Friday Album Reviews: Muse | The Resistance

This week we are reviewing the new album from Muse.  I have enjoyed this band over the past few years for many different reasons.  1.  I love the voice of the Matthew Bellamy—I get all of the things I like about Thom York from the band Radiohead but without all the pretension.  2.  They write some great lyrics.  3. They rock!  The band only has three musicians and yet they put out some heavy sounds.   The latest is their third studio album and as such it combines the best parts of the previous two records while moving forward in some new directions.

To start, the record contains 11 tracks and runs about 54 minutes.  There first eight are standard songs, but the album ends with what I consider a three-part symphony.  This unique end is really considered one song, but I count it as three songs because of the breaks between parts.  This last track is a risky move in a music scene that is constantly moving towards shorter and more concise pop songs.  The band chose to write a three-part symphony to include on their main release instead giving it b-side status.  This works because they are so good at writing great alt/rock pop songs.  After eight tracks of rock-&-roll synth heaven, you do not even realize that you are now listening to a symphony.

The first track, Uprising, has become a radio staple already and is even featured on the recent Alien invasion remake, The V.  This song links the last album to this one perfectly.  Subsequent songs take on matters of world domination and resistance in different ways while others are just about relationships.

Spiritual high points of the album lie in its storytelling.  As a Christian, I believe God is a storyteller who is active in the world around us.  In some small ways, the music that Muse creates inspires me to create new music.  They may not be writing to the glory of God but as image bearers they cannot help but reflect the glory of God in what they do, even if that image is dim and marred by sin.

Undeniably, the standout song of Muse’s album is the three-part symphony at the end, which “is a story of humanity coming to an end and everyone pinning their hopes on a group of astronauts who go out to explore space and spread humanity to another planet.”  The story ends like the Matrix in that it’s a cycle that has repeated itself for centuries, it will always happen unless humanity changes.  That connection to the Gospel made here is easy to discern—lives are changed.  It is the Gospel that makes a new creation out of the spiritually dead (Eph 2:1-10).  When someone who does not know Christ can create a song that speaks to the deep longing for change that is needed, it is truly inspiring.  You will likewise get inspired if you go pick up this 4-star album from iTunes or your local record store.

For His Glory,

Pastor Steven

The Gospel of the Kingdom

God created man in His image to glorify Him
Mankind rebelled against God in sin
The gospel is the good news of God’s provision of redemption
Through the atoning work of Jesus the Christ
Who died in our place for our sin on the cross
Rising from the grave to conquer Satan, sin and death
Giving new life to all who by grace turn to Him in repentance and faith
Calling them to a life empowered by His Spirit
To accomplish the mission of His kingdom
To the glory of His name

For His Glory

Pastor Steven

The love of God through Jesus Christ that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit compels us to love those around us whether they are near or far.  I trust that you will be encouraged by Curt’s words, and that they would spur on to pray for our men and women deployed, for our president and the leadership in this country and for our local mission here in Olympia.  Also, that is would cause you to praise God for his great love and mercy in allowing us to be a part of blessing others with the love of God in Christ.

For His Glory

Pastor Steven

To my Mars Hill Family,

Veteran’s Day takes on a new meaning while you’re deployed overseas. I have spent the entire day thinking of the veterans that I appreciate…. my grandpa in World War II, my uncle in Vietnam, friends who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I marvel at how blessed I am because of their sacrifices. I received several messages today thanking me for my service and yet I feel like I have done so very little compared to what they endured.

But as I reflect on my time here in Iraq, I think of the great spiritual battle that is being waged around me at all times. This battle is very real and very active, but it is also being waged around each of you on a daily basis as well (Eph 6:12). In that sense we as believers are all veterans of an ongoing spiritual war that is destroying those around us. More importantly, those who have been through combat form a bond to each other that is stronger than almost any other relationship. I have felt that deep bond with all of you at Mars Hill Olympia through your sustained generosity and sacrificial giving to me.

I have been abundantly and amazingly blessed by so many community groups that have come together to send me packages. I have received more food so far than I could eat in a year and much of what you’ve sent has been shared with the men I lead. Even by just sending boxes you’ve shown many hardened, spiritually dark men what it means for the body of Christ to love one another. Your notes of encouragement and DVDs with sermons have nourished my soul and spirit and extended fellowship through Christ across thousands of miles. I’m looking forward to coming back and seeing all of you again in person! Until then please join me in following Paul’s encouragement to Timothy…

II Timothy 2:1-3- “Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

Grace and Peace in Christ,

1LT Curt Belohlavek

For His Glory

Pastor Steven

Greetings!
Thank you so much for your ongoing support and prayers for The Line in Chicago.  It is incredible to me that you continue to give when I know you are tightening your own belts in this season. We are honored to be partnering with you in the gospel in this great city. I’d like to share some of the vision, progress, and prayer needs we have in this season.

