Christmas in Grand Haven

Christie asked me the other day what my favorite part of Christmas was the other day, & I told her the Nunc Dimittis, otherwise known as the Song of Simeon from Luke 2:29-32. Not only is it a beautifully written piece of literature, it's one of the most hopeful moments in scripture & an excellent example of finding peace in Our Savior. Simeon basically says he is ready to die in peace now that he has seen the Christchild. The juxtaposition between Jesus' birth & Simeon's death is striking. Only through death can we find true peace. What greater earthly gift can anyone have than to be able to die in peace? 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 mirrors this idea, not only that we shouldn't be afraid of death, we should live as though in death we will find victory. My Christmas wish for you is that find peace not only in Jesus' birth but more importantly you'll find peace in His death as well.

Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace;
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Little Drummer Boy-Bob Dylan, Christmas in the Heart

In 1979, Bob Dylan wrote a song called "What Can I Do For You?", which I always thought was Bob Dylan's own rewrite of "Little Drummer Boy". The harmonica in "What Can I Do For You" is what Bob can play for the Christchild & in the song he gives one of the greatest harmonica solos of his career.



Thirty years later, when Bob Dylan shocked everybody by releasing a Christmas album (with all the proceeds going to feed the hungry), he recorded "Little Drummer Boy". Not a bad version at that, & a brilliant little video that evokes Christmas in every little farm town in the midwest in the forties & fifties.



Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming)-The Children's Chorus of the South German Radio

Of the Father's Love Begotten-Hymns for All Saints

The Friendly Beasts-Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmas



If all music videos were like this one, they might be worth watching.

Silent Night-Huey "Piano Smith & the Clowns"

Merry Christmas, friends...

andrew

Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)

My pal Kyle gave me a disc of Christmas songs by the band Low the other day. One song is called If You Were Born Today referring to if Jesus was born today. Here's the lyrics:


If you were born today
We'd kill ya by age eight
Never get the chance to say:

Joy to the world and

Peace on the earth
Forgive them for they know not what they do

Blessed are the meek and

Blessed are the humble
Blessed are the ninety and nine

Deny the flesh

Deny all that's evil
Tonight you'll deny me thrice

If you were born today

We'd kill ya by age eight
Never get the chance to say...

Ooooo...

The song underscores how difficult it must've been for the early Christians who didn't have the benefit of having faith instilled to them as children or the benefit of living in a country where Christianity is the majority. They had to suffer their faith. I imagine that people looked upon early Christians as we might a cult. It reminds me of one of my favorite verses:

Well, I rapped upon a house
With the U.S. flag upon display
I said, "Could you help me out
I got some friends down the way"
The man says, "Get out of here
I'll tear you limb from limb"
I said, "You know they refused Jesus, too"
He said, "You're not Him".

I think there's two lessons to be taken from all of this. One, don't take anything for granted & be thankful for your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, teachers, friends & pastors. The more important lesson comes from Mattew 25:40.

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Come Thou Font of Every Blessing-Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmastime

In the Summertime-Bob Dylan, Shot of Love

"I'm still carrying that gift you gave, it's a part of me now, it's been cherished & saved. It'll be with me unto the grave & on into eternity."

God Said No-Dan Bern, New American Language

If You Were Born Today (song for Baby Jesus)-Low

Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)-Bob Dylan, Slow Train Coming

Happy Monday, friends...

andrew

Blues This Morning Falling Down Like Hail

Dig this, friends, I had the greatest dream last night. Christie, my pal Ryan & I walked into a diner somewhere down south for breakfast. We're sitting at the bar waiting for our food to come & who should walk into the restaurant? None other than Mrs. Elizabeth Cotten, the little known blues guitar player & singer who died in 1987. Her best songs include Freight Train Blues, Oh Babe it Ain't No Lie & Shake Sugaree. When I saw her, I said, "look everybody, Elizabeth Cotten's here!" Somehow she seemed to know who I was & she asked how I was doing. I told her I was doing good, but it had been a long time since I'd heard any good music. She said, "oh that's too bad". I said, "yup, it sure would be nice to hear some good music". She then played "Freight Train Blues" for me. Then the alarm clock went off.

Whenever I listen to Elizabeth Cotten, it reminds me of sitting next to Oma in church & listening to her sweet voice singing.



Five Favorite Songs of the Day

When I Get Home-Elizabeth Cotten

Ain't No Tellin'-Mississippi John Hurt



Do You Hear What I Hear?-Bob Dylan, Christmas in the Heart

Once in Royal David's City-Sufjan Stevens

Intervention-Arcade Fire, Funeral

Happy Thursday, friends...

andrew

Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking that you have forgotten me?

