Iron & Wine – Around the Well

This is the latest release from Iron & Wine, the performing name for Sam Beam, who has been a favorite of mine since I first discovered him about two years ago.  Beam’s music is soft, acoustic folk, rich with thoughtful lyrics.  This album is unique, though, because it is a collection of B-sides and rarities that Beam has written over the years but hasn’t yet released on an album.  Most of the songs on this two-disc record are completely unadorned: just Beam, his guitar and his soft voice.  The album may not be the best introduction to the music of Iron & Wine because it only has one or two songs that might be considered stand-out tracks, but I have not been able to stop listening to it.  As I write this, my favorite track has just come on my iPod: “Waitin’ for a Superman.”  “Belated Promise Ring” is the album’s single, if it has one, and if you think a 9.5 minute song with constant singing and very little variation sounds boring or uninteresting, give a listen to “The Trapeze Swinger,” another of the album’s great songs.  Enjoy!

In about two weeks’ time, we have almost completely remodeled our kitchen.  We bribed some friends from church with pizza to help us tear out our old cabinets and move our appliances into the dining room.  We tore up two floors (wood on top of linoleum) and patched up major sections of the wall.  We laid tile and installed Ikea cabinets (which are awesome, by the way), and now just need to paint and get our countertop installed.

The kitchen as it was.

Sweeping up after demolition.

Replacing the drywall.

Laying the subfloor.

Mixing the mortar.

Cutting the tile.

Spreading the mortar.

Laying the tile.

Grouting the tile with Dad.

Installing the cabinet rail.

Assembling the cabinets with Erin.

Hanging the cabinets.

Attaching the doors.

Our work crew.

Voila! Tile and cabinets!

Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing

In high school I listened to a lot of alternative/punk rock.  This band only kind of fits that category, but it has a certain nostalgia for me.  It’s a little louder than most of what I listen to these days, but this album has some great hooks and a lot of energy.  It’s perfect for running or working out, or, now that summer is here, driving with the windows down.  A couple of favorites are “Shake it Out” and “I’ve Got Friends.”

Our kitchen is completely gone.  Everything is broken, splintered and piled in a dumpster in our driveway, and we are making preparation for putting it all back together.

It is not easy living without a kitchen.  All of our appliances are in what was the dining room (only the fridge is plugged in), and our living room is not at all livable.  Here are some pictures.  We’ll post some more as we make progress.

Andrew Bird – Noble Beast

You may recognize this album cover from a trip to Starbucks, where this was one of their featured albums for a while.  Andrew Bird has a very distinct style that may not appeal right off the bat.  His music is whimsical, full of comical lyrics and whistling (yes, whistling).  But a closer listen reveals that the content of his music is poetic and thoughtful.  The ablum title, in my mind, has to be a reference to the nature of humanity and points to what he is grappling with in these songs.  The album is full of good songs, but check out “Oh No,” “Effigy” and “The Privateers.”  Enjoy!

Iron & Wine, a phenomenal band that consistently puts out beautiful indie folk music, is offering acoustic versions of eight songs from their 2007 album, The Shepherd’s Dog.  You can download all eight songs for free here.  It’s legal too.  Imagine that.

I’ve collected a lot of great music over the past months that I haven’t shared, so I’ll start putting up an album each week.  I can’t promise that you’ll like it, only that I like it.

Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound

Blind Pilot is an inie-pop/folk duo from Portland whose music is very straightforward and simple, even stripped down.  Before releasing this, their first full-length album, they went on a bike tour of the west coast, carrying everything with them on their backs and playing at out-of-the-way places that don’t normally get touring bands.  The fact that two men can carry all they needed on their backs might give you a sense of the kind of music they play (and how much they love it).  The album is full of beautiful songs and became an instant favorite of mine.   Some highlights are “Oviedo,” “One Red Thread” and “3 Rounds and a Sound,” but it’s one of those albums without a single bad song.  You can listen to some of their music here and here.  Enjoy!

Last Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of my time at Doylestown Presbyterian.  It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed so quickly.  I thought I’d share some reflections on my first year as an associate pastor.

• Having a good Head of Staff makes a big difference, and I have an exceptional one.  I am also blessed to be working with our other associate, who is an incredible pastor.  I’m learning a lot from both of them.
• As much as I enjoy preaching, it’s not easy to do on top of my other responsibilities.  The weeks before I preach tend to send the stress level through the roof.
• It is a constant battle to balance evenings at church and evenings at home.  Being at a relatively large church, there are a lot of programs going on all the time, and people want a pastor at everything.
• I love working with kids.  I had no experience going in (and I made no secret of it) and was very anxious about how that would go, but it has been an absolute joy to get to know the kids in the church and to work with our 4th, 5th and 6th graders on a weekly basis.
• Staying connected with seminary friends is difficult but crucial.  I miss the community we had in Princeton, and I have done a mediocre job at best of keeping in touch.  But the time I have had with friends (I guess they’re “colleagues” now) has been extremely valuable.
• Getting reimbursed for buying books is the coolest thing ever.
• I came into my position last summer expecting to be busy all the time, and that if I wasn’t crazy busy then I wasn’t doing my job well.  Over the course of a year I have learned that busyness, even at a large church, ebbs and flows.  Some weeks are out of control, and other weeks are downright restful.
• As important and fun as a church’s programs are, and as much as I enjoy being a part of planning them and pulling them off, too much time working on programs is exhausting and unfulfilling.  I find things like new members classes, hospital visits and other face-to-face interaction essential to preventing me from feeling like a soul-less administrator of programs and generator of emails.
• On that note, I know that for many pastors preaching becomes a spiritual discipline.  As a pastor who is not a regular preacher, I need connection with God and study of scripture to help keep me sustained and grounded, and this has not been easy.
• Oh, and the people are wonderful.  We have our curmudgeons, our the-sky-is-falling crisis addicts, and those who will never be happy with what we are doing, as every church does.  But the people have been incredibly encouraging, supportive and welcoming both to me and to Kristen.  They have done much to make this first year as good a year as it has been.

I’m sure I’ve left things out.  How can I summarize a whole year in a single post?  Kristen and I both look forward to the years ahead and all that they will bring.

Three British men set out on a “green” boating expedition, relying solely upon wind, the sun, and man power to complete the journey.  Nearly 40 schools were keeping up with their expedition, which was designed to bring people’s attention to climate change.  They ran into rough weather and had to send for help.  And you wouldn’t believe who swept in to their rescue: an oil tanker.

Upon being rescued, one of the three men apparently told reporters that they were “safely and ironically” aboard the tanker.