Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me

Joanna Newsom is one of my favorite current artists. She has just released a new record, Have One on Me. It is a triple CP - over 2 hours of music. An incredible set of songs, apparently tied together by personal relationships. I would call her first record, The Milk-Eyed Mender, a record of Observations; her second, a record of Stories. Have One on Me is a record of Relationships. In the first song, Easy, she states, "Easy, my man and I are easy." In the very last song, she has changed - "Easy, I am not." Joanna has revealed much more of herself in this record, and that is always a good thing.

This is certainly a stretch, but in listening to this record, I hear a cross between Joni Mitchell and the Incredible String Band. That, my friends, is the ultimate compliment. Yeah, her voice can get a little tiring. But I think it has matured greatly here.

A tip - 3 CDs is a lot to take in all at once. Immerse yourself in 1 CD at a time, before you give your final review. But please give it a chance. A marvelous record.

Precious Jewels

Chuck Colson had a wonderful story in his daily Breakpoint series today. It is about two women who have started a jewelry business - the marvelous thing is that they use as employees women who have been rescued from the tragedy of human sex trafficking. This is a worldwide issue - it even occurs in the United States. But these women visited Thailand, where, astonishingly, 14-16% of Thailand's entire GNP is tied to the business of child sex trafficking alone.

The name of their jewelry business is Wonderfully Made. Here is their website - http://www.wonderfullymadejewelry.com/. Should you ever be on the hunt for jewelry, I can't think of a better store to start your shopping.

Here is Chuck's article: http://www.informz.net/pfm/archives/archive_951032.html

Freedom

We have been studying the book of Galatians in our Sunday Bereans class. Chapter 5 opens, as a introduction to the Fruit of Spirit, with a call to freedom - "It was for freedom that Christ set us free." In my preparation for teaching the class, I have been pondering what the word "freedom" really means. And, why is the freedom in Christ better than the freedom without Him?

Freedom does not mean license. It does not mean a life with no obligations, no restrictions. That would be relativism taken to its extreme - the "freedom" one person would take could in fact create harm for another - the exact opposite of freedom.

The freedom that the world offers so often leads to addiction. And addiction is bondage. Drugs, sex, beauty, fame. God has given the world a tremendous gift - the gift of choice. But choice comes with consequences. If I choose worldly fame, without godly humility it will lead to an addiction to fame - and to its bondage.

The freedom that God offers does not lead to addiction - it leads to more freedom. Why? Because it is life as God originally designed. In the Garden of Eden, God offered Adam and Eve tremendous freedom, and one restriction. But then the Fall - and man and woman were sent out of the garden into a world not aligned with God's original design. East of Eden then became a world of increased restriction and bondage, and ultimately man would "do what is right in their own eyes."

You can understand why those who do not believe in Christ think that coming to Christ will result in less freedom - more rules to live by. But, again, a paradox - yes, when we come to Christ, we are called to live a life that is right before God, and is defined in Scripture. But, wonder of all wonders, this life leads to a freedom unlike we have experienced before.

Here is another view on true freedom from Tim Challies: www.challies.com/christian-living/a-further-word-on-freedom

My First Post

Welcome to my blog!

I will occasionally (probably very occasionally) post my thoughts on this site, on topics ranging from music (eclectic but mostly rock and pop) to my worldview (distinctly Christian). You are welcome to respond - just keep it clean, respectful, and thought provoking.

I hope you enjoy!