So I don’t get Alzheimer’s …

Did you ever see that episode of Friends where Rachel is determined to finish a crossword puzzle on her own?  She tells Chandler, “You know what we should all do?  Go see a musical.  And you know which one we should see?  The 1996 Tony Award winner.  Do you happen to know the name of that one?”  Of course, this was before Google made crossword puzzles completely conquerable for anyone with internet access, and while I refuse to cheat via search engine, I am not beyond soliciting a little assistance, a la Rachel’s tactic.

Friday night was a slow one at B&B, so I ran over to Potbelly to pick up a Reader.  After skimming the upcoming concerts (of course), I opted for the crossword puzzle.  I’ve never been really big on crosswords; they always seem daunting and obscure.  It’s a little discouraging when you know maybe two or three words out fifty, so I was fully prepared to give up after a couple minutes.  However, when I read the clue for 39-across (the worst song of all time, according to Blender), I was hooked.  For some reason my mind latches on to useless trivia like this.  Hebrew verb paradigms, however, just don’t seem to stick.    Anyway, I was more than thrilled to write in “WEBUILTTHISCITY” with a pen, no less.  There for awhile I thought I could maybe finish it completely on my own.  But alas, I am stuck.  And while I won’t Google, I will solicit input from those promising not to Google as well.    How ’bout it, friends?  Wanna help me finish my crossword?

My Life According to Derek Webb

RULES: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to a bunch of people including me. You can’t use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think! Re-post as “My Life According to (BAND NAME/ARTIST)”

1. Are you a male or female?
She Must and Shall Go Free

2. Describe yourself:
Saint and Sinner

3. How do you feel:
Thankful

4. Describe where you currently live:
Somewhere North

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
All Across the Western World

6. Your favorite form of transportation:
Bus Driver

7. Your best friend:
Better Than Wine

8. Your favorite color is:
Ballad in Plain Red

9. What’s the weather like:
Marvelous Light … okay, so Steve Hindalong wrote it, but Derek sings it pretty well.

10. Favorite time of day:
The Very End

11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
In God We Trust

12. What is life to you:
Faith My Eyes

13. Your current relationship:
Nobody Loves Me … I’m not bitter

14. Looking for:
A Love That’s Stronger Than Our Fear

15. Wouldn’t mind:
A King and a Kingdom

16. Your fear:
Standing Up for Nothing

17. What is the best advice you have to give:
Love Is Not Against the Law

18. If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Mockingbird … I don’t know; this one is hard.

19. Thought for the Day:
Love Is Different

20. How I would like to die:
Daring Daylight Escape

21. My motto:
This Too Shall Be Made Right

And my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

As I type this I am on a plane heading to Texas.  I haven’t been home since Christmas, so needless to say I’m a little jazzed.  The plan was to use these couple hours to get through at least one more chapter of assigned reading for my Christian Theology intensive class coming up in a few weeks.  (I’ve read/taken notes over 3 … out of 37.)  However, as the plane began to take off and I looked out my window to see Lake Michigan just beyond the Chicago skyline, I was just a little overwhelmed.  I always try to pick a window seat whenever I fly because how often is one privileged with such a view?  Skyline, lake, clouds, Midwestern farmland, whatever … I soak it in.  As we ascended further into the immaculate brightness of clouds that wouldn’t allow me to glance out the window for more than a couple seconds, my heart began to sing the words of a chorus I haven’t thought of in years.

And my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

As soon as the pilot gave the okay for electronic devices, I pulled out my laptop to find the song that upon playing sounded like an old friend.  As we rose above the clouds I could once again look out my window and sing (albeit silently … although I may have been humming; I’m not sure) along with Chris,

“Oh praise him all his mighty works,
There is no language where you can’t be heard,
Your song goes out to all the earth,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah”

This beautiful meditation on general revelation then called to mind another song, this one a bit more in recent memory.  Last Sunday began a sermon series on animals at my church in Glen Ellyn, and at the close we sang one of my favorite hymns.  It’s just too good to only quote a line or two, so you get the whole thing … best lines bolded.  Perhaps you can worship along with me as you read or even sing.  Happy 4th of July, friends.  The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.  God reigns, let the earth be glad.

This Is My Father’s World

This is my Father’s world
And to my listening ears
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres

This is my Father’s world
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas
His hands the wonders wrought

This is my Father’s world
The birds their carols raise
The morning light, the lily white
Declare their Maker’s praise

This is my Father’s world
He shines in all that’s fair
In the rustling grass, I hear him pass
He speaks to me everywhere

This is my Father’s world
Oh let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the Ruler yet

This is my Father’s world
The battle is not done
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And heaven and earth be one

This is my Father’s world
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, let the heavens ring
God reigns, let the earth be glad

Standing the Test of Time … and Distance

Because I couldn’t have written it better …

There’s an app for that.

I am not what you would call technologically advanced.  I don’t have DVR; I still record things on VHS tapes.  I don’t have a GPS; I still print off MapQuest maps.  (Well, in all honesty I do have a GPS watch for marathon training purposes, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.) Nor do I have an iPhone or any comparable electronic device.  My simple cell works fine.  Nothing against the iPhone folks; I just have no desire to be that connected.  It’s bad enough having internet access at home (which I enjoy, don’t get me wrong).  I know myself and how much time I waste on the internet already; I certainly don’t need it everywhere, no matter how convenient it might be at times.

After last weekend, however, I can tell you that if ANYTHING was going to pull me into the iPhone camp, it would be this application.

