of what is Amy MacDonald.
Songs: Mr. Rock & Roll, This is the Life, Footballer's Wife

1. Fire Songs - The Watson Twins
Hands down the best album of the year. Before this album, Chandra and Leigh Watson's main appearance was on Rabbit Fur Coat, the first signs of Jenny Lewis's break with Rilo Kiley. While Rabbit Fur Coat was a strong album, it was truly Jenny Lewis's project. On Fire Songs, The Watson Twins finally get a crack at showing the world what they're made of. And boy do they do that. The harmonies are simply incredible, the instrumentation quite catchy (try getting How am I to be? out of your head), and the lyrics very well-written. Everyone should seriously put this album in and just play it several times through.
Songs: Lady Love Me, Just Like Heaven (a cover of the Cure), Map to Where You are, Bar Woman Blues

Raw Country and the Discovery of Sera Cahoone

2008-12-18T23:45:00.003-06:00

So lately, thanks largely to Sam, I have been into what I like to call "raw" country. To me, raw country is 1) NOT the pure pop country crap that is on the radio. Just as when raw rock takes the form of pop rock (a.k.a. James Blunt, Daniel Powter etc.) and makes you want to plug your ears for life, raw country takes a turn for the worse in the forms of pop country. So lately I've been into two "raw" country artists--Kathleen Edwards and Lucinda Williams. For one, you get the pure, beautiful instrumentation of electric guitars, organs, harmonicas, etc. meshing together to form one beautiful noise. At the same time, you get artists with beautiful voices who write powerful, and I mean uncomfortably powerful songs. If you want the perfect example of this, try listening to Alicia Ross by Kathleen Edwards. Written from the perspective of a young girl in Canada who is murdered by her neighbor, the song gives me chills every time I listen to it.

Recently, however, thanks to last.fm, I discovered Sera Cahoone and simply cannot get enough. Sera used to be the drummer for Band of Horses among other indie bands. On the two CD's she has out (one self-titled, the other called Only as the Day is Long), Sera delivers old-fashioned country at its finest. The album I have (Only as the Day is Long) is heavy with pedal-steal, acoustic guitar, and banjo arrangements (I love, love, love the sound of the pedal-steal). The songs, while quite simple, are incredible. "Happy When I'm Gone" gets me up and dancing around before I realize that the lyrics aren't that "happy." Other highlights include the title track, "Baker Lane," and "Runnin' Your Way. I highly recommend checking her out (as well as Kathleen and Lucinda).

By the way, Sam and I will be seeing Kathleen in February in Detroit and it will be amazing!

Without you i've been burnin love

2008-11-25T22:00:00.003-06:00

you're the one that i've been calling for.

After a period of five years, in which many fans may have wondered if she had actually gone down with the ship, Dido recently released her third studio album, "Safe Trip Home." Shortly after the phenomenal album that was "No Angel," Dido recorded a rather disappointing album, "Life is for Rent." After the amazingly catchy first track (white flag), the CD took a turn downhill from which it never recovered.

Starting with "Don't Believe in Love," an extremely catchy track with a smoothe baseline (yes, you know it's smoothe when it has an e on the end), "Safe Trip Home" threatens to follow the same path as it's predecessor. However, after a couple listens, one cannot help but note the ridiculous improvements Dido has made in her own musicianship. In her five years off, Dido has dedicated herself to learning how to play multiple instruments and how to play them well. As her website says,

Dido had inadvertently set the tone for Safe Trip Home, a record whose smouldering, soulful songs were to eventually feature her playing guitar, piano, bells and the trusty old recorder she'd toured Europe with as a prodigious pupil of London's Guildhall School of Music. She's even responsible for some of the album's drums (most notably on the sumptuously melancholy Quiet Times).

As a whole, this yields an album that is much more instrument-driven than electronically-driven. Simply amazing songs include the, slow, introspective ballad "Look no Further," the fun, quirky "Us 2 little gods," and the incredible bluesy song "Burnin Love" which features Citizen Cope. Burnin Love is the song that I have simply not been able to get out of my head (just ask Sam, I've sung it to him multiple times).

Finally, musicians can only gain so much appreciation through their music. True artist appreciation comes from what they do beyond their music. That is why I simply love her website. On it, there is a music tour section you can go on in which you see videos made from different countries. The videos are rather thought-provoking and allow users to comment. For example, her video for "Us 2 little gods" is about people in Rio so poor their lives revolve around landfills. I strongly encourage you to check out her website.