A couple of pictures from the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. In the first some color blind dude tried to get away with something. In the second...uh...maybe the same thing? Second is Timmy Brister. I just want to make sure the search engines locate that picture with anyone searching for "Timmy Brister." Thanks for the pose, Timmy Brister! All my photography.
For a while now I've been spreading the word about Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky. It's one of those all-too-rare churches that understands both deep theological truth and creativity. Their influence is spreading around the web through Travel Blog, Sojourn Music (blog), The Open Sourcebook, and more.
I have almost all of Sojourn's CDs: Songs for the Advent, Before the Throne, These Things I Remember. They get regular play in my house, especially on Sunday mornings. We also use them pre/post worship at Doxa. They are unique in my collection because the music is so often unexpected. It's a different level of creativity. If I listen to Hillsong I'm basically listening to the same stuff as a number of other worship bands out there. They aren't bad. I like some of them. But they don't surprise me. I don't consider them all that interesting. Sojourn music always surprises me. It's always interesting. And it's a great example of how to be both theologically deep & artistic.
Sojourn's brand new CD is Over the Grave: The Hymns of Isaac Watts, Vol 1. The first track, "Warrior," continues to blow me away. It's a most unusual worship song and wonderfully creative. Listen to it at Sojourn MySpace.
Honor and majesty divine
Around his sacred temple shine
Grace and might so long foretold
In crowns of glory, not of gold
Your hand shall find out every foe
And as a fiery furnace glows
With raging heat and living coals
They will feel your wrath upon their souls
Oh the warrior will conquer all
The world will fall before His feet
Molly and I had the privilege to be led in worship at the Baptist21 discussion at Sojourn last week. They played one of my favorite new songs, "Only Your Blood." Powerful.
Lord create my heart anew (Father come and make us wise)
Only you are pure and true (Lead us away from our demise)
Lord you are the remedy (For only your blood can set us free)
No bleeding bird, no bleeding beast
No hyssop branch no priest
No running brook no flood no sea
Can wash away this stain from me.
For only your blood is enough to cover my sin
For only your blood is enough to cover me.
One more song I'd like to highlight is "Refuge." This sounds a bit more simple, more like other worship songs you've heard. But that also might make it a helpful bridge to their more complex stuff.
I know my days are in Your hands though I draw near to dust
You are the God in whom I trust, You are my refuge.
So lift up your voice and sing aloud, and praise Him all you saints,
How wondrous is His grace, He is our refuge.
I also appreciate how Sojourn makes it easy for us by providing chord sheets for each song. Here's the track list...
1. Warrior (inspired by “Psalm 21” by Isaac Watts) view the chord sheet
2. Living Faith (adapted from “Hymn 140” by Isaac Watts) view the chord sheet
3. How Long? (Psalm 13) (inspired by “Psalm 13”) view the chord sheet
4. Only Your Blood Is Enough (adapted from “Psalm 51, pt 2”) view the chord sheet
5. Reveal Your Love (inspired by “Psalm 90, pt. 2”) view the chord sheet
6. Over Death (adapted from “Hymn 17”) view the chord sheet
7. Alas And Did My Savior Bleed (adapted from “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed”) view the chord sheet
8. May Your Power Rest On Me (inspired by “Hymn 15”) view the chord sheet
9. Refuge (adapted from “Psalm 31, pt. 1”) view the chord sheet
10. We Are Changed (adapted from “Hymn 95”) view the chord sheet
11. Savior King (adapted from “Hymn 10”) view the chord sheet
I wholeheartedly recommend you pick up Sojourn's Over The Grave. For now you can buy it at Sojourn's site. In the weeks ahead it should be available for download on Amazon, iTunes, etc.
The King of Pop is gone. Say what you want after a life with many problems, the dude could bring it back in the day. Feet barely touched the ground.
You need to watch the brand new Avett Brothers' Tiny Desk Concert. Wonderful. This may be the greatest band in the world. Really. Also, new Paste article on them: Rockin' Steady Wins the Race. Resurgence and Matt Johnson has Thoughts on Music for the Media-Gorged in five parts now. Joe Pug is offering a free EP. Nice. I'm going to review Sojourn's new CD, Over The Grave, either later today or early this week. Look for that.
Last chance for some great $5 albums at Amazon. Available for one more day, Reformissionary Recommends these great albums...
One of my favorite new songs is from We Were Promised Jetpacks (great name). Here's "Quiet Little Voices"...
A family trip to Six Flags, decided on at the last minute, derailed my Music Monday post. But I haven't forgotten you. A few nuggets.
First, major props to @tpgraham who twittered me last week to tell me about The Low Anthem's new album, Oh My God Charlie Darwin (download, CD). A real find. Metacritic has them at 80 which is really good. Here's "Charlie Darwin" (lyrics)...
I've really been enjoying the new, self-titled album from Other Lives (download only $5, CD). "Paper Cities" should be a good first taste for you...
Lastly, some live Beirut, "Nantes," (off of The Flying Club Cup) to make your day better...
Jonathan Dodson: Marriage Resources
Rain City Hymnal CD is out at Re:Sound, and on Noise Trade.
Matt Chandler on the role of men
Resurgence (Bob Thune): Is preaching killing your church plant?
Art21 is on Hulu. Episode 1: Art in the 21st Century on "Place."
Go watch the Great Lake Swimmers Tiny Desk Concert.
Paste lists it's 6 gateway jazz albums for rock elitists.
Love this new track from We Were Promised Jetpacks: "Irritable Majesty."
Silversun Pickups rock out with "Panic Switch"...
Doves were on Jimmy Fallon. Great performance and song. Sorry, I can't figure out how to resize it to fit better, but it's worth it...
Fan video of Grizzly Bear with Leslie Feist. Fun. If you haven't picked up their excellent album, Veckatimest (download, CD), you are missing out.
First photo are my three boys studying on the Woodstock Square. Well, except that Danny saw me and posed. The second is a swarm of bugs in rural Wisconsin at the resort where I played golf a couple of weeks ago. See all my photography.
New Christianity Today article by Tim Stafford: How Tim Keller Found Manhattan.
Brief Molly Update: All is very well with Molly and her Chiari issues. Sleeping is pretty much completely normal. She is taking no meds, works out regularly, volunteers in the schools, etc. Life is pretty much back to normal. We are so thankful to God for His mercy and her health. For a while we thought there may be no more days like this.
John Piper: The Pastor as Scholar
Resurgence: Re:Train (Resurgence Training Center) launches & Re:Sound (Resurgence Music) launching soon. Re:Bound (Resurgence Basketball Association, also known as The RBA) and Re:Lative (Resurgence Genealogy Project) still in the works.
John Frame: Questions to Ask a Film
Daniel Block: Gideon's Fleece
Jonathan Dodson: Confessions of a Failing Disciple
SBTS Towers: 3 Questions with Tim Keller
Art of Manliness: The Art of Summer Grilling
Dude, it's June. You need some music. Amazon has some new $5 album deals. Here are some of the best...
Stream or download the Dark Was the Night concert. If you don't have the album, Dark Was the Night (download, CD), you need it. It's really good.
Manchester Orchestra's album, Mean Everything to Nothing (download, CD), has been burning up my iPod. Still blowing me away, especially as they continue to put out videos for all the tracks. Here's the just released "I Can Feel a Hot One"...
And I'll leave you with the consistently wonderful Grizzly Bear with new high quality videos up. Here's "Cheerleader." More videos at Stereogum.
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