Catching up...again

Seems like whenever I get rolling on my blogging, some new life-changing event happens and I am compelled to take a respite.  I hope to post pretty regularly this semester.  The goal is 2-3 times a week.  Even this will be a challenge as I am planning a wedding, working twenty hours, and trying to be a (good) full time student.  I can't possibly put out all that I have been thinking in the last couple of months but here are some tidbits, music and books all thrown together:

I am engaged to be married on May 24, 2008 to the lovely Rebekah Banks.  Bekah is a constant reminder that God is gracious to undeserving sinners...even in giving them beautiful wives they don't deserve.

My music preferences have definitely shifted over to melody driven rock and indie music. Check out Aqualung, a british one-man-band that is really interesting.  He has an awesome voice and the music is just cool.  It is basically electronica with sparse piano bits and drum machines, but really rockin' guitars.  Also, for some reason, I have been drawn to Derek Webb's most recent album The Ringing Bell.  Although I wrote a pretty negative music review previously, the album has really grown on me. Check it out.

I am reading a couple of books.  Rachel Banks, my fiancee's sister, bought me Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley for Christmas.  It is basically a 500 pg history of the Christian church, starting with the teaching's of Jesus.  Its good so far...just  50 pages into it.  I'm also reading the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy.  It has a post apocalyptic setting and is pretty dark.  The author has been heralded as the "next Faulkner..."

I have also been flipping through a really sweet 1940 Episcopal Hymnal.  I bought it in an awesome used book store in St. Louis over Christmas break.  Its cool because it has all the words to the songs and a simple melody line written with each one.  All you have to do is plink out the simple melodies on the piano and you can sing some really obscure hymns.  

Additionally, I have been thinking tons about worship, both in theory and practically.  Hopefully more posts on that soon.

Blogging hiatus explained

Because of recent trips to other parts of the country, I have been slack in my blogging. I apologize for my absence. I have many thoughts to subject to the world wide web, so keep checking and there should be some posts coming soon.

Possible future posts:

1. Christology : Who was Christ exactly? For whatever reason, have we formed a non-biblical conception of the Savior?

2. Family: Roles of family. Biblical picture of the Family....A covenantal theology of the family?

3. Music! (of course)

New blog explained...

So I have decided to start a new blog. This is mostly because I have way too many thoughts on God, music and general life activities to fit into my brain. I am trying to live intentionally about everything. Nothing is meaningless. My mind subjects all activity to its critical eye and sometimes it feels like I'm going crazy. My other blog is somewhat limited in its scope so I thought maybe starting this would help.

A note on the title of my blog:
The title for my blog comes from a Death Cab for Cutie song with the same name. There are several reasons why I chose this.

1. This is quite possibly my favorite song ever (one that also comes close is Jeff Buckley's Lover, you should have come over) It is my idea of what good song writing should be; therefore, it says a lot about me.

2. The title is suggestive of my name...Gray.

3. The title is suggestive of my mood. It resonates with my struggle with indifference and a search for a unique and colorful identity. And yet, there is hope. The song suggests that color is really "bursting at the seams from absorbing everything."

4. The song conveys reality about life. Life is concrete. There is "fact not fiction" in the world and even though it is hard sometimes (the song is about a break-up and is very sad), it is reality and we have to face it and talk about it.

Here are the lyrics:

"A Lack Of Color"

And when i see you
I really see you upside down
But my brain knows better
It picks you up and turns you around
Turns you around, turns you around

If you feel discouraged
That there's a lack of color here
Please don't worry lover
It's really bursting at the seams
Absorbing everything
The spectrum's a to z

This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years
And all the girls in every girlie magazine
Can't make me feel any less alone
I'm reaching for the phone

To call at 7:03 and on your machine I slur a plea for you to come home
But i know it's too late
I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay [x3]

This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years