My Mission Statement for 2006:

I am a Revolutionary in the service of God Almighty. My life is not my own; I exist as a free man but have voluntarily become a slave to God. My role on earth is to live as a Revolutionary, committed to love, holiness and advancing God's kingdom. My life is not about me and my own natural desires; it is all about knowing, loving and serving God with all my heart, mind, strength and soul.

[From George Barna's Revolution.]

Let it be. Amen.

We'll call this one favorite musical experiences. There's no other category.

Best Concerts

OK, so really, this is more like only concerts. Nevertheless, since my "concert budget" is so small, I plan these very carefully and only go to ones that will be great. I must say, 2005 was the best concert-going year yet. First off, back in February, my buddy Eric took me to San Jose to see U2 for the first time. It was a religious experience. Kings of Leon opened, and that was fine for them. But then U2 came out onto the stage and in three magnificent songs, just blew my mind. There were more highlights than I have time to mention. One cool thing: Bono pointed me out to the crowd and mentioned my new album. Right. No, really... about a week later, Eric handed me a CD of the concert. Some bootlegger out there had recorded it, and now I have a recording of that evening. Love it.

Just a few weeks later, I finally got to see Linford and Karin: Over the Rhine. It was at a little club up in San Francisco. Kim Taylor opened. I got to talk with them after... Really great show.

In July, Luanne and I got to see the Indigo Girls live here in Redwood City. Again, just amazing. It was so fun to see these musicians I've admired for so long. It was a dream come true. Just Amy, Emily and their multitude of guitars. Who needs a band? 

One concert I'm looking forward to with great anticipation: The Manhattan Transfer is coming to Redwood City in March. I've been a big fan of these brilliant singers since high school. I love seeing genius in action.

Best Music-Making Experiences:

I can't ignore the most significant musical experience that happened to me this year. My album, Still Standing, was recorded and released. The legendary Mike Roe (77s, Lost Dogs) produced it, and the 77s (Mike, Mark Harmon and Bruce Spencer) were the rhythm section for the whole record. What a dream... What started as a nervous phone call to a hero led to all kinds of fun experiences. Here are a few:

Overhearing Mike call Terry Taylor on his birthday and getting to sing along on "Happy Birthday."

Sitting in the choir room at church with Mike and his guitar... Reminiscing about Gene Eugene and bursting into an impromptu sing-along of the greats: "Dunce Cap" and "Jimmy."

Going to The Warehouse, the church that launched the careers of The 77s, Charlie Peacock, Brent Bourgeois and others, to record drum tracks in their studio. Meeting Bruce Spencer and hearing him work his magic on my tracks.

Lying on Mike's couch, laughing hysterically at a Swirling Eddies DVD. I really thought Mike might die laughing.

Riding in Mike's car, trying not to eavesdrop, but not being able to help overhearing a conversation with Derri Daugherty where they decide - on the spot - NOT to record Jeff, the much-anticipated follow-up to Mutt. History being destroyed.

Hearing Ralph Stover's first loops for "Oh My Child" and realizing that this song was going to sound really good.

Too many more to mention. What an honor.

All righty then, here we go. These posts are getting longer and longer, and I'm sleepy tonight. And although I love music, and I love to make music, and I love to talk about and share and download music, it's difficult for me to write about music sometimes. Maybe I'm just too close to be objective. Elvis Costello once famously said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. It's a really stupid thing to want to do." (This quote has been attributed to many, from Frank Zappa to Martin Mull, but if my sources are correct, it was Costello who said it first, in an interview in Musician Magazine entitled "A Man Out of Time Beats the Clock" by Timothy White - October, 1983.)

I'll get to it. My top ten favorite albums of 2005, along with ten I discovered in 2005.

Top Ten of 2005

01: Sufjan Stevens, Illinois - Without question , my favorite album of the year. Wildly eclectic and experimental, but with a warmth and cohesiveness that so many other albums lack. It's a deeply spiritual and personal album, but sweeping and cinematic at the same time. It's these contrasts that make the album so appealing to me. As you can guess from the title, every song references the state of Illinois in some way. The heart of the album is the gorgeous and understated "John Wayne Gacy Jr." It tells the story of Illinois's most infamous serial killer. It's chilling, literally. At one point I got chills up and down my spine... That must have happened the first 10 times I listened to the song. The song ends with Stevens pulling back the floorboards to reveal his own sick tendencies. The secrets we all try to hids. Very powerful.

02: Derek Webb, Mockingbird - This one comes in at the end of the year to finish way up near the top. Derek Webb, ex-Caedmon's Call member, is an amazing singer, guitarist and songwriter. His albums have grown so much... And he's prolific. Four albums now since he left Caedmon's (to their one)... Folk/rock/alternative/pop. And lyrically, he makes me think like few can. His "A New Law" is genius. Sometime I'll post those lyrics.

