Good morning all, I know it's been a while since I've wrote on here, somehow I feel like I should be writing more, even though I'm actually writing almost every day. I'm working on this really great devotional which for the moment shall remain nameless, simply because it's rather personal. However, the questions posed within this testament have challenged me greatly in the past few months as I've been working through it day after day, and this morning the question and importance of community was examined. Not community simply for community's sake, but for the sake of Christ. Living lives of interdependence towards the end goal of being united in harmony as members of the body of Christ who all live and work together for their common good and for the glory of Christ. Quite a lofty goal, isn't it? Doesn't sound like something on a daily basis most people pursue.
The subject is examined in light of the fact that the majority of most evangelicals in America view their responsibility towards their church and their fellow believers to be distant, at best. We are vastly independent in our faith and more often than not it turns into a Jesus + Me story. We don't look at the corporate aspect of our faith and when we do, it's extremely limited.
In light of these observations, a few more observations. First, this sort of radical independence is something that Evangelicals in America fall into quite naturally as proud independent Americans who embrace all notions of freedom in practically any capacity (whether we realize it or not), there are a number of American Evangelicals who have turned corporate worship into a solitary confinement where their place of worship is at their desk or kitchen table where they find the most meaning and comfort from God. Not that private devotion isn't important, good, and necessary, but it isn't ultimate. Ultimately, we are members of the Church and Christ came to die for His Bride, the Church of which we, as individuals are all members, however, the membership has requirements more than simply saying a little prayer to get you into heaven, and showing up to church on a daily basis and scattered other social functions with the church's name on it.
Second, as important as I find the element of community and corporate worship and living together to be, I want to be careful when referencing scripture concerning the matter. In practically every discussion I have ever had on the subject, no one passage of Scripture is quoted more than Acts 2. And for good reason. On the day of Pentecost after Christ had been resurrected the Holy Spirit came down as Christ promised He would, and was imparted to thousands of people who then began living lives of corporate worship together and sharing all things in common, etc. The picture is a beautiful one, and one that I think ought to be admired. However, I think the passage has been misconstrued far too often by either using the passage to defend a worldview of communism or worse a hippy lifestyle, or it is projected onto Evangelicals as the ideal and set up on a pedestal of where American Christians should be today. Both of these perspectives worry me because I've seen the repercussions of them vividly in my own Christian experience.
The image ends up being downplayed to elements of the human realm, when in reality, there has never been a greater moment in the history of mankind outside of the God-Man Jesus Christ being on the Earth. This occasion in Scripture is one of those incredible moments where the spiritual realm and the human realm are blended together and the result reflects its severity.
For us to try and recreate those 1st century believers I think is silly. Allow me an example to illustrate my point. Christ celebrated the Last Supper in an upper room in Jerusalem with the 12 disciples and said, "Do this in remembrance of me." For thousands of years, the church has received the Eucharist through a service at church where the significance and importance of the Eucharist is explained on a weekly basis. We don't limit receiving communion to being in a small room for twelve people at a specific time of year. We've taken the circumstances and used Scripture to re-enforce the best possible way to receive the elements that nourish our souls as Christ appointed them too. Nowhere in Acts do we see Luke saying, "worship together in this way."
I understand that I'm delving into a very large pool of subject matter on which much has been said, written, and understood by men and women far more intelligent and understanding than I, however, my point is this; we need to look at the passage in Acts 2 as a reference point of something that is good, but not something that is ultimate. Trying to recreate the Acts 2 church isn't going to solve your problems. However, living lives of communal worship and making habits of living daily for one another and dying to self at any cost, that will change your life and cause you to re-evaluate what problems you might have.
I think the American Evangelical church desires at its core to create a community of interdependent Christians, but is so consumed in its consumerism and blatant autonomy that it can't see how lost it is. Any time there is a discussion about the body of believers being more important than the individual I am always reminded that this is the perspective of the Catholic church. They teach this very heavily and as a result, those who properly understand the Catholic faith live lives that reflect this important truth and it becomes apparent to all who know them because the choices they make are interdependently oriented.
