Lost at Sea: Songs of (or from) Faith amidst trial

 It's no surprise how much I love music, so I thought I'd take some time to share a play list that I have been listening to over the past 11 months. At various points I get stuck in certain songs, but the movement of the playlist in some ways resembles my own journey. I gave the playlist the title: Lost at Sea: Songs of Faith Amidst Trial.

Lament - St Paul's Castle Hill: I cannot say how thankful I am this song was written. The song is based on Psalm 88. The Psalms have been a source of encouragement to me. The authenticity with which the Psalmist knows his own emotions, how he cries out to God, recognising this is not what life should be, but often returning to a declaration of faith.

Lost at Sea - Carisa Turner:  Decided to include this one as there is no telling how many times in the past year I have just felt lost or all at sea.

Oh My God -Jars of Clay and Vice Verses - Switchfoot: These songs were both included as the cry of my heart to find meaning to it all..

Darkest Night - Chasing Summer: Loved how the song reminds us we are not alone even in each of our darkest nights. They have been a few of thoses, but as the Psalmist writes 'Joy comes in the morning'.

When the Rain Comes - Third Day:  A reminder from a friend that though they can't stop the pain, they will stand with you.  I have been so blessed with all of the friends who are standing with me in the rain.

Carry Me - Jenny & Tyler (w Mac Powell):  Not only that, amidst the pain, the author of life has had my cries, and is carrying me. Providing strength, when I have none. In terms of the song, I just love with Mac Powell adds to it.

Hold On - Nichole Nordeman  A beautiful reflection on the love of God, how it is with us wherever we are, and believes we are worth it.

You Hold it All Together - All Sons & Daughters  A great reminder that, no matter how messy things are or get. They are all held together by God. In Him remains our salvation, our strength, and our song.

You Never Let Go - Rebecca St James - A reminder that God is with us in and  through the storms of life. A day is coming when all of these storms will be stilled.

Desert Song - Hillsong. "all of my life, in every season, you are still God. I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship".

Blessed Be Your Name - Rebecca St James The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, and our hearts chose to bless the name of the Lord.  Whatever the Lord, gives, or doesn't give me, I know He has given what He intended me to have.

Find You On My Knees - Kari Jobe - I have certainly found prayer hard at various points during the year. But I think that there's certainly truth in the words of this song. When the pain is real ...  I hope to find God in the place I am.

We'll Rise Again - The City I Long For A great reminder of what this broken world is destined for, renewal and rebirth.

We Declare - Carisa Turner - Like the Psalmist I wanted the playlist to end with a declaration of praises. As I'm often at  this point too, I am holding on to the promises of God. Sometimes it seems like its with a monkey grip, at other times I'm clutching for fingernails.

Live it Well - Switchfoot I've included this song as a reflection on how I want to be living - living for more than just a funeral. One Life, One Story to tell.

My Musical Journey with U2

I have been meaning to write this post for sometime, and given March has been 'U2 month' (thirty years since The Joshua Tree, and twenty since Pop) it seemed like the perfect time to write about what the band means to me. 

I am fairly sure the first I heard of U2 was listening to Rattle and Hum in a friends car heading down to a church camp. The version of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For really struck me.

In 1991 U2 released Achtung Baby for the first time and was totally blown away by both the music and lyrics. The taped copy I owned is now worn out from being played so much.

The first CD I bought with my own money was a recording of their Dublin concert during the ZooTV tour (28 August 1993). In hindsight I wish I went to the Sydney show. 

After the Passengers album I was more excited for new U2 music. Pop was the first album I really got into and was really excited when it was released. I joined the mailing list Wire and read what I could about the album and the tour. I remember tracking down singles for If God would Send His Angels. I loved the B-sides too - Slow Dancing (w Willie Nelson), Edge singing and playing Sunday Bloody Sunday on his own. Not to mention North & South of the River.

After Pop and Achtung Baby I explored U2's back catalogue. The Unforgettable Fire became another of my favourite U2 albums.

PopMart was the first time I saw the band live. It was just a special show. I'll have to post my thoughts about the concert too. The two lasting memories of that night were hearing the first notes of Bad and the performance of One.  Bad has always been one of my favourite songs so it was awesome to hear them play it live. The second moment was at the end of the concert when Bono dedicated One to Michael Hutchence, the band turned off the lights and the screen and played illuminate by an electrical storm. That moment highlighted to me what a special band they were. and how Bono was able to create extraordinary moments out of nothing.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is the only album I queued up at midnight to buy. I was pretty excited for the album after hearing Vertigo  I sat in bed reading through the booklet and listening to the album through headphones.  For me, it would be one of the strongest albums in terms of the song-writing. I love Edge' solo in Miracle Drug, just magical.

