transformission’s top 15 albums of 2009

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, music
• Date: Feb 12,2010

I thought I’d list a recap of the tweets of my top 15 albums of 2009 that I revealed via Twitter in January. Enjoy…

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#15: Tegan + Sara // Sainthood – power indie-pop with hooky choruses + chiming harmonies to go along with splashes of synths

#14: Metric // Fantasies – spacey, new wave-colored sound w/buzzing synths + Morse-code guitar scrapes

#13: Flaming Lips // Embryonic – trippier, noisier, more experimental journey + most engaging to date

#12: The Empire of the Sun // Walking on a Dream – melancholy radio-friendly funk-rock a la MGMT but better

#11: Peter Bjorn + John // Living Thing-unexpected follow-up 2 Writer’s Block; blips, beeps, beats + HOOKS!

#10: Andrew Bird // Noble Beast – vividly engaging folk-pop, plucked + jangly vibe w/clip-clop percussion

#9: Wye Oak // The Knot – distinct blend of shoegaze + Americana w/feedback blasts, tape-loop-like effects

#8: Harlem Shakes // Technicolor Health – scribbly guitars, fat horns, poignant keyboards + ragtag sing-alongs

#7: Wilco // Wilco (The Album) – experiemental fuzz continues but w/accessible melodies of their earlier projects

#6: Sea Wolf // White Water, White Bloom – woodsy, cozy, pastoral folk-rock sketches w/unassuming indie-pop hooks

#5: Passion Pit // Manners – exuberant, feelgood electro-pop of the indie rather than chart-topping persuasion

#4: Headlights // Wildlife – gorgeous + simultaneously heartbreaking indie-pop full of understated emotional vigor

#3: Fink // Sort of Revolution: intense almost suffocating feeling of intimacy; the raw power of a voice + a guitar

#2: Dave Bazan // Curse Your Branches – chunky, rootsy rocker w/level of solace amidst Bazan’s bittersweet doubts

#1: Phoenix // Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – precise, lean, deliberate danceable indie-pop — brilliance redefined

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the mission of work

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, books, Christianity, church, community, culture, education, family, Gospel, mission, missional, missional church, missional living, parenting, technology, theology, urban, work
• Date: Feb 8,2010

Last week, I posted on Bob Roberts’ new book, Realtime Connections: Linking Your Job With God’s Global Work and said:

I can’t think of a more helpful book when many are preaching, writing, talking about what a theology of work looks like. Connecting our work to God’s glocal agenda is a must and this book will no doubt help us to that end.

Recently, Jonathan Dodson, lead pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, TX, also wrote on the issue of the mission of work:

We can’t plant a missional churches that don’t address work. Most people spend the lion’s share of their time in their field of work. That field of work is not only a mission field, but it is a city field. It is an urban domain.

Cities are comprised of anywhere from 5-10 city domains: Government, Arts, Education, Social Services, Health Services, Technology, Family, etc. Missional Churches must do the hard work of helping their people see their vocation in urban domains in terms of missional calling, not merely for evangelism but for whole gospel living.

Here are a list of resources that Dodson recommends to help in this endeavor:

Websites

* Redeemer’s Faith & Work Center
* Mockler Center for Work and Faith

Books

* R. Paul Stevens: The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry from a Biblical Perspective
* Tetsunao Yamamori and Kenneth A. Eldred: On Kingdom Business: Transforming Missions Through Entrepreneurial Strategies
* Tim Chester: Busy Christian’s Guide to Busyness
* Robert Banks: Redeeming the Routines: Bringing Theology to Life

I would add one more to the mix:

Wayne Grudem: Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business

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intentionality in missional living

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, missional, missional living, music
• Date: Feb 3,2010

Larry McCrary posts on his second day in Copenhagen with the Upstream Collective about his Xian friend Grady and his integration into the arts scene there. He writes about Grady:

I asked him “Why Copenhagen? As I have been here over the last few days his answer makes total sense.

Copenhagen is a city full of artists. They feel a kinship to the arts. They believe that this is a part of the world that as a family they could live long term and really connect with people and have a ministry through a relational context.

I also asked him about where do they desire to live in Copenhagen? He says they are looking for a place that strikes a balance between being close to where artists spend a lot of time such as galleries or cafes and to where as a young family they can develop relationships. Intentionality is important in missional living.

Read the entire post here.

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your eyes are more important than you think

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, culture, emerging culture, movies, music, reflections, television
• Date: Jun 26,2009

Many today have an unhealthy love affair with everything John Piper writes. I am humbly learning how not to, as Scot McKnight would say, see things only through the lens of my “maestros.” But the following is just solid, pastoral thinking on the issue of exposure to edgier cultural forms…

And that Piper has said it doesn’t mean that if you are not a conservative, reformed, “glory of God” type of Jesus-follower, this doesn’t apply to you. Listen to me, it does. I believe this is one of the most important issues for many of the “younger evangelicals” who have swung towards a version of cultural syncretism with very little discernment or worse, blurred the lines of holiness for the sake of “understanding culture.”

