There are few things more brave than dancing like crazy in a public place.
One of them may be admitting I really like the song and the video for “Brave” by Sara Bareilles.
Sara Bareilles’ song and album have improbably garnered a slew of Grammy nominations for this year’s awards.
You may not even realize you’ve heard “Brave” until you recognize it as the jingle for all the new Windows commercials you’ve seen during every commercial break of NFL football and just about everything else you watch on television. Continue reading →
Welcome to Episode 12 of the POP GOD POPcast – an exploration into the lives of people seeking God in the present tense.
This week’s guest is Jeff Owen. Jeff is the Dove Award Winning guitarist from Tenth Avenue North, the band behind songs like “By Your Side” and “Healing Begins”. Jeff and Tenth Avenue North are currently touring all across the country as part of Winter Jam and will be hitting Augusta on February 13. Jeff takes a few minutes off from the tour to chat about his early influences, dealing with success, life on the road, the latest Tenth Avenue North album, and Fraggle Rock. Enjoy this deeper look inside the life of a musician truly seeking God in the present tense.
Find out more about Jeff and Tenth Avenue North and purchase their latest album at tenthavenuenorth.com
Find out more about the Winter Jam Tour at jamtour.com
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, rate it, leave a comment, listen to all the other episodes, share it on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.
I’m so excited to open up POP GOD and share more stories of people seeking God in the present tense. I’d love to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment and let me know how to improve things, what you’d like to hear discussed, and give me your ideas as to who you’d like to see on the POPcast.
***Last week on the blog I asked for your requests and ideas for POP GOD. This week we have our first reader-requested post from my friend Ogden, who asked for a post on Hanson’s classic song “MMMBop”. If you have a current or classic pop culture item you’d like to see discussed on POP GOD, leave a comment and I will make your request happen:
Has there ever been a song quite like “MMMBop”?
In 1997 the Hanson brothers exploded onto the pop scene with arguably the most infectious and nonsensical song of the 90s.
Everybody knew “MMMBop”. A lot of people still know “MMMBop”. Just play the video if you can’t quite remember the song and it should come rushing right back to your brain.
Your week may be starting off full of the promise and resolve of a brand new year.
Or you may have already screwed everything up in the past 5 days.
Wherever you are, know this: It’s ok. Today is a new day. Today is your second chance. Today you can start again.
Here’s the perfect song to remind you today is a great day for a do-over. It’s called “Start Again” by Counting Crows (the original version of the song is by Teenage Fanclub).
“Start Again” is a simple song that repeats the same refrain multiple times. It’s the story of one person telling another, “Even though it’s complicated, we’ve got time to start again.”
I love how the song loops around over and over again. It’s like with every verse the main character is waking up on a new day reminding himself to put the past behind him and start over.
No matter where you were last night or what you’re facing today, if you’re alive and breathing than you’ve still got time to work it out.
Starting again can be daunting and overwhelming. Starting all over can make you just want to give up.
Remember starting again doesn’t have to mean you’re starting from the bottom. It can be more like starting over in a video game.
When you fail in a video game, you don’t always have to start a level all over again. Most games let you start a new life right where you left off.
God’s grace does the same thing for us. He picks us up where we fell down and let’s us start again on life.
He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t make us earn our way back into His good graces.
He just gives us a night of rest, sets us back on path, and tells us to “Start again.”
I’d love to know: where you are starting again this Monday?
Everyone talks about the transition from Saturday night to Sunday morning being a daunting one. But what about Sunday morning to Monday morning?
On Sunday morning you sing of hope. On Sunday you’re surrounded by fellow believers. On Sunday your tank is recharged.
On Monday morning it can all fall apart. On Monday inbox is full of problems that just can’t wait. On Monday everything that drags you down about your job is right back in front of you. On Monday the weight of commerce brings you back down to earth.
A bit dramatic? Maybe. But for some of us it’s not that far off. Maybe to keep you with a Sunday attitude you need some Monday Morning Music.
Here’s a favorite tune of mine to get my mind right for Monday morning. It’s a song from The Avett Brothers called “Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise”. Don’t let the long title scare you off.
As the lyric goes:
Where nothing is owed, deserved, or expected,
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected,
If you’re loved by someone you’re never rejected,
Decide what to be, and go be it.
