Everything That's On My Mind

Though I haven't yet seen Prince Caspian myself I highly recommend Jeffery Overstreet's review of the movie, not only because I respect his opinion on movies but also because it's one of the more cleverly written movie reviews I've read in a long time.

Most children will miss the quieter, subtler fire, running instead to the bright and roaring fires of a lesser tale with the same title. There, Aslan may show up and inspire them in spite of everything. But some, we can hope, fill find their way to Professor Lewis out there in the woods, find Aslan in all of his glory, and bask in a light more penetrating and beautiful.

Amen.

This will be a totally self-indulgent blog post, so please forgive me. It may not interest anyone but me, but I am excited that the Stax Records label is being revived. For the benefit of the un-hip, Stax Records was the southern cousin of Motown Records back in the 60's and 70's. Even though I grew up in Motown, I've always had a greater affinity for the Memphis sound. It was raw and passionate, rather than Berry Gordy's slick and smooth productions. Booker T and the MG's, Stax house band, is arguably the greatest rhythm section ever assembled. Along with The Memphis Horns, they created the foundation for recordings by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and others. Some of these recordings have been hard to find on CD, so I'm looking forward to the reissues that will be forthcoming.

Thanks for your indulgence.

P.S. If you're ever in Memphis, don't miss the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, as well as the Memphis Museum of Rock and Soul. They're dynamite museums for music lovers.

 Trevin Wax has a wonderful post regarding one of my favorite Christmas carols over here. Check it out.

HT: Jesus Creed

My good friend Bob Young and his band have released their second allbum, "Signs and Wonders" on the Crosswaves Music label. A simple description of their music might be "modern worship with a twist". You'll find a variety of musical styles with a guest appearance or two by The Unknown Drummer.

Song samples, lyrics and other information can be found over at their website, where you can also find more information about their CD release party coming up this weekend. You can also hear them on the Paul Edwards Program on WLQV on October 27th.

P.S. If you're interested in the music of our old band, the moon, you can find it over at the Crosswaves site.

I ran across this article in the LA Times and it struck a raw nerve with me. It seems I'm regularly confronted by Christians who seem to think piracy is just something Johnny Depp does in the movies. Unfortunately, illegal downloading, swapping, and copying of copyrighted material (primarily music and movies) is just as rampant among Christians as it is in the rest of society. There's one very simple verse that addresses this behavior.

"You shall not steal."

“The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable”

~Brennan Manning

I remember seeing Jonny Lang playing with B.B. King about 10 years ago when Lang wasn't even shaving yet. My thinking then was something like, "Wow. amazing talent, but these child prodigies rarely have staying power." I've heard his name now and then over the years, but never really paid much attention. Today I received his new album, Turn Around. An appropos title, to be sure. A few years ago, Lang had a powerful encounter with God and it really shows. You can read more about it in Sara Groves' interview over at Christianity Today.

Christian music today seems to be split into two camps, one camp producing modern worship music, the other singing ambiguous love songs hoping to "reach" the broader world. Lang's album is refreshingly and unashamedly evangelical. Turn Around is simply awash with Lang's heartfelt love for God and gratitude for God's grace. In that sense, it reminds me of old Andre Crouch albums.

Musically, the album has much in common with old Andre Crouch as well. He mixes electric blues with gospel, rock and R&B and creates a sound that is both old and new. He even throws in a bit of pop on "My Love Remains", which he co-wrote with Stephen Curtis Chapman. Lang's voice reminds me a little bit of Bob Carlisle, but with more grit and soul. This kid can really sing. He completely holds his own with Michael McDonald on "Thankful", and that's not easy. Lang's guitar playing is fantastic as well. Despite having grown up in the north (Minnesota and North Dakota), Lang clearly has immersed himself in the Chicago and Memphis blues traditions and that really shows in his guitar work.

This album isn't for everyone but if you enjoy blues and/or gospel music with a lot of soul like I do, you should give Turn Around a spin.

Now if someone could just put a Jonny Lang / Robert Randolph tour together, that would REALLY be something to experience!

