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Sunday Worship Set List :: 5 Oct 2008

Sunday setlist time:

Central Christian Church (Lancaster, CA) :: 5 Oct 2008
Name Above All Names
Fashion
Messiah
Hosanna
How Great is Our God
You Never Let Go

It was anthem week at Central, as I think we sang just about all of our "arena rock" style songs. "Fashion" (by Jason Morant) is just a fantastic song; I recommend anyone check it out.

Sunday Worship Set List :: 21 Sep 2008

It's been a few weeks and I'm a little late in getting it out... but I wanted to give the latest setlist for Fred's blog:

Central Christian Church (Lancaster, CA) :: 21 Sep 2008
Gazing
Jesus Lord of Heaven
Mighty to Save
There is No One
From the Inside Out
When I Search

(For the astute of you, yes we did the Future of Forestry/Something Like Silas/Eric Owyoung sandwich, starting and ending with his songs. :-)

The interesting thing about service this past Sunday was that I led the thing. Our normal worship leader was in Austin, so I got the reins (and tried not to run the thing into the ground!). Vanessa sang, which was awesome, and I sang without playing bass, which made things really nice for me. It wasn't without bumps, but it was surprisingly fun. It had been about a year since Vanessa and I were "running the show" at First Christian, and we were doing so there for a congregation about 1/3 the size of our "Gallery" service last Sunday. All in all, good times.

Sunday Worship Set List :: 31 Aug 2008

Keeping in tune with the latest Sunday Setlist post, here's what we sang this week.

Central Christian Church (Lancaster, CA) :: 03 Aug 2008
Beautiful One
Indescribable
Enough
Come Thou Fount
How Great is Our God
I Love You Lord

Cool thing this week: Vanessa sang on the team for the second time this week, battling bad allergies. It wasn't the best setlist for an alto, but we had a great worship experience. Cool thing #2: my parents came to church with us today and really enjoyed the worship and sermon. It's been a long year or so for them, so I'm hoping they might be able to get planted a bit with us.

Radiohead @ Hollywood Bowl :: 24 Aug 2008

Setlist (broken down by album, rather than by order; other places have the ordered setlist):
THE BENDS
Street Spirit (Fade Out)

OK COMPUTER
Paranoid Android
Exit Music (For a Film)
Climbing Up the Walls
Lucky

KID A
Everything in its Right Place
The National Anthem
How to Disappear Completely
Idioteque
Morning Bell

AMNESIAC
Pyramid Song
Dollars and Cents

HAIL TO THE THIEF
The Gloaming (Softly Open Our Mouths in the Cold)
There There (The Boney King of Nowhere)
A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)

IN RAINBOWS
15 Step
Bodysnatchers
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
All I Need
Faust Arp
Reckoner
House of Cards
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Videotape
(That's right, all 10 songs.)

I don't think there's any way I'm able to review this without (a) saying everything anyone else has said, and/or (b) sounding like a complete lunatic. Throwing caution to the wind, I'll just say this was the best live event of any sort — concert, opera, musical, sporting event — that I have ever attended. Not even the potheads or ex-frat-boy spoiled muttonheads (who got the tickets from their slimy Burbank producer dads just so they could talk through the whole thing or yell "F*** BUSH" during "Exit Music (For a Film)") could have ruined a perfect evening at the Bowl. The temperature was perfect, the light show was spectacular, and Radiohead were immaculate.

After seeing Monday's setlist, I was a little jealous — a Neil Young cover? Music from The Eraser? "Talk Show Host"?! Then I realized that Monday's setlist didn't include a few essential and amazing songs that we got on Sunday — "Climbing Up the Walls", "Paranoid Android", "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" and "Exit Music (For a Film)" being the most notable. So I'm pretty sure we got the better end of the deal on Sunday night. :-)

I'm left to deal with the obsession/depression that comes in the wake of a monumental event. I'm broken, scraping craigslist and ebay in hopes of someone trying to get rid of tickets for the final two shows of the tour... down to the final show tonight in Santa Barbara. Heck, I'm even checking on plane tickets to Tokyo for their shows out there in October. I'm signing up to every Radiohead W.A.S.T.E. mailing list I can find in hopes of getting better/more tickets next time... IF THERE IS A NEXT TIME. (That's the depression talking.)

Hopefully there will be a next time. If there is, I will be sure to catch every showing in the area (with "area" defined pretty liberally). It is so worth it.

weeds, speeding and speaking through action

I came home the other day to discover that someone had been in the flower bed in my front yard. Apparently they had taken it upon themselves to remove the weeds from the entire thing, bagging everything neatly next to our garbage cans. (I had previously attempted to spend some weekend time removing the weeds, but the weeds were winning that battle and attempting to overtake our house.) I still have no idea who did it; my neighbor's gardener won't confess and I haven't had the chance to ask around any more than that.

Last Sunday, I was speeding on the way to church. By the time I passed a van on 60th Street, I was going about 72 in a 55. (Nothing terribly unusual for me, incidentally.) I had to get up to that speed partially because the van in question sped up as I was trying to pass him. Upon arriving at church, I heard a man's voice say, "Hi! How are you doing this morning?" I instinctively responded, "Doing well, how are you?" Without answering, this guy assumed the most fake church-smile possible and proceeded to lay into me about speeding: he was driving the van I passed. He asked if I thought it was a Christian example to drive so recklessly. He asked if I thought it would be the Christian thing to do if I killed someone on the way to church. He pointed out that I arrived "maybe ten seconds" earlier than him by going faster than he was going. I told him (fuming inside, calm outside) that I would think about it and thank you for your suggestions. I scampered off to worship rehearsal, even later than I was thanks to him.

This guy doesn't know me. That is not just a phrase uttered by thugs (where "You don't know me!" generally means "You are probably right that I shot up that liquor store, but without proof I am free to ignore (or even take offense to) your conjecture") — this guy had no idea whether I was even a Christian or not. Can you imagine lecturing a visitor to your church before they even hit the door? I'd think they would turn right around, get back in the car and head to Denny's instead.

What's more, how hypocritical is it to assume the ol' holier-than-thou posture and lecture someone on speeding... when you yourself are speeding?! "Well, I was technically breaking the law but at least I wasn't going as fast as you!" Why not just say, "Yes, I am a sinner, but at least I'm not as bad as you!" I think Jesus had words for those people...

What do the two stories have to do with each other? I want to believe that the person who pulled all of my weeds did so as an act of Christian service. (This flies in the face of the probable reason, which is that my neighbors, frustrated with the perfect example of white trash living that is my front yard, cursed my name and pulled the weeds, since they knew I'd never quite get to it. But work with me for a sec.) Christians see a need and meet it, regardless of whether or not they ever get recognition, whether it's a small need or a large need, whether it's simple or difficult.

At least, that's the way Christians act in my imaginary world. In the real world, Christians jump down your throat — even at church, where we are COMMANDED unity! — without giving one thought to whether it's the best thing. But it feels good, right?! Isn't it so much easier to play the modern-day Pharisee rather than getting on your hands and knees in the 105-degree weather and pulling weeds for (what might just ungrateful and rude) neighbors?

It occurred to me to be sorry for my new friend at church. I'm trying not to be angry, because my pride was definitely offended when he confronted me at church. So I don't want to be condescending, but at the same time I imagine one gets awfully lonely in one's own head when the appropriate "Christian" response is to lay into someone else at the first sign of offense.

God, help me pull weeds.