Fifty-Two Books in as Many Weeks

            I realize it may seem a bit late to be talking about my New Year’s resolutions as we are now well into the new year. However, I invested entirely too much time in one of last year’s two resolutions not to talk about it. I set the sizeable and semi-terrifying goal of reading fifty-two books over the course of the year. That’s roughly one book per week.

            As a graduate student, I do a lot of reading regardless of resolution, and so I decided to further torture myself by adding in a slew of extra books. However, if I may confess: I didn’t actually read 52 books in 2015: I ended the year two books shy. I had probably five half-read books with me as I travelled at year’s end, but I didn’t quite hit the mark. That said, I can guarantee that I did several hundred (if not a couple thousand) extra pages out of books that I didn’t finish either because a) the library wanted them back or b) I only had to read portions for school. While there is some sadness in coming so close without hitting the mark, that’s not where my true disappointment lies.

            Unfortunately, I did not consider until late in the year that I ought to read a mix of men and women. At the outset of the year I did commit to having no more than 50% of my reading list be theological nonfiction, but I did not consider gender or race as factors to diversify my reading until much too late. I should state here outright: this is white male privilege at work. This is the primary thing I would change if I were to do it all again. Ironically, it was, at least in part, my readings that led me to the conclusion that this should even be a consideration. And this is the beauty of reading a book.

            Books have the capacity to stimulate ideas in ways that an article or a podcast or a TV episode cannot. Ideally, the reader is in for about a hundred pages dedicated to a single worthwhile idea. Even in fiction, one is still entering a world, or a mind, or a situation that is meant to stir the imagination up to new possibilities. At the end of a book you can probably have a meaningful conversation about its contents with someone. These other media formats, eh.

            And I think that’s just about enough of my ramblings, let’s get to the good stuff. First I have my top five recommendations from last year’s reading, in no particular order, followed by some data about my reading, and finally the list itself.

My Top Five:

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

-       If you do not understand why every person in this country should be saying “Black lives matter,” this is absolutely the book for you to read. Written as a memoir to his son, Coates talks about growing up black in America, a narrative that each of us will benefit to hear. He states: “Difference in hue and hair is old. But the belief in the preeminence of hue and hair, the notion that these factors can correctly organize a society and that they signify deeper attributes, which are indelible—this is the new idea at the heart of these new people who have been brought up hopelessly, tragically, deceitfully, to believe that they are white.” Beautifully written and one of the most stimulating reads I have had in some time, I absolutely recommend this to everyone.

A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit.

-       If you’re a Washingtonian worried about the big earthquake, this little gem may put you at ease. Solnit is my new favorite author from my readings this past year and I hope to read several more of her books this coming year. A Paradise Built in Hell chronicles the beautiful, remarkable communities that form in the wake of disaster. Equally importantly it reveals the myth of the “looter.” Turns out, humans generally do a great job rallying together when bad things happen and it is often our governing structures that assume the worst will happen rather than responding to any real raping, pillaging, or looting.

Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington

-       This one sounds like a gut-wrenchingly cliché Christian novel, but is perhaps the furthest thing from it. Covington began by investigating the case of snake-handling pastor Glen Sumerford’s attempted murder of his wife using rattlesnakes, only to find himself strangely attracted to the snake-handling Christian churches. I should probably state at this point that this is a work of nonfiction. Investigative journalism is my new favorite genre and this book is a major part of why that is. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this book, as student of theology, is that the theological rationale for snake-handling is not that crazy. No crazier than, say, trying to tell women they can’t preach.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

-       I initially thought this book was relatively new. Turns out, it was written in the mid-70’s and I just had a newer printing. Few other books I can think of offer both a beautiful challenge to modern ideas about gender and a legitimate critique of international relations. Take a look at this little snippet: “Hate Orgoreyn? No, how should I? How does one hate a country, or love one?… I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? Then it's not a good thing. Is it simply self-love? That's a good thing, but one mustn't make a virtue of it or a profession… Insofar as I love life, I love the hills of the Domain of Estre, but that sort of love does not have a boundary-line of hate. And beyond that, I am enduring I hope... A man who doesn't detest a bad government is a fool. And if there were such a thing as a good government on earth, it would be a great joy to serve it.” I recommend dwelling on that one next fourth of July.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

-       I literally read this one twice this year. It is one of my all time favorite fiction novels, my favorite of Lewis’ writings, and one of the most theologically rich novels of all time. It is beautiful and I cannot recommend it enough. While many people get hung up on those supposed “universalistic” elements of the text, it should be said that Lewis was not trying to propose any sort of theology of heaven or hell. I have seriously considered writing a book study companion to this text for the sake of helping people draw out the remarkable and beautiful themes sprinkled throughout.

