the story i find myself in

i must say - the in-ears are great!! got a chance to listen to them many times before sunday and try to break them in for this morning. once the morning came i was a little nervous b/c i didnt know what to expect, but once we got through sound check i was excited. so the morning went well - i will have to have andrew eq them better and try to position an ambient mic around the crowd better as well. but all in all i am really excited to get used to them better and hopefully they will help me become a better musician. now i can hear everything that i am singing/playing! ha! hope this day of sabbath has found you well - shalom.

Posted by ashdown at 10/30/2005 05:52:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so here is my first snippet from walter... "the task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us." yes!! this is resonating with my thoughts from a couple of posts ago. the prophets of the OT were calling Israel to a different reality than was was being offered by the governemt, caesar, etc...and that is right in line with what Jesus is calling the kingdom of God, a new reality. i love brueggemann's words here, a 'consciousness and perception' alternative to the current cultural norm. i think as followers of the way we should embrace this as well - we should be evoking and nourishing the kingdom that we are ushering in. brilliant walter, simply brilliant.

Posted by ashdown at 10/28/2005 10:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

so i finished Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith yesterday and i really enjoyed it. if you are an anne lamott fan - i say go for it! and the title sums the book up well - it is her journey and thoughts on faith and God along the way. she is incredibly sarcastic and brutally honest with her life and feelings and i love it. so as our church heads into a new series entitled Faith and Imagination i reached for good ol walter. i have had his book The Prophetic Imagination for a while and have heard great things about it. i'm pretty sure it will hurt my braid a bit...but i am always up for a new challenge...

Posted by ashdown at 10/28/2005 09:37:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

yep.....IN EARS CAME TODAY!!! and they freakin rock! here are some photos: so yeah - a sweet carrying case - a 1/4" adapter and a cleaning tool. needless to say i am really excited!! they sound incredible - first tried a little acoustic crowder tune, then a rockin death cab tune, then jay z to test the bass response. wow...once again, they sound incredible!!!! so i think i will practice with them on sunday am - and if all goes well i will use them in the service on sunday. i will keep ya posted on how it all goes. stay tuned....

Posted by ashdown at 10/27/2005 09:01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so last night ryan played a show at taft street coffee and i got to play with him - it was a great show!! many thanks to all the fpc folk who came a supported a great musician!! anyways - it was great to be back playin with ry - and playing some great tunes. if ya have not picked up the new album - DO IT!! also it was great to have ryan and holly here for an extended period of time. we were reminded of how beautiful God's kingdom is - when we slow down and eat meals and talk for hours about life over wonderful bottles of wine...i'm sure these next couple of blog posts with be a result of me trying to process all of our great conversations....

Posted by ashdown at 10/27/2005 03:04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so ry, holly, amanda, and i headed out to ecclesia sunday night and suddenly i was taken back to almost every church i have ever worked with....scu, sacred, rockharbor, the journey etc...it is was a cool/wierd feeling. anyways robbie led worship and then the associate pastor came up to teach. the passage he taught from was isaiah 5 and it was interesting....we were all talking afterwards about what the pastor taught and in the passage there are many 'woe to you's' (as in any good prophet book) and what the pastor seemed to do was talk about all the extreme instances of how bad these people were. like how they were expanding for their own sake, or how they were drunk all the time....i dont know....this post isnt going where i thought it was going to go...having trouble putting into words what i am thinking...i think the bottom line is that it seemed that after interpreting the passage like we had it interpreted to us - it seemed that i got off scott free - like the prophet wasnt speaking to me because i wasnt in the extreme catagory that he was speaking to...to me, it seems like in the passage that there is a deeper message then what was taught....ok - done with this very confusing post....just trying to get some words out... peace.

Posted by ashdown at 10/24/2005 08:56:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

been reading anne lamott today...she's so great. listen to her comment on faith: "Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within, for the sense one was born with, the sense, for example, to go for a walk." great words. thanks anne.

Posted by ashdown at 10/21/2005 02:27:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so i know that damien jurado has been around for a long while - but today on my way home i listened to the new record 'on my way to absence' (thanks nikki) and gotta say - LOVE IT!! check it out also, in other news - the cobalt season HOUSE SHOW @ 4707 Pin Oak Park, Sat 7pm!!!! if ya are in town - put it on the calendar and we will see ya here!!

Posted by ashdown at 10/20/2005 09:18:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

yep - in about 2 hours i will be at the audiologist getting my ears poured and molded so i can get a pair of these!! yep - sensaphonics prophonic 2x. i cant wait!!! i will be sure and give ya an update of what i think...

Posted by ashdown at 10/12/2005 02:21:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

the reason i titled the last post 'plan b' was that i am now going to start on anne lamott's newest book plan b: further thoughts on faith. a big thanks to the lux family for the groom's shower gift!

Posted by ashdown at 10/06/2005 02:12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

just finished reading don miller's through painted deserts today and it is a great read. the subtitle reads: light, god and beauty on the open road - and that is a great description. it was cool to read it and relate with a similar path on a big road trip. one of the biggest theme's in this book is don's quest for answers to the 'why' questions of life, instead of the 'how'. so not so much how do i get married and how do i get a good job and such, but more why am i here and why do i love? a good read for sure. here is my favorite quote from the book: "i think we are supposed to stand in deserts and marvel at how the sun rises. i think we are supposed to sleep in meadows and watch stars dart across space and time. i think we are supposed to love our friends and introduce people to the story, to the peaceful, calming why of life. i think life is spirituality."

Posted by ashdown at 10/06/2005 02:04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

so as stated below, i got my copy of But I Tell You in the mail and i have just finished listening to it twice, without stopping. and i must say - it is fantastic! all the instrumentation fits the album and the songs very well. the music supplements the words and places them at the forefront of the songs and adds just the perfect amount of flavor for each track. the truths conveyed in these songs are great. at times it feels like i am in a living room, listening to my good friends sing and play about living life. i think probably the most heartfelt and real lyrics i have heard in a while. this music tells a great story and also speaks to my soul on many levels. seriously, buy this album. you can purchase a hard copy of the album, or do a digital download here. i highly suggest it.

Posted by ashdown at 10/05/2005 02:28:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

just got my copy of But I Tell You in the mail today!! cant wait to hear it - the artwork is brilliant. stay tuned for a review here soon!

Posted by ashdown at 10/03/2005 09:19:00 PM | Permalink | Comments