Music

Kristen Gilles - "Chase Away My Unbelief"

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If you don't have time to listen now, please save this post somewhere and come back to it. This song may be a tremendous blessing to you or to someone in your family or church who is suffering. I encourage you to find time to really listen. I don't often find songs that hit me so deep and make me long to share it with others (especially those in pain). 

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I received the new album from Kristen Gilles in the mail and have listened to a little. Now I'm completely stuck on one song, "Chase Away My Unbelief." This is from the website of Kristen Gilles...

After our son Parker was stillborn, we cried out to God. Many of those cries came together in the form of this new song from our upcoming album Parker’s Mercy Brigade, “Chase Away My Unbelief.” This is a song for everyone who is broken by the thought of what might have been. A child who was never born. A child who was, but whose stay on earth was all too short. A broken home. A broken heart. A chilling medical diagnosis. A betrayal. Bankruptcy. Addiction. An inner conflict that causes you to say, “God, if you’re up there, if you’re powerful, and if you’re good, then why is everything so messed up?”

If you ever feel like God is far away, that he won’t answer you, let this song be your cry. If you ever feel like you’ve become a slave to your current circumstance, or that you have trouble seeing a larger perspective, let this song be your cry. If you ever hear about children starving and evil raging around the world, and your spirit groans, let this song be your cry.

Let me be honest: I don't cry easily. Partway through "Chase Away My Unbelief" I did begin to cry with the Gilles' over their loss and was provoked to cry out to God concerning the brokenness all around and in my own life and family and church. I think I have a lot more to cry over in my life that I have been avoiding. This song is helping me do so. What a beautiful lament for our time. Listen below and follow along with the lyrics. Hear more and pre-order Parker's Mercy Brigade at KristenGilles.com.

"Chase Away My Unbelief" 

Lord, when I think You’re far away 
Returning silence for my prayer, 
When I’m reminded of old doubts 
That You still reign, or that You care, 
Teach me how to doubt no more, 
To know You’re found by those who seek, 
And my emotions can deceive; 
Chase away my unbelief. 

In the face of deepest loss, 
Blinded by my bitter tears, 
Broken by what might have been, 
A slave to things as they appear, 
Then whisper peace into my soul 
In midst of pain and piercing grief. 
My own perspective’s incomplete. 
Chase away my unbelief. 

When I suspect You’ve lost control 
Or You’ve forsaken what You made, 
When children starve both near and far 
And love has wilted under hate, 
Remind me of Your promises: 
A kingdom full of life and peace! 
Help me to trust eternity. 
Lord, chase away my unbelief. 

Cause my emotions can deceive ... 
My own perspective’s incomplete ... 
Help me to trust eternity, 
Lord, chase away my unbelief.

My Baby Makes Me Gravy

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I saw Dale Watson by accident one night  on Austin City Limits and he started with this song. I can't not share it. This isn't from that performance, but it's pretty hard to mess up this song. It may be the greatest song of all time.

Lots-o-Links 2.12.14

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New Phantogram, Voices, is really compelling. Stream the whole thing FREE right now.

It's poppy, dark, electric, fun, grindy, and more. If you had any love for Chvrches, you just might love this one too. Make sure you make it at least through the third song, "Fall In Love." Trust me.

Race, Religion, Puritans: An Interview With Richard Bailey | Richard is a good friend and author of Race and Redemption in Puritan New England (Kindle). A sample...

Moore: It is not well known that Jonathan Edwards owned slaves.  How should we think of Edwards in light of this reality?

Bailey: I am not 100% certain how to answer this question, David. I am glad that this fact about Edwards is becoming more commonly known and I am glad that my book can have something to do with that fact.

But how to think of Edwards? Well, Jonathan Edwards is certainly more than simply a slave owner. He is an important figure in the development of American evangelicalism and the modern missions movement. He is one of America’s most prominent philosophers and theologians. He certainly ought to be remembered for those sorts of legacies. But he also was a purchaser of human flesh. He actively defended and participated in the slave trade. And I’d argue he must be remembered for that, as well. I think that is what it means to take on the virtual amnesias of our pasts.

