I recently listened to an argument about how people that are still discovering new music are just dedicated and people that used to, but now aren't, are just old. The other friend argued back something about having time and making time. I posed a third option: perhaps people are no less dedicated or have no less time. Perhaps people have different kinds of time-- some which allows them to peruse every album that drops, and others that don't. Ironically, my argument was an effort to defend myself for not bringing much to the table that was new for either one of them. I was surprised later when I realized that I had actually acquired a good bit of music that I really enjoyed this year... You know where all the other "Best Of..." lists are, so I'm not going to link them. But, the best one to read, I think, is MOKB: Senior Superlatives. I didn't buy everything I wanted, and I didn't like everything I bought (or heard). But here is what I bought and liked... MY FAVORITE TWENTY ALBUMS OF 2008 20. Minus the Bear, Acoustics An EP of acoustic tracks from Planet of Ice, Highly Refined Pirates, and Menos el Oso-- definitely a change of pace if you've ever listened to these guys before-- but I enjoy it. If you want to get a feel for what this record sounds like, check out their Daytrotter session. If you want to get a feel for what they really sound like, check out Highly Refined Pirates. (I always say "Lets Play Clowns" to Quinn, and Katie looks at me like I'm an idiot). Pachuca Sunrise is FANTASTIC. 19. Sun Kil Moon, April It wasn't that I I didn't like Tiny Cities (I'm actually a fan of Modest Mouse), but it's nice to have some new Kozelek originals. 18. The Dodos, visiter I have a great friend in Chicago that has never told me to buy an album that I haven't LOVED. He recommended visiter to me and I bought it without even reading a review. After I listened a few times, I hunted down pitchfork's review. Watch this youtube video of red and purple (I grew up with a toy piano exactly like that!). Check their website. 17. The Donkeys, Living on the Other Side I picked up their 2006 self-titled album early this spring and absolutely loved it. And though this September release isn't as strong as their first, its still whimsical and fun. I know that critics slapped this album pretty hard, but I'm in no way sad I bought it. 16. Unwed Sailor, Little Wars I think this is a positive move back in the direction of Faithful Anchor-- which rules! The review at Tiny Mix Tapes captures my sentiments both of this album, as well as the trajectory of this genre. 15. Calexico, Carried to Dust Unfortunately, most people know Calexico only through their collaboration with Sam Beam, In the Reins. It's not that In the Reins isn't a great album, it's just that Joey Burns and John Convertino have created many incredible albums, and it's a bummer to know them only as those guys that made a record with Iron & Wine. I love the way the songs build, and think this is a step in the right direction following Garden Ruin. 14. Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Lie Down in the Light Bottom line: I love Will Oldham. Watch this fantastic youtube version of Easy Does It. I linked this video for two reasons: 1) It showcases how delightfully eccentric and odd Oldham is; 2) Oldham may be the only person over age 6 that can wear crocs and not make me want to end his life...I like to think that he wears them to taunt all of you... 13. Tommy Guerrero, Return of the B-st-rd My guess is the title is an allusion to Tommy's first album, though I'm not sure of the significance. This album showcases Tommy's signature style which combines jazz, funk, mexicali, and acoustic folk grooves. Soul Food Taqueria and Blktop Project still get as much play as it did the years I bought them. When I retire from professional skateboarding, I think I'll start making music too. 12. Department of Eagles, In Ear Park A late addition, but FANTASTIC! I've seen this album characterized as ROCK, FOLK, INDIE, and ELECTRONIC. I don't care how it's categorized, this has been a joy to listen to. It's the kind of album that's perfect for drives (If we still lived in Vancouver, this would be the perfect album to listen to on the drive to Squamish), but it has also made a great soundtrack for my walks in KC. Yes, it's Grizzly Bear-ish, but is that a bad thing? 11. Interstates, Run Run I first heard the Interstates perform at The Luminary when I was in St. Louis for the LEAD conference. Well, a third of them at least. I enjoyed his set very much and noticed they had signed with a local KC label, The Record Machine. I'm pretty sure that I listened to this record every saturday night this fall. I LOVE IT. Check out Alex O’Nan's short films as well. You can download A Comprehensive History of Interstates at Soundtracks For Road Trips. Interstates - Departure (Live July 12th, 2008) from Interstates Music on Vimeo 10. Andrew Bird, Soldier On EP Why isn't this on more people's lists? I don't get it. I realize it's not entirely new material, and it's an extended EP, blah blah blah... This is a remarkable album. It got an inordinate amount of play for our late night Redeemer demolition crews. Good memories and great tunes. Andrew Bird - From the Basement from QandnotU on Vimeo. On a related note, I have yet to hear Dosh's new record, Wolves and Wishes. I still listen to The Lost Take a fair bit. 09. Benoit Pioulard, Temper Thomas Meluch is how old? Wow. This album has received the classic criticism that many sophomore albums receive. I have yet to hear Meluch's first record Précis, and maybe this one can't touch it-- but I love that he creates a sonic soundscape that, in my estimation, is quite similar to the photographs he takes. Check out his website for a sampling of all the amazing things he creates. 