Tim Challies on Sexual Detox

Tim Challies finished up his "Sexual Detox" series of blog posts today. I found the series of posts convicting, encouraging, and wise in their simple wisdom on the topic. I would highly recommend it to all guys.

Tim states:

I want to speak especially to young men, those who are teenagers or dating or engaged or newly married. However, I do hope that anyone can read and enjoy the series, even if the teen years are far behind you. I want to talk to young men as an older man. I would like to think that I’m in a sweet spot between young and old—where I am young enough to remember the troubles and travails of youth but old enough to bring a measure of maturity. I want to be forthright with you and yet I also want to be discreet; I often think we, as Christians, talk entirely too much about sex and in too much detail. You may accuse me of the former simply because I’ve written this series but I hope to remain innocent of the second.

I think all men (young and old) can benefit from these reminders. These are important issues and need to be addressed in direct, yet sensitive ways. I believe that's what Tim accomplished.

Here are the 5 parts:

• Pornifying the Marriage Bed
• Breaking Free
• A Theology of Sex
• Detoxification
• Freedom

Thanks, Tim, for a great series and your willingness to take on such a difficult issue.

Music Review: The Fold - Dear Future, Come Get Me

Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Independent
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Rating: 3/5

The Fold hopes their newest album, Dear Future, Come Get Me, serves as a wake-up call to people to pursue their dreams, letting nothing stand in the way. Born out their breakup with Tooth & Nail Records after two full-length releases, the new album brings the catchy, highly-melodic rock the guys are known for, while showing some attempts to expand their musical horizons as well.

Themes on the album clearly reflect the state of mind of the band as they struck out on their own, dealing with the ideas of perseverance, courage to face the future, and not giving up on dreams. There’s also a joy that comes out in many of the songs, as the guys are clearly ecstatic to still be doing what they love.

Musically, though, there aren’t a ton of surprises here. This is melodic rock, incorporating aspects of punk at times, and even utilizing some electronic sounds. The songs are catchy, but probably nothing that’s going to stick with you for all that long afterwards. Some that rose above the others included the title track, which interestingly sounds like it could right out of the 80s, but works. “Head Held High,” with its sparse acoustic guitar picking and synthesizer, slow drumbeat, and soft melody, was a welcomed respite from the full-on power chord attack on much of the album. Another interesting addition was the OneRepublic-esque “These Are My Dreams.” I enjoyed the attempt at a new sound here.

Overall, though, the album is an upbeat, eminently-melodic, yet ultimately pretty forgettable collection. I enjoyed listening to the album, but there’s just not really much to separate them from the next pop/rock band and warrant multiple listens. I could see myself popping this in for a quick mood pick-me-up, and many will no doubt connect with the themes of the album and consume the encouragement the guys are serving up. Musically, however, there’s just so much in this genre that something really has to bring it to stand out. Dear Future… isn’t bad at all; in fact, it’s better than quite a bit of what passes today. However, while I really admire the guys’ resolve to continue as a band sans label, I can’t see this album pushing its way through an already cluttered genre to make a huge impact.



*This album was provided for review by The Fold.

Trick or Tract? Seriously...

Great post by Joe Carter over at the Evangel blog about Halloween and Jack Chick tracts. Seriously, some people actually give these out to kids when they come to their house on Halloween? Wow.

Here's what the organization suggests:

When Trick-or-Treaters parade to your door this Halloween, drop a couple of Chick tracts in their bag, along with some candy. Or, to really get them excited, stock a tray with several different Chick tracts. (See suggested tracts.) When children arrive, place the tray in front of them and let them pick any two tracts. (Be sure to give them candy too.) Kids love receiving unique gifts, like cartoon tracts. And they love picking the ones they want. Your home could be their favorite stop of the night. With Chick tracts, you can witness to every child who comes to your door. Plus, they’ll take the tracts home, where their parents will read them too!

Here's a sample from one of the tracts, but head over to Joe's post where he walks through an entire one. Again, wow.

