A Christmas Playlist

I put together a short mix CD for my brother-in-law for Christmas, and in true Jeromie fashion I included an explanation for each of my choices. The list ended up working out really well together, so I thought I'd share it with the world.

The Trumpet Child - Over the Rhine

Since it's a Christmas CD, I may as well include one "Christmas song." That's a little bit of a loose description for this song, though it was introduced to Liz and I last Christmas at our church in Clemson. Performed live, it was breathtaking. It's still pretty powerful on the recording.

Hymn #101 - Joe Pug

A friend told me about this song, and after listening to it for a while Liz and I were intrigued enough to download the album. The lyrics are really interesting - I can't quite be sure what they mean, but they provide a lot of food for thought.

Take Me Home - Dave Smith

This one made the list mostly by way of personal attachment. It's a cover of an old Genesis song done by a good friend of mine from Clemson. He gave us a copy of his (not released) CD right before we left Clemson, and this is what was playing when Liz and I rolled into Colorado. While I know I"m biased, I still think it's a really good song, so I wanted to share it.

John Saw That Number - Neko Case

This one came off a Paste CD sampler Liz brought home from work. It's just fun.

Sometimes - Punch Brothers

The Punch Brothers are awesome. They're lead by Chris Thile, the one time mandolin player for Nickel Creek. They all played together under the name of the How to Grow a Band and produced a bluegrass album a couple years ago. Their latest effort is quite different. It is dominated by a 40 minute through composed piece that takes place in 4 movements, a largely classical style with bluegrass instrumentation and voice. That would be a bit much to include on a sample CD, so I threw in what I consider the most representative track on the album. They mix it up with some other interesting tunes, though.

Rains in Asia - Jump, Little Children

Between the Dim & the Dark, the album this song comes from, ranks as one of my top albums of all time. The songs are not at their best out of context (sorry), but there isn't a bad song in the set and the way they work together is sublime.

Quiet - This Will Destroy You

This one is classified as "post-rock," a genre I didn't know existed until very recently. It's the perfect music for studying or working. There are no lyrics to distract, and the melodies and rhythms just seem to motivate you to get something done.

Telling a good story

There have been a number of time I have felt that God has called me to be a storyteller. I got a glimpse of what that might look like in my life at "little church" the other night. Passionately telling God's story is a beautiful, powerful act.

No person in my life has shown me the power of telling a good story like Winn Collier. I had the good fortune to know him as pastor, mentor, and friend in the six years we shared at Downtown Community Fellowship in Clemson, SC, and his storytelling is one of the things that will stick with me for the rest of my life. It's not simply that Winn is good at crafting words (though he is), it's that he makes me certain that the story he is telling is bigger than he is, bigger than I am, bigger than anything in this world. The stories that Winn tells are part of the gospel, the story of God and our hope.

Winn is an author as well as a pastor, and he has poured his heart into his latest book, Holy Curiosity. I've only read a small portion of the book so far - I'm waiting until after my finals this week so that I can savor it - but prior experience with Winn's writing has shown it to be full of honest wrestling and beautiful truth. I'd encourage you to check out his book (and let me know what you thnk). And for a limited time you may be able to score a free copy: my friend Juli Kalbaugh is giving away a copy of the book on her blog. Just hop over and leave a comment! Trust me, it's worth your time.