Missional thinkers/pastors often bemoan the loss of the front porch in neighborhood architecture. It used to be the place to relax after the work is done, sip tea, interact with our neighbors, etc. The back porch has become prominent, and it's where we hang in seclusion from our neighbors and do our own thing.
Here's a "front porch" hack: Turn your garage into your "front porch."
Drive down your suburban street sometime and notice how the garages are the most prominent feature on the homes. It's right out front. It's an ugly design. And when lumped in together with missing or minuscule front porches makes our homes seem missionally helpless. We can redeem that by hacking the garage to make it a place of neighborhood friendliness, fun and conversation.
Three easy steps.
1.Clean It Out. Toss stuff in the trash. You don't need some of that stuff. Give stuff away. Find another place for it. Tidy up whatever you need to leave in there. Make as much space as possible. If you think you can't, you're wrong.
2.Fill It Up. If you don't have one in there already, put in a fridge (even if only a college-sized one). Put yummy stuff in that fridge. Drinks, snacks, more drinks. Can't afford that, at least put cold stuff in a cooler. Then get a dart board, a bags set, iPod speakers/radio, chairs, basketball hoop, frisbee, or whatever you and others find fun. Keep the door wide open. Let the sound & fun bleed out into the neighborhood. Take the grill from the back porch and put it in the driveway.
3.Invite & Be Inviting. Start right after work. Wave at folks in as they drive home from work. Ask them over. Wave them over. Yell as they get out of their car, "Come on over!" Give them an special invite, if that's helpful. Offer them something to drink and ask about their day. Play a game. Stuff will happen naturally as neighbors feel welcome and stop by regularly.
Hard to get rained out (it's covered). You can do this regularly in most seasons as it's inside-ish (get a heater, fan, etc to stretch that time out).
Don't just do this every so often. Make it a rhythm of family & neighborhood life. I think it will make for a nice front porch for your home, and a great way to share life with your neighbors.
Rachael Maddux of Paste is "Knocking The Suburbs." Yeah, really. She's wrong, but still worth reading...
A new Arcade Fire record came out last week, and at this point it's a well-noted fact that it contains only a few scraps of the anthemic urgency for which the band, on its two previous albums, had become so well-loved. At the risk of coming off like One Of Those People Who Just Wishes They'd Make A Hundred Albums Like Funeral, I will admit: I missed the bombast, too. But only a little bit, and only until I realized what, exactly, was getting the band so worked up in those moments that they do, in fact, get so worked up. And then I just wished they'd never even bothered.
The Dead Weather played Letterman...
I couldn't not post "Wake Up" from the Arcade Fire YouTube/Vevo/Madison Square Garden concert. So good. A song for our time...
Loved the Arcade Fire concert on YouTube last night. Watched it all. Loved it all. Here are a few great songs. I'm REALLY diggin' the second one lately, "Rococo."
Love the new Matthew Smith song, "I Have Seen The Lord," from his new album Watch the Rising Day. You can get the album for a Reformissionary discount, and download it immediately (not released for a couple of weeks yet). Go get Watch The Rising Dayand listen to "I Have Seen The Lord" below...
Let worldly minds the world pursue, what are its charms to me?
Once I admired its trifles too, but grace has set me free
Its pleasures now no longer please, no more content afford
Far from my heart be joys like these now I have seen the Lord
As by the light of opening day the stars are all concealed
So earthly pleasures fade away when Jesus is revealed
Creatures no more divide my choice, I bid you all depart
His name and love and gracious Word have fixed my roving heart
Matt Stevens - acoustic/experimental/minimalist (MySpace)
Matthew Smith - Pre-orders at http://matthewsmith.bandcamp.com. All pre-orders receive an immediate full download of the record. The entire record is streaming for free there as well.
Discount codes for Reformissionary readers (expires August 23rd)...
steve = 25% off the Deluxe Edition CD + Download steveLP = 10% off the Limited Edition Vinyl + Download
Download versions of Matthew's two previous, excellent full-length albums (All I Owe & The Road Sessions Collection) are on sale for $6.99, also at http://matthewsmith.bandcamp.com.
Amazon's 1,000 albums for $5 through August. Many outstanding albums. Unless otherwise noted, X/100 scores are from MetaCritic. If 80/100 or better, considered "universal acclaim." 70/100 and above usually good chance at being solid, in my experience. If you want some specific direction as to your tastes or to stretch your tastes, comment below or email.
Before you go stream Lost In The Trees (above), you might want to check out this video. Nice introduction to a band I'm suddenly VERY interested in. "Walk Around The Lake"...
If you haven't seen the new Avett Brothers official video for "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" (from I and Love and You) you are missing out. Thoughtful, artistic...
The National play "Bloodbuzz Ohio" live. You should pick up their album, High Violet, is really great and only $6.99.