Music Review: BarlowGirl - Love & War

Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Fervent Records/Word Records
Release Date: September 8, 2009

Rating: 4/5

While not considering myself a huge fan of the group, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed BarlowGirl’s past work, as their catchy tunes and beautifully harmonious vocals are quite good. Their version of “O Holy Night” from a WOW Christmas album a few years ago is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. I’m a sucker for great harmonies, and the Barlow sisters continue to churn them out.

On their new release, Love & War, the progression with regards to song-writing and instrumentation continues, as the girls have crafted a more musically-mature work that delves into some deep issues lyrically. One clear example of this is “Tears Fall,” a moving piano piece about the devastation of abortion.

Oh what have we lost because we chose we'll never know
And loving you is better than feeling alone
And all our claims to freedom have become these heavy chains
And in the name of rights we keep filling nameless graves

The melody is haunting and the song is a powerful expression of the destruction caused by the act without attacking people. It just captures the sadness of such a tragic component of our world.

Other than this song, the rest of the album is a lot of what you’ve come to expect from these girls: remarkable vocals, moving harmonies, and just enough rock mixed in with their pop sound. From the opening rocker “Come Alive” to the beautiful piano rock of “Beautiful Ending” to the emotive “Sing Me a Love Song,” the band has settled in completely to their sound.

“Love is Marching” is a beautiful take on the power of love, exploring how love, not might, is what will change the world. It’s juxtaposition against “Running Out of Time,” which encourages believers to stand for the truth (This is war, so pick your side), is interesting. The balance between loving others and standing for the truth is a difficult line sometimes. Both are vital, however.

The only miss on the album in my opinion is when they really try to break out of the mold they’ve created for themselves. I commend the attempt, but “Hello Sunshine,” which closes out the album just felt tacked on the end to me, especially following “Tears Fall.” Just didn’t fit.

Overall, though, this is a very solid, diverse addition to the growing BarlowGirl library. I’d say it’s their best work yet. The band is growing and maturing, but continues to give their fans more of what they love. Great album.



*This album was provided for review by Fervent Records/Word Records.

Abortion on Law and Order: SVU

Wow. Powerful.



HT: Trevin Wax

Extended Collision Preview

COLLISION - 13 min VIMEO Exclusive Sneak Peek from Collision Movie on Vimeo.

A preacher and an atheist walk into a bar...

Collision: Christopher Hitchens on Debating "Religious People"

Collision, the new documentary that followed renowned atheist Christopher Hitches and pastor/theologian Doug Wilson as they debated the question, "Is Christianity good for the world," comes out today. I pre-ordered it, and it should be arriving today. I can't wait to check it out. Doug Wilson is great to listen to, and it's nice that such an intelligent and well-spoken man is the one debating Hitchens.

In light of this, I found this article that Hitchens wrote for Slate to be very interesting. The article is called "Faith No More: What I've learned from debating religious people around the world." The whole article is worth the read, but I found this part particularly fascinating. Remember, these are the words of one of the staunchest atheists in the world.

Wilson isn't one of those evasive Christians who mumble apologetically about how some of the Bible stories are really just "metaphors." He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which in turn is the outcome of our rebellion against God. He doesn't waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he "allows" it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

Interesting that in Hitchens view, Christians actually loose credibility for shying away from the difficult doctrines of the faith. Christianity is consistent in it's view of the world and God. It only becomes inconsistent and irrational when we shy away from difficult things so as not to offend.

Music Review: Kutless - It Is Well: A Worship Album

Genre: Worship/Rock
Label: BEC Recordings
Release Date: October 20, 2009

Rating: 4/5

I became a fan of Kutless back when Sea of Faces came out back in 2004. Their rock sound was a welcomed find for me as I discovered the world of Christian rock. In 2005, they released Strong Tower, a worship album that did a great job combining a rock sound with some familiar and new worship tunes. To this day, the song “Strong Tower” remains one of my favorite worship songs.

After a couple less-than-overwhelming rock releases the past few years, the guys have once again returned to the worship genre with the release of It Is Well: A Worship Album. While the album doesn’t always hit on all cylinders, the band’s take on some traditional and well-known songs, as well as a few of their originals, combine to make this a very solid addition to the worship genre. I really think these guys do worship better than straight-up rock, actually.

