My Soul Sings

We’re standing here, in a moment of eternity

When worlds collide and I feel the breath of Heaven over me

My soul sings

my soul sings

my soul sings

how I love You…

                               -Delirious? / My Soul Sings

After nearly 15 years working around Christian music, few artists have grabbed me like Delirious?. Songs like, “Investigate,” “Angel In Disguise,” and a host of others have touched me in immeasurable ways. But when its all said & done, none of them will likely compare to “My Soul Sings.”

Two years ago today, a nurse handed me my new born daughter, Gracie. The moment I took her in my arms, those words above filled my head and I had to fight not to cry tears of joy in that moment.

Happy Birthday to my little princess and many thanks to Delirious? & countless other artists who- often unintentionally -become the soundtrack of our lives.

 

On Hitler, Bonhoeffer, Rob Bell and fallen me.

If you do not wish to devour all of this, I will summarize here:

1. All of the recent chatter in the church over doctrinal beliefs on hell are nothing new.

2. There are eerie simialrities to the conflicts of the German Church under Hitler and the doctrinal schisms of the western world.

3. I am human, predisposed to trying to control everything, but in my heart I am desparately surrendering my life to the Supremecy of the Triune God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and specifically His Word.

If you’re bored or wish to indulge me, read on

It has been a blast reading so many great book this year. I have been wowed by a clearer vision of my beliefs, pushed to move beyond old wounds and caught up in thrilling excitement and story. At it’s best the written word can push us, mold us, shape us, wound us, heal us, break us & build us back up better than before-often in the scope of just one book.

Having said that, perhaps no book has brought me more enjoyment this year the Eric Metaxas’ exhaustive biography (nearly 600 pages) Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy. I am nearly halfway through and it is next to impossible to put it down.

What has been particularly interesting is to learn of the German Church’s role in the scope of what Germany would become between WWI & WWII. In short, the GC was a bureau of the state department, under the authority of the Reichstag.

German heritage was closely tied to it’s heralded son Martin Luther. Luther brought the Bible to the German language and in effect created the German language from a fractured mass of regional dialects often incosistent within the individual regions themselves. Luther as the father of reformation is as integral to Protestant heritage as he was to German heritage.

Fast forwarding to the early 20th century and we see a splintered Germany, broken & lost by the consequences of a lost war and handcuffed at all corners by The Treaty of Versailles.

We all know what comes next: the National Socialists (Nazi) rise to power on the strength of their Charismatic leader, the Austrian, Adolf Hitler.

What is less discussed is the initial actions that the Nazis took in controlling the German Church. Now Hitler himself would fight to avoid the controversy around the National German Church, but would ultimately, unavoidably get involved.

What occurred is pretty interesting, given our current climate amongst Christians in the west today.

The Nazis seized on national pride which was dually linked to the German Church & Germany the nation. In it’s simplest terms, the Nazis sought to make alteration to the theology of the NGC to appeal more to their overall vision & theme for a resurrected Germany.
Among these ideals were:

* The so-called “Aryan Paragraph” > this limited leadership & eventually membership in the NGC to “true Germans”

* The removal of the entire Old Testament (hypocritically viewed as Jew propaganda) and other select parts of Scripture as they were deemed contrary to the National Socialist ideaology

* And -what should have been most alarming to the established members of the NGC-a casual annointing of Christ as a lone Nordic light of hope in the filth of history.

What ensued was a slow growing schism between the NGC and what would become the “Confessing Church,” who started as a few minor voices but would balloon to a full blown global debate within branches of the NGC across the globe.

Years before Hitler would invade Poland, the first skirmishes would be between his appointed NGC leaders and outspoken “confessors” like Bonhoeffer.

And at the crux of this argument was the belief by Bonhoeffer & his fellow confessors that the NGC was no longer the NGC. It had abandoned the orthodoxy of Scripture and subsequently could not be considered a Christian institution at all.

By their assessment, if anyone outside Germany could see what was at work within Germany, they could no longer affiliate themselves with the so called NGC.

So all of this has me thinking.

Thinking of how the misapropriation of Christian issues by the Republican Party (& to some lesser extent organizaions like the Religious Right, The Tea Party & Fox News) is not too disimilar than the reasons the National Socialist party of Germany sought to align themselves with the NGC. They saw a vast people group with an influential platform and wisely aligned themselves to it for advancement of their cause.