Last Thursday one of my very best friends in the world made it up for her first Chicago visit.  I’d basically been looking forward to this since the second I left Oklahoma, so you could say I was a little excited.  About two weeks out, I started leaving countdown comments on her Facebook wall, things like: “In x number of days you’ll be here … and while you are here, we are going to: (fill in the blank).”  Things like run down Elm St. (as in Nightmare on) or wait hours in line for Ben Harper.  Some things we got around to (Ben, of course) and some we didn’t (not so much with the running ).  I suppose that just means she’ll have to come back.    Anyway, considering our mutual love of all kinds of music, I knew she’d love XRT (the only station I’ve ever heard play Indigo Girls), so listening at every chance definitely made the countdown.

I was right.  She loved the eclecticism as much as I do.  Seriously, I think I might go into mourning whenever I move out of XRT range.  The second day she was here we were driving somewhere when this fabulous cover of “Stand by Me” came on.  We both looked at each other like, “Who is this?!”  And that’s when it happened.  Stacey pulled out her nifty little iPhone, held it up to the speaker, and seconds later informed me it was John Lennon.  Now my question had turned from “Who is this?!” to “What did you just do?!”  Alright, all of you are probably WAY more in the know than me, but at that moment I was incredibly amazed.  No more dangerously scribbling down lyrics on whatever napkin or receipt happens to by lying close by while driving in order to Google them when I get home.  If I had an iPhone, I could just press a button!  No telling how many more songs she Shazam-ed over the course of her visit.  Not only is the app great for identifying songs, but it stores them for you so you can remember to download them later.  On our way to church we heard another great cover … “Is this Stevie Nicks singing ‘Crash’?!”  Shazam?  Sure enough.  That morning my pastor played a snippet from Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble.”  She totally would have tagged it had the clip lasted longer.

While I have no desire to know if the bird I’m looking at is a Red-faced Warbler, I wouldn’t mind knowing who’s on the radio.  A couple days ago I was on my way to the bank when I heard another fantastic cover.  And here’s the deal with covers: it doesn’t matter if I scribble down lyrics or not; I know the song already.  It’s the voice that eludes me.  What would I even Google?  “Pancho & Lefty / Scratchy-voiced cover?”  Thankfully XRT graciously informed me it was Steve Earle.

Well, I have yet to jump on the iPhone bandwagon, but if I ever do, we’ll all know why.

Hosanna

Hosanna.  It’s a churchy word.  Perhaps you’ve heard it today, being Palm Sunday and all.  I’ve never really liked the word, mostly because I identify it with some really cheesy praise choruses.  I’ve heard it as an exclamation, like “Glory!” or “Hallelujah!”, and I figure most people don’t even know what they’re saying.  It wasn’t until a few months ago that I developed an appreciation for the word, and over the past couple days that it has become my own cry.

I wrote last about my upcoming impromptu trip to Indiana for the Andrew Peterson Resurrection Letters Easter tour.  Back in October, however, some friends and I heard him play a free show a tad bit closer (only about 30 minutes away) promoting his latest album entitled “Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2.”  He played through the album in its entirety with a short commentary prior to each song.  One song he entitled “Hosanna” and went on to explain how the word is a transliteration from the Hebrew meaning “Save us, now.”  This is what the Jews proclaimed, quoting Psalm 118 as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Andrew mused that this simple word serves a dual purpose.  First, to cry out, “Save me,” is to admit that I need saving.  But it is also an acknowledgement that Jesus is able to save.  Both confession and praise.

Fast forward to this past Thursday.  As I arrived at the church where the concert was held, they handed out bulletins (okay, maybe I should call them programs; I can’t escape my “churchy” roots) with the order of service, or “set list” if you will.  After a few songs from each of the artists involved with the tour and a short intermission, the show entered into a progression of hymns and songs sung by Andrew and Jill as well as readings crafted by Andrew, tracing the last week of Jesus’ life.  Beginning with Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, Jill sang “Hosanna” from her album Kingdom Come (which I’ve written about before) followed by Andrew’s song of the same title.  I want to share the words here, since as of late they have become both my confession and praise.  Hosanna.

I am tangled up in contradiction.  I am strangled by my own two hands.  I am hunted by the hounds of addiction.  Hosanna!  I have lied to everyone who trusts me.  I have tried to fall when I could stand.  I have only loved the ones who loved me.  Hosanna!  O Hosanna!  See the long awaited king come to set his people free.  We cry O Hosanna!  Come and tear the temple down.  Raise it up on holy ground.  Hosanna!

I have struggled to remove this raiment, tried to hide every shimmering strand.  I contend with these ghosts and these hosts of bright angels.  Hosanna!  I have cursed the man that you have made me.  I have nursed the beast that bays for my blood.  Oh, I have run from the one who would save me.  Save me, Hosanna!  O Hosanna!  See the long awaited king, come to set his people free.  We cry O Hosanna!  Come and tear the temple down.  Raise it up on holy ground.  Hosanna!  We cry for blood, and we take your life.  Hosanna!  We cry for blood, and we take your life.  It is blood, it is life that you have given.

You have crushed beneath your heel the vile serpent.  You have carried to the grave the black stain.  You have torn apart the temple’s holy curtain.  You have beaten Death at Death’s own game.  Hosanna!  O Hosanna!  Hail the long awaited king, come to set his people free.  We cry O Hosanna!  Won’t you tear this temple down, raise it up on holy ground.  O Hosanna!  I will lift my voice and sing: you have come and washed me clean. Hosanna.

Another “Tag, you’re it!”

These “all about me” memes are certainly making their rounds these days.  But rather than telling you my “gangsta name,” I thought I’d latch onto another and share fifteen life changing albums.

Stand by Me Soundtrack
This is the first album I can remember loving.  As I child I remember dancing around to “Mr. Lee” and giggling at the humor of “Yakety Yak.”  My greatest accomplishment as a first grader was perhaps the mastery of the “Lollipop” finger/cheek pop sound.  I credit this album with planting the seeds of my music obsession.

