It was our first time at the new House of Blues, and it really is a pretty cool venue.
This is... once again... a Nickel Creek farewell tour. I saw them at Gypsy Tea Room about 2 years ago (right after their last album "Why Should the Fire Die" came out) and THAT, I thought, would be my last time to see Nickel Creek together.
Turns out, I think the Gypsy show really was the last time to see them together. The show last night was OK, but it is clear that much of the magic is gone.
It was still enjoyable, but it wasn't quite the Nickel Creek I saw 2 years ago. So, I guess I don't know why the "fire should die." But, if it does, then I guess it's time to move on.
Meanwhile, Glen Phillips says that he and Sara and Sean Watkins are working on another Mutual Admiration Society Project... so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.
This past Friday was the annual Hatch Thanksgiving lunch. Everybody brought a little something to add to the feast and Mike fried a free range turkey (I even had a little, my first meat in 8 months!).
Hank and Dallas and Jason and I played a little 2 on 2 football out by the pond, Marshall and Max played a little Frisbee out on the lawn, and we all gave thanks for a great year and a great team.
I've been letting this one marinate for a little while, and I've watched this thing several times to try to settle into how I feel about it because my initial reaction was mixed.
First, the things I like...
1. Carl. He's seems like a likable guy. Other than the painfully lame "peace in the middle east" thing at the end I generally liked his "style."
2. Creativity. This video is creative and well produced.
3. Mission. I tend to believe that these guys are probably serious in their desire to reach people.
Now... what I don't like (in the form of the messages this video is sending)... this is going to take a bit longer...
"The hottest church in the Midwest"
1. We need to emphasize the idea of different churches, their differences particularly in coolness factor, and relative 'value' over the much more profound and true understanding that there is really only one Church.
2. This church is better than the others, and better than the one you are currently attending. If you aren't attending anywhere, this is the one you should start attending. If you are going somewhere else beside City Church AND you are good-looking and cool and hot, or you want a girlfriend/wife that is hot, or you just want to be in the presence of people who are hot (people who will "push your buttons" if you know what I mean), then you should seriously consider switching from your current church (which if you are 'keeping it real' you know sucks anyway) to City Church which is pretty much the only church that doesn't suck.
"...churches suck, and most of the time they're right... but the City Church, it's different"
(See above) with the added note that we definitely want to confirm that if you don't like what's going on in your church, most of the time you are right to feel that way. And, it's not so much because all churches are filled with sinful humans, but because, frankly, your church, or that church, just sucks. Because of that, the answer is not to stick with that church and actually work in community to live life together and maybe change things for the better. No, the better solution is to switch to City Church because at City Church the Suck-o-Meter reads 'zero.'
At City Church "it's different" - these are perhaps the truest words in this whole video.
"the pastor's good looking, he can play ball, his wife is way too hot for him..."
1. Pastor Kent's value is found in the fact that he is attractive, athletic and has a wife that is sexually alluring. These things are of great value, in fact it's one of the main reasons we think you should consider coming to City Church. By the way, the same goes for you too. The prettier you are, the more athletic you are, the hotter you are the better you are. It's a great measure of your worth.
2. As cool and attractive as Kent is, he still doesn't 'deserve' Alli. Why? Because she is a very sexually/physically attractive woman and that trumps all! That is the highest value! He is one lucky S. O. B.! Well, actually, it's not just luck... it's a miracle. Like Jesus turning water to wine, or healing a blind man. Come to City Church and you could 'get lucky' too! (pun absolutely intended)
Other messages conveyed in this video.
1. While God looks at the 'inside' of a person, humans tend to value the outside. At City Church we think that's fine. In fact, we want to encourage that type of superficial value system. If you don't agree, then, well, you suck.
2. A little lust is totally fine, even if it's directed towards another guy's wife. In fact, we want to encourage that, we want to actually try to get you to do it. It's an evangelistic strategy for crying out loud. You disagree? Well that's probably because you're not very attractive yourself and, of course, you suck.
2. It's totally cool to objectify people, especially your own spouse. That is why it is so much more important to be hot than to have character. Maybe Kent and Alli have the character thing going on too, but we don't think that's important enough to even mention. Relationships are more about what you get out of them than what you give anyway.
3. Coming to City church could "potentially change you life."
Based on the content of this video alone, in what way will my life be potentially changed? I'll leave that one for you to think about...
