Curating Faith, Hope & Love

Live from the Missional Church Consultation

follow tweets this morning #luthersem //

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tks

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Dorothy Day & A Guitar

So Dorothy Day is famous for saying: if you have two coats, you've stolen one from the poor (my paraphrase). A few months ago I was getting ready to move here to St. Paul and I learned that my friends Tim and Laurie Thornton (the blackthorn project) was looking for a guitar to take to Peru. When they do these trips as artist-missionaries they like to take instruments that people have donated so that they can leave the instruments with budding worship leaders and songwriters who will then even further bless the communities of faith there. I've had a great Takemine guitar in my closet that I acquired under well sketchy circumstances. I'll explain.

A former roommate of mine had lost his driver's license and in a less than thought through plan he pawned his bike and this guitar. He needed them both back and time was running out so I gave him $150.00 for this guitar. I have no idea what he used that pawn money for and I wasn't about to ask. Since then I got a new guitar and so have this extra one has just been ridiculous so when the Thorntons needed a guitar to bring to Peru, I was happy to give away this beauty.

This morning I got an email from Tim Thornton telling my about Jeremias (Jeremiah):

Tim, this guy, jeremias ( jeremiah) is just faithful. He's holding two guitars because he received the one he's been using from Ben and robin a year and a half ago on our last visit. Well he's been using it every day, leading worship and writing songs. They have written one or two that their congregation loves to sing together. Well one of my strings broke so I played the guitar he has been using, and I was amazed that he was able to do as much as he's done with it. That was a fine starter guitar but while I led worship with his beater instrument, the Lord impressed it upon me that he really needed an upgrade, so after the service I said, "what does God do when a man is faithful with what is put under his care?"Jeremias said "He enlarges it." I showed him the guitar and said, "well there is your increase. Now you get to bless someone else with the one you've been playing." He couldn't believe it. I also gave him a floor tuner and your cable. I know he's going to be able to do so much more with a guitar that keeps it's tune and sounds so good. Thanks Tim for giving him a gift of quality that is more than a token, but an upgrade for a faithful musician. I'm really excited that he can play something that will inspire and not distract him. He's really using his music to serve the body, and i think it blessed his soul too because of that principle that God rewards faithfulness, and that he now gets not only to receive, but to give too. As you pray for him, you can remember that his wife has taken the kids and left him and that's pretty tough on him. You can ask for them to be restored to him and to a healthy life and to the lord.

my friend dave, the rapper

// some of you are thinking: "tim has rapper friends? — weird" and that's cool because I think that too. this morning on campus I ran into my friend AGAPE, aka David Scherer who is a friend of mine who uses hip hop to reach young people and to tell about a God who loves the world and longs for its transformation. He's really quite brilliant and he's currently raising $50,000 towards world hunger on his Jesus, Justice, Jazz Tour. You should check him out:

video

website
http://www.hiphopoutreach.com/

facebook
http://www.facebook.com/david.scherer.1

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21 Things the World Will Say About Christians // by Lauren Winner

// a while back my friend Paul Soupiset recommended to me a short little book on spiritual practices: Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner. It's perhaps the most accessible introduction to spirituality as practice I could ever even imagine. It's wonderful in part because you can read it in one sitting and it works particularly well in a coffee shop (Mudhouse is the name of her favorite place) for the purpose of sabbath — you know that whole take a break thing. 

At Christianity 21, Lauren spoke of "21 things the world will say about Christians in the next century." I thought it was brilliant and utterly challenging. Here's a link to the full text: 

http://blog.kyria.com/2009/10/live_from_the_christianity_21.html

TIM K. SNYDER :: creative | editor | networker
www.curatingthejourney.org

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Pic of the Week # 2: Come on in!...No You Come Out!

:: this one is from my friend Jonny Baker who I'm looking forward to hanging out with in London this coming January. I'd have to say in the words of Glen Hansard..."fucking brilliant...fucking brilliant."

PS: The last pic included a quote from Jonny. It's just a coincidence. 