The one way I would encourage people NOT to think of Jonathan Edwards is as “a man of his time.” That sort of phrase doesn’t really mean anything; rather, it is a way of not thinking about Edwards. And I hope people will continue to think about him, relying of the historical work of George Marsden in Jonathan Edwards: A Life (Yale University Press, 2003) or the recent novel by Susan Stinson, Spider in a Tree (Small Beer Press, 2013) to get a more complete picture not only of the man, but also of the society and culture of which he was a part.

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The Seven Benefits of Keeping a Daily Journal by Michael Hyatt | I don't do this but this makes me want to do something like this. Here are his points, but he elaborates on each and offers a lot more context on his website. Be sure to read the whole thing.

  1. Process previous events. 
  2. Clarify my thinking. 
  3. Understand the context. 
  4. Notice my feelings. 
  5. Connect with my heart.
  6. Record significant lessons.
  7. Ask important questions. 

Alt-J had my #2 album of 2012 with An Awesome Wave. Their coolest song among an album of quirky coolness is "Fitzpleasure." This is an amazing acapella version...by what appears to be a group of UK schoolboys? 

HGM: Bad Debt

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Every so often an album comes along that reminds me why I search for good music far beyond what's on the radio and being advertised. I want music that makes me think and feel. I want music that makes me search through the lyrics to dig in deeper. I want hints at the backstory of the life of the songwriter, someone who writes out of their own experience. Those albums are great albums.

Bad Debt is the almost-new album by Hiss Golden Messenger (M.C. Taylor) and it's right in the sweet spot of that kind of greatness. Taylor recorded these songs at his kitchen table while his family, including his firstborn son, was sleeping in the winter of 2009. The original release of the album didn't last long after the CD stock was destroyed in the 2010 London riots.

Now given a proper release, we get to hear this remarkable album. It's just a man, his guitar, and his songs. Lo-fi. Simple. Oh so simple. You feel like you are sitting on the other side of a narrow room listening to songs that were written long ago and have never been so relevant. I encourage you to pick it up and sit under their spell. 

Reviews worth reading --> Pitchfork 8.2/10 - "an album deeply concerned with the nature of faith and man’s relationship with his Maker" | Paste 8.6/10 - "just fundamentally phenomenal" | Slant 4/5 - "utterly ageless, like a surviving relic from time immemorial"

Pete Seeger Dead at 94

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I've learned a little about Pete Seeger through some documentaries I've watched recently. His life included a lot of controversy and a lot of song. Regardless of your view of him, his music remains and his influence was and is wide. From the NYT...

Mr. Seeger was a prime mover in the folk revival that transformed popular music in the 1950s. As a member of the Weavers, he sang hits including Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene” — which reached No. 1 — and “If I Had a Hammer,” which he wrote with the group’s Lee Hays. Another of Mr. Seeger’s songs, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” became an antiwar standard. And in 1965, the Byrds had a No. 1 hit with a folk-rock version of “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” Mr. Seeger’s setting of a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes. (via NYT)

I can't help but see him as a cultural "worship leader" of sorts, as you can see with songs like "If I Had A Hammer" and "Michael Row the Boat Ashore." He believed that there is a power in song. You can find some of those songs in albums like If I Had A Hammer: Songs of Hope and Struggle.

As Christians it would be good for us to consider the power and possibility of creating songs a culture can sing beyond the church. Is there value in that? Is there anyone out there doing that? How can we foster artists who make a cultural impact? 

Lots-o-Links 1.24.14

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Outstanding. It's a score, so it's not a collection of songs. But I think you will love it and love working to it. Beautiful.

Getting Big Projects Done: Best Practices from Successful Writers from Unclutterer

Break things into bite-sized pieces and create daily habits

"How to Discourage Artists in the Church" by Phil Ryken - This is from 2013, but I read it again and it's so helpful. Here's one point (remember, this is the wrong thing to do)...

