The Friday Five

1. Podcast: Keys To A Multi-Generational Worship Ministry. Thom Rainer & Jonathan Howe are providing consistent quality content through Dr. Rainer's podcast. In this episode, long time worship leader, Mike Harland joins them to start a great conversation about how to create an effective multi-generational worship ministry. Multi-generational ministry & discipleship is the norm in Scripture, yet so many times we go directly against biblical teaching & segment our congregations based on generations. Then we complain that there is a generation gap in our congregation. This is a great episode with some great points to consider when trying to bring the generations together in worship.
2. Music: 24 Nights By Eric Clapton. This is a classic live album that too many people don't know about. It was released 25 years ago & documents a 24 night run at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It's an eclectic album because some nights were blues nights, other nights featured a large band, others a small band, & still others featured Clapton's band with an orchestra. This has some of the best versions of some Clapton classics. Check it out.
3. Quote. "God doesn't need you to be his lawyer. He needs you to be His witness." Bryan Lorrits
   
4. Book: Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
   . This is an interesting little work from Tolkien taken from the letters that Santa (Tolkien) wrote to Tolkien's children every year. It includes those letters & the drawings that the iconic author included in those letters each year. It's a really cool look into the life of this incredibly creative man.
5. Nerd Corner: Elstree 1976 on Netflix. If you're into Star Wars, & I mean really into Star Wars, you should check out Elstree 1976. It focuses on some of the people who had bit parts in the original Star Wars to see what it was like to have a small role or to be an extra in the movie that changed movies & how it has affected their lives 40 years later. 

I'll be taking a break from the blog for the next few weeks as we get ready to move & get settled in back in Jackson. See you here in a few weeks.

The Friday Five

1. Blog Post: 9 Debatable Thoughts About Contemporary Evangelism by Chuck Lawless. This is a great little post to get you & your church thinking about evangelism & what's most effective in your setting. The bottom line is that as long as you're doing evangelism, it doesn't really matter what you're doing. However, it's always wise to evaluate what's effective in reaching our particular communities.
2. 

   Music: Bloom by Audio Adrenaline. This is a classic in contemporary Christian rock, & it's celebrating it's 20th anniversary. This was one of the 1st albums I heard from a Christian band that I actually wanted to listen to again. It's great from start to finish.
3. Quote. "Awake! The shadow is gone and all darkness is washed clean!" -J.R.R. Tolkien (Aragorn in Return of the King)
4. Book: What Do You Think Of Ted Williams Now? by Richard
   
   Ben Cramer. In honor of the Red Sox winning another division title, here's a great, brief read from Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer on one of the larger than life characters in baseball history & one of my favorite players of all time. Ted Williams on one level was simple: he hit a baseball & caught fish. On the other hand, he was complicated, & Cramer gives us a look into the man that most of us only heard about through legendary stories.
   
5. Nerd Corner: Pablo Hidalgo Interview At StarWars.com. This is a great follow-up interview to the Dave Filoni interview I recommended last week. Pablo is a part of the story group at Lucasfilm. His job along with the rest of the story group is to work with everyone who is creating & telling stories within the Star Wars universe to ensure continuity across the board. In other words, Pablo knows pretty much everything about Star Wars. Yes, he knows the backstory of that Jawa in the cantina in A New Hope. In this interview, Pablo shares how he became an uber-fan & eventually one of the key folks at Lucasfilm.

The Friday Five

1. Blog Post: 10 Reasons Why Many Churches Aren't Evangelistic. I know, I know, that's not your church, even though no one has been baptized in years. Just for the sake of argument & self evaluation, I would encourage all church leaders & church attenders to read this post. You may not agree with everything Dr. Rainer talks about, or you may not think it applies to your church. However, how can taking a hard look in the mirror in this area be a bad thing? If it gets you thinking about how you & your congregation can be more effective in advancing the Gospel, then it's beneficial.
2. Music: A River With No End by Ghost Ship. This little EP is gem. It's got a very unique arrangement of the classic hymn "Just As I Am" & a great original called "The Revelation Of Jesus Christ." I'm a big fan of pretty much everything this band does & highly recommend it.
3. Quote. "Truth carries with it confrontation. Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nonetheless." Francis Schaeffer
4. Book: To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain by Matt Chandler. I recently started re-reading this one from Matt Chandler. It's a great, fairly quick, read that digs into the book of Philippians. This is a good one to have as a supplement to your in-depth study of Paul's letter to the church in Phillipi.
5. Nerd Corner: Dave Filoni Interview At StarWars.com. If you call yourself a Star Wars fan & are unaware of Dave Filoni, then you may need to question your fandom. Dave is the creative force behind the Star Wars animated shows, The Clone Wars & Rebels. If you're not a big fan of the Star Wars prequel movies, I would encourage you to watch Clone Wars. It does what the prequels failed to do: make you care about Anakin Skywalker. Dave is basically the creative heir to George Lucas. He worked directly under Lucas for years & is creating some of the best content since the original trilogy. This is a great interview where Dave talks about how he became such a big fan & eventually came to work at Lucasfilm.