03: Michelle Shocked, Don't Ask Don't Tell; Got No Strings; Mexican Standoff (You can also buy them in a bargain-priced box set called Threesome.) - I've loved Michelle Shocked since I first heard "Come a Long Way" from Arkansas Traveler back in high school. I lost track along the way, and there came a point where I really couldn't care less about what she was releasing. But now, freed of all label constraints and an unhappy marriage; and experiencing a new, deepened Christian spirituality, she releases not one, but three albums on the same day. She has a throaty, strong, supple voice that can sing many styles convincingly. Don't Ask... is her straight-up rock record. Streetwise, edgy, bluesy. I agree with other critics who've called it a "grown-up" Short Sharp Shocked. Got No Strings is a collection of Disney standards done in a Western swing style. Mexican Standoff is a strange collection of over-the-top "Mexican" songs and rockin' Tex-Mex barroom songs. Bottom line, I love them all.

04: Over the Rhine, Drunkard's Prayer - One of my favorite bands ever, Over the Rhine has been one of the music worlds best-kept secrets. Hailing from Cincinnatti, Ohio, they've been toiling away in near-obscurity, making some of the sweetest, most literate, haunting, thought-provoking songs ever. The "band" has now been whittled down to husband and wife Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. This album came about after the almost-breakout 2003 album, Ohio. It was a critical hit, a sprawling, gorgeous double album of Americana. They were touring with a full band. I even had tickets to their San Francisco show. And then, much to the chagrin of their fans and their record company, they pulled out. They went home. They didn't make any excuses except to tell the truth. Their marriage was in trouble, and they wanted to save it. They would come home every evening, open a bottle of wine, and sit and talk until the bottle was gone. Drunkard's Prayer was born out of that time. It's  their quietest album yet, and lovely and sad and hope-filled.

05: David Crowder*Band, A Collision or (3+4=7) - OK, these "capsule" reviews are taking me a lot of time. Condense, Matt, condense. David Crowder*Band is original, daring, experimental, groovy and downright loopy. This album includes electronic dance music and a hoedown. And it's all just great. Although, David, I think your Sufjan influences are starting to show a little bit. What gave it away? Maybe the mile-long titles. Maybe the Sufjan cover.

06: Shannon McNally, Geronimo - I heard the song "The Worst Part of a Broken Heart" on a Paste Magazine sampler and I was hooked. The album is even better in its entirety. Strong, bluesy, warm, sweet, sultry, cool, rough-and-tumble. I had heard her first album this year and liked it, but nothing prepared me for this. I also saw her playing and singing in Rufus Wainwright's band on his Want Two DVD. She's the real deal.

07: Ryan Adams, Cold Roses; Jacksonville City Nights; 29 - Ryan Adams also released three albums this year, but he took a whole year to do it, releasing the third, 29, just this month. Yeah, they're good. Great even. The first two he recorded with his new band, The Cardinals, and the last one is a solo affair. If you're a Ryan fan, you'll love them. If you're new, I'd start with something earlier.

08: The Choir, O How the Mighty Have Fallen - Woo-hoo! The Choir are back! These guys have been making great music for a long, long time, and they're finally starting to get a little recognition! They've made Marc Byrd an official member of the band now, and it's only helped their atmospheric pop/rock grow. They've always been great songwriters. Now their songs crackle with newfound energy and power. Get it.

09: Aimee Mann, The Forgotten Arm - Aimee is a true pop artist, meaning that her songs have memorable melodies and hooks, they're generally not too long, and they're not trying to be something they're not. With The Forgotten Arm she achieves an amazing thing... A concept album where all the songs work as individual gems or as part of the larger story. Like Michelle Shocked, Ani DiFranco and other artists who have taken the reins away from the labels and run their own careers, Aimee is free to explore new things and to control everything, down to the fonts and artwork in the liner notes.

10: Coldplay, X&Y - Yeah, I know there was a lot of hoopla surrounding this release, and it was Chris Martin this and Chris Martin that and "the new U2" and blah blah blah. But it's a darn good album. Nothing really special or new, just really great Coldplay music. "White Shadows" is my favorite song. He does that thing with his voice... Ah ah ah ah ah... breaking up into his falsetto... It's perfect. A perfect moment.

Honorable Mentions: Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine; Architecture in Helsinki, In Case We Die; Sam Ashworth, Gonna Get It Wrong Before I Get It Right; Andrew Bird, Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs; The Decemberists, Picaresque; Delirious?, The Mission Bell; Eisley, Room Noises; The Fray, How To Save a Life; Sara Groves, Add to the Beauty; Imogen Heap, Speak for Yourself; Indigo Girls, Rarities; Iron & Wine, Our Endless Numbered Days; Kevin Max, The Imposter; Maria McKee, Peddlin' Dreams; Erin McKeown, We Will Become Like Birds; Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic; Mute Math, Reset [EP]; Sinéad O'Connor, Throw Down Your Arms; Tremolo, Love Is the Greatest Revenge; Laura Veirs, Year of Meteors

And Albums from Years Past That I Discovered This Year:

01: Joseph Arthur, Our Shadows Will Remain - Heard the song "Even Tho," fell in love, bought the CD. Rock and roll.