George Strait – Greatest Hits Volume Two
That’s right, a country album.  I wouldn’t be a Texas girl without it!  And while country is certainly not representative of my overarching musical tastes, my list would not be complete without old school George. No music evokes memories of childhood visits to the grandparents in south Texas like this.  Of course the double entendres of “The Fireman” were lost on me as a five year old, and I remember picturing a literal blue man whenever “Am I Blue” would play.  My favorite (to this day) is “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”  I still sing out just a little bit louder when he gets to “Sweet Eileen’s in Abilene …”

Wilson Phillips – Wilson Phillips
Another childhood album.  Man, me and my mom wore this tape (yes, a cassette tape … long before iTunes or even CDs) out.  I still know every word and what song’s supposed to play next.  I would definitely categorize this one as a guilty pleasure; however, I embrace it wholeheartedly.  I felt much more mature than a third grader whenever I listened to them.

James Taylor – Greatest Hits
If the Stand by Me soundtrack planted the roots of the obsession, James Taylor pruned the emerging plant.  I don’t remember when I started listening to this album … and it was a literal “album”; my parents had the record.  Even as a child I knew there was a qualitative difference between this and the other music I enjoyed.  Something about the acoustic guitar intro to “Fire and Rain” still stirs my soul.  I didn’t wear this record out; I just broke the record player listening to it.

Nichole Nordeman – Wide Eyed
Enter my Contemporary Christian Music phase.  This album was a jem.  I listened to her words and felt they were my own.  Her sincere desire to know God despite doubts and questions was liberating for me.  She didn’t offer pat answers but was honest about her own faith struggles.  Nichole Nordeman ministered to me through her music, and she was the first.

Caedmon’s Call – 40 Acres
I had a hard time picking which CC album to include.  My freshman year in high school I got their self titled album on blind faith because I liked the song “Lead of Love.”  Little did I know what inspiration result from that one purchase.  I don’t know that I would say 40 Acres is their best album, but it’s probably the most personally impacting.  Remember “Shifting Sand”?  I still resonate with each lyric.  And “Faith My Eyes” was my going to college song.  Gah … and “Table for Two” continues to speak truth and wisdom into my life.

Andrew Peterson – Carried Along
Another hard choice on which album.  I went with his first.  I fell in love with Andrew my senior year in high school the moment I heard “Nothing to Say” on the radio.  I can’t help but be quiet and still upon hearing this incredibly personal and poetic praise to the Lord of creation.  Again, I bought the album for the one song, and have since bought every album he’s released, never being disappointed.

Jill Phillips – Kingdom Come
I also found Jill in high school after especially resonating with her song “Steel Bars.”  She picked up where Nichole Nordeman left off in terms of musical discipleship.  Again, her honesty captivated me.  With every song I sensed the struggle, yet was challenged and encouraged by her tenacity in perseverance.  “Kingdom Come,” her masterful reworking of several hymns, has become my Sunday morning staple.

Ben Harper – Diamonds on the Inside
And then comes Ben.  A friend introduced me to his music while in college, and I am forever indebted to her!  This album certainly reflects his self proclaimed “Folk/Rock/Reggae” eclecticism with songs ranging from the Marley-esque “With My Own Two Hands” to “Picture of Jesus,” reminiscent of Paul Simon.  “Blessed to Be a Witness” wins the day … and the album.

Pieces of April Soundtrack
Bless you, “Pieces of April” for introducing me to Stephin Merritt and his haunting voice.  Besides being one of my all time favorite movies, I think this album emerges as my all time favorite soundtrack.  From the start I was captivated by the quirky instrumentation and odd arrangement of sounds. When I play this album, I somehow feel like I have a more interesting life than is the case.  And I can’t help but smile every time I hear the line, “I know Professor Blumen makes you feel like a woman, but when the wind is in your hair, you laugh like a little girl.”

Damien Rice – O
I just love the sound of this album; it’s strikingly intimate.  It reminds me of my last apartment … my beautiful deep red wall and the ugly, yet cozy, brown carpet.  His music, too, is haunting … evocative and penetrating.

Derek Webb – Mockingbrid
For thirteen years I have loved this man’s work, the wisdom he so artfully conveys through his music.  On this album you are consistently challenged to question what you’ve always believed, not for the sake of deconstruction but for a strengthening of faith that leads to good works.  Jesus is exalted, and His teaching revered.  Everyone should find himself somewhere on this album, and hopefully walk away changed.

Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams
This album makes me want to fall in love.  Pretty much any Jack Johnson album is good for background music, and if you parse through his lyrics you’ll find some good stuff.  However, “Better Together” may be my favorite love song of all time, replete with its clever quips on real aspects of partnership.  And Banana Pancakes!  Who doesn’t want to stay in bed on a rainy day with someone they love?  “When the whole world fits inside of your arms, do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?”

Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
I was first drawn to Wilco because I knew Derek Webb was a fan.  It’s taken me awhile to get on board, but after giving this album several listenings, call me a seaman … or seawoman, I guess.  This album is good on a level beyond my appreciation.  I know I don’t get it in its fullness, but that makes me like it even more.  I feel like this album has opened up new avenues to other artists that I might have previously written off but now have come to love.

Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
What to say, what to say.  I don’t want to waste my time with music not as good as theirs.  Who else could have coined the phrase “sexy cocktail hour stubble”?  I want to BE the girl with dahlias in her hair.  I listen to this album, and I truly thank the Lord for gifting this woman and this man with their ability to write and perform music.  Every listen fills me with a hopeful expectation of what is to come.  Whether that be for the Trumpet Child to blow His horn or the chance to share the thoughts I’ve long been entertaining about the one with whom I’ll someday read Shel Silverstein in bed.  Everyone I share this album with becomes a fast fan.  It’s impossible not to; they’re that good.

