Lunar Boulevard

Brilliant. Haunting. Soulful. Devastating. If I had to pick a few words to describe R.E.M.'s "Country Feedback" then these would certainly fit the bill quite nicely. This has become one of my favorite R.E.M. tunes and it's long been a fan favorite. Even Michael Stipe himself has said it's his favorite and it's great fun reading how others interpret this song because, in typical Stipe fashion, the lyrics are quite vague and cryptic, yet there's definitely a story going on somewhere under the surface. If you read the lyrics then you know that it's anything but a happy story. This flower is scorched This film is on On a maddening loop These clothes These clothes don't fit us right I'm to blame It's all the same It's all the same Right away the gentle and somber country vibe of the song is made apparent. The delicate melody gives way to the opening lines, where we see that something isn't right. A flower has been scorched and...

A couple weeks ago I briefly summarized the first chapter of James and took a look at the main topics of that section. Chapter 2 deals mostly with the issue of favoritism and following the moral law, while the last section takes another look at putting our faith into action and indicators that point toward a true relationship with Christ. Without dallying any further, let's dive in! James wastes no time with the first verse, immediately telling us that as believers we should be above favoritism. That term may seem a bit vague but he goes on to explain where this specific problem may appear. Verses 2-4 give us a better idea: Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there," or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not d...

Yesterday, April 24, marked the 22nd anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. It's brought us some of the most amazing and beautiful views of our universe and I can't help but appreciate God's creation even more.

At church we had a poll that involved several questions about prayer and my answers, as much as I hate to admit it, kind of shocked me. Granted, I kind of knew this area of myself existed but today was a bit of a wake-up call to reexamine what I believe about prayer and how I go about it. I wanted to combine this with my James study (which WILL be done, I promise!) because there's some great overlap there. Just the first chapter of James alone deals with the topic of prayer and how we are to approach God during that time. I know I'm going to come out of this looking like a terrible person, and perhaps I am. However, I'm honest and sharing my answers on here is predicated upon the idea that it will help me gain a clearer picture on what prayer is and why I have a tendency to be so haphazard about it. The first question was pretty simple: How Much Do You Pray? A.) Frequently B.) Seldom C.) Never For this one my answer was A. I'm in continuous dialogue with Go...

This album has been out for a few months but I wanted to wait and give it plenty of time to settle in before writing a review. Nada Surf albums are often growers and require quite a few spins for me to fully digest and this record is certainly no exception. The band's first album of new material since 2008's Lucky  is a tight and bright collection of songs that continues to add to the band's already impressive and consistent catalogue of music.  One thing the band said they wanted to do on this record was capture the raw energy of their live shows. In that regard The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy  hits the mark perfectly. This album is loud and care-free, rolling from one song to the next almost as if you were watching a live performance. The opener "Clear Eye Clouded Mind" blasts through your speakers the instant you push play and its urgency harkens back to the band's earlier records in the late 90's.  If you want upbeat rock songs then...

I don't know why this always happens. Every time I'm sure there's nothing left for me to write about God always puts something in my head that sits there and marinates until I feel compelled to express it in written form. This is an issue and I've been passionate about it for quite some time, so now I'm putting out there and hopefully it won't sound cheesy, like that Bruno Mars song or some sappy romantic movie. This is mainly for women, although I'm sure men can glean something from it as well, since I'm assuming that there are guys out there who feel this way and have probably tried to convey it to the women they love at one point or another. For those of you who have neither the time nor the patience to sit through this entire thing, here's the abridged message: Women, you are beautiful and amazing exactly as you appear now. For those of you who doubt this claim or wish to investigate it further, the following paragraphs will shed some ligh...

Something about this song is very comforting and wonderful. I can't explain exactly what it is but there's an earnestness and openness to this tune that makes up for the subpar lyrics. Granted, Rivers Cuomo has never been the deepest or most proficient lyricist but he has a knack for being able to write great music to suit some cringeworthy or awkward lyrics. This is where "Hold Me" comes into play. Lyrically it's kind of cheesy and simple but the music is more than enough to carry it, turning somewhat corny lyrics into an epic and moving song. I love how the song builds and really picks up by the end. The structure itself is pretty straightforward but in this case simplicity works best. This is what Weezer does so well and it's a sweet song that you may find yourself enjoying. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxSNTvvjDBo

I'm sure everyone is already familiar with this and I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know but I had a pretty cool revelation today while in church. I'm often humbled and fascinated by the concept of grace, mostly because it's what I live on. It's the only reason I'm alive or even have anything. It's one of the most profound and inspiring aspects of the Christian faith and we all run on it more than we probably realize or are even willing to admit. It's in this context that I want to take a moment to look at Peter. Out of all the apostles, Peter is the one I've always related to. He was brash, reckless, over-enthusiastic, and didn't always get things right, yet his heart was in the right place and he managed to do some incredible things for the Lord. I appreciate his honesty and faults because I see so much of myself in those traits. Perhaps his most famous slip-up was denying Jesus three times, which Jesus predicte...

So wait: I've gone four months without updating this section? Not that anyone was looking for it but it bothers me. That's okay though, because at least I'm coming back with one heck of a rock album. Released in 2002, One by One was the fourth record from Foo Fighters and it also seems to be the one that's constantly slammed or dismissed by a lot of fans and critics. Even the band members themselves, especially Dave Grohl, have been critical of the record and felt that much of it didn't live up to what they had hoped. I'll be honest in saying that I don't think it's the band's strongest album but it's also far better than they would lead you to believe. One by One is a slow burner but well worth the time and it reveals some pretty amazing things along the way. Right off the bat we're treated to one of the band's best and most beloved songs. "All My Life" encompasses everything that we know and love about the band. The chu...

I love the book of James. Heck, I love the entire Bible but James always manages to hit me in such a direct and immediate way. I've been going through it again recently and wanted to share what God has been teaching me, even if it's just typing words here that no one will read. At least the law of averages is on my side! Chapter 1 can basically be divided up into two parts: perseverance and temptation (verses 1-18) and putting faith into action (verses 19-27). James begins by describing what perseverance entails and then instructs us to go to God to seek wisdom. One of the most remarkable verses in this passage is verse 6, which blatantly tells us that we should come to God and ask in confidence. How often have we been in this situation, one in which we come to the Lord with a request and yet have little or no faith that He will grant it or even acknowledge it? If I'm being honest, I struggle in this area far more than any other. It's not that I don't believe God...

Yesterday I had an interesting experience at church that really made me think. I had to move a small wooden cross out onto the stage this morning. One side of it is covered in shards of glass to make it shine and give a reflection. Needless to say, it didn't take long for me to cut myself and start bleeding. In the process of bringing the cross onto the stage I couldn't help thinking about Jesus carrying the cross and how much more difficult and agonizing it was. Here I was complaining and straining just to carry to a 50 pound cross from backstage and yet Jesus endured far worse without complaining or thinking of turning back. I don't know if that means anything but it just got me thinking and made me feel like a jerk.