last blog post for a while.

And It's a doozy. For you AJ, enjoy:

On the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi

St Francis once was living at the Convent of the Portiuncula, with Brother Masseo of Marignano, a man of great sanctity and great discernment, who held frequent converse with God; for which reason St Francis loved him much. One day, as St Francis was returning from the forest, where he had been in prayer, the said Brother Masseo, wishing to test the humility of the saint, went forth to meet him exclaiming: “Why after thee? Why after thee?” To which St Francis made answer: “What is this? What meanest thou?” Brother Masseo answered: “I mean, why is it that all the world goeth after thee; why do all men wish to see thee, to hear thee, and to obey thy word? For thou art neither comely nor learned, nor art thou of noble birth. How is it, then, that all the world goeth after thee?” St Francis, hearing these words, rejoiced greatly in spirit, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, remained for a long space with his mind rapt in God; then, coming to himself, he knelt down, returning thanks to God with great fervour of spirit, and addressing Brother Messeo, said to him: “Wouldst thou know why all men come after me? Know that it is because the Lord, who is in heaven, who sees the evil and the good in all places - because, I say, his holy eyes have found among men no one more wicked, more imperfect, or a greater sinner than I am; and to accomplish the wonderful work which he intends to do, he has found no creature more vile than I am on earth; for which reason he has chosen me, to confound all strength, beauty, greatness, noble birth, and all the science of the world, that men may learn that every virtue and every good gift cometh from him, and not from any creature, that none may glory before him; but if any one glory, let him glory in the Lord, to whom belongeth all glory in eternity.” Then Brother Masseo, at such a humble answer, given with so much fervour, was greatly impressed, and learned of a certainty that St Francis was well grounded in humility.

-Chapter X from the Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi

jamming: mewithoutYou- 'It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright"

Tracklisting:
01) every thought a Thought of You
02) a Stick, Carrot & String
03) the Angel of Death came to David's Room
04) Goodbye, I!
05) the Fox, the Crow and the Cookie
06) bullet to Binary (pt. Two)
07) Timothy Hay
08) Fig with a Bellyache
09) Cattail Down
10) the King Beetle on a Coconut Estate
11) Allah, Allah, Allah

The album title is pretty indicative of the confusing, exciting, unpredictable, gorgeous mess mewithoutYou releases next Tuesday. It has all the zany trappings of one of Sufjan Steven's concerts (if Stevens drafted John Donne, Saint Francis, Wendell Berry, Conor Oberst and the Decemberists to play in the band). While much to my friends AJ & Nick's chagrines, this disc is not nearly as hard as A-->B or Catch for Us the Foxes (both still amazing). Fine by me though!

This set seems to pick up where "Sweater Poorly Knit' left us, using fiddles, acoustics, sing-song choruses, harmonies, trumpets and banjos to do the heavy lifting Aaron's screeching beat-poetry used to do. The result is a beautifully crafted collection that employs animals (much in the vein of "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains"), biblical midrash (Stick, Carrot, String; David), agrarian imagery, and outright mysticism. Play this one often, listen carefully, imagine along, see yourself in the narratives, be challenged by the simplicity and playfulness of such weighty, scandalous, and surprising themes.

In short, this album represents mewithoutYou at their most accessible. It also represents a minority in Christ-informed music: both in content and in style. That said (and without trying to sound too overly dramatic or pretentious), mewithoutYou needs to be seriously considered by Christ-followers who love music. Their art acts a kind of sign, prophetic and altogether separate and disinterested, from any sort Nashville (or otherwise) industry. Christian artists may do well to look to folks like these guys in the same way the Church does well to look to, self-evaluate, engage, and enjoy monastic communities and missionaries. It would be naive to try to overhaul CCM music to look and sound more like the eccentricities of the few, but it would be a shame to overlook or alienate a minority with a majority gift and voice in a crucial time.

"there's a sign on the barn in the cabbage town, when the rain picks up and the sun goes down, 'sinners come inside with no money come and buy.' no clever talk and nor gift to bring requires our lowly and lovely king. come ye empty handed you don't need anything!"

Well done.

Footnote: I have neither words nor explanation for "Fig With A Bellyache". If it is distracting, uncheck the little check box in iTunes and it will no longer be an issue. I don't know?!

Anniversary Part Deux

Over this past week Rach and I nightly completed the what-were-we-doing-2-years-ago-tonight? exercise. It is a precious and peculiar thing for 2 people to be able to account for these things like that. It has become increasingly evident to me that the life and love that we've built and continue to build is special. I look back with pride and reminisce with little or no regret over this past 24 months. Moreover, I look forward with anticipation and giddy excitement over the ways that we will continue to grow together in the love and grace of God. Despite our work, particularly mine most of the time, to selfishly sabotage and hijack what we are becoming and where we are going, we continue to grow, mature, learn, and cling to each other and the Giver and Flawless Lover.

These words of St. Francis are my prayer for us; that in unity and love we continue to grow as divine instruments.

Lord, make us instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let us sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that we may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Earth Day with Saint Francis

Canticle Of The Creatures
St. Francis of Assisi

Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honour
And all blessing.

To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendour!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright
And precious and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather's moods,
By which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful is he, how gay! Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon
For love of you; through those who endure
Sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those She finds doing your will!
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.

Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, Three in One
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*photo courtesy of fellow Son of Thunder Eric Prenshaw: Yosemite.

saint francis of assisi

Recently, I've gotten the chance to do some research on Saint Francis of Assisi for a class (and go to an El Greco exhibit for the same class that featured these paintings). I'm not quite sure I've ever thought more of Francis than his birdbaths/garden statues or his veterinary expertise. What I've come across is instead a wacky and sometimes eccentric man who survived by utter dependence on God. All the stunts, or as Chesterton's biography calls, "a riot of rash vows...gone right," have served to take his aim and reliance off of himself and refocus them on a God that is Creator, Sustainer, and totally Other than himself. Sure, some of the Brother Sun, Sister Moon stuff feels a little odd on my modern tongue, but in my study I'm not sure I would brand him as a naturist or a heretic because his enjoyment of these things never superceded his awe and pleasure in their Creator. Francis has, of late, been an inspiration in "the holy topsy-turvydom of humility" and in what it means to depend on God as if it meant literally hanging on God as a picture frame on a nail. It is refreshing in my life, and in our time to see a saint in the faith that was bizarre and poetic, and utterly unafraid of anything be it war, confrontation, poverty, or controversy. O, that I may find the bravery to depend on Something other than my own effort.