The album opens with the title track, using a recording of a person walking into a church where the choir is singing the song to transition from the traditional to the modern. It works well, and when Jon Micah Sumrall launches into the chorus (with the melody changed ever so slightly), it sounds amazing. Other familiar songs that work well here include “Hungry,” “Remember Me,” “God of Wonders,” “Give Us Clean Hands,” and “Redeemer,” which uses part of the hymn “There Is A Redeemer” extremely well (although I wish it was much longer and repeated the verse structure more than once).

I know what you’re thinking: Do we really need another version of “God of Wonders?” That was my first thought, but the band is really able to make it their own for the most part. Instead of reminding me of earlier versions, it just reminded me why I enjoyed the song so much in the first place.

The original songs weren’t really anything all that special. Pretty much your typical worship fare. The current single, “What Faith Can Do,” explores the power of faith and what God is able to accomplish through it, and sounds made for K-LOVE radio. “Taken By Love” is another solid tune, and “You Save Me” turns up the rock sound more than most on this album. I don’t think they were able to come up with a “Strong Tower” on this album, however.

This album really made me wish that Kutless would just do an album of all traditional hymns and update them with a Kutless style. “Redeemer” and “It Is Well” are easily the two best songs on the album ("Remember Me" is close, though). That verse structure on “Redeemer,” with it’s fantastic guitar riff accompanying the familiar tune, built perfectly into the chorus, forcing me into praise of God. Hearing an old hymn given that treatment was fantastic, and I would love to hear more of that from Kutless if they ever choose to do another worship album (and if it’s done that way, I’ll pre-order it now).

This album, although not perfect, does a great job of combining the worship style with Kutless’ familiar rock sound and is a worthy addition to the genre.



*This album was provided for review by BEC Recordings (thanks, Lori).

Music Video of the Week

Lecrae - "Go Hard"

LECRAE:: GO HARD from Adamson.TV on Vimeo.

Music Review: The Wedding - The Sound, The Steel EP

Genre: Rock
Label: Brave New World
Release Date: June 17, 2008

Rating: 4/5

The Wedding is one of those bands I’ve kept meaning to check out, but just never have for some reason. They’ve made the way to my iTunes wish list a few times, but something else always caught my attention, pushing the Fayetteville, AK rockers to the side again. Because of this, I was glad to be assigned this EP, even though it’s been out for such a long time. Gave me just the excuse I needed.

The Sound, The Steel EP is only 5 songs, but they pack quite a punch. Blending elements of punk, rock, and pop, these 5 songs are diverse enough to provide an interesting musical journey despite the short length. From the upbeat, punkish “Receive” to the piano-driven “Renew,” which highlights Matt Shelton’s extremely solid vocals, I found a lot to love in this little collection. “Reveal” is a fantastic (albeit musically typical) modern rock song, and the EP closes out with “Redeem,” probably my favorite song on the album, both lyrically and musically. The crescendo towards the end of the song is powerful, capturing the concept of redemption within the sound itself.

I’ve listened to these songs multiple times, and I’m hard pressed to find a whole lot to criticize. True, The Wedding isn’t really going to blow you away with a sound you’ve never heard before, but this is just great rock music, with enough musical surprises and lyrical imagery to keep you interested throughout. There are catchy guitar riffs, a couple solos, and great vocals and songwriting.

I’m hard-pressed to remember ever hearing an EP that was more satisfying than this little gem. Typically, EPs just give you a couple good songs with a few fillers, just trying to entice you to check out the full length album later. On this, I was satisfied and left wanting more at the same time…you know what I mean. The collection stands all on its own, but I’m definitely going to head back to iTunes and pick up The Wedding’s earlier stuff and hope it’s as good as this EP.



*This album was provided for review by Brave New World Records.

Free Tim Keller Sermon Downloads

Well this was timed perfectly. Coinciding with the release of his new book, which I reviewed yesterday, Redeemer Church has released a bunch of free sermons by Tim Keller. Seriously, this guy is one of the most intelligent men I've ever heard speak. I can't wait to start working my way through these.

Thanks Redeemer for making these available. And check out Counterfeit Gods, Tim's new book, which is amazing.