God Is Moving
God has been hardening our determination and solidifying our calling and vision in this season. We are more confident than ever that God has called us to be a church for the center of Chicago. We are asking, “What would it mean for Chicago to worship God with it’s own voice?” Chicago’s city-center influences global culture — the transformation of the heart of this city will truly be felt the world round. For more on our vision, please take a few minutes to watch this video <http://vimeo.com/6188467> , and listen to this sermon <http://theline.org/2009/10/26/sermon-birth-generations/>  on God’s moving in my own life.

Progress

• Harvest: This month we saw another person come to Jesus at The Line. Jason just showed up one day at one of our services. He kept coming back, got more and more involved, and made a confession of faith this month. Jason said at the beginning he came for only two reasons: First, because the preaching was immediately relevant to his life (he tried going to mass when we took a retreat, and left halfway through). Second, because “People at The Line talked to me like no one else did. They actually cared how I was doing.” This was especially encouraging to our church, as everyone works hard to make sure our believer-equipping services are unbeliever-calling as well.
• New Believers Class: We launched “Foundation for the City” our new believers / new members class this month. Not only is the *class* an important milestone in our growth, the Two Cities *discipleship model* that is based on is an important milestone as well. The model insists that Christian life moves in two basic directions: toward Jesus in the City of God, and with Jesus out to the City of Man. Much work went into creating a reproducible backbone that fit our city and our church. We will most likely continue to use the Two Cities virtuous circle throughout the life of the church. For more information, see this post <http://theline.org/2009/10/15/foundation-for-the-city/>  on our blog.
• Welcome Package: We’re making a big leap forward this month by creating a welcome package for new residents of Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park (the neighborhood I live in) is the 2nd most wealthy neighborhood in Chicago. It is home to the Lincoln Park Zoo, DePaul University, Alinea (one of the top restaurants in the world), Second City (where Saturday Night Live actors come from), and world renown Steppenwolf Theater. Since arrival, I have joined the Chamber of Commerce, been active in our Neighborhood Associations, sought out business owners, and spoken with countless leaders in this neighborhood.
  

After nine months or so of research, I decided that our church could serve the area by connecting new residents with established residents and businesses through a welcome package. It works like this: We approach local businesses and ask them to contribute something to the package for free or heavily discounted. We approach leaders asking what one thing they want a new resident to know. If asked why we are putting the package together, we get to explain the gospel of the free grace of God on our lives.

So far, the neighborhood is extremely excited about this project. We’ve recruited all kinds of businesses from a reputable music venue to the Chamber of Commerce. We’ve even signed up the Steppenwolf Theater, which won a Pulitzer prize for the in-house play it put on earlier this year.

Prayer

• Recovery: As I write this, my family (myself included) is recovering from a week or so bout with H1N1. It was amazing to see our church step in and provide for our every need: groceries, meals, and medicine. All the same, I am looking forward to waking up and not feeling like I was jumped by a Mack truck.
• Additional Funding: We are still short of the finances that we need to get this church plant to sustainability. Please pray that God would provide for our needs and cause us to trust Him for resources during this time.
• Spiritual Warfare: As we see people dramatically change and come to Christ, we are seeing a corollary increase in spiritual attack. This is especially true for my family and the leaders of The Line. I myself continue to have sleep interrupted by spiritually disturbing dreams. Please pray that God would protect us and draw us closer to Him in prayer during this time.
• Welcome Package: We are praying that our Welcome Package project would saturate this neighborhood with the Gospel of the free grace of Jesus Christ. Please pray with us that this effort would bear fruit.
• The City: Please pray for this city that we love. It is my firm conviction that God is preparing our church for a lifetime of meaningful work here. Please pray that God will continue to soften hearts and go before us.
  

Call To Action
Let me end with a call to further action. We are currently pursuing two kinds of partners:

• Missionaries: Who do you know that lives in our city, or is an urban dweller? We need more people to love this area of Chicago with us. About 1/2 of our core team has moved to the city center from elsewhere to be a part of our church. If you can think of someone who might be a potential fit, plese encourage them to consider joining The Line.
• Financial Partners: Times are tough for everyone, including church plants. In addition to this, we are planting in a very expensive area of the city. We need more people to partner with us sacrificially in this important work. If you know of someone who would be a candidate giver to this work, please let them know about the opportunity to further the gospel through The Line.
  

