Canvas of Constancy

New Sixpence None The Richer- My Dear Machine

2008-07-09T14:35:00.001-07:00

noisetrade.com

2008-07-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

This movie should have never happened...

2008-06-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Pete Peterson has a review of M. Night Shyamalan's newest film The Happening over at the Rabbit Room. He analyzes Night's other films and asks "What has happened to Shyamalan?" Good question. Like Pete, I saw this movie on opening night and was absolutely appalled. It was so bad that I have been contacting people for the sole reason of warning them not to go see this movie. I am with Pete on pretty much every point (except that Signs is my favorite MNS film) and he writes it so much better than I would have.

I should have listened to the Filmspotting guys.

If you'd like to see in detail how bad this movie was, The New Republic has a spoiler (and I use that word loosely, because it insinuates that there was something good to be spoiled) laden review that was way more fun than the movie. See the review here.

Coldplay- Stream their new album for free

2008-06-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

This humble man says that Viva La Vida has X&Y in a choke hold and will soon snuff it out.

coldplay viva la vida

Fleet Foxes- Stream the new album for free

2008-06-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

You can stream the new full length Fleet Foxes album over at their Myspace page. Jump for joy, buy this album, and enjoy the best album of the year (so far, but I'm thinking it's going to be right up there at the end of the year).

On a related note, I just found out that Fleet Foxes is going to be the opening band at the Wilco show I already bought tickets for. Yeah...I'm pretty excited.

wilco fleet foxes

Free Hip-Hop Sampler- Lamp Mode Recordings

2008-05-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Though I'm no hip-hop connoisseur, I've really been enjoying this free sampler download from Lamp Mode Records.

From Lamp Mode's website:

We are committed to providing Christ-centered, excellent music that stays true to the authentic, rugged hip-hop aesthetic that we love while bringing glory to God -and at an affordable price. And when we can, we will give it away for free. And that’s the case with “The Grassroots” CD. You are important to us. We are convinced that a loyal few is better than a fickle multitude. Our hope is that you will enjoy our music, pass it along to others, and allow us to serve you again in the future.
Track List
1-Grassroots Inchrow
2-Christ Crucified
3-Let’s Kill Sin
4-worldwideweb
5-A Letter To My Friends
6-From Beginning To End
7-Holiness of God

I've been listening to this sampler this morning and I have really been enjoying it. I'm pretty much the nerdiest white guy ever, but I'm still bouncing in my chair. So far I really like Holiness of God and A Letter To My Friends.

Various Musical Tidbits

2008-05-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

Bon Iver interview with Pitchfork. You gotta check this guy out.

Damien Jurado's new album "Caught In The Trees" is coming out September 9th. He's started a blog, which I am assuming will have demos, cool pictures, and the occasional story. Get excited. You can hear a new demo of his song "Vivian Kane" over on the ol' Myspace page.

damien jurado bon iver pitchfork media

Sigur Ros- med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust

2008-05-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

And what the heck does that mean?

One, it means that Sigur Ros is putting out a new album on June 23rd, which is less than a month away.
Two, it means you will be buying an album with naked people running across the freeway (those risky Icelanders! I hope they looked both ways.) on the cover. I'm not sure what's on the back, but I'm hoping it's not a view from the other side of the freeway.
Three, it means "with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly".
Four, it means you will should visit this site for more enticing info about the new album, including things like "the album will be available to pre-order on sigurros.com on june 2nd and a live stream of the album will be available on june 9th for those who have pre-ordered.' and "the record also contains some of the most joyous music the band has ever recorded."

THIS JUST IN!!! You can now download the first single Gobbledigook.

sigur ros med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust

Film and Theology- No Country For Old Men

2008-05-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Pastor James Harleman of Mars Hill Church in Seattle did a great job in his Film and Theology review of the excellent movie No Country For Old Men.

This review is posted over on the Cinemagogue blog, which is a valuable place to spend some time, especially if you love movies. Here's a blurb from the "cinemAbout" page:

Cinemagogue believes that we are image-bearers of our Creator. a master storyteller, whose narrative spans all of creation, a story in which we all play a part. Made in the image of our Creator, we have a yearning to both create, and be entertained, by narrative. People immerse themselves in story much like Christians treasure the story of Jesus. It is our hope that people would enjoy and engage cinema and storytelling mediums not just as “diversion” but with discernment, engaging the culture around us and reflecting on how it distorts and reflects the larger narrative of our lives. We place all stories against the controversial gospel of Jesus Christ who claimed not only to be truth incarnate, but in fact the master storyteller who spoke the universe into existence, as well as embodying the central figure and hero of our shared story that is life.

Cinema, meet truth.

no country for old men cormac mccarthy film and theology mars hill church james harleman

The Shack- A Few Critiques

2008-05-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

I posted some critiques/reviews of the very popular book The Shack over on the Friday Nights in Ferndale blog. Take a peek and let me know what you think.

the shack william p. young

Free Coldplay song- Violet Hill

2008-04-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

For a week, you can get a free download of the first single from Coldplay's upcoming album Vida La Vida or Death and All His Friends (yes, that's really the name of the album. Seems like they could have added some of the words from this album title to their last album title. And some of the good songs too). The song is called Violet Hill and it's a little bit of a departure from their earlier sound, but it's still Coldplay, for better or for worse.

coldplay

Bocce In Ferndale!

2008-04-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

From the Times-Standard:

After almost a year of fundraising and a lot of volunteer work, Ferndale has a three-lane bocce court. The court lanes are 13 feet by 91 feet and are surfaced with crushed oyster shell flour. One lane is configured to provide easy access for those in a wheelchair.
The concept of building a bocce court for public use started with a dream by a small group of local men talking over morning coffee. That dream resulted in the formation of a volunteer committee, working with the city, dedicated to constructing a three-lane court at the city park. The goal was to raise the necessary funds through fundraisers and donations, with the work being done by volunteers. After many months of planning and design, groundbreaking occurred on Aug. 15, 2007. Donations, both in dollars and materials, kept a volunteer crew busy pouring concrete walls, installing more than 60 tons of compacted base material, 20 tons of clay bedding, landscaping and fencing. Five tons of crushed oyster shell flour topping, for the playing surface, came later, after the winter rains.
Ferndale now has a bocce court that meets International Bocce Federation standards and is looking forward to hosting many bocce tournaments in the coming years. A Ferndale Bocce Club is presently being formed and will be open for membership soon.
The bocce committee is hosting a grand opening at noon Saturday (April 26), and the public is invited. For more information, call Richard Hooley at 786-4686.

Bocce is a great way to spend time with friends and meet new folks out on the courts. Get your bocce on!

Together For the Gospel 2008- Audio

2008-04-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Together For The Gospel conference is going on right now in Louisville, Kentucky. Tim Challies has been liveblogging the conference as it goes along (and causing me to have some serious book envy).

For those who are interested, all the messages that have currently been given are available for free at the Sovereign Grace website. All the messages from the 2006 conference are also available for free.

Get some Gospel.

together for the gospel

Fleet Foxes- Free Song

2008-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

So I am pretty much gaga over this band Fleet Foxes. And because I think you should be gaga over them also, please download their lovely song White Winter Hymnal.

Gracias: Stereo-Dentyne

fleet foxes

42 Things To Know About Jackie Robinson

2008-04-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Jackie Robinson Day, celebrating the day that Jackie Robinson had his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers that ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation

Here are 42 facts about Jackie Robinson (he wore number 42):

1	MVP award and Rookie of the Year award won
2	Number of World Series HRs
3	Number of ABs in his first game
4	Number of sports lettered in at UCLA
5	The youngest of 5 children
6	Number of World Series appearances
7	Number of seasons he scored 99 or more runs
	Inning that he stole home in Game 1 of 1955 WS
8	More runs than strikeouts in World Series career
9	Number of times he was hit by a pitch in rookie season
10	Number of seasons in MLB
11	Lifetime BA of .311
12	Number of HR in his rookie season
13	Traded by Brooklyn Dodgers to N.Y. Giants on Dec. 13, 1956. Robinson retired rather than play for the Giants
14	Most times he was hit by pitch in a season (1952)
15	Made his debut on April 15, 1947
16	Number of home runs in his MVP season
17	Dodgers play Montreal Royals on March 17, 1946, with Robinson in the lineup marking the first appearance of an integrated team in organized baseball this century
	Named first-ever Rookie of the Year on Sept. 17, 1947, 11 days before the last game of the regular season
18	Number of All-Star ABs
19	Career high for HRs set in 1951 and 1952
	Number of times he stole home in his MLB career
20	Family moved to Pasadena in 1920
21	Number of World Series walks
22	Number of World Series runs
23	Branch Rickey announces signing of Robinson on Oct. 23, 1945
	Selected for MLB HOF on January 23, 1962
	Inducted into MLB HOF on July 23, 1962
24	Number of more points he had than runner-up Larry Jansen in ROY voting
25	Number of years after his major league debut that he threw out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 2 of the 1972 World Series
26	Years it had been since a NL player stole their way around the bases, which he did in 1954
27	Number of extra-base hits in his final MLB season
28	Age he was when he made his MLB debut
29	Stolen bases in rookie year
30	Played in first World Series game on Sept. 30, 1947
31	Number of doubles in his rookie season
32	Number of postseason hits
33	Price of postage stamp in 1999 when U.S. Postal Service issued a Jackie Robinson stamp as part of their "Celebrate the Century" program
34	Average number of strikeouts per 162-game season
35	Age when he stole his way around the bases in 1954
	Number of Negro League players in HOF
36	Number of strikeouts in his rookie season
37	Age during final season
38	Number of postseason games
39	Entered UCLA in 1939
40	Career-high for strikeouts set in 1952
41	Played pro football for Honolulu Bears in 1941
42	His number retired by MLB

from espn.com

jackie robinson day

ESV Study Bible- Coming October 15, 2008

2008-04-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Crossway has launched a new website for the ESV Study Bible, coming October 15, 2008.