08. My Brighest Diamond, A Thousand Shark's Teeth I fell in love with Shara Worden when I saw her tour with Sufjan several years ago. She is an amazing vocalist, and her albums demonstrate, in my opinion, that she also possesses the ability to create brilliant arrangements. I love the themes of these songs as well as the instrumentation and Shara's voice! I haven't owned this album very long, but long enough to earn a place here. Do yourself a favor and buy this together with Bring Me the Workhorse. (Oh yeah, and she twitters, but not quite with the frequency of Imogen Heap.) 07. Smoking Popes, Stay Down I knew this album had been in the works since something like 2005, but it wasn't until I saw the Smoking Popes at the Record Bar this summer that I realized they had finally landed a label and released it. If you've been waiting since Destination Failure to hear a new Smoking Popes album, you've been more than antsy. I love the stuff that Caterer has done under the moniker Duvall, but this is altogether different. From the playful sweetness of Little Jane Marie to the darkness of The Corner, this album showcases what I most love about Caterer and the Popes-- honest songwriting. 06. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs 05. Welcome Wagon, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon If you haven't bought this record, buy it. If you haven't read the paste article about them, read it. Want to hear Vito preach? 04. Dr. Dog, Fate I'm surprised more people aren't going nuts about this record. It is amazing! I heard about this band after I realized that they had played a show literally behind my house and I knew nothing about them. Bummed I missed the show, but glad I got the tip to check them out. Impossible not to be in a good mood after listening to this album. 03. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes I think enough has been said about this album. 02. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges This was a fight for #1. I haven't been enthusiastic about all their records, but a friend bought At Dawn for me the day it was released and it still is high in rotation for me lo these many years later. It had such an impact on me that I've picked up everything they've done since, though I'm not sure if anything has made an end of year list for me since I've been doing them. Let me just say that I love every track on this album-- even Highly Suspicious grew on me after freaking me out the first time or two. This is also an album that, if Quinn were able to make requests, I'm sure would be high on his list. We spent a lot of time playing as a family with this as the soundtrack. Finally, if you haven't seen these guys live-- make a note of when they're coming to your town. I love them live. 01. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago Lots of things could be said about this album, and lots has been said-- by admirers, critics, and critical admirers. I'll just say that it got played more in my house and in my car than any other album this year. Part of that could be that Katie loves it as well. But most of it is because it hasn't gotten old for me. If you haven't watched the Bon Iver Laundro Matinee videos, I suggest you do that now. Bon Iver~Flume (Live in-studio at MOKB/WEEM) from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo. HONORABLE MENTION Sandra McCracken, Red Balloon - I would hardly feel right about putting this in my actual list given that I have yet to buy the record. A friend loaned me a copy of his and I have fallen in love with it. I was a pretty big fan of The Builder And The Architect. Jason Collett, Here's To Being Here - Playful. Melodic. Understated. I love BSS, and I like that Collett creates his own sound here. Little Joy, Little Joy - I'm pretty sure I'm going to LOVE this album, but I've only had it for two weeks. If there was a category of "quickly growing on me," this wold be it. I remember when I read the Pitchfork review: "Little Joy is not going to stop the world or change your life, but it's one of the sweetest, most listenable, consistently enjoyable records of the season." I couldn't agree any more. Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer - This would go in the "stuff I wish I bought this year" pile, except that I bought this last night from amazon. FOR. FIVE. DOLLARS! The first pass was all that I expected it would be. Apologies to the Queen Mary received near constant play when we lived in Canada, and still gets a fair amount of play on my ipod. I expect this record would have been on my list had I just picked it up earlier. Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line - I love the album, and the honesty of the lyrics especially. Ray LaMontagne, Gossip In The Grain. ALBUMS I WISH I BOUGHT IN 2008 Blitzen Trapper, Furr - All I've heard is the title track, and I love it. I got some iTunes gift certificates for Christmas, and unless you tell me not to, one of them is getting spent on this record. BSS PRESENTS Brendan Canning: Something For All Of Us. Martin Sexton, Solo. This looks like a huge improvement over his last record, and strikingly similiar to Live Wide Open, which is fantastic. Cloud Cult, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes). MUSIC YOU SHOULD WATCH FOR IN 2009 Metacritic "Upcoming Releases" The Pitchfork Guide to 2009 Upcoming Releases