02: 77s, Pray Naked - Even after being a 77s fan all these years, it was not until I was staying with the frontman himself, Mike Roe, that I finally got a copy. He burned me one. I guess it's not illegal when the artist himself give you a copy. It's an amazing album. I see what all the fuss is about. For me, there's always a moment on an album that just makes it. On this one it's the strange and beautiful vocal melody line on the verses of "Kites Without Strings." Completely unexpected, perfectly executed and, in hindsight, after being unsettled by it, completely right. Mike Roe: You rock!!

03: Sufjan Stevens, Michigan - Illinois's predecessor. Almost as strange and wonderful, but not quite.

04: Mat Kearney, Bullet - Acoustic, Coldplay-esque songs with a thick hip-hop vibe. Christian guy makes sweet crossover music and tours with Liz Phair. Color me impressed.

05: Hem, Eveningland - A gorgeous follow-up to 2001's Rabbit Songs.

06: Shawn McDonald, Simply Nothing - What's it mean when you love the studio album and can't stand the live one? Probably nothing good, but oh well. I love this studio album. Shawn has a killer voice and great knack for writing killer songs with killer vibes and killer hooks.

07: Indigo Girls, All That We Let In - The Indigo Girls, in my opinion, are one of the finest musical groups of our generation. They write consistently good material and play it even better, if that's possible. This album finds them again at the top of their game, lyically and musically.  Find a more gorgeous title track, I dare you.

08: Keane, Hopes and Fears - My buddy Chris told me about Keane, and I'm sure glad he did. Just listen to them and you'll like them too. Piano-based pop/rock. Great vocals. Great songs.

09: David Byrne, Grown Backwards - I love this guy. I finally discovered him after all these years. Where have I been? He's an oddball, but I really like his voice, and I really like this album.

10: Tears for Fears, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending - Me included. These guys buried the hatchet and came out with a tremendous musical offering. The best in years. OK, I'm done. Good night.

Honorable Mentions: 2nd Chapter of Acts, The Roar of Love; Gavin DeGraw, Chariot; Christine Dente, Becoming; The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots; Frou Frou, Details; Hanson, Middle of Nowhere, This Time Around, Underneath; Rilo Kiley, More Adventurous; Shannon McNally, Jukebox Sparrows; Leona Naess, Leona Naess; Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville; Poe, Haunted; Josh Rouse, Nashville; Todd Rundgren, The Very Best of Todd Rundgren; The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow; John Vanderslice, Cellar Door

Good morning, friends... This one will be a rather short post... My in-laws arrive this morning, and we're having Christmas all over again. So I'm going to post this and get to work for a while. Sunday still comes, week after week, holidays or not... Ah, the life of a worship pastor.

Reading. Nothing feeds my soul like books. Here are the ones that rocked me in 2005, no matter when they were published:

Non-Fiction:

01: A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN - Brian McLaren - McLaren is my favorite author, and here's another reason why. He continually makes me think. He makes me uncomfortable. He makes me angry. He raises questions that he doesn't answer. He helps me to be comfortable living with the Mystery that is God. As you can tell from the title, he's not comfortable with titles... Or, more accurately, he's comfortable with all titles, as long as he's not pigeonholed into one. My favorite adjective in that long string is the last one: Unfinished. We're still on this journey until we reach heaven, and we would do well to remember that.

02: The Last Word and The Word After That - Brian McLaren - What's that? Fiction? I don't think so... Sure, it's wrapped up in a story... Just like Jesus's parables, McLaren's teaching is best done through story. And over the course of three books, I've come to care about Dan and Neo and their families and friends. But mostly I care about their journey... because it mirrors my own in so many ways. McLaren will be the first to say these are philosophical books thinly disguised as fiction. Now this one was difficult. It deals with Final Things. Hell in particular. It started a journey of soul-searching, reading, sleepless nights and much prayer that isn't over yet. But that's the point, right? And through all of it, I've learned one thing: Trust in God. Trust completely in God.

03: The Present Future - Reggie McNeal - McNeal is a Southern Baptist, but you wouldn't know it. He travels the country, writing and speaking and consulting. He's convinced that church as we know it is quickly becoming a thing of the past. He's convinced me too. Talk about sleepless nights! This one kept me up too. Are we going to maintain "The Club" or advance The Church? I'm excited because Reggie has agreed to consult with my church, PCC, for the next six months. I had lunch with him a few weeks ago - just Tony G., Reggie and me - and he gave me so much hope for an amazing future here.

04: God's Politics - Jim Wallis - I heard Wallis speak at the Covenant Midwinter Conference last February. He's the founder of Sojourners, and this book gave me direction... a middle path. I think the Left has left God out of the picture for far too long, and the Right thinks that God's on their side, uniquivocally, not only on issues like abortion but military spending and tax cuts for the wealthy! Wallis has helped me see that Christians are to be involved in politics, being salt and light in a dark world, and alleviating suffering in the name of Jesus wherever possible. He's helped me to see that mundane things like budgets are a moral issue! So much more... Read and be enlightened!