Now, let me clarify (not that anyone reads this) that this is not to compare the Tea Party, Republicans or the so-called Religious Right to the Nazis. It is only to say that they both saw an opportunity to ingratiate themselves to the populace through the Church at large. They saw a common ground (some Christians shared their beliefs) and sold it as the standard (all Christians share their belief). Christians voting Democrat, like Messianic Jews in the Third Reich’s NGC was essentially left out of the conversation.

Now let’s be clear. I believe it is the responsiblity of Christians to be involved in the politics of their particular community, environment, culture & nation. I do not however believe that being a Christian means we are to blindly assimilate into political causes, parties, afiliations, etc with more fervor, diligence and knowledge than we approach the pillars of our faith. The Supremacy of our lives & efforts can be nothing but God & His Word. We can align ourselves to any organization, but it ultimately comes unders the authority of our faith, revealed in God’s Word.

In addition to those parallels I was also struck by the similarities of Bonhoeffer’s struggle with the issue de jour in the Christian community today.

I am not talking about Rob Bell and his book. I am talking about something bigger.

See, Bonhoeffer’s (and his contemporaries) chief initial criticism was not with Hitler’s power obsession (though that would surely come) and it wasn’t with the impending genocide that would be exercised by the Nazis (which was still years off).

No Bonhoeffer & the Confessing Church primarily took issue with the abandonment of Scripture as the lone authority of the Church. Bonhoeffer’s chief concern was the church’s abandonment of authority. In his mind to abandon the Scripture was to abandon the faith. One could not be a Christ follower and then chart his own course to understanding the Christ.

“Theological work and real pastoral fellowship can only grow in a life which is governed by gathering round the Word morning & evening and by fixed times of prayer…” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer (emphasis mine)

When the world around him hurled into the oncoming traffic that was the prologue to WWII & the Holocaust (even his own eventual assasination), Bonhoeffer dug deeper into the only roots he trusted: Scripture.

Further he took deep umbridge with any disection or intepretation that did not hold to the fullness of Scripture. The National Socialists would use the few & likely senilic later life writings of Luther to incite animosity towards the Jews and to posit that singular ethnic group as the source of their suffering.

The National Socialists tried to ease German post WWI disillusionment & pain by twisting the works of Luther and ultimately the Holy Bible, the Word of God.

Similarly we now live in an age where life is wrought with confusion & uncertainty. Questions upon questions upon questions all in the name of healthy discourse. How in a financially unstable, militarily stretched western world (one not that indifferent than German circa the 1920′s) is the God of the Bible relevant? How is the Bible relevant?

Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic…Do not defend God’s Word, but testify to it…Trust to the Word.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Here’s the thing. From where I sit our world seeks answers. If you believe in God (of any scope) you have to believe we are here in this life in this season with reason. And most would make a case, at least in part we are here to help bring light to these issues.

If you believe-as I do-in the God of the Bible, then the answers to most of these questions rest in a surrender to the supremacy of said God. His Word is the source of those answers, not something to be reasoned, adapted or abridged (in the case of Thomas Jefferson, the Third Reich NGC, et al).

Regardless of where you find yourself in the very minimal issue of these public discussions (Rob Bell, Westboro Baptist, Joel Osteen, Homosexuality, Abortion, Obama, Bush, SUVs, The Tea Party, the ACLU or Santa Claus) in the end you cannot carry the label Christian and give anything other than God’s Word supremecy in your life. And let me be clear when I say the Word of God I mean the whole of Scripture. It is to the believer, a living breathing thing and we are no more able to separate verse from verse than we are to separate the heart of a man from his head. Its not even debateable.

Ultimately, despite the best efforts of a few (including Bonhoeffer) they had to separate from the NGC and become something altogether different. The NGC was not that which it had been in effect since Luther and yet they essentially held the naming rights.

Similarly the terms evangelical, protestant, even Christian are being so loosely associated with things that have little or nothing to do with God’s Word that the time maybe coming when the western church will further have to restablish itself under new terms so to (ironically) not lose sight of its old truths.

 

On Religion & Violence

Love this quote from a great book I’m reading (The Reason For God by Tim Keller)

” Violence in the name of Christianity is a terrible reality and must both be adressed and redressed. There is no excusing it. In the twnetieth century, however, violence has been inspired as much by secularism as by moral absolutism. Societies that have rid themselves of all religion have been just as oppressive as those steeped in it. We can only conclude that there is some violent impulse so deeply rooted in the human heart that expresses itself regardless of what the beliefs of a particular society might be-whether socialist or capitalist, whether religious or irreligious, whether individualistic or hierarchial. Ultimately then the fact of violence & warfare in a society is no necessary refutation of the prevailing beliefs in that society.”

