interview

Jason Isbell on Fresh Air

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Jason Isbell (2)

The more listens I give to Jason Isbell's remarkable album, Southeastern, the more I love it.

I point you to a lot of music and most of the time I blog on albums when they are on sale. Finding a good album for $5 or cheaper is joy. Southeastern is full price. It's $9.99. And it's worth three times the price. If you wait and spend your money only when albums are on sale, you will miss something remarkable. 

I submit into evidence Jason Isbell's recent appearance on NPR's Fresh Air podcast. Isbell plays a few of his songs live and talks about his own struggles with addiction. It's a great interview. And every song on this album makes me think. I hope you'll check it out.

the Gray Havens

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The Gray Havens

Several circumstances led to this post. I saw Challies posted an interview a few days ago with a band. I ignored it. Then I got a Facebook message telling me I should check out the same band. I figured after two pointed me to it, I should go ahead and check'm out. I went to the website and something started looking familiar. Wasn't sure what.

Come to find out the band, the Gray Havens (Dave & Licia Radford), live in Crystal Lake, 20 minutes southeast of us. Dave was also on American Idol back when we used to watch it. After watching his audition again, we remembered him as someone who didn't do "pop music" like everyone else. And that was a good thing. Our northwest suburbs newspaper also put out an article at about the same time called "Haven Sent." 

The Gray Havens 2Honestly, I was still skeptical. 1. I don't generally go for "Christian" music or even music made my Christians. I was worried whether it would be creative. You know, art. 2. Can anything good come out of Crystal Lake? ;) I had that feeling that for the band (duo) to be this local, it couldn't be that good. In other words, my stereotype buttons were being pushed. 

I have really enjoyed listening to the Gray Havens, enough so that I felt I needed to give them their own Music Monday post. Right now their album, Where Eyes Don't Go, is still FREE! I want my readers to pick it up. It's folksy, lyrical, redemptive, and joyful. I like every song. You can also support them buy buying on Amazon.

As I post this my family is loading in the van to meet Dave and Licia and enjoy dinner together tonight. I had to meet them. I hope you'll take a few minutes and introduce yourself to the Gray Havens. Stream and download free below.

Tim Keller | The Meaning of Marriage Q&A

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Karen Swallow Prior interviews Tim Keller on his new book, The Meaning of Marriage. A blurb...

What does your book contributes to the conversation about marriage that other books have not?

It's not simply a how-to manual. Many Christian marriage books are "here's how to work on your problems." On the other hand, the book is not just theological on "here's the biblical view of marriage." The most recent and the best-selling Christian books on marriage from the last few years were either theological, polemical, or absolutely practical. This is a combination of those.  Most books I know on the subject recently have not been written by pastors; they've been written by counselors or theologians or people like that. This book was originally a series of sermons. When you preach, the sermon usually goes from the theological to the more polemical and into the practical.

Read the entire interview.

Fresh Air: Maurice Sendak is Happy/Sad

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Terry Gross of NPR's Fresh Air interviews 83 year old, award winning author Maurice Sendak. You know him as the author of Where the Wild Things Are. He has a new book coming out, which is the point of the interview. But it turns into a talk with an author reminiscing about a life of art, being homosexual, therapy, losing loved ones, and ending life as an atheist in love with the world and feeling it slip through his fingers. Well worth a listen.

"I'm a happy old man, but I will cry my way all the way to the grave."

Joe Thorn on White Horse Inn

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My buddy, Joe Thorn, was interviewed by Michael Horton on my favorite Christian podcast, The White Horse Inn. The topic was preaching to yourself & Joe's book Note to Self. From Joe's blog...

Over 17 years ago I started listening to The White Horse Inn radio program. In fact, while in college a group of students would cram into a dorm room and listen to Mike Horton, Rod Rosenbladt, Ken Jones, and Kim Riddlebarger talk through theology, Scripture, evangelical culture, and church life. We felt like theoloigcal insurgents at our Bible College, but we were really just theology nerds. The WHI is still one of the most valuable things I listen to, now as a podcast, so I was humbled and excited to get an invitation to talk to Mike Horton about my book, Note to Self. You can check out our conversation at the WHI website...

If you aren’t listening to the show, you need to make it a regular part of your diet. You have enough sermons, and broadly cultural podcasts streaming into your ipod, but there isn’t much else out there like this. And, while you’re adjusting your theoloigcal intake you should also subscribe to Modern Reformation magazine. Seriously, get on that. As a subscriber you have online access to all the back issues.

It's a great interview. Great job, Joe! And you should get the podcast. I never miss an episode.

Music Monday: Barnes & Ritter (Sojourn) EPs

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On February 22nd Sojourn Music (Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY) is releasing a dual EP with two Sojourn artists, Jamie Barnes and Brooks Ritter. It's 10 new songs available for download on the 22nd, 2 EPs of 5 songs each: The War (Ritter) and The Mercy Seat (Barnes). I've had it for a week and have listened multiple times through the whole thing. It's exactly what I've come to expect from Sojourn and these two great artists -- truth, beauty, creativity, worship. It's just great & already a family favorite. 

Here's an interview of both artists (via) which includes a song from each EP. MJ Butterworth already has a review up, and check out the great artwork...

Jamie EP Brooks ep

John MacArthur on Darrin Patrick's Book

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UPDATE 1.25.2011 | Darrin Patrick responds to John MacArthur -- Not Radical Individualism: A Reply to John MacArthur - They are good words, gracious words.

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I've learned a lot from John MacArthur since becoming a Christian. He was a "go to" preacher early on for me. I met him at SBTS somewhere in the early 2000's it was a great pleasure for me.

He was interviewed on Sunday night by Phil Johnson - Theology & Ministry: An Interview with John MacArthur. Go forward until there's about 27 minutes remaining and start listening (for context). With a little more than 25 minutes to go you get John MacArthur saying this...

You know, there's a new book on church planting written by a guy named Darrin Patrick and it says if you want to be an effective church planter, develop your own theology.

You know when I read that I just almost fell off the chair. What? I mean, can you think of anything worse than to have some guy develop his own theology? This is ultimate niche marketing. Develop your own style, your own wardrobe, and then your own theology.

Anyone care to rip this apart? MacArthur should be embarrassed.

Church-planter UPDATE: And you should buy and read Darrin Patrick's Church Planter, endorsed by Al Mohler, Ed Stetzer, Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, Mark Dever, and others who see things a little different than John MacArthur.