I love living in the Detroit area. I’m not blind to its problems but I’m not blind to its positive attributes, either. One of the best things about living in the Detroit area these days is the Labor Day weekend music extravaganza. The Detroit International Jazz Festival is one of the largest free jazz music festivals in the world and now with Pontiac’s Arts, Beats and Eats festival, there’s high quality music of every style imaginable available at the best price of all…free.

I’ve been heading downtown to the jazz festival for 25 years, though not every year. The last few years we’ve done Arts, Beats and Eats instead. This year, Lori and I went back downtown and had a blast. They’ve expanded the jazz fest over the last few years, both in size and musical scope. I still tend to gravitate towards the traditionalist forms of jazz. Here are some of the highlights:

• Jazzistry: What a cool idea. An audible journey tracing the history of jazz all the way from its roots 150 years ago to today.
• Ferndale H.S. Jazz Band: These kids are REALLY good, especially for a high school group. (Great job Josh!)
• Organissimo: I love the sound of a B3 played by someone who really knows how and Jim Alfredson really, really knows how. Unfortunately, I only caught the end of their set. I’ll have to try to catch them at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge someday.
• Jaco Pastorius Word of Mouth Big Band featuring Will Lee: This was some of the best jazz I’ve ever heard. Will Lee was…well, I just can’t find the words. Amazing doesn’t nearly cover it. Hiram Bulloch sat in on a few tunes and he was great, too.

If you’re a Detroiter, you have a rare opportunity every Labor Day weekend. Don’t miss out next year. Between these two events, you can’t go wrong.

I can't remember where I first saw this, but I love the humor of it:

Jesus said unto them: "Who do you say that I am?"

And they replied: "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our interpersonal relationship."

And Jesus said: "What?!?"

This morning I spoke about "missing the point" and how we so often do. We overcomplicate the gospel, we add to it, we confuse it with other things. Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself." The religious people of his day had complicated faith to the point that it was unattainable by the average person. Jesus simplified things. He explained God's purpose for mankind in simple, yet challenging terms.

I love theology as much as anyone. I love the depth of people like Dallas Willard, D.A. Carson, F.F. Bruce and A.W. Tozer.* That being said, there's also a place for the depth of "Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so." Modern worship music has long been criticized for being too simplistic and lacking theological content. While some criticisms may be warranted, in general I think the critics are off-base. Music, in particular, is not a tool for theological dissertation; it's a tool for helping us feel what we know.

Yes, we need to maintain orthodoxy and avoid a pop-psychology version of the Christian faith, but at the same time it's not just about believing the right facts. Being a Christ-follower is not just intellectual, it's experiential. We know it and we feel it. Our interaction with God is not limited to simply agreeing with certain facts. It's submitting all that we are to Him; heart, soul, strength and mind. Anything less is missing the point.

Now and then we need to stop and remind ourselves to receive the kingdom of God like a little child. "Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so."

I'll close with the prophetic words of a brother of mine:

God's laughter echoes in heaven
We really think that we've figured Him out
With our systematic theologies
There's just one thing I wanna know beyond a shadow of a doubt
Does Jesus love me?
If that alone is true,
Maybe then I have a clue to ponder:
What's the Big Idea?

*Side note: Why do so many of these great authors simply use their initials? Carson, Bruce, Tozer, Tolkien, Lewis, Torrey, Wright, Packer...all known just by initials. Would I be taken more seriously as J.R. Mitton rather than just Bob? Actually, I already know the answer to that question, but that's another story.

(I started reading Bono: A Self-Portrait in Conversation over the holidays. I'll probably blog on it a few times as quotes grab me.)

“The world demands to be described, and so, painters, poets, journalists, pornographers, and sitcom writers, by accident or by design, are just following orders, whether from high or low, to describe the world they’re in.”
~Bono

This reminded me of a blog entry I made a while ago on the arts. I've always been more of an artist-wannabe than a true artist. I have a great appreciation for those who have the talent and drive to "describe the world they're in." I think Bono makes a great observation here, that all artists are just following orders. The question is, where are those orders coming from? That's not to say that only Christians can create God-inspired art, nor that all art created by non-Christians inspired by Satan. The point is, nothing is created in a vacuum. Only God creates "ex nihlo", with no outside influences.