The Friday Five

1. Podcast: Preaching & Preachers. Dr. Jason Allen at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary hosts a weekly podcasts tackling issues relevant to preaching & preachers. Sometimes he tackles theological issues like the importance of the doctrine of inerrancy. Other times he handles issues like the growing ministry of church revitalization. He & his guests always approach the issues thoughtfully & with a desire to encourage pastors & the church.
2. Music: Music For Two by Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer. This album came out several years ago, but if you've never heard of it, it's worth checking out. I've been blessed to see a lot of great musicians play live in my life, but this album features two of the absolute best I've ever seen. This instrumental album defies categorizing. It's sort of jazz. It's sort of bluegrass. It's kind of classical. Simply put, it's great music performed by two world class musicians. It's hard to pick a favorite, but one of mine is "Solar", an old Miles Davis tune. Check it out today.
3. Quote. "Abounding sin is the terror of the world, but abounding grace is the hope of mankind." A. W. Tozer
4. Follow: Ray Ortlund on Instagram. Ray is the pastor at Immanuel Nashville. Ray is a great follow because while he's a deep thinker, he seems to be a pretty simple guy too. A quick look at his Instagram will show you he loves 3 things: Jesus, his family, & deer hunting.
5. Book: Here I Stand by Roland Bainton. With October 31st just around the corner, it's not just time for candy. It's also time to remember the Reformation. 499 years ago Martin Luther began the movement to reclaim the Gospel from the traditions of men. If you're into history, biographies, or theology, Here I Stand is for you. It's the gold standard of biographies on Luther. Luther is one of the most fascinating figures in all of history, not just church history. I highly recommend it.

The Friday Five

1. TV: American Odyssey. In the last week I started this new show on Netflix. I'm only a few episodes into it, but so far it has been really good. If you haven't seen it, here's a quick setup: an American strike force takes out a terrorist leader, but they stumble onto some evidence they shouldn't have found. They are then taken out, presumably by American forces in an attempt to cover up that evidence. However, there's one problem: our main character, Odelle Ballard, survives & has a copy of the evidence. If you like government drama/mystery. This one seems to be a good pick. Like I said, I'm only a few episodes in. It could go bad quick, but so far, I've really enjoyed American Odyssey.
2. Music: Live At Fillmore East by The Allman Bros. Band. Today I'm highlighting a classic, & I have to restrain myself because I love this album so much. Yes, it's a double album with only 7 songs, but that just means you get to hear the improvisational genius of Duane Allman & Dickey Betts. This is the best live album ever recorded. There will be people who disagree with that statement, but they're wrong. You ease into it with a couple of short tracks, & by short  I mean 4.5 to 5 minute songs, but by the end you get to hear the brothers in all their glory on Whipping Post which comes in at just over 23 minutes, but every second is perfection. If you're serious about good music, especially great guitar playing, & haven't purchased your copy of this one, you need to stop what you're doing right now & either purchase a hard copy or download it.
3. Quote. "Three categories: 1. Disobedience. 2. Angry obedience. 3. Loving obedience. The great divide is not between 1 and 2 but between 2 and 3." Ray Ortlund
4. Social Media: Joe Bonamossa on Instagram. Joe is one of the best guitar players around these days, & he's also a rabid guitar collector. His Instagram account is not only a treasure trove of cool guitars, but Joe regularly posts videos of his playing. Guitar nerds & blues lovers should give Joe a follow on Instagram.
5. Book: Designed To Lead. Eric Geiger & Kevin Peck have a new book coming out next week that focuses on developing leadership in a gospel context. The church has the potential to be the greatest leadership development organization on earth, but too often we squander our opportunities. I'm looking forward to this book big time. I've been fortunate enough to be a part of the publisher's book launch team which means I've gotten some early access to some stuff, & I'm excited about the copies I've got coming my way. Check out the Designed To Lead website for more info & some downloadable resources.