Coppell Bible Church, Irving Bible Church, 1st Baptist Coppell, First United Methodist Church, St. Ann Catholic Church, Living Hope, and Valley Ranch Baptist
Matt Maher was the worship leader for the event, so Charlie, our high school pastor at IBC, invited us to come, knowing our appreciation for Maher as a worship leader.
We only heard the very end of the talk by the guy who was speaking... another Matt, seemed to be the typical "youth speaker type"... and it was probably best that we came in near the end of that... though I certainly pray that God used whatever he said to move in the hearts of the students there.
A few highlights of the evening...
The stations that Charlie had set up from IBC, a couple of crosses and some gates where you could pin up the names of people you were praying for in a specific way.
The guys from St. Ann Catholic Church leading us all in Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours.
And, of course, the great music and leadership of Matt Maher.
On that subject, I want to say that I believe Maher to be without question the most complete package as far as a modern worship leader around currently, and maybe for as long as I have been a worship leader myself. I really can't think of who else is consistently writing songs that are as good musically or lyrically. His writing is consistently richer, deeper, and more thoughtful than almost anything else out there. I am convinced that the only reason he is not more widely recognized for his unique gifting is the the fact he is Roman Catholic.
IBC bloguss readers will be more familiar with Matt's music than they may know, as he is the author of a significant number of the songs we regularly use in our worship:
Unwavering, Come to the Water, Kyrie, Lamb of God, Love Has Come, Lead Me Home, I Love You Lord, Alive in You, Resurrection Day, Your Grace Is Enough, Overflow and As It Is In Heaven
The Hatch is the work, hang-out, and community space for my staff team at Irving Bible Church along with all the musicians who are part of our community and just about anyone else who has a connection with us in one way or the other. It really is a cool place to work.
My favorite band of all time is Toad the Wet Sprocket. I'm not one bit ashamed of it. Most underrated band of the 90's! Glen Phillips, the lead singer for the band has continued a musical career since the band parted ways in the late 90's. While Glen on his own is not Toad, I have come to appreciate his solo stuff more and more. It's more mellow, more mature, more tender and less angry. Toad was formed in 1986 when the members were all in High School. Glen was a freshman I think, the others seniors just like I was in 1986, so I guess in a sense we have grown up together.
Anyway... my friend Barry Jones is also a huge Toad fan, so a couple of weeks ago he and his wife Kim, and Amanda and I went to see Glen in a very small setting in Ft. Worth with about 40 other folks. The cool thing about this is that we actually got to talk to him afterwards and even got a picture. MORE PICS FROM THE CONCERT HERE
...and the general feeling that fall and the start of the holiday (Holy Day) season has officially come. When I was a kid Halloween was my second favorite holiday, after Christmas. Why? Just because it was fun. You got stuff (candy). You got to dress up. There were always parties. You did stuff with your friends. The only other holiday that had this much going for it was Christmas. Easter was always too stuffy and pastel, it always came across as a bit feminine to me. Thanksgiving would have been number 3 since it got more attention in school (which meant coloring in pictures of pilgrims and turkeys instead of actual work) and you got good food and time with your cousins that you rarely saw. Since I didn't have siblings close to my age back then, I loved those times with my cousins. I think the few near-death experiences I have had in life were mostly from those times of goofing around and being stupid with those cousins.
Of course the real significance of the holiday season was just about the furthest thing from my mind in those days. Not so now. Even Halloween takes on a sightly different significance when you realize it is the night before All Saints Day... or "All Hallow's Eve." The word 'Halloween' is just a contraction of this phrase that literally means "the night before All Saints Day."
As for Easter, it's amazing that growing up in a "Christian home" where we went to church EVERY Sunday and Wednesday I still associated Easter so much with the secular/pagan aspect. I think part of the reason is that the way we celebrated Easter from a faith perspective was so short, tame, and... well... Baptist. Easter Sunday was a one-day, pull-out-all-the-stops, extravaganza, but then it was right back to business as usual, as it had been right up until that day. Holy Week and Good Friday was something Catholics did (I was always happy and surprised to get that day off from school... I just never really understood why).
Now days I have a much more robust understanding of what these special days mean, and why our calendar is the way it is, and how much that has to do with my faith. By God's grace I hope my kids are getting a feel for that too.
The show highlights young, outstanding musicians. Each one gets to play and share a little about their life in an interview format with a live audience. The show is very well done, O'Riley is great with the young musicians and the musicality of these up-and-comers is amazing.
Amanda and I, along with Kim and Barry Jones went to see Nickel Creek last night at the House of Blues in Dallas. 
