Category Archives: 2008

Song of the Year Tweets

December 27, 2008 mjfelker1980

I spent most of Friday on the road heading out to see family. As I rode in the back and listened to my iPod I posted a series of tweets about my favorite songs of the year. I had fun trying to condense my thoughts down to only 140 characters. Enjoy the tweets and leave me some comments about your favorite songs of the year!

Love Lockdown– Kanye, keep your live performances of this track on lockdown (see SNL) but keep releasing these heart wrenching and intense songs. I’ll keep buying.

Shadow of the Day– Linkin Park gets all sentimental and balladesque. Great song and a good hook

Say– John Mayer says what he needs to say… now go get his “Where the Light Is” LP.

Lost!– Coldplay’s second appearence on the list. Check out Lost+ with Jay-Z. So good. Viva la Coldplay! 11:48 AM yesterday from mobile web

American Boy– Hey Estelle. English sista it’s really really nice to meet ya.

Better in Time– No need to wait. Leona was pretty great from the word go. The best breakup song of 08

Pork & Beans– Dance to a happy tune while Weezer tells their record comp to suck it. Red is the new Blue.

Pocketful of Sunshine– This earful of sunshine will most definately take you away. Nat Bedingfield is my guilty pleasure.

I’m Yours– Jason Mraz manages to out Jack Johnson Jack Johnson. Summer all year round with this track.

I Will Possess Your Heart– the album version is an 8 min plea from a stalker to his obsession. A slow burn about smoldering love.

Live Your Life– I have a bit of an audio crush on Rhianna right now. Turn this to 11 and just Live Your Life: Hey!!!! Ohhhh!!!

Paper Planes– All I wanna do (blam, blam, blam)is put this song on repeat (click) and thug out. (ching!)

Who’s Gonna Save My Soul– the eternal question gets the deep soul slow jam treatment from Gnarles Barkley.

Viva la Vida– Jerusalem bells toll for thee. A lonely king roams his former kingdom in search of meaning and an elusive legacy.

Follow me on Twitter!

2008, Advent, Christmas, General

Merry Christmas From The Felkers

December 25, 2008 mjfelker1980 5 Comments

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.” (Psalms 139:13-18 TNIV)

A very Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Peace,
Micheal, Sandy, and Hewson (It’s a boy!)

2008, Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Leadership, Life, Resources

Productive Day

December 15, 2008 mjfelker1980 2 Comments

I got a whole lot of stuff done today. Sure I started my day an hour earlier but who’s counting?

One of the things I’m trying to do before baby arrives is to create a good deal of margin in my life. Things get so hectic and over scheduled in our world that most of us live edge to edge. In fact if we’re honest we tend to let things bleed over to the next page.

For me I decided that I wanted to be more purposeful in my time-management. I picked up “Time Management from the Inside Out” by Julie Morgenster, scheduled out the coming week in my planner, and then set about working my plan today.

If the rest of the week goes as well as it did today than I am well on my way to managing my time margin allowing me to be more strategic with my minutes and hours.

What helps you manage time most effectively?

2008, Adverts, Books, ESVSB, Ministry, Remarkable, Resources, The Word, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

Review: ESV Study Bible

November 21, 2008 mjfelker1980

Matisyahu 3 Why The ESV?
I have used the English Standard Version in my private reading, teaching, and speaking since 2003. While my primary teaching Bible has been the TNIV I like getting away from the familiar phrases and wording and into something a bit different like the ESV.

The ESV is a word-for-word translation in the vein of the NRSV and NASB. It can be a bit stiff in some places but there is a lot of life in these pages.

Why The ESV Study Bible?
Study Bibles are designed to help the reader dig deeper into the history, meaning, and application of God’s Word. I will be forever grateful to my first NIVSB for helping me begin to understand Scripture. That Bible logged many hours and late nights with me through high school and college studying for pleasure and studying for school. Since then I have used Life Application Bibles, devotional Bibles, “master” study bibles, reference Bibles, and the TNIVSB. In most of these Bibles the notes and study helps tend to overshadow or crowd out the text. With the exception of the TNIV, I have been unable to find a study bible that drives me deeper into the word or causes me to become enveloped in the passage and the study helps.

It is in this that the ESVSB succeeds.

Why the ESVSB Succeeds
The stats for the ESVSB look like this:

2 million words— of Bible text and insightful teaching in 2,752 pages.
20,000 notes— focusing especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues.
Over 50 articles— including articles on the Bible’s authority and reliability; on biblical archaeology, theology, ethics, and personal application.
200-plus charts— offering key insights and in-depth analysis in clear, concise outline form; located throughout the Bible.
Over 200 full-color maps— created with the latest digital technology, satellite images, and archaeological research; printed in full color throughout the Bible.
80,000 cross-references— to encourage easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.
40 all-new illustrations—including full-color renderings and architectural diagrams of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time and throughout the history of Israel, and many more. (from the official ESVSB website)

I’m not going to lie to you. 2 million words, 2,752 pages, and 20,000 notes do not a light Bible make. This thing is huge! It has to be huge to fit all this stuff inside the TruTone cover. However, don’t let these stats scare you away.