• Download Tim Keller Sermons
  

Book Review: Tim Keller - Counterfeit Gods

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: October 20, 2009

I was a big fan of Tim Keller’s first 2 books, The Reason for God, and The Prodigal God. Speaking largely as an apologist in the former and a pastor in the latter, Keller demonstrated his immense intellect and knack for offering keen observations of culture as it relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ. These strengths are applied directly to his latest work, Counterfeit Gods. This is Tim Keller at his finest as he subtly, yet powerfully, points out the things people, and particularly Americans, tend to turn into idols that take the place of God in our lives.

Taking on various arenas of life, Keller explains how even good things become bad things when they turn into God things. His working definition of an idol is simply anything that ascends to the place that only God should occupy in our lives, and he shows how career, money, sex, and even family can become idols in our lives, taking the place of God but lacking the ability to live up to the positions where we place them.

For example, when a parent places their kids in the place of God and wraps their entire identity in a child, an enormous amount of pressure is placed on the child, a pressure they will inevitably fail to live up to. This causes disappointment for the parent and disillusionment for the child. This is because the child isn’t God. He or she isn’t ever-faithful, ever-loving, all-powerful, and perfect. Only God is. It’s unfair to children and damaging to the parents when these situations occur.

This idolatry can show up anywhere. I especially found Keller’s chapter on power particularly helpful. When power is made into a God, it manifests itself in many places such as careers, parenting, and relationships; today, it mostly shows up in the political arena. People turn political parties, politicians, and ideologies into gods; subsequently, when their party loses, they are devastated. Their god has let them down, and now they do the only thing they can think of…they mock, ridicule, and blame the false political god that arose in its place. They lament the end of everything or complain about the status quo. The problem, of course, is that neither conservativism nor liberalism live up to god-status. Neither is perfect, but many convince themselves otherwise, believing that everything would be perfect if they could just elect the right person who embodies their values.

Keller has chapter after chapter that points out these idols in our culture, applying his Paul-like style of reasoning. All of this would be for naught, however, if people are not pointed to the true God. It’s not enough to remove idols. People have to be pointed to God as fully-revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Keller does not back down from this one bit. He continually pulls our idol-fashioned foundations from underneath us, but he quickly replaces it with the true foundation, the Rock, Jesus Christ.

This book should be required reading for all western Christians. Other cultures have their idols, but we in the West have truly made it an art form. The roots of this idolatry cannot be removed overnight, but this book is a powerful tool for attacking those roots and unashamedly and repeatedly reminding us what needs to exist in its place.

- Recommended.



*This book was provided for review by Dutton Books.

Music Review: House of Heroes - The End Is Not The End

Genre: Rock
Label: Gotee
Release Date: September 23, 2008

Rating: 5/5

Admittedly, I'm a little late to this party. Well, actually, I'm just a little late to comment on the party. Ever since it came out back in September of 2008, House of Heroes’ little masterpiece of modern rock, The End Is Not The End, has garnered significant playing time on my iPod and in my car. It’s one of those rare collections that never seems to get old to me. As such, not having a review of it on this site was a problem.

Here’s my remedy.

It’s a little difficult to review an album that achieved so much hype this far after the release. There’s been sufficient time for people to discover the band, hype them beyond what any album could actually live up to, and then have others who didn’t understand what was so great about the band because they’d been overhyped. Typical backlash to some reviews that seemingly overly-gushed about the band. Their expectations were simply unrealistic.

So where’s the reality? Truly, it’s closer to the gushing than the reactionary critiques. This really is an amazing album. It just is. A year later, I’m still saying that. I’m quite certain I’ll still be saying that a year from now. Stylistically, it’s a timeless form of rock that can certainly last. Honestly, I think this album deserves the vast majority of the praise it received, and it’s settled easily into my all-time Top 5.

“Epic” is a word thrown around far too often to describe music, but this 16-track beast (including only 1 short instrumental intro) fits the bill. Borrowing musically from the Beatles, Queen, and many others, the band captures amazing energy in each song, from the quirky “If” to the powerful riffs of “Lose Control.” “In The Valley of The Dying Sun” conjures a Bohemian Rhapsody-like feel, as the song traverses multiple musical styles effortlessly. Other fantastic standouts include “Code Name: Raven,” “By Your Side,” “Baby’s A Red,” and “Field Of Daggers.” No two songs sound the same; quite a feat for an album boasting 15 songs.