Hmm … time for tagging.  If you’re tagged I have some interest in hearing what albums have most affected you.  Tracy, you’re not on Facebook, but consider yourself tagged, my friend.  I especially would love to hear your top albums.

25 Things

I am cracking up at how this has taken over Facebook these days!  By now you all know what to do … tag me back if you do it!

1. I was once held at gunpoint while the gunman tried to steal my car.  He couldn’t get it to start, however, so he stole my friend’s car instead.
2. I was an only child for eleven years.  I used to refer to myself as a “lonely child.”  Even though technically I am now the eldest, I still maintain my only child personality in many respects.  As does my younger brother, despite technically being the youngest.
3. I don’t have a sister, but my cousin Jayme might as well be … we grew up fighting like sisters.  These days I never get tired of having her around.  I love her SO much, and I am so thankful that as of this year we get to live in the same town!
4. My best friend growing up was also named Sarah.  And we have the same middle name.  And it’s spelled in a semi-unusual way … Kaye.  And we’re both named after our aunts.  On our moms’ side.
5. When I was in middle school I had a fanatical crush on John Travolta.  I was obsessed.  I would record episodes of Welcome Back Kotter on Nick at Nite.  I still have my Saturday Night Fever t-shirt.
6. I am not a fan of root beer, but I absolutely love root beer Dum Dums.
7. If I had a bucket list, I would be able to cross off “Run a marathon” and “Jump out of a plane.”
8. I am a multiple sneezer.  I hardly ever sneeze less than five times in a row, and I believe my record is twelve.
9. My hair is an ever evolving entity.  My mom never let me color it growing up, so that has become my benign method of rebellion.  Over the past four years or so I’ve gone blonde to dark, dark brown and everywhere in between.  I also like to grow it out long and then cut it super short.  Drastic changes usually coincide with major life changes, i.e. breakups, graduations, etc.
10. I don’t consider myself to be especially feminine, although I am somewhat girly about certain things.  Like nail polish.  I love it.  I usually paint my nails once a week, and I have a huge tote with almost any shade of red and pink imaginable.  (I’m not usually a crazy color girl, although I do have teal!)  I also really like makeup.  I have amassed quite the collection of Clinique Bonus samples.
11. It is my goal to see every movie that ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Out of 80, I’ve seen 48 … and a half.  I still haven’t made it all the way through Lawrence of Arabia. 
12. I have a couple prerequisites for my future last name.  1) I would like to move up in the alphabet.  2) I would like a name more unusual than Reed.  I would also like to still have double letters, but that may be getting too picky.
13. If I could choose for myself any giftedness, it would be to sing uniquely and well, to play an instrument with true talent, and to write music and lyrics with life changing potential.   Really, any of the three would be nice.  I suppose I’ll just have to settle for being an appreciator.
14. My three favorite instruments in no particular order are the harmonica, the mandolin, and the cello.  My cousin’s is the triangle.  I got her one for her birthday.
15. I am convinced that music is an incredible didactic tool.  As much as effort as I put into memorizing scripture, it somehow falls out of my head after awhile.  Scripture in song, however, is there forever.  How fitting that the Psalms were meant to be sung!  I always try to incorporate music into my teaching, and I plan to do it as a professor someday as well.  You know, I can’t name a single character from The Scarlet Letter, but thanks to my senior English teacher Mrs. Whitaker, I sure as heck know that Heathcliff and Cathy are the stars of Wuthering Heights.  For four plus minutes of ever increasing hilarity: 
16. I’m really good at “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”  If it weren’t for my fear of singing in front of people, I would totally try out.  I would have won $200,000 if I had been on the show one of the nights I watched.
17. I did win a computer for college at Project Graduation.
18. My first car did not have reverse.  I had to get really creative with parking.
19. I am conflicted about having children.  Sometimes I want four – two boys and two girls – so that everyone can have a sister AND a brother.  Other times I think, “I hope I’ll love my OWN children.”  However, when my friend Stacey had her first child Molly, that fear was pretty much alleviated.  I love that kid so much!
20. If I could perfectly emulate anyone’s style & wit it would have to be Lorelai Gilmore’s.
21. I am a firm believer in the power of words.  Life and death, friends, life and death.  To this day I can remember very vividly words people have spoken to/about me, both for the good and the bad.
22. I really like to be right.  Sadly sometimes I prefer being right over being liked.
23. The first rated R movie I ever saw was Stand by Me.  My family was watching it and allowed me to stay with them in the living room if I covered my eyes during the throw up scene.  I peeked.
24. I thoroughly enjoy reading things aloud to others.  If you and I are at Blockbuster, you can be pretty sure I’ll try to read you the back cover of at least one movie.  One summer at volleyball camp, my friend Tracy was reading a John Grisham book that I had already read.  She had about fifty pages left, and I convinced her to let me read them to her so I could see her reaction to the twist at the end.
25. I love, love, love being on the roof.  I wanted to have my 13th birthday on the roof of the Grace Museum, but it was too expensive.  When I was a dorm director my building had a flat roof, and when the weather was nice I would go up there during the day to lay out (I lugged a lawn chair up there all by myself) and at night to pray.  I took my staff up there a couple times (shh … don’t tell) and got caught by the UCO police once when I took my cousins and aunt up there.  To commemorate my last week as a hall director, a friend of mine and I spent the night up there.  It was SO uncomfortable (read: sleeping on rocks, literally), but totally worth it.