Honorable Mention: Waist-High in the World by Nancy Mairs

-       This one gets an honorable mention and not an inclusion in my top five because I finished it in 2016. If you want a very funny, poignant, challenging, honest look at disability, this is as good as I have yet found. A Catholic, feminist, with MS, Mairs is my favorite author of 2016 so far. So much of what she writes rings true for my own disability experience as well. Rarely does such sincerity permeate autobiographical writing.

Some Numbers:

Total Pages Read: 9,744

Average book length: 194.88 pages

Shortest book: The Variable Man. 59 pages

Longest Book: The Christian Imagination 384 pages

Women Authors Read: 14

Male Authors Read: 29

Most read genre: Theological Nonfiction, 36%, 18 books (maybe more, depending on how you count it)

Sci-Fi: 28% (14 books)

Most Read Author: C.S. Lewis (four books)

Books Read for Class or Master’s Thesis: 36% (18 books)[1]

The Big List: (with a few italicized that I strongly recommend, and my above top five in bold)

1.     The Handmaids tale by Margaret Atwood ~250pg

2.     The Variable Man by Phillip K Dick 59pg

3.     The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis 146pg

4.     Out of the Silent Planet Lewis 160pg

5.     Silence by Shusaku Endo 190

6.     Perelandra by C.S. Lewis 222

7.     Celtic way of Evangelism by George Hunter 120

8.     Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit 154

9.     Becoming a Healthier Pastor by Ronald Richardson 148

10.  Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer 122

11.  Charis by Preston Sprinkle 172

12.  Business as a Holy Calling 1st edition by Tim Dearborn 114

13.  Business as a Holy Calling 2nd edition by Tim Dearborn 115[2]

14.  Telling the Truth by Frederick Buechner 98

15.  A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor 252

16.  The Time Machine by H.G. Wells 103

17.  Caring for Gods people by Phillip Culbertson 340

18.  Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs ~300

19.  The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 97

20.  Rediscovering an Evangelical Heritage by Donald Dayton & Douglas Strong. 180

21.  Disability and Christian theology by Deborah Creamer 120

22.  Theology, Disability and the New Genetics: Why Science Needs the Church. Edited by John Swinton and Brian Brock. 244

23.  The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin 330

24.  Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington 240

25.  The Disabled God by Nancy Eiesland 119

26.  The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer 92

27.  A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit. 368

28.  The War of the worlds by H.G. wells 204

29.  Frankenstein by Mary Shelly 126

30.  The Scarlet Plague by Jack London. 128

31.  A Healing Homiletic by Kathy Black. 186

32.  Relearning Jesus by Matthew Paul Turner. 186

33.  The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. 95

34.  The Gifts of imperfection by Brenee Brown. 126

35.  Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer. 350

36.  The House Behind the Cedars by Charles Chesnutt. 208

37.  The Bible, Disability, and the Church by Amos Yong 142

38.  Living Gently in a Violent World by Stanley Hauerwas and Jean Vanier 117

39.  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. 206

40.  The Christian imagination by Willie James Jennings 384

41.  The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. 291

42.  Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres. 356

43.  Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Avery Sutton. 280

44.  Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. 152

45.  Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. 311

46.  That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis 381

47.  Baby by J.K. Accinni 194

48.  Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente. 127

49.  The Spirituals and the Blues by James Cone. 130

50.  Resurrecting the Person by John Swinton. 209

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[1] I feel that I should note that probably only two-thirds of my theological nonfiction was read for class. It is a genre that I greatly enjoy for its own sake, thus my pursuit of a Masters in Theology.

[2] While it may seem a bit lazy to include two editions of the same book, I was a part of the editing process for this book and as such read both editions very closely multiple times over, so it seems a shame not to count them both.

Giving Up

            These moments always begin with simple Mistakes. Sometimes they are the ancient Mistakes that start at the root of our existence; the ones that seem to start back there, at the moment life began. Sometimes they are the Mistakes we inherit; the “sins of our fathers” so to speak. Sometimes they are new Mistakes and if I am unlucky they will become as familiar as the ones that precede them.  Regardless of their nature, my Mistakes have been known to kick-start a downward cycle. The Mistake occurs, and it does not matter if it was a first time incident or a bad habit revived, the progress downward might just begin irrespectively.

