{liner notes}

when i was in college - i attended this broadcasting convention as part of a class... i met a guy who was an album representative from a new upstart label, Gotee Records (current record label of the band Relient K). he gave me a sample disc... featuring songs from some of their debut artists. one of those artists was a band called Johnny Q. Public.
i really liked their sound... so when their debut album dropped later that summer - i snagged it with the quickness. it was (is) a great album titled Extra*Ordinary. In the liner notes, following a reprint of all lyrics and a slew of 'thank-you's', there was this final comment:



dig. be dug. and above all, peace on your head.
What does that mean?

such an obscure phrase... but i think it speaks volumes...

first of all: DIG.
Main Entry: ¹dig Pronunciation: 'dig Function: verb Inflected Form(s): dug /'d&g/; dig·ging Etymology: Middle English diggen transitive verb 1 a : to break up, turn, or loosen (as earth) with an implement b : to prepare the soil of <dig a garden> 2 a : to bring to the surface by digging : UNEARTH <dig potatoes> b : to bring to light or out of hiding <dig up facts> 3 : to hollow out or form by removing earth : EXCAVATE <dig a hole> 4 : to drive down so as to penetrate : THRUST 5 : POKE, PROD 6 a : to pay attention to : NOTICE <dig that fancy hat> b : UNDERSTAND, APPRECIATE dig the medical jargon> c : LIKE, ADMIRE dig short poetry -- David Burmester> intransitive verb 1 : to turn up, loosen, or remove earth 2 : to work hard or laboriously 3 : to advance by or as if by removing or pushing aside material

Dig means many things.
Spiritually speaking - we've gotta dig deep... deep within our soul - searching for the only thing that can fill that void in us... that God-shaped hole... that emptiness can only be fulfilled by God.












[painting by Eric Samuel Timm no1underground]


secondly: BE DUG.
"be dug." not exactly something you shout out to your friends when leaving their presence. not even proper spoken English. but what does it mean to 'be dug'? maybe it means allowing yourself to be vulnerable and exposed... to be real and honest before God... hiding nothing from the one who knows what is truly inside of us anyway...
Psalm 139:23-24 sez it like this...
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Be dug... maybe it also challenges us to be real with ourselves and with others. there is no room for fake plastic 'Christians' in the body of Christ. the Gospel of Jesus is truth & love & salvation. that Gospel, that good news, can not be gift wrapped and morphed into something less than real, honest, gut-wrenching truth. a sugar-coated gospel appeals to the short term craving of something that in the end will rot your soul. it does not satisfy.
be dug is to practice humility [the quality or state of being humble] before our God and all mankind.

be dug. be vulnerable. be real. allow God to search every part of you... then breathe deep the God of life.


This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it...
Isaiah 42
[read more.]



[painting by Eric Samuel Timm no1underground]


finally: Peace on your head.
peace. a word eternally connected to its counterpart word... war. and yet our society reflects what is going on inside of each of us... a battle raging... the struggle to find peace and happiness... to get rid of the things that rage inside of us, tearing us apart, destroying us... our sins, struggles, temptations, memories, questions, confusion, regrets, etc... all are at war within...

only one can provide peace...God is in control. God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. [more]


may the peace of Christ go with you. may it descend upon you like a dove. Through our digging and our being dug - may we find peace and may it rest upon our heads... [more. and more still.]


final thoughts:

lyrics from the alternative Christian band of the ages:



[band] The Prayer Chain [song] Dig Dug




It comes creepin...
Can you hear me?
Do you even know me?
I'm just like the rest
Need to stick my finger in your wrist

Dig in deep...
Can you hear my heart beat?
Do you even know my heart?
When i hold the doubts of Thomas
As hard as i hold your promise?
Dig in deep
and bury me

Let it grow

and now for something completely different

Replacing Christ?

Annointing His Feet or Serving the Poor?

in JOHN 12:1-8 Jesus is invited over for a meal with Lazarus and his sisters, Martha & Mary.
Martha served the food as Mary annointed His feet with very expensive oil. The fragrance filled the house.

Judas Iscariot - one of the disciples (the one who would betray Him) spoke up and voiced his displeasure for such an expensive being wasted in such a manner. "The perfume could have been sold and the money could have been given to the poor!"

Jesus rebukes Judas. "You always have the poor with you... you will not always have me."

Mary gave the very best - her very best to the Messiah. Honoring Him was the most important thing. Her genuineness was well received by Jesus Christ.