Connections
If you aren’t already, be sure you are getting all of the latest from The Line:

• Facebook: http://facebook.com/thelinechicago
• RSS Feed: http://thelinechicago.wordpress.com/feed/
• Vimeo Channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/57966
  

Thank you once again for your generosity and continued support. To God be the Glory in Jesus Christ!

Thanks,

Aaron

Aaron Youngren
The Line
http://thelinechicago.org

The album up for review today is self-titled from the band XX.  They are a four-piece band from England who write and sing simplified indie-hip-hip-pop music.  Recently, they have garnered some high praise from music critics for their covers of well-known R&B and Hip-Hop artists.  Where those styles tend to be over produced and lavish, XX takes the same trite lyrical content (sex, relationships) and simplifies it.  The result is a sound more fitting to the content; it comes of tragic with tinges of hope that things do not have to be this way.

I am impressed with how easy it is to listen to the music on XX’s sophomore album.  The arrangements are tasteful and the writing is solid.  The highlight of the music is the interplay between the male and female vocalist–this is a staple of indie-pop music perfected by the band Stars.  XX uses their vocal talent to great advantage drawing the listener in with every song.  Even though the lyrics are never profound and sometimes crass, the mood of the songs and the skill of singers keep you engaged.  This album could easily be a 5-star record crossing genres and topping charts with better lyrics.

On first listen, one cannot help but compare XX to Interpol and Boxer because of the clean guitar and driving beats.  While they borrow from these bands, they do not succumb to mere imitation.  XX’s work is better described by the word ‘understated.’  Each song is simple and clean, never cluttered with unnecessary sounds.  The stand out tracks include Crystalised, Heart skipped a Beat, Basic space, and stars.  I often find myself singing the chorus to Basic space at random moments because it is such a catchy tune.

Sadly the spiritual benefits to this album are few, although the content is somewhat better than most sexually charged R&B and Hip-hop albums.  The obvious talent of this band and the quality of their arrangements leave me wanting for more.  That is not to say their music cannot be enjoyed, but the content lessens the enjoyment.  Musically, this band is very inspiring; their style challenged me to try and do more with less.  XX is a nice alternative to the traditional folk genre, showcasing the same relaxing qualities in a newer music form.  Because there is room for growth musically and their lyrics need work, this album rates at 3 ½ stars.

Pastor Steven

The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

The Avett Brothers hail from North Carolina and play rootsy music replete with jangly banjos, earnest lyrics, syrupy harmonies, hollered lyrics, and way too many songs titled “Pretty Girl from…” For their new album, I and Love and You, The Avetts leap to a major label and enlist bearded wonder Rick Rubin, the uber-producer whose list of musical masterpieces runs even longer than his magnificient mutton chops. The result is a lovely album that, if there’s any justice in the pop music universe, will propel them to superstardom.

The titular “I”, “love”, and “you” might initially seem like three topics of discussion as listed by a guy who under-uses commas and still struggles with pronouns, but a close listen to the title track reveals them instead to be the “three words that became hard to say” as listed by the narrator, who presumably under-uses commas but seems to have pronouns under control. The track opens with piano and voice and adds drums, strings, French horns, acoustic guitars, the kitchen sink, and organ before breathtakingly peeling back the layers to showcase the lyric: “Dumbed down and numbed by time and age/Your dreams to catch the world, the cage”.

“January Wedding” breezily pays tribute to the narrator’s ornithologist fiancé (“she knows which birds are singing”), and contains the albums most conspicuous banjo work. Subsequent tracks deftly sequence lovely piano ballads (“The Perfect Space”, “Ill with Want”), mid-tempo strummers (“And it Spread”, “Ten Thousand Words”), and upbeat acoustic rockers (“Kick Drum Heart”, “Tin Man”, “Slight Figure of Speech”); with restrained instrumentation, gorgeous harmonies, catchy melodies, and thoughtful lyrics that provide consistent quality throughout.

Highlights abound, and particularly include the album’s closing tracks. “It Goes On and On” starts with old-school Avetts’-style 4/4 tomfoolery before a cascading piano bridges to the album’s finest harmonies and a section starting at 1:35 that I wouldn’t dare spoil by trying to describe. “Incomplete and Insecure” enlists soaring harmonies and pleas to God (“What is important? What’s really important? Am I ever to know by name? Will I ever know silence without mental violence? Will the raining at night go away? It’s up to you, my father, call on me.”) to close the album on a high note.