TIM K. SNYDER :: creative | editor | networker
www.curatingthejourney.org

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we created a Twub! // #luthersem

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Review: "Strict Joy" (2009) // The Swell Season

Check out my review of the latest from The Swell Season. It's simply brilliant! // http://tinyurl.com/ygc59sh

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Review: "Strict Joy" (2009) // The Swell Season

Strict Joy
The Swell Season
2009 // ANTI
Release Date: 10.27.09
www.theswellseason.com

For some time now one of my favorite musical talents has been found in The Swell Season — Glen Hansard and Czech songstress Markéta Irglová. Many probably know the group for their Academy Award for Best Original Song, "Falling Slowly," from the movie Once. If you've not seen the movie, go now at once (sorry I have a thing for puns). The newest from the duo titled "Strict Joy" is scheduled to release next week on October 27th here in North America (ANTI) but you can hear it now on Pandora (station: "strict joy").

This album is the best album I've heard in God knows how many years. It has enough pure vibe to capture  imaginations across the typical genre confines. The lryics are just incredible all the way through, which seems to rarely happen in these days of gimmics and one-hit albums with little coherence. The album continues the narrative thread that began with The Swell Season's debut, the Once Soundtrack (which by the way is far more than a soundtrack, its a musical overture of the movie itself). What is perhaps most exciting is to see Markéta Irglová's writing and voice come through to take the lead in some surprising ways. The duo has found a fantastic blend of vocals/instruments that are often in conversation and singing to each other while singing with each other. Its beautiful. 

Some of my favorite tracks:

In "Back Broke" we get a mellow folk-rock melody that proclaims hope when you're so tired that you finally given in. Hansard calls it "a sad song but not a sad song at all." This is the real stuff of love lived out through time. Hardly anyone writes this kind of "love song."

"These Arms" is a classic song of love as fate. Ordinarily I wouldn't give such song a bother. But combined with the rest of the album we get frustration ("Low Rising"), demystified fantasies ("Fantasy Man"), storms ("The Rain"), struggle ("Paper Cup") and spring longing ("Feeling the Pull") and so the overarching narrative wins the day and this throw back to the first album really shines through.

Two tracks create a set of religio-romantic subtlties. Personally, I think they're f***ing brilliant."I Have Loved You Wrong" and "Love Conquers All" are two sides of the same coin. One is pure confession with lyrics pulled straight from the Confession of the Western Mass threaded into the melody in a way that proclaims confession of one's shortcoming is a profound statement of love. You can't help feel it here. "Love Conquers All" is of course the only response needed. Its total confession/absolution. Damn its good.

My favorite track though is a bit selfish. In a season of life where direction is a blind guess at best, "Feeling the Pull," speaks to the very soul of longing like the spring moon pulling us out of winter and into the longer, brighter and warmer days ahead.

I'm feeling the pull
draggin' me off again
felling so small
against the big sky tonight.

So I bet you know what I'm going to suggest. PRE-ORDER THIS NOW. I don't really have anything to gain either way, I just think you'll love it. PS: Twin Cities friends! They'll be here on Dec. 5th. I'm going.

You can hear (and see in HD) many of these tracks and a few from the first album on NPR's "Tiny Desk" Concert Series:

Pic of the Week #1: "Worship Imagines A World"

As I prepare for a trip to London to hang out with Jonny Baker and others in the UK, I'm reflecting on this quote from Jonny. I'm wondering what kind of world your worship imagines. Post comments / talk amongst yourselves...either way.

Tim K. Snyder :: creative | editor | networker
www.curatingthejourney.org

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Tony Jones Reviews GENERATE Magazine!

Just over a week ago we launched GENERATE Magazine at Christianity 21 and its was so much fun showing off the first issue to new and old friends in Minneapolis. As subscriptions roll in and the excitement builds as folks get their issues in the mail, author, speaker and theologian Tony Jones weighed in with a generous review — very exciting stuff. I think you should listen to him and subscribe today.