Reformation Day Concert ~ Capitol Hill Baptist Church Mountain Band

It's been a while since I've blogged, I know. God has been teaching me so much that it has been best to abstain from blogging until I'm less busy with all that He has given me to do right now. That brings me to something God has me doing right now, the CHBC Mountain Band!

Are you going to be in Washington, DC on Sunday October 31, 2010 at 4:00PM? You should come to the concert/sing-along we are having at Capitol Hill Baptist Church! We are going to be meditating on heaven through a number of songs, and we'll have food as well. A number of us play a wide variety of instruments and we wanted to bring a bunch of folks together to play in order to encourage the saints of CHBC. You might ask, "Well, I'm not a member of CHBC." Well friend, you're still invited to come check it out. Then stay afterward to pray with our church and hear God's Word preached!

The group is made up of a number of members from my church (I hope I didn't forget anyone):

Voices from High to Low:
Diane Davis - Voice
Allison Jones - Voice
Alexis Andrews - Voice
John Mackinney - Voice
John Hardin - Voice/Guitar
Bill Cook - Voice
Homere Whyte - Voice

Instrumentalists:
Rebecca Ulrich - Piccolo
Paige Cunningham - Fiddle
Susan Russo - Fiddle
Matt Merker - Harmonica(s)/Piano/Mountain Dulcimer/Mandolin
Jennifer Jackson - Piano
Connie Dever - Hammered Dulcimer/Mandolin
Greg Brown - Banjo
Noah Braymen - Guitar(s)/Banjo
Nile Wartts - Percussion/Washboard/Whistler
Jameson Cunningham - Percussion
Kevin Goggin - Bass Fiddle

Lord willing we'll also have a few surprises as well! Trust me, you don't want to miss this.

The Greatest Story Ever Told - Shai Linne

I love this! The story of the Bible in 4 minutes and 32 seconds!

Lyrics:

Here are the lyrics:

It’s the greatest story ever told.
A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold.
The greatest story ever told.
Restoring all that the enemy stole.
The greatest story ever told.
The glory of Christ is the goal, behold.
The greatest story ever told.
It’s the greatest.

Alright check it: let’s go back in time, brethren. Divine lessons always keep your mind guessing. The glory of the Triune God is what I’m stressing. The origin of humankind was fine. Blessings were plenteous. God is amazingly generous. Crazy benefits in a state of innocence. God told the man what he could taste was limited. Not long after came our nemesis in Genesis. He scammed well, man fell, damned to hell. The whole human race—he represented it. Fooled by the serpent, man through his work, woman through birth—even the earth ruled by the curses. But instead of a wake immediately. God said her Seed would be the One to crush the head of the snake. Yo, wait what is this? Whoa, a gracious gift! In Jehovah’s faithfulness He clothed their nakedness. This was so they would know their Savior’s kiss and bliss. But first, many growing pains exist suffering in the worst form, ugly deeds. Eve’s firstborn seed made his brother bleed. Indeed things got progressively worse. Every section of the earth is been affected by the curse. And though God’s judgments against sin were gory, praise the Lord! It’s not the end of the story.

Next scene: man’s sin was extreme. God gets steamed, man gets creamed. The Lord is so Holy that He drowned them in the water. Fire in the valley of slaughter – Sodom and Gomorrah. But at the same time, He’s so gracious and patient that from one man He created a whole nation. Eventually enslaved by the mentally depraved, they cried out to the only One with the strength that He could save. He brought them out with signs and wonders – satisfied their hunger. Then He appeared on Mount Sinai in thunder. Where He laid down the law for God-ruled government. Commonly referred to as the Mosaic covenant. Sin was imputed. So for man to know he’s unrighteous, God instituted animal sacrifices. This was to show our constant need for atonement. And when it came to sin, the Lord would never condone it. And when His people disobeyed and went astray, He raised up prophets and kings to lead them in the way. But they would get foul with their idolatry—wet and wild prophecy—send them into exile. To take their punishment like a grown man. Then with His own hand He placed them back in their homeland. And while in their forefather’s land they dwelt, they awaited the arrival of Emmanuel.

After 400 silent years filled with sighs and tears. In Bethlehem the Messiah appears. God in the flesh—Second Person of the Trinity. At thirty begins His earthly ministry. Baffling cats with accurate, exact facts and back-to-back miraculous acts. A stumbling block to the self righteous. But the humbled—His flock, said “There’s no one else like this.” He came from heaven to awake the numb. Demonstrated His power over nature, son. A foretaste of the Kingdom and the age to come. But the reason He came was to pay the sum for the depths of our wickedness, our wretched sinfulness. Bless His magnificence! He is perfect and innocent. Yet He was wrecked and His death. He predicted it. Next He was stretched, paid a debt that was infinite. He said that He finished it. Resurrected so the elect would be the recipients of its benefits. Through faith and penitence we get to be intimate. His grace is heaven sent, it never diminishes. Now the Holy Spirit indwelling is the evidence for heaven’s future residents who truly represent Jesus, the Author, Producer, Director, and Star of a story that will never, ever end!