What a concert SHOULD be

Probably my favorite thing about living in the Chicagoland area is the chance I get to see all sorts of live music.  However, being a poor grad student, this plethora of concert options doesn’t always work well with my budget.  I really do need to marry a rich man to support my educational and concert-going “habits.”    But seriously, this has been a great semester for shows, and thankfully many of them have been relatively inexpensive, a few even free.

What’s been interesting to note, however, is the correlation between ticket price and concert quality.  The concerts I’ve paid the most for (Jenny Lewis, Ray LaMontagne, Conor Oberst), while still enjoyable, were not near as memorable as those that cost much less (Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, Don Chaffer, Over the Rhine) or were FREE (Andrew Peterson, Shawn McDonald).  I was so excited to see Ray LaMontagne … not only was it at the Chicago Theatre (as in the classic sign everyone recognizes), but it was sold out.  I expected the crowd to be ecstatic … communal somehow.  Instead there were a bunch of drunk girls yelling out, “We love you Ray!”  I mean, he was great, so talented, but I couldn’t help but think that the venue wasn’t right.  It was too big for his sound.  There was no intimacy that you hope for between yourself and the artist at a show.  Jenny Lewis felt a little commercial and forced at times, and I didn’t think Conor Oberst was a very generous performer.  It seemed to be about him and not the audience, which to me is a major concert faux pax.

The others, though … let’s just say I have been blown away on several occasions.  Starting with Don Chaffer.  It is a SHAME to me that this man’s music is as relatively unheard of as it is.  Emotional honesty and incredible creativity characterized his whole performance.  Never heard of him?  Download an album (for FREE) here (and then search for Waterdeep or Krusty Brothers). Or pre-order Waterdeep’s newest album and get a pre-release download sent to you immediately.  Yeah, I’ve heard it … it’s good … you should buy it  … now.

And then there was Andrew Peterson.  If I could choose to write like anyone, it would be Andrew.  For his album release tour this fall, he did two weeks of straight shows, all free, in the hopes of getting his music into the hands of those that might be blessed by it.  He played an annotated set, working through his album song by song, explaining the inspiration behind each one.  I could write an entire post about this show alone.  Actually, I could write a whole post just about the inspiration behind the song “Invisible God.”  His artistry extends beyond his music and lyrics and into the stories he tells.  My least favorite song on the album pre-show was “Rocket.”  I hadn’t listened that closely, and it seemed to me some silly boyish ode to a space machine.  However, after hearing his story about how a fan of his (who happened to be an astronaut) invited him and his family to a shuttle launch (as well as promised to take pictures of his albums up in space), I had to give the song a second chance.  I love how Andrew can see stories of resurrection (the album is called Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2) in the least expected of places.  He mused that trusting in Christ is somewhat like strapping oneself to an incredibly complex machine, a human’s only hope of breaking free from the earth that ties us down.  “Gravity binds us, but glory defines us.”  Sharon pointed that line out.  Yeah, I brought a few friends with me, most of whom hadn’t never even heard the name Andrew Peterson.  They all three bought his album and have since informed me that it was all they listened to for weeks.

Last week I saw Over the Rhine for the first time.  It was an unpublicized show at an old converted church in Naperville.  Pretty appropriate as Karin belted out what one reviewer called their “jazz hymn,” a poetic take on the return of Christ.  “The Trumpet Child will lift a glass, His bride now leaning in at last, His final aim to fill with joy, the earth that man all but destroyed.”  From the moment she opened her mouth to sing “I don’t want to waste your time,” I knew this concert would be anything but that.  Every song was incredible.  I’m not overstating it.  INCREDIBLE.  And they were so generous.  It’s like they know how talented they are, and rather than thinking more of themselves and making it all about them, they simply share their art.  Generously.  And the audience really responds to that.  There was a communal aspect to this show that I haven’t felt in a long time.  And while I love, love, love music, never have I really considered a song perfect.  “Trouble” is that song for me.  “If you came to make some trouble, better make it good.  Your sexy cocktail hour stubble is doing what it should.”  Seriously, greatest line ever.

This afternoon I got to see Shawn McDonald perform at a free show put on by Willow Creek.  Other than the horribly bright backlighting and the rude people talking in the back of the room for the first half of the show (until a random girl got up, interrupted Shawn in the middle of a story, grabbed the microphone and proceeded to tell them how rude they were being … in a rude manner herself, I might add, not to mention awkward) I would definitely put this show in the high quality/low cost category.  Give me one musician, a guitar, and a microphone over a whole production any day.  A few songs in, Kristi leaned over and asked if he seemed nervous to me.  He did a little.  An endearing nervousness.  There was such a drastic difference in the speaking Shawn versus the singing Shawn, however.  The former, who would start telling a story and then forget how it tied into the next song, was far outshone by the latter, who with passion and funk would belt out in one breath “takemyhandtothepromisedandonyouIwannastand’causeIcannotdoitonmyown.”  And then there was the skatting.  Seriously, my only exposure to skat is The Cosby Show and Shawn McDonald.  That takes talent, my friends.

I was recently reminded of something Jeff Tweedy said on Sunken Treasure (a DVD of his solo tour down the West Coast) about concerts as I began to reflect on all the shows I’d been to this year.  He compares a concert to what church would be like if church was what it should be.  At one point he’s reacting to some rude background talking at one of his shows (much like the kiddos today), and after chastising them a bit he shares the following thoughts on what a concert should be: “You feel yourself being in a room full of people with all their hearts beating and all of the their thoughts and feelings, and you’re a part of it.  You’re not just you.  You are a part of a group of people in a really beautiful way.  It’s a really wonderful thing to be a part of, but you have to pay attention to it.  It’s not just me; I’m not just being some pissy artist.  It’s what you do when you go to a concert.  You be a part of it.  You don’t set yourself apart from everybody.  You’re part of something.  It’s wonderful.  It’s joyous.”  Amen.  That’s what makes a concert great.  But it takes effort on both ends.  Artists can’t expect that from their fans with a half-hearted performance.  They have to be the kind of performers whose excellence commands that attention and interaction.  And when that combination is there, it’s magical.

