Category Archives: The List

Study, The List, Wrestling With Scripture

The List: 10 Levitical Rules That I Follow (Without Really Trying)

I spent 2 grueling days reading and studying through the book of Leviticus this week. As I wrote earlier I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of rules and regulations while also being joyful that the sacrificial system is over and done with. Through out the reading I would pause to study a little deeper into some of the study notes behind certain sacrifices or certain rules. I am proud to say that I found quite a few laws that I have always and (hopefully) will always keep without question. So here is this week’s The List: 10 Levitical Rules That I Follow (Without Really Trying)

1) I have never eaten a camel or a rock badger. (11:4-5)
2) I have never eaten an eagle, vulture, sea gull, or barn owl. (11:13-19)
3) I don’t eat road kill (11:39-40)
4) I don’t make sacrifices to goat demons. (17: 7)
5) I don’t eat blood- I’m a medium well kinda guy. (17:10)
6) I have never — and will never — ever — approach a relative and “uncover their nakedness.” Ewww. (18:1-30)
7) I have never cursed the deaf or purposely tripped the blind. (19:14)
8) I avoid necromancers. (19:31)
9) I have just balances and measures (my tape measure and calculators are fair) (19:36)
10) I will not give my child to Molech. (20:1-5)

Of course these rules are pretty easy to keep. They seem so bizarre and antiquated that is is easy to laugh at them and pull them out as examples of the “old law.” However, let us not poke fun at these rules at the expense of the ones that can be applicable to today. Rules that speak to living holy lives full of justice and mercy dedicated only to the LORD Almighty. Laws about helping the poor, outcast and alien. Laws that make us different from the surrounding culture.

Let us never forget the laws that relate to the pursuit of holy living and honoring the God that calls us to be set apart for his purposes. He alone frees us. He alone cleanses us and makes us his own.

2008, Music, Popular Culture, Resources, Review, The List, Worship, Wrestling With Scripture

What I’m Listening To (10.27.08)

51e5yel1vwl_ss500_.jpgGossip 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.

61csdred-al_ss500_.jpg 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

Popular Culture, The List, The Simpsons

The List: 10 Quotes from “The Simpsons” Season 11

This week the DVD set for The Simpsons Season 11 hit the store shelves. These DVDs are always great because they contain dozens of extras and commentaries on each episode. The only problem is that the way the discs are packaged I need to order a dialing wand because my fingers are too fat to get the discs out of their sleeves. Oh well, while I try and not destroy the packaging enjoy these classic lines from Season 11. Only 9 more DVD sets to go (so far).

10) I can’t believe ‘Smell Ya Later’ replaced ‘Goodbye’.
9) Tapa-Tapa-Tapa
8) Social Security Number? 000-00-02. D#@% Roosevelt. Cause of parent’s death? Got in my way.
7) I’m sorry but we’re not supposed to put butter on the Milk Duds.
6) Fire can be our servant whether it’s toasting marshmallows or raining down on ‘Charlie.’
5) This is a proud day. Now when people ask if we’re in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities act of 1975 I can say, “We are closer than ever before!”
4) Let the agriculture begin!
3) Remember when the last administration decided to invest in our nation’s children? Bad mistake.
2) Lisa’s bad dancing makes my feet sad.
1) Smell ya later Bart. Smell ya later forever.

Out of context these are pretty hilarious. Just imagine how awesome they are in context. They’re practically “groin-grabbingly awesome!” (That was your bonus quote)

Music, The List

The List: 10 Albums For A Desert Island

I don’t like playing the “desert island” game. It is fair and it certainly it isn’t nice to play favorites especially in the case of choosing the absolute, definitive list of albums that would accompany me to a secluded island never to be heard from again. Thankfully my iPod (assuming that I could rig it for solar power) has all these albums and then-some already in a pre-selected-ready-for-the-plane-to-crash desert island mix. Like always, there is no particular order to this list. The only real criteria is that I like 90% or more of each album and that I can listen to each of these albums from start to finish. Enjoy and feel free to leave your desert island mix in the comments section.

1) August and Everything After, Counting Crows
2) Fumbling Toward Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan
3) Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
4) Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
5) In Between Dreams, Jack Johnson
6) Live at Luther/Live at Radio City, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
7) O, Damien Rice
8) Offerings, Third Day
9) The Blue Album, Weezer
10) All That You Can’t Leave behind, U2

Bonus:
Jars of Clay, Jars of Clay
Unearthed Box Set, Johnny Cash
Achtung Baby, U2
Boy, U2
S&M, Metallica
Garden State Soundtrack, Various
Trouble, Ray LaMontagne

Books, Leadership, The List

The List: 10 Books On Leadership

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1) Good to Great by Jim Collins
2) Leadership from the Inside Out by Kevin Harney
3) 360 Degree Leader by John C. Maxwell
4) Put Your Heart Into It by Howard Shultz
5) The God-Bearing Life by Kendra Creasy Dean and Ron Foster
6) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
7) Leading From the Second Chair by Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson
8) 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley
9) Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley
10) Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels

Bonus: Bono by Michka Assayas. Kidding. Sort of. Dwight would read it.

Music, The List

The List: 10 Songs by Coldplay

This week the List brings you 10 songs by Coldplay. I have really enjoyed 30 days of Coldplay on XM. The 30 days ended this week so I felt like paying tribute. Coldplay visits the Metroplex this November and you better believe I’ll be there. Enjoy the List & see you next week.

10 Songs by Coldplay
1) Careful Where You Stand
2) The Scientist
3) Lost?
4)The Hardest Part
5) Lovers In Japan / Reign Of Love
6) The World Turned Upside Down
7) One I Love
8) Warning Sign
9) Yes
10) Politik

Next Week:
The List brings you 10 books on leadership

Music, The List

The List: 10 Songs With the Word “Love” in the Title

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This weekend I’m starting a new weekly feature at Kicking at the Darkness. It’s called The List. Every weekend (Friday afternoon or Saturday morning) a new list of 10 things will be posted. These aren’t necessarily “Top 10” lists but rather listings of 10 things within a specific category. In the coming weeks look for lists such as: 10 Songs by Coldplay, 10 Movies Based on Novels, 10 Animals That Are Not Bears, and 10 Albums by Members of The Beatles.

This week we kick of The List with a musical entry. He is 10 Songs With the Word “Love” in the Title. Enjoy.

1) Bold As Love // Jimi Hendrix
2) Whole Lotta Love // Led Zeppelin
3) You Will Be My Ain True Love // Alison Krauss with Sting
4) Sunshine of Your Love // Cream
5) Never My Love // The Association
6) Friday I’m in Love // The Cure
7) Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) // Jay-Z
8) Everybody Needs Somebody to Love // The Blues Brothers
9) Made to Love // TobyMac
10) Love Me // The Willies

BONUS:
11) Let My Love Open the Door // Pete Townsend
12) You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told) // The White Stripes
13) Higher Love // Steve Winwood

Got any suggestions for The List? Leave me a comment and tell me what you want to see.