Last week I took a group to Seminars 4 Worship, a worship conference put on by Integrity in Danville. There were concerts by Lincoln Brewster, Ross Parsley and the Desperation Band, Don Moen and Tommy Walker. There were sessions led by Jack Hayford, Sally Morgenthaler and Pete Sanchez (writer of "I Exalt Thee"). I had a great time and was able to relax and enjoy myself. Luanne's mom was here to watch the kids, so Luanne came with me, and we even spent the night in Danville one night.
I guess the main thing I walked away with was a hunger... a deep desire to really experience God in worship. Hayford said that it's great to sing and praise God. It's great to hear from the Word of God... but what would it be like to be discipled by Jesus Himself? If He is truly among us through His Holy Spirit, then why not? What would that look and feel like? I want to know... Do we actually come to worship as a body expecting to meet with God? Yesterday in church we sang "Meet with Me" by Ten Shekel Shirt... "I'm here to meet with You. Come and meet with me." Are we really coming to meet with God? I want to know what that's like.
Desperation Band, Lincoln Brewster and Tommy Walker were all amazing. I am a big fan of Jared Anderson and Glenn Packiam from Desperation. Jared wrote two songs that we love at Sunday At 6: "Amazed" and "Treasure."
I'm in love. I just got the new 60GB Video iPod. I've already filled it with, let's see...6,619 songs and a video too... Pixar's "For the Birds." And here's the sweet thing: I only had to pay $100 or so for it. I got a 20GB iPod last Christmas from Luanne, and I loved it, but I filled it up pretty quickly... About a month ago, it broke. My computer wouldn't recognize it any more, and I couldn't reformat it. So, luckily for us, Luanne had purchased the 2-year product replacement plan from Best Buy. So all I had to do was send it in and I got a voucher for the original purchase price in the mail. Then I took my voucher for $300 in and bought a lot more than I could have a year ago! 
Moral of the story: Buy the service plan.
Here's a fun iPod exercise... I'll list the first 10 songs that come up on shuffle and comment on each one...
01: Viola by Girlyman (from "Remember Who I Am") - Girlyman is a neo-folk trio. I saw them open for the Indigo Girls in July. Sweet harmonies and interesting arrangements. Maybe a cross between Alison Krauss and Richard Shindell, with a little Ani DiFranco thrown in for good measure. They are very diverse in ethnicity and sexuality. I enjoyed them live, but their CDs are a little bland.
02: Hopeless, Etc. by Adam Again (from "Dig") - "Dig" is the best CD put out by this amazing band. I first heard them as a teenager in Indiana on a compilation tape, and I was mesmerized by Gene Eugene's voice and lyrics. They were among the community of underground Christian bands on the West Coast that included LSU, DAS, The Choir, Daniel Amos and The 77s. Although Gene died early and Adam again is no more, Riki Michele has continued to record, and I loved her "Surround Me" record. Hopeless, Etc. has a ridiculously long note held out by Gene that always blows me away. It must have been studio trickery.
03: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush (from "Hounds of Love") - I always think of Kate Bush as a spacy, witchy banshee... but she's a brilliant banshee too. This song is so driving, percolating on a bed of 80s synthesizers. Her layered, wailing vocals just sell it. I have no idea what it's about, but I can sing along with every word. "C'mon, baby... C'mon, c'mon darling, let's exchange the experience!"
04: Freedom by Wham! (from "Make It Big") - What can I say? I'm a sucker for George Michael's voice and the big, cheesy 80s Wham! sound.
05: 33 RPM Soul by Michelle Shocked (from "Arkansas Traveler") - I discovered Michelle Shocked in high school as my musical horizons were being broadened to include blues and folk. "Arkansas Traveler" was my first Michele Shocked tape, and although "Come a Long Way" has always been my favorite song from that album, this is a close second. It featured Pops Staples, and it flat-out grooves. I recently found out that she deliberately hid vulgar words in other more innocent words... So, basically, this song turns out to be an exercise in vulgarity. But a VERY clever one. I won't give any examples here.
06: Be My Joy by Maria McKee (from "High Dive") - Maria McKee is another banshee, but kind of an earthy one. I love her stuff, because she emotes like none other. This is kind of a desperate, co-dependent love song. She is losing her mind on this song. She is begging some guy to love her and to be her joy. She croaks out at one point "You made me so happy, Baby. Have I told you that?" And she sounds miserable. It's brilliant. It's even better on her "Live in Hamburg" CD.
07: Cracking by Suzanne Vega (from "Suzanne Vega") - Suzanne Vega is one of my favorite poets. It's funny. Her voice is not special. It's rather plain and boring, but something about it works with her words and music. This is a strange song, opening her very first recording, all the way back in 1985, before "Luka" had ever hit the airwaves. It's plaintive and meandering. About a woman walking on the sidewalks, thinking about life and losing sense of place and direction. The vocals are clipped, spoken... "It's a one... time... thing. It just... happens... a lot. Walk with me... and we will see what we have got. Aaaaahhhhh...."
08: Sevens by 77s (from "ep") - One of the finest songs my buddy (I love saying that) Mike Roe has ever recorded with the 77s. It's from their tiny little "ep," produced in 1999. I'm not sure what it's all about, but I'm pretty sure it's about love gone sour, and it features a gorgeous, soaring vocal by Mike. It's in some crazy meter... 5/8 or something. I should be able to figure it out, but I'm tired.
09: Not an Addict by K's Choice (from "Lilith Fair, Volume 3") - Great song. I don't know much about K's Choice, except they're from Europe somewhere and Sarah Bettens has a great voice. This song is powerful because it is all about denial... "I'm not an addict... Maybe that's a lie." I love the way it opens... just a cappella "a-ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah..." and then a bass line, establishing the groove... Very nice. Sarah Bettens sounds a little like a tougher Emily Saliers.
10: If I Could by Seal (from "Seal 1994") - The smoothest of the smooth, Seal, has Joni Mitchell join him for this one. (It was a reciprocal agreement, apparently, because Seal appeared on Joni's "Turbulent Indigo" album around the same time to even greater effect.) This is totally MOR, but I love it. I'm kind of a sap for these kinds of songs, and their voices together are really nice.
That was fun...
I leave tomorrow for Pismo Beach with my friend Tony. I'm going to a retreat for Covenant pastors with Robert K. Johnston and Catherine M. Barsotti. They are married film critics/theologians/authors. We are going to watch movies together and discuss their spiritual implications. I can't wait. Pismo is supposed to be spectacular. Too bad Luannie won't be with me.
I'm digging www.myspace.com these days... Finding a bunch of old friends and students. Come check out my page at www.myspace.com/mattnightingale and add me as a friend!