ASNN

great christian artists versus great christian songs

This post on ThinkChristian got me thinking. As I tried to post my top ten Christian songs, I found that I couldn't even come up with TEN that came to mind as truly excellent songs. I ended with the lament, "There just doesn't seem to be those 'Hotel California'- or 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'-type songs out there in Christian music."

Granted those types of songs are rare even in secular music; there are probably only a few dozen songs from the past 50 years that truly transformed music. Yet there are plenty of secular songs in the "great, even if not totally revolutionary" category. I continue to be unable to come up with any Christian songs in either category. Part of this post is to ask you to help me come up with those.

The other part of the post is to share what happened when I turned my focus from great Christian songs to great Christian artists. Again, there's an enormous hole where the list of groundbreaking, revolutionary Christian artists should be. But where there are no great Christian songs (that I can think of), I can immediately think of a number of Christian artists whose body of work qualifies them as very good, or even "great, even if not totally revolutionary". Jars of Clay, Third Day, Delirious?, Kutless. Those are all from the past 10–15 years, and all with my VERY limited taste in Christian music.

Is it just a misperception, or is it easier to find great Christian bands without ANY great Christian songs? What should I be listening to, if I'm missing the boat? What songs have I egregiously forgotten?

American Idol fallout

I think there's something wrong with me. You see, there appear to be two appropriate reactions to American Idol singing "Shout to the Lord", and I'm not experiencing either of them.

worst. father. ever.

I still haven't updated on Abigail and Vanessa. They are both doing very well — Abigail is now just past three months and is already catching up from being six weeks early, and Vanessa is (sadly) just about out of maternity leave and gearing up to head back to work.

Speaking of Vanessa, she's been doing the lion's share of updates and picture-publishing. To (try to) make up for my utter silence, here are pictures and accounts of the past three months!

Vanessa's Photobucket account
Vanessa's account of the birth

If I'm missing anything, just ask. (Heaven knows plenty of you HAVE been asking! :-)

perfect music

If you are ever on a road trip through desert-y stuff (like where I live), listen to U2's The Joshua Tree, especially "In God's Country". It is, quite possibly, the perfect piece of music for living in the desert.

What's the soundtrack for where you live?

racism in 2008

[I swear there's a better update coming on Vanessa, Abigail and all of us. I just wanted to respond to something I read without littering on my friend's blog. :-) ]

Mark Veerman writes about Al Sharpton throwing his weight around and trying to stir the pot WRT Kelly Tilghman's ill-advised comments about Tiger Woods. Alan commented and I think I disagree quite a bit with his comments. This post intends to respond to those comments without sending the deluge to Mark's blog. :-)