Archive - Music RSS Feed

White Man

September 22, 2009 in Music, Videos with 3 Comments

About a year-and-a-half ago I went up to Nashville with Roger for GMA week.  Roger had a couple of meetings with agents and we were checking out a number of new bands and worship leaders for our events.  I had a great time and it was really insightful for me to get a real glimpse at that whole industry.  You can read some of my thoughts in this post here (it’s one of my most popular posts ever).

Anyway, one night we went to this showcase at some local bar.  We were mainly going to see DecembeRadio who were kinda headlining the deal.  We had them booked for some events and wanted to check them out.  One of the other acts that night was The Michael Gungor Band.  Michael Gungor is a singer/songwriter/worship leader whose big claim to fame is co-writing the song “Friend of God.”  He and his band, which includes his wife, were great.  Actually, they were more like a jam band than anything else.  They were fun and different and way more talented than any of their pre-packaged recordings had conveyed.  I loved them immediately.

That night they played what was a new song for them.  We found out later from his agent that they were repackaging his album and including this new song.  It was called “White Man.”  This song was one of the reasons I developed immediate affection for Michael Gungor.

The other day Matthew Paul Turner over at Jesus Needs New PR mentioned they played this song at his church (Cross Point Church up in Nashville).  This reminded me again of this song.  I watched the music video for the song he posted, which is great, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

I hope you like it too.

White Man – Michael Gungor Band from Brandon Goodwin on Vimeo.

Friend Friday: Aaron Ivey Edition

June 26, 2009 in Friends, Music with 2 Comments

I met Aaron Ivey, along with his bandmates Bush and Jimmie, a few years ago.  I don’t remember exactly what year.  The circumstances were that Drew, Taylor, Eric and I had gone up to Ridgecrest to shoot a promo video about them for one of the Student Life Tours they for which they led worship.  I had heard a lot about them from friends (some of you) who had had the privilege of working an event with them.  Every time someone told me about them they would just go on and on and on about how awesome they were, both on stage and off.  I was just late to the dance.  Back then they, and a couple of other great guys named Chad and Guy, were called Spur 58.

Spur 58 was a band birthed out of Aaron’s time as a youth minister down in Houston, TX.  It was during that time that he really honed his passion for leading other believers in the worship of God.  Eventually he and the guys felt like their ministry should expand to leading worship for people and groups outside of their one church.  This ended up leading to a move to Nashville, the heart of Contemporary Christian Music.  They spent a number of years recording albums and traveling the country leading people to the throne.  However, the whole game and business that is the Christian music industry never seemed to have a perfect place for them.  Believe me, this is a good thing.  There’s a lot of good things that happen in that industry, but there’s a lot of not-so-good things too.  It’s a business.  Business and ministry don’t always mix well together (that’s for another post, though), and Aaron is a minister first and foremost.  Anyway, God eventually led Aaron, Bush and Jimmie to return to being worship pastors for a local body of believers.  So, a little less than a year ago they headed back to Texas to The Austin Stone Community Church, where Aaron is able to serve as a worship pastor alongside others so that he also has time to continue leading for other churches and events.

Many of you know that it is a real pet peeve of mine that “worship” in our modern Christian culture is equated with “music.”  However, Aaron isn’t just a musician or a music leader.  He is a true worship leader with a heart for ushering others in to the throne of God.  When you’re “in the room” with Aaron leading, you can tell that he is the one worshipping first and foremost, not just a worship leader but a lead worshipper as well.

In addition to music and worship he’s also passionate about matters of justice in the world.  He, Bush and Jimmie are great advocates for Compassion as well as some other efforts both in their local community of Austin and around the world.  He and his wife Jamie also have a huge heart for adoption.  They’re currently working to add Amos and Story to their family of Cayden and Deacon.  However, they’re not only active in their own adoption effort but are always more than willing to help others as well however they can.  He sees both as ways to continue to glorify Christ in the world.

Aaron just released a new album this week.  It’s called Between the Beauty and Chaos, and you can get it from iTunes or Amazon or just click on the banner ad below. I think you should, and here’s why.

