Books, poems, and songs
Good Monday afternoon to anyone who decided to stop by today...
So you found a surprise today, didn't you? Amazing that the blog has been updated more than once in between Theophany services. I suppose I got inspired by a few of the voices that I've been hearing lately. No, I'm not hearing strange voices in my head--I'm talking about the voices that sing through the sound system in my car, speak from the written page, or muse from lines of verse. Springtime evokes a certain sense of culture for me, and I thought I'd share the work of some people who have caught my attention lately.
Books:
No Man Is An Island, Thomas Merton. Just started this one, but I can tell after one chapter that it's going to "blow my hair back" (for any Good Will Hunting fans reading this, you'll get that reference). Anytime I feel convicted in my own life after page 3, I know that I've got something special in my hands.
Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson. I've almost wrapped this one up, but I can tell that it will be one that stays with me for a while. The sooner that we move away from informational reading of the Scriptures to formational reading, the sooner the Bible will actually become living and real to us....and no one else helps us better to do that than Eugene Peterson.
Poetry:
Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. Rilke had beautiful eyes to see this life and this world, even at a young age. His voice is a treasure for anyone who has the heart of an artist.
The Ordering of Love, Madeleine L'Engle. If you grew up in my generation, you'll remember L'Engle from her novel, A Wrinkle in Time. Spend some time with her verse and sooner or later the tears will flow. She's beautifully honest, and simply beautiful as a human being. Her poems that come from a previous collection Cry Like a Bell tell the story of the Old Testament in postmodern verse. She preaches more in ten lines than I do in thirty minutes.
Music:
So you found a surprise today, didn't you? Amazing that the blog has been updated more than once in between Theophany services. I suppose I got inspired by a few of the voices that I've been hearing lately. No, I'm not hearing strange voices in my head--I'm talking about the voices that sing through the sound system in my car, speak from the written page, or muse from lines of verse. Springtime evokes a certain sense of culture for me, and I thought I'd share the work of some people who have caught my attention lately.
Books:
No Man Is An Island, Thomas Merton. Just started this one, but I can tell after one chapter that it's going to "blow my hair back" (for any Good Will Hunting fans reading this, you'll get that reference). Anytime I feel convicted in my own life after page 3, I know that I've got something special in my hands.
Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson. I've almost wrapped this one up, but I can tell that it will be one that stays with me for a while. The sooner that we move away from informational reading of the Scriptures to formational reading, the sooner the Bible will actually become living and real to us....and no one else helps us better to do that than Eugene Peterson.
Poetry:
Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. Rilke had beautiful eyes to see this life and this world, even at a young age. His voice is a treasure for anyone who has the heart of an artist.
The Ordering of Love, Madeleine L'Engle. If you grew up in my generation, you'll remember L'Engle from her novel, A Wrinkle in Time. Spend some time with her verse and sooner or later the tears will flow. She's beautifully honest, and simply beautiful as a human being. Her poems that come from a previous collection Cry Like a Bell tell the story of the Old Testament in postmodern verse. She preaches more in ten lines than I do in thirty minutes.
Music:
- Theolonius Monk, Monk's Dream. Monk is one of those jazz geniuses who sounds cool and smooth even if you don't know what it is exactly that makes him a genius. Guess my jazz IQ isn't high enough to get that. But it makes you sound like you know what you're talking about when you can say, "Monk is a rare musical genius." Actually, I don't think about his genius too much. I just picked up a live recording of a concert he did in the 60s on Demand through Comcast. The cat is so cool and you can just enjoy watching him guide his trio, even if you've never heard him before. Jazz is a beautiful thing. And they always seem to have him on the CD carousel at the Panera on Cumberland. Trust me I'm there a lot.
- Jack Johnson, In Between Dreams. Have you been outside lately? C'mon. Any hint of spring and summer makes Jack Johnson in season.
And check out these websites as you have time. These are some of my favorite artists these days.
If you have a sec, reply with some of the things you're listening to, reading, etc. My goal is to actually talk about books and music in a fun way, taking away the snob quotient as much as possible. So, I hope you don't think of these lists as posturing. As the Brits used to say to me, I'm hoping "it's just a bit of fun."
See you Sunday night...
Jack
posted by Theophany@Church Street | 3:07 PM
1 Comments:
People should read this.
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