Music Monday 2.23.09

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There's a lot of good new music out there lately, and my two most recent purchases are wonderful.

Beirut march of the zapotec Beirut's new double EP (download) lives up to my high expectations. The first EP, March of the Zapotec, is the kind of music you expect from Beirut, with lots of horns and emotion.

Holland, the second EP, is mostly the work of Beirut creator, Zach Condon, working under the alias  "Realpeople." It's electronic music that seems far from his Beiroots. Truth is, Condon's electronic music is very much at the root of Condon's musical background and a big part of his teenage years.  Pitchfork loves the EPs and has a helpful review.

Dark_Was_The_Night-Dirty_Projectors_480 Dark Was The Night (download) is a compliation for the Red Hot Organization that funds the fight against AIDS.  Compilations often look better than they sound and are too often only worth a few individual downloads.  The artist list for this 2 disc album made me believe it would be better than most, and it is. There are a few *meh* songs as expected, but as a whole it's a great collection of songs by some of the best bands and songwriters around.  I highly recommend it.  Check out this review, and the Dark Was The Night website for more.

If you haven't heard Bruce Springsteen's great song from The Wrestler (download) you are missing out on something special. Here's a new video for it (via)...

This isn't the best performance I've seen from The White Stripes, and there's a Marty McFly humm, but it's neat ending to Conan O'Brien's show finale (via)...

March '09 sub•text Forum: Ed Stetzer

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Dwell2008edstetzerGreat news! New sub•text forum coming on March 12th at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with Ed Stetzer.  Ed is gonna talk, in three sessions, about the missional nature of the church and what that looks like in the suburban context in practice. It will also include a Q&A session at the end.

Cost is only $25 and includes lunch!  So if you are anywhere near the area this is a great opportunity.  Hope to see you there, and if you have the chance please pass the word on to your friends in the Chicagoland area.

Get more info at sub•text.

Lots-o-Links 2.19.09

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Brief Molly Update: She is doing really well. Scheduling a neuro/psych test for the late summer and a sleep test in the near future.  Otherwise, all is relatively well.

Are you going to The Gospel Coalition 2009 Conference? C'mon!  I'm one of the speakers at Band of Bloggers.My topic is "What is the place for art and culture in Christian blogging?"  As you know if you've read Reformissionary for long that I'm very fond of music, photography and poetry. Should be a good time.

A summer Chicago Tea Party? Interesting CNBC video...

I'm hooked on the eyeballing game.

Marvin Olasky: Prodigal Sons: Part of the evangelical problem is knowing which brother we are

Everybody talkin' Calvinism. Scot McKnight. Alvin Reid.

Planning a Mars Hill sermon series.

Have you seen The Legend of Speedo Guy? Good stuff. Yes, Joe Thorn actually found something in sports that I hadn't heard of.

Music Monday 2.16.09

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Quick Hits: Indie labels win 50% of this year's Grammys. BOOM! Don't miss the $1.99 Gillian Welch album, Revival.  This is a GREAT album, and at well worth trying out for that price. Also check out these deals: Daft Punk's Musique Vol 1 for $1.99 is fun; Portishead's Dummy is tremendous, and only $5; and classic U2 is still only $5.99 an album.

Speaking of Daft Punk, this is always worth revisiting...

I've recently picked up Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster, and it's a playful and enjoyable album. Watch "Death to Los Campesinos"...

One more. After the backlash against Beirut last week, which I can only attribute to too much American Idol-atry, I have something from Beirut that sounds very little like the Beirut we know. Zach Condon has returned to some of his electronic roots on some tracks from March of the Zapotec (releasing tomorrow). Try out this one...

Music Monday 2.9.09

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I know why you are here. You watched The Grammys and need some real music now. I'm here for you. But first, a diamond in the rough. Radiohead and the USC marching band was awesome...