As you survey the landscape of modern Christian music, you’ll discover that there are a lot of offerings out there of “worship” music.  Since this is the case, it sometimes tough to really distinguish what makes one stand out from another.  There’s the stadium anthems of Chris Tomlin or the maturity of a Michael W. Smith.  David Crowder stands out for his experimentation, while labelmate Charlie Hall is probably known more for pure artistry.  Hillsong United seems to be an embodiment of an entire church in one band while Todd Agnew brings a sense of the lone prophet.  Matt Redman is known for his writing, and Delirious? is known for spectacle.  Jason Upton doesn’t lead so much as follows the Spirit, whereas Fee choreographs every moment to accompanying video animations and graphics.  You get the idea, the landscape is vast and while some stand out for certain, very specific things, there are a vast number of others that can get lost in the crowd.

So, what is it about Aaron that sets him apart from the rest.  If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be this: sincerity.  This doesn’t mean that the music isn’t great, that the lyrics aren’t heartfelt and moving, that there isn’t diversity and artistry, that there’s not risk and innovation, that maturity isn’t present, or that the Spirit isn’t moving.  Because, trust me, whether you’re listening to the new album or worshipping with Aaron in the room (I’ve been telling him since I’ve known him that he should make a live album), all those things are definitely there.  But Aaron is one of the most sincere worship leaders I’ve ever been around.  He is real and genuine, and when you spend just a small amount of time with him, you can’t help but know that.  It’s a subtle distinguishing quality, certainly not as flashy as some others, but it’s an extremely important one.

I’ve heard a certain evangelist/speaker/author/producer of Iranian decent (when speaking of Spur 58) say something like, “if you want to listen to them back home just get the new Coldplay album.”  I’m not sure why some immediately think to associate Aaron and the guys with Coldplay.  Maybe it’s because Aaron leads from a piano and that if you squint your eyes and the lights are dim he kinda resembles Chris Martin.  At any rate, rest assured that Between the Beauty and Chaos isn’t a copy or knockoff of anything.  It is something all its own.

Now, I’m no music critic by any means.  So, I’m not gonna sit here and try to break everything on the album down for you.  The best I can say is that I don’t find a lot of enjoyment in listening to albums of Christian music because it never really sounds “good” to me.  But Aaron’s album is good, and I like it, and I actually listen to it.  It’s not like the previous Spur 58 albums.  Aaron, Bush and Jimmie reached a whole new level with this one.  I was trying to think of what in particular stood out to me, but I had trouble coming up with one thing.  At the very least, you should check it out on Aaron’s site or better yet, click on the banner below and get it for yourself.  You won’t be sorry.


AARONIVEYbutton

I’ll now leave you with the lyrics to my favorite song from the album: “Let Your Kingdom Come.”

Let Your Kingdom Come

Aaron Ivey, Matt Carter. ©2009 IVEYMUSIC. (ASCAP)

Give us a love for peace
Move us to brokenness
Our generosity
release from poverty
Your Kingdom here and now
To the least of these
Distribute what we have
That all may taste and see

Let Your Kingdom come
Let Your will be done
And all the Earth will say
And echo angels’ praise
That You are God

So, let the sick run free
The orphan find her home
The captured man will know
Release from slavery
Your Kingdom here and now
To the least of these
Distribute what we have
That all may taste and see

Let Your Kingdom come
Let Your will be done
And all the Earth will say
And echo angels’ praise
That You are God

We pray and ask for hope
We pray and ask for peace
We pray and ask for justice
We pray and ask for You

The Music Remains

June 25, 2009 in Music with 0 Comments

I’ve never been a particularly big Michael Jackson fan.  However, you cannot deny the genius that is Thriller.  I have a vague recollection of seeing the video at my grandmother’s house during a family gathering and my mom making them change the channel.  Maybe this was the beginning of my zombie fixation.  Who knows?

I hope he’s found peace.

Playing for Change

December 8, 2008 in Compassion, Movies, Music with 2 Comments

Ben Rough, my good friend over at Compassion, sent this to some of us today.  I think it’s worth featuring.

One of the guys singing in it is from Mamelodi, South Africa, which is where a number of us, including Liza, Ber, Drew, Crystal and Haley, have worked in the past with the Servant Life and Mission Sebenzela partnership.

Enjoy.

Liza’s Poem

April 29, 2008 in Family, Music, Random, Writing with 3 Comments

So, my lovely wife, Liza, responded to my last post with her own version of This Is Just To Say.  I liked it so much, I thought it deserved it’s own post.  Of course I couldn’t resist leaving my own reply.