While the musicality of the album is incredible, the lyrics are of equal appeal. Set against the backdrop of WWII, the band explores themes of war, love, loyalty, destiny, and forgiveness, among others. This is intelligent writing, toeing the line of contentious issues perfectly, dropping bombs on each side of an argument, not shying away from complexity. The album has you rocking out one minute and pondering the justifications (or lack thereof) for war the next.

If you haven’t yet heard this album yet and are a fan of rock music, it truly is a must-have. (Seriously, go buy it on Amazon.com for only $5.99!) I don’t like to give out 5’s in reviews, but if any album deserved the rating, it’s this one. Now that it’s been out long enough, we’ve moved past the hype stage and I believe the album still sounds as fresh and poignant today as when I first heard it. It’s only getting better with age.

Music Video of the Week - The Lion King

Mixing things up a little bit this week. Leah and I took a trip to New York City over the weekend, and as part of that, we saw The Lion King on Broadway. It was incredible. If you've never seen it, you have to do so. It was unbelievable.

Here's a taste - the cast performing the opening scene at the 2008 Tony Awards.

"The Circle of Life"

I Am Second

You may have seen some of these videos already, but I thought it was worth sharing here. IAmSecond.com is a website that basically produces high-quality videos of people's Christian testimonies. They've had rock stars, athletes, p0liticians, celebrities, everyday people, etc. come and share on the site. These include people like Josh Hamilton, Mike Huckabee, Jason Witten, Joe Gibbs, Brian Welch (former Korn member), and many others (I think they just filmed one with Tony Dungy).

Recently, to coincide with the Texas/Oklahoma football game, they produced some videos of Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, the quarterbacks of the 2 teams, who are not only 2 of the best players in the nation, but also happen to be good friends and both Christians.

Here's a quick video from the local Fox affiliate about the story:



And here's the promo for the Bradford/McCoy videos from IAmSecond.com. You can watch the full video here.

New Video from Passion

Stuff like this really makes me wish I was creative...



HT: Zach Nielsen

Music Video of the Week

Because I'm so excited about her comeback...

Jennifer Knapp - "Whole Again (Live)"



And "Undo Me"


Jennifer Knapp - Undo Me

DWB|MySpace Videos

An Inside Look at "Pastor-Athlete" C.J. Mahaney

C.J. Mahaney is one of my favorite author-pastors. He's written 3 of the best books I've ever read: Living The Cross-Centered Life, Humility, and Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God. I could not more highly recommend all 3 of those books.

In this short video, he gives some insights into his life and plugs the Together For The Gospel Conference, which is coming up in April of 2010.

CJ Mahaney - Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

HT: JT

Should We Have An "Agenda" in Evangelism?

Very interesting video over at Rethink Mission. Jonathan sat down with an unbelieving friend to talk about some things. At the end, Aaron had some comments about Christians attempting to convert non-Christians. He had some great things to say, and the discussion in the comments has been good as well.

Check out the video. Do you agree with Aaron? How can we approach a relationship with a non-believer without an "agenda," if that's what we should do? How do you balance your desire for them to know Christ with loving them even if they don't?

Christians Trying to Convert Non-Christians from Rethink Mission on Vimeo.

Music Review: Chris Tomlin - Glory In The Highest

Genre: Christmas
Label: Sparrow Records / sixsteprecords
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Rating: 3/5

What do you want out of a Christmas album? Do you want something to conjure up images of snow-covered houses, fires in the fireplace, gifts around the tree, and other “merry” things? Or do you like your Christmas music to point whole-heartedly, single-mindedly to Christ, the meaning and purpose of the season?

If you’re looking for the former, you might be a little disappointed with Chris Tomlin’s new, live performance Christmas album, Glory In The Highest. There are traditional hymns (“O, Come All Ye Faithful,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “Hark The Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy To The World,” and “O Holy Night”), but for the most part, the album sounds like a straightforward, live worship album that happens to focus on the incarnation and Christmas.

This approach had somewhat mixed results for me.