The Reason For God by Tim Keller (pg 57)

My two cents: As western society continues to grapple with varied points of view on any number of issues, we must be mindful to not undermine our argument by using extreme examples to tear down anyone who disagrees with us.

Like word problems on tests from our school days, we cannot draw conclusions that are not inherently there.

Some examples:

I’m a Christian, but I don’t picket funerals. While some terroists practice Islam, we cannot assume all Muslims are terroists. It is a kin to assuming all homosexuals are serial killers because Jeffrey Dahmer & John Wayne Gacy were serial killers. We cannot assume all Tea Party members are racists, all evangelicals are white,all hispanics are illegal aliens and all single moms are poor & uneducated. If this is the rational we use to win arguments, we need to be willing to put ourselves under the same microscope we do those who disagree with us.

 

Hurt People Hurt People

In Genesis the Lord says that the sins of the father will carry unto the 3rd & 4th generations. Likewise, many Christians, myself included,  subscribe to the idea of original sin (Romans 5:12-21).

Even if you’re not a Christian, this concept is noticeable to even the casual observer. My grandfather was physically & verbally abused by his father which led my grandfather to be abusive to my father and my father to grapple with this in rearing me (all things considered he did an amazing job). Likewise in the early stages of being a father & a husband, I wrestled with how to love my wife & my kids without coming across as domineering, insenstive and to some degree abusive. While I am not completely without error, I am no longer the man I was then.

Now some of that is directly tied to my heritage (and not just my father’s input either) while still some of it I feel is tied to the death that lives in all of humanity.

When we enter into relationships we bring every experience we’ve encountered to that point. All the love & hate in our world can come with us in those moments and if we’re not careful, we’ll just foster more love or more hate. At our worst we can take pain & suffering that we’ve never truly dealt with and unload it on people who are largely innocent and may not even have been alive when some of those hurts occurred. We can take the pain of a hurtful childhood, a failed marriage or a lack of a parent’s approval and expect everyone but ourselves to deal with it.

The biggest challenge though is who will stand up and say, “ENOUGH!?” The only way these cycles change is through the humility of one generation (or even two) to rail against these instincts for posterity’s sake (as well as the here & now).

How you may do that is your choice to decide, but I personally believe we are incapable of doing so apart from Christ. I believe death entered humanity through one man and grace & righteousness likewise are sustained through one man (Jesus).

All that to say, I think you can only confront these cycles of hurt with grace, mercy, compassion & love-and to that extent, I feel no one is capable of truly exhibiting this apart from a personal relationship with Christ.

The human spirit can attempt kindness, generosity, even sacrificial love, but apart from this relationship, it will always fall short. Even is I am profoundly humble, if I give beyond what any normal personal will, take more gruff than any normal person could, I still internally am self-righteous and believe I am the better person for operating with this humility. In contrast, if I am justified in Christ, my righteousness comes not through the murky waters of a tainted humanity or generational cycle. Rather it comes through the unfiltered purity of Jesus.

I will hurt. I will be hurt. Hurt people hurt people.

Yet, when I set aside my love affair with being “right” in my wife’s eyes, my kids’ eyes, my parents’ eyes, my in-laws’ eyes, my friends’ eyes-when I set aside that desire and accept a righteousness freely given by Christ, I (we) can be used to skirt the hurt, to end the cycles of “humanity” and generational neglect.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV

 

Let’s All Take A Deep Breath, OK?

Before I even get started, a bit of clarification. I am a Christian. Whatever your prejudices to that descriptor, I’m fine with, but let’s be clear about that up front. With that in mind, when my perspectives and opinions seem slanted to those beliefs, it won’t surprise anyone. Having established that, let’s proceed.

Over the last week, a great back & forth has been going on between, initially a bunch of Christian Pastors, later bloggers, op-ed columnists, et al. & finally a great percentage of let’s just say everyday Christians.

The whole thing centers on an as yet unpublished book by mega Pastor Rob Bell. Bell is a radical insightful voice amongst a generation of new Christian leadership that wrestles with the challenge of bringing our beliefs to an ever-changing world. His church is one of the fastest growing churches on the planet and his books & short films are some of the most popular in the country. And it is Bell’s most recent book (and his publisher’s write up for it) that has set off a firestorm this past week. The book, Love Wins: Heaven, Hell & The Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, opens a dialogue for some very hard questions facing our modern world. At the center of the debate is the subject of universalism.

