the local "scene"

Nick Carleton Band at the Steaming Bean

Last night I went to see the Nick Carleton Band at a Christian bookstore and coffee shop in Parker and it was a good night. I was introduced to their music by one of the girls I work with. She made me a mix CD that included their song, "Father of My Dreams." Which, despite some unimaginative lyrics, is really touching and honest. Anyway, I found out they are a local band and I had wanted to go see them and it worked out that I could go last night. I was really impressed. Nick has a really remarkable voice. They were just sound checking and he started singing "Here is Our King" and sounded excellent! I love David Crowder and the way he writes worship songs but, for better or worse, many people have a hard time sounding good when they sing his songs because his voice is so distinctive and unique. I don't believe that someone has to necessarily sound like the original writer or recording artist but Crowder's songs do present a unique set of problems. But I have never heard anyone sound as clear and on key! They were really personable, I liked their other original songs, and it was a really excellent low-key environment. My only gripe was that they took forever to transition between songs.

Vigil Praise

One of the great things we do here in the Archdiocese of Denver is have vigil praise once a month at the John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization. The seminarians do the music and, I suppose, plan the liturgy. Anyway, it consists of Eucharistic adoration, Night Prayer, confession, readings, exhortation, and music. Tonight a priest from the Community of the Beatitudes gave an AWESOME exhortation. The guys who do music do a really good job, too. When we chant it's so lovely to have hundreds of people participating, they play acoustic style: guitar, congas, and keyboard. I love the atmosphere at vigil praise because, as we prayed tonight from Psalm 24, I genuinely feel like it is a community of people who want to be purified and see the face of the Lord.

Recently we've been singing Chris Tomlin's "Wonderful Maker" and it's a song I really love to sing. I especially love the parallelism at the beginning and the little contradictory phrase "how majestic Your whisper." It's sort of a healing kind of song.

You spread out the skies over empty space
Said "let there be light"
Into a dark and formless world Your light
was born

You spread out Your arms over empty hearts
Said "let there be light"
Into a dark and hopeless world Your Son
was born

You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent Your only Son for You are good

What a wonderful Maker
What a wonderful Savior
How majestic Your whispers
And how humble Your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a Father
How majestic Your whispers
What a wonderful God

No eye has fully seen, how beautiful the cross
And we have only heard
The faintest whispers of how great You are