"Demand artists to give answers in their work, not raise questions. Mark Lewis says, "Makecertain that your piece (or artifact or performance) makes incisive theological or moral points, and doesn't stray into territory about which you are unresolved or in any way unclear. (Clear answers are of course more valuable than questions)." Do not allow for ambiguity, or for varied responses to art. Demand art to communicate in the same way to everyone."

Why I Am A Continuationist by Sam Storms & Why I Am A Cessationist by Tom Schreiner

These two pieces at The Gospel Coalition give helpful, scholarly, theological and experiential reasons for their views. 

How to Handle Discouragement in Ministry

"Watch the full six-minute video to see [Darrin Patrick, Paul Tripp, & Voddie Baucham] discuss isolation, broken trust, pastors as body parts, and more."

Music Monday 1.13.14

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The Gloaming: The Gloaming | These guys were not on my radar until today. It's a supergroup of sorts with three Irishmen and two Americans. It has a singer, two fiddles, a piano and a guitar. PLEASE try this one and give it a few songs.

Damien Jurado: Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son | Really digging this one. Still another week before release. Too long.

Warpaint: Warpaint | Listened to a few songs this morning and really liked what I heard. Will be listening more.

Find other new albums streaming free at First Listen, Pitchfork Advance.

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Inside Llewyn Davis Soundtrack ($5.99) -- Playing this one a lot right now. After seeing the movie on Saturday, it will get more play. Would love your take on the movie if you've seen it. You will enjoy this album whether you've seen the movie or not.

Check out last week's list of cheap albums as many are still on sale.

Music Monday 1.6.14

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It's -40F wind chill here, which means you light up the fireplace and listen to Bon Iver. One of my favorite EVER albums, For Emma Forever Ago, is $5.

If you haven't checked it out yet, my Best Albums of 2013 list is up. Would love your thoughts. What music from last year did you enjoy?

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Damien Jurado: Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son - My love for this dude's music has grown the last few years. Excited for this one. I'm only five songs in and I'm very, very happy so far.

Music SaleCheap Albums from my 2013 list ($5 unless noted otherwise)...

Other cheap albums worth checking out...

Related articles
Gregory Thornbury: Top 10 Albums of 2013
Best Albums of 2013

Best Albums of 2013

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Music Blown Away

The first nine months this year were just ok for me, but some late year discoveries bridged the gap. I bought less albums this year. As always, I found some real gems. Some you know about. I hope a few that you don't. Music discovery through year end lists is a joy for me and I hope for you. For my favorite compilation of year end lists check out Metacritic.

I'll given a lot of thought to my top 20. The honorable mentions are many, and all worth checking out. Also check out Greg Thornbury's year end list. There are albums there I'm just getting to know.

Buying Through Amazon: Some albums are pretty cheap right now, so if it looks interesting click through to Amazon to check prices and listen to samples. Clicking through my links and buying music (or anything) helps me to buy books & music as my family has no budget for either. And it costs you nothing extra to use my links! Thanks for your support. 

Previous Years -- My Best Albums

2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 

Now, on to the good stuff from 2013...

2013 Honorable Mentions (no particular order): Danny Brown: Old | Deerhunter: Monomania | Derek Webb: I'm Was Wrong, I'm Sorry, and I Love You | Disclosure: Settle | The Lone Bellow: The Lone Bellow | Laura Marling: Once I Was An Eagle | Kanye West: Yeezus | Local Natives: Hummingbird | Low: The Invisible Way | Neko Case: The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You | Phantogram: Eyelid Movies | Pusha T: My Name Is My Name | Boards of Canada: Tomorrow's Harvest | The Avett Brothers: Magpie & the Dandelion | Okkervil River: The Silver Gymnasium | Woodkid: The Golden Age | Frightened Rabbit: Pedestrian Verse | Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience | Chance the Rapper: Acid Rap (free) | Kurt Vile: Wakin On A Pretty Daze

20. Burial: Rival Dealer EP | I'm cheating as I don't put EPs on my best albums of the year list, but Burial is always amazing and this is remarkable. Hear the culture speak to us.