Antony and the Johnsons new album, The Crying Light, is stunning. Antony sounds different than most anyone you've ever heard. But it engulfs you. It's a rare beauty. You must check it out. (Download is $8.99, CD is $10.99). Here's a video that really is just the song with the title. But I want you to hear this song.

I was born, A curling fox in a hole
Hiding from danger, Scared to be alone

One dove, To bring me some peace
In starlight you came from the other side, To offer me mercy

I've recently been introduced to the music of The Deep Dark Woods. Their album, Winter Hours, comes out in 8 days. Sample them on MySpace. And watch this video, if you don't mind seeing men in long underwear...

The last video is not about the music for me. But the video is very cool. Don't skip it!

Docent Researchers Needed

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A great opportunity! From Glenn Lucke...

Current seminarians and PhD students (who have earned their seminary degrees): 

Also, recent seminary grads:

I've got 7 open spots to fill, all start immediately.  
Thework is providing research assistance to busy, large church pastors. We don't write sermons. We don't do all or even most of the research. We do some of the research at the pastor's specific instructions. 
We will discuss compensation by phone. Our pay is superior to seminary pay and competitive with marketplace jobs that students get. But, working for Docent is completely flexible-- when and where you want. Plus, this provides an opportunity to work closely with some talented pastors.

Go here to find out more about specific jobs. 

Molly Update 2.4.09

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2233506Just returned from Madison, Wisconsin where Molly met with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ishkandar for a "second opinion" on her Chiari I Malformation and 2 brain surgeries (catch up here).  Ishkandar is a friend and respected colleague of Molly's neurosurgeon, Dr. Frim.  And they somewhat regularly refer patients to each other when they may benefit from "fresh" eyes. 

Dr. Ishkandar works at the American Family Children's Hospital in Madison.  He has been out of the country until recently, so Molly was finally able to meet with him.  He reviewed all of Molly's MRI's, Dr. Frim's operating room notes, and took down everything about her story from first symptoms to today.  Lots of info, lots of questions. 

He has basically asked for 2 tests.  First is a sleep test (overnight) in order to determine if there is something about her sleep that is making it less productive: apnea, brain activity, etc.  Second is a neuro-psych test (3-4 hours) that is a comprehensive test of her IQ, mental abilities, comprehension, and tons of stuff.  That is probably the most important test right now to determine where her deficiencies are and try to find ways to help.

Ishkandar thinks that Molly's post-surgery neurological issues (thinking, problem solving, finishing thoughts, etc) can be helped.  Her neurologist thinks the same, but this test is another big step in that direction.

The tone of the meeting was positive. He sees her as improving, even if plateued a bit.  He really believes it may take up to a year to see the full benefit of the surgery.  He sees no need for further surgery.  All MRI's look as they should.

Generally we are very pleased with the meeting. It confirms where we think we are right now, that things are getting better and that nothing can be done anatomically to improve things.  Another surgery would, in fact, probably make things worse at this point. 

Thanks for your prayers and notes today.  It may take a couple of months (at least) to get in for the tests.  We'll let you know if/when something gets on the calendar.

Music Monday 2.2.09

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Music please

Since we have 6 more weeks of winter on the way, we need something to do to keep warm and shake the winter blues.  To that end I submit this post.

I guess I should start with an apology. I don't think I mentioned on the blog that Bon Iver's new EP is out, Blood Bank. I think I mentioned it on Twitter and Facebook. My bad. It's a wonderful follow-up to For Emma, Forever Ago. Only $3.89 for Amazon download. What? That's not enough to merit your love? Ok, how about 7 free live tracks of Bon Iver at the Rock & Roll Hotel in D.C. There. Now we can be friends again.

High quality Avett Brothers video for "Go To Sleep"...


The Avett Brothers - Go to Sleep, Live at Memorial Hall from Leon Godwin on Vimeo.

Here's some M83 with their wonderful retro 80's sound on Conan...

The Gaslight Anthem rocks, as usual, on Letterman. Love this song...