Musician Finds a Following Online // By SHELLY BANJO and KELLY K. SPORS In late 2006, Justin Vernon, a musician in Eau Claire, Wis., recorded nine songs while staying at his parents' hunting cabin in northern Wisconsin after a breakup with a girlfriend and his long-time band. He used just a desktop computer with recording software, a three-piece drum set and a guitar. A few months later, Mr. Vernon posted the songs on his MySpace page, hoping to get some listeners and feedback. He also printed 500 copies of a CD with those songs to sell to friends and fans and send to music bloggers for review. He got that and much more. Interesting story about Bon Iver's success being driven by the blog world as well as shifting trends within the music industry. The article concludes: "The Internet has been like the French Revolution for the music business," says Panos Panay, founder and CEO of Sonicbids. The aristocracy "has faded" as the "cost of distribution, production and even getting connected has come down." Now, he adds, anyone with "a niche and devoted fans can make a living." I would guess that For Emma, Forever Ago has gotten more play in our house than anything else this year and will definitely be in the top, if not at the top, of my 2008 "Best of" list (coming tomorrow). Do yourself a favor if you haven't already-- take some of the money that grandma gave you DOWNLOAD For Emma, Forever Ago right this minute! (it can even be on your "best of 2008" list!)

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It was brought to my attention today, once again, to my deep shame, that I have not updated my Books & Music lists since 2005. No. Really. The main excuse on my really long list of excuses is that something got screwed up in the code of the way I was posting stuff I was reading and listening to, and I never took the time to fix it (If someone wants to show me how to use last.fm I might be up for that) So, for Wes (who already knows what I'm listening to) and the other two people that care, here goes... Amazon.com Widgets In other news, I am working on my list of favorite albums of 2008, though I have not listened to that much new music this year. When I was working on my Th.M, I read something like 15 hours a day-- which had me perfectly situated to listen to every new album that dropped. Since I've entered the world of fatherhood and church planting, I haven't had that kind of time. Nevertheless, look for my (albeit smaller) list of favorite albums of 2008, sometime next week. There has been some great music this year!

I'm halfway through The Welcome Wagon's debut album Welcome to the Welcome Wagon. I heard one of their tracks on an asthmatic kitty sampler that piqued my interest and then my interest only increased as I read Paste and other random blurbs. Read this blurb about Sufjan recording and producing their album. More importantly, read the Paste article: Keepers of the Faith Thrive in the Hipster's Den. UPDATE: Read Brent Thomas's freshly baked album review. Actually, buy the album first, and read the articles as you enjoy! If you need further convincing, check this out:

This weekend at Redeemer we celebrate the second week of Advent by looking at the origin of all our longing: Genesis 3. For those that are looking for ways to cultivate longing during this season, I highly recommend the new collection of Advent reflections edited by Nancy Guthrie, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas. Additionally, if you haven't read Sinclair Ferguson's phenomenal collection of essays, In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life, I strongly encourage that you check out his essay Santa Christ. Finally, just because they've been playing Christmas music in stores since midnight on Halloween doesn't mean that it's good. Obviously I love Sufjan's Christmas albums, but I'm also a huge fan of Duvall's Christmas album, O Holy Night. But as far as real Advent music goes, I don't think it gets any better than Sojourn's Advent songs. Find out how to get it free below... Have a great weekend!

Today is my son's first birthday. Because everyone in my family wanted to see how fast a son of mine could eat cake for the first time, we celebrated early over Thanksgiving weekend. You can see more sugar high birthday photographs here. ALL MY PHOTOS | FRIDAY PHOTO GROUP