19. Foxygen: We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic | A lot of fun with throwback sounds and harmonies. Playful music but not childish. 

18. The National: Trouble Will Find Me | These guys can do no wrong, but that can do better. A lot of the sound you love from The National, but it just doesn't have that handful of amazing. Still, it's really good. Oh, that all bands would miss like this.

17. Phosphorescent: Muchacho | "Song for Zula." Nuff said.

16. Junip: Junip | An early contender for a top list album, but the second half of the album just didn't hook me for long. Still, some great stuff here from Jose Gonzalez. "Line of Fire" is the bee's knees.

15. Chris Thile: Bach: Sonatas & Partitas | It's classical music with a mandolin. Love. I listen while working, reading, or doing nothing but listening. 

14. Savages: Silence Yourself | Grinding, growling, rocking, rolling, loud, aggressive without jumping in your face. In lots of ways, I think this is where punk music now resides.

13. Gregory Alan Isakov: The Weatherman | Gorgeous. Gentle & calming. Solid songwriting. 

12. Autre Ne Veut: Anxiety | An emotional trip, but not without fun. The whole thing is good. Falsetto R&B, pop, electronic. Head bobbing will happen.

11. Forest Swords: Engravings | A sonic wonderland. Cinematic. Walking in slo-mo in your own movie scene. I can work to it, and I can just sit alone and let myself be swallowed up in the wonder.

Buke10. Buke & Gase: General Dome | Prolly not for everyone. But holy cow, one listen through "Hiccup" (though the video might make you sick) had me hooked. I agree with Exclaim, "The pair are making strummable instruments sound new again, and it sounds like redemption. Proceed frantically and without caution."

WaterLiars9. Water Liars: Wyoming | It's similar to some music you may already love (Fleet Foxes, Pedro the Lion, Band of Horses). It feels lonely, and you will be thankful for it. One of the best lonely albums I've heard. I like what the New York Times says, "This duo’s dark, lonely, roots-minded indie rock is affecting, all the more for its sparseness." (HT: Kevin Cawley)

Sunbather8. Deafheaven: Sunbather | The best reviewed album on Metacritic. I think it's the first metal album I've listed in my years of doing this. I like what Crash Music said, "A record everyone with half an experimental ear should experience, even if they run from it, screaming."

Arcade7. Arcade Fire: Reflektor | For all the Arcade Fire backlash on the one end and thoughtless love on the other, this is a great album. Building on where they came from and adding epic length dance songs, disco ball included. These songs swell and it's fun to get lost in them. But don't check your brain with the bouncer. The ideas here are thick.

MCII6. Mikal Cronin: MCII | Throwback pop music that is ridiculously current and joyful. This has set a lot of my mood this year with playful melodies occasionally over some power chords. It's a sock-hop with growl. The appeal of the music is immediate as well as lasting. I keep coming back to it.

Immunity5. Jon Hopkins: Immunity | One album I'd love to make everyone sit and listen to. It's a sonic masterpiece. It's an album trying hard to push toward the top. Remember when I picked Four Tet for album of the year a few years ago? It's in that realm of awesome. Could have been my album of the year.

Isbell4. Jason Isbell: Southeastern | Packed with great songwriting. Heartfelt and genuine. This sounds like home, a safe place to admit you are a mess. The Independent: "brilliant: vivid, multi-faceted tales of souls adrift." Could have been my album of the year.

Arctic3. Arctic Monkeys: AM | Don't miss "No. 1 Party Anthem." For an album that really rocks out, that song is a great change of pace and just amazing. If you like The Black Keys, you will dig this album. If you like just cranking it up, yeah, that's a reason to get it. Could have been my album of the year.

