June 2010
1 post
Murmurings of a Movement
soundslikeamovement:
Many of you have asked when another movement will be.
We’ve taken the past month off from gathering in local community hubs to strategize, dream, and bring other people around us into the vision of SOUNDS LIKE A MOVEMENT.
Our team is ramping up for a new season of gatherings that mobilize communities from awareness to action around cultural renaissance. Someone once...
March 2010
1 post
A Culture of Doubting-Hipsters?
Too full of fear and prophecy to see The revelation right in front of me So sick and tired of trying to make the pieces fit Cause it’s not what bearing witness is - David Bazan
But you, You’ve gone too far this time You have neither reason nor rhyme With which to take this soul that is so rightfully mine - Mumford & Sons
Let’s face it. It’s hip to doubt.
Just take a look at the...
February 2010
6 posts
6 tags
Listen..and Make Some Noise
Each of us lives in two cities.
There’s the city that we breathe, sleep, feel, fight, and work in.
And there’s the city we communicate, socialize, learn, shop, and play in.
While our geographic cities may receive our physical selves, our laptops, mobile devices, and global networks receive our social, mental, and consumer energies.
It seems, as a generation of millenials, we have the unique...
7 tags
Talking with Frightened Rabbit
There’s an electric energy that fills the small, historic dive club in Hollywood, California. It’s not because Rainn Wilson and John Kransinski are there to watch their favorite band. People couldn’t seem to care less. Rather, the packed out, A/C deprived hipster crowd is fixated, their adrenaline hormones haunted by the driving Scottish melodies of Frightened Rabbit, a band whose anthems...
8 tags
Not an Artist, So Why Should I Care?
Well, the truth is, you are.
The dictionary defines an artist as, “a person having superior skill or ability, or who is capable of producing superior work.”
If God is a creative God, and we are made in His image, then we carry an imprint of that creativity with us in our humanity. Whether we’re a doctor, engineer, barista, mechanic, painter, musician, or administrative assistant, we each possess...
9 tags
A Kingdom Imagination
Believe it or not, there was a time when the church set the standard for art and culture. During the age of the Renaissance, there were no movie theatres, concert venues, or art galleries. Instead there were cathedrals, beautiful depictions of God’s glory bursting at the corners with original music, visual art, and the latest technology. People actually looked to the church for culture. Now, many...
17 tags
When Creativity Meets Community (or a New Old...
Ever since moving to Calfornia in the Summer of 2004, I began this journey that would lead me over and over again to the same conviction - that blending music, art, and creative causes in the midst of authentic community is simply a good idea.
So to make a 5-year-long story short, a few months ago I had a BBQ (because ideas are always better when ketchup, mustard, and relish are present), told...
SOUNDS LIKE A MOVEMENT overview
December 2009
3 posts
9 tags
Can Your Toilet Brush Slay Giants?
The Bible is full of reluctant heroes, an endless procession of people saying “who me? How about someone else?”
…And then there’s David.
David exhibits this bizarre combination of being chosen to lead and choosing to be a leader. On the one hand, David was the least likely candidate chosen to be king (the youngest of seven other brothers whose daily highlight consisted of watching sheep...
“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was...”
– - Excerpt from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
8 tags
Christmas for the Culture of NOW...
We belong to the culture of NOW…
The instant gratification culture.
We have everything we need without ever having to wait for it.
Some might say we’re a culture who doesn’t know how to wait.
But thousands and thousands of years ago, a culture waited for one day they knew would change EVERYTHING.
They longed
They hoped
They anticipated
Emmanuel: God with us…
It was something...
October 2009
5 posts
How to Pick Your Religion:
thanks to @human3rror for finding this.
8 tags
Storytelling vs. Promotion
I’d rather tell a good story than sell someone on an idea. But can I accomplish one without the other? I toggle this line of being part-marketing guy, part-artist. It’s not easy - especially because creativity and promotion are so intrinsically linked. I’ve worked for companies that kept me awake at night thinking “all they care about is promoting their product without...
“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and...”
– - Galatians 6:4-5 (The Message)
I don’t do this well at all. Sometimes I think I’m way more awesome than I really am. Often times I compare myself to others, their accomplishments, and what makes them better than me.
It’s easier for me to stamp my identity as a worship leader, a...
C.S. Lewis & My Flannelgraph Faith
I’ve never been much of a sentimental guy. But I also haven’t had much to miss until recently. A year out of college and into the work force will make you think about everything that’s worked to define you over the past 23 years. It still catches me off guard when I think how I spent those first 23 years impatiently anticipating their demise so that they might make room for the rest of my life...
9 tags
Phil Wickham: A Look into Heaven & Earth
Hey, go on over to ConversantLife.com for a sweet video interview I did with Phil Wickham in the studio while recording his new album, Heaven & Earth, available now for download and in stores Nov. 17th. Props to Brandon Setter for the epic cinematography/editing job he did on this.