So how shall we then live? In light of all of this, I think it's important that we foster habits of selflessness. We need to become more aware of how truly selfish and prideful we are. Similarly, we need to be willing to be vulnerable with one another. If we can't trust other Christian brothers and sisters, then we can't trust anyone. (If you want a practical example of what that life looks like you need look no further than the devastation that exists within many of the communities in Brazil.) Removing our pride, becoming vulnerable to one another, and pursuing lives of service to one another, to the greater body of believers and non-believers, and in so doing, serving Christ, this is what ought to be ultimate in our lives.
These are ideas that have been mustering around in my head for quite a while, and I'd be very open to feedback and questions and observations that anyone might have. Thank you all for reading and I hope this was edifying and challenging to you.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
My How My Perspective Has Changed
I haven't had a chance to write in a little while but because I am fortunate enough to be in the middle of two days off in a row, I'm finding myself with a little bit of time to do the things that I really enjoy without feeling rushed to run out the door to work. I've actually started a number of posts and haven't shared them because they've been too much ranting about how much I wasn't enjoying Texas and my negative observations about a group of people that I really haven't had enough experience with in order to make a clear judgment either way. One thing I do know however, that has not changed, is that I miss the cold, I miss the fall, and I need water!
I've always had a draw towards lakes, the ocean, any body of water really and now, living in San Antonio I feel that draw more than ever. I hope that my next stop will take me to either the East or West Coast of the Unites States, but that still remains to be seen whether or not that will actually happen.
Today however, I don't want to talk about Texas but rather about how my perspective on social situations has changed. Being an intrinsically extroverted person, I've never struggled in my adult life in social situations. But I realized recently that the way in which I now make friends, acquaintances, and network with people has changed drastically. In high school and college, making friends was merely a matter of becoming comfortable with people that I was already surrounded by on a daily basis and just drumming up enough courage to say, "Hi! What do you like to do?" Eventually, good friends were made and the details of how we met or became friends became unimportant in comparison to the gratitude that we all hold for each other in being friends.
But real life doesn't afford the same circumstances. I almost find that to be sad, but in truth it's realistic. I have to work harder at making friends and establishing good relationships with people and it takes a lot longer simply due to the fact that we all have real jobs and other obligations.
I used to hold to the idea that I could become very close friends with someone in a matter of spending 6 hours with them depending on the sort of connection established in that time. What I have come to learn especially in the past couple years, is that my truest friends are the ones who know my life outside of the circumstances that brought us together in the first place. Simply because we went to college together and share similar values doesn't mean that we are very close even though we are friends. I remember in high school I had a friend who I invited into every aspect of my life and now when we see each other she understands much better than most the full extent of what I'm talking about. Today, it's very rare for me to have such a friend. Even when talking to my best friends in the world, I will surprise them by saying I'm jetting off somewhere around the country to go visit someone they've never heard me mention before.
The argument could be made that if I hadn't mentioned them before, then they must not be very important to me, if my "best friends" have never heard of them before. However, I don't think that's true at all, particularly for me. Even though I do have many friends who I treasure and value deeply, many of them never meet each other. I don't really have "groups" of friends. I have friends, who sometimes gather into a group, but they are not a group of friends. What I mean by this is simply that I establish a connection with individuals, not groups of people. It's remarkable actually. I can connect with two people on an individual basis and when those two people come together in a social situation with me, I literally don't know what to do. I relate to each person in their own way, and so trying to connect two people together who don't know each other in the way that I know them causes me great frustration and ultimately to shut down socially. It's only when the two people know me well enough to know that this is what's going on and say, "Ben, it's ok. Just do what you want to do," that I finally feel free to establish a new level of connection between the three of us.
It's so strange. But I honestly believe it's a gift. It's also one of my largest motivations for considering getting my masters in Christian Counseling. I connect with people at the individual level because I desire naturally to invest in them and help them to improve. Even professionally speaking I do the same thing. I make friends at work and I desire to see them improve their lives. I try to motivate them to challenge themselves to do better and hope they are grateful for the challenge and don't hold it against me.