(HT: Thabiti & JT)

Jesus is Alive

Check out this video with music by the rapper Shai Linne.


(HT: Feeding on Christ)

CHBC Friend's Music Video

Here's a video by Will Gray. He was a member of CHBC from my first few weeks out here. Check it out!

Back To The Wall -- in HD from Will Gray on Vimeo.

Radiohead Critique of Christian Individualism?

This is a post that a friend of mine from Iowa posted (Pastor Wayne) on his blog. It’s pretty thought provoking…or much more simple. You be the judge;^)

I've been a fan of Radiohead since the late '90's, but I hadn't seen this video set to the Thom Yorke song, "Rabbit in Your Headlights." I'm tempted to give this video a very Christian spin, even if Yorke et al. have no desire to carry any Christian freight.

The video reminds me of the parable of the Good Samaritan in that we have a man "on the way" - a powerfully biblical metaphor in itself. This man is a babbling schizophrenic, yet he almost appears to be praying - perhaps schizophrenia reveals more about true humanity (homo laudens) than we might be led to believe. On two occasions he seems to shout out the word "Shema!" The Hebrew word for "Hear" or "Listen," as in THE Shema - "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one!" (Dt. 6:4) In other words, through his insane babbling, he has a message of prophetic critique. (Echoes of Zarathustra, perhaps?)

But this is a beaten and pitiful man. The juxtaposed phrases "Rabbit in your headlights" and "Christian suburbanites" as he's being pummeled by traffic presents a rather forceful critique of a Christian individualism more concerned with its own self-preservation than demonstrating the self-sacrificial love for another seen in our Lord. 

I also like the redemptive moment of him shedding his old self and his victory over the powers through a renewed cruciform humanity.

Or maybe it's just about rabbits.

[HT: Wayne [http://carrifex.blogspot.com/2007/09/rabbit-in-your-headlightschristian.html]]

Music "And Can It Be"

Of course we'll sing all the verses that I posted last week!

Dissolution

Here’s an interesting poem I came across recently…it’s on the inside of Maria Schneider’s album Allegresse. I think it was written to describe the tune by the same name on the album.

Dissolution
Laurie Frink, June 23, 1998

Flowing Pouring
Sailing Soaring
Searching Learning
Yearning Churning

Melodies Painful
Sounds of Tearing
Souls Tormented
Tortured Baring

Living Fearing
Searing Hearing
Creeping Leaping
Flying Dying

Rhythms Hoping
Harmonies Groping
Building—Built
Compared Despaired

Lives Entwined
Behind Combined
Clutching Touching
Grasping Rasping

Ever Moving
Forward Surging
Stalling Inward
Outward Purging

Shouting Screaming
Demon Dreaming
Wanting Needing
Doubting Conceding

Ginger Peeling
Gentle Healing
Hopeful Posing
Final Closing

Martino and Sco!

Check out this video of John Scofield (g) playing w/ Pat Martino (g), Joey DeFrancesco (o), and Byron Landham (d). Martino on the head actually sounds quite a bit like Wes Montgomery. Wow!

Duo Set List: 2/16/2007

Here's an old picture of Steve Gilbertson and I [not very high quality, but that's the best I could do with a glossy picture:)].


Well...the gig last night was great! We played from 6:00 to 8:00pm. It was at a jewelry/art store called M. C. Ginsberg [their philosophy is a bad theology alert:)].

Anyhow, Steve and I had a blast. He was on piano and I was on guitar. We just jammed on standard jazz tunes for a few hours. I love going to a gig with no particular set list in mind and just calling tunes and playing them! Here's the set list in case you're curious...

(1) The Days of Wine and Roses [Mancini] Medium Swing
(2) Blue in Green [Miles Davis] Ballad
(3) Alone Together [Dietz and Schultz] Medium Swing
(4) Stella By Starlight [Victor Young] as a Bossa Nova
(5) There Will Never Be Another You [Warren/Gordon] Medium Swing
(6) All the Things You Are [Hammerstein/Kern] Medium Swing
(7) Calypso [Kenny Baron] Medium/Up Latin Tune
(8) Sandu [Clifford Brown] Medium Swing Blues
(9) Alice in Wonderland [Fain/Hilliard] Jazz Waltz
(10) Summertime [George Gershwin] Bossa Nova
(11) Scrapple From the Apple [Charlie Parker] Medium Bop
(12) It Could Happen To You [Burke/Van Heusen] Medium Swing
(13) Don't Get Around Much Anymore [Duke Ellington] Medium Swing

It all came back pretty quickly. Also, we didn't take any breaks, because we were having so much fun.