            And after the Mistake comes the Frustration. Frustration aimed at no one but myself. Frustration in the form of “I can do better than that” or “I should have known better than that.” Frustration that says, “Why aren’t you better than that? Especially after all this time…” Frustration that makes me ask, “Why do my flaws run so deep?” That goblin reaches its gnarled fingers into my mind and into my heart and grabs at whatever it can reach. Then it squeezes like it wants to hold me forever in the worst kind of way. The Frustration goblin grins at me with yellow teeth as he holds up everything that should have prevented me from making that Mistake in the first place. As I collect enough of these goblins, their grip seems to tighten and their weight seems to pull ever harder while they scream at me: “You are incompetent!”

Sometimes, this is the moment when I first think, “Perhaps I should talk to someone.” Then that heckler of a ghoul that is the Threat of Self-Pity makes its appearance and shuts down all productivity with its mockery. “Woe is me,” it teases with pseudo-mourning, “why is my life so hard?” it sardonically pouts as it tries to exasperate me. “Your life is not that bad and you are selfish for thinking anything otherwise!” he screams loudly enough to make me stop and sigh with dejection. The Threat of Self-Pity immobilizes my fingers from writing words with any truth, wires my jaw shut as it forces me to say “I’m doing fine,” and rips my heart from my sleeve and locks it up somewhere dark as he says yet again, “Your problems do not matter, so get over yourself already! Be thankful for what you have you ungrateful sloth!”

After the Threat of Self-Pity has silenced me, the ghost of Acquiescence silently appears. He has no words on his tongue and has no care for any that might be on mine. His blank-eyed stare doesn’t even require words to communicate that silence is my best option. All he does is stare and I know that this silence is what I must accept. His stare has no solace. His is not a “knowing” gaze. Acquiescence does not have my interests in mind; he merely works for the ghouls and goblins that came before him. When Acquiescence’s cold hand grasps mine to lead me forward he has accepted his fate and plans to teach me to accept mine by the time we reach our destination. He does not care and his touch his unlike any person’s. It brings me no comfort and seems to pull my the heat from beneath my skin instead of warming me like the flesh of another soul would.

Once Acquiescence has taught me his ways he hands me over to that two-headed giant known as Loneliness and Defeat. Loneliness is so thin that he wraps me up like plastic wrap and keeps me from doing anything real. He reminds me that cigarettes at least used to pretend to keep me warm in this coldness. He reminds me that booze always seemed like it could fill this emptiness. He reminds me that cheap sex always seemed like a good solution to this darkness. Defeat ardently affirms him on all accounts. The one thing they don’t have to do is remind me that these things have no depth, warmth or light at all. Loneliness is so thin and yet he hardly has to try in order to keep me painfully contained within myself. I am afraid to speak because of the goblins, ghouls and ghosts that have come before him. Defeat then proceeds to kick me while I’m down.

All I can do now is give up.

Give up...

Give. Up.

Give Up the sense that I am sufficient in and of myself. Because I am not. And maybe that’s ok.

I do need help. And maybe that’s ok.

Where these monsters would try and shut me down with that need, my friends, my family, and my God say, “We are here.” And I know that they are.

Give Up so that finally I can say, “help,” I can exclaim, “I need you,” and I can pray, “Arise oh Lord lift up your eyes, don’t forget I’m helpless.” I have been here before and I have found that this is truly my only way out.

Give Up and find myself fully present in the arms of friends and family. And maybe even in those “Everlasting Arms,” cliché as that may be.

Give Up.

And grow from here.

In 2011 I was diagnosed with depression and with help from friends, family, and an entirely faithful God, I was able to make my way out of that soul-sucking bog. In the years since then my self-esteem and I have still had a rocky relationship. Something very like depression has, at various times, clawed its way back in to the periphery of my mind, if not even further in than that. I would be lying if I said that I don’t feel the threat of its shadow right now.

I hope that as I lay this out, those people who have been depressed can find some hope in knowing that they are not alone. I also hope that this can explain to those who have not been depressed why it can be so hard to ask for help. Believe me when I say that the ghoul of the Threat of Self-Pity nearly kept me from writing this as he mocked and taunted me: “You are just making a plea for sympathy because it will make you feel good! You are just miserable and in need of attention!”

