Let’s just get this out of the way first. If you read any online review of the book The Shack then you will inevitably see someone post a negative comment about the book. Then no matter how solid the points are and no matter how clearly they are stated, inevitably someone replies in the book’s defense by saying, “It’s just a fictional novel.” The points are not rebutted. The points are not challenged. They are dismissed by this one simple statement.

I really do plan on posting more here this coming year but I wanted to let everyone know that my friend Kev introduced me to this band called Sojourn and they have some great Christmas tunes available for free now. (All you have to do is recommend it to five of your friends.)
It’s very organic sounding and not your usual “Christian” industry fluff — yet very accessible for all my pop-minded friends.
Download it here: https://www.noisetrade.com/sojourn

The new version of GarageBand moves it out from a musical sketch pad application to actually being able to arrange songs. So, I’ve been working on recording some friends’ worship tunes and writing some of my own. In the process I am reminded of something that I took issue with back in my younger days — back when hymns weren’t cool and modern praise was becoming acceptable in “big church.” Any one remember Shine Jesus Shine? Back in the day, that was really pushing the envelope.
I always wondered why religious …

I stumbled across a Christian music festival on television the other night. The headlining act was Michael W. Smith. If you are not familiar with him, he is one of the founding fathers of modern contemporary Christian music (CCM). He’s first solo record came out in 1983 and he has released a total of 16 solo albums — not to mention various singles, greatest hits collects, and such.
In the CCM world his very name demands respect no matter what you think of his voice or music. As the announcers of …

This Friday, May 25th, Reed Pittman & The Rest will be playing at the Red Light Cafe. Hear his tunes on his MySpace page — sounds like good stuff to me. I’ll be going down after small group (9ish). Comment if you are interested in carpooling or meeting down there.
Inspired by contemporary rock from the likes of Coldplay and Guster and enmeshed with nods back to the 60’s and 70’s, RPTR combines skill with taste.
P.S. Mention Reed’s name at the door. It helps as the two acts divide up the cover.

So I spent the majority of my Christmas iTunes on Mute Math’s album. That means I had an extra five songs to get.
A recent conversation about different types of music in church services got me thinking that most people pick one or two styles of music that define their musical tastes and stick with those. While I can’t really put my finger on what causes various musical preferences, I think it would help if people opened up their listening opportunities to various types of music and learned the different aspects …

I don’t see what the big deal is — I like it.
A New York gallery has angered a US Catholic group with its decision to exhibit a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ. The six-foot (1.8m) sculpture, entitled “My Sweet Lord”, depicts Jesus Christ naked on the cross. Catholic League head Bill Donohue called it “one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever”. The sculpture, by artist Cosimo Cavallaro, will be displayed from Monday at Manhattan’s Lab Gallery.
Full Article

(Arguably listed under the category of “The Arts.”)
Bucky who?

So we’ve had a digital camera going on 4 years now. Well, Regina has finally gotten sick of not having any physical pictures of Maegan’s life. The girls also like to look at Camryn’s baby pictures. They always end up asking to look at Maegan’s pictures but she has to reply, “I don’t have any.”
I have a good photo printer but I am the type of person that likes to tweak every aspect of a picture until it’s just right, so I always end up spending several hours of time …

Okay I’ve got a gift card to use on iTunes and I have to make a decision. I have enough to get one whole album and few singles. As usual I’m torn. Should I get:
The Fray: How To Save A Life
or…
Keith Urban: Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
Let the voting begin.