Ultimately, it has everything to do with Christ. I want to challenge people to get beyond themselves and see Christ. We all have barriers that block and inhibit our ability to see this world through the lens of Christ and I hope that perhaps Christ might use me as He has used others in my life to help me see through His lens as an instrument for His glory. We all have a mission while we are here on Earth. I believe that the mission that God has given me is to connect with people and I pray that through my relationship with them they might turn more towards Christ in prayer and thanksgiving in all things.
If I could accomplish this with just one person, then I know that my life will have been worth it. I have no desire to change the lives of thousands through great speeches and millions of dollars. But if I am privileged enough one day to hear the words of my own child say, "I am the person I am today in Christ because of my father" that will be enough for me. The impact that one person can make in terms of the community of believers, to me, is one of the most beautiful aspects of life.
There is much more that could be said on the subject, but for now I will leave you with this. Although my mode d'emploi of making friends has changed, the goal has remained consistent. To consistently seek to bless others and draw them closer to Christ in all things is all I can hope to achieve in this life. That's who I am, and who I believe God made me to be.
That's what I got for now. I hope this wasn't too tedious and thanks for sticking with me to the end. Have a great day! Ciao for now!
I've always had a draw towards lakes, the ocean, any body of water really and now, living in San Antonio I feel that draw more than ever. I hope that my next stop will take me to either the East or West Coast of the Unites States, but that still remains to be seen whether or not that will actually happen.
Today however, I don't want to talk about Texas but rather about how my perspective on social situations has changed. Being an intrinsically extroverted person, I've never struggled in my adult life in social situations. But I realized recently that the way in which I now make friends, acquaintances, and network with people has changed drastically. In high school and college, making friends was merely a matter of becoming comfortable with people that I was already surrounded by on a daily basis and just drumming up enough courage to say, "Hi! What do you like to do?" Eventually, good friends were made and the details of how we met or became friends became unimportant in comparison to the gratitude that we all hold for each other in being friends.
But real life doesn't afford the same circumstances. I almost find that to be sad, but in truth it's realistic. I have to work harder at making friends and establishing good relationships with people and it takes a lot longer simply due to the fact that we all have real jobs and other obligations.
I used to hold to the idea that I could become very close friends with someone in a matter of spending 6 hours with them depending on the sort of connection established in that time. What I have come to learn especially in the past couple years, is that my truest friends are the ones who know my life outside of the circumstances that brought us together in the first place. Simply because we went to college together and share similar values doesn't mean that we are very close even though we are friends. I remember in high school I had a friend who I invited into every aspect of my life and now when we see each other she understands much better than most the full extent of what I'm talking about. Today, it's very rare for me to have such a friend. Even when talking to my best friends in the world, I will surprise them by saying I'm jetting off somewhere around the country to go visit someone they've never heard me mention before.
The argument could be made that if I hadn't mentioned them before, then they must not be very important to me, if my "best friends" have never heard of them before. However, I don't think that's true at all, particularly for me. Even though I do have many friends who I treasure and value deeply, many of them never meet each other. I don't really have "groups" of friends. I have friends, who sometimes gather into a group, but they are not a group of friends. What I mean by this is simply that I establish a connection with individuals, not groups of people. It's remarkable actually. I can connect with two people on an individual basis and when those two people come together in a social situation with me, I literally don't know what to do. I relate to each person in their own way, and so trying to connect two people together who don't know each other in the way that I know them causes me great frustration and ultimately to shut down socially. It's only when the two people know me well enough to know that this is what's going on and say, "Ben, it's ok. Just do what you want to do," that I finally feel free to establish a new level of connection between the three of us.
It's so strange. But I honestly believe it's a gift. It's also one of my largest motivations for considering getting my masters in Christian Counseling. I connect with people at the individual level because I desire naturally to invest in them and help them to improve. Even professionally speaking I do the same thing. I make friends at work and I desire to see them improve their lives. I try to motivate them to challenge themselves to do better and hope they are grateful for the challenge and don't hold it against me.