The fact is, all of us are under the influence of both Good and Evil. Whether you're painting the ceiling of some chapel in Italy or grinding out the day in some bland cubicle, what you do/think/say is influenced by the things around you. None of us are an island, no matter how hard some try. We do, however, have a measure of control over how we are influenced by these things. That's why it's so important to walk through this life with brains and spirits fully engaged.

When I owned a sailboat, I could choose to allow the wind to push me where it was blowing, or I could use the tools I had (a sail, a rudder, a brain) to choose my path. I couldn't change the wind, but I could change my course. The same is true in life. We can't change the influences around us, but we can choose the direction we allow them to drive us. The question is, are you choosing or drifting?

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

"Gotta Serve Somebody" - Bob Dylan

Given my last post, this blogger's entry seemed relevant:

Stupid Hymn Tricks

I got off on a tangent in my sermon this morning, and unfortunately I'm not sure I ended up making much sense. I still think the point is valid, I just didn't express myself as well as I'd have liked. The point I was trying to make had to do with the lack of critical thinking when it comes to art within our society, and particularly within the Christian community. Artistic endeavors seem to have gone to one of two extremes, either treated as mere entertainment or propoganda. This trend seems to have created a society that seems to ignore the viewpoint of the artist and the message being communicated.

Art is an expression of the artist's soul. Art is informed by the artist's worldview and that worldview (right or wrong) comes through in the art that is created. This is true whether the artist is producing radical political performance art or churning out the latest cookie-cutter blockbuster for the local cineplex. We ignore that fact to our peril, because everything we consume influences us. We can choose to control its influence on us, or we can simply allow ourselves to be tossed about by each viewpoint we hear.

We can't (and shouldn't) try to simply ignore any art from worldviews we disagree with. It would be pointless to try, we can't avoid it. Besides, there's good and bad in all art, even art created with the best intentions and worldviews. There's bad theology in some beloved old hymns, not to mention current CCM. There's a current CCM song that says when you're sad, "angels in heaven cry with you." It's a sweet sentiment...but it's totally contrary to God's Word.

The key is for us to live life with brain and spirit engaged at all times. As Paul writes, "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

I've seen other bloggers posting such lists and thought I'd join the club. In no particular order...

Christmas In Detroit - Various Artists (out of print)

An Evening in December - Various Artists
When My Heart Finds Christmas - Harry Connick Jr.
The Christmas Album - The Manhattan Transfer
Come, Let Us Adore Him - Various Artists

And finally, some Christmas CDs I wish I had...

Boogie Woogie Christmas - Brian Setzer Orchestra
Dig That Crazy Christmas - Brian Setzer Orchestra
Broken Christmas - Various Artists
A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Messiah - George Frederic Handel

Now playing:


It seems appropriate that my first real post on this blog is music-related. Switchfoot's latest CD "Nothing is Sound" has been stuck in my CD player recently. In my mind, it's an interesting musical exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes, which at one time was my favorite book of the Bible. Full disclosure: I was not in a positive state of mind spiritually at that point in my life. Nevertheless, the truths found in Ecclesiastes are vital for us to understand as Christians...but like all biblical truth must be placed in the context of all scripture. Otherwise, we are likely to despair.

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NIV)

Yikes! Can I get some Prozac, please? Everything is meaningless? So what's the point? Not to pull a Bill Clinton, but the question is...what does the Teacher mean by "everything"? I believe the Teacher is referring to the things that this world system considers real, important, and valuable. Things like wealth, position, power, happiness, education, etc. All these things are meaningless because the world that we see is not the point, the spiritual world is the point. I'm not espousing some sort of Gnostic spirit/body duality. I'm just saying that the spiritual world has priority, the physical world is simply the tool God uses to mold our spirits into the image of Christ.

This is what Christ means when He says "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven". He's saying the treasures of this world are meaningless, the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven are what's important. And so, the struggles, trials, and pains of this world are meaningless except for the fact that they are refining us as Peter writes:

So what is the meaning of life? As the Teacher says "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."