This Sunday at Redeemer Fellowship we will look at our final core value: CITY. Our text is Jeremiah 29.4-7. The city is not only something I'm deeply passionate about, but this text is also part of my journey that gave me a theological framework for church planting in the urban core. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the first Sunday of Advent than by talking about how the "peace of the city" is found ultimately in the Prince of Peace. I've included two videos below that are helpful in communicating the kinds of things we mean when we talk about our commitment to the city. The first is part of the vision campaign of The Austin Stone Community Church and includes interviews with David Taylor, Darrin Patrick, and Daniel Montgomery. I've linked the second video here several times before. It is almost twenty minutes long, and beautifully articulates the vision of City Church San Francisco to be "a church for the city." I have also benefitted tremendously from their essay entitled "God's Love for Cities." A Church for the City (Reprise) from The Austin Stone on Vimeo A Church for the City from steven starfas on Vimeo RECOMMENDED READING Ray Bakke, A Theology As Big As the City Ray Bakke, The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today's Urban World Harvie Conn, The Urban Face of Mission: Ministering the Gospel in a Diverse and Changing World Harvie Conn & Manuel Ortiz, Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City, & the People of God Robert Lupton, Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor

We look at our fifth core value this Sunday at Redeemer, BEAUTY, and I can't wait! "A cabbage needs no companions to be a perfect cabbage, but men desperately require all sorts of other people if they are to achieve their aims in life: parents, sibilings, friends, teachers, writers, musicians. Maturing, fulfilling, and happy relationships are replete with experiences of the beautiful, and no life is complete without them." Thomas Dubay, The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology Meet, 19

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I realize that lots of people are jumping at Nikon's recently announced Nikon D90, particularly for its video capability. In fact, when I watched Chase Jarvis's pre-release demo video, I wanted to buy one myself. But, the fact that I had recently gotten a Nikon D300 made it a hard sell to convince Katie we needed yet another camera in our house. Both the D300 and the D90 are amazing cameras. But, I saw on the banner at amazon today that they are clearing out the Nikon D200 at an excellent price. If you're in the market for a pro-sumer camera but want to spend less money than the D300 or D90, this is definitely a camera to look at. Tell Santa or your wife that with the money they save on the camera body, they could also get you a lens! (like this Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF. That lens is dirt cheap and is on my camera quite often. Here are some photographs I've taken with that lens.

ALL MY PHOTOS | FRIDAY PHOTO GROUP

ALL MY PHOTOS | FRIDAY PHOTO GROUP

Tomorrow morning, we are heading to St Louis to attend the LEAD Conference. This conference is hosted by our mother church, The Journey, and has an excellent lineup of speakers and breakout sessions focused on the theological and practical implications of ministry in an urban context. I'm eager not only to be at the conference and benefit from the sessions, but also to benefit from interaction with people and making new connections (if you're planning on being there, please stop me and say hello-- I'll be the guy with largest cranium in the building) For those unable to attend the conference, you can listen to the conference via Live Stream. All the main sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday will be streamed live on the Planting Channel. Check out the schedule below and tune in. Tuesday, October 21 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Darrin Patrick on "Gospel Centered Repentance" 10:45 AM - 11:30 AM: Eric Mason on "Hybrid Leaders" 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM: Dr. Bryan Chapell on "Christ-Centered Preaching" Wednesday, October 22 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM: Randy Nabors on "City Leaders" 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM: Matt Carter on "Broken Leaders" 4:45 PM - 5:30 PM: Jonathan McIntosh on "Missional Leaders" Technorati Tags: A29

Yesterday at Redeemer Fellowship we looked at Paul's instructions on how to apply the gospel in the midst of intolerable circumstances and oppressive social orders (Ephesians 6:5-9). I wanted to link a few of the references I mentioned in my sermon. Mark Noll, The Civil War as a Theological Crisis Rodney Stark, For The Glory Of God Also, though I didn't mention the book, Murray Harris offers a wealth of information regarding slavery. His book, Slave of Christ, is a comprehensive survey of slavery as a background to a biblical theology of devotion to Christ. I read the book in 2001 and have returned to it several times since. Also, I mentioned as we closed that your small groups would be a great place to advance the discussion and talk about how we apply the truth of gospel to the current realities of human trafficking as well as how we can take action as a church. IJM - Reality of Human Trafficking from International Justice Mission on Vimeo. I recommend everyone read Angelise Anderson's BreakPoint article: Modern Day Slavery: A Task Bigger Than Wilberforce's. Also, check out International Justice Mission, and visit their "Take Action" page. IJM's founder, Gary Haugen, has authored several profoundly helpful books: Good News About Injustice, Terrify No More and Just Courage (read about Haugen here). Three other organizations I would reccomend checking out are: Call + Response Shared Hope International Children of the Night Technorati Tags: human+trafficking, IJM, slavery

(HT) Technorati Tags: TimKeller

For those that were at Redeemer Fellowship today, here is the link to the CJ Mahaney conference message I referenced: A Husband's Responsibilities and How to Change. Would love to see every man in our church listen to this and process it with other men. And, like I said-- I would love even more to see married men listen to this with their wives. May God build a community of strong, biblical men in Kansas City.