The notes are solid but do not take anything away from the actual text. The biblical text is in a large font at the top of the page while the notes are in significantly smaller somewhat italicized font on the bottom of the page. This makes for a smooth reading experience. I am currently working through the entire Bible again. While the goal is to simply read through the text, I have purposely slowed my pace down to take advantage of the study helps. This has been a huge blessing to me and has really made some of the more difficult passages come alive.

Winning Features of the ESVSB
Color Pages, Illustrations, and Charts
Color pages are nothing new but here is the first time that color pages in a Bible have impacted my study of scripture. From the subtle hints of olive green highlights on each page to the glorious, highly detailed illustrations to the colorific maps the ESVSB truly uses color to its advantage.

Take the illustrations as an example. The picture on the left is of Solomon’s temple and can be found on pages 604-605. This two-paged, full-colored rendering is quite beautiful and far exceeds anything I’ve ever encountered in a Bible. The same goes for the charts and diagrams. While reading in Numbers I was able to visualize for the first time how the Israelites were commanded to march and encamp through their wanderings. The tabernacle was to remain in the center of the camp and the people wether at camp or on the move. God’s presence is to be at all time central in the life of the believer. While on one hand this is a great revelation to me I am also saddened that I’ve never fully grasped this small truth before. Thank you charts on pages 267 & 269!

Reference Materials
Not only are there highly academic intros to each biblical book and the usual concordance here but there are also a ton of scholarly articles and features covering everything from Biblical Ethics to Reliability of the Cannon to What Role the Bible Played into Evangelical Protestantism throughout history. There is a MA in Biblical Studies available at your fingerprints here.

Online Features
Everything on page between the TruTone covers is available online to everyone who purchases a physical copy. That includes the illustrations, notes, charts, text, and supplemental readings. The online area also allows you to upload your own notes as you study and since the feature is web based you can access your notes from any computer. Very forward thinking feature.

So that does it for this extended commercial. While the ESV isn’t my favorite translation this Study Bible has proved to be an invaluable part of my study. I would highly recommend this Bible for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper into God’s Word.

Thank you Crossway for all your hard work. The effort has truly paid off!!!

2008, Apocalypse, Music, Popular Culture

I’ll Believe It When I See It

November 11, 2008 mjfelker1980

King Solomon’s Mines. Atlantis. Bigfoot. Nessie. Smurfs. Fraggles. Needles in movie theatre seats. Cloned dinosaurs.

Add to the list of things that may or may not incredible myths Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy.

Year after year after year music critics begin to salivate as the long awaited album begins to make its way to store shelves. Then year after year after year everyone is disappointed when Axel and friends can’t pull it together and make the impossible a reality. I was 14 years old when the album was first supposed to be released. A lot has happened since then.

Low and behold I log onto iTunes this morning and I see a pre-order special for the almost-2-decade-in-the-making-album Chinese Democracy. So there’s an album cover. There are apparently a number of tracks. There’s even a release date of Nov. 23.

Will we finally get to hear Chinese Democracy? I think we are closer than ever. Not that I really care. I’m not a GNR fan at all. I can’t stand Axel Rose and I feel unclean just looking at Slash (that dude could use a shower). By all accounts this isn’t even a GNR album per se. It is an Axel and friends album. It is a GNR album in the same way that Smile is a Beach Boys album. That is to say not much.

But seriously, I really need some closure on this… and a free Dr. Pepper.

2008, Blabbering, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Lauds, Leadership, News, Politics, Popular Culture, Prayer, Religion, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

The Day After

November 5, 2008 mjfelker1980 5 Comments

I couldn’t help but log onto Facebook last night to watch all the status updates change (almost by the second) in reaction to the news that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. The status updates volleyed between fear and excitement, despair and relief, anger and “nanny-nanny-boo-boo.”

Some friends cried foul and vowed to move to Mexico. Some ridiculed others because their candidate came out on top. Some lifted up prayers of lament. Some merely gave thanks.

Throughout the campaigns I tried to avoid updating my status with cute platitudes or sarcastic zingers because, quite frankly, I try to avoid sounding stupid.

That’s right. I said it. Updating my Facebook status to sound off on the political process would make me feel stupid. Without tooting my own horn, I take pride in being as culturally informed as I possibly can. I read, I watch, I discuss, I weigh, I ponder, I worry, I step up, I step back, and I still, at the end of the day, with much fear and trepidation, can honestly say that I rarely have a good answer much less a snappy quip to throw around for the whole world to see.