We've all had that moment when a song hits us at just the right time, you're very receptive to what the song is saying & the song delivers what we're looking for. The song fits the mood, the mood fits the song. Whenever this happens, time seems to stop, if only for a few minutes. Bob Dylan played a song that fit the mood of Detroit on Friday night, a song called Workingman's Blues #2. The perfect song for the perfect place at the perfect place. What more can you ask for of an artist? To stop time & to shed a little light on the problems of the day with humor & earnestness. When Bob Dylan stepped to the middle of the stage & grabbed his mic, he looked and sounded like an angry farmer at a small town meeting explaining his plight, "they burned my barn & they stole my horse, I can't save a dime". I've heard this song in concert before, but I've never heard it like this before. I'd like to think Bob realized the power of his own song to a city hit harder than any other with poverty, unemployment & corrupt leadership. There's anger, sorrow & most importantly, defiance. A perfect lullaby for Detroit.

One could say that Bob Dylan is anything but a generous performer. He doesn't say a word to his audience except to introduce his band, he isn't a crowd pleaser & on most nights it appears as if he could care less if the audience is there or not. This night was no different, except in the care he gave to every word he spit out. He commanded the stage in a way I haven't seen before & by playing more than half of his songs from the last four albums he made you forget that he's the Bob Dylan of the 1960's who wrote all of those classic songs. Watching him perform center stage with his shadow behind him shows us an image of a living, breathing artist who is at once both living up to his legend and shattering it at the same time.

Detroit, Michigan
Fox Theatrer
November 6, 2009

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. The Man In Me
3. Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob on guitar)
5. Summer Days
6. Desolation Row
7. Cold Irons Bound
8. Sugar Baby
9. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
10. Po' Boy
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Workingman's Blues #2
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Ballad Of A Thin Man

(encore)
15. Like A Rolling Stone
16. Jolene (Bob on keyboard
17. All Along The Watchtower

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Skinny Love-Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago

Workingman Blues #2-Bob Dylan

Sam Stone-John Prine, Souvenirs

Ballad of a Thin Man-Bob Dylan

Won't Want for Love-The Decemberists, Hazards of Love

Happy Saturday, friends...

andrew

Bowling Trophies

So many people are upset about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Before today, I couldn't tell you more than three people who were on the list & I'm guessing that most people who are upset about him either also don't know & or don't agree with many past winners. I don't get upset about who wins the MTV video music awards, because I just don't care who wins the best hip hop video. Like Jerry Seinfeld says, "awards are stupid...it's all a big jerkoff". My thoughts? They gave him the award not for what he has done, but for what his (uncompleted) agenda is, & perhaps to goad him into doing more for peace, in light of his upcoming decision on what to do in Afghanistan. My guess is that Obama himself isn't all too excited about winning the award & the expectations & apparent disdain from his opponents that come with it. So everybody settle down, it's not as though he asked to win.



Five Favorite Songs of the Day

No Man's Land-Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche



Man of Peace-Bob Dylan, Infidels

Stop Breaking Down Blues-Robert Johnson

Sabotage-The Beastie Boys

Shine on Me-Reverand Gary Davis, If I Had My Way



Let the light from the lighthouse shine on you & me, friends...

andrew

Evil is Alive & Well

An actual conversation I had with a customer (one whom I've never met) the other day:

Customer: Can I get a credit application?

Me: Oh sure, that's always a good idea. It'll just take me a minute to print one off. pause... Busy day today?

Customer: Yeah, busy life. With that baboon we have in the White House I have to work twice as hard.

Me: Huh.

Customer: He wants to take from those who have money & give it to those who don't. The thing is those who don't have anything never will.

Me: Here you go. hands him application.

Now shame on me for not saying anything, part of me was selfish & realized it would be bad for business to disagree with him, part of me was shocked by what he said, completely unsolicited. This is the kind of hatred that causes people to fly planes into buildings & start wars. I'd like to think that everyone who protests at these town hall meetings, tea parties & "marches" on Washington are genuinely concerned about deficit spending & supposed government run health care but I rather doubt it.



Let's save the nazi claims for the actual nazi's, shall we? Funny, that trade freedom for security & you will have neither sign could've been used for an anti-war protest as well.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Please Tell My Brother-Golden Smog

A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall-Bob Dylan, New Orleans 2003

Sinkin' in the Lonesome Sea-The Carter Family

Tower Song-Townes Van Zandt



When I Get to the Border-Richard & Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Happy Sunday, friends...

andrew

Storms are on the ocean, storms up in the mountains too

I got up at 4:30 this morning because I was supposed to go on a charter fishing trip on Lake Michigan with a customer of mine, but apparently the waves were too big so it got canceled. Now, this doesn't bother me too much because, honestly, I wasn't really interested in fishing too much. Now, I'm in that precarious position of wondering what to do with the rest of the day. I'm not expected at work today, but there's a ton of stuff I could catch up on.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Thunder on the Mountain-Bob Dylan with Charlie Sexton, 8.4.09



We Three (My Echo, My Shadow & Me)-The Ink Spots

Love Vigilantes-Iron & Wine, Around the Well

On up the Mountain-Jakob Dylan, Seeing Things

Uphill Mountain-Jackie Greene

Happy Thursday, friends...

andrew