Now Christians, like most scholarly folk love to use words we seldom hear anywhere else and this can cause us to talk over anyone who is not “in the loop.” That said, in short universalism is the belief that Hell is largely unfounded and that by Christ’s sacrifice & God’s grace everyone goes to Heaven.

Now even for Christians that do not use fear as a tactic for reaching people with the Love of God, this can be a contentious subject. In fact the argument is centuries old and nothing new really. And this limited info on Bell’s new book has set things afire for sure.

My own experience with the circus went like this. A friend sent me a link to the CNN Belief Blog story of The Gospel Coalition’s Justin Taylor calling out Bell’s teaching as heretical. I linked to Taylor’s original blog, which led me to Twitter accounts from John Piper, Christian musicians & others. From there I found myself on Matthew Paul Turner’s excellent site (www.jesusneedsnewpr.net) and so on and so on.

In short Bell wrote a book (which the general public can’t even read yet), Taylor took issue with the scriptural accuracy of its main point (I believe rightfully so), Turner took issue with Taylor & others for their critique of Bell and a host of commenters & social network junkies (me included) joined in the debate.

Being perfectly up front, I think scripture clearly supports the existence of Hell and further, I do not believe God can be as loving & as sovereign as all Christians agree him to be without its existence (but that is not the point of this post & truthfully a longer discussion for another time).

Further, it should be noted that few are certain yet what Bell’s book actually suggests. Most of the furor seems to be based more on a YouTube trailer for the book & his publisher’s (HarperCollins) write-up for the book. Bell deserves to be fairly vetted on the merits of the book itself and not anyone’s initial perceptions of him. Does he loved to ask odd questions? Yes. Can he push buttons? Yes. But let’s pace ourselves before we start throwing around words like “heretic.”

Now, let’s pause on that for a second.

Approximately 8 hours ago, a Twitter feed links to an article about how a British High Court has banned a Christian couple from being foster parents in the UK because in short their beliefs are homophobic. Furor erupts & Christians cry “foul,” and everybody goes a bit nuts. 6 hours ago the same Twitter feed posts a larger explanation of the case. Traditionally for something to come to the High Court it had to first have an initial ruling. In this case the family wanted the High Court to overturn their City Council’s ban on them being adoptive/foster care parents based on their traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs on marriage (one man, one woman, one lifetime).The only problem is the City Council had never handed down such a ban to the family. In fact they hadn’t made any decision at all, but had shown some concern when interviewing the family and the issue came up.

What happened in essence was an impasse. British law prevents discrimination on adoption based on religious beliefs as well as sexual orientation and the couple along with their City Council filed an application to the court for guidance. 

Now forgive me for getting a bit political, but the High Court ultimately did what the US Supreme Court seldom does. They chose to make no ruling. As they see it, the court is responsible to preside over the law-not make the law. Novel idea. Is the issue still cause for a concern to Christians in the UK (and the western world at large)? Yes. But it is not this great injustice that was originally reported.

So in a span of just two hours a host of us (me included) get all worked up by a random news article and then come back down to earth when a little more light is shed on the subject.

In a span of a week, some of the most influential Christians in the world get into a heated debate over an as yet unpublished book.

Why do we do this?

Why do we consistently fly off the handle and act so defensively?

Not just Christians, but human beings in general?

Why?

A few of my thoughts:

- Most people (myself included) lack perspective. If I can lose perspective when my wife is stressed over a long week with the kids-thinking she is being difficult-than I can certainly lose perspective at what real persecution looks like.

- Those of us in the western world seem to put too high a premium on “our feelings.” Your feelings are not a constitutional protected liberty and we could all do well to earn a PhD in “sticks n stones…”

- We overly inflate the value of our opinions. Just an idea, but let me posit a scenario. I’m thinking of a television personality. Politically one-sided. Bordering on a lunatic. Consistently twists soundbites & quotes out of context to impose his ideal. Narrow minded and oppressive. Now who am I talking about?

Glenn Beck?

Bill Maher?

Bill O’Reilly?

Keith Olberman?

All of the Above?

All depends on your perspective.