During the Vertigo tour, I saw U2 overseas for the first time, watching shows in Miami and New York, before seeing them play in Sydney on my birthday.

Each of the three shows was memorable in different ways - Miami for Miracle Drug, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses and 40, New York, for Original of the Species and Bad, Sydney for Kite. 

The band is the soundtrack to my life, with a song for every occasion. Songs of faith, doubt, love, political songs, and some fun romantic songs too, Wild Honey for example :). 

I have often see I Still Haven't Found as a theme song, I love the restlessness in it 

What I really love about the band is the timeless nature of their songs - their music is as relevant (or more relevant) than when they recorded it. So for me its hardly surprising the band is performing shows to celebrate 30 years since the release of The Joshua Tree. It is not a tour based from nostalgia, the album hasn't aged, and the themes are as relevant today as they were when the album was released in 1987.

Other songs, are reborn due to historical events - Please during 2001 and during the last tour Bullet the Blue Sky, Zooropa and Where the Streets Have No Name were used to speak about the refugee crisis, which worked perfectly. 

I can't think of another band who would have handled playing New York after 9/11 and Paris last December as well as U2. The class of U2 showed when they brought on The Eagles of Death Metal to play with them (and play one of their own songs) and the respect they showed to the victims. 

My favourite albums change, but at the moment, its Achtung Baby, Pop, and The Unforgettable Fire (with How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb  just missing out).  They are the albums I keep coming back to.  

The other great thing about U2 is being introduced to great new artists, that I may not otherwise have heard. Also through reading interviews and books I have also found new artists or films.

Pop- 20 Years on ....

March is a big month for U2, in 1987 The Joshua Tree was released. In 1997 U2 released Pop, what was then and still is now one of my top three U2 albums.

A favourite both in terms of the song writing and the music which was unlike anything U2 (or perhaps anyone) had done before. I vaguely recall hearing Discotheque prior to the album release. 

After the album was released I joined the U2 fan email list WIRE so I could find out more about the album and tour. It was the first tour I followed, and eventually the first time I saw the band live. It was also the first time I made an effort to buy each single. The highlights being a new mix of If God Will Send His Angels, Slow Dancing (w/ Willie Nelson) and live versions of Please and Staring at the Sun and the stunning acoustic version of Sunday Bloody Sunday from Sarajevo sung by the Edge.

Back to the album, I recall being struck by the lyrics the first few times I listened to the CD. It was one of the deeper albums U2 have written. The standout tracks for me were If God Will Send His Angels, Staring at the Sun, If You Wear that Velvet Dress and Please. The album still resonates with me as much as when I first heard it, primarily because the songs have not aged, Please is as relevant now as when it was written.

PopMart was the first time I saw the band live. It was just a special show. The two lasting memories of that night were hearing the first notes of Bad and the performance of One.  Bad has always been one of my favourite songs so it was awesome to hear them play it live (complete with snippets of Waltzing Matilda).

The second moment was at the end of the concert when Bono dedicated One to Michael Hutchence, the band turned off the lights and the screen and played illuminate by an electrical storm. That moment highlighted to me what a special band they are. and how Bono was able to create extraordinary moments out of nothing.

It still bothers me that U2 seem to have forgotten the album exists. With only Gone, Discotheque, Please and Staring at the Sun played in concert since the PopMart tour. PopMart is up there as my favourite tour. I would have loved to see at 20th Anniversary Edition of Pop complete with another PopMart show and other remixes from the era. 

Supporting feminism

So I was taking the time to ponder the list I shared on Facebook last week.  I do identify as a feminist, I certainly believe there should be equality between the sexes, as a father I believe that raising children and housework should be split 50-50. I am becoming more concerned with the way women are portrayed in the films, television and books I (and my kids consume). It irrks me that Amal Cooney's speech to the UN was reported as her "showing off her baby bump", and Amal is referred to as George Cloney's wife rather than by name. These things matter.

In pondering the list, there are things I'm good at, and there's a lot I'm becoming aware of, and there is also a lot more I need to do.

I've been always been good at doing housework, but recognise I certainly lag in doing some of the things I'm saying I'll do.