I appreciate Tomlin’s attempt to bring out the worshipful element in traditional carols, and the original songs he performs are what you’d expect from Tomlin. I have to say, though, that there’s very little musically that makes this really a Christmas album. I’m not saying every song needs to have sleigh bells or anything, but there are certain elements that simply are associated with Christmas, and I just would have liked to hear a little more of this.

That criticism aside, however, fans of Tomlin will find lots to enjoy here. He’s a worship leader, and he’s in his element here, leading a live crowd in Nashville through song after song of worship to God. There’s a power in hearing a congregation sing the beautiful “O, Come All Ye Faithful” in unison. Many of these older songs have lost the worship element as they’ve been sung so many times over the years. Tomlin succeeds in re-capturing the awe in the lyrics of the classics he chose here.

I’m not a huge Tomlin fan in general, but this album is a nice addition to the Christmas album selections, and one that admirably attempts (and succeeds, for the most part) at keeping the focus of Christmas on Jesus Christ. There’s nothing overly creative musically, here. In fact, some of the songs gain power by their stripped-down, congregationally-sung feel. But you feel Tomlin’s heart for worship, and that’s a great reminder to have during the upcoming Christmas season.



*This album was provided for review by Sparrow/sixsteprecords.

Music Review: Downhere - How Many Kings

Genre: Christmas
Label: Centricity Music
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Rating: 4.5/5

Christmas albums are tricky, especially when they come out at the beginning of October. Admittedly, I wasn’t quite ready to dig into Downhere’s new one, How Many Kings, this early. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas music, but I tend to wait until after Thanksgiving to really break it out in full force. Since Christmas music relies heavily on connecting with the feelings/emotions of the holiday season, it takes really good music to entertain outside of that season.

That’s what this album is – really good music.

The title track kicks things off, asking rhetorical questions about the number of kings and lords that have been willing to leave their positions of honor. Christ is exalted for his humility in the incarnation. Solid opener.

A couple traditional tunes follow, as the band livens up “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (excellent treatment) and slows things down with “Angels From the Realms of Glory.” Other traditional songs include “Silent Night,” a fantastic acoustic version of “What Child Is This” and a quirky version of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” These songs are familiar, but the guys are able to make them feel fresh with their creative musicianship.

By far my favorite song on the album, however, was “Good King Wenceslas,” a familiar song that’s never included on Christmas collections. The piano riff used here is perfect, transforming an old hymn into a modern rock tune. The contrast of the instrumentation and vocal style with the antiquated language of the song is amazing and almost makes this album worth purchasing by itself in my opinion. I haven’t enjoyed the musicality of a Christmas song that much in a while.

“Glory to God” and “Gift Carol,” two original tunes, were also solid. The only song I really didn’t enjoy was “Christmas In Our Hearts,” which leans on clichés a little much and doesn’t really fit the feel of the rest of the album, although I didn’t hate it.

Overall, this is a very welcomed change of pace with the glut of Christmas albums that have come out in recent years. Many tend to just do the same old songs in the same old ways. Downhere succeeds in taking traditional songs and making them their own, while also contributing some solid originals.



*This album was provided for review by Centricity Music.

Driscoll on Nightline - Idolatry

Other than lumping Mark in with the "Emergent" church (clearly not understanding the difference between Emergent and Emerging), Nightline did a pretty good job on this story. Driscoll talks about the idols inherent in our culture, the danger in worshiping these idols, and how God is the only one worthy of our worship and praise.

Driscoll says,

"If you worship alcohol you become an alcoholic. If you worship food, you become a glutton. If you worship pleasure you become a sex addict," Driscoll warned. "All the modern vernacular is really not dealing with the root issue of idolatry: Something or someone is preeminent other than God.

...It destroys them. Because they invariably disappoint. People can't do what God does."

You can watch and read the story at abc.com.

Music Review: Todd Agnew - Need

Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: INO/Ardent
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Rating: 3.5/5

Like most people who know who he is, I was introduced to Todd Agnew when I heard his huge hit, “Grace Like Rain” way back in 2003. Agnew then released my favorite of his albums, Reflection of Something, in 2005, which featured great musical diversity and challenging messages. Then, I kind of forgot about Agnew, not picking up his Christmas album in 2006 or Better Questions in 2007. So I was very curious about what I would encounter with his new release, Need, which hits stores tomorrow.