If you're still reading...I'll tell you something funny that happened really quickly. We started to play Stella By Starlight [bear in mind that I'm a little rusty] and it sounded terrible. Our intonation was terrible. Steve looked at me like I was messing up and I was looking at him the same way. He lifted up his book and played the first few notes of the head...and I did too and we sounded fine. Then he set his book down again and we tried to start again. It sounded terrible again!

Well, it turned out that Steve had set his music on the "whammy" bar of his piano dropping the pitch by at least a half step. Man, we cracked up! Then we played it in the correct key.

It was a ton of fun...thanks Steve!

Jazz Duo Gig

Wow...it's been a while...but tomorrow I'm playing a gig with an old good friend. It'll be a blast as soon as I can get my fingers back:) Sorry folks...it's a private party.

I love jamming...playing jazz standards for two hours with good friends. The funny thing is that people actually pay us for this and they enjoy it. Who knew!?!? I'll let you know how it goes. As long as we can play "All the Things You Are" I will be happy.

Love and Marriage...What Happened?

Okay I was listening to some Frank Sinatra this afternoon. This guy swings hard!

Anyhow, I was listening to the words of Love and Marriage [by by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen 1955] and the thought came across my mind, "what the heck happened," these words wouldn't have any traction anymore in our culture at large.

Frank's saying:

"Love and marriage...goes together like a horse and carriage...you can't have one without the other...it's an institute you cant disparage...Ask the local gentry and they will say its elementary...try to separate them, it's an illusion...Dad was told by mother you can't have one without the other."

What happened?? It seems like our culture heard the words to "My Way" and decided to follow that instead.

Here are all the lyrics in case you wanted to read the entire thing...

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
This I tell you brother
You cant have one without the other

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Its an institute you cant disparage
Ask the local gentry
And they will say its elementary

Try, try, try to separate them
Its an illusion
Try, try, try, and you will only come
To this conclusion

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
Dad was told by mother
You cant have one without the other

PoMo Culture: Out of My Dreams in 1943

Here is a quick commentary on our culture from a while back.

The musical Oklahoma! There’s a line from the song Out of My Dreams [by Rogers and Hamerstein] that clearly represents postmodern [PoMo] thinking. Postmodernity was alive and well in the midst of modernity! This musical was written in 1943. I’ll get you up to speed...

Okay…Oklahoma is a love story…basically a modern/western/country take on Pride and Prejudice. Well, Laurey’s [lead woman] too proud to go to a dance with the protagonist Curly. Curly’s too proud to ask her to the dance.

They love each other but both are to proud to admit it. Meanwhile, the antagonist of the story, Judd, asks Laurey to the dance…naively she says, “Yes.”

Anyhow, she takes some smellin’ sauce [basically drugs] and starts hallucinating about how she wishes she could be with Curly. Before she takes it she sings this song Out of My Dreams. At the height of her passion and emotion in the song her friends encourage her by saying the following…

“Ask your heart, whatever it tells you will be true”

Sheesh! I love this musical especially the version with Hugh Jackman, but come on! It’s these kind of false philosophies that ruin things for me. I’m thinking, “good dancing, singing, fun lyrics…etc.,” and then this huge stinkin’ lie that so many people believe. Bummer…

I’ll have you know that I did enjoy the rest of the musical…just goes to show you that PoMo philosophies have been around for a long time…it’s just accepted generally as actually being true now. This stuff didn't start with Oprah folks:) Back then people might have believed it, but it seems was either just an exercise in romantics, e.g. this song, or a pipe-dream not generally accepted in the wider culture.

I’ll post on another song here in a minute.

"A Love Supreme" Sadly in Need of Clarification…

When I was a junior at Drake University [in DSM, IA] I started to get more serious about my relationship with Jesus Christ. As a jazz musician I tried to find any mentor I could in the Jazz world that was a Christian to justify my newfound seriousness about God. I realize now that justification for believing in the One Triune God needs no justification by men’s testimony [rather by God in His holy Word], but I was very immature in my faith.