Ultimately, it has everything to do with Christ. I want to challenge people to get beyond themselves and see Christ. We all have barriers that block and inhibit our ability to see this world through the lens of Christ and I hope that perhaps Christ might use me as He has used others in my life to help me see through His lens as an instrument for His glory. We all have a mission while we are here on Earth. I believe that the mission that God has given me is to connect with people and I pray that through my relationship with them they might turn more towards Christ in prayer and thanksgiving in all things.
If I could accomplish this with just one person, then I know that my life will have been worth it. I have no desire to change the lives of thousands through great speeches and millions of dollars. But if I am privileged enough one day to hear the words of my own child say, "I am the person I am today in Christ because of my father" that will be enough for me. The impact that one person can make in terms of the community of believers, to me, is one of the most beautiful aspects of life.
There is much more that could be said on the subject, but for now I will leave you with this. Although my mode d'emploi of making friends has changed, the goal has remained consistent. To consistently seek to bless others and draw them closer to Christ in all things is all I can hope to achieve in this life. That's who I am, and who I believe God made me to be.
That's what I got for now. I hope this wasn't too tedious and thanks for sticking with me to the end. Have a great day! Ciao for now!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
When Bad Things Happen To Good People
This Sunday morning I woke up to my alarm clock telling me it was time to get into the shower in order to get to church on time. Upon opening my eyes I noticed that for the first time since I moved to Texas it was pouring rain outside my window. The other day it had rained for most of the evening, however by the morning the rain had stopped and people were able to pretend like the wet stuff had never touched the ground. However, this morning my window was stained with water marks streaking down the glass and it made me feel like I was at home. My fan had been blowing all night and giving me the morning chill I love so much. The one where all you have to do is readjust your position under your blanket and suddenly a burst of warmth you didn't realize was there encapsulates your being and makes it that much more difficult to get out of bed.
After hitting the snooze button a couple times and debating how to move forward with this Sunday morning, I finally got out of bed and made my cup of coffee and decided that rather than going to church this morning, I would spend my time this Sunday by myself listening to a sermon by Tim Keller. My wonderful father, before I left on my road trip down here to Texas gave me an iPod full of sermons by Tim Keller and highly recommended a few of the sermon series that he placed on there.
I listened to a couple of the sermons on my way down and since then have even spent some of my quieter mornings just sipping my coffee and listening to one of these sermons as well. Generally speaking, I'm pretty active in terms of my devotional ritual. On Sunday mornings I like to go to church for Sunday School, then the actual service, and then stay for lunch and talk to people about the sermon before having to go to work. Even in my daily devotional ritual I usually spend at least an hour reading and writing about the book of Acts. (For those who don't know, I've been working on and off for the past two years on a personal commentary on the book of Acts.)
Every once in a while though, usually after a pretty exhausting couple of days, I can't seem to cope with the idea of focusing in on worshiping God in my usual determined, goal oriented way. And on those days I take comfort in knowing that God does not require of me to worship Him in the same way every day. And so this morning I decided to simply relax and listen to a Tim Keller sermon from his series on Repentance.
What's funny to me is that at times I feel like my experience as a Christian and my father's experience as a Christian are so different that there is almost no way we could both find the same pastor to be so edifying. And yet, low and behold, here I am writing about how clear and easy to understand Tim Keller is, while at the same time retaining his dedication to a biblical exegesis of Scripture. Although he is preaching to a congregation in the heart of NYC, his words expand to all who call upon Christ as their Lord and Savior. He has a tremendous gift for understanding that in our 21st century culture we are so bogged down by false pre-suppositions and poor nomenclature, that all understanding of truth has been distorted to the point where we have millions of people in the USA who have no idea what life is all about and how to live it. This is not solely an American problem, however, it is one that must be tackled and I think Tim Keller does an amazing job of not only tackling it, but doing so efficiently and with clarity.
In his sermon on repentance this morning this morning he makes a statement that struck me for a few different reasons and it is on this point that I would like to continue. He says, when something bad happens to people, i.e. a tower falls over in Siloam and 18 people are killed, the question asked by people either consciously or sub-consciously is, "Why did that happen to those people and not others or me?" "Were those people greater sinners/worse people than me that they deserved to die and I do not?"