I also hope you will believe me when I say that I have help. A dear friend and a mentor both know about my situation already.

Some of you may feel that this post was rather darker than usual. Sometimes the really dark stuff is the most cathartic. I think that those of us who love Jesus need to be honest about our imperfections. But I also don’t know that I would call this dark because, for me, it brings so much stuff into the light. The goblins, ghouls, ghosts, and giants don’t like the light very much. I might feel exposed, but I can feel them tremble.

Finally, I hope that if any of you currently are here, you can find some solace, and can give up in the best way possible.

Lastly, this seems like the right song to throw in here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj4q4rfDcNw

Excuse Me Pastor I Have a Question: Job and Generation Y

            I’m not sure who came up with the idea that the Bible is “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,” but they were wrong. I grew up with this slogan for the Bible but as I began my undertaking of a Master’s in Christian Scripture a little over a year ago, I have some thoughts on this. BASIC is hardly a word I would apply to that behemoth collection of books, INSTRUCTIONS probably applies to far less of it than you would think, and BEFORE LEAVING EARTH has some implications that are troubling in their own right. Likewise, orthodox theology is filled with ideas that are often confusing, troublesome, and even problematic. Yet somehow many in the church that I, and many of my peers in Generation Y grew up in, have tried to gloss over the challenging portions of our scripture and theology or worse, swept them under the rug. I am fortunate to presently be in a context where I get to wrestle through these scriptures and these theologies with some incredibly bright students and some of the finest Bible scholars and theologians I could ever hope to learn from as I study in seminary. I am in a very fortunate situation in which my questions are encouraged and my frustration is not shunned. Yet many people in my generation have found themselves stuck in places where their questions are cast aside.

            I have about a half dozen friends who spent time in one particular “Bible School”[1] program. The sort that doesn’t get you a degree, but the kind where you go live and serve with people, take semi-formal classes about the bible or ministry, and then go on mission trips. They brought questions to Bible School. They were given answers at Bible School. The answers, however, seem to have been the sort that stem conversations and stop troubling questions. My perception is that these friends of mine were asking questions that were not easily answered. And yet, they received “easy answers.” They received the answers that implicitly said, “You need to stop asking these sorts of questions.”

·      “Is homosexuality wrong?” “Yes, the Bible says so.” “Then why don’t we make women cover their heads in church?” “That was a matter of cultural context.”

·      “Should we take the whole Bible literally?” “Yes!” “Then what about Proverbs 26:4-5? Do we answers fools according to their folly or don’t we?” “…”

·      “Why does God let bad things happen to helpless people when he could stop these things from happening?” “No one knows but God” “Right, but can we talk about it?” “I wouldn’t want to cause people to stumble over intellectual issues. You just need to have faith.”[2]

The friends I have in mind as I write this are not unique in their experience; their program was not a cult nor is it a hub of ignorance. It was filled with people doing their best. Likewise, I have to believe that the pastors, teachers, and speakers that many of my other fellow Generation Y companions and I grew up hearing were very well intentioned people as well. I don’t mean this in the “road to hell is paved with good intentions” sense, I mean it with sincerity. They taught us what they were taught, and the answers they regurgitated had probably worked for them for their whole lives. But as you may have heard, we are living in an increasingly “post-Christian[3]” nation; Christianity is not “assumed” any more. People want to know why, and “Because the Bible says so” is becoming a less satisfying answer everyday.

            This is not to say that our historic brothers and sisters of the faith were not asking questions. They were. The church has always had prophets; the ones who ask, “Why are we doing it this way? Why do we believe this? Is this really what God wants from us?” Yet somehow, I get the sense that I did not grow up with many of those types around me. It seems that many of my friends didn’t either. As a result, I now find myself surrounded by people who are asking questions that their “Bible Schools” are scared to touch. Interestingly, because I am in seminary and apparently have sufficiently trustworthy character, I find myself being on the receiving end of many of these sorts of questions. As I sit with my friends and hear these challenging questions, I understand the temptation to easy answers. I am in seminary full time, thinking about and reading about the issues that my friends are asking about all the time. Often I wish I could answer, “It’s simple! Here’s why.” yet at my moments when I speak honestly I find myself saying, “I’m not sure. But one thing I know: it’s complicated.”

