Normal Rockstar

"The Shack": The "Pilgrim's Progress" of Today?

I've had a number of friends in recent months rave about William P. Young's novel "The Shack", so this week I decided to pick it up and give it a read. Eugene Peterson wrote a pretty glowing review for the book: "When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!"

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read Pilgrim's Progress yet, so I guess that's going to be added to my reading list. But so far I've been really impressed with this read. It's a short, easy, and engrossing book - I should be finished today or tomorrow. If you've already read it, I'd love to hear what you thought... however, as a courtesy to those of us who have not read it or finished it yet, please be careful not to give anything away!

[I'm participating in Watercooler Wednesday - check it out!]

Christmas Comes Early for Mrs. Normal Rockstar

I surprised Erin with an early Christmas present on Saturday morning. I woke her up at 6:00am and said, "Rise and shine! You've got 45 minutes to pack a bag for one night - we're leaving." When she finally figured out that I was serious and not simply talking in my sleep (which I do on a fairly regular basis), she crawled out of bed like the good sport that she is and got packed up.

We drove to the airport in Nashville where the lady at the ticket counter somewhat spoiled the next stage of my surprise weekend by calling out my name AND destination while putting on my bag tag. Off to Chicago we went - but for what Erin didn't know.

We arrived to snow in Chicago via Detroit and found our way to the hotel, where we received an envelope at the front desk. Inside were two tickets to the musical "Wicked", the "untold story of the witches of Oz",  a show Erin has been wanting to see for years, We had about an hour to rest and get changed before we hopped on the train and found our way downtown, where we ate dinner at a cute corner cafe before heading in to the theater and finding our seats.

The show was spectacular - the songwriting was clever and the story enticing. It was the second performance of the day for the cast and orchestra (they do a matinee show on Saturdays), but we couldn't tell at all. The vocalists were strong, the sets fantastic, and the choreography thrilling. We found ourselves sitting on the edge of seats most of the night afraid that we would miss something. Well worth the trip... although the events of the following day gave us reason to second guess ourselves... (Come back tomorrow for "...the rest of the story"!)

Interview: "The Birth of Christ" Composer Andrew Miller

When people think of classic Christmas musicals, Handel's "Messiah" is always the first on the list. Well, this week I had the privilege of talking with composer Andrew T. Miller about a work of his entitled "The Birth of Christ", a musical that many are already heralding as the next "Messiah". PBS is actually airing the DVD during the holidays (more on this later) - click here to find out when your local station will show it.

One of my first questions for him had to do with the fact that it is a cantata and is sung in a somewhat operatic style. "The inspiration for ["The Birth of Christ"] came 10-12 years ago when I decided to write something that would underscore the real meaning of Christmas," Andrew said. "I wrote it for real people... I wanted it to be accessible to everyday people, not just music connoisseurs, but still wanted it to have some weight to it. After seeing it, people have told me, 'It moved me to tears - and I don't even like music like this!'"

Narrated by Liam Neeson, "The Birth of Christ" was recorded live in Dublin, Ireland in 2006. This historic event united the same choirs Handel used to unveil the “Messiah” in 1742.  Brought together in unity and peace for this performance, Protestants and Catholics put aside the sectarian differences that have divided them for generations and joined their voices to celebrate their similarities - i.e. the importance of the birth of Christ.

Technorati Tags: birth of Christ, Christmas, Dublin, Handel, music, Ireland

My First Visit to Kalein

This past Monday was a day I will remember for a long time.

I was finally able to make it out to Kalein, 124 acres of beautiful property in Cannon County, Tennessee (just outside of Murfreesboro). I had the privilege of being a part of some of the initial conversations and dreams of this place with my mentor, friend, and blogfather Randy. It's his dream, and he is well on his way to seeing it realized.

The dream is "to provide a place to encourage and equip gifted artists to discover, develop and discipline their calling." Complete with a main lodge, individual cabins, beautiful tree houses scattered around the property, miles of walking/hiking trails, and plenty of birds, wild blackberries, and beautiful scenery, the finished project is going to be an incredible place of respite, inspiration, creativity, and collaboration.

So, on Monday my friend Spence and I were able to go out for a guided tour with Randy. We saw nothing but potential - we walked on some of the trails, we saw where the first tree house and cabin were going, and we got to stand together and enjoy the song of the birds and the serenity of the area in excited anticipation of what the Lord was going to do there. It already has a blessed feeling to it - when we drove onto the property a hush came over us as we were struck by the realization that this land was chosen by God and that He had great plans in store for it... It was a great reminder once again of how small and insignificant I really am in comparison to the Creator of the Universe. I'm so thankful He knows what the future holds for Kalein - whatever it is, I'm excited to be a part of it.

Technorati Tags: kalein, creative community, randy elrod

Thirsty? Time for Some Sermonade!

Here is a shout out to my new friend Josh and his company Sermonade. I came across Josh's site through an add online somewhere and dug the URL, so I thought I'd check it out. Long story short, they're now syndicating my blog at The Blogade and Josh is the guy responsible for my new CMT Series icon (see previous post). I'm pretty excited about it - nice work, man!

Put a Pen to Paper...

Art as a frame

"'An old silent pond. / Into the pond a frog jumps. / Splash! Silence again.' It is perhaps the best known of all Japanese haiku. No subject could be more humdrum. No language could be more pedestrian. Basho, the poet, makes no comment on what he is describing. He implies no meaning, message, or metaphor. He simply invites our attention to no more and no less than just this: the old pond in its watery stillness, the kerplunk of the frog, the gradual return of the stillness.

In effect he is putting a frame around the moment, and what the frame does is enable us to see not just something about the moment but the moment itself in all its ineffable ordinariness and particularity. The chances are that if we had been passing by when the frog jumped, we wouldn't have noticed a thing or, noticing it, wouldn't have given it a second thought. But the frame sets it off from everything else that distracts us. It makes possible a second thought. That is the nature and purpose of frames. The frame does not change the moment, but it changes our way of perceiving the moment. It makes us NOTICE the moment, and that is what Basho wants above all else... Literature, painting, music - the most basic lesson that all art teaches us is to stop, look, and listen to life on this planet, including our own lives, as a vastly richer, deeper, more mysterious business than most of the time it ever occurs to us to suspect as we bumble along from day to day on automatic pilot." - Frederick Buechner

I'm struggling to stop, look, and listen today - so much to do, so little time, so much to go wrong. And yet that is exactly what I need to do - "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). Time to go get some "still" time...