Chris Paul on ESPN's My Wish

Great story here from ESPN's My Wish series. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets meets with a kid who had lymphoma. I'm amazed at the strength of this kid, and the humility and generosity of Chris Paul. Great stuff.

A Review of Jordan Critz's EP

Album Release Date: April 7, 2009

Rating: 3.5/5

Jordan Critz has some clear musical talent. Proficient on numerous instruments and skilled in songwriting, this most recent EP is a nice sample of tunes that demonstrates those talents well. He has a soothing voice, and a knack for crafting melodies that evoke emotion on their own. Many of these songs would fit nicely on many mainstream radio stations, and I’m interested to hear more from Critz in the future. The potential is definitely there.

After a few listens to the Jordan Critz EP, I couldn’t figure out why I kept experiencing nostalgic feelings. Finally, I realized that I felt like I was listening to many of my favorites from the late 90s. Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Five For Fighting, and others are clearly influences here. That emotional pop/rock style is clearly present throughout these 6 songs, and if you liked any of the stuff by bands like those, you will find things to like here.

My other thought was that many of these songs would fit perfectly in a movie soundtrack. “Western Shore,” in particular, conjured up all kinds of images in me as it dealt with themes of moving on and starting over. I could easily picture that as the theme to a movie or playing during a montage of a TV show. In fact, I believe Critz has done some work in movies or TV in the past, and one of the songs from his previous album was featured on the show “Army Wives.”

The album follows with more piano-driven tracks, “Turn Away” and “To Be Me” (which clearly harkens back to songs like Five For Fighting’s “100 Years”). “Faded Lights,” with its acoustic rock sound, is where Critz voice started to sound a little like John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls on the chorus.

I think my favorite song on the album would be “Cold Sunshine.” This song begins with some beautiful work on the piano, before launching into a soaring chorus. Again, the feelings of nostalgia were thick for me. Many of the bands I enjoyed in high school had a similar sound here. For some reason, 8Stops7 (if anyone else even remembers them) kept coming to my mind here.

All of these comparisons are simply to give people a feel for Critz’s sound as I’m assuming many (like me) have never heard of him before. Is this EP worth checking out? If you like any of the bands I’ve mentioned, or just like emotionally driven acoustic/piano rock, you’ll likely enjoy this little collection. The lyrics are a little vague for my taste at times, but they evoke the desired emotions with poetic imagery where necessary. I believe Critz is a Christian, but you probably wouldn’t know that strictly from this EP. Redemptive themes are definitely there, however, and I enjoyed this more than I expected.

Derek Webb's Stockholm Syndrome

Derek Webb's new album, Stockholm Syndrome, is available for pre-order starting today. You get an immediate download of the album with the pre-order. He also has different packages you can choose from with cool extras (including a documentary and participation in choosing songs for Derek to cover). Cool stuff.

First thoughts on the album:

Wow. This is different. VERY different. I'm liking it so far, though. Seriously, though, we're not in "She Must And Shall Go Free" anymore, Toto. Derek has reinvented himself again. If you just heard this stuff, you'd never guess it was him, except maybe for the voice. He definitely keeps things interesting.

His website also had this trailer for the album. Check it out.

Stockholm Syndrome Trailer from Derek Webb on Vimeo.

Music Video of the Week

Esterlyn - "We All Need"

Happy 4th of July!

A Review of Emery's "In Shallow Seas We Sail"

Album Release Date: June 2, 2009

Rating: 4.5/5

One of the aspects of being a reviewer I’ve come to enjoy is the exposure to bands and artists you may have not heard otherwise. Emery will not be new to many of you. They’ve been with Tooth & Nail since their 2004 release, The Weak’s End. They’ve developed quite a following and have enjoyed a fair amount of critical acclaim as well. Somehow, I’ve managed to live the last 5 years of my existence without hearing any of their music. I’d heard of them, of course, but had never gotten around to actually listening to any of their music.

Luckily for me, as a reviewer, I was required to listen to their latest release, In Shallow Seas We Sail. As I said, this was my introduction to the band, so I can’t speak to comparisons to previous material, but if this album is indicative of the quality of that work, I’ll be checking out those releases in the near future.

I’m not normally a fan of bands that incorporate screaming into their vocals, so I was initially a little turned off when the opening track, “Cutthroat Collapse,” begins with some guttural proclamations. Very quickly, though, the vocals turn a different direction, combining catchy complimentary melodies with sugary-sweet harmonies amidst the screams. In fact, the screams almost serve to highlight what great voices these guys have. I thoroughly enjoyed the 2-voice multiple melodies being sung at the same time throughout many of the songs, which often then transitioned to harmonies.