The ESV Study Bible was created to help people understand the Bible in a deeper way—to understand the timeless truth of God’s Word as a powerful, compelling, life-changing reality. To accomplish this, the ESV Study Bible combines the best and most recent evangelical Christian scholarship with the highly regarded ESV Bible text. The result is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published—with more than 2,750 pages of extensive, accessible Bible resources.

The ESV Study Bible was created by a team of 93 outstanding evangelical Bible scholars and teachers. They were chosen, first, because of their deep commitment to the truth, authority, and sufficiency of God’s Word; and, second, because of their expertise in teaching and understanding the Bible. The team of contributors comes from 9 countries, representing nearly 20 denominations and more than 50 seminaries, colleges, and universities.

Here are a couple of endorsements:

“I can’t imagine a greater gift to the body of Christ than the ESV Study Bible. It is a potent combination indeed: the reliability and readability of the ESV translation, supplemented by the best of modern and faithful scholarship, packaged in an accessible and attractive format. A Christian could make no wiser investment for himself, a pastor could recommend no better resource for his congregation.
C. J. Mahaney, President, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God.”
John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church

Check out these pages for more information:

esv study bible

Free Hotel Rwanda screening

2008-04-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

College of the Redwoods will be having a free screening of the excellent film Hotel Rwanda at their Eureka campus on Thursday, April 17th at 7:00 pm. Click on the 'Z' below for more info or click here.

Come Weary Saints- Sovereign Grace Music

2008-04-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

If you are a Facebook member, you can become a fan of Sovereign Grace Music and get a free download of their excellent new album Come Weary Saints. The offer is good until 8 pm (Eastern time) tomorrow (Friday).

If you aren't a Facebook person, you can visit Sovereign Grace Music and check out the Come Weary Saints page and hear samples of all the songs.

Come Weary Saints tracklist:

Hide Away in the Love of Jesus
So I Will Trust You
As Long as You Are Glorified
Oh the Deep, Deep Love
Every Day
Through the Precious Blood
You Have Always Been Faithful
Healing In Your Wings
Joy in My Morning
Glorious
I Have a Shelter
It Is Not Death to Die

From Sovereign Grace:
Come Weary Saints is an invitation to redirect your focus to the God whose love has been forever demonstrated at the cross of Calvary. As you listen to these songs, may your faith and joy in the Savior be strengthened for the challenges you face, now or in the future.

Friday Nights in Ferndale

2008-04-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Friday Nights in Ferndale...come check it out if you live local.

What is Friday Nights in Ferndale? So glad you asked!

Friday Nights in Ferndale is a group of people that meet to engage with Biblical teaching and build relationships with people through sharing meals, prayer, drinking coffee and hanging out.

It’s important to note that we are not a church and we don’t intend for Friday Nights in Ferndale to take the place of a local church. Our intent is to come along side of the local church and be a place for those who are Christians and those who are not to encounter Biblical teaching and fellowship. All are welcome to attend and all are encouraged to be plugged into a local church.

We meet every Friday night in Ferndale at 244 Berding Street (Google Map link). Dinner starts at 6:00 and the teaching starts around 7:00. We generally finish around 8:30. Childcare is provided.

Hope to see you there!

4 years ago...

2008-04-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

On April 4th, 2004, my dear wife made my heart sing with joy when she said yes to the question "Will you marry me?" I am so thankful to God for her and my love and gratitude for her continue to grow.

Free Anti Records sampler

2008-03-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

You can stream songs from The Frames (a fuller version of "Falling Slowly" from the excellent movie Once, Devotchka (who did the music for Little Miss Sunshine), The Weakerthans, Bob Mould, Nick Cave, and many others.

If you so desire, you can download the entire sampler here. Check out Anti Records here.

On the Edge book give-away- last day!

2008-03-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to enter the On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness book give-away. I'll announce tomorrow who will be getting a free copy of this wonderful book.

Book Give-away- Andrew Peterson's On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

2008-03-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

Alright folks...it's time to get excited. Because I have in my hot little hands an extra copy of Andrew Peterson's delightful book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and I want to give it away! Actually, I want to sell it so I can buy another book, but the publisher told me to give it away, so I'm going to do that.

So here's what you've got to do:

First, take a moment to read my review of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. If you don't like my review, try reading some others. I'd suggest starting with Jonathan Roger's review at the Rabbit Room and my friend Chris Hubbs review (where he describes the book as part Narnia, part Monty Python, and part Princess Bride. An apt description!).

Second, come back to this post and leave a comment about the review. Please include your email within the comment or send me an email at natedowney [at] gmail [dot] com with your contact info. On Friday, March 21, I will put all the names in a hat, draw one out and that person will get a free copy of the book delivered to their doorstep.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness- Andrew Peterson

2008-03-16T22:04:00.001-07:00

Official Andrew Peterson Website
Official Andrew Peterson Myspace
Order “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Author Bio HERE

I must begin by admitting that I am a bit of a sucker for children's fantasy books. Like those delightful Pixar movies, there's just something wonderful about diving into a story that is ostensibly aimed at someone much younger than you. I would call it a guilty pleasure, except I feel absolutely no guilt for enjoying them. Andrew Peterson's new book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is just such a story- a captivating journey into a world you've never heard of before, somewhere you wish with all your heart you could go to.

The book begins with an brief introduction to the world of Aerwiar and a "slightly less brief introduction to the Land of Skree." Skree is in bondage to the evil lord of the land of Dang, Gnag the Nameless, and ruled by his vile minions, the Fangs of Dang.The story opens in the township of Glipwood, on the western edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. We are introduced to the Igiby family: the boys Janner (12 years old), Tink (11 years old), their 8 year old crippled sister Leeli, their one-legged ex-pirate grandfather Podo and their noble and beautiful mother Nia. Despite the dark cloud of Dang over their land, the Igiby's have scratched out a reasonably pleasant existence. They have their farm, their cottage, their books and most of all, they have each other.

When Leeli is put in danger, Tink and Janner are forced to act and their actions lead them down a road that they could never have imagined themselves travelling. They are forced to deal with perils well beyond their years, primarily the unwelcome attention of one particular Fang. As their somewhat tranquil lives spiral out of control, the Igiby's are forced to lean on one another more than ever. The second half of the book is a brilliant thrill ride of adventure, full of danger, mischief, mystery, frightening creatures such as horned hounds and toothy cows, haunted mansions, and a fairly strange character named Peet the Sock Man. Along the way the kids find out more about themselves than they could have ever imagined and the book ends with a satisfying finish that still leaves you eagerly looking forward to the next book in the Wingfeather Saga (no word on when the 2nd book will be coming out yet).

Peterson's writing is a joy to read. I have long been a fan of Peterson's music and I saw many parallel's between his songwriting and his fiction. They both scratch the surface of deep things in ways that make you laugh, cry and ache for more of what is just out of sight.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness has now placed itself on the shelf of books I can't wait to read to my kids, which is itself a recommendation of the highest sort.

As I mentioned before, the publisher sent me an extra copy of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. I will have more details regarding that contest tomorrow (3/17).

andrew peterson on the edge of the dark sea of darkness childrens fantasy literature

Evangelism According to Jesus- Ligonier 2008 National Conference

2008-03-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Ligonier Ministries is offering a free, live webcast (in both English and Spanish) of their 2008 National Conference Evangelism According to Jesus. Only your name and email is required to register and it takes just a moment.

From Ligonier:

Because the church has failed to preach the biblical Gospel, our evangelism has too often introduced people to the wrong Jesus.

Sinclair Ferguson, Steven J. Lawson, John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, R.C. Sproul, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Joni Eareckson Tada aim to remind us of the great truths of the Gospel and help us evangelize more effectively.

Here's the conference schedule (all times are EDT):

Thursday, March 13, 2008

1:00-1:45 P.M. “The Foolishness of Preaching”
Dr. Steven J. Lawson

1:45-2:30 P.M. “Evangelizing Your Children”
Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr.

3:15-4:00 P.M. “Good News in a Fallen World”
Mrs. Joni Eareckson Tada

4:00-5:00 P.M. Questions & Answers
Steven Lawson, R.C. Sproul Jr., &
Joni Eareckson Tada

7:00-8:30 P.M. “The Saving Power of God”
Dr. Steven J. Lawson

8:45-9:45 P.M. “Who is Jesus?”
Dr. John MacArthur

Friday, March 14, 2008

8:30-9:40 A.M. “Simultaneously Righteous and a Sinner”
Dr. John MacArthur

9:40-10:40 A.M. “Proclaiming the Gospel to All Nations”
Mrs. Joni Eareckson Tada

11:30-12:35 P.M. “The Substitutionary Atonement of Christ”
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson

2:30-3:25 P.M. “The Resurrection of Jesus”
Mr. C.J. Mahaney

3:55-5:05 P.M. “Sola Fide”
Dr. R.C. Sproul

Saturday, March 15, 2008

8:30-9:40 A.M. “The Nature of Saving Faith”
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson

9:40-10:30 A.M. Questions and Answers
Sinclair Ferguson, C.J. Mahaney, &
R.C. Sproul

11:30-12:30 P.M. “Counted Righteous in Christ (Imputation)”
Dr. R.C. Sproul

Resurgence 2008 Text & Context Video

2008-03-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Resurgence has posted the video files for the Text & Context conference main sessions. You can stream them all from the Text and Context Media page or download the .m4v files below.