The response that Tim Keller has to this question is remarkable because it is so backward thinking from what we are used to today, because in truth the idea is so prosaic, that we've forgotten its truth.
The question isn't "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But rather, "Why don't bad things happen more often?" Meaning, why does God spare us from calamity rather than allow us to be killed in the tower in Siloam? The pre-supposition that Dr. Keller accurately points out that most Christians today hold to is that somehow God owes us a comfortable life. Somehow, somewhere in the course of history, we got it into our heads that we deserve good things to happen to us. When in reality, if you are a Christian and you understand the radical destructive nature of sin, then you understand that you need an even more radically powerful Savior with the power to break you of your addiction to sin and turn your feet towards the path of righteousness.
We do not deserve a comfortable life. By no means. We have done nothing to deserve it, and yet the statement, "When Bad Things Happen To Good People" would imply that we deserve good things to happen to us, that God somehow owes us a good life. But the reality is that it is God's grace that spares us from calamity and suffering. We deserve to suffer because we are sinners. We do not deserve God's grace, and yet we are so fundamentally self-centered and sinful that we have totally forgotten that all that we have comes from God's hand, and nothing we have done enables us to say, "I deserve these good things."
And yet we act like that! We say in our hearts, "I've worked so hard for these good things to happen to me." But there is no satisfaction in that. There is no joy in that. What Tim Keller tells us is that repentance is a necessary doctrine for all times in our lives. When we are sad we repent. When we are happy we repent. When we are mad we repent. We need to always be repenting. And not in a sense of, "I feel guilty and God needs to forgive me because I did something wrong." But in the truest sense of repentance where we recognize how unworthy we are of the good things that God has given us, and how lucky and grateful we should be to know that we have a Savior in Jesus Christ who intercedes on our behalf to the Father that we might live. True repentance, as Tim Keller puts it, comes when you recognize how truly terrible and unworthy you are, and at the same time how perfectly loved and received you are into Christ's Kingdom as a result of His shed blood on the Cross.
"You are more evil than you could ever imagine and at the same time, you are more loved than you could ever know." This is the amazing tension of Christianity that ought to cause us to be continually repenting. It's this worldview and framework that reveals to us the true nature of our relationship to Christ and how desperately we need Him. I hope you find this encouraging Reader. I encourage you to find this sermon series and be blessed by it, just as I have on a lazy, rainy Sunday morning.
That's all for now. Ciao and God Bless!
After hitting the snooze button a couple times and debating how to move forward with this Sunday morning, I finally got out of bed and made my cup of coffee and decided that rather than going to church this morning, I would spend my time this Sunday by myself listening to a sermon by Tim Keller. My wonderful father, before I left on my road trip down here to Texas gave me an iPod full of sermons by Tim Keller and highly recommended a few of the sermon series that he placed on there.
I listened to a couple of the sermons on my way down and since then have even spent some of my quieter mornings just sipping my coffee and listening to one of these sermons as well. Generally speaking, I'm pretty active in terms of my devotional ritual. On Sunday mornings I like to go to church for Sunday School, then the actual service, and then stay for lunch and talk to people about the sermon before having to go to work. Even in my daily devotional ritual I usually spend at least an hour reading and writing about the book of Acts. (For those who don't know, I've been working on and off for the past two years on a personal commentary on the book of Acts.)
Every once in a while though, usually after a pretty exhausting couple of days, I can't seem to cope with the idea of focusing in on worshiping God in my usual determined, goal oriented way. And on those days I take comfort in knowing that God does not require of me to worship Him in the same way every day. And so this morning I decided to simply relax and listen to a Tim Keller sermon from his series on Repentance.
What's funny to me is that at times I feel like my experience as a Christian and my father's experience as a Christian are so different that there is almost no way we could both find the same pastor to be so edifying. And yet, low and behold, here I am writing about how clear and easy to understand Tim Keller is, while at the same time retaining his dedication to a biblical exegesis of Scripture. Although he is preaching to a congregation in the heart of NYC, his words expand to all who call upon Christ as their Lord and Savior. He has a tremendous gift for understanding that in our 21st century culture we are so bogged down by false pre-suppositions and poor nomenclature, that all understanding of truth has been distorted to the point where we have millions of people in the USA who have no idea what life is all about and how to live it. This is not solely an American problem, however, it is one that must be tackled and I think Tim Keller does an amazing job of not only tackling it, but doing so efficiently and with clarity.
