Music Review: Bifrost Arts - Salvation is Created

in

Biofrost-arts-Salvation-Is-Created-300x300  Bifrost Arts is "a sacred music non-profit that exists to enrich the church and engage the world with beauty and truth." A variety of musicians are involved including like Sufjan Stevens, Isaac Wardell, Derek Webb, The Welcome Wagon, Denison Witmer, and J. Tillman among many others.

Salvation is Created is the new Christmas album from Bifrost Arts. It's their second album, following the release of Come O Spirit! Anthology of Hymns and Spiritual Songs Volume 1. 

I love this Christmas album. The overwhelming feel of this CD for me is haunt. It's dark. Bing Crosby is about to get a beat-down. Don't let that scare you away! It's unique and beautiful. Song list...

  • O Come O Come Emmanuel - Instrumental lead-in to the album. Anticipatory. Eager.
  • Joy Joy!!! - Best song on the album. A spooky, Advent lullaby written by Isaac Wardell based loosely on a 17th century French tune. Wow. Just gorgeous. Download/listen here.
  • Bring the Torch Jeanette, Isabella - Originally published in 1553 in France. Two milkmaids stumble across Jesus as they go to milk their cows. They run to town to gather people to come, quietly, and see the Christ child sleeping (more at Wikipedia). Sufjan does a lo-fi version of this on Volume II of his Songs for Christmas. Many other versions are out there. This is the best I've heard. Simple and lovely. 
  • O Little Town of Bethlehem - Traditional lyrics with a curious arrangement. Not a favorite for me, but should raise an eyebrow. Still fits the style of the album.
  • Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - 4th century. The haunting continues with this wonderful old song. Rich text...

    • Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand
    Ponder nothing earthly minded, For with blessing in His hand
    Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage to demand.

  • O Come, Messiah, Come - Isaac Wardell song. Simple, acoustic strums and harmonies. A piano humbly joins in. The last 45 seconds seems to be a musical interlude prior to Silent Night. 
  • Silent Night - So familiar. Yet so different. It's Silent Night at the prom during the slowest of the slow dances. Some Motown in there somewhere. Played just after "Earth Angel" at the Enchantment Under the Mistletoe dance.
  • Out of Heaven - Derek Webb and Evan Gregory sing a combination of lyrics from a 1678 song and Isaac Wardell. In the middle there's a gathering of sounds, a mingling, much like the unfathomable coming together of God and man in Christ, which is the theme of the song.
  • Veiled in Darkness Judah Lay - As mysterious as it sounds, there's a haunted house sound in the background. Have to hear it. I think the musicians may have been listening to a slowed down version of The Munsters theme song just before recording. Anyone else hear that? It's way cooler than I make it sound. Trust me.
  • Salvation is Created - A chilling falsetto building into "Hallelujahs," strings, jingle bells, drums, and voices. A great capstone.

This album is about letting the imagination run to the manger scene, and contemplating the theological and practical realities of God made flesh. Sometimes these realities are captured by marionettes in muted colors on a dimly lit stage. Sometimes they are found in the march of wooden soldiers who never show their faces. Sometimes they are expressed in a solemn dance. This is music more inspired by Tim Burton than Frank Capra. It's the subversion of Christmas as we know it, and it's wonderfully dark.

All of these songs are quite singable in their own way, though at times (Silent Night, for example) not as much as in the traditional versions. With candles lit and friends gathered 'round, I think these songs will make your Christmas more thoughtful, meaningful, and lovely. I'm sincerely thankful for folks like Bifrost Arts who are making winning efforts to restoring beauty and truth to songs we can sing together. And through this album in particular, they help restore the melody of Christmas to sounds of mystery and awe. A sound found in our Scripture but too often missing from our Season. 

May your Advent season be haunted by this beauty. Spread it around.

Salvation Is Created: A Christ...