Mark Driscoll- Putting Pastors in Their Place
CJ Mahaney- Pastoral Character and Loving People
John Piper- Why I Trust the Scriptures
Jim Gilmore- Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy
Matt Chandler- Preaching the Gospel from the Center of the Evangelical World
John Piper- How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes My Pulpit Ministry
Mark Driscoll- The Ox: Qualifications of a Church Planter
Matt Chandler- Vision of a Church Planter
John Piper- How I Distinguish Between the Gospel and False Gospels
Jim Gilmore- Decoding the Future, the Phoniness, and the Shifting Sands
Jeff Vanderstelt- Biblical Missiology
Darrin Patrick- Leading the Mission

An easier (in my opinion) way to get the videos is to subscribe to the Resurgence video podcast (iTunes).

All the audio files are available here (or here for the podcast).

john piper mark driscoll matt chandler cj mahaney jim gilmore darrin patrick jeff vanderstelt acts29 resurgence mars hill church text and context

Wilco @ the 9:30 in Washington DC

2008-03-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

NPR's All Songs Considered has streaming audio of Wilco's incredible show at the 9:30 club in DC on 02/27/08.

Here's the setlist (from The Rockist Society):
Sunken Treasure / Remember the Mountain Bed / Company in My Back / You Are My Face / Side with the Seeds / She's a Jar / A Shot in the Arm / Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) / Handshake Drugs / Pot Kettle Black / When the Roses Bloom Again / Impossible Germany / It's Just that Simple / Someday Soon / Box Full of Letters / I'm Always in Love / Pieholden Suite / Jesus, etc. / Hate it Here / Walken / I'm the Man That Loves You / Hummingbird / On and On and On // Via Chicago / California Stars // Casino Queen / I'm a Wheel / Monday

As you can see, they played stuff from just about every era/album that the band has done but the current band lineup plays the songs so well. Nels Cline is ridiculous (his solo on Impossible Germany...ouch).

Just in case you didn't know by now, you should be listening to Wilco.

Resurgence Text & Context 2008- Audio Files

2008-03-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

Resurgence has posted the audio files for the Text & Context conference sessions:

Mark Driscoll- Putting Pastors in Their Place

CJ Mahaney- Pastoral Care and Loving People

John Piper- Why I Trust the Scriptures

Jim Gilmore- Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy

Matt Chandler- Preaching the Gospel from the Center of the Evangelical World

John Piper- How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes My Pulpit Ministry

Mark Driscoll- The Ox: Qualifications of a Church Planter

Matt Chandler- Vision of a Church Planter
John Piper- How I Distinguish Between the Gospel and False Gospels
Jim Gilmore- Decoding the Future, the Phoniness, and the Shifting Sands
Jeff Vanderstelt- Biblical Missiology
Darrin Patrick- Leading the Mission

Edit: All session audio is now online and posted here. I will also link to video when it is available.

john piper mark driscoll matt chandler cj mahaney jim gilmore darrin patrick jeff vanderstelt acts29 resurgence mars hill church text and context

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness- My First Blog Contest

2008-03-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

Ever meet someone who's really good at whatever they do, even if they've never tried it before?

Andrew Peterson is just such a man. He's long been one of my favorite songwriters and his craft just keeps getting better. His Christmas musical-stravaganza Behold The Lamb of God is a Downey family favorite. He created a hilarious and amazing bunch of kid's songs with Randall Goodgame. He has sung a duet with Alison Krauss. But Mr. Peterson is not to content to rest upon his musical laurels. No, not this man.

On March 18th, Andrew's book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness will make it's debut.

Here's the publisher's blurb:

"In the once-quiet land of Skree, Janner Igiby, little brother Tink, and crippled sister Leeli stumble upon lost jewels of the mysterious King of the Shining Isle Anniera. But Gnag the Nameless seeks the treasure for purely evil ends, so our brave trio, accompanied by their trusty dog Nugget and ex-pirate grandfather, must escape his minion Fangs."

Thanks to an advance copy, I've started reading this delightful book. I'll be posting a review on March 17, one day before the book releases. But that's not all! The publisher sent me an extra copy to give away on my blog. That's right! The Canvas o' Constancy is going to have a contest and someone will come away with a spanking new book full of daring, dragons, the most hilarious footnotes I have ever read, and fearsome toothy cows.

So check back on March 17, read the review and find out how you might win a copy of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.

Hint: You may want to start working on your jousting skills.

andrew peterson alison krauss book giveaways childrens literature

Sigur Ros and YouTube

2008-03-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

From Sigur Ros:

Sigur Ros and YouTube make a little bit of history this Friday (Mar 7) with the band taking over the entire front page of the site around the world for a whole day, becoming the first group to ever have a feature-length music DVD streamed on the channel, with their acclaimed 'Heima' documentary shown in its complete 97-minute glory.
All 12 available slots on YouTube's home page will be devoted to the Icelandic quartet for a full 24-hours, putting them before a global audience of hundreds of millions. The link-up follows the success of 'Minn Heima', a competition hosted by YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/group/MinnHeima) for fans of the band to create their own little version of 'Heima', using audio and video clips posted online. The 10 best entries, as judged by the band, will be featured on the home page, alongside the film itself, as well as a special message from the band, taking time off from recording their new album in Reykjavik.

YouTube has only previously hosted a handful of long form presentations, none for music DVDs. It is the first ever UK home page "takeover" since the launch of http://uk.youtube.com - the localized home page that allows for country-specific video rankings and comments.

Simultaneous with the YouTube promotion, the band will launch www.sigurros.com, giving away a free audio-visual download clip of the song 'Ny Batteri' filmed live in Reykjavik in the summer of 2006 as part of the Heima tour. 'Ny Batteri' is just one of a dozen additional songs not featured in the film that the band are intending to make available via the site in the near future. Information about the forthcoming album will also be revealed via www.sigurros.com.

I've seen Heima and I recommend that everyone carve out some time to watch this.

SIGUR ROS youtube

On our way...

2008-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

Our family is on our way to Seattle! We spent the night in Grants Pass, OR with our favorite tattoo artist Jeff Gogue and his family and now we're getting ready to finish out the drive.

I will be attending the Resurgence Cooperative's Text and Context conference this week along with a few of the Acts29 Church Planting Boot Camp sessions. We're looking forward to visiting friends we made during our last trip up to Seattle, visiting Mars Hill Church, and hanging out in the beautiful city of Seattle.

For those who are interested, the Resurgence will be live-casting the sessions from the Text and Context conference.

Here is the schedule for the conference:

Pre-Conference

Sunday - February 24, 2008

1:30 pm

Pre-Conference Check-In

2:00 – 3:30 pm

Pre-Conference Tracks Begin

Mars Hill Church Immersion

Track	Location	Title
A	Frelard Room	Panel with Campus Pastors
B	Paradox	Panel with Audio/Video/Satellite Productions
C	NMR or War Room	Panel with teaching/counseling/small groups Pastors

4:30 pm, 6:30 pm, 8:30 pm

Ballard Campus services

5:00 pm

Wedgwood Campus services

5:00 pm

Shoreline Campus services

Monday - February 25, 2008

8:00 am

Doors Open, pre-conference check-in continues

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Pre-Conference Continues

Location	Title	Speaker
Main Auditorium	Biblical Stress Management	Dr. Steve Crain

10:00 am - noon

Location	Title	Speaker
Paradox Room	Building Missional Worship Bands	Tim Smith & Joel Brown

Conference

Monday, February 25, 2008

1:00 pm

Conference Check-In

2:00 pm

Session 1 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Humble Incarnational Ministry

4:00 pm

Session 2 – CJ Mahaney – Text & Context: Pastoral Character & Loving People

5:20 pm

Dinner on your own

7:00 pm

Session 3 – John Piper - Why I Trust the Scriptures

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

8:00 am

Doors Open

9:00 am

Session 4 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy

10:45 am

Session 5 – Matt Chandler - Text & Context: Preaching the Gospel in the Center of the Evangelical World

12:00 pm

Lunch at Ballard (provided)

1:00 pm

Session 6 – John Piper - Text & Context: How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes my Pulpit Ministry

2:45 pm

Resurgence Networking Break or the following options

Time	Location	Title	Speaker
2:45 pm	Main Auditorium	Session 7	Mark Driscoll - The Ox: Qualifications of a Church Planter (Acts 29 Session)
4:15 pm	Main Auditorium	Session 8	Matt Chandler - Vision of a Church Planter (Acts 29 Session)
4:15 pm	Paradox Room	Logos Software Workshop	Exposition in HD: the World Premier of the Logos Discourse New Testament (optional)

5:30 pm

Dinner on your own (Acts 29 assessed registrants will have dinner catered in the Paradox)

7:00 pm

Session 9 – John Piper - Text: How Do I Distinguish Between Gospel and False Gospel?

9:00 pm

Q & A with John Piper, Mark Driscoll & Matt Chandler

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

9:00 am

Door Open

10:00 am

Session 10 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Decoding the Future, the Phoniness, and the Shifting Sands

11:20 am

Q& A with Jim Gilmore

12:00 pm

Lunch at Ballard (provided)

1:00 pm

Session 11 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Preaching Jesus Christ To Pagan Culture

2:15 pm

Q & A with Mark Driscoll

End of Main Conference -- Post-Conference Sessions Begin

3:00 pm

Session 12 – Jeff Vanderstelt - Biblical Missiology (Acts 29 Session)

4:30 pm

Session 13 – Darrin Patrick - Leading the Mission (Acts 29 Session

Death Cab for Cutie in Humboldt

2008-02-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

No ticket prices up yet on the CenterArts site.