Don’t misunderstand me. Some are called to things that most Christians couldn’t and frankly, probably shouldn’t, i.e., xxxChurch. This is a unique and specific calling that takes tons of accountability, boundaries, and discernment. I believe if Jesus were around today, he wouldn’t hesitate to be seen with someone from the adult film industry.

The truth is, I LOVE mainstream cultural art forms – probably too much. I have consumed my fair share of it to truly say, as Solomon did, “there is nothing new under the sun.” And in my pursuit of it, I have found, as Piper says in the following post, a “deadening” of my “capacities for joy in Jesus.”

Please read a portion of his recent post, “Why I Don’t Have a Television and Rarely Go to Movies” and ask God to show you how you can love Him more so you can relate to culture:

I think relevance in preaching hangs very little on watching movies, and I think that much exposure to sensuality, banality, and God-absent entertainment does more to deaden our capacities for joy in Jesus than it does to make us spiritually powerful in the lives of the living dead. Sources of spiritual power—which are what we desperately need—are not in the cinema. You will not want your biographer to write: Prick him and he bleeds movies.

If you want to be relevant, say, for prostitutes, don’t watch a movie with a lot of tumbles in a brothel. Immerse yourself in the gospel, which is tailor-made for prostitutes; then watch Jesus deal with them in the Bible; then go find a prostitute and talk to her. Listen to her, not the movie. Being entertained by sin does not increase compassion for sinners.

There are, perhaps, a few extraordinary men who can watch action-packed, suspenseful, sexually explicit films and come away more godly. But there are not many. And I am certainly not one of them.

I have a high tolerance for violence, high tolerance for bad language, and zero tolerance for nudity. There is a reason for these differences. The violence is make-believe. They don’t really mean those bad words. But that lady is really naked, and I am really watching. And somewhere she has a brokenhearted father.

I’ll put it bluntly. The only nude female body a guy should ever lay his eyes on is his wife’s. The few exceptions include doctors, morticians, and fathers changing diapers. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1). What the eyes see really matters. “Everyone who looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Better to gouge your eye than go to hell (verse 29).

Brothers, that is serious. Really serious. Jesus is violent about this. What we do with our eyes can damn us. One reason is that it is virtually impossible to transition from being entertained by nudity to an act of “beholding the glory of the Lord.” But this means the entire Christian life is threatened by the deadening effects of sexual titillation.

All Christ-exalting transformation comes from “beholding the glory of Christ.” “Beholding the glory of the Lord, [we] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Whatever dulls the eyes of our mind from seeing Christ powerfully and purely is destroying us. There is not one man in a thousand whose spiritual eyes are more readily moved by the beauty of Christ because he has just seen a bare breast with his buddies.

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quoted in associated baptist press story

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, authenticity, church, contextualization, culture, emerging church, Gospel, liturgy, ministry, sacred space, worship
• Date: Jun 3,2009

I recently had the privilege to be interviewed for an article by Jennifer Harris, news writer for Word & Way, on church and culture. The article was forwarded to me today from a friend. Apparently it popped up on the Associated Baptist Press website.

I encourage you to check it out: “Some churches help Christians view culture through spiritual lenses”

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extract’d

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, authenticity, books, culture, extract'd, movies, music
• Date: Feb 16,2009

I prefer showing over telling simply because it works – it’s an effective memorable way to communicate a message. Popular movies, books and music do influence, to varying degrees, the way we perceive ourselves, God and each other. And, like olympic figure skaters, they do this without looking like they’re trying – without preaching, using mostly story. And more than one camera, a multi-million dollar budget, and a household-name director. But is that any excuse for making yet another Christian flick that tells us to do the right thing?

-Shaun Groves, from his blog entry, “Show and Tell” via shaungroves.com/shlog

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cre:ate day 3, 4, + 5

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, authenticity, CCM, communion, community, concert, food, futurism, history, humor, leadership, ministry, pastoring, Psalms, relationships
• Date: Feb 7,2009

Day 3

Morning worship with 10th Avenue North. Young guys with a passion for worship…

The morning session was led by cre:ate creator, Randy Elrod. Let me just say this talk wonderfully ruined me. Probably one of the best talks I’ve EVER heard on leadership. My big takeaway again, much like Ian’s talk the day before, was not so much what Randy said, but what he modeled: in order to speak into people’s lives, you have to go deep with God. Randy lives a deeply “inventoried” life. I will no doubt do a blog series on it in the near future. Wowsers…

Lunch was my favorite meal of the week: cajun-boiled shrimp, onions + summer sausage, red potatoes, + salad.