In his sermon on repentance this morning this morning he makes a statement that struck me for a few different reasons and it is on this point that I would like to continue. He says, when something bad happens to people, i.e. a tower falls over in Siloam and 18 people are killed, the question asked by people either consciously or sub-consciously is, "Why did that happen to those people and not others or me?" "Were those people greater sinners/worse people than me that they deserved to die and I do not?"
The response that Tim Keller has to this question is remarkable because it is so backward thinking from what we are used to today, because in truth the idea is so prosaic, that we've forgotten its truth.
The question isn't "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But rather, "Why don't bad things happen more often?" Meaning, why does God spare us from calamity rather than allow us to be killed in the tower in Siloam? The pre-supposition that Dr. Keller accurately points out that most Christians today hold to is that somehow God owes us a comfortable life. Somehow, somewhere in the course of history, we got it into our heads that we deserve good things to happen to us. When in reality, if you are a Christian and you understand the radical destructive nature of sin, then you understand that you need an even more radically powerful Savior with the power to break you of your addiction to sin and turn your feet towards the path of righteousness.
We do not deserve a comfortable life. By no means. We have done nothing to deserve it, and yet the statement, "When Bad Things Happen To Good People" would imply that we deserve good things to happen to us, that God somehow owes us a good life. But the reality is that it is God's grace that spares us from calamity and suffering. We deserve to suffer because we are sinners. We do not deserve God's grace, and yet we are so fundamentally self-centered and sinful that we have totally forgotten that all that we have comes from God's hand, and nothing we have done enables us to say, "I deserve these good things."
And yet we act like that! We say in our hearts, "I've worked so hard for these good things to happen to me." But there is no satisfaction in that. There is no joy in that. What Tim Keller tells us is that repentance is a necessary doctrine for all times in our lives. When we are sad we repent. When we are happy we repent. When we are mad we repent. We need to always be repenting. And not in a sense of, "I feel guilty and God needs to forgive me because I did something wrong." But in the truest sense of repentance where we recognize how unworthy we are of the good things that God has given us, and how lucky and grateful we should be to know that we have a Savior in Jesus Christ who intercedes on our behalf to the Father that we might live. True repentance, as Tim Keller puts it, comes when you recognize how truly terrible and unworthy you are, and at the same time how perfectly loved and received you are into Christ's Kingdom as a result of His shed blood on the Cross.
"You are more evil than you could ever imagine and at the same time, you are more loved than you could ever know." This is the amazing tension of Christianity that ought to cause us to be continually repenting. It's this worldview and framework that reveals to us the true nature of our relationship to Christ and how desperately we need Him. I hope you find this encouraging Reader. I encourage you to find this sermon series and be blessed by it, just as I have on a lazy, rainy Sunday morning.
That's all for now. Ciao and God Bless!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Hilary Hahn and Bach
This evening, as I sometimes do, I began browsing around some of my favorite musicians websites. This search naturally took me towards the website of Ms. Hilary Hahn. I have written before of her playing and albums. Her Higdon and Tchaikovsky album I critiqued on my other blog while I was living in Europe almost 18 months ago. I enjoyed the album and actually my appreciation for it has grown over time, as all fine quality music does. Miss Hahn will be releasing a new album in the coming months of 27 new encores written for solo violin. It's a very exciting project and I am excited to see what comes of it, considering her talent and ability to interpret a composers wishes so precisely.
What surprised me this evening, however, was to look at her discography and see that her very first album that she released fifteen years ago in 1997 were the complete Bach sonatas and partitas. A bold task for any musician, especially one of her age. Yet her interpretation of the infamous Bach Chaconne has become the standard recording for many violinists today. What I am asking myself today, however, is how her interpretation would sound different today. If I have one critique of Miss Hahn, it is that her sound is very consistent and sometimes lacks excitement. Balance and consistency is key to the playing of Bach, which is why her interpretations are so stellar. However, with those strengths being so accentuated in all of her playing i wonder if perhaps her interpretation today wouldn't be exactly the same as it was 15 years ago. Of course there would be definite maturation of sound, perhaps slight differences in articulation. But overall I picture no great difference.