The Friday Five

1. TV: Stranger Things on Netflix. One of the best shows I've seen in a long time. Perfectly designed for Netflix binge watching. Excellent acting, incredible writing, & a heavy dose of 80s nostalgia make this a show you can't miss. I describe it as a show that feels like "if Stephen King wrote E.T." The thing that struck me was that the show didn't just take place in 1983; it actually felt like it was made in 1983. Yes, it's got some low-budget special effects you would expect from a TV show, but the story & acting are so good, you don't really think about it.
2. Music: Venus (Acoustic) by Joy Williams. I'm a huge Joy Williams fan, but I wasn't crazy about her 1st solo album post-The Civil Wars. The acoustic version, however, is another story. I don't know what it is, but her voice seems to be tailor made for sparse, acoustic accompaniment. If you enjoyed her work with The Civil Wars, check this one out. It has a similar feel.
3. Quote. "We cannot organize a revival, but we can agonize for one in prayer." Greg Laurie
4. Social Media: OurJacksonHome on Instagram. This is a great little account that helps me keep up with my hometown in west Tennessee. It's cool to see some of the things going on in this growing town between Memphis & Nashville.
5. Bible Study Resource: Exalting Jesus in 1st & 2nd Kings. I did a full review of this earlier in the week, so I won't rehash it here. Needless to say, it's worth looking into. If you want to read the review, click HERE.

The Friday Five

I'm back this week with a quick Friday Five after a busy few weeks. So here we go. Hope you enjoy.

1. Music: Poets & Saints by All Sons & Daughters. All Sons & Daughters has a new album coming out in September that you can pre-order now & receive a couple of tracks now. I was able to get a free download of one of those songs, "I Surrender," about a month ago. This is going to be a great album. I'm a huge fan of everything I've ever heard from All Sons & Daughters, & I'd encourage you to go ahead & make plans to check this one out.
2. Book: Exalting Jesus In 1st & 2nd Kings. This book is part of the Christ-Centered Exposition series led by David Platt, Danny Akin, & Tony Merida. Too often when we read through Scripture, especially the Old Testament, we're not reading it through the lens of Jesus or the lens of the Gospel. As a result, we develop a Christ-less interpretation. It's an inadvertent mistake, but it's a real one & an easy one to make. These books may sound scholarly but the team does a great job of making these works easy to ready & accessible for just about anybody.
3. Blog Post: 7 Things Church Guests Are Telling Us. This is a great little post from Thom Rainer that those of us in church leadership or who are actively involved in a local church need to read. Too often we let things slide because we take them for granted & forget to see through the eyes of a newcomer or first time guest. As a result, we create an uncertain or uncomfortable environment for our guests, & I don't know about you, but I tend to avoid uncertain & uncomfortable environments. The same is true of our guests. 
4. Quote. "We want to be known as men & women who love Jesus more than we love our freedoms." -Matt Chandler
5. Nerd Corner: Star Wars Celebration 2016 on YouTube. This weekend the center of the Star Wars universe is London. The folks over at Disney & Lucasfilm host their own huge conference every year to promote upcoming properties like the new Rogue One film or the upcoming season of Star Wars: Rebels. It's also a place where fans get to meet some of the actors & creators of the Star Wars universe. This weekend you can take a look at some of the panel conversations from Celebration through Star Wars YouTube Channel. They're airing the Rogue One panel, the Rebels panel, & panels featuring some of the big stars of Star Wars like Mark Hamill & Carrie Fisher. Not only can you watch these panels live, but they're going to keep these panels up on their YouTube page to view later. This is a great opportunity for uber-Star Wars nerds to hear about the upcoming films, shows, & books without having to spend thousands of dollars to spend the weekend in London.

The Friday Five

This week's Friday Five focuses on bluegrass icon Ralph Stanley who passed away yesterday at 89. Here are 5 songs/performances that you should check out.

1. Pretty Polly. As great a singer as Ralph has always been, I actually preferred his voice as he got older. There was just something about a little age that made his tenor voice even more powerful. This performance with Patty Loveless from several years back is an instant classic.
2. White Dove. This one dates back to Ralph's days with his brother Carter in the Stanley Brothers. The Stanley Brothers are in my opinion the embodiment of the "high lonesome sound" in bluegrass, & nobody does death songs better than the Stanley Brothers. White Dove is one of their classics & features Ralph's legendary high harmonies
3. Dickson County Breakdown. Ralph wasn't just an incredible singer. He was also a banjo pioneer. Although overshadowed by Earl Scruggs, Ralph was no slouch. Ralph had a tone that was distinctly his, & Dickson County Breakdown is a great tune featuring his playing.
4. Glory Land: The Stanley Brothers were also known doing great Gospel songs, many times a capella. Glory Land is one of many great tunes. This version is from a show in 1983 & starts around 30:40.
5. Little Maggie. Even though it may be a little predictable, you can't have a list of Ralph Stanley greatness without Little Maggie. When I hear the name Ralph Stanley, this is usually the first song I think of. If you're unfamiliar with Ralph Stanley or the Stanley Brothers in general, this song needs to be your introduction.