Maybe I’m off here, but I believe we are putting ourselves at risk with this pattern. In short I believe we over value intellect & intellectual achievement. Now hear me out: an education is one of the most crucial things to human development. I have often said if I stop learning, I die. What concerns me is that we seem to be drifting farther & farther towards a culture of self. The more I know, the better I am. And though it is certainly not the intent, we create an extension that says the more I know, the better I am-than you.

We embrace the marketplace of ideas, where anyone who is willing can come and taste of the wares of a host of ideologies and perspectives. I can sell my goods and you yours, but we neglect that there are beggars in the street unable to even been seen amongst the cast-off opinions that we’ve strewn the streets with.

On a global scale to use intellect as the defining quality of any man or woman’s worth is to cast-off literally billions of people who will never have access to even the most limited of educations. Not only is intellect culturally relative, so is the wealth that often determines the rate of our intellect. Here in the western world it creeps up less blatantly when what life you are born into is the ultimate measuring stick of what you might achieve. And let’s be clear, while racism is just as prevalent as ever (it may have just changed the methodology), the real color gap is the color green. Intellect is an industry and across the western world we’ve found a way to mass produce it while still making it mostly an elitist luxury.

For the Christian this is even more troubling. In my opinion (and scholarly types with lots of letters after their name will agree or disagree), the central key to faith in Christ is how your interpret the Bible. It all hinges on God’s Word. If you believe in Christ as Saviour or Lord, where else can you turn for reliable perspective?

 To follow Christ, His Word’s have to be the foundation for all you build upon. You can’t hybrid it with any number of works from Freud to Marx to Dawkins to Piper. It must have supremacy or the whole thing is built on a house of cards waiting for the first casual wind to knock it down. If you’re going to proclaim yourself a Christian than mean it (and no this is not a veiled indictment on Bell, Taylor, Turner or any others from above).

Regardless of where you stand with Christ, westernized humanity has got to come to grips with its own arrogance. We need a quick dose of humility when we dialogue. If we cannot show grace or courtesy to our peers, how can we ever extend it to those who disagree with us.

To my fellow Christians in particular, by our sinful nature we were never ever worthy of dialogue with the God of All Creation, yet by Grace in the covering of Christ he actually chooses to dialogue with us. You may feel that anyone who disagrees with you doesn’t get it and you don’t have time for, but just understand that to do so is to not show the grace that was afforded you and to an extent, sinful.

You have to be willing to listen before you speak. (Romans 10:17)

The current climate of loud soundbites, arguing and poor give & take will only grow at our current trajectory.  It’s Babel all over again and instead of bricks, this tower is made of books, blogs, sermons, quotes and twitter feeds. We could all stand to slow down. To genuinely listen to each other before we try to persuade each other. To seek to meet everyone (not just the ones who agree with us) at their point of need. To be willing to set aside my agenda for a greater good.

Or we could just keeping yelling from behind our keyboards and see if that makes any difference. Doesn’t look like it has so far.

 

Need to blog more…

My daughter is nearly two years old now and I haven’t blogged since she was born.

 

Introducing Grace Anne Elizabeth!!!!

 

Now where were we?

Yes it has been forever since I blogged and yes there is an explanation for it, but we’ll cover the bulk of that later. One reason for the delay of this praticular blog I am posting today has been a lack of motivation. Today’s post is my annual albums of the year list.

Now I don’t post my opinions on music or movies because I think they carry some weight or even because I think anyone is reading these (especially after taking nearly 4 months off from posting a blog).

Most guys make lists and I have always mentally done this. That coupled with a friend of mine soliciting these regularly has always made this list part of my holiday season. So with little time now between now and the end of the year I have to get to it.

A little advance warning before I do though.  For about the better part of this decade, I have spent most of my music dollar or stockpiling my library with previously released material. In most cases, this eliminates some albums that I listened to pretty regularly as they did not release in calendar year 2008. As always, feel free to rip my list in two and to pass yours along.

On to the lists.

5 Artists Who Can Release Anything And It Will Probably Make My Top Ten Albums of The Year:

1. Jimmy Eat World

2. Needtobreathe

3. Delirious?

4. David Crowder Band

5. Foo Fighters

 

5 Random Observations Worth Noting

1. Kara has thoroughly enjoyed the New Coldplay and discovering Vampire Weekend

2. I have only owned the Phantom Planet release, Raise the Dead, for a day. That said it is already better than their last release and may ultimately be as good as The Guest, but it is too soon for me to include it on any list. Likewise…

3. I love the new Raphael Saadiq record which I have only listened to online. I coulnd’t put an album I listen, but do not own on my top ten list. Just wouldn’t be right.