The afternoon session was led by comedian Ken Davis. We cried and laughed at the same time. My big takeaway is that God loves me. Sounds simple but I needed to hear it. Ken is a master communicator. As Randy has said, comedy is one of the highest art forms and Ken has the gift.

The afternoon was closed out with the most impacting Eucharist I’ve ever been a part of. Ian led us in a modern liturgy and communion. His insights on the subtleties of this time was priceless. My new friend, Mark Roach, who is worship pastor at Fellowship in O’Fallon, MO, literally right down the road from me (I’m looking forward to hooking up with him back in St. Louis), led the worship and did a phenomenal job.

Sidenote: I’ve heard people say that as you get older, the more you walk with Jesus, the less you feel you know about Him. He becomes more mysterious and Other, which I think is actually a really good thing because He is. The more I think about worship – I teach it after all – I realize that I have less figured out than I think. This is a interesting time of convergence with the continuing influence of the modern worship music industry, the resurgence of the liturgical, the glocalization of the world via the internet, etc. My mind is racing with possibilities. I am a futurist. It’s a blessing and a curse.

The conference day was closed out with dinner at Saffire at The Factory in Franklin. Had the best prime rib I’ve ever had in my life. We were led in concert by Carl Cartee, Travis Cottrell, + Chris Sligh.

The highlight of Day 3 happened at the very end of the day. Randy and his wife, Chris, invited me over to their house to take part in a scotch “tour,” led by the venerable John Voelz, a new friend I’ve followed virtually for a while (he is the Coriolis:Experience leader @ Westwinds Church in Jackson, MI). John walked us through three different types of scotch: 1) the Glenlivet – mild, approachable, honey-tinged, 2) the Talisker – smokey, peaty, and 3) the Balrenie – a desert scotch. Not sure I’ll become a scotch connoisseur but I could do the Talisker again. What a great time of fellowship! Thanks John for teaching me about a finer thing in life!

At the Elrod’s, I spent a lot of my time hanging with Matthew Ward, who I mentioned yesterday is a huge pioneer of the CCM industry with 2nd Chapter of Acts. He shared with me about his favorite session players, studios, producers, and solo albums from his past. Matthew may come and speak at MBU sometime soon. How cool would that be?

Day 3 was the highlight of the week for me. Touched beyond measure…

Day 4

Morning worship was led by one of Sparrow’s new signees, Sarah Reeves. Genuine heart and great songs…

The morning session was led by Anne Jackson, author of Mad Church Disease and blogger at flowerdust.net. She shared her testimony of how her father’s burnout in ministry led her to think about what the church asks of people. The book is a reflection of this journey for her. Great session. Authentic and real…

Lunch was at Stoveworks at The Factory. Southern cooking at its finest: chicken in a cream sauce over cornbread and apple cobbler…

I had to steal away for the afternoon to meet with my friend and missional crony, Ed Stetzer. We are conspiring on a couple of big projects connected to the current missional conversation that I am really excited about. Stay tuned…

I actually was so bushed from the week, I decided to spend the evening with my wife. I had missed Lost the night before so we chilled, reconnected, and got our Lost on…

Day 5

Yesterday morning, I joined about 40 other songwriters at EMI/CMG Publishing Company in Brentwood for a great time of conversation on the issue of worship songwriting. We heard from staff writer Audray Assad and again from the Sparrow roster, Sarah Reeves, as well as a forum of some of the EMI/CMG music publishing staff on the 5/5: the five elements of a great song and the five traps for songwriters…

It was a bit surreal because we met in a room right next to a rehearsal room that I played my original music for Brad O’Donnell of Sparrow Records, which ultimately led to a showcase a local club called The Basement in June of 2002. It was cool to be back there and reminisce. I definitely got the itch to start writing again. Yikes…

We had lunch catered in and before I left, I had the chance to speak with Randy and tell him about his influence on my life and what this week meant to me. It was a sweet time of conversation…

In all, this was such a refreshing week for my soul….