Chvrches2. Chvrches: The Bones of What You Believe | Most played album of the year in my house. Hook-filled fun. Head-bobbing, foot tapping, energy-rich. And yet the songwriting is solid. It's not just fun, it's serious music. My discovery of the year. Could easily be my album of the year.

Vampire1. Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City | Breaking from the sound that made them great, this is their *beyond category* album. Some of the most creative, earworm music of the year with some of the best thought through lyrics of the year. Catchy but not at all cutesy. Massive, complex hooks. The most thought-provoking album of 2013.

Gregory Thornbury: Top 10 Albums of 2013

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This is a guest post from friend and new President of The King's College in NYC, Dr. Gregory Thornbury. I've enjoyed talking theology and church with Greg, but discussing the arts with him is the stuff. I asked if he might be willing to share an albums-of-the-year list and here it is. Please do feel free to respond in the comments, or engage with him directly: @greg_thornbury. He's a busy man, so please don't assume he can/will respond to everyone. But he'll enjoy your feedback.

Steve

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Top Ten Albums of 2013

Greg Thornbury

For me, this was one of the best years for new records in a long time.  Coming up with this list was tough, because yes, I enjoyed the new Daft Punk, Phosphorescent, and Avett Brothers albums, and many others.  There are reissues and live albums I’d recommend, like Dylan’s “Another Self Portrait” (Volume 10 of The Bootleg Series) and The Stones’ Hyde Park concert from this past Summer.  But a top ten must separate the good albums from the great ones.  Here are mine, and I’m thankful to Steve McCoy for the opportunity to share them with you.

10. Johnny Fritz — Dad Country

If Johnny Fritz doesn’t win a MacArthur Foundation Genius Fellow’s Prize in the next year or two, I’m going to conclude the whole system is rigged. Although he makes you laugh out loud on tracks like “Trash Day,” you have to make sure that the whimsical doesn’t occlude the deadly serious in this weird Honky Tonk world. Fritz’s first person is essentially this: Freud’s Id & Ego are allowed to have their say with the Superego turned off. You’ll learn a lot about yourself that maybe you didn’t want to know when you listen to this record.  The fact that it is wrapped in boot scooting old country with incredible musical performances by Nashville’s most inspired players (e.g. Josh Hedley on fiddle) makes this de facto psychology course a really great time.  

9. Kelly Jones — Alta Loma

Not long after I moved to New York City, my friend, the genius songstress Melanie Penn, invited me to a show in which she and Kelly Jones reprised their Summer 2013 House Concert tour at The Living Room on the Lower East Side.  Melanie was her brilliant usual self, delighting the packed house with her über-intelligent, amazing crafted, and hopeful songs. When Kelly Jones picked up her guitar and started playing after Melanie’s set, I thought, “Wow! Do I know these tunes?” The answer was no, but they were so infectious, it seemed like Kelly Jones had been playing on my iPod for months on end.  When I got home, I downloaded her first album, “Shebang!” I was floored. 

Her new record, Alta Loma, is filled with another batch of gorgeous melodies, and lovely arrangements backed by the amazing steel guitarist Rich Hinman and others.  The chord progressions are never tired. They delight and surprise.  It’s as though John Denver, Michael Nesmith, and Linda Rondstadt got together and gave their collective superpowers to one girl. Ladies and Gentlemen: Kelly Jones.

8. Edwyn Collins — Understated

I listen to this record when I need an extra dose of courage and lift.  This is the “life” record of the year, written and produced by a man who, due to his brain hemorrhage in 2005, came close to death.  Collins, the rumbustious Scotsman, joyfully barrels his way through these tunes (even the sad ones), and I, for one, can’t resist joining him. I could listen to “Carry On, Carry On” and “Love’s Been Good to Me” for days.  