These vocals are layered atop driving baselines and incredible guitar riffs within the intricately crafted rock songs. The writing here is extremely solid, both musically and lyrically, delving into multiple themes: broken relationships (“Curbside Goodbye,” “Piggy Bank Lies”), fighting against temptation to sin (“A Sin To Hold On To,” which also includes the best harmonies on the album), and death (“Dear Death” parts 1 and 2). “Dear Death Part 2” particularly hit me lyrically, especially these lines:

Oh, God, are you listening now? As this cancer dances through her, and then takes a bow. It won’t disappoint the crowd, whose word is a curse, as I hear them one-by-one. Please pull the string, and I come undone.

Chilling.

The music throughout creates the perfect backdrop to deliver the emotionally-charged vocals, which again, are the highlight of the album for me.

The music is charged with energy, but it’s a harnessed energy that keeps the tracks from losing control into chaos. The songs are constructed carefully, while avoiding the “over-produced” feeling that many veteran bands can suffer from at this point in their career. Maybe it’s the screaming and silky vocals, but there’s a polished abrasiveness to the music. Occasionally, it simultaneously pumps you up and gives you chills within the same section.

Emery has already proven they have staying power, and this album ensures they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. I thoroughly enjoyed these songs, and this is definitely in the running for my favorite album of the year. They’re not exactly breaking entirely new ground here in the genre, but I’m a big fan of the piece of land where they’ve chosen to reside.

DeYoung and Kluck on the Church

Kevin DeYoung and Tim Kluck, authors of Why We're Not Emergent (one of my all-time favorite books), have a new book called Why We Love the Church - In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion. I really love that subtitle by the way.

DeYoung and Kluck wrote a piece as part of the Guest Voices feature at the Washington Post. Here's a sample from that:

Here's what Bono, Oprah, and the guru speakers on PBS won't tell you: Jesus believed in organized religion and he founded an institution. Of course, Jesus had no patience for religious hacks and self-righteous wannabes, but he was still Jewish. And as Jew, he read the Holy Book, worshiped in the synagogue, and kept Torah. He did not start a movement of latte-drinking disciples who excelled in spiritual conversations. He founded the church (Matt. 16:18) and commissioned the apostles to proclaim the good news that Israel's Messiah had come and the sins of the world could be forgiven through his death on the cross (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:14-36)...

...We've been in the church our whole lives and are not blind to its failings. Churches can be boring, hypocritical, hurtful, and inept. The church is full of sinners. Which is kind of the point. Christians are worse than you think. Our Savior is better than you imagine.

Check out the rest of the article, and go buy their new book. I can't wait to read this one.

The Little Guy...

I think my son may be the happiest baby on earth at this point. Hope this temperament is here to stay...

Matt Chandler - The Gospel vs. Religion

How do we share the gospel with people who have been "inoculated" against it?

Music Video of the Week

Jonny Diaz - "More Beautiful You"

RIP Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

A classic from the King of Pop.

Michael Jackson - Thriller
Uploaded by GGG40. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.

A Review - Jimmy Needham's Speak

Album Release Date: August 15, 2006

Rating: 4.5/5

Jimmy Needham has somehow managed to stay fairly below radar since his debut album Speak back in 2006. He has since released his sophomore follow-up which completed the sentence: “Speak,” but “Not Without Love.” Both albums have been met with a decent amount of critical acclaim; even so, Needham’s name is not extremely well known.

This is a tragedy.

Beginning with this little masterpiece of pop/soul, Jimmy Needham has positioned himself as a breath of fresh air in the Christian music scene. With a style that borrows somewhat from Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, and others, he’s created a refreshing sound that blends multiple styles together beautifully.

The true appeal of this album to me, however, is the shear strength of the poetic and potent lyrics. Needham has described this album as “full of challenges to the Church in regards to living holy, sharing the gospel, etc.” Avoiding clichés entirely, he does just this.

The album opens with the upbeat “I Am New,” which begins with these lines:

I cling to the veil to no avail without fail Reaching for the God if Israel in man's jail Wailing on my knees and hands to draw the curtain and stand Thank God for bloody feet and pierced hands

This is not just another Christian album. He follows with “Lost At Sea,” evoking Jason Mraz comparisons while spitting lines such as: "And now I will diligently and not religiously but affectionately come / Before the throne of your grace in this place and seek your face / For all eternity and then some." Don’t gloss over those. There is some serious substance there.