4. I didn’t buy the new Weezer, House of Heroes and a host of others I love yet and so they should not be judged harshly so much as omitted from my list.

5. Even I am amazed at how many records made my list from the CCM side of things (even if it is a band who wouldn’t clasify themselves as such). Just an odd year.

 

 

 

 

 

10. Sanctus Real / We Need Each Other

So for years Sanctus Real has been one of those bands that alot of people I know love. Like really really love. Nice guys with a good stage presence and just about on the cusp of something. Their last album had some killer songs, but this one just nails it. It is the closest thing to a band finding their sound that I saw all year. Between the radio hits and the “filler” nothing is wasted. This one suprised me when I first began hearing it this time last year and I never really stopped listening.

9. David Crowder Band / Remedy Club Tour Edition

See aforementioned note about just showing up. In my mind I believe Crowder and his band of merry men are making some of the most amazing music in the world (not just the church) today. While the production on this record was a little let down (every band should sit and watch Delirious to learn how to record live in audio or video), the experience was still great. Not to mention my oldest is getting to an age where he recognizes songs more readily and he is a HUGE Crowder fan. Seriously the kid knows every word to about a half dozen songs on this thing.

 

 

8. Chris Tomlin /Hello Love

I once heard somebody say it is harder to stay on top than it is to get there. After Arriving and See The Morning, no one would blame Tomlin for just mailing it in. Not so here. This album is chock full of some predicable arrangements and a few that sneak up on you. “I Will Rise” may be the best song he’s ever recorded.

 

 

 

 

7. The Almost / No Gift To Bring EP

I don’t care for emo. Unless there’s actually a melody and a song there. I feel the same way about hardcore and too a less stringent degree punk & rap. So when the drummer/singer from a pseudo-hardcore act starts a side project I have doubts. And The Almost’s debut Southern Weather suprised me pleasantly, but nothing could prepare me for the stripped down joy of the EP. Songs that get easily stuck in my head and with it being an EP you found yourself begging for more. I will probably never be a huge Underoath fan, but I can see me listening to The Almost for a long long time.

 

 

 

 

6. Amos Lee / Last Days at the Lodge

So remember that list of consistently putting out music I love. Yeah, Amos is #6 on that list. And well, that’s all I have to say about that.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Andrew Peterson / Resurrection Letters II

Andrew Peterson delivered a hit me over the head message about not just Christ’s resurrection on the cross, but the daily resurrection He is doing in our hearts each day. It completely showed me new persepctive on Luke 9:23. And nothing is like a car trip through the country side with AP on the radio. Good times.

 

 

 

4. Jon Foreman / A lot of stuff…man he was busy

Take 4 seasonal EPs, 1 Switchfoot Best of CD/DVD, a 5th solo release showcasing the best of the EPs plus some new cuts and a completely new songwriting partnership (Fiction Family). That’s a busy year and no real way to seperate one from the other. To be fair, Fiction Family doesn’t release for about 3 more weeks, but I have been baby-sitting a copy for a little under a month and I had to include it.

 

 

 

 

3. Delirious? / Kingdom of Comfort

The next two releases on my list are the most bittersweet. Delirious? is taking an indefinite hiatus at the end of the year (2009) and I will surely miss them. I am also confident that a forthcoming live CD/DVD will also make next years list. If it is anything like Now Is The Time, it will be tops on next year’s list. This band just kills it for me everytime and the challenge that this release places on the listener is unparalleled (that is until the CompassionArt album releases next month)

 

 

 

 

2. Sixpence None The Richer / My Dear Machine EP

So Sixpence is back and though not ashamed of their “Kiss Me” past they are thankfully getting back to the dark mystique that made them one of the best kept secrets of the 90′s. They also released a Christmas album, but some of that was previously released, so I left it off here. The only sad part about this album was it was only 4 songs. Impatient doesn’t even begin to describe my frustration over how long I have to wait for a full length release.

 

 

 

 

1. Third Day / Revelation 

I am as shocked as anyone. I picked this up at one of my accounts and I put it in one morning to drive up and see some accounts in OH. I put it in and did like I usually do with new releases. I listen to track one, verse & chorus and if I get bored after the first chorus, I move on to track two and repeat. So 13 tracks later and I am listening to the best album this band has put out in over a decade. I have always been a casual Third Day fan, but was deeply into them through the first 3 or 4 releases. This record just shined a brand new light on this band for me. Great songs, fresh lyrics (little to no cliches) and just a profound sense of communion with God as I listened to it. It had the usual Third Day rock sound, but it carried a freshness to it that literally surprised me.  At least 4, maybe 5 of these songs put me in a tremendous spirit of worship and prayer and revealed to me a truth, God has been trying to show me for years.  So thanks Third Day.

