Reformissionary

Tim Keller at Lausanne

Here's a 17+ minute video of Tim Keller talking at Lausanne about how you reach cities by 1. Planting & renewing churches that are contextual to the city, 2. Establishing citywide gospel movements.

Parenting: The Appeal

Our kids have been taught to obey us the first time we say something, and they do pretty well. We get a lot of comments from friends and other parents about it, usually with some surprise at how obedient they are. They sometimes assume our kids just happen to have calmer personalities than theirs. That we just got lucky. Truth is, we've been blessed to be around parents who have parented well and taught us by example. You can parent better. You can and should ask your kids to obey the first time you say something.

One thing we've changed as our kids are getting a bit older is an "appeal." Now when we ask for their obedience, they are allowed to ask for an appeal, meaning they can make a request to delay obedience. It's working out really well. It keeps them from being frustrated when they have something they are trying to finish. 

The call to dinner is a perfect example. Usually when the call comes from mom they come running. It's food, after all. But occasionally a kid will yell from the basement, "Mom, can I appeal?" And then they give a reason and mom will ok or not. If you don't do this, I recommend it. It helps kids who have growing responsibilities and who are maturing in wisdom to make arguments for how they can obey without hurting something else they are working on. 

But it doesn't always work out. Last night mom called dinner and Sarah (13) said, "Mom, can I oppose?" Mom, said, "No, you may NOT oppose! But you may appeal." :) 

Do you have any parenting tips to share for kids of similar age? Comment below.

Music Monday 10.25.10

• $5 Albums: My 30+ Favorites for October | Don't Miss: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
• Good, Cheap Music: The Clientele: Minotaur ($1.99) | Getting colder? You need Bon Iver ($6.99)
• Streaming: Buddy Guy: Living Proof

Have you heard of Mumford & Sons? :) Certainly one of the hottest bands in the world for people who like good music Sign No More is still only $7.99. They are also known for their great live performances, and they played two songs on Jimmy Kimmel last week. Here's "Roll Away Your Stone." Also go watch "The Cave."

Facebook friend, Billy Driver, recommended Hey Marseilles music to me. I knew the name, but couldn't place the music. After watching this video I became a fan. So good. Hey Marseilles album is To Travels & Trunks. You may want to pick it up after watching this. Thanks Billy!

The Doe Bay Sessions - Hey Marseilles from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

Phriday is for Photos 10.22.10

This was a favorite playground ride as a kid. It's existed a lot longer than me, and now my kids get to play on it. That's Elijah in the first photo. While you can photoshop blur into a picture, this is just as it was taken. I was riding the other side and my camera was moving at the same speed & direction as E's head while the rest of him wasn't. Pretty cool. The second pic from left to right is Sarah (13 1/2), Daniel (7 1/2), Jack (12) and Elijah (10). See all my photography.

Tim Keller: Redeemer Report Articles

I don't think I've linked to the Redeemer Report newsletter from Tim Keller's church. Here are all of Keller's recent articles.

• Sending Everybody (November 2009)
• Thank You. Thank You. Now Let's Repent (December 2009)
• Work and Cultural Renewal (January 2010)
• Lay Leadership and Redeemer’s Future (February 2010)
• Authority (April 2010)
• Long Distance Spirituality (May 2010)
• Faithfulness and Meekness (June 2010)
• The RENEW Campaign and Redeemer’s Future (October 2009)
• Covenant Renewal and Redeemer’s “DNA” (September 2009)
• The Obtrusive Self (June 2009)
• Scoffers, Scorners, and Snark (May 2009)
• The Resurrection and Christian Mission (April 2009)
• Pharisees With Low Standards (February 2009)
• The Grace of The Law (January 2009)
• From “Come and See” To “Go and Share” (September 2010)
• How to Pray Better in Public and in Private, Too (October 2010)

How To Lead Gospel Conversations

Jonathan Dodson, who wrote Fight Clubs, has a series of posts on leading Gospel conversations. I encourage you to read them and use them as you bring the Gospel to your neighbors. Jonathan bases the series on David Powlison’s counseling mantra: 1) Listen to Their Story 2) Empathize with Their Story 3) Redemptively Retell Their Story.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Music Monday 10.18.10