So in my remaining year and a half (at least) in Chicagoland, I plan to continue to take full advantage of all my concert options.  Oh, and I’m currently taking applications for a financier, aka wealthy future husband. 

… We’d hum on Election Day

I had a long conversation with my dad last week about politics.  It was great fodder for a post, but alas, I have a research paper due in three days and a historical context assignment due in four, which leaves little time for political pontification.    So … I’ll share a song instead.  Enjoy!

Over the Rhine’s “If A Song Could Be President”

If a song could be president
We’d hum on Election Day
The gospel choir would start to sway
And we’d all have a part to play

The first lady would free her hips
Pull a microphone to her lips
Break our hearts with Rhythm and Blues
Steve Earle would anchor the news

We’d vote for a melody
Pass it around on an MP3
All our best foreign policy
Would be built on harmony

If a song could be president
We’d fly a jukebox to the moon
All our founding fathers’ 45’s
Lightnin’ Hopkins and Patsy Cline
If a song could be president

If a song could be president
We could all add another verse
Life would teach us to rehearse
Till we found a key change

Break out of this minor key
Half-truths and hypocrisy
We wouldn’t need an underachiever-in-chief
If a song could be president

We’d make Neil Young a Senator
Even though he came from Canada
Emmylou would be Ambassador
World leaders would listen to her

They would show us where our country went wrong
Strum their guitars on the White House lawn
John Prine would run the FBI
All the criminals would laugh and cry
If a song could be president

Oh, and while we’re talking politics (and music) here’s a link to some free music (about politics).

The Parable of the Lost Keys

You’ve heard them all.  There’s the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.  However, today, let me recount for you the parable of the lost keys.

**********

There was a girl who had a set of keys.  These keys were beloved in they eyes of the girl, for in addition to getting her into her car, her cousin’s car, her apartment, the laundry room in her apartment, her mail box,  and her parent’s home in Texas, they also were fastened together by two favorite key chains.  One key chain was replaceable, yet expensive.  The other cost maybe a couple bucks, however the girl was pretty sure the keychain was no longer for sale.

One day, the girl lost the set of keys.  And while this was a quite a common occurrence for her, this time things were different.  The keys weren’t simply misplaced in her apartment.  They were lost … for real.  The girl looked high and low, retracing her steps from Jamba Juice, across the parking lot to Old Navy, and on a few stores over to Famous Footwear.  She searched dressing rooms, through piles of clothes, and in shoe boxes, all to no avail.  After probably an hour of searching, the girl gave up.  She left her name and phone number with each shop, hoping to someday be reunited with her precious set of keys.

But the parable doesn’t end there.  Thankfully the girl’s cousin had a spare key to her car.  However, on this particular day, the day that the girl lost her keys and thus access to transportation, the girl forgot her cell phone at home.  So not only was she stranded at Old Navy of all places, but she had no way of contacting her only hope for rescue.  Thankfully an Old Navy clerk allowed the girl use of their phone to call the two numbers she actually knew by heart (neither of which was her cousin’s).  The girl tried her mother’s cell phone first, but of course there was no answer.  Who answers their phone to a strange number upon first ring?  The girl then tried the number she’d known since she was a child, and fortunately her father answered.  Unfortunately, however, he did not have the number she needed to get in touch with her cousin.  He did have her aunt’s (and mother of her cousin) cell phone, which he was able to give the girl.  The girl then alternated between calling her aunt and her mother until finally her aunt answered and gave the girl the number she’d needed from the start.  Finally the girl got a hold of her cousin who promised to come quickly and bring the spare key.

But the parable doesn’t end there either!  With spare key in hand (and soon, the ignition), the girl began to drive home.  However, she quickly realized that were she to arrive home, she would have no way of getting into her apartment.  And her only hope of rescue then would be her roommate, who again, she had no way of contacting.  And this time there was no one to call who could give her the number.  Remembering her roommate was currently in German for Reading, the girl made her way to campus, thinking that she’d find the class and hopefully borrow the key from her roommate.  Putting her detective powers to use, the girl looked up the class online and found it met in Blanchard 223.  However, when the girl found the classroom, it was obviously the wrong class.  After poking her head in, she only saw two people who assured her it wasn’t in fact German for Reading.  So the girl gave up that search as well, and settled on sitting outside near her roommates car, hoping to catch her after class and before she left Wheaton for the evening.

For an hour the girl sat outside, enjoying the beautiful fall weather and gorgeous Illinois foliage, and she began to work on a blog retelling her adventurous afternoon.  Eventually her roommate showed, and the two drove to their apartment, inside of which the girl found her cell phone with eight missed alerts, one of which being a classmate she had unconfirmed plans to meet in the library that afternoon.

**********

In the time I spent waiting for Jayme at Old Navy and then Emily at Wheaton, I remembered two things.  The first is a blog (which you can read here) I read several weeks ago, that at the time I COMPLETELY identified with, and do so even more now.  The pastor who wrote it refers to himself as a loser … of things.  He even blames it on genetics … as do I!  Seriously, I get this forgetfulness/losing things thing from my dad.  Anyway, he writes how of the three “lost” parables in Luke, he personally identifies most with the parable of the lost coin.  “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’”  He calls that good news and writes, “What a great thing it is to find something.  I’m guessing that my life has had bursts of joy that many of you have never known because you don’t lose things.  Nearly every week there is some moment of ecstasy when I realize that something I thought might be gone for good is still around.”  Well, I certainly have known those bursts of joy, preacher.  Too bad I’m still waiting on said burst for my keys.

