Steve Jobs messiah complex is taking a hit. The preferred MP3 player of choice for all Christians will have to be this new gadget from IceTech.
It comes with the standard earbuds, USB charger, and even necklace so you can proudly show off your new Mercy Me tracks while you jog. According to the website, it also comes with "conversion software." But of course.
Best of all, it is cheap. Amen to that! (By that I mean, it cheapens the gospel.) Plllleeeaaase.
Well, I am playing poker the other night with our regular crew and my friend Michael (whom I met through this humble blog) who is a newshound and retainer of all sorts of pop culture minutiae, brought the arrest of Billy Jo Shaver to my attention. It appears that old Billy Jo shot someone in the mouth after leaving a bar. There are conflicting stories but here is the affadavit:
A few thoughts or lessons we can learn from this:
We'll miss you Billy!
Having no creative abilities myself, I marvel at those who are gifted to create. My appreciation for art has grown immensely in the last few years. Beyond its beauty, I continually be amazed at art's ability to evoke emotion, to tap into somethingthat can not be expressed or articulated. Of course, art is often not beautiful by design, it may exist to confront us, to make us ponder or face something that we would not face otherwise.
Our church has a resident artist that creates something each week that relates to our worship.It 
allows for reflection without some preacher telling them what to think, feel, or how to respond. I suspect that the weeks that don't move me, are weeks that intimately touch someone else and vice versa. Art is accessible on so may avenues and that is why is can be so provocative and powerful.
I came across a video that is a great example of how art, whether it be your preferred genre or not, can be used for good. Here you have the musical art and the art of videography coming together to confront us with the unspoken, but very real issue of human trafficking. Regardless of your musical taste, I hope you give this a listen and watch and let art confront you, as it did me.
A while back, I gave a rare musical review endorsement to a Christian musician. It referenced Derek Webb's new album, Mockingbird. The music was fine, but I found it to be lyrically refreshing considering much of the triumphalistic, theologically questionable stuff that comes out of the contemporary christian music scene these days.
Well, Derek, has gone and done it again. He will be releasing this very album for download FOR FREE. This is not streaming, it is not teaser listen and buy scheme, it is FREE. Free to listen, share, and he hopes, dialogue about with others. If you haven't heard this album, September will be your chance.
I don't claim to know the ends and outs of this deal, but it appears he is willing to sacrifice album/download sales in order to put his art out there. Imagine that consumeristic Christians!Someone creating something worthwhile because he is gifted to do it, and then giving it away for the benefit of others! Hmm, that is refreshing!
I am not one that can just come home and crash. I need a little wind down time. Besides my beautiful bride is out of town, so I don't really care to go to bed right now. I just got home from a seeing David Wilcox at Workplay. 
My friend Dave, who turned me onto to Wilcox a year or so ago, met me at show. We met a hour and half early and had some beverages, talked and enjoyed the fellowship. I met some neat folks, saw some old friends and just hung out.
Wilcox came out and did not stop playing, literally, for the next two hours. It was great, though he clearly was more engaged in the music than the crowd. There wasn't one moment when he was not picking, strumming, or tuning the guitar. Even the few times when addressed the crowd or introduced a song it was while he played. This wasn't a problem for me, the music was beautiful, the lyrics bouncing back and forth from the comical to the sublime. His mastery of the fretboard was obvious as his fingers effortlessly flowed across the strings. As I listened to the incredible lyrics, heard his musical stories, I yearned to know him more, to talk with him, to hear about his family, his journey, his inspiration. I understand he is a Quaker, and I could see how that could be true. I was caught up in the bliss of witnessing an artist do what real artists do, carry you to another place.
My friend, Dave, who has seen him six or seven times, told me afterwards that he usually tells more stories, converses with the audience more. I will enjoy that then next time I see him, but tonight was about music and that suited me just fine. Thanks to my friend Dave who gave me the invite, and to David Wilcox for one of the better Thursday evenings that I have had in a while.
Dave and I agreed to seek more opportunities to catch some good shows. I hope we can make The Greencards concert at the 
same venue on June 29. The cost is only $8 and while I am not familiar with the opening act, I love The Greencards. If you like acoustic music with some energy, I encourage anyone that reads this to drop by. Workplay is a great venue. If you see me, be sure to stop and say hello. Heck, I'll let you buy me a drink. Good friends, good spirits, great music in a good place. What else do we need. As Wilcox reminded us at end of the show, everything can be holy.