Just about a week ago I was attending a “Theological Panel on Sex and The Body” at Naked City Brewery (an incredibly Generation Y thing to do) and I heard a statement that I think defines many of my Gen Y comrades’ view on the church remarkably well. In comments about the oftentimes shallow view of sexuality Generation Y Christians grew up being taught, a woman stood up and said something very similar to, “I am not mad that my pastors may have been wrong about this. I am mad at how ardently they insisted they were right.” Gen Y is ok with questions. I think God is ok with questions too. In fact, I think that the sacred book we stumble through all the time shows this same sort of God.

The book of Job typifies Gen Y pretty well in some ways. Many of us grew up hearing the story of Job as the story of the man with deep faith. If you only read Job chapters 1, 2, and 42:10-17, you’d probably be right in assessing the story as little more than that. Job loves God, but then loses everything, but then Job is faithful, then God gives it all back twofold, and Job lives happily ever after. However, Job is the guy who, among his first words mind you, says, “Let the day perish in which I was born… Why is light given to one in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death but it does not come… whom God has fenced in…”[4] Job will even go on to accuse God of shooting him with poisonous arrows[5]. Yet God will say to Job’s seemingly respectful and reverent friend Eliphaz, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”[6] Job, the man who said that God was using him for divine archery practice, is the one who, according to God himself, has spoken rightly about the divine. God can handle our questions, even if the church can’t. Ironically the Bible, the Church’s book, even commends those who ask the seemingly impossible questions.

The church[7] may not have done a great job about being receptive to Gen Y’s questions. However, there is a book full of answers right in the middle of the Bible, which many in my generation, myself included, were enthusiastically recommended: Proverbs. Proverbs is a much-needed balance to our other two books of wisdom literature and it has some great things to say. That being said, there is a reason we have three books of wisdom literature. Job asks the hard questions. Ecclesiastes, my favorite of the three, acknowledges the fact that life is hard, it doesn’t make much sense, wisdom will only get us so far, and we will probably die confused about the events that our life contained. The book of Proverbs, by very important contrast to these first two, instead is filled with little catchall phrases that seem to suggest one-dimensional answers to address our multifaceted questions. However, Proverbs also assumes, for better or for worse, that you already possess enough wisdom to know when to apply the very particular sorts of wisdom contained within its pages. Yet many of us were recommended Proverbs as though it were the book that contained the answers to all of life’s questions. And so you may ask, “What do I do for my suffering friend?” And Proverbs 31:6-7, my personal favorite proverb, will answer: “Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”[8] Perhaps my homebrewing is holier than I ever imagined. Anybody perishing? I’m supposed to give you beer.

Yet before reading Proverbs, I commend the book of Job, with all its darkness and gloom, to all of us, but especially to Generation Y. In Job, the man with a death wish, who accuses God of inaction[9], is the holy man. The ones who rush to try and defend God? God’s wrath is kindled against them. Job is a man of integrity; he asks the hard questions and will not take cheap answers. And at the end, after talking through his questions and hearing from God, Job is able to relent and be comforted, even in his pile of dust and ashes[10].

May we all ask our questions with sincerity, without being scared of God and may we all have Job’s integrity as we do so. May we remember that God is not scared of our questions. As a matter of fact, God wants our questions, and God is big enough to handle them. Please do not stop asking, because I believe that God will not stop listening.

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[1] I do not say “Bible School” with quotation marks as an attempt at mockery. I simply wish to indicate that the sort of Bible School my friends attended is not the same as what people experience when they go get a B.S. in Biblical Studies, or what one experiences as they pursue a seminary degree.

[2] These are not actual responses to actual questions they asked, but you may recognize the sentiment I am getting at.

[3] Saying America is “post-Christian” does not mean there are no more Christians. It means it is no longer safe to assume that because someone is an American they are also a Christian. In fairness, this was probably never a safe assumption.

[4] Job 3:3,20-21, 23b NRSV

[5] Job 6:4 NRSV

[6] Job 42:7 NRSV

[7] I do not mean here to segregate myself from the Church but rather to say that, though I love the Church, those in charge did not always handle our questions the best.

[8] Cited from the NIV because I love beer and it says beer instead of “strong drink.” This is, perhaps, a selfish and exegetically unfaithful move, but if you’re that much of a snob this is probably not where you go for top-tier biblical scholarship. Regardless, I think my point still stands.

[9] Job 19:7 and plenty of others.