Over the last year, I've become more aware how white and male my reading lists are. so I sought to diversify the lists. I haven't done so well on making it less white, but I have actively sought female authors to read and female musicians to listen to. Representatin matters. The challenge is also to make sure I pass this on to my kids. I'm continually looking out for books written by women, and with strong female characters  to read to my kids. I have certainly given or switch pronouns in the stories I've read my kids, because representation matters. (As an aside read this about the work Geena Davis does. There's also a scary chapter in Tara Moss' 'The Fictional Woman' covering the same information. On the positive front, I'd recommend looking at the 'A Mighty Girl' website.

There's more on the list I'm not good at, I certainly can't say I'm doing 50 % or more of emotional support in the relationships I have.

Some of the others on the list are possibly common sense, but also things we don't normally do, like giving women space, but not tolerating sexist talk or jokes, and also believing a women who tells you something is sexist.

I'm also trying to make sure I am actively seeking to read or listen to women's voices on the things I love, like music, sport, and politics. Different perspectives matter.

To be clear, I've got a long way to go, there's certainly more I can do. I'm certainly not good at standing up to sexist jokes or other unwelcome behaviour. Needless to say I'm also guilty of the occasional ogle.

In closing this, I'd encourage you to read more of the original article and listen to the women in your life, rather than my just my post.

Weekend sport review

NRL
A couple of points from the weekend. Just how good is Thurston. Two weeks in a row he's the man who has made the winning plan. He's certainly one of the best players I've seen.

I feel for Brisbane and Canberra who both lost to North Queensland in extra time. I'd like to see the loser awarded a point for the draw after 90 mins, and if you have a winner in extra time, they can get another point.

Personally I'd scrap Golden Point, and have the result after 90 minutes stand. I'd have Golden Try in the final series. The teams would play five minutes each way. You could kick a field goal, but the other team has time to respond.

The Roosters have started much better than last year with two good wins, maybe we can file them as a dark horse. But hard to read the form lines at the moment.

AFL
Brisbane qualified for the Grand Final,  and will get to host the game.  I'm hoping the AFL decides to hold the game in Brisbane, and as a stand alone fixture, rather than making it as part of a double header with the Lions-Gold Coast Men's match. It seems that it will be Adelaide or Melbourne who join them in the final.

The Swans had another good but tight win in the Community Series, 77-74 against St Kilda. Can't wait for the season proper to start.

Super Rugby
Hard to know what to make of the competition. A couple of huge wins didn't really help the Hurricanes (who lost to the Chiefs) The Crusaders had a stunning 22-17 come from behind win against the Reds.

UEFA Champions League
Maybe 2017 will be the year of amazing come from behind wins. With the Patriots winning the Superbowl from 3-28 the biggest in SuperBowl history a prime example. In UCL history no team had come back from 0-4 down in a tie, But Barcelona who led 3-1 at home, needed to score three more goals to win the tie.

They left it to the 88th minute, when they scored the first of the three they needed. I still can't believe that it happened. It brought back memories who trialed Perth Glory, 3-0 in Perth before scoring three goals in the second half to force extra time and penalties which they then won . The speed of the Goals brings Manchester United's 2 stoppage time goals to win the 98/99 Champions League Final to mind.

The Joshua Tree - Thirty years on

I don't recall the first time I heard The Joshua Tree. I have a vague recollection of hearing I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For on my sister's radio. I have a stronger recollection of hearing the Rattle and Hum version during a car trip down to the South Coast. I know the first U2 album I bought was Achtung Baby. The first album I was really excited about was Pop. I know I explored the U2's back catalogue between the two albums, but I can't tell you when I first heard it. 

The Joshua Tree is an almost faultless album. I can't just listen to one or two songs, I have to play it right through, which is exactly what is intended

Where the Streets Have No Name is the best opening track to an (maybe any) album. The way it starts, builds in intensity before easing off is just magical.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is a great song, and in some ways became my theme song. I love the restlessness in the lyric.  I know that Bono talks of it being a song from doubt, but I've always seen it as a song of or from faith. 

Even though the album is now thirty years old, the themes the album wrestles with are still present today. One of my favourite lyrics is In God's Country, 'We need new dreams tonight'.  I can't help but look at Australia (and America) and say where are the dreamers, where are those who would lead and guide us to be all that we can be, as people or as a nation.

The other songs which have resonated with me Running to Stand Still (about Heroin), Red Hill Mining Town (feel this song is so relevant in Australia as our manufacturing industry suffers and the mining boom ends), One Tree Hill (on the death of a friend), Mothers of the Disappeared (political prisoners).