I've watched this (G20 flavored) video for Broken Social Scene's "Meet Me In The Basement" several times. Love it. Images, images, video, images. Check out BSS's new album, Forgiveness Rock Record.
My boy Jack (11) is Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka, the summer play here in beautiful Woodstock, Illinois. He gets to perform next weekend at the historic Woodstock Opera House. So that means this song has been play a bazillion times in my house recently. Here it is for you...
Miranda Dodson is an Austin, TX singer/songwriter. I know of her music because she is the sister-in-law of Jonathan Dodson, pastor/planter of Austin City Life Church. I almost turned down the chance of getting a review copy of Change A Thing because I didn't want to risk not liking what Jonathan pointed me to. But I took a chance. And here we go.
I like a lot of music of various sorts. Plenty of it is by people with so-so voices. A lot of the best music out there is by singers that are pretty good but not great. I rarely hear a new album or artist and say, "Dude, that chick can sing!" This is one of those albums and one of those artists. But she also sets that voice in place and works the message. She doesn't show off. It's a tool.
Miranda's voice is really interesting. She has power, range and control. It can sound full and rich. It can also sizzle a bit. In an email to her I said her voice has a "fizzy edge" to it. Something like Nelly Furtado's voice at times. She can also turn the fizz up for one song (like "Too Late") and fill her voice out a bit in another (like "Fly"). I hear some of my favorite sirens like Neko Case and Jenny Lewis too. No question about Patty Griffin as well, as you can see from Miranda's great cover of "Up To The Mountain."
Miranda writes her own stuff, but the songs aren't overly lyrical or streams of consciousness. So while I hear hints of Joanna Newsom in her voice, I find nothing of her vast storytelling. This isn't wordy. This isn't really story. This is snapshot. As I hear it, it's life meets God and captured in a moment. And the argument is brief, to the point. Someone like Newsom adds a million brush strokes. Dodson is taking pictures and tweaking how we feel about them through adding some musical black and white tones, or upping the saturation, or cropping in to less-noticed detail.
Track list & brief comment
Too Late - (video, video2) - Love it. Catchy, but not in typical ways. When the chorus soars a bit, I'm riding it. Slow Motion - (video) - Slower song. Lovely. Thoughtful. Country flavored. Singing in boots & a hat as lovers cling to one another on beer-splattered hardwood. Home - My favorite song, by far. I still haven't figured out exactly why yet. I think it might be how it starts acoustic & quiet and lets loose a bit at the chorus. I LOVE the chorus.
change isn’t gonna change a thing;
sold our souls a long time ago
tryin’ to get back, tryin’ to get back
where do we come from, and where
will we go from here
where, along this road, did we lose our souls?
Sitting In Limbo - A Jimmy Cliff cover. Fun. Hammocks. Sweet tea. Still saying something. Stone - Yikes. Slows down and hits you between the eyes. *Marriage.Not.Working.* Prodigal - (video) - Great song. Wide appeal. Catchy, toe-tapping.
This lump in my throat grows larger and larger
It’s my pride, I know, and it’s getting harder,
I must have swallowed…I will wallow
It seems as though I’ve reached my destination,
no need to make your reservation
The seats are taken, save for one at the bottom
King - "This is no kingdom." Immediately appealing and enjoyable. I Will Be Free - Love the Brandi Carlile flavor I hear in this one. Positive. Driving. Moving. Hopeful. Fly - One of the most interesting tracks on the album. Structure harder to discern for me. Interesting sounds, strings. The melody follows the flight of the butterfly in the song. Beautiful.
you carry the rainbow on your wings,
you dance so I can hear your wings
you carry me like you carry thieves,
you carry hope like the Prince of Peace
Never Be The Same - Short. Contemplative. Simple. Not simplistic.
I highly recommend and have been thoroughly enjoying Change A Thing. I hope you'll pick it up.
My review of Miranda Dodson's excellent album, Change A Thing, should be out in a day or two. -- I started listening to it for a potential review. I've kept listening because it's a good album.
Here's "Windstorm" from the new School of Seven Bells album Disconnect From Desire (link to stream above). Dig it. (Song only...)
Everything awesome about the Avett Brothers is found in this live Bonnaroo video: Gentle strums, soaring harmonies, gradual building melodies and a rocking out screamy ending. BOOM! "Laundry Room"...
Discovering good music is fun. I like to find music in a variety of ways, but it's nothing earth shattering. For the most part I read reviews and have trusted sources and sites.
But I've noticed something recently that isn't always true, but pert near. If you can appreciate an album cover as good art, you are more likely to enjoy the album as good art.
With this idea in mind I went over to check out the recently released albums at Amazon MP3. A screen cap of 5 are below. Which albums are going to be artistic? Which will "say something?" And which are more likely to tickle your ears for a minute maybe and then dissolve as something forgettable?