BONUS: Sweetheart of Mine Can't You Hear Me Calling with Bill Monroe. Here's a clip with arguably the two most important vocalists in the history of bluegrass.

The Friday Five

This week's Friday Five focuses on great documentaries that music lovers have to check out. Most of these are available online either through Netflix or another provider.

1. Muscle Shoals. Some of the best music ever produced was recorded in a sleepy north Alabama
   town on the Tennessee River. This documentary tells the story of the musicians who played & the giant genius that is Rick Hall, founder of Fame Recording Studio. You'll be shocked at how much incredible stuff came out of this little town.
2. Winding Stream. I literally found this one on Netflix yesterday. It recounts the story & impact of the Carter Family on American music. If you don't know who the Carter Family is, you should be ashamed of yourself, & you need to educate yourself immediately.
3. The Wrecking Crew. While great hits were being recorded in Muscle Shoals, there was another hit factory on the west coast. There a group of musicians were creating some of the biggest pop classics of all time. This is the story of those musicians. Again, you'll be amazed at how much great music was made by a relatively small group of musicians.
   
4. History Of The Eagles: Bottom line: This is one of the best music documentaries ever. But you better set aside some time. It's around 3 hours long, but it's the good, bad, & ugly behind one of the most iconic bands in American music.
5. Carol King: Natural Woman. Great documentary focusing in on the life & music of one of the most important songwriters of all time. Yes, you get a lot of focus on Tapestry, but you also find out that she wrote seemingly every hit you ever heard, while also seeing what was going on in her life during those years. Great stuff from PBS>

The Friday Five

This week's Friday Five focuses exclusively on things that would be valuable for the Church. I've listed some music & other resources here to encourage & instruct church members & church leaders as they seek to know Christ & make Him known.

1. Music: Grace Alone by The Modern Post. This is a nice little EP from a Seattle based group led by Dustin Kensrue. The songs are great with deep, rich lyrics & a cool, modern sound. They do a great job reworking classic hymns while also offering great original content.
2. Blog: Vanderbloemen Search Group. Vanderbloemen is one of the premier ministry search firms in America. William & his team provide great resources for churches who are looking to fill a staff role as well as actually partnering with the church in the search process. June is Pastor Search Month at Vanderbloemen. The folks at their blog have already loaded the blog with some great posts about the dynamics of a search process. If your church is in a search process, it would be well worth the search team's time to check out the blog. If not, it would be wise to bookmark these posts because eventually, your church will be looking to fill a staff position & these resources & insight will be at your fingertips.
   
3. Book: Reclaiming Glory. This is a new book from John Mark Clifton. John Mark is a church replanting & revitalization specialist with the North American Mission Board. He is working with other church leaders to do something about the alarming rate of church decline & deaths. His new book forces us to wrestle with the question, "What about a dying church brings glory to God?" The answer is obvious: nothing. Therefore, what are we going to do about the thousands of churches at death's door? In the book he shares some great insights gleaned not only from his own, hands on experience, but form the stories of other leaders who are doing the work of replanting & revitalizing churches.
4. Quote: "Men's ideas of the wrath to come may be judged of by the earnestness with which they exhort others to fly from it." J.C. Ryle
5. Follow: NAMB_SBC on Instagram. This gives us a great glimpse into what the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is doing to further the Gospel through church planting, church revitalization, & equipping believers to live life on mission.

