an amazing display of sovereignty. God will accomplish his will.

On August 10, 2008, in Beijing, President Bush went to church. It was a hugely symbolic gesture for millions of Christians in China. Dallas Theological Seminary president Mark Bailey was there with him. He tells FOX 4’s Richard Ray about China, religion and the growing Dallas connection.

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I buy my mp3’s on amazon, now, whenever possible. usually, I find what I’m looking for, even indie stuff. God bless iTunes for starting the digital download revolution, but “move over bacon, make room for something better!”

simply…

amazon offers mp3’s, which are cross-platform…

…iTunes forces you to use mp4’s.

amazon offers DRM-free downloads…

…iTunes makes you pay more for DRM-free, and doesn’t even offer it for most titles.

amazon offers a 256kbps bit rate…

…iTunes gives you 128kbps.

the match goes to amazon, 3-0.

I’ve been listening to Charlie Hall’s stuff for years, now, and have worshipped with him in concert on many occasions. his music helps tame my mind when it devours itself with anxiety, and helps me spin with joy when I have eyes to see and ears to hear the Lord’s handiwork.

each new album requires a few walk-thru’s before I get it. Hall has a way of putting an odd sonic touch on his songs that takes some adjustment. within a few weeks, however, I always come around not only to appreciate them, but to love them. really love them.

with his newest, The Bright Sadness, he pulled off the most masterfully simple song to date. he’s outdone himself.

a year or so ago, a good Episcopalian friend of mine took a course on eschatology at Dallas Seminary. she commented that her tradition doesn’t particularly emphasize eschatology to the extent that she encountered in the course. in fact, she said her eschatological creed was virtually limited to:

Christ died.

Christ rose again.

Christ will return.

this confident simplicity blessed me beyond (or in spite of?) belief. “on these three we agree,” I thought. and by “we” I mean all Christendom. I mean every respect to Episcopalians, and other traditions, who possess a compact eschatology. this creed has cred.

I sketched out a song to put these three phrases to music, but Hall beat me to it. and, he soundly beat me. his outweighs mine significantly. . .

Mystery

Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity
Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Bread of heaven, broken for me
Cup of salvation, held up to drink
Jesus the mystery

Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again.

I’m reading through Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis with the leadership at my church. it’s quite good, and the conversation it generates is even better.

the third section - movement three: true - challenges us to recognize the presence and work of God in more than just the Bible, a church service, or a Christian book. Bell relays stories of grandeur and grief, both poles igniting an ability to touch the transcendent. he regards these times as unmasking the holy inherent in all creation, assumedly by virtue of God’s omnipresence. consider Psalm 119:64, which goes beyond an “everywhere always” awareness of God to an “everywhere always” experience of one of God’s personal, communicable attributes:

“The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.”

“love” here is hesed, the covenant faithfulness kind of love. personal, direct, and tangible.

I’ve had “holy” experiences akin to what Bell describes. they’re utterly nourishing for my soul, for I feel like somehow in those moments I see everything clearly and yearn for God righteously. usually they capture me with a nearly ineffable profundity. so what do we do with this story, about a woman who discovered the Calvary Cheeto?

at first I almost gagged at its goofiness, even profanity. am I too proud to appreciate its transcendence, or has this crossed the line into ridiculous? if so, where’s the line? (or, is that the wrong question?)

not those kind, these kind:

this head-banging nod goes out to my parents. the light is slowly coming on, in spurts, as to how much you put up with by raising me. thanks.

does this disturb anyone else?

NPR’s All Songs Considered, with host Bob Boilen, is brilliant. two of my favorite episodes are:

Iron and Wine: Live (10/2/2007)
Guest DJ T-Bone Burnett (5/15/2008)

this morning I finally caught up on one from 1/10/2008 that included Vampire Weekend, a 1952 recording of Bille Holiday live from The Apollo, and this killer indie band, Fire on Fire. they’re hard to find, but check iiTunes.

this song, “Hangman,” is from the NPR podcast. I cut the track out and converted it to an mp3 for your downloading pleasure.

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