There you have it. Gotta go for now, but rest assured I will be blogging more frequently real soon.

 

“It’s All Happening.”

Look, it goes without saying that if you love music, you love the movie Almost Famous. I am not one of those fans of a movie that wants to laud the film as the next Citizen Kane. That said its influential & entertaining and as it was on HBO the other night, fresh in mind.

 

Now, having said that, the above quote is not even my favorite line from the movie, but for the purposes of this little note my fav quote from the film doesn’t fit

 

(“The only true currency in this bankrupt world… is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.)

 

But I digress…

 

I have for the better part of 22 years been a die-hard New York Yankees fan. The fact that my allegiance stretches back so far is of note, as it came about in an era when the Yanks were 8 years removed from their last World Series appearance and it would be another 10 years before I would witness a championship I would be old enough to remember. In fact for the bulk of my time as a Yankee fan, I have seen more ups & downs than you can imagine. Everybody remembers 13 straight playoff appearances and 4 championships from ’96-’00. Most can recall the one time, everyone was actually rooting for the Yanks (a little over 7 years ago). I also was witness to the meteoric rise of a mustachioed man from Evansville named Don who would rise to levels of excellence that would have had him in Cooperstown by now if he played for any other team. I saw a strike steal my first hopes at a playoff run and Randy Johnson and The Kid take a series win right out from under our nose. I came of age in an era when the George Michael Sports Machine and sporadic cable coverage were the only ways to follow a team 12 hours from my home.

 

Through it all, there has been one other little secret that has pained my fandom, mostly unknown to my usual circle of friends & family.

 

In 22 years of loyalty, I had never actually been to the Bronx.

 

The closest I cam was on a promo tour in September of ’01, where we spent 5 hours in a Cuban restaurant about 10 minutes from the stadium. It should be noted that I am not a fan of Cuban food and regret not going to this day.

 

Last summer, I had these lofty plans of somehow taking my family and going. As this year progressed one hiccup after another stepped in the way and I was relegated to the fact, that it wasn’t going to happen.

 

In truth I was really OK with that. My wife & kids come first and if I cannot make a trip like that without negatively affecting them, then why go.

 

Well, after much coaxing from my wife, my best friend and his wife to be: it’s all happening.

 

By this time tomorrow, I will be putting a bow on hopefully a Yanks win over the (say it with me now) 1^st Place Rays.

 

It is going to be awesome.

 

I can’t wait for the road time with two great friends as we drive up. I cannot wait for monument park, for the white awning, for seeing the pinstripes for the first time in person. I am excited to see it all and get back to family with tales to tell them.

 

And if I am truly honest with myself I most excited about this: the Yanks are in 4^th place in their division. How fitting that I would finally “make it there,” and I get to live it all with the same innocence I had when I was 10 years old and started rooting for my old man’s team. A first place Yanks or at least an in contention Yanks would be great, but ultimately it is perfect that I would be seeing a team with no shot of winning anything except that game. It will be like being a kid again.

 

“I could have missed the pain/but I’d have to miss the dance…”

40 minutes. 2/3 of an hour. That’s the length of one college basketball game. In other words in around about 3 hours you can watch a college basketball game on TV. Sometimes its a little more sometimes a little less, but 3 hours is about the norm.

I am a HUGE college basketball fan! Without fail following my favorite team means 30 plus games a season, every year for by my best guess about the last 25 years or so.

In 25 years, with literally thousands of viewing hours and who knows how much other commitment, what do I have to show for it? One championship

And worse yet, that was 22 years ago. That means I’ve watched 22 consecutive seasons, hanging on every shot, every pass, every last ticking of the clock, with each year falling short.

Not just basketball either. I love the New York Yankees. I’ve heard it said that rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the house in Blackjack, and I would guess trying to get sympathy for a Yankees fan is about the same. Yet for this exercise it bears noting. In 20 plus years, at the bare minimum of 162 games a year, I faithfully and loyal root for the Bronx Bombers to make it to the fall classic and bring home yet another world championship. At least in that case, there was a stretch of 4 championships in 5 years.

Otherwise, there’s thousands of hours invested in something that never delivered.

