One of the great albums of 2012 comes from Anais Mitchell, Young Man In America. It will be high on my Best Albums of 2012 list. She just played a Tiny Desk Concert. This is an artist who is great at her craft. Enjoy!
Sometimes my kids think I don't understand their generation. Um, wrong.
I geek out for critic's lists (magazines, significant review sites, etc) of "Best Albums of..." each year. Metacritic does a great job of compiling them all with a final artist list of how many times they made a list, what places, etc. Then they award points for achieving certain places on lists, which leaves us with the Metacritic "best of" list.
Check out Metacritic's list of lists for 2012, just released yesterday. It changes as each reputable critic or site posts their list. This page from Metacritic is one of the best sources for checking out new music that I missed in a particular year. The lists tend to sway a few older artists into a place they don't deserve because of their lifetime of work, in my opinion. But otherwise it's solid.
Here's the top 10 points earners as of 12.5.2012 at about noon. Album link is to their list of reviews on that album. Click "buy it" to check it out on Amazon.
If you click over you will find their longer list. Scroll down to see top 10's from magazines, websites, critics, and stores.
I don't usually post my favorite books of the year as a list, probably because I feel like compared to music it's less complete. I tend to spend the most time reading things that are of interest, that's for review, or that's scratching an itch as a pastor or disciple, etc. It's not a hobby as with music that I can do when also doing other things. Much of it is work or based on need. So it's just different for me.
But we all have books that have significantly affected us during the year. I figured a "The Reader Speaks" list would be a great place for getting a variety of books listed that we could all benefit from. So share your #1 book, a few faves, a Top 5 or 10, faves according to genre, or whatever works for what you consider to be the best books of 2012. ALSO (per Jared Wilson's comment), feel free to list books not published in 2012 but that you read in 2012. If you have an affiliate account somewhere and you know how to link your books in the comments with html, feel free. For other readers, if you see a book you like, use the affiliate links. It blesses those in ministry around you.
In his new blog post about his book, Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller discusses four ways Christian faith influences and shapes our work. It is what he says is the meaning of his book in a nutshell. Here they are listed for you. Go read Dr. Keller's post, "How Faith Affects Our Work" for more explanation of these four points. And pick up a copy of Every Good Endeavor.
Rob Bell's Love Wins (Kindle is $3.79) led to love lost from his church...
Bell told The New Yorker that the publication of his book resulted in a 3,000-person decrease in membership at Mars Hill Bible Church, which he founded in 1999.
Read: "Rob Bell Tells How Love Wins Led To Mars Hill Departure."
Some great books are super-cheap for Kindle right now. If you don't have a Kindle, go get one. Or get a free Kindle app for your computer, tablet, phone. I'm loving my Kindle Paperwhite.
Apart from the list of $5 albums for December, there are a few cheap albums out there right now.
These will all likely end up on my best albums of the year list...
Another month, another list of $5 albums from Amazon. Some really good ones. Here are my recommendations as well as a link to the rest.
The power of the gospel comes in two movements. It first says, “I am more sinful and flawed than I ever dared believe,” but then quickly follows with, “I am more accepted and loved than I ever dared hope.” The former outflanks antinomianism, while the latter staves off legalism. One of the greatest challenges is to be vigilant in both directions at once. Whenever we find ourselves fighting against one of these errors, it is extraordinarily easy to combat it by slipping into the other. Here’s a test: if you think one of these errors is much more dangerous than the other, you are probably partially participating in the one you fear less.
Tim Keller in Center Church, page 48 (Kindle)
Dr. Timothy Keller continues to add to his library helpful books, now in a new format. Check this announcement from the publisher, Dutton...
On December 4th, Dutton will release the first essay in a new e-book series by renowned pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller. The series, entitled ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS (December 4, 2012; $1.99), will feature ten installments, launching with The Skeptical Student.
The Skeptical Student is based on a series of talks Keller gave in Oxford, England to a campus group – most of them skeptics – earlier this year. During these talks, Keller explored the inspiring story of Nathaniel’s life-changing encounter in the Gospel of John. It has lessons for those who are skeptical themselves about Christianity and also for Christians who encounter skepticism from those who do not believe.
Timothy Keller is the pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the author of The Reason for God and the recently published Every Good Endeavor. The other titles in the ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS series include:
- The Insider and the Outcast
- The Grieving Sisters
- The Wedding Party
- The First Christian
I doubt I'm the only one excited about this project. I've just received the first installment look forward to the rest. It should be a valuable resource for pastors, apologists & evangelists, and probably most of all to the everyday witness to Christ...those who love their neighbors.
This is outstanding on "Longing for Wholeness." It's spot on for what my family is experiencing at the moment, and has been experiencing the last few years. Mark Talbot is apparently writing a book on profound suffering titled When the Stars Disappear. I look forward to buying that book, that has been his labor for years now, in light of this excellent teaching from Talbot at the Desiring God's Works of God Conference. Please watch or go listen to/download the audio. (via JT)
Longing for Wholeness: Chronic Suffering and Christian Hope from Desiring God on Vimeo.
Working over the next few weeks on my Best Albums of 2012 list. Here is my list from last year with links to all previous years. Most of my readers don't post lists of their best albums of the year, so I'm wondering what your "Best Of" list would look like. Let us know what you liked in 2012. Put them in order, list them without rank, or just share that *one* that you wish everyone would hear.
Don't miss these Kindle books on sale right now. I think I heard some may not be on sale after today, so if you're going to pull the trigger on these, do it now. And if you don't have the Kindle Paperwhite, I highly recommend it. It was difficult for me to start reading consistently on a Kindle, and I still buy hard copies of all books I consider worthy of reading more than once and/or using for reference, but the Paperwhite is a game-changer for me because of the screen, nighttime reading, ease of use, etc. Grab a 3G or Wifi Kindle Paperwhite.
UPDATE - Now also on sale...
Tons of great, cheap music right now. I only list the albums I think are worth checking out. If you want a recommendation based on the kind of music you like, just lemme know.
Tim Keller discusses biblical contextualization in his book Center Church (Kindle version). In one section he talks about how to persuade unbelievers, and specifically that you can't only persuade in one way only since "people of different temperaments and from different cultures reason differently." (p 114) We can't take one biblical story and draw out a one-size-fits-all appeal to believe the Gospel. Here's Keller's list of the different ways we appeal to unbelievers to believe the Gospel. He explains them further in the book with Scripture, so please go read more on pages 114-115.
I've been reading about Holidays Rule for several weeks. It includes tracks by Fun., The Civil Wars, Punch Brothers, The Head & The Heart, The Shins, Andrew Bird & others. One of my favorites is by Rufus Wainwright & Sharon Van Etten, "Baby It's Cold Outside." It's mostly a cultural Christmas album, or a "holidays" album (exceptions like Punch Brothers with "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"). But it's fun and includes some really solid stuff. And it's only $3.99.
If you needed more reason to buy Sufjan Stevens' new Christmas collection, Silver & Gold ($13.98 for 58 songs), you now have this. It's not all unicorns & rainbows. Ok, well there are unicorns. Also, it has an edge to it.
Amazon is offering many Christmas albums for $5 & cheaper. Here are my favorites and recommendations. Go check out all 100 $5 holiday albums.