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cre:ate day 2

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, CCM, church, culture, emerging culture, food, liturgy, music, postmodern, sacraments, sacred space, seminar, theology, vision, worship
• Date: Feb 5,2009

It’s two days late but here was my Day 2 at cre:ate:

Morning W\worship with a genuine, humble dude named Carl Cartee. He has a new album coming out in March. Check it out. He is the real deal. Reminds me of a young Paul Baloche with more grovel…

Profound session with Ian Morgan Cron, author of Chasing Francis, on the mystic-artist. Can’t begin to say how cool it was to hear from Ian’s heart. My big takeaway was something he didn’t even talk about per se, but modeled: God has made us a certain way so we must find our voice – and that voice won’t be like anyone else’s. Ian is an artist at heart even though he is a pastor, author, blogger, etc. His presentation was heady, artsy, rich, serious, clever, humorous. I’m an artist through and through too. He gave me permission to be an “artsy” communicator…

After Ian’s session, we had the first of many surprises of the week. I thought I had seen this guy at the conference but wasn’t sure. Randy brought up Matthew Ward, formerly of 2nd Chapter of Acts, and Billy Ray Hearn, EMI Christian Music Group founder, who discovered 2nd Chapter before there was such a thing as CCM. They reminisced on their relationship and Matthew closed the time by singing “The Lord’s Prayer.” It was truly an anointed time. Matthew is one of my all time favorite singers…

Lunch was at the Boxwood Bistro here at the Factory. Jasmine salmon with white rice as a main entree. Yummy. Met and sat with uber-blogger and great guy, Carlos Whitaker and his wife, Heather. Also, had the priveledge to have lunch with Ian. Asked Ian alot of questions about his pastoring role in southern Connecticut. He started a church that has grown to 700 folks and he feels that his time to be the “lead” guy may have come to an end and hand it over to someone else. He shared his frustration of the slow shift from mission to maintenance. Also shared a vision he has for what he calls the “atomized” church. If I remember, I’ll try to unpack this later for you. In all, another providential time to connect with an anointed man who spoke truth into my life. [There was also a surprise visit by Stu G, the electric guitarist from Delirious?. Fun stuff...]

After lunch, we had our second surprise of the day. Billy and Cindy Foote, writers of songs like “You Are My King (Amazing Love)” and “Sing to the King,” led us in a mini-worship session. What a sweet time of worship! God manifested Himself in a powerful way…

Afternoon session with Steve Guthrie, assistant professor of theology @ Belmont University. The highlight was his “exegesis” of book 10, chapter 32 of Augustine’s Confessions. Awesome stuff…

Supper was at Harpeth Community Church here in Franklin. Great food and even better music. I got my nostalgia on. Michael W. Smith led us in an intimate time of worship. Just Smitty and a piano. Check out his song “Highly Favoured” on the new album, CompassionArt…

Tomorrow I hope to recap day 3 & 4 for you…

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re:create… stay tuned

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art
• Date: Feb 4,2009

It’s almost the end of day 3 of re:create and there is a reason I am just now writing…I am wiped out. In a good way. I hope to recap day 2 and 3 tomorrow for you. Stay tuned…

b

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re:create day 1

• Author: Brad
• Filed under: art, food, music, reflections, worship
• Date: Feb 3,2009

It’s day 2 of re:create here but I thought I’d recap yesterday’s festivities…

The evening started out with a meet & greet @ O’More College of Design in downtown Franklin. What a great space! The event was in one of the mansions on the campus. There are about 100 folks here, intimate and personal, and we just connected and had drinks. I met up with my old friend, Alexis Cruz, from my days in Truth. He is married to MBU and SpiritWing alum, Angela Harrelson – also a Truth alum…

We then headed to SOL on Main, a swanky Mexican restaurant in downtown Franklin again. Mango & roasted pecan salad, shrimp + goat cheese crepes, wow. Had a great convo with Drew Cline, worship pastor at Journey Church here in Franklin, the space where re:create is being held, a part of a cool area called The Factory…

The evening was rounded out with some amazing jazz by the Adam Nitti band at The Factory. Probably the best jazz group I’ve ever heard. The edge of creativity with a great sense of melody, playfulness, and killer chops. All believers. Led by the Spirit. Yes, it was praise and worship…

Here is a taste of Adam’s stuff:

Oh yeah, Matthew Ward is here. Yes, of 2nd Chapter of Acts. One of the most phenomenal voices I’ve ever heard. I hope we get to hear him sing…

It’s a bit surreal to be back in my old stomping grounds but good for my soul.

For example, sitting behind me now is Don Donahue, the head of Rocketown Records, who was at my showcase back in ’02. The showcase was the height of my time here and at the same time, a once open door that closed in a dramatic way as to lead me back to local church ministry…

The leader of this whole deal, Randy Elrod, was the worship leader at The People’s Church, where Holly and I attended when we lived here; probably one of the most influential worship leaders I’ve had the privilege to sit under. I wasn’t even a part of the worship team. I was a worshipper. And it changed my life…

Nashville was a place of deep great growth personally, spiritually, and artistically. I’m reminded of the season of life here in the early 2000s when I grew in breadth like I had never before.

But I’m here to grow forward in this season of my life. And the Maker of all the seasons of my life is here. As He was when I was here eight years ago…

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