U2, the greatest band on Planet Earth (to say it mildly) is coming to America in September. I've got my tickets to one of the shows in Toronto. This is my thirtieth birthday present from KG (who celebrated 26 yesterday--happy birthday . . . you truly are the source of joy in my life). The person who got me hooked on U2, Greg Stevenson, wrote a great couple of blogs about their music. Check them out here.
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If you have not seen The Soloist, I highly recommend it. Cut from the same cloth as Same Kind of Different as Me, The Soloist gets beyond stereo-type and cliche and into the complexity of friendship, mental illness (as in, who really has it), poverty, and homelessness. Warning: this film is not for the faint of heart. There are major portions of the film which chronicle life on Skid Row in downtown L.A. I was both moved and paralyzed by the raw feel to the film. It also brought me back to my experiences with Francis, Professor Jack, et al in Cass Park a few years back.
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If you are interested in reading a blog written by a sold-out follower of Jesus who is willing to take risks in the city, read Doug's blog. Doug and I will be teammates this fall when we join the larger mission of the Otter Creek Church in Nashville.
Showing posts with label U2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U2. Show all posts
20 May 2009
22 February 2009
No Line on the Horizon
A friend of mine handed me a CD case this morning as he was leaving church. I didn't really think anything of it initially. Then, I started to put clues together. This friend is a radio exec in Metro Detroit . . . very savvy regarding music and film culture.
After I finished up the conversation I was in when said friend handed me the CD disc, I looked down and realized I'd just been handed an advanced copy of No Lion in the Horizon--U2's new album set to come out in a few weeks.
I'm listening to it right now. So far, it's solid. Get On Your Boots is rocking my world.
There are many reasons I love U2. Regarding lyrics, they are superior. Bono writes almost everything they do. Philosophically and theologically, their music fits together with so many of the things I'm interested in. And, some of the things I'm interested in are a direct result of U2's influence. I can't think of another band that sings as well as U2 in concert with things that matter. So many people are skeptical of religion. U2 represents an understanding of faith I want to emulate in my own life. "Religion is what's left over when God's left the building," Bono has (in)famously noted.
They do this album after album after album.
If you are interested in seeing what happens when a group of people learn how to intersect modern culture with deep spirituality, check out U2.
After I finished up the conversation I was in when said friend handed me the CD disc, I looked down and realized I'd just been handed an advanced copy of No Lion in the Horizon--U2's new album set to come out in a few weeks.
I'm listening to it right now. So far, it's solid. Get On Your Boots is rocking my world.
There are many reasons I love U2. Regarding lyrics, they are superior. Bono writes almost everything they do. Philosophically and theologically, their music fits together with so many of the things I'm interested in. And, some of the things I'm interested in are a direct result of U2's influence. I can't think of another band that sings as well as U2 in concert with things that matter. So many people are skeptical of religion. U2 represents an understanding of faith I want to emulate in my own life. "Religion is what's left over when God's left the building," Bono has (in)famously noted.
They do this album after album after album.
If you are interested in seeing what happens when a group of people learn how to intersect modern culture with deep spirituality, check out U2.
22 October 2008
17 September 2008
Silence and News from U2
Richard Foster recently had this to say when asked "what is the discipline that you think we need to be exploring more at this point?"
Solitude. It is the most foundational of the discipline of abstinence . . . The evangelical passion for engagement with the world is good. But as Thomas a Kempis says, the only person who's safe to travel is the person who's free to stay at home. And Pascal said that we would solve the world's problems if we just learned to sit in our room alone. . . .
And of course, you can't be alone unless you've learned to be with people. Solitude teaches us to live in the presence of God so that we can be with people in a way that helps them and does not manipulate them.
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New Testament scholar and close friend Greg Stevenson recently shared this breaking news on the U2 front regarding their upcoming album (and future in general).
‘This is our chance for us to defy gravity once again, ‘ explains Bono, calling in from a break in recording sessions in the south of France. ‘ We have what it takes, we have the songs, new rhythms and a guitar player who is not ready to re-enter earth's atmosphere until he's taken a slice of the moon!
Solitude. It is the most foundational of the discipline of abstinence . . . The evangelical passion for engagement with the world is good. But as Thomas a Kempis says, the only person who's safe to travel is the person who's free to stay at home. And Pascal said that we would solve the world's problems if we just learned to sit in our room alone. . . .
And of course, you can't be alone unless you've learned to be with people. Solitude teaches us to live in the presence of God so that we can be with people in a way that helps them and does not manipulate them.
---
New Testament scholar and close friend Greg Stevenson recently shared this breaking news on the U2 front regarding their upcoming album (and future in general).
‘This is our chance for us to defy gravity once again, ‘ explains Bono, calling in from a break in recording sessions in the south of France. ‘ We have what it takes, we have the songs, new rhythms and a guitar player who is not ready to re-enter earth's atmosphere until he's taken a slice of the moon!
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