05: Four Views on Hell - Clark Pinnock, Zachary Hayes, John Walvoord & Williams Crockett - One of the books I was compelled to read after McLaren started messing with me. Another book that led me to my knees...

06: Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller - Miller, whose Blue Like Jazz is becoming required reading for 21st C. followers of Jesus, writes The Sequel. More of the same... And would we want anything different? Cool, quirky guy follows Jesus and invites us along for the ride. Makes we want to be his friend. Oh, and Jesus's too.

07: Read. Think. Pray. Live. - Tony Jones - This is a great, easy-to-read guide to the ancient practice of lectio divina. As a man who is better at wanting to read the bible than actually reading the bible, I appreciate this approach. It has helped me to get to the actual practice.

08: Praise Habit - David Crowder - Crowder fronts one of my favorite bands, the appropropriately named David Crowder*Band, and here he lets us into his head a little bit as he seeks to worship God and to lead others to do the same. I especially like the (near-) insight into the secrets of his hair.

09: Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 - Steve Stockman - A thoroughly-researched, highly informative-but-enjoyably readable book on the overt and covert spiritual journey of Bono and Co. 

10: Plan B - Anne Lamott - I put this on the list not because I thought it was so good - it wasn't. In fact, it was a disappointment after her marvelous Must Read, Traveling Mercies. But it was another perspective on Left Coast Christianity. My favorite thing was seeing a Left-Wing Radical like Anne Lamott admit that her hatred of President Bush was as poisonous and sinful as the Right's hatred of President Clinton. The cool thing? She confesses it, works on it and turns it over to God.

Fiction:

01: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling - Joshua and I went to Santa Cruz and partied in the release of this latest installation. I committed to him that I would not read ahead, and we got through it pretty quickly. Another father-son bonding experience. I love the HP books... And I can't believe that _____________ kills _____________!

02: Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz - The sweetest character I've ever encountered in a Koontz novel. I've blogged a bit about this one, so I'll lay off, but I really loved this book. Great plot. Great dialogue. Great romance. Great chills.

03: The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd - I've said that this reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird. The protagonist is a young, spunky girl who learns a lot about life and love and God. I picked this up mostly because I was bored and curious. I couldn't put it down and it quickly became a favorite. Only time will tell, but I predict it will become a classic. My grandkids will have to read it in 9th grade.

04: THR3E - Ted Dekker - Although the plot was shockingly similar to a joke in the movie Adaptation, this book surprised me again and again. Dekker is a new discovery for me this year, and he helped me love fiction again. This book is thrilling... suspenseful, romantic, sad, horrifying. And I have to say this. Dekker is an evangelical Christian, but you wouldn't know it. That's high praise from me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that he doesn't fall (at least in this book) to the temptation of preaching when he should stick to telling a great story.

05: Black - Ted Dekker - The first in a trilogy. OK, OK, after what I just said about Dekker's not preaching, I'll admit that this one is a pretty thinly-veiled Creation/Fall/Redemption metaphor. But it's a darn good one, and I'm hooked. I actually had all three books home from the library and was ready to dive into the next one when I realized I needed a break. Not from Dekker or the series... just from spending hours every week reading fiction! I'll grab the next one in the new year.

06: Forever Odd - Dean Koontz - I was so excited about this; I was the first at my local library to check it out. I had it reserved two months before it was published. And while it retains some of the pervasive dread of the first book, and Odd continues to delight with his thoughts and words, the plot really disappoints. A great deal of the charm of the original novel lay in the colorful supporting characters and the little town of Pico Mundo. Odd is removed from both here, and the book suffers for it. Still, it was easily my most-anticipated read of 2005, and I was more than happy to spend three evenings with a great guy like Odd Thomas.

No self-respecting blogger can resist the allure of year-end lists. I am no exception. So, dear reader, I offer up to you the first in a week-long series of Favorite Things. I am no expert; these are merely my opinions and feelings, so I invite you to share yours as well! What were your favorites this year?

Movies... I'll do two lists here... Movies actually released in 2005, and movies I discovered for the first time in 2005. Again, I'm not claiming that these are the best... They're just my favorites... Movies that stirred something in me or made me laugh or brought me a little closer to God in the dark sanctuary we call the theater.

Top 10 Favorite 2005 Releases

01: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Maybe I'm going mainstream in my old age, but for my theater buck, you couldn't get more bang than this one. Joshua and I are big HP fans. We've read all the novels, and we went to see this one on opening night. We stood in line for an hour and were lucky to get to site together! I've already published a review. Suffice it to say I was very pleased. It was magical.