Lots-o-Links 11.30.09

in

Music Monday 11.30.09

in

"Love Song for Buddy" by Headlights might be one of the saddest videos I've ever seen.

I'm intrigued by whatever Devon Sproule does now that I've heard her amazing song, "Joy Joy!!!" (listen to/download "Joy Joy!!!" for free) from the new Bifrost Arts Christmas Album, Salvation is Created. A review of that album very soon. But first, here's Devon Sproule on Jools with "Stop By Anytime"...

In closing, the Muppets do Bohemian Rhapsody...

Phriday is for Photos 11.27.09

in

Trainspotting - Santa Hat

Elijah (Santa hat) and Danny were checking out some model trains across from the model train store and in the cafe section of La Petite Creperie on the Woodstock Square. A beautiful, wonderfully chilly night for the Lighting of the Square.

Get Creative With Christmas Card Photos

in ,

The last two years we have taken a creative route with our Christmas card photos. It's been a blast for us to create and people love getting them in the mail. With Thanksgiving a few days away and Christmas cards going out soon, why not think outside the box, er, the card?

I want to encourage you, even if you don't consider yourself a photographer, to get more creative this Christmas season. Surprise everyone on your Christmas card list with something a little more fun and they just might keep your ugly mug on the refrigerator a bit longer. 

2008 Christmas Card

2007 Christmas Card

Tons of Great $5 Amazon Albums

in

Music Monday 11.23.09

in

New (or new to me) albums I'm enjoying...

Bowerbirds put together a beautiful Tiny Desk Concert

Current: The Decemberists, Passion Pit and Bon Iver in one video. It's all good, but the best part is Bon Iver in the last few minutes singing and wandering in Paris.

We Were Promised Jetpacks (album) new video for "Roll Up Your Sleeves"...

Like this song from Charlotte Gainesbourg and Beck, "Heaven Can Wait." The video is a little odd...

Lots-o-Links 11.19.09

in

I'm officially on the Verge social media team and for the  Verge Missional Community Conference from February 4-6. Hope to see some of my readers there! Follow Verge on Twitter and Facebook. Early bird rate for another 10 days. Go register now.

Sojourn: Ambition - Acts 29 Louisville boot camp audio

Dustin Neeley: Matt Chandler interview Part 1, Part 2

Jim Belcher's talk at VergeLA

Ed Stetzer's 2008 interview of Tim Keller

Homeless man throws coffee in face of barista in the Crystal Lake Starbucks I visit somewhat regularly.

Music Review: On The Incarnation by Daniel Renstrom

in

Danielrenstrom christmas Daniel Renstrom (Twitter) contacted me early last year and asked if I would be willing to review his EP, Adore and Tremble. Not knowing Daniel or his music I emailed and said I would listen and say something on the blog if I liked it, but no promises since I don't like much Christian music. He kindly sent the CD anyway and I really, really liked it and still listen to it. Check my brief take on Adore and Tremble from March of last year.

Daniel contacted me again a few weeks ago and told me he has a new Christmas album called On The Incarnation (OTI). I can't listen to Christmas CD's before Thanksgiving. I mean, seriously. But after enjoying his previous album I couldn't say no. My only stipulation for the review was that it couldn't include "My Favorite Things." Robert Goulet, after all, offered us the definitive rendition.

-----

On The Incarnation released on 10.29. Eight songs, obviously selected and written to encourage worship and not just good seasonal feelings. This is a theology-minded Christmas album. Reflective. 

First let me talk about a few Christmas staples on the album. "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" is joyous and upbeat. The popping strum of a mandolin colors this song folksy and fun. Love it. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" surprised me. I'm used to it being a collective, jolly sounding song like at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. Daniel offers a beautiful, quieter, more contemplative version. Just great. "Angels We Have Heard On High" has an updated, worship band feel to it. It feels like a Sojourn song, which I mean as a high compliment. I'm not a musician and I don't want to explain this wrong, but it seems to have a minor key worked into the song that isn't in the traditional version. That tweaks the feel of the song which I think is pretty cool. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is a short, music-only song leading into Daniel's song, "Rise and Fall."