September 2009
2 posts
4 tags
WatchThoughts on Stuff Christians Like with creator, Jon Acuff.
7 tags
Morning Prayer
God, Creator and Sustainer of Life Thank You for filling these lungs with air and this heart with blood another day. Please provide me with the things I wearily strive toward on my own. Stretch my heart wider than I have tried, Expand the scope of my eyes can see with, And give me an imagination for Your Kingdom here on earth. Strengthen me with bravery, creativity, and passion. Move me across the...
May 2009
2 posts
5 tags
An Interview with M. Ward
For some people life is best understood through metaphors, through stories from the past or visions of things the world has yet to see. M. Ward seems to communicate best this way. The accomplished auteur-songwriter emits a laid-back passion for creating space, pockets to reflect on truths he believes posses timeless qualities. M. invites his listeners inside his mellow creative mind and asks them...
4 tags
Just Messin' Around: An Interview with Fiction...
Fiction Family, the culmination of two of our generation’s most prolific and respected songwriters, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek, debuted in January as a masterful collection of tales about murder, adventure, lost love, and war highlighting each contributor’s strengths and personalities while managing to defy perceived expectations. The best news? It’s only the...
April 2009
3 posts
“There are too many people swimming around Christian blogs talking about changing...”
– Joan Ball (challenging me once again over facebook chat)
9 tags
The Death of Youth Group
Ok, so that was just a provactive title to get you here. I’d like to start off saying I don’t have all the answers. I’m only 23, I don’t have a masters in theology, and I’m not a youth pastor. I have been in youth ministry leadership for a number of years, have had the opportunity to meet and dialogue with some forward thinking and innovative Christian leaders, and have been a “youth group kid”...
7 tags
Video Interview with Mike Foster of Deadly Viper...
I had a chance to hang with Mike Foster, author, speaker, and co-founder of Deadly VIper Character Assassins, XXX Church, and a bunch of other projects aimed at resurrecting radical integrity within leadership in and outside the Church . We talk about vipers, ninjas, pandas, integrity, grace, second chances, technology, the social media generation and finally wrap up by playing the game, Chuck...
March 2009
3 posts
6 tags
MTV Interview: The Church & American Idol
A while back I wrote a blog called American Idol: Good for TV, Bad for Church which came to the attention of MTV Senior Writer, Gil Kauffman. Gil wanted to know why so many Christians were not only tuning into “Idol” this year, but also performing on the show. He took a couple of quotes from our conversation and put them into his story for MTV.com. Here’s an excerpt:
Just as...
The Best Bands You've Never Heard Of
Here’s a growing list of bands/artist I think deserve a special shout out for the hard work and ingenuity. In additon, they all excell at covering great songs too (each video is a cover of a song they do). Enjoy!
Best Live Band: Dawes
Unfortunately their studio album does them little justice. They’re a classic example of a band you listen to live and go “wow,” then buy...
7 tags
Interview with Music Producer/Guru, Joe Kirk
A lifelong fan of music and the music business, Joe Kirk left his suit and tie behind in 2003 and joined Paste Media Group, best known for Paste Magazine. As the VP of Business Development, he drove Paste’s business strategy, raising the funding to significantly grow the distribution of the magazine and extend the Paste brand. As Associate Publisher, he was responsible for magazine...
February 2009
6 posts
5 tags
After seeing these I can die happy...
Concerts I’ve got to see before I die (or in some cases before they die) :
5. Anyone playing in a pub in Ireland
4. B.B. King
3. Billy Joel
2. The Black Crowes
1. U2
What’s your list?
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
I’m taking what I am calling an “after-work vacation” (I know, pretty creative…any other suggestions?).
A few weeks ago I realized life was getting too crammed with “stuff” during the week. My natural tendancy is to fill it with so much “stuff” that I block out the things God really has to say and what he really wants from me. It’s a lot...
7 tags
M. Ward Holds Time in Suspension
Hold Time, the seventh solo album from singer/songwriter/producer M. Ward, releases today. The new collection of songs from the Portland resident who creates with the likes of Jim James, Zooey Deschanel, Jenny Lewis, and Cat Power, plays a guessing game with the listener, creating sounds and spaces that span across decades.
Hold Time is a case study for what I hear from most artists today. At...
I Just Graduated College and the Economy...
I don’t have one friend who graduated college in the last year or two who isn’t struggling financially right now. These are bright, driven, visionary people too, people who spent thousands to acquire a quality education and worked hard to achieve the grades they did, people who were told all their lives that if they applied themselves and were responsible, they could achieve anything. Now,...
Concert Review: Fiction Family @ Largo
Maybe it was because Jon Foreman and Sean Watkins are two of my favorite modern songwriters or maybe it was because my last concert was OAR at the House of Blues crammed between a brigade of unappreciative, drunk frat boys and sorority girls, but I’m pretty sure that this weekend’s Fiction Family concert was the best I’ve been to in years. Fiction Family wrapped up their debut tour...