Liza’s Poem

This is just to say
forgive me for yelling at you
for singing over the contestants
during American Idol.

It was stupid
It was ridiculous
and I’m sorry.

It’s just you were really
frustrating me and
you know it’s my favorite show!

My Reply

I know
I may
Not sing
That Well

But who
Can Resist
Neil Diamond
I certainly can’t

So when
The song
Overtakes me
Just Go with it

Don’t hate
The Playa
Hate
The Game

Besides
We both know
That American Idol
Kinda sucks

What I Learned at GMA Week

April 23, 2008 in Christianity, Let's Be Honest, Ministry, Music, Student Life with 12 Comments

First of all, thanks to everyone who responded to my last post. The comments were way more positive, encouraging, humbling, and flattering than I expected.

Now, on to what I’ve been up to the past few days…

A while ago Roger had invited me to accompany him to GMA week. This wasn’t really the best time for me. We’re super-busy getting ready for camp, and I’m really behind in some things. So, the night before we left, I was just dreading it. But I didn’t want to back out, and now I’m actually kinda glad I went. It was quite an experience.

For those of you who don’t know, GMA stands for “Gospel Music Association.” What we’re talking about here is the Christian music industry. GMA week culminates in the Dove awards, which were tonight and which we didn’t attend. Throughtout the week there are tons of industry people everywhere doing all kinds of stuff. One thing is that agencies and labels hosts various showcases of their acts so that promoters and radio stations can see them and then book them or play their music. We’re there to look for new, up-and-coming worship guys as well as people that would be good for our concert slots. It was tiring, loud and a bit overwhelming, but good too. In case you didn’t know, I was once in a Christian rock band myself (long live Public Announcement). So, I could really relate to everyone. Plus, I got to see Michael Kelley, and that’s always a highlight for me.

So… now… without further ado…

THE 21 THINGS I LEARNED AT GMA WEEK

1. The look for 2008 is… VESTS! – Seriously, I can’t tell you how many people had on vests. Like, suit vests. Girls. Guys. Young. Old. Everyone had them on. It was ridiculous. It’s like there was a meeting a few weeks ago where all of the bands and “inside” industry people got together, and a spokesman asked of the group, “what trend should we embrace this week?” Some, young emo kid in the back said, “let’s do vests.” A bleach blond rocker chick exclaimed, “like, suit vests! I love those!” Then the spokesman inquired, “so, we’re decided then?” Everyone nodded their heads and then dispersed to all go purchase their vests in either black or shades of grey. The most absurd was when we walked around a corner to see the one and only Louie Giglio standing there in… you guessed it… a vest.

 2. Everyone is in a band (or at least thinks they are) – You can tell this is true by the way that everyone dresses, acts, and talks. In addition to the vests, most people share a generally trendy look to the point where it sometimes becomes indistinguishable to tell who is in a band, who is a tech, who is a friend of the band, who is a groupie, who is a Christian celebrity gossip blogger (I realize that’s an oxymoron), and who just happened to wander in off the street but because they’re from Nashville, they just happen to look like they might be in a band. People who aren’t in a band can also act and talk like they are because they want everyone to know how important they are (even if they’re not).

3. Only one dude in each band really knows what’s going on – Even if a band is huge and has a top notch agent, manager, and label handling all the details for them, there is one member who took care of all those details back in the day. This is the member of the band who actually know what’s going on, like what venue they are playing, what time is sound check, who are the important contacts, what dates and shows they have coming up and where the car, van or bus is parked. This dude is never the lead and is rarely a drummer.

4. Few people actually “get it” – I understand that defining “it” is really difficult. I’m not even necessarily claiming to get “it” myself. However, I am claiming that I think I’m aware enough to realize when people don’t get “it.” This is based much more on feeling than anything else, and maybe it’s a bit judgmental. So, you can ignore this one if you want. Still, I stand by my assertion. The majority (maybe not a large majority, but a majority nonetheless) of people at GMA week don’t get “it.”

5. It’s extremely difficult to maintain a balanced perspective on things – Most people at GMA (seriously, I would say, like, 98.3%) fall into one of two categories. The first group consists of those who can’t get enough of it. They love networking, talking a big game, selling themselves, looking and acting awesome, rewarding themselves and their peers, having lobby meetings, and eating overpriced hotel food. The second group is made up of those who are completely cynical and jaded about everything that defines the first group. The other 1.7% of people somehow, in the words of Johnny Cash, walk the line. I’ll let you discern from this post which group I happen to belong to.