The following is a “psalm” Coltrane wrote. It is a personal conversation between him and who he perceived to be God. It’s almost pantheistic or Baha'i in how general/universal it speaks of God. Somehow, this "psalm" and recording strengthened my resolve to seek Christ in college…I’m not sure why. I’d say that it was a was a gift of grace from the One True God [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...I'm feeling the need to be specific]. If Coltrane was a Christian I wish he wasn’t so vague about whom he believes this God, in his “psalm”, is. Do with it what you will...

I’m thankful for the grace God showed me through this, but in the future I would say that anything that doesn’t mention the Son of God is not necessarily a Christian “psalm”. Nevertheless, the recording of A Love Supreme is a great musical work and it still encourages me to serve and pursue God [I can't say the same for the words of the "psalm" he wrote]. Coltrane musically was a beast. Amazing imagination, sound, technique and more innovative and creative than anyone has been in music since [in my opinion]. Sadly, when it comes to writing, his words and thoughts are in desperate need of clarification. However, his vague expression of who God is in his "psalm" is a good summation of what a lot of folks actually do believe about God today. All the more reason to preach, teach, and pray, because God is a God of revelation of truth...not general realities. Not all paths lead to God [as Coltrane sadly suggests]. Here’s Coltrane’s “psalm”:

“I will do all I can to be worthy of Thee O Lord. It all has to do with it. Thank you God. Peace. There is none other. God is, It is so beautiful. Thank you God. God is all. Help us to resolve our fears and weaknesses. Thank you God. In You all things are possible. We know. God made us so. Keep your eye on God. God is. He always was. He always will be. No matter what…it is God. He is gracious and merciful. It is most important that I know Thee. Words, sounds, speech, men, memory, thoughts, fears and emotions – time – all related…all made from one…all made in one. Blessed be His name. Thought waves – heat waves – all vibrations – all paths lead to God. Thank you God. His way…it is so lovely…it is gracious. It is merciful – thank you God. His way…it is so lovely…it is gracious. It is merciful – thank you God. One thought can produce millions of vibrations and they all go back to God…everything does. Thank you God. Have no fear…believe…thank you God.

The universe has many wonders. God is all. His way…it is so wonderful. Thoughts – deeds – vibrations, etc. They all go back to God and He cleanses all. He is gracious and merciful…thank you God. Glory to God…God is so alive. God is. God loves. May I be acceptable in Thy sight. We are all one in His grace. The fact that we do exist is acknowledgement of Thee of Lord. Thank you God. God will wash away all our tears…He always has…He always will. Seek Him everyday. In all ways seek God everyday. Let us sing all songs to God To whom all praise is due…praise God. No road is an easy one, but they all go back to God. With all we share God. It is all with God. It is all with Thee. Obey the Lord. Blessed is He. We are from one thing…the will of God…thank you God.

I have seen God – I have seen ungodly – none can be greater – none can compare to God. Thank you God. He will remake us…He always has and He always will. It is true – blessed be His name – thank you God. God breathes through us so completely…so gently we hardly feel it…yet, it is our everything. Thank you God. ELATION – ELEGANCE – EXALTATION – All from God. Thank you God. Amen. [John Coltrane – December, 1964]” (I put questionable theology in bold/italics)

Cited from the liner notes of A Love Supreme John Coltrane Deluxe Edition. Copyright 2002. The Verve Music Group, USA (314 589 945-2).

Some of My Favorite Guitarists: Pat Metheny

This trio is one of my favorites! Metheny is great. Also, any guesses where the drummer is from??? You guessed it Des Moines, Iowa. Bill Stewart was a Roosevelt Grad. Check out this video of "Lone Jack".

Here's a video of him playing his "picasso guitar" made by Linda Manzer. I think this might be part of "Into a Dream".

Here's an awesome version of "Proof" directed by Jim McNeely at the North Sea Jazz Fest [I actually played at this festival with the Drake Jazz I]. Beware this recording starts and stops a lot...

Here's one of Metheny on a "Manzer" Baritone Guitar playing a variation Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why"

Enjoy

Some of My Favorite Guitarists: Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell... Rambler. I actually bought the lp of this when I was in college. Check it out. Frisell is a master!

Schumann "Musical Rules at Home and in Life"

Well, today I went to Half Price Books. I came home with some good gems.

(1) Recording of Bach: St. Matthew Passion
(2) Sarah Groves Songbook [For Linds]
(3) Album Fur Die Jugend Kinderszenen, Robert Schumann [For Piano]

I'm not an excellent pianist, but I have been practicing more and more and I was really excited to get this. Anyhow, there is a section at the back of the book called "Musical Rules at Home and in Life". I thought I'd list a few for your reading pleasure:)

"Do not be frightened by words like Theory, Thoroughbass, Counterpoint etc. They can be your friends if you approach them in a friendly manner. [Mrs. Schneider...are you reading this:)]"

"Never play an instrument which needs tuning. [Guilty:)]"

"Make efforts, even if your voice is not a good one, to sing at sight without the help of the instrument; in this way the sharpness of your hearing will continually improve. If you have a beautiful voice, waste no opportunity to have it trained, and treat it as the finest gift Heaven can bestow on you! [Ummm... I think salvation is the finest gift, but I get what he means.]"