[10] I here commend to you the Common English Bible’s translation of Job 42:6. The word “נָחַם” that is often translated as “repent” here is actually more often translated as “comfort” across its 128 occurrences in the Old Testament, and if you consider the line of argument that runs through the book of Job, it makes a lot more sense that way.

Top 10 Bands Who Are Helping CCM Not Suck

(If you just wanna hear about some great bands, feel free to skip my intro)

If you have at least one working ear and have been to a Sunday church service in the last ten years, you have probably noticed something. Much of the music you hear (primarily coming from Hillsong, Jesus Culture, and the like) sounds remarkably like U2 or Coldplay. Which is a kinda funny, because they pioneered a sound that most modern worship bands can’t get enough of. That vague, atmospheric guitar solo that doesn’t really have many single definite notes combined with ten million layers of synthesizer running behind it? Yep. U2, Coldplay, and certainly others I’m forgetting about, did it DECADES ago. Don’t believe me? Go check out “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2, off of their Joshua Tree album, which came out in 1987. Sounds like the intro to a worship song eh? Well, for perspective, Chris Tomlin was 14 when that album dropped. He’s even done a cover of “Where the Streets Have No Name,” but let’s be real, there can only be one Bono.

Hear me on one thing before we proceed any further. I appreciate that Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, and the gang have written worship songs that have changed people’s lives. In fact, the name of my old blog was inspired by a moment that occurred while I saw Chris Tomlin playing at the Gorge. However, the reality is that so little variety is happening within the Christian music scene, I used to get angry about it approximately once a week. However, I am also very fortunate to have a found some gems over the last few years, and even a few really great ones just this year in 2014, that are giving me hope for Christian music.

If God is infinitely big, like the Church says he is and I believe he is, then shouldn’t the Church’s music reflect that reality? (I have some more developed thoughts on this that you can readabout here) Why, then, have we relegated ourselves to formulas? U2 and Coldplay had, and still have, great sounds. Making music inspired by theirs is great too. BUT we should be running a veritable buffet of musical goodness not exclusively dishing up Coldplay’s-Coldcut sandwiches. I’m over it!

Ok. Enough with the soapbox. This is my attempt to do something about it. Here’s the list, in order of bands that you are LEAST likely to have heard of first based on the (admittedly, fairly arbitrary scale of) number of likes their band page has on Facebook.

1.     Arthur Wachnik: I was blown away at first listen when it came to this guy. He spent some time hanging out with Romanian gypsy refugees and playing worship with them and the influence undoubtedly shows. The first song “Let Us Run” off his album of the same name sounds delightfully like Radiohead. The song’s first lyrics kick off the album perfectly: “Don’t ask me to settle down, I got a preacher’s fire, a gypsy’s song. I can’t keep trouble away, but if it wasn’t so, I’d be doing wrong.” This album is just about pure gold from top to bottom. My personal favorite is “Hold me Close,” a beautiful, desperate cry for God to come close. A close second is “Shield,” featuring a chorus of nearly militant voices chillingly claiming God as their protector. Best of all? His album is STILL free on Noisetrade.com

2.     Renee Swick: This lady has been a part of the great big musical Jesus party hosted by Enter the Worship Circle as well as being musical collaborators with Tim Coons (we’ll get to him next). Her piano driven style and sincere vocals make for a lovely combination. Unafraid to be a bit musically haunting on her album, I imagine her music will hook you pretty quick. In particular, I love the opening to her “Skin and Bones” album “Where is home where is home?”

3.     Tim Coons: Tim Coons has done a lot of things I love. I first heard him on Enter the Worship Circle’s Chair and Microphone vol. 4 album, which his song “Jaw” opened. To this day, it’s still my favorite Tim Coons song as his you can hear his desperate voice reaching out requesting “Arise Lord deliver me, oh my God, strike all of my enemies on the jaw.” A beautiful rendition of some of the Psalms that we are so often uncomfortable with. His most recent album Potomac is an album full of medleys that mix traditional hymns with some of his own songs and the songs of other Enter the Worship Circle artists. In particular his medley of “Trouble So Hard” with Aaron Strumpel’s “Twenty Three” has brought me to tears more than once. Guess what? This album is also free on Noisetrade.com