7. Jim James — Regions of Light and Sound of God

As a onetime resident of Louisville, Kentucky, I can remember that there was a moment several years ago when you couldn’t get your driver’s license renewed if you couldn’t prove you owned the last album by My Morning Jacket, the celebrated hometown band. Since I believe you have to choose between Wilco and MMJ (I choose Wilco), I’ve never been as obsessed with Jim James as a songwriter as my River City friends have. But then on Jet Blue flight a few months ago, they played the video for “State of the Art: A.E.I.O.U.”  I was transfixed. I got the record. I was in a trance-like state listening the whole way through the first time. This is the soundtrack for a generation who, like Julian Barnes, says, “I don’t believe in God, but I miss Him.”  Jim James might just be able lead them back.  

6. Phoenix — Bankrupt

I’m one of those annoying “I liked Phoenix before they were popular,” people.  I’m a soft touch for electro-pop, and nobody does it better than Phoenix.  Every Phoenix record to me is an exercise is seeing how far they can take the very limited form of pop music, and they never fail to amaze me when they do it again.  At first when I heard, “Entertainment,” I thought, “Hmmm, I’m not sure if they’ve done it this time,” but I’m now convinced I was wrong. Thomas Mars has said that the band is a bunch of perfectionists. We’re grateful someone is.

5. David Bowie — The Next Day

Bowie is the model of what rock stars should want to be when they grow up.  I pre-order very few records these days, but this was one of them. I did so with a bit of trepidation, as the last two LPs, Heathen and Reality, simply depressed me. There was no magic on those outings for me. The Next Day was met with a sigh of relief from me and so many other Bowie fans.  When I took my headphones off after the first play, everything I liked about Bowie had been there: the poignant musings on fame, the short reverb on the vocals, slicing / trebly guitars, and dirty saxophones. More deeply, however, there was the humans-as-aliens theme at which Bowie excels: we may feel cold and alone in the universe, but we can transcend. We are “dancing face to face” out in space. And we’re happy the master (or “The Sovereign” if you’re a Venture Bros fan) is still in conversation with us. 

4. Thriftstore Masterpiece — Trouble is a Lonesome Town

Thriftstore Masterpiece is what happens when Producer/Guitarist Charles Normal finds a hidden gem-but-lost-to-modern-ears LP in his local record shop and invites his friends over to re-enchant listeners with the original inspiration.  The record in view here is Lee Hazelwood’s Trouble is a Lonesome Town (1963)– which just so happens to be the world’s first concept album. As Normal explains, “It was a collection of solo acoustic songs stitched together with a narrative that described life in a fictional small town inhabited by outlaws, thieves, and down-and-out laborers. The album was hokey, but hip. Corny, but cool. It evoked a bygone era of pastoral American towns and their sometimes seedy underbellies, somewhat like a darker version of the Andy Griffith Show or a more sinister Prairie Home Companion.”

So who showed up for the party?  A veritable Who’s Who of alternative rock superstars including  Black Francis from The Pixies, Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse, Courtney Taylor-Taylor from The Dandy Warhols, Pete Yorn, and Eddie Argos of Art Brut.  But most importantly, this was the last album which Charles’ brother, the legendary Larry Norman, sang on before he passed away in 2008.  The record, temporarily shelved by Normal during the grieving process, is a weird and fantastic combination of alt-country meets mariachi surf.  Get the vinyl and turn on the hi-fi. This will knock the troubled socks right off of your lonesome feet.

Confession: I have a vested interest in this record. Incredibly, I got to play guitar on the track “Railroad,” performed by Issac Brock.  In other words, becoming a college president was the second coolest thing that happened to me this year!

3. Duquette Johnston — Rabbit Runs a Destiny

Duquette Johnston has been to hell and back, and he’s determined to show you that the road to redemption runs through Birmingham, Alabama.  A founding member of Verbena (with Scott and A.A. Bondy), Rabbit Runs a Destiny is gritty, lo-fi, roots rock offering with lush string arrangements. Isaaca Byrd of the Bridges and Natalie Prass support Johnston’s other-worldly singing with gorgeous back-up vocals. This record is utterly unique and intense, and it holds together as a seamless garment, from the opening pulse of “My Heart is Breaking” to the closing tones of “Dreams.”  After you’re done, you’ll be convinced that, in the words of Francis Schaeffer, “He is there and He is not silent.”  If you get to see Duquette play live with his string section, drop everything and go and be prepared to daydream about God for days afterward. 

