Tim Keller is 100 gifts to the Church. Maybe one of the most important is his ability to talk to non-Christians & intellectuals. Here's his hour long talk to the employees at Google on The Meaning of Marriage. How many Christians could talk to this crowd in such a reasonable and inviting way on an issue of decreasing weight in our culture? Wonderful. (HT:JT)
"Lucky Now" from Ryan Adams' new album, Ashes & Fire. Lyrics below.
I don’t remember were we wild and young?
All that faded into memory
I feel like somebody I don’t know
Are we really who we used to be?
Am I really who I was?The lights will draw you in
And the dark will bring you down
And the night will break your heart
But only if you’re lucky nowWaiting outside while you find your keys
Like bags of trash in the blackening snow
City of neon and toes that freeze
We’ve got nothing and nowhere to go
We’ve got nothing and nowhereAnd the lights will draw you in
And the dark will take you down
And the night will break your heart
But only if you’re lucky nowAnd if the lights draw you in
And the dark can take you down
And love will mend your heart
But only if you’re lucky nowI don’t remember were we wild and young?
All that’s faded into memory
I feel like somebody I don't know
Are we really who we used to be?
Am I really who I was?
Some year-end lists of the best albums of 2011 are coming out. Some are right up my alley and some challenge, uh, my alley. Best of lists aren't only good to compare your own favorites, but to discover albums you may not have found otherwise. I'm already listening to a couple of albums I would have ignored if not for showing up on a respected list. Check some of these out (several compiled by the excellent Stereogum).
I hope some of you will be able to make Liberate 2012 in February.
From Tim Keller's new article, "Preaching in a Secular Culture," on some practices for preaching to secular people...
For more on these 10 practices and a lot more on preaching in a secular culture, go read the whole article.
Some great $5 albums at Amazon for December. At least a couple will end up on my best of 2011. Go check out some great music, especially my favorites below...
He never gives up and you know he's going to get a touchdown...
Joe has been pestering me with multiple emails, insisting I get an ESV Journaling Bible. Now he's gone public with his love for it in his new post, "How I'm Using the ESV Journaling Bible." I'm ordering this one today. Here's a few words on how he uses the lined, wide margins...
1. Summation, Connection, and Implication.
I often write out a summation of certain truths, arguments, or passages that make things clear for me.
2. Cross references.
Some people won’t like that the ESV Journaling Bible doesn’t have cross refernces, but I like that I get to add my own.
3. Quotes.
I’m even throwing helpful quotes from other writers/theologians when helpful to me or those I may wind up teaching.
Check out the rest of his post. And check out the ESV Journaling Bible (also in black calfskin, natural brown leather, and other editions).
Gospel wakefulness means treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly. Treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly is simply the the long way of writing worship.
Worship is the ascribing of the worth to something or someone. In this case, of course, the recipient of this worship is God, the only one worthy of our worship. What happens in gospel wakefulness is that in our brokenness, our sense of self-worth and sufficiency in things other than God gets destroyed, and as the good news of Christ's finished work is applied to us, our affections become reformed, renewed, and revitalized.
Jared Wilson in Gospel Wakefulness, p 77 (bold emphasis mine).
A few cheap Kindle books I've found lately...
$2.99
$3.99
If you don't have a Kindle, you can still read these books with a Kindle app on your computer or phone. Just download a free app. Or buy a Kindle for $79, $99 (Touch), $149 (Touch 3G), or $199 (Fire, color & apps).
A few great albums for $4.99 today...
Other $4.99 albums still on sale from Black Friday deals...
A few good albums on sale today for $4.99...
Joel Beeke & Brian Najapfour in Taking Hold of God: Reformed & Puritan Perspectives on Prayer list what John Calvin (Institutes: book 3, chapter 20) sees as the six (at least) purposes of prayer.
- To fly to God with every need and gain from Him what is lacking in ourselves to live the Christian life
- To learn to desire wholeheartedly only what is right as we place all our petitions before God
- To prepare us to receive God's benefits and responses to to our petitions with humble gratitude
- To meditate on God's kindness to us as we receive what we have asked for
- To instill the proper spirit of delight for God's answers in prayer
- To confirm God's faithful providence so that we may glorify Him and trust in His present help more readily as we witness His regularly answering our prayers
"All of these purposes are designed to foster communion with God so that 'the promises of God should have their way with us.'" (quoting Niesel, Theology of Calvin, 157)
From Taking Hold of God, pg 31-32.
M83 has one of my favorite albums of the year, Hurry Up We're Dreaming. Actually it's a double album. My iPod asks me for a little diversity and I'm reluctant, because I love this album and I love it loud. I think you will too.
If you aren't convinced, please watch them play Fallon with their great song "Midnight City." Turn up the volume. The lyrics are below the video if you want to follow along. Lyric of note, "The city is my church." What does this song teach us about the culture?
"Midnight City" Lyrics
Waiting in the car
Waiting for a ride
At night the city grows
Look at the horizon glowWaiting in the car
Waiting for a ride in the dark
Drinking in the lights
Following the neon signsWaiting for a word
Looking at the milky skyline
The city is my church
It wraps me in its blinding twilightWaiting in the car
Waiting for a ride in the dark
Amazon is selling a handful of albums for $4.99 this week (for Black Friday). Here are the ones they've marked down so far. More to come. Enjoy!
Joe Henry plays a Tiny Desk Concert. Four songs from this highly respected artist & producer. Check out his newest album, Reverie.
Austin City Life church in, uh, Austin, has a new four song EP out: Glow. Stream it at Bandcamp. couple of years ago I shared my thoughts on their first EP, One. Vocals are from Miranda Dodson (I really like here album, Change A Thing).
I've only listened through it twice. Two quick notes. I really dig the opener "Beautiful Love." Sounds like they blend some southern flavor to a hint of the vocal dancing of Eisley or Joanna Newsom. It's a lovely track. They close with a tweaked version of "Be Thou My Vision." Miranda dominates here, yet sings it delicately. They add a chorus (or a bridge?) that I believe will add a layer of understanding for those who get a bit lost in the wording of the original hymn.
Glow is well worth checking out. Share your thoughts below. Would love to hear what you think.
Calexico makes good music. Consistently. I've never seen them live, but would like to. One of the benefits of seeing them live is that they have produced tour-only albums along the way.
But now you can pick them all up without seeing them on tour. Calexico: Selection from Road Atlas 1998-2011 is the compilation of 8 self-released tour albums. Amazon has it for $8.99 right now (17 tracks, including one exclusive to Amazon). But don't take my word for it. Stream it free in full at Paste.
This is the kind of music Mumford & Sons writes, and it's the reason people can't wait for them to make more music...