The new songs written by Renstrom are excellent. The album begins with "His Company," calling us to sing because Jesus is our Immanuel...

Who has believed
This message we have loved
Invisible God, came in flesh from above

Mighty, wonderful God, Prince of Peace
Bringing sight to the lost, calling us to sing

Join oh join the angel melody
God with man is pleased to dwell
Sing confess, with all His company
Jesus our Immanuel

"Rise and Fall" will likely be the most recognizable song off the album. It's the most curious sounding. I can't listen to it without cranking up the volume and bass. What a great reminder, missing in the consumer Christmas world as well as too often in our churches, that the birth of Jesus wasn't just about joy. It threatened those who oppose. Here's the whole song...

The dawn of the light
Is breaking tonight
At the birth of this dangerous King

And shepherds and kings
Bow down and sing
At the birth of this dangerous King

Many will rise and fall
At the birth of this King, the birth of this King

Those who oppose
Stumble on this stone
The birth of this dangerous King

But many will hear
Believing in fear
Will hope in this dangerous King

"Comfort Ye" has a more traditional sound. It starts acoustic and quiet with a hint of a rising and fading ambient sound behind it, eventually leading to the mountaintop of music and lyric that deserves exclamation points...

Immanuel / God with us / Son of God / Hallelujah 

But the worshipful conclusion above doesn't come without a recognition of our responsibility to the world. It's preceded by...

In Christ we know hope for the hurting
In Christ we know love for the lost
In Christ we know no other one can save

The short, closing song is "Divine Messiah." It's a simple, short and quiet piano song expressing a longing for Messiah. 

The truly great thing about On The Incarnation is that it doesn't repel you when you are not in a Christmas season mood. It's a gift from Renstrom that we can hear it outside the season and still enjoy it. I played the album for the kids in the car on the way to Louisville two weeks ago. Four songs in they said, "Are you sure these are Christmas songs?" The answer is yes, in the best sense. 

On The Incarnation will make a great addition to your music library. It will be a blessing for Sunday morning worship in the weeks to come. You may want to give it as a gift to a Christian who needs to get beyond "Winter Wonderland" or a non-Christian who needs the Gospel. 

The lyrics and chord charts are available for free. Download the album for $7.12 at Amazon. 

Music Monday 11.16.09

in

Don't miss the $5 albums this month at Amazon.

I've been wanting get the Megafaun album, Gather, Form & Fly, for some time. Finally got it at Ear X-tacy in Louisville. And it's outstanding. Here's "The Fade"...

New video for Animal Collective's opening song from Merriweather Post Pavilion, "In The Flowers." Trippy & weird video. Hard to believe from AC, I know...

Monsters of Folk have a new video out for "Say Please"...

Acts 29 Boot Camp in Louisville

in , , ,

4096816973_6b1c44fef9 Had a great trip to Louisville for the Acts 29 Boot Camp: Ambition. Thankful for a church like Sojourn and good friends who serve there as well as many friends in Acts 29. It was a like a family reunion and I'm not even in Acts 29! It was a great couple of days. Check out Chuck Heeke's Flickr account for Ambition photos. (Photo on this post is from Chuck.)

Though I'm not going to talk about any details, the wives' track really impacted Molly. Huge. Just what she needed. 

Otherwise, throughout the conference a couple of reoccurring themes stuck out to us. We are still processing and praying about what we learned, but we wanted to share a four things with you that we.

1. Believe the Gospel. -- We all struggle with unbelief with all sorts of issues, at all kinds of times. This was hit upon by many speakers, of course. But it was lasered into me by Steve Timmis (Total Church, http://twitter.com/stimmis). We need to always be encouraging each other to believe the Gospel, not just seek practical advice. We need Gospel intentionality, to bring Gospel truth to bear on our lives and the lives of others.