4.     The Whistles and The Bells: Facemelting, gutsy, bluesy, bluegrass. Bryan Simpson, formerly of Cadillac Sky, left said band when he found Jesus. Many expected a fade into obscurity, instead he dropped this absolute gem of an album. My one sentence description of this music is, “imagine Jack White as a Christian, and a bluegrass monster,” though that description doesn’t do it justice as he brings far more to the table than even that. He even got some of his old bandmates to play on the album, with Matt Menefee’s banjo solos being particularly stellar. The second track off his self-titled album “Transistor Resistor” details a great story of finding God in an unexpected place while providing banjo that will just about stop your heart over some ferocious drumming. On the opposite end of the spectrum “Last Night God Sang me a Song” is one of the sweetest off the album showing the impossibility of containing God with such fantastic lyrics as “It’s not the path it’s the transformation, that leads us out of the dark.” Also, thisalbum is STILL free on Noisetrade.com

5.     Liz Vice: As someone who grew up on predominantly blues and old school soul, Liz Vice’s solo album scratched an itch that had been getting at me for some time. You can feel the influence in the first few seconds of even the first song. I first heard her voice on The Followers’ “Wounded Healer” album where she ripped up a song entitled “Enfold Me,” and after hearing that for the first time, I was praying for a solo album from her. (The Followers are also an absolutely phenomenal group.) In particular, from her solo album, the song “Enclosed by You” which is driven by just her voice, a Rhodes piano, and a sweet bass drum and snaps beat will bring you into sweet, soulful, worshipful bliss. She is a part of the “Deeper Well” collective based out of Door of Hope church in Portland, OR. By the way, Deeper Well gives away all their music, which means you can also get this little gem for free online on Noisetrade.com.

6.     Aaron Strumpel: The third artist on my list from Enter the Worship Circle (hope that fives you a hint). The first song of his I heard was “Twenty Three” and it is a song I’ve played over and over in my personal worship time and it has torn me up on multiple occasions. Strumpel’s other material seems out there at times but so poignant and with plenty of musical genius worked in as well. His music is just about impossible to categorize by style. Start with “Blow out the Wick” off of his “Elephants” album and you’ll see what I mean. Likewise, “Grandma” off of his “Birds” album his a personal favorite for the rather tribal feel it ends with.

7.     Valley Maker: When I found out Austin Crane had moved to Seattle back in January, I was positively thrilled. Austin Crane put out a pair of albums under his own name before recording under the name Valley Maker. His first album, the culmination of an undergraduate honor’s project, features all music inspired by the book of Genesis. In particular the song “Abraham and Isaac,” a beautiful song about sacrifice, has brought me to tears on many occasions. His new album “Yes I Know I’ve Loved This World” is a rather different offering but no less wonderful. “The Mission” is a particular favorite off of that latter album. (Sadly, his music isn't presently on his site, but check back, you won't regret it)

8.     The Oh Hello’s: A delightful rowdy band offering up some really great folk music and a personal favorite band of more than a few of my friends. The opening song “The Valley” sets the tone for their “Through the Deep, Dark Valley” album perfectly. Their sound is somewhat The Head and The Heart-esque but totally original and full of musical gold nuggets that just about any person will enjoy. Honest lyrics are what really set them apart, alongside the fact that this is great road trip music. Yet again this is free on Noisetrade.com!

9.     Josh Garrels: I considered not including Josh Garrels on this list for the sheer fact that most folks have already heard of him and I am trying to help out some of the more fringe bands of the CCM world. However, on the off chance one person who reads this hasn’t heard of him, I figure one more person listening to Josh Garrels is a great thing. His music draws heavily from both folk and hip-hop and yet is quite unlike either. Seeing him alive is a memory I shall undoubtedly retain forever and his music has helped me through some of the heaviest moments of my life including depression and deep anger at God. Josh Garrels is also a part of the Deeper Well music collective and I hope that gives you another hint of where to find some great tunes.

10. listener: listener makes “talk music,” which is certainly not for everyone. Yet Dan Smith has written the only lyrics I have ever seriously considered getting tattooed on my body and I feel like that is definitely saying something. I don’t even know where to begin with listener other than to say that they are one of my all time favorite bands and I hope they never cease to exist. With bold, honest lyrical statements like “our church is all made of shipwrecks from every hull these rocks have claimed but we pick ourselves up and try to grow better through these changes” you know that this man sees something deeper. I cannot recommend listener highly enough and I would encourage you, even if you don’t dig the style, give it a few listens and let listener’s lyrics sink in deep. In particular, the song “Wooden Heart” could seriously change your life.