02: King Kong - I just watched this film this afternoon, so it may be a bit premature to declare it my second favorite film of 2005. But I have to say that it was the most effortless three hours I've ever spent in a theater. I was spellbound from the first frame. Peter Jackson knows how to create a vivid fantasy world and draw his viewers into it from start to finish. This movie plays like grand opera... Hardly realistic, but entrancing nonetheless.

03: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - Probably my most-anticipated film of 2005. I have been waiting for this film since I was 13 years old or so. I think I first read this book in 3rd grade, and I read it many times throughout my growing-up years. For some reason it moved me profoundly, even then, and I always wanted to share it with others. I read it aloud to my sister Sarah at one point during our childhood, and I read it to my new bride within the first year of our marriage back in 1993. So how's the movie work? In a word: Brilliantly. Beautiful performances from the humans and nearly flawless CGI work combines to make this one unforgettable.

04: Rent - I've also blogged on this one, so I'll spare you the review. I really, really enjoyed this film.

05: Cinderella Man - Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger rock in this beautifully filmed, beautifully written true story of a second chance. Their acting is so lived-in... I believed that they really loved each other, that they were really desperate. I loved seeing what NYC was like during the Great Depression. I love it when a film transports you to another time and place and helps you feel what it must have been like... even a little glimpse. What is it with boxing movies, anyway? I love boxing moveis... Can't stand to watch real boxing...

06: North Country - Charlize Theron gives an awesome performance as a woman who just wants to earn a paycheck and support her kids. I loved Frances McDormand's supporting work, too. Ever since Fargo, she's been stealing every movie whe's in. I think what blew my mind the most about this movie is that it's set in 1989. I can't hardly believe that we've come so far in such a short time. It seems to common-sense now, so obvious. But only 16 years ago, we lived in a very different country. For all those who think this world's going to hell in a handbasket... just realize we're actually getting better and better in some ways... Thank God!

07: Pride & Prejudice - This was one of those movies that I only went to because my wife wasn't in the mood for "Walk the Line." I knew it would be good, but I wasn't in the mood. It turned out to be one of my favorite films of the year, thanks to glowing performances by Keira Knightley and unknown (to me) actor Matthew McFadyen. Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench and Brenda Blethyn are uniformly brilliant as well. This is one period piece that isn't afraid to get dirty... I loved the realistic touches like mud on the hems of the girls' skirts after walking outside.

08: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I love Johnny Depp. I love Tim Burton. With the exception of the nearly-unwatchable musical numbers, I had a wonderful time with this one. What a sweet, beautiful ending. And, no, I do not think he was trying to act like Michael Jackson.

09: War of the Worlds - Intense suspense. Super-cool special effects. So-so acting. Fun experience. I am going mainstream.

10: Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - You know, it's more an event than a movie, but I loved it. I'll admit going in really tired and feeling almost bewildered by the opening battle scene. Too much, too close, too fast... But I soon fell into the rhythm of the story and found that I actually cared about Anakin. It's tragic knowing what happens to him, but oddly conforting to know the redemption that comes in Episode VI. Even as the film ended, I could picture the trio - Anakin, Obi-wan and Yoda - beaming down on Luke and Leia in soft-focus glow. Hard to believe I saw the first Star Wars film when I was only six years old. Hard to believe my dad took me to Star Wars, but I remember it vividly. Nothing like that Bar scene... Remember how that was the big talk? Here it is 28 years later. What a project. You have to hand it to Lucas for seeing it through to completion.

My Must-See-Soon List:

Syriana

Walk the Line

Munich

Duane Hopwood

Capote

Batman Begins

The Producers

The Constant Gardener

Top 10 New Discoveries from Previous Years (Plus 3 I can't ignore.)

01: Hotel Rwanda - This movie was for me what Fahrenheit 9/11 was last year. A wake-up call. Don Cheadle was amazing...

02: Million Dollar Baby - Clin Eastwood gets better and better. I loved last year's Mystic River, and this one is even better. Hilary Swank is perfect. Clint is great as a real man, longing for love and redemption, questioning God and the Church. Morgan Freeman is great. Everything about this movie is just about perfect.

03: Garden State - I loved this film. A man's journey to feel. To be a real man and experience life and love and pain. To not escape reality and numb out. Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are great. The airport scene at the end is powerful, with sweet music by Frou Frou.

04: The Woodsman - One of the most riveting performances I've seen all year. Kevin Bacon stars as a convicted child molester who has just gotten out of jail and is trying to rebuild a bridge to the rest of the world. His real-life wife, Kyra Sedgwick, stars as a woman willing to stay with him even after hearing the ugly truth about his past. His scenes of temptation are powerful and realistic, dreadful and moving all at the same time. He helps us to see the human face behind the monster, but he's all-too-aware that the monster lurks within and could act out any moment.