After looking at the status updates last night my head hung pretty low. It is obvious that today we are still divided. It is ok to hold differing views and it is ok to disagree (often this is necessary). However it is never ok to demonize someone because they are different from you, even when they are radically different. This goes for both sides.

So I updated my status.

Not with a pithy statement about my disappointment. Not with a zinger about how thrilled I was. I updated my status with one of those “hard teachings” found in scripture.

Hard Teachings are those passages that you read and then say, “Great! Wish I hadn’t read that!” because you now know that what is required from you is an attitude and a heart that submits to God rather than your own desires. These passages require a mental, spiritual, and, some times, physical 180 from the way you want to do things to a new way. A God way.

So, regardless how you feel about last night…

Regardless how you feel today…

Regardless…

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
(1Timothy 2:1-4 TNIV)

Want to make a difference today? Do you want to really enact change? Start with yourself.

Lift up the men and women who won last night. Not just the winners in blue and not just the winners in red. Pray for ALL those who now have authority over us.

Regardless how you feel about last night…

Regardless how you feel today…

Regardless…

What I’m Listening To (10.27.08)

October 27, 2008 mjfelker1980

Gossip in the Grain
Ray LaMontagne

I had the opportunity to see Ray LaMontagne live and in person over the weekend. It was a rare treat for me to sit during an entire concert and to just allow myself to marinade in the sounds and lyrics. By himself, Ray is an incredible talent but the backing band really completed the picture. I really enjoyed hearing some of these new tracks live. All in all he played about 9 songs from the new album. It was a great concert and I would definitely pay to see him again.

Ray LaMontagne has quickly become one of my favorite voices out there due to his deeply touching lyrics and scruffy vocal delivery. This new album, which at first listen felt a little over-produced, has after subsequent hearings crept into my subconscious. There really is very little difference between this album and Ray’s other two, Trouble and Til the Sun Turns Black. My initial reaction to cry, “Over-produced!” to the new album was due in part to the fairly charismatic first track, You Are The Best Thing which finds Ray and a horn section gushing with exuberant praise for his beloved. Two other tracks, Meg White (yes, of the White Stripes) and Hey Me, Hey Mama seem out of place on a Ray LaMontagne album but are nonetheless good tracks. The great tracks though are forged from the same stuff that make Ray such a great voice and talent. Songs like Winter Birds, Let It Be Me, and I Still Care For You showcase great lyrics, haunting vocals, and amazing instrumentals. Rather than existing outside of the catalog, this group of tracks seek to push the catalog forward into new and familiar territories. No small feat indeed.

You owe it to yourself to at least check this album out. Now that the days are shorter and the temperatures are lower, this album would make a great soundtrack to curling up on the couch with a good book or playing in the background as you shared a nice romantic dinner with your significant other. 4 out of 5 stars.

Limbs and Branches
Jon Foreman

It takes a unique artist to take Isaiah 1:10-20 or Amos 5:21-24 and turn the harsh words of these prophets into a worship song. Yet here is Jon Foreman, the voice of Switchfoot, doing that and much more. In this one song Foreman puts our focus exactly were it should be- off of the programs and on to the Savior.

I hate all your show and pretense/ The hypocrisy of your praise/ The hypocrisy of your festivals/ I hate all your show/ Away with your noisy worship/ Away with your noisy hymns/ I stomp on my ears when you’re singing ‘em/ I hate all your show/ Instead let there be a flood of justice/ An endless procession of righteous living, living/ Instead let there be a flood of justice/ Instead of a show

No this isn’t a Derek Webb album. This, in my opinion, does Derek one better.

Throughout 2008, Foreman released 4 EPs- Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter- each filled with mostly acoustic ballads driven by a sense of discovering God in the midst of our lives. The lyrics are challenging, the music is challenging, and the format seemed challenging. So Foreman asked fans to pick their favorite tracks from the EPs and that he would release a long play “album” with their picks pluse 2 new tracks. The result is Limbs and Branches a not-quite-perfect collection. Instead of a Show is here. So is The Cure for Pain and In My Arms. Unfortunately you’re missing out on some real gems (Baptize My Mind, My Love Goes Free). I would forgo this collection and plunk down the extra money for the individual EPs. You won’t be sorry. Limbs and Branches: 3 out of 5 stars; Jon Foreman’s EP collection (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter): 5 out of 5 stars

2008, Awesomenessness, Collecting Experiences, Music, Taking Vacations

ACL Friday and Saturday Pictures

October 1, 2008 mjfelker1980

I had such a great time at Austin City Limits this year! All in all I saw about 20 full sets from bands that ran the musical gambit from screamo to folk. Here are some pics from Friday and Saturday.

This is the first view of the park I saw as I arrived on the scene Friday afternoon. So much music, so little time.