I and Love and You, while perhaps a bit short on the ramshackle banjos, front-porch spontaneity, and playfulness of prior Avett Brothers releases, rewards listeners with 13 well-crafted tracks and due to its consistency and restraint surpasses their previous work. Pick it up now, and you might still be able to say that you knew about The Avett Brothers way back when.

–4.25/5 stars–

Dusty Little

This morning I stopped by the donors house to sign over the trailer and its contents to Mars Hill Church.  This is a great example of a “Theopholis” giving to the work of the kingdom.  The donor doesn’t even attend Mars Hill, they heard of what God is doing in and through us and decided that we needed the trailer and production gear.  They are so passionate for the Gospel and Kingdom, that they requested not to be mentioned by name, I was told this morning “It’s not about me and my glory, its about God and His Glory.” Be encouraged Mars Hill, God knows our needs and is ready to provide in ways that we can’t even imagine.

James 5:13-18

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him ^vsing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^wanointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And ^xif he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^yconfess your sins to one another and pray for one another, ^zthat you may be healed. ^aThe prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{2 17} Elijah was a man ^bwith a nature like ours, and ^che prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for ^dthree years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ^{18 e}Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

God still answers prayer like He did for Elijah, what is that you have stopped praying about?  What are the needs of our church, city, region, are you praying that God would provide? Go to God with your needs this week, ask God that he would give you his heart for this city, region, church.

For His Glory

Pastor Steven

Here are some pictures of the trailer that was donated.

]]> http://olympia.marshillchurch.org/2009/10/21/god-hears-and-answers-prayer/feed/ 0 http://olympia.marshillchurch.org/2009/10/10/i-am-not-defeated/ http://olympia.marshillchurch.org/2009/10/10/i-am-not-defeated/#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:05:37 +0000 olympia http://olympia.marshillchurch.org/?p=311

During the minutes where I can’t seem to grasp what has happened or where to go from here, I am constantly hearing the phrases, “You are crushed, but not destroyed”….”You are NOT defeated”. It’s at these moments that I really think about living as if I’m defeated versus living as if I’m NOT defeated.

Andrew was such a strong believer of spiritual warfare. He has experienced real, spiritual situations (battles) and even felt called by God to write a book on it. While in Afghanistan he had even started an outline of his book.

I think about whom I would be defeated by if I gave up or let myself turn to worldly temptations or negative ways to handle the hurt of a killed spouse. Satan…the devil himself is waiting on the other side of those decisions. He wants to destroy me. He wants to defeat me. He wants to win this battle. This battle isn’t between just him and I though; it’s between good and evil. He is attacking all of us. Sometimes he uses special ops techniques and sometimes he decides to use a bomb…like killing an amazing father and husband that fears the Lord…who would spit in Satan’s face if he had the chance!

You see, I believe Satan thinks that now he’s taken away my partner, my one who kept us cleaving to each other as we cleaved to God, that he’s got me and that he’ll get our family and I bet that he’s thinking he’s got it in the bag that he’ll get this unborn baby. He won’t! He never will! He can’t destroy us. He can’t destroy those who love God and confess Jesus Christ as our Savior. He can even lead us to evil forces that may kill us, like they did Andrew, but Andrew is alive in Christ. He’s defeated Satan and I’m proud of him. Andrew is my hero.

Andrew isn’t my hero because the Taliban killed him while he was coming back from a mission on a Stryker. Andrew is my hero because he never let Satan have the last word. Andrew is my hero because He fought for good, for Christ to prevail. He set a marvelous example for our child to follow, for me to follow, and for friends and family to follow. Andrew is my hero because he wasn’t perfect, because he had sin, and in spite of it he still persevered and called on the name of the Lord.

I find comfort in all of this when I too call on God. Many times reading the book God has prepared for us, the Bible, is where I find solid advice and encouragement. My creator has provided me with so many stories to turn to and letters to live by, and proverbs to unfold. Here are a few that have come up recently that pertain to not being defeated:

“for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” –Proverbs 24:16

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be light to me.”
– Micah 7:8

I also find comfort in 2 Corinthians 4, where the reference of being ‘struck down, but not destroyed’ comes from. This is also the part of the Bible where Paul says:

“Therefore do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. “ -2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Paul, on behalf of God, is begging for the Corinthians (and us) to not lose heart. I believe the Taliban have lost heart and have turned to cowardly warfare during their light and momentary affliction. We shall overcome Satan, as Jesus did, by turning to what is eternal. All that I know to be eternal is Jesus, who lived after he died. Andrew will also live to be eternal and one day I will join him. I pray that one day our child join us as well.

May Satan never defeat you and may you overcome through Jesus Christ!