What a dichotomy. Give to the poor or honor the Messiah?

***

I had a discussion with some teens this week... we were talking about priorities. I asked them were God ranked among school, sports, band, work, family, friends, etc. I was asking them and about to lecture them on the importance of placing God at the top of the list - the Holy Spirit kicked me in the gut. Ever have that 'moment'? I in-turn invited them to ask me the same priority question. I admitted that at that very moment - God was not number one... my job was. I should tell you that I am a Youth Pastor. One of the girls said to me 'Your job is connected to God - how can they be separate on your list of priorities?'

We humans have the distinct ability to place anything in front of God... even ministry. I think this is why Judas is rebuked by Jesus. Noble ministry and serving others is not the most important thing - our relationship with God is! Many good deeds are done by many good people every day. Yet - those deeds do not save us - it is our honoring of the Messiah - our accepting Him - our believing that His blood takes away our sin - and our understanding that His sacrifice on the cross provides us with a bridge from death to life - a bridge to eternity with the Father above. THAT is more important than anything else - even more important than serving of the poor.

Mary understood this. I long for that kind of intimacy with Jesus. We all should.

-tim
[Alive + Kicking since '74]

A]+[K redux

ALIVE]+[KICKING

ALIVE]+[KICKING
season of change.
always real.
striving to follow.
giving my all.
living.
breathing.
kicking.
challenging.
discipling.
seeking God.

what is the next step?
red pill / blue pill
left / right
high road / low road
complacent / dust-on-my-garment
same old / new dream
creative / cre8tive





alive & kicking. simple minds. can be purchased at the iTunes store.

Best of 2006

My compilation of all things good for 2006
[now featuring 25% less typo's]

Top 25 Albums of 2006
screw trying to be hip and trendy... i went with the albums that i listened to the most...

25. Jars of Clay - Good Monsters
I've pretty much given up on most Christian music - so when CCM magazine toted Good Monsters as the best album of the year in July, I was skeptical... but i genuinely like the album and repeated listens haven't disappointed.

24. Jack Johnson - Sing-A-Longs And Lullabies For The Film Curious George
My 3 year old loves this album. It's been on repeat play in the car since March. How can I complain if my toddler is a Jack Johnson fan. The music is good and it fit the film perfectly.

23. I Love You But I Have Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side
Good album from a band with a really long name. I don't know what I liked about this CD - but I listened to it a lot.

22. Calexico - Garden Ruin
I discovered these guys via eMusic. smooth. worthy of a listen every time.

21. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Patsy Cline reborn. Great sound. Every note keeps you on the edge of your seat.

20. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Don't call it a comeback. First studio album in years (7 years, i think). I love the jam in the middle of Turquoise Bay.

19. Ray LaMontagne - Till The Sun Turns Black
You get a surreal vibe when listening to this album. It's very meditative. Reflective. Thought-provoking.

18. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Nobody knew he was working on a solo project. Computer noises and Thom's eager voice = Kid A for the 21st Century... not as good or memorable, but a nice surprise.

17. Mogwai - Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait, An Original Soundtrack
I don't know much about this album or the supposed movie/documentary about the famous head-butting French soccer stud that this scores, but I like the sounds emitted as I listen.

16. Beck - The Information
A creative album where you can decorate the CD cover with stickers and what not. The music is just as creative - which we should expect from Beck. Seeing him play on SNL in October was the stuff featuring mock puppets of him and the band and a performance featuring spoons being played at a fully set dinner table. Good. Beck is. nice name, too.

15. J Dilla - Donuts
An album made from his hospital bed - shortly before passing on, J Dilla drops 31 tracks on Donuts - mostly instrumental hip-hop beats that are nothing short of pure funk.


14. Pilate - Sell Control For Life's Speed
Another surprise hit for me. Radiohead meets Crodwed House - so sez their web site. A nice, smooth sound from this Toronto-based band.

13. Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
This got better with repeated listens. I resisted it at first - but it ranks up there with Absolution and Showbiz. Lots of hooks... catchy choruses...

12. Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways
Listening to someones last songs - you can hear the years go by with each play of American V. Cash... a legend. What else can you say?

11. Jeremy Enigk - World Waits
Sunny Day Real Estate... The Fire Theft... now a solo career? It's hard to not listen to World Waits from start to finish without being moved.

