Concerts I’ve Been To

OK, I stole the idea for this one from Shane. Yesterday he posted a list of bands he has seen. Nate & I started talking about who we had seen in concert. While my list is not quite as impressive as Shane’s it is rather long. I’m sure I left out some including a couple I just can’t remember the artist’s name. I didn’t include Flatfoot 56 because while I got to meet the guys I didn’t hear them play. Another artist I didn’t include was Kelly Clarkson I’ve only heard her sing at church not in a concert.

• 2nd Chapter Acts
• 4 Him (2)
• 6 Days from Sunday
• 100 Portraits
• Susan Ashton (2)
• Audio Adrenaline
• Baha Men
• Brian Barrett
• Margret Becker
• Ray Boltz
• Blackwood Brothers
• Bleach
• Caedmon’s Call
• Canadian Brass
• Michael Card
• Carmen (2)
• Steven Curtis Chapman
• John Cox
• Cross Movement
• Casting Crowns
• Cruise
• DaTruth
• DC Talk (2)
• Al Denson
• Dino
• Dixie Chicks
• Willa Dorsey (2)
• Elisha
• Joel Engle
• Every Day Process
• Flame
• Gabriel (5+)
• Amy Grant
• Larnelle Harris
• Dallas Holm
• Imperials
• Jars of Clay
• Dennis Jernigan (5+)
• Cheri Keaggy
• Phil Keaggy (2)
• LaCrae
• Joni Lamb
• Trip Lee
• Mylan LeFevre
• Mark Lowry
• Kenny Marks
• Babie Mason
• Tim Miner
• Bobby McFarren
• Geoff Moore
• Rich Mullins (5+)
• The Newsboys
• Nickel & Dime
• One Bad Pig
• Out of the Grey
• Twilla Paris
• Leon Patellio
• Sandi Patti
• Janet Pascal
• Phantik
• Phillips, Craig & Dean
• Petra (2)
• Point of Grace
• Relient K
• RSwift
• Shaded Red
• Small Town Poet
• Rebecca St. James
• Michael W Smith
• The Supertones
• Switchfoot
• Travail
• Tedshii
• Tammy Trent
• Chris Tomlin(3)
• Greg X. Volt
• Wendel
• Whiteheart
• BeBe, CeCe & the Winans Family

The Power of Books

Last night I was thinking about books that have influenced my life. Not just books I like but truly life changing books. Of course for me a given and Sunday School answer is the Bible. I beginning mulling over the idea of what books have really impacted my life. I decided to limit my list to three books other than the Bible:

Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. I first encountered this book in college and it rocked my world so to speak. The very thought that we are called to be holy because, God is holy. I know that is in the Bible but somehow I had never grasped that concept. I had the idea that somehow only God was holy and we were just to be good people. I didn’t really understand that pursuing a holy lifestyle should affect one’s daily life.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Voirst. I know you are probably thinking that is a kid’s book. Yes it is but it has a profound message. Alexander has one of those days where everything goes wrong and it seems the world is against him. He wants to runaway (move to Australia) to escape his problems. In the end he learns that some days are just icky and running away rarely solves anything. Oh, the title of one of my earlier posts comes from this book.

How to Give Away Your Faith by Paul E. Little. This book was required reading for an evangelism class and it helped me realize that evangelism is something I could and should do. You don’t have to be a preacher or some sort of super Christian to be able to share the gospel with others. Little wrote to the person in the pew not the minister . It provides practical advice on how to share one’s faith.

OK, you’ve heard my top three now it is your turn. What are the most influential book(s) you have read? I mean the one’s that you keep coming back to over and over again.

Some Musicians You Should Check Out

If you have been reading my blog you may have figured out that I like music. I have complied a list of of some of the musicians I listen to. This isn’t really a Top 10 or favorite list just some artist I find interesting.

Brobdingnagian Bards. The Bards call themselves the Original Celtic Renaissance music duo. They have won several Austin Music awards. You can listen to their music on their website (scroll to the bottom) or on MySpace. I really like the song Wild Mountain Thyme and the Jedi Drinking song is amusing.