Whether you’re starting a new job or walking into a familiar one, make the decision this Monday to be who you were on Sunday. Be the person God already sees you as.
God sees you not as who you are, but you are becoming. He sees past your flaws. God sees you as His beloved child.
When you’re loved by Him, what does the rejection of the world matter? Instead, you are free to reject what the world offers you as a satisfactory way of life. You can release your dreams from the cage and be free to follow them.
As you start off this week it’s time to make a decision. Who will you be? Who do you want to be?
You can change your path. You can be the type of person who influences your entire office and paves a road full of promise leading back to the Creator.
Let’s do it together. Let’s keep Sunday alive on Monday.
I’d love to know – what are you facing down this Monday? How can we support each other as we do the work of a new week?
For any child of the 80s or 90s the answer to this question reveals everything about who you are as a person. It pretty much defines whether you have any value in life at all.
Ok, took it too far. But it is a particularly relevant question right now. Continue reading →
You may not be performing before 10,000 adoring fans inside an enormous arena as you read this.
But trust me on this one.
No, I’m not *technically* a rock star. But I did see some live and in person last week.
The Killers are a rock group out of Las Vegas who have been performing their hits “Somebody Told Me” and “When You Were Young” around the world for the past 10 years.
I got to see them perform at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA last week. Lead singer Brandon Flowers turned out to be a fantastic live performer and the entire band put on a great set.
As I watched the show, I noticed a few simple traits The Killers embraced which all great rock stars have in common. Turns out you too can apply these 5 practices to your life to become a rock star in your office: Continue reading →
The work we’ve been avoiding all weekend has piled up.
Sometimes you need the Monday Morning Music to get you going.
Last week I stumbled across a record for 20 cents at Salvation Army – “Catch Bull At Four” by Cat Stevens. On it was the perfect Monday Morning Music – a song called “Silent Sunlight”.
Today is my first day away from my full-time job in almost five years. Yet this song reminded me the work has only just begun.
You may be out of a job as well this morning. Or you may be stepping into a job you’re not in love with. Or you may be stepping into a project you’ve been putting off.
Whatever Monday you’re stepping into, simply sing a song of love and truth into everything you do. Be strong. Be courageous. Do the work. Rest your eyes. Wake up. Do it again.
Keep pushing through, having faith in what the Lord is bringing you into with each new sunlight.
I’d love to know – what are you facing down this Monday? How can we support each other as we do the work of a new week?
Sometimes you can’t escape a song. You hear it one day on the radio on your way to work. The song is pleasant enough.
Then you hear it on your way home. You begin to sing along a bit, bobbing your head to the beat.
Next thing you know you can’t take a drive without hearing the song. Watching tv you hear it on every commercial and movie trailer.
Soon enough even the out of touch middle-aged adults in your life can teach you the dance moves to the song. You frantically spin the radio dial anytime you hear the first chord from the song. You carry a pair of earplugs with you at all times. You start to consider soundproofing your house so you don’t hear the song as someone drives down your street.
What was once an innocent earworm has now infected your brain. By the end of August you’re locked in a steel chamber underneath your house blocked off from all society just to escape the song of the summer. Continue reading →
Welcome to Episode 2 of the POP GOD POPcast – an exploration into the lives of people seeking God in the present tense.
This week’s guest is Adam Diehl. Adam is the singer and guitarist for The Gilded Youth, a local band from Augusta. Adam is also a an English teacher, an avid TV fan, and a Deacon and Sunday School teacher at a Southern Baptist church! Adam shares his musical roots, his love for traditional hymns, and how he balances being in an alternative band and serving in a traditional church. We also geek out over the upcoming season of “Arrested Development” and Adam takes the POP Quiz. If you love music you’ll love getting to know Adam. Download and be charmed by his infectious laugh and become a fan of The Gilded Youth.
I’m so excited to open up POP GOD into a new area and share with you other’s stories of seeking God in the present tense. I’d love to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment and let me know how to improve things, what you’d like to hear discussed, and give me your ideas as to who you’d like to see on the POPcast.
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, share it on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks. Enjoy.
Pearl Jam or Nirvana?
POP GOD 