Listening to it recently, I am valuing Trip Through Your Wires more, it's the song that lightens the mood, and prepares you for the second intense wave of emotion.

Speaking of emotion - With or Without You is just a magical song, and it goes to another level when the band plays it live, with the 'Shine like Stars' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' snippets. 

The album's strength is show in the songs left off the album - Walk to the Water, Luminous Times (Hold on to Love), and Spanish Eyes. Each of these are powerful and emotional songs and deserve to be more well known. I'm hoping, but not expecting, we'll see and hear some of these in the tour later this year.

Weekend review..

NRL

Some observation from the first round of the NRL competition.

Most impressive - between the Wests Tigers and St George. I thought Canberra were impressive too even if they didn't win.

On the Warriors - at 0-8 and 20-22 I thought that the game was gone. But the Warriors found a way to win. I think it's the first time a  number of years they have won their first game of the season.

Super Rugby

The Hurricanes have started this season well two wins and scoring over 70 points in both games. Next week should  be tougher with  game against the Chiefs.

AFL

Second last week of the pre-season, and it was good to see the Swans get a win. Looking forward to their first game of the season in two weeks. 

Was a great weekend in the Women's AFL.  The Giants got their first win, and every game was decided by less than a goal.  The game between Adelaide and Brisbane lived up wot the billing, with Brisbane winning, and are favourites to host the Grand Final. S

Cricket

The second test is now underway in India, and Nathan Lyon showed his class taking 8/50 on the opening day. It is great to see Steven Smith show some more faith in Lyon. Not at all surprised by the cricket so far. Was surprised how many people wrote Australia off.  They haven't won yet, but they are certainly in the box seat at the moment. 

Wasn't a good weekend for the NZ cricket teams, but the Men's and Women's team lost the final match in the series, against South Africa and Australia respectively.  In spite of the final results, there was some great cricket played. Meg Lanning and Amy Satterthwaite  were excellent. 

The Men's team starts their test series against South Africa this week in Dunedin. Hoping for a great contest.

Tennis
The weekend was great for Australian tennis - stoked for Ash Barty who won the ATP Malaysian Open.  Nick Kyrgios showed why  lot of Australia s frustrated with him. He displayed his potential with a straight sets win over Novak Djokovic It was a reminder of his exceptional talent and frustration that he sometimes seems to be wasting it. 

What I'm in to January/February edition

So, I know I'm a little late on this, but here's a sort post on what I've been in to over the past few months.

Reading

It has been quite a light month for reading, the only book I was able to get through last month was 'The Memory Artist' (Katherine Brabon). The book is set in Russia from Stalin to Gorbachev era, and deals with memory of Russia's past. Quite a well written novel. 

Watching

So, after quite some time I have finally finished watching The X-Files, well just the original series. The quality was a little uneven. There were some great episodes and some not so great. The overarching story for the show was quite good, but the ending didn't seem right (that said I'm not sure how I wanted it to end).  I am chasing up the most recent episodes to see what they add to the overarching story

I also started re-watching The West Wing, and have just finished Season Five, and I have been reminded how great (and even) the shows writing is. I had often recalled that Season Five was one of the weaker seasons, but this time around I have been really struck by this season - and the story lines with CJ and the President at the beginning of the season, and the tension between Josh and Donna toward the end of the season.

The episode which really hit was Access (a documentary about CJ Cregg), it provided a great reminder about what the Press Secretary in the White House. A role the current Press Secretary doesn't seem interested in.

The other arch that is striking is the tension between Toby and Will about the Vice-President and potential Presidential candidate Bob Russell.

I also finished Borgen. I watched the first two seasons but hadn't seen the third season. The third season was equally as impressive as the first two, and again focused on some meaty issues. I was struck with how differently the shows dealt with Prostitution. 

Additionally, I have been watching some the Women's AFL.  The game so far have been great ,and well supported with large and passionate crowds attending. Almost halfway through the season and interesting two unexpected teams are on the top two places.

Music

I've mostly been listening to recordings of some of Bruce Springsteen's concerts and a little bit of Coldplay (A Head Full of Dreams), and Lydia Cole's new album (Lay of the Land). I've just bought Conor Oberst's albums.

I hadn't really listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen. I knew a few of his songs, and wanted to hear him perform live.  The concerts have been great to listen to. He's quite the performer, and I love how he lets the songs speak for themselves. 

I am really enjoying Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams, especially after seeing them in concert. Just a fun positive album to listen to.