I've checked out all five. The first is a soundtrack and isn't quite the same category as it uses movie art and the album is a score. The next three are pics of the artists in various forms. Juvenile is there to look tough-ish. Enrique Iglesias is there to look good for chicks and I guess Cascada is there to look good for men, though odds are it's chicks who will listen to her. Notice you get four faces (and some body on the fourth). But the album on the right is different.
I haven't heard of Kathryn Williams or her album, The Quickening, until a few minutes ago. Her cover art caught my eye. The colors are odd, old, aged. There's both structure (lines and shapes) and busyness (clutter). I want to see what the bits and pieces are. Looking more closely we see it's a doll house. It seems worn, cheap, and as far as dolls are concerned, empty. What does that mean? The first albums try to convey something quick and seductive. "He's tough," or "She's hot." The final one is trying to tell me something. Trying to get beyond the heat of the moment and talk about something real, lasting, important. The first few tell me everything, which isn't that much. The last one only gives me the doorway for what I hope will be much more. I want to go there. If I try to be succinct, the first few appeal to "lust" (of one sort or another) and the last is about "life."
After listening to samples from each of them learn that my impressions are correct. William's lyrics and music is artistic, rich, thought-provoking. The rest are nothing special.
Looking into this album there's another interesting fact. This album was released in February in the UK. Check out the original cover. I don't feel at all weirded out being a dude and buying the album above. The doll house is odd enough that it doesn't seem girlish. But the original cover found through the link seems more like a real, modern day doll house. Less likely to pick up that album. Funny how it works, but that's my reaction.
Judging an album by it's cover doesn't always work, of course. But for the most part as a means of music discovery, I've been pretty pleased whenever I judge an album by its cover.
Tokyo Police Club: Champ is a thoroughly enjoyable album. Solid fun. Here they are on Letterman with "Wait Up"...
CAUTION: If you can't handle songs with four letter words, move along. If you can, you need to watch Titus Andronicus with "Four Score and Seven." This sucker is long, starts with a whimper and eventually rocks out. It's from their great album, The Monitor. Follow along with the lyrics. Excerpt...
Because these humans treat humans like humans treat hogs,
They get used up, carved up, and fried in a pan.
But I wasn’t born to die like a dog, I was born to die just like a man.
I was born to die just like a man!
It’s still us against them, and they’re winning.
Yeah, I know. You read to the end to see if there's another helping of Avett Brothers. There is. Shhh shh shh. No need to say it. I love you too. And this wonderful song is just for you - "Ten Thousand Words" from the album I and Love and You.
A new list of great $5 albums for July. TONS of Reformissionary Recommended albums below. If you are looking for a particular kind of music, I'm happy to help. Comment below. Check out all 100 $5 albums at Amazon MP3.
My friend, Ben Arment, has created another STORY Conference here in Chicago. The STORY website is the dreamiest ever. How can you see this and not want to go? STORY purposefully has limited seating for maximized experience, so you want to get your tickets now.
Here's more info...
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STORY Sept 23-24 Chicago, IL
STORY is a conference for the creative class in ministry on September 23-24, 2010 at Park Community Church in downtown Chicago. The purpose is to fuel the church's artists, writers and producers in communicating the greatest story ever told. You’ll hear from some of the best creative practitioners in both ministry and the marketplace, from filmmakers and authors to actors and musicians. Presenters include:
# Dan Allender - best-selling author, professor at Mars Hill Graduate School # Charlie Todd - creator of Improv Everywhere in New York City # Princess Zulu - AIDS victim from infancy, advocate for the oppressed # Jason Fried - founder of 37Signals, creator of Basecamp, author of Rework # John Sowers - president of Donald Miller's The Mentoring Project # Shauna Niequist - former creative director at Mars Hill, author of Bittersweet # David Hodges - formerly of the band Evanescence, award-winning songwriter # Leonard Sweet - futurist, author of 40 books, professor at Drew University # David McFadzean - creator of Home Improvement, producer of Roseanne # Richard Walter - accomplished screenwriter and professor of film at UCLA # Sean Gladding - member of Communality, a new monastic community # Andrew Klavan - author of True Crime (Clint Eastwood) and numerous novels # Gary Dorsey - founder of Pixel Peach Studio in Austin, TX # Music by Vicky Beeching, Kari Jobe and Carlos Whittaker
Seating is limited to just 500 attendees, and the event is scheduled on a Thursday and Friday so you can enjoy the weekend in the city. Following its inaugural event in 2009, STORY is now a two-day, main-stage event with no breakouts or workshops; just an intimate audience with the top creative minds. You’ll be able to ask questions during the event and continue the conversation after it's over. Visit www.storychicago.com.
Thanks to Lifeway and Jared Wilson for the opportunity to review the Threads by Lifeway study Abide: Practicing Kingdom Rhythms in a Consumer Culture. I've seen a couple of Threads products and it's a sharp-looking line of materials for young adults and college students. It seems like a nice step-up for Lifeway products. Here's a video teaser for Abide that I think is well-done...