10. Fair - Best Worst-Case Scenario
I didn't realize this was Aaron Sprinkle's new band until after I had peeled away the shrinked wrapped cellophane. Memories of Poor Old Lu... This album really is a great listen... a quality production with good lyrics and instrumentation.

9. Roman Candle - The Wee Hours Revue
Paste Magazine recommended it. eMusic had it. So I snagged it and played it repeatedly. A well-crafted sound... some call it alt-country... i'd call it alternative. who cares. it's good.

8. South - Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars
I've always been a big fan of South... a band from the UK. This is another solid release.

7. Mutemath - s/t
The first full-length release from this energy-filled, progressive nu wave, alt-Christian, you-name-it band. I love this album... most songs are have a 5 star ranking. Listened to mostly while mowing the lawn this summer.

6. Keane - Under The Iron Sea
Rolling Stone gave this a 3 stars out of 5... so I didn't expect much when I picked up this CD... but i love it, every bit of it. Best song: Try Again.

5. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
I'll admit that it took the season finale of ER for me to realize that Eyes Open just might be a great one... hearing Open Your Eyes as a backdrop to gunfire in the ER was chilling. I listened to that song more than any other in 2006. Chasing Cars had to be the most played song on the radio...

4. Wolfmother - s/t
This album rocks from start to finish. I listen to it a lot while running... when Woman comes on. I'm guaranteed to kick it up a notch... 70's rock with modern flair...



3. The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine
I'm a total Appleseed Cast fan-boy so i'm a little biased. so what. I had heard that Peregrine was good - but not up to the same level as Two Conversations. I found it just as good, if not better. I guess they are still categorized as emo - but I don't care... who knew something this good could come out of Lawrence, Kansas.









2. The Black Angels - Passover
it's the Doors rebirthed with more substance, less flair. It's like a time warp has taken this band back to 1960 - only instead of singing angst filled protest songs about Vietnam - they are about Iraq and other wars... oh wait, there is a song about Vietnam, too. Regardless of yours, mine or The Black Angels' political opinions, this is a nice find and a nice, solid #2 for 2006. It just rocks.





1. Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites
What kind of an album title is that? Who cares. Mew - a band from Denmark has given us the best, most creative album I've heard in years. It plays like a concept album, filled with falsetto's and melodies that'll have you humming along like it's nobodies business. 'Are you my lady, are you' is forever etched into my brain (the best hook, most melodic chorus line ever from the song The Zookeepers Boy) Tracks 5, 6 & 7 (Apocalypso, Special, The Zookeepers Boy) are the best 3 song combo on any album ever. The album even inspired me to do some creative writing...
I could listen to this album forever...it's that catchy.








Best Movie of 2006
United 93.
I couldn't tell you one name of any actor in this movie. It's gritty. It's too real. It's raw. It's life. It's the harsh reality that played out on September 11, 2001. Shot like with a documentary style, United 93 takes us through the chilling steps that led up to the eventual, supposed overtaking of hijackers, leading the plane to crash in Somerset, PA. The entire cast should win best ensemble cast at this years Screen Actors Guild. I felt like I was spying on real life events.









Best TV show of 2006
My wife decided in August that we were going to start watching Grey's Anatomy. We checked out Season One from the library and watched all 9 episodes in 2 days. We were hooked. I went out and then purchased Season 2 from Best Buy... and one week later we had watched all of season 2... just in time for season 3 to kick off in September.











Surprise Hit of 2006

A show called Ugly Betty a hit on American TV? Your must be joking. But this show is smart and funny and witty and creative. It may be the model for the 21st Century sit com... although I don't know if it would be characterized as a sit com... but it's really good.




Random stats from 2006:
Total Movies Viewed: 265 (i keep a log... you should try that, Bryan)
Most Listened to Artist (according to LASTFM stat keeping - meaning songs played on my computer - tracked online): U2 - 381
Most listened to Song: Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes - 27 times
Best Moment: Steelers Win Super Bowl XL
Person of Interest that I'd like to See Disappear: K-Fed
Rediscovered Passion - Golf
Best Gaming System - Nintendo Wii
Books read by me: more than 5 i think... including Friday Night Lights and a bunch of Emerging Church books
Best Decision: Switching to DirecTV
Worst Decision: Waiting 2 years to get a painful wisdom tooth removed
Worst Sound: Hearing the noises involved with removing a wisdom tooth
Best Song: Mac & Cheese

macandcheese.mp3