I left ACL last year as Bob Dylan played on the AT&T stage. The first artist I saw at this year’s ACL was his son, Jakob Dylan, playing on the AT&T stage. “ingonyama bagithi Baba, ingonyama bagithi Baba- It’s the Circle of Life…”

Next up was Jamie Lidell. He closed his set with his hit “Multiply.” Very Motown, very hip.

M. Ward put on a great show. The tent was packed so this was the best shot I could get.

The Jenny Lewis show was my favorite part of Friday. I play her song “Rise Up With Fists!!!” all the time. My wife hates that song. I love it. Like M. Ward, the tent was full and she put on a very entertaining show that had her playing guitar and piano. The set reminded me of last year’s favorite Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Scottish Rock

CSS is a band from Brazil. They had a song featured on the iPod Touch commercial. Music is my (Not So) Hot, Hot Unitard

Robert Earl Keen’s road went on for just an hour and the party ended right before John Fogerty.

I almost missed John Fogerty. He played a ton of CCR songs and had the entire audience singing along. Great set and the man’s still got it.

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss was the show to see on Saturday night. Some guy named Beck was on the other side of the park but who cares. Allison Krauss has the voice of an angel and Robert Plant kept his shirt on. They sang an awesome reinterpretation of Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” that I absolutely loved. Great seats. Great songs. Great Night.

2008, Ethos, Faith in Action, Politics

Out of My Element

September 11, 2008 mjfelker1980

I have been sporadic in my postings as of late. I have been in a different place in my heart and my mind lately and I haven’t wanted to have any of that spill over onto the blog. So much going on- politics, new school year, fatigue- and yet so little I feel like writing about.

I guess one of the biggest things keeping me from posting is that I have been up to my eyeballs in election coverage. Most of the commentators have kept me wishing for a pair of rusty scissors to jam into the side of my head (especially Keith Olberman). Thankfully we only have 8 weeks left.

“I know,” you say, “Turn off the tv. Don’t read about it. Take a break from all the coverage.” If you know me you know that ain’t gonna happen. I have my own personal election watch party I can’t very well just press pause. I just know that I can’t take much more of this stuff.

Mostly because I wonder how much it really matters.

I don’t put much faith, if any, into the hope that politicians of either party can do much to really affect people on the “day to day” level.

I am a firm believer that individuals leading up and reaching out truly affect change. It isn’t the Senators. It isn’t the judges. It isn’t in assemblymen. There is too much pull for power there.

True sacrifice and leadership come from everyday people serving one another.

I seem to have an opinion on just about everything. However, when it comes to politics-specifically this election- I’m out of my element. Right now there are too many people asking me to put my trust in them to do what’s best for the world and for me and mine.

I need to find the answers on affecting change for those I seek to lead and serve for myself. I can’t have a politician do it for me.

Neither can you.

2008, U2

Heads Up

July 30, 2008 mjfelker1980

As November approaches you’ll start seeing a bit more of this. Just a warning. It begins!!!

U2 Set Sale For a New Horizon
Exclusive: New Studio Album & Tracklist Revealed
Sunday Mirror, July 29, 2008
Stephen Maguire and Seamus Ross

It’s the beautiful day millions of U2 fans around the globe have waited patiently to see for the past four years.

Now we can reveal details of the supergroup’s long-awaited new album. (Whoo-hoo!)

It is believed to be titled No Line On The Horizon and will be on sale in music stores on November 14. (I’ve seen reports of Nov. 18 for the US)

The band’s record company Universal has already registered the internet domain name nolineonthehorizon.com — prompting speculation this will be the new record.

And among the songs to be released on what many music insiders are calling the band’s best work to date are “Moment of Surrender,” “For Your Love,” “Love Is All We Have Left” and “One Bird.”

Others include “If I Could Live My Life Again,” “The Cedars of Lebanon” and “No Line On The Horizon.” (Me likey)

Earlier this week a 19-strong film crew headed to the Spanish city of Cadiz to shoot a video for the band’s first single from the new album although the band were not believed to be present.

Last night an insider said the U2 machine is gearing up for the release of one of the most keenly-awaited albums in recent years.

“The album is more or less all in the bag except for a few minor details,” the source revealed. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this album as they do with every U2 album.

“But the word coming out is that the band is very, very happy with the end product and when U2 are happy it should be quite a piece of work. They’re not easy to please.”

Legendary producer Steve Lillywhite, who has worked with U2 for more than two decades, said the new album had blown him away.

It is the first original work since the band released the smash-hit How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in November 2004. It sold an incredible 10 million copies and picked up eight Grammy Awards.

But music commentators think the new record could be even bigger for Bono, the Edge, Larry and Adam.

Again, this is a courtesy warning. Thanks for your time.

via @U2

MichealFelker.com