as i was cleaning out my office i found this poster from ye olde testify days. thought i would post it for good laughs all round. this one's for you lynn and grady.
i have a small head...
10.26.2005
10.20.2005
A COLLISION or (3+4=7)
while at the conference we were led in singing by the david crowder band. this band, for me, has been a shining light among the deluge of crap often passed off as good music. they carefully craft music that goes beyond a mere melody and lyrics, and their newest album takes them to the next level in creative expression.
"a collision, or (3+4=7)" mixes ancient hymns, african american spirituals, good ol' southern bluegrass, electronica, and rock in a fusion that tingles the ear and brings a satisfied smile to the face. crowder & co. include some of their trademark "singables" following the successful models of "can i hear you" and "illuminate" in songs such as "here is our king" and "wholly yours." elsewhere, however, they meld musical styles to bring us into God's presence through everything from a meditative cover of sufjan stevens' "o God, where are you now? (in pickerel lake? pigeon? marquette? mackinaw?)" to a rock opera in "you are my joy." indeed, i think this album is best seen as an opera of sorts, a musical programme put together in such a way that it is best experienced straight through from beginning to end.
poetically, david crowder has honed his craft further to create lyrics that are beautiful, memorable, and layered with meaning. "a beautiful collision" has some good examples of this, but my favorite lyrics are found in "here is our king," especially the line "and what was said to the rose to make it unfold was said to me here in my chest, so be quiet now and rest."
all told, it is my opinion that "a collision or (3+4=7)" is the david crowder band's most musically and creatively mature offering to date and a harbinger of great things yet to come.
for another review by a friend, go here.
road trip
i just got back from my trip to pittsburgh with timmy b, mark b, and ben c, a couple days ago. we had a great time - shared many laughs and made many memories. stopping in to see ap on the way down was definitely a highlight.
for me, it was an odd trip to go on. i just resigned from my position of youth pastor and have no desire to go back to being a youth pastor in the near future....so why go to a youth pastor's convention? other than the fact that i had already bought my ticket...i went for the fun times with the guys and the retreat experience that the conference offered. not so much a retreat into solitude, but a retreat away from the ordinary to spend a weekend listening to what God might want to say through the conference. i had a great time. i didn't hear anything profound from God, but it did confirm for me that where i am at now is a good place to be. i had some good moments of rest in the midst of the craziness and was able to spend some much-coveted time with friends.
the highlight of the trip for me came late saturday evening. the four of us went to get some food and drinks at a nearby restaurant/pub and ended up having a wonderfully deep conversation and sharing time. something was said during that time that really hit me and meant much more to me than they had probably intended for it to... i'll be vulnerable here and tell you... they said that i seemed very authentic/genuine. a comment was made that i seemed a much different person than i was in college...in a good way. coming from the year i have spent allowing God to deconstruct and begin rebuilding my faith, this comment was a God moment for me... saying "see, i am doing something in you. you are becoming who i want you to be. it's working!"
that one moment was, for me, worth the entire trip and hundreds of dollars spent. it was so very encouraging for me....just the kind of thing God knew i needed to hear.
so for ben, mark, and timmy...thank you.
10.04.2005
nothing is sound :: switchfoot
the title gives away this album. nothing is sound; nothing in this world is worth putting our trust in. i found this to be a beautiful album dealing with the reality of brokenness and hope being found in God. it's not stated that blatantly, but that's what poetry is all about... it communicates emotions, not solely propositions. and that is what i find in this album...songs full of the feeling that the world falls apart around us, but in the middle of it all we find hope in God.
when i listen to stars i hear a song about looking to God in the middle of our troubles. "when i look at the stars i see someone else"
when i listen to the shadow proves the sunshine i hear a beautiful song about the brokenness around and within us showing us in an even more powerful way the glory of God "crooked soul trying to stand up straight...the shadow proves the sunshine"
when i listen to easier than love i hear a song lamenting the misuse and abuse of sex in our society "she is easier than love, is easier than life...what have we done, what is the monster we've become"
when i listen to politicians i hear a song about placing one's allegiance and hope in God's kingdom rather than our frail ones full of political rivalries and problems. "we are broken, we are bitter, we're the problems, we're the politicians...i pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians"
i hear songs that are dealing with the issues we face in the world around us with a perspective that is always placing hope in kingdom come. i think they best compare to the laments found in the psalms.
"does justice never find you? do the wicked never lose? is there any honest song to sing besides these blues? ...and nothing is okay until the world caves in" (the blues)
"my wound goes deeper than the skin. there's no hiding it, so i'm not trying it. my hope runs underneath it all, the day that i'll be home. finally back where we belong. finally free." (the setting sun)
jonathan strange and mr. norrell
i was finally able to get my hands on a copy of jonathan strange and mr. norrell by susanna clarke. i've been trying to get one from the library for months now and ... anyway.
it was excellent. i enjoyed it thoroughly and was hardly able to put it down. karen really doesn't like that characteristic of mine too much, but after a few days of having my nose in the book i finally finished it. all 782 pages.
the writing was very well done. characters were developed to a fault. clarke spent some pages on characters that played hardly any role at all, yet she took the time to introduce each one. sentences were filled with colourful descriptions and the plot development pulled me along in a current that slowly increased in potency until the climax at the end.
jonathan strange and mr. norrell is a book about the revival of english magic set in historical great britain in the early nineteenth century. two magicians arise after two hundred years of no magic in britain and face challenges they would never have imagined. fairies, politicians, ancient kings, war, magic, and avarice are woven into a tapestry of immense colour and proportion.
if you are a fan of reading, of fantasy literature, of historical fiction, then i heartily recommend you check out jonathan strange and mr. norrell by susanna clarke.
another song
underneath
you say you cannot understand the things i say
how i can think you're beautiful in every way
but what you see and what i see are differerent things
don't you know that i see underneath
underneath you're beautiful
underneath you're scared
underneath - a daughter of the king
underneath you're beautiful
the longer i am with you, the more i find
lovely, oh my love, stop trying to hide
what you see makes you cry; what i see makes me sing
don't you know that i see underneath
underneath you're beautiful
underneath you're scared
underneath - a child of the king
(repeat)
don't you know i love you
don't you know i'm here
don't you know i'd give my life for you
'cause underneath you're beautiful
underneath you're scared
underneath - a child of the king
(repeat)
underneath you're beautiful
you say you cannot understand the things i say
how i can think you're beautiful in every way
but what you see and what i see are differerent things
don't you know that i see underneath
underneath you're beautiful
underneath you're scared
underneath - a daughter of the king
underneath you're beautiful
the longer i am with you, the more i find
lovely, oh my love, stop trying to hide
what you see makes you cry; what i see makes me sing
don't you know that i see underneath
underneath you're beautiful
underneath you're scared
underneath - a child of the king
(repeat)
don't you know i love you
don't you know i'm here
don't you know i'd give my life for you
'cause underneath you're beautiful
underneath you're scared
underneath - a child of the king
(repeat)
underneath you're beautiful
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