John Cox. I first discovered Cox when he was touring with Petra on the Petra Praise 2 tour. This is one of my favorites Sunny Day.

Ed Miller. Originally from Edinburgh, currently lives in Austin, TX. He is considered one of the best singers from the Scottish Folksong Revival. Check out this interview with Flatfoot 56. Be sure to watch the entire thing,they stuck

Listen to tracks from his latest CD.

Flatfoot 56. Flatfoot 56 is a celtic punk band from Chicago. These guys came in the store one night. It was pretty cool.

Larry Norman. Sunday February 24, 2008 Norman lost his fight with a long-time illness. Norman was a pioneer and legend of Christian rock. He paved the way for Christian rock, alternative and modern rock. Unfornately, his music didn’t gain the acceptance from the Christian music scene it deserved.

The Choir. The Choir is one of my favorite alternative/modern rock bands (See Top 10: Favorite Bands #7) .

Listen to The Choir.

Check out the music and let me know what you think. Feel free to leave suggestions on music that you think I should check out. I enjoy finding new music.

Some Blogs I read

Today I thought I would share some of the blogs I enjoy reading.

Confessions Of A Small-Church Pastor. Chuck is a pastor in Virginia. I really enjoy reading his weekly sermons.

The Happy Wonderer. I really enjoy all of the pictures Ellen posts. Great place to head over to if you are having tough day.

Shane Bertou. One of our friends has a very good blog. He blogs about a wide range of topics including sports, politics, music and more.

So here is your chance what are some of your favorite blogs?

Top 10: Favorite Bands

#10 Caedmon’s Call. Caedmon’s Call got it’s start as out as the praise & worship band for Second Baptist, Houston Texas. Derek Webb is back for the groups most recent project, Overdressed. My favorite song is Bus Driver. I know it isn’t very deep but I just like the song. Also, I really like the the international flavor of Share The Well. The picture to the right was taken at during the Share the Well tour. We got to meet the band.

#9 Jars of Clay. Unique sound. Jars of Clay has a unique sound. I like how they use a varitey of instruments. They had a dry spell for a while but their last release Good Monsters is very good. Love Song For A Savior from their debut album is still my one of my favorites.

#8 DC Talk .They really matured over the years that they were together. The guys are still recording individual projects but I miss their collective sound. Check out the video from Jesus Freak.

#7 The Choir. The Choir is Christian alternative/modern rock band that has been around for since the 1980s. They are probably the first alternative band that I heard. The guys have been around for a while and have a lot of talent but have not been accepted or noticed by the mainstream Christian market. One of the things I have always liked about them is their unique sound. Steven Hindalong and Marc Byrd penned the popular worship song God of Wonders. The guys were involved with the City on the Hill Worship Project. Their most recent project Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen is probably their best work. I really like the song Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen.

#6 The Fray. They are a new comer to my list. The Fray is from the UK and have gotten a lot of play on television, radio and just about everywhere else. According to their website after being on tour for most of the past two years are taking a break and working on their next project. The video below is my favorite song How to Save a Life.

#5 Newsboys. Newsboys have been one of my favorites for several years. The Rock Across Australia named Newsboys Artist of the Year for 2007. Shine is still one of my favorite songs.

#4 Eden’s Bridge. Celtic Band Another lesser known group I discovered several years ago is the Celtic Band Eden’s Bridge. I love their rendition of Amazing Grace.

#3 Superchic[k]. My Favorite songs are Anthem and One Girl Revolution. I like the message of Bowling Ball and Princes and Frogs. Favorite albums are Karaoke Superstars and Beauty from Pain. The link on their name will take you to a page where you can listen to their music.

#2 U2 They have been one of my favorites for years except for a brief period in the 90’s. Joshua Tree is my favorite album. Beautiful Day is my favorite song.

#1 Third Day. They are my all time favorite band. Mac Powell has a unique sounding voice. As for a favorite song there are so many: Consuming Fire, Thief, and Love Song. I really like Chronology Vol. 1 & 2 that was released in 2007.