There are two things I’ve always appreciated about Agnew: his honesty and his focus on Jesus (not in that order). He’s never afraid to challenge pre-conceived notions and doesn’t sugar-coat convicting truth, but it’s always about Jesus. That doesn’t change on Need, where all of the songs center around the theme of complete dependence on Christ. Songs like the poignant “I Need No Other” and the southern-flavored, hymn-like “Give Me Jesus” focus solely on Christ. “Tell Me The Story” basically walks through a summary of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And “The Love of God” beautifully paints a grand picture of God’s love and explores the implications of that characteristic.

Other favorites include “Higher Ground,” which alternates between driving rock song and gospel hymn, and the rocker “Breakable,” where Agnew essentially puts Philippians 2 to music with a chorus that states, “You are glorious, infinite and wise. You are mighty, holy. There is none beside You. But to save me from my brokenness, You became breakable.” Great stuff.

My favorite song, though, would have to be “Did You Mean Me?” Here, the lyrics deal with the struggle to accept grace and the truths of the gospel. Agnew sings, “You said all things could be forgiven, but did you mean me?” The gospel’s truth is amazing and we might affirm it, but many of us struggle to accept personally the implications of it. This is powerful songwriting.

Musically, the album is very diverse, including elements of rock, acoustic, gospel, and even some blues. Agnew’s trademark baritone sounds as good as ever, and the song writing is pretty sharp. I have to say, though, that I don’t think Need reaches to level of Reflection of Something for me. Maybe that's more a reflection of changes in me in the past few years, I'm not sure. The songs are solid, and there are a few standouts, but there’s just something missing.

Agnew’s fans will likely not be disappointed by this album, and the lyrics are outstanding as usual (hence the pretty good rating), but I still can’t help feeling that he’s capable of a little more musically. As I said, the album is very diverse and the different styles are performed well, but it’s also a little un-focused for my tastes. I enjoyed the album, but I don’t really see it having a whole lot of lasting appeal for me.

Music Video of the Week

Flyleaf - "All Around Me (Acoustic"

Music Review: Hawk Nelson - Live Life Loud

Genre: Rock
Label: BEC Recordings
Release Date: September 22, 2009

Rating: 4/5

I’ve been somewhat of a fan of Hawk Nelson since Smile, It’s The End of The World back in 2006. While not overly heavy on substantive lyrics, the sound of the band was irresistible, and I found myself using that album as a mood-pick-me-up on a semi-regular basis for a while.

I bought, but was not overwhelmed by, Hawk Nelson is My Friend in 2008. In fact, I believe I listened to the album about 5 times, and haven’t listened to it since. No songs on that album grabbed me at all. I’m not entirely sure why, but that’s where I was on the band as I popped in their newest, Live Life Loud, which just released last week.

I have to admit, I wasn’t completely optimistic when I was greeted by some cheerleaders trying to pump me up on the title track, which opens the album. Quickly, though, the Hawk Nelson I had enjoyed from the past was back, serving up sweet guitar riffs, ridiculously catchy choruses, and great harmonies. “Never Enough,” which follows, provides more of the same.

“Eggshells” is an interesting change of pace, with lyrics pondering the power of our words and the effect they can have on sensitive listeners. “Meaning of Life” incorporates a subtle amount of strings, before settling in with an acoustic verse structure and extremely catchy chorus. The strangest song of the album is easily “Ode To Lord Stanley.” It utilizes a ukulele (yes, a ukulele) as Jason Dunn sings the praises of his Calgary Flames and their triumph in the NHL Playoffs. Quirky if nothing else.

I think my favorite song on the album, however, was “Shaken.” Incorporating 80s-like guitar riffs and powerful lyrics, the band showcases their increasing maturity here. “I’ve been shaken, from my head on down to my toes. Lord, use me; take me where you want me to go. I can’t help it, my heart has been replaced with a face. I’m ready; these hands are dedicated to change.”