Here's the scoop:

04.21.08

Van Duzer Theatre - Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University
Arcata, CA 95521
Venue Phone: (707) 826-3928

Website

w/ The Cave Singers

Tickets

Special ticket pre-sale available to DCFC fanclub members tomorrow (2/21) at www.dcfcunion.com
If you are not a fanclub member, tickets will go on sale at 10am on Saturday, February 23rd.

I probably won't hit this show, since it will be too expensive and I don't want to ruin the memory of seeing them play in Eureka (at the now defunct Club West) right after Transatlanticism came out and there were no OC fans in attendance. It was also one of the first dates I took my future wife on :)

Ahhh....the memories.

death cab for cutie

Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears- Vintage Jesus

2008-02-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

Mark Driscoll has stepped back into the world of books with his new book Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions. Teaming up with Gerry Breshears, professor of theology and chairman of the Division of Biblical and Theological Studies at Western Seminary in Portland, OR, Driscoll aims to answer questions about who Jesus is and why we should still consider this man relevant and important.

Each chapter seeks to answer a specific question about Jesus.

Chapter 1 Is Jesus the Only God?
Chapter 2 How Human Was Jesus?
Chapter 3 How Did People Know Jesus Was Coming?
Chapter 4 Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
Chapter 5 Why Did Jesus' Mom Need to Be a Virgin?
Chapter 6 What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?
Chapter 7 Did Jesus Rise from Death?
Chapter 8 Where Is Jesus Today?
Chapter 9 Why Should We Worship Jesus?
Chapter 10 What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors?
Chapter 11 What Difference Has Jesus Made in History?
Chapter 12 What Will Jesus Do upon His Return?

These questions are answered with insights from people such as Jesus himself, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Luther King Jr., Hugh Hefner, Jack Bauer, Fidel Castro, Oprah, Kanye West, Gandhi, Homer Simpson, Mike Tyson, Gil Grissom, and Madonna, along with some demons and a porn star.

You can take a look at the Intro and Chapter 1 at the Crossway site.

Mark's books are always insightful and theologically sharp, so I'm looking forward to reading this one. I'll be getting a copy of it at the Text/Context conference next week.

Visit the Vintage Jesus site.

Watch/listen to the "Vintage Jesus" sermon series from Mars Hill Church.

You can read an early review by Tim Challies and also an excellent article that Tim wrote today called "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Mark Driscoll?"

vintage jesus mark driscoll gerry breshears

Tim Keller- The Reason For God

2008-02-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

Tim Keller's book The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism is now available and shipping from various online shoppes (this is my preferred one). My copy should be here within the next week and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Here's a blurb from the "Reason for God" website:

Why does God allow suffering in the world?
How could a loving God send people to Hell?

Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive?

How can one religion be “right” and the others “wrong”?

Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?

These are just a few of the questions and doubts even ardent believers wrestle with today. As the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his church as well as the most important reasons for faith. And in The Reason for God, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason.

Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.

The "Reason For God" website is also set up with various sermons and study materials, plus an intro video featuring a "Welcome" message from Keller.

Here are some reviews:

Tim Challies
Sally Lloyd-Jones (my 2nd favorite Lloyd-Jones)
Spear of Phinehas

As always, Steve McCoy has a helpful compilation of Keller resources. Here is a page with the "Reason For God" sermons. I've listened to all these and they are very good.

Lastly, Newsweek profiled Tim Keller.

tim keller the reason for God

Organica:One Making-of Video

2008-02-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat video showing the making of Dan Phelps' excellent Organica:One project.

Encyclopedia Asthmatica Volume 1

2008-02-05T06:01:00.000-08:00

"We [being Asthmatic Kitty Records] are proud to present our first visual companion Encyclopedia Asthmatica Volume 1, a collection of distinctively Asthmatic Kitty visuals; the odd, the sublime, and the delectable."

Looks like fun!

Encyclopedia Asthmatica Volume 1 Trailer from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

More info here.

Pre-order here.

I don't know if you know this...

2008-02-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

...but I'm kind of a big deal.

Because I am married to someone who is a big deal.

"Shake the world again" -Francis Schaeffer

2008-02-02T20:59:00.001-08:00

The Bible reading plan that my wife and I are using this year has us currently in the Apostle Paul's majestic Epistle to the Romans. For supplemental reading today, I picked up Raymond Ortlund Jr.'s excellent book A Passion For God: Prayers and Meditations on the Book of Romans. Ortlund uses his own paraphrase for the whole book, writes down some very heartfelt and doctrinally sound prayers, and also includes loads of quotes that fit very well with the section he is highlighting.

Today I read his meditation on Romans 1:11-15 and it included an amazing poem written by Francis Schaeffer:

To eat, to breathe

to beget

Is this all there is

Chance configuration of atom against atom

of god against god

I cannot believe it.

Come, Christian Triune God who lives,

Here am I

Shake the world again.

Francis Schaeffer, 1960

The poem is originally from a 1960 issue of Christianity Today.

francis schaeffer ray ortlund jr. epistle to the romans

Dan Phelps- Organica:One

2008-01-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

Dan Phelps, a friend and very gifted artist, has released his audio/visual compilation with artist Glenn Mitsui. Entitled Organica:One, it's a fascinating and beautiful blend of music and visuals.

Click here to order, listen to clips from the album, and learn more about this unique creation.

Click here to visit Dan's website and listen to some of his other music. "Ocean Shelf" is incredible!

Click here to visit Dan's Myspace page and hear some more of his songs.

Click here to visit Glenn Mitsui's site.

Bullets over Thursday

2008-01-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

Taking my cue from Chris Hubbs, here are some bullet points for Thursday, January 31, the year of our Lord two thousand and eight:

Alex Chediak scored a prepub copy of Tim Keller's The Reason for God and has some thoughts on it. This is only serves to get me more excited about this book. HT: McCoy
Michael McKinley shares a statement that Mark Dever (of IX Marks Ministries, among other things) gave regarding the cooperation between Acts29 and IX Marks. This is an excellent and very encouraging read.
Lost Season 4 starts tonight. I am a nerd and I can't wait to start watching this show again.
Justin Taylor posted 10 YouTube links to author Dave Harvey's thoughts on his extremely helpful and beneficial book on marriage, When Sinners Say I Do. I heartily recommend you watch these clips and then read the book. An audiobook has also recently come out.
Resurgence has a good interview with pastor/author/professor/linebacker Voddie Baucham.
Mark Driscoll is preaching through "Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions." Good stuff.
You should join Goodreads. It's a blast. Visit my page and see what I'm reading.
My wife is beautiful, amazing, and a continual joy to my heart.

An apologetic for apologetics- Ravi Zacharias

2008-01-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

The RZIM (Ravi Zacharias Internation Ministries) website shares the introduction to Ravi's newest book "Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend." The article/introduction is called "An Apologetic for Apologetics."

In the article, Ravi says:

"I am convinced, in the words of C. S. Lewis—who in my estimation is probably the greatest Christian apologist in recent memory—that the question of being an apologist is not so much whether you use an apologetic in answering someone’s question, but whether the apologetic you already use is a good one."

On a related note, Tim Keller's new book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (also an abridged audiobook) is coming out in the next few weeks and looks to be another helpful apologetics-in-love resource.

ravi zacharias apologetics

2007- The Year of Pro Life Cinema

2008-01-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

Christianity Today has an interesting article about all the pro life movies that came out in 2007.

I found it interesting, because the favorite to win best picture this year is the film No Country for Old Men, an extremely violent movie that features the death of countless people, many of them innocent bystanders in a drug deal gone bad.

I happened to watch the movie Bella (mentioned in the article) and No Country... within a few days of each other and I was struck at the disparity between the two movies. While I think No Country is a better movie, Bella conjured up so many hopeful and life-affirming emotions that my eyes spilled over many times. It was a wonderful film, my favorite of the pro life batch mentioned in the article, including Juno.

While I recognize and appreciate films that accurately portray the reality of violence and evil, I am also thankful for movies that celebrate God-given life. Even when those films don't intentionally point to a Creator God, it is appropriate to remember and rejoice in the God who gives life and breath to all creatures.

Nada Surf- "Lucky" album stream

2008-01-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

You can't buy Nada Surf's new album "Lucky" until early February, but starting Friday, January 25th fans, friends and frenemies (??) can stream the entire record on the band's myspace page.

Worchester=Wooster?

2008-01-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to an audiobook of David McCullough's excellent biography of John Adams and the reader keeps pronouncing the city of Worchester" as "wooster." Can someone please explain this oddity to me?

Oh, and don't just come up with the lame "That's just how they say it in New England." That is not going to cut it.

Bonus points (that are good for what? No idea.) if you can come up with words that sound much differently than they are spelled.

And huge props to whoever remembers the Wooster character from the "New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh."

Interview with Tim Keller

2008-01-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Mr. Keller's got a new book coming out called "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" and Justin Taylor has nice little interview with Keller about it. Check it out.

Also, at the end of the interview there is a link to an excellent sermon (that Keller is writing a book around) called "The Prodigal Sons." Highly recommended.

If you are interested in hearing any more Keller sermons, Steve McCoy is your man. Here is his Keller resource page.

tim keller

Best music of 2007

2008-01-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

I know it's 2008 now, but here's my best-of list for last years releases.

1- Radiohead, In Rainbows. Before this album I was a moderate fan of Radiohead's music. Thankfully, In Rainbows has opened my eyes to the artistic brilliance of Radiohead. This album is beautiful, inviting, familiar, and sonically gorgeous. Number one album of the year, hands down.

2- Iron and Wine, The Shepherd's Dog. I didn't even really like this the first time I heard it, but it grew on me rapidly after that. With lots of texture and groove, it's relaxing and edgy at the same time. Sam Beam has the rare ability to get better while improving production and expanding stylistically.