A part of this is the overarching emphasis at the conference of recognizing our sin and having a life marked by confession and repentance. In a time when conferences are more and more practical, Acts 29 has done well to keep it theological, doxological, and Gospel-centered.

2. Know and love your city. -- Kevin Cawley (http://twitter.com/kevincawley) talked about decoding your city and knowing it like a life-long resident, a cab driver, a geographer, and a spiritual anthropologist. We need to get on the inside of our city and then speak as one of them. We need to let our ambition for the Gospel drive us to become students of the space we are in. We need to learn the questions people are asking and speak the truth of the Gospel as the answers. 

Other speakers talked about calling and how our call should affect our heart for our city. A great reminder and encouragement. 

3. Be yourself. -- Matt Chandler (http://twitter.com/mattchandler74) said, "You wanting to be anyone other than you is sinful." I chatted with and sought advice from an Acts 29 church planter and friend who said much the same thing, but from the angle of freedom. Be free to be yourself as you serve and love your city. You will be bad at being anyone else.

Don't seek to be like another pastor, or preacher, or whoever has a similar calling. Darrin Patrick talked about knowing our divine design. Who are you? How has God made you? Go be you. That's who Jesus made you to be.

4. If you want to know more people, blog about your wife's health and tweet photos of your kids. -- Holy cow. Everyone knew Molly. Ok, overstatement. But so many we didn't know came up and said they've been praying for Molly's health issues. One couple said they've been praying together for her for years. How much blessing have we received from the connections made through Reformissionary and Twitter? We'll only learn on That Day. We are continually blown away by the love and prayer of brothers and sisters all over the world.

We had a similar experience with our kids, as people recognized them from the blog and Twitter. They were at Sojourn on Wednesday afternoon because there was no room for them at the inn, and we heard that one person said (when we weren't there to hear), "Hey, those are the McCoy kids." Weird, but cool. 

I regularly tell other pastors of the blessings of blogging/Twittering. It can connect you to a community of coworkers and friends that you wouldn't otherwise know. 

-----

Let me add this here at the end, as something worth spreading from the conference. Matt Chandler gave an outstanding and devastating quote during the last message of the conference. It's from Eugene Peterson's Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, which I read way back in Bible college. Here it is for you...

For a long time, I have been convinced that I could take a person with a high school education, give him or her a six-month trade school training, and provide a pastor who would be satisfactory to any discriminating American congregation. The curriculum would consist of four courses.

Course I: Creative Plagiarism. I would put you in touch with a wide range of excellent and inspirational talks, show you how to alter them just enough to obscure their origins, and get you a reputation for wit and wisdom.

Course II: Voice Control for Prayer and Counseling. We would develop your own distinct style of Holy Joe intonation, acquiring the skill in resonance and modulation that conveys and unmistakable aura of sanctity.

Course III: Efficient Office Management. There is nothing that parishioners admire more in their pastors than the capacity to run a tight ship administratively. If we return all phone calls within twenty-four hours, answer all the letters within a week, distributing enough carbons to key people so that they know we are on top of things, and have just the right amount of clutter on our desk—not too much, or we appear inefficient, not too little or we appear underemployed—we quickly get the reputation for efficiency that is far more important than anything that we actually do.

Course IV: Image Projection. Here we would master the half-dozen well-known and easily implemented devices that that create the impression that we are terrifically busy and widely sought after for counsel by influential people in the community. A one-week refresher course each year would introduce new phrases that would convince our parishioners that we are bold innovators on the cutting edge of the megatrends and at the same time solidly rooted in all the traditional values of our sainted ancestors.

(I have been laughing for several years over this trade school training with which I plan to make my fortune. Recently, though, the joke has backfired on me. I keep seeing advertisements for institutes and workshops all over the country that invite pastors to sign up for this exact curriculum. The advertised course offerings are not quite as honestly labeled as mine, but the content appears to be identical—a curriculum that trains pastors to satisfy the current consumer tastes in religion. I’m not laughing anymore.)

