Shazam!!

so i spent a good deal of time at starbucks yesterday. my pastor and i met up with a my professor but i couldn't help but listen to the music in the background. i noticed he was getting his phone out every few minutes. he told us he was Shazamming. (ya, that's a word–i just made it up_) he wanted to know what songs were playing in the store. and since the iTunes store DEACTIVATED the "Now Playing" Starbucks feature (my guess is so that it wouldn't take business away from Ping.)

anyway, i had the app myself and i heard this song playing as we were talking and i NEEDED to know who was singing. the recording had this vintage sound to it and this french woman was singing to a nylon stringed guitar. So I SHAZAMMED that bad boy and saved it for later to listen to after my fast. (for those that are semi-curious here's the artist: Undersea Poem.

so far i've been listening a lot to Jesus Culture

The Student's Playlist

So Friday I spent most of my time with my Pastor. We spent a lot of time at Starbucks and Denny's doing some reading...We're starting a sermon series on the book of Mark at our Sunday services which is great because the reading assignment for my New Testament class this week is the Book of Mark. So I've been reading a lot history and context on Mark's Gospel. I didn't really listen to much music yesterday.

However, this morning as I've been reading for school I was listening to a playlist I made a few weeks ago for my time of studying called "The Student's Playlist," which consists mostly of scores from films. I'm not really sure to call this secular music though. (Hear my abbreviated argument before you conclude that I've broken my fast, lol). The purpose of film scores is to serve the story of the film. Stories are human's favorite ways of communicating which is why we find the Bible so full of stories. The Bible uses stories as ways of executing authority by communicating truths through the story. Jesus constantly told stories in the form of parables because he understood that stories were one of the most efficient ways of expressing the truths about God he was trying to convey... Thus my love for stories, thus my love for film scores, thus this godly playlist. hehe...

>>You can also follow me on Ping

Thomas Newman
Shawshank Redemption
Road to Perdition
Revolutionary Road

John Williams
Artificial Intelligence

Alexandre Desplat
Birth
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Yann Tiersen
Amelie

Bill Conti
Rocky

Gustavo Santaolalla
Motorcycle Diaries
Brokeback Mountain
Amores Perros



p.s. not sure I have time to blog everyday during this fast, but I'll try! =)

Build A Fire Under You

I was recently at a youth group service in the SF Valley. There were a few friends I had came to visit that serve as youth leaders, and one of them being the youth pastor. At the end of the service he asked the students to pick out some tasks from an envelop that would challenge their commitment of their confession that they are Christ followers. They ranged everywhere from doing more chores around the house to fasting from "secular" music.

One of the students I was talking to was reluctant to accept the challenge. So I told 'em I'd take on a challenge–maybe that would encourage them to follow through with theirs. As I was picking one up from the envelop I said aloud, "please don't let it be the music one." Surely enough, of all the 50 pieces of paper with challenges I could've pick, I pick the one that challenged me to fast secular music so I can focus more on reading my Bible.

As much complaining I did, I knew in my heart this had been something I needed to do. In fact, I had just discussed with my step-dad, an audiophile himself, that lately I've been in this phase of listening to just "worship music."

Five years ago I could have easily defined secular music for you; I'd have a hard time now–I've had a paradigm shift about this topic since then. (I don't really want to get expand on this thought-at least not in this blog.) However I couldn't help it, I was already making a list in my head of what secular music I couldn't listen to during this fast. But my friend, the youth pastor, had encouraged me to not look at my loss but rather to shift my focus to what I would gain. He added that many times as Christians we focus too much on our losses that it overshadows the endless gains we obtain when we attempt to deepen our commitment to Jesus.

This gave me an excuse to listen to and explore new "non-secular music"...haha...I can't say that without laughing...anyway, so I'll be posting up artists/bands that I've been listening to for the next three and a half weeks.


Thursday, 02.03.11
John Mark McMillan: The Medicine
fav tracks: How He Loves, Dress Us Up, Skeleton Bones

Various Artist: Shine Like Stars
fav tracks: You Are Faithful, Come Away With Me, A Little Longer

George Frideric Handel
Good music to listen to when working on theology papers!