3- Arcade Fire, Neon Bible. My favorite album from the first half of the year. This album is full of confidence, which is something I love in a record. These guys are good and they know it, but it doesn't come off as arrogant. They just make good music. (Antichrist Television Blues) is like Springsteen set on fire. This record is as big and exhilarating as I wanted it to be.

4- Sigur Ros, Hvarf/Heim. Though this isn't a "new" album, these 3 new songs, 2 electric retoolings and 6 acoustic retellings are as good as anything they have done. As my friend Joel wrote, the song Í Gær "cracks open like a raging electrical storm" and it is indeed a wonderful moment. I will be listening to these songs for years to come.

5- Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity. Not something I would normally listen to, but I love this record. Full of quirky fun, speckled with poignant beauty and surrounded with chunky guitar riffs.

Also enjoyed: The White Stripes- Icky Thump, Of Montreal- Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, Chris Schlarb- Twilight & Ghost Stories, The National- Boxer, Wilco- Sky Blue Sky.

You can also take a look at Metacritic's compilation of top 10 lists from all sorts of places.

best music of 2007 radiohead iron & wine arcade fire sigur ros deerhoof

On being proactively romantic

2008-01-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight I bought some roses for Dallass on the way home from work. While I was waiting in line one person asked me if I was going to get engaged tonight. I said "No, I just wanted to get my wife some nice looking flowers. At this point, the checker interjected with a knowing look "Ahh...someone must be in the dog house!"

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. It seems that romance gotten to the point in our culture that it fits into 2 categories: the new stage (where everything is exciting and both parties are actively pursuing each other with gifts and other romantic gestures) or the reactive stage (where people use the tools of romantic convention to clean up some mess they have made).

I suggest that romance is much sweeter when done proactively. I told the checker tonight that I have found that you don't have to buy flowers to get out of the dog house when you've already bought flowers.

So, all you lovers: buy something nice, write a note, sing a song, or whatever brings your sweetie joy. And then maybe those annoying checker people will stop assuming that I'm only buying flowers to appease my angry wife.

Dillard on eternity

2007-12-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

"Time is eternity's pale interlinear, as the islands are the sea's. We have less time than we knew and that time buoyant, and cloven, lucent, and missile, and wild.

-Annie Dillard, Holy the Firm, pg. 21

Paul Thomas Anderson on There Will Be Blood

2007-12-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

Terry Gross of NPR's "Fresh Air" conducted an excellent interview with writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson about his new movie There Will Be Blood.

So far, There Will Be Blood is getting a 100 at Metacritic, though there are only 5 reviews up.

Also, the soundtrack, composed by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, came out this week. Here's an early review.

I have extremely high hopes for this latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson and I cannot wait to experience it. Daniel Day-Lewis looks like he will offer another magnificent performance and the rest of the cast looks to be quite solid.

If this movie is even close to as good as I think it will be, it will be the best movie of the year, hands down.

daniel day lewis there will be blood paul thomas anderson jonny greenwood radiohead

Some free Christmas tunes

2007-12-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

Ellery- December Days EP

Sounds Familyre Records- A Familyre Christmas (Sufjan, Danielson, Half Handed Cloud, etc.)

Happy Christmas!

Edit: Almost forgot Sleeping at Last. You can download "Silver Bells", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and listen to "O Holy Night" here.

sufjan stevens free christmas music danielson half handed cloud sleeping at last

The Hobbit- 2010

2007-12-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

And...Peter Jackson will be producing! Good news! Here's a blurb from CNN:

Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.

Also see info here at the "Official Hobbit Movie Blog aka We-Are-Tolkien-Nerds".

the hobbit peter jackson jrr tolkien lord of the rings

How to not waste 8 billion dollars

2007-12-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

Consumer Reports on gift card pitfalls.

MSNBC on avoiding gift card waste.

Have a Martin Luther Christmas

2007-12-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Phillip Ryken shares some neat thoughts about how Martin Luther preached and wrote songs about Christmas.

From the article:

We might be tempted to think that if we had been in Bethlehem, we would have given the baby Jesus the welcome he deserved. “If only I had been there!” Luther imagines us saying. “How quick I would have been to help the Baby.” And yet, said Luther, “You only say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at that time you would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ himself” [p. 31 from Martin Luther’s Christmas Book].

martin luther church history christmas

Generation Y in the workplace

2007-12-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

MSN has an interesting article about Gen Y in the workplace.

Employees under the age of 29, also known as Generation Y, expect their employers to provide more benefits and other perks than their older counterparts, according to a new survey from CareerBuilder.com and Harris Interactive. Gen Y workers want better pay, a flexible work schedule and company-provided BlackBerrys and cell phones.

generation y entitlement

WTS Books- Top 10 books of 2007

2007-12-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

Mark at Sacred Journey shares the top 10 books that WTS Books has sold this year.

You can also read a staff review of the top selling book "When Sinners Say I Do" at the WTS Books blog.

I can personally say that I have been blessed by the work of WTS Books, both in the quality of the books they are offering at great prices and the generosity they have shown me by being a blog partner with them.

best of 2007

Radiohead- In Rainbows.Disc 2 and other Radiohead news

2007-12-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone (those evil cigarette peddlers!) takes a detailed look at the 8 extra songs you get when you order the deluxe box set version (while supplies last) of Radiohead's In Rainbows.

Also, the potentially download-for-free-legally offer from the band will be ending on Dec. 10th, so go get you some.

Finally, Radiohead's first 7 records will be collected in a nifty box set and available Dec. 10th.

Radiohead out.

radiohead in rainbows

The Golden Compass- an author's perspective

2007-12-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

Pete Peterson at The Rabbit Room shares some good thoughts on The Golden Compass and the entire His Dark Materials trilogy.

golden compass

Even the wind and the waves obey Him...

2007-12-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

Forecast for today:

LARGE WEST SWELL WILL MOVE INTO THE WATERS TODAY...PEAKING NEAR 27 FEET AT 17 SECONDS. THESE POWERFUL WAVES WILL GENERATE BREAKERS OF 30 TO 35 FEET IN THE SURF ZONE BY AFTERNOON. THE SWELL IS EXPECTED TO RECEDE BELOW 18 FEET WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

BEACHES...JETTIES...AND ROCKS ON EXPOSED COASTLINES ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN THESE CONDITIONS. LARGE WAVES CONTAIN TREMENDOUS FORCE AND CAN SWEEP INDIVIDUALS INTO THE FRIGID AND TURBULENT WATER WHERE SURVIVAL IS UNLIKELY. PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN AWAY FROM THESE AREAS UNTIL THE WAVES SUBSIDE.

I work about 5 minutes from the beach and I will be watching these during my lunch break. From a far distance of course. Lord knows I don't want to be swept in frigid and turbulent waters where survival is unlikely.

Meditations on Psalm 27- Safe

2007-12-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

Author Paul Tripp (who penned the wonderfully helpful and encouraging book Instruments in the Redeemers Hands) has been sharing his meditations on Psalm 27 since mid August (this is the first post).

He says:

Psalm 27 really is an amazing psalm. There are moments when it soars with the thoughts of what it means to be a child of the Lord. There are places where it reaches into the harshest realities of life in a very broken world. There are times when this psalm is a scalpel, cutting through the layers and exposing the heart. It is a psalm of worship, commitment, trouble, beauty, and patience. There's a way in which Psalm 27 is a biblical worldview done as a podcast. There simply is much more there than you think there is after your first reading.

Today he shares a wonderful meditation entitled "Safe." Here is the conclusion:

I am safe
from my evil heart
and this shattered world,
not because I can escape
them both,
but because in the middle of
temptation and trial,
danger and disappointment
sickness and want,
You give me everything
I need to
fight temptation
and avoid defeat
and to point others
to the safety
that can only be found
in You.
So, I will wake up tomorrow
and face the anxiety
of not knowing,
the fear of my own weakness,
and the reality of the fall.
I will live with
faith,
courage,
perseverance,
and hope.
And when danger comes,
and it will,
I will whisper to
my weakening heart,
"Emmanuel is your shelter,
You are safe."

psalm 27 paul tripp

Paste Magazine- Signs o' Life 2007

2007-11-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

Paste Magazine has compiled their "best of 2007" lists.

Music- somehow they didn't get Radiohead on there until #11 (they do have a good review of it though). They must not have gotten my ballot. Silly Paste! But it's a good list overall.
Books
Films
Games

paste magazine radiohead in rainbows best of 2007

Johnny Cash- Temptation and Redemption

2007-11-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a great video from Mars Hill Church about the temptation and redemption of Johnny Cash.

You can view more biographical videos of saintly songwriters here.

johnny cash mars hill church seattle

Sigur Ros- Hvarf/Heim

2007-11-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

My friend Joel gives his thoughts on the new Sigur Ros release Hvarf/Heim and ponders why Christians are so drawn to the music of these Icelandic ambassadors of beauty.

He says:

Most obvious is the overwhelming sense of awe that comes from Sigur Ros' music. "The world is charged with the grandeur of God," Gerard Manley Hopkins once wrote, and compositions like "I Gaer," are charged with that same grandeur. Starting with a modest glockenspiel melody, the song suddenly cracks open like a raging electrical storm, a billowing frenzy of guitars and drums.

sigur ros worship music hvarf heim

Sam Storms- Signs of the Spirit

2007-11-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

Gary Shavey at Resurgence interviews Sam Storms about his book Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' "Religious Affections."

You can learn more about Sam Storms at his site, Enjoying God Ministries.

sam storms johnathan edwards

Is Jesus the only way to God?