Showing he also has some versatility, Needham also delivers some great slower tunes such as “Dearly Loved” and “Stand On Grace,” which both highlight a strong, unique voice that functions as the platform for the powerful truth of songs perfectly. Other highlights include “For Freedom” and “You Make Me Sing,” which demonstrate the impact of some of Needham’s bluesy influences.

There really isn’t a weak song here. The album closes with an interesting slice of truth called “The Bendiction,” a spoken word track that essentially presents the gospel to religious, self-righteous, modern-day Pharisees and calls them to acknowledge their numerous sins as well as continual and ongoing need for Christ. This guy can bring it:

The front pages of papers of children raped by rapist Iraqi torture chambers and we the blame claim we're blameless Wrong. All. And swelling up inside of us there's this pride in us this arrogance And our only line of defense is the sense that I’m not as half as bad as this friend of mine so I must be fine We mean well don't we? Yet I've never seen good intentions set a man free from hurt. All.

If you’re looking for something fresh, daring, and straying from the status-quo in Christian music, look no further.

Track Listing:

1. I Am New

2. Lost At Sea

3. Fence Riders

4. Dearly Loved

5. For Freedom

6. Speak

7. You Make Me Sing

8. Wake Up

9.We Cry Holy

10. Stand On Grace

11. The Gospel

12. The Benediction
___________________________________

You can also read this review at The Christian Manifesto.

Believe (and Like) What The Bible Says

Excellent post from Kevin DeYoung this morning. Here's a sample:

Christians should not only believe what the Bible teaches, they should like what the Bible teaches. All Scripture is not just tolerable, but profitable and breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16).The law should be our delight (Psalm 1:2; 119:77; Rom. 7:2). We should love the commandments of God (Psalm 119:47; 1 John 5:3).

This means perfunctory obedience is not the goal. We don't want to submit to our husbands out of duty, or sacrifice for our wives because we have to do, or refrain from sex because God's a meanie and he must be listened to, but because we want to. God wants more than begrudging obedience or external conformity, he wants us to delight in the law of God in our inner being. So pay attention not just to your wills, but to your affections...

...The Bible is true and the Bible is good. When we accept its truth without actually liking it, we have only come half way to mature faith. We are like kids saying "I'm sorry" while rolling our eyes, like a husband getting flowers so his wife won't be ticked, like a lover skimming through a letter from her beloved when she should be cherishing every word and every truth in her heart. Read the Bible. Believe the Bible. Delight in all that it affirms. Anything less is not good for your soul.

Read the whole post. Really good stuff.

What's God's "Call" on My Life?

I've given the above question a lot of thought over the past few years. I recently read the book, Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. His main point was to quit waiting for some miraculous sign to show me what to do with my life. My job is to love the Lord, seek his Kingdom, and pursue Christ-likeness. With that in mind, I also found the following from The Resurgence very helpful.

Christians don't need to be specially "called" to live missionally; it is inherent in being a disciple. To become a disciple of Jesus means that you evaluate your passions and talents in terms of how they can best be used to spread God's kingdom. The call has already been issued: "Glorify me in all that you do. Love and serve your neighbor. Go into the world and preach the gospel to every person." That's it.

Each person must evaluate how they have best been suited to fulfill that call, but the call is clear. If you are a businessman, you are to do excellent work to the glory of God, to the benefit of humanity, and to the testimony of Christ in your community. You don't have to wait on a special call to begin to do so—you've already received that call as a Christian. We talk about finding God's will; it's not lost...

...I say this because we have so many people sitting around waiting on a warm, fuzzy, and goose-bump-inducing vision from God before they embark on some ministry. Maybe we've invented the whole language of calling to mask the fact that most Christians don't want to live missionally.

They're going to have more on this topic. I'll be on the lookout for it.

Accidental Guide to Fatherhood

Picked up an interesting book for my trip to Denver this week -- Home Game - An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood by Michael Lewis. Managed to read 155 pages of it on the plane out here, as it's extremely fascinating. I'll write more about it later when I do a full review, but it's basically Lewis' thoughts (in a journal-like style) about fatherhood following the birth of each of his 3 children.

Some parts are a little difficult to read because of the language, and Lewis does many things with his children I hope I'm able to avoid, but watching him work through the issues of new fatherhood is very intriguing. Having a 6-month-old myself, I can relate to many of the stories he shares (funny as well as frustrating).