2. Arctic Monkeys — AM

Okay, I realize this is on everybody’s list this year, but yes, this record really is that good.  I’ve liked the Arctic Monkeys’ previous efforts, but this one (self-titled with initials) is a nod from them telling us that this is who they’ve always wanted to be.  This is a record I always go to on my early morning runs along the Hudson River.  It’s so nice to hear a rock and roll record that’s on the level of your heroes from the 1970’s. Eight of the Ten tracks on this record are stunners. Love.

1. Roman Candle — Debris

Roman Candle – that cosmic outfit comprised of Skip, Timshel, and Logan Matheny – have been in my pantheon of bands for some time.  After a string of critically acclaimed albums on several notable labels, Debris shows a band coming into the full height of their writing and studio powers.  For me, Debris is about as perfect as a record can get.  

Vocally, Skip Matheny’s singing is gossamer and fine gravel – pure rock and roll.  I can’t think of a vocalist that I like better, perhaps save Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze.  Sonically, the record comes out you from another world – a perfect blend of sweet alien synth and sparkling guitars.  Lyrically, here’s where the magic really happens.  Skip and Timshel – both of whom are deeply read in the great poets such as Rilke and T.S. Eliot – bring literate writing to the table unmatched by their contemporaries. The songs take you places and bring you back in stories, conversations, and dreamscapes, as evidenced magnificently on the title track, “Debris.”  Most of all, these are just brilliant songs that you can sing to yourself and also think about deeply while you’re doing so. Now that’s the trick. 

Gregory Alan Thornbury, Ph.D. is the President of The King’s College in New York City.

Lots-o-Links 12.14.13

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Tim Challies - Evernote Owns Me - Here are his four key points. Go to his post for his explanation.

  1. I Take It Everywhere
  2. I Tell It Everything
  3. I Use It To Eliminate Paper
  4. I Use It To Collaborate

6 ways to serve your pastor's wife on Sunday by Ryan Huguley

Instead of enslaving the pastor's wife with expectations, we should seek every opportunity to love and serve her; this is especially necessary on Sunday mornings, as she doesn't have the help of her husband. So here are six simple ways you can serve your pastor's wife on Sundays when your church gathers for worship:

How to write a book review - see both Aaron Armstrong & Tim Challies posts

Ansel Adams and the art of framing

“Photography is really perception,” Adams once wrote. “As with all art, the objective of photography is not the duplication of visual reality, but an investigation of the outer world and its influence on the inner world.”

Best albums of 2013 lists are being gathered in one place - Metacritic

9 thoughts on writing from Madeleine L'Engle - Here's one of the nine...

7. Who should write? “In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there’s no danger that we will confuse God’s work with our own, or God’s glory with our own.”

Sleeping At Last: Christmas Collection 2013

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Sleeping at Last is one of those unique bands that owns its own sound. They have a compelling, emotionally engaging style that I love. Their melodies and vocals soar. They have brought their style and given us a wonderful Christmas collection. And you can get it free or for donation.

This album offers a great mix. Christmas hymns like "Silent Night," "What Child Is This?," and O Holy Night" are gorgeous. Crank it up on "O Holy Night" for one listen and I'm sure you will, like me, add it to your yearly must-listen songs. I love their versions of cultural Christmas songs like "White Christmas," "Silver Bells," and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." One of my favorite funny Christmas songs is by Bill Nighy in Love, Actually, "Christmas Is All Around." I don't know of anyone that covers it as it's meant to be funny and not a real Christmas song. Sleeping at Last covers it as a cute, folksy little ditty. It's legit.

I'm thankful for other Christmas albums out this year: Folk Angel, Page CXVI, etc. These are worth checking out as well. This one by Sleeping at Last, at donation price, is a gem. Please check it out.