2007-11-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have some friends who recently been asking this question and subsequently flirting with the doctrine of inclusivism.

My friend described inclusivism as:

"...essentially a middle ground between exclusivism and universalism. Christian Inclusivism is a mysterious widening of God's grace. It admits the belief that Christianity is the most effective way to understand God, but that even some people in other religions and also those who are unaware of the Gospel may fall under a wider mercy of God."

Trevin Wax says that:

The inclusivist position rests upon two axioms: particularity and universality. Regarding particularity, inclusivism differs from pluralism by stating clearly that salvation is found only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Regarding universality, inclusivism differs from exclusivism by claiming that God intends his salvation to be available to all humans everywhere.

Trevin has a good four part blog series on inclusivism:
1. What is Inclusivism and Why Does It Matter?
2. Inclusivism: Is God Really Fair?
3. Inclusivism: What is “Faith” Anyway?
4. Yes, Good People Go To Heaven - But What Does “Good” Mean?

I understand the motivation to ponder a doctrine like inclusivism, because no one should enjoy the thought of others suffering eternally. But the doctrine of inclusivism seems like another poor and ultimately Christ-demeaning attempt to "rescue" God from the questions asked of Him by people who have no regard for what He has already spoken by His Son Jesus. It seems that rather than lamely capitulating to these questions by forming a hurtful doctrine, we should prayerfully, lovingly and tirelessly pursue the nations for their sake and for the sake of the glory of a God in whom righteousness and peace have already kissed.

inclusivism theology exclusivity of jesus

Chris Schlarb- Twilight and Ghost Stories

2007-11-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

Asthmatic Kitty is streaming a new album by one of their artists, Chris Schlarb, called Twighlight and Ghost Stories. The album comes out next Tuesday, December 4th.

It's described as "a dense 40-minute modern composition featuring a disparate cross-section of musicians from the avant-garde, independent folk, jazz and electronic communities."

It is indeed dense, but well worth a listen. Give it some time, and at least get to the 10 minute mark, where "...Schlarb cross-fades a recording of his son's in-womb heartbeat with white noise and together they become one indistinguishable sound." It's a beautiful moment.

Stream it and read about it here.

chris schlarb asthmatic kitty

Moving Forward in Grace- Jonah 3:1-5

2007-11-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

I preached from Jonah 3:1-5 this morning at church.

Here's an excerpt from my notes:

Think about this: as a prophet of God, Jonah was God’s mouthpiece, God’s messenger. It was his responsibility to communicate God’s will to people. And Jonah outright disobeyed what God had told him to say. He abandoned his calling to run away. He ignored God, he disobeyed God, and he forsook God.
It was in the depths of the sea that he realized his sin, and I believe he repented. He was in the dark, in the pit, and he knew that he had failed. He does what we often do in that situation. He calls out to God and says “I know I messed up. I’m sorry that I rebelled against You. I still need You. You’re all I’ve got.” And what does God say to Jonah?

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you. (Jonah 3:1-2)

God says nothing about Jonah’s sin again. He just says I have a plan for you and I want you to keep moving. You’re feet are back on the ground again and I want you to walk. I want you to move forward again.

This has tremendous implications for us. We are often so crippled by guilt and condemnation that we don’t feel like we can do anything for God. We say “I have failed, I have let God down, I’m no good. I can’t do anything for Him because He is angry with me.” But we see with Jonah that this just isn’t the case. God says “Keep going! I’ve still got something for you to do. My grace is greater than all your sins!”

Because the thing we need to remember when we sin is that Jesus has paid for it. Yes, we need to be sorrowful when we sin, we need to repent when we sin, but we also need to look to Jesus, look to the Cross and walk forward in the victory won for us at the place where Jesus died and paid for our rebellion against God.

You can see the rest of my notes here.

jonah bible jesus

Caption this

2007-11-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

The best tourist attraction of all time has taken a serious blow to the head. Please enter your own caption for this brilliant picture.

My best is "A big ox-ccident!"

Read more about it here.

paul bunyan

Cloverfield- 01-18-08

2007-11-19T13:25:00.001-08:00

A few months back I hopped on the "I am really excited about this new JJ Abrams project called 01-18-08" bandwagon. The movie has now been officially titled (at least for now) "Cloverfield".

Watch the new trailer and you will want to hop on the bandwagon with me.

jj abrams cloverfield 01-18-08

Happy Birthday Dallass!!!

2007-11-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my wonderful wife Dallass. You are my favorite and I am so thankful to our good God for you.

John Wimber

2007-11-17T12:37:00.001-08:00

DG Blog shares some thoughts that Sam Storms wrote about Charismatic-meets-doctrine pioneer John Wimber, who passed away 10 years ago today.

sam storms john wimber charismatic

2007 book guide

2007-11-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

Tim Challies offers his 2007 book guide, with everything from theology to New York Times bestsellers.

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Now playing: Over The Rhine - Coal Train
via FoxyTunes

best of 2007 books

The Great Sufjan Song Xmas Xchange!!!

2007-11-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

For all you creative types, Asthmatic Kitty is offering a Sufjan Stevens song for one of yours...if it's good enough to beat all the rest of the coughnerdscough who will enter this thing.

Like me.

Check out The Great Sufjan Song Xmas Xchange!!!

And while you're at it, you might as well download some of Sufjan's delightful Christmas songs:

"That Was the Worst Christmas Ever"

"Sister Winter"

sufjan stevens free music downloads

Rob Bell in San Francisco- the gods aren't angry

2007-11-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Justin Buzzard shares some good thoughts on Rob Bell's latest speaking tour.

rob bell the gods aren't angry tour

More on Idolatry

2007-11-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

My friend BJ shares some additional thoughts on idolatry and also points to a 3 sermon series on idolatry preached by CJ Mahaney (download the sermons and outline here for free).

Kenneth Maresco also preached a sermon called "Identifying and Tearing Down Idols of the Heart." I've not yet listened to it, but it looks to be another useful tool for sanctification.

cj mahaney idolatry kenneth maresco

Books in the mail!

2007-11-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went to my parents house and saw a mysterious box from WTS Books. I knew that my mom had just gotten a shipment from them the week before and I wondered "Is that my Christmas present? Should I open it now and ask questions later?" Well, I thought it prudent to ask questions first, so I called my mom and she said "Oh no...those are just more ESV Children's Bibles for my Sunday School class."

Dang.

We continued talking and before I hung up, she sighed and said "Oh, just open it! Those are books for you. I wasn't going to give them to you until we got back (they are out of town this week) but just open them now!"

Just then, the heavens opened up and I heard angelic singing in my ears. It was a beautiful moment.

I eagerly opened the box and, lo and behold, my parents had blessed me with a copy of Beeke/Pederson's Meet the Puritans and Goldsworthy's Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thoughts on Sigur Ros

2007-11-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

Tim Smith at Doxologist shares some good thoughts on Sigur Ros and their wonderful art.

Like Tim, I recommend Takk as a great starting place to listen to the music of Sigur Ros, especially on an autumn drive.

sigur ros

The Idol of Approval

2007-11-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Darrin Patrick recently gave an excellent talk entitled "Dealing With Personal Idols" (audio stream/download here). In that talk he gently but piercingly helps the listener to evaluate the things in our lives, general or specific, that can take the place of Jesus as the Lord of our hearts and desires.

I freely confess that I often place the approval of others in a place of greater importance than recognizing the approval that I already have in Jesus. This sin plays itself out in every area of my life, whether it's my marriage or getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks. God help me as I seek to honor Him in every area of my heart and life.

Also see another great talk on idolatry (download) by Mark Driscoll at the Continuous Worship conference back in September.

mark driscoll darrin patrick idolatry

The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World

2007-11-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

I was privileged to attend the 2006 Desiring God National Conference entitled "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World." It was a great weekend of learning from God's Word, singing with God's people, and meeting lots of new friends.

In recent years, Desiring God has partnered with Crossway to publish the talks from each of their national conferences in book form. Crossway has just released the new book entitled (surprisingly) "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World."

Here are the chapter titles:

Introduction- Justin Taylor

Part 1. Culture and Truth

1. The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World- David Wells

2. Truth and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World- Voddie Baucham Jr.

Part 2. Joy and Love

3. Joy and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World- John Piper

4. Love and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World- D. A. Carson

Part 2. Gospel Theologizing and Contextualizing

5. The Gospel and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World- Tim Keller

6. The Church and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World- Mark Driscoll

Conversations with the Contributors

You can find the book here at WTS Books.

Desiring God has also released the entire book in pdf for free. You can find that here.

As always, you can find the audio for the entire conference at DG's site (there is also video). I highly recommend Baucham's and Keller's talks, but they are all wonderful.

john piper mark driscoll tim keller d. a. carson voddie baucham david wells justin taylor desiring god The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World

Mark Driscoll- Preaching to himself

2007-11-09T00:20:00.000-08:00

Mark Driscoll is a well known pastor who in his sermon last week did something that well known pastors often don't do: he repented of pride. Not only did he repent, he addressed specific issues and did it with much grace. As my friend BJ mentioned earlier, this could become Driscoll's most influential moment. I praise God for the good work being done in and through Mark Driscoll.

The sermon was entitled "The Rebels Guide to Joy in Humility." You can listen to it (download) or watch it (download) here.

Here is an excerpt from that sermon:

I believe that humility is the great omission and failure in my eleven years of preaching. I believe that this is my greatest oversight both in my example and in my instruction.

I therefore do not claim to be humble. I do not claim to have been humble. I am convicted of my pride, and I am a man who is by God’s grace pursuing humility.

So in many ways this is a sermon that I’m preaching at myself, this is a sermon you are welcomed to listen in on as I preach to myself.

