I just wanted to point you toward a new book that i’m thoroughly enjoying right now. It’s called “The Last Christian,” and although i’m only a little more than halfway done (i’m a slow reader, and this one is giving me a lot to think about) i can already recommend it. While i would normally hold a recommendation until i’ve completed a book, this one, while fiction, has given me a lot to chew on from a Christian perspective. This is one of those books that i’m really looking forward to discussing with friends when i’ve finished it. I especially recommend this one for fans of sci-fi–specifically near-future (think The Hunger Games, City of Ember, or the movie Gamer)

Here’s a recap from the publisher:

A.D. 2088.

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father’s unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

Click Here to see more information!

And now, just the obligatory disclaimer: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

I’m the kind of man who holds on tight
To the memory of what I’ve done
Every restless day and sleepless night
It’s in my head just like a movie
That I’m watching from the drive-in of my life

‘Cause my mind knows Your mercy is enough
But my heart wants to deserve it

I need You to forgive me
For forgetting You forgive me
I need You to remind me
That Your grace is big enough to save me

I’m living proof that Love is blind
In my weakness You gave everything
And though unrestrained I am confined
As I’m building up this prison
And I’m swallowing the key while I’m inside

These bars are made of nothing but my pride
And I need you even more than when
You set me free the first time

I need You to forgive me
For forgetting You forgive me
I need You to remind me
That Your grace is big enough to save me
From my past and forgive me for my future
You can save me from myself
And forgive me when I hurt You
You can save me from my freedom
And forgive me when I trade it for a chain

While this is exciting news in it’s own right, even more exciting is the fact that (at least for now) Centricity has put the entire album up for preview in an online jukebox! That’s right…you can check it out in it’s entirety for free! Click here to give it a listen!

As you probably know, Andrew has been my favorite songwriter for many years. As much as i’ve loved each and every record he’s done, this one is probably the best (i’ve only listened through it twice, but my first impressions are strong!).

Don’t miss the chance to preview the record…and please, support it when it’s released! As a culture we can’t afford to let music like this be overlooked and under-supported.

While i’m on the topic of good music, all of you should head over to www.noisetrade.com and check it out. It’s an amazing concept started in part by Derek Webb and some friends. Basically, over 60 artists (and the list grows every day) have put music online (many entire records) that you can download by one of two options: 1.) you can give three email addresses of friends that you think might like the songs, or 2.) you can pay whatever price you like. It’s the future of music in my opinion–and that’s a good thing!

So head over there. Several artists you should look for (and remember, you can get the albums for FREE!) are Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, Jill Phillips, and Andy Gullahorn (who’s (free) album ‘reinventing the wheel’ is probably is on my top 5, and who was one of the producers of Andrew Peterson’s new album).

Don’t pass it up, and check back often. New albums are added all the time!

The song is loosely based around the communion table–being that i wrote it for communion Sunday. Other than communion, there were two things that i really wanted to write into the song. One was a clear gospel presentation, and one was the idea of setting up reminders (to ourselves) of the things God has done for us. We see this concept in many places in the Old Testament (specifically Deuteronomy and Joshua) where God commanded the people to place stones and markers–both so that they would remember, but also so that their children would be curious and ask their parents what the symbols meant.

I tried a couple of new things as i was writing this song. One of them is the lyrical repetition. Generally, i try to stay away from that sort of thing when i’m writing. But in this song i really felt like repetition would be a good thing…after all, what is God if He isn’t repetitive in His mercy toward us? On the musical side i ventured into some new territory and played my acoustic guitar with some heavy delay, which is pretty unusual for me. I liked the way it turned out, although i was playing with trembling hands!

Here are the lyrics, and you can listen to the song buy clicking on the play button at the bottom of the post. I’d be happy to know what y’all think.

Remember

Father Mother, set a marker
So we will not forget the past
Tell your children what God has done
When they come to ask

As you look upon this altar
Remember that He gave all that He had
As you gather at this table
The bread and wine are whispering the fact
That He loves us to the last

(chorus)
Jesus bent His ear to hear us
And came here to restore us to the life
The life that He meant for us
I sing in honor of our Merciful King
And to tell of every merciful mercy

Each one broken, just a token
Of who you and I were meant to be
He was wounded for His kindred
He was bruised for you and me

As you look upon this altar
Remember that His blood paid every cost
As we gather at this table
The bread and wine are whispering the cross
That He traded for the lost

(bridge)
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch, that saved a wretch like me
Amazing love how could it be
That a King would come and bleed for me

Imagine this: All the hillarious, gut-busting b-movie commentary of Mystery Science Theater 3000 applied to dozens of the movies we all know and love…movies like the Matrix, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the recent Star Wars trilogy, and even popular TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy. Of course, there’s plenty of b-movies as well.

I know what i’m bringing to the next movie night!

Seriously, i can’t figure out if it’s pure entrepreneurial genius, or raw emotional exploitation. Either way…i’m pretty sure i wish i’d thought of it first.