The album closes with a beautiful, bag-pipe-driven rendition of “Tis So Sweet,” a classic hymn given a modern take. The song builds to a perfect crescendo near the end and is quite powerful. It works very well. This is followed by an acoustic “Final Toast” to a deceased or departed friend. It’s somber, but simultaneously hopeful.

Overall, I believe Live Life Loud is Hawk Nelson’s best work to date. The music and lyrics have a maturity that wasn’t nearly as prominent on past releases. The guys seem to have really settled into who they are, and there’s a conspicuous confidence in both the sound and lyrical content. I’m back on the bandwagon, as this album has been getting multiple plays on my iPod the last couple weeks. Nothing monumental here, but extremely enjoyable rock sure to satisfy establish fans and win new ones as well.

Listen up Dads - They Need Us

Review: Holy Bible: Mosaic NLT

Genre: Bible
Publisher: Tyndale
Publication Date: September 22, 2009

The Holy Bible: Mosaic NLT, recently released by the folks at Tyndale, is unlike any other Bible I’ve seen. It’s not a study bible. There are no notes in the text of the scriptures (aside from footnotes and cross-references to accompany the New Living Translation text – more on that in a minute). In fact, they went so far as to completely separate the scriptures out from the “Meditations” material, even using different types of paper to distinguish them further. I really appreciate this approach, as what you basically end up with is a nice copy of the NLT with the convenience of some great devotional material housed in the same book.

The meditations are weekly, and they follow the church calendar (Advent through Pentecost, with a calendar available at holybiblemosiac.com to help you follow along). If you’re like me, you likely haven’t had much exposure to the church calendar other than with Advent, the weeks leading up to Christmas. As I’ve interacted with the different meditations, I’ve come to really appreciate the decision to link the devotional content with the flow of remembering God’s work in the world. These will likely increase the power of each Christian holiday for readers.

Each weekly meditation includes a piece of artwork reflecting that week’s theme, recommended scripture readings, quotes from historical or modern Christians from across the globe, space to record your own thoughts, as well as a slightly longer meditation from a contemporary Christian. You can see some samples of these meditation online. I’ve read most of the meditations and a large sampling of the quotes. If you’re the type of person who only reads one publisher or author’s books and carry only the flag of your theological camp, you might find yourself frustrated about what was included.

It truly is a “mosaic,” as it includes many different “pieces” of Christianity in an attempt to create a more diverse, beautiful whole. Some will appreciate this approach. Others will not. That’s inevitable when you have a work that includes quotes from John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Pope Paul VI, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, Mark Driscoll, and Brian McLaren under the same umbrella. Also, the editors don’t really include reasoning for why such different theological views could be included.

Personally, I enjoy the approach. I clearly don’t agree with everything included, but I don’t agree with everything Spurgeon said, either, and he’s one of my favorites. I’m challenged by those things I disagree with, and spurred on to dig deeper into the scriptures to crystallize my views on things. Additionally, I’m reminded that we’re all imperfect in our understandings, and sometimes, it’s good to recognize that while many of our Christian brothers and sisters would disagree about things, we are united in Christ. I would just note that the meditations should clearly be read with discernment.

Another potentially divisive move was using the New Living Translation, which is a dynamic equivalence translation. I won’t attempt a review of it here, as many who know much more have done so far better than I could. I’ll just say this: I’ve been utilizing the NLT much more over the past 6 months or so, and I’m growing to appreciate it more and more. It’s not perfect, clearly, and I still prefer the more literal ESV Study Bible for deep study of the word, but for devotional reading, the NLT is quite good in its clarity and readability. Mosaic is clearly designed for devotional-type reading to bring the reader closer to God, and I think the NLT works well for this purpose.

Overall, I really like what Tyndale has done with Mosaic. I hope it will increase believers’ appreciation for the ebb and flow of the Church calendar focused on God. I hope people will be sharpened and challenged by ideas they may not have encountered otherwise and appreciate some of the diversity allowed by our faith while practicing discernment at the same time. I hope the inclusion of the artwork will spark those within the church to express the creativity gifted to man by God. Most of all, I hope it will help people encounter God and drive them to the scriptures he inspired.

- Recommended.



*This Bible was provided for review by Tyndale Publishers.