January 2009
3 posts
WatchSo iChat cut off the rest of our conversation last week but have no fear, here’s the sequel:
Hanging with LosWhit of RagamuffinSoul.com
Carlos Whittaker’s blog, RagamuffinSoul.com reaches more than 7,000 people a day. The guy is on the front lines of the church and its role in a web-driven culture. He’s the Director of Service Programming at Buckhead Church which is one of the three North Point Community Church campuses in the Atlanta area. He oversees all the Sunday adult experience and design and directly oversees...
American Idol: Good for TV. Bad for Church.
Last night I joined millions of entertainment-hungry consumers to engage in a tradition known as the season premiere of American Idol. Fox’s hit primetime program is a well-oiled entertainment machine with the ability to dispense thrills, talent, comedy, and cliffhangers like an ATM machine. Strip away all these things and you’ll get to the bare purpose of the show: A.I. praises those who are...
December 2008
13 posts
If High School Musical was too Hard Core for...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prPXjVVRi5I
(I’m purposely not embedding and taking you to the URL so you can read the comments too.)
Why Why WHY do things like this keep getting made???
5 tags
“I’m officially contributing to Relevant Magazine. Check out my interview...”
– go to RelevantMagazine.com
3 tags
Booty Shakin' Fun for Christians
5 points to you if you can tell me what’s wrong with this picture:
4 tags
Redmeption
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
God bless us…everyone.
The Worship Generation Gap
What’s gonna follow is really a blog and a half. I’m just warning you, it’s kind of lenghty. It’s an email exchange between me and a guy I greatly respect who came to me while I was doing worship ministry at Biola and asked if we could discuss some things over email. We’ll call him Joe. I really like Joe because he’s an older gentleman who likes things a...
3 New Christmas Albums Worth Listening To
Here are some new Christmas albums you may not have seen advertised at Wal-Mart or Target, but are definitely worth giving a listen to:
Rosie Thomas – A Very Rosie Christmas
The Michigan native distinguished by her melancholy acoustic poems brings forth a collection of covers and originals with more pop and commerciality than her non-holiday albums. “Why Can’t it Be Christmastime All Year,”...
“If you are truly connected to the creator of the universe then you should be the...”
– Craig Detweiler
ABC News - Christian Reality TV?
Please check out THIS VIDEO done by ABC News and featuring a good friend and mentor of mine, Craig Detweiler (sorry I couldn’t embed it, but it’s worth it). The story is about a new wave of Christian reality TV shows hitting the airwaves recently.
In my opinion, Craig, towards the end of the video, has the best stuff to say about “Christian” media. What do you think?...
Weigh In - Top Christmas Songs
So because I know sometime throughout your busy week you thought to yourself, “Gee, I wonder what CJ likes to listen to at Christmastime,” I decided it’s only fair to answer this question with a top 10 list and put your wonderings to rest. Here’s a list of my favorite renditions of Christmas Songs. Some new, some old.
10. I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing in - Sufjan Steven...
“ “I used to,” he says, “But I forgave myself. When God forgave...”
– Johnny Cash on having regrets
The Beard/No Beard Challenge
Hi my name is CJ and because it is winter time and getting colder, I am highly considering growing a beard.
There are many advantages to growing a beard. I know you’re wondering what they are so I will list some.
1. I grow one step closer to looking like a viking.
2. I will give off the perception of deep thought when really I am just stroking my chin.
3. People may think that I hunt...
WatchI sat down a little while ago with my friend Tyrone Wells who knows a thing or two about how to build a successful music brand. He started out singing at local coffee shops a few years ago and now has a major record contract with Universal. There’s a lot of good advice/insight in this interview for independent musicians. Check it out.
Kanye West - 808's & Heartbreak Review
“Graduation” may have come too early for Kanye West. In his new album, he retreats to an admission of discontent, loneliness, and heartache. In short, Kanye wants his soul back. As a result, he’s produced one of the most important albums for spiritual discussion this year. An enormous departure from his last album both in lyrical content and musical composition, Kanye carefully and thoughtfully...
November 2008
4 posts
WatchHere’s a clip from an upcoming independent feature called Jesus People. Personally, I think it’s hilarious and I’m excited for it to come out for a ton of reasons. But there’s a strong possibility that some people could be offended. Though the writers and director are believers, the webisodes and the movie take a pretty satyrical look at the Christian subculture. What do...
The Struggle to Stand Still
My friend Jake and I were browsing through some books in the lounge area of Borders yesterday which just so happened to face their gigantic magazine rack. As I looked up to study the barage of visuals screaming for my attention, the blatent battle cries of our culture, the things we desire, hope for, and worship, became powerfully evident. I began documenting in iPhone-photo form:
These are the...