And Andrew Bird on Letterman is spectacular as usual...

How about we finish with a super-cheap download from Amazon. It's MGMT's 2005 Time to Pretend EP for $0.99.

Music Monday 1.26.09

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Boom! It's Music Monday!

I got Animal Collective's Feels (MP3 download) a couple of years ago. I found it weird and difficult to enjoy.  It's grown on me and I like it now.  The new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, sounds absolutely glorious. The reviews are very good. If you are an MP3 downloader, you can get it now, and you should.  It's $8.99 at Amazon.  I'm waiting until tomorrow when the CD is officially released. You need to watch this outstanding video for "My Girls" off the new album...

Arcade Fire is one of the best bands in the world. I have no doubt about that. Here they are with what I think is their best song, "Intervention," at Obama's Inauguration staff ball. It's an in-crowd camera, but it turned out pretty good...

If you have never gotten The Velvet Underground's classic album, Loaded, it's only $6.97 as an Amazon MP3 download. It's a great album. Pitchfork gives it 10/10 and says "there's no excuse for not owning this album." Get it.

Lots-o-Links 1.21.09

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Kent Shaffer over at Church Relevance has determined that Reformissionary is the #27 church blog in the world.  Some good blogs on the list, and I'm honored to be there.  It's the best system of measurement I've seen for judging the popularity of a blog. Impressive, Kent.

I've started a new church blog (Doxa Blog),though I don't know exactly the role it will play yet. Working on it.  I have the domain doxablog.com, but right now it's only masking the link to this blog and it's a headache.  Also working on a Facebook group for Doxa. 

My new article: When Doctors Are Stumped

Joe Thorn is blogging again

Two talks on Questioning Evangelism

Paste Magazine anticipates 29 movies in 2009

Scot McKnight says some nice words about my photography, which I have long neglected

5 Reasons Why Consensus Sucks...true

Our Church Restart: Name Change

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Doxa fellowship BESTIn April of 2004 we came to Calvary Baptist Church of Woodstock, Illinois. It was a small church that had serious issues.  I told the Pastor Search Committee before the church called me here that it sounded like a dead church that needed to restart.  They called me here and it's been an uphill battle ever since. But we are finally in the place of working through the transitions we know we need.

A little more background.  Just under a year ago our church chose to start heading in a new direction: adopting a new name, constitution, and leadership structure, possibly selling our property and more.  The church then chose an Interim Leadership Team (ILT) to replace the "church council," which was the leadership group the church had for several years before I came.  The ILT has been put in place to work through the transitions above and lead the church until eldership can be adopted in our constitution and elders are installed.

The first of the changes the ILT is working through is adopting a new church name.  We chose "Doxa Fellowship" on Sunday.  Doxa is the Greek word for "glory" and is found in words like "orthodoxy" and "doxology."  "Doxa Fellowship" won't be officially/legally adopted until we adopt a new constitution and choose a restart date and do all the crap needed to make it legal, but we are going to start using it immediately.

The ILT came up with this name after working through the following criteria.  I said more about each point during our discussion, and some points overlap and fit in similar categories, but these are the points I made to explain why the leadership chose "Doxa Fellowship."

1. Identity, Calling, & Mission – We want our name to have meaning, to help identify us by our calling & mission. To mention our church is to mention our mission.

2. Unique in McHenry County – It’s best if people outside our church hear our name and have no other church in mind.

3. Not Location Focused – We are a church for McHenry County, not just Woodstock. A name describing us in Woodstock will be too narrow. A name describing us in McHenry County may make people think of the city of McHenry. So a non-location specific name will work best.

4. A Brief Identifier – For both church members and folks who live in McHenry County, it’s helpful to have a name they can say in 1 word, though our official name will be longer.

5. Web Domain Options – Most visitors first find us on the internet. A more unique church name leads to a better domain name and easier web discovery.

6. Creativity in Branding – Church branding is often based on name & mission and we want a name that gives some freedom for creatively branding our church.