The second thing that came to mind was an Andrew Peterson song.  I know, I know, he’s gotten a lot of blog space these days (and may get even more in coming days … I did go to an AMAZING concert of his last week).  Forgive me, but I’m going to share another whole set of his lyrics.  I can’t help it; the song is just too clever … and fitting:

I’d give you all of me to know what you were thinking
And if I had one wish, I’d wish I wasn’t sinking here
Drowning in this well
Oh, can’t you tell

That I can’t pick myself up off the ground
I’ve been face down and pushed aside
Well, you know I’d rather just turn tail and run
Than lie here in the sun
And watch you pass me by
‘Cause I ain’t worth a dime

But if only I could stand up straight
I wouldn’t have to lie and wait
I could up and roll away
And never be ignored
I’ve got a feeling that I’m something more
Than just a piece of copper ore
Turning green and looking for
The reason I was born

I’ve been around since 1964
In banks and bottom drawers
On railroad ties
I’ve been passed around and cast aside
Skipped and flipped and flattened wide
Spun around and thrown away and left alone to lie

But I heard about a penny found
Lying underneath a couch
By a woman who was kneeling down
And looking for some change
Then the woman danced around
And called her friends all over town
And told ‘em what was lost is found
It’s another penny saved

So I find that all this time
Beneath the surface I could shine
Like all the gold a king and queen could measure
You see, even just a penny is a treasure.

Now I’m certainly no biblical expert in parables, but they’re supposed to have a moral, a take away thought, if you will.  Jesus explicitly states the point of all three parables as the rejoicing that occurs in heaven over repentant sinners.  But in the story of the lost coin, there seems to be another layer.  There’s a desperation in the woman’s searching.  She searches until she finds what was lost.  I suppose my parable of the lost keys is somewhat antithetical.  I gave up.  It’s not that I didn’t love my keys; I just didn’t love them enough to spend anymore time on my hands and knees at Old Navy.  I’m glad my God is like the woman looking for her coin and not me looking for my keys.

Blessings and Woes

A few weeks ago I turned in my first grad school research paper.  Considering I haven’t written much else other than blogs these past four years, I was a little nervous about the assignment.  Regardless, I picked a topic and for a solid week did little else but read, highlight, and write … and write and write.  So, I’m sure you can understand my recent lack of blogging motivation.  : )

But, over two weeks have passed and I’m up for it again.  Actually, I wanted to write a little about my paper.  Usually, the second I turn in a research paper, I am itching to turn in my library books.  I cannot wait to have all evidence that a research paper occurred out of sight and out of mind.  And while I still am not “Little Miss Research,” this paper seemed to stick with me unlike any other I had written.

I think that picking a research topic can often be the most difficult part of the process.  My assignment was to trace a theme within one of the synoptic gospels, and initially I thought I might do something with Mark, either “kingdom” or “hiddenness.”  I was interested mainly because Mark is the shortest and we’d already gone over it in class.  Everyone I talked to, however, seemed to be thinking along similar lines.

The week before the paper was due Dr. Perrin lectured on Luke.  Towards the end of class, he split us into small groups and had each one read a different passage having something to do with the poor and then discuss the groups associated with the poor (lame, blind, etc.)  There were plenty of passages to go around.  My group read from Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain.”  Most people, even unchurched, have heard of Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount,” or at least have heard the phrase “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  However, what do you do with Luke who simply says “Blessed are you who are poor”?  Not sure I ever heard a sermon preached on that one.

Walking out of class that night, I changed my topic.  I hadn’t done any research yet anyway, so I made a decision.  I was going to write about the theme of “The Poor” in Luke.  The strange thing for me is that I rarely feel like I pick my research topics.  I may have some broad idea about what I’m going to write about, but once I get into it, things seem to change.  I went in thinking I would write about the poor, did all the research to that end, and ended up writing about the rich.  As I read more and more on the topic, it became more and more personal.  Rather than writing objectively about the ethical implications of Jesus’ apparent preference for the poor, I wrote personally about the ethical implications of the possession and dangers of wealth.

I don’t want this to be a Cliff’s Notes of my paper, so I’ll leave out the summarizing.  I’ll just say that after completing the paper, I still have a lot to think about.  I never considered myself rich, so I’m not sure Jesus’ stories and direct address (“Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”) ever really spoke to me before.  However, as I read through Luke on this occasion, I saw myself reflected in the rich man, not Lazurus, in the rich young ruler, not the poor he was told to sell his goods to help.

I quoted Andrew Peterson the night I turned my paper in … the most writing I could muster at that point.  : )  His words so beautifully capture the point.  It’s not that there’s some inherent goodness in poverty or some inherent evil in wealth.  The poor are blessed because they know what it is to be in need.  They are in a spiritually enviable position in that “their economic misfortune render(s) them more responsive to the will of God.  Their daily hunger and grief h(o)ld them close to the prerequisites of the kingdom.”  (Okay, I had to get in one paper quote there … from Thomas Hoyt Jr.’s article “The Poor/Rich Theme in the Beatitudes” if you’re interested.)  Not to mention the fact that in the age to come there will be an end to their need.