For an artist with her depth and understanding of music, it surprises me that her tone is as consistent as it is. She established such a mature sound at such a young age, I almost believe that she plateaued with that first recording. Her interpretations of modern works are so clean and precise that she champions whatever is presented in front of her with such perfection that the works almost seem to daunting to attempt afterwards.
However, the classcs are open to such wide variety of interpretation that I honestly prefer many other violinists recordings to hers for many of the classic concertos such as the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.
I don't mean to be unnecessarily critical, but I believe that artists have a responsibility to branch out and try new things. I believe that Hahn has done an outstanding job of inspiring new compositions from multiple different composers and exposing the public to new works they might not otherwise listen to, I simply desire to see more pain and passion within her playing and not so much arithmetic.
These are the thoughts of a violinist on a Monday night. Who knows what the rest of the week might hold. Have a wonderful evening. Bye for now!
What surprised me this evening, however, was to look at her discography and see that her very first album that she released fifteen years ago in 1997 were the complete Bach sonatas and partitas. A bold task for any musician, especially one of her age. Yet her interpretation of the infamous Bach Chaconne has become the standard recording for many violinists today. What I am asking myself today, however, is how her interpretation would sound different today. If I have one critique of Miss Hahn, it is that her sound is very consistent and sometimes lacks excitement. Balance and consistency is key to the playing of Bach, which is why her interpretations are so stellar. However, with those strengths being so accentuated in all of her playing i wonder if perhaps her interpretation today wouldn't be exactly the same as it was 15 years ago. Of course there would be definite maturation of sound, perhaps slight differences in articulation. But overall I picture no great difference.
For an artist with her depth and understanding of music, it surprises me that her tone is as consistent as it is. She established such a mature sound at such a young age, I almost believe that she plateaued with that first recording. Her interpretations of modern works are so clean and precise that she champions whatever is presented in front of her with such perfection that the works almost seem to daunting to attempt afterwards.
However, the classcs are open to such wide variety of interpretation that I honestly prefer many other violinists recordings to hers for many of the classic concertos such as the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.
I don't mean to be unnecessarily critical, but I believe that artists have a responsibility to branch out and try new things. I believe that Hahn has done an outstanding job of inspiring new compositions from multiple different composers and exposing the public to new works they might not otherwise listen to, I simply desire to see more pain and passion within her playing and not so much arithmetic.
These are the thoughts of a violinist on a Monday night. Who knows what the rest of the week might hold. Have a wonderful evening. Bye for now!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Age of Not Believing
The title of this post comes from one of my favorite childhood movies, Bed Knobs and Broomsticks. And yet nothing further in this post will have anything to do with said favorite childhood film. What am I not believing you ask? Or perhaps, better yet, who is not believing? Well let me tell you! Everyone! That's who! Allow me to elaborate before you become altogether too confused and bored to continue reading.
I'm 23. Almost 24. College graduate. Recently employed. What does this mean professionally speaking? Absolutely nothing. The fact is that although I am no longer a college student and am seeking to establish myself professionally, no one professional actually takes me seriously because I'm 23, almost 24, and a recent college graduate. I have come to realize that I am stuck, yet again, in a period of life in which only certain people can identify with me. Maybe that's all life is. Maybe it's the reason why old people only hang out with old people. Or parents only hang out with other parents. I suppose it makes sense. But at the same time. I'm still miffed. I don't look at old people and think, "I can't identify with you do to your ridiculously large age." I seek to learn from anyone that will take the time to sit down and talk to me about what's going on in their own life and the questions they are asking.
I'm frustrated because I enjoyed college, but I am grateful that it is over. It was fun. I learned a lot, I practiced violin more than I ever thought I would, and now, I am working at a restaurant and hardly practicing violin at all, desperately trying to keep up both my French and German skills, and deciphering between grad school and seminary in France. All that aside, I think simply having the respect of other young professionals would aide me in my decision making process.