There's no shortage of books on spiritual disciplines as a whole or certain disciplines on their own. I have dozens of them. What I love, just love, about Abide is that it uses the word/idea of "rhythms." Disciplines seem like work to me. Rhythms feel like life. There's just something freeing, at least to me, about that simple shift. If want to live Kingdom life, I don't want to live Kingdom discipline.
Maybe that's just a generational thing. To be "disciplined" seems honorable and even heroic. But maybe that's the problem. Maybe when I try to be more involved in disciplines I want to be seen as spiritually honorable. Sounds like the Pharisees, who prayed and fasted to be seen by others and not God. I long to be seen by God, and to have rhythms in my life that develop a knowledge and relationship with Him.
There is no biblical language that has been more helpful in this longing for me than the language of abiding in Christ (John 15). My pastor in Denver used to talk from the pulpit about how in his early ministry he was working in his own energy and crashed hard physically and ended up in the hospital. The passage that saved him was John 15, and learning that if we don't abide in Christ we can do nothing. That story stuck with me, and 6+ years into my first pastorate I've myself in numerous struggles both personally and ministerially. Along comes an opportunity to review Abide. I needed it. I hope some who read this review will realize they need it too.
Abide is 5 studies: feeling Scripture, intentional prayer, purposeful fasting, joyful service and genuine community. The format is new to me. It reads much like a book. Often in "Bible study" books you get leading questions, a lot of going to read Scripture, and a lot of questions to answer. Wilson gives us a lot of content with helpful questions occasionally breaking it up. I like the content-focused approach better than most studies I've seen. Especially for younger folks who could use a bit more pastor-leadership.
I really like the questions in the chapters. They are truly thought-provoking and require creative thinking that is both personal and theological. No one is phoning-in the questions. They are well constructed. For example...
Take some time to write out what some beatitudes of suburbia might sound like. What or who is considered blessed in a consumerist culture? p17
Jared uses plenty of humor along the way that fits right in with the crowd he is writing to. I think the format and approach will work well with the intended crowd.
I don't if I've seen it before, but the illustration of how being filled with the spirit is like sailing was just great. Rhythms hoist sails to catch the blowing of the Ghost. Without sails up, the wind won't take us far. This picture colors Wilson's approach to every rhythm.
Abide is Gospel-centered. If you have young adults around, this is a solid resource that doesn't just say to do things to please God. Wilson draws from many sources including some new, solid ones (like Skye Jethani, John Piper) and very old, good ones (like Bonhoeffer, Calvin).
My only criticism is I occasionally felt chapters were meandering. I like when things are point-point-point, and in a logical and obvious flow. I'm not saying Wilson was illogical or had no flow to his arguments. Not at all. But for me it seemed more woven together than systematically argued. I think some of the style elements may have distracted from the flow too. So maybe it's just my age showing. It is, after all, written for someone about 1/2 my age. (Wow, just realized that I'm old.) I say all that to say that this really isn't much of a criticism. Just an observation. And it's meant for further discussion among friends and not just individual consumption, which is what I did.
The Leader's Guide kit has a number of helpful materials including articles for preparation, questions, etc through an enhanced CD. Articles and audio devotions are emailable to the group, video shorts are provided to spark discussion. I have yet to encounter a study with so much material! It's well done. There are even songs to coincide with the study. Everything is very user friendly and they make it clear what to do and when. I printed out some stuff just to see how it looks and it looked beautiful with color and artwork. As with any leader material for any study, you will likely find some stuff more helpful than others and be able to tweak the study as you find it helpful.
I've found Abide helpful to the point I've built my current sermon series around some of the ideas, points and illustrations. Last Sunday was on Scripture and the Abide chapter was quite useful during prep. I highly recommend this study for the young adults it's intended for. I think it will also be helpful for any adult who needs solid teaching on kingdom rhythms. I'm considering going through it with my daughter (13) next. It might still be a little beyond her, but I think she'll dig it. I think you will too.
Bonnaroo Free Audio: All at NPR including Gaslight Anthem, Dead Weather, The XX, Avett Brothers, and many more
One of my favorite new albums is Damien Jurado: Saint Bartlett ($5 right now!). I highly recommend it, including the great song "Arkansas." The video is quite interesting...
The Gaslight Anthem plays "The Backseat" at Bonnaroo. It's from their excellent album, The '59 Sound. Their new album, American Slang, is out tomorrow. Both albums are $7.99. Crank it up!
Missional thinkers/pastors often bemoan the loss of the front porch in neighborhood architecture. It used to be the place to relax after the work is done, sip tea, interact with our neighbors, etc. The back porch has become prominent, and it's where we hang in seclusion from our neighbors and do our own thing. 