6. If you want to be a GMA artist, you should consider auditioning for American Idol – Seriously, American Idol is evidently a great source of talent for the Christian music industry. You don’t even really have to get that far. Just a golden ticket to Hollywood pretty much solidifies your chances of being a part of a showcase. For examples of this phenomena see Mandisa, George Huff, Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh, Brooke Barretsmith and others.

7. Every band, regardless of genre and concert style, is actually a worship band – You see, they have to be. The Christian music industry is an oversaturated market. Plus, it’s like a Hydra. For every band that calls it quits, there’s two more to take its place. There’s only so many song slots on a radio station’s playlist and available concert dates, venues, and interest. However, there is a huge demand for awesome worship leaders. So, in order to make ends meet, Fireflight, Group 1 Crew, The Fisk Family Singers, T-Bone, Trin-I-tee 5:7, Pure NRG, and even classics like Geoff Moore all have to learn Chris Tomlin songs.

8. Most Christian bands really do sound the same – Well, they at least sound relatively the same. What sound is this? Go back in time three years and listen to a half hour of any Top 40 pop/rock station and you’ll have a pretty good idea.

9. Just because it’s Nashville doesn’t mean that there aren’t technical difficulties – Because there are. Pretty much every showcase I attended experienced some kind of technical problems. This could be mics not working, signals being crossed, mics not being turned on, monitor mixes getting mixed up, lighting cues being off, cords coming unplugged, or random acts of feedback. For a further example, see #12. The list could go on. In fact, the production quality overall really isn’t that impressive. Makes you feel like maybe you’re not doing that bad of a job. You would think this wouldn’t be the case in Nashville. At least I would. I (and you) would be wrong.

10. Everyone has a cause, and if they don’t, a cause is courting them for their representation and advocacy – Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Discuss.

11. If a lead thinks they personally have a cool name, then they’ll probably use it as their band name too – Sure, having names like The Michael Gungor Band, The Phil Colman Trio or the Jonas Brothers isn’t that new and really isn’t what I’m talking about. For examples of this principle see Leeland, Chasen, Ruth, Fee, etc. Aaron, I wonder if I’ll ever see Ivey some years in the future. Sorry, Bush, Gavin Rossdale took your name already.

12. At most showcases the lighting design consists of two monkeys randomly pushing buttons – At least I think that’s what was going on back there.

13. The Christian music industry is self-replicating – Here’s what I mean. You start with a band. They give it a go for a number of years, but eventually, they move on. Some of them become agents. Some become managers. Some become road managers. Some work for labels. Some go to work in a church. All end up encouraging younger dudes to become a band and give it a go. The cycle continues.

14. Everyone wants you to know that, even though they want you to love them, cheer them, book them, buy their album, and generally recognize their greatness, it’s really all about Jesus – They make sure to tell you this, just so you know. If you’re in a showcase with 19 acts, you’ll be reassured of this 19 times. If it’s a worship band now wanting to be a concert act, you might hear it more than that. After all, they want you to know they remember their roots. Are they genuine? I don’t know. I think that they think they are. I like to think that most are. I fear that more than I would like aren’t.

15. Princess Rock is an insult to Christian girls everywhere – I don’t know if “Princess Rock” is an actual genre or if I just made it up. What I’m using it to refer to is a sub-genre of Christian pop/rock made up entirely of female (or at least female-fronted) bands whose schtick is that they are girls. This means that they often talk about things like clothes, boys, chocolate, hair, and their hips. They giggle a lot and act like they don’t possess a great deal of intelligence. Obviously, this isn’t representative of all Christian acts that are female, but there’s enough to make it a problem. These bands often use some synonym for “female” in their name, like Barlowgirl or Superchick. Many of them can be found on the Revolve Tour. Get over it!

16. The Downtown Nashville Hilton charges too much for food – I know that it cost Roger $5 to get an 8 oz. Coke. We heard that some of the agencies were charged $25 for the lunches served at their showcases. Trust me. It wasn’t worth it. They can charge whatever they want, but what does it say that they (we) gladly paid it?

17. If you want to spice up your act a little bit add some unexpected instruments – Just in case you don’t know a typical band consists of some combination of the following: rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. Some “unexpected” instruments we saw used were organ, violin, slide whistle, toy piano, cowbell, mouth harp, miniature trap set, train whistle, melodica, and a television featuring a static channel.