• $5 Albums: My 30+ favorites for October | Don't Miss: Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
• Classical Music: 99 Most Essential Tchaikovsky ($5) | 99 Most Essential Grieg ($2.49) | 99 Most Essential Schumann ($2.49)
• Cheap Music: Bad Books self-titled ($2.99, Manchester Orchestra & Kevin Devine, streaming) | Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz ($6.99) | Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run ($3.99) | The National: High Violet ($6.99) | Sufjan Stevens: All Delighted People EP ($4.99) | The Social Network Soundtrack ($5)
• Daytrotter: Tegan & Sara | Naam
• Streaming Albums: Bob Dylan: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 | The Extra Lens:Undercard (Mountain Goats) | Darkstar: North

I posted last week about a new band discovery, Her Name Is Calla. Their new album, The Quiet Lamb, is out in the U.S. in November. If you can't wait, you can shell out some euros here and get it flown over an ocean. Until then, download The Heritage & Long Grass EP (found here) for free. Outstanding post-rock. I think you'll love it. Here's the shadow puppetry video for "New England." I LOVE this song, and the creepy video is just right (9 1/2 minute story, don't miss it). 

This Tiny Desk Concert with Lower Dens great. Check out their album, Twin-Hand Movement.

Remember This Name: Her Name Is Calla

I received an email more than 3 weeks ago from the violinist of a band called Her Name Is Calla. Sophie found Reformissionary when searching for Shearwater and thought I would like their sound. My first thought was to get to it someday, just out of courtesy. After all, what are the odds that a band I've never heard of will randomly email me and I'll like their band because they think they sound like an awesome band? Not likely.

Today I was working through my inbox, trying to get to stuff I've forgotten was there. I followed a link and clicked play. WOW! I'm floored. A magical experience. I want you to be floored too. Here's the first song I heard, "Pour Some Oil" (song only, no video). If you are thinking you'll check it out someday...don't wait like I did. This is that day. Trust me.

I have the feeling this won't be the last word from me on Her Name Is Calla.

UPDATE: Download their first "mini" album, The Heritage, and their Long Grass EP free. Over an hour of music. You'll have to click the link and scroll and you'll find links to downloads. Follow them @HerNameIsCalla.

Time With God

Good news from TheGoodBook.com.

Starting today there's a $1.00 - 48 hour sale on an introduction to daily Bible reading called Time With God. Time With God is a 28 day introduction to their daily Bible reading series called Explore.  

The series is 

• Reliable; clearly applied Bible teaching covering Old and New Testaments
• Manageable; a suggested 15 minutes per study with optional cross references for further reading
• Flexible; dated and numbered readings so you can go at your own pace
• Incisive; not a 'thought for the day' approach, but clear and careful teaching within the context of the whole of the Bible's revelation
• Extras; like application, a suggested prayer point and further study make it much more than your average thought for the day.

Each day's reading forces you to open up your Bible and spend that valuable time with the Lord that we need if we are to grow and mature in our relationship with him.

Contributors to Explore and Time With God:

• Tim Chester, author of Total Church, Gospel Centred Family and church planter
• Mike McKinley, author of Church Planting is for Wimps, 9 Marks blogger and pastor of Guilford Baptist Church
• Christopher Ash, author of Marriage: Sex in the Service of God and Listen Up, he is also the director of the Cornhill Training Course in London
• Tim Thornborough, author and Managing Editor of The Good Book Company, and others.

Music Monday 10.11.10

• $5 October Albums: All My 30+ Favs | Don't Miss: Antony & The Johnsons: I Am A Bird Now
• Daytrotter FREE: Dark Dark Dark (check out their new album, Wild Go) | Bear In Heaven
• Streaming Albums: Bob Dylan: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 | The Extra Lens: Undercard (Mountain Goats) | Darkstar: North
• NEW Music I'm Loving: Avett Brothers: Live, Volume 3 is outstanding (as usual). The Social Network Soundtrack is still $5. 
• Music I'm STILL Loving: This week our family listened again to both Melanie Penn: Wake Up Love & Miranda Dodson: Change A Thing on our trip home from Grandpa's house. So thankful for these two albums.