It really comes down to community. While at Hillsdale I had a great community of like-minded friends and believers who encouraged me and challenged me daily. Nowadays, I have to actively seek out anyone my age that lives near me and pray that they understand only a small portion of where my life is and can offer me at least some moral support.
Here's the thing. I had a great night tonight. I served Mayor Dave Bing and made a decent amount of money. I was able to get out of work a little after 10pm, which is shocking, and will hopefully be able to get a full night's sleep tonight to rest me to be able to work a double tomorrow.
But I had no one to share that with, besides you, dear reader, and look how faithful to you I have been. No one I could call and share my little victory with. Life simply continues, and no one knows the difference. I suppose perhaps I am simply saying, "Hey! Someone pay attention to me!" But I think it's more than that. I believe that life brings us various trials with the different stages that we go through as well, and I think this sentiment of loneliness is one of the greatest trials that I am dealing with at the moment. I know it's not forever. (Praise the Lord!) But the difficulty and question remains? How do I go forward? What is supposed to propel me forward into whatever stage might be next? These are the questions I am asking and seeking answers for. If you have any, let me know. Also, if you know of anyone who is around 23-30,Christian, and wants to live in the metro Detroit area, let me know, cause it would be great to get a roommate and move out of my parents house. And I know they would appreciate it too.
That is all for now. I will try to be more consistent in the future. We'll have to see if I am fortunate enough to be blessed with more evenings like this in the future. Ciao Ciao!
I'm 23. Almost 24. College graduate. Recently employed. What does this mean professionally speaking? Absolutely nothing. The fact is that although I am no longer a college student and am seeking to establish myself professionally, no one professional actually takes me seriously because I'm 23, almost 24, and a recent college graduate. I have come to realize that I am stuck, yet again, in a period of life in which only certain people can identify with me. Maybe that's all life is. Maybe it's the reason why old people only hang out with old people. Or parents only hang out with other parents. I suppose it makes sense. But at the same time. I'm still miffed. I don't look at old people and think, "I can't identify with you do to your ridiculously large age." I seek to learn from anyone that will take the time to sit down and talk to me about what's going on in their own life and the questions they are asking.
I'm frustrated because I enjoyed college, but I am grateful that it is over. It was fun. I learned a lot, I practiced violin more than I ever thought I would, and now, I am working at a restaurant and hardly practicing violin at all, desperately trying to keep up both my French and German skills, and deciphering between grad school and seminary in France. All that aside, I think simply having the respect of other young professionals would aide me in my decision making process.
It really comes down to community. While at Hillsdale I had a great community of like-minded friends and believers who encouraged me and challenged me daily. Nowadays, I have to actively seek out anyone my age that lives near me and pray that they understand only a small portion of where my life is and can offer me at least some moral support.
Here's the thing. I had a great night tonight. I served Mayor Dave Bing and made a decent amount of money. I was able to get out of work a little after 10pm, which is shocking, and will hopefully be able to get a full night's sleep tonight to rest me to be able to work a double tomorrow.
But I had no one to share that with, besides you, dear reader, and look how faithful to you I have been. No one I could call and share my little victory with. Life simply continues, and no one knows the difference. I suppose perhaps I am simply saying, "Hey! Someone pay attention to me!" But I think it's more than that. I believe that life brings us various trials with the different stages that we go through as well, and I think this sentiment of loneliness is one of the greatest trials that I am dealing with at the moment. I know it's not forever. (Praise the Lord!) But the difficulty and question remains? How do I go forward? What is supposed to propel me forward into whatever stage might be next? These are the questions I am asking and seeking answers for. If you have any, let me know. Also, if you know of anyone who is around 23-30,Christian, and wants to live in the metro Detroit area, let me know, cause it would be great to get a roommate and move out of my parents house. And I know they would appreciate it too.
That is all for now. I will try to be more consistent in the future. We'll have to see if I am fortunate enough to be blessed with more evenings like this in the future. Ciao Ciao!
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