05: Crash - Amazing performances, emotionally harrowing scenes, great storytelling. This brings up deep and seemingly unanswerable questions about race relations in America. No easy answers, but we need art like this to get people talking and thinking. I especially enjoyed Matt Dillon's work as a cruel, racist cop who has to face the object of his abuse in a most unusual and potentially redemptive situation and Sandra Bullock as a sad - hopeless, really - woman whose empty life is surrounded on all sides by fear and a deep, not-so-subtle racism.

06: Dekalog - Made for Polish television in the late 1980s, this collection of 10 short films deal with questions of life and death, sex, honesty, fears, love, hope, capital punishment, redemption. Never overtly preachy or religious, it nevertheless causes me to reflect on the things that matter most.

07: Ray - A powerful, redemptive story. I had no idea what tragedy informed this amazing musician's life. And the ending brought me to tears as he began to deal with his demons and make peace with the past.

08: The Aviator - Howard Hughes was brilliant and insane, and this film depicts both powerfully. Cate Blanchett basically channels Katherine Hepburn. I loved this flight of the Spruce Goose.

09: Millions - So sweet and fun and magical and original. I've never seen a film incorporate the saints like this one.

10: Spanglish - Adam Sandler takes a dramatic turn in this one. It's funny and sweet and sad and tragic.

11: The Royal Tennenbaums - I'm falling for Wes Anderson and his very strange but oddly affecting films. This one takes family dysfunction to new heights but somehow makes the despicable characters almost human and loveable.

12: Carrie - A 70s horror classic. Good, freaky, campy fun with a very young Sissy Spacek and John Travolta. Pig's bood, 70s prom dresses, feathered hair and obsessive mothers make for a great flick.

13: Luther - This would have charted higher if it werre not for (in my opinion) a glaring error. I loved this film's serious treatment of Martin Luther as a man. I love that his spirituality is depicted as genuine. The rip-off is the ending. Good grief. Take us to the pinnacle of the story and then leave us hanging. They wrote the rest of the story of the screen... for us to read, for heaven's sake. It's like they ran out of money and said, "Well, that's all the film we've got. Someone write a summary."

Not Half As Bad As I Expected

Madagascar - Again, went for the kids and ended up being entertained myself.

Bewitched - Critics beat this one to a pulp, but it was clever and romantic.

Hitch - Will Smith's big romantic comedy. Honestly, not half bad. I laughed a lot. It's not high art, but it was a great date with my wife! His allergic reaction is priceless.

Biggest Disappointments, or, This Should Have Been SO Much Better...

The Interpreter - This should have been brilliant. I was bored to tears. I fell asleep, literally. I never do that.

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - I'm sorry. I simply do not get this. A few critics actually named this the best film of the year. I just was not entertained by this movie. What is wrong with me?

Well, my friends... Who's the biggest loser? That's right... Even the week before Christmas, I managed to lose 11.6 pounds. In one week. I can't really tell you how, except I stuck to the point system religiously. I also have a feeling that my first weigh-in might have been a little on the heavy side because I had been basically gorging myself for a week.

Any lessons learned? Well, I've remembered how dangerous Starbucks can be. To give you an example: I love the chai eggnog latte. Man, when Thanksgiving hits and that drink comes back around, I am one happy man. Now I know lots of people who can't stand nog (My lovely wife, for one, says that the texture of eggnog reminds her of what comes out of one's nose...), but I have always really liked it. So, put that nectar of the gods in a cup with chai tea and it's glorious. Back to the point... Even if you get the tall (Starbuckian for "small") nonfat chai eggnog latte, it's still seven points. Seven points! And I only get twenty-eight every day... When I get the venti (again, Starbuckian for "large"), it's twelve points. I shudder to think how many points I was ingesting for all those pre-WW weeks when I was downing up to two full-fat Ventis daily.

In closing, here are some good reminders of why I want to be healthy in the first place!

This is a great post, from a cool site I just discovered called GodSpy. It certainly has been true in my experience that, typically, so-called "Christian movies" suck, while some of my most profound spiritual experiences have occurred while watching the films of non-Christian filmmakers. Read the article and tell me what you think!

Why Do Heathens Make the Best Christian Films?

Can't be too thoughtful tonight, so here's a list... easy enough, right? :: Drumroll please :: My official picks for the 2006 Oscars. Please feel free to comment and leave your own predictions. We'll see who's right... And since all I'm doing is guessing here, I'll go out on a limb and bold my predictions for the winners.

Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain; Good Night, and Good Luck; Munich; Pride & Prejudice; Walk the Line

Best Director: George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck; Paul Haggis, Crash; Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain; James Mangold, Walk the Line; Steven Spielberg, Munich

Best Actor: Ralph Fiennes, The Constant Gardener; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote; Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow; Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain; Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line

Best Actress: Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha; Charlize Theron, North Country; Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice; Claire Danes, Shopgirl; Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

Best Supporting Actor: Jack Black, King Kong; Matt Dillon, Crash; Jake Gylenhall, Brokeback Mountain; William Hurt, A History of Violence; Frank Langella, Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Junebug; Catherine Keener, Capote; Frances McDormand, North Country; Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener; Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

What do you think?