With Love,

Sarah Marie McConnell

“This past year our family has endured many trials and God has consistently chosen to extend His grace toward us through our church family at Mars Hill.  Time after time our church family has gone out of their way to help us in our need.  An encouraging word, medical care, money at a crucial time, a place to stay for a few days, a meal and fellowship at a time when we felt the most isolated.  These are only a few of the ways God has reached in to our lives through the members of Mars Hill. Experiencing God’s love in action has strengthened our hope and perseverance.  Saying thank you is not enough to convey the gratitude that we have had for such lavish love.

The most recent addition to this was when, after our car was totaled in a rear end accident, one couple graciously gave us a car to use for the last three months to get us by until we could get another. And then our Mars Hill family extended God’s love to us and surprised us with a car of our own!  Our Mars Hill family continues to shock us, as God uses our trials to demonstrate His love through them in the midst of difficult circumstances. As God’s grace abounds even more, another friend is providing a place for us to live and the use of his car while he is away.  In many ways we did not know that people so new to our lives could care for us so deeply; it has really shown us the power of the gospel.

The love demonstrated by this body has not only taught us so much about the character of God but has also stunned and puzzled our non-believing friends and family as they witness the love shown by our friends at Mars Hill.  Jesus says that his disciples will be known by their love for one another (John 13:35) and the people in our lives who do not know Jesus have definitely taken note of the love demonstrated by His disciples at Mars Hill.  We love all of you so much and cannot express enough appreciation for the love you’ve shown us.”

Being in community together is a crucial part of living for Jesus, we were not meant to live isolated lives.  If you are not in a community group yet than get plugged in!

For His Glory

Pastor Steven

For His Glory

Pastor Steven Mulkey

Celebrating a Departed Centurion

Why was I so compelled to attend the memorial service for SGT Andrew McConnell?  I did not

know him or his wife Sarah.  We did have some common acquaintances that are fellow

members at the Olympia Mars Hill campus.  Maybe that is why.  Maybe it was because I love

our U.S. Military and I put in my own time many years ago.  Maybe because my son James is

a SFC in the U.S. Army and I remembered the anxiety I experienced in 2003 and 2004 while

he and his unit served 13 months in Iraq. Maybe I went just to see how Mars Hill responds to

our fallen heroes.  Thankfully, we have had few of those, but we must be prepared for more in

these dangerous times.

Leaving the Kent Covenant church yesterday (Sept. 22, 2009) I pondered the above as I

wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks.  It became clear to me that I was an eyewitness

to an extraordinary event.  As a 68 year old guy I have attended dozens of funerals and

memorial services over the years.  Never have I been so heavily impacted.  Why?

Pastor Tim Beltz, a member of the Mars Hill Executive Elder Board, conducted the memorial

service.  He explained how that came to be.  Pastor Tim told us that in March of 2009 he

was filling in at our West Seattle Campus and he closed the service with prayer.  It was the

Sunday in which the video of Mark Driscoll’s sermon titled “Marriage and Men” was shown.

At the end of the service Andrew walked to the front of the church and spoke to pastor Tim.

Andrew told Tim that he had only been married for 3 months and admitted he was “a rookie”

and that he was “already messing up”.  Andrew said, “I want to be the husband and father

that pastor Mark is talking about.”

Pastor Tim took Andrew under his wing and they had several short visits after that.  Tim

noticed Andrew had a tattoo on the inside of his left arm.  It was simply the word “Centurion”.

Andrew explained to Tim that he knew he was called to be a leader of men and he wanted

to be like the Centurion mentioned in Matthew 8:5-13.  (This is why pastor Tim used

Matthew 8:5-13 as his text in the memorial service.)  Jesus said of the Centurion, “Truly, I

tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.” (Mat. 8:10b)

Think about it!  Andrew wanted to be a Godly husband, a Godly father, a Godly leader and a

man of great faith.  From the testimonies I heard yesterday, he accomplished all 4 and did it well.

And he was only 24 years old.  Based on what I witnessed yesterday, Andrew is still speaking

to us from heaven.  I should mention that Sarah is 5 months pregnant.  I do hope that

someone recorded the service.  Andrew’s son or daughter will need to hear what people

said about their father, how much he was loved, the impact he had, and how they can follow

his example of faithfulness.

In closing may I suggest that whether you are male or female, married or single, old or young,

please go to the Mars Hill website and type “Marriage and Men” into the search box.  Watch

and listen to all 71 minutes.  You will see why Andrew was compelled to respond to it

and why I was compelled to testify about our Mars Hill Centurion.  May his legacy impact

thousands.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Mike O’Dea

Mars Hill Theology Response Team

September 23, 2009