"Children are not made into healthy people by eating sweets, cakes and icing. Spiritual food, like food for the body, must be plain and wholesome. The latter has been amply provided by the Great Masters; keep to it. [I think music was definitely an idol for this man. He's right about the spiritul food, but wrong that "music" is the spiritual food!]"

"A lot can be learned from singers, but do not believe everything they tell you. [The same goes for pianists and composers, no?]"

"There are many people in the world. Be modest, there is nothing you can invent or think of that has not already been invented or thought of by somebody else. If you do think of something original, regard it as a gift from above to be shared with others. [Amen.]"

"Learn early on to read the old clefs. Otherwise many treasures of the past will be withheld from you. [This is why I hope my kids someday can learn Greek and Latin and maybe a few other languages:)]"

"If Heaven has given you a vivid imagination, then you will often spend solitary hours sitting at the piano as if in a trance seeking the harmonies to express your innermost feelings. The more mysteriously you feel yourself drawn as it were into a magic circle, the more elusive seems the world of harmony. These are the happiest hours of youth. But beware of over-indulging a talent that may lead you to waste time and energy on phantoms of the imagination. The mastery of form, the ability to clearly formulate thoughts, can be acquired only through the fixed symbols of notation. Therefore write more, and dream less."

"The moral laws are also those of Art. [If only "artists" followed this advice!]"

"From a pound of iron worth a few pennies can be made many thousand watch-springs, which are worth hundreds of thousands. Put to good use the pound that God has given you."

"Only if the form is first clear to you will the spirit then reveal itself. [I'm thinking the spirit is the aesthetic nature of a piece...not like a soul or the Holy Spirit.]"

[Schumann, Robert Album Fur Die Jugend Kinderszenen Fur Klavier Konemann Music Budapest, 1993 pp. 91-93]

Reformed Rap

Linds and I picked up one of the best cd’s I’ve heard in a long time (off the recommendation of Justin Taylor)! This is a rap album…and if you don’t like rap you should start because this album has a strong message, namely Sovereign Grace from God through atonement of Jesus Christ to people who are helpless.

Click here for purchase information, also click here to see Voice's website.

Here’s the refrain from track 6 “All Rap Is”

"All rap is, is the lust of the flesh that is easily seen in drugs and sex, and

All rap is, is the lust of the eyes, almost any video can help you realize,

All rap is, is the boasting of what he has and does to how he lives in MTV cribs


I ain’t hatin’ but to me raps the glorification of what led Christ to propitiation."

Check out this interview Voice did with Justin Taylor.

I really like this disc. Just remember if you don't like rap...you probably won't like this disc. But if you love truth I have no doubt the Words will minister to you!

[UPDATE: Lindsey caught this. I wrote the words to the chorus incorrectly. Lol... so I updated them:)]

Boyz II Men...

Vitamin Z cites three areas in life that the church currently teaches boys to become men in which is completely wrong.

1. Athletic Ability
2. Sexual Conquest
3. Economic Success

I agree that these areas do not define what a godly man is, and if this is really what the church is teaching boys then there's a problem, but is this the whole picture???

This is from a recent article written by Anthony Bradley called: “Wisdom from 'Joe'--Sex, Money, Good Grades, Good Job--The False Masculinity of an Emasculated America (what's the church's response?)”

I found this article a little troubling…here are the comments I posted on Vitamin Z's blog.

Personally I found this article to be bitter and angry...not compassionate and sharing the truth in love...furthermore not very helpful. This kind of ranting happens way to much in "good theology" circles. Why can't folks who are analytical, and see problems in the church point it out in humility, compassion and love instead of angst.

I understand what the writer was saying, but there has got to be a better way to communicate it. Also...the the descriptor "feminization" shouldn't be used so much that it becomes an actual insult the feminine (namely the women).

There are problems in the church...no doubt...I'm aware that our culture and many churches don't teach boys how to become men, but I hardly found THIS article edifying...just complaining and tearing down. Creating division. And painting a few ministries with disrespectfully wide strokes. Generalizing like this is not helpful...it's what the Emergent Church often does...and in response I and others do the same to them.

Thought provoking article though.

In Christ
Noah

What do you all think of this article?!?!?!?!?!?