There has been a ton of great new music recently (Josh Ritter, Band of Horses, Everest) including the new album High Violet from the National. On this album there is a song called “Runaway” that has captured my spiritual side for the last week and won’t let it go. The song plays out as an internal conversation happening within someone who realizes their limitations in the face of what looks to be a lengthy struggle. But even though he knows what is coming there is still a sense of commitment and hope that gives him the strength to go through with it. The music itself is one long build… there is no chorus or “hook” that you would expect from a pop song, but instead a landscape the mirrors the repetitive and meditative sentiments of the singer. There is no resolution offered musically or lyrically just the lingering feelings of this doubtful yet hopeful person about to start a troubled journey.
As I begin to wrap my head around the transitions facing my life, this song has captured a glimpse of where I stand spiritually. Though I have my doubts about myself and all the uncertainty that swirls around me, I am still ready to go through with it because I have faith in what is to come. Here is a video of the band performing the song, I hope it means something to you:
Dear god, I’m trying hard to reach you
Dear god, I see your face in all I do
Sometimes it’s so hard to believe in
Good god I know you have your reasons
Dear god, I wish that I could touch you
How strange sometimes I feel I almost do
And then I’m back behind the glass again
Oh god what keeps you out it keeps me in
Hey everyone, sorry I have been MIA from the blogosphere for a while. Here is what has been capturing my attention:
Great new music: Peter Gabriel, Broken Bells and Gorillaz. The Peter Gabriel cover album “Scratch My Back” finally came out in the US and is absolutely wonderful. Really good music to meditate with… it has helped me relax and decompress these last few weeks. Broken Bells is the funky and folky colaboration between Danger Mouse (from Gnarles Barkley) and James Mercer (from the Shins). I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite driving albums of the summer. The Gorillaz have come back after 5 years with their album “Plastic Beach” which features some of my favorite hip-hop artists and beat makers. I haven’t really dug into it yet but there are some really great grooves and lyrics to keep you interested.
I just finished up helping with a class at Fuller on theology and media culture that turned me on to the HBO series True Blood. While it certainly has it’s fair share of explicit scenes and over the top violence, the show deals with much more than modern day vampires. The show deals with the cultural themes of “otherness” and plurality facing us and how we are able to accpet the radically different and create new ethical paradigms in the face of such challenges. The class has been a helpful challenge in understanding how we are (and I am) changing with the influence of new technologies and media outlets and how we are to understand each other in the face of these new tools.
For Lent my friend Barry has started a twitter campaign called SP140… spiritual practices in 140 characters or less. It has been a really cool way of exploring how something like twitter can help shape my spiritual life and provide a focus durring this season. Some of the cool practices have been: “Dont use sarcasm or cynicism today”, “Make a list of your doubts about god Your fears about life and your worries about yourself Then burn it” and “Don’t text today just make calls.”
So there you go… that’s what has been up with me these past few weeks. We have some cool things comming up at church that I will post about in a bit. Until then, enjoy life and continue to pursue God in new ways.
Hey everyone, here are the things we used in our discussion last Sunday. These next 8 weeks leading up to Easter we are going to be walking through the Gospel of Mark, inspired by Nick Cave and his unique take on how we can come to know Jesus through his humanity. If you want to read the intro he wrote for the Gospel of Mark you can find it here… this is my favorite little bit of it:
“The Christ that emerges from Mark, tramping through the haphazard events of His life, had a ringing intensity about him that I could not resist. Christ spoke to me through His isolation, through the burden of His death, through His rage at the mundane, through His sorrow. Christ, it seemed to me was the victim of humanity’s lack of imagination, was hammered to the cross with the nails of creative vapidity.”
It’s weird to think that we are coming to the close of another decade isn’t it? Paste Magazine has put out three best of the decade lists for you to check out/argue over. I tried putting mine together but it almost made my head explode going over all the great music, movies, tv shows and books of the past 10 years. Anyhow go check out what Paste thinks are the best books, albums, movies and tv shows. (These would probably be my top three albums)
…that is what Daniel Lanois calls his pedal steel guitar. Last Thursday I went to go see Mr. Lanois set up church at the Troubadour with his new band Black Dub and listen to him preach through his craft. Lanois’ music has a deeply spiritual and melancholy nature to it that resonates with the authentic struggles and trials of a person wrestling with their faith while trying to understand the world they live in. Though the night was meant to showcase his new group the hour and a half set included a couple of songs from his solo career including the heart breakingly beautiful song “The Maker.”
I was introduced to “The Maker” back in the mid 90’s when I heard the Dave Matthews Band cover the song live in concert and was blown away by it’s honesty. At that moment I was beginning to identify spiritual themes and desires in “secular” music but had yet come across a song with the depth and desperation as this. Though the lyrics describe the struggle and hope of a life with a God that at times is distant it is the music that captures the confusing yet fluid nature of faith. The groove is steady and hopeful yet has an aching that begs for resolution. It captures the longing that we have for the divine as we continue through the uncertenties of faith.
