Too Good Not to Share
Yeah, I know you're tired of hearing about Eisley. Deal with it. This is greatness. Go buy their record.
What I’m Listening To: March 2011
Eisley: The Valley - I already told you a bit about this record here. I just can't say enough good things about it. It really is a very mainstream record that maintains the band's artistry and uniqueness. Last time I checked you could get the basic version for $5 on Amazon then pick up the deluxe tracks individually on iTunes to save some money. Download: "The Valley", "Ambulance", "Smarter"
Adele: 21 - This is one of those records that I can listen to over and over without anything making an impression on me. It's definitely got more funk about it than her previous record. I like it, though I'm not a huge fan of the first single "Rolling in the Deep." I'm glad, however, that she's getting radio play out of it. Sorry, you can't download this one - as far as I know - but if you buy the deluxe version of you can get her and Darius Rucker singing "Need You Know" by Lady Antebellum.
Jars of Clay: The Shelter - I was excited about this record, but it did what every other Jars of Clay record has done. The last one was brilliant, so this one (inevitably) had to flop. It's like I walked into a Lifeway and picked up something off their Top 10 rack, which I haven't done in the last 10 years really.
Songs We Wish We’d Written – Remember to Breathe
Remember to Breathe by Dashboard Confessional - For a full perspective on this song, you've really got to listen to it in the context of the So Impossible EP. That was my first exposure to DC and it made me an immediate fan. The 4 track album clocks in at barely more than 15 minutes, but perfectly captures a familiar story of teenage awkwardness. I particularly like this version where the band is added in one by one.
Monday Morning List
Reflections from the Week Past:
Keep hope alive. I transferred the site over to my own hosting for the first time in its life. Learned even more in the process. Otherwise, things just continue to race by.
Friday:
- Katie had the day off - which is unusual for a Friday.
- We took Lincoln down to see his grandpa's farm. He got to feed the goats and "drive" the tractor. He had a great time. I brought home the first of what will be about 6 loads of old toys from my childhood. We've already passed a good batch of stuff on to raise money for a local charity and sold some stuff on CraigsList for a few bucks. We don't really need it cluttering up our house, but if I can make some money off of it...
- Watched Killers. I give it a B-. What's with all the movies I watch recently having no real plot? This was like Knight and Day. Both are sad re-hashings of what Mr. and Mrs. Smith wrote the book on.
Saturday:
- Family time during the morning.
- Helped Katie clean things up while Lincoln took a nap.
- Sold some of my CraigsList stuff and cooked some granola bars.
Sunday:
- Good morning at church. Another great reminder of the need for living a more disciplined life.
- Got to catch up with some friends.
- Captain No-Nap struck again.
- Sold some books at 1/2 Price. Not great money but better than the trouble of trying to sell online. Made a enough money to buy myself some coffee.
- Worked on another web project for myself. Launching a site for a buddy of mine later this week. (Hopefully) launching my other new venture later this week.
An Arm Alone is Useless
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slavest or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV
I realized, a few weeks ago, that I don't feel very reliant on others. While I like to connect with other people and enjoy sharing life together, for the most part my life would go on without them. At first pass, that sounds kind of cold, but I think that it is very much the way that many of us live. We are trained to be fiercely independent and even the most relational among us may be able to fly solo.
What I read above, tells me that this independence is completely counter-intuitive. Just as an arm, alone, is useless, so is a man who relies on no one.
This passage is easy to affirm just in reading it... But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:22). There is no quick fix to this one. The only way we can be grafted back into the Body is through time spent with its other members.
Monday Morning List
Reflections from the Week Past:
God continues to provide in unexpected ways, even in the midst of unexpected A/C repairs. Lincoln seems bigger and brighter every day. I showed him a picture of Batman and Superman. He said, "That's Batman. Who is that?" (pointing at Superman). He's definitely on his way.
Friday:
- Went to "Castle Park" - as Cory calls it - and ran and played. Think I twisted my ankle and tweaked my knee.
- Finally got Lincoln to take an afternoon nap.
- After working on some job stuff, I squeezed in a little nap for myself.
- Went to my friend Mitch's 30th birthday party. Sparked the question: If I could bring in a band for my 30th birthday, who would it be? Hmm. Frightened Rabbit.
Saturday:
- Ran around with the family. Discovered the Friends of the Keller Library bookstore. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a better place to buy books. 4 books for Lincoln and one hardback for me for only $1.75.
- Hung out with Patti, Scott, and Baby Zeke. It was interesting to see how Lincoln interacted with a little one (6 months old).
Sunday:
- Church.
- Ran some errands.
- Worked on web stuff.
- Went to Blue Cherry with the families from my LifeGroup. Had some good yogurt and good conversation. Lincoln did pretty good being out with a bunch of people. Of the six kids, he was the only boy and did a good job of staying out of the way of the girls.
Monday Morning List
Reflections from the week past:
Intentionality requires discipline. To re-phrase Henry Rollins, "[Discipline] is a hard-won ally."
Friday:
- Another no-nap day for Lincoln.
- The most horrendous grocery experience in a while. I'll keep it simple: 30 minutes to get two meats and one cheese at the deli counter.
- Dinner with our good friends, the Andersons. Had been at least two years since we were able to get together at once. They gave Lincoln an awesome early birthday present - Duplo Zoo set.
Saturday:
- We mostly just took it easy around the house. We probably should have been more productive, but sometimes a simple day at home with the family is productive in and of itself.
Sunday:
- Church.
- Lincoln refused to nap, again, so we played Duplos and Mega Blocks.
- Went to a going-away reception for our great friends, the Beams. They definitely hold a special place in our heart as Mindy invited Katie to 121CC and Andy invited me there as well. It is a bittersweet moment to see them setting off in a new direction at the very same time that Katie and I prepare to celebrate our 4 year anniversary.
- Worked on job stuff.
PS:
- Regarding my allusion to more info on Office Depot from last week. The netbook has crashed again and I had hoped to have this problem resolved by now, but it looks like it could be a long process.
- I've got a couple of really exciting irons in the proverbial fire that I hope to share with you soon.
More Than Theory
The gospel does not become public truth for a society by being propagated as a theory or a worldview and certainly not as a religion. It can become public truth only insofar as it is embodied in a society (the church) which is both "abiding in" Christ and engaged in the life of the world."
Lesslie Newbigin
quoted by Time Keller
Gospel in Life (85)
Theories - though they may effect behavioral change - rarely stir the heart. Perhaps if we stopped talking about doing the "right" thing and, rather, started living "rightly," true change might occur. Whether or not anyone wants to affirm it or accept it, the world is longing for people to live out the gospel. Unfortunately, most of the time all they get is people talking about something that they've never even experienced.
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