Two Years Since Obadiah was Born and Died: More Thoughts on Grief
Today is the second birthday of my seventh child, Obadiah Malachi. It’s also the 2nd anniversary of his death. As I previously wrote, it was the most grievous day of my life.
The past two years have seemed to move in slow motion. Each day is a trial. Each day presses me in some way. What used to be easy is now hard. Some things that were once difficult are now much easier.
Infinity and Grief
Jimmy Eat World
However, their new album, Chase This Light
Fairground Attraction returns
One of the great benefits to working in a music store is all the free tunes and imports you get to pick up. You get exposed to a lot of music that you might not otherwise have listened to and although it causes fights between you and your coworkers, it’s worth the trouble. That is, if you love music. And that is, if you can afford to pay your bills with the meager wages you’ll be paid.
Have A Great Week - In 30 Minutes
Here’s some tips I use to have a great week. They can be done in 30 minutes before the next week begins and require almost no preparation. You just do them and presto! - you’ll have a great week. They almost always work, but I’d love to hear from others if they have ideas that can be added to this. It probably isn’t possible to do this every week, but when you need to have a good week, try these tips.
Defense
Speed Linking
I’m loathe to start a speed link section like so many other bloggers, but I’m ensnared by the possibility that information that some readers might want to know about is passing them by while I wrestle whether to write a long or short post about some of these items. So here is my first attempt at speed-linking with brief explanations.
- Brian Bailey has a new book called The Blogging Church: Sharing the Story of Your Church Through Blogs. I’m really looking forward to getting this and reading this as soon as time, money, and family allow. Thanks to Merlin Mann for pointing this out. Merlin is a contributor to the book.
Andrew Peterson Concert with Derek Webb and Eric Peters
I haven’t gone to too many concerts in my life. I saw The Lettermen when I was a child in Saudi Arabia. I still remember it like it was yesterday - and I still love The Lettermen. I saw Bruce Hornsby and the Range in Orlando. I’ve seen a few other lessor acts. I saw a few hair bands at Hard Rock Station in Orlando. But all in all, I’m not a “concert guy”. Oddly, I’d love to go to see certain acts in concert, but for as much as I love music, you’d likely be surprised at how little interest in concerts I show. Maybe it is the people around me that leave me annoyed. Maybe it is poor sound production - which for an audiophile like me can be tough - especially after a few hours.
Rhyming Dictionary
I found a cool little pocket Songwriter’s Rhyming Dictionary you can use when you are writing songs that I was giving to a friend of mine. You probabaly wouldn’t discover on your own a few of the following rhymes I found in this book:
Excuse: Syracuse (a - ha! And you’ve always wanted to write a song about the whining that goes on in upstate New York).
Moan: Dictaphone (I think this one speaks for itself - just ask any Dictaphone employee).
After the Last Tear Falls
I’ve been listening to Andrew Peterson a lot again lately, and this the last song from “Love and Thunder”. It gets me every time. I’ve been meaning to post a lot more, but I’ll hopefully be making up for lost time here in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. For the moment, I thought I’d share this. If you can, break your piggy bank and head over to Andrew’s site and buy this CD. You won’t be sorry. To listen to this is at least three times more powerful than just reading the lyrics, but hey, I can’t exactly promote a song about Love by ripping this into an MP3 and posting it on my website, but I would if I could because I think everyone would surely be convinced to go own this CD after that.
50 Albums that Changed Music
It isn’t often I come across a music list that I can nod and agree with most of it. Usually, music lists are very narrow and tainted toward a certain kind of music. But the Guardian, a UK newspaper, has published a very good list of what they believe are Albums that have changed music - or more accurately perhaps, the character of the music industry at the time of their popularity. I hardly think any album has ever changed music - since it really is something we are discovering and perfecting (or perhaps “damaging” depending on one’s opinion). Perhaps the only thing wrong with this list (which recently was awarded a Yahoo Site of the Day) is that it excludes any serious country/western influences and classical/new age. Other than that, the list is a very solid list.
The Silence of God
I’ve been listening to Andrew Peterson lately and the song “The Silence of God” has really struck me as such a wonderful testimony to the way God interacts with his people. I had a friend lean over to me suddenly in a group of people and say, “What if there is no answer? What if God has said all he is going to say in his Word?”. How right. At some point, you stop searching for answers, you stop seeking for some great revelation, you stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your faith is that God alone is sufficient to provide. Is your faith going to carry you - or leave you wanting?
Obadiah’s Song
I had asked my friend, Dietrich Browne, if he would consider playing a few songs at the service. We had decided only to have a graveside service. Partly, unlike someone who is older, there just isn’t much for people to say in the way of a Eulogy for a newborn or small child. But then, again, there seems to be something kind of sweet and innocent about that. Like there is such meaning to this life even though the person never accomplished anything or formed any great relationships or whatever. We just have to honor his short life for what it was - a creation from God, a blessing, a gift.
Over-rated Musicians
This might be confusing. This is my Top 10 list of music “artists” whose fans constantly attempt to drive home the point that they are underrated, but whom I feel are vastly overrated. Get it? So, not only do I disagree that these “artists” are underrated, but in these particular cases, the noteable buzz these fans create, and in some cases the “artists” too, creates an atmosphere that actually makes these undesirables overrated. I’d have to say that in most cases, even for bands #11, #12, and so on - the ones that didn’t make the list - that the overriding reason these groups are overrated is due to the extreme shrill blast of their fans who sound like a bunch of disenfranchised step-children cut from their final will and testament. Or would that be disinherited? Anyway, blame the fans.
Guitar gods
Finally, here is my top ten guitar gods. What qualifies as being a guitar god? Well, naturally the individual has to be simply the best. Technical expertise in music is rated first, and showmanship second. Before anyone flies off the handle because I didn’t inlude Hendrix or Clapton or (fill in the blank), keep in mind I had to limit this to the “Top Ten”. Jimi and Eric were and are great guitar players, but I personally didn’t feel they were the best. However, some in the “Top Ten” below have will never have a platinum album, so being a guitar god isn’t everything. I tried to include guitar playing that was accessible, mostly electric, and avoided classical and jazz guitar players - or at least such players who played exclusively classical and jazz. Frankly, I just don’t have enough personal depth in that field to make a judgement.