He also has some poignant and insightful moments. Like this passage from pages 78-79:

"The simple act of taking care of a living creature, even when you don't want to, maybe especially when you don't want to, is transformative. A friend of mine who adopted his two children was asked by a friend of his how he could ever hope to love them as much as if they were his own. "Have you ever owned a dog?" he said. And that's the nub of the matter: All the little things that you must do for a helpless creature to keep it alive cause you to love it. Most people know this instinctively. For someone like me, who has heretofore displayed a nearly superhuman gift for avoiding unpleasant tasks, it comes as a revelation. It's because you want to hurl it off the balcony and don't that you come to love it."

And this from pages 75-76:

"Maternal love may be instinctive, but paternal love is learned behavior...A month after Quinn was born, I would have felt only an obligatory sadness if she had been rolled over by a truck. Six months or so later, I'd have thrown myself if front of the truck to save her from harm."

A little extreme, but I think most new dads understand his point. More to come on this book.

Music Video of the Week

Jimmy Needham - "Firefly"

A Review - Glory Revealed II

Album Release Date: July 14, 2009

Rating: 3/5

When the first Glory Revealed project came out back in 2007, I was very impressed by the way in which Mac Powell and company were able to take words straight from scripture, a folk/bluegrass style, and combine them to make a very solid worship album. In fact, the album was hailed by many critics and picked up 2 Dove Awards that year (Special Event Album and Inspirational Recorded Song for “By His Wounds”). I absolutely loved that the songs on that album were almost entirely from God’s Word. When I heard Powell was gathering another all-star cast of artists for Glory Revealed II, I was excited to hear the fruits of that labor.

While this album is good and will no doubt delight the fans of many of the artists involved, I was left slightly disappointed by the effort. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I think we’ve come to expect more from the likes of Powell, Mark Hall, Brandon Heath, Matt Maher, Trevor Morgan, Amy Grant, Shane & Shane…well, you get the point. The cast is top notch. The words are obviously amazing and alive. The music, although not bad by any means, just falls short of the caliber of artists involved.

Not that the album is without its highlights. The opener, “How Great,” was my favorite. This is how I wish the entire album had been, actually. Flavored by more of a southern rock feel than the album’s more pronounced folk/bluegrass/country sound, this upbeat song conjured up images of sitting on the porch of a cabin or around a campfire singing about the greatness of God. “Wake Up, Oh Sleeper” had a similar overall feel as well. The first single off the album, “Since The World Began,” with Maher, Grant, Ed Cash, and Powell singing of God’s supremacy over all things, combines the voices beautifully within the melody, and will no doubt be a favorite of many.

Other than these songs, however, there was not much to love about the album. The overall songwriting is lacking when compared the first edition, which produced almost no filler tracks. There are no “By His Wounds” here that take your breath away, and unfortunately there are quite a few forgettable songs. As I said, the folksy/bluegrass/country style is even more pronounced on this album. If you like that style of music, you may really like this album. It’s certainly a biblically-solid album as well. The songs aren’t bad, but after numerous listens, I just couldn’t get passed the feeling that they just missed with this one. I do hope the album does well enough to warrant a third project. I think Powell and friends are capable of much more, and I hope we get the chance to hear it.

Track Listing (Note, this list is from their website, gloryrevealed.com. The order and artists are slightly different from what I received.):

1. How Great – Mac Powell (Third Day), Shane Everett (Shane and Shane), Jonathan Shelton, Brian Littrell

2. Rejoice in The Lord – Trevor Morgan, Mark Hall (Casting Crowns)

3. Wake Up, Oh Sleeper – Jason Crabb, Jonathan Shelton, Bear Rinehard (NEEDTOBREATHE)

4. Since The World Began – Matt Maher, Amy Grant, Ed Cash, Mac Powell

5. Psalm 23 – Trevor Morgan, Geoff Moore

6. Praise The Lord – Natalie Grant, Laura Story

7. What We Proclaim – Brandon Heath, Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North), Aaron Shust

8. Blessed Hope – Mac Powell, Shawn Lewis (Hyper Static Union)

9. There Is A City – Sara Evans, Bethany Olds

10. Cup of Salvation – Shane & Shane

11. Never – Shawn Lewis, Bethany Dillon

12. To You Be The Glory – Matt Maher, Kari Jobe
___________________________________

You can also read this review at The Christian Manifesto.