Lots-o-Links 11.12.09

in , , , ,

Creation Project: Resources for Biblical Womanhood, Resources for Biblical Manhood -- also Thinking Well About Your City

Mark Driscoll: Organizing a Silence and Solitude Day, Part 1 (4 more coming)

  1. Bad review of Deep Church from Greg Gilbert/9 Marks 
  2. Good response by Deep Church author, Jim Belcher 
  3. Helpful thoughts from Brent Thomas

Rethink Mission: Books Every Church Planter Needs to Read

I connected at the Acts 29 Boot Camp in Louisville with a guy I met a years ago at Capitol Hill BC in DC, Brad Byrd. I stayed at his house when visiting CHBC. He gave me a copy of The Gospel-Centred Church workbook by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester from the press he works for, The Good Book Company. Hope to review it soon. I should also be getting The Gospel-Centred Life soon for review. Find The Good Book Company on Facebook & Twitter. Glad to connect again Brad!

Music Monday 11.2.09

in

A bunch of great $5 albums available today. Reformissionary recommends...

I can't say enough about Mumford & Sons. I'm telling you, might be my new favorite band. They might be the greatest band ever. They sound like a mix between and Irish band and The Avett Brothers. They are in fact from England and have me gushing. Thanks to Heather and her website I Am Fuel You Are Freinds, which also has 4 downloads. Here are two videos. Tremendous!

Paste lists their 50 best albums of the decade. Some great albums here.

Review: Fight Clubs by Jonathan Dodson

in ,

FightClubs I remember reading the article, Fight Club, from Jonathan Dodson when it was published by Boundless back in 2008. I read it several times. It's great to see this made into a fuller-length treatment, though it's still only just over 40 pages of text. Jonathan is pastor of Austin City Life.

Fight Clubs is about re-centering discipleship on the gospel in community, not merely individuals. It's a messy, tenacious struggle with honesty and authenticity. Dodson describes the biblical case for the fight, where we go wrong (legalism or license) and how to keep from extremes, the community focus of the fight (fighting with the church instead of against her), and practical advice for applying the gospel to everyday life through fight clubs: "small, simple, biblical, reproducible groups of people who meet together to regularly help one another keep the gospel at the center of their discipleship."

This book is really just a simple book on Gospel transformation, and the means and goal God gives us to fight together the good fight of faith. I love that. The only novel idea in Fight Clubs is the name itself. The concepts are soundly Scriptural. From the book/movie we know that "fight clubs" are about feeling alive again. Dodson picks up on this: 

Our spiritual war is a war against the flesh, that lingering vestige of our pre-Christian lives that must be beat to death so that we can live in the fullness of life given to us in Jesus.

Dodson defines "fight clubs" as "2-3 people that meet regularly to help one another beat up the flesh and believe in the promises of God." These groups have 3 rules: "1) Know Your Sin. 2) Fight your Sin. 3) Trust your Savior." For each rule he gives helpful questions and advice for these groups. He describes the group time as working through Text-Theology-Life - a very helpful, practical way to discuss Scripture together.

I really enjoyed Fight Clubs and will be reading it again soon with some in my church as we consider something similar. I want this kind of discipleship for my church. I need this kind of discipleship for my own soul.  

Go download and/or buy Fight Clubs. I highly recommend it.

Music Monday 10.26.09

in

Quick hits...

A thoughtful and woeful video for the gorgeous song "Charlie Darwin" from The Low Anthem. Their album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is outstanding. (Download)

I just can't say enough about Brandi Carlile's newest album, Give Up the Ghost. This is Molly's favorite song that she keeps on repeat: "Pride and Joy"...