::And on a completely different, and far more important, subject::

Please join me in praying for a friend of Josh's named Cole. He's a fifth grader at Roy Cloud, and he's been in the hosptial for almost three months with leukemia. Recently he developed an infection and now has meningitis and hydroencephalitis. He is struggling to even breathe on his own.

Please pray for miraculous healing for Cole and pray for his two older sisters and grandparents who are raising him.

I was sitting in Donut King this morning waiting for my decaf to brew, and I read an excellent op-ed piece by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. The link is here. Enjoy... and then give me some feedback!

A Challenge for Bill O'Reilly

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Alas, not all prayers can be answered. Fox News Channel's crusade against infidels who prefer generic expressions like "Happy Holidays" included 58 separate segments in just a five-day period.

After I suggested in last Sunday's column that a better way to honor the season might be to stand up to genocide in Darfur (a calamity that Mr. O'Reilly has ignored), Mr. O'Reilly denounced me on his show as a "left-wing ideologue." Bless you, Mr. O'Reilly, and Merry Christmas to you, too!

Later in the show, Mr. O'Reilly described us print journalists in general as "a bunch of vicious S.O.B.'s." Bless you again, Mr. O'Reilly; I'll pray harder for the Christmas spirit to soften your pugnacious soul.

Look, I put up a "Christmas tree," rather than a "holiday tree," and I'm sure Mr. O'Reilly is right that political correctness leads to absurd contortions this time of year. But when you've seen what real war does, you don't lightly use the word to describe disagreements about Christmas greetings. And does it really make sense to offer 58 segments on political correctness and zero on genocide?

Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to religious hypocrites because I've spent a chunk of time abroad watching Muslim versions of Mr. O'Reilly - demagogic table-thumpers who exploit public religiosity as a cynical ploy to gain attention and money. And I always tell moderate Muslims that they need to stand up to blustery blowhards - so today, I'm taking my own advice.

Like the fundamentalist Islamic preachers, Mr. O'Reilly is a talented showman, and my sense is that his ranting is a calculated performance. The couple of times I've been on his show, he was mild mannered and amiable until the camera light went on - and then he burst into aggrieved indignation, because he knew it made good theater.

If Mr. O'Reilly wants to find a Christmas cause, he should invite guests from Catholic Relief Services, World Vision or the National Association of Evangelicals - among the many faith-based organizations that are doing heroic work battling everything from river blindness to sex trafficking. Indeed, the real victims of Mr. O'Reilly are the authentic religious conservatives, because some viewers falsely assume that ill-informed bombast characterizes the entire religious right.

(I'm tempted to think that Mr. O'Reilly is actually a liberal plant, meant to discredit conservatives. Think about it. Who would be a better plant than a self-righteous bully in the style of Father Coughlin or Joe McCarthy? What better way to caricature the right than by having Mr. O'Reilly urge on air that the staff of Air America be imprisoned: "Dissent, fine; undermining, you're a traitor. Got it? So, all those clowns over at the liberal radio network, we could incarcerate them immediately. Will you have that done, please? Send over the F.B.I. and just put them in chains, because they, you know, they're undermining everything.")

Some authentic religious conservatives are embarrassed by television phonies. Cal Thomas, the conservative Christian columnist, warned: "The effort by some cable TV hosts and ministers to force commercial establishments into wishing everyone a 'Merry Christmas' might be more objectionable to the One who is the reason for the season than the 'Happy Holidays' mantra required by some store managers."

So I have a challenge for Mr. O'Reilly: If you really want to defend traditional values, then come with me on a trip to Darfur. I'll introduce you to mothers who have had their babies clubbed to death in front of them, to teenage girls who have been gang-raped and then mutilated - and to the government-armed thugs who do these things.

You'll have to leave your studio, Bill. You'll encounter pure evil. If you're like me, you'll be scared. If you try to bully some of the goons in Darfur, they'll just hack your head off. But you'll also meet some genuine conservative Christians - aid workers who live the Gospel instead of sputtering about it - and you'll finally be using your talents for an important cause.

So, Bill, what'll it be? Will you dare travel to a real war against Christmas values, in which the victims aren't offended shoppers but terrified children thrown on bonfires? I'm waiting to hear.

Weddings. Advent worship gatherings. Buying and wrapping Christmas presents. Planning Christmas Eve. Rehearsals. Trying to stay on top of life in general. Kids. Wife. Friends. God. To borrow my friend Curt's trademarked phrase: "Real life trumps blogging."

Luanne and I are singing in a wedding tomorrow afternoon. Avisha Robinson is marrying Kenneth Mpemba, and the rehearsal dinner was tonight. Avisha and Ken took some time to thank just about everyone in the room after the dinner, and it was really touching. The most poignant moment (for me) was when she thanked her dad, Sean. I had to really fight hard to hold back the tears, and in the end I lost the battle. As I was gulping them back, I leaned over to Luanne and croaked out, "If I'm this way at Ken and Avisha's wedding, what am I gonna do when it's my kid?"