7. A Name Worth Discussing – When people hear of our church we want the name to peak their interests, draw out questions about the name and/or church. A typical church name often leads to no response from people. A more unique name, based on identity, calling, & mission, opens doors for conversation.

Molly Update 1.20.2009

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3180641996_0fa3e5e14fIt's been a while since I gave you a full update of how Molly is doing.  If you don't know, my wife was diagnosed in 2007 with Chiari I Malformation. You can catch up here.

This is as good as Molly has felt since surgery in September of 2008.  It seems that the neurologist's effort to get Molly sleeping has worked wonders. 

Molly is taking medication every night just before bed and she is sleeping much better.  The neurologist thinks that the very difficult post-op problems and the rounds of steroids she took got her inner sleep clock way off.  He also says she likely has "brain damage" both from the surgeries (as with any surgery) as well as from the scar tissue that forms from exposing the brain and other tissues to the outside world.  She's in bed every night at right about 9pm and up at 6am or so. Over the past few weeks there is a marked difference in how good she feels, which is obvious to me as well.

Mol's balance issues are still there a bit, but not too bad.  She hasn't used a cane for many weeks now.  She is able to go to the gym and do low-impact stuff.  She also uses the treadmill at the house. The neurologist doesn't want her running, though she really wants to.  She does power-walking.  She has also just started using a Wii Fit, which is pretty cool.  It's really helpful for her with balance issues as well as other exercise.

The brain issues, including finishing her thoughts and doing more complicated mental calculations and similar stuff is still obviously there.  She is playing Brain Age daily on the Nintendo DS Lite that I got her for Christmas, as the doc recommended.  She is also, almost daily, playing some games (like Mancala) that require her to use fine motor skills.  Her ability to do simple things, like pick up a penny, has been finally improving.

All-in-all, Molly has been greatly improving and now has a bunch of energy and motivation.  We really want to thank everyone who has been praying for her recovery.

We are still looking to a second opinion in February, if that appointment works out. It may be pushed back.  That's the next step, and it will determine the steps after that.

Music Monday 1.19.09

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New Beirut.  Zach Condon and the boys are headed toward a Mexican sound.  Very cool.  New video...

Fleet Foxes were on SNL...

I've been looking into some new stuff. I found Ezra Furman and the Harpoons through Filmspotting. I like their sound (MySpace). Joe Thorn has led me to Isis (MySpace). I like them so far, as does Pitchfork (also). After discovering my need, Cameron Mizell threw me a copy of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. Awesome! Thanks Cameron. It will help me practice (fool around) with my harmonica.

Amazon MP3 downloads worth checking out:$5 --> Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack & Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.  $1.99 --> R.E.M's Automatic for the People.

Music Monday 1.12.09

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I've enjoyed everything I've heard from the dreary and dark Woven Hand. Biblically and theologically haunting music/lyrics. Check this Tiny Desk Concert.

Here's a video (not great quality) of Jeff Tweedy, some Radiohead guys, and Liam Finn playing Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees."  Because of the quality, it will probably only be really enjoyable for folks who already love Tweedy/Radiohead/Finn or who have "Fake Plastic Trees" streaming constantly running through their heads (like me).  But as a fan of all, it's very cool. (via)

The Black Cab Sessions are always fun, and a great way to find new-to-you artists or some of your favorites singing newer songs. Ryan Adams...

I've been discovering some 2008 albums that are high on 'best of' lists but I hadn't heard.  I mentioned Welcome Wagon last week, but now I have video...

Ra Ra Riot is a ton of fun. Try them out at Daytrotter and enjoy this Letterman appearance...

Let me end with The Gaslight Anthem.  Matt Redmond commented on my blog last week, curious about what I think of The Gaslight Anthem. Having never heard of them I checked their MySpace and loved it.  Pitchfork does too. Early Springsteenish.  The title track is really great and I want to share it with you. Check the lyrics as you listen/watch...