Review: Counterfeit Gods

in , ,

Counterfeit I have a thing for Tim Keller. You've noticed? Cool. Just wanted to make sure you know. :)

When I heard that Dr. Keller was publishing Counterfeit Gods (OUT TODAY, October 20th) many months ago I was pumped. Pumped because I like nearly everything he says and writes and one more thing is a good thing. This book has exceeded my highest of expectations, especially after Dr. Keller's excellent talk, The Grand Demythologizer, at The Gospel Coalition this spring.

In Counterfeit Gods, Keller defines idolatry for us...

It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” (xvii)

Or as Keller gets from De Tocqueville, idolatry is "taking an 'incomplete joy of this world' and building your entire life on it." (p xi) 

Keller says that anything can be an idol, idols are often the best things in life, and that all idols will disappoint/lead us to despair because we've lost an "ultimate thing."

Keller deals with some of the biggest idols in individual chapters: love, money, success and power. He also talks about hidden idols that are harder to spot like idols in our culture and religion. 

The angles Keller takes toward each idol is worth noting. Just as in The Prodigal God Keller takes a familiar biblical story and explains it in a fresh way, here he retells stories like Abraham and Isaac, Nebuchadnezzar, Jonah and Jacob afresh. His insights to familiar Scriptures are one of Keller's greatest gifts to the Church and very helpful in Counterfeit Gods.

As you would expect if you have read or heard Dr. Keller before, this book is thoroughly Gospel-centered. Jesus is our great hope in the middle of a world of idols, and a heart of idols. 

Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol...If you uproot the idol and fail to 'plant' the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back. (p 172)

I have been reading this book in pieces as I have been preaching on idolatry this autumn. I've referenced it numerous times. A few quotes I've used...

We never imagine that getting our heart's deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us. (p 1)

If we are not willing to hurt our career in order to do God's will, our job will become a counterfeit god. (p 14)

The idol of success cannot be just expelled, it must be replaced. The human heart's desire for a particular valuable object may be conquered, but its need to have some such object is unconquerable. (p 93)

The normal response to our sense of powerlessness is to deny it, to find people to dominate and control in order to live in that denial. (p 124-125)

I have to be honest...Counterfeit Gods has brought some serious conviction in my heart. A part of it is the sermons I've prepared with the book as a foundational resource (though I haven't preached through this book). But mostly it's been the words of Keller, who knows how to take biblical truth and deliver it to the heart in practical and profound ways. My idols have been exposed.

Counterfeit Gods will be sitting on our church book table, given to those in leadership, and recommended to any number of people. It will have great benefit for both Christians and non-Christians. I can't recommend this book enough. Buy it and read it. Also check out the review by Trevin Wax.

Music Monday 10.19.09

in

Bon Iver is on indefinite hiatus. Steve is in definite depression.

Check out The Swell Season's new album streaming for free.

Saw Where the Wild Things Are on Saturday with the family. We enjoyed the movie and the kids loved it even more having heard several times the excellent soundtrack from Karen O and the Kids. You should own it.

Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, Josh Homme = Them Crooked Vultures. They can play rock music, like this. This would be a good time to crank it up.

Hope you didn't miss the $0.99 album (The Second Gleam) I mentioned on Twitter yesterday from The Avett Brothers. You can still pick up Emotionalism for $5.

Built to Spill was excellent on Letterman recently with "Oh Yeah"...

Music Monday 10.12.09

in

As people listened to music "The inner lining of the blood vessel relaxed, opened up and produced chemicals that are protective to the heart." Call me the music doctor. Here we go...

Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack is still streaming free. I've probably heard it 5 times and the movie doesn't come out until Friday. The soundtrack is by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The Avett Brothers performance on Craig Ferguson was fun. It is exactly what I love about the Avett's.

Brandi Carlile's new album, Give Up the Ghost, is out and it's outstanding (download for $9.99, buy CD).

I just found this April performance of Manchester Orchestra on Letterman. When these guys rock out, they ROCK OUT! Love it...and the fact that Letterman can barely talk.