God, thank you for marriage; thank you for this beautiful picture of Your love for us and Your design for us. Please be watching over my kids as they grow, and may they be men and a woman who are satisfied fully in You. For their spouses, Lord, who may even now be out there... Protect them, grow them up in You, prepare them for great and wonderful things that You have planned for them. I'm so glad to know that all of this is in Your caring hands.

I love this picture of Zach and Emmy from around this same time last year. They were a little "bride and groom" in Tony and Wendy's wedding. So cute!

<Update> Weight Watchers was OK this morning. I'm not going to tell you how much I weighed. There's vulnerable, and then there's too vulnerable. I'll tell you what: After I lose all the weight, then I'll tell you what I weighed today when I started. </Update>

OK; I think I'm ready. Tomorrow morning I'm going to Weight Watchers. How's that for accountability? Not only am I going to Weight Watchers, but I'm going to talk about it here... Maybe I'll even let you in on the journey... Here's to health!

I am really tired tonight, and I'm not feeling well, so this is gonna be a very short post.

I recognized some fundamental flaws in the worldview of "Rent," but I still really liked it. The Phantom Tollbooth didn't like it too much. Check out their review here.

More Narnia discussion here, from several of my favorite bloggers/critics/cultural observers.

Finally, I'm excited to announce that I've been asked to be a contributor to a new blog called "Dadbloggers." Please check us out! I'm excited to be a part of a "community blog by Dads, for Dads, giving a male perspective on parenting and family relationships."

Hasta la Bloga...

<Update>

Our governor has denied clemency to Stan Williams. I can't imagine how he'll sleep tonight knowing that a man will die in less than two hours and he could have stopped it. Reminds me of Bush and Karla Faye Tucker. I'm grateful I'm not in that position. I never could be. We need to be praying for these men, our leaders. For strength, for peace, for courage. And for the integrity to listen for the leading of God and then do what God says to do.

</Update>

<Rant>

So, I'm a Christian. And I'm sure that when you read the title of tonight's rant, you're thinking to yourselves... "Oh geez, another Christian complaining that we're all 'taking the Christ out of Christmas.'" But au contraire, gentle reader. I am actually here to complain about the complainers.

For whatever reason, 2005 seems to be the year that a bunch of Christians decided to take offense at the seemingly innocuous December greeting, "Happy Holidays." I keep seeing it pop us as national news, for heaven's sake.

Just last week, the Washington Post ran this story on how "religious conservatives" are angry at President Bush for sending out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season." Check out this oh-so-mature response from Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative website WorldNetDaily.com:  "Bush claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian, but he sure doesn't act like one. I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it." Of course, no one is mentioning that Presidents have gone back and forth on this for years... The Clintons never proclaimed "Merry Christmas" on their cards. Neither have the current Bushes. Not since the first George Bush have the cards said "Merry Christmas." Where were the angry Christian masses then?

Our dear Jerry Falwell is boycotting - again - and threatening legal action against anyone who would dare to "muzzle" them and their constitutional rights to say "Merry Christmas." Tell me: Where are these people who are trying to ban Christmas? I watch TV, I surf the web, I shop in stores... There is no conspiracy here. I see and hear LOTS of "Christmas." Listen to the radio! I have never been persecuted for wishing people a "Merry Christmas," and I live near ::gasp:: San Francisco! Here's David Batsone's take on it, from Sojourners Online. I agree with him.Here's the deal: We live in a postmodern, multicultural society. That is a simple fact. And you know what? I really do hope that my Jewish friends have a Happy Hanukah. I pray that my African-American friends have a wonderful celebration of Kwanzaa. And I pray for all of us to have a very merry Christmas.

Yes, I believe that following Jesus is the path to God. Believing in and following Jesus has saved me. I pray that everyone will come to know the joy and peace that can be found in Christ... but I cannot and will not try to force that on people. I will not fight for my "rights" to be a Christian. Our nation is not a "Christian nation," because nations cannot be Christians; only people can. I pray that people will see what Jesus has done in me and be attracted to God as a result. But I will not win people to Jesus because I'm fighting them over whether our kids are on "Christmas Break" or "Winter Break."

What a waste of time and energy! Perhaps Falwell and Co. could have used their advertising/legal budget to help feed the hungry or fight AIDS in Africa instead. That  kind of activism will win friends and draw people to God.

</Rant>

That's all for tonight. Merry Xmas.

I'll blog more extensively tonight, but just a quick note here. In 16 hours, Stan Williams will be killed unless Governor Schwarzenegger intervenes. Check out this site and sign the online petition! I think this Petition for Executive Clemency is well-written and explains the situation and the mercy we're asking the governor to extend.

I do not support the death penalty in general, but in this case especially, it is clear to me that killing Williams would be removing a powerful force for good in this world.

I'm praying for this man's life to be spared. Please join me.