But I truly believe that were there one thing I could do over in the history of Mars Hill it would be in my attitude and in my actions and in my words to not only emphasize sound doctrine, encourage in strength and commitment and conviction but, to add in addition to that, humility as a virtue.

And so I’ll start by asking your forgiveness and sincerely acknowledging that this has been a great failure.

And I believe that it is showing up in our church in the lives of men and women who have sound doctrine but not sound attitude. They may contend for good things but their motives are bad and their methods are bad and their tone is bad and their tactics are bad and their actions are bad because their attitudes are bad even though their objective is sometimes good. I see this in particular with the men. I see this with men young and old, men who have known Jesus for a long time and should know better, and men who are new to Jesus and are learning sometimes the hard way.

I will take some responsibility for this. Luke 6:40 says that when fully trained, disciples are like their teacher, and I am primary teaching pastor of this church and I can’t simply look at the pride in some of our people and say that I am in no way responsible or complicit.

I’m a guy who is pretty busted up over this personally and it really came to my attention last December just in time for Christmas. The critics really brought me a lot of kind gifts of opposition and hatred and animosity. Merry Christmas. And some of those most vocal and nasty critics were Christians – some of them prominent Christians. So I was getting ready to fire back (my usual tactics). They hit you, you hit them twice and then blog about your victory. Which I don’t have any verses for and don’t say it was a good idea. But it had been a pattern in my life until a man named C.J. Mahaney called.

I’d always considered humility to be cowardice and a compromise. In the name of humility you give up biblical conviction and passion and the willingness to contend for the faith (Jude 3) and to fight false teaching. What he was describing was orthodoxy in belief and humility in attitude and that those two together are really what God desires. And so it got me thinking and studying and praying through pride and humility and repenting and learning and growing. So I would start by saying that I thank my dear friend C.J. Mahaney for his ongoing friendship and the kindness he has extended to me and the things I’ve been able to learn through his instruction.

Furthermore, I apologize and repent publicly to you, the church for whom I am responsible, for much pride in the history of my ministry that some of you have poorly imitated and for that I am deeply sorry.

And thirdly, to say that I’m not a humble man but as result of study I’m a man who is acknowledging his pride and pursuing humility by God’s grace.
-- Mark Driscoll, sermon on Philippians 2:1-11 (November 4, 2007), part 5 in The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Humility (3:16-8:40)

HT:Justin Taylor

mark driscoll humility cj mahaney

John Bunyan- God's Tinker

2007-11-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

I once heard someone (sadly, I can't remember who) say that every Christian should pick a "Christian giant" from the past and learn about that person, read everything that person had written, and essentially become a student of that faithful Christian.

I think that person for me is going to be John Bunyan.

John Bunyan was born in 1628, near Bedford, England. He's best known for writing Pilgrim's Progress, an allegory about the Christian life that he authored while in prison for preaching about Jesus. It has been suggested that Pilgrim's Progress is the world's greatest selling book aside from the Bible and it has been translated into over 200 languages!

But Mr. Bunyan was no one hit wonder; he was in fact a prolific author who wrote 58 books, ranging from allegory to exposition to poetry to polemic.

I first read Pilgrim's Progress as a kid, probably around 11 or 12. Bunyan's vivid images made a deep imprint that have stayed with me to this day. But it wasn't until I read Bunyan's autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, that I truly began to appreciate what a testimony of God's grace he was.

Since then, I have been saving my pennies and last week I bought Banner of Truth's 3 volume set of the Complete Works of John Bunyan. It arrived Tuesday and from my cursory perusal, it seems that picking Bunyan is a good idea. John Bunyan is a man I want to be like. His passion for Jesus and his enduring trust in God, even in the midst of tremendous trial and fearful circumstances, are both a radical challenge and a helpful example to me.

I encourage everyone to find a copy of anything that Bunyan has written and follow his gaze as he points to Jesus.

See the works of Bunyan at Project Gutenberg.

Get the works of Bunyan in txt, rtf or pdf.

Read, download, or listen to John Piper's biographical sketch of John Bunyan.

A great Bunyan resource.

Get a free audiobook of Pilgrim's Progress.

See WTS Books page of Bunyan's books.

john bunyan

November Give-Away

2007-11-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Once again, Tim Challies has some delightful things to give away.

From Challies:

This month’s sponsor is Fellowship for the Performing Arts. The Fellowship produces audio resources, primarily based around the performances of Max McLean. McLean has recorded the Bible in three translations (ESV, NIV and KJV) and has recently recorded a collection of Christian classics such as Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Martin Luther’s “Here I Stand,” and Bunyan’s “The Pilgrims Progress.” These have been collected in the Classics of the Christian Faith, a 9 CD set that is now available at many retail outlets.

Please take a moment to visit the sponsor’s web site and to look at the products available there:

www.listenersbible.com.

The Prizes

I’ve got some amazing prizes to offer this time around. As with the last giveaway there will be three winners.

First prize: The first prize winner will take home One copy of The ESV Listener’s Bible on CD (as read by Max McLean) and one copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection. The retail value of this prize is over $180.
Second prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.
Third Prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.

Here's the original post.

Wilco- Impossible Germany

2007-11-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

Be amazed at the guitar wizardry of Nels Cline during this lovely live rendition of Wilco's Impossible Germany (off of Sky Blue Sky), recorded at Austin City Limits.

Stream Video

Download Video

HT: Pitchfork aka The Devil's Tool

wilco nels cline austin city limits

Phil Keaggy- Beyond Nature

2007-11-06T05:36:00.000-08:00

Russ Ramsey over at The Rabbit Room has a great post about one of my all time favorite albums, Phil Keaggy's Beyond Nature.

If you haven't looked at the Rabbit Room, you must. Writers, musicians, artists, etc., musing about writing, music, art and faith. I've now added them to my blog links over on the right.

phil keaggy

WTS Books- Final day of the big sale

2007-11-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Last day to purchase some great books at great prices.

If anyone wants to buy me this or this, I would not weep.

There Will Be Blood- Movie Monday

2007-11-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge fan of P.T. Anderson's films, especially Magnolia. His new movie, There Will Be Blood is coming out near the end of the year and it looks to be another exceptional work by Mr. Anderson.

A synopsis of the movie:

A sprawling epic of family, faith, power and oil, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is set on the incendiary frontier of California’s turn-of-the-century petroleum boom. The story chronicles the life and times of one Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there’s a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground, he heads with his son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier), to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston. In this hardscrabble town, where the main excitement centers around the holy roller church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike. But even as the well raises all of their fortunes, nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value – love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son – is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of oil.

There Will Be Blood is based on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! I tried to read Oil! in anticipation of this movie but only made it about 1/3 of the way through. Not a fan of the book. From the trailer it appears that Anderson has changed the story around quite a bit and I'm confident that he will improve upon the source material.

Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead has composed all new original music for the film, which I'm excited to hear. Apparently the first 20 minutes of the movie is virtually dialogue free, with Anderson's visuals and Greenwood's score. Yummy.

You can see the trailer here.

You can read an interview with director Anderson and composer Greenwood here.

there will be blood pt anderson jonny greenwood radiohead

Progeny

2007-11-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is a great photo showing how unbelievably adorable my kids are and how talented my wife is (she made the costumes)

Thank you Lord, for them all.

Happy Reformation Day

2007-10-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

On this day back in 1517, Martin Luther changed the world (and that's not an exaggeration) by tacking up 95 objections to the Roman Catholic church. Tony at the Shepherd's Scrapbook has a good quote regarding the Reformation:

“… we need to realize that the Reformers saw nothing less than the gospel at stake. We sometimes forget what Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others risked in taking a stand for the gospel. They risked their very lives. Regarding the Reformers’ work as nothing more than sowing seeds of unfortunate division shows both little knowledge of and little respect for what they did. They were human, and they had their faults and shortcomings. They sinned, sometimes greatly. But they also, like the imperfect characters of the Bible, were used greatly by God. In other words, the church should be grateful for the Reformation. And in this age of religious pluralism, theological laxity, and biblical illiteracy, perhaps the Reformation is needed more than ever before.” - Stephen J. Nichols, The Reformation: How a monk and a mallet changed the world (Crossway: 2007) p. 21

Sam Storms has a great post entitled "Celebrating the Reformation: A Lesson on God's Sovereignty over Human Sin"

In his post, he shares some great thoughts about Thomas Cranmer and it piqued my interest. I found a great audio biography of Cranmer presented by Jim Hamilton at the 2007 Bunyan Conference.

You can listen to that biography here.

As always, Tim Challies has his Reformation Day Symposium up.

*Added on 11/01/07- Read or listen to John Piper's biographical message on Martin Luther.

We ended the day by taking the kids (dressed as adorable CareBears) out for some treats and hanging with some friends. On to November!

reformation day thomas cranmer church history
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Now playing: Radiohead - House Of Cards

The Reformation Study Bible- get your Luther on!

2007-10-30T12:51:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is Reformation Day and to celebrate, Ligonier Ministries is offering a copy of their Reformation Study Bible for the deliciously low price of $15.17 (a package of stale Refor-ween candy for the person who can tell me the significance of the number 1517. And no, it has nothing to do with LOST or Radiohead.)

Using the English Standard Version as it's base translation, the The Reformation Study Bible "contains a modern restatement of Reformation truth in its comments and theological notes. Its purpose is to present the light of the Reformation afresh."

Go here for more details about the RSB and its contributors.

reformation day reformation study bible esv bible

WTS Booksale

2007-10-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

WTS Books is having a really great book sale over the next week.

Check it out here.

