Lunar Boulevard

I'm just as f***ed up as they say/ I can't fake the daytime/ Found an entrance to escape into the dark If an opening line like that doesn't get your attention then there isn't much that will. Canadian indie band Metric has been on a steady rise over the past few years, especially with their previous album Fantasies . For those who wondered if they could continue to keep up the pace and quality of that album, Synthetica is a reassuring and bold statement that they're here to stay. It's not an album that makes any radical changes to their sound but it does find them expanding their songwriting and continuing with the synthesizer rock that they do so well. "Artificial Nocturne" is a great way to open the record. As previously stated, the opening line alone instantly perks your ears up and grabs your attention, which never wavers for the next five minutes. It's the kind of moody and atmospheric track that Metric does so well and fans will instan...

Who doesn't like Miles Davis? He's one of the most influential and acclaimed jazz musicians of all time and Kind of Blue is still one of my favorite jazz records. Apparently Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem understands the magic of Davis' music as well and it all culminates here in one of their best songs. The entire song revolves around new love and the idea of beginning a new adventure, all set against Miles Davis and his unique and innovative style of jazz. Everything about it works brilliantly. Just listen for yourself and enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXhNEnaElpw&feature=related

At last we come to the final section of my look at prayer and how it shapes our Christian lives. The last slide at church asked the toughest question and I was forced to confront something I had long suspected about myself but hadn't really dealt with until now: Why don't you pray more? A.) I'm too distracted B.) I'm too skeptical C.) I'm too lazy Most of our congregation went with A and, in all honesty, I think we probably fall into all of these categories to some degree. I've never met a believer who didn't struggle in at least one of these areas from time to time. I certainly know in my own life that A and C are big factors in why my prayer life can be so scattered and unfocused. However, I answered B because deep down I've always struggled with that area more than any other. First off, I'm well aware that admitting this automatically puts me in the "You're a bad Christian" camp, so your assumptions and judgements are ...

There's something about record stores that make me pensive, especially when it comes to anything used. It may seem lame but I often wonder about the history of what I see there. What stories do these worn out vinyl covers and battered CDs hold? I've bought my share of used music over the years and I can't help but wonder where they come from. Who originally bought them? Where did they live? How many hands have they been passed down to over the years? It's pointless and not an answerable question and it has no bearing on the actual music, yet I love to ponder these questions and even make up my own theories as to how they arrived at the store. I like the convenience of MP3s but they can't replicate the experience of walking into a real store and buying a physical album. Today I had a strange thought: maybe we're not so different from these records. Maybe I'm just as used, worn out, and unwanted as those thousands of albums sitting on the shelf, col...

I'm disappointed. I was in Target the other day and they had this awesome t-shirt that featured the NASA logo on the front. As everyone knows, my love for all things space-related implored me to get it. However, I was dismayed to see that they were completely sold out. "It's no big deal," I thought to myself. "There's another Target across town. I'll simply look there." And you know what happened? They had them...in only extra large. The hunt continues because, for some bizarre reason, this $10 shirt makes the geek in me happy and I'm determined to find one. At least one that fits, anyway.

Is there any tougher topic than taming the tongue? After looking at Chapter 3 of James I'm thinking there may not be. Just like the other chapters in this book, it's divided into two sections: taming the tongue and two kinds of wisdom. It's a brief chapter but packed with a lot of challenging food for thought. God's word is good like that. Right away James tells us that we're not all called to be teachers and this is a good thing. Teachers will be hold to a higher standard and thus will be judged more severely. It's a sobering reminder that what we do has consequences and we'll be held accountable. Pastors and teachers have a lot that's expected of them and it's not something that we should take lightly. Verse 2 states that we have all stumbled and fallen short of the glory of God. None of us can judge or claim to be perfect. One of my favorite analogies in the entire Bible is found in verse 5, where James refers to the tongue as a rudder and c...