Couple Sues in "Wrongful Birth" Case

It's amazing the way some people think. A couple in Portland, Oregon is suing their doctor because he failed to conclude their unborn child may have Down Syndrome, and the child was born. Now, the couple is suing for $14 Million for the healthcare, education, speech and physical therapy that will be involved in raising their now 2-year-old daughter.

From OregonLive.com:

In addition to seeking money for the child's future care, the couple ask compensation for the depression and emotional distress Deborah Levy has suffered and for her inability to go back to work as a dental hygienist. Ariel Levy, a civil engineer, also seeks compensation for the effect his daughter has had on his relationship with his wife.

This is scary to me. People are suing, in part, because their daughter has had an adverse effect on their marriage? And this is the doctor's fault for not letting them know they should kill the child or their lives will be harder?

Wow.

It's sad to think about, but I hope the child isn't able to comprehend all this when she's older. "So, we have all this money because you guys would have rather killed me than deal with me, and the doctor didn't tell you to, so you're rich because I'm not dead."

HT : Challies

Go Buy This CD!

Amazon's MP3 Daily Deal today is The End is Not the End by House of Heroes. You can get the MP3 album for only $1.99. Go buy this...right now.


This is one of my favorite albums, and the fact you can get it today for only $1.99 is ridiculous. Straight-up amazing rock songs. If you like rock, you will like this CD. Go buy it.

HT : Z

A Review - Re:Sound's Rain City Hymnal, Vol 1

(Please note: You can also read this review at The Christian Manifesto, where I'll be contributing reviews of music and books, starting with this one.)
_______________________

There is a trend right now among younger Christian musicians to update the music to old hymns by dead guys and release albums with these “new” songs (see albums by Passion, Sovereign Grace Music, Na Band, Soujourn, etc.). This trend can be attributed to multiple reasons, but I think two prominent reasons are: 1) The songs are good and have stuck around for a reason, and 2) In reaction to the gushy-love-song type of worship of the past decade or two, there is a renewed interest among young people for theologically robust worship songs and a connection to the church's history.

The need for deeper theology among young people can be seen in the success of websites like TheResurgence.com, a ministry of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and headed up by Mark Driscoll, a growing favorite among Christians in their 20s and 30s. The Resurgence has already branched out into publishing with Re:Lit, and now, with Re:Sound, Mars Hill worship pastor Tim Smith is taking them into the arena of music production. The first full-length album to be released is Rain City Hymnal, which takes 12 old hymns and transitions the songs into the 21st century beautifully. Producers Brian Eichelberger and Joel Brown bring together 5 different bands (The Northern Conspiracy, Ex Nihilo, Team Strike Force, E-pop, and The BCG) and create an album that has a palpable cohesiveness amidst the diversity. The album is available for a limited time for free (by giving them email addresses) or for whatever price you choose to pay at NoiseTrade.com. After that, it will be available for purchase through more “traditional” avenues.

The album kicks off with “Doxology,” a brooding, atmospheric version of a song I grew up singing as the offering was collected every Sunday in church. The driving baseline throughout the song sets the tone for a lot of the rest of the album, and the song builds to a great crescendo. Needless to say, this version would not have gone over well in that extremely conservative setting, but I really enjoyed it in this setting.

Other favorites on the album include “We Have Not Known Thee,” which laments our tendency to neglect God while asking for the grace and strength to do so better. The back and forth of a female voice on the verses and male on the chorus works extremely well, and the melody is almost haunting. “I’ll Fly Away,” with its acoustic-piano rendition of a classic is also a standout. The album closer, “Man of Sorrows,” took me to another place and made me feel as though I was sitting at Mars Hill Church, having just heard a sermon of the cross of Christ, and was now singing my heart’s response. The song hits just the right tone to match lyrics such as, “Bearing shame and scoffing rude / In my place condemned He stood / Sealed my pardon with His blood / Hallelujah! What a Savior!” The song slowly builds and makes you want to raise your hands in praise to Christ for what he’s done for us. Stunning.

With so many trying to update old hymns, an album has to be really good to stand out, and this one does. The music is great, but not distracting from the truth to which it points. While the style of the songs might not appeal to everyone (and the mood of the music is quite somber on a number of the songs), I would definitely recommend this offering.

Tim Smith states in the liner notes, “Our goal in all this is first, to make Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, look great.” Mission accomplished, Tim.

Rating: 4 out of 5