18. There is a real life Zorro out there, and he’s a rock star and a Christian – Actually his name is Zoro. He’s a drummer and also known as the “Minister of Groove.” We noticed him at the Compassion dinner where Roger saw him and wondered aloud, “who’s the cat in the hat?” The next day we ran into him in the elevator (ironically, dressed the same as he was the night before; I’ve since learned that’s pretty much how he dresses all the time; see his myspace and you’ll know what I’m talking about). Roger struck up a brief conversation with him about Compassion and then introduced himself as “Roger Davis with Student Life.” He then replied, “hi, I’m Zoro.” That was it. He didn’t skip a beat.

19. Pretty much anyone can get their shot in the GMA – It seems “they” are so desperate for the next big thing, that they’ll give pretty much anyone a try. They’ll spend a little money, put their name out there, and see what happens. If nothing happens, then you can one day tell your grandkids (or the readers of your blog) that you were once in a band.

20. I’m thankful for all the people we get to work with (or have gotten to work with) – You guys aren’t perfect. You’ve got your own things going on. You aren’t always easy to work with. You can just as easily get caught up in all this stuff as anyone else. But, man you guys are great. So, thanks to Todd Agnew, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Spur 58, Unhindered, Billy and Cindy Foote, Stephen and Starr Smith, Brett and Emily Mills, Steve Fee, Kristian Stanfill, Stephen Miller, downhere, Rush of Fools, Jason Wallis, Michael John Clement, Matt Papa, Chris Orr, Joel Engle, Jeff Johnson, Chris White, Chuck Hooten, Jeremy Riddle, Aaron Keyes, Addison Road, Leeland, Desperation Band, Vicki Beeching, David Crowder* Band, and all the rest that have done stuff with us but that I don’t really know

21. Public Announcement should totally launch a comeback tour - Stay tuned for more information.

Hootie

August 19, 2006 in Music, xanga with 3 Comments

To all of you who came of age in the mid-nineties, I’m going to see Hootie and the Blowfish and Better Than Ezra live in concert tonight.

Cracked Rear View was the soundtrack to my life circia ’95-’96 and the Madison Central High School Mighty Jaguar class of 1997 chose “This Time of Year” by Better Than Ezra as our class song (I’ve never been so proud).

Yes, I’m going to enjoy myself.  So, stop judging me.

Don’t be a hater!

A Few Different Things

March 14, 2006 in Conviction, Movies, Music, Random, xanga with 11 Comments

ONE:  Saw James Taylor in concert last night at the BJCC Concert Hall.  It was his “One Man Band” tour, which is a misnomer because he had a piano player with him.  The show was really good but pretty low key.  If you weren’t a James Taylor fan you might find it a bit boring.  He had this screen and would click through pictures and stuff, talk about one of his songs and then play it.  It was pretty great.  The acoustics in the concert hall are great and so is James Taylor.  You could close your eyes and swear you were listening to a recording.  He sounds that good, even like he did when he recorded some of those songs almost forty years ago.  My only complaint was that some people in the audience wouldn’t leave him alone.  They kept yelling at him, trying to shake his hand and have him autograph stuff.  Evidently he’s a pretty nice guy because he would indulge most of them.  It was his birthday, so I guess he was in a good mood.

TWO:  I’m having second thoughts about this Regents University thing.  Surprise, surprise.  What got me initially is when I received the information packet, opened to the first page entitled “A Message from the Chancellor” and saw Pat Robertson staring back at me.  Yes.  That Pat Robertson.  Pat “America-Should-Assassinate-Venezuelan-President-Hugo-Chavez” Robertson.  Also, it’s pretty expensive.  I don’t know what I should do.  I think I’m going to check into this online course offered through UCLA.  I don’t think they advocate anyone’s assassination.  Except maybe Pat Robertson’s.

THREE:  For a few different reasons I feel the need to defend/clarify/explain myself a bit in relation to some things I’ve thought, said, discussed, or posted here.  This has pretty much grown out of that stupid theological quiz I took that many of you have now taken and some things I’ve read on other sites.  Mainly, what I want to address are my comments on truth and knowing it along with the priority I have been placing on asking questions (though certainly not as an end in and of themselves; answers are obviously needed).  I don’t believe I’ve been able to articulate these things well so I will try to do so now.