Give To Your Neighbor

Looking for a way to show some love to a neighbor?
Here are just a few places where you can give to some organizations doing some great things.

Give to:

Adopt a Family: Strippers in Need
XXXchurch and Strip Church want to show commitment, love & support to women in the sex industry.

Musicianaries Musicians that make their living through music and missions.

The Thirsty For those without access to clean water.

Modern Slaves
Help free someone in slavery or give CarePackages to those that have been rescued.
Stop the Traffik
International Justice Mission

Children
Born with severe multiple handicaps

Sal's Oscar Picks

From the Oscar's nominees, here's what should've won in my opinion...

Best Picture
Inglorious Basterds

Best Director
Avatar

Best Writing (Written For the Screen)
Inglorious Basterds

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Precious

Best Editing
Hurt Locker

Best Original Score
Up

Best Sound Mixing
Star Trek

Best Sound Editing
Avatar

Best VFX
District 9

Here's what I've realized about the Oscars... it's politics at it's best and most elegantly dressed.

Broken: Blessed & Broken

John Mayer Apologizes For Using the "N" Word



In a recent interview, he bluntly and boastfully confessed his addiction to pornography and sex. In that confession he used the "N" word as he talked about his sexual distaste in African-American women and also referred to his male genital as a white supremacist. I have a friend who's a big fan of him and has lately read a lot about him. A lot of which is too sad to mention, but he seems to be in a very broken state which I believe to be the very state Jesus declares us blessed in when He says, "blessed are the poor in spirit..." Matthew 5:3

Now I realize the human side of us would want to cast stones and chuck 'em at his at face, but those of you who have experienced God's grace, to some degree, would rather draw with your finger on the sand.

I personally see Mayer as King Solomon: rich, poetic, promiscuous... but we all remember what happens to him at the end, he discovers that there is nothing worth more living for than to know and be known by God. And I hope and pray that this man might come to confess that same fact.

Top 5 Happily Ever After Films

ya ya ya, i know Valentine's Day is over but i feel like the whole month of February has that V-Day feel in the air. least in my world. Here's a list of my Top Five romantic movies with happy endings. please feel free to comment.

Punch-Drunk Love

If Annie Hall's tag line for the movie was 'A Nervous Romance' I'd have to say this tag line should be a 'Quirky Romance.' Adam Sandler is, for lack of a better word, awesome in this movie. With the writing and direction of PT Anderson and the score of Jon Brion, you can't help but watch magical art unfold before your eyes.

The Notebook

i promise my man crush on ryan gosling had nothing to do with how much i liked this film. ya i admit it was tad melodramatic at times. But the story was, you have to admit, gripping. Especially when, knowing the American divorce rate is over 50%, you see elderly couples being married after 50+ years you can't help but feel some light of hope.

True Romance

Tarantino's first script was raw and original. This movie has some of my favorite scenes including the Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken scene. And the unrecognizable Gary Oldman and Christian Slater scene. Some might say that it's a guy flick but I think any girl would go crazy if a guy rescued her from her pimp, got rid of him for good, then ran away and married you. Sounds like something biblical!

High Fidelity

Nick Hornby knows his music...and he knows how to write a decent story with rich characters. I've seen this movie a gazillion times and I still laugh. This is the perfect film for any guy who's been through a few break-ups or two and also happens to have a substantial library of music on his iTunes or in his head at least.

Say Anything

I can say one word and you'll remember this movie: boom-box.
The Ultimate romantic movie of the 80's. Even though I haven't enjoyed anything Cameron Crowe's done since Almost Famous TEN years ago, I still think he's always been a great filmmaker. It has some of the best romantic scenes I've seen in movies in the past 20 years. Had lovable original characters and great dialogue with some of the best lines of the 80's romance movies. Not to mention-killer soundtrack!

So which one of these films are my favorites?? ...i dunno...But I know that I don't know.