I was talking with a friend the other day about how in church we rarely sing songs that focus on our aching questions, loneliness, doubts, struggles and ultimate feeling of isolation from God. When was the last time you heard anything from Lamentations or Job in church? We like to focus on the happy endings and songs of praise when the majority of faith is spent in the fog and shadows of life. “The Maker” is a poignant declaration about the reality of struggle in our spiritual lives that points to the hope of a meaningful life with God. Though the song needs to be experienced to understand it’s full impact, I’ll leave you with one verse that continuously challenges and affirms my faith:
My body is bent and broken
by long and dangerous leaps
I can’t work the fields of abraham
and turn my head away
I’m not a stranger
in the eyes of the maker
To say a Flaming Lips concert is a joyous experience would be an understatement. Their show is filled with constant explosions of confetti, giant balloons, dancing yeti (seriously, they had people dressed like the abominable snowman dancing on stage with them) but most importantly music expressing hope for the future and the celebration of the life we have. After the second or third song, Wayne, the lead singer, told the crowd that “the best part about a Flaming Lips show is that, for a while, you get to forget about hate and enjoy your life.” While the atmosphere was somewhere between the greatest birthday party ever and welcoming alien life form, the Lips made their message clear through their music; we should celebrate that love and peace are real and possible. It was a great show and an even better escape from reality, even if it was just for a bit.
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes – let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It’s hard to make the good things last
- Do you realize by the Flaming Lips
In my senior year of college my roommates and I were sitting around talking about things we wanted to do in the next 20 years and the conversation inevitably turned to music. We each made our list of the five bands we wanted to see in concert that were still touring (or had the chance of touring, so no dead people). My list of the top five bands to see back in 2004 were:
U2 (Vertigo tour 2006)
Pearl Jam (The forum 2006)
Prince (Musicology tour 2004)
The Police (Reunion tour 2007)
R.E.M (Accelerate tour 2008)
So now that I have seen all the bands on my top five list, it’s time to make a new one. After lots of thought and scouring my itunes I think I have decided on the next five bands I need to see:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: This is a no brianer. How I have missed Bruce and the band up until this point I have no idea.
The Arcade Fire: Even though they have only released two albums (and one EP), their music is complex, haunting and deep. Their Neon Bible album continually blows my mind.
Sigur Ros: this would be more of a life experience than a concert. Their eclectic orchestration and soaring melodies take me to special places.
The Flaming Lips: Again, this is one of the bands that I want to experience. Their shows are notorious for being a big party and celebration for all the weird parts of life.
Nine Inch Nails: I know it may be weird for a minister to want to go see NIN but they have produced some amazing music. Trent Reznor is one of the deepest and most honest writers out there and I have always appreciated his perspective.
So when Trent announced that NIN was retiring and would not be touring anymore I had to pull out all the stops to try and see them. Luckily they are playing four final shows in LA and I am going to be at the first one! So come September there will be an open spot on my list, time to go back and search my itunes.
I thought this was a very haunting photo. For those of you who don’t know who this is, his name is Kurt Cobain and he was the lead singer for the band Nirvana and then committed suicide in 1994. Nirvana is arguably the most influential band of the 90’s and were one of the pioneers in the grunge musical movement. Their music has a heavy emphasis on the reality and pain that comes with every day life. Most of the music of Nirvana does not show a lot of hope for the future let alone the possibility for salvation. It was obvious listening to Kurt that there was deep rooted pain and depression which in turn resonated with a lot of people.
I love this picture because it reminds me that no one is too far gone for the love of God. Kurt was obviously a troubled person, but he was also loved by his creator. We can find ourselves tied down with self pity, depression and loneliness, much like Kurt, but we can also know that we have a loving God who sees us as a perfect creation that is important and valuable. The photo is a perfect juxtaposition of the hurt and anguish that can come with life next to a commonly dismissed message of hope. When we find ourselves in dark times and doubting our purpose, may we never forget that God is right there with us affirming and encouraging our every step.
There has been a ton of great new music recently (Josh Ritter, Band of Horses, Everest) including the new album High Violet from the National. On this album there is a song called “Runaway” that has captured my spiritual side for the last week and won’t let it go. The song plays out as an internal conversation happening within someone who realizes their limitations in the face of what looks to be a lengthy struggle. But even though he knows what is coming there is still a sense of commitment and hope that gives him the strength to go through with it. The music itself is one long build… there is no chorus or “hook” that you would expect from a pop song, but instead a landscape the mirrors the repetitive and meditative sentiments of the singer. There is no resolution offered musically or lyrically just the lingering feelings of this doubtful yet hopeful person about to start a troubled journey.
For Lent my friend Barry has started a twitter campaign called SP140… spiritual practices in 140 characters or less. It has been a really cool way of exploring how something like twitter can help shape my spiritual life and provide a focus durring this season. Some of the cool practices have been: “Dont use sarcasm or cynicism today”, “Make a list of your doubts about god Your fears about life and your worries about yourself Then burn it” and “Don’t text today just make calls.” 