The Friday Five

1. Music: Real Time by Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott. This album is 16 years old, but it's definitely not mainstream. This is a great sort of Americana/Folk album by two incredibly gifted musicians & songwriters. They play all the instruments on this album & wrote I think all but two of the songs. If you're into great playing, great songwriting, & great singing (which is sorely lacking in most popular music today), you should give this one a try. It's great.
2. Food: Coffee Rub Pork Chops. Here's a new addition to the Five. On Memorial Day I tried a new take on grilled pork chops. I modified the recipe I've got linked here & used it on the chops. I didn't have turmeric, coriander, or cayenne on hand. I substituted a little Cajun seasoning for the cayenne instead & just skipped the turmeric & coriander. They turned out great. Just be careful not to overcook because an overcooked pork chop is like eating shoe leather. Here's an extra tip: save some for breakfast the next day. Serve the leftover pork chop on biscuits with just a little bit of apple jelly or apple butter. It's slap yo momma good.
3. TV: Gotham. Season 2 of Gotham just wrapped up. If you're not aware of Gotham. It's basically the story of Gotham City, Jim Gordon, & Bruce Wayne beginning with the murder of Bruce's parents. If you're looking for Batman, he's nowhere around. The show begins with Bruce as a pre-teen dealing with the death of his parents. As he grows, the writers do a good job of giving you glimpses of who he will eventually become. The stars of the show are really a young Jim Gordon, who will one day become Commissioner Gordon & the villains. If you need to catch up from the beginning, you can catch season 1 of Gotham on Netflix.
4. Quote: "Self control is the ability to do the important thing rather than the urgent thing." Tim Keller
5. Nerd Corner: Follow Pablo Hidalgo On Twitter. As you might expect, this is Star Wars related nerdom. Pablo is one of the leaders of the Lucasfilm Story Group at Disney who gets to be a part of creating Star Wars. He literally gets to decide what becomes "canon" in the Star Wars universe. Pablo is a great representative to the fans as well. He's very active on Twitter. He's really interactive. Sometimes he'll answer questions, sometimes he won't. He also pokes fun at the insanity that is alway present in any sort of rabid fanbase. Pablo himself is worth a follow, but if you ever feel a little ashamed of how into Star Wars you are, following him also gives you access to people who are way more gone than you are. It helps you & your family realize that you could be a much bigger nerd than you already are.

Friday Five

1. Music: Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. This is often referred to as "The Beano Album", & if you're into the blues & you don't have this album, you're not into the blues. This album is a definitive work for not only John Mayall but also for Eric Clapton. There's so much good music on this album, but the best tracks are "Hideaway" & "Ramblin On My Mind." If you're a blues fan or a Clapton fan, or if you just like good music, buy this today.
2. Follow: Dr. Anthony Bradley on Twitter. Dr. Bradley is the Chair of the Religious & Theological Studies Program at The King's College in New York City. Dr. Bradley always provides thought provoking content in the area of the Gospel & culture, especially the realms of race & socioeconomics. Dr. Bradley brings a balanced, nuanced view to complex issues in our society.
   
3. TV: Arrow. Arrow is the TV show based on the DC Comic hero The Green Arrow. Oliver Queen/The Arrow is 1 part Robin Hood, 1 part Bruce Wayne, with a little ninja thrown in for good measure. The series begins with Queen returning to his hometown after being presumed dead for 5 years. We soon learn that he's on a quest to save his city, & we get to see how the spoiled little brat who went missing became the resourceful hero through flashbacks sprinkled throughout each episode. This show came recommended to me by one of my former students, & thankfully now there are 3 seasons on Netflix for you to binge watch. This is a really well done show. 
4. Quote: "The danger to republics is that they will fall to demagogues. The vulnerability is greatest when a republic is in a state of moral decay." Dr. Robert P. George
5. Article/Post: 16 Really Strange & Funny Things Pastors Have Been Asked To Do by Thom Rainer. If you've ever wanted a peek behind the curtain of what it's like to be a pastor, Dr. Rainer gives you a glimpse at just some of the stuff ministers are asked, & often expected, to do. Trust me everybody I know in ministry has some of these kind of stories. This is just the tip of the iceberg, & it's a huge iceberg.

Friday Five

This weekend I'm at a music festival in North Carolina. So this Friday Five will be brief & all about the music.

1. Bluegrass Album: "Cold on the Shoulder" by Tony Rice. Iconic album by iconic guitarist.
2. Rock Album: "Led Zeppelin IV/Zoso/Runes" by Led Zeppelin. Sure it's got "Stairway to Heaven" on it, but literally every song on this album still gets played on the radio. How many albums can make that claim?
3. Live Album: "At Fillmore East" by The Allman Brothers Band. Everything about it is amazing. The only problem is that it's not long enough!
4. Jazz Album: "Acoustics" by The Tony Rice Unit. That's right, Tony does bluegrass & jazz. The opening track, "Gasology" is my favorite. It's incredible musicianship.
5. Soundtrack: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. If having Vader's ominous "Imperial March" isn't enough, Empire features "Yoda's Theme", which by the way John Williams sneaks into his score of E.T., & "Han Solo & The Princess."