So why do it? Why be a sports fan if the odds are not in your favor that all your hard work will be rewarded. Most everyone would tell you they do it, because it’s all worth while in that one instance when it happens.

I think there’s more to it though.

See I don’t think its just the once in a lifetime wins. I don’t think its just for that possibility of the championship that we as sports fans watch. I don’t think its just the destination that moves us to participate, it is also the journey to the destination that moves us.

I have a friend who is a die-hard Red Sox fan. He has yet to surrender all of his inequities. For over 80+  years, generations of Red Sox fans played the role of grief-stricken, lovable losers. The guys who always fell a step short and just couldn’t get it done.

And it was painful. Grown men thought they would never see the day the Sox finally won it all. Some died and never saw it happen. Until the comback. Down like no one had been down before the Sox go on a two week run, never lose a game, overcome my beloved Yankees and win their first World Series in 86 years.

As a sports fan it was amazing. People cried for the title their relatives never saw. It bridged generations and made the whole world new to a legion of fans everywhere.

Everything was great for awhile. Then the Sox turned around and won another title in 2007. Suddenly the success was regular and expected and all that was before was gone.

The letdowns. The losing. The Curse of the Bambino. All gone.

But so was the charm. The romance. The intimacy that made it so sweet. Something so special that people everywhere with no real affialiation got behind you and rooted for you to finally pull it off and you did. Then you won another. Suddenly, the Red Sox were just another big market team, with a huge payroll that was halfway to the pennant before the season even started.

86 years of heartbroken fans and worldwide empathy and in 4 short years, the Red Sox were (gulp) the Yankees.

The world chamionship was great, but something died with it. Like that line in Swngers, “you kinda miss the pain, ya know?”

See what made being a Red Sox fan, being part of Red Sox nation so special to guys like my friend, was the comraderie that the shared suffering brought. Now 4 years later and you can’t walk ten feet without seeing a Red Sox fan. Suddenly rooting for the Sox, is rooting for the house.

It wasn’t the win that enthralled so many, it was the journey to the win.

The year I was born, the Oscar for Best Picture went to Rocky. Yes, that Rocky. It is crazy to think about now, but it really happened. Now don’t get me wrong, the sequels were great. They all had the same formula, the same basic outlines. Just like a James Bond or Star Wars film. But would you ever see Return of The Jedi or Octopussy win best picture? Of course not. So what happened?

In the first Rocky it wasn’t about the underdog winning the title. It wasn’t about the Italian Stallion getting the title belt. It was about this bum from the neighborhood getting a shot at the big time. All he wanted was a chance to prove himself. He never wanted the title, he just wanted the shot. And it was beautiful. One of the most inspiring films ever. Again what happened?

Well, success leads to lust for more success. Studios need Rocky to fight and win and they wouldn’t stop until he took down Apollo (and later indulged in some uncomfortable male bonding), Hulk Hogan, MR T, Drago, and a host of others all while burying his mentor, his wife and proper use of the english language.

Rocky was motivational and moving and special. So special in fact, that lust for more led to the destruction of why you loved it in the first place.

Oh and if I “ruined” Rocky and you hadn’t seen it yet, sorry it’s been 32 years, thought you might have gotten around to it.

I actually began writing this blog like 4 months ago. I got stuck, filed it away and never could find that proper next step. Last Sunday, I got it.

In a collapse of epic porportions, my once mountain-climbing University of Louisville Football team, fell painstakingly short of resembling anything that get beat a high school squad, much less another D-1 school. This once vaunted offense that even manage to be top ten in the nation last year-despite a 6-6 record- managed only 205 yds and no points to a team that it had beaten 7 out of its previous 9 tries. Horrendous, doesn’t even begin to describe how bad this was. It was borderline bizarre and all you could do is shake your head and laugh.

But here’s the funny thing: Saturday, these hapless Cards will kickoff against Tennesee Tech (oooo powerhouse!) and yours truly will be rooting them on. Seems foolish right? But it also is a great parallel to life itself.

See I know that what I do on this earth matters, but only as a means of serving a greater purpose. I know that no matter how hard I try, how much I pray or think or do, I can never be perfect. I can never go undefeated in this life. Not going to happen.

I can however, strive and grow and exceed this life. I will take some losses along the way, but I still have hope. I can see things completely fall apart, but still press on.

There will be a true glory one day. An end to all this work. But for now I can press on knowing that the journey is just as vital as the destination.