Walked the city for an hour or so Monday morning with the world famous Jeremy Parsons. See all the photos from that day here. ALL MY PHOTOS | FRIDAY PHOTO GROUP

Two weeks ago at Redeemer, we looked at Ephesians 4.25-5.2. I realize that Kris gave us all a ton to ponder and wrestle with in his sermon from Eph. 5.3-14, but since I continue to get calls and emails about people dealing with conflict and issues related to language 'truth telling', I thought I would post two resources I have found to be helpful in my own life related to language and conflict. Hit the jump to check them if you're interested. See all our Ephesians Resources 1. What Makes Bad Words Bad? The upcoming Desiring God conference The Power of Words and the Wonder of God features several helpful video interviews with the conference speakers. One that has been especially helpful to me is Paul Tripp's What Makes Bad Language Bad? Tripp unpacks Paul's logic from Eph. 4.25-5.2 with a particularly helpful illustration. 2. Six Goals of Satan in Getting You to Hold Grudges // John Piper This is taken from John Piper's sermon on Eph. 4.22-27, Satan Seeks a Gap Called Grudge. "According to verse 27 this is what Satan is watching for—the gap called grudge. If there is any way that Satan can assist you to hold a grudge, he will do it. For there are six goals of Satan which are greatly advanced when professing Christians hold grudges..." 1. To Make Us Put Ourselves in the Place of God Ever since Genesis 3 Satan's goal has been to make us put ourselves in the place of God. "When you eat of the fruit of the tree your eyes will be opened and you will be like God." Nothing helps in holding a grudge like thinking too highly of ourselves. The more exalted we are in our own eyes, the more justified we will feel in holding a grudge against the person who offended us. If Satan can succeed in making a grudge feel natural or justified, he will have gone a long way toward his goal of making us put ourselves in the place of God. 2. To Make Us Act as If We Are Judge, Not God Satan aims to make us act as if we were judge and not God. Romans 12:19 says, "Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath, for it is written: Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. No, if your enemy is hungry feed him." If we hold a grudge, we act as though God were not a just judge. We act as though we are the moral guardians of the world and if we don't hold this wrong against this person, it's going to slip away into oblivion and a great injustice will go unrequited. But this is sheer unbelief. Vengeance belongs to God. He will repay. It is his business not ours. So again holding a grudge puts us in the place of God—just where Satan wants us. 3. To Make the Cross of Christ Look Weak and Foolish Satan aims to make the cross of Christ look weak and foolish. Notice Ephesians 4:32-5:2. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." The power that frees us from holding grudges is that in the cross of Christ God satisfied his grudge against us and dropped it. So Paul says, forgive as God in Christ forgave you. When we hold a grudge, we cancel out the cross. We act as though God did a foolish thing on the cross, since he dropped his infinite grudge against us, but we are going to hold on to our little grudge against so and so. And thus Satan brings the cross of Christ into contempt. 4. To Cultivate Disunity in the Body of Christ Satan aims to cultivate disunity in the body of Christ so that the grand evidence for Christ's divine reality is shattered. Proverbs 15:18 says, "A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention." Short tempers and long grudges breed strife and disunity in the church. But in John 17:23 Jesus said that unity in the church is a great evidence to the world of his reality. So if Satan can preserve and deepen grudges among God's people, he will have achieved a great goal—the hiding of Christ's reality from the world. 5. To Crush Broken Christians into Depression Satan aims to crush broken Christians until they are depressed into uselessness. Paul tells about an instance of church discipline at Corinth in which the offending party repented. Paul counsels in 2 Corinthians 2:7, "So you should turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you reaffirm your love for him." The burdens of life are so great at times that someone's grudge against us can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. You can destroy a person by holding a grudge against them—the very work of Satan from the time of Cain and Abel. 6. To Help You Destroy Yourself Finally, by holding a grudge Satan will help you destroy yourself. Satan always throws away his tools in the end. He promises the moon and delivers misery. When the unforgiving servant was thrown into jail, Jesus said to his disciples, "So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (source)

Katie and I had the chance to see STAGE ONE of the Tour of Missouri on Monday. Perfect weather. Great date. Fun to see Cavendish get a great lead out before winning the stage. Hope everyone has a great weekend! ALL MY PHOTOS | FRIDAY PHOTO GROUP