I would heartily recommend:

When Sinners Say I Do- a marriage book that is extremely helpful
The Jesus Storybook Bible- see my last post for more details
The Christian Life- an excellent book on foundational Christian doctrines- great for new believers

Though I haven't read it (yet) the just-released, much anticipated Pierced For Our Transgressions is also on sale. You can download (pdf) the intro (by John Piper) and first chapter here.

There are lots of other great selections there, so be sure to check them out.

Jesus Storybook Bible- Pt. 2

2007-10-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in the past, we at the Downey house are big fans of Sally Lloyd-Jones' book The Jesus Storybook Bible.

When I wrote last, we had just gotten our copy of it and were looking forward to enjoying the book. Well, TJSB is now a regular part of our evening activities and our daughter Adelaide is constantly asking us to read to her from "my Jesus Book."

I cannot think of a book I would more highly recommend to parents and I have been raving about to everyone who will lend an ear. It's theologically solid, the illustrations are wonderful, and the way each story is told often leaves me misty eyed.

WTS Books is selling the book for the next week (or until they sell out of them) for the great price of $8.50. We're going to be getting multiple copies for Christmas gifts and I would encourage you to do the same.

Head on over and check out The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Radiohead- 01 & 10

2007-10-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

While I'm not sure that it was done intentionally, OK Computer and In Rainbows sound really good together.

Check this out for more details.

Basically, you can combine OKC and IR into a tracklist, add some crossfade between the songs and you are in for 100 minutes of beautiful music that sounds like it was supposed to be played this way.

Here's the tracklist:

Radiohead - 01 and 10:
1. Airbag (OK Computer)
2. 15 Step (In Rainbows)
3. Paranoid Android (OK Computer)
4. Bodysnatchers (In Rainbows)
5. Subterranean Homesick Alien (OK Computer)
6. Nude (In Rainbows)
7. Exit Music (For A Film) (OK Computer)
8. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (In Rainbows)
9. Let Down (OK Computer)
10. All I Need (In Rainbows)
11. Karma Police (OK Computer)
12. Fitter Happier (OK Computer)
13. Faust Arp (In Rainbows)
14. Electioneering (OK Computer)
15. Reckoner (In Rainbows)
16. Climbing Up The Walls (OK Computer)
17. House Of Cards (In Rainbows)
18. No Surprises (OK Computer)
19. Jigsaw Falling Into Place (In Rainbows)
20. Lucky (OK Computer)
21. Videotape (In Rainbows)
22. The Tourist (OK Computer)

radiohead in rainbows
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Now playing: Radiohead - Exit Music (For A Film)
via FoxyTunes

Mike Huckabee- Does he have a snowball's chance?

2007-10-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

Justin Taylor, Joe Carter and Matthew Anderson give their endorsement to Mike Huckabee.

Zach shares this clip (with inspiring Devotchka music behind it):

I'm not sure who I will support for president (or if they will be a Republican) but I have liked much of what I have heard from Huckabee. However, I am NOT a fan of his desire to implement a national smoking ban.

huckabee

Matthew Smith- Free song

2007-10-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Matthew Smith is giving away a track from his latest album All I Owe and will donate to Blood:Water Mission to provide clean water to 1 person in Africa for 1 week every time someone downloads the song. The .zip bundle also includes a chord sheet for all you musician folk.

Check it out.

HT: Tim Challies

matthew smith free song

The beard is gone...

2007-10-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Almost all 6 months of my beard is now in the trash. I now look like a fat little kid. If I had a picture of my current face, you would agree.

Dear Sufjan Stevens

2007-10-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

I know you are very busy these days getting ready for your newest endeavor, The BQE, and that song you did for the new Bob Dylan movie is great, but I am really looking forward to the release of your next album, or even any news about when it will be releasing. Please let me know when you'll be getting to that. Thanks!

Sincerely,
A fan named Nate Downey.

sufjan stevens

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing...or an earpiece to understand Russian

2007-10-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Dallass and I, along with many friends from our church, attended the Desiring God regional conference "The Pleasures of God."

John Piper has been a significant influence in my life and it was a pleasure to see him preach/teach in person again. Dallass had only heard recordings of his preaching, so I think she particularly enjoyed seeing him in person.

The conference was held at the Bryte Russian Baptist Church in West Sacramento, just down the street from my beloved-in-laws. It was great to attend the conference and hang out with family on the same weekend. When I have gone to conferences in the past it's always in some city that I don't know and I end up only seeing the airport, where I am staying, the conference venue, a coffee shop, and some kind of restaurant/pub for meals. I guess I'm not the most adventurous cat in the world.

As you may have noticed, I mentioned that the conference was in a Russian church. We have driven by BRBC so many times and I've always wanted to go, but I have been intimidated by the whole I-don't-speak-Russian thing. The conference itself was in English, but the church had Russian signage all over, the song leader (Brother Nicoly) had a pleasantly heavy Russian accent (I would have loved to hear him say "I will break you" Rocky IV style), and many attendees had the earpieces in that magically translate words like "intra-trinitarian" into their appropriate Russian counterpart, which sounds something like "bob."

Encouraged by the multilingual fun (there were also American Sign Language interpreters for the deaf- yes!) of Friday and Saturday, we decided to attend the church on Sunday morning since Piper would be preaching there on Sunday morning. I spoke to one of the youth kids who were helping out with the conference and he kindly told me that "Ah...yes. You can come toomoorow and you will...ahhh...be able to get earpiece and understand...ahhhh...yes. No problem for you!"

We arrived on Sunday morning at the church ready to rock, Russian style. As we walked through the parking lot, we noticed that we were severely under dressed. As in, we looked like a family of homeless vagrants who decided to go to church and threw on whatever clothing was closest to the top of the shopping cart. Our church is quite casual when it comes to dress and...well, let's just say the folks of BRBC know how put on their Sunday best.

When we got inside we were escorted into the sanctuary. Unfortunately they didn't have any more KGB ear pieces so we had to guess what was happening during the speaking portions of the worship time. They had a great choir (and I am a sucker for lovely Russian church singing- Rachmaninoff's Vespers is one of my favorite pieces to listen to), a barbershop quartet singing in English (heavily accented English), a youth band, and combinations of soloists and the choir. Piper preached a great sermon and then we sang together with the church of Jesus as we closed the morning worship. Once again, I marveled at the beauty of diversity within the church that Jesus is growing for the sake of His name.

You can listen to the conference messages here.

You can visit BRBC's website here. It's all in Russian!

Listen to Rachmaninoff's Vespers.

john piper

John Piper- The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright

2007-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Desiring God notes that John Piper's new book The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright is now available for pre-order and will be on sale for $5 through the end of October.

You can also listen to some audio interviews that talk about why Piper wrote the book:

n t wright john piper john piper books

WTS Books- Lookin' good

2007-10-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

WTS Books has updated their site and it's looking real nice. Head on over and check it out.

wts books bookstores

Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead Talks In Rainbows

2007-10-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Jonny talks In Rainbows.

Plus, you can see some fantastic album art for In Rainbows.

Love it!

radiohead in rainbows

Radiohead- In Ranbows- Thoughts from an amateur

2007-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here's my song by song thoughts on the new Radiohead album In Rainbows:

15 Step- Love the guitar riff and the effect on the vocal is perfect. Great opening song; it gets you excited for the rest of the album.

Bodysnatchers- Hard to believe, but it's really the only "rocker" of the album (though it doesn't feel out of place). Solid song, some tasty guitar licks.

Nude- Weird name. It seems like a song that's this good would have a better name. Thom's voice is really good on this one...The texture of the strings really brings the song from good to great.

Weird Fish/Arpeggio- Good funky song, excellent drum/bass line to start it out. Thom's vocal carries this song quite well. I think that the song lands right where it should in the track order.

All I Need- Beautiful- might end up being my favorite. Slow, vulnerable, haunting...beautiful. The crescendo at the end is really moving.

Faust Arp- Sweet groove on this one...the acoustic guitar was surprising to me but it worked well. Strings arrangements are fantastic again. They can pretty much do whatever they want and it works.

Reckoner- Probably the best song on the album. Brilliant intro...I love the guitars on this album. I guess that's Jonny G...Thom's voice comes in at the perfect time and then the percussion drops out a bit as the piano comes in. Definitely a song that needs both headphones. This could be a single I think...a single that helps people learn to love good music and stop listening to things that decrease their capacity for beauty.

House of Cards- I don't wanna be your friend/I just wanna be your lover/No matter how it ends/No matter how it starts. I can't think of any Radiohead song that opens with lyrics that I actually get. Again, the strings/guitars are brilliant.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place- Classic Radiohead chords/structure. This sounds more like Radiohead than anything else I have heard so far...I like the humming riff that underlays the entire song. Another great song.

Videotape- Lovely piano intro....and I like the bass. Haunting vocal, love the repeating "...a videotape..." This is a perfect closing song, though I would have liked it if they built it a little more before ending it with the piano.

Overall thoughts: This album is fantastic. The use of strings, the order of the songs, the beautiful melodies, the reverb-y vocals that work so well...so many things that I can't adequately articulate. This release has leap frogged Iron & Wine's The Shepherd's Dog for my album of the year (so far).

It seems to be more accessible than anything they've done since The Bends, maybe ever. It reminds of what Wilco did with Sky Blue Sky this year- a critically acclaimed band that is known for complex, off-the-wall songs putting out an album full of really great sounding, but fairly simple, songs. Some people aren't going to like In Rainbows and wish that it was more inventive or progressive and say that the band's gone soft. Meanwhile, most people will be thoroughly enjoying an album full of great songs that should be treasured. I will be relaxing with the latter group.

Also read Pitchfork's feature page on In Rainbows.

"Buy" the album here.

radiohead in rainbows