More from XPN here.
The Power of Adapting Hymns
N.T. Wright reflects in his book Surprised by Hope on the final stanza in the hymn How Great Tho Art:
“When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.”The second line, Wright argues, might be better read “And heal this world, what joy shall fill my heart.” Actually, the original Swedish version of the hymn doesn’t talk about Christ coming to take me home; that was the translator’s adaption. Rather, it speaks of the veils of time falling, faith being changed into clear sight, and the bells of eternity summoning us to our Sabbath rest, all of which has a lot more to recommend it.
Wright’s book focuses on rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church. If you are interested in these topics or want to find a more unambiguous understanding of what the church should preach, it is worth finding at your local library.
SuperHeavy
In case you hadn’t heard, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones started a super group called SuperHeavy, consisting of himself, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, A.R. Rahman, and Dave Stewart. Their single, Miracle Worker, is a nice song, and their full length album comes out the end of next month.
Summer, Heat, and Lethargy II
Enjoy this trippy video for a French indie-pop group, The Bewitched Hands.
Summer, Heat, and Lethargy
I haven’t felt the desire to blog in a few weeks. Why? Politics as usual has bored me (especially with the debt ceiling debate). The heat has zapped some of my energy, good books have abounded, and music has been all around me.
Only a few times this week have I checked my blogroll. Here is a nice summer video you can sit back and enjoy:
PURE BRONTE from Marcus O’Brien on Vimeo.
Summer Music: Torches by Foster The People
If you are in need of a summer album to listen to in the car or elsewhere, check out Foster The People’s album Torches. Most people know of their lead single “Pumped Up Kicks“, but the other 9 tracks on their debut album will not disappoint. They are just as catchy, funky, and dance-able.
Also, you can listen to an interview they did with XPN as well as some live studio tracks from Torches here.
Pictures of the Day
Pictured: A man dressed as a seagull walks beside people while they rest on a bench in the Circus Field during the Glastonbury Festival, on June 25, 2011. (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)
These are pretty interesting and cool pictures. Check ’em out!
New Coldplay: ‘Major Minus’ and ‘Moving to Mars’
These are from the upcoming Every Teardrop is a Waterfall EP. Enjoy:
H/T: All About the Music
The Revolution Will Be Live
Paying respect to Gil passing the other week with a neat video to his one song “The Revolution will not be Televised”.
Afternoon Links
Read up:
- A list of the 50 best cover songs ever.
- Some info behind the sped-up re-authorization of the PATRIOT act.
- A drug war-style raid on a house that had some small connection to viewing a pornographic website a year ago.
- A Macbook thief gets pwned.
- Police officers in New Mexico can take guns away from drivers who pose no threat.
- A Mexican teacher has been honoured after video footage showed her calming pupils (via singing to them) as a gun battle raged outside her school.
70 Pictures of Bob Dylan For His 70th Birthday
Pictured: Bob Dylan performs at the Singers Club Christmas Party in London, December 22, 1962.