Jesus speaks woes to the rich not because money is bad but because it’s easy to find our security and consolation in the world.  Like Andrew sings, I, too, am shackled by the comfort of my couch.  But the funny thing about woes is that they’re not actually condemnations.  They’re warnings.  It’s as though Jesus is saying, “Wake up!  Quit trusting in yourself and in your stuff and realize you have NOTHING apart from me!  Help those in need because I have blessed you to do so.  Glory in me, not in your possessions.”

The night before my paper was due, I had an interesting conversation with a man at the gas station behind my apartment.  We both approached the checkout counter at the same time, and he gestured for me to go first.  I stepped up to pay for my Dr. Pepper when the guy interjected, “Just buying lottery tickets.”  I think I might have smiled or said, “Oh,” my mind on getting out of there to get back to writing my paper when he piped up again, “Hope I win.”  He went on to tell me that he’d won $10,000 recently but that it was already gone.  I found this interaction a little ironic considering my paper topic.  I usually just nod and smile whenever strangers talk to me, but I thought I’d engage this man considering my paper and all.  “Yeah, I don’t think the track record’s too great on the people who win the lottery.”  To which he responded, “Yeah, you know money carries with it a kinda curse, but you know what?  Give me the curse.”  I gave an obligatory chuckle and walked back to finish my paper.

The dangers of wealth are almost inescapable.  We’re so culturally conditioned to think materially and selfishly, not eterally.  I would challenge you to read Luke with fresh eyes.  It’s amazing how much Jesus has to say about these issues.  Perhaps you’ll come away with a new or revived interest in helping the poor.  Or perhaps you’ll see a need for repentance as I did and still do.

Don’t change that dial!

A few weeks ago I was in the car with my cousin when something on the radio piqued my interest.  (On a side note, can I just say that I LOVE Chicago radio?  Seriously, where have you been all my life XRT?)  On a particular station (not XRT)  they run a segment every evening in which a listener gets to pick a nine song playlist.  Jayme turned to me and said, “You should do that!”  So I started thinking, if I could pick any nine songs to play for all the world (ha) to hear, which ones would I choose?  I thought this would make an excellent blog topic, so the other day I started skimming my iTunes and making a list.  This proved to be quite the difficult task.  I wanted to pick songs that flowed well together yet still represented my eclectic interests.  Then I was a little overwhelmed by all the possibilities.  All of that to say that I didn’t like the way my list was shaping up, so I decided to take it in a slightly different direction.

Does anyone remember that commercial a few years ago with a couple sitting in a car listening to Don McLean’s “American Pie”?  I have no idea what it was advertising, but the gist was that they were about to go to the beach but didn’t want to go until the song was over.  I started thinking about radio friendly tunes and found it was much easier to come up with a list of “sit in the car ’til it’s over” songs.  So, here is my top ten list of songs that would definitely warrant a stop on any radio scan of mine:

Fire & Rain – James Taylor
Losing My Religion – R.E.M.
Mr. Jones – Counting Crows
Daniel – Elton John
Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
More than Words – Extreme
Dust in the Wind – Kansas
Fields of Gold – Sting
Hotel California – The Eagles
Africa – Toto

So how about you?  What’s the one (or ten) song(s) that you would never change the station on?

Penny Questions

There’s a game I like to play.  It’s actually more of an opportunity for me to flaunt my sometimes obscure musical knowledge.  It works like this: whenever I’m with someone and a song is playing in the background and I think there’s a good chance he or she doesn’t know it, I say, “I’ll give you a penny if you can tell me who sings this.”  The penny is brilliant, really.  The game is fun because of the wager (as insignificant as it is), but should my friend actually know the song, I’m only out a penny.  Sometimes I’m surprised, but for the most part, I haven’t given out many pennies.

I recently started working for a family as nanny/errand runner, and this afternoon I was having a snack with one of the boys. There happens to be an iPod dock conveniently located in their kitchen, of which I frequently make use.  Today I had my iPod on shuffle, and we’d already heard from Tom Petty, Ben Harper, even Toto, when a “penny question” song came on.  Considering that the song playing was way before his time, I told Bill I would give him a penny if he could “name that band.”  He smiled his smirky little ten year old smile and told me matter of factly, “The Beatles.  And I know the song, too.  With A Little Help From My Friends.  And I know the album.  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”  To which I replied, “Wow, Bill.  I owe you a penny.”  More like three.

Now there’s a kid that’s being raised right!

Late Night Lyrics

Little Elba, how’s the sun in South America?
Does it shine upon the faces of the poor?
Do they see in it the brilliance of the place that’s been prepared,
And dwell upon the hope of what’s in store?
Or are they just like me?
Do they only see,
An opportunity to complain about the heat?

Little Elba, how’s the rain in South America?
Does it fall upon the rooftops of the sick?
Do they thank the Lord for coming up with such a great idea,
And dream about a place beyond all this?
Or are they just like us?
Do they gripe and fuss,
About the rain and mud when they’ve had too much?

‘Cause I’m just a little jealous,
Of the nothing that you have.
You’re unfettered by the wealth of,
Of a world that we pretend is gonna last.

Well I’m weary of the spoils of my ambition,
And I’m shackled by the comfort of my couch.
Well I wish I had the courage to deny these of myself,
And start to store my treasure in the clouds.
‘Cause this is not my home;
I do not belong,
Where the antelope and the buffalo roam.

And I’m just a little jealous,
Of the nothing that you have.
You’re unfettered by the wealth of,
Of a world that we pretend is gonna last.

They say God blessed us with plenty,
But I say you’re blessed with poverty.
‘Cause you never stop to wonder whether earth is just a little better than,
The land of the free

So I hope you’re safe and dry in South America,
‘Cause I’m feeling pretty good in Tennessee.
May you never be so happy that you forget about your home,
Your home in the land of the free.

Andrew Peterson – hidden track on “Clear to Venus”