Sufjan Stevens on his new fantastic album, The Age of Adz, in comparison to his previous masterpiece, Illinoise: "I was getting tired of that self-conscious, rambling psychobabble. I got really sick of myself and my own flawed, epic approach to everything." (via)

Glen Hansard plays "Paper Cup." Everything this guy does is good.

I have my Man Card handy just in case someone calls that into question. But here we go. I've never watched an episode of Glee. I've only ever caught it on TV once, and that was this song. I think it's a remarkable reworking of The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand." It's a fun, famous pop song made into an emotional dedication. Some of this is sorta hard to watch as, you know, it's a bit cheesy. But I really like what they did to the song.

@ Yahoo! Video

Driscoll on Humility & Notoriety

There was a ton of comment here at Reformissionary and around the internet on the Mark Dever, Mark Driscoll & James MacDonald video discussing multi-site & video venues in church planting. You really need to watch that video and check the comments on my earlier post.

A video was posted by Driscoll talking about humility and notoriety, specifically mentioning the previous video and the response of people to it. Here you go...

Music Monday 10.4.10

• $5 Albums for October: Don't Miss: Arcade Fire: The Suburbs | Sufjan Stevens: The Avalanche | Justin Townes Earle: The Good Life | See All 30+ Of My Favorites
• Daytrotter FREE: Gayngs (album Relayted only $5)
• Great Deals: The Social Network Soundtrack ($5, outstanding -- interview with /Film about the album) | 99 Most Essential Grieg Masterpieces ($1.99 classical) | Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit ($3.99) | Arcade Fire: Funeral ($3.99) | 99 Most Essential Dvorak Masterpieces ($2.49 classical) | The Walkmen: Lisbon ($5.99)
• Streaming FREE: Avett Brothers: Live, Vol 3 | Belle & Sebastian | Antony & The Johnsons (their album, I Am A Bird Now only $5) | Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz
• Must Try: The Books: The Way Out is really interesting. Loving it so far, & only $5.

If you read my music posts even occasionally you probably know of my love of all things Delta Spirit. Both of their first two albums are outstanding: Ode To Sunshine (2008) | History From Below (2010). They recently appeared on Jools Holland playing one of my favorite songs, "Bushwick Blues."

And here's "9/11" from the same show...

$5 Albums for October

Here are my long list of favorites from among the 100 $5 albums at Amazon. So many this month. Enjoy!

*10/1/2010 ONLY - Arcade Fire: Funeral for $3.99, Neon Bible is $5.99

*The Social Network soundtrack is $5, don't know for how long - really good

• Arcade Fire: The Suburbs - One of the best 2010 albums
• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes (self titled) - So fun and alive
• Sufjan Stevens: The Avalanche - Extras from Illinois album, awesome
• Jose Gonzalez: Veneer - gentle, beautiful
• Destroyer: Thief - Dan Bejar of New Pornographers
• Mark Ronson: Version - really have fun with this one
• Spoon: Transference - hey, it's Spoon!
• Justin Townes Earle: The Good Life - bad life, in rehab. great music
• Caribou: Swim - Metacritic 83/100, fun
• Fever Ray (self-titled) - wonderfully creepy
• Antony & The Johnsons: I Am A Bird Now - my #18 of 2009, stunning
• Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue - Under the Radar 90/100
• Alejandro Escovedo: Street Songs of Love - saw great concert in 2010
• Conor Oberst (self-titled) - Pitchfork 7.3/10, great songwriter
• The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds - classic, must own
• Teenage Fanclub: Shadows - Metacritic 81/100
• Green Day: Dookie - you know
• She & Him: Volume 2 - Zooey Deschanel & that other guy
• Alexi Murdoch: Time Without Consequences - mellow acoustic fellow
• The Books: The Way Out - most interesting album on the list, check it
• John Denver: Rocky Mountain High - everyone should own this
• Gayngs: Relayted - Justin Vernon of Bon Iver & others
• Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer of the Void - Pitchfork 7.5/10
• Moby: Wait for Me - Paste 90/100, trippy cool
• Josh Ritter (self titled) - love this singer/songwriter 
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig! - Metacritic 87/100
• Guided By Voices: Isolation Drills - Metacritic 83/100
• The Best of Poison - nuthin' but a good time
• The 99 Most Essential Tchaikovsky Masterpieces