What’s Playing On My iPod This Week?

A few months back a friend pointed me toward a free download of an acoustic EP from Andrew Osenga, a member of Caedmon’s Call. I found myself listening to it more than once this week.

At Andrew’s site you can listen to more of his music and get a copy of the acoustic EP mentioned above.

Tags: free music, Andrew Osenga

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TIME Magazine’s website has a cool Flash-based map of the United States showing the geographic distribution of the population. According to TIME’s figures 80% of the U.S. population lives in a metropolitan area.

These stats seem to give some numerical support to Tim Keller’s emphasis on taking the Gospel to the cities.

Tags: Population, United States, Gospel

One of the most enjoyable (at least for me) aspects of no longer being a full-time student is that I’m once again able to read material outside of my field of study. This past summer I read a variety of books. Surprisingly the majority of the books I read were fictional. Prior to graduation I thought that during the summer I would’ve been making my way through various theological volumes, but I found the fiction titles to be refreshing and enjoyable. Listed below, in no particular order, are the books I’ve read since graduating in the middle of May.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
A history of Plymouth Colony and the relationship between English settlers and the Native Americans of the region. I love early American history so this was right up my alley. Philbrick seems to misunderstand some of the theological positions of the Pilgrims and Puritans, but overall this was a very fascinating read.

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
An expanded version of a tale that appeared in The Silmarillion. The events of the story take place thousands of years before the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There’s just something fun about walking in the world of Middle Earth for a few hundred pages.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
I didn’t read The Lord of the Rings series as a kid. In fact, the first time I remember hearing anything about it was as a teenager riding the bus to the beach. A homeless man saw that one of the my friends was carrying a Bible and he began to “preach” the “Gospel of the Hobbit” to us! I started The Lord of the Rings about three years ago and quickly finished the first two volumes. It wasn’t until this summer that I finally completed the series. As I said about The Children of Húrin, entering the world of Middle Earth for a time is a great experience.

Dracula by Bram Stoker
A classic and for good reason. I actually got the idea to read this one after hearing a brief discussion of it on a Mars Hill Audio podcast (think Ken Myers not Mark Driscoll). Forget the corny films and pick up a copy of the book. I highly recommend it.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
As I read this tale about one man’s adventures on a deserted island I thought this would be a great book for my boys in a few years. I think every young man should read this. Of course adults, including this one, can enjoy it too!

Crime and Punishment by Fyoder Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky masterfully conveys the turmoil inside a man’s conscience after committing a gruesome crime. I had to regularly put the book down and remind myself that I wasn’t the one who had done it!

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
I first read this shortly after a trip to Ireland in 1999, but thought it would be fun to read it again. The book is a quick look at Ireland’s role in preserving Western society’s important texts.

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: American in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren
Earlier in the year I saw a review of this book in WORLD Magazine. I wasn’t sure what I would think of it, but after having finished all the books I brought with me to Hawaii within two days I decided to give it a try. As I mentioned earlier I love American history and this book covers aspects that I’ve not had much exposure to. I don’t know if I’ve ever finished a 600+ page book so quickly. I think that I have a much better understanding of the situation in the Middle East now.

Partially Read
There are other books that I’ve partially read this summer in preparation for Sunday school classes I taught or just out of personal interest.

The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright
I read between 200 and 300 pages of this 740 page volume in preparation for a series I did on the resurrection in an adult Sunday school class. Eventually I’d like to finish the book. Very, very interesting and helpful.

The Search for Christian America by Noll, Hatch, and Marsden
I’ll finish this someday. I can only read so many pages of it before I get overly frustrated with what it reveals about American Christianity. This is something that American evangelicals really need to read.

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper
Short biographies of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. I think that I’ve actually read each of the biographies prior to their inclusion in one book. This time around I read the section of Augustine.

The Roots of Endurance by John Piper
Short biographies of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce. I read the sections on Simeon and Wilberforce. Inspiring.

The Children of Men (audiobook) by P.D. James
The year is 2021 and no babies have been born anywhere in the world for 25 years. I hope to get back to it soon.

Evil and the Justice of God (audiobook) by N.T. Wright
Although I’m not on board with Wright’s view of justification I find him to be an extremely interesting theologian and author. I’m looking forward to finishing this audiobook (eventually).

A friend sent me an article by the Rev. Ron Vanderwell, pastor of The Gathering, a Christian Reformed church plant in Sacramento, California. The title of the article, Becoming a Better Sinner, certainly catches your attention.

There is a myth passed along among Christians that we can conquer sin in our lives. It’s hinted at in our conversations, reinforced in songs we listen to, and sometimes preached with vigor from our pulpits. Given enough time, enough willpower, enough of the right conferences or radio shows or religious paperbacks, we should be able to get our spiritual acts fully together

…

As recovering sinners, our growth in Christ then would not involve the charade of sinlessness but instead would involve learning to more fully and freely absorb the astonishing grace Christ offers to us. To repent more easily, be forgiven more freely, and fight spiritual battles more powerfully, clothed in the armor that God makes available (Eph. 6).

It’s a thought provoking read. You can find the full article here.

Tristeza (official site, iTunes) - instrumental, post-rock, and from San Diego. What more could you ask for?

I’m really liking their 2005 album, A Colores. Last.fm has a few tracks you can download or stream if you’re interested.