I consider myself somewhat educated.  I have two degrees in religious studies, have been a Christian for around nineteen years.  I read the Bible, pray, study, etc.  I know what I believe and why I believe it.  This is not only important but Biblically mandated.  Peter writes the following in the fifteenth verse of the third chapter of his first epistle: “…but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that that is in you.”  I just don’t consider the best defense to be a strong offense, to play off a common sports phrase.  Please, don’t ever misinterpret what I do or say as being weak in my faith or theology or playing the relativistic game of “you’re okay; I’m okay; let’s all be okay together.” 

Though I know what I believe and why I believe it.  I can also tell you that I have been wrong before and certainly leave room that I may be wrong about some things right now.  I just may not know it yet.  But how can this happen?  I’ve got the Bible, God’s Word, the source of Truth.  Yeah.  But I mistook it.  I’ve never been able to articulate this.  Actually, I still can’t.  However, I found someone who can and has.

I’m reading a book my Dad sent me by a guy named Jack Deere.  Deere is a former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.  He realized some things he was wrong about as well.  He explains this by how much we are influenced by are various traditions, whether we want to admit it or not.  Traditions of family, church, denomination, school, region, culture, etc.  The following is a quote of his:

    “…when our belief systems move beyond the basic fundamentals of the faith (the deity of Jesus, justification by faith, the substitutionary atonement of Jesus, and so on) to things that aren’t as fundamental (the mode of baptism, the manner of taking the Lord’s supper, or a particular view of the millennium) we are much more dependent on tradition than we realize.  In these cases, [J.I.] Packer offers sound advice, ‘What we must do, rather, is acknowledge that we are full of tradition, good or bad, to a much greater extent than we realize, and must learn to ask by the light of Scripture critical questions about what we have thus far taken for granted.’
    Some, however, fail to acknowledge the significance of tradition and other factors in our environments for determining or shaping our views.  Edward Gross asks why there are so many interpretations.  His answer is that ‘there are two simple reasons why there are so many interpretations; the lack of comprehensive study and the lack of following the simple rules of hermeneutics (the science of biblical interpretation).’
    Next, he cites three hermeneutical rules summarized by Charles Hodge to the effect that Scripture is to be interpreted in its grammatical historical sense, Scripture must interpret Scripture and cannot contradict itself, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit must be sought to interpret Scripture.  Gross concludes that ‘employing these rules will assist us in determining the true sense of Scripture.  If Christians would constantly unite a thorough investigation with these simple rules, differences of interpretation would practically disappear.’
    I am sure there are others who sincerely believe with Gross that lack of study and hermeneutical differences can account for contemporary theological diversity.  However, I do not think there are very many skilled theologians or knowledgeable interpreters of Scripture who would agree with Gross.
    When I was at Dallas Seminary, everyone on the faculty that I knew would agree with the three hermeneutical rules summarized by Hodge, and we all believed in comprehensive study of the Word.  Nonetheless, we differed significantly with the reformed theological position that Gross quotes throughout his book.  Did we dispensationalists not study the Scriptures as comprehensively as the Reformed theologians with whom we disagreed?  Were we inconsistent in our application of the three hermeneutical principles?  The obvious truth is that a lack of comprehensive study of the Scriptures and dissimilar hermeneutical principles cannot account for the vast majority of modern theological differences.” (Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, pp. 53-54; emphasis mine)

Ask questions.  Pray and search Scripture for answers.  Come to conclusions.  Believe.  But be prepared to be wrong sometimes.  After that the question is how do you respond and move on.  With pride and arrogance?  With shame and guilt?  Or with joy in the newfound knowledge of the Truth granted to you by the grace of Jesus Christ?  I know how I’m always trying to respond.

Emergent/postmodern has such a stigma, and rightfully so.  Many of their leaders, though I believe they mean well, act pretty irresponsibly.  So, it peeves me to be labeled that on that stupid quiz.  But, who cares really?  If you remember from earlier posts, I hate labels.  One way, though, that I do identify with my brother, Brian McLaren, is that I hope to have a generous orthodoxy.

And if you do have it all figured out and are completely right about everything, my hats off to you.  You’re a better man/woman/person than I.  May God grant you the humility necessary